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FOOD l HEALTH & BEAUTY l MOTORING l HOME & GARDEN l PETS

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♥

FEBRUARY 2016

46

Editor’s Letter

Welcome to February!

t to see February is the month when we star its way. on ng spri and g rgin eme ers the flow th’s There is a flowery theme to this mon for s idea of ty magazine with plen Valentine’s Day. reader’s Please read the story of one of our Nepal in age han time with the Angels Orp they are k wor le edib incr on page 10 and the ake. hqu eart nt rece doing after the the With half term this month, check out the and 6, e pag details of Abbey Skate on ham pen Chip at p Make and Do Worksho e 28.

Museum and Heritage Centre on pag

52 36

like If you have a local event you would il it to us ema just e, published in the next issu tion. men a it give to and we will do our best Until next time ...

Annie

Your Local

TownCr er Magazine

The Stables, Fishers Brook, Calne, Wilts. SN11 9HB Tel: 01249 811068 www. towncriermagazine.com Deadline for submissions for the March 2016 issue: 9th February 2016 Editor: contact@towncriermagazine.com Advertising: contact@towncriermagazine.com Artwork: production@towncriermagazine.com CONDITIONS OF ADVERTISING: The Editor reserves the right to refuse any copy which she feels may not be appropriate material for print. No responsibility will be taken for any damage or loss of material caused by inaccuracy or omission of any advertisement. Artwork prepared by us remains the property of The Town Crier Magazine and reproduction in any form is expressly forbidden without prior permission from the Editor. We provide artwork free of charge and where possible we will adhere to your request on layouts and type, but we cannot guarantee an exact copy. If you wish to produce your own artwork to a specific layout, or have any changes to an existing advert, please ensure your copy is with us by the 1st of month prior to publication at the latest.

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the The Town Crier Magazine.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

MAGAZINE SECTIONS Local Focus

6-28

Food & Drink

34-37

Health & Beauty

38-49

Pets 50-51 Home & Garden

58-65

Motoring

58-59

Building & Home Improvement

66-73

Index of Advertisers

74

40 Open House

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30 Travel Mauritius

Local Focus

Local News and Events

28 Puzzle Corner Crossword & Sudoku

36 Recipe

Yorkshire Pudding Day

46 Health Matters

Take Heart - Give Blood

52 Gardening Valentine’s Gardener

Iceland

38 Valentine’s Day Scents Appeal

The Language of Flowers

48 Chinese New Year

Year of the Monkey

50 Nest Box Week 14th-21st February

56 Kevin Sanders 58 Motoring Mayhem Credibility and Expertise Vapours

60 A Good Read The Ice Twins

The Fairy-tale Detectives

70 Philip Bromiley True Love

72 Jo Deacon Blooming Flowers

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

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ON W NE HAT A R ’S YO U

♥ Local Focus FEBRUARY 2016

What’s happening locally • News • Events • Charities • Clubs

New Team Member at local Heating and Plumbing Company Laura Gough-Karaoli is a new team member at Wiltshire’s leading heating and plumbing specialists.

The 35-year-old has joined John Williams Heating Services, based in Chippenham, as an administrator. She is now one of a team which works across Wiltshire and the surrounding area.

Laura was previously working in the travel industry in Greece before making the move back to the UK and into a role within the Chippenham-based firm.

She said: “I was attracted to John Williams Heating Services as it’s a family-run local business within a tight-knit, efficient team and I like that kind of working environment.”

Laura now lives in Pewsham with her husband Ilias and their children Elsie, aged five and Christos, aged three.

John Williams Heating Services is based on the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate in Chippenham and is now in its 11th year of business. The company has won multiple business awards and is a Which? Trusted Trader and is registered with CheckATrade.com. For more details visit www.jwheating.co.uk or contact John or Debbie Williams on 01249 709024

For the eighth year running, the 12th century former Benedictine Abbey in Malmesbury, is to be transformed from a working church to a skatepark, welcoming hundreds of young people over the February half term (17th-19th February).

This year we are adding a new soft-play session for pre-schoolers on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th February from 10.30-12.30.

For more information, or to book a session, parents and young people must visit www.malmesburyabbey.com/skate

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What’s On

Diary Dates FEBRUARY 2016

i

SHOWSTOPPERS 12th Feb 2016 7:30 pm The Neeld, Chippenham A brand new musical comedy is created from scratch at every single performance of this award-winning show. Each night, audience suggestions are instantly transformed into an all-singing, alldancing production, always with unpredictable and hilarious results! For latest information visit: www.neeld.co.uk/event/ VALENTINE’S PARTY Saturday 13th Feb 2016 8pm to midnight, Calne Town Hall Rock the night away with The Ray Jones Band, playing rock to modern-day classics mixed with some originals. Tickets £5 – Calne Visitor & Community Information Centre. Over 18s only, licensed bar. www.calne.gov.uk, 01249 814000 MARK GEARY The Neeld, Chippenham 13th Feb Dublin-native Mark Geary is a celebrated musician who began his career more than 20 years ago.

His songwriting skills and engaging live performances have garnered him a reputation as one of the finest song-smiths of his generation evoking comparisons to artists such as John Lennon and Elliot Smith.

See: www.neeld.co.uk/event MALMESBURY ABBEY SKATE At Malmesbury Abbey 17th-19th February For the eighth year running, the 12th century former Benedictine Abbey in Malmesbury, is to be transformed from a working church to a skatepark, welcoming hundreds of young people over the February half term (17th19th February). This year we are adding a new soft-play session for pre-schoolers on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th February from 10.30-12.30. To book tickets please visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/ malmesburyabbey 8

HALF TERM WORKSHOPS 16-18 February 2016 Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre. Make and Do Sessions.

FREE - Just drop In. Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult.

Please book with museum for more information 01249 705020 www.chippenham.gov.uk TOWN HALL MOVIOLA SUNSET SONG (12a) Town Hall, 17th February at 7.30.pm.

Adapted from the classic book written by Lewis Grassic Gibbon and starring newcomer model turned actress Agyness Deyn.

She grows up with her brother in Scotland inside a tough family environment where her father is a domestic tyrant. The film portrays her life through courtship,marriage and motherhood until the world turns upside down with the outbreak of war in 1914.

Doors open at 7.00. Refreshments available. Tickets £6.00 from the Information centre or on the door.

JODY KAMALI – SPECTACULAR! The Neeld, Chippenham 19th Feb Set in the world of the dysfunctional Gorbachev Circus of Wonder, this is a circus like no other as Jody takes you into his playfully silly and imaginative world. For details see: www.neeld.co.uk/event SNOWDROP FESTIVAL Lacock Abbey, High Street, Lacock, Wiltshire, SN15 2LG 01249 730459 Lacock Abbey Gardens in Wiltshire will open for the Snowdrop Festival on Wednesday 24 February and Saturday 27 February.

The National Gardens Scheme is excited to invite members of the public to enjoy its first ever Snowdrop Festival in February 2016.

The Festival will see more than one hundred gardens

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

open across England and Wales through the month of February, giving visitors the opportunity to see veritable carpets of beautiful snowdrops and watch spring slowly unfurl from winter. Supported

by Visit England, the Snowdrop Festival will kick-off Visit England’s ‘Year of the English Garden 2016’ campaign. www.ngs.org.uk/ gardens/snowdrop-festival-2016. aspx and www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ lacock-abbey-fox-talbot-museumand-village MARDEN HOUSE CONCERTS Sunday 28th February 2016 at 3.00 pm Marden House, Calne Matthew Scott, Clarinet and Christine Zerafa, piano: Matthew Scott is an emerging soloist and chamber musician described as “Breathtakingly brilliant. A rising star” – London Festival Sinfonia.

He will be accompanied by multiaward winning pianist Christine Zerafa. Their programme will be a whistle stop tour of Europe and the USA with works by Poulenc, Debussy, Burgmuller, Weiner, Ireland and Muczynski.

Tickets: £12 Adults, £1 Fulltime Students. Available from: Calne Information Centre, www. marlboroughboxoffice.co.uk or at the door. More information at www.mardenhouseconcerts.co.uk WEDDING FAIR Calne Town Hall 11am - 3pm Sunday 28th February 2016 Meet an inspiring array of local wedding suppliers in Calne’s historic Town Hall. With complimentary light refreshments and wedding pack for every couple. www.calne.gov.uk, 01249 814000 MARCH 2016

i

BIG SCREEN BEVERSBROOK Friday 4th March THE MARTIAN (12a) @ Big Screen Beversbrook. Film starts at 8pm, bar open from 7pm for drinks and snacks. Free parking.

Tickets: £4 Adults, £2.50 Under 16s, £12.50 Family (2 adults + 2 children) Like Big Screen Beversbrook on Facebook for the latest film screenings.

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Portsmouth (Gunwharf Quay, Historic Dockyard, Spinnaker Tower) Southsea Gloucester Quays Slimbridge Wetland Centre

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Milton Keynes Shopping & Market Day Bletchley Park: Home of the Codebreakers Bluewater Shopping Centre Historic Dockyard, Chatham Call The Midwife Experience inc. Afternoon Tea & Dockyard

Wed Feb 17

Bond In Motion: London Film Museum & Free Time London Eye & 4D Film Experience Bristol Aquarium Bristol Zoo Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre, Bristol

LOCAL PICK-UP POINTS

Thu Feb 18 BBC Broadcasting House Tour & Westfield London

Brooklands Museum: Birthplace of British Motorsport & Aviation

Kingston upon Thames Fri Feb 19

Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter The View from The Shard & Borough Market Borough Market, London

Sat Feb 20

Lymington (Market Day) & New Forest London (Kensington or Park Lane) Tower of London

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9

Local Focus

Truly a Privilege THERE IS A SAYING that I am sure you know – ‘be careful what you wish for’.

Well, just before we went off to Nepal we put out appeals in the Town Crier and wished for ‘volunteers’. We wanted them to come and live on a very basic level and work very hard, and manually, in a remote village spread up and down the mountains. Not much to ask then! Asking for volunteers and seeing what turns up is a bit like a ‘blind-date’ – you don’t know what you are going to get until you get it, so it was with some trepidation we welcomed our four responders. We need not have feared – they were amazing, so much so that we named them ‘the ‘A’ Team’ – Laurence, Ana, Dee, Rebecca.

We went to rebuild homes but the villagers wanted us to help the school – a replacement hasty construction in modern materials that, although ‘finished’, was left in a leaky, concrete dust ridden, unusable state. They all set to work including our older boys Raju, Nischal and Nimesh, and the ‘B Team’ i.e. backup team, Ian Brian and Rosa, but ‘The A Team’ stayed for almost 3 weeks doing the brunt of the work.

We laid carpets and underlay, sealed and painted floors, mended ceilings, painted benches, Laurence, Raju and Nischal made shoes racks, book shelves and a lockable cupboard for the Principal. ‘The A Team’ decorated the outside of the school so that it looked magnificent – ‘just like a private school’ as Nischal said. Not only did they do the work, ‘The A Team’ won the hearts of the villagers, big and small, young and old. We, the Friends’, and the villagers of Kodari, owe them an ENORMOUS THANK YOU. Rosa Matheson 10

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

Dee Freeston from Royal Wootton Bassett writes I have been so privileged to have spent thirty days in Nepal, working in a remote village (75km from the capital Kathmandu) devastated by the earthquakes of April and May 2015.

I had read in the Town Crier of the need for volunteers through the local charity Friends of Angel’s Orphanage and felt this was my opportunity to repay the kindness of the Nepalese people. The charity looks after 21 children in Kathmandu, One could not wish to meet more delightful, friendly, happy, mischievous, talented children – such a far cry from the same children they took on nearly 7years ago. We took 3 of the older boys with us to act as interpreters and help with carpentry and electrical work.

The villagers welcomed us with open arms and soon got over these strange ‘foreigners’ ! We lived in tents alongside the corrugated tin and tarpaulin dwellings that are now their homes. Only 2 out of 150 houses remained standing after the earthquakes. At best, they had very little and yet still delighted in bringing us a handful of cherry tomatoes, a few bananas, a chilli concoction and -heaven forbid ! – fried wasps and larvae! Not for the faint hearted ! Rice and veggies were our staple diet cooked over an open fire with up to 40 locals of every age watching and sharing wherever possible.

The walk to school each day took us through rice and millet terraces that climbed the foothills, the ‘often tiny ‘ children working three hours before school along with their elders. The original school had been replaced by a temporary unfinished building which we were able to paint, carpet ,equip and make safe horrendous electrics and bring it to life with characters painted on the outside walls.

Each child had one pencil, one rubber, one text book and exercise book ... full stop. NOTHING else. The joy on their faces as we brought so much donated stationary is something I will never forget. Colouring books, felt tips, crayons, white boards, flashcards – everything our own children take for granted. We made bracelets, paper planes, cards, posters, we skipped and sang and danced, face painted, we blew up hundreds of balloons that delighted not only little ones but the teenagers, the Mums and Dads and old Grannies !! Most had never seen a balloon before.

There is so much still to do for this village, the school, the Children’s Home, and for the Nepalese people. I am very conscious that any help we can give is given with respect for their way of life. To work together has been invaluable and enriching with friendships to last a lifetime. Thank you.

The Friends of Angel’s Orphanage Trustees, Ian, Rosa and Brian are going out again as usual in March, along with two supporters. We will be working with our children, as always, and again trying to give much needed relief to earthquake victims. This time we gave almost 600 warm cosy hats to school children in different villages, and 500 warm shawls, to babies, school children, old people and women to help against the cold winter weather.

If you want to help these projects please donate at www.bit.ly/angelsbiggive To support our children through desperately difficult times, donate via www.angelsorphanage.com

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

11

What’s On

GARY RICHARDSON Guitar and Bass Guitar Tuition For all ages, beginners or advanced players Learn to play in the style of your choice

Tel: 01249 324355

Based in Calne e-mail: garyrichardson62@hotmail.com

New Guitar Tutor in Calne I have been playing the guitar for 40 years now. I worked as a professional musician in North Wales, before moving to Calne last year. I play both lead guitar and bass guitar. I have played numerous live gigs, appeared regularly on TV and Radio and recorded several albums, both as a member of bands and as a session musician. I have played a wide range of music – covers, original material, rock, blues, folk, country, reggae, jazz, acoustic...

I have taught mostly one-to-one lessons but have also taught group classes for youth clubs, a mentalhealth charity and a college. I teach both guitar and bass guitar. As a teacher, I have no set program, preferring to guide my students towards playing whatever kind of music they like. I tend to get some students who want to play like Taylor Swift and others who want to play like The Beatles or Metallica.

So I wouldn't expect them all to be interested in learning, say 'London Bridge Is Falling Down' or 'On Top Of Old Smokey'. Especially as you can play Bob Dylan, Oasis, Green Day or Sam Smith songs using the same chords! I like teaching people music they love.

Gary Richardson

12

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

Food & River Festival seeks Vital Ingredients The first ever combined Food and Drink and River Festival, held on King George V Playing Field, had an incredibly successful opening year in 2015; it showcased local food and drink providers, provided free entertainment with local bands, and offered boat trips and other events on the River Avon. It was estimated that between 6,000 and 7,000 people attended over the weekend, enjoying all that the festival had on offer.

Adrienne Westbrook, is on the lookout for volunteers to help organize next year’s event. Helpers are needed both to plan the event beforehand, and to assist over the weekend of September 3rd - 4th 2016. Please get in touch with Adrienne Westbook on 01225 704187.

The committee has already received some bookings for next year, but would love to hear from local food and drink providers who would like to book a pitch and be involved in this very important event in Melksham’s calendar. This really is a fantastic opportunity to promote the wonderful range of produce which Wiltshire has to offer. We are hoping to have a number gazebos for hire to fit a 3m² pitch, so if you don’t have your own, please get in touch to book one as soon as possible, as they will be available on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

Stallholders should email info@melkshamfoodandriverfestival.co.uk Ring 01225 704584 or visit the website: www. melkshamfoodfestival.weebly.com for a pack.

VISION.TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

13

Local Focus

Pound Arts The Pound, Pound Pill, Corsham, SN13 9HX 01249 701628 / 712618 For more information visit www.poundarts.org.uk

PAPPY'S LIVE AT THE POUND FRI, 5 FEB 2016 Catch Britain’s Best Live Sketch Team at The Pound for one night only, performing some of their classic sketches and some new bits.

LUKE DANIELS: REVOLVE AND ROTATE SAT, 6 FEB 2016 The BBC award winning musician returns for an all new ‘coin operated’ show combining his outstanding talents as a songwriter, guitarist, pianist and melodeon virtuoso with that of a restored Polyphon machine c1880.

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL: RUFF GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE SAT, 6 FEB 2016 The life, the times and every single play - all in one hour!

CSCAPE DANCE - TASTE SAT, 20 FEB 2016 Tea: how do you take yours?

Milk no sugar. Milk in first. No milk at all? What’s behind our choices?

What defines our identity?

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: AS YOU LIKE IT THU, 25 FEB 2016 Shakespeare’s glorious comedy of love and change comes to the National Theatre for the first time in over 30 years, with Rosalie Craig (London Road, Macbeth at MIF) as Rosalind.

PLATFORM 4: THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY DRINKER FRI, 26 FEB 2016 A bar in the Rue de Tournon, Paris, 2am. Closing time, but two street performers persuade a tired landlady to give them one ‘last’ drink and to hear their story.

GORDIE MACKEEMAN AND HIS RHYTHM BOYS SAT, 27 FEB 2016 The multi-award-winning Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys serve up old-time roots music with an energy level that practically yanks you out of your seat by the collar.

14

Fairtrade Fortnight What did you have for breakfast this morning? Maybe you enjoyed coffee from Kenya, bananas from Colombia, cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire, tea from India, sugar from Malawi or juice from Brazilian oranges.

Millions of farmers and workers in developing countries work hard every day to grow the food we take for granted, but ironically they don’t always earn enough to feed their own families. In other words, they do not have food security. Fairtrade is about changing that. Its aim is to secure better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers.

By being paid a fair price, they can have more control over their lives and less worry about how they will feed their families. Fairtrade means many farmers and workers are able to fulfil a basic human need – to put enough food on the table for the people they care about, all year round.

When you buy products with the FAIRTRADE Mark, it means that the Fairtrade ingredients they contain have been produced by small-scale farmer organisations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards. These standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment, payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in schools, transport, health care, sanitation, an improved environment and better business equipment and practices.

There are over 4,500 Fairtrade products available in the UK: from coffee, tea and chocolate to beauty products, flowers and gold. One in three bananas bought is Fairtrade, and British consumers choosing Fairtrade sugar sent more than

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

£5 million in Fairtrade premium back to sugar cane smallholders last year. Choosing to buy food with the FAIRTRADE Mark really does make a huge difference to thousands of farmers, workers and their families.

From 29 February until 13 March 2016 is Fairtrade Fortnight, during which ordinary people like you and me are encouraged to inspire a multitude of Fairtrade breakfasts in our communities – and wake others up to the challenges facing farmers and workers.

There are three simple steps to get involved: • Organise your own Big Fairtrade Breakfast • Inspire others to host a breakfast (for example, in a school, workplace, town hall or individuals at home) • Register your breakfast on the Big Fairtrade Breakfast totaliser to make sure it gets counted.

You can find everything you need at fairtrade.org.uk/breakfast.

No one person can do everything to tackle the injustices that exist in the world, but harnessing the power of a Fairtrade breakfast is something we can all do. So, sit down for breakfast and stand up for farmers!

by Debbie Singh-Bhatti

Tee off at Bowood and enjoy winter golf at its best!

Silver Joint membership from only £167 until 31st March, per couple Winter green fees* from only £35 including lunch and a pint Driving Range Bundle offer – treat yourself or buy as a gift for just £75 Private Golf Lessons from just £20 For more information or to book, call 01249 822228, email proshop@bowood.org, visit www.bowood.org/golf or search online for 'Bowood Winter Green Fees'

* Green fees from 1st November – 31st March

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HOTEL • GOLF • SPA • WEDDINGS • EVENTS • RESTAURANTS • HOUSE & GARDENS

Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort Derry Hill, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 9PQ

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

15

Local Focus Chippenham Reflexologist and founder of NuReflexology Gabriela Slater was raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance during World Reflexology Week in 2015.

Gabriela offered hand reflexology to mums at Derry Tots in Derry Hill, Active Potential Therapy in Chippenham and Hair and Nails @44 in Malmesbury, in return for a donation to Wiltshire Air Ambulance. In total she gave 20 sessions and raised £100 pounds. Everybody who took part in the celebration of World Reflexology Week really enjoyed the experience.

“Raising money for such a fantastic charity like Wiltshire Air Ambulance was a very rewarding experience. I chose this particular charity as their work is so valuable to the people of Wiltshire where I live. My fundraising is only a drop in the ocean for them as it costs a lot of money to keep the service running” said Gabriela.

One of the participants Claire Cox, said “I had a great session with

Chippenham Reflexologist fundraising for Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Gabriela, it’s a very nice idea to raise money in this way and it also allowed me to relax during my lunch break by having hand reflexology.”

Rebecca de la Bedoyere, Fundraising Manager at Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said: “World Reflexology Week coincided with National Air Ambulance Week and we are so grateful to Gabriela for raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Money raised by businesses is vital in keeping our lifesaving service operational. We need to raise £2.5 million a year, or £6,850 a day, to keep the air ambulance flying.”

This great experience made me aware that there are always people needing help and even a small donation can make a big difference.

What can you do in 2016 to make a difference?

To find out more about Gabriela Slater visit www.nureflexology.co.uk

New! Calne Telephone Befriending Service Our telephone befriending service is expanding in Calne. AUKW has received funding from Calne Lions to deliver a new telephone befriending service to residents in Calne and surrounding villages.

The service will run from Calne’s Community Hub on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 12am. If you are interested in volunteering there, know someone who might be or want to use the service, please contact susan.sullivan@ ageukwiltshire.org.uk.

Somebody near you needs a friendly phone call We are looking for telephone befrienders to volunteer with Age UK Wiltshire Please contact us on 01380 727767 or visit www.ageukwiltshire.org.uk for more information

16

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

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17

Local Focus

Calne Town Centre Masterplan What is the Masterplan?

The Masterplan represents some exciting plans for the reinvention of Calne’s town centre.

The Town Council commissioned a Vision and Scoping Study, asking how people want the whole town to evolve towards 2026. The study concluded with a vision for the town: ‘A prosperous market town with a thriving local economy in which people want to live and work…

An inclusive and lively community that possesses the skills and businesses to remain competitive, and generates economic opportunities to meet local employment need’ What will the Masterplan look like?

Taking into account public opinion gathered over the past couple of years, the Masterplan seeks to: • Deliver an improved mix of retail including café’s and bars, creating a night-time economy and places for the community to socialise in their own town.

• Create a square/piazza using some of the empty car parking space.

• Introduce more culture.

• Create an access road from the south using the existing steel bridge. This new road linking Church Street to The Pippin

18

will enable traffic to get to Sainsbury’s without going through Curzon Street.

• Develop a community hub with a potential new health centre, pharmacy and community services.

• Increase residential units in the town centre.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

How can I find out more?

Keep an eye on the Masterplan section of the Town Council website: www.calne.gov.uk/ Masterplan.aspx.

For more information, or to get involved, contact the Town Clerk, Linda Roberts, on 01249 814000 or lroberts@calne.gov.uk

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19

Local Focus

Forever Friends Appeal Walk celebrates a decade of support!

10th Walk of Life Saturday 14th May 2016 The Forever Friends Appeal’s “Walk of Life” is about to celebrate a milestone 10 year anniversary – and staff and supporters at the Appeal couldn’t be more grateful for all of the support they have received over the years.

The Walk of Life, proudly sponsored by Kier Construction, is an annual event that challenges men and women across Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire to walk 21 miles along the Kennet and Avon canal between Devizes and Bath; walkers can choose to raise funds for the RUH Cancer Care Campaign, or a ward or department of their choice at Bath’s Royal United Hospital.

The Walk of Life 2015 is a positive walk to celebrate life, and sets off from Devizes Wharf, heads along the

From left to right: Dianne Young, Vanessa Kyte and Nicola Noble get ready for the very first Walk of Life (then called “March Miles”) outside the RUH atrium in 2006. Vanessa sadly passed away a year later in 2007, having raised £100,000 for the RUH Cancer Care Campaign.

Kennet and Avon canal through Bradford-On-Avon and finishes just off the canal pathway in Sydney Gardens, Bath. Walkers can choose to walk 9, 12 or 21 miles and are encouraged to raise sponsorship to go towards a pioneering new Cancer Centre.

One in two people are now affected by cancer and everyday lives are changed by this disease. The Forever Friends Appeal’s RUH Cancer Care Campaign is raising £8.5million towards the building of a pioneering new Cancer Centre. This Cancer Centre will be a state of the art building, with every part designed around the needs of patients with different forms of cancer. It will transform care for patients and their families at the RUH. Over 300 people took part in the 2015 Walk of Life, some to celebrate the memory of lost loved ones, others to fundraise in support of friends or family members who are being treated at the RUH. Many were brave enough to take on the full 21 mile challenge, whilst others chose to walk 12 miles in the morning from Devizes to Bradford-On-Avon or 9 miles in the afternoon from Bradford-On-Avon to Bath. The 2015 Walk of Life was a huge success, raising over £30,000 for both the RUH Cancer Care Campaign and other wards and departments at the hospital.

Open to both men and women, people are now being encouraged to sign up early for 2016 so they can start kick start their training and fundraising.

Please contact the Appeal if you would like to volunteer your time to help marshal at the event.

To sign up for the 2016 Walk of Life online visit www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk or call the events team on 01225 825823 for more information.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

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Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016 OPENING HOURS: 8am-5pm: Monday-Friday The8am-12pm: Saturday

21

Local Focus

Marden House Concerts Sunday 28th February 2016 at 3.00 pm Marden House, Calne Matthew Scott, Clarinet and Christine Zerafa, piano: Matthew Scott is an emerging soloist and chamber musician described as “Breathtakingly brilliant. A rising star” – London Festival Sinfonia.

He will be accompanied by multiaward winning pianist Christine Zerafa. Their programme will be a whistle stop tour of Europe and the USA with works by Poulenc, Debussy, Burgmuller, Weiner, Ireland and Muczynski.

Tickets: £12 Adults, £1 Fulltime Students. Available from: Calne Information Centre, www. marlboroughboxoffice.co.uk or at the door. More information at www.mardenhouseconcerts.co.uk

Calne Town Hall Moviola Our February film is

SUNSET SONG (12a) Adapted from the classic book written by Lewis Grassic Gibbon and starring newcomer model turned actress Agyness Deyn.

She grows up with her brother in Scotland inside a tough family environment where her father is a domestic tyrant. She has dreams of being a teacher but her mother dies her father has a stroke and her brother goes away leaving her to look after her father and manage the farm which she eventually inherits. The film portrays her life through courtship,marriage and motherhood until the world turns upside down with the outbreak of war in 1914. Showing in the Town Hall on 17th February at 7.30.pm.

Doors open at 7.00. Refreshments available. Tickets £6.00 from the Information centre or on the door.

22

WAA Lottery canvassers, who are Dementia Friends, at the WAA Operations Centre in Devizes.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Canvassers become Dementia Friends LOTTERY canvassers working on behalf of Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA) have been trained to identify the signs of dementia.

The canvassers are employed by Tower Lotteries, which manages WAA’s Lottery. New canvassers will also undergo the dementia training.

The initiative was undertaken to enable the 14 canvassers to recognise potential symptoms of the disease and to guard against signing up vulnerable people.

Richard Wild, Head of Operations at Tower Lotteries, said: “The enhanced training that the canvassers have received will enable them to best detect the warning signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The training has heightened their awareness, as it is not always obvious if someone has dementia when you speak with them for the first time. The canvassers have found the training very helpful.”

After undertaking training online the canvassers are Dementia Friends and will proudly wear their badge when recruiting new Lottery members.

Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative.

The canvassers speak to members of the public on a daily basis either on the doorstep or in the street. In 2015 they have spoken with more than 100,000 people all over the county.

If a canvasser suspects a person they speak to has dementia they will leave the WAA Lottery application form with them and ask them to speak to a close family member about it. Rather than signing them up at the initial contact, the canvasser will leave a FREEPOST envelope for the person to send the application form back at their convenience if they decide to join the WAA Lottery.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

Cheryl Johnson, Head of Fundraising & Communications at WAA, said: “Our Lottery is a vital source of income, but we are keen to ensure that vulnerable people are not signed up and we are delighted that the canvassers who work on our behalf have become Dementia Friends.

“Wiltshire Air Ambulance upholds the highest industry standards and the training our canvassers have undertaken is an example of them going the extra mile and being really good ambassadors for the charity.”

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23

Local Focus

Greatwood’s Charity Race Day Newbury Racecourse Saturday 5th March 2016

Wiltshire’s Apprentice Ambassador inspires winners at Award Event Debbie Williams, co-founder of Wiltshire’s John Williams Heating Services and an Apprentice Ambassador for the Skills Funding Agency, was guest speaker at an event to recognise outstanding achievement by young apprentices.

Debbie, who has run her company with her husband and co-founder John in Chippenham for more than a decade, is an advocate of apprenticeships as a fantastic route to a career.

• A dedicated private hospitality facility in The Grandstand • Restaurant with panoramic views of the racecourse • Premier Enclosure badge and car parking • Piano entertainment from Richard Sully, formerly resident pianist at London’s Savoy Hotel • Champagne reception with canapés • 2 course lunch including wine • ‘ Heads and Tails’ with Kim Bailey • Main auction conducted by celebrity auctioneers, Jonathan Pratt & Tom Wonnacott of Bargain Hunt • Interactive silent auction • 7 top class races followed by Greatwood’s charity race • ‘ Mark Your Card’ with MC, Neil Phillips, Racing & Wine Tipster

She was invited to become an Ambassador for the national organisation in 2015 because of her commitment to nurturing apprentices within her own business. Currently, the company, based on the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate in Chippenham, has employed apprentices for several years.

Debbie said: “I was thrilled to be invited to speak to these hard-working young people and delighted to share in their success.

“My main message for the evening was that I absolutely believe apprenticeships are the way to move our economy forward and help fill the skills shortage within the business community.”

The award for Apprenticeship Employer was presented to Beversbrook Medical Centre in Calne and the overall award for Outstanding Apprentice of the Year was presented to Chase BryceRogers, aged 21, who is a Level 3 agricultural engineering apprentice with Beckett Agricultural Engineers Limited in Inglesham, near Highworth.

Principal Amanda Burnside said: “The future of skills in this country is firmly placed with apprenticeships with an ambitious national target of having three million by 2020.

“Wiltshire College is playing its part in this by being at the forefront of apprenticeship growth in the region with ambitious plans to double our number of apprentices in the next three years.”

Debbie Williams, (centre, back) co-founder of John Williams Heating Services with students at the ceremony.

• Full afternoon tea

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24

The success and talents of Wiltshire College’s best apprentices were celebrated at the annual Apprenticeship Awards in November. A total of 17 awards were handed out before an audience of over 100 guests, all for outstanding achievement in programmes including accountancy, painting and decorating and design support.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

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Griffin Estate, Bowden Hill, Lacock, SN15 2PP The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

25

Local Focus

A Swim to Remember Dave Stevens from Calne will swim Windermere in memory of his son and to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation

T

HE feeling I had standing over that cold solitary lake for the first time was overwhelming. I truly did not know how my body would cope or whether I would be able to climb out at the end of the session.

I was there because of my son Tylor, who we lost, age 17, three years ago. Grief is a horrid and personal thing that can so easily bring you down. Our lives collapsed when he died. He was, is, our all. But through the grief, somehow, I thought that as soon as I was strong enough I would do something for the Make a Wish Foundation, which as an important charity for us and Tylor.

Tylor

As a child I used to swim in a small stream near Box, in Wiltshire. But due to work and family life, swimming had tailed off over the years. I had always thought that learning to swim was a good idea in case I was ever called upon to save a life. Little did I know it would be mine.

Tylor was our first born.

Throughout the pregnancy we did not know if he would survive.

He had his first surgery when he was just a few days old, followed by many more operations at the John Radcliffe in Oxford due to his double-inlet left ventricle and other complications. We nearly lost him to epilepsy when he was five and then, when he was 10, his spine started to twist and he ended up wearing a full upper body brace 23 hours a day and had to have spinal surgery twice. However, he rarely complained. His spirit of “get on with it and make the most from life” was always so strong.

I started to train and wanted to swim the length of Windermere in 2015. I had watched Kev Brady’s 26

Training lake, I always think of my boy before entering the water

Windermere swim and thought I could try it. But I was still low and fell ill, which put that plan on hold. Instead, and with Tylor’s spirit pushing me on, I decided to organise a sponsored swim in our local pool. I started at 6:30 in the morning and swam non-stop until 4pm, covering more than 11 miles. The swim was a great personal achievement but more importantly it brought together friends, family and strangers and we raised just under £3,000 for Tylor’s charity, which they will use to create smiles and everlasting memories for children with life-threatening illnesses. When you lose a child, it’s all the happy memories that pull you through the dark places of grief, and that’s why it’s so important.

Following my pool swim, I followed Kev Brady’s swim along the length of the River Severn. Inspired by the good he achieved, I knew I must try again for Windermere. Until this point I could not swim front crawl so I set about teaching myself and from September to November 2015 went from struggling to do 25m to doing two-hour sessions in my local pool. I also joined an outdoor swimming club – The Cotswold Open Water Swimmers (or COWS) – and started training at Lake 32. My first swim there was in 6.8-degree water! I’m pleased to report I could climb out at the end.

Going into 2016 I was swimming between 8 to 10km per week and regularly visiting the lake so my fitness was greatly improving and I’m all set to have a crack at the length of England’s longest lake later in the year.

All day swim at Calne Leisure

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

You can follow Dave’s progress on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ Tylor21windermere7september

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23/10/2015 2016 10:55:05 27 The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY

What’s On

PUZZLE CORNER

Tuesday 16th February Wednesday 17th February Thursday 18th February Please book with museum for more information

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Rock the night away Saturday 13th February 2016 with The Ray Jones Band, playing rock to 8pm to midnight , Calne Town Hall modern-day classics Tickets £5 - Calne Visitor & Community Information Centre Over 18s only, licensed bar www.calne.gov.uk mixed with some 01249 814000 originals.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

DOWN ACROSS 2 Enmity, contempt (6) 1 Herbaceous perennial with edible 3 Infused, fermented (6) stalks (7) 4 Appreciate, enjoy (6) 8 Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow 5 _____ West, Dalton and Spall (7) polka dot ______ (6) 6 Bystander, spectator (7) 9 The Moor of Venice, Shakespeare 7 Explanation of how the universe play (7) began (7) 10 Type of biscuit (6) 13 Astronomical event, can be solar 11 About-face (7) or lunar (7) 12 Picked, selected (6) 16 Composer of Fantaisie-Impromptu (6) 14 Beloved, favoured (7) 15 Innovator (7) 20 Sang A Perfect Day and Walk on the 17 Anne ______, second wife of Wild Side (3, 4) Henry VIII (6) 21 Tropical lizard (6) 18 Contusion, blemish caused by 22 Andalucian town (7) 23 Pollen-producing part of a flower (6) injury (6) 19 UK’s smallest bird of prey (6) 24 Aerial, signal receiver (7) Solutions to the crossword and sudoku on page 51

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

33

ADVERTISING FEATURE

34

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

There’s plenty of exciting things happening here to see you through those horribly cold winter nights, and as Spring approaches! We look forward to seeing you soon.

OBH MEETUP Having seen and heard a lot of people discussing that they were new to the area and looking to meet new people, we decided to launch 'OBH Meetup'. Every LAST Wednesday of the month, we are hoping to help new locals, locals and not so locals, have the opportunity to network with one another.

One of the main compliments we have had since opening is that people feel welcome and not intimidated to walk into The Old Bankhouse, and have a drink, on their own.

Whether you're looking to meet new people to expand your social circle, find people with similar hobbies, promote a business by networking, or just so you begin recognising faces as you stroll through Calne - we've got you covered in a relaxed and friendly setting.

February's Meetup (Wednesday 24th February from 7pm-10pm) is dedicated to those looking for love, well, Valentine's Day does fall in February after all!

We are hosting a speed dating MeetUp! It'll be ticket only, and limited in terms of the amounts of tickets available, each ticket will include a complimentary glass of Prosecco upon arrival or 10% off your first drink* - it's one not to be missed!

For more information on Meetup, why not check out the Facebook page: OBHMeetup or pop in and see us!

VALENTINE’S DAY We are holding a Valentine's Weekender beginning Friday 12th February right through until the day itself, Sunday 14th February. There will be themed cocktails available throughout this Weekender, including special sharing cocktails, perfect for two people, be that a loved one or your best friend!

Fancy giving your Valentine present a shake up?

Cocktail Masterclasses are available, and gift vouchers can be purchased in the Bar, with packages perfect for two!

MOTHER’S DAY Again, gift vouchers are available for purchase as something different and fun, whether it's for your Mum and her friend/s or a family gathering where you get behind the bar, mixing, muddling and of course drinking your creations!

For the day itself? If you choose to bring your Mum in for a drink, her first cocktail is 20% off!

(Sunday 6th March)*.

EASTER Chocolate cocktails? Chocolate BEER? We must be talking about Easter ... We will be open on Good Friday (25th March), Saturday 26th and Easter Monday 28th March with our Easter Weekender, drinks deals a plenty and a few chocolatey surprises along the way! (Unfortunately we will be shut on Easter Sunday).

NEW OPENING TIMES Our opening times are as follows: Wednesdays 5pm – 10pm (MeetUp every last Wednesday of the month) Thursdays 5pm to 11pm Fridays 4pm to 11.30pm Saturdays 5pm to 11.30pm TWO With so many events coming up, and fabulous drinks deals every week, there's only one place to be!

0*

FOR £1 A COCKT

ILS

Here's how you can follow us on social media: Meetup: (Facebook) /OBHMeetup Our page: (Facebook) /oldbankhousecalne (Twitter) @oldbankhousebar (Instagram) @oldbankhousecalne The team at The Old Bankhouse would like to say a massive 'Thank You' to each and every one of you, who have supported us and continued to support us since our opening in September 2015. theoldbankhousecalne@gmail.com 01249 823603

*Terms and conditions apply

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

35

Food & Drink

National Yorkshire Pudding Day From 2008 the first Sunday in February has been designated National Yorkshire Pudding Day!

by Louise Addison

36

The traditional Yorkshire Pudding first got its name in 1747 according to local legend, when Hannah Glasse wrote a cookery book titled The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Simple. She included a Yorkshire Pudding recipe; but noone really knows how far back the original recipe goes as some form of batter or dripping pudding, as it was previously named, has been cooked for centuries.

all the drippings from the meat.

Dripping was an important part of the diet in those days because the human body actually needs some fat to enable it to absorb certain vitamins, but unlike today sources of fat were more difficult to obtain as meat was expensive so was only cooked on special occasions. Extra drippings from any meat added a welcome and much-needed supplement.

Early puddings were flatter than today’s version and were cooked in a tin beneath the meat, which was roasted on a spit over a fire. The pudding was positioned to catch

The Yorkshire pudding was usually made in a large tray, and was often served with gravy before the main meal as a filler, so less meat was required for the main course.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

The recipe is pretty simple, just eggs, milk and plain flour. A Yorkshire-born aunty once warned me never to use self-raising flour, or any kind of raising agent because doing so will mean your puds will be spongy and soggy.

Also the batter has to be the right consistency, a little thicker then unwhipped double cream, and as smooth as possible. To achieve the best, most crispy Yorshire puds trickle about 3mm / 1/8 inch of very hot fat in the bottom of the tin, then heat it up. As the fat begins to smoke, add the batter.

Enjoy!

BAR Mon-Thur: 9am-11pm • Fri-Sat: 9am-12 midnight

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SUNDAY CARVERY all fresh vegetables £7.95 one course, 10.95 two course and £12.95 three courses.

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Lansdowne Strand Hotel | The Strand | Calne | Wiltshire | SN11 0EH | Tel: 01249 812488 Fax: 01249 815323 Email: lansdowne@arkells.com Follow us on facebook for upcoming entertainment.

Anyone under the age of 18 years old must leave the hotel by 9pm (excludes residents)

VALENTINE’S MENU STARTERS

Camembert and Onion Bites Served with Blue Cheese Dip

Sharing Platter for Two Sliced Meats and Feta Cheese

Homemade Tomato Soup Served with Bread Roll

MAINS

Homemade Meat Balls

with a Red Wine and Herb-bas

ed Tomato Sauce with Tagliatell

Slow Roasted Lamb Shank

e Style Pasta

with Garlic Roasted New Pota toes and Deep Mint Gravy

Roast Salmon

Served with Coconut Sauce and New

Potatoes

DESSERT

Chocolate and Peanut Butter with refreshing Mango Sorbet

Stack

Homemade Trifle Coffee and Petis Fours

A Rose for each lady on arrival

! £20.95 per person a bot tleMagazine of house win TheAdd Town Crier | FEBRUARY e for £5.00 2016

37

Valentine’s Day

♥

Scents Appeal

by Kate Duggan

Buying perfume for a loved one this Valentine’s, but don’t have a clue where to start? Read on . . .

W

E tend to think of perfume as French, but there are some fantastic British fragrance houses. Take Deco London. Launched in 2015, Deco London has created a select range of six fragrances, three for her and three for him. Each one is a real delight, with multiple, complex layers. At £75 a bottle, they’re pricey, but if you’re looking to splash out this Valentine’s, they’re well worth it.

Perfume can be split into several ‘types’, although many fragrances cross categories. The main types are: Floral Feminine and unashamedly romantic, floral perfumes range from ‘sugar and spice’ sweetness to grown-up sophistication. If she likes Beautiful by Estee Lauder, try Kukui by Connock London – a delicious, grown-up blend of gardenia, bergamot and white flowers, that’s warmed by notes of sandalwood, vetiver and white amber. (You may have guessed that it has pride of place on my bedside table.)

Citrus Fresh, vibrant and invigorating, citrus based fragrances are fun and light-hearted. Think scents of lemon, grapefruit, mandarin, and other refreshing notes. If she likes Happy by Clinique, she’ll love Miller Harris’s Citron Citron.

Fruity Similar to citrus scents, fruity fragrances are uplifting and cheerful. If she has a bottle of DKNY’s Be Delicious at hand, try 38

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

surprising her with Jo Malone’s English Pear and Freesia cologne.

Oriental Exotic, sensual scents that demand attention, oriental fragrances are warm and rich, with notes of musk, vanilla and amber. They were all the rage in the 80s, but these days tend to be softened slightly with other scents, such as floral notes. If she’s a fan of Angel by Thierry Mugler, try Deco London’s Constance.

Woody/chypre Warm and musky, with hints of sandalwood, cedar, vetiver and moss, these fragrances conjure up images of walking through a forest at sunset. If she loves spritzing on Miss Dior, treat her to Vanilla and Cedarwood by Kiehl’s.

Oceanic Invigorating, refreshing and easy to wear, ‘oceanic’ covers a wide range of ‘clean smelling’ fragrances, from crisp white linen to ocean spray. If she’s a fan of Cool Water Woman

by Davidoff , treat her to Inis by Fragrances of Ireland.

People have been dabbing on fragrances for thousands of years.

In Cyprus, evidence has been unearthed that perfume was being manufactured at least 4,000 years ago. It’s played an important role in cultures and religious occasions across the world, so it’s no surprise that one of the gifts the three wise men chose was myrrh – an essential oil used predominately for its scent.

What gift will you choose to bestow this Valentine’s?

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www.highstreetbarbers.co.uk • Email: info@highstreetbarbers.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

39

♥

Valentine’s Day

The language of Flowers

I

T’S nearly Valentine’s Day and millions will be rushing out to buy or send flowers.

Traditionally this will be red roses of course. Others may choose their purchases on the basis of colour, smell or even price but there’s a whole language and meaning to flowers too which is called Floriography.

Roses: Red Roses as most will know symbolise Love and Desire but changing the colour of the flower leads to different connotations. For example, Yellow is for friendship, Pink for perfect happiness and Orange for fascination. There are different meanings for specific types of rose too, such as Tea Roses meaning ‘I’ll remember always’ and Dog Roses connecting to pain and pleasure.

Formations also have an impact.

Thinking back to the traditional dozen red roses, a bunch of a single bloom, means I love you or I

40

still love you, whilst an assortment of colours represents the sentiment ‘you’re everything to me.’ A dozen red roses has become the norm, because of the significance of the number twelve within nature, philosophy and religion. The number 12 often represents a full cycle, so 12 months of the year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 hours on a clock for instance. From ancient times, cultures around the world have developed calendars based on cycles of twelve, and there are many mythological and religious connections to the number also.

The use of 12 across the natural and spiritual world means that 12 or a dozen, has taken on a universal quality which enhances the significance of a dozen roses.

Turning now to other flowers we frequently buy in the UK:-

Carnations: Pink carnations mean ‘I’ll never forget you,’ whilst red

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

symbolise admiration and yellow rejection and disappointment, so probably best to avoid those!

Lilies: Calla Lilies represent beauty and Tiger Lilies wealth so the latter is perhaps a good choice if you are looking to impress.

Tulips: apparently show love and passion too. Yellow ones which are my daughter’s favourite, mean ‘there’s sunshine in your smile,’ whereas red tulips are a declaration of love and white ones say ‘I’m worthy of you.’

Daffodils: show regard.

Freesias: demonstrate trust.

Of course there are many more wonderful flowers to choose from, so if you really want to be sure of making the right impression, it’s worth asking your florist about their meaning.

by Susan Brookes-Morris

The Park Lane Practice

Call

01249 655088

YEAR in

RK

quoting TOWN CRIER

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2016

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PRACTICE

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S

Appointments for Calne are made via the Chippenham number. 01249 655 088. If you’re looking for advice, treatment and care that will reduce your pain and improve your health and wellbeing, we can help. Not sure? We offer free 15 minute consultations to discuss your needs and find the most suitable treatment for you.

Park Lane

PA

Our main clinic is in Chippenham where we are open Monday to Saturday. We also run an Osteopathic clinic at Patford House medical surgery in Calne. We have clinics there on a Monday morning and Thursday afternoon.

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Complementary Therapies for the Whole Family

We offer high quality and professional complementary health care in friendly and pleasant surroundings.

A number of different treatment disciplines are offered and the therapists work together in order to find the best treatment for our clients.

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Open 6 days a weeks FREE PARKING

Our expert team of complementary practitioners have their own specific skills, to help you with a wide range of aches and pains or stiffness and stress and anxiety in a friendly and supportive environment. We also integrate our healthcare to create optimal treatment plans for you.

Both our practices in Chippenham and Calne, are warm and welcoming, with free parking We also have extended opening hours on Wednesday evenings in Chippenham, to make it as easy as possible for you to visit when it suits you.

info@parklanepractice.co.uk www.parklanepractice.co.uk Patford House Surgery, Calne, SN11 0EF 70D Park Lane, Chippenham, SN15 1LW

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

43

Health and Beauty

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For treatment of Corns, Callus, Thick Nails, Nail Cutting etc.

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The Wiltshire Microlight Centre ‘for the flight of your life’ 44

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

See the magical crop circles, white horses and ancient monuments of Wiltshire from the air.

Gift Flights from £60 Yatesbury Field Nr Cherhill Wiltshire SN11 8HS Tel: 07836 554554 wiltsmicrolights.com

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The Chippenham Natural Therapy Centre Lodge Road (above Lodge Surgery) Chippenham, SN15 3SY Tel: (01249) 443390 The Oxford Practice 5 Oxford Street Malmesbury, SN16 9AX Tel: (01666) 824560 Home Visits: Tel: (01666) 838683 Mob: 07593 324128 www.foot-health-care.co.uk

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Come and see us in our new larger premises at 9 Emery Gate, Chippenham Tel: 01249 660263 Email: labarberco@gmail.com www.la-barber.co.uk

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E: thebeautyboutiquesalon@yahoo.com The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

45

Health Matters

Have a Heart – Give Blood!

H

OW is your New Year’s Resolution going dear Reader? I have to confess that I promised to be ‘more organised’ and yet here I am – writing my article well past my deadline date – if you see Editor Annie looking a little frazzled in February – I am probably the root cause! Being organised, tidy and methodical are not skills which come naturally to me. Similarly, being on time is not necessarily one of my strengths. I seem to get caught up in the moment, and before you know it I am late for wherever I am meant to be next.

My husband, who thankfully is very organised, says that my time management problem comes from the fact that I have too many balls in the air – I am not very good at saying no to things, so I take too much on and over commit. He has a point of course I do hate saying no to things and people think it is because I am a kind and generous person who likes to help others, but in reality it’s because I love getting involved in new things and worry that if I say no, I might be missing out!

I do have my fingers jammed into lots of pies and people often say to me – I don’t know how you do it all? The answer is simple – I am blessed with an amazingly patient and supportive husband! Having been married twenty years this year, my hubby knows me better than anyone else. Even better, dare I say it, than I know myself.

He is often the one who picks up the slack on the regular occasion when I do overcommit, picking the children up from school, making sure there is hot food and fast Wi-Fi in the house and giving me the well needed pep talk when it all gets too much and I am overwhelmed.

You can understand therefore why the Roman Emperor, Claudius

46

by Emmy Butcher

II, forbade young men to marry, believing that single men make better soldiers. It’s comforting to know that even wives in the third century were as needy as I am, distracting their husbands from their daily duties. In the spirit of love, St Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages.

Sadly, he was executed for his crimes in the name of passion on February 14th, which we now celebrate as Valentine ’s Day, or so the story goes.

Thank heavens for St Valentines having the heart to bring love to those Roman soldiers, which, unless they were unlucky enough to be killed in battle or by legionnaires, may have had an impact on their longevity of life. Studies show that there are many health benefits that can be attributed to being in love and it is scientifically suggested that married men live longer.

An American study of sexuality and health among older adults showed that people who were in a close relationship or married were more likely to say they felt in ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ health. In one study, researchers discovered that married men who felt loved by their wives experienced 50 percent less angina, despite having high risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

The University of Pittsburgh found that women in a happy marriage also have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease – proving that a hug a day keeps the doctor away!

If you are going to give a present this Valentines, why not give one that matters? Why not give the gift of life? The Beversbrook Sports Facility in Calne and the Town Hall in Chippenham are amongst a host of Blood Donor Centres holding clinics around your area throughout February.

If you are generally fit and healthy and aged between 17 and 66 you may be eligible to give blood and be one of the 200,000 new donors needed by the service every year.

The blood you donate can be vital for people who need emergency care, who are having surgery or who have certain medical conditions, but blood transfusions can also improve the quality of life for people whose illness has no cure. One day someone else’s blood donation might help to save the life of you or someone you love. I am making my appointment online at www.blood. co.uk but if you prefer you can call 0300 123 23 23 to find out more information and find a venue near you.

In the meantime, I am going to carry on trying to be more organised. Making my blood donor appointment is just the start, I might even turn up on time, miracles do happen, especially if I ask my lovely husband to drive me there……. and hold my hand to make me brave.

Emmy Butcher Practice Manager, Beversbrook Medical Centre, Calne emmybutcher@nhs.net

Foot Care at Home Stella Berrelly MCFHP MAFHP For the treatment of:

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• Fungal Nail Infection • Hard skin, corns and calluses • General foot care and health checks Our feet work incredibly hard, so it is important to look after them. Most foot problems don’t tend to get better without any treatment so if your feet are causing you discomfort or you just have difficulties with cutting your own nails, don’t suffer any longer.

For a home visit just give me a call on:

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PHYSICAL PAIN? EMOTIONAL DISTRESS? Contact:

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Mobile Amanda Phillips Hairdresser BRIDAL HAIR from £95 PARTY HAIR from £25 COLOUR Highlights £45 HAIRCUTS Cut and blow dry £25 Wet cut £18 07889 744727 Gents £10 Children £7 amandapagethairdesign@hotmail.com The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

47

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year C

HINESE NEW YEAR has been celebrated for thousands of years. No one knows exactly when the tradition first started, but it is believed to date from at least the Shang Dynasty (1766 BC - 1122 BC), although it may be much older.

The Chinese calendar is much older than the Gregorian one we use today, although it has evolved over time. It follows the lunar cycle, with each month beginning with the new moon.

Chinese New Year falls between 21st January and 20th February on the Gregorian calendar.

This year it will be celebrated on 8th February.

Celebrations run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, to the Lantern Festival 15 days later. It is the Year of the Monkey, one of twelve animals associated with Chinese New Year. The others are rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse and sheep.

The colour red is often associated with Chinese New Year. In Chinese folk lore there was once a beast called the Nian who roamed the land at the beginning of each year, terrorising villagers.

48

February 8th 2016 Red was found to drive the Nian away, so red clothes were worn, and red lanterns and scrolls were hung. The tale goes that the Nian was eventually captured by a monk, but people have continued the traditions. Red packets containing money are also often given to younger people by married couples, to bring luck.

Food plays an important role in Chinese New Year. New Year’s

fish and spring rolls. Many of the ingredients are chosen because their name is considered auspicious. For example, there is a vegetarian dish called Buddha’s Delight which is often eaten at this time of year. Fat choy is usually included in the dish, due to the last syllables of its name sounding similar to a Cantonese phrase for prosperity. The preparation and way of eating the dishes is also considered very important.

Restaurants across the UK will often hang up decorations for Chinese New year and hold their own celebrations, including special menus and entertainment.

Many of the cities also host Chinese New Year celebrations and activities, from lantern making and martial arts demonstrations to parades and firework displays.

Eve dinner is a day for families to gather together to celebrate at home. The type of food served depends on the country and region. Some of the most common food traditionally eaten on or around Chinese New Year include dumplings,

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

The Chinese dragon has become an iconic part of Chinese New Year.

Dragons are said to ward off evil, and bring prosperity and good luck. The dragon dance is performed by a group of dancers carrying a giant, moveable dragon. It is believed that the longer the dragon, the more good luck it can bestow, so some can reach over 70 metres!

by Kate Duggan

Tennis Coaching Courses Beversbrook Sports Facility, Beversbrook Road, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 9FL www.calnetennisclub.com

MONDAY 2.15 - 2.45 pm Tots Tennis (2-4yr olds) 3.30 - 4.30 pm Mini Red Beginners (8 and under) 4.00 - 5.00 pm Mini Orange/Green (10 and under) 4.30 - 5.30 pm Mini Red Improvers (8 and under) 5.30 - 6.30 pm Junior Tennis Improvers (11+) 6.30 - 7.30 pm Adult Team Tactics & Match Play WEDNESDAY 1.30 - 2.30 pm Adult Rusty Rackets 2.30 - 3.00 pm Tots Tennis (2-4 year olds) 4.00 - 5.00 pm Mini Red Beginners (8 and under) 5.00 - 6.00 pm Mini Green (10 and Under) 6.00 - 7.00 pm Junior Tennis Intermediate (11+) 7.00 - 8.00 pm Adult Tennis Beginners / Improvers FRIDAY 4.00 - 5.00 pm Mini Red Beginners (8 and under) 5.30 - 6.30 pm Mini Orange (9 and under)

Beginners Welcome!

We would encourage all junior and adult players to become a member of Calne Tennis Club.

Membership Benefits • Brand New Courts • Flood Lights • Club Nights • Discount off • Coaching Fees • Social Events • Play Matches for the Club in Wiltshire Leagues

For course costs and to book CALL

07711 852222

EMAIL info@pktennis.co.uk All Payments made to P Kerley via BACS or cheque

To find out more information contact Phillip Kerley www.pktennis.co.uk or www.calnetennisclub.com Alternatively follow Phil on Twitter @pktennis1

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Dogsbodies

Pets

Dog Grooming Salon

Professional Dog Grooming Environment Calne’s Multi Award Winning City & Guilds Qualified Groomer.

Microchipping service available.

Collection & delivery available within Calne area.

For an appointment call Lucy:

07989 500205

dogsbodiesgrooming@googlemail.com Find us on Willowbrook Farm, Stockley, Calne

www.dogsbodiesgrooming.com

Hale Veterinary Group Bank Row, Church Street, Calne

www.haleveterinaryhospital.co.uk

Telephone: 01249 815563

All operations performed at our RCVS approved Veterinary Hospital in Chippenham.

Surgery Times - by appointment only Monday to Friday 9.00 - 10am.

2.30 - 4pm & 4.30 - 6pm Saturday 9am - 10am

24 Hour Emergency Service

For your convenience we run an ambulance service on Monday to Friday twice a day.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

National Nest Box Week

by Susan Brookes-Morris

DID you know that there is a National Nest Box Week? This year it takes place from 14th-21st February. The event is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology. The idea started in 1997 following fears about birds losing their natural nest sites because of lots of trees being cut down, old buildings disappearing, gardens being ‘tidied’ and old houses being repaired.

The Trust wants us to put up nest boxes so that we can protect the wildlife we have, and encourage even more birds to come into our gardens.

It is estimated that there are now over 5 million nest boxes in the UK designed to help everything from Robins to Owls. Different types of nesting box attract different birds. So in a box with small holes, you might get Blue Tit’s, Nuthatches, Redstarts or House Sparrows. Boxes with larger holes may encourage Starlings, Spotted Woodpeckers and perhaps even Little Owls; and in very big boxes you might see Kestrels, Jackdaws, Stock Doves and Tawny Owls. There are also open fronted boxes which appeal to Robins, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Wagtails.

Imagine how lovely it would be to watch the birds going in and out of your boxes and hopefully some young ones hatching there. If you are careful and quiet, you can even peek inside the box from time to time when the eggs are incubating, as most birds will sit tight. If you want to count the eggs, observe in the early morning and wait until the female bird flies off for a quick meal.

You can choose to buy some nest boxes from your local pet store or garden centre, or make some.

Instructions for building boxes are available on many internet sites including http://www.bto.org/ the British Trust for Ornithology site.

February is an ideal time to put boxes up, because pairs of small birds prosper towards the end of the month. You are also helping however if you put boxes up at any time of year, although 1 August to the 31 January is the time under Bird Protection Law when nests can be cleaned out, and any dead eggs found destroyed.

Crossword & Sudoku solution page 28

M

O &G SHIRLEY’S

Ser vices

IL AS APPLIANCES. PLUMBING. HEATING. BATHROOMS. UNVENTED SYSTEMS. No Job Dedicated to serving thetoo small

P PET SHOP

H of Calne Attention people for to 33detail yearsguaranteed Now in stock baby Hamsters Tel:Leopard 07815Geckos, 836953 and Budgies, and livefoods, Vivariums, email: frozen maxcolbourne@me.com exo-terra, euro-rep and Komodo accessories PROFESSIONAL ADVICE ON ALL ASPECTS OF PET CARE Fridges - Freezers - Cookers - Microwaves - Dryers Royal Canin & James Wellbeloved retailer.

Steve’s Appliance Services

DorwestDomestic Veterinary Herbal products for dogs Refrigeration and cats. Join our Burns Loyalty Scheme

Specialist

REPAIRS - SERVICING - INSTALLATION Tel: 01249 817089 Pop in o-rSALES 29 High Street, Calne pick up the Tel/Fax 01249 821936 phone We offer a key cutting service Mobile: 07877 055680 we are glad All major credit cards accepted to help www.calnepetandgarden.com Email: info@stevesapplianceservices.co.uk The care and comfort of your pets is our business   

Quakers Lane, Goatacre, Calne.

Tel: 01249 760289

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Licensed Boarding Kennels & Cattery.

Special diets and medication catered for.

Fully insured for your pets welfare.

Friendly and experienced staff.

Heated accommodation.

A variety of food available.

All dogs exercised regularly.

Open all year.

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51

Gardening

Garden View

by Rachel Leverton

What to get the gardener in your life this Valentine’s Day? WANT A ROMANTIC GIFT for your gardening Valentine? Forget the drooping daffs and jet-lagged lilies, flown halfway round the world and marked up to extortionate prices.

52

vine, wound round a heart-shaped support. What could be more romantic than that?

For a gardener a real romantic gesture is one that will last longer than a few days. Some gardeners actually dislike cut flowers, and most gardeners are eco-friendly, so when you think of all the paper, yards of cellophane, and air-miles clocked up by exotic blooms, a living plant suddenly seems like a better option.

We think of red roses as being the bloom of romance so what better than an entire bush of them that promises years of pleasure ahead.

One problem with rose bushes is that they are not at their best in February, and will most likely resemble a bunch of thorny twigs in a pot! But if your Valentine is a keen gardener I guarantee they will not mind. In fact they will enjoy the anticipation of the future blooms.

Potted plants are more suggestive of permanent affection than a bunch of flowers anyway, and on a purely practical level, they give much better value for money! Jasmine, stephanotis and gardenias are fragrant and glamorous, or try a passionflower

Myrtle is another plant you might like to consider. It’s been associated with love since Roman times and is still used in wedding bouquets.

With its neat glossy evergreen leaves and clusters of fragrant, fluffy white flowers followed by purple berries, Myrtis communis

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

is a plant of quiet good taste. If planted in a sheltered spot it can eventually grow into a tree up to 5m tall.

If you want to give a flower in bloom at the moment try a potted camellia, winter honeysuckle, violas, or an orchid. These plants are all associated with love and longing.

If you simply must hand over a bunch of cut flowers, try to choose blooms grown in the mild climate of the Scilly Isles as environmentally-friendly alternatives to exotic species flown in from the other side of the globe.

‘Paperwhite’ narcissi are beautifully scented and available now.

With just a little thought you can come up with the perfect gift for the gardener in your life.

Ian Marsh Arboriculturist (Tree Surgeon)

Reductions and reshaping Dismantling, felling and thinning

‘Tree Planting & Fence Erecting’

For a FREE Quote Call:

T:01249 816399 M: 07786 641773 www.ianmarshtrees.co.uk

Building and Landscaping Specialists

BEST VALUE GUARANTEED • Full landscaped design • Durable fencing • Decking • Driveways • Patios • Wooden Outbuildings • Kitchens • Bathrooms

GETTING IT RIGHT FOR OVER 20 YEARS

TEL: 01249 812257 MOBILE: 07774 112548 www.calnebuilders.co.uk

Dave Newton Fencing & Landscaping

Est. 1988 FREE QUOTES ALL WORK GUARANTEED FULLY INSURED

Tel: 07518 452132

Would you like to improve your garden?

Get professional advice, and a plan to work too.

Do you already know what you want?

We can make it happen.

: Planting & Landscaping : Plans : Patios : Pergolas : Walling : Fencing : Tree Management : Lawns : Water Features : Irrigation : Lighting etc

Tel/Fax on 01249 891442 or 07796 654775 Email: gbl.fox@btinternet.com

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

53

ADVERTISING FEATURE

‘You dream it, we’ll build it’ Who we are M.R. Fencing is a local company based in Calne with customers throughout North Wiltshire. Our goal is simple – every installation will be finished to the highest quality, for every customer, every time!

What we do We specialise in decking, fencing and landscaping.

No matter what you choose, you can be assured of a great installation built to last.

Every installation is covered by warranty and is installed by a team of trained professionals capable of scaling up to the largest of challenges. It’s our aim to make your garden dreams a reality. We offer a fast, professional, no hassle service at a very competitive price.

We do our very best to recommend the right products and if we can fix it rather than replace it we will. Then when it’s finished, your garden will be left neat and tidy. No job is too big or too small.

Take a look!

You can see photos of some of the work we’ve done and lots of reviews by happy customers on our Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/ www.mrfencing.co.uk We can even arrange for you to visit some of our completed installations so you can see for yourself the quality of our workmanship!

Contact us Call us for friendly advice or a free no obligation quotation on 07850 948482 or 01249 812352 Or email: mrfencingcalne@hotmail.co.uk

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

Silbury Services All year round Garden and Home Services • Grass Cutting • Hedge Trimming, Weeding, leaf collecting • Shed and Fence Painting • Interior decorating and any other odd jobs • Free Quotes. No job too small. Fully insured.

Call Tony: 07710 551075 or 01249 814473 silburyservices@icloud.com

EARTHMOVING SERVICES www.earthmovingservices.net

• Garden/site shaping, levelling and clearance Micro excavator, • Footings, trenches and ditches excavated minimum access • Sub-bases, soakaways and land drains width required: • Concrete, tarmac, hedge and stump removal 29 inches (730mm) • 0.75-7.5 ton excavators with driver For more information call Steve on

01793 848708 07967 341567

PATIOS | DECKING | FENCING | GARDEN WALLS | PONDS | PATIOS | DECKING | FENCING DRIVEWAYS | BLOCK PAVING | GARDEN WALLS | PONDS | FREE - Prompt Quote DRIVEWAYS | BLOCK PAVING Call Michael on: FREE - Prompt Quote t: 01249 540128 m: 07737 001383 e: michael@acresahead.co.uk Call Michael on:

w: www.acresahead.co.uk acres ahead landscaping t: 01249 540128 m: 07737 001383 e: michael@acresahead.co.uk w: www.acresahead.co.uk acres ahead landscaping

Regular or one off garden tidy-up service, weeding, pruning, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, and border maintenance (Calne only) Very competitive rate, free quotes given, fully insured and qualified (BTEC Horticulture Dist.)

I am professional, hard-working, friendly, honest and reliable, with an excellent plant knowledge and a genuine passion for gardening

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

55

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Credibility and expertise Why they mean more customers for your business.

If you get a spare five minutes, go onto YouTube and search for 1970s TV ads. If you’re like us, you’ll be amazed at how clumsy and clunky many of those adverts were. Today’s marketing is incredibly sophisticated by comparison.

So it’s easy to get the impression that the smartest, most innovative marketing campaign wins the most customers. But whilst whizzy, clever adverts are an important part in grabbing attention, it’s not the whole story in winning sales. There’s another key factor in gaining real customers: credibility.

Although marketing campaigns have got more sophisticated, consumers have too. In choosing a supplier, consumers increasingly want to know the story behind the hype. That’s where establishing your credibility comes in. To win sales, you have to demonstrate to potential customers that you are a credible business.

There are a lot of strands to building credibility, so let’s focus on one – establishing your expertise. Let’s say you tune sports cars for maximum performance – potential customers certainly want to know that you’re reliable, communicative and so on. But first and foremost they want to know if you’re competent to work on their pride-and-joy.

Everything you need to get your business online for a fixed monthly amount.

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We will work with you and take care of everything, including: • PLANNING • DESIGN • BUILDING • MAINTENANCE • HOSTING

Get a website from £40 per month

Get in touch with us today: Based in Royal Wootton Bassett 01793 238820 www.sanderswebworks.co.uk

How do you demonstrate your expertise to a sceptical world? There are plenty of ways, but these are our five favourite approaches: 1. Through the page content of your website. Each page on your website is a golden opportunity to showcase your technical knowledge. This can be a tricky balancing act, as you still need to use plain English wherever possible. A good content writer can help you put your expertise across if you’re not confident tackling this yourself.

2. Through your blog posts. Still using your website, a blog is a much more flexible way of showing your expert knowledge. Regular updating with new content lets your potential customers see that you’re actively engaged in, and up to speed with, your industry.

3. By taking part in online discussions. Establishing yourself on specialist internet forums can be a quick way to build your reputation. For example, our car tuner could join fast-nissan-micras.com, and start answering questions from car owners on there.

Generously sharing his expertise will stick in their memories when they need some work done.

4. By recording ‘how to’ or product review videos.

Many people spend hours trawling video sites like YouTube. Videos have become a key source of practical information. Again, being generous with your information helps to establish your credentials.

Your videos can also be linked to your blog for what the marketing people call ‘synergy’.

5. By writing advertorials. Try to provide some information you think will help people and give your own business a plug at the same time. A bit like this article – and by the way, did we happen to mention that sanderswebworks.co.uk has lots more useful information on making websites work for your business?

You worked hard at mastering your business – now try these methods to show off your expertise!

www.sanderswebworks.co.uk 56

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

SarahsFurnishings Soft Furnishings Sarah’s Soft

Curtains : Cushions : blinds and much more

I offer a made to measure service to fit your individual requirements.

Each order is priced individually and is a making up fee only, leaving you the flexibility to choose fabric to suit your budget.

see me on facebook

Call Sarah: 01249 822461 or 07770 995826

Kitchen Makeover Are your kitchen cabinets OK, but the doors and drawer fronts are looking a little tired?

Why not consider a kitchen makeover?

By replacing the doors and drawer fronts plus a new worktop you can achieve the look of a new stylish kitchen.

Saving you time, money and a lot of upheaval.

sarah’ssoftfurnishings

Complete kitchens and bedrooms also available.

Extensive range of door colours and designs.

We are a family run business with over 30 years experience in specialist carpentry and joinery.

We can plan, design and fit your kitchen complete including any building or alteration work.

Call Peter Galbraith now for a free survey and estimate Tel: 01793 741234 Visit our website @ pgalbraith24.wordpress.com

CARPETS • FLOORING Domestic and Commercial Flooring from a large selection of samples.

Providing a friendly personalised service with professional fitting, working closely with customers to achieve best results • Carpets • Laminate • Vinyl Flooring • Engineered Wood

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FREE QUOTATION ON REQUEST

Goldmans Interiors Ltd, 3 Wood Street, Calne SN11 0BZ Tel: 01249 814423 www.calnecarpetsandcurtains.co.uk email: goldmansinteriors@gmail.com The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

57

Motoring Mayhem

Vapours

by Colin Viner There was certainly a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours over the planet at Christmas. We chose to spend the festive season in Co Durham with relations only a few miles from the watery mayhem that was laying waste to York and Cumbria.

Neither ‘R’ nor I had ever been to this part of England and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it all is. I had this idea that the whole region was going to consist of closed coal mines, boarded up houses and rampant social deprivation but it was none of that. In fact the whole area seems rather affluent.

We took a trip to Newcastle on Boxing Day when the weather was particularly grim. Newcastle city centre is beautiful and we must go back on a day when it is not stair rodding it. That was the day when York was flooded the worst but fortunately there were no floods where we were staying.

The USA seemed to fare much worse with multiple tornados, floods and then blizzards.

Obviously the blame for all this weather mayhem has been laid firmly at the door of global warming.

On the 28th of December we visited Durham, another lovely city. The weather was overcast but dry so we were able to sightsee in comfort, especially the famous cathedral. Also in the cathedral close was an exhibition about Scott’s fateful trip to the Antarctic in 1910. It was an interesting exhibition and also included some information about the study of global warming.

Not all scientists are convinced that the activity of man’s burning of fossil fuels is to blame for 58

the current rise in global temperatures, but there was a graph in the exhibition taken from fossil records comparing past temperature rises with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. It seems that wobbles in the earth’s orbit every 41,000 years cause large temperature fluctuations. As the earth’s temperature rises it causes the oceans and ground to release stored CO2, so the graph shows the rise in CO2 lagging behind the rise in temperature, leading some global warming sceptics to claim therefore that the current rise in global temperatures is not caused by the burning of fossil fuels. What is not obvious is that while the CO2 does rise after the initial temperature increase the extra CO2 released amplifies the effect.

So what we have at this moment in time is the natural interglacial rise in temperature, plus the CO2 released from the oceans and ground further amplified by extra CO2 from fossil fuel burning. The problems is that past temperature/ CO2 records taken from ice core samples covering a 400,000 year period, are not 100% accurate and cannot predict whether the current global temperature rise is going to exceed past similar events. Personally I prefer to believe the science of global warming based on common sense.

If you imagine the earth as a football and wet the outside, the thin film of water over the ball would represent the thickness of our atmosphere. In other words

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

there isn’t much of it. When we see an aeroplane at altitude it is probably only as high as the distance from Calne to Lyneham and at that height you would be unable to breathe without oxygen.

From that it is not hard to see that if we are going to burn all the worlds’ fossil fuels that took about 400,000,000 years to create in less than a few centuries all that released CO2 is going to cause a problem.

The science of global warming is not precise, but at the end of the day you either believe the science or not, but if it is correct our reckless behaviour could turn the planet to a dead cinder spinning through space to oblivion. There seems to be a collective denial that a problem exists and apart from fitting a few low wattage bulbs that seems to be most people’s contribution to saving energy. It was reported that in the USA over Christmas the power consumed by festive lighting would have powered a third world country for a year. It’s time we got a grip.

Humans are supposed to be intelligent but almost every problem this planet faces from global warming to mass extinctions and has been brought about by our selfish activities. ‘R’ and I try as much as possible to reduce our carbon footprint and look after our environment but I know it’s not enough. The only real way would be to completely discard the trappings of modern life and revert to a past age. Most people would not tolerate this kind of life so I think cinder here we come.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

59

Books

A Good Read The Ice Twins

by SK Tremayne

..............................................................................................

This month we have a hugely successful thriller which is slowly spreading across social media, largely thanks to its inclusion in the Richard and Judy Book Club. Tremayne successfully plays on the greatest fear of every parent: losing their child.

This is exactly what happened to Angus and Sarah Moorcroft. They lived the perfect life in London with their twin daughters, Kirstie and Lydia but a holiday to Sarah’s parents’ in Devon turned into tragedy when Lydia fell from a balcony and died.

Or did she?

Two girls, physically identical in every way but with very different personalities. Surely if anyone is able to tell them apart it would be their parents? Lydia, Sarah’s thoughtful and quiet daughter is dead and she must rebuild her life and keep going for the sake of Kirstie.

A year after the accident, the family inherit a remote Scottish island and make arrangements to leave London where painful memories of Lydia are around every corner. Then Kirstie turns everything upside down with a simple question.

“Why do you keep calling me Kirstie, Mummy?

Kirstie is dead. It was Kirstie that died. I’m Lydia.”

Could Angus and Sarah really have got it wrong? Or is Kirstie just grieving for her dead twin sister? Is there something special that unites identical twins, even beyond the grave, and causes confusion and guilt at being the one to survive?

As the action moves to Scotland the fresh start that they hoped for comes crashing down around them.

Just who did die on that day in Devon? And what exactly happened to cause a little girl to fall and lose her life? As the truth is slowly revealed, Sarah struggles to come to terms with the reality as she is slowly pulled into a pit of despair and anguish. The novel starts slowly but builds to a chilling climax that will haunt the reader long after the final paragraph has been digested.

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-tale Detectives

by Michael Buckley

...............................................................................................

There are certain characters and stories that we have all grown up with. We know that it isn’t a good idea to build a house out of straw or sticks. Apples given to us by strange old women might not be good for us.

And planting some magic beans in your back garden is certainly not the smartest thing you could do unless you want to be attacked by giants! But they are just old stories, right?

Well, what if they weren’t?

In this first novel in the Sisters Grimm series (aimed at children around the age of 10), we meet Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. They live in New York and have in the past year been placed with one foster family after another following the mysterious disappearance of their parents. The girls have become experts at running away from each home as they find themselves treated badly.

Suddenly, out of the blue, their grandmother appears and offers them a home: shocking as the girls had been told that she had died. The authorities don’t seem too concerned by this - they are simply happy to get rid of Sabrina and Daphne – and so they are delivered a small town called Ferryport Landings and to the welcoming arms of Granny Relda.

But Ferryport Landings is no ordinary town, as the girls will soon discover. After all, how many schools have Snow White as a teacher? Here live the Everafters: characters from fairy-tales who are doomed to remain there for ever due to a curse. A curse that Sabrina and Daphne find themselves at the heart of.

It soon becomes clear that Granny Relda is no ordinary Granny and the fact that she is still alive is just one secret that has been kept from the Sisters Grimm.

Reviews by Willow Coby

Ovenclean

    

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Calne Evangelical Church evangelical

Weekly activities for all ages Sunday family service 11.30am Crèche available

Evening service 6.30pm Youth groups for ages 0-18 Tots ‘n’ Dots toddler group Tuesday club primary school age Glow 9-12 years Lazer senior school age

Tony Warren

FUNERAL SERVICE Calne

Diploma in Funeral Directing

Local, Private Chapel of Rest designed with a home environment.

For Care & Kindness, please ask for

Tony Warren Highly Experienced & Respected Funeral Director serving the Calne community & surrounding areas for many years For further and information . re hu oc a br t Please contac us on:

See church notice board, website or ring 821754 for more information

24 hour Personal Service - to all areas

www.calneevangelicalchurch.org.uk

Tel:01249 811333

Traditional or Green Funerals. Home visits Modern Mercedes or 19th Century Horse-drawn hearse Pre - Paid plans Available

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

61

F

True Love

ebruary is the month of romance and love, according to our consumer driven society anyway. Love is certainly in the air according to our children. Recently, our three boys (all primary school age) have been frequently sharing the latest gossip from the playground, divulging tales of classmates having “crushes” on other classmates. Often the same names crop up for the most “popular” boy or girl with the others. Popularity is defined at Cherhill Primary School by cool hairstyle, ability to tell a good joke, footballing skills, cleverness and the type of toy brought into golden time.

Popularity was never on my agenda at that age.

Then again, I did go to an all-boys school and the most important items on our agenda were rugby, cricket, avoiding the cane and not having to finish our school dinner. How times have changed? OK then, confession time, thinking back, I think my first crush was either Floella Benjamin off Playschool or rather surprisingly, as it was way before my time, the film actress Grace Kelly. The first time I saw the film High Society and then learned that she was an actual, true, bona fide, princess, I was smitten.

There is a song in the film called “True Love”. It has the lyric, “For you and I have a guardian angel, on high, with nothin' to do, but to give to you and to give to me, love forever true.” Wow, that’s romantic! Perhaps if you have a special somebody, you could use it come 14th February.

Walking around St. Nicholas’ Cathedral in Monaco a number of years ago, I unexpectedly stumbled across the grave of Grace Kelly. I had no idea she was buried there and seeing her name and the grave was quite a shock and very moving. To this day, little posies of flowers are left for her by visitors.

Flowers, chocolates, a cup of tea in bed, or a kiss goodbye are tokens of love, but true love is more than that. I’ll never forget a love story I witnessed as a curate. They were a couple in their 80s who were frail and had requested a blessing in the main service on a Sunday morning, to give thanks for sixty years of married life.

They walked hand in hand up the aisle, held each other up at the chancel step, stumbled over the wording of their vows, but never stopped looking deeply into the other’s eyes. As he kissed his

62

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

bride, there was not a dry eye in the house. Everyone could feel the love in the room. Two months later we all gathered in church again, but this time it was a widow saying farewell to her husband. Separated after all that time, but quietly confident that the love story would continue in heaven.

When human relationships work, they point to a deep mystery, which is at the heart of God. God is love and those who live in love, live in God and God lives in them. Non-romantic loving relationships (family members, friends, siblings, children etc) also speak of the God who invented love and encourages us to enjoy it. True love goes beyond romanticism and is deeper.

True love involves extravagant grace. The giving of oneself wholeheartedly and completely to another, not because we can get anything in return, but because we want to give the other our very best. The entire account of God in the Bible is all about this.

God wasn’t prepared to let us walk away from Him, and has done everything necessary to establish and renew a relationship with us. Jesus demonstrated the true love of God in action. Even when many chose to reject this love offering, God did not give up. Love won the day. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him and was raised to new life.

OK but what if this loving God feels distant? Well, good news, nothing needs to separate us from God’s love. Sometimes there are things that get in the way, but this is not a problem. We can ask for forgiveness for the times when we failed to love God and neighbour, and we can ask for help to forgive others that have hurt us. God’s love is strong enough to overcome all hatred, evil and even death itself. Jesus bridges the gap between God and ourselves and so we can experience a good loving relationship with God. As we celebrate relationships in the month of February, let’s think about our own relationship with God, through Jesus, and ask God to rekindle in us the fire of His love.

Rev Philip Bromiley (philbromiley@hotmail.co.uk Design & Computer Graphics by Alexander S. Grenfell, Calne.

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01249 248346 or 07971 570869

Email: info@mypchospital.co.uk or visit www.mypchospital.co.uk

Grace’s

Maths English

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01249 661133 Aerial

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Rub-A-Dub Pre-school rning Where lehafu is suc n!

Established in 1987 Rub-A-Dub is a thriving pre-school situated next door to the primary school in Derry Hill.

Our highly motivated and caring team encourage the children in their care to discover and learn, developing their confidence as they start on their journey to primary school. Why not check out our dedicated Friday morning session for those starting primary school in September?

We are also accepting applications for new starters for September. Call us now to book a visit!

Telephone: 07894 073865

leave a message and someone will call you back.

Lansdowne Village Hall, Petty Lane, Derry Hill, SN11 9QY

Bevirs

rubadubpreschoolenquiries@gmail.com www.rubadubpreschool.com Manager: Natalie Bolt The Town Crier Magazine | JULY 2015 The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

69 63

Jo Deacon

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra lah !

Daft title maybe, but it’s meant to cheer you up!

No? OK. Carry on just sitting there and grumbling about the rain then!

Personally, I feel cheated.

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without even a white frost. Watery sunshine just doesn’t do it for me somehow, and if it doesn’t stop raining before much longer, I ‘m sure the garden pond will overflow and I’ll open the back door one morning and the last two remaining goldfish, (that the visiting heron didn’t snaffle) will swim into the kitchen !

When the first snowdrops ( and what a misnomer that is this year – unless of course you live up a mountain in Scotland – on one of the high bits that isn’t flooded) then the poor little beggars will pop up their tiny white heads through a layer of mud and drown the same day. The daffodils will get flattened by the weight of the raindrops, and the spring gardens of the past will be just that – the past!

(There, does that picture give you even more to happily grumble about?)

Right, let’s get cheerful now that I’ve pandered to the terminally glum amongst us.

64

Now that Christmas is a last year memory, what’s next to look forward to ?

angry hens so I could examine their bottoms to see if they had coloured bums.

Easter, that’s what.

I ended up covered in straw and with many angry red wheals on my arms and legs from furious brooding birds who did not like being yanked off their nests and upended in such an undignified manner.

(O no, don’t start again !)

When I was very young, (Yes, even I was a child once, and I think I still am in many ways. And NO! It’s NOT senility, thank you very much!) As I was saying, some of my school friends and I used to go egg rolling on a local farm.

This involved stumbling up small hillocks, (that’s HILLOCKS !!!) with a pocketful of hard boiled eggs, then chucking them down the hill while we tried to outrace them to the bottom. By tea time, as you can imagine, we were tired, covered in mud and grass stains, and more than one of us sported an Elastoplast over a bloody knee, grazed elbow, or beautiful technicoloured bruise. You’d think we got fed up after an hour or two, but we loved it and grumbled as we yawned on our way home.

Before I was old enough to join in with the bigger kiddies on the hill rolling, us smaller tots played egg hunt.

This was exactly what the name implies only our eggs were brightly painted.

Naturally, I thought the hens laid them like that, and could often be found in the hen house, upending

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

And did I ever find the answer to my question?

What do you think ?

After Easter comes school holidays, followed by Halloween, then Bonfire night, with of course the usual smattering of birthdays, anniversaries, mothers day, fathers day, etc, interspersed between.

Then, before you know it, we’ll all be struggling round the shops again with bags of festive goodies, rolls of paper covered with holly and snowmen, and moaning about aching feet and the awful weather!

Yes folks, winter and Christmas will be here again, and like the seasons, like the weather, there’s nothing you can do to slow it or stop it rolling round.

There! Doesn’t that make you feel better, and may I be the first to wish you Merry Christmas for 2016, ha! Ha! Ha! ( Sorry, just joking – I think!) …… Joanne Deacon @ 2016 ……

Wiltshire Wet Rooms

• Home Care

Designed, supplied, fitted

01249 820127 07752 255515 fhl.planning@yahoo.co.uk www.planningwiltshire.co.uk

Need more storage space?

Fed up with clutter?

Access4Lofts can install a loft hatch, ladder & boarding to create an easily accessible & incredibly useful storage space in your home.

Why Choose Access4Lofts?

• You don’t have to stay in all day waiting for us to arrive - we arrive when we say we will.

• All our ladders are guaranteed for a minimum of 5 years.

• No Mess! All our installations are carried out by a fully house trained professional who is a dab hand with a hoover!

• You get peace of mind by having a local company working in your home.

Book to hatch & have a loft la I’ll install dder installed 2sqm of boarding on your e xisti Absolute ng joists ly Free!

01225 300207

For your FREE loft survey & quote please call Gary on 01225 300207 or visit www.access4lofts.co.uk

OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN BATHROOMS & WET ROOMS Bespoke projects including: Designs (usually free), Parts and Installation. With a large portfolio of previous work available on request my customers are guaranteed a bathroom or wet room like no other. I provide a complete service, including easy-access designs and parts.

Do you know that we have the second hardest water in the country?

We could have the solution!

There are so many reasons to have a water softener: - Complete Elimination of Limescale - Money Saving - Time Saving - Your Appliances Live Longer - Soft Water is so much nicer for you and your family

Wiltshire Wet Rooms can supply and fit Harveys Dualflo water softeners. We also stock Harvey’s block salt.

Free, in home, demonstrations provided in local area.

WILTSHIRE WET ROOMS Expert bathroom and wet room fitters in North Wiltshire Contact Geoff Pearce for a free quote 1 Bremhill View, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 9EE T: 07860 863014 E: wiltswetroom@gmail.com W: www.wiltshirewetrooms.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

65

Your Local

TownCr er Magazine Building and Home Improvement To advertise call 01249 811068

Experts in all building works, renovations, conversions, decorating, kitchens and bathrooms for your home or business enquiries@priorandcompany.com The Courtyard, Bath Road, Shaw, Melksham SN12 8EF

www.priorandcompany.com Prior and Marden joint advert.indd 1

All Home Improvements Plumbing, Joinery, Interior & Exterior Decoration And Maintenance Free quotes, no call-outs fees, No Job too BIG or small Established Family Business, Fully Registered and Insured Tel: 01249 819639 Mob: 07776 323495

Email: gregddurrant@gmail.com 66

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

Natural Stone General Builders Walling & Paving with 20 years Kitchens & Bathrooms experience Alterations & Repairs Extensions | Conversions | Patios jobs of all sizes, free advice and estimates - call us

We can supply references

Tel: 01249 816274 Mobile: 07890 087703

orsham

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• GARDEN DESIGN • FENCING & DECKING • TURFING & TREEWORK • CHIMNEY REPAIRS • FLOODING SOLUTIONS

Tel: 07557 569785 or 01225 811010

Is your Garage Door a Bore?

Replace it with an automatic insulated roller shutter.

• Gain space on your drive.

• Win more precious space in your garage.

Spend less on heating • Enjoy the luxury of an automatic garage door.

• Choose a great maintenance-free colour • Take advantage of generous warranty terms.

• Keeps your garage cleaner.

• Features two remote controls.

• Special courtesy light for added convenience.

Trusted local supplier

CALL JOHN ON 01249 750371 TO ORDER

Tim Lee

Building & landscapes

extensions | Garage Conversions Walls - stone/brick & blockwork Driveways | Fencing | Roofing Free Quotations l High Standard of Work

Call: 01249 821739 Mob: 07966 210015

All aspects of Carpentry Bespoke Furniture, Door Hanging and Adjusting Wood & Laminate Flooring Interior & Exterior Tel: 01249 813734 Mobile: 07415 607968 email: s.m.carpentry@hotmail.com

Contours Carpentry

• Wooden and Laminate Flooring • Door Hanging • Skirting and Architrave • Balustrade • Shelving and Bookcases • Bespoke Furniture • Cupboards and Storage Solutions

www.contourscarpentry.co.uk

07500 832198 or 01249 817082 contourscarpentry@hotmail.co.uk

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

67

Building and Home Improvement

All Aspects Of Carpentry • Kitchens • Wood Floors • Garden Structures • Fencing & Decking Also Wall & Floor Tiling

Any Repairs & Maintenance - Free Quote - Fully Insured

01249 816125 or 07929 890273

Electrical Services All aspects of domestic & commercial installations

CJ STEEL

Makepeace Carpentry & Home Improvements

INSPECTION & TESTING

Very Reliable & Friendly Services

Domestic and Commercial Electrician Free Quotations Delta Electrical Contracting Ltd est 2005

Tel: 01249 322489 / Mobile: 07887 848578 email: decltd@sky.com

Email: info@calneelectrician.com www.calneelectrician.com

Call Colin on: 01249 822033 or 07887 765250

Dogsbodies

Dog Groomingl EatonElectrica

Salon and property Professional Dog Grooming improvements service Environment

FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL NEEDS Handstripping & Microchipping available.

Award winning friendly salon providing your dog, with a caring, relaxing and professional experience.

(Part PCollection approved contractor) & delivery available within the

For all your electrical needs: • Re-wiring • PAT Testing • Extra Sockets • Fault Finding • Lighting • Free Quotations • Electrical Installations • Testing & Inspection • Consumer Unit Changes

68

Nick Pocock Electrical NICEIC Registered Domestic Installer

T: 01249 461325 M: 07967 022446 nrpelectrical@hotmail.co.uk www.nrpelectrical.co.uk

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

local area for a small charge.

• Fully qualified and call insured For an appointment Lucy: • Free 6 Mob: year 07989 Guarantee 500205 dogsbodiesgrooming@googlemail.com • Free estimates Find us on • Full rewire and Willowbrook Farm, Stockley, Calne extensions • Faults and repairs • Fuse board replacements

Tel: 07796 000927 or 01666 838096

www.dogsbodiesgrooming.com eatonelectrical75@gmail.com

CJ ST

Very Reliable &

24/7 No Call-out Charge FREE Quotations All Work Guaranteed Friendly Services

Lock & Door Opening Email:Emergency info@calneelectrician.com All Types of Locks Supplied & Fitted www.calneelectrician.com Insurance Approved Locks

“Turn to Alan Key Locks Call to get you in” Colin

on: or www.alankeylocks.co.uk 07887 765250

Tel: 07852 338820 /01249 01249 822362 822033

“Add me to your mobile. You never know when you may need me”

Dogsbodies

dd 1

Tel: 07815 836953 email: maxcolbourne@me.com

Dog Grooming Salon

Professional Dog Grooming Environment

Award winning friendly salon providing Plastering, Paintering and Decorating, Coving, Artexing

Plastering, Painting and professional experience.

26 years experience Decorating, Coving, available.

Artexing Handstripping & Microchipping Collection & delivery available within the Call on: 01249 463670 All Andy general maintenance. local area for a small charge.

07507For575330 an appointment call Lucy: NO JOB TOO SMALL email:andy@asplastering.com www.asplastering.com your dog, with a caring, and SMALL All general maintenance.

NOrelaxing JOB TOO

Steve’s Appliance Services

Fridges - Freezers - Cookers - Microwaves - Dryers

Domestic Refrigeration Specialist

REPAIRS - SERVICING - INSTALLATION - SALES

Tel/Fax 01249 821936 Mobile: 07877 055680 Email: info@stevesapplianceservices.co.uk The care and comfort of your pets is our business

Cliff Laney

DE

Licensed Boarding Kennels & Cattery.  Special diets and medication catered for.

Painting & Decorating Service  Fully insured for your pets welfare.  Friendly and and experienced staff.

ForLane, all your painting decroating Quakers  Heated accommodation.

Goatacre, needs, both interior and exterior Calne.  A variety of food available.

Tel: 01249 760289 Fully Insured  All dogs exercised regularly.  Open all year.

Es



A

01249 816698 / 07904 466587

www.cortonkennelsandcattery.co.uk Ageinfo@cortonkennelsandcattery.co.uk UK Wiltshire registered trader Email:

Mob: 07989 500205

dogsbodiesgrooming@googlemail.com

us on 28Find years experience Willowbrook Farm, Stockley, Calne

Call Andy on: 01249 463670 07507 575330

email:andy@asplastering.com www.asplastering.com www.dogsbodiesgrooming.com

R.T.C

Plastering, Plumbing & Handyman Services For all your plastering/painting & plumbing needs and much much more...

To find out more give me a call

Robert 01249 890492 mobile 07825 758705 The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

69

Building and Home Improvement

Save with the Active Green Team

• Complete Heating Systems • Boiler Changes • Gas Appliances • Fault Diagnosis • Correction & Servicing • Bathroom Design • Installations & all your plumbing maintenance

‘we will not be beaten on price’ All prices include VAT All areas in Wiltshire serviced. Free Quotes.

Call out charge £45 inc. VAT for first hour.

Tel: 01249 811313 Mob: 07859 931177

Bathroom Showroom Showers Plumbing & Heating Supplies Solar Panels & other Green Technologies Water Softeners & Salt

T: 01249 818811

9 -10 Porte Marsh Road | Calne | SN16 9JU

www.activeplumbingsupplies.co.uk

Email: graham.gas@btinternet.com

D.P.S. Plumbing & Heating Engineer & Son Ltd. 25 years experience

Free Quotes

Advanced City & Guilds All work Guaranteed Call Dave on

Tel: 01249 822586 Mobile: 07968 561223

Email: stephens63@btinternet.com

Plumbing Mobile: 07969 383016 Phone: 01380 850494 Complete high quality bathroom installations Under Floor Heating installations General Plumbing and Heating installations & repair All types of property maintenance undertaken A prompt reliable service from a small local business All our work is fully insured and guaranteed

Web: www.plumbing4u.co.uk Email: graham@plumbing4u.co.uk 70

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

PRICE BEAT PROMISE ON BOILER INSTALLATIONS

In February, includes 7-10 year warranty!* Price inclusive of VAT

Telephone: 01249 822360 or 07825 396154 finbar.saunders@talktalk.net

H

OIL & GAS APPLIANCES. PLUMBING. HEATING. BATHROOMS. UNVENTED SYSTEMS. No Job too small Attention to detail guaranteed

Tel: 07815 836953 email: maxcolbourne@me.com

Aquarius Heating Steve’s Plumbing Appliance& Services

Fridges - Freezers - Cookers - Microwaves - Dryers

All aspects of plumbing and heating maintenance Domestic Refrigeration From bathroom suites, radiators, cylinders and Specialist pumps to dripping taps and overflows REPAIRS - SERVICING - INSTALLATION - SALES No call out charge - for a free quotation

Tel/Fax 01249 821936 Call Darren Jackson Mobile: 07877 055680 01249 816360 or 07817 052467

Email: info@stevesapplianceservices.co.uk The care and comfort of your

pets is our business Weatherguard Windows Licensed Boarding Kennels & Cattery. & Conservatories Special diets and medication catered for. 



Established 1988  Fully insured for your pets welfare.

Friendly and experienced staff.

Quakers Lane,  Heated accommodation.

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Tel: Insurance 01249 760289 Guarantee Backed All dogs exercised regularly.  Open all year.

No Sales People Employed 

www.cortonkennelsandcattery.co.uk Email: info@cortonkennelsandcattery.co.uk

Is your Garage Door A Bore?

DIAMOND DOORS

P

Ser vices

M

Max Colbourne

Replace it with an automatic insulated roller shutter.

Gain space on your drive.

Win more precious space in your garage.

Spend less on heating.

Enjoy the luxury of an automatic garage door.

Choose a great maintenance-free colour Take advantage of generous warranty terms.

Keeps your garage cleaner.

Features two remote controls.

Special courtesy light for added convenience.

Trusted local supplier

CALL JOHN ON 01249 750371 TO ORDER

DECOR GARAGE DOORS Est: over 30 yrs

Ltd

All Leading Makes

Huge Choice of Styles - Up & Over - Sectional Roller - Side Hinged Doors New & Existing Doors Automated (Remote Control) Garage Door Repair & Servicing FREE Quotation for new doors & automation

www.mardenroofing.co.uk

Tel: 01249 812158 Mobile: 07860 366880

The Courtyard, Bath Road, Shaw, Melksham SN12 8EF

01249 817312 or 01225 760333 Mobile: 07763 371222 www.decorgaragedoors.co.uk email: info@decorgaragedoors.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

71

Building and Home Improvement ROOFING LEADWORK FASCIAS, SOFFITS & GUTTERING TIMBERWORK BUILDING SERVICES

David Beal 26 Years Experience

White Horse Roofing Ltd White Horse Roofing specialises in: • Traditional Roofing • Leadwork & Lead Burning • UPVC Fascias, Soffits & Guttering • EPDM Rubber Flat Roofs • Building Services CALL US • Timberwork FOR FREE

T: 01249 819128 QUOTES M: 07788 885699 E: info@whitehorseroofing.com www.whitehorseroofing.com

Tel: 07736 879326

103 London Road, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0AD

Roofing Ltd

Roofing albuilding ditioinnall TraExperts works, ut: O g n i y r r a C t s li renovations, pecia conversions, decorating, Skitchens and bathrooms for your home or business Slating & Tiling Stone Tiling Leadwork UPVC Fascias & Guttering enquiries@priorandcompany.com CedarThe Shingles Courtyard, Bath Road, Shaw, Melksham SN12 8EF

Specialists in all roofing, Upvc fascias, soffits and guttering, leadwork, chimneys and sundry works for your home or business enquiries@mardenroofing.co.uk The Courtyard, Bath Road, Shaw, Melksham SN12 8EF

Insurance Backed Guarantee Available For a FREE survey and quote call:

01249 821237 visit our website: www.priorandcompany.com www.daylangleedroofingltd.co.uk Prior and Marden joint advert.indd 1

72

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

www.mardenroofing.co.uk 26/01/2015 14:03

EVERYTHING YOU NEED...

FOR BUILDING, HOME IMPROVEMENT, TOOL & PLANT HIRE.

Call the Sales Office Direct Tel: 01249 812864 Oxford Road, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 8RT Monday - Friday 7.00am - 5.00pm Saturday 8.00am - 12.00noon

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

73

Index of Advertisers ANTIQUES/AUCTIONEERS Wessex Auction Rooms ......................... 76 ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING/DESIGN Concept Drawing.................................... 57 FHL Planning services............................ 65 BROADBAND Avonline Broadband ............................. 75 BUILDERS/BUILDING SUPPLIES All Home Improvements........................ 66 Buildbase ............................................. 73 AM Chivers Building............................... 67 Corsham Landscapes and Building......... 67 Downland Construction......................... 66 Tim Lee Building.................................... 67 Prior & Company Building...................... 66 Ron Welch Builder.................................. 67

EDUCATION/CHILDCARE Grace Tuition Centre .............................. 63 Little Acorns Childminding Group ......... 63 Rub A Dub Pre-School............................ 63 St Margarets Prep School....................... 25 ELECTRICIANS/ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES Delta Electrical....................................... 68 Eaton Electrical...................................... 68 Nick Pocock Electrical............................. 68 CJ Steel Electrical Services...................... 68 ESTATE AGENTS Atwell Martin ....................................... 29 Open House.............................................. 5 FITNESS TRAINING/GYM Chi Kung................................................. 39 Stuart Dinwoodie................................... 49

Foot Care at Home.................................. 47 Foot Health Care..................................... 45 Park Lane Practice.................................. 41

Plumbing 4U.......................................... 70 RTC Plastering & Plumbing..................... 69 Skyline Heating...................................... 42

HEATING OIL Watson Fuels ........................................ 27

RECRUITMENT IBP Recruitment ..................................... 7

HEATING SOLAR Skyline Heating...................................... 42

RETAIL SHOPS Bazaar Gifts & Cards .............................. 29 Calne Appliances .................................. 25

HOME & INTERIORS Goldmans Interiors........................... 19, 57 Sarah’s Soft Furnishings ........................ 57 HOME MAINTENANCE Cleanstart.............................................. 25 Odd Jobs................................................ 68 HYPNOTHERAPY Hypnotherapy of Calne........................... 47

CAR REPAIR/VEHICLE SERVICES/TAXI AM Autocare............................................ 1 Cross Country Tyres................................. 59 K.A.R. Travel (Taxi).................................. 59 Nicholls Repair Shop.............................. 59 Sawmills Garage.................................... 59 Sign-Age Graphics.................................. 59

FLOORING/CARPET SERVICES BSB Flooring ......................................... 33 George Taylor Carpet Fitter ................... 33 Goldmans Interiors ............................... 63 iKlean..................................................... 27

KITCHENS/BEDROOMS Active Kitchens & Bathrooms................. 21 Dream Doors ........................................... 2 Kitchen Makeover ................................. 57 Premier Kitchen Doors............................ 23

FLORISTS Shirley’s Florists .................................... 29

CARE/CARE HOMES/RETIREMENT Driving Miss Daisy.................................. 27

FOOD & DRINK/HOTEL Lansdowne Strand................................. 37 Old Bankhouse....................................... 34

LEGAL SERVICES Awdry, Bailey & Douglas ......................... 3 Bevirs Solicitors .................................... 11

CARPENTER/JOINER Contours Carpentry................................ 67 Makepeace Carpentry............................ 68 SM Carpentry......................................... 67 CHIMNEY SWEEP Alex Wells............................................... 33 CHURCHES Calne Evangelical Church ...................... 61 CLEANING/DOMESTIC SERVICES Catherine Croft Cleaning Services ......... 65 CFK Cleaning services............................. 11 Cleanstart.............................................. 25 iKlean..................................................... 27 Ovenclean ............................................ 61 Ovengleamers ...................................... 61 Swept Away........................................... 25

COACH HOLIDAYS Barnes Coaches......................................9 COMPUTER/IT/GRAPHICS/WEB Calne Computer Services ...................... 25 PC Hospital............................................. 63 CURTAINS/BLINDS Goldmans Interiors................................. 19

DOMESTIC APPLIANCES/REPAIRS Calne Appliances .................................. 25 Steves Appliances.................................. 69 Odd Jobs................................................ 68 E-CIGARETTES Choice-cigs............................................. 17 Puffin Hut.............................................. 32 74

GARDENING/FENCING/LANDSCAPING Acres Ahead........................................... 55 Corsham Landscaping............................ 67 Dave Newton Fencing............................ 53 ES Earthmoving...................................... 55 Graham Fox............................................ 53 Ian Marsh............................................... 53 Jon Burton............................................. 53 MR Fencing............................................ 54 Silbury Services...................................... 55 Turners Landscapes................................ 55 Under the Ivy......................................... 55 Walsh Landscapes.................................. 53 GUITAR TUITION Gary Richardson..................................... 12 HAIR/BEAUTY/NAILS Amanda Phillips..................................... 47 Beauty Boutique.................................... 45 Bowood House....................................... 15 Elecia Beauty.......................................... 44 High Street Barbers................................ 39 LA Barber............................................... 45 Sophie's Beauty Spot (Mobile)............... 41 Thai Massage......................................... 39 Woman to Woman................................. 44 HEALTH CARE/FOOT CARE Calne Acupuncture................................. 47 Calne Foot Care...................................... 44 Fiona Stubbs Chiropodist & Podiatrist.... 49

The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016

MASSAGE Thai Massage......................................... 39

STAIRLIFTS Raise Lift Services................................... 11 STORAGE Calne Self Storage ................................. 23 TENNIS COACHING Calne Tennis Coaching............................ 49 TILING AFK Tiling............................................... 71 TRAVEL/HOLIDAYS Pebble Travel.......................................... 30 TV/SATELLITE Aerial Services ...................................... 63

MOBILITY Mobility Store........................................ 32

VENUES/ATTRACTIONS Bowood House....................................... 15 Roves Farm ............................................. 7

MICROLIGHT FLIGHTS Wiltshire Microlight Centre ................... 44

VETS Hale Veterinary Group............................ 50

OPTICIANS Vision Express......................................... 13

WATER SOFTENERS Wiltshire Wet Rooms.............................. 65

PAINTERS/DECORATORS/PLASTERERS ACM Decorating..................................... 69 Alan Clifford Painter & Decorator............ 69 AS Plastering.......................................... 69 Cliff Laney.............................................. 69 RTC Plastering & Plumbing..................... 69

WET ROOMS Wiltshire Wet Rooms.............................. 65

PETS/DOGS/RIDING Corton Kennels....................................... 51 Dogsbodies Grooming............................ 50 Great Bounds......................................... 51 Grittenham Grooming............................ 51 Shirleys Pet Shop................................... 51 PEST CONTROL Wiltshire Pest Control ........................... 27 PLUMBING/HEATING/SUPPLIES ABC Plumbing........................................ 71 Active Plumbing Supplies................ 16, 70 Aquarius Plumbing & Heating................ 71 City Plumbing........................................ 19 Max Colbourne Oil & Gas........................ 71 DPS Plumbing & Heating....................... 70 F.S. Plumbing & Heating........................ 70 Graham Gas & Plumbing Services.......... 70

WEBSITE DESIGN Sanders Web Works................................ 56 WINDOW CLEANERS Elmers Window Cleaning Servs. ............ 33 WINDOWS & CONSERVATORIES Weatherguard Windows......................... 71

r Local ToMYouw nCr e♥r agazine Covering CALNE,

CHIPPENHAM and

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FEBRUARY 2016

om

DISCO Disco Mania .......................................... 63

GARAGE DOORS Diamond Doors...................................... 67

LOFTS Access4Lofts........................................... 65

SEWING/CRAFT Sew & Craft............................................ 25

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DAMP PROOFING Eaton Electrical ..................................... 17

FUNERAL DIRECTORS Odette...................................................... 5 Tony Warren ......................................... 61 E Wootten & Son.................................... 33

LOCKS & ALARMS Alan Key Locks ....................................... 69

ROOFING/TILING/THATCHING David Beal Thatcher............................... 72 Daylan Gleed Roofing............................. 72 Marden Roofing..................................... 72 Marden Flat Roofing .............................. 71 White Horse Roofing.............................. 72

Valentine’s Day Flowers

AM

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Body Inspecti

inclBrake Fluid on usiv Test e

AM

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CAR

MOT RE-TAVAILABLE ESTS Within 10 working days

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16

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AVAILABLE ON MOST MAKES OF VEHICLE

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l MOTORING The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUAR l HOME & GARD Y 2016 1 EN l PETS

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The Town Crier Magazine | FEBRUARY 2016