MO NO NT W HL Y
♥ TownCr er Magazine Covering ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT, MALMESBURY and villages
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OCTOBER 2015
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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FOOD l HEALTH & BEAUTY l MOTORING l GARDENING l PET CARE
LOCAL PICK-UP POINTS
BARNES
October Holiday Breaks 16th October BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS 3 days from £179.00 pp
Choice of 3 or 4 star hotel in Blackpool. Blackpool is Britain’s largest holiday resort with a flat 6-mile promenade and three piers. The trams on the sea front are the only survivors of their kind in England.
16th October THE DELIGHTS OF DEVON AND DARTMOOR 4 days from £239.00 pp
Includes Paignton and Torquay Paignton is a lovely seaside resort with a level esplanade leading to a small harbour, and there are fine views over Torbay with its vivid blue sea and sky. As well as the beautiful coastline, our tours will show us much of Devon’s countryside.
16th October RIVER RHINE ABLAZE! 3 days from £399.00 pp
Includes Rhine Lights Boat Cruise, Rudesheim, Boppard & Koblenz! In the Rhine Gorge, during the autumn grape harvest, there are celebrations and firework displays to mark the new wine season. Witness this aboard a special evening boat cruise.
19th October ST IVES AND THE BEST OF CORNWALL 5 days from £289.00 pp
With its warm summers and Britain’s mildest climate, St Ives is perfect in all seasons. A stone’s throw from the harbour is the old part of the town with a host of narrow streets and passageways.
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23rd October MIDLAND’S RAILWAYS & CANALS
4 days from £249.00 pp
Inc. Black Country Museum, Severn Valley Railway, Stratford & Canal Trip! There is now a fascinating legacy left for leisure groups and this tour offers nice scenery, lots of nostalgia and of course the transport rides!
26th October SINGLES IN SCOTLAND 5 days from £369.00 pp
Irvine including Royal Yacht Britannia 4 star hotel with superb facilities. Join one of our popular single room holidays to this wonderful part of Scotland. This tour has sold out three years in a row so book early!
To book your coach trip: 01793 821303 or visit us online at: www.barnescoaches.co.uk 2
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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OCTOBER 2015
Editor’s Letter Welcome to the October Magazine! Dark nights will soon be upon us, along with the clocks going back at the end of this month, so look forward to snuggling up in front of the fire with a cuppa and your local Town Crier. Autumn! What a picture that conjures up! The spectacular colours of reds, golds and yellows from the falling leaves - take a look at our article on visiting Westonbirt Arboretum. Halloween, Trick or Treat - it’s a time for children to have fun so if you want to keep the kids busy, they can learn how to carve a pumpkin lantern. The farm shops are full of pumpkins at this time of year so go along, pick one up and have a go! Many thanks to everyone who sent in contributions to this issue including the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, Brinkworth Dairy, Westonbirt Arboretum and many more. 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 November 2015 issue: 8th October 2015 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 | OCTOBER 2015
IN THIS AUTUMN ISSUE 6 What’s On Local News and Events 8 Brinkworth Dairy 20 Westonbirt Arboretum in Autumn Ten ways to help you enjoy your visit 24 Recipes - Pumpkin Soup - Chilli with Black Beans 30 Wiltshire Air Ambulance Life Saving Blood 32 Pumpkins at the Ready Halloween Traditions 34 Book Reviews Children’s Books 37 Fireworks 38 Gardening Terrific Tulips 42 Kevin Sanders Website Tips
The best of
Autumn
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ON W NE HAT A R ’S YO U
Local Focus OCTOBER 2015
What’s happening locally • News • Events • Charities • Clubs
Royal Wootton Bassett Orchestra Open Rehearsal Players and audience members are invited to join Royal Wootton Bassett Orchestra for their Open Rehearsal at Royal Wootton Bassett Methodist Church from 10am on October 17th 2015. This is a community event which is free to attend - no booking required! We will be playing Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, led by our regular Musical Director Alan MacRae. We welcome players of any age, at grade 5 equivalent or above, who feel able to tackle music at this standard. Players should be prepared to spend the whole day with the Orchestra. A buffet lunch will be provided for players.
‘Life behind the Lens’ Tour Award-winning wildlife cameraman Doug Allan is touring the UK in November visiting Swindon Arts Centre on November 3rd (7.30pm) and Sundial Theatre, Cirencester on November 9th (7.30pm). Doug’s work has featured in the popular BBC documentaries, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet, Ocean Giants in addition to being profiled on BBC1’s Wildlife Cameramen at Work. After a childhood love of diving he qualified as a Marine Biologist, and started his camera career soon after following a chance meeting with Sir David Attenborough in the Antarctic. He has been filming for Attenborough and producing his own wildlife documentaries ever since, despite never having had a formal lesson in photography. He has also been awarded the Polar Medal twice by the Queen and has published his book of stills photography ‘Freeze Frame’. His talk is hugely entertaining with tales of being pawed by Polar Bears to being dragged under water by a hungry Sea Lion as well as touching on more serious topics of the decline of the landscapes in Antarctica and our oceans’ Coral Reefs, he is very passionate about conservation. He also has lovely recollections to share of his time working with Sir David Attenborough in some of the most remote places on the planet.
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This is a great opportunity to see how an orchestra rehearses, ask questions, and perhaps even try an instrument! Refreshments will be available for members of the public.
Women of World War One MALMESBURY ABBEY MUSIC SOCIETY presents a tribute by
Trio Paradis
in words, music and images
Women’s stories told in their own words through letters diaries and poetry
7:30pm Sat 7th Nov. Malmesbury Abbey
Music by female composers writing during the war
A specially commissioned film Tickets £15 (£5 students): Malmesbury Abbey; David Barton 01666 824924
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Local Focus
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Brinkworth Dairy HERE IS A BIG CHEESE on the Wiltshire food scene for which awards and acclaim are pouring in thick and fast.
Brinkworth Dairy with its cheeses, ice cream, butter, yogurt, cream milk and honey is a fine food force to be reckoned with. Brinkworth Dairy makes cream, butter, yogurt, milk, icecream and cheese at our on farm dairy. From farmers’ markets, wholesalers and shops to pubs and restaurants across London and the South West, its dairy delicacies are snapped up by foodies wherever they appear. Thanks to its personal Wedding Cheese cake service, Brinkworth is also a hit with brides and grooms. Managing Director Ceri Cryer grew up on the family dairy farm and in 2006 started her own cheese making business on the Wiltshire farm. Ceri is a fifth generation cheesemaker whose family has farmed at Hill End Farm, near Chippenham, since 1910.
Brinkworth Dairy featured recently on the BBC series Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip to Devizes. L-R: Mason McQueen, Ceri Cryer and Sir Terry Wogan.
Today’s its pedigree Friesian herd grazes on traditional lush pastures of the Dauntsey Vale to produce high quality milk and the full range of dairy products.
Business 2006 and Wiltshire Life Independent Food Producer, by being named Best Cheese in this year’s Taste of the West competition.
The Dairy’s constant championing of its home county - the cheeses are named after local places - is helping to put Wiltshire well and truly on the gourmet map, and its recent revival of an 18th century popular cheese, Wiltshire Loaf mentioned in two of Jane Austen’s novels, is signposting even more people to the area. The cheeses alone are enough to have one reaching for the crackers. Along with the revived Wiltshire Loaf - winner of the British Cheese Awards’ Best Territorial Cheese - are Brinkworth Blue, Garlic and Pepper and the Royal Bassett Blue. This last variety added yet another prize to the dairy’s growing collection, which includes Best New
Further 2014 successes have included being a finalist manufacturer in the Enterprising Wiltshire Awards and winning a Jongia Cheesemaking Scholarship. Such ripening fortunes have been reflected in impressive growth. Profits have almost trebled, from £6k to £17k in the last three years, along with increasing turnover and staff recruitment, while processing has gone from two to five days a week. “Our Taste of the West Best Cheese win brought new wholesalers and shops interested in stocking our cheese and we are planning to double the creamery’s size to boost production,” says Ceri who is available on her mobile, email, Twitter and Facebook to talk to customers about their requirements. “We also communicate with wholesalers and shops so they know when their orders are ready, give talks throughout Wiltshire and maintain regular Facebook updates,” “By talking directly to end users at farmers’ markets we gain product feedback and can then make appropriate adjustments. We do ensure that everyone who does business with us ends up with something nice to eat.” To find out more about Brinkworth Dairy, go to www.brinkworthdairy.co.uk. Alternatively email info@brinkworthdairy.co.uk or telephone 07977 580281
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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What's On
Diary Dates OCTOBER 2015
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TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE Town Hall, Cross Hayes, Malmesbury, SN16 9BZ Tel:01666 823748 Email: tic@malmesbury.gov.uk ARTISAN & FARMERS’ MARKET every Friday in the Market Cross Malmesbury 9am-3pm LINE DANCING Cotswold House, Gloucester Road, Malmesbury Thursdays 7.30-9.00, weekly £30 for block of 7 sessions, or £5 per session All levels welcome. For further info or to book a place contact Tracey T: 07835467551, E: traceygorrod@ btinternet.com Facebook page: Malmesbury Line Dancing Group THE NORTH WILTSHIRE VILLAGE FLOWER CLUB Meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month in Crudwell Village Hall at 7.30pm – Contact Gill on 01666 824813 for details MALMESBURY MORRIS meets every Thursday at Corston Reading Room at 7.30pm New dancers and musicians very welcome LEARN TO CROCHET – DOLLY BOBBINS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS 2015 Various classes and workshops running from August 2015 For Beginner/Novice/Improver/ Intermediate Crochet/Crochet Square Joining/Bunting/Flowers/ Understanding Charts/Mandalas/ Dollies/Knitting Cost £15 for adults. £10 for children. Further information of all dates and times; Email: dollybobbins@hotmail.com Telephone: 07835467551 WWW: www.facebook.com/ dollybobbins.co.uk MOVIES@MALMESBURY Man from U.N.C.L.E (12a) – Friday 9th October 8pm Tickets available from Malmesbury Tourist
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Information Centre or www.oxboffice.com www.malmesbury.gov.uk/cinema VICTORIA ART GALLERY, BATH Tel: (01225) 477244 Various exhibitions starting Saturday 10th October with a talk by The artist Kurt Jackson at 11:30 to 12:30. His exhibition runs until 3rd Jan Grayson Perry exhibition runs from 9th Jan – 10 April 2016
BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE’S MALMESBURY HISTORY WEEKEND 15th - 18th October 2015 Malmesbury, Wilts, SN16 9BZ On Thursday 15 October 2015, BBC History Magazine’s History Weekend will return to Malmesbury in Wiltshire following two very successful years for our biggest event yet. This year, over four days, almost 40 leading historians and authors will descend on the ancient hilltop town to share their passion for the past with fellow history lovers.) www.historyweekend.com/ malmesbury MALMESBURY FILM SOCIETY ‘SELMA’ Sunday 18th October 7.30pm at St Mary’s Hall, Malmesbury ‘HUMAN CAPITAL’ Sunday 15th November 7.30pm at St Mary’s Hall, Malmesbury £5 per film, no need to book
PUMPKINS Roves Farm, Sevenhampton, Swindon, Wilts, SN6 7QG Tel: 01793 763939 Carve a pumpkin to take home and leave us with the mess. Wrap up warm and head out on the tractor ride! www.rovesfarm.co.uk NO BIG BANG FIREWORKS & BONFIRE PARTY 24 Oct 2015 Roves Farm, Sevenhampton, Swindon, Wilts, SN6 7QG Roves Farm celebrates the end of its summer season with a Bonfire and Fireworks Party. The popular Family Fireworks Display is designed especially for young children. www.rovesfarm.co.uk
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
SWINDON AND CRICKLADE RAILWAY HALLOWEEN GHOST TRAIN Blunsdon, Swindon 30-31 Oct 2015 Spooky evening extravaganzas with the train and stations peopled by ghosts and ghouls. Gets more popular every year. Evening events running between 6pm and 8.45pm. Tel: 01793 771615 MONSTERS’ BALL Saturday 31st October at Malmesbury Town Hall Dinner & Dance 7.30pm £35, Dance only 9pm £10 Tickets available from Miles Morgan Travel, For more information call into the town Hall or visit www.athelstanplayers.org NOVEMBER 2015
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THE COTSWOLDS CHARITY MASKED BALL - WITH LIVE MUSIC BY THE SCHMOOZENBERGS! Sat 14th November 2015, 7pm-11pm Hullavington Village Hall, SN14 6EB (near Malmesbury) In support of THE HEART RHYTHM CHARITY AND FIBROMYALGIA ASSOCIATION UK All welcome to this fabulous event - dancers, spectators and anyone wanting to enjoy the Masked Ball experience! Dress code: Smart or sparkly... with mask! Refreshments: Light nibbles provided, please BYObubbly! Tickets: Ticket only event, £15 per ticket. Live Music by The Schmoozenbergs “... conjuring up the mood of 1930s Paris. Visit www.schmusic.co.uk Contact Emma for tickets: www.miss-emmas.com or missemmasdancing@gmail.com or 07985 381963 WORLD PREMIER PERFORMANCE OF A REQUIEM FOR A SOLDIER by the renowned local composer FRANK HARVEY will be performed by Royal Wootton Bassett Choral Society as part of a full musical evening at The Academy Royal Wootton Bassett School on SUNDAY 15TH November, staring at 7.00pm. Tickets available from usual local outlets.
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Bath Racecourse multimillion plan
B
ATH RACECOURSE is pleased to announce an exciting multimillion investment plan to develop the facilities at the Lansdown venue. The proposals have been submitted for planning approval to Bath and North East Somerset Council. If approval is granted it will ensure Bath Racecourse becomes a premier sporting, leisure and business facility. The multimillion investment will transform Bath Racecourse and includes: The construction of a new grandstand which will be located overlooking the final furlong. It will include a spacious public bar on the ground floor, viewing steps for up to 400 people and a 200 seat premier trackside restaurant with a balcony on the middle floor. The top floor will consist of an exclusive covered roof terrace offering visitors unrivalled premium viewing opportunities on racedays. The new grandstand will also offer a wonderful function space for non-raceday events including conferences, banquets and weddings;
of the best sporting hospitality facilities within the region. The upgraded suites will include the addition of balconies and feature sumptuous décor and enhanced catering options. On the ground floor there will be a large new public bar for racegoers to enjoy; Improved landscaping throughout the site and use of the outside space closest to the finishing post, created by a small movement and upgrade to the existing parade ring and winners enclosure in order to provide more racegoers with closer proximity to the sporting action; Refurbishment of the existing bar and bathrooms in the current grandstand; The addition of a new café offering visitors a wider range of delicious hot and cold food options. On non-racedays the restaurant on the middle floor of the new grandstand will be transformed into a conference suite that will be able to host up to 300 people
A rebuild of the existing hospitality stand that overlooks the finishing line with the aim of providing one 12
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
making it one of the largest conference spaces in Bath, with the racecourse being able to provide the added advantage of plentiful free parking for all visitors. All construction work will be carried out while maintaining Bath Racecourse’s current race programme without the need to transfer any fixtures to other racecourses. More details about the exact timeline for construction will be provided in due course once approval has been granted. It is currently proposed that works would be completed prior to the commencement of the 2016 racing season with the exception of the new grandstand which will be completed by the autumn of 2016. Bath Racecourse Executive Director Jo Hall said: “This is an exciting time for the racecourse with the investment plans ensuring it has a bright future. We are already a popular and thriving local attraction but the extensive improvements will ensure we become a premier destination for racing and a wide range of business and leisure events. I would like to thank everyone who is working on this project with us and we look forward to seeing the plans become reality in the months ahead. ”
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Ask AMS Advice for small businesses
Should I set up a pension through my Company (owned with my wife)? Or pay it from my own income? Firstly, you should consult a Financial Advisor. If the Company pays for the contributions, you and your wife will share the tax relief. If you make the contributions from your own income after taxes, you will receive all the tax relief. If one of you is a Higher Rate Tax payer (taxable income over £42,385), then you should try to make sure that the tax relief goes to the higher earner. However, from April 2016, the new dividend tax will make company pension contributions much more advantageous than personal pension payments paid from dividends. Peter Bromiley ACA
AMS Accountancy Ltd. Swindon SN5 7XF 01793 818400 www.ams-accountancy.co.uk
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For your FREE loft survey & quote please call Gary on 01225 300207 or visit www.access4lofts.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Local Focus
PENSION SCAMS Over 55s are being repeatedly contacted with cold-calls and emails offering fraudulent pension opportunities, warns Citizens Advice. Over four months after the pension reforms came into effect, figures from the national consumer body find that two in five Citizens Advice pensions staff across England and Wales have seen people targeted repeatedly with pension scams.
Sore feet, warm hearts! Some Sainsbury’s colleagues were left counting their blisters after a five mile walk in aid of Brighter Futures on Saturday, but the smiles at the end said it all. The Stratton store’s Charity of the Year is dedicated to raising money for a new radiotherapy unit at Great Western Hospital and it was from there that the merry crew set off at around 11am. The route took them to Coate, up Queen’s Drive, along Oxford Road and back to the store, visiting two Arkell’s pubs on the way, the Sun Inn at Coate and the White Hart at Stratton, where, with the kind permission of both managers, sizeable additions to the fund were collected. A tired but elated Trish Carter was among the returning heroes and was quick to praise her fellow walkers. ‘The spirit on the walk was first class,’ said the Charity Co-ordinator for the store, ‘Everyone was supporting everyone else and the generosity shown to the cause along the route, in the pubs and back at the store was amazing! We would like to give a big thanks to everyone that supported us.’ Jennifer Green of Brighter Futures enthused about the way Sainsbury’s colleagues have taken the charity to their hearts. ‘It shows just how much the people of Swindon are behind us in our quest to equip the radiotherapy unit. Thank you Sainsbury’s colleagues for your commitment and enthusiasm.’ With lots of sponsorship monies still to come in it is too early to get a final amount raised at the event, but all signs suggest it will be a bumper figure. It may have been a high blister count on the day, but all that hard work looks set to achieve an even higher donation count! Barrie Matthews, PR Ambassador Sainsbury’s Stratton
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Albert Ball, Project Manager at Wiltshire Citizens Advice Pension Wise said: “Pension scams threaten people’s financial security. Scammers are finding new ways to go after people’s pension pots including offering free pension reviews and promising to invest funds that don’t necessarily exist. “If you’ve had an offer or signed up to a pension scheme you’re unsure about, I urge you to contact your local Citizens Advice where our staff can offer free help and support.” Citizens Advice offer Pension Wise guidance where people aged over 50 can access free face to face guidance sessions. To book an appointment call 01722 580052 Common signs of a pension scam • Pension help for free: an offer of help with your pension, such as free review or help tracing a lost pension • High rates of return: any promotion offering you a much higher rate of return than other investors • Time pressure: if you are told you must give your details within a short time frame or sign paperwork from a courier • Early access: an offer to help you access your pension before the age of 55 How to avoid being scammed • Never be rushed into making a decision • Check if the company contacting you is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) • If you are unsure, contact The Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047 or contact Citizens Advice on 03454 04 05 06 • Look at the FCA’s Scamsmart warning list, which gives the names of investment schemes that are known scams.www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart • If you have already accepted an offer you think is a scam, report it to Action Fraud For further information on pension scams, visit pensionwise.gov.uk
Are you breastfeeding your baby or are you a mum-to-be? Would you like to meet other breastfeeding mums?
We are an independent family owned and run agency offering over 50 years of combined property experience servicing, Royal Wootton Bassett, Purton, Lyneham, Swindon and surrounding villages. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– We pride ourselves on providing our customers with a professional and personal service that only a totally committed family team can provide.
Would you like support or information from a trained Breastfeeding Peer Supporter? Toy & Play Area, older siblings welcome (under 5s)
Refreshments and a friendly approach!
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Every Monday, 1.00pm – 2.30pm Malmesbury Children’s Centre Malmesbury Primary School Tetbury Hill Malmesbury, SN16 9JR Tel: 01666 825566
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Local Focus
JADE DANDO
SHAKESPEARE LIVE Shakespeare meets Dickens's A Christmas Carol as the inebriated n'er do well Christopher Sly from The Taming of the Shrew encounters the mysterious Will. The none too comfortable journey through the seven ages of his own life that Will then leads him through shows Sly in no uncertain terms the choices he has made so far, the ways in which he could have dealt with life better, and the options he has for the rest of his life, good and bad. In the end, he will have to make a decision about his future - will he opt for virtuous chastity and honesty, or will he stick with his selfish and self-indulgent behaviour? Using extracts from many of Shakespeare's plays, both serious and funny, this is an original, entertaining and thought-provoking piece of theatre, written for and first produced by local company, Shakespeare Live, this August at the Royal Shakespeare Company's outdoor venue, The Dell. Performances are at The Mission Theatre, Bath, on October 1st; The Pound Theatre, Corsham, on October 3rd; The Wharf Theatre, Devizes, on October 5th; and St Margaret's Hall, Bradford on Avon, on October 7th. All performances start at 7.30pm and seats cost £10. They can be bought from the first three venues directly, or by phoning 07780 938107, or email shakespearelive@outlook.com.
South Marston CofE School Christmas Craft Fayre Friday 27th November 2015 6.30pm-8.30pm
35 great craft stalls, Santa’s Grotto Santa’s sleigh, School Choir to perform, Festive surprises, Refreshments, Mulled wine and mince pies ... and lots more www.facebook.com/ events/1632646920324446/
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Jade Dando, 19, has been lucky enough to be selected to represent Wiltshire in a national pageant this November. She will be competing in Miss Glamorous Beauty UK as Teen Glamorous Beauty Wiltshire. This will be her first time representing Wiltshire and she really hopes she can do the county proud! Jade has been entering pageants for just over a year. Her first pageant was the Miss Swindon Wiltshire Heat in 2014, where she was runner up. She has also competed in Miss Wiltshire 2015 but sadly didn't win, but did however win Miss Publicity for her work within the local community. She has also modelled at the Open Door Centres fashion show. In August she competed for her first national pageant Miss British Beauty Queen. Jade is proud to be sponsored by Grants Dental Surgery for this pageant. With two pageants coming up, she will be out in the community in her T-shirt for Miss Rainbow Star and sash for Miss Glamorous Beauty Wiltshire doing whatever she can to make a difference! She has lots of events coming up so keep an eye out! Her aims for 2016 are to conquer pageants on an international level, hopefully and maybe even run her own pageant for charity! Photo: www.primephotography.net
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Superglide Sliding Wardrobe Doors High Quality Sliding Wardrobe Doors at honest prices We are a family business and have 20 year’s experience in the made-to-measure sliding wardrobe door field. There are no standard sizes, every set of sliding wardrobe doors are made to fit the width and height required. As we hold good stock of the basic materials, delivery times are generally in the order of three weeks from ordering. We offer clients a complete service from a fully fitted bedroom to include sliding wardrobe doors, dressing table, chests and bedside units. We have both sliding wardrobe door and hinged door furniture complete with matching units. Our Sliding wardrobe doors are based on a steel system with a laminate choice of colour on top i.e. Oak, walnut , beech etc The cotswold range is steel based then a large MDF casing on top and your choice of laminate on top of the MDF In addition to our bedrooms we also have an excellent range of fitted kitchen furniture to include laminate doors, solid wood doors and hand painted furniture with a full range of appliances and accessories from all the leading manufacturers.
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
We have a small showroom for displaying our sliding wardrobe doors and other products at our Coleshill workshop, which is available at times to suit our clients by appointment, rather than the normal 9 to 5. Create your own MADE TO MEASURE sliding wardrobe doors. Choose from a wide range of frame and track colours. Then add in your choice of panels which include mirrors, coloured glass, frosted glass, wood grain panels and more. We also provide all frames to line your opening and different types of interiors to suit your requirements. All our sliding wardrobe doors are supplied with FREE DELIVERY. Superglide also manufactures bespoke bedroom furniture, bedside cabinets, chests of drawers and interiors to suit requirements. ORDER ONLINE or please come and visit us by appointment, where you can see and we can demonstrate the quality of our made-to-measure sliding wardrobe doors. To book an appointment please call: (01793) 861584 or email:sales@superglidewardrobes.co.uk
UNIQUE VET SERVICE. PERSONAL NURSES FOR YOUNGSTERS. Youth Club
Very Important Puppies (& Kittens)
thameswoodvets.co.uk Swindon & Royal Wootton Bass
39B Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire SN4 7ED Tel: 01793 230266 Open: Monday to Friday 9am-6.30pm Saturday 9am-12noon
www.thameswoodvets.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Westonbirt Arboretum
The ten best ways to enjoy autumn at Westonbirt T
HE BLAZE OF FIERY COLOURS provide a spectacular show each year and the team at the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum at Westonbirt are celebrating the beginning of the famous autumn displays by releasing their favourite ways to best enjoy the season. Staff are encouraging Westonbirt visitors to make the most of autumn by enjoying a list of ten seasonal experiences as they admire the explosion of red, orange and yellow hues throughout the 600 acre site near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. From conker challenges to tasty picnics, collecting colourful leaves and taking beautiful memory photos, autumn provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy nature at its best, and spend time outdoors in the fresh air with family and friends. Simon Hough, Recreation Manager, at the National Arboretum, said: “Westonbirt is a stunning place to visit all year round, but for the staff here autumn really is the most exciting season. As thousands of trees start turning, it soon transforms Westonbirt into a kaleidoscope of colour, which is truly magical. This is why we wanted to share our favourite ways to enjoy and experience autumn at Westonbirt, as there’s so much more to see! We’ll be hosting a variety of exciting events as the days get colder during the next few months, which the whole family can enjoy and make some fantastic memories. So grab your woolly jumpers and wellies, and enjoy the show!”
The Westonbirt team’s ten favourite ways to enjoy autumn at the arboretum are: • Wrap up warm – Prepare for crisp autumn days and nights by pulling on your favourite woolly jumper, knitted hat and gloves; perfect for a walk through the trees! • The race is on – Download our free TreeQuests app to take part in our exciting digital quest around Westonbirt at autumn. Challenge friends and family to run from tree to tree, and complete a number of interactive challenges to win as many gold medals as possible. • Capture the spirit of Westonbirt – Why not take part in one of our popular one-day photography workshops? Develop your technique and snap away to capture the best of autumn at Westonbirt on camera. • Become a leaf collector – Collect as many different fallen leaves as you can and try to find one in every colour. Don’t forget to sniff out the Katsura tree too, which smells like candyfloss! • Get closer to nature – Immerse yourself in autumn by making a chair in the heart of Silk Wood. Take in the seasonal colours while trying your hand at a new skill during our six-day course and revive some of the oldest traditions of English chair making. • Practice your survival skills – Autumn is the perfect time of year for young adventurers to try their hand at den building,
survival skills and enjoy twilight walks. Don’t miss our popular bushcraft and survival youth club and book a place for your teens (14-18 years). • Pack a picnic – Why not sit back and relax with an autumnal picnic? Take in the dazzling display of colour at Westonbirt with a warm thermos and some tasty treats in the heart of the arboretum. • Hold autumn in your hands – Get off the beaten track and take your family on an adventure. See, feel and smell autumn on our family trail by comparing the different colours, shapes and textures of autumn leaves. • Challenge with conkers! – Take on mum and dad or challenge your friends to a competition! Find several specimens just outside our Great Oak Hall and let battle commence! • Get cosy after a long walk – Indulge in a steaming mug of hot chocolate in our cafe or tuck into a delicious bowl of locally made soup to warm up after hours of exploring the arboretum. The National Arboretum is situated at Westonbirt, three miles from Tetbury in Gloucestershire and is open from 9am Monday to Sunday all year round except Christmas Day. Information on admission and events can be found at forestry. gov.uk/westonbirt.
Photos on opposite page courtesy of Forestry Commission, Westonbirt Arboretum
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Here are just a few of our offers . . . 10 ltr Covaplus b/w £24.95
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A one stop shop for the professional builder, decorator, and general public, stocking a wide range of products to suit all your requirements. NEXT DAY DELIVERY IS AVAILABLE 22
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Your local independent family run paint supplier, offering year round low prices Stockist of • Dulux Trade • Leyland • Sadolin • Sandtex • Zinsser and much more
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COLOUR MATCHING SERVICE AVAILABLE If you already have a colour in mind, our unique ColorXpress colour matching service is available. Accurate, fast and best of all, free of charge, our advanced technology will give you the perfect match to paint, fabric, wallpaper and even tiles! Dulux Trade and Leyland Trade is mixed on site.
MALMESBURY CIRENCESTER Unit 1, Park Road, Ind Estate, Unit 18, Business Estate, Elliot Road, SN16 0BX Park Road, Malmesbury Cirencester GL7 1YS UnitMalmesbury 1 Park Road Centre, SN16 0BX 01666 825198 01285 642027 Tel: 01666 825198 www.sryall.co.uk ryallsmalm@gmail.com ryallsltd@gmail.com Open: Monday-Friday: 7am-6pm, Saturday: 7am-12pm, Sunday: Closed The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Food Food&&Drink Drink
Pumpkin Soup
Serves 6 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes (If roasting pumpkin add 20-30 minutes) INGREDIENTS Soup 4 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 1kg / 2lb 3oz pumpkins or squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks ½ -1 tsp ground cumin 700ml / 24 fl oz vegetable stock or chicken stock 142ml / 5fl oz pot double cream Salt and pepper Garnish 75g / 3oz lardons Chopped chilli (optional) Tiny sage leaves (optional) Method Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently fry the finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add the peeled, deseeded and chopped pumpkin or squash to the pan with the ground cumin, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden. Pour the vegetable stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour the pot of double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan. While the soup is cooking heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the lardons until deep golden brown. Add some chopped chilli and a few small sage leaves to taste, then cook for a few mins more until they too are tinged with colour. Reheat the soup if needed, season to taste, then serve scattered with the lardon garnish.
Food for Halloween! 24
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Note: Although this recipe will work with Halloween pumpkins they tend to be bred for size rather than flavour. If you want to use a Halloween pumpkin I’d recommend drizzling the pumpkin pieces with olive oil first, mixing them with the cumin and roasting them in the oven on Gas 6 / 200C for 20-30 minutes. Then follow the recipe as before. Roasting brings out the maximum flavour.
. . . s r e v o l e n i w l l a Calling
1-3 Baytree Court, The Chipping, Tetbury GL8 8EU
01666 502262 www.vinotopiawine.co.uk
Wine Selection
by Alan Webb of Vinotopia, Tetbury Pumpkin Soup: Matching wine with soup can sometimes be tricky, particularly when the ingredients include an element of spice. With this autumnal pumpkin soup I would recommend one of my favourite wines with Asian food-a Gewurztraminer from the Alsace region of France. Lush and laced with notes of spice, but dry and mouthwatering, this excellent wine would be perfect. Kientzheim-Kayserberg 2012 Gewurztraminer ÂŁ12.50
Chilli with Black Beans: A big, beefy chili needs a chunky wine to match the full blown flavours of the dish. A full bodied Malbec would do the trick, packed with raspberry, plum and cassis flavours and a healthy dose of aromatic wood and spice, it would hold its own alongside a hearty, warming chilli. Los Haroldos 2014 Malbec Mendoza Argentina ÂŁ8.95
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Food & Drink
Chilli with Black Beans A healthy, hearty supper
Preparation time: 20 mins Cooking time: 30-40 mins Serves: 6 INGREDIENTS Chilli
See our wine recommendation for this recipe on previous page
2 tsp cumin powder 2 tsp ground coriander 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder 2 tsp sweet paprika 1lb 2 oz / 500g pack extra lean steak mince 1 tbsp flour 4 garlic cloves, chopped 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 beef stock cube 2 tbsp tomato purĂŠe 2 onions, finely chopped 3 red peppers, deseeded and diced Large pack coriander (stalks for the chilli, leaves for the salsa) 2 x 400g cans black beans Salt and pepper to taste Lime and plain yoghurt to serve Salsa Three large ripe tomatoes Small red onion Avocado Handful of coriander leaves (reserved from the bunch) Method
Strip the coriander of its leaves and reserve in a bowl. Finely chop the coriander stalks. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion, coriander stalks and garlic together. Remove from the pan and set aside. Dry fry the mince in batches until browned. Add the spices and cook for a further minute. Return the onions and coriander stalks to the pan, stir to mix. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and a can of water, crumble in the stock cube, then stir in the tomato purĂŠe and chopped peppers. Cover the pan and cook for 15 mins. Stir in the drained black beans. Cook for a further 20 mins more until everything is reduced and tender. Serve with rice, lime wedges and yoghurt, and a fresh salsa of chopped tomatoes, avocados, red onion and coriander leaves.
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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ADVERTORIAL
Great cookies for a great cause, home baked by you! Mr Krums is a fantastic and popular fundraising program - it’s easy, affordable and delicious. Best of all this fundraiser will make your school, club or charity £2 for every tub your group sells, with no money up front costs! There’s hardly anyone out there who would turn down the chance at having freshly baked cookies, and with our gourmet cookie dough, the process really could not be easier. This fundraiser works so well within schools, clubs and other charities because there is no money to pay out up front. Tubs of MR KRUMS Fundraising Cookie Dough come frozen. Once defrosted they can be kept for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. Each 1.2kg tub contains enough cookie dough to make 48 delicious cookies*.
Get ready for your best fundraising campaign ever! • Fundraisers offer to sell tubs of cookie dough to their family and friends collecting payment as they go • You collate the orders, send your order and payment to us, keeping £2 for each tub sold for your charity • We deliver your order approx. 10 days later. It‘s simple, delicious and full of profit!
Tubs of dough are so easy to sell too...who can resist freshly baked cookies? With 5 delicious flavours to choose from and Selling from only £7.50 per tub you make £2 for each tub sold. We find, on average, schools sell approximately 300 tubs per campaign which makes an outstanding profit of £600.00! You begin when you receive your free fundraising pack, which contains; 20 introduction letters and 20 order forms, a master copy for further members of your fundraising team and a list of helpful hints, advice and information on how order and pay. All your fundraising team has to do is go out and get those orders. The cookie dough pretty much sells itself, so there’s no hard selling. Families love cookies, so as fundraisers go, you can really make a lot of profit. *Based on a 25g cookie
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Find us on
Facebook Call: 07518 640900 email: sales@mrkrums.com www.mrkrums.com urs: delicious flavo Choose from 5 okie ain buttery co al - A yummy pl Cookies Origin ewy texture. £7.50 ly ch with a heaven r cookie. r most popula unk - By far ou with Ch d e le at up ol co oc e, Ch olat ious milk choc .90 £7 h. ug Chunks of delic Do s ewy Mr Krum our famous ch e e real chocolat ocolate - For th Doublicious Ch ilk chocolate chunks m ed lover. Generous ocolate flavour scrumptious ch surrounded by £8.00 chewy dough. of g combination mouth-waterin dough and Juicy A t ui Fr y ic Ju ie th vanilla cook melt in the mou .90 £7 s. na Plump Sulta th crunchy and Yum Yum - Bo d Peanut Cookie anuts crushed and combine pe d 0 te .9 as £7 Ro h. y. ug chew ie do us chewy cook with our delicio
BEST WESTERN
Mayfield House Hotel
CHRISTMAS PARTY
2 COURSES LUNCH
Roast Chestnut and Lightly Curried Parsnip Soup Home Smoked Mackerel Fillet
£ 16.95
3 COURSES LUNCH
with pickled beetroot and baby onions
Pheasant and Black Pudding Terrine
£ 19.95
with orange and cranberry chutney
2 COURSES DINNER
Double Baked North Cerney Goat’s Cheese Soufflé
£ 18.95
with pear poached in mulled wine and a walnut salad
3 COURSES DINNER
Roast Breast of Wiltshire Bronze Turkey with almond, rosemary and smoked bacon stuffing, bread sauce, pigs in blankets and a rich turkey and cranberry pan gravy
Long, Slow Braised Ben Creese Blade of Beef Bourguignon with horseradish and chive mash
Pan Fried Cornish Sea Bass with spinach polenta chips with caper, lemon and gherkin cream
Individual Home-Steamed Suet Pudding filled with winter root vegetable ratatouille and a fresh parsley sauce
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Traditional Christmas Plum Pudding with rum butter and orange clotted cream
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Dark Chocolate Mousse and Orange Shortbread Stack with brandied cherries
West Country Cheese and Biscuits
CHRISTMAS DINNER & DISCO SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER £24.95 PER PERSON Crudwell, Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 9EW t: 01666 577409 f: 01666 577977 e: reception@mayfieldhousehotel.co.uk w: www.mayfieldhousehotel.co.uk The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Wiltshire Air Ambulance In the centre, Chris Nourse of Freewheelers EVS and Richard Miller, Wiltshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Paramedic, holding the Credo blood box watched by (l-r) Dan Tucker, WAA paramedic, Joanne Munday WAA Critical Care Paramedic, George Lawrence, WAA Chief Pilot, Simon Whitelock, Freewheelers EVS, Fred Thompson, WAA paramedic, and Dr Ed Valentine, WAA base doctor.
Life Saving Blood on Wiltshire Air Ambulance by Jill Crooks, WAA Media Coordinator PRE-hospital blood transfusions can now be given to patients treated by Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Critical Care Paramedics. On August 17 2015 Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA) began carrying blood on the helicopter and rapid response vehicle, which will benefit seriously ill and injured patients in need of emergency blood transfusion. The charity has teamed up with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), based in Bristol, to fund the initiative. From August 17 2015 GWAAC began carrying blood on its helicopter. This means that the two air ambulances are the first in the south west of England to carry blood. WAA Critical Care Paramedic Richard Miller said: “Without doubt having blood on the helicopter will save lives. At the
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very least, by giving blood to patients it will increase their blood volume and enable oxygen to get to their brain, heart and kidneys giving them a better chance of survival to enable us to get them to hospital for treatment. “Over the last four years Wiltshire Air Ambulance has moved rapidly into pre-hospital care by diagnosing, stabilising and treating critically injured patients on the roadside before they are taken to hospital. Having blood on the aircraft is another enhancement we can make in taking the emergency department to the patient.” Emergency blood transfusions are likely to be given to patients who suffer life-threatening bleeding caused by trauma and some acute medical conditions.
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
The blood is collected daily from the North Bristol Trust Transfusion Laboratory at Southmead Hospital and delivered daily to WAA’s Operations Centre in Devizes and GWAAC’s airbase in Filton by the charity Freewheelers EVS, which covers the south west. Additional deliveries can be made if required by the air crews. If the blood is not used, it will be returned to Southmead Hospital by the volunteer blood bikers after 24 hours. The blood storage boxes maintain the temperature of the blood within very narrow limits for well over 24 hours. Any unused blood units are therefore able to be put back into the Southmead Hospital blood bank, preventing waste. Melanie Rowbottom, a trustee of Freewheelers EVS, said: “Delivering blood supplies to air ambulances is a new venture for us and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Wiltshire Air
Ambulance and Great Western Air Ambulance. “We are excited to play our part in delivering a component of a service that could save many more lives, fully supported by the commitment of our members to make deliveries to the Air Ambulance bases 365 days a year.” South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy clinical director, Adrian South, said: “SWASfT’s critical care specialist paramedics who work on the air ambulances receive additional training so they can bring even more clinical skills to the most seriously ill and injured patients. Along with critical care doctors, they are able to administer the blood. This new initiative to carry blood for transfusions on the two air ambulances will be of real benefit for patients in the south west.” The blood, two units of O negative, is stored in a Credo blood box, an insulated box that maintains the blood within a narrow temperature range preventing damage and spoilage. When blood is to be given to a patient it will be warmed from its cool storage temperature towards body temperature using a small portable device called a Belmont buddy lite Fluid Warmer. The Credo blood box containing the units of blood can be switched from the helicopters to the Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV) used by WAA and GWAAC Critical Care Paramedics, if needed.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance is available up to 19 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Charity’s new helicopter started operating on January 9th 2015 and is the first Bell 429 to operate as an air ambulance in the UK. It has a top speed of 156 knots (180 mph) making rapid response to any incident within the county achievable within minutes. The aircraft is fitted out with the most recent Aerolite equipment to meet the highest helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) specification. From January 2015 it will cost £2.5 million a year to keep the air ambulance flying, that’s £6,850 per day. Wiltshire Air Ambulance has been saving lives for 25 years – 2015 is its Silver Jubilee. Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a charity which relies almost entirely on public donations to keep flying and does not receive central government funding. If you would like to support the work of WAA by making a donation or volunteering your time visit: www.wiltshireairambulance.co.uk Photos this page; Above: Matt Sudol Photography Below: Chris Watkins Media.
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Halloween
Pumpkins at the ready … T
HERE ARE BIG TUBS of pumpkins outside the supermarkets, along with costumes, fake blood and multipacks of sweets in the aisles. Halloween is almost upon us. But why do we celebrate it, when did trick or treating start, and what’s the point of carving pumpkins? As many people know, Halloween is short for All Hallows’ Eve. All Hallows’ Day (also known as All Saints’ Day) was an important occasion in the early Christian calendar and is still recognised by many Christians today. It is a national holiday in some predominately Catholic countries and is seen as a time to recognise and remember saints. It is believed that many Halloween traditions pre-date Christianity, and actually date back to the ancient Gaelic festival Samhain, which was held to mark the transition from harvest time to winter. Samhain was seen to be a time when the boundaries between worlds, particularly those of the
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by Kate Duggan
living and the dead, were loosened, enabling spirits to cross through into our world. Bonfires were lit to cleanse the air and offer protection. People would often dress up as evil spirits in order to appease the ‘real’ spirits into not harming them, their families or their livestock. The ‘evil witch’ may have its roots in the Pagan goddess, The Crone, who was celebrated at Samhain for her wisdom and nurture of the Earth. In the Middle Ages, poor people would visit homes, offering to pray for the dead on All Soul’s Day (November 2nd), in exchange for food. This is likely where trick or treating started. Trick or treating may also be related to ‘guising’, a tradition where children would dress up and perform a song, dance, or other entertainment in exchange for a sweet treat. Pumpkin carving is believed to date back to the 1800s. Originally, turnips were carved and a candle placed inside. It appears that these lanterns served numerous
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
purposes: to frighten spirits away; to guide travellers home safely; and simply to light the way in a time before street lights were commonplace. Pumpkins started to replace turnips when Irish immigrants took their Halloween traditions with them to America. Pumpkins were easier to acquire there than turnips, and soon became more popular as they are usually larger and much easier to carve! In recent years, pumpkin carving has become something of an art form, with elaborate designs often replacing simple grotesque faces. Black cats, spiders and bats are common Halloween symbols, and likely relate to the idea of a witch’s ‘familiar’ – an animal that was said to be a demon in disguise. Halloween is now celebrated in numerous countries across the globe, although it is particularly popular in the United States. Samhain itself is also still celebrated by pagans and wiccans around the world.
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Books
A Good Read Reviews by Tilly Anderson
Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities Ian Stewart
.................................................................
Harvesting Dreams: Hundertwasser for Kids Barbara Stieff
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Professor Ian Stewart is a mathematician and writes about maths, but please don’t stop reading here: this is definitely not the same maths you learned at school! In the Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities Professor Stewart manages the subtle balancing act of neither making his work too highbrow, nor too lowbrow. Those with a mathematical background will find much to enjoy but so will those whose abiding memory of school maths is counting the minutes until the end-of lesson bell. Yes he writes about complicated things but in his hands it all becomes understandable and even fun. Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities contains some 200 or so entries which cover all manner of mathematical conundrums with a bit of mathematical history thrown in. There are games, puzzles, card tricks and projects. Many of the entries will have you saying, ‘Oh yes I’ve heard of that .. . so that’s what it’s all about’. There are entries on the four-colour theorem, fractals, Fermat’s last theorem, magic squares, degrees of separation, space-filling curves, Fibonacci numbers, the Moebius band, chaos theory and much more .. The book is designed to be read, and shared, in small bite-sized chunks. For a non-mathematician reading it all in one sitting might prove a bit relentless. It is the sharing aspect though, which makes this irresistible. You’ll just have to try out the number games and puzzles on members of your family and you won’t be able to stop yourself from sharing interesting facts such as, why the M25 is shorter anti-clockwise than clockwise, and by how much. 34
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
You may never have heard of Friedensreich Hundertwasser but he was an eccentric artist, humanitarian, environmentalist and architect. He dedicated his life to the beautification of the world in which we live. In this colourful, quirky book Barbara Stieff introduces children to Hundertwasser’s free-thinking, inspirational approach to art and the environment. There is something about Hundertwasser’s vibrant, exciting work which appeals to children and adults alike. Most children enjoy colouring and love bright colours but often become bogged down with making things look ‘right’ rather than developing their own creative style. Likewise adults don’t always fully appreciate children’s imaginative artwork and gently admonish that cows are not pink with yellow stripes ... when of course there’s no good reason why they shouldn’t be any colour at all in a painting. Stieff ’s engaging and slightly off-the-wall style suits the book. She spent many years as an art educator at ZOOM, a children’s museum in Vienna and it shows. The book is packed with fun projects and suggestions for stretching children’s imaginations in an artistic but also in a more general way. It is also lavishly illustrated with Hundertwasser’s work which makes it a beautiful decorative item in its own right; a fact of which Hundertwasser would certainly have approved.
Puzzles
PUZZLE CORNER
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www.mardenroofing.co.uk 26/01/2015 14:03
MEADOW FARM
NURSERIES
ACROSS 7 Graceful, drooping tree (6) 8 ______ Wisdom (actor) (6) 9 Giant, usually evil (4) 10 They pull Santa’s sleigh! (8) 11 British seaside town (11) 14 Used to disguise or conceal (5,6) 18 Broadcast, relay (8) 19 Ruler of Mt. Olympus. (4) 20 Apparition, hallucination (6) 21 Finally (6)
Solutions to the crossword and sudoku on page 39
DOWN 1 Royal realm or province (7) 2 Abscond, scarper (4) 3 Deviate, sidestep (6) 4 Intense blue-purple (6) 5 Animal that catches and eats others (8) 6 Blanched, washed-out (5) 12 Fanciful, impractical (8) 13 Mexican alcoholic drink (7) 15 Japanese garment (6) 16 Appease, sooth (6) 17 Plait, weave (5) 19 Vivacity, zeal (4)
9, SUTTON LANE, LANGLEY BURRELL, CHIPPENHAM, SN15 4LW
T. 01249 720522 M. 07794 515938 info@meadowfarmnurseries.co.uk www.meadowfarmnurseries.co.uk
Quality Plants & Hanging Baskets Your local plant nursery supplying Trade or Retail Everything grown on the Nursery Friendly staff. Competitive prices Credit/Debit cards accepted on amounts over ÂŁ10 We are easy to find - only 1 mile from Sutton Benger down Sutton Lane. Turn right past Bell Hotel towards Lyneham or 1st left on entering village from Christian Malford.
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Preparing for Firework Season Dr Cyril Hayes MVB MRCVS
If your pet is very worried by sudden loud noises there are other things you can try: • Pheromone diffusers such as Adaptil (for dogs) and Feliway (for cats) can be used to help reduce feelings of anxiety but need to be in place for at least 48hrs beforehand • Supplements to add to the food such as Zylkene, Kalm-Aid and Adaptil tablets can also be used to keep your pet feeling calmer • There are CDs available to help desensitise your pet to loud noises including gun shot and thunder as well as fireworks
The month ahead can be a frightening time for many pets made anxious by the sound of fireworks but there are ways that we can help them to cope: • Keep your pets indoors with the curtains closed, lights on and familiar noise such as the TV or music playing • Try to reward calm behaviour with attention and treats but ignore fearful behaviour as trying to reassure your pet can reinforce anxiety • Build a den for your dog to use: this could be under a table or behind the armchair, wherever they go to hide when they are frightened. You can help make this area more soundproof by placing a thick blanket over the space or padding it with pillows • Walk your dog while it’s still light to help reduce exposure to unexpected bangs
Illustrating a typical microchip’s size in relation to rice 36
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
• If the above options haven’t helped then, for extremely anxious pets, we can use medications to provide some relief in the short term Unfortunately, when loud noises take pets by surprise some might escape or run off. Therefore, it is important to make sure your pet can be identified easily if lost by means a collar and ID tag or better still by a microchip – these will be required by law for all dogs from April 2016. This makes it much easier to reunite them with their true family and will provide you with peace of mind for their lifetime. Fireworks can still be enjoyed and hopefully these tips can make the firework season a less stressful time for you and your pet. For more information on any of the above please contact your local veterinary practice.
www.georgevetgroup.co.uk 01666 823165
Fireworks by Debbie Singh-Bhatti
F
IREWORKS HAVE BEEN around for as long as we can remember and date back to 200BC. Chinese people discovered that by putting green bamboo stalks over fire, the wood expanded and created a bang and sparks. This wood dried to create a flaky powder, hence, fireworks were born. These scared off enemies and the Chinese thought they also warded off evil spirits. They made war weaponry by filling the stalks with the gunpowder, and shot these as arrows. Marco Polo is credited with introducing fireworks to Europe but it is thought throughout the Middle East they were used even earlier, as Arabs used gunpowder obtained through the silk trade during the Crusades.
Italian pyrotechnicians created the aerial shell, where the fireworks are launched upwards to create a majestic array of colours. But how do we get these vibrant colours? Well, metal salts are put into ‘stars’ (small clay lumps), which when lit create the sound and visual light effects which delight adults and children alike. Fireworks are used for all manner of celebrations today – and whether it’s U.S. Independence Day in America, Diwali in November, or the Don Valley Grass Bowl in Sheffield in Yorkshire, family and friends gather to enjoy the marvellous visual delights and sounds of an invention which began by just heating a piece of wood! The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
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Gardening
Terrific Tulips by Rachel Leverton
I
F I COULD GROW only one type of flower then it would have to be the tulip. Harbingers of warmer days, the choice available is mind-blowing. There are frilly parrot tulips bearing fringed petals, sturdy fatflowered types and graceful plants with lily-like blooms. They are also tremendously accommodating. You can plant them much later than daffodils and narcissi because they don’t need to start producing roots so early. In fact you can plant them from now until Christmas! My mother uses them as annuals and rips them up after flowering but I can’t bear to do that so I plant them deeply and leave them in the garden where they return happily year on year. If you want to use them as disposable bedding you only need to plant them about 10cm/ 4 inches deep. If, like me, you treat them as old friends then plant them 23cm/ 9 inches deep and they won’t disappoint you.
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POT LUCK Tulips are wonderful in containers. As a guide, a 25-30cm / 10-12 inch diameter pot will accommodate a dozen bulbs. For a larger 47.5cm / 19inch pot use 16-18 bulbs. Cover the base with at least 5cm / 2inches of drainage material and 12cm / 5 inches of soil-less multi-purpose compost. Lay the bulbs in an inner and outer circle making sure that no bulb touches either another, or the outside of the pot. Fill the pot with compost to within 2.5cm / 1 inch of the rim. I finish pots off with strips of daisies or anemones planted around the edge in colours which complement the tulips. Water everything in but shelter the pot from heavy rain so it doesn’t become waterlogged and never water in frosty weather. I use water-retaining granules mixed in with the compost. These help to maintain soil moisture throughout the dormant season. Feed the daisies or anemones throughout their flowering season in the Autumn and the Spring and you should be rewarded with a beautiful display sometime in April or May.
I love to plant containers of tulips by my front door. I have a red door so choose something like Tulipa ‘Apeldoorn’ in yellow and red varieties underplanted with red daisies. If you have a blue or green door you might like to try Tulipa ‘Angelique’ (pale pink) underplanted with pink anemones. Or how about Tulipa ‘Bleu Aimable’ a brilliant purple/ blue variety?
Crossword & Sudoku solution page 35
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
39
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Want More Business? Try using plain English
H
AVE YOU EVER LEFT A BUSINESS MEETING or function feeling none the wiser than when it started? Perhaps muttering, under your breath, what was all that about? That’s exactly what happened to me on a recent conference. The theme - information architecture in web design – sounded promising. And it started so well: efficient and professional management, a terrific venue and highly-qualified speakers who were clearly passionate about their work. But then it began. The jargon. Information ecosystems, relations between channels and touchpoints, enabling layers in pervasive systems. Wave upon wave of exotic lingo that clearly meant something to the speakers, but which I struggled to make any sense of. What did it all mean? How would any of it make me a better web designer? I left feeling disappointed. I was irritated that I had wasted all that time. To be honest, I felt a bit mortified too – why didn’t I understand it? Then, on the way back, I had a light-bulb moment. How those experts spoke to their audience was actually very similar to how many businesses talk to their customers. Let’s say your business sells widgets. You deal with widgets all day every day, and you talk to other people in the widget-selling industry. It’s understandable that
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The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
after a while, you develop a jargon all of your own – it’s a precise, convenient shorthand that helps speed things up. But the downside is that you need to adjust this when you talk to customers, and remember to switch back to plain English. Yet as a web designer, I know that so many businesses don’t do this. They forget that their customers aren’t experts. Their websites and promotional materials are full of technical specifications that customers nether understand nor care about. The subtle distinction between the 187-2A and 178 -2Z widgets may be of supreme importance to you, but your customer is more interested in whether either can be delivered by the weekend. And do you know one of the worst sectors for slipping into jargon? It’s my own – the web design industry. Web designers can’t help themselves. They learned all about php, HTML, jquery and Apache-based servers, and my goodness, they are going to tell you absolutely everything about it. Whether you’re interested or not. We plaster technical information over our own websites that could only be of interest to other web designers. We’re the monarchs of jargon, dropping in technical terms at every opportunity. We forget that other people are not IT gurus, and we consistently miss the glazed expressions. No wonder people avoid us at parties. Now, to some extent, if you’re dealing with the internet, a little bit of technical language is inevitable. A business agency has to engage with some of the main ideas and vocabulary. However, just like many other businesses, web agencies could do so much more to communicate technical ideas in plain English. It’s not difficult. They could talk clients through ideas, check that they understand, respond to their questions (however basic) without patronising or making them feel foolish. And in general, just spending a little more time with them. So as it turns out, I really did get something out of that conference. It reminded me of how frustrating it is to be bombarded with jargon. It made me think about how businesses ought to talk to customers. Above all, it left me determined to communicate as clearly as I can with my own clients, and to pass on how vitally important this message is for ALL businesses. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and interface with my kettle and make a cup of tea!
By Kevin Sanders – www.ks-webdesigner.com
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Mind the gap... by Richard James Estate Agents
WITH LONDON PROPERTY PRICES SOARING and pushing buyers down the M4, we have seen an increase of 17% over the last year in Reading alone.
The gap between where you are and where you’d like to be is getting wider, now is the time to start your next property move.
With the planned electrification of the Swindon to London mainline railway, this uplift in value has found its way to our area. House prices in Swindon have been rising steadily over the last year creating a knock on effect in the surrounding market towns and villages.
Since opening our newest office in Royal Wootton Bassett in the Summer, the market has been very buoyant indeed. We have also seen an increase in enquiries from property investors. With such strong demand for property in the area for both sales and lettings, investors are snapping up properties to benefit from great returns.
Now that the election and the uncertainty it created is behind us, we have seen growing interest in the rural market, with sale numbers at their highest this year. With potential interest rate rises rumoured for the turn of the year, we predict the market will strengthen further and prices will continue to climb. Given these figures, industry figures predict average growth of up to 10%, translating in a typical 4 bedroom rural Wiltshire home with an asking price of £500,000 now, looking likely to come onto the market for as much as £550,000 within the next 6-12 months. An individual 4 bedroom home with a larger plot costing £650,000 could be priced at £700,000 or more. 42
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015
Our rural village offices cover a vast area including Royal Wootton Bassett, Wroughton, Highworth and Villages to the west of Swindon. Working alongside our 3 offices in Swindon itself, we provide a comprehensive network to ensure that we attract the right kind of buyer for your property, and work with you to achieve the best price and outcome for you. If you would like any help or advice on buying or selling, email Richard James Estate Agents on rwb@richardjames.info or visit the website www.richardjames.info
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richardjames.info Old Town | Town Centre | Wroughton | West Swindon | Highworth |The East Swindon | Royal| Wootton Bassett Town Crier Magazine OCTOBER 2015 43
VEHICLE SALES • SERVICING • REPAIRS • MOT • HIRE VEHICLES V FO EH R ICL HI ES RE
YOUR LOCAL HIRE CENTRE Becoming the United Rental System licensee for the Malmesbury area enables us to offer a professional and flexible approach to car and van rental. We have a growing fleet of modern low mileage well maintained vehicles with flexible hire options at competitive prices. We can even pick you up or deliver a vehicle to your home or place of work as part of our great service.
• SERVICING • REPAIRS • MOTS • EXHAUSTS • BATTERIES • TYRES
YOUR LOCAL BOSCH CAR SERVICE CENTRE
NEAR RY, MALMESBU TETBURY & ER CIRENCEST
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Crudwell Garage is a long-standing Bosch Car Service Centre – giving you high quality car servicing and diagnostic capability in the Malmesbury, Tetbury and Cirencester area. We have huge experience of servicing cars and vans, whatever the make and model, from Ford to Renault, Mini to 4×4 Land Rovers, you can trust us to service your car properly. Crudwell Garage is also a specialist repair shop for VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, and Vauxhall.
YOUR LOCAL TYRE FAST FIT CENTRE
• ENGINE INDUCTION SYSTEM SPECIALIST CLEANING
As part of the Bosch Car Service Centre tyre program we can offer a large range of car, van and 4×4 tyres at competitive prices. All tyres are fitted and balanced using the latest Bosch tyre fitting and wheel balancing equipment.
We are conveniently placed on the main road – A429 in Crudwell, just outside Malmesbury and within easy reach of Tetbury, Charlton, Oaksey, Hankerton, Minety and surrounding villages on the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire borders.
OPENING HOURS Mon – Fri: 8:30am – 5:30pm Saturday: Sales by appointment Sunday : Sales by appointment
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Crudwell Garage Ltd, Crudwell, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9EU Tel: (01666) 577242 www.crudwellgarageltd.co.uk 44
The Town Crier Magazine | OCTOBER 2015