vantagepointmag.co.uk
Haslemere, Midhurt & Petworth • March 2014
VANTAGEPOINT YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR VIEW
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Getting out with the children around the Haslemere, Midhurst & Petworth area
MAGAZINE
Also inside: JOTTINGS COMPETITIONS HASLEMERE PLAYERS SEAFORD COLLEGE AND THE COMMUNITY
TO THE POINT
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find it hard to believe that April 2014 sees the fifth anniversary of Vantage Publishing’s first local community magazine, which covered the Godalming area and came out in April 2009. Farnham came out later that year, Haslemere was introduced in 2010 and Guildford followed in 2011, the same year in which we added Cranleigh to our Godalming edition. This year, with our new magazine VantagePoint, we have added Midhurst and Petworth to our Haslemere edition and we launch
a brand new Dorking edition next month. All these magazines are still produced by the same local team, which is something that has major benefits, at least according to one of our regular contributors. He writes: “I am, as ever, grateful that you carry my information and help to get the word out there via your Jottings and hope that as readers read more closely what is actually written, so they will detect a more insightful and accurate turn of phrase in VantagePoint when it comes to local events. There
is nothing like being part of a community, in order to get a better feel on the ground for what really makes people tick. An outside observer just doesn’t seem to achieve the same authenticity or authority, in my humble opinion”. I have worked out that between us all, we have lived in this area for a combined total of around 170 years and would wager that no other local magazine can boast that. Mind you, that does make us all sound very old, which as you can see below is completely untrue! SR
VantagePoint is the local magazine produced by local people for the local community, and is published by Vantage Publishing, a Godalming based magazine business established in 2009. We publish four magazines which are currently delivered monthly by Royal Mail to 88,127 homes across the South East. From Spring 2014, we will be launching a new Dorking edition which will take our circulation to 107,277 homes. Please visit our website or contact any of us below if you need any more information.
Vantage Publishing Limited 6 Chestnut Suite, Guardian House, Borough Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 2AE.
For more articles and Jottings, visit it us online at
vantagepointmag.co.uk
T: 01483 421601 W: vantagepublishing.co.uk
THE VANTAGEPOINT TEAM Stefan Reynolds Editor & Publisher 01483 421601 stefan@vantagepublishing.co.uk
Carol Martin Sales Executive 01483 418141 carol@vantagepublishing.co.uk
Marcus Atkins Sales Director 01483 420173 marcus@vantagepublishing.co.uk
Angie & Nick Crisell Jotters 01483 421601 jottings@vantagepublishing.co.uk
Contributors: Caroline Boucher, Elizabeth Carlos, Andrew Crisell, Carol Farley, Nick Farley, Andrea Pinnington, Matthew Pottage, Paul Robinson, Kirstie Smilie Print: Polestar Stones
The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and nothing can be reprinted without prior permission of the publisher. The publisher has tried to ensure that all information is accurate but does not take any responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We take no responsibility for advertisments printed in the magazine or loose inserts that might be delivered alongside it. © Vantage Publishing Limited.
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vantagepointmag.co.uk
Smart Casual or Casual Smart?
For some, ‘smart casual’ has brought with it a mild panic particularly with men. Gone are the simple days of just a suit and tie, unless ‘city smart’ is required, as now a personality is also going to be on show. But, developing a relaxed, smart vibe can be confusing, so working with Kirstie, an expert stylist, will save time and add confidence to try something new. Sales Director at VantagePoint magazine, Marcus Atkins forty(ish!), was keen to try a personal styling appointment. Being just over 6ft, and a standard large in most shirts and knitwear, he generally asks his wife, Sarah, to buy his clothes. Apart from his ‘loud’ shirts, which the whole family dislike, he admitted to rarely going clothes shopping besides a brief, 30 seconds decision shop - although he had recently bought twelve shirts in a multi online deal (mostly stripes!). We discussed his requirements for a working wardrobe. Smart casual definitely fits Marcus’s brief as he needs to be comfortable in the Godalming based office, but smart enough to visit clients throughout the day. My selection for Marcus needed to fulfil his love of bold statements which are usually stripe shirts and also offer options for trousers apart from casual loose jeans. So I chose smaller
Above: Before Right: After - Slim fitting jeans and jacket; Classic brogues, £185, Barker Top right: Kirstie and Marcus chat in the Tea Terrace.
“
…it was finding those dark blue Paul Smith jeans that opened my eyes to what style of clothing I need to go for in the future, so thanks for that!
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Add colour Left: Teal sweater, Diesel, £80; worn over floral shirt, £100, Diesel Right: Coral sweater, £110; tan belt, £45, both Ralph Lauren; stripy T-shirt, £18, Jack & Jones. vantagepointmag.co.uk
FASHION print shirts, mini checks and soft colours, with stronger highlights for fine knitwear. I selected the waistcoat and jacket from Ted Baker to offer the smart but trendier option of layered suiting to wear with dark jeans or chinos, and printed t-shirts for a more casual look. Marcus looked sharp but relaxed in slim jeans and tailored jacket combo, and fresh with the bright knitted accent colours. He loved the waistcoat but I suggested he wore it with smaller prints and soft pastel shirts instead of bright stripes. I advised that he should invest in a timeless classic brogue and a quality leather belt as male dressing is all about the small details, not over the top design details, and to choose classic colours highlighted with brights in knits and accessories. So, what does Marcus think? “I really enjoyed the experience, despite being a bit apprehensive at the beginning simply because I was so much out of my comfort zone. But it didn’t take long after trying clothes on, to get into the swing of the whole experience. I would definitely do this again, and I’d recommend Kirstie to my friends; if they can get past the slightly prissy image of going for the service, then everyone really would benefit, that I am sure.”
The Hair Cut The day before his personal shopping experience, Marcus had his hair cut at hip barbers, Hairosmith, 1 Church Street, Godalming. Owner, Adam Smith, offered some top tips: * do not use too much product * visit a barber every 2-4 weeks to keep your cut looking sharp * as men mature and hair thins a regular hair cut will keep hair looking fuller March 2014
Top left: Waistcoat £120, Ted Baker; Pink shirt, £110, Paul Smith. Top right: Jacket £250, Ted Baker; T-shirt, £15 Jack & Jones; Slim dark jeans, £100 Paul Smith. Bottom left: Claret chinos, £36, Raging Bull; Mini check red/white shirt, £85 Ted Baker. Bottom right: Tobacco chinos, £79, Ted Baker. Left: Have fun - Scarf, £45, Glen Prince. FIND OUT MORE
Kirstie is an experienced fashion stylist to both men and women
Shopping and The Tea Terrace restaurant at House of Fraser, call 01483 307400.
For one-to-one shopping and styling appointments, tailored to your own requirements, call her on 07773 234947 or email kirstie@kirstiesmillie.com.
Photographs by Anna Saverimuttu, a Guildfordbased commercial and corporate photographer. For more details of her work, visit annasaverimuttuphotography.co.uk. Email anna@annasaverimuttu. co.uk.
All clothes from House of Fraser, Guildford. Personal
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The
GREAT OUTDOORS
Andrea Pinnington offers some things to do and to see with the children. They’re fun and they’re free... Do you have children of varying ages who all seem to want to do different things with most of them involving screens? Are you worried that they might grow up not knowing the difference between a blackbird and a blue tit? Or do you find that you just lack inspiration of what to see outside and where to go? South-east England is packed with an amazing number of nature reserves and areas of special scientific interest, but most things you can see and do on your doorstep. Now, with the whole of the spring and summer ahead of us, here are some ideas for outdoor family activities: March: listening for birds The days are beginning to become significantly longer and the birds are in full song from about an hour before dawn to about an hour afterwards. The birds that feed on worms strike up first (blackbirds, robins, thrushes) followed by the insect feeders (wrens, blackcaps) with the seed feeders being the last to get their early morning act together (finches, sparrows). Learning how to recognize just a few bird sounds can make nature walks extremely gratifying and can spark some heated family debates. Some of the easiest 14
birdsongs for children to identify are the blackbird, wren, wood pigeon, crow, great tit, chiffchaff and skylark. You can hear them all at www.rspb.org. Another March spectacular is the sight of toads heading for breeding grounds. The numbers on the move in one night can be incredible. If you do come across them (and there are plenty in the area) the females are the bigger ones, who are usually giving a lift to the smaller males. If you don’t get to see them, then just listen out for the croaking sound of frogs and toads calling out to find a mate. April: butterfly spotting With the Easter holidays comes more time for nature-based activities. As long as the weather is reasonably fine, it can be rewarding and fun to go butterfly spotting. Look out for brimstones, peacocks, commas, small tortoiseshells and holly blues in particular. The best places to see these butterflies are often gardens and parks, so there is no need to travel far. If you can’t tell a painted lady from a peacock, then you can find a handy guide at www. finefeatherpress.com. You may be lucky when you are out and about to happen upon the first spring baby animals such as rabbits and ducklings and vantagepointmag.co.uk
keep a look out for frog and toad spawn in nearby ponds. Frog spawn is found in large gelatinous clumps, while toad spawn lies in long strings that usually wraps around reeds. Now is also a good time to watch for the first swallows, swifts and house martins. These birds have come a long way and deserve a round of applause. Many are returning to original nesting sites whilst last year’s brood need to build their nests from scratch. May: pond dipping May carries with it the promise of summer. Cow parsley is in full froth on the roadsides and the sweet smell of bluebells fills the air. A forest walk is a May must, not just for the heavenly scented wild flowers but also for spotting some fabulous birds, such as the great spotted woodpecker, small treecreeper and the even tinier goldcrest – one of Britain’s smallest birds. If you listen hard, you can hear their tiny chirruping high up in conifer trees, but don’t ask your grandparents if they can hear them as they may well be outside their hearing range! My favourite May activity is pond dipping. All you need is a net and a jam jar or a shallow plastic tray. Every dip yields something new and you might be lucky enough to find frog, toad and newt tadpoles, damselfly and dragonfly nymphs, water boatmen, pond skaters and possibly a stickleback or two. You may be treated to the dazzling display of carp spawning, which also happens around this time or see the air thick with May flies – an insect that is born with no mouth parts and destined to fly for just one day. June: night-time safaris Dawn and dusk are the best time to see most mammals. Look in gardens or head out to woodland edges and you’ll probably be rewarded with the sight of hedgehogs, badgers, foxes and March 2014
bats, not to mention many different types of insects. Many local societies organise bat walks, which can be great fun to take the kids on. There are 18 species of bat in the UK but you can guarantee that it won’t just be the bats you see. As the sun sets, the air can be alive with alarmingly large insects: large, brown cockchafers become active in gardens, parks and woodland edges as well as the rather more aggressivelooking black stag beetles. Look out for glow worms, too. These are actually beetles and it is the female that glows brightly in order to attract a male. If it is night-time birds you are after, then June is the ideal month and the extensive heathland areas nearby are the perfect place to find them. Listen for the chirring whirr of the nightjars or the nightingale’s melodious call. Among the best places to hear these birds are Puttenham Common, Farnham Heath, Hankley Common and Bookham Common. July: peaceful picnics What’s not to love about July? For most, the long holidays are yet to come and days of picnics, bike rides and dusk-time adventures beckon. Sounds of skylarks fill the air and many animals are preoccupied with bringing up their young. It’s fun to find a spot in a meadow or on grassland just to sit and watch or listen. Ask the kids to write down all the animals they 15
can see or hear in a 15-minute interval. The more you look, the more you see and you may be surprised by the number of species you record. Particularly vocal at this time of year are grasshoppers and crickets leaping in front of you as you walk through the long grass. It’s also fun to spy the laden pollen sacs on the legs of bees and bumblebees. Become an animal detective: see if you can find signs of any animal tracks and look under large oak trees and conifers for owl pellets. These are the regurgitated lumps of undigested food that owls bring up. They are fascinating to dissect (they are quite dry and powdery) as you often find tiny animal bones in them belonging to mice and small birds – gruesome but really interesting! August: reptile hunting August is a great month for reptile spotting. Surrey and Sussex have many areas of heathland where native snakes and lizards can be found. The best time to see them is basking in the sun to warm up in the morning. Excitingly, the rare sand lizard (below) has been reintroduced to Farnham Heath – the male is particularly dashing with its bright green sides during the mating season. Keep an eye out for shedded snake skins – a handsome trophy to return home with for a windowsill nature table. Heathlands are also good for certain species of butterflies such as small coppers, common blues and walls. In fine weather, why not try camping out with friends? Lying looking up at the stars is magical and there are some amazing smart phone applications that tell you what constellations you are looking at. On a clear night from mid-July to mid-August you may be treated to the fabulous showers of Perseus, when you could see up to 50 meteors (shooting stars to me and you) an hour. If you’re not convinced by the powers of nature watching, then I’d recommend spending two minutes watching the trailer for Project Wild Thing at www.projectwildthing.com. It’s hilarious.
Andrea Pinnington writes nature activity books for children. Her latest guides – Let’s Look for Butterflies; Garden Birds; Wild Flowers and Garden Wildlife – are available from www.finefeatherpress.com.
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Things to do
LOCALLY
The woodland, heaths and meadows around Haslemere are home to an exceptional number of wild creatures. Black Down, the Devil’s Punch Bowl and Marley Common are all close by. West Sussex has some wonderful nature reserves that all the family can enjoy. For some birding excitement, head to Stedham Common, Iping Common and Trotton Common. These sandy heathland habitats are home to summer visitors such as nightjars, dartford warblers and stonechats, carnivorous sundew plants, digger wasps, tiger beetles and field crickets. It is advisable to take some sort of nature guide with you to help identify these less common wildlife species. Ebernoe Common is an area of ancient woodland and an area of special scientific interest. Here you can find an abundance of wild plants such as orchids, devil’s-bit scabious and other woodland flowers as well as some fabulous butterflies, rare fungi and lichens. It’s easy to get lost here so take care to orientate yourself well. For a beastly bug hunt, how about a trip to Burton and Chingford ponds? See how many different types of dragonflies and damselflies you can find and look out for the strange splitbacked nymph cases that look like something out of Dr Who, sticking to reeds at the water’s edge. The nymphs climb up out of the water, pupate on the reeds and then split open to reveal the eye-catching adults. For night-time adventurers, not much can beat the spectacle of glow worms shining in the dark and there have been some sightings in the Petworth area, so if you live around there, keep your eyes peeled around July. You may see signs up locally alerting you to summer evening bat walks, if not look online for them at the websites listed below then record any sightings at www.bigbatmap.org. Here are some other websites that have a range of useful resources both for places to go and organised family activities: www. sussexwildlifetrust.org; www.nationaltrust.org; www.naturalengland. org.uk; www.naturalengland.org.uk; www.westsussex.info/nature-reserves: www.haslemerenaturalhistorysociety.org.uk; www.surreywildlifetrust.org.
vantagepointmag.co.uk
Seed Going to
Growing your own vegetables could not be easier. Locally based Paul Robinson from SeedPod offers some tips...
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s we approach spring, and say goodbye to frosts and those horribly short days of winter, many will be turning their thoughts to the garden and how to get the most out of a patch of soil – however large or small. Whether it’s just a few window boxes, a small garden, or a boastful allotment, more and more of us are looking to reconnect to the food we eat by growing it ourselves. The activity of sowing seeds, nurturing plants and enjoying the vegetables, fruit, herbs and all the bounties of a garden, is one that is (ahem…) growing in popularity, and it’s clear why. Undoubtedly the steady stream of negative stories in the press relating to food scandals is one reason, but there are also a huge number of positives around growing food that should appeal to us all: eating food that is fresh and in season is certainly at the top of my list, but it’s also great knowing
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Getting started with home growing really isn’t as hard as you might think
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that you’ve been able to reduce your food miles and your carbon footprint, learnt some new horticultural skills, and have cut those big shopping bills down to size. Besides which, having an additional reason to spend time outside will always get my vote. Living in this part of the country we are extremely fortunate both with the amount of green space we have available, and the welcoming and amenable climate that allows us to grow such a wide range of herbs and vegetables. The choice really is considerable and limited only by your tastes: whether you fancy juicy and sweet tomatoes, crisp cool cucumber, beautiful sweetcorn, refreshing salad leaves, or hearty root vegetables to take you through the winter months. There really can be something for everyone to enjoy in a vegetable garden. And getting started with home growing really isn’t as hard as you might think. So now that warmer weather is on the horizon, here are a few tips to encourage you to venture outside, and help you get started with your own veg patch. 20
• Your first task should be taking stock of what you’ve already got. Have a think about the size of your garden, and how much of that space you would like to set aside for your vegetable patch. You don’t have to turn every last inch of your garden over to rows and rows of veg, so try to get the right balance of proportions between other beds, your lawn or patio area for relaxing and entertaining, and the other structures within your garden. Ideally you’re looking for a space that is sheltered, and in partial shade. But no matter the size, most of us can find somewhere to build a raised bed, or to dig over some turf for a few short rows of growing space. And of course no matter where or how large you start, you can always add and adapt your space each year as your needs change, and as you learn more. • Having established how much space you want to set aside, take some time to clear it of weeds and tired plants that have perhaps passed their best, and dig over the ground. Next, and this is really important, add some organic, peat-free matter to inject some nutrients and to improve the ability of your soil to retain moisture. If you have a particularly clay-heavy soil then adding some sandy material will also help to break up the soil, and to improve drainage. Continuing to add compost and natural organic matter will be important to the health of your vegetable garden. • Start your own compost. It’s something you should be doing all year round, but there’s no reason not to start right now. Certainly as the months get warmer you’ll be able to produce a lot more – particularly if you turn it over regularly. To get started you can either buy a vantagepointmag.co.uk
plastic tub from your local garden centre, or you could quite easily make one yourself with a timber kit. There really isn’t any reason to waste your lawn and green hedge trimmings, or the green waste from your kitchen, so make sure you put it all to good use. Your garden will love you for it. • Now we’re in March it’s an excellent time of year to get sowing. If you’re planning on sowing outdoors, you should either have covered and warmed the soil in preparation, or be prepared to use cold frames or cloches to keep any further frosts out. There are of course some hardy varieties you could sow, but most plants will appreciate the additional protection provided by the cover. There’s quite an extensive selection of seeds that can be sown this month, but here are some of my favourites that are incredibly easy to grow and get you started: I love the taste of broad beans and they are really simple to grow and care for, particularly if you choose a variety that requires less support. Sow your beans individually about 20 cm apart, and 5 cm deep. Be sure to maintain approximately 40 cm between each row. If you do choose a variety requiring a frame, some vertical bamboo canes connected by horizontal rows of garden twine should suffice. Carrots are great if you’re just starting out, as they aren’t so keen on wellmanured soil. Take care though, as they will need to be grown undercover this time of year. Simply sow the seed into a drill 1 cm deep, and keep each row 30 cm apart. You will need to thin out your carrots as they grow larger, so it’s best not to be too generous as you sow the seed. The less you have to disturb the plants later – which can attract pests – the better. Rocket is also incredibly easy to grow, but will likewise require some protection March 2014
until later in the spring: sow in drills just 1 cm deep and you should see a crop fairly quickly. If you stagger your sowing, and regularly pick the leaves as they grow, you should enjoy a great crop. There are so many other things to try including hot and sweet varieties of peppers which can be grown inside. You could also try your hand at growing cabbage, leeks, onions, parsnips, sprouting broccoli, asparagus, peas, onions, and radishes etc. March is one of those months where you are spoilt for choice. There’s certainly a lot to think about, but don’t let that put you off. Getting out into the garden and shaping it into something that suits your own tastes is hugely rewarding. And you’d be amazed at the speed at which your vegetable plants start growing and providing you with a beautiful space to enjoy. If you feel as though you would like some additional help then there are plenty of books and online resources out there to offer you support. Your local garden centre will also have a team of experts who can point you in the right direction, and give you all the latest advice. Alternatively you can let us help by sending you monthly packets of organic vegetable seeds. Each month our members receive all the information required to sow and grow vegetable plants within the members-only section of our website. We also continue to hold your hand all the way through the year. No prior knowledge or experience is required – it really couldn’t be simpler. FIND OUT MORE
For more information, visit getseedpod.com, or drop them a line at greetings@getseedpod.com.
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A revealing past Inside the private apartment of Polesden Lacey’s illustrious owner
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olesden Lacey is a magnificent house and gardens in Great Bookham, Surrey, which is looked after by the National Trust. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mrs Greville, the woman who owned Polesden Lacey and left it to the National Trust in her will. In March a new display opens at her former home revealing the interior design secrets of her private apartment, along with some surprising stories. In her early 20th century heyday, the formidable society hostess, Mrs Ronnie Greville, boasted that in one morning three kings had been sitting on her bed. Mrs Greville undoubtedly attracted controversy. She was described by some as: “one of the greatest of all hostesses” but also as “a galumphing, greedy, snobbish old toad.” In 1906 society couple Maggie and Ronnie Greville bought Polesden Lacey. The newly remodelled house was just what they were looking for, a relaxed country villa fitted out with every modern luxury. The house had been substantially re-built between 1903 and 1905 by the architect Ambrose Poynter for Sir Clinton Dawkins. Poynter’s new building contained all the specialised rooms needed for entertaining and family life. This house was a machine of Edwardian hospitality; luxurious guest suites were served by a skilled army of staff. 24
Left: Mrs Greville. Above: Polesden Lacey from the front. Right: Conservation work in the bathroom of Mrs Greville’s apartment, with the bathroom shown above.
On the surface Maggie and Ronnie left the house much as it was, only extending and improving several of the bedroom suites and creating bow fronts on the eastern wings. Under the surface however there was a thorough re-working of the interiors. Both the purchase and the improvements were funded by Maggie’s father, William McEwan. With his financial help Maggie and Ronnie employed the architects Mewès and Davis architects of the Ritz Hotel. They worked with society decorators White Allom & Co who specialised in the use of architectural salvage. This partnership would turn Polesden Lacey into the glittering power house of one of the greatest hostesses of Edwardian high society, fit to entertain kings and maharajas. vantagepointmag.co.uk
A reporter from The Onlooker in 1910 gushingly described Maggie Greville, who was now widowed and known to her friends as ‘Mrs Ronnie’, as ‘one of the leading and most successful London hostesses’. Polesden Lacey, they said, reflected ‘her own striking personality’. By 1910 Mrs Greville had transformed the interior of the house and extensively remodelled the gardens. Her apartment was one of the few which also had a physical extension. Throughout the first floor rooms, Mewès and Davis had used their considerable skill and experience to bring Ritz style to the country. In her own apartment Maggie Greville chose a fusion of styles from Mewès and Davis’s repertoire. The bedroom took inspiration from the 18th century designs of Robert Adam, but was furnished in the chinoiserie style. The boudoir was Jacobean in style, and the bathroom was decadent, marble-clad Edwardian elegance. Mrs Greville was pleased and used the firm again when redecorating her London town house. She wrote to Davis in 1915: ‘I do not think it would be possible to find an architect more courteous, more obliging and clever than you.’ She also apologised for being late with her bills, so may have felt a bit of flattery was in order. When Mrs Greville died in 1942 one of the greatest bequests was all her major jewels to Queen Elizabeth, who we know today as the Queen Mother. This included an incredible Boucheron tiara and Marie Antoinette necklace. Today they are in the royal collection and on state occasions can be seen worn by Camilla Parker Bowles or the Queen. At the time of the announcement, James Lees-Milne, secretary of the National Trust is noted to have said: ‘Everyone in London is agog to learn the terms of Mrs G’s will’. James Lees-Milne was one of the first to hear that Mrs Greville had left Polesden Lacey and her valuable collection to the nation. Around the same time the news was broken to the royal family. In 1914 Mrs Greville had promised to leave Polesden Lacey to Prince Albert, now King George VI, and the royal family were still expecting the legacy. Queen Elizabeth, said in 1942: ‘I’m not sure that this isn’t a very good idea because it is a very difficult place to keep up.’ In the midst of war the relatively young National Trust needed to make decisions about how to use this generous bequest. This Spring, visitors are invited to see Mrs Greville’s private apartment for themselves. It is a fascinating Edwardian interior and includes a rare surviving marble bathroom. Thanks to a two year research project, the unfurnished March 2014
apartment can be seen, along with personal items that have been tracked down. There will be digital graphics and an interactive display showing how the apartment used to look, based on inventories and photographs in the archive. “The funds for this project were raised by our visitors, and we hope our work casts new light on the private world of Mrs Greville,” says Vicky Bevan, House and Collections Manager. FIND OUT MORE
These and many more surprising facts about Mrs Greville are revealed in a new book by Sian Evans called: Mrs Ronnie: The society hostess who collected kings, published by Anova and available from the gift shop at Polesden Lacey. Mrs Greville’s apartment at Polesden Lacey is open from 1 March 2014, seven days a week. Open 12.30pm to 5pm Monday to Friday and 11am to 5pm weekends. Normal house admission fees apply.
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Stepping out into the
COMMUNITY
Clive Thorpe explains how Seaford College pupils are reaching out into the local community.
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ew heads like to give their new schools a shake and also introduce some things that worked in their previous school. None more so than John Green at Seaford College, who is now in his second year as Head at the 7 to 18 day and boarding school outside Petworth, West Sussex. Being a strong believer in schools giving something back to the local community with whom they coexist, he introduced a community action day at the end of the academic year 2012/13 during which all pupils in years 9, 10 and 12 (the nonexam years), along with staff, went out into the community to carry out good deeds. These ranged from beach cleaning; car washing at car parks in Petworth and Midhurst; and helping at animal sanctuaries, special schools and nurseries. One group even carried out duties at a fire station, culminating in learning how to climb up a turntable ladder. This was an initiative that he had led successfully at Hurstpierpoint where he was a Deputy Head and then imported to Seaford. The day was a great success and widely reported on in the local press. Rather than settling for a day as a one hit wonder, community service has now become very much part and parcel of school life at Seaford. Every week parties of pupils go out to different venues to help out where they can and to learn 28
new skills. The pupils range in age from 14 to 18. At present there are three broad areas in which college pupils are active, but it is likely that they will expand in the future. The first band to become established was landscaping. A group of year 11 students have been given the task at Petworth House, under the leadership of the Park Manager Gary Liddle, to restore a cottage and kitchen back to its former glory on one of the properties near the house. The first task consisted of cutting out all the weeds and undergrowth that had become established over many years and preparing the ground for plants and fruit bushes to be planted. Raised beds have been put in by the students and the area put under a membrane to ease future management of the site. Pupils have been taught how to prepare and plant fruit bushes and have set in an espaliered apple tree. This is a long term project because as the area is opened to the public, an old outside toilet will be converted to a potting shed and a seated picnic area developed. They were able to vantagepointmag.co.uk
use skills acquired at Petworth House when they were invited to participate in an environmental awareness day at Oakwood School, Lavant, where, again, they started to get a kitchen garden back into a state in which it could be cultivated. They also helped build an outside picnic and storytelling area in a wood for the children. Year 10 students are now working in Petworth Park establishing a wildlife corridor alongside a former medieval road that runs through the area. The plan is to plant 1,400 saplings which consist of traditional English broadleaf varieties, such as hazel and hornbeam. These bloom early in spring and will attract insects which will, in turn, attract bats and nesting birds. As the trees become established and are then coppiced, wildlife will become even more diverse. Animal sanctuaries at Mount Noddy (Eartham) and Brent Lodge (Sidlesham) have benefitted from Seaford pupils’ help. At Mount Noddy they have learnt that looking after abandoned cats and dogs is more than giving them cuddles, affection and walks. It is about cleaning cages, sweeping leaves, sorting through linen and clearing a copse, in all weathers, of undergrowth in order to stop the spread of kennel cough. Those going to March 2014
” Pupils undertaking their community projects. Far left: Tree Planting at Petworth. Left: At Mount Noddy. Above: Beach cleaning.
Sidlesham now realise how much newspaper cut up and shredded is required to line hedgehog crèches, cages and incubators and that crows don’t necessarily go where you want them to when trying to clean their aviary. As pupils going to these venues are from mixed year groups they have learnt how to bond with one another very quickly. The last major band is working in the three Shaw Care Homes at Pulborough, Petworth and Bognor Regis. Small groups of pupils go each week to talk with the elderly residents and one project is to capture their memories into a virtual biography. One of the first tasks pupils had to undergo was being strapped into a hoist and raised up. This was a humbling experience for them as they then had firsthand experience of how vulnerable many elderly people are. Alongside talking with the residents some Seaford students will be working on the gardens at the centres. Seaford students have other projects that in the future they will be starting, such as landscape restoration at Bignor Park, reclaiming ponds in the College grounds and possibly helping to restore the lost chapel of Petworth, to name a few. If you have a community project that you would like to hand over to Seaford College students or discuss the feasibility of a project, then please contact Clive Thorpe, community co-ordinator on cthorpe@seaford.org. 29
Three Foraged Starters for Spring Peter Sibley from Forest Foragers offers us three starters mixing wild and farmed ingredients After the wettest winter I can remember, how will spring turn out? I am hoping for a good one. For the forager, winter is a slack season, few foods are available to be collected on land, but the seashore is a different matter, with fish, shellfish, seaweeds and some seashore plants always present. Make the most of fresh spring ingredients, both wild and farmed; spring doesn’t last long, so enjoy its bounty while it lasts!
Crayfish Cocktail Freshwater can produce something too – it’s delicious and you can eat it with a clear conscience, as you will be helping our native wildlife – it is the introduced American Signal Crayfish. This escaped from captive stocks in the 1970’s and has now established itself in many places. It is voracious, competes with our native White Clawed Crayfish and worst, carries a disease called crayfish plague, to which our native crayfish is very susceptible. So, eat as many of this alien invader as you can! Catching it yourself in traps is possible, though you need a permit from the Environment Agency, but it can also be bought from online suppliers. Here is a recipe for Prawn Cocktail, but using crayfish instead of prawns.
1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and refrigerate. 2. Peel 8 of the crayfish, discarding the black line that runs down the back of the tail section, (this is the gut) and chop up. (Keep the remains to make soup). 3. Line 4 cocktail glasses with cucumber slices.
remaining cucumber and sauce and divide between the glasses, sprinkle a little paprika on, put the tomato halves and the unshelled crayfish on top and serve.
Ingredients 12 large Signal Crayfish 24 baby plum tomatoes, halved ½ a small cucumber, sliced thinly, peeled or not as you prefer Cos lettuce, chinese leaf or Bok choi, shredded An avocado, peeled, stoned and diced Paprika The Sauce. 4 large tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise 2 large tablespoonfuls of Tomato ketchup Some lemon juice A teaspoonful or two of Brandy (optional) A sprinkle of Tabasco sauce Serves 4
4. Combine the chopped crayfish with the shredded salad leaves, avocado, Peter Sibley and his business partner Clifford Davy run Forest Foragers, which was formerly called Wild Harvest, and run regular foraging courses locally near Godalming, Surrey. You can join them for a full-day course, or an afternoon foray, in recognising, collecting, preparing, preserving and cooking edible wild plants and mushrooms. The full-day mushroom picking course will consist of a morning identification session, covering the principal edible plants and fungi, (notes provided), followed by a substantial lunch featuring some of these. The morning session will also cover hazards to be avoided when collecting. They will be running courses this year in Surrey based in the Chichester Hall, Witley, during September and October and the cost will be £115 per person. For more information, please contact Peter at wildharvestcourses@gmail.com.
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FOOD Nettle Soup Alternatively, for a good vegetarian starter, try Nettle Soup. Nettles are young, tasty and not too stringy at this time of year. 1. Place the potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil, and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Drain. 2. Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the shallots, celery and wild garlic leaves over a low heat with a lid for 10 minutes, adding the wild garlic towards the end, until the shallots are soft but not too brown.
4. Whizz in a blender, (any ďŹ bres should get wound around the blades), return to the pan and reheat. Check the seasoning, then serve, with a drizzle of cream, (optional, but it does enhance it), and some crusty bread.
Ingredients 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped 450g young nettle tops 50g butter 4 shallots, roughly chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 litre vegetable stock 3 tablespoonfuls cream, (optional) 8 wild garlic leaves, torn Serves 6
3. Rinse the nettles and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Add the stock, potatoes and blanched nettles to the pan. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5–10 minutes, until the nettles are tender.
Asparagus, Duck Egg and Spring Leaf Salad As the asparagus season is beginning, here is a third starter, combining farmed seasonal ingredients with wild ones.
Ingredients 750g English asparagus 6 Duck eggs
1. Trim any tough ends of stem from the asparagus and steam for 5 minutes or until tender. 2. Place the duck eggs in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes depending on size. This should make the yolks half set. Remove the eggs from the pan and cool under cold running water. Once they are cold, peel them. 3. Combine the mustard, seasoning, wine and Balsamic vinegars and the olive oil in a lidded jar. Shake vigorously. Wash the wild leaves and add them to the sorrel, watercress or bittercress and dandelion leaves in a salad bowl. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss lightly. Serve in 6 bowls. March 2014
4. Place the asparagus on top of the salad leaves and drizzle the remaining dressing over them. Cut the duck eggs into halves and put 2 halves into each salad. Sprinkle some chopped chives onto the eggs. Serve immediately.
The Salad. 50g mixed salad leaves Small bunch of garlic mustard leaves A handful of large sorrel leaves, torn 30g watercress or bittercress A few dandelion leaves Some chopped chives. The Dressing. 1 teaspoonful grain mustard Salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoonfuls wine vinegar 6 tablespoonfuls extra virgin olive oil. A teaspoonful of Balsamic vinegar Serves 6
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GARDEN
What to do in
March
With Matthew Pottage, Garden Manager at RHS Garden Wisley
Sharpen the saw and define the look of your borders! March is a great time of year for assessing the overall aesthetic looks of your garden plants. By this, I mean assessing how plants are growing, what needs pruning, what you can see from your house and the general definition of plants. It is all too easy to allow shrubs to grow into each other, perhaps into the lower branches of trees and even to allow them to creep over path edges or intrude into pleasant views. Towards the end of the month is a good time to hard prune or stool shrubs that have generally become too big for their space. We often do this at Wisley with bulky evergreens such
as Mahonia, Viburnum tinus and Berberis. Other options with shrubs such as Camellia can be to clear away all the lower stems and branches to make the shrub look like a small tree, so you can then appreciate the stems and garden underneath it. Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to make these decisions, so invite over a gardening friend, and ask them for some honest opinions – sometimes less can be more and seeing the same garden everyday isn’t always helpful in being bold with the pruning saw! Do remember though, if you are going to hard prune a shrub, give it a feed or
mulch to compensate for the loss of its leaves and stems, as you are taking away years of its productivity.
Left: RHS gerdener pruning Mahonia x media by cutting back stems to around a third of their original length. Above: Berberis thunbergii ‘Golden Torch’. Below: Lifting and dividing Agapanthus.
Hair cuts and crown divisions Now that we hopefully have the worst of winter behind us, it is time to carry out any annual maintenance work on what we call ‘warm season’ plants. These are plants that come from typically warmer climes such as South Africa and resent disturbance during the colder months. Common garden examples are Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker), Agapanthus and Dierama. Now is the time to comb through evergreen foliage to remove old leaves and trim off any dead or dying foliage. It is also prime time to gain plants for free, so if the clumps are becoming old, large or lacking in vigour, it is time to lift the crowns and divide them, keeping the outer parts (the youngest) and disposing of the inner most weaker parts. 36
With some plants this can be done by hand, or by placing two garden forks back to back and prising apart the crowns. With enormous old Agapanthus clumps I tend to grab a spade and slice them apart with brut force. Evergreen grasses can also have a good clean up, removing old flowers and raking through them to improve their look and set them up for the season ahead. FIND OUT MORE
RHS Garden Wisley is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, the world’s leading gardening charity. RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB. Visit rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley to find out more. vantagepointmag.co.uk
Lod Valley: Lurgashall to Lord’s Wood Quintessential rolling English countryside, following a river course with lakes, wetlands and wildflower grassland to an ancient woodland. This walk leads you on a very pleasant circuit through typical Sussex countryside, with part of it following the River Lod running south from Mill Pond. This waterbody and the river valley contain many interesting habitats, ranging from wet woodland to reed swamp and wildflower-rich grassland. Mill Pond is reputedly one of the best sites in the county for breeding and wintering waterfowl, with birds including Kingfishers, Yellow Wagtails and Lapwing having been recorded. Diverse river valley grassland fields support the scarce plant Sneezewort and other attractive flowers including Betony, Devil’s-bit Scabious and Tormentil. Lord’s Wood is a managed ancient woodland with diverse plant, insect and bird interest, particularly in the open ride under the electricity pylon line where you may see Orange- Tip and Speckled Wood butterflies in the spring and the Brown Argus butterfly and migrant Silver-Y moths in the summer. Lastly, if you look closely at Lurgashall’s cricket green, you can find sweetsmelling patches of Chamomile growing amongst the short turf in summer, or rare and colourful species of Waxcap fungi in the autumn months. Go online to vantagepointmag.co.uk for a Puttenham walk in our Godalming edition.
The walk 1. Head south along the lane from the village green as far as the stile and public footpath that takes you down through fields to the large lake of Mill Pond, and then over the dam bridge to Lurgashall Mill Farm. 2. A public footpath runs southwards from here, following the course of the River Lod to cross over another dam bridge at the lake at River Park Farm.
3. Continue on the footpath southwards through farm fields to Lord’s Wood, where you can choose to explore Lord’s Wood along the footpath before doubling back to walk northwards along the eastern wood edge up to a farm lane. 4. Continue north along the footpath to pick up the farm track and bridleway north-eastwards back to Mill Farm, from where you follow your original route back to Lurgashall.
Lurgashall - a quintessential English village, of Saxon origin, with a population of 600 based around the village green where cricket is played in the summer months. Lurgashall Mill - the original was built in the 17th century, and has been relocated to the Weald and Downland open air museum near Chichester, left. Lurgashall Mill © Copyright Keith Edkins 40
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WALK
gashall to Lord’s Wood
6 km (3.7miles)
©Crown copyright 2014 Ordnance Survey Media 019/14
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Dial Green
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Start at Lurgashall village green, located 2 km west of the A283 Petworth-Milford main road at the end of Blind Lane
DISTANCE: 3.7 miles
OS MAP: Explorer 133
OS map reference: SU936271 Nearest Post Code: GU28 9ET SatNav Lat/Long: 51.035363, -0.665094
GRID REF: SU936271
Park considerately around the village green Bus - AMK Coaches Service 68/68A LoxwoodChichester, via Lurgashall (very limited). Train - Haslemere station 9 km to NW.
PARKING: Park considerately around the village green
Head south along the lane from the village green as far as the stile and public footpath that takes you down through fields to the large lake of Mill Pond, and then over the dam bridge to Lurgashall Mill Farm. A public footpath runs southwards from here, following the course of the River Lod to cross over another dam bridge at the lake at River Park Farm. Continue on the footpath southwards through farm fields to Lord’s Wood, where you can choose to explore Lord’s Wood along the footpath before doubling back to walk northwards along the eastern wood edge up to a farm lane. Continue north along the footpath to pick up the farm track and bridleway north-eastwards back to Mill Farm, from where you follow your original route back to Lurgashall.
GETTING THERE: Start at Lurgashall
village green, located 2 km west of the A283 Petworth-Milford main road at the end of Blind Lane.
FACILITIES: Lurgashall Village Stores -
Mill Farm Rive r Lo d
urse wer d
Walk is mostly flat and easy-going, but has many stiles.
Lurgashall Village Green © Copyright Colin Smith
shop and post office.
Lurgashall Village Stores - shop and post office.
Lurgashall Winery - local fruit liqueurs,
Lurgashall Winery - local fruit liqueurs, honey meads and country wines, plus tea room, 1 km to west at Dial Green. GU28 9HA. 01428 707292
honey meads and country wines, plus
Noahs Ark pub, Lurgashall.
tea room, 1 km to west at Dial Green. GU28 9HA. 01428 707292 Noahs Ark pub, Lurgashall.
Lord’s Wood
March 2014
This walk is taken from the The West Weald Landscape Project, which is a Sussex Wildlife Trust project. For more information, please visit westweald. org.uk. 41
PROFILE
Haslemere Players Here to entertain you!
T
he Haslemere Players have been delighting local audiences for over 100 years and have built up an enviable reputation of producing a wide variety of top quality, award-winning musical shows. From traditional crowd pleasers such as My Fair Lady, Calamity Jane, Oliver! and The Sound of Music, to more modern masterpieces such as Chess, Titanic the Musical, Sweeney Todd and Beauty and the Beast, The Players have enjoyed huge box-office success – and had great fun in the process! In fact, one newspaper reviewer recently went as far as to say, “Am-Dram? More like West End”, which is praise indeed for a society which prides itself on its high standards and innovative staging and production. The Players produce three shows a year – two stage musicals in March and October and a cabaret-style production, Showstoppers, in early June, performing a cornucopia of exciting, smash hit songs from popular musicals, while the audience enjoys supper at their table. In addition, the Players support an individual charity with each musical production. 2014 sees the Players entertaining Haslemere with the Oscar-winning favourite South Pacific at the end of March and Mel Brooks’ famous comedy hit, The Producers – which won 12 Tony awards on Broadway – at the end of October. All productions are staged at Haslemere Hall, a fantastic, purpose built theatre with excellent staging and modern,
March 2014
comfortable seating, which has been serving the community since 1913. For more details or to buy tickets, go to www.haslemerehall.co.uk or call 01428 642161. Members are part of a fun, warm and friendly team dedicated to creating the best possible musical and stage performances – and that ethos certainly comes across to the audience. There are lots of opportunities to get involved - both treading the boards and behind the scenes, for example in areas such as stage management, building and painting scenery and maintaining the extensive costume wardrobe. The Haslemere Players actively welcome new members - no experience is needed just energy, enthusiasm and a good sense of humour! For more information, go to www.haslemereplayers.com.
FIND OUT MORE
For more information, please visit the website at haslemereplayers.com or you can contact the Secretary, Pamela Depledge, on 01428 605237. 43