The
ISSUE 3
FEBRUARY 2014
WOKING
JOURNAL
PANDA POWER Can Woking’s Living
Planet Centre Conquer The World?
LOVE
A Practical Guide To Romance
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FEBRUARY 6
WHAT’S ON?
Our monthly round-up of the best local events to keep you busy until Spring
INSIDE THIS ISSUE... REGUL AR FEATU RES
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NEWS EDIT
We introduce fun new features in our monthly culture flash
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16
MODERN ROMANCE Our Editors take to the stand in defence of Valentine’s Day
PUZZLES
Pens at the ready for this month’s crossword
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FOOD & DRINK We choose 5 aphrodisiacs to try this Valentine’s Day
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ANIMAL KINGDOM Behind the scenes of the WWF’s Living Planet Centre
NEXT MONTH...
It’s make or break as McLaren gear up for an exciting new season of Formula 1
Cover Photograph © Sander Weeteling
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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS With Valentine’s Day looming, it seems topical to touch on the formidable subject of LOVE. In this issue, we offer up our top 5 aphrodisiacs (page 18), and introduce our monthly commentary with ‘FAIRYTALE ROMANCE’ (page 10). Each of us has taken to our soap-boxes to tackle an issue that we think bears a little discussion; this month, in an homage to the big day itself, we tackle how the historic art of romance is to be interpreted in our modern-day world. So with human KINDNESS in mind, we paid a visit to Woking’s fantastic new Living Planet Centre, which is now home to the WWF and open to the general public. In our article ‘POWER TO CHANGE’ (page 12), we ponder how the efforts of one ecological building just might impact the world. We’ve also squeezed in our NEWS EDIT segment (page 15), including our selection of top local tweets and a quick round-up of some cultural highlights from the past month. Plus of course, we have pages dedicated to advertising the best INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES and services that Woking has to offer. Enormous thanks as ever to our lovely advertisers.
Sophie & Nile We’d love to hear your comments and responses to our issue: editorial@wokingjournal.co.uk
Contents Page Image: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, A Bather © The National Gallery, London. Presented by Sir Anthony and Lady Hornby, 1961 Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Lakeside Landscape © The National Gallery, London. Bequeathed by Helena and Kenneth Levy, 1990
OUT & ABOUT
RENOIR IN BRITAIN THE LIGHTBOX
8 FEBRUARY – 20 APRIL Bringing together selected works from major collections across the country, this two-month exhibition chronologically charts nearly half a century of the iconic French impressionist’s work, presenting a visual narrative of how a handful of his most significant paintings and sculptures arrived in Britain. Free Admission The Lightbox, Chobham Road, GU21 4AA; thelightbox.org.uk
CHINESE NEW YEAR 2014 WOKING TOWN CENTRE 8 FEBRUARY
Celebrate the Year of The Horse with an exciting day of events to commemorate this vibrant spring festival. Attractions include lion dancing, martial arts and craft stalls, as well as an array of delicious Chinese food and drink.
Free Admission Mercia Walk, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM; woking.gov.uk
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DAVID WATKINSON SCULPTURE EXHIBITION RHS GARDENS WISLEY UNTIL 30 MARCH
Featuring grand kinetic sculptures set within the beautiful surroundings of one of Surrey’s most stunning Victorian gardens, a solo show of the awardwinning sculptor’s work continues this month at RHS Wisley, inspired by the harmony of physics and the natural world.
RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, GU23 6QB; rhs.org.uk
OUT & ABOUT
FEBRUARY We present our pick of the best in local events this month
WOKING WEDDING FAIR
THE RAGGED CHILD
HOLIDAY INN WOKING 9 FEBRUARY
RHODA McGAW THEATRE 20-22 FEBRUARY
Let romance abound at the Woking Wedding Fair! Jam-packed with displays from specialist wedding exhibitors, showcasing everything from chocolate fountains to invitations, it’s a must-visit event for any bride-to-be. The fair is also home to exclusive special offers and features stunning catwalk shows at 12:30 and 14:30.
The Runnymede Drama Group’s youth group, The Sundowners, are proud to present The Ragged Child this month. The award-winning production is a heart-warming tale set in mid-Victorian London, depicting the school life undergone by the impoverished children of its era.
Holiday Inn Woking, Victoria Way, GU21 8EW; silverlinedweddingshows.co.uk
Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Peacocks Centre, GU21 6GQ; atgtickets.com
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JENNIFER
TODD
SCHOOL OF
DA N C E Classes in ISTD Ballet, Tap & Modern, Jazz, Cheerleading and Street Dance Classes held at the Old Woking Community Centre
Your first trial class is FREE! To find out more or to book a place, please contact Jenny on 07989 306660 Email: jennifertoddsd@hotmail.co.uk
www.jennifertoddschoolofdance.com
Ben Allison
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Call in for all your Hair & Beauty Services
We also sell Hair products, extensions and much more!
Eyelash Extensions Micro-Bonding Wash & Set Kinky Twists Rope Twists Gel Twists Colouring
Relaxing & Treatment Facial Waxing Weave On Cornrows Eyebrows Lace Wigs Braids
OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY TEL: 07727 643 260
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30 CHERTSEY ROAD WOKING GU21 5AJ
Credible Fitness
“All About You...”
Fit February Start getting ready for Spring with a Detox Boot Camp. Get Clean and Lean for 2014! Visit www.CredibleFitness.co.uk/Detox to claim your free Detox package
Personal Training and Ladies-Only Fitcamp Specialist Deb10@CredibleFitness.co.uk
07970 428734 facebook.com/CredibleFitness
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FORTRESS An approved company member of the Master Locksmiths Association, we specialise in: • Locks • Safes • Gates • Grilles & Shutters • Door Closers • Access Control No job too big or too small Telephone: 01483 764559 / Email: sales@fortress-security.com / Website: www.fortress-security.com Master Locksmith Association (MLA) Approved
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COMMENT
Image by Charlie Foster
FA I RY TA L E ROMANCE
T
he poet Laurie Lee wrote that to be in love is to take on the “penthouse of living, that topmost toppling tower, perpetually lit by the privileged radiance of well-being which sets one apart from the nether world”. If his intention was to suggest that love conquers all, then this mythical, glowing sense of bliss and security seems starkly at odds with the malaise of modern life. Head wins out over heart in 9 spiritcrushing bouts out of 10 in our waterlogged Albion climate. We shed our youthful naivety at station platforms in the halflight of winter dawns on route to Monday morning meetings, the physical proximities within the packed carriage being the closest we get to other humans. Our most intimate relationships are with our careers and smartphones, more indispensable and attentive to our emotional needs than we’d ever dare admit. Yet we are unrelenting love-seekers… even if life leaves little provision for romantic gesture. Our yearning for contact culminates on this day early in the year – the yuletide a long way away – steeped in English rain. Heralded by the hopeful
with heart-shaped boxes of confectionary; acknowledged in grave, dread tones by the mournful and melancholic. Anyone can celebrate Christmas, but the idea of a holiday for lovers strikes a tone of nervous anticipation quite unlike any other. If Valentine’s Day is a modern invention, its course runs parallel to the vivid concepts of star-cross’d, fleeting displays of romantic love cultivated by our society – longing for an opportunity when the world would let us be. It’s an occasion to put our best selves forward into the maelstrom of a mundane age, interspersed by ephemeral, flashing moments… the beauty and exhilaration of companionship. We would wear our best clothes every day if we could, eat our favourite meal every evening, sit a little straighter, smile a little wider. The 14th is a slim window of whimsy and idealism. We can be Rick and Ilsa for a day, Bonnie and Clyde for an hour – rapt in nothing more than the mutual recognition of how good it feels not to be alone. And when it’s over – we hold on to the memory of what things could be like. How superior. How very romantic. Until next year.
Does love have what it takes to survive the 21st century? Send us your thoughts: editorial@wokingjournal.co.uk
COMMENT
A Modern Guide to Valentine’s Day
A
s a child, I felt very dismissive of fairytales. I found the sickly sweet, happy ending “Disneyness” of them unsettling. I preferred the harder-hitting Aesop’s fables, packed full of important lessons, with a shining moral compass to guide my scornful childhood self. Part of their subtler magic is that these moral messages have a longevity that still resonates today. The innate problem with fairytales is that they are, on the contrary, impractical. So as the pressure to find “true love” increases, how are contemporary women supposed to interpret the iconic romance of fairytales? In an age of Internet dating and whirlwind divorces, it’s little wonder that society often snubs traditional romance in a way that the cynical child in me would relish. It’s simply easier to dismiss it; to brandish it an elusive myth described only in stories, much like coming home to find seven obedient men paying off the mortgage. But despite our scepticism, as Valentine’s Day looms women everywhere will begin the ritual introspection into their own relationship statuses. Whether single and looking, married and content, separated,
complicated or recently devastated, it’s difficult not to acknowledge the existence of the day. Valentine’s haters will smear it as nothing but a corporate holiday, a moneyfuelled occasion where love is warped by a bluster of materialism, while single folk are left feeling cordoned off like social pariahs. While I still think that Disney-style romance is best left in films, authentic love is more than compatible with the 21st century. It’s not without its imperfections; relationships will always take compromise, faith and understanding, but practical, modern-day love still undoubtedly exists for those who believe in it. Maybe the reason Aesop’s Fables are so memorable is because when I saw them performed, my Primary School sweetheart took my hand for the first time, squeezed it, and held it unfailingly for the entire production. It wasn’t a materialstic, flashy display; it was subtle, kind and quietly romantic. So for all of my omnipresent romanti-cynicism, perhaps in between the serious drudgery of life’s lessons and the corporate chaos of Valentine’s Day, there’s still space for a little fairytale magic. 11
FEATURE
WWF Power To Change
Designed by Hopkins Architects, every inch of this innovation has been built with ecology in mind. Most striking is the timber ‘diagrid’ roof, which boasts photovoltaic panels to harbour solar energy and course it seamlessly through the building. The roof is crowned with four bespoke aluminium wind cowls, which channel air into the centre and circulate it organically, whilst heating is generated by tapping into the constant temperatures underneath the ground. 12
It doesn’t stop there; rainwater is recycled, sunlight is maximised, building materials are sustainably sourced and appliances are strictly energy-efficient. What’s more, energy outputs are kept on display within the building to ensure nothing goes to waste. But the Living Planet Centre seeks to be more than just a home to the WWF. It aims to utilise its sustainability to set an example, from simple home projects to large-scale housing constructions. All of which raises the important question: does one building really have the ability to change the world? It sounds like a tall order, but it’s worth remembering that when the WWF was first founded, they had a somewhat streamline ambition. Their initial quest was to seek out specific endangered species, and campaign to revive them. Then they realised that in order to truly protect these animals, you need to tackle conservation in its entirety. So the charity took on pollution, climate change, political attitudes and the environment on a global scale.
Is it too late to save the world? Send us your thoughts at: editorial@wokingjournal.co.uk
Image by Martyn Seddon
F
rom the chaos of machinery and screens of angular scaffolding, the bones of a new creature have emerged. Four months after its completion, the Living Planet Centre stands as a proud local landmark, a seemingly simple piece of architecture, and an iconic symbol of sustainability. This apparent simplicity and understated nature are what, ironically, make it so remarkable. Because for all the building’s minimalism, hidden behind meticulously even wooden slats and an abundance of glass, lie the secrets of conservation.
FEATURE
In many ways, the Living Planet Centre resumes this metaphor. WWF intend to start small: by encouraging the local community, and communicating with the public through education and interactive experiences. Touch-screen panels inside wooden hives guide children and adults through a virtual version of their own world, informing us of the WWF’s work and what we can do to help.
Images © StonehousePhotographic
Even the building’s mission of sustainability lies in the smallest details, such as the discreet bird boxes and vegetation that have been carefully installed around the building, to encourage biodiversity and sustain the building’s connection with the natural world. Combine public education with one of the greenest buildings in the UK, and it becomes obvious how the centre can have an impact that resonates far beyond the local community.
Despite its global potential, the secret of the building’s success is that it doesn’t outshine its surroundings. Instead of stamping clumsily on brown belt land, it treads softly and carefully, quietly burrowing down amongst nature. It’s an embodiment of the WWF’s mission statement, which is to create a future where people and nature thrive. It’s here that you can begin to see how this harmony can be achieved. If we treat the centre as a microcosmic example of how to preserve the world’s ecosystems, by sourcing materials sustainably, conserving natural environments and protecting our wildlife, it becomes clear how a humble centre in Woking could indeed have an impact that resonates across the globe. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, who unveiled the centre in November 2013, “WWF is one of the great hopes of the world, and this building not only enshrines that, but projects it.”
Visit wwf.org.uk for more information
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THE WOKING JOURNAL Are you a hedge-cutter or hairdresser? Plumber or piano teacher? Man-witha-van or masseuse? Butcher, baker or candlestick-maker? From washing machine repairs to wedding planning, whatever your trade or business, The Woking Journal is teeming with advertising possibilities. It’s the very best way to get your independent business through the doors of local residents.
THE ADVERTISING COPY DEADLINE FOR THE MARCH ISSUE IS...
February 20th
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Individuals or small groups welcome, from primary school to A Level standard. 14
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Every month we take a peek at what’s climbing the ranks and who’s taking a tumble, in our essential guide of what’s hot and what’s not... ALDI
NEWS EDIT
GOIN G UP
The first ever store to win the Which? Best Supermarket Awards for two years running. We admit it, we’re impressed.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Dallas Buyers Club. Mud. Wolf of Wall Street. All too good to miss.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
Youth unempoloyment is down to 7.1%. A notable step in the right direction.
“CELEBRITY” BIG BROTHER Is anyone still watching it?
GOING DOWN
SOCKS IN HEELS Lagerfeld did it. The high-street copied it. We hate it.
3D CINEMA
Glasses on glasses? We’re over the gimmick.
TOP TWEETS
PSST!
Budding Woking photographers dominate international RHS #photography competition
Throwing out your old unwanted clothes in the Spring Clean? Well now you can recycle your textiles at home!
@SurreyLife
@srunderhill
Just seen some of team GB at Woking. Getting excited about the winter Olympics now!
@willbuxton
I rate Eric as one of the best team bosses in F1. If McLaren have got hold of him I see some glorious years coming back to Woking
To find out more, visit woking.gov.uk/textiles
PUZZLES
e l z z Pu e g a P
Check our
website for January’s solutions!
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PUZZLES
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1. Yuletide (9) 10. Montague (5) 12. Disease (5) 13. Sun shade (7) 15. Pierce (5) 17. Disobey (4) 19. Mouth opening (3) 21. Maiden Name (3) 22. Triumphed (4) 23. Sweet treat (4) 24. Air (4) 25. Muslim Holiday (3) 26. “Your”, archaic (3) 27. Fortunate (5)
31. Year (4) 32. Geller, forename (3) 34. Mafia (3) 36. Calamity (8) 40. Subtle tone (6) 43. Religious duty (4) 44. Unit of Current (3) 45. Move on one leg (3) 47. Froth (6) 50. Imitate (3) 52. Youth (8) 53. To bring around (7)
DOWN 2. Keyboard (11) 3. Bomb Fragment (8) 4. Fruit (5) 6. Exotic (8) 7. Morning, abbr. (2) 8. Music Genre (4,3,4) 9. Partner (4) 14. Lyric Song (3) 16. Insurance (9) 18. Unravel (4) 20. Recompense (3) 22. Snape actor, init. (2) 28. Abrupt (4) 29. Has been (3)
30. Sweetheart (6) 32. You and I (2) 33. In other words, abbr. (2) 35. Speakeasy (3) 37. Live, unrehearsed (6) 38. Greek Sea (6) 39. Respond (5) 41. Satisfy (4) 42. Bronze (3) 45. Shoe bottom (4) 46. Castle ditch (4) 48. Poultry (3) 49. Grain (3) 51. 3.141(2)
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FOOD & DRINK
FOOD OF
LO E ALMONDS
Not only are almonds regarded as a primary symbol of fertility, but mythically their scent was supposed to awaken female passion.
CHILLI
A spicy chilli is rumoured to add a welcome dash of heat to romantic evenings, thanks to its key ingredient: capsaicin. The fiery chemical increases circulation and stimulates nerve endings.
POMEGRANATE
FIGS
Steeped in history, these delicious fruity morsels are reminiscent of Greek Gods and Goddesses. They’re great aphrodisiacs in any form, thanks to their long-standing associations with love and fertility.
Packed full of passion power, this antioxidant-rich fruit helps protect the lining of blood vessels, aiding blood flow and increasing sensitivity.
ASPARAGUS
These delightful green spears make the cut thanks to Nicholas Culpepper, a 17th century English herbalist who noted that asparagus had a tendency to conjure up lust.
USEFUL NUMBERS NHS DIRECT
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REFUGE
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DISCLAIMER Although the editor and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this issue was accurate at the time of publication, they do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability or responsibility to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause, such as from non-publication of any advertisement. Printed by Woking Print. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Copyright © 2014 The Woking Journal Limited.
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Image © Mario Mancuso
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