YLM January 2016 | #67

YOUR LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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Bungalow Town P r o d u c ti o n s

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WITNESS THE FITNESS BA NISH THE BLUES

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I s s u e #67

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omorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book.

Write a good one.

Your Lifestyle Magazine for Norfolk & Suffolk

Brad Paisley

YLM

ENQUIRIES

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22

T 01379 669 299 E info@ylm.co.uk

BY POST YLM PO Box 370 Eye IP22 9BP THE YLM FAMILY

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PUBLISHER Wendy Aiken wendy@ylm.co.uk CREATIVE & EDITORAL Ben Aiken ben@ylm.co.uk ACCOUNTS Janet Fairweather janet@ylm.co.uk DISTRIBUTION Dayburst Couriers 07810 852 089 dayburst@diss.co.uk Contributors Bridget McIntyre Amanda Church Joan Garnham Gabi Reid Louise Priest Mark Aiken Phil Burton Sue Johnson SUBSCRIPTIONS Enquiries to info@ylm.co.uk using the word ‘Subscribe’

Welcome 7

New Year Resolution

8

PLAN, PREPARE, SOW

22

Catch up with what’s happening in Gabriel’s Garden

Louise Priest joins the diet debate

BUNGALOW TOWN

YOUR OWN PRIVATE GETAWAY

A singular ‘storey’ of Suffolk filmmakers

Escape into a world of exotic interiors

11

24

go evie go! (Part 2)

Witness the fitness

Reporting back from The World Down Syndrome Championships in Mortara, Italy

Wearable technology, clothing and lifestyle

17

27

BURN BRIGHT

20 YLM is Published by Circuit Media (P&L) Ltd. Disclaimer: The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate but the publisher can not assume responsibility for errors or omissions. Whilst reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements the publisher will not accept any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. They will, however, immediately investigate any written complaints. © Circuit Media (P&L) Ltd, 2016

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

6

All wood burns, some species better than others

Contents

Focused massage

28

“Customers often find that symptoms disappear or ease, they sleep better, and therefore performance at work improves and leisure activities are done more efficiently.”

WORKING WARDROBE

30

Are you Mrs Organised when it comes to your clothes?

Banish the Blues

31

Pamper yourself in the comfort of your home

Seeing is Believing

33

How Scultura Clinic is delivering real results for real people

39

25

27 FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE?

34

Nuptial Agreements: Are they worth it?

I’m too busy & it’s all my fault!

37

a new day

42

Looking forward to 2016 CAPTURE 44

Scafell Scarpered!

46

Who knows where the time goes? Bridget McIntyre finds out

Mark and Paula Aiken tackle the 3,209ft Scafell Pike... if they can get out of the car park!

TICKET TO RIDE

WHAT’S ON

48

DIRECTORY

50

39

“The closest I’ve come to space travel was on October 22nd 2003 when Ali and I were lucky enough to be aboard Concorde for one of the final flights.”

WELCOME

H

appy New Year to each and everyone one of you, may your health be good and your life be filled with happiness.

I feel rather sad to say goodbye to Christmas, and it’s back to reality with a bump! I loved being in the Christmas bubble, spending lots of time with our family and friends. The house is so quiet now they have all gone home. I adore watching munchkins running around with all their cousins, one minute loving each other, the next minute World War Three breaks out!

So what will the New Year bring? We are hoping to make YLM bigger and better, finding even more great stories on interesting people or subjects that inspire us.

On a personnel note for the New Year, I hope to be able to have more time at home. To try and keep the house half tidy and keep weekends as family time, no work, and not forgetting the usual plan to lose weight.

We are so pleased to have Geir Madland writing for us again, in this issue, Geir has caught up with Jez and Rachel of Bungalow Town Productions, who talk about their latest film. It’s fantastic that we have such talented people in Suffolk and Norfolk.

As always please keep getting in touch with us about stories you think we could share and that would be a great fit for YLM and our ethos. We really do love hearing from you and love positivity.

Once again Happy New Year, make 2016 an awesome one! ● Best Wishes,

Cover

Charlie Meyer Illustration

January 2016

7

YLM

Forget the trendy diet plans!

Healthy Lifestyle is the way forward

E

very year, even before the last of the turkey curry has been consumed, we are bombarded with the media (newspapers and magazines primarily) telling us the virtues of, ‘starting off the New Year as you mean to go on’. It could be a diet to lose those excess Christmas pounds we have put on by eating too many mince pies/sausage rolls/ turkey sandwiches etc. (By the way, I always have pickled onions with my turkey sandwich!) It could be a New Year Resolution to get your body back into shape. A quick fifteen minute exercise routine maybe from a magazine or DVD, complete with graphic photographs of a man or woman who has the perfect physique. The routine of course can be done before you go to work, in your lunch hour or before supper – whatever! Also have a think, isn’t January the worst possible month to give up something?

Non

COMMENT

My

New Year Resolution!

It’s cold and dark and possibly months before a holiday.

Then of course there is the inevitable diet. If I had a pound (money, not weight) for every diet that appeared in the press, I would be rich indeed (just like the diet gurus are!) I will admit I have tried the odd diet or two although I prefer to call it ‘cutting down’. There’s nothing like an event, such as a wedding to focus the slimming mind-set. A few years ago I joined a national slimming club and lost a stone in three months (A friend’s wedding loomed which gave me the incentive I needed).

The slimming club was actually quite fun; not only being disciplined with what I ate, but the weekly meeting was, after the initial embarrassment, something to look forward to.

We all met at a local primary school, so the first challenge was making sure one fitted on a little person’s chair! Of course there was the inevitable weigh-in. I tell you, the things I took off I order to be as light as possible! When the moment came to step onto the scales, I had taken everything off I could and still be decent. Jewellery off, belt off, shoes off, almost spectacles off one week! So we all sat around on our little chairs listening to our mentor say out loud how much each of us had lost that week. We had to applaud at each name, in a vigorous manner. As I say, all

this was somewhat off-putting at first, but imagine the pride when your name was read out “Louise...(pause)... there you are...(pause) has lost one and a half pounds this week, well done”. Incentive indeed to continue for another week at least.

not? I am back to my endorsement of “everything in moderation.” For some, diets become a way of life and good luck to you. For the less disciplined (weak willed possibly like me) then a moderate amount, in my opinion (and I am no doctor or dietician), is the right road.

Witness Fitness the

see this feature on

p.

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I e at a h e a lt h y di et (m y f i v e port ions of “f ru i t & v egeta bl e s mo st day s), I a m fa i r ly act i v e & s e e m to s pe n d m y w hol e l i f e i n on e big ru s h . On t h at b a s i s a lon e , I s hou l d be s k i n n y!

Now although I have given up having a figure like a super model, I eat a healthy diet (my five portions of fruit and vegetables most days), I am fairly active and seem to spend my whole life in one big rush. On that basis alone, I should be skinny! I also am a firm believer in the saying “everything in moderation”. I am now totally convinced that diets do not work, for me anyway. I do however agree that an alternative lifestyle does work. By that I mean, changing your eating habits or exercise, not joining a hippy commune (no offence if you live in one). Of course, if you eat loads of doughnuts each day and sit watching TV then expect to be lardy. However, if you like a nice meal (and live to eat, like I do, rather than eat to live), if you enjoy the odd glass or two of wine then why

”

One of my greatest passions in life is food. Ok, so the bikini days are well and truly over, but I am lucky to be fairly tall so get away with a few extra pounds (I think!)

So Happy New Year reader.. go on, treat yourself, you have my permission! ●

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YLM

STORIES

00 - 00 - 00

A singular ‘storey’ of Suffolk filmmakers

Words by Geir Madland

>

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

January 2016

YLM

Previous Page: Ghosts, Shed Your Tears And Walk Away, Bungalow Town - Shoreham-By-Sea

Star Men

Eugene Terre’Blanche © Marc Shoul

(His Big White Self)

All White in Barking

J

ez Lewis and Rachel Wexler run Bungalow Town Productions from their North Suffolk cottage. They make highly individual documentaries for worldwide audiences.

Since establishing the company in 2004, producer Rachel and director/producer Jez have made many critically acclaimed films including The English Surgeon (Director: Geoffrey Smith) and All White in Barking (Director: Marc Isaacs).

Their films have exhibited at international film festivals and have also been distributed theatrically, on TV and DVD worldwide. Bungalow Town have won dozens of awards, including an Emmy for The English Surgeon.

Jez is originally from Yorkshire, Rachel grew up in Norfolk.

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“We moved here when we started working together,” Jez explains. “I was working in different fields then, once we were working together and had to go on the same business trips, the child-care became more of an issue and Rachel’s mum was incredibly helpful.

“Rachel did film at university, then worked in London. She was at the BBC when I met her.

I had taken an interest in film but then diverted into a different field altogether, coming back into film about 15 years ago.” Jez did a Cultural Studies degree at UEL (University of East London).

“We were then living in Shoreham-by-Sea. There’s a film studio there on a bit of an island. It’s called Bungalow Town because people took decommissioned railway carriages over and set them up as bungalows. We named our company after the studio, not

thinking we might later move to Suffolk.

“We now work from home in a thatched cottage, and whenever work people come over, they do a double-take, presumably wondering: ‘do these idiots realise their house is not a bungalow?’.”

Jez began working with documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield in May 2004 and was Associate Producer on His Big White Self, a feature documentary about South African neo-Nazi Eugene Terre’Blanche. With Nick, Jez produced and wrote the feature drama Ghosts, about immigrant workers and the Morecambe

“ We’re now involved in a film about whaling that’s nearing completion. it’s a complex environmental story about the interplay between the traditional way of life in the Faroe Islands, hunting whales for food, & moralistic objectors who vilify the Faroese for it.” >

STORIES

‘Enormous charm and food for thought...eminently likeable’ ​Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN

‘Charming...a real life Big Bang Theory reunion’ EMPIRE

‘An engrossing look at hardy friendships...a quiet delight’

The English Surgeon

Ghosts

TOTAL FILM

Bay tragedy of February 2004.

In 2009 Jez completed his debut feature documentary, Shed Your Tears And Walk Away, about the extraordinary human dramas which abound in the small rural town of his childhood, Hebden Bridge.

“We do have to go into London reasonably frequently but getting in on the train is straight forward from here. East Anglia does have more of a film community than one might imagine. It’s a very beautiful place so filming does happen. We’re specifically documentary and Aldeburgh has a documentary festival which punches well above its weight (aldeburghdocfest.com). There’s a heritage here that’s not obvious unless you’re involved.

“We did a half-hour TV piece a couple of years ago filmed in Holt. Other than that we

haven’t really filmed in the region. Most of our films are either with a director in London (Marc Isaacs) or quite international – our last was a Japanese story. Guilty Pleasures (about Mills & Boon fans) was UK, America, India, Japan.

“Filmmaking is unbelievably competitive. Most parents, like with acting, would try to persuade kids from doing it, but people are compelled to do it, and if you’re compelled, you do it. I never ever get that Monday morning dread, never.

“Something that’s really struck us over the past year is that when we go to London we have to adjust to the pace of life – because it’s so much slower. People say ‘you mean faster’ but no, I don’t. We deal with the BBC and they are incredibly bureaucratic but, whenever you go to London, you always feel like you’re being stifled. It’ll take me 50 minutes

to travel 6 miles to a meeting.

You spend three hours having a one-hour meeting. You’re queuing, you’re waiting, it’s unconstructive time. We come back to Diss and we know the journey will be eight minutes and no more – we’re not going to hit a traffic jam.

“There are pressures to be in London more but we absolutely love being here. We live on the common so we can go for a walk every lunchtime and we just love it. We’re really lucky that we don’t have any tension arising out of the fact that we’re living and work-

“Filmmaking is unbelievably competitive. Most parents, like with acting, would try to persuade kids from doing it, but people are compelled to do it and, if you’re compelled, you do it.”

ing out of the same home. We don’t find ourselves in each other’s way. We know quite a few couples in our industry who work together. It happens a lot.

“I always say our best film is The English Surgeon (about neurosurgeon Henry Marsh and his work in Ukraine) but I’ve also got a great fondness for our first film, Philip and his Seven Wives (about a former rabbi and his new Godly family), because it’s tragi-comic.

You wouldn’t know from our films necessarily that comedy is my thing. I just love laughing – it’s one of the joys of humanity. Not many of our films are very funny. We say ‘let’s do something funny next’ and then it doesn’t happen.

Though Star Men is funny.

Star Men, Jez’s latest project, is about the reunion of four British astronomers and their past careers in the USA. 

January 2016

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STORIES

YLM

ß Jez with the Canadian film-maker, Alison Rose, and one of the British astronomers from Star Men, Roger Griffin, at the films premier at Sheffield International Documentary Festival in June 2015

The film was made in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and Cambridge, England, under spectacular starfilled skies.

“Four astronomers celebrate 50 years of work and friendship on a road trip in the southwestern United States, recapturing youthful adventures and recounting each other’s influences on the most exciting period in astronomy’s history.

“Star Men is not a Bungalow Town production. I’m the UK exec producer – basically, because the film was made by a Canadian with English characters but filmed mostly in America, she needed a Brit to help with the logistics of getting the film out in the UK. It is an amazing story: they were thrown together by being British in America. If they had all stayed in Britain in their university towns, they might never have been friends. It turned into a lifelong friendship, which you see in the film.

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“Future Producer School is a workshop in conjunction with the Public Media Alliance, based at UEA, and with Sheffield Docfest, so it’s half in Norwich and half in Yorkshire.”

“Because it wasn’t our own production, we had an absolute free choice of saying ‘no, thanks’. I’m scientific by education, Rachel isn’t. We watched it together and she loved it as much as I did, so we came on board for that reason.

“We’re now involved in a film about whaling that’s nearing completion. It’s a complex environmental story about the interplay between the traditional way of life in the Faroe Islands, hunting whales for food, and moralistic objectors who vilify the Faroese for it.

In 2013 Rachel devised a unique training course for up-and-coming international documentary producers,

Future Producer School, a six-month training initiative in which ambitious and dedicated producers receive mentoring and training from key industry producers in the documentary industry.

Jez is one of the organisers and mentors of the project, as is producer Nikki Parrott of Tigerlily Films.

“Future Producer School is a workshop in conjunction with the Public Media Alliance, based at UEA, and with Sheffield Docfest, so it’s half in Norwich and half in Yorkshire. It’s massively oversubscribed and we have a hard job turning people down. It would be great to be able to let anyone, who wants to do it, do it but we just can’t!” ●

vivaverve.com/star-men starmen.space facebook.com/starmenmovie

January 2016

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YLM

STORIES

p r t .2

Following on from our October feature of the same name.

gO Evie gO reporting back from The World Down Syndrome Championships Mortara, Italy Introduction by Jo Rodwell

Evie is now the World DS Junior Artistic Gymnastic Bars Bronze Medallist. A bit of a mouthful I know but it’s the correct title!

It was an amazing experience and we met lots of inspirational gymnasts, coaches and parents.

Unfortunately Evie hurt her back in the training session on the vault on the Friday and so we made the decision to withdraw her from that piece at the Saturday competition.

This dramatically lowered her chances as the vault is one of her best pieces but when she did her bars routine, I knew she’d aced it and could be in with a chance of medalling.

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

The standard of competition was very high, led as expected by the Americans and Russians. However, credit to Evie and Long Stratton Gym Club as the majority came from large city clubs, training up to 20 hours per week.

There were 10 countries taking part and 10 gymnasts in Evie’s Junior (16yrs and under) category. She was one of 8 British Artistic Gymnasts who competed and only one of three who won any medals. The GB team also had four Rhythmic Gymnasts taking part, one, who won the overall title of World DS Junior Rhythmic Gymnast.

The competition was heavily supported making the atmosphere electric. In the evening after the competition there was a Gala dinner and gymnastics demonstrations by the Italian national artistic and rhythmic squad, the latter being current world champions.

turn over now for a q&a with Evie

January 2016

STORIES

YLM

o n ’ t n o t i c e t h at a l l t h e p e o p l e “ W h e n i t ’ s ma yr et ut hr ne rteo. Icjoumsptedtoe ,wI hd at I d o i n p r ac t i c e . ”

Q& A

Evie what did you think about the flight over to Milan, was it a long flight?

The flight was really exciting because we met up with the rest of the GB team. I was tired though as we had to get up at half past four! The flight was quick, we had breakfast at the airport. I listened to music on my iphone on the trip out to Milan. My favourite is group is Fifth Harmony.

I know you love your shoes, how many pairs did you take with you?

I only took two pairs of shoes... trainers and my heeled booties.

Mum and I planned all my outfits before we went so I knew what to wear with what.

Did you sample any yummy local food, if so what was it?

The food was ok, we had three courses for every meal! The best was breakfast because we had lots of cold meats, bread and cake! I had a seafood risotto on the last day which was my favourite. It had mussels, squid and giant prawns in it.

When you first walked into the venue how did you feel?

The competition venue was really big and I felt excited but nervous too. It was very busy with lots of other gymnasts, coaches and spectators there.

How long did the competition last?

The competition started at 8.30am with our warm up and opening ceremony and then didn’t finish until 2.30pm with the medal and closing ceremony.

Did you meet and make any new friends?

Did you get to do sight-seeing? and what was your favourite place you visited?

We went into Milan shopping and sight seeing. We got a tram into the city centre which was fun. I liked a make up shop we found but I didn’t buy much as it was very expensive!! We also walked around Il Duomo (cathedral) Il Castello Sforzesco (castle) and L’arco sella pace (peace arch) but I was bored and my feet hurt!

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

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I met lots of gymnasts from all over the world. I even spoke to Chelsea Werner, who is the Senior World DS Champion (she’s on YouTube!) I met Hannah and Marie who were sisters of one of my fellow GB team mates. We had fun at the Gala dinner and danced at the disco.

Did you win any medals?

Everybody got a medal for taking part but I was really surprised because I also won a bronze medal for my bar routine. I felt really shocked but proud of myself too as the competition was really stiff. I was really happy because my mum, granny and grandpa were there to see me do so well.

Did you like seeing your story in YLM?

I love seeing me in YLM and I took it in to school, guides and my gym club to show everyone.

They were all really impressed!

I’m so pleased that I’m going to be in your magazine again, it makes me feel really special.

Thank you.

We all would like to say how proud and happy for you we are Evie!

Well done - Wendy

Evie is hoping to attend the World DS Games in Florence, Italy next July. She has also been put forward to represent the Eastern Region as part of the National Special Olympics Championships in Sheffield in 2017.

What was your favourite event you competed in?

My favourite event was the bars, I love doing the bars!

When it’s my turn to compete, I don’t notice that all the people are there. I just do what I do in practice. I was really pleased with my performance on the bars because I did it all by myself and Tina, my coach, didn’t need to help me at all.

January 2016

HOMES & GARDENS

YLM

“ A l l f r u i t w o o d s b u r n w e l l a n d g i v e a l o v e ly s c e n t . ”

burn t h g i br

keep yer heel down bor

All wood burns, some species better than others

U

ntil the industrial revolution wood was the traditional fuel in Britain. It has been replaced by coal, oil and gas over the last two hundred years. Our increasing awareness of the environmental damage caused by our use of fossil fuels has lead to growing interest in using wood as a sustainable, renewable, low carbon alternative. Wood is a major source of renewable heat energy and, burned efficiently, it produces virtually no smoke. As trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), incorporating the carbon into new growth and returning oxygen to the atmosphere. When the wood is burned this carbon is oxidised and released as CO2. As a result, using wood from sustainably managed trees reduces net CO2 production (small amounts are released by the activities of processing and transportation) compared to using fossil fuels. This means that heating using wood can significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while also reducing our CO2 emissions.

It is better to buy wood by volume rather than weight. 35–60% of the weight of freshly felled wood is water. Poplar is one of the wettest and ash the driest. Wet/green wood produces steam and less

Words by Joan Garnham Waveney Tree Specialists

20

heat than dry/seasoned wood and can give a build up of tars in the chimney. Trees felled during the spring/summer will have higher moisture content than those felled in the autumn/winter and therefore require longer seasoning; the exception is eucalyptus, the sap is very flammable and best cut in the summer. You can tell if a log is seasoned because the bark will come away in your hand and there will be splits across the grain. Ash and holly may be burnt green.

The denser and heavier the seasoned wood, the more heat it will give. Soft light woods like pine burn quickly and make good kindling.

All wood will burn.

One of the hottest is hornbeam – traditionally used in iron smelting. Others are oak and elm but may need to be mixed with softer woods to get a good flame.

All fruit woods burn well and give a lovely scent.

Beware of larch, Scots pine and horse chestnut, sweet chestnut and willow – they spit, not good for an open fire!

Caution: laburnum and yew are poisonous and should not be used in cookers. Tanalised (preservative) timber contains arsenic.

Chipboard, plywood and MDF contain chemicals which could adversely affect the surface of the chimney.

If you plan on splitting your own logs, do when green – it is much easier. The optimum size is about 10cms across. Stack the logs with the bark on (it keeps them dry).

The wood pile does not need to be covered but stacked under an open ‘lean to’ works well.

Tradition tells us that apple may be unlucky, the devil comes in with elder and the Lord’s cross was made of London plane which is why it bleeds red.

Check the wood before bringing indoors or you may find snail trails across the carpet and wood worm attacking your furniture! ●

Logs to Burn Logs to burn! Logs to burn!

Logs to save the coal a turn!

Here’s a word to make you wise When you hear the woodman’s cries.

Beechwood fire burn bright and clear Hornbeam blazes too, If logs are kept a year And seasoned through and through.

Oak logs will warm you well If they’re old and dry Larch logs of pinewood smell But the sparks will fly.

Pine is good and so is yew For warmth through winter days But poplar and willow, too Take long to dry and blaze.

Birch logs will burn too fast, Alder scarce at all.

Chestnut logs are good to last If cut in the fall.

Holly logs will burn like wax, You should burn them green, Elm logs like smoldering flax, No flame is seen.

Pear logs and apple logs, They will scent your room.

Cherry logs across the dogs Smell like flowers in bloom.

But ash logs, all smooth and grey, Burn them green or old, Buy up all that come your way, They’re worth their weight in gold.

Wotcha!

I’ve said it afore, but oime sure this is going to be one wettest years on record. Only today I biked home from me allotment without turning a spit and got soaked fer me trouble. You can laff – goo on then laff! You ‘ont laff when you add up wot you’ve spent on gardening this year I spec. Fer yer interest here’s my sixpennyworth.

Allotment Free Seeds (mainly Dobies) £26.23 Seed Potatoes £10.47 Compost £20.00 Growbags (6 Levington) £16.44 TOTAL: £73.14 You wouldn’t want to add toime to that there list wud ya? At least yer wouldn’t want t’ tell yer mawther (gal) how much toime yer spent on yer plot. Do she’d be sayin’ “you’d be better orf getting’ stuff off the market!”

January/February is the time to get round the Garden Centres and see what bargains they’ve got, especially in the compost line. I picked up those 6 Levington Tomorite Planters from Blooms last February with 50% off. It’s very quiet at Garden Centres these two months and it’s worth getting around them all to see what they’re offering. I don’t think I’ll be visiting the one in Mere St. though (you’ll know where I mean) after seeing caterpillars on the cabbage plants last year!

Dew yew keep on troshin and remember, when you’re a new father you perambulate, when you’re a grandparent you cogitate, but when you’re a gardener in the winter you fumigate. You gotta laff, goo on then, laff!

Mark Aiken dayburst@diss.co.uk

January 2016

HOMES & GARDENS

W

ith Christmas a memory and in the wake of all the New Year celebrations, January can seem bare and hollow after all the fun and festivities; in the apt words of John Updikes poem ‘The days are short, The sun a spark, Hung thin between the dark and dark’ By the 12th night on January 5th, the eve of the Epiphany, all the rich colours of Christmas are taken down, the house stripped of all the wonderful decoration and adornment. Traditionally a time for making resolutions I love this month for having the time to reflect on the year just gone, to think about all the good

“It’s the perfect time to plant bare root trees &hedging, to coppice sweet chestnut, hazel and willow.”

Words by Gabi Gabriel’s Garden

22

things that have happened and making positive changes and exciting plans for the year ahead.

I’m making the most of that spark of winter sunshine to get outside in the garden to start to formulate plans and ideas for the year to come and simply to breathe the crisp fresh air. It’s the perfect time to plant bare root trees and hedging, to coppice sweet chestnut, hazel and willow whilst the sap is down and the trees are bare. I’d like to make some structures and

or a majestic Amaryllis. One of my favourite Narcissi is Erlicheer; a multi headed variety with clusters of creamy white flowers and a beautiful fragrance. When indoor bulbs have finished flowering take them out and put them somewhere cool and drya garage or an outhouse is fine. Allow the foliage to die back, shake the compost free from the roots and hang them in bunches to store until the autumn when you

W H A T ’ S H A P P E N I N G I N G a b r ie l ’ s G a r d en ?

P LA N , P RE P ARE , SOW

The Garden has its own calender trellises for the climbing roses and clematis that were planted last year. I have a couple of new roses to plant, two beautiful old fashioned varieties; Hope and Glory a beautiful deep crimson rose with large cup shaped blooms and Lavender Ice which produces enormous trusses of rosette shaped lavender blue flowers. Its best to wait for warmer days when the ground isn’t frozen to plant bare root stock. When it gets too cold, inevitably, I end up in the potting shed and greenhouse preparing for the coming spring and all those seeds that need to be sown. I’ve put off buying my new seeds until now as I’ve wanted to have a good turnout of the seed drawer so as not to duplicate, but also to discard any that are past their ‘best sown by date’ as there is nothing more frustrating than sowing seeds that are not going to germinate!

Cheer up the house and any lagging spirits with a bowl of deliciously scented flowering bulbs; Hyacinths and Narcissi

can plant them again in pots and borders ready to flower the following spring.

Looking at the calendar there’s a lot happening over the next few months; Easter is early on Sunday March 27th and Mothering Sunday three weeks before on March 6th, watch this space in next month’s YLM for details on all the floral design workshops and courses taking place in the spring

and early summer, sign up to receive the Gabriel’s Garden newsletter by emailing hello@gabrielsgarden.co.uk and there’s more information to be found on my Gabriel’s Garden Facebook page and Website.

I’ll be at Wyken Vineyard farmers market on the 13th February with beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day from 9am until 1pm I wish you a happy and healthy New Year! ●

YLM

Be part of Gabriel’s Garden in 2016 —

Do you have some spare some time, love being outdoors?...

—

The Garden has developed from a wonderful vision into an amazing reality; with all the challenges that a young garden and business brings. Both are really taking shape and there’s always something needing to be done in the garden – if you are interested or know someone who would be keen to lend a hand and would like to help with jobs like planting, weeding, sowing seeds and potting on in the greenhouse. The garden is a lovely place to be but the work can be quite physical and some experience would be required, I’m looking at flexible hours on a Tuesday this year so If you could spare some time, love being outdoors and are interested I would love to hear from you. Contact hello@gabrielsgarden.co.uk or give me a call on 01379 677793 or write to Gabi Reid, 4 Common Road, Gissing, Diss IP22 5UR and I can give you more details.

Banish the

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p.

31

Carpets Hardfloors Upholstery Telephone 0800 234 3412 • 01379 678806 • 07984 648296 Email crystalcleannorfolk@hotmail.co.uk visit our website carpetcleanernorfolk.co.uk

your lifestyle magazine | January 2016

HOMES & GARDENS

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Each piece is handcrafted in a vietnamese family-owned workshop according to fair trade principles. the wooden slabs are tightened with wire and knotted using a technique developed by the village’s fisherman.

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Bragi’s exquisite design and state of the art technology allows freedom of movement, amazing sound and maximum comfort for the perfect fit – all while audibly coaching, tracking movement and capturing key biometric data.

This is the dawn of smart wearable technology. Our interface encompasses audio feedback, motion gestures, a novel touch interface and biometric sensors.

Supported by a virtual personal assistant, The Dash entertains, enables and protects you.

The outer surface of The Dash contains a high-resolution optical touch sensor. All audio, telephony and tracking functions are controlled with finger swipes and taps – even while wearing gloves or in wet environments. Enhanced safety is delivered through audio transparency, increasing awareness of your surroundings. The sounds of oncoming cars, cyclists or peoples voices are heard clearly.

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HEALTH

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Fitness tracking apps won’t put you on the podium at a fitness competition, but they can kick off a number of habits that help you live a healthier life.

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January 2016

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HEALTH

My life in

year 1999/2000 my first qualification; Basic massage. During 2004/2005 Swedish massage and following this I worked in a large salon.

Huge changes came in 2007 and 2008 as I changed my philosophy around what I was doing.Now everything evolves around health.

Focused massage provided therapeutic massage. I tailor treatments for client... This begins with asking my client’s what they want from their massage and what kind of experience they expect.

I have realised that modern lifestyle choices are significantly

health & work has taken many

Focused massage

turns...

“One client who made many improvements to their health walked

twenty six & a half miles. This changes the focus of their massage treatment. In Autumn they plan to run the same event!”

I “Customers often

find that symptoms disappear or ease, they sleep better, and therefore performance at work improves and leisure activities are done more efficiently.”

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

28

Focused Massage, to encourage clients to have specific ideas about what areas they need work on. Many clients ask for shoulders or lower back or both. I will ask them, “How much time do you want to spend on a particular area?”

This approach has meant that customers often find that symptoms disappear or ease, they sleep better, and therefore performance at work improves and leisure activities are done more efficiently.

It’s fantastic hearing returning clients talking about the great things they are doing to maintain and improve their health.

One client, who made many improvements walked twenty six and a half miles.

This changes the focus of their massage treatment. In Autumn they plan to run the same event. I look forward to what clients share and ask specific questions about their recovery massage treatments.

I benefit from receiving regular massage myself, I attend training and have regular

worked at Addenbrookes Hospital six years as an Auxiliary Nurse, starting in medicine for the elderly and found myself drawn towards the orthopaedic wards. I was especially interested in spinal unit.

During my time at Addenbrookes and after I left, I have worked for many nursing agencies in the community, nursing homes and Rochester Prison hospital wing.

Massage has been a huge interest for me for many years. I have been massaging since the nighties. During the academic

affecting our wellbeing. We all drive cars, are passengers in cars, coaches and planes.

Many people have office bound work and there are many leisure activities involve long periods sitting.

There are many elements involved when it comes to maintaining and improving health. I think having four main corner stones; hydration, good diet, movement and massage treatment, creates a powerful combination and a means to maintaining good lifestyle.

What is better than looking after yourself? Having regular therapeutic massage can bring many additional benefits.

I chose the brand name

supervision which all guides me to give the best treatment I can.

I like walking and always look for the opportunity to evolve a meeting into a wander in nature. Think about nice areas nearby that maybe you not been or haven’t been to for a while? It’s a great time of year to add a new cornerstone to your everyday.

I work with people from all ‘walks’ of life. ●

David Young is working in Diss at the Park Hotel 07540 610 475 david@focusedmassage.co.uk

YLM

JOHN TAYLOR BUILDERS LTD

Continuing with our focus on healthy living...

exercise & DIET is the answer TO GOOD SKIN

General Builders & Joiners PlumBers & decorators

Specialist Work to Listed Buildings & Properties of Character

Even if your bathroom scales make you despair after a seasonal blow-out, don’t be tempted to crash diet, because you will shed fat but, more importantly, deplete muscle. Keep hydrated. Water is your new best friend. Not only does it improve the texture of your skin, preventing crepiness, it raises the metabolic rate so that you burn your calories more efficiently.

Eat well! Source nutrient rich food particularly those high in vitamin C such as citrus fruits. That bowl of tangerines is bursting with vitamin C, zinc and selenium – nutrients that help improve elastin production. Peppers and broccoli too aid collagen formation, helping to firm and plump out the skin.

Add foods such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds and omega-3 rich salmon for essential fats. People on low-fat diets often develop lines and dryness – not conducive to firm, bouncy skin.

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With diet comes exercise. Building muscle might be more difficult as we age, but it’s not impossible and as the density of muscle mass replaces fat, you’ll find you have better strength and definition. Don’t worry if the scales don’t show much loss. Muscle is much more dense than fat – it takes up less space, so your outline might shrink even while the numbers don’t!

Remember, if you’re a little older, although you have control over the rate of your weight loss you have no control over your age. So rather than letting that stress you out, just focus on the things you can control – eating the fight foods and caring for your skin – and you’ll find that you always look better than your peers... and feel great!

Words by Words by Geraldine Walters Btec HND/Cert Ed. geraldinewalters.co.uk Originally from January 2015

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#LIFESTYLE

-

A A re you M r s O rganise d whe n it com es to your clothes?

-

in 2016

working war drob e

YLM

your

LIFE your

ST YLE your

M AG A ZINE

re there areas of your life where you are Mrs Organised?… it could be that you are a whizz at arranging all the children’s afterschool clubs, you may manage your work diary with the greatest of ease or perhaps you instinctively remember everyone’s birthday with time spare to buy an appropriate card.

Can the same be said about your wardrobe? Do you wear all the clothes, can you easily put together an outfit, is shopping a pleasure because you know exactly what suits you and what gaps you have in your wardrobe? If, like many ladies that I talk to, opening the wardrobe doors in the morning fill you with dread then perhaps your challenge for 2016 is to have a sort out! Choose a time when you can give it your full attention and are in the mood to make some decisions.

To get you started you will need to take everything out of your wardrobe and sort into organised piles.

Clothes that you wear – they suit your shape, your colourings and you feel good in them.

Clothes that need attention – they may just need washing but it can include items that need to be altered or taken to the dry cleaners (once you have finished the clearing out stage then this pile needs to be actioned straight away and not put back in the wardrobe) Wrong season – there is absolutely no point keeping a strappy summer dress in the wardrobe during the cold winter season. Some items maybe transeasonal i.e. t shirts that can go under cardigans, leggings that work with boots, the rest can be put away (suction bags are great for this).

Throw away – this one is easier – if the item is ripped, stained or damaged beyond repair then throw them out straight away.

Maybe’s – take a good look at these items, perhaps even try them on. Why are you not sure? Is it the wrong colour for you or perhaps the pattern feels too bold? If you are still undecided then put them away for six months and when you go to them next time it will be much easier to make the decision.

Giveaways – these items do not suit, fit or work for your current lifestyle. Charity shops are always grateful to receive and perhaps you have family members or friends that would like to take a peep – you may even be able to swap.

Sell – some items have been an expensive purchase for us and the thought of getting rid is just too painful. There are plenty of shops out there that will take a percentage of the sale price and the money you make can go towards items that you will wear.

Now give your wardrobe a clean and replace the items that you want to keep. Hopefully you can then see the items that are missing…do you have eight pairs of trousers but four tops to go with them? Is there far too much evening wear and your everyday wardrobe is lacking? Make a list of the items you feel will help to tie in outfits and shop for those only.

It would be best to go through your cupboards in this way too and don’t forget accessories and the shoe cupboard!

Ideally you would have a wardrobe clear twice a year…at the start of Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter.

Words by Amanda Church Dream On

| ? | Did you know?

I’m now available in tourist destinations across Bury St Edmunds!

30

If this still all feels too daunting and you would like to treat yourself to a Wardrobe Clear Day or buy it as a gift for a loved one then just contact Dream On via 01379 678483 for more details.

HEALTH

Is your sk in feeling fatigued, stressed, dull & lack ing luminosit y?

hi everyone Ja nu a r y c a n se e m l i ke a long mont h!

W hy not pa mpe r you rse l f i n t he com for t of you r home?

Welcome to January’s Beauty Blog

D ion ne a nd R ac he l recom me nd Ne a l s Ya rd Re me d ie s P roduc t s . P u re , n at u ra l a nd orga n ic i ng re d ie nt s w it h no n a s t ie s .

We bot h u nde rs t a nd t h at be aut y come s f rom he a lt hy sk i n . £38 We recommend Wild Rose Beauty Balm. The all-inone skin saviour which will cleanse, moisturise and deeply nourish as a face mask.

For a glowing, even toned radiant complexion infused with radiance boosting antioxidant rich wild rosehip oil and delicate natural aroma to indulge the skin as well as the senses.

let your worries float away Room Diffuser

-

Do you find that your lips are dry and chapped at this time of year?

We recommend Wild Rose Hand Cream to revitalise and rejuvenate your hands.

Luxurious and nourishing, with natural fragrance. £10

▼ We recommend the Bee Lovely Busy Bee Balm to nurture and nourish This bee-utifully scented product is enriched with moisturising organic honey and energising organic orange essential oil

Is your body in need of some T.L.C? £15.50 We recommend Aromatic Foaming Bath Soothing and skin conditioning, relaxing with essential oils to let your worries float away

£23.50 Uplift your senses within your home. We recommend a Balancing Reed Diffuser. So much more than just a wonderful scent, the balancing fragrance is mood lifting, pure and natural with citrusy organic bergamot and earthy patchouli. A harmonising blend that creates a welcoming ambience.

| ? |

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Do you find your hands get dry throughout the harsh winter months?

This product contains lavender oil which is known for its anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidepressant, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties. It also has antispasmodic, analgesic, detoxifying, hypotensive, and sedative effects.

Words by Dionne & Rachel Defining Radiance Words

by Dionne & Rachel definingradiancemakeup.co.uk Defining Radiance

For more information 01379 678117 | 07511 383953 www.definingradiancemakeup.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2016

31

-

in 2016

-

#

YO U R L I FE STORY you own a unique business you are doing something incredible for charity you are making positive changes in the community

Care Workers required In and around this area (Local work for local people)

01449 676 440 amanda.gilgil@mearsgroup.co.uk Get in touch now with your life story

t @ylmuk

using #yourlifestory @

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Full training given Own transport essential

YLM

I

n this article we tell the story of Janet who came to the clinic in 2016.

It’s difficult to navigate through the many options available to help us remove some of the effects of ageing on our faces and bodies.

The Scultura Clinic at Mendlesham Health Centre offers a medically safe and GP led treatment.

Janet went along to the clinic for a free 15 minute consultation, where she met Dionne, one of the three therapists that work at the clinic.

Dionne assessed Janets medical suitability for the treatment and then went onto explain the treatment process. The treatment feels warm to hot on the skin, and is constantly monitored for the duration of the treatment. Adjustments can be made to accommodate each client’s comfort.

Janet began her course of face treatments, and it was during her first treatment that she found out about the Body Treatments also on offer at The Scultura Clinic.

The Lipofirm Plus treatments can sculpt and tone areas of your body where stubborn fat can collect. A combination of radio frequency and ultrasonic cavitation is used to remove fat and to tighten the skin, resulting in weight loss and inch reduction.

Janet was delighted at this prospect, and decided to have her

The Scultura Clinic

“ A f t e r h e r f i r s t t r e atment Ja net lost cm’s

f rom h e r stom ac h a r e a , a n d wa s a b s o l u t e ly d e lighted.

”

stomach treated as well.

It was agreed with the therapist that Janet’s treatment schedule would be to attend the clinic once a fortnight to have her radio frequency facials and to have cavitation and radio frequency to her stomach.

Janet was measured and photographed at her 1st stomach treatment. This enables the clinic to monitor the progress of each client.

After her first stomach treatment Janet lost cm’s from her stomach area, and was absolutely delighted.

Janet followed the advice given by the clinic to drink at least two litres of water and to also avoid eating any carbohydrates on the treatment day. Janet also followed a sensible eating plan, but says that she didn’t really diet!

The Lipofirm PLUS system uses radio frequency to produce generated heat that causes local contraction of the collagen fibres, immediately tightening the skin to remodel and re-juvenate skin. The treatment begins with a soothing facial to prepare the skin, using high quality cosmeceutical skin care products.

Janet was reassured that The

To book your free consultation YLM | your lifestyle magazine

HEALTH

Seeing is

Believing

Delivering real results for real people

“ Providing

a medically led service is important to ensure that the procedures are safe & professionally delivered.”

Janet says that her friends notice that she looks much slimmer and toned, and she says her clothes feel comfortable to wear now.

Of her face treatments, Janet says that she feels amazing, I’m in my fifties but am regularly told that I look much younger than this, which I’m incredibly happy about!

Asked to sum up her experience and results of the Lipofirm Plus treatments – Janet says that’s easy, I’m one hundred million percent satisfied! ●

Words by Fiona Sutherland

Scultura Clinic was the right choice for her because it is medically led by Dr Raj Tanna who set up the clinic based on concerns that current treatments for removal of lines and wrinkles involved surgery or were invasive to the body, e.g. botox, liposuction or dermafillers.

Dr Tanna believes that providing a medically led service is important to ensure that the procedures are safe and professionally delivered.

Janet says that this is 100% the reason behind her decision to have her treatments at The Scultura Clinic.

After five stomach treatments, Janet felt that she had reached her goal, having lost a total of 14.5cm. Janet now attends the clinic just once a month for a top up treatment to maintain the results.

01379 678696 / 07707 301291 info@thesculturaclinic.co.uk www.thesculturaclinic.co.uk

January 2016

33

VENTURE

Nuptial Agreements: Are they worth it?

Q. My wife and I have been married for six years. At the time we got married we did not consider a pre-nuptial agreement.

However as we both came into the marriage with our own assets and I am about to inherit a substantial sum of money, my wife and I would now like to enter into a post-nuptial agreement although we are unsure whether this is possible.

A. A pre-nuptial agreement is a document made prior to marriage. A post-nuptial agreement is a similar document made after the marriage. A post-nuptial agreement can be entered into at any time after the marriage provided it is prior to separation. Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements are collectively referred to as ‘nuptial agreements’.

A nuptial agreement sets out how a couple would like their property and assets to be divided in the unfortunate event of the breakdown of their marriage/civil partnership. The contents of the agreement can vary widely depending on the individual circumstances and concerns, but often includes provision for the division of property, capital, arrangements for any children and maintenance.

When parties marry or enter into a civil partnership, their individual assets effectively become joint assets and, unless specifically protected, can be considered for division within subsequent divorce/dissolution proceedings.

The purpose of a nuptial agreement is therefore to limit the

Words by Emma Alfieri Chartered Legal Executive

Steeles Law

34

potential claims on the assets of one party to the marriage or civil partnership and to avoid costly litigation over “who gets what”.

Although nuptial agreements are not currently legally binding in the UK, the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Radmacher in October 2010 changed the way in which nuptial agreements are viewed. The Supreme Court is the highest court in UK law and stated that nuptial agreements should be given decisive weight in divorce proceedings, provided that the parties entered the agreement freely and that they have a full appreciation of the implications of the agreement.

“The Supreme Court stated that nuptial agreements should be given decisive weight in divorce proceedings, provided that the parties entered the agreement freely and that they have a full appreciation of the implications.”

Therefore UK Courts will infer that parties entering into a nuptial agreement intend them to be binding.

So, whilst nuptial agreements are not formally legally binding they are recognised by the courts and will be given decisive weight provided that certain criteria are met. The criteria is detailed however, and includes provision for both parties to obtain their own independent legal advice, to provide financial disclosure, and for the agreement to be fair and property executed.

During the course of the past five years, Steeles Law have seen a sharp rise in the number of couples entering into nuptial agreements, with pre-nuptial agreements becoming common practice before marriage.

Far from being unromantic, nuptial agreements are a necessary part of sensible personal financial planning particularly where the parties’ financial situations are not similar, or if there is significant wealth involved. ●

For further advice on this, or any other legal issue, please contact the family team at Steeles Law on 01379 652141 or family@steeleslaw.co.uk

for

better...

or for

worse?

Do you know your rights when things go wrong at work?

Steeles Law offers fixed fee Employment Legal Advice Consultations in our Diss office on the last Wednesday of each month.

YLM

#VENTURE

Continuing with support of local businesses...

Setting referral goals

Whether you like goals, love goals, or set them only because you have to, are you setting referral goals? Do you truly know how much revenue you would like from your business by referral? This is such an overlooked item in goal setting with so many entrepreneurs. However, if you know this number and can focus on it over the course of a year, things become much clearer. How would your 2016 look?

Here are a few of the ways to generate business:

Cold Calling – which many of us detest PR and Advertising – many solo-entrepreneurs do not have the funds for this Direct Prospecting – this is where you are speaking to a ‘stranger’, you mention your business and they declare a need for your product or service Referrals/Word of mouth marketing – one of the most pleasant ways to gain new clients Social Media – which most people grudgingly admit they get very little actual business from this.

So, knowing the different ways to get business, can you break down your overall revenue into those five categories by percentage? Maybe it looks like this:

Cold-calling 0% PR & advertising 10% Direct prospecting 55% Referrals 33% Social media 2% Total 100%

If next year or next month, you want to be doing more business by referral, it is important to know these percentages so you can truly see where your business is coming from!

This week – check your numbers, pull some reports, identify how your clients came to you this year and become aware of your numbers. You will thank us for it!

Wishing you all Success, Health and Happiness in 2016.

Words by Phil & Katrina Burton Edited from Referral Institute Norfolk. If you would like further information please make contact philburton@referralinstitutenr.co.uk

your lifestyle magazine | January 2016

35

Valentines Meal SAT 13Th FEB

3 course Valentines meal with a glass of bubbly on arrival, a gift for the ladies & live music Stay the night for £99 per couple

Afternoon Tea FRI 12th FEB 3 - 6pm

Treat your loved ones to our Valentines Afternoon Tea

£25 pp

Buffet Lunch SUN 14th FEB

Treat all the family to our 3 course carvery buffet with lots of lovely treats

£12.95 pp

29 Denmark Street, Diss T 01379 642244 www.parkhotel-diss.co.uk

£23 pp

VENTURE

I

’m too busy and it’s all my fault! I’ve decided only I can do something about it ‘Project Busyness’ (I know that’s not a real word) has started!

I know from conversations with family, friends and the team at work that this is a problem for many of us. So I decided to conduct a personal experiment to see how to reduce the feeling of being ‘too busy’.

I think a bit of this feeling is to do with age. When I was younger I thrived on the ‘cut and thrust’ of my working life.

I then wanted to do more in my personal life and would think nothing of dashing out after work and filling every minute with activities.

Nowadays I crave time to take a gentle non-rushed walk with our dog, Newky Brown. I crave a working day not packed with meetings, coaching sessions and the other things I’m involved in.

Priorities for Dream On, for the Blossom Charity, for other work I do, for family, for hobbies and interests and the voluntary work I do. This then provided the backdrop for the diary analysis as I worked out how much of my time was going on the things I’d listed as important.

As I did this I realised I had missed off one important thing, my health and wellbeing. I like how I feel when I have time to exercise and eat well.

When I’m too busy this often goes out of the window so time needed to be put into the plan for this.

So, I sat with my diary and looked at what I’d been doing for the past three months. I created separate columns for each activity and analysed hour by hour how my time was spent. It was eye opening.

I could understand why I felt so busy, because I was!,

“As I looked at my diary I realised I had missed off one important thing, my health and wellbeing! ” So what do I do about it? Well the experiment has begun….

As an accountant, I’m trained to look at informaThe Blossom Charity exists tion so I decided to analyse to help women who would like to make their lives work my diary for the last three better. It could be to help im- months. Before I did that I wrote down all I wanted to prove confidence and build spend my time doing. This new skills or to help launch an idea. contact the team at wasn’t a wish list of lots of lovely treats (although it Dream On via, included some) but it was esther@dream-on.co.uk more of a list of my priorities. or 01379 678 483

Some will require a bit of notice. It means some work I’m doing will not renew when it reaches a natural conclusion. It requires me saying no more when I’m asked. That’s a hard one but I will try to offer alternatives when I do that.

Sometimes I know that I take on work because I feel flattered to be included. Other times its because I think I can help.

I’m being more aware of the consequences of this.

It’s a habit, its hard to break. I know I’ll falter. The key things I’m determined to do in 2016 will be….

Who knows whe re the tim e goes?

B ridget M cInt yre f inds out

I’m too busy & it’s all my fault!

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✔ Never say yes straight away ✔ If I take on new work then something else has to be removed ✔ Always think – who else could do this? ✔ Work with my coach to keep me on track So ‘Project Busyness’ has begun. I’ve read that committing this to paper publicly means that I’m more likely to do it.

Watch this space and wish me luck! ●

It was how I was spending my time compared to what I thought was important that was a shock.

Looking at the analysis I’ve put together a list of things I’m going to change. The changes I’m making will take time to implement but I’m determined to make them.

It will include telling people that I’m going to step back from being involved in things.

Words by Bridget McIntyre The Blossom Charity

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COMMENT

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T I C K ET to R I D E -

Leighten Ball joins the Race for Space

I

t has been something of a spacey week, and no, I haven’t been indulging in exotic herbs or some other nefarious activity. I am of course referring to Major Tim Peake beginning his six month stay on the International Space Station and the launch of the 7th Star Wars film. At this point I have to declare myself as something of a frustrated would-be astronaut and Sci-Fi film fan. The astronaut thing has always been part of my make-up, and I can think of few things more thrilling than a rocket ride into space. The idea of being weightless is particularly appealing too. With no gravitational pull on my on my somewhat lumpen and portly frame, it must be like the

“The idea of being weightless is particularly appealing too.

With no gravitational pull on my on my somewhat lumpen and portly frame, it must be like the effect of an extreme diet but without the pain of having to avoid cake or the crackling on a Sunday roast!”

effect of an extreme diet but without the pain of having to avoid cake or the crackling on a Sunday roast. But I think it would be the view that would captivate me most – from the true blackness of outer space to the ever changing vista of our home planet, I don’t think I’d be able to tear myself away from the observation deck. So, it was with a mixture of great pride but also a little envy that I watched Major Tim blast into space aboard the Russian launcher.

The closest I’ve come to space travel was on October 22nd 2003 when Ali and I were lucky enough to be aboard Concorde for one of the final flights.

When British Airways announced the end of Concorde operations it seemed as though another dream was about to pass me by, and desperate not to miss out I checked the cost of a single ticket to New York. The cheapest option was to fly out on 

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

January 2016

COMMENT

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“At Con-

Majot Tim Peake blasts off Flickr_ ESA-S. Corvaja

Twitter_ @astro_timpeake

Concorde and return by lumbering 747, but the price was still beyond my piggy bank at approximately £5000. Days of depression followed and I remember trying to scheme a cunning plan to raise the necessary cash. But try as I might, none of my plans seemed remotely viable, and in any case I knew that spending that kind money to satisfy a particularly indulgent itch didn’t feel right when there was a young family to be looked after. Just when things were looking completely hopeless BA announced a competition to win pairs of tickets for a series of special flights during the final week of Concorde operations. Each day of that week one flight would leave Heathrow, fly supersonic in a wide arc over the Atlantic and return not to Heathrow, but to a different UK airport for each day. The competition was simple enough – a phone-in with 3 possible an-

swers to an easy question, and from memory it was ‘what was Concorde’s fastest crossing of the Atlantic?’. At the time I thought it unfair that the question was so easy – far better to make a really difficult question so that only dyed-in-the-wool Concorde anoraks like me would be able to answer it. The problem of too many others entering and reducing my own chances of winning was neatly circumvented by changing the odds in my favour: after work one evening I sat down at the phone and answered that same question about a hundred times, each entry costing me a £1 which BA would donate to charity.

The weeks that followed the close of the competition were either spent dreaming of enjoying that magical flight or feeling rather glum that I’d just wasted £100 of hard-earned cash on a pipe dream. Then the phone call came. A very nice lady from BA announced that I was one of the lucky winners of a pair of tickets, and what did I think about winning? I remember being very quiet and a little disbelieving of the call – I think all I managed to

say was that it was “good”. The nice lady seemed a little disappointed that I hadn’t whooped and hollered, but nonetheless promised that my tickets would soon be on their way.

On the day of the flight, our pilot gave us a pre-flight briefing: this was to be one of his last flights at the controls, and that he too would be enjoying himself, so we had better hold onto our seats!

No disappointment there - we had a rocket ride into the sky.

At Concorde’s cruising altitude of 60,000ft you can (just) see the curvature of the Earth and the sky is appreciably darker than at sea level – not quite outer space but nearly there.

I shall always remember that day both for the excitement of the flight but also the pleasure of being looked after by staff who had such a fondness for ‘their’ aeroplane and everything it stood for – thank you BA. But the desire for proper space travel is still there, and my only hope now is if a certain Mr Alan Bond manages to make his Skylon Space Plane a reality. Oh, and of course another competition for tickets!

●

corde’s cruising altitude of 60,000ft you can (just) see the curvature of the Earth and the sky is appreciably darker than at sea level – not quite outer space but nearly there! ”

Words by Leighten Ball GM Autotech

40

January 2016

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STORIES

Looking forward to 2016

Words by Sue Johnson

t wo sl ice s

A NEW DAY the alarm clock shattered my peaceful and dreamless sleep like a wrecking ball. At first I resisted the urgency of the nerve-jangling tone that was dragging me into the day far too soon, until I remembered the reason for setting the alarm in the first place. I slid from the warm embrace of the duvet, then, hunched against the cold of the bathroom, I hurried through my morning ablutions, before hammering on my daughter’s bedroom door.

“ Wakey, wakey. rise and shine!”

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of hot buttered toast and a quick glance at the map later, I eased the car off the drive. As we emerged from the centre of the village onto the open road, a magnificent spectacle rewarded us for our somewhat shortened night, as an astonishingly rich and beautiful palette of colours invaded the early morning sky ahead of the soon to be rising sun. Pools of deep orange and vivid pink rose from the horizon in waves until it seemed that none of the cloud-streaked dome above us remained untouched by the extravagance of the breathtaking display. The majesty and drama of the dawn served to heighten our sense of anticipation; a new day had begun, and it was absolutely bursting with possibilities.

some d ays are like that aren’t they? Days that are laden with promise from the very start – but what happens if we super-size that thought?

A few days ago the whole world, from east to west, crossed the threshold into 2016, and although it arrived here unaccompanied by a repeat of nature’s dazzling kaleidoscope, the New Year is, nevertheless, absolutely brimming with potential. The question is now, what will we do with it?

You see, in the past I have been hugely successful at making excuses for side-stepping many an opportunity – It’s not really me; I’ve never done that before; I don’t think I’ll like it; I’m scared; I could never face that on my own – who knows how many exploits I have

missed along the way?!

But during last year I began to discover that there is more to me than meets the eye; that I’m not too old to tackle new beginnings; that

explor ing the unfamiliar can be great f un.

I’ve decided that fear no longer has permission to block my path because I can choose to do things afraid. Most precious of all, a truth that I knew with my mind has been driven deeper and now lodges securely within my heart, the truth that I will never have to face anything alone, because there is one who is always with me.

Of course, it’s impossible to know exactly what 2016 holds, but I believe that somewhere out there, for all of us, there are adventures just waiting to be had, nuggets of wisdom to be unearthed, unexpected moments of joy to be revelled in.

so... throughout the next twelve months, may we pursue our hopes and dreams with courage and perseverance; may we focus on our goals with passion and determination; may we treat one another with honour and compassion, and when this year draws to a close may we find that it overflows with an abundance of precious, and perhaps even a few surprising memories.

Happy New Year! ●

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Reviews by Diss Publishing 01379 644612 disspublishing.co.uk

Love Your Leftovers by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall £20.00 Inventive recipes for all those Christmas leftovers! In this cookbook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explains plenty of clever methods to turn potential food waste into another delicious meal, like using stale bread and left over roast chicken to create turkish chicken with walnuts or using unwanted cooked carrots in carrot and ginger steamed pudding.

There’ll never be a need to throw anything away again!

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes £7.99 When this time of year rolls around, it’s bliss to just tuck up on the sofa next to a blazing fire and get into a real page turner! Look no further, this is the book. A young woman is brutally murdered in a Manhattan hotel, a father is publicly beheaded in a square in Saudi and smouldering human remains are found in the remotest Hindu Kush. One thing links them all and one man is on the trail. This is a very clever and timely page turner about the world of Islamic terrorism and black ops spies. You will not be able to put this book down!

Box by Min Flyte & Rosalind Beardshaw £9.99 Four young children find some toys in cardboard boxes, which is fun but then they discover that the boxes themselves can be just as fun too! A book that encourages creativity and imagination and the happiness that can be found in an empty box.

Practical Mindfulness by Dorling Kindersley £12.99 For anyone looking to start the new year by making a fresh start, Practical Mindfulness offers a clear step-by-step guide to the the popular philosophy of Mindfulness which emphasises compassion and living fully in the moment and showing how it can be applied to everyday life. The practice of Mindfulness can bring many benefits and this book concisely explains a series of meditations with helpful illustrations which can help lower stress, boost self-esteem and confidence and provide a happier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

The Magpie & the Wardrobe

by Sam McKechnie & Alexandrine Portelli £20.00 A beautiful and unusual guide to folklore, superstitions and many other curiosities. It is a journey through the year and is divided into informative monthly chapters. This book is filled with intriguing photos of the authors collection of treasures and found objects and also includes a fourleaf clover charm! A delightful book for both the curious and creative.

[ BEAUTIFUL IMAGES THAT INSPIRE ]

Necks like mountain slopes dipping into a valley.

They look lost in the silent light of sleep, horse skin smooth against horse skin.

Suddenly they buckle and we are left watching a field of winter. Sometimes in bed, I can feel your arm reaching towards me, snow galloping outside and this time the horses remain still, their breath in my mouth, their power overwhelming.

Agnieszka Studzinska

Your Lifestyle Magazine for Norfolk & Suffolk

CAPTURE

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Words by Mark Aiken

O

Scafell Scarpered!

Mark and Paula Aiken tackle the 3,209ft Scafell Pike... if they can get out of the car park!

STORIES

‘

ne small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ came to mind as we approached the Scafell Range. The trouble is we hadn’t got out of the car park yet! I’d walked across to the National Trust car parking machine with about £3 in my hand (ever the optimist – thinking I was back in Diss). The machine didn’t take cards, didn’t do number plate recognition or anything like that.

This was Cumbria after all. I returned to Paula about three times for more cash. The final tally was £6.50. The kind people at the National Trust

had a notice on the machine saying that 100yds or so away was a caravan where you could enrol as a member and save yourself the car park fee. Yes, spend £60 and save £6.50!

There was parking elsewhere at Wasdale Head, but I don’t know if that was any cheaper.

We took our first steps. I had to decide what footwear to use.

I’d brought three pairs with me just in case. Big mistake number one. In the end I climbed in a very ordinary pair of soft shoes. Big mistake number two: I carried the unused ones in my rucksack the whole of the climb.

They were nearly as heavy as my lunch!

Paula had no such problem; she would run Brenda Lee close for pairs of footwear – and, yes, we have seen for ourselves Brenda’s shoe room. Notice I say ‘room’ not closet! Basic rule for footwear on the fells; wear what’s comfortable for you.

Trainers are fine – but preferably non-slip which are difficult to find.

We hadn’t exactly ‘chosen’ our route, more stumbled across it. There were no signs saying ‘This Way To Scafell Pike.’ I suppose they like to keep things simple. Either that or they don’t know the war is over. Actually, I think it’s a Cumbrian trait to kind of leave people in

the dark as to where places are.

We had great difficulty, later, finding Burnthwaite B&B – our stop for two nights. Well, the farmers are so clever at finding their sheep scattered all over the fells that they probably think we have the same psyche.

My big worry at that stage was that we might end up climbing Scafell rather than the 3,209ft Scafell Pike. Think what a disappointment that would have been; we’d have never been able to live it ‘down.’ We hadn’t waited 16yrs to climb an imposter, and it’s the Cumbrians themselves who lend the name ‘pike’, meaning conical or hill. It’s more than a hill I can tell you!

Of the big three, Ben Nevis (4,409ft), Snowdon (3,560ft) and Scafell Pike (3,209ft) most people say Scafell Pike is the hardest to climb and I’m not about to disagree with that!

We passed through a kissing gate. Interesting that. It’s probably used in its literal sense more on the way down rather than on the way up as you need all the oxygen you can get when setting out! Plenty of time to practice aesthesia later.

I looked up to where we were headed. It looked dark and foreboding. Born out of the groans of mother earth millions of years ago, it reminded me of Mordor.

It also looked a long way away!

It was nigh on 3,209ft away!

The names used in mountain lore, Black Crag, Round How, The Bard, Mickledore etc lend themselves to the mystery. The mountain stream which accompanied us for about half of the way, weaving, tumbling and bouncing its way over the rocky bed was Lingmell Gill. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Gollum had jumped out of there with a fish in his mouth! It may have been he that led us astray quite early into the climb.

We’d suddenly found the going tougher and also realised that no one else was around.

We’d wandered off our route, which we found out later was the Brackenclose via Brown Tongue and

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Hollow Stones route. That had happened to us on Ben Nevis as well, when we found ourselves doing some serious rock climbing! We lost about half an hour this time. The path is cleverly made up, with channels cut to direct any water to the stream or at least away from the path.

You wonder who does it? Mountain Rescue Teams? Farmers?

Friends of Scafell? They’ve done a great job whoever it is.

We started at 11.30am, and so it wasn’t long before we started to meet people coming down, most of them with nice smug smiles, and who can blame them?! I was hoping to join them, but by the time we came down most people had finished! We befriended three young Asian girls – one a young mum who had two small children at home. They were going about the same pace as us – which in itself was encouraging!

I started asking myself, and anybody who cared to listen, if we’d reached base camp yet.

‘Mordor’ seemed as far away as ever. Anyway, time to snack and so out came the ‘matoe’ sandwiches, my speciality. They have to have been made the previous night, and they have to be soggy.

Yum! They were Paula’s first introduction to English cuisine.

She had to marry me after tasting those!

‘Go further up and further in.’ Now I’m mixing my Narnia up with Lord of the Rings, but we did need to press on. I asked a lady coming down, “Are we nearly there yet?” She said, “Not far.” “What about half an hour?” She thought for a moment and said, “a bit more than that.” It was. About 2hrs!

She looked a very fit lady and younger than us, so perhaps she hadn’t taken our age into consideration. Plus Paula was carrying a knee injury. I don’t think climbing Scafell Pike was part of the healing process!

You see all sorts of people on the climb; the professionals with all the gear and compass

round their necks, families (one professional we spoke to was surprised to see a family at the top with quite small children though), the Asian girls who, like us were completing the three peaks, holidaymakers and then people for whom climbing Scafell Pike might just be their afternoon walk! I joked that Mo Farah would probably run up and down just for his morning’s exercise! The Wasdale Head route can be done in 2-3hrs apparently – again we didn’t discover that until afterwards – but we were on holiday and had all day after all! Paula’s knee would probably have appreciated the shorter climb though.

Great excitement as we came across the first cairn! These heaps of stones marking the route were to be our ‘friends’ right to the summit. I had a ‘false dawn’ moment when quite a bit later I felt sure we were almost there! I said to another person coming down, “please tell me it’s not far now.” He encouraged me! I’d got ahead of Paula in my ‘mirage’ moment so waited for her to catch up. I spotted one climber in a T-shirt. I was wearing five layers! The weather, which I haven’t mentioned before, was fine and dry. You obviously have to go prepared for anything. The T-shirted guy had a rucksack so he’d almost certainly got warmer clothes in there should he need them.

It can snow there in October – which is actually when we were there. More about the wind later!

We’d left the path behind now, and apart from a few grassy parts – yes I did say grassy – it was climbing over the boulder strewn way to the summit.

We were neck and neck with the Asian girls. One of them had a walking pole as, like Paula, she was carrying an injury. We’d left ours behind in Diss! As well as binoculars. I’d made a list as long as your arm before leaving but missed those off. Great pity, especially in the case of the walking poles as they would have helped Paula enormously.

It was now sheer black rocks, shattered by frost is the common thought on how it came to be like that – we know what frost can do to roads – and I don’t think Mo Farrow would want to risk his ankles on this part of the mountain!

Eventually, we did it! I asked the requisite question about where the hotel was? No hotel, no cafe, no ‘Welcome to the Summit’, just sheer exhilaration.

These Cumbrians are tough!

We didn’t jump around too much on the uneven rock surface – we’d got to make our way all the way down again.

But smiles all round and lots of photo taking. The summit was actually the final, very large cairn! But the wind! It was blowing about 100mph! I had to hold my woolly hat on with both hands! We stepped down to have a photo taken at the Trig. Point or Ordinance Survey marker where it was slightly less windy. The summit was also shrouded in mist. You could only see about 100yds. No panoramic views for us!

The descent was difficult, as it’s even harder on the knees and so Paula struggled.

Oh how we could have done with the eagles arriving now to bear us away from ‘Mordor.’ They may even have been ‘ringed’! ●

Of the big three, Ben Nevis Scafell Pike (3,209ft) most to climb and I’m not abou

January 2016

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a selection of forthcoming events in our region

What’s On in January

Stephen K Amos Wed 3rd February Norwich Playhouse

YLM | your lifestyle magazine

48

Sat 16th - Sun 31st Brick City: LEGO brick architecture Moyse’s Hall Museum presents ‘Brick City’; a celebration of the worlds’ architecture, recreated solely using the celebrated toy of the century, LEGO bricks.

Moyse’s Hall Museum, IP33 1DX £4 Adults / £2 Conc. / £10 Family weststow.org/whats-on Mon 18th Become a Blogger!

Become an NRO Research Blogger and get the chance to carry out research and learn new IT skills.

Volunteers will get training in; how to carry out research at the Norfolk Record Office, how to write a blog post, how to use Word Press to publish their blogs.

Volunteers will be able to write for either norfolkrecordofficeblog.org or norfolkinworldwar1.org The session is aimed at anyone looking for new skills, whether for career progression, or general interest, and a chance to meet new people.

Once you have attended the training session you are welcome to carry out your research in a time suitable to you.

Norfolk Record Office 2pm - 4pm | FREE archives.norfolk.gov.uk BELONGING(s) screening A unique opportunity to see Tilted’s newest promenade piece on the big screen.

BELONGING(s) is Tilted’s newest production. It offers a thought-provoking perspective on the notion of belonging and migration. The promenade piece was previewed at Ipswich Waterfront in June and July 2015 and is touring nationally and internationally in 2016.

BELONGING(s) film was born from the preview of the piece. It was filmed exclusively in Ipswich, where local spaces were turned into illusionary worlds through dance and physical theatre. The film features an intergenerational cast of international performers, joined by participants from the local community.

Showing unusual angles and intimate close-ups, the film is a work of art in its own right and presents the Ipswich waterfront in a new light.

Ipswich Corn Exchange, IP1 1HD £7 / £5 Conc. iftt.co.uk

Fri 22nd Luke Wright - What I Learned from Johnny Bevan A story of shattered friendship, class ceilings, and the hollow reality of the New Labour dream.

At university the whip-smart, mercurial Johnny Bevan saves Nick, smashing his comfortable, middle class bubble and firing him up about politics, music and literature. Twenty years later, as their youthful dreams disintegrate with the social justice they hoped for, can Nick save Johnny from himself?

Luke Wright delivers a multi awardwinning hurricane of a performance infused with humour, humanity and wit.

He strikes at the heart of British politics, questioning the middle class value

system that saw the rise of New Labour, David Cameron and the abandonment of the working class.

‘A pulsating piece of poetic storytelling’ - Lyn Gardner, Guardian Upstairs at the Scole Inn £8.50 / £10 | 8pm disscornhall.co.uk | 01379 652241

Sat 23rd & Sun 24th Miss Nightingale: The Musical Sex, scandal and showbiz 1940’s style.

Two men struggle in the shadows to thrust an outrageous new star into the spotlight.

In times of war people will do anything to survive. The Landed Gentry rub shoulders with black market spivs, songwriters take to the streets and working class girls want to change the world. Bootleg booze, blackmail and bombshells are a dangerous combination. And some secrets are more explosive than The Blitz…

Miss Nightingale - The Musical brings the on-stage glamour and off-stage affairs of war-torn London thrillingly to life.

Audiences across Britain have adored this fabulous, feel good tale of love, loss and hope - performed by a multi-talented cast who not only act, dance and sing but also play all the instruments live on stage!

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the smash-hit show on its fourth and final UK tour. This critically acclaimed musical will have you laughing, crying and cheering for more!

Norwich Playhouse £18.50 / £15 conc. norwichplayhouse.co.uk Sat 23rd Breeding Lecture with Philip and Ben Ryder-Davies Come to Hollesley, Suffolk for this insightful day on the subject of breeding horses.

The day will also include a guided tour of the stud farm, tractor trailer ride, lunch and breeding lecture.

Suffolk Punch Trust, IP12 3JR £36 | 10.30am suffolkpunchtrust.org 07776 210238 fri 29th Corn Hall Comedy @ Diss Rugby Club

Michael Fabbri With an honest approach to some of life’s more touchy subjects Fabbri manages to effortlessly slip between controversial topics to light-hearted silliness making for a refreshingly eclectic and brilliantly funny act.

Sy Thomas Versatile, likeable and with deft comedic flair, Sy Thomas has an extensive list of credits. As well as stand-up, he has fronted all of Nickelodeon’s live studio shows for over 2 years, interviewing numerous Hollywood A-Listers and being covered in hundreds of buckets of slime!

coming soon Wed 3rd Feb Stephen K Amos:The Laughter Master Fresh from touring UK and Australia, the maestro of feel-good comedy is back on tour with his new show. He is the star of Life: An Idiot’s Guide and What Does the K Stand For? (Radio 4).

Amos is officially becoming a national treasure. Expect warm insight and spiky charm from his latest visit to Norwich Playhouse.

Norwich Playhouse £17 norwichplayhouse.co.uk Thurs 4th Feb The Boy Who Bit Picasso The Boy Who Bit Picasso is an interactive theatre show with storytelling, music and chances to make your own art, for all the family!

This show introduces one of the 20th Century’s most influential artists through the eyes of a young boy.

The Gar age, NR2 1NY £15/£5 Conc./£30 Family | 11am & 1pm thegarage.org.uk Fri 5TH — Sat 6TH Feb Not Now, Bernard & Other Monster Stories Everyone’s got a monster in them that wants to go ggrrr!

It sometimes feels as though everyone’s just too busy to listen to little Bernard but when he finds a big purple monsters in the garden things go rapidly from bad to worse!

David McKee’s much-loved Not Now, Bernard is joined by two of this other wonderfully funny (and not too scary) monster stories, The Two Monsters and The Monster And The Teddy Bear, in this fast-paced show about growing up and learning how to deal with change.

Expect masks, puppets, music, possibly the biggest teddy in the world…oh, and LOTS of mess!

BURY Theatre Royal theatreroyal.org | 01284 769505 Fri 12TH Feb Jenny Eclair Professional grumpy old woman, Splash survivor, amateur soup maker, and novice knitter, Jenny Eclair is younger than Madonna but eats crisps and likes wine.

Semi –bearded and suffering from outbreaks of gout and hysteria, Eclair puts middle age under the microscope and decides whether to laugh, cry or buy a dachshund!

You are most welcome to join her, just button your cardi up properly and wipe that lipstick off your teeth.

Age Guidance: 14+ BURY Theatre Royal theatreroyal.org | 01284 769505

SAT 13th Feb TIDAL MARGINS FAMILY ART WORKSHOP: Drawing & Printmaking A unique opportunity with Tidal Margins artists to produce drawings and prints using the inspiration of the plants, birds and wildlife that live and visit RSPB Minsmere. We will focus especially on those that are becoming rare because of our changing coastline and human disturbance. This workshop will be led by artists Karenza Jackson & Jennifer Hall and we will be especially looking at trees.

Absolutely no experience is required and the artists you will work with are brilliant at encouraging you to have a go and find your own style.

This is aimed at families and kids of all ages. If they are very young they may need help from the adults about.

RSPB Minsmere Discovery Centre, IP17 3BY 10am & 1.30pm | £3 touchingthetide.org.uk 01728 648281 Mon 15th - Fri 19th Feb Heroes and Villains: Magna Carta Deadly enemies and bitter battles, choose your side and start your training as you discover the castle’s bloody history with the Magna Carta. Pick up your sword and advance in the drill, hear astonishing tales of your favourite rogues, choose a steed and take part in our junior jousting, and plot your ambush of Framlingham Castle. Join in the feudal court, was King John a hero or a villain? You decide!

Fr amlingham Castle, IP13 9BP From £4.30 | 11am - 4pm english-heritage.org.uk Mon 22nd Feb C Duncan Glasgow’s C Duncan, born 1989, is the son of two classical musicians.

Surrounded by music throughout his childhood, Christopher initially took up piano and viola. His teens led him to school bands – learning to play guitar, bass and drums – but did little to quell his fascination with the composition and performance of classical music. He eventually enrolled in Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) to study music composition, where his pieces were performed by various ensembles across the UK. To hear C Duncan’s music now is to grasp those two common threads between his interests in classical and modern music. The pieces that make up his forthcoming debut LP are formed from lush choral harmonies and acoustic instrumentation, textured like contemporary dreampop and all recorded at home in Glasgow on his bedroom studio setup, gradually built up one layer and one instrument at a time.

“Hauntingly pretty, intricately arranged…

Will blow you away with its awed atmosphere and reverential sense of rapture…

Exquisite and unearthly” - The Guardian Norwich Arts Centre, NR2 1NY 8pm | £9.00 adv / £11.00 door norwichartscentre.co.uk

Thu 25TH Feb Jo Harman & Company Voted ‘Female Vocalist of the Year’ at the most recent British Blues Awards, Jo Harman is widely regarded as the most exciting blues/soul/roots artist to emerge in Europe for decades.

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds 8pm | £18 theapex.co.uk | 01284 758000

Heroes and Villains: Magna Carta Mon 15th - Fri 19th Feb Framlingham Castle

Ria Lina – Compère Award-winning, Ria Lina’s dry wit and bawdy ukulele songs have made her a regular on the international stand-up circuit. Her last show ‘School of Riason’ was nominated for the Amused Moose Laughter Awards and will be aired as a Radio 4 half-hour special this year.

Diss Rugby Club Door £10 Adv. £9 / £7.50 | from 6.30pm disscornhall.co.uk | 01379 652241

EVENTS

GET BOOKING NOW! June 7th - May 27th 2017 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child You’ve seen the Harry Potter movies and read the books – now catch JK Rowling’s wizard on stage in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ This play is the eighth Harry Potter adventure, co-created by JK Rowling and the team between the brilliant stage adaptation of ‘Let the Right One In’. It will be split into two plays (cunningly named Part One and Part Two). They follow on from the epilogue of the seventh Harry Potter book/movie ‘The Deathly Hallows’, and encompass the adventures of a middle-aged Harry, and also his son Albus who is beginning his studies at Hogwarts.

The current run has mostly sold out!

However, during the run there will be day-seats available, and fresh tickets go on sale online every Friday in the run for the following week, plus expect general booking extensions. Get involved now! palace theatre, W1D 5AY timeout.com palacetheatrelondon.org sat 2nd july Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott Renowned for songs with wit as well as a strong social conscience and gorgeous harmonies, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbot return to Forest Live to play four dates in summer 2016.

Their fantastic live shows with a six piece band deliver new hits and old favourites from their acclaimed second album ‘Wisdom, Laughter and Lines’ alongside to classics from The Beautiful South and the Housemartins such as ‘Rotterdam’, ‘Don’t Marry Her’ and ‘Perfect 10’.

Thetford Forest, Brandon £32.50 + booking forestry.gov.uk 03000 680400 Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to make this listing as accurate as possible, we recommend that you verify times and dates etc. prior to attending any events.

Entries for February 2016 by 10th January via info@ylm.co.uk

January 2016

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