big voice gosport july 2015
DESCRIPTION
Your community bigazine in Gosport for July 2015TRANSCRIPT
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July 2015 | Issue 7 | £1.50 where bought
AUTO BiographiesMercedes Benz CLA class
Gosport’s Golden MileTrainers, smiles and crowds on Stokes Bay
© Tom Barnett wavephotography.co.uk
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On the “Churches Together inGosport” website:www.churchestogetheringosport.org.uk you will find information about anumber of projects and initiatives,including four documents about“Heart for the Homeless”. The RevdPeter Lambert, who instigated andleads the project, writes this:
“Homelessness has increased inrecent years and this has been amajor cause for concern.Homelessness is much more than ahousing issue, as homelessness canoccur as a result of poor health,unemployment or poverty. There arealso clear links between many casesof homelessness and substancemisuse. These issues, together withthe lack of a stable homeenvironment, can make it difficult forhomeless people to access a wholerange of services. Homelessness canin fact break the connections with thewider world that the rest of us takefor granted.
We are called to bring new hope andopportunity in an atmosphere ofunconditional love and compassion sothat those who are broken-heartedand wounded can rebuilddamaged lives.
We are called to restore theself-respect of those who havebeen humiliated by what hashappened to them. Inhumility, we listen to whatthey want to tell us abouttheir lives. By listening andresponding in compassion, ourown lives are transformed.
We all have different gifts tobring. It might be in the formof practical help - preparingfood for homeless people,seeing a local need andgathering like-minded people
together or dare I say sitting on amanagement committee-but we allhave a unique contribution to make.
At the same time, churches are notsimply in the business of binding upwounds - we are also called to askawkward questions about why thewounds were inflicted in the firstplace. We can’t avoid raisingstructural and political questionsabout housing and homelessness. Wewill do that best if churches, ofwhatever denomination, can worktogether.
When we work alongside homelessand badly housed people, we areresponding to the challenge to loveour neighbour, we are responding tothe call to put our faith into action,we are responding to the vision of asociety where everyone is valued andeveryone has a home.”
If you are interested in helping withthis project, do contact me and I willput you in touch with Pete.
The Revd Andy Davis,Vicar of Christ Church and HolyTrinity, Gosport and Area Dean
of the Church of England’s“Deanery of Gosport”
[email protected] [email protected]
Nave Contemplation
THIS MONTH..
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july issue 2015
HOUSE AND GARDENS
15 Planning MattersCheck out this months round up of planningapplications in and around Gosport.
MOTORING
22 Mercedes Benz CLAWith a maximum speed of 149 miles per hour thisstriking Mercedes is fully loaded with a raft ofsafety features. See what Tim Barnes-Clay has tosay about this new model.
CHILDREN, PETS & EDUCATION
29 Kids Page
Go off on a holiday cruise with this months kidspage.
8 Book ReviewThe Farm beneath the Water by Helen Peters.Read this lovely review by Gosport DiscoveryCentre.
HEALTH, BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE
31 Absolute RunningFollow the shoe with the boys at Absolute.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL
27 Things they don’t want you to knowFull of the usual helpful pearls this one’s worth aread if you want to save a penny or two.
COMMUNITY
10 Gosport’s Golden MileThis fabulous event attracted children and adultsalike - read up on the review by Absolute Running
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Email in pictures of your garden if you’d like to beconsidered for the Over the Hedge feature -we’renot always looking for Italian ManicuredPerfection so get those cameras snapping!
H.. SmSmalal ltalkltalk
Pearl Publications
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Distribution
This Big Voice Bigazine is deliveredto residents and businesses inGosport, Elson and surroundingareas. For distribution enquiries
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“Don’t underestimatethe value of doingnothing….
… of just going along, listening to all the thingsyou can’t hear and not bothering” said (myfavourite) Winnie the Pooh.
I have got to the tender age of 40(ish) and I’m only just starting toappreciate the benefits of just stopping. That might sound completelyridiculous but when you’re an incredibly busy person there just isn’t thetime to stop. With endless lists, children to sort and businesses to runwhere do you schedule a ‘stop’? After all, if I stop then that pushesthings out of sync and then I’m even busier when I come to start again.
That’s right isn’t it?
Or not. We recently found ourselves child free for a day and with theweather being fairly miserable decided, uncharacteristically, to pack upsome sandwiches and a few books and drive down to Titchfield Haven.We set up camp in the back of our Bongo (lovingly known as the fun busto the kids) and sat for an afternoon doing very, very little.
It seemed decadent, luxuriousand amazing. And the best bit?It rejuvenated me and gave memore energy to do all the thingsI needed to the following week.OK so this seems a bit obviousbut until you step out of yourcomfort zone and realise theworld doesn’t fall apart if youtake a little time out then you’llnever know how therapeutic itcan be. Go on, try it.
Much love until next monthCoralie and Sean x
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Private Pension changes
@MoneySavingExpertMartin Lewis
Easter Monday saw the mostradical changes to privatepensions for a generation. Thepolitical spin is it’s ‘freedom andchoice in pensions’. Yet morechoice means it’s far easier toget it wrong, so here’s whateveryone needs to know in 5minutes…
Pension freedom sounds likesomething from Braveheart –what’s actually happening?I suspect George Osborne doespicture himself as a financialfreedom fighter. Yet only timewill tell whether these reformswill paint him as the man wholiberated older savers, or whoexposed them to huge risk.
This is all about how you use yourpension savings. As always youcan take a quarter of it as a tax-free lump sum. Yet for decadesmost people have effectivelyneeded to use the remainder ofthe money to buy an annuity – aproduct that pays you an incomeeach year until you die. Nowanyone aged 55 and over cantake the whole amount as a lumpsum, paying no tax on the first25% and the rest taxed as if itwere a salary at their income taxrate.
Does it apply to all types ofpension?No, we’re only really talkingprivate pensions where you and/or your employer saved up a pot
of cash forretirement.Technically these areknown as ‘definedcontribution’ or'money purchase'pensions.
It doesn’t apply tothe state pension,nor in the main partdoes it apply topensions wherewhat you’re paid is aproportion of yourfinal salary – knowntechnically as‘defined benefit’pensions.
There are ways to convert thesefinal salary pensions into a pot ofcash (be very careful ofscammers), but don’t do itwithout genuine independentfinancial advice
Is it worth taking out my pot assoon as I can?Usually not. If you’re in your 50sor early 60s you’re probably stillworking towards retirement andshould be focusing on puttingyourself in a position to haveenough income when you doretire – so you want your pensionto keep growing.
Plus by accessing your fundsearlier than needed you canreduce your ability to makefuture contributions.
Yet you’re saying if I want to, Ican just take out all the cash?If you choose to yes, butremember only 25% of it is tax-free. The rest is taxed at yourcurrent income tax rate likesalary, and if you take a hugewhack, just like if you earn more,some of it will push you into thehigher tax bracket. See theincome tax calculator atwww.mse.me/taxcalc to see thevarious levels.
If I don’t want to take it all outwhat can I do?There are many options, some ofthem can be combined, here arethe main ones:
Option 1: Leave it in your pensionfor when you need it. Then eachtime you withdraw, 25% of thatamount is tax free. Eg, if you had£100,000 and took £20,000 outyou’d get £5,000 of it tax-free,the rest would be taxed at yourcurrent rate.
Option 2: Take 25% tax free, thenbuy a flexible income drawdownproduct. This is a product you buyto keep the rest invested so it canstill hopefully grow, but you canalso use it to take income whenneeded. Here you get the first25% you withdraw tax free andthen the rest is taxed when youtake it – possibly useful if you’relikely to be in a lower-tax bracketonce you’re older.
Option 3: Take 25% tax free, thenbuy an annuity. This gives you aguaranteed income each year forthe rest of your life. There aredifferent charges on all of these,and it’s important to check themout and always compare differentproviders.
Eh, I thought annuities were asdead as a dodo’s granny?Actually annuities are a decentconcept, you get the security ofknowing exactly how much youcan spend each year, and that it’lllast for the rest of your life.
The problem is the rates havebeen crap, and 60% of people justgot them from their pension
provider rather than checking forbetter deals, especially peoplewith poor health who could’vegot much better rates. Yet doneright, with some of your pension,it can be a useful option forsecurity of income for life.
How do I know howmuch cash Ishould take out?That depends on when you’ll die.I’m not being a smart arse (wellmaybe a little), but truly that’sthe only way to know.
Yet the Office of NationalStatistics mortality stats do showlikely odds. The typical life spanfor a man who hits 65 in the UK isanother 18 years, a woman21. Add a little on that for safetyand it means unless you’ve badhealth you probably want tospend around 4-5% of whatyou’ve got a year.
What’s this ‘huge risk’ you talkedabout – let me guess you’ll warnme not to buy a Ferrari?I don’t think I need to. If youchoose to do that you knowyou’re probably either rather richalready, know you’re beingfoolish, or that you ain’t got longleft.
Actually, I’m far more concernedmany will be nervous aboutreleasing the cash in case they’releft with none in old age and willtherefore sit on it, neverspending it, depriving themselvesof the benefit and living a worselife than necessary. We’re not aninvesting nation and are relativelyrisk averse, so I see this as being areal potential problem. There’salso the worry that there’s a lot
of scammers about trying to tappeople for cash too.
OK so it's complex, but hasn’tthe Government set up a freeadvice service?No. It has set up a free guidanceservicecalled www.pensionwise.gov.uk.This isn’t just a semanticdifference – this system will tellyou what you can do, not whatyou should do. It won’t includehelp on your benefits, nor onwhat product to get.
If you’ve a sizable pension pot it’sworth spending the £300 to£1,000 it’ll cost to get anindependent financial adviserwho can tell you what to do (getquotes from a few first). You canfind a local one throughwww.vouchedfor.co.ukor www.unbiased.co.uk.
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The Farm Beneath The Water, by Helen Peters
This is a feel good story of young people who pull together and are able toinfluence the outcome of the local water project. This is the second bookbased at Clayhill Farm but it can be read alone (although I’ll probably readthe first one now as I enjoyed this one so much).
Hannah’s dad is behaving strangely – has hejoined a dating agency? Is someone movingin with them? But it turns out that he isgathering evidence to show that the farm isin an important place historically and environmentally and it’s all togather evidence as the farm is under threat as a water company wantsto flood the valley to build a reservoir.
Both sides of the argument are explored – one family losing their homeversus the benefits to the whole community. All is not as it seems andHannah and her friends pull together using the school play to presenttheir arguments.
This is a really good read which shows family and school life and the di-lemmas that face us all.
Book Review
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ABSOLUTERUNNING
Well here we are at the end ofanother Gosport Golden Mile andtaking everything intoconsideration, we at AbsoluteRunning are chuffed to say theleast. When you arrive at your‘race village’ at 5.30am to see itairborne and being anchoredtenuously by its concretemoorings, you would be excusedfor thinking that your day maynot go as planned.
We knew that we were gamblingby moving our original race dateto accommodate other localraces and to an extent, we paidthe price by having to cancel ourinaugural Wheelchair Golden
Mile in the name of safety. Elevenwheelchair athletes turned up -some from as far away asGermany- and we so wanted tomake it a great occasion for themand Gosport but do you know,they never uttered a word ofcomplaint which makes moredetermined to ensure that theyget their race next summer at thevery latest.
Planning is already under way toensure that we are able to giveGosport & Fareham a day toremember and next year we weare inviting businesses to getinvolved in a corporate capacityso that we can continue to grow
our commitment to sportsmen,women and children as well as adesignated local charity whichnext year will be the inshorerescue service at GAFIRS. If youwant to be part of our race villageand can bring something to yourcommunity, we want to hearfrom you.
But back to this year and havingdealt with the disappointment ofcancelling our wheelchair race, itwas on to ensuring we gavehundreds of kids and adults aGolden Mile and 5K. We still hadrecord breaking Gosport sailorAlex Thomson agreeing to startthe proceedings and Big Rick
GOSPORTS GOLDENMILE
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Jackson of Wave 105 Radio andlocal fella, also turned up and ranthe race himself. The team atRunFast brought two of theirfuture Kenyan middle distancestars to add a truly internationalflavour and as waves crashedover the sea wall and with fingerscrossed, we were off.
Local lad Lewis Banner ofStubbington Green Runnersretained his Mile title but waspushed hard in a thrilling finish byKenyan Sammy Dismas Nyokayeand this race also saw a terrificeffort from Gosport’s very ownrising sports superstar JosephWales with a fourth place finish.
An attempt by City of Portsmouthstarlets Josie Czura and LachlanWellington to capture under 15mile records was thwarted by thegale force winds but this did not
stop them recording superb timesin the adult race. Another City ofPortsmouth A.C star Jacob O’Harawon both Junior Golden Mile andthe Senior 5K fun run.
More importantly, to a man,woman and child, I think thateveryone enjoyed the fantasticatmosphere that makes this dayspecial, particularly for us atAbsolute Running. A day whenthe community comes togetherand has a go. As one of the adultrunners said in his post raceFacebook review…no ego’s just afriendly race. (Thanks Dodger).
The team of volunteers medics,marshalls, bag packers andsponsors as well our spiritualhome of seaside racing BaysideCabin made this happen and wethank you all.
We’ve already got kids burstingto do it again so let’s harness thatMum’s and Dad’s and keep thefun in the run when promenaderacing returns in the form of theBayside Summer 5K series with1K fun run on Tuesday 9th June at7.15.
Keep it local and Follow theshoe…
Nick Carter. Founder/Director / Marketing& Outside events manager.
Absolute Running Ltdwww.absolute-running.co.uk
Photos copyright and courtesy of Tom Barnett at Wave Photography
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P lanning MattersA monthly round up of planning applications submitted since 1 May 2015
GOSPORT COUNCIL
REF LOCATION PROPOSAL STATUS
15/00243/DEMO
Gosport Holder StationCranbourne Road Gosport
Demolition consultation -
demolition of two gas holders
Pending Consideration
15/00186/FULL
30 Grove Road GosportHampshire PO12 4JH
Increase ridge height and roofpitch of existing roof, erection ofpitched roof to existing rearextension to form livingaccommodation, includingbalcony and roof lights, erectionof front dormer window andalterations to existing bay windowand chimney
Pending Consideration
15/00012/FULL
Land To Side Of 1 St EdwardsTerrace Forton Road GosportHampshire
Erection of two storey buildingcontaining 2 no. One bedroomedflats with associated car parkingand landscaping
Pending Consideration
15/00257/TPO
11-16 Widgeon Close GosportHants
Felling of 1 no. London plane (tpog93)
Pending Consideration
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Grass Roots
The other evening there was aknock at the door. Outside was aman who informed me that thetree in the front garden neededto be pruned back and that hewas the person to do it for me.
Now the tree in question is aBetula ermanii which is knownfor its main characteristic whichis particularly stunning bark -creamy white, tinged with thefaintest blush of pink. It also hasa conical crown, catkins in thespring, mid green leavesthroughout the season and agentle yellow glow about it in theautumn. I love that tree. It is thefirst thing I see every morningand the birds sit in it andwelcome the day. I love it tosuch an extent that we paid for atelephone engineer to come and
reroute the telephone wires thatran through its crown, ratherthan cut it back in any way,which would have beensignificantly easier and cheaperto do. So there is no way thatanyone was going to chop thecrown of that tree off, howeverenterprising they may have been.
The man on my door step lookedat me as though he could notbelieve his ears when I told himthis. He went away but it was thisman’s incredulity at my refusal tochop the tree back that made merealise what really divides thetrue gardener from the rest ofthe population.
It is this: - if a plant you love,such as the case of my Betulaermanii, becomes entangled in
some aspect ofmodern living,do you sacrificethe plant or tryand find a way tosave it?
Obviously thereare situationswhen the planthas to go butthere are plentyof others werethe plant issacrificed justbecause it is theeasiest, quickestor cheapestthing to do,particularly withtrees. I think it isso sad to see
trees that have had their headschopped off, so to speak,especially when done badly orincorrectly. It looks brutal,impatient and aggressive.
That said, I have a dilemma onmy hands at the moment. Agarden which is being designedby my company, has a semi-mature willow tree in it, which is2m away from the house of theirnext door neighbour. I think itshould be removed to preventany damage being inflicted onthe house in the future but thegarden owner wants to keep it asit is a graceful tree which herchildren love playing around.
So what to do? It breaks myheart to get it removed yet it wasplanted so badly in the first placethat it will eventually causedamage to the neighbour’shouse. So in this instance, itmight be better to pollard it(correct term for chopping itsbranches off) so that it lives tosee another day.
So, the conclusion I’ve eventuallyarrived at is that the truegardener is the one who plansahead.
For more info about this sort of thing,download the first chapter, FREE, of myforthcoming book ‘The Garden Equation.How to have a garden you love that fitsbeautifully into your lifestyle’ atwww.yorkshiregardendesigner.co.ukBy Sally Tierney,www.yorkshiregardendesigner.co.uk
Are you a true gardener?
In-Car Entertainment | Car Care | Tools & Accessories
Sadly MotorWorld in Stoke Road,Gosport, has now gone but the goodnews is that MotoMart in Lee onSolent has almost everything thatyou may need.
Excellent next day service Click and collect Paint mixing stand In car entertainment Online ordering viawww.caarparts.co.uk
183, High Street, Lee on the Solent, PO13 9BX
023 9255 1182 | www.motomart.org
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Auto biographies
Sometimes a pair of new shoesfeels just right. No blisters everappear and they soon becomeyour go-to choice of footwear.Others cause you a littlediscomfort at first – but, onceworn in, you feel as though you’dnever sauntered in anything else.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250AMG Sport I drove was verymuch the latter example. It took
me a while fine-tuning theseat to give me the bestdriving position. I then had toadjust the steering wheelseveral times – and then getthe lumbar support right. Forthe first day I just couldn’tnail it and, squirminguncomfortably, I wasconvinced this car wasn’tfor me. But, by the secondday of my week with theMerc, I felt it was madewith my name on it.
Some car seats just requirea quick twiddle here andthere and you’re all set up.I think the CLA’s sportsseats with integralheadrests simply take some
getting used to. They’re sculptedin a curve-forwards position, andmake you feel like your headneeds to go back more –although that could have beenme being fussy on the day thecar was delivered.
Anyway, enough of the seats andmy hair-splitting; let me explainwhy, on the whole, the CLA is anexcellent piece of German
machinery.
Aesthetically, its proportions anddynamic design give the compactfour-door saloon-cum-coupé anunmistakable appearance. Thevehicle's striking features includethe bonnet embedded in thefront end with power-domes anda diamond-look grille. The lightmodules and LEDs behind theheadlamp cover glass have beenarranged in such a way as tocreate a characteristic "flareeffect" for the daytime drivinglights and indicators. This lightsignet defines the car's energeticform and shapes a new, youthfulMercedes face.
The width-emphasising rear endexudes muscle and athleticism,featuring an interplay betweenconvex and concave surfaces.The gently sloping roof contourand the pronounced, hallmarkcurvature of the rear window,provide the CLA 250 AMG Sportwith a coupé-style characterfrom the rear, too.The exterior's progressive, sportyappearance is continued insidethe Benz. All trim surfaces aregalvanised in silver shadow,resulting in a cool-to-the-touchmetallic finish. The instrumentpanel incorporates five largeround vents and there’s aprominent free-standing displayscreen that features a blackpiano-lacquer-look front panelwith a flush-fitting silver frame.
In the back, the seats, onceagain, become a sticking point.They are cramped for adults andnot even the best fit for two child
FAST FACTS
Max speed: 149mph
0-62 mph: 6.6 secs
Combined mpg: 42.8
Engine: 1991cc 4 cylinder 16 valveturbo petrol
Max. power (bhp): 208
Max. torque (Ib/ft): 258
CO2: 154g/km
Price: £33,440 on the road
PROS ‘N’ CONSDesign √
Steering √
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New Ford Mondeo
By Tim Barnes-Clay www.carwriteups.co.uk @carwriteups
Mercedes-Benz CLA Class
seats, but my eight and five year old copedwithout too much squabbling. On the plus side;boot space is good for this type of car.
On the road, the CLA 250’s turbocharged four-cylinder engine rocks for most situations. The carhas excellent grip when pushed through cornersand its seven-speed automatic transmissionclimbs and descends excellently under pressure.Especially noteworthy is the Mercedes’ directsteer system, which offers precise feedback incomparison to conventional power steering.
Safety hasn’t been overlooked either, withnumerous driving assistance systems offeringsupport and reducing your workload behind thewheel. Standard-fit features include drowsinessdetection and radar-based collision preventionassist with adaptive brake assist, which helps toprotect you from collisions from a speed of only4mph.
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Hampshire Trading Standards Service is warning the public to be wary of doorstep cold call-ers. Never feel pressured into buying anything on the doorstep.
Phone Scams. Each year many people fall victim to fraudsters - sometimes operating fromoverseas - intent on stealing their personal and financial information. If you receive an unsolicit-ed or unexpected telephone call be on your guard as it may be a scam. Never give personalor financial information out to anyone who cold calls you on the telephone. Be cautious and ifin doubt, hang up. In all cases, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Summer Security Tips
Keep the boundaries to properties secure – by locking side gatesMake sure windows and doors are locked when going out and at night Ensure front doors and windows are locked when out in the garden as ‘sneak in’ burglariescan increase in the summer months. Fully lock UPVC doors with a key – don’t just lift the handle Don’t advertise on social networking sites that you are going on holiday. Ensure your vehicle is locked at all times. Leaving windows open may keep your vehicle cool-er during the daytime hours but only makes it easier to gain access to your vehicle. Keep allvaluable items in a locked glove compartment or hidden away. Lock your bike with a good quality lock. When storing your bike in agarage or shed secure it to a ground or wall anchor.
www.gosportnhw.co.ukTel: 023 92583637To contact the Police phone 10
or in an emergency 999
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Anger shows its face up in manydifferent scenarios particularly inrelationships. We get triggeredinto anger by many differentthings but arguments can oftenflare up when in fact all it is, is adifference of opinion.
We are never all going to see theworld in the same way – andthank goodness because it wouldbe very boring if we did. We allsee the world through differentglasses. For example aGreenpeace activist will look atwhat is done in the Amazonthrough their environmentalist
mindset of it being a tragedywhereas a multi-nationalcorporation will have otherpriorities. Both would argue theirpoint of view till the cows comehome and neither will everconcede to the other’s opinion.This is just an example of thediversity of the world and theywill always exist. We might notlike them but each is entitled totheir opinion.
Trouble is that when you takethose differing of opinions intorelationships it often ends upbeing turned into a personal
argument rather than seeing thatit is just a conversation about twodifferent viewpoints. It is all tooeasy to get into the place whereyou fight your ground and try tomake the other person wrong,feeling the need to be the onewho is right.
Without forethought it is virtuallyimpossible in that adversarialmoment to step back and agreeto differ. Once we are in thefeeling of wanting to prove ourpoint, to be right how can westep back?
Differences of Opinion
Jessica offers Life Guidance, connecting back to your spirit, the true heart of you. If you wantto know more you can visit her website http://www.jessicamcgregorjohnson.com
Remarkable Relationships
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One simple technique is to agreea phrase that brings both of youout of the illusion of needing tobe right. It can wake you up andhelp you see that this topic is notworth creating a huge personalargument about it – that yourrelationship is actually worthmore than this topic. The trick isto agree it beforehand.
So in what I call a sober moment– when you are feeling veryhappy with each other and haveno axe to grind – have a chatabout wanting to pre-empt thearguments you have over adiffering of opinion. The reasonyou talk about it away from theargument is that you can bothset an intention to use thismethod.
You agree a wake up phrase,something either of you can sayin the moment that wakes youup from the compulsion to winyour case and helps you see thatit is only a differing of opinion. Itcan be any phrase – eitherrelated to the situation or not.For example, you could say –“Hey this is one of those momentwhere we can agree to disagree”.
Or if you feel that would not stopthe flow of thoughts so easily youcan use a silly phrase – mine is“the peas are green thissummer” feel free to borrow it ifit helps.
The key is that this is anagreement between you, set anintention that when one of youuses the phrase it is time to
agree to disagree and then – andthis is so important - change thesubject!
PPuuzzzle Answezle AnswersrsJuly 2015
KID’S PAGE
STEP ON IT HONEYCOMB
LINE UP
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If there was such a thing as a Messometer- a tool for measuring views on mess, Iwonder where you'd put yourself? At thepristine end of the scale where everythinghas its rightful place and food is mostdefinitely to be eaten rather than playedwith? Somewhere in the middle, where agood amount of carefree messy play ishealthy, but only when balanced with asense of order and boundaries? Orperhaps at the far extreme? The kind ofhouse that when you walk in you’re notsure if it’s been burgled, in which caseCheerios and hamster food on the flooroffer daily opportunities for messy play!
With washing products now offering tripleaction cleaning the removal of stains ischild’s play, yet an aversion to gettingmessy is sadly commonplace amongparents and children. People watch in therain and you will probably see childrendiscouraged from exploring puddles withtheir whole bodies, feet or hands as,
sidetracked by practicalities, us adults failto see the age-old learning value, not tomention sheer fun.
Returning to that messy scale, I’d like tothink I’m somewhere in the middle, muchmore tolerant than my husband andgenerally able to see the positives ofmess! In fact I have always found myselfdrawn to messy and sensorial play, as wellas making a business of it this has formeda key part of my own children’s childhood,be it offering sand, shredded paper,water, cooked couscous, dried lentils andrice, sandy paint or shaving foam. Withadequate planning and preparation,messy play can provide a calm andenriching experience for all involved, butI’ve learnt the hard way that preparationand boundaries are key to ensuring thatthis is a stress free experience.
I can still remember an episode ofparticularly messy play with cooked
couscous. Heavilypregnant, myhusband arrivedhome from work tofind me under thekitchen table on allfours, scraping stickygunge, sprayed by mycreative 3 year old allover the kitchen!Taking a work call inthe middle of theplay taught me a hardlesson. Allowing mydaughter toexperiment JacksonPollack style withcouscous it left meclose to tears withexhaustion reapingthe consequences ofmessy play!
If you’re not a naturallover of getting messythen it’s good toknow that there’s awealth of research onthe huge benefits ofgiving children asensory education.Persuaded of its
importance, the next step is making surethat we don’t inadvertently project ouranxieties about mess and clearing up aschildren picking up adult vibes and thiscan affect their ability to explore andbecome truly immersed.
When trying something new or personallychallenging, the best approach can oftenbe taking it slowly. So dipping your toe inthe world of messy play means leavingcooked couscous to the last! Mostmaterials have the potential to be usedfor messy or sensory play but that is notto suggest that they are uniform in theway they perform, respond to touch orappeal to children. For a child withsensory processing issues, who can’thappily touch sticky wet substances, anawareness of the wealth of messy playpossibilities may be key to including them.Far from being an issue just for specialneeds, growing numbers of children findtouching wet sticky things particularlychallenging.
A good (and low cost) starting point couldbe a paddling pool or washing-up bowlfilled with shredded paper, sand or driedlentils. Simply add a few containers andspoons for pouring and filling, (recycledpots and funnels are great) and get stuckin. Best of all June is the perfect time fortaking messy play outdoors, so what’s notto like?
For more fun sensory play activities, Sue’slatest research, resources and training goto www.playtoz.co.uk.
01206 796722
It’s al l Childs P layMessy Play
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Lucy’s recipe corner HHealthy Veealthy Veggggie Bie BakeakeINGREDIENTS
1 medium/large aubergine2 courgettesCupful cheddar cheeseHandful of fresh basil1 clove of garlicTin of chopped tomatoesEnough pasta for those around the table!
METHOD
Carefully slice the aubergine and courgettes andlayer them into a baking dish.
Pour the tomatoes into a jug and add the basiland garlic clove (you can pop this in whole). Use ahand blender and whizz up until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the veggies and add thegrated cheese to the top.Bake until golden in the oven (fan 190°c/ 215°c)and serve on a little bed of pasta.
23 - 26 October 2015
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