since 1810

Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | February 2012 | Edition 14

Miranda tries to be serious..Also in this issue: • Enjoy winter while it lasts• Navigating the tax-code minefield• District profile: Leeds• George in the garden• ... and much more

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Oddfellows members continued to donategenerously to the Lifeboat Fund last year, raisingmore than 7,000 for new life-saving equipment.

The Lifeboat fund, managed by the East AnglianGroup Conference (EAGC), raises money for theRNLI’s lifeboat station at Sheringham in Norfolk.

Alison Adamson, EAGC Secretary, said: “I’d like tothank all those Districts that have sent a donation andcontinue to do so.

“The money has bought two new laptops for crewtraining and new radios for communication.”

The RNLI at Sheringham has a lifeboatcalled ‘The Oddfellows’, which wasfunded by members’ previous donations.Alison and her husband Keith, a past Chairman ofthe Society, met up with the boat’s crew recently –including their newest recruits, who each passedtheir training with scores higher than 90%.

She will be giving an update on the fundraising tothis year’s Society Conference in Southport on12 May.

Anyone who wants to make a donation can senda cheque, made payable to the EAGC, to TheOddfellows, Abbey House, 32 Booth Street,Manchester, M2 4QP.

This month comedienne Miranda Harttells us what life as a household name islike as she takes on a new role in theBBC drama ‘Call the Midwife’.

We show you how to make the most of thelast weeks of winter, while our residentgardener, George Hill, helps you get readyfor spring.

We head to Leeds for our District profile,and there’s also our usual selection of newsand features.

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Welcome to the February 2012 edition of the e-zine.

Waves of support for the RNLI

If you have a story to tell then why not share it withus? Email editorial@oddfellows.co.uk or call0161 832 9361.

You can find us on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook byclicking on the icons below.

2 Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | February 2012 | Edition 14

Last of the mulled wine

3Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | February 2012 | Edition 14

February is the last month of winter and oftenthe coldest. Right now we could be forgiven forthinking warmer weather will never return.But there’s no point wishing the season awayand stubbornly waiting for spring to begin.

Instead we’ve found some inventive ways for you toenjoy winter’s final throes – and to make the mostof the leap year’s extra day!

Outdoors

Don’t let the frost or the rain put you off – a winterwalk through the countryside can be invigorating.Just make sure you’re dressed appropriately for theweather, and take sensible precautions before along or remote day’s walking. And don’t forget thecamera to capture the winter landscapes.

If you live in a town or city, try exploring it on foot.It’s a great way to discover new places on yourdoorstep.

You can also start planning ahead in the garden –for more ideas see George’s gardening tips onpage 9.

Indoors

February marks the 200th anniversary of CharlesDickens’ birth. To celebrate this, there areexhibitions, film screenings and other events takingplace this month, with lots more throughout the year.Click here for details.

Enjoy keeping active when the weather is wild bysigning up to your local gym or swimming pool.

There’s nothing better thandusting off the boardgames on a cold afternoon– challenge your friends andfamily to a game over a mugof homemade mulled wine.

4 Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | February 2012 | Edition 14

Miranda plays it (almost) straight

Miranda Hart has taken time out from comedy to play amidwife in a new BBC drama series. But, as wediscover, she still couldn’t help but see the funny side.

20 minutes late for the launch, Miranda Hart picks her wayacross the room in the vain hope that no one will notice her.

The 39-year-old comedienne is looking considerablyslimmer than she was in the last series of Miranda, a weightloss she puts down to Pilates, but stealth doesn’t comeeasy when you’re a well-known face who’s over 6ft tall.

Clocking the many pairs of eyes fixed on her, she says: “Ididn’t know this had begun, this is embarrassing...” Thenshe tries to start afresh with a cheery: “Hello!”

The only way she could have been any more like hereponymous sitcom character was if she’d fallen over on herway into the room.

However, Hart is here to talk about a new role that bearslittle resemblance to the joke shop owner who has madeher name. Call The Midwife is a drama based on late authorJennifer Worth’s memoirs about being a Fifties midwife inLondon’s East End.

“I enjoyed being in a drama very much, thank you, yes,”says Hart with her trademark plummy politeness.

“I suppose a lot of people might say: ‘Ooh, you’re doing‘The Acting’. But in many ways it wasn’t that different towhat I did before. I’ve always seen myself more as acomedy actress than a stand-up.

“Playing Miranda in Miranda… I’m sure some people mightnot see it as acting, but I assure you I am. I very much see itas playing a character.”

It was Hart’s sitcom that brought her to the attention ofWorth, who was in the middle of working with the BBC todevelop her book into a series.

Worth, who died of cancer in 2011, knew immediately thatHart was the woman to play Camilla Fortescue-Cholmeley-Browne, her devout but clumsy friend and colleague whoeveryone referred to as ‘Chummy’.

Hart recalls her summons: “Jennifer sent me the book andsaid; ‘When I first saw you I thought of Chummy.’ So I flickedstraight to Chummy's entrance in the book and really hopedI would get to play this brilliant, eccentric woman. I didn’twant anyone else to!”

Chummy arrives at Nonnatus House in the second episodeof the series to work alongside the other young midwivesJenny, Trixie and Cynthia, as well as the more experiencednuns played by Pam Ferris, Jenny Agutter and Judy Parfitt.

“It’s a calling for her,” explains Hart. “It makes her heart skipand she thinks God wanted her there.“Chummy is a very compassionate person. But she takesher time to get into working as a midwife. It’s not necessarilyan easy ride.”

She could be talking literally, as in one of Chummy’s firstscenes we discover she’s never learned to ride a bike.Covering the midwives’ patch on foot is not an option, soChummy is forced to take to two wheels.

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Luckily, Hart’s slapstick experience came in handy for whatshe calls “stunt work” when she had to pretend she didn’tknow how to cycle.

“When I read that scene I thought ‘Well, that’s an actingchallenge,’ because apparently once you learn to ride abike you never forget.

“But actually it turns out – no offence to the other girls – Iwas by far the best,” she says, beaming theatrically.

“They were really heavy old bikes with no gears, so itworked out that I’m – even though I say it myself, andhere’s a showbiz exclusive – a natural cyclist.

“I had the real confidence to wobble about, so it was quitefun.”

Less fun was filming the baby deliveries, using some“spooky” prosthetic babies and having to use all herconcentration to stay serious.

“With a prosthetic baby covered in baby oil you would havethought ‘comedy’, but learning how to hold it and deliver itwas quite terrifying.

“It was weird at the end of every take saying to the director:That wasn’t funny, was it?’ Normally you say the reverse.”

Hart, who lives by herself in London, has spoken in the pastabout loving her own company. Working with babies didnothing to make her long for a family.

“I was too in the moment and thinking about the technicalside to feel broody, and then one baby weed in my glove –straight down – and I thought: ‘No thanks.’” she says,shaking her head.

Being a natural wit, Hart couldn’t help but inject somehumour into the role of Chummy – and, although she hasbeen commissioned to write a third series of Miranda she’shoping Call The Midwife will lead to some more plumdrama roles.

“Comedy will always be my first passion, but I think it wouldbe an amazing luxury to have a career where I can doboth,” she says.

Miranda and her co-stars in the BBC drama - Call the Midwife

EXTRA TIMEThe funny side of Miranda Hart

:: Miranda – Hart plays the hapless,unlucky-in-love title character in her self-penned show, also starring Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge and Sally Phillips.

:: Not Going Out – Hart had a scene-stealing turn as clumsy cleaning lady Barbara in Lee Mack’s sitcom.

:: Absolutely Fabulous – Hart popped up once in a while to play mono-browed artist Bettina in Jennifer Saunders’ hit comedy.

:: Hyperdrive – Hart plays a goofy, inept space cadet in the sci-fi comedy.

:: Smack the Pony – Hart assumed a ruder persona than normal, Hart appearing in dating video skits on this female-led sketch show.

District profile: Leeds

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The earliest recorded Lodge in Leeds was the Loyal Mechanic,founded more than 150 years ago. Since then the District hasregularly changed its size and shape.

By 1933 it was made up of 33Lodges, and 16 of these met atQueen Square – the District’s homeuntil 1979. Last year the QueenSquare buildings were honouredwith a blue plaque (pictured right)in recognition of the good work theDistrict did there.

Today, Leeds includes three big Lodges –Leodis, Nelson and Northumberland. One of the largestDistricts geographically, it stretches from Wakefield right upto the Scottish Borders – including the historic towns ofHarrogate, Knaresborough and Newcastle.

Making friendsLeeds is also one of the largest Districts in terms ofmembers.

“Our members are well known for their hospitable, warmwelcome,” says Margaret Lickess, District Secretary. “It’sprobably due to the beautiful countryside they live in.”

Helping peopleThe Branch regularly organises charity events, raisingthousands of pounds each year for good causes. Recentevents include a Help for Heroes coffee morning and anannual garden party.

For more details call Margaret on 0113 242 4002, email margaret.lickess@oddfellows.co.ukor click here for the Districts’ events page.

Vital statistics• Established in 1826• The District has more than 3,400

members• It was the first District to have a full

time Welfare and Social Officer• Members meet at Unity Court, 431

Meanwood Road, Leeds, LS7 2LD

Meet the teamDistrict Chairman: Arthur Barber

Arthur joined the Society in 1998. He initially joinedfor the wide range of social activities but quickly

progressed to the management of the District. Hisexperience shows that any member with an interest inthe Society can go far.

District Secretary: Margaret Lickess (PGM)Margaret has worked for the Oddfellows for 25 years.She’s progressed from secretarial assistant to DistrictSecretary, a role she has held for the past eight years.As well as holding the Society’s highest position ofChairman of the Board of Directors – or Grand Master– in 2005, she’s also the wife of current Boardmember George Lickess.

Welfare and Social Organiser: Tracey GarczynskiTracey’s main roles include co-ordinating the District’s10 welfare officers, who make social visits to elderlyand infirm members. Away from the day-to-daybusiness, she organises social events that raisedthousands for charity.

Our neighbourhoodThe Northumbria Lodge covers the urban areas ofNewcastle and Sunderland – two cities that make nosecret of their fierce rivalry.

Both cities flourished during the industrial revolutionthrough ship-building. Today the ships might havegone, but the recently regenerated docks attract

hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

Local attractions include theMillennium Bridge in Newcastle,

the Angel of the North and thePenshaw Monument – built

in 1844 to imitate anancient Greek temple.

Come togetherMembers meet in Sunderland at least once a month forbusiness and social events and try to mix up the venuesaround Sunderland to keep things interesting.

The Northumbria Lodge arranges trips to towns, castlesand stately homes, as well as boat trips. It also joinswith the Cleveland District for events in nearby Durham.

David Anderson, Lodge Secretary says: “It’s aninteresting and diverse area to explore, and visitors canrely on the friendliness of local people.”

For more local information call David on 01915 492 602or email david.anderson@oddfellows.co.uk.

Vital statistics• The Lodge has 400 members• Members meet at the Wier boating

club, Sunderland, on the first Wednesday of each month at 2pmLodge focus: Northumbria

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Each District in the UK is made up of smaller Lodges where members oftenmeet and socialise. Northumbria is geographically one of the largest, with astrong and active membership. Here we take a closer look.

Bamburgh Castle, Northumbria Lodge Secretary David Anderson

The Angel ofthe North

(Part of the Leeds District)

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 6

Ingredients150g red onion thinly sliced25g butter40ml red wine vinegar40g brown sugar1 small sprig of thyme, with leaves stripped6 thin slices of baguette, lightly toasted with a little olive oil100g goats’ cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces

Method1.Sweat the onions and thyme leaves in the butter. 2.Add the red wine vinegar and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat.3.Add the sugar and cook over a gentle heat until it turns thick and sticky, then allow to cool. 4.Spread onion marmalade thinly on to the toasted bread.5.Top with a piece of goats’ cheese, and season with a pinch of cracked black pepper to finish.

This recipe was generously supplied by TheTreehouse, at the Alnwick Garden in Alnwick. It’sone of the most beautiful and unique restaurantsin the world.

Nestled high in the treetops in a copse of maturelime trees, the beautifully crafted dining room has acosy atmosphere with twinkling lights and a roaringlog fire in the centre of the restaurant, creating amagical and unusual setting.

Newsletter for the Oddfellows International Membership | February 2012 | Edition 14

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8

Call 01665 511 852 or email treehouse.enquiries@alnwickgarden.com to book.

RecipeGoats’ cheese crostini withred onion marmalade

To celebrate this month’s Lodge profile, Northumbria, we travel to Alnwick to find aninspirational recipe for you to make at home.

The common snowdrop is alovely flower. Plant it in moist,open soil and the bulbs willincrease quickly. It’s a wonderfulsight and it looks after itself. And,best of all, it signals the start ofspring.

The crocus is another sign that winteris nearly over. Bees love this plant – when you hear thebees in the flowers of early spring shrubs you knowthat things are on the move.

Flower gardenKeep your herbaceous flowersgrowing by working in some fertiliser– bone and fish is best – as a topdressing. The plants will benefit fromthis throughout the summer months.

Pot up any chrysanthemum cuttings that you rooted inyour greenhouse before Christmas. Use three-inchpots and grow them in a cool greenhouse now beforemoving them outside later in the year.

Try to prune and tidy most of yourshrubs – particularly any winter-flowering ones. This winter’shorrendous gales have playedhavoc with the shrub gardens.Remove any damaged branchesand, if necessary, replace anyshrubs that are damaged beyond repair.

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George in the gardenTop tips from our resident gardener

Fruit gardenFinish off pruning your autumn-fruitingraspberries and your fig trees.

It’s also a good time to prune your cobnuttrees. Cut them back really hard – beingcareful not to remove all of the catkins. Try to trim the tree into a goblet shape tokeep the air circulating well around it.

If you’re growing peaches or apricots on awall or in the open, don’t prune them toomuch. This protects the branches whereblossom will fall from any late frosts.

And plant out any remaining fruit trees youintend to plant now to give them time to getestablished before the drier ground comes along.

Vegetable gardenNow’s the time to start sowing earlyvegetables, like onions, in a greenhouse.If you like broad beans, sow the seedsindividually in three-inch pots and you’ll geta nice early crop.

Sow your sweet peas now too. Take a three-inch pot and putthree or four seeds in roughly one inch of compost. Water itwell and then cover it with a piece of glass to keep the miceaway. Mice go mad for sweet peas and can play havoc withyour crop.

Start growing your early lettuces or leeks.Leeks especially take a while to mature, soget them going early to get a better crop inthe autumn.

Top-dress your asparagus beds by lightlyforking in bone-and-fish fertiliser. And youcan also top-dress the spring cabbages that you planted lastautumn. These should be ready to harvest in April.

Top tips for improving your patch• Clean your patio using a good hard brush and diluted

patio-cleaning solvent

• When pruning fig trees, don’t cut too much off – just the overlapping branches

• Don’t plant many early broad beans – you’ll get a better crop later from the ones you plant outside

• Work lime into the soil where you plan to plant cabbages, cauliflowers or kale. Use four ounces for every square metre and lightly fork it in.

My favourite plants right now

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This is the time when you’ll be expected to read, understand and, if necessary, contact HMRC about your tax code for theyear ahead. HMRC’s new computer system is now running at 98% accuracy which is brilliant news and means that formost of us our tax affairs will all be in order.

However, there are roughly 35 million people paying their tax through the ‘pay as you earn’ method (PAYE) and anotherfive million paying by both PAYE and Self Assessment. So 2% of that amounts to 800,000 people who will encounterproblems.

You need to check your coding notices and statements carefully – especially if you’ve got multiple sources of income, haverecently retired or been bereaved or had any change in your circumstances.

2012/13 tax rates*

Basic rate band (20% tax) £0 to £34,370 Higher rate band (40% tax) £34,371 to £150,000Additional rate band (50% tax) £150,000 and above

2012/13 personal allowances*

Under 65s £8,10565 to 74 £10,500 (Can be claimed at the start of the tax year if income for the year will be less than £25,400)

75 and over £10,660 (As above)Married couple’s allowance £7,705

This is available only if you or your spouse were born before 6 April 1935. It’s restricted to 10% and you are allowed to share thisallowance with your spouse. If you’ve done so then check your coding notices carefully.

Blind person’s allowance £2,100

You don’t have to be completely blind to claim this but you do need to register with your local authority on the blindregister (in England and Wales). If you think you qualify, ask your doctor to refer you to an eye specialist. This allowancecan also be shared with your spouse, and if your own income is low it may be beneficial to do this.

Two examples to help you check if your tax code is right:

1) Mrs A is 63, is still working, has deferred her state pension and doesn’t have any other income. She will have a personal allowance of £8,105 before she pays any tax and her code will be 810L this will be sent to her employer.

(2) Mrs B is also 63, receives a state pension of £7,105 and has a work pension and a part-time job. She has the same personal allowance of £8,105, but her state pension – which is taxable but can’t be taxed at source – needs to be subtracted from her allowance(£8,105 minus £7,105, leaving £1,000). This will be sent to her pension, as it’s a continuing source, as code 100L. As all ofher allowance is used up, any other income is taxed at the basic rate of 20%.*All figures may be subject to change in the May 2012 Budget

This article is written by Tax Help for Older People (TOP), a registered charity that offers free tax advice to olderpeople on incomes below £17,000 a year. Its helpline number is 0845 601 3321.

Cracking the tax code

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Extra benefits for Oddfellows members Members can take advantage of five discount offers, available throughout the year and exclusive tomembers of the Oddfellows.

To find out more about these products and to access the special discounts, log on to the memberssection of the website. Go to www.oddfellows.co.uk and click on members benefits.

DISCLAIMER: Links to third-party sites do not constitute an endorsement by the Oddfellows and useof the advertised products and services is entirely at your risk. The Oddfellows does not accept anyliability or responsibility for any third-party material appearing in the e-zine or on the website. TheOddfellows has not investigated the claims made by any advertiser and product information is basedsolely on material received from suppliers.