march issue m&a express

Mansfield & Ashfield Express, March 2013 2

Mansfield District Council has signed a decla-ration showing its commitment to work withpartners to help provide more affordablehousing in the District. The Executive Mayor Tony Egginton and theCouncil's Managing Director Ruth Marlowsigned the East Midlands Declaration on Af-fordable Housing, which further publicly ac-knowledges the importance of affordablehousing. Housing is a key priority for the Council, inparticular ensuring there is an adequate sup-ply of good quality, well managed housingwhich is accessible and affordable to thosewho need it. The Council already has a goodtrack record of partnership working in the de-livery of new affordable housing. The declaration commits the Council to workconstructively with developers, housing asso-ciations and the Homes and CommunitiesAgency to maximise opportunities and re-sources to deliver well designed new afford-able housing on suitable sites, through: ensuring robust research is carried out toidentify the scale and nature of affordablehousing need; seeking to make best use ofcouncil and publicly-owned land, capital re-sources and community assets in ways thatencourage economic growth and the deliveryof affordable housing; using planning powerscreatively and pragmatically;

working constructively with local communi-ties to make the case for development andchallenging local opposition with evidencewhere necessary; working collaboratively withrelevant partners to identify joint opportuni-ties for development; monitoring the deliveryof new affordable housing against the level ofestablished need and publishing the results onan annual basis; and freely sharing learning byproviding East Midlands Councils (EMC) withrelevant case studies. Mayor Egginton said: "Alack of affordable housing can have an adverseimpact on local residents. The Council alreadyworks in partnership with developers andhousing providers to ensure there is an ade-quate supply of good quality affordable hous-ing for those who need it. However, theCouncil is always seeking new ways of helpingto deliver new housing - especially in the cur-rent economic climate and signing this decla-ration commits the Council to continueworking to maximise opportunities and re-sources to deliver new affordable housing." The declaration is one of three affordablehousing initiatives launched by the East Mid-lands Councils (EMC) in December to help toincrease the delivery of affordable housing,amid concerns that without significant effortby all organisations in the housing deliverychain, delivery of affordable housing in theEast Midlands may well be severely con-strained over the next few years.

The Executive Mayor Tony Egginton and the Council's Managing Director Ruth Marlow sign the

East Midlands Declaration on Affordable Housing,

Mansfield signs AffordableHousing Declaration

Hello to all our great readers out there, onceagain thanks for picking up a copy of our illus-trious paper The Mansfield & Ashfield Ex-press. Our website is now fully operational &requires you to visit us at www.expressmedia-publishingltd.co.uk please feel free to com-ment on the news sections & let us know whatyou think! This is also an easier way of gettingyour comments as for April’s edition I wouldlike to add a Mansfield Moan page in whichyou the great public get to let vent your issuesin a proper public forum. Well what is happen-ing in March? The calendar dates for thismonth are as follows; 1st March – St DavidsDay, 5th March is St Pirans day, 7th – 10thMarch is Crufts, 10th March is Mother’s day &Simnel Sunday (Cakes!) the 11th March is

Commonwealth day and according to the greatoverseers of the weather at the Met office onthe 20th March spring begins (vernal equinox) Within this month’s edition (07, collect themall) we have a closer look at what LIBOR reallyis and who is to blame, we review the latestDie Hard film and as always have myriad oftopical editorials regarding beauty, fashion,health and home as well as the latest commu-nity news from the region. As always enjoy theread, please use our advertisers (if you doplease mention where you saw the advert)and if you have any community news, heroesto be praised, events to be publicised or just agood news story please contact me: [email protected] Editor: Jake Manton

From the Editors Desk


Every minute, someone somewhere becomesanother potential customer for Rob Marshall,Mansfield and surrounding areas based opera-tor for ChipsAway International, leading ‘on-the-spot’ automotive paint repair specialists.Think about it. Whether it’s a stone thrown upfrom the road, the key scraping against yourcar door, or an out of control shopping trolleyclipping your paintwork in the car park on abusy Saturday morning – and we’ve all beenthere - chips, bumps and minor scuffs are partand parcel of being a car owner.Unsurprising then that recent research hasconfirmed that the majority of the 34 millionvehicles in the UK are in need of attention totheir paintwork and that most drivers wouldlove to find a quick, cost-effective and conven-ient way of repairing their minor paintworkdamage. After all, nobody wants the expenseand inconvenience of booking their car into abody shop if it isn’t necessary.

This is exactly where Rob Marshall and Chips-Away can help. Using their unique system,ChipsAway can offer a faster, more convenientway of repairing minor damage to automotivepaintwork – and at a radically reduced cost –up to 50% less than a body shop! Car owners no longer need to book vehiclesinto a body shop for days at a time to havewhole panels treated simply to remove a smallscratch or chip to their paintwork. Rob Mar-shall operates from a fully equipped vehicle –essentially, his mobile workshop – and takeshis services directly to the customer, whethera member of the public or a business.ChipsAway has been around for almost 20years and has more than 300 UK specialists,between them repairing some 300,000 vehi-cles per year!Now you know ChipsAway can save you timeand money why not give Rob Marshall a calland arrange a free, no obligation estimate –07816 904024.

Oops! Another customer for Chips Away!


Festival Hall Leisure Centre, the Kirkby in Ash-field based health club has joined the HealthClub Awards which recognises the best clubsbased on research conducted through mem-bers around the country. The awards measurethe quality of customer service, facilities andvalue for money provided by clubs by askingmembers to rate them. Simon Brown who owns and runs the schemeexplains: “Belonging to a good health club is arewarding experience. Members probablyspend more time there than they realise and itbecomes an integral part of their lifestyle.Providing them with a haven from their franticday to day existence and at the same timehelping them to tackle life in a healthier, moreproductive way.For the club it’s not easy to get every aspectjust right. It requires a lot of hard work and a

belief that members should have a rewardingexperience every time they visit the club. Through the Health Club Awards we will findout which clubs are providing the most re-warding member experience. We will recog-nise those clubs for their excellence, andultimately find out which are providing thebest experience and membership value acrossthe country.”Nick Stowey – General Manager said “we arevery proud of the level of service we provideall our members. We believe we offer excel-lent value for money and this scheme is agreat way to prove it.”

For further press information please contact

Simon Brown at

Awards For Business on 01892 610245 Email

[email protected]

Festival Hall Leisure Centre Joins National Award Scheme Recognising the Best Health Clubs in the Country


Hard Times =

Fabulous Fashionby pirates, music by pop stars dressed likePrince Charming and hedonistic nights outwhich helped them forget their troubles. Nowa new generation of designers - Henry Hol-land, Christopher Kane, Gareth Pugh, all tooyoung to remember the 1980s - are makingtheir mark on fashion in much the same way.Their bright, imaginative take on dressing ismore than a little reminiscent of those pre-yuppy days. And speaking of yuppies it proba-bly isn't that shocking to find power dressingcreeping back in to not only high end designerfashion but the High Street too. Indeed there'sno bigger story than oversized shoulders onthe catwalk just now while boldly colouredcocktail dresses for women and pastelsweaters and brogues for men are making anunexpected Dallas-themed comeback. Perhapsdesigners are encouraging buyers to flaunttheir wealth, just as the yuppies did in the1980s with their Armani suits and gold jew-ellery, or maybe these designs are simplyhopeful, looking forward to a new age ofwealth when we've pulled ourselves out of thisdeep depression. It's interesting that duringthe 1990s and early 2000s dressing up was allabout dressing down; boho skirts, chino-wear-ing dotcom entrepreneurs, jeans as eveningwear, baggy and grunge, much like the 1970ssaw women embrace denim, men let their hairgrow long, punks turn safety pins in to jew-ellery and even the glam disco crowd swapskirts for hotpants. But now that the goinghas got tough the tough have started dressingup again.

Take a good hard look at this season's fashionand it becomes apparent that two eras, morethan any others, have influenced the way de-signers are thinking. And it's probably notsurprising to discover that those two eras - theearly 1980s and the wartime 1940s - reflectthe tough financial climate that we're experi-encing now. That's right, the double Cs havemade it in to fashion. Not, of course, Chanelbut the Credit Crunch. The biggest economicstory of recent years has filtered through tothe way we dress, not by eliminating our pas-sion for fashion but by fuelling creativity witha make do and mend ethic and by encouragingdesigners and fashionistas to hark back to thetimes which were hard for our parents andtheir parents before them. In the 1980sBritain was pulling itself out of a harsh reces-sion, a tough government was coming downhard on our money and employment was at anall time low. Yet the fashion world was brightin more ways than one. Whether it was a de-nial of the bleak outlook or a reaction to a lackof cash fashion had a homespun feel, yet wasbrighter than it had ever been before. Neoncolours, sequins, frothy lace and over-exagger-ated proportions were the trademarks, notonly of designers such as Leigh Bowery, JudyBlame, Bodymap and Vivienne Westwood(who had weathered the punk storm and wentfrom strength to strength, inspiring New Ro-mantics in their love of theatricality) but ofthe fashion-hungry people on the streets whoindulged in escapism through outfits inspired

How to Find

the Perfect

Pair of JeansWhatever their size, finding well-fitting jeans is atask many women dread. But whether they're infashion or not, the perfect pair of denims needs

to flatter your shape. Read on to find out how.

There's nothing simpler than a pair of bluejeans, they go with anything, can be dressedup or dressed down, can be smart enough forwork or just right for lounging. So how is itthat finding the perfect pair can be such atrauma? Take the skinnies, which until recently werethe fashionista's denim of choice. Sure theylooked fabulous on Kate Moss and the highstreet served up pairs in every colour and tosuit every wallet. But the truth be told, thoughmost of us were wearing them, 99% didn't re-ally suit them. Ditto the high waist, the extreme flare, the pegand even the boyfriend jean. Fashion or nofashion, the right pair of denims needs to suityour shape. But fear not fair maidens, the rightpair of jeans doesn't have to mean boring oldbootcut. There is a style-forward shape outthere for you whether you're an apple, a pairor a beanpole.

Skinny minnies may be the envy of the morevoluptuous woman but a stick thin figure is asdifficult to dress as the widest behind. You canpull off skinnies, yes, but be aware that theywill accentuate thin legs. Add curves with ahigh waist, wide set back, high up pockets anda good flare which, if you aren't afraid of yourheight, will look fabulous with a rocking pairof wedges.

Pear shaped ladies may bemoan their inabilityto work the rock chick trend but there's noth-ing that looks finer than a pair of lovely widelegs with a high heel and a simple

beaded vest top on a curvy figure. A wider legbalances hips and conceals thunder thighs butbeware of too much stretch across the behind,which can make a large bum look huge.

Shorter legs can be elongated with straight-legged jeans, especially those which crop atthe ankle, giving the illusion of a longer, thin-ner leg and do away with the need for adjust-ment. Although beware of a too-short cropwhich can make a petite lady look shorter anda sturdy calf look positively chunky.

Long legs with a short body can be equally dif-ficult, especially when it comes to findingjeans to fit. Check Gap or J Brand for longer in-seams and avoid high waists at all costs.Slouchy boyfriend jeans that hang on yourhips look great on longer legs but watch outfor less than perfect tummies that can peekout if your top is too short.

Boyish figures that are a little muscular or toostraight-up-and-down might find slim-fittingjeans too figure hugging on heavy calves butflares too slouchy on barely-there bums.You're in luck though - this year's peg leg jeanslook perfect on you, adding a curve to your fig-ure, particularly with the addition of a highwaist. If you're still unsure about which jeansare going to suit you and the world of fashionis just too fickle for your credit card there'ssome good news. Head for the back of yourwardrobe now because the word on the cat-walk is that the bootleg cut is heading for amajor comeback.


Give Your

Wardrobe A

Spring Clean

As the evenings get longer, our thoughts turnto spring being the traditional time for em-barking on a thorough clean-up - both insideand outside the home. But dig a little deeper and you might be sur-prised to discover the real cost of closing thecupboard through the winter months with ahalf-hearted pledge to sort it out later: the hid-den piles of clothes from seasons gone by. Research by home furnishing experts IKEA re-veals that on average Brits are hoarding£1,212 worth of clothes. Despite having wardrobes filled with the latestfashions, 40% of people claim to be boredwith their togs and only three per cent saythey feel excited about choosing a differentoutfit each day. A third also admit to wearing only 10% oftheir outfits, resulting in a shameful £1,090worth of clothes left hanging on the rails, un-touched, unloved and unwanted. Almost halfof the nation - 45% - describes the state oftheir wardrobe as 'unorganised chaos' andnearly a quarter admit to grabbing the firstthing that comes to hand each morning with23% saying they wear the same old trustedoutfits over and over again. But a simple furniture reorganisation could bethe key to rediscovering our clothing cacheswithout splashing out yet more dosh on de-signer creations. Bedrooms expert Pippa Swain says: Our re-search shows that despite having a wealth ofoutfits to choose from, Brits are often left feel-ing frustrated and uninspired by the contentsof their wardrobes. Instead of buying new clothes, money-savvyBrits should invest in storage solutions thathelp rediscover the items they once loved. Celebrity stylist Grace Woodward has teamedup with IKEA to give hoarders some top tipson how to tame their wardrobes:

1. Clarity is Key

Clear out your wardrobe every year for thecoming season: if it doesn't fit or can't beworked into an outfit, then get rid of it. Put thethings you simply can't bear to part with in abox and if you haven't missed them in fourweeks, put them in the charity pile.

2. Hang with Pride

Once you have de-cluttered, the next step isreorganising. It's important to make the mostof the space within your wardrobe and neveroverfill - you don't have to hang everything.

3. You Are Your Canvas

Making a great outfit is like painting - usingcolour and texture to create something inter-esting. If you know instantly where to reach inand grab those little extras like accessories,then your look becomes your own unique cre-ation. Drawers and dividers are not onlyamazing space savers but they help you stayorganised with separate spots for belts,scarves and tights.

4. Kick Off

Shoe racks and boxes are the key to footlooseand fancy free self-expression - and a must forgood shoe care too. Boxes with clear frontshelp keep dust away and make it easy tochoose the right pair for your outfit. Grace advises: "Just as you have many differ-ent roles to play in a day, so does yourwardrobe. It needs to organise your clothes,hang them properly, show off your best bitsand keep all those things you'd rather forgetcleverly hidden away. A good wardrobe fittedproperly with clever de-cluttering solutionscan transform your clothes from shabby tochic in no time.

With Brits admitting to only wearing 10% oftheir outfits, a simple furniture reorganisationcould be the key to rediscovering our clothing

caches and saving money.


Is Perfect Skin all

About Wrinkles?We're so obsessed by wrinkles that according to top dermatologists, we'reignoring other things that really make adifference to our skin's appearance. Sowhat can we do to stop beauty disaster?

Whereas many of us will happily spend a smallfortune on shoes we'll baulk at the price ofskin care products which promise to keep ourskin in its prime or, worse, merrily fall in tobed without so much of taking off our makeup. Fast forward to our thirties and fortiesand we're bemoaning burgeoning crows feetand sighing at our ashy, dull complexions. Is it a future we can avoid by spending big atthe Crème de la Mer counter? Or could weeven promise ourselves fabulously youthfulskin by just making a few tweaks to our day today schedule? And once we've hit the sag andstretch is there a way back to the bouncy, tautskin of our youth? According to top dermatologists we're so ob-sessed with wrinkles and sag that we're ignor-ing the things which really make a differenceto the appearance of our skin. That's right -botox and face lifts may not be the answerafter all. In fact the basics of good skin lie incolour, texture and sensitivity. Concentrate onthese factors and you may be able to changeyour skin for the better.So how do you even begin to change those fac-tors which seem unchangeable? The key is to understanding your skin typeand treating it accordingly. Many of us pickproducts which are totally wrong for our skintype but keep on using them on a promise ofless wrinkles or a tighter jawline, ignoring the

fact that they are causing irritation or aremaking little or no difference. We all know the six skin types but can we besure which we have? Here's an easy guide: Oily: Oily skin is noticeably shiny with largepores and a tendency towards blackheads. Dry: Dull, flaky skin, especially on your cheeksis a good indication of dry skin. Combination: An oily T-zone and dry cheeksare the telltale signs of combination skin. Mature: Mature skin is characterised by thin,delicate skin, especially around the eyes. Sensitive: Often inflamed and easily irritated,sensitive skin easily rashes. Pick products specific to your skin type andfollow a simple routine of cleansing, toning,using an active product (AHA or beta hydroxylacid) and adding sunscreen which is vital tothe well being of your skin. Those with normal skin should avoid oil orsoap based cleansers and moisturisers whileoily skin types react best to water based, oilfree products and combination skins may wishto use moisturisers only on their driest parts.Sensitive skins should wear at least an SPF30year round and avoid anything fragranced, al-cohol based or containing dyes. From follow-ing this strict regime morning and night yourskin will look rejuvenated, lessening the im-pact of any developing wrinkles or pigmenta-tion spots and helping your skin to lookyounger from today well in to the future.

What’s the largest organ in the body? It maysurprise you to find out it’s actually the skin.With a surface area of around 2 square metres,it adds up to around 16% of your body weight.Our skin acts as a barrier to the outside world,providing a waterproof covering to our body,while still allowing us to absorb lotions, oils,hormone patches, and other useful sub-stances.And that’s not all; it absorbs vitamin D whichwe use to help absorb calcium for healthybones and teeth, keeps our temperature even,and allows our bodies to release water, saltsand toxins to keep ourselves healthy.So how can we support this hard working partof our body? A well balanced diet, plenty ofwater and keeping an eye on the alcohol wedrink, all help our skin health. Keeping ourstress levels low, and our sleep levels highhelps the skin to regenerate and rejuvenate.

Exercise helps the circulation, and this inturn helps the flow of nutrients to the skin, tokeep those skin cells growing, but smokingwill reduce the absorption of vitamins, so re-ducing this can help your health and appear-ance.The environment we’re in can have affect ourskin as well, higher levels of pollution, UV ra-diation, chemicals and harsh climates can alltake their toll, but there are ways to help com-bat this.So if you’re feeling the effects of winter, thedryness of central heating, and you’re skin hasbeen struggling to breathe through the extralayers of winter woolies, you may be noticingyou are a little lethargic, fuzzy headed and justdon’t feel at your best – you may be in need ofa body brush and exfoliation treat. Salontreatments are available, but you can boostthese by brushing at home, to keep that all

important circulation going and getting ahealthy glow back to your body.Dry skin brushes are widely available, but thebest ones have a long handle so you can reachall over your body. For the best results drybrush once a day – try in the morning whileyou are waiting for the water to warm throughin the shower, and brush briskly towards theheart to stimulate and wake you up. Brush inlong smooth overlapping strokes starting atthe feet and working up the body, avoiding anysensitive areas or areas of broken skin, and toreally get the circulation going – jump in theshower afterwards and alternate betweenwarm and cold water. Finish your morningroutine with a body butter or moisture creamto leave you feeling polished and ready for theday ahead. (And to keep your brush in tip topcondition, clean at least once a week, withwarm soapy water, and place bristle down todry it thoroughly)

Love the

Skin

You’re InThis month LindaMurray MFHT & StaceyStaniforth from BeautyAngels gives us the lowdown on skin care

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11

Most men and women with ageing faces wouldlike to do something to turn the clock back afew years. Filling the gap between invasivecosmetic surgeries and over-the-counterbeauty products is a range of non-invasivecosmetic surgeries that are easier on thepocket and far less painful. Non-invasive cosmetic surgery is taking offfast in the UK thanks to the wide availability ofwell-known treatments such as Botox and cos-metic dermal fillers. But a word of caution: be-fore you take the plunge, remember thatnon-invasive cosmetic treatments still needcareful consideration and should always becarried out by trained professionals. If you have considered the matter carefully,and preferably talked it over with your GP,here are a few non-invasive treatments thatare targeted at the facial area: Restylane (www.restylane.com) is an in-jectable gel that is administered by trained,medically qualified practitioners throughoutthe UK. It is designed to work by enhancingthe skin's stocks of hyaluronic acid, directlyadding volume to either soften the signs ofageing or enhance features. The procedure usually takes less than 30 min-utes and the benefits can be seen immediately.Restylane is long lasting, but not permanent.The hyaluronic acid gel of Restylane closely re-sembles natural hyaluronic acid, helping to re-duce the risk of an inflammatory reaction orother side effects. The most popular treat-ment is Restylane Lipp, which is used to fillout wrinkles and folds or to sculpt lips. Theproduct is naturally degradable and it is esti-mated that it lasts six to 12 months before anew treatment is necessary. It is formulated towork in harmony with the natural anatomy of

the lip. The Face and Body Clinic (www.the-faceandbodyclinic.co.uk) situated in London'sHarley Street offers non-invasive treatmentsfor skincare, anti-ageing and hair removal.Skincare therapies on offer include non-chem-ical facial peels, mesotherapy without needlesand skin tightening treatments. Anti-wrinkle light refinement is the clinic's lat-est treatment. It uses formulated ampoules,infra-red and blue light and bio-resonancewaves to aid relaxation, stimulate skin and en-courage cell regeneration. The treatment,which costs from £80 per session, claims toproduce long-term improvements to wrinklesand fine lines without any of the side-effectsassociated with older-style lasers, such asscarring, reddening and sunlight sensitivity.Tear Trough Rejuvenation by Raman Malhotra(www.ramanmalhotra.com) uses hyaluronicacid products to help reduce the appearanceof bags and dark circles under the eyes. In the lower eyelid and cheek area, loss of vol-ume accentuates the bony orbital rim betweenthe lower eyelid and the cheek. This leads tothe pronounced appearance of natural fatpockets and accentuation of tear trough shad-ows. The treatment helps reduce dark circlesby creating a smooth lower eyelid contour andreducing shadowing. It lasts between six and12 months. David Gault has recently launched a new anti-ageing facial treatment at the Portland Hospi-tal in London. Portrait Plasma SkinRegeneration is a non-surgical procedure toimprove skin laxity, texture, pore size, acnescars and surface pigmentation as well as re-duce the depth of wrinkles by removing su-perficial tissue. The treatment takes 20-30minutes.

For those who'd like to look a bityounger but don't want to go the wholehog with cosmetic surgery, a range ofnon-invasive treatments is on offer. We take a look at what's available.

Beauty

Non-Invasive

Alternatives to

Cosmetic Surgery Non-invasive cosmetic surgery istaking off fast in the UK thanks tothe wide availability of well-knowntreatments such as Botox and cosmetic dermal fillers


Make Time For Mum

Hopi Ear Candling

those with damaged ears should avoid. Where Does Ear Candling Come From? Thename Hopi can be slightly misleading as theHopi Indians, who live in Arizona, claim neverto have used the system. Rather the traditionappears to be traceable back to the Egyptianswhile parchment scrolls have also revealed avery similar treatment was traditional in theOrient. What Are The Benefits? In addition to clearingairways and in some cases dislodging stub-born ear wax, ear candling can bring astrangely clear feeling to the sinuses and headwhich is most welcome in patients with colds.Additionally though few people use ear can-dling without seeking a cure the process,which often incorporates a short facial mas-sage, is incredibly soothing. What Are The Negatives? Ear candling hascome under heavy criticism in the past, notonly due to the dubious claims that it creatednegative pressure, drawing wax from the ear(which it doesn't) but over safety concernssurrounding both the insertion of items in toone's ear canal and the proximity of the can-dle's flame to one's face. However if carriedout by a professional using the correct equip-ment ear candling is perfectly safe. How MuchDoes It Cost? Depending on the place of treat-ment ear candling will generally cost between£20 and £30 and is available in a range ofplaces, not just spas but beauty salons, barber-shops and dedicated alternative treatmentcentres.

What Is Ear Candling? Hopi ear candling orthermo-auricular therapy is one of those loveit or hate it treatments. Quick and cheap, earcandling can take place during a lunch breakand as a regular treat but for many the experi-ence is less than exciting. However enthusi-asts see ear candling as a magical cure for allnumber of ills and still others claim that it haschanged their lives. What Does The Treatment Involve? During earcandling the patient lies on his or her side on amassage bed, often covered with a blanket tokeep warm. The therapist simply inserts along, hollow tube in to the opening of the ear,lights it and holds the candle in place as itburns for around ten minutes. After this timethe patient turns over and the process is re-peated in the second ear. What Are The Can-dles Made Of? It is a common misconceptionthat ear candles are similar to traditional waxcandles. However they are in fact long tubesof linen, beeswax, honey and often extracts ofSt John's wort, chamomile and sage. What Is Ear Candling Used For? Ear candlingis most commonly used in complications ofthe ear such as tinnitus or compacted earwax/glue ear and while it tends to work well(in a similar way to syringing) in these cases itappears to equally, if not even more wellsuited to complaints of the head and sinusesincluding hay fever, sinusitis, migrane andrhinitis. More serious issues such as vertigoand Menier's can also be treated although

Mothering Sunday is fast approaching and aswe rush round grabbing cards, flowers andchocolates, spare a thought for those mums ofold who were so down-trodden this was theonly day they got a break.While you might betreating your beloved mum to the latest homeappliance, a meal out or a luxury spa session,mothers in days gone by were lucky if sawtheir offspring once a year.Although oftencalled Mothers' Day, Mothering Sunday has noconnection to the American festival of thesame name and is always celebrated on thefourth Sunday of Lent, which this year falls onMarch 18.The celebration has its origins in theancient Roman Hilaria Festival to honour Cy-bele, mother of the Gods. This tradition gaveway as Christianity spread through Europeand became part of Laetere Sunday, the fourthSunday in Lent.Early English Christians usedthis day to venerate the Virgin Mary andMother Church and usually celebrated at theirlocal chapel - their 'mother church' - and weresaid to have gone 'a-mothering'.England be-came the first country in the world to dedicatea day specially to mothers when a clerical de-cree in the 1600s expanded the celebrations.In times when it was common for children toleave home at the age of 10 to work as appren-tices, farm hands and domestic servants, thiswas the only day of the year families were re

united. Returning sons and daughters whowere in service often picked posies of flowersfor their mothers on the way to the service,hence the long-standing tradition.To enablethem to further enjoy the celebrations, theLenten fasting rules were relaxed and the dayalso became known as Refreshment Sunday.Young servants and maids were therefore al-lowed to bake a cake as a gift for their motherand fruit cakes with two layers of almondpaste, known as Simnel Cakes, became a popu-lar present.Of course it's a fruit cake with a re-ligious flavour and is topped with 11 marzipanballs, signifying 11 of Christ's 12 Apostles,minus the traitor Judas Iscariot.The name it-self is likely derived from the Latin simila - afine wheat flour - but legend has it that a mancalled Simon and his wife Nell argued overwhether the cake should be backed or boiled.They eventually agreed to do both so the cakewas named after them both - Sim-Nell.The ad-vent of the Industrial Revolution almost speltthe death-knell for this tradition as harshworking conditions put paid to the annual cel-ebration for the vast majority of the workingpoor.But with the influx of American soldiersinto England during the world wars, the tradi-tion was revived by homesick troops, albeit onthe second Sunday of May.

Hopi ear candling is an alternative treatment forblocked or irritated ears, but some enthusiasts see it as

a cure for many more ills.


Turning to Stone

Exercise Survey Reveals Shocking Results

in a regular massage. Heat immediately re-laxes muscles, which makes hot stones ther-apy ideal for drawing out muscle pain anddiscomfort. There is no single way to practisehot stone therapy, so treatments will varyfrom spa to salon. Some will place the stonestraditionally on the energy centres using a rit-ualistic technique, which also involves lying oncloth-covered stones. Others will combine thegliding techniques used in Swedish and Lomi-Lomi massages, where a little oil is applied tothe stones so the therapist can iron out tensemuscles. The stones are often used on pressure pointsthroughout the body and any particular prob-lem areas. The therapy adopts reflexologypractices, as the feet contain nerve endingsthat connect with all other areas of the body.Therapists often incorporate small hot stones,which are placed between the toes to stimu-late the nerve endings in the feet. They willalso massage the feet using the stones in thesame way a reflexologist would. Lymphatic drainage is also possible by com-bining cold marble and warm stones. Thiscombination is also effective for increasinggeneral circulation to vascular-restricted areasof the body. Whether you believe in prana energy orchakras, hot stones therapy is a sensual, to-tally relaxing and deeply therapeutictreatment for you to enjoy.

If you're heading to a beauty spa or salon for abit of you tim, the chances are that hot stonestherapy will be on the menu. This treatmenthas grown in popularity over the past fiveyears, but, like many alternative therapies, itdates back thousands of years. Hot stones are believed to have been usedwithin many ancient cultures, but the therapyused today has its roots in India. Ayurveda, the ancient healing tradition ofIndia, believes that an energy source calledprana flows through the body, in a similar wayto the Oriental qi. Yogis work with this energysource using breathing techniques, meditationand poses to harness the prana for healing. There is also a tradition of using natural toolssuch as herbs, flowers, crystals and heatedstones. Healers originally used rocks fromriver beds and warmed them in hot coals orhot water. By placing the hot stones along theenergy centres of the body, they are thought tostimulate an internal healing process. Connecting the flow or paths of energy wasused to rebalance the physical body, mind andspirit. Seven semi-precious stones are used inmost treatments to bring balance to thechakra centres. The heat retention capabilitiesof the smooth stones make them excellentthermotherapy tools. When warmed, the heatthey give off warms muscles and quickly re-laxes clients. As the result the healer can workdeeper and more specifically than they would

According the British Heart Foundation (BHF),only 38 per cent of Brits would be motivatedto do more exercise if their life depended on it.This leaves a shocking 62 per cent who wouldrather put their life at risk by staying inactive. Shocking statistics show someone dies every15 minutes as a direct result of physical inac-tivity, which shows that it is one of the heart'sworst enemies. Currently, only a third of Britsachieve the minimum recommended amountof exercise every day. These shocking results have led BHF to launcha major new campaign hoping to encouragemore people to become physically active. TheBeat campaign, which includes an interactivewebsite, a podcast and a free motivational textmessage service, offers inspirational ideas toget you off the sofa and moving in the right di-rection towards a healthier heart. It will high-light that upping the tempo of your heartbeatfor 30 minutes a day will reduce your risk ofheart disease by half. Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention andcare at the BHF, says, “this is a deadly seriousissue. With our busy lifestyles and labour-sav-ing devices, we've stopped getting the exerciseour bodies desperately need”. For many people, exercise has become an uglyword, something to avoid at all costs, butyou'd be amazed how easy it is to up the

tempo of your heartbeat. Just 30 minutes a

day will do you and your heart the world of

good. The BHF is trying to show people that

it can be fun too.

The YouGov poll of more than 2,100 UK

adults shows that brisk walking is the na-

tion's favourite way of getting exercise, with

over a quarter of Brits favouring the activity

over dancing, swimming or going to the

gym.

TV presenter Julia Bradbury (Watchdog,

Wainwright's Walks, Climb Britain) is a

keen walker. She says, “to keep your heart

healthy, regular exercise is vital. If you can't

build in a rigorous time consuming exercise

regime then you need to work exercise into

your daily life.

Walking is a great way to keep fit. I walk

wherever I can, whenever I can. My recent

fell-walks through the beautiful Lake Dis-

trict were uplifting for both body and mind.

I even overcame my fear of heights to at-

tempt rock climbing and that really got my

heart beating.”But it doesn't have to be

scary. You can increase your heartbeat with

anything from gardening to housework. Go

on, give it a go and you'll find out just how

easy it is.The minimum recommendation

for good health is 30 minutes of moderate-

intensity physical activity five times a week.

Whether you believe in prana energy or chakras or not,hot stones therapy is a sensual, totally relaxing and

deeply therapeutic treatment for you to enjoy.

Mansfield & Ashfield Express, March 2013 14Mansfield & Ashfield Express, March 2013

A Mediterranean diet has alwaysbeen seen as the perfect recipe for

a long and healthy life, andscientists have now identified

exactly which bits are so positive.

Is a Mediterranean

Diet the Key to a

Long Life?

Situated in a Grade 2 listed building and formerly known as the Cattle Market Tavernuntil its closure in 1979, Lambs at the Marketfirst opened its doors in 2007. The cosyrestaurant offers the people of Mansfield thechance to savour the delights of fine dining. We opted for Friday night Steak Night, whichis a brilliant way to start your weekend. With parking spaces outside the restaurant,the establishment was easier to access thanwe had first anticipated. Upon entering, wewere greeted by Brenda, the restaurant man-ageress who attentively escorted us to ourtable and took our orders for drinks. The softlighting and an excellent choice of music play-ing in the background gave the place a verywelcoming and relaxed atmosphere.The menus arrived and - it’s important to notethat there was two (both steak menu andhouse menu) – we were quite literally spoiltfor choice. With so much to choose from it wasa tough call but we opted to dine from thesteak night menu. My dining partner opted forthe Soup for starters and said it was delicious.I ordered Gressingham Duck Foie Gras servedwith an accompanying Mandarin Sauce – acontemporary nod to the classic french dish

Steak Night @ LambsFine dining in Mansfield? Why not forgo the usual

Friday night takeaway and treat yourself to some

proper, locally sourced gourmet grub...

duck a l’orange. When it came to the table itlooked fantastic and I spent a minute or twoadmiring the craftsmanship that had assem-bled this culinary delight; and upon tasting thedish, it didn’t disappoint either, with the man-darin and Foie Gras flavours complimentingeach other excellently. The Steaks arrived – I’d opted for the 8oz fillet– and were served beautifully on a woodenboard with tomato, mushroom and watercresswith an accompanying bowl of thick cut, triplefried chips. Trust me this is a site for sore eyesif you’re in need of a good meal. The steak wascooked to perfection; expertly seared on theoutside and mouth wateringly tender in themiddle, it was delicious. The earthy flavour ofthe watercress worked surprisingly well withthe smoky, sweet beef and the chips were theicing on the cake – light, fluffy and terriblymoreish. My dining partner opted for the 14ozrump and although they highly enjoyed themeal, struggled to finish it all.And for desert? You’ll have to find out foryourselves, there simply was no more room inour stomach’s to sample the delights of the desert menu, we were stuffed. Highly recommended.Brenda Dubowski proudly displaying her certificate of culinary excellce award

Mansfield & Ashfield Express, March 201315

A Mediterranean diet has long been heraldedas the perfect recipe for a long, happy life butresearchers now say that the high levels of fishand seafood and fewer servings of dairy tradi-tionally thought to contribute, make little orno difference to lifespan or health. With that inmind is the healthy Mediterranean diet amyth? Scientists have now found a way to identifythe positive components of the diet, identify-ing the parts most likely to contribute to alonger lifespan. Research over the years hasshown that the diet can help to reduce therisks of debilitating or life-threatening condi-tions such as cancer, heart disease andAlzheimer's. Additionally, the very latest re-search, carried out on 23,000 people, gaveeaters of a Mediterranean diet an extra eightyears on those not regularly following thesame. Perhaps surprisingly, the Harvard School ofPublic Health, who conducted the study, sug-gest that in terms of lengthening life span themost effective part of the diet was the regularconsumption of wine. In addition to drinkingwine, a reduced consumption of meats andhigh levels of fruit, vegetables and nuts wasalso effective. The evidence may be somewhat damning inBritain where the majority of the populationeat meat with almost every meal and wheredrinking, even moderately, is discouraged.Likewise few Brits eat substantial amounts offruit and vegetables in their everyday diet.

Harvard's study shows that the combinationof key components of the diet is also helpful,for example combining vegetables and oliveoil is shown to be excellent. With this in mind a less meat heavy diet ispositively encouraged, dining only occasion-ally on, in particular, red meat. Meals that fea-ture vegetables as their main component,cooked in olive oil and perhaps garnished witha handful of nuts are an excellent daily addi-tion to your diet, while a glass of wine withyour meal should definitely not be viewed as anegative. As far as the study was concerned, the addi-tion of fish and seafood to a person's diet didnot seem to factor in health levels and a longerlife. However, as previous studies have shownthat larger, fatty fish such as salmon or tunacontain good omega-3 fatty acids that con-tribute to a lower risk for certain diseases,particularly prostate cancer, they should defi-nitely not be seen as 'bad'. It is also worth re-membering that lifestyle plays a large part in aperson's health. Indeed the Mediterraneanlifestyle, with generally lower stress levels andless hours spent behind a desk, could not befurther from the British way of life, wherestress levels have rocketed in recent yearswith stress-related illnesses at a high, particu-larly in women. As well as changing your dietthink about reducing your stress, Mediter-ranean style, by taking full breaks from work,spending more time outdoors and dining withfriends and family instead of in front of the tel-evision.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Harvard School

of Public Health, who conducted the study,

suggest that in terms of lengthening life span

the most effective part of the diet was the

regular consumption of wine.

The film documentary Black Gold brought theplight of Ethiopian coffee farmers to theworld's attention by reminding people that acup of coffee has a connection to millions ofpeople struggling to survive on the Africancontinent. The film, which won critical acclaim at theSundance Film Festival, focuses on the coffeegrowers of the Oromia Region of southern andwestern Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, andaccuses the coffee industry of not givingEthiopian producers a fair deal. Farmers in the developing world are typicallypaid around 60p for 1lb of coffee, forcing themto struggle to afford schooling for their chil-dren, healthcare and even to put food on thetable, while coffee companies rake in tremen-dous profits from their labour. Of course, thebig coffee multinationals have denied they areexploiting coffee growers. The film was made by Brighton brothers Nickand Marc Francis. They commented in a state-ment, We wanted to make a film which forcedus as Western consumers to question some ofour basic assumptions about our consumerlifestyle. Black Gold follows Tadesse Meskela, the gen-

eral manager of the Oromia Coffee FarmersCooperative Union (OCFCU), as he travels theworld looking for a better price for his farm-ers' coffee by eliminating the numerous mid-dlemen. There is a scene where coffee farmers pray toGod for a higher price: only the multinational

companies that buy their coffee beans cangrant their wishes. Major coffee buyers willstate that they pay the going rate at the stockexchange which, luckily for them, allows themto buy coffee at a low market price so they canmake huge profit margins. Until there is a better answer, consumers arebeing urged to take action by offering theirsupport to fair-trade coffee producers. If allcoffee drinkers in the world bought fair-tradecoffee, things will change for coffee growers inEthiopia and other countries. They would re-ceive a decent and fair wage as an alternativeto living in perpetual poverty. One fair-trade company, Eco Coffee, suppliescoffee beans from the 103,000 farmers in theOCFCU featured in Black Gold . The Oromia re-gion in Ethiopia produces 65 per cent of thecountry's coffee and approximately 618,000households in the region are involved in coffeeproduction. Men and women of the OCFCU arethe growers, processors and exporters of highquality, organic Arabica coffee. Paul Green-halgh of Eco Coffee says, The best way for cof-fee lovers to celebrate all year long is with EcoCoffee's monthly delivery of OCFCU's MochaSidamo at home or as a gift to UK friends andrelatives. At the end of 12 months, Eco Coffeewill make an extra donation to the OCFCU tofurther their community projects and posi-tively impact people's lives.� For informationon Eco Coffee's monthly delivery, go towww.ecocoffeeshop.co.uk or call 01883717483. The film Black Gold is out on DVD.

Fair Trade for Ethiopian

Coffee Farmers


Lime Infused Sea Bass

Mama’’’’’’s Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

One whole sea bass, scaled and gutted Seven tablespoons olive oil Three limes One tablespoon chopped fresh basil,parsley and dill One grated garlic clove One small red onion, finely sliced Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Roasted lime gives an added kick to this delicious dish, perfect with seasoned tomatoes

and sauted potatoes. Serves 4-6.

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ gas mark 6. 2. Scale fish well, cut off fins, wash under cold running water and pat dry with kitchenpaper. 3. Use a sharp knife to make four diagonal cuts across both sides of the fish. 4. Put fish in an oiled roasting tray and brush lightly with some oil. 5. Grate zest of one lime and squeeze juice. Mix with herbs, garlic and red onion in abowl. 6. Stuff mixture into fish cuts. Cut two limes in quarters and place alongside fish. 7. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over remaining oil. Put fish in oven for 25-30minutes. 8. Place fish on serving plate and drizzle with tray juices. Serve with sautéed potatoesseasonal vegatables.

Crispy Roast Pork Belly

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 kg/3lb 5oz boneless pork belly, with rind Four tbsp coarse sea salt

Two tbsp ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns Two tsp freshly ground white pepper

Two tbsp five spice powder One tbsp caster sugar

An inexpensive Chinese dish, this takes time to prepare

but is well worth the effort. Serves 4-6.

1. Pierce pork rind with a sharp fork or knife until skin is covered with fine holes. 2. Insert a meat hook into the meat to secure it. Boil a large pan of water and use a largeladle to pour the water over the pork rind several times over a sink. 3. Set pork aside, heat a wok and add salt, peppers, five spice powder and sugar andstir-fry for three minutes. Allow to cool slightly. 4. When mixture is cool enough to handle, rub it into pork flesh. 5. Hang pork to dry for eight hours or overnight in a cool place. 6. Preheat oven to 200C, gas mark 6. 7. Place pork on wire rack, rind side up, over a deep roasting pan filled about one thirdwith water and roast for 20 minutes. 8. Reduce heat to 180C, gas mark 4 and roast for two hours. 9. Turn oven up to 230C, gas mark 8 and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven andallow to cool. 10. Carve into bite-size pieces and serve with rice and seasonal vegetables.

Method


ACROSS1. Phone books6. Honey liquor8. Bathwater film9. Sovereign

10. Insinuate11. Throwing weapon13. Cinema for motorists(5-2)15. Frosts (cake)16. Summon17. Street level (6,5)

DOWN1. Bulldozing2. Quantity of paper3. Keep afloat, ... water4. Creep (towards)5. Articulated lorry7. Currency, ... & cents8. Cynic

12. Evade13. Trial showing14. Western pact19. Moved in water20. Couple

Solutions on page 28

Scribble Pad

ACROSS1. Back in flat, tube retains counter-argument (8)4. Plastic mug for baker around 4th of June (6)8. Report about case worker? (6)9. Cattle list said to produce change (8)

12. Scholarly epidemic that swapped a broken pie for a useless cause (8)13. TV watcher sees six Romans on pitcher (6)14. Look displeased when cows wander in front of learner driver (5)16. Lifts votes - Earl is for reform (9)18. Wayward saint errs but keeps in check (9)20. Incident in the seventies (5)22. Appreciates principles (6)24. Blue gem spoilt his paper (8)27. Lisping Miss Ickle is legendary (8)28. Periodical showed archeological site established briefly (6)29. Spotted Communist and became angry (3,3)30. Fixated bosses upset editor (8)

DOWN1. Salesman has food and tells story again (7)2. Barbara callous when she doesn't receive a call from the wild (9)3. The half-time subject? (5)5. In butter ad, I categorically wipe out (9)6. Rotters come out with smart replies (7)7. Heard the French note to follow soh (3)

10. You asked for churchyard tree? (3)11. Enid turns up to have dinner (4)15. Sarge lies to Spooner about the meaning of L in shirts (5,4)17. Witty remarks about inner sole (3-6)18. Provides a face-lift, concerning seductive women (7)19. Fly back into Canberra, Oscar (4)21. Ted hid stray tear on seeing what the doctor did (7)23. Give permission to hire out (3)25. Cost of soft grain (5)26. Dog's best friend is in demand (3)

Scribble Pad

Scribble Pad

Cryptic Crossword

Quick Crossword


A co-worker tries to help you with a problem, but creates confusioninstead. Don’t get frustrated; it won’t help. Just work together to re-solve the problem. Love is in the air at the end of the month. A friendof a friend reveals his or her true feelings for you. Scorpio plays animportant role.

Your tendency to keep quiet pays off in the beginning of the month.A close friend needs to talk and reveals personal information. Yourconfidence will be appreciated. When it comes to romance, you’llhave to make a decision. Think about where you stand in that specialrelationship.

Be patient at work this month. While your boss may seem too conser-vative for you, he or she really has your best interests at heart. Youneed to look out for yourself when it comes to your personal life. It willfeel like everyone is against you. Be cautious when making decisions.

Don’t be the first to volunteer for a new project at work. Wait to seeeverything that’s involved, because it may be more than you’ve bar-gained for. However, you should take a chance when it comes to ro-mance. Don’t wait for that intriguing person to ask you out. Make thefirst move.

Your sympathetic side will be called on early in the month. A loved oneneeds you to listen and give moral support. Be honest, but caring. Givein to your desires and shower yourself in luxury this month. It’s going tobe a hectic one at work, so you deserve to pamper yourself.

While you usually like to be alone, working as a team at work thismonth will make things so much easier. You’ll share a lot of goodideas and actually make some close friends. Loved ones will rely onyou to take care of a family matter. Aquarius is involved.

Seek harmony in the workplace this month. Don’t become involved inan office disagreement. Family matters become hectic this month.Loved ones will look to you for advice and support. Take a deep breath.You’ll be able to help everyone out and still have time for yourself.

Follow your instincts in the business world this month. It’s your natureto tell the truth, so stick to it. Don’t be tempted to embellish; it will back-fire. Love takes center stage as the month draws to a close. An old friendwill resurface and want to begin a relationship. Follow your heart.

You are going through a more psychic phase and you are not gener-ally psychic. This is very confusing and you are not sure how to han-dle what your instincts are telling you. When you have feelings aboutpeople you often just charge in and take over; stop, think and listen.

Now’s your chance to shine at work. You’ll be given the opportunity tolead a new project; your intelligence and efficiency will shine through.Don’t be shy when it comes to meeting new people this month. Yoursweet, sensitive side will endear you to someone with a lot of connections.

Now’s your chance to shine at work. You’ll be given the opportunityto lead a new project; your intelligence and efficiency will shinethrough. Don’t be shy when it comes to meeting new people thismonth. Your sweet, sensitive side will endear you to someone with alot of connections.

Let your practical side lead you in your decision making as themonth begins. It may seem like a good idea to make an impulsivepurchase, but don’t do it. Finances will be tight. A relationshipmoves into high gear when you realize how much you have in com-mon with that special someone.

Dear Fred

Recently I got very drunk at a party andgot arrested for being drunk and disor-derly if that's not bad enough there are afew nasty rumours going around about mewhich aren’t true. I know everyone atschool will find out but I really don't wantthem to, I'm so ashamed of myself. I'mscared to go back to school as people willsay something and I'm scared I'm going tolose my friends over this incident. I reallywant to move on but I'm worried no oneelse will let me, please help Fred.

Karla

Fred SaysThis I can help you with, this happened to

me not school per say but my first year ofwork; rumours spread like wildfire, onevery much because I was very introverted,two because I mean let’s face it, whetherit’s about a celeb or a class clown, gossip isspread by everyone but three mostly be-cause I avoided the problem. I spent twoweeks away from work I was that embar-rassed, not my best trick in the book so far,by the time I got back my reputation de-spite it being purely rumours I had gonefrom being a timid bloke to being quietconfident – the experience helped me im-mensely. Don’t worry what people think ofyou. My advice is don't brush it under thecarpet like I did and face the problem headon in a healthy way, perhaps talking aboutit with the person you trust the most inyour life. Good luck sweetheart

Dear Fred

My boyfriend and I have been together foralmost 13years now. It’s been like fouryears since we were separated by distancebecause I worked abroad. But even thenwe were good at communicating. But thereis just a big question in me why is he stillnot asking me to marry him. Is this stillhealthy? Being in a relationship this long?Is this worth keeping? I love him. But Ithought I deserved better...

Chrissy

Fred Says

Dear ChrissyNot everybody wants marriage. Its sad whensomeone does not want the same thing as you,but if marriage is something you acquire tofeel satisfied then you will never know whatthe future holds until you have this discussionwith him. Even if you discretely put it inspeaking metaphorically at least you willknow where you will stand and it will give youa clear head. If he is happy and fulfilled withwhere he is in the relationship, he might notbelieve marriage is the answer, not everybodydoes and you will never know until you havetalked about this topic. However the fact thatyou are asking yourself if you deserve better isnever a good sign. You should listen to theseinstincts and ask yourself why you are sayingthis? Are you just pondering about marriageor is he not treating you right in another way?If so you need to sensibly take him aside andask him about this. Overall no one in the worldcan resolve these worries except yourboyfriend. So hold your head high and pluckup the courage to inquire these thoughts withhim, otherwise you will continue to be stuck inlimbo, not as happy as you can be. Everyonedeserves to feel joy to its full potential. Don’tbe afraid of the truth, you can only gain peace,weather its peace with him or peace of mind.Hope this helps. Good luck. Fred

Ask FredGot a problem? Why not ask our resident agony uncleFred. Don’t be fooled, Freds wealth of life experiences

make him the perfect man to offer quality advice and so-lutions to some of your biggest problems.

Your Monthly Horoscopes with Selina Santos... your Astral guideAgony Fred is on hand to offer quality advice

Just Robin

How do I cope with all therumours going around

about me?

Why is he not asking formarriage?

send your problems to Fred :

[email protected]


GardeningCreate a Productive

Urban GardenFor those of us with small urban gardens ormaybe just a balcony or patio, the idea ofgrowing our own fruit and veg may seem adistant dream. But with a little innovation andeffort, it's quite possible to provide food forthe table from a very limited space. Varieties are now available that have beenspecifically brought onto the market for con-tainer growing. The biggest choice is fromseed catalogues, although there are plugplants or ready-grown plants also availablefrom garden centres and mail order compa-nies. Browse through their available selec-tions, and you will be surprised to find thatyou can grow an amazing range of fruit andveg in a very small space. The tumbling type of tomatoes and strawber-ries have been popular with container garden-ers for a few years, but peppers, chillies andaubergines are just as easy to grow and offerdifferent additions to your table. Herbs areeasily grown in an upright strawberry pot, atrough on a window ledge or in an old sink,while bay trees do very well in a pot, provid-ing they are protected during the harsh wintermonths. Why not try something more exoticand plant a blueberry bush in a pot to enjoythe tasty, dusty fruits in the summer? Growyour own spuds in black sacks or an old dust-bin for extra special new potatoes for the fam-ily to enjoy. The pick-and-come-again saladand leafy greens are great for container grow-ing. Containers for your plants need not be ex-pensive, and nowadays there are attractive

plastic pots available which are not onlycheap, lightweight and practical, but have theadvantage of not absorbing precious water,unlike terracotta, so your compost stays moistfor longer. Buy a range of sizes suitable for theindividual needs of your plants, paying specialattention to the mature size. When planting, general purpose compost issuitable for most plants, but always check thelabel or seed packet for any special require-ments before planting. A handful of water-re-taining crystals added to the compost will helpwith water retention. Fill the pot up to an inchfrom the top, then tap down to gently firm thecompost. Scoop out a hole in the centre a littlebigger than the root ball on your new plant,then pop the plant in, gently firming the com-post around it. Water generously and checkthat the soil is level with the top of the originalroot ball. When sowing from seed always fol-low the seed manufacturer's instructions re-garding depth, time of year to sow andaftercare. Now all you have to do is make sureyour containers are regularly fed and watered.When flowers appear, step up the feeding witha feed that is high in potash, readily availableat your local garden centre. Some plants, liketomatoes and other upright varieties, willneed support to prevent the stems snapping inthe wind or when laden with fruit. With simple plant care, you and your familycan look forward to plenty of fresh fruit andvegetables from your very own container vegpatch.

Magic is all about illusion. When it comes tomaking a small space look larger, there areloads of ideas to trick the eye into a fooledsense of space. Gardening for small spaces borrows manytricks of the trade from interior design and theworld of art, both of which can teach us athing or two about placement and perspective. One of the first important concepts to under-stand is the effect of colour on the eye. Artistsand interior designers know that cool colourssuch as blues, soft pinks and white appear torecede from the eye. Blue in particular, mimicsthe bluish tint that atmospheric haze gives todistant objects. Plant the perimeter of the gar-den in cool colours and it will look larger. Hot colours including reds, oranges and brightyellows have the opposite effect. They jumpout at the eye and are useful for lending inti-macy to too-large spaces, but should beavoided in small spaces. Any bright colour,even white, will appear to close in a gardenspace. For example, a pergola painted whitewill look closer than one painted in naturaltones. Painting fences soft colours or muted greensas opposed to Moroccan orange or brilliantred will make the perception of your bound-aries recede away from you and make yourgarden look bigger. It was the Renaissance artists who discoveredthe illusion of depth through perspective bycopying the way in which natural scenes seemto recede to a single point. A skilful gardenercan use this knowledge to force the perspec-tive, that is, to make a landscape seem to havemore depth than it actually does. You can, for example, run a path straight back

through the centre of the garden, staking it outso that the path gradually narrows as it approaches the back fence. The viewer's eyewill assume that the width of the path is uni-form and that the edges seem to draw to-gether because the path is receding into thedistance. Similarly, if you clip a hedge so that it dimin-ishes in height and width at a uniform rate asit draws away from the viewer, it will seemmuch longer than it actually is. Echoing theplantings near to the house with similar butmarkedly smaller ones along the back fencealso creates an exaggerated illusion of depth. Overplanting is one quick way to make a gar-den look smaller. Be conservative with plants.Choose reliable plants with soft mutedcolours, fine textures and those that blendwith surrounded gardens for that borrowedlandscape effect. The French expression trompe i'oeil meansfool the eye. In its simplest form, this tech-nique involves the use of a full-length mirrorto give an illusion of depth to an enclosing wallor fence. Conceal the mirror it at the end of apath and at a slight angle to the wall or fenceso that when you look into it, you don't see areflection of yourself, which would destroy theillusion. Eyes can be deceived by texture. Finetexture is hard for the eyes to focus on at a dis-tance. The illusion created is that fine texturesappear out of focus and therefore a perceptionof space is produced. In contrast, by placinglarge bold textured items close, other itemsbehind it will look further away. As with homeinteriors, simplifying and removing clutteraround the garden and outdoor living spaceswill make them appear more spacious.

Magic Tricks for

Small Gardens

The tumbling type of tomatoes and strawberries have been popular with container gardeners for a few years, but peppers and chillies are just as easy to growand offer different additions to your table...


Frosts can still be a hazard, so keep vulnerableplants protected at night if frost is forecast.March winds are also notorious for their ferocity so check exposed plants are well sup-ported. Now is the time for a thorough springclean; weed and dig over your borders incor-porating as much organic matter as you can -those chilly winds will really help to dry outthe soil. Mulch bare soil once you have donethe work and remove moss and weeds frompaths, terraces and driveways. They may beboring tasks but if you don’t get on top of thegarden now (especially the weeds!) it will be anightmare for the rest of the season.Make new beds and borders - mark the shapewith sand trickled from a bottle, remove the

top layer of growing vegetation and dig theground over, incorporating as much organicmatter as possible. If you are making a bed inthe lawn, remove the turf and stack it upsidedown somewhere out of the way - after a yearor two it will rot down into fantastic compost.Alternatively chop it up and bury upside downin the planting hole a good spade’s depthdown. Beware - if you just dig it in the buriedgrass will regrow and regrow and regrow.Clean and repair your garden tools, book thelawn mower in for a service and check gardenfurniture for any rot. When it is warm enough,treat sheds, fences and trellis with wood pre-servative; brushes and rollers are fine for mostthings, however a sprayer is well worth buyingfor tricky projects such as woven panels!

March Gardening TipsMarch is the month when things really start to movein the growing season. In fact the start of the yearused to be the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 Marchuntil 1752 in Britain, when we adopted the Gregoriancalendar and started our year on 1 January.


formance aren’t the best motivators. Now

don’t get me wrong here, there is ample evi-

dence that with straightforward tasks, per-

formance significantly improves with reward.

However, the issue comes when problems re-

quire more complex thinking, or finding solu-

tions that exist peripherally. Financial

incentives used to sharpen thinking and accel-

erate creativity actually do the opposite. Why?

Because they narrow our focus. This is one of

the most robust findings in social science, and

also one of the most ignored. For instance

economists at London School of Economics

looked at 51 studies of pay-for-performance

plans – the result “We find that financial in-

centives can result in a negative impact on

overall performance."So where does an in-

crease in performance come from? As Daniel

Pink says (see his talk “The surprising science

of motivation” on ted.com) “It's an approach

built much more around intrinsic motivation.

As David Rock recently stated in the online

business magazine ‘Strategy & Business’ -

“Leaders who understand this dynamic can

more effectively engage their employees’ best

talents, support collaborative teams, and cre-

ate an environment that fosters productive

change. Indeed, the ability to intentionally ad-

dress the social brain in the service of optimal

performance will be a distinguishing leader-

ship capability in the years to come”. Isn’t this

a change that we are ready for in the

workplace and the world at large?

Biography: Darran Trute has facilitated and co-

ordinated workshops which have helped organ-

isations integrate mindfulness and empathy

practises within intense business environments.

Would it surprise you to know that compas-sion is starting to take root in perhaps themost unlikely of places - businesses? Just toassure you that I haven’t lost the plot– let’sground this question in recent remarks frombusiness leaders themselves.Jeff Weiner is the CEO at Linkedin an organisa-tion whose revenue topped $169 million inthe fourth quarter of 2012 alone. He recentlyposted an article which stated: “Of all themanagement principles I have adopted overthe years, either through direct experience orlearning from others, there is one I aspire tolive by more than any other… I find this partic-ular principle harder to practice consistentlythan others. That principle is managing com-passionately.” And in a blog on businessinsider.com - RichardBranson is quoted as saying that “delegationand compassion are the keys to running his$18 billion Virgin Empire”. In his book “ScrewBusiness As Usual” he also stated that busi-nesses should start to become ‘forces for good’in the world - starting with a redefinition ofwhat is meant by profitability.Ray Anderson the CEO of the carpeting giantInterface, became known as 'the greenest CEOin America.' His transformation happenedafter his 60th Birthday, following decades ofleading a multinational company in a moreconventional manner. As he said, “I never gaveone thought to what we were doing to theearth.... I realized that I was a plunderer and itwas not a legacy I wanted to leave behind.”His subsequent vision was for a zero footprintbusiness. As he said, “Those who think busi-ness exists to make a profit, I suggest theythink again. Business makes a profit to exist.

purpose than that”. He subsequently chal-lenged Interface to pursue a bold new visionto be "the first company that, by its deeds,shows the entire world what sustainability isin all its dimensions: people, process, product,place and profits - and in doing so, becomerestorative through the power of influence” -in his words "to cause no harm". This activity of refraining from harm is thestarting point for compassionate action. Be-fore we can sustainably move to helping, weneed to first prevent harm and take responsi-bility for our actions – isn’t that true? This ap-proach has surprising benefits. For instance, astudy initiated by Johnson & Johnson, deter-mined that businesses that adopt a writtencommitment to social responsibility and acton that commitment, reap more profits thancompanies that don’t.As the Dalai Lama re-cently wrote in his book ‘Beyond Religion’ –“Shared problems don’t fall from the sky … forthe most part they are products of human ac-tion and error….The complex problems weface in the world related to corruption, the en-vironment or issues related to politics almostalways indicate a failure of ethics and innervalues”.Ethics emerges out of empathy andcompassion. For instance, if we are drivenonly to acquire (including the drive for moreand more profit) how do we know whetherthese actions are actually hurting others? Thisdiscernment occurs when we are able to placeourselves in the shoes of the people who willbe impacted through our actions. Perhaps it’seasy to recognise the importance of ethics andempathy through its absence. Insatiable greedand lack of empathy for the wider society bythe financial industry has led us all into an

economic mess.Conversely a sense of care andconcern has recognisable business benefits.For instance, a study of over 60 business unitsand 350 employees found that how membersfelt about each other was the greatest indica-tor of the team’s performance. Another studyby Gallup staggering by its size and scope,asked 10 million employees "does your super-visor, or someone at work, care about you as aperson?" Those who agreed were more pro-ductive, contributed more to profits, and weresignificantly more likely to stay with the com-pany long-term.Through recent research wenow know that the brain experiences theworkplace first and foremost as a social sys-tem and the brain processes social pain in anidentical way to physical pain. The circuits areso overlapping that if you are emotionally hurttaking pain medication – like the kind you usefor a physical injury - reduces this suffering!Just as the brain’s neural circuits orientate ustowards rewards and away from threats in theenvironment, the brain assesses and reacts tosocial interactions as either threatening or re-warding in the workplace. Threatening re-sponses have a profoundly negative impact onour performance. It causes decreased activityto an area above the eyes (the prefrontal cor-tex). This is the area where our thoughts aredrawn and erased. As the threat response in-creases, our ability to decision make, plan, seeothers and situations with clarity all diminish.A whole range of social drives trigger thesethreats and invoke social pain including beingtreated unfairly, being micro-managed, havingour status challenged or not being trusted. Additionally, studies in behavioural scienceshow that, contrary to popular opinion,

Blue Chip

Company

Compassion

– seriously?


I am sick and tired of it all, call it scandal fa-tigue. A palpable sense of resignation nowgreets each fresh revelation of even the mostcolossal financial fiascos. Whether it is HSBChanding over £1.2 Billion in fines and chargesfor lax controls against money-laundering,Kweki Adoboli getting seven years' jail forrogue trading, or JP Morgan fessing up to over£3.5 Billion in losses from making supersizebets in the City, these debacles register – butfail to generate the anger that the sums andthe misconduct involved deserve. Perhaps out-rage requires a hate figure to provoke it: aFred the Shred, or a Bob Diamond possibly aBernie Madoff (yes I know an embezzlernamed Madoff, you can’t make it up)Yet if ever a banking scandal deserved to

arouse public fury it is the one being uncov-ered at UBS (a company that retains its oldname to cover its dirty deeds, sadly still callingthemselves the Union Bank of Switzerland,which has hardly anything to do with the na-tion of Switzerland these days) over its part inrigging money markets. This week's detailsfrom regulators about just how flagrantly sen-ior staff at the multinational bank went aboutfixing so-called Libor rates – the interest ratesthat determine everything from the cost ofyour mortgage to the monthly loan repay-ments made by businesses and local councils –make clear that the Libor scandal goes muchfurther than a few rogue individuals or even afew rotten institutions. This is a far biggerscandal than the horrors unearthed by regula-tors at Barclays Capital over its part in theLibor fixing. There, investigators managed tonail 14 staff and were unable to show how thescammers actually profited from their scam. Inthe case of UBS, regulators have alreadycaught 45 individuals, and found clear evi-dence of profiteering. As the £940m fineslapped on UBS this week (the second suchfine, unbelievably – against £290m for Bar-clays) demonstrates, this is a much bigger

case. And crucially, it shows not just a few rot-ten apples but an entire rotten culture, wherehighly paid staff at some of the world's biggestbanks and City dealers colluded in fixingquoted market prices. Not a surprise reallycoming from the world’s biggest launderingcenter ‘The City’ or more commonly known byits inhabitants Babylon-don (no joke)And they did so blatantly – through emails

and internet message boards – and cynically."You know, scratch my back, yeah an all," readsone exchange from a banker to a broker at an-other firm. "Oh definitely, yeah, play the rules."They did it for personal gain: "I'll pay you, youknow, 50,000 dollars, 100,000 dollars... what-ever you want," reads another UBS trader'spromise. The Swiss watchdog puts at $64mthe clearly calculable profit made by UBSalone through just one year's tampering withLibor. And they did it in volume. The FinancialServices Authority has totted up at least 1,900occasions when UBS bankers asked their col-leagues, other brokers and employees at otherbanks for Libor to be fixed for their gain. Andthose are only the written requests: the verbaldemands would surely be at least as abundant.This corruption of one of the most prosaic

things in financial markets was so widespreadthat senior managers either allowed it, orturned a blind eye, or were so negligent as toraise questions about whether they violatedtheir fiduciary duties to shareholders. For therecord, UBS went for years without proper su-pervisory controls on the department thatfixed Libor. Yet this goes beyond a single Swissbank, even one as large and ungainly as UBS.Over at taxpayer-owned RBS, Stephen Hesterhas been warning for months that he will soonneed to surrender a massive fine to regulators.And the watchdogs themselves are investigat-ing not only banks, but broker-dealers. An en-tire industry is now under a huge and veryblack shadow. And all this is happening just afew weeks before the yearly bonus-round.

The official answer so far to misconduct hasbeen chasing a few bad apples and fining thebanks that house them. That is no way nearenough. The fines paid by Barclays and UBSseem almost like the costs of doing business –irksome, sure, but a punt worth making. It issurely time to talk about depriving major of-fenders of their licences to do some kinds ofmarket activity. That may sound unduly puni-tive to some regulators, but consider: theLibor scandal is already proving to be one ofthe biggest in banking history – and it has onlyjust begun to unravel.So folks enjoy your horsemeat, the sexual

abuse at church and your useless qualifica-tions from any educational source, because forall these insults from those who think them-selves better than yourself will still be gettingbonuses next month. Could you just imaginelaundering money that could possibly be con-nected with drugs, why you would spend agood twenty years behind bars whilst thesepetty tyrants get another twenty at the bar forall their chums to drink and laugh, at youmainly, these guys (and gals) must be dancingon their desks to discover how easy it is tosteal from us all.

The worst thing about all this is once it is over– not for a while yet – no managing directorswill be fired (my predictions) food & amenityprices will sky rocket further through the in-flation of the petro-dollar (all fertilizer andpesticides are made from the components ofcracked oil) the working persons wage willstagnate and that black hole of debt will swal-low the country regardless of the taxationowed. The sick joke being played by those inthe know so far is that even if we did pay allthe taxation debt owed we would still be indebt and this is not just due to Libor. My lastprediction is this, that there is going to come atime when the people, not students or liber-tarians or angry dads for justice or disgrun-tled union workers will have had enough. Andjust like one of my favorite economic analystsGerald Celente from Trends Journal states‘When people lose everything, they lose it’ andsadly I can see a time where the folks withnothing left to lose will have no alternative butto take some kind of action . I just wonder howthey shall be labeled in the end, probably asterrorists. However it only takes a cursory pe-rusal of a dictionary on the term terrorist tolearn who the real terrorists are.

L-------arge

International

Banks

Organise

Robbery


Most of us will admit to a dark secret part ofour wardrobes that conceal our fashion mis-takes and outfits we aim to get back into, justas soon as we've lost that extra stone. But now new research reveals that UK con-sumers have around £30 billion worth ofclothes which they haven't worn for a yearhanging around in their closets. In the last year alone we left a staggering 1.7billion items unwanted and untouched in ourwardrobes. But with more than two thirds of shopperswilling to buy and wear pre-owned clothing,the report highlights ways in which con-sumers and businesses can benefit from tak-ing at a fresh look at our leftovers - bothfinancially and environmentally. The Valuing our Clothes report from WRAP,the UK's leading body on resource efficiency,provides the first big picture of the impact ofour clothing choices. It also offers a fresh look at the financial andenvironmental aspects of the whole journey ofclothing - from raw material, to manufacture,purchase, use and disposal of our clothes. Each stage of that journey has a significant en-vironmental impact, the authors point out. Forexample over 90% of the water footprint oc-curs during fibre and garment supply. Washing and drying clothes is the equivalentof around 10% of total carbon emissions fromcars in the UK while the majority of the wastearises once an item is no longer wanted. But a third of all of the clothes we buy end upin landfill, which is bad for the environmentand bad value. However there are significantopportunities to generate revenue of around£140 million if all these clothes were given tocharities, local authorities or other organisa-tions for recycling or re-use. WRAP say these existing options, or indeednew business opportunities, could keep more

clothing out of the bin and landfill, ensuringvalue is retained for longer. Liz Goodwin, CEO, WRAP, says: The way wemake and use clothes consumes a hugeamount of the earth's precious resources, andaccounts for a major chunk of family spending. But by increasing the active use of clothing byan extra nine months we could reduce thewater, carbon and waste impacts by up to 20-30% each and save £5 billion. Consumers can realise the value of clothing byupdating existing items for their own use, orselling or donating them for others to use.There are also significant opportunities for in-dustry to capitalise on consumer interest andgain financially. The body says that making more use of theseclothes through re-use and other routes suchas design changes, alteration, repair and recy-cling, will benefit both families and firmsacross the country. It also goes a step further by identifying po-tential new business models for industry thatcan add to the bottom line, increase the rangeof services or stimulate markets. The recently-launched M&S & Oxfam Shwop-ping initiative has provided clear evidencethat there's both retailer awareness and cus-tomer interest in new approaches. Another new business opportunity is retailersestablishing 'buy-back' schemes which enablecustomers to sell own-brand clothes they nolonger want back to the shop for re-sale. With more than half of those surveyed sayingthey would sell back items and over two-thirds happy to consider buying returnedclothes, this type of initiative could provide anextra income stream from a ready customerbase. Liz concludes: This research clearlyshows there are real financial and environ-mental benefits to be reaped from valuing ourclothes more.

The UK's £30 Billion

Wardrobe Revealed

The UK's wardrobes contain around £30 billion

worth of clothes that haven't been worn for

over a year, and many garments end up in land-

fill. These clothes could be updated or recycled.


Movies

that took 80 days to shoot but does very littleto push the story on.Now with the films CG effects – and there are alot of them – don’t always blend well with thestunts but scene after scene of shooting, crash-ing and bone crunching brutality shows onceagain it’s hard to kill a McClane and I guess ifI’m honest that’s what we really wanted to see.Unlike the McClane of 1988 where his charm,wit and sarcasm made you root for his sur-vival, here you actually stop caring for him andthe threat doesn’t have the realism and thejeopardy of the previous films. Hostages in theprevious movies have included his wife in DieHard, an airport full of civilians and his wifeon a plane that’s about to crash in Die Hard 2,and a school full of kids in Die Hard With AVengeance; but in 4.0 (or Live Free And DieHard as it was known in the States) and thelatest addition, all the jeopardy is lost.The film is short which you really notice, andwhat’s even more disappointing is that onceagain a Die Hard movie is given a 12A rating,even though a more brutal version was shownto critics. It means less blood and probablyless ‘mutha f*****r’ after the franchise catch-phrase of Yippie Ky Yay (a line that Mr Williscame up with over 25 years ago).It is by far the most action packed and thrillingof all the franchise, and director John Moore aman who’s no stranger to putting action onthe big screen rises to the occasion but despitethis being a lot of fun, unfortunately it is theweakest of all.

Let’s not beat around the bush; there isnever a good day to watch this film and letme tell you as a huge Die Hard fan these aresome of the hardest words I’ve had to write.Even the slightly awkward second film is stillfun and the techno babble from the fourthhas some spectacular action but as the filmscontinue they push John McClane from ahard edged street cop to all out superhero toa one man army. But this latest installment ofthe Die Hard franchise is something beyondanything you’ve seen before and should re-ally never have to. Bruce Willis returns as aNew York cop but this time heads to Moscow,Russia to see his wayward son Jack played byJai Courtney, recently seen opposite TomCruise in the Jack Reacher movie. But Jackisn’t exactly the son John thought he was andsoon discovers he’s a highly trained CIAagent on a mission to stop a nuclearweapons heist. So far so good? Well it would be but unfortunately the overthe top story is the least of the films worriesas it’s followed by even more over the top ac-tion scenes which forces any realism out ofthe window along with McClane who fallsthrough about nine panes of glass - althoughnot to worry… he’ll be fine. This invincibilityis something that was Die Hard 4.0’s down-fall and continues seamlessly into this one.Now all Die Hard movies rely on being in-credibly farfetched but this is somethingelse. A ten-minute car chase with incrediblestunt after incredible stunt ensues. A scene

Bruce Willis returns in his most iconic role

as John McClane - the "real" hero with

the skills and attitude to always be the

last man standing. This time the take-no-

prisoners cop is really in the wrong place

at the wrong time after traveling to

Moscow to help his estranged son Jack.

A Good Day to die hard


The Manor House care home on Brook Stwithin Sutton is a beautiful and clean environ-ment to spend your latter years, the mostfriendly and professional staff are always onhand to ensure all their residents are not onlycared for but allowed a degree of freedomrarely seen within care. Its smart, modern,clean and bright atmosphere ensures that theresidents are kept healthy and motivated bothphysically and mentally. This is obviousthrough the amount of residents who have ar-rived at the one-hundred year mark! MaggieMorley, Ivy Wass & Susanna Corbett have allreceived their cards & congratulations fromthe queen, this is no small feat for a residentialcare home, the vast majority of us have a mis-conceived preconception about care homesand my perceptions were completely reversedupon meeting both the staff & residents atManor House. Many care homes can quoteclean & modern facilities along with fully qual-ified staff however do they go that extra milelike the staff at Manor House? I would statethat they may try however having an excep-tional manager such as Theresa Fantom makesall the difference, charismatic, friendly andcommendable for all her hard work, Theresamanages over an excellent team of talented,patient and caring group of fully qualified in-dividuals. This is reflected greatly by the atmosphere ofthe care home which seems to be brimmingwith optimism, humour and a true under-standing of care for our elders. The residentsare venerated by the staff for their stories andhumour, some residents have even con-tributed to local media via the publication oftheir memoirs, not just about the war/s or the

way we were but a true subjective look at ahuman beings history, ups, downs, heart-breaks and victories and this endears the staffeven more towards their charge. Obviously these outputs by the residents is ev-ident of the care taken over them, fully cookedmeals of their choice (residents) daily activi-ties with dancing to or just listening to thoseold time songs to jog those memories. A bonusof Manor House is its location allowing thestaff to take residents out into Sutton towncentre to visit the markets and shops, thisgrants the residents the freedom to go and gettheir own haircut or go visit a chiropodist inwhich some residents are capable enough togo alone as the care home is so close to themarket centre. Residents are further protectedwith weekly GP visits an excellent laundryservice along with the clean, smart and mod-ern single bedrooms, in which a majority haveon-suite toilets. The care home also has a respite care servicefor a day or longer to give families the chanceto have a break from the stresses of caring foran elderly member through which I have aslight insight and I know how hard it can befor a family or spouse to maintain their stam-ina with a family member who has dementiaor has even had a stroke (like my own grand-father) and having a service like this can alle-viate the pressure even if just for a day. So ifyou are looking for a place to retire in comfortor a family member who needs that essentialcare you just can’t offer, then look no further.Manor House is well established, is renownedfor its excellent care and should be your firstoption for family members you care dearlyabout.

Three Centenarians @

Manor House Care home

Maggie Morley, Ivy Wass & Susanna Corbett have all received

their cards & congratulations from the queen

We at the JFA give thanks to all the volunteerswho gave their time over the Christmas periodto assist with the soup kitchen and manythanks to those who donated clothing andfood , your efforts have launched a food bankand shows just by giving just either a littletime or support to a worthwhile project it cancreate a legacy, The food bank is just one ofmany projects the Joint Forces Alliance arelaunching others include Furniture Project,clothing Project , community kitchen andmore, they don’t only benefit the Veteranscommunity but the community as a whole.

Since its launch in 2009 the JFA has broughtover 1 million pounds worth of investmentinto Mansfield with almost a zero cost to thecommunity of Mansfield. and with its researchpointing to for every one pound invested intoa veteran in need, the economy see’s a returnof £22.50 as a direct benefit from the project,its hope is with funding now available throughthe community covenant the JFA will go fromstrength to strength benefitting not only theveterans community but the community ofMansfield too.

Announcement of

Appreciation from JFA

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Kings Acre is a beautiful development of 2, 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes in Clipstone with fantastic woodland views and plenty of peace and quiet. Avoid the rush – contact us now and buy with NewBuy today.

* Terms and conditions apply and are available on our website at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/terms or can be provided on request by your Sales Executive. It is not offered with any other promotion unless by special arrangement by us. Images for illustrative purposes only. Prices correct at time of print.

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Quick Cryptic Sudoko


Motoring: Focus on: Jans Service Centre

Both Wayne King and his brother Rich have

been in the car repair business since they left

school, building upon their experiences as ap-

prentices working for all manner of major

motor suppliers (Citron, Nissan, Renault, Ford

& Mazda) they have taken the best aspects

from their experiences to build a truly friendly

& family ran business. Experts in the field with

a compassionate mind set JANS service centre

offers a truly amicable service to all their cus-

tomers, however the brothers pride them-

selves on the amount of female repeat

customers they have and keep getting, this is

due to as Wayne puts it “Not the stereotype

wolf-whistle garage, we are most proud of our

reputation for honesty and integrity”. This is

proven greatly by advice the team is willing to

give literally giving you the low-down on how

warranty really works and how manufacturers

can sometimes mislead customers in how they

present certain information. The guys main-

tain a clean and efficient garage with the usual

trappings concerning tools and equipment, es-

sentially the team is properly equipped to deal

with any motor related problems and being

brothers maintain an air of professionalism

that can only be found with siblings. Forever

friendly and full of stories going to get your

car fixed at JANS is more of an experience than

a chore, so with over thirty years’ experience

between them an honourable attitude and a

level of quality work rarely seen in the trade

outside of major manufacturers JANS is the

number one stop in the Mansfield & Ashfield

area to get your motor repaired, MOT or a gen-

eral enquiry from an unbiased standpoint. Call

Wayne today on: 01623 516 338 Jans Service Centre will beat all genuine quotes

and help you get back on the road while saving

your cash, give them a call to find out more


Fighting For The Local

Community!

Sport

Aritcle by David Statham

Although a sport often laced with negativeheadlines, boxing's popularity has soaredsince the 2012 London Olympic Games. TeamGB's unprecedented boxing medal haul in themale and female event saw five representa-tives from the GB squad podium at the end ofthe summer sports bonanza. Their incrediblesuccess of three Golds, one Silver and oneBronze decorating the team's red, white andblue colours subsequently reflected a positivelight onto the sport and has resulted in recordnumbers of males and females of all ages don-ning the gloves.Even those who don't wish to compete inboxing are becoming involved in the sportwhich encourages dedication, discipline,health and well-being, promotes self-confi-dence and helps transfer negative energy intosomething positive. On a slightly wider scalethe sport has proven to have a positive impacton the local community- something that Mans-field's very own Amateur Boxing Club are con-tinually encouraging.

Helping the Community

Mansfield ABC, which has around 15 regis-tered amateur boxers, and several volunteercoaches, is scheduled to host a big amateurboxing show at Portland College where theprofit raised from the event will be donated tothe Nottingham Road College which providespersonal educational programmes to peoplewith a wide range of disabilities. The club get involved in local events and theirmembers recently gave up their weekends topull on their vests and gloves to take part inthe February Valentine's Gala, organised bythe Mansfield Bid and held in Mansfield mar-ket place. Under a large marquee in the towncentre, which contained numerous stalls andpromoted local businesses and gift ideas, theboxers demonstrated their skills and give aninsight to watching members of the public ofwhat training is required to become a boxer.Onlooking members of the audience were alsoinvited to take up the challenge of hitting thepads, held by former amateur and profes-sional boxer, Roger Brotherhood of MansfieldABC and owner of the Body & Soul Gym wherethe club's boxers train.

Any sports encyclopaedia profiles stories ofhow their protagonists beat all the obstaclesin front of them and defied the odds to achievetheir success. Boxing, perhaps more than anyother sport, has gained a reputation for beingan incredibly accessible activity that drawsaway negative actions and instils various qual-ities that helps its participants gain a positivedirection in life. Mansfield ABC say they are fo-cussed on welcoming new members, regard-less of age and experience, along to theirmidweek non-contact training sessions at theHandley Arcade gym on Leeming Street. The club are currently applying for fundingand hope to be able to let under16s from thelocal community train completely free ofcharge. They revealed: "A couple of years ago,after being approached and given funding byRavensdale street wardens, Mansfield ABCopened their doors and held training sessionsthree times a week for 12 weeks for young-sters aged 12-17. The scheme attracted a largenumber of people and the statistics releasedshowed that during the three months thecrime rates in the Ravensdale area had de-creased by almost 50%."Founded by ChairmanRussell Robles-Walker a few years ago, theever-expanding club is quickly gaining a repu-tation amongst the amateur boxing commu-nity. It's a reputation it had before when it washome to current or former professional box-ers, including Karl and Charlie Chiverton, Al-freton's Dale Miles and David Kirk, who oncebeat Ricky Hatton's younger brother Matthewas a professional. Throughout the year, the club's team of boxers(from diverse backgrounds and nationalities)represent the town by competing on shows

and in competitions all over the UK and theABC regularly host open Spar Days where am-ateur boxing clubs from around the countrytravel into Mansfield and train and spar at theBody & Soul Gym.Later this month the club host a big amateurboxing show at the John Fretwell Centre fol-lowing a successful, sell-out event at the venuelast year. They have previously held shows atMansfield's Civic Centre, John Fretwell Centreand Kissingate Leisure Centre, in Shirebrook.The latter was a charity event which raisedmoney for Keron Daws' family, a member ofthe club who sadly passed away last year.The money raised from these events also pro-vides the funds needed so the club can con-tinue to run, register with the Amateur BoxingAssociation of England and pay for vital safetyequipment needed, repairs for gym equipmentand the boxers' licences and insurances. Mansfield Amateur Boxing Club's youngestmember, Nico Leivars, is soon representingMansfield and England in a UK knock-outtournament held in Ireland in May. TalentedNico, 13, has been selected for the tournamentand could potentially have three bouts in threedays as he bids to become a champion.The ABC are also big supporters of MansfieldTown Football Club and hope to hold an open-air amateur boxing event at the One Call Sta-dium in the future.The club are keen to continue helping thecommunity and local businesses and are con-tinually looking for sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring the club orfor further any information contact Body &Soul Gym on 01623 481881 or find 'MansfieldAmateur Boxing Club' on Facebook.

One day a Mansfield ABC member could flythe town's flag at an Olympic Games and

promote the area, and the sport, in the sameway as achieved by Mansfield's very ownswimming sensation, Rebecca Adlington.

march issue m&a express

Documents

new housing

deliveryof affordable

delivery of affordable

housing deliverychain

affordable housing

housing associations

mansfield district council

council alreadyworks