The Swanage Oracle - April 2023

Welcome...

Dear Residents,

It is Spring! I do so love this time of year. Flowers, the promise of better weather, lambs, new life - it has a huge sense of hope, which quite frankly I think we could all benefit from! Here at Modern Magazines we won an award! We are so proud of this. We won Best Business to Business company for 2023 in the WeyPort Business Awards. Fabulous! Daichi our wonderful Modern Magazines Campervan tells you all about us inside your local magazine this month. We do hope you enjoy reading this as well as our local and celebrity news articles. There is something for everyone here.

Not to mention of course our loyal and trusted trades and services who are here for you! From plumbers to window fitters, roofs experts to beauticians and gardeners to flooring specialists, we have them all. The index at the back gives you a quick guide to find who you are looking for, or if you have time to sit with your feet up and have a well earned cuppa, then the whole magazine should keep you interested for an hour or so. Enjoy.

If there is anything you would like to see in your little community magazine, or you know of a company that wants more business and to get their name out to the local residents, please let me know. We love to help and make your magazine as useful as possible.

Stephen, myself, Julie, Mel, Steph, Tracey, Pippa, Chris, Jaidan our wonderful new graphic designer, Beth and her 4 month baby are all here for you!

Debbie, Stephen & all of us here at Modern Magazines

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Call the sales team on: 01929 408080

Copy deadline for May 2023 edition: 10th April 2023

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DISCLAIMER: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the data in this publication is accurate, the publisher cannot accept any liability to any party to loss or damaged caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

The Swanage Oracle does not officially endorse any advertising material included within the publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval systems or transmitted in any form, without prior permission of the publisher.

A thoroughly Modern Monarch

Everything we know about His Majesty’s upcoming coronation.

King Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday May 6th 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Eyes around the world will focus their attention once more on this magnificent London institution where the King will be crowned – alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort –in a ceremony overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

This opulent ritual is the last of its kind in Europe and has remained largely unchanged for the past 1,000 years. It is an honour of course, but for a King who wants to be a modern monarch there are a few wrinkles that must be ironed out with Buckingham Palace confirming that although the Coronation will be ‘rooted in long-standing traditions’, it will also reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future.

For starters, it will be a relatively modest affair, even compared to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation that came in the recent aftermath of World War II. The ceremony itself is expected to last around two hours – rather than the three for Liz’s ascension to the throne – and guests will be limited to 2,000 due to health and safety restrictions. That’s considerably less than the 8,000 dignitaries from 129 nations who were crammed into Westminster Abbey in 1953.

There will also be less pomp and formality. Prince William is the only Duke expected to carry out the traditional gesture of kneeling and swearing allegiance to the King, and His Majesty has apparently decided to swap the stockings and breeches worn at coronations by his male predecessors for a military uniform, possibly that of Admiral of the Fleet, which he wore for the State Opening of Parliament last May.

As for the crown, Charles will wear the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown.

It is exceptionally heavy and contains the Cullinan II diamond, sometimes called the Second Star of Africa.

At its heart however, the ceremony must fulfil its key role as being the symbolic religious ceremony during which a sovereign is crowned, as well as fulfilling the physical act of placing a crown on a monarch’s head. And despite cementing His Majesty’s role as Head of the Church of England, it is thought that representatives of different faiths will also be present – to uphold the King’s wish to reflect the ethnic diversity of modern Britain. He will also still pledge to be “Defender of the Faith”, but further words will be added that allow the King to show he serves all religious faiths.

Edgar unveiledWright as Patron of Swanage Theatre.

March 15th, Swanage, UK - The Mowlem Institute Charity is excited to reveal its first-ever Patron, Edgar Wright [IMDb], the award-winning English filmmaker. Edgar Wright, born and raised in Swanage before moving to Somerset, is best known for his comedic Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy; Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World’s End (2013).

During the summer of 2022, Edgar and his brother, Oscar Wright [IMDb], visited The Mowlem during a trip to the town. Posting on Instagram, Edgar wrote: “Some films we saw at the Mowlem on first release include; the Ralph Bakshi animated ‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘Watership Down’, ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ and ‘Clash Of The Titans’. So glad it’s still here and showing movies!”

Wright’s connection to the local area also includes his attendance at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design (now Arts University Bournemouth) in 1994, where he

received a National Diploma in AudioVisual Design before going on to make his first feature film, A Fistful of Fingers, shortly after in 1995. In 2018 the Arts University Bournemouth awarded Wright an Honorary Fellowship.

Wright is also credited with co-writing and directing the cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010), the action film Baby Driver (2017), the music documentary The Sparks Brothers (2021), and the psychological horror film Last Night in Soho (2021).

“I was born and raised in Dorset and lived in Swanage until I was 7. The Mowlem was one of the first cinemas I ever attended, and it was partly responsible for a film fandom that continues to this day. Some movies I saw there in first release with my parents and older brother Oscar, included the Ralph Bakshi animated ‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘Watership Down’, ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ and ‘Clash Of The Titans’.”

“I returned to Swanage for a break last summer and was thrilled that the Mowlem was still showing movies. Standing in the auditorium again was a very pleasant experience, and I hope to be down again soon. I am proud to be a patron; I’m a film director now, but I never stopped being a film-goer. Keep up the great work.” Said, Edgar Wright.

Puzzle Page Quick Crossword

PIPE

Geography Quiz

1. What is the official currency of India?

2. Where is the world’s largest desert found?

3. What country formally ruled Iceland?

4. How many time zones does Australia have?

5. What is the highest active volcano in Europe?

6. What is the only country that borders the UK?

7. Which country has the most pyramids in the world?

8. What city is known as the Glass Capital of the World?

9. What is the capital city of Argentina?

10. Kathmandu is the capital city of which country?

The Full Monty

Even after four decades, green-fingered expert Monty Don’s passion for the outdoors shows little sign of waning, as he explains why gaining new inspiration is so important.

A lifetime of getting green fingers might be taking its toll physically on the 67-year-old broadcaster and writer Monty Don: aside from his bout of peritonitis in 2007, a stroke that could have killed him a year later, and battles with depression – for which he says gardening has been a better antidote than any prescription drug – the everyday rigours of flowering and weeding, pruning and digging have left his body as weathered as one would expect… not that he cares.

“It’s a strange day when you put the visual appearance of your garden over yourself,” he laughs. “For me, that was quite some time ago, but it all relates back to how passionate you are about a subject or a project.

“It’s a big job to keep my garden how I want it, and to keep going – you do that because it’s important not only for the future, but in respecting the effort you have put in previously.”

A renowned writer on all things horticultural since the early 1990s, Don has had over 20 books published and still pens a number of popular newspaper columns.

He became the welcoming, enthusiastic, all-knowing expert on the BBC’s Gardeners’ World

programme between 2003 and 2008, before taking on lead presenting duties for its flagship Chelsea Flower Show in 2014.

Well dressed in his ‘painterly’ style and with a sparkling demeanour, Monty’s garden at Longmeadow in Herefordshire has become something of a national horticultural staple, with fans sharing in the ups and downs of tending to an expansive plot that continues to throw up new challenges. “We’ve had all manner of issues over the past few years, especially some drainage issues.

“Where nature is concerned, you’ve got to expect the unexpected – it’s a fun part of the process… at least, fixing it is!”

When asked about his own inspirations, he admits to having been influenced by

aesthetics

the style and aesthetics of French gardener Nicole de Vesian, who passed away in 1996.

“Nicole had a great feeling for both colour and form, and then for space,” he says. “Her use of colours could look muted and faded at first, but when her gardens were in bloom they looked fantastic when the sun is shining. And she used the space in between plants and sculptures better than anyone. That’s been a blueprint I’ve used for Longmeadow for quite some time.

and

“I think it’s important to have heroes and inspiration, no matter who you are or for how long you’ve been in the game.”

DIVORCE FINANCIAL SETTLEMENTS

Whilst “no fault divorce” simplifies certain elements, don’t ignore the need for financial advice.

Early legal advice and knowledge from a solicitor can make all the difference.

• Review of assets

• Make informed decisions

• Achieve a fair settlement

• Save time & money

Could

Make a Difference to Children’s Life Chances

Schoolreaders is looking for volunteers in your community to listen to children read in primary schools.

1 in 4 children are leaving primary school unable to read well and our service is more in demand than ever due to the effects of the pandemic. No qualifications are required to join Schoolreaders as a volunteer, just a love of reading, some spare time each week in term time and a willingness to go where children need you the most.

Let our care be your legacy

With more children being born and living longer with increasingly complex conditions, respite care couldn’t be more vital in the years to come. Julia’s House has been there for local families providing this vital care for the last 20 years and will only be able to continue to be by their side for the next 20 years with the support of the local community.

When parents receive the devastating news their child has a life-limiting or life-threatening illness, their world falls apart. It is an anxious and lonely existence. Julia’s House is their lifeline.

“The demand for our services has never been greater,”

comments Beth Whitworth, Family Support Services Lead Nurse.

“The families have come out of the pandemic and straight into a cost of living crisis. It’s an incredibly difficult time for them.”

Julia’s House relies almost entirely on generous donations from local

supporters and businesses to fund this vital care for families across Dorset and Wiltshire, receiving just eight per cent Government funding.

You have the power to change lives – and it won’t cost you a penny right now.

Pledging to leave a Gift in your Will is a wonderful way of showing local families you care and will give the charity the confidence to continue developing its life-changing care service for the most vulnerable children and families, long into the future.

A gift of just 1% from your Will can make 100% difference to overwhelmed parents going through dark times. Be remembered for bringing light back into the lives of local families. Find out more at juliashouse.org/legacy

Could you volunteer to Listen to children read in school?

Make a Difference to Children’s Life Chances

Schoolreaders is looking for volunteers in your community to listen to children read in primary schools.

1 in 4 children are leaving primary school unable to read well and our service is more in demand than ever due to the effects of the pandemic. No qualifications are required to join Schoolreaders as a volunteer, just a love of reading, some spare time each week in term time and a willingness to go where children need you the most.

What is a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)?

It’s an important legal document that lets you appoint one or more people to help you make decisions, or make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to.

Think of an LPA like an insurance policy, putting it in place while you’re fit and healthy gives you peace of mind knowing that, no matter how life plays out, your health and financial matters will be managed as per your wishes

Here’s how it works:

Margaret suffers an unexpected illness or accident, resulting in a loss of mental capacity.

Without an LPA

Next of kin doesn’t have the legal right to make decisions for Margaret

Sole bank accounts are frozen

Joint bank accounts are frozen in some circumstances

Bills can’t be paid from Margaret’s money

Investment decisions can’t be made (any previous authority given to make investment decisions is cancelled)

Property can’t be sold, meaning a co-habiting partner can’t move house if they wanted to

Next of kin don’t have the legal right to make decisions about medical treatment

Next of kin don’t have the legal rights to make personal choices, for example where Margaret should live

If you don’t plan ahead and you suffer an accident or illness which causes you to lose mental capacity, your next of kin can only get the legal authority to act on your behalf through a Court Order. This is a long, costly and intrusive process.

With an LPA

Margaret puts LPAs in place for both Financials & Health and Care Decisions appointing a representative

Margarethas legallyappointeda representativetomake decisionsabouther finances

Thebankrecognisesthe chosenrepresentative’s legalauthorityandNO accountsarefrozen

Investmentdecisions canbemadeby Margaret’s representatives

Bills can be paid as normal

Property can be sold if needed

The representative has the legal right to make decisions about Margaret’s medical treatment

The representative can make personal choices for Margaret, such as where to live.

By planning ahead, you can choose who should have legal authority to make decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to make decisions for yourself. A Lasting Power of Attorney costs far less than a Court Order and the people you choose can step in as soon as needed

The Adventures of Daichi The Modern Magazines Camper Van

We won an award! Daichi was delighted. Having never entered any business competition before we did not know what to expect. Customer service and looking after all our valuable advertisers has been at the core of everything we do here at Modern Magazines. I have always had the viewpoint that we get what we give out in life. If we are helpful, want people to succeed and are willing to go that extra mile to make it all happen, the client is delighted. In return we get great local trades and businesses who also want to help their clients. Everyone wins. You the resident can rely on the people inside the magazine, which is after all what you need. Of course, we are not perfect. Daichi will vouch for that! Mistakes happen and sometimes a client gets cross. This happens in life doesn’t it! Well, how do we react to that? What do we say back? Shouting back creates more shouting and everyone gets upset. Listening, understanding and correcting a mistake, or quietly giving a suggestion back usually handles the situation and we all have a better day for it.

So, that was what this award was all about – our business to business ethos and attitude. How do we treat our advertisers? Well, it seems like we won with flying colours. How amazing is that! One area we work really hard is the creation of the adverts themselves. We have a new graphic designer, Jaidan and he is fantastic. He works quickly and professionally which at a young age of just 23 is brilliant. He is also a videographer and we have some exciting news about a new E-Magazine, which will be online and found through Google, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and even emailed out, where all the adverts will link to business websites, there will be interactive puzzles that can be done within the magazine online, competitions and there will even be talking pages where you will be able to listen to business owners talk about their business and how they can help you. Soon to be released! Keeping up with modern

technology is a must of course, however paper is still in fashion! Yes, print advertising is still seen as the most trusted source of finding a local trades person and business. Combining the two mediums will help all round and create a real hub of the place to go to find all that is local. I am very excited about that… as you can see!

Beth will also be back soon, having had her wonderful baby boy a few months ago. We will then have two graphic designers. Beth has a woman’s touch to her designs (am I allowed to say that?) and I think we will have the perfect balance to get those all-important adverts right, depending on what the customer wants.

Our team of salesgirls… yes we are all girls there I am afraid… are incredible. We really don’t see ourselves in sales. Our purpose is genuinely to get more work for local businesses and to give you, the valuable resident, good trades and services to

Debbie with Cllr Ann Weaving, Mayor of Weymouth at WeyPort Business Awards

help you. Mel has worked with us for over fifteen years! Today this is what she told me,

“I love working at Modern Magazines. I am one of those rare people who looks forward to going to work. Great team. Great customers!”

Julie has been with us for over nine years. This is what she says,

“I just love working with Debbie and Stephen and the whole team. It really feels like we are a family, looking out for each other and looking after our clients. There is nothing better than knowing you helped a client get more business. Most of all the work is fun, getting to talk to lots of interesting people. I look forward to every day!”

Then we have Steph who is a delight to hear talking to customers on the phone and then our newest member is Pippa who runs our office in Weymouth and set up the new “Wonderful Weymouth Magazine”. She has been amazing. Her knowledge of the area and the people has enormously helped and without her that magazine would not be what it is. Pippa says,

“Having worked on the Wonderful Weymouth magazine the past 16 months, winning the WeyPort B2B category and supporting both local businesses and the local community of Weymouth and Portland, in which I’ve always lived, is an honour.

I would like to thank Debbie, Stephen and the rest of the Modern Magazines team for giving me the opportunity to be part of such a fantastic team with a passion to help others succeed.”

Amazing.

Chris, our distribution manager gets the magazines to the distribution company that delivers several of our magazines each month, drops off magazines to local shops, cafes and businesses in their respective areas, delivers magazines to our own distributors in a few areas and when he has some downtime, he posts photos on each of our Facebook pages. He is busy!

I started our first magazine in 2005. At that time Hayden was very young and I needed something to do. I walked around the streets with him in the pram and “touted for business” as Pat at Kingfisher Cleaning Services laughs. She was my first client ever. I will never forget that phone call. It gave me hope and a reason to continue… here we are today. Thank you Pat. Stephen, my husband, gave up his career in computer engineering to work alongside me in 2008 and we have not looked back.

The WeyPort Business Awards were such fun and we thank all our nominations for acknowledging us as “The Business to Business” business of the year! We love what we do and are here for any business wanting to expand. Most of all we are here to link you the homeowner, resident and VIP of your area, to these very important trades and services. We thank all of you for your support and loyalty. Let’s continue to work together.

www.modernmagazines.co.uk

By Debbie Corney

Pippa with the WeyPort B2B Business of the Year 2023 award

Debbie and Stephen with Daichi

Greenfingers… The Alan Titchmarsh Column

He’s a brilliant presenter, accomplished gardener, talented novelist, and all-round horticultural inspiration. is month, Alan Titchmarsh discusses the uniqueness and the survival of our gardens.

ere is an argument to say the more complicated you make something, the more di cult it is to keep things constant. I am certainly guilty of pushing and pushing and adding so much more to an idea when I could have kept things safe and sane.

I think it’s important though to remind people, that whether your garden is some elaborate flourish of colour and texture and shape, or just a bit of grass and some simple shrubbery, absolutely everything about it is unique.

A er all, that space has its own unique history - for some, the flowers in it are a present; they may even come from another country; they might remind us of a special occasion or an event or story. We may just have spo ed them in the garden centre and gone from there.

e point is everything we have is full of memories and stories. e things we put in our gardens remind us of times in our lives, and when that garden is in full colour and full blossom in May, or in its full richness in autumn, or at some other point in the year, it creates and stimulates memories.

I have done so much in my gardens, but I don’t think I could pick one specific thing – everything has been my favourite part at some stage. And I believe the whole beauty of gardening is that it’s personal, and the freedom of choice really is with the person ge ing their hands dirty.

Ultimately, if you want to follow my advice and slavishly do as I say in my books, then that is perfectly fine. However, if you read something and think, ‘I don’t agree with that, I’m doing it my way,’ then that is good too, because it has at least made you think.

Gardening is private – it’s intimate. We all have di erent ideas in terms of what we think of as full or minimalist, and I am passionate about people exploring their own narrative, because anybody can do this. Simply decide what you’d like to grow – perhaps something

you want to eat, or smell, or just look at. Buy the seeds and do it. Don’t even worry about the process, just try it out.

When it succeeds, do it again; and most importantly, when it fails, do it again too!

A Design for Life… e Kevin McCloud Column

Designer, writer and television presenter, Kevin McCloud leapt into our consciousness with his vastly successful Grand Designs show on Channel 4. This month, the affable architectural business owner talks about his love of modernism in interior design.

I often get people asking me why so many of the build projects on Grand Designs end up being decorated in a modernism style, with sharp lines, slick surfaces, uncomplicated decorative features and a view to celebrate space and light.

The answer to this comes not in the contents of a house, but its exterior. Simply, it follows that the architectural design of a building will often be mirrored by the interior design within it; and while developers may regularly seek to replicate Georgian or Victorian designs styles, most newbuilds still celebrate straight lines, clean shapes and hard edges. Aside from anything else, the build requirements are much easier!

Certainly, with people whose journeys we have followed on Grand Designs, this is very much the trend, although the advent of modernism in home furnishings was something that really took off towards the end of the 19th century. In essence, it was a rebellious response to the years of floral, ornate,

elaborate, elegant and largely curved, flowery styles that had patterned so much of people’s lives.

In modernism the modus operandum became creating something that much more straightforward. Within this, overuse of colour was discouraged, while the invitation was laid out to embrace textures and textiles not previously considered homely – consider steel, concrete, large expanses of glass and other materials once thought of as cold and unwelcoming.

Where colour did prevail, this was to be bold and statementgiving, so perhaps blocks and slabs of shades adjacent to blacks, greys and whites.

Where did this all come from? Well, the Industrial Revolution had a lot to do with a more measured and practical approach to living, and these

modernist statements extended to literature, art, music and more – countless areas where people were expressing a desire to rebel.

Although no end date for modernism has ever been noted, it’s perceived that postmodernism came into being in the late 1970s, and from there society has largely embraced a mass of contrasting and conflicting styles in elegant harmony. Yet modernist architecture has never gone away, and speaking personally, I love the perfection of modernism in interior design –its flow, simplicity, practicality and function.

Royal Pastry Chef’s Spiced Easter Biscuits

Back in 2020, Queen Elizabeth’s royal pastry chefs released the family’s sacred ‘Spiced Easter Biscuits’ recipe.

What better way to honour her late Majesty, than by baking these delightful and delicious Easter treats?

Ingredients

Biscuit base:

• 350g plain flour

• 5g bicarbonate of soda

• 10g ground ginger

• 5g cinnamon

• 125g unsalted butter

• 175g light soft brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 60g golden syrup

Icing:

• 2 egg whites

• 600g icing sugar

• Food colouring of your choice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F/gas mark 3 then mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a bowl. Add the diced butter and mix until it reaches a crumb-like texture.

2. Add the sugar, then once combined add the egg and golden syrup. Mix until a dough is formed.

3. Roll the dough to a thickness of 5mm then use biscuit cutters to cut into desired shape such as Easter eggs, chicks or bunnies. Place the biscuits on a non-stick mat or baking paper and bake on the middle shelf for 12-15 minutes until they are golden in colour. Leave biscuits to cool completely before decorating.

4. Add 1 egg white to 600g of icing sugar and beat until smooth. Spoon mixture into a piping bag - the icing should pipe smoothly and be able to

Top Tip

If you don’t have biscuit cutters in the shapers you require, simply draw or print the ones you need and cut out the dough around them.

hold when piped as a line – and pipe around the edge of the biscuits. To cover all the biscuits with icing add extra egg white to thin the mixture. Decorate and enjoy!

Puzzle Page Answers

Quick Crossword Solution #026

Answers:

Across: 2. Sew, 5. Bleach, 7. Earbud, 9. Weave, 10. Carom, 11. Append, 12. Marina, 14. Target, 18. Attire, 21. Leapt, 22. Cubit, 23. Agenda, 24. Noodle, 25. Nod.

Down: 1. Blowup, 2. Shield, 3. Webcam, 4. Summon, 6. Aware, 8. Rarer, 11. Act, 13. Age, 15. Allege, 16. Grain, 17. Titian, 18. Ascend, 19. Taboo, 20. Rattle

Geography

Quiz Answers

6. Ireland

7. Sudan

8. Toledo

4. 3

5.

9. Buenos Aires

10. Nepal

1. Indian rupee

2. Antarctica

3. Denmark

Mount Etna