Swindon Issue 47

EDITION 47 APRIL - JUNE 2024

Food

Hugh Grant STAR OF CHOICE

Get your Home Spring Ready

JAMES MARTIN’S SPANISH ADVENTURE

Travel

WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN

WWW.50PLUSMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Self-drive & coach inclusive breaks

229

from

GREAT VALUE 5 DAY HALF BOARD BREAKS £

per person

When it comes to inviting, relaxing breaks, we have the ideal holiday for you..

Whether you’re looking for a romantic break for two, a family holiday or getting away with friends, Daish’s Holidays offers 12 hotels in 10 of the most popular UK destinations. Our fleet of 35 luxury coaches provide return travel in comfort and style from your pick up point and will take you directly to your hotel, aiming to arrive between 3 – 5pm.

If you’d like to get out and about to explore the local area on your holiday, then all of our breaks can also be booked on a self-drive basis so you’ve got the freedom of having your own car.

Every break includes: Return coach travel (self-drive option available)

Comfy en suite accommodation

Breakfast & 3-course evening meal

Request your brochure now!

Live nightly entertainment

Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice We are proud to announce that six of our group – County, Devonshire, Abbey Lawn, Bournemouth Sands, Daish’s, Imperial – have been awarded the coveted TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award for 2023.

Isle of Wight

Torquay

Bournemouth Llandudno

Newquay

Blackpool

Lake District Scarborough Eastbourne

Weymouth

Don’t miss these coach inclusive breaks!

Local pick up points from make it easy to get away.

Price includes return coach travel from: GS1: Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon, Calne, Chippenham, Bristol.

GS2: Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Bristol, Chippenham, Calne, Swindon.

All offers are subject to availability and standard terms and conditions (see brochure or website for T&C’s).

DATE

HOTEL

DAYS ROUTE

30

Sands Hotel – Bournemouth

PRICE

DATE

HOTEL

£234

11

Abbey Lawn Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£319

13

Daish’s Blackpool Hotel – Blackpool

5

GS1

£309

23

Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne

5

GS2

£354

APRIL

DAYS ROUTE

PRICE

JULY 5

GS2

MAY 01

Hotel Prince Regent – Weymouth

5

GS1

£279

03

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£229

06

Russell Hotel – Weymouth

5

GS1

£239

03

Somerset Hotel – Llandudno

5

GS1

£364

13

Esplanade Hotel – Scarborough

5

GS1

£269

04

Sands Hotel – Bournemouth

5

GS2

£344

AUGUST

14

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay

5

GS1

£229

07

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£339

24

Abbey Lawn Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£269

10

Russell Hotel – Weymouth

5

GS1

£344

26

Daish’s Blackpool Hotel – Blackpool

5

GS1

£249

JUNE

17

Esplanade Hotel – Scarborough

5

GS1

£349

18

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay

5

GS1

£329

30

Daish’s Blackpool Hotel – Blackpool

5

GS1

£319

Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight

4

GS1

£239

05

Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne

5

GS2

£309

16

Somerset Hotel – Llandudno

5

GS1

£329

17

Sands Hotel – Bournemouth

5

GS2

£284

02

18

Hotel Prince Regent – Weymouth

5

GS1

£334

09

Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne

5

GS2

£359

20

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£279

20

Somerset Hotel – Llandudno

5

GS1

£334

23

Russell Hotel – Weymouth

5

GS1

£289

21

Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne

5

GS2

£334

30

Esplanade Hotel – Scarborough

5

GS1

£334

21

Sands Hotel – Bournemouth

5

GS2

£329

Call 01202 638 840

SEPTEMBER

22

Hotel Prince Regent – Weymouth

5

GS1

£344

24

Devonshire Hotel – Torquay

5

GS1

£309

27

Russell Hotel – Weymouth

5

GS1

£329

OCTOBER 04

Esplanade Hotel – Scarborough

5

GS1

£284

05

Barrowfield Hotel – Newquay

5

GS1

£264

Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing a Standard Room. Supplements apply on twin/double rooms with sole occupancy. Optional local excursions can be booked at the hotel. Many more coach or self-drive holiday dates available in 2024.

If you would prefer to self-drive, deduct £20 per person from prices shown.

Offer ends 15th June 2024

10 fabulous locations, 12 great hotels.

Bournemouth

Llandudno

Newquay

Weymouth

Weymouth

Eastbourne

Bournemouth Sands

Somerset Hotel

Barrowfield Hotel

Hotel Prince Regent

Russell Hotel

Imperial Hotel

Isle of Wight

Scarborough

Torquay

Torquay

Blackpool

Lake District

Daish’s Hotel

Esplanade Hotel

Devonshire Hotel

Abbey Lawn Hotel

Daish’s Blackpool Hotel

County Hotel

Call 01202 638 840 or visit daishs.com

facebook.com/daishs

CONTENTS | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE

Celebrity Feature HUGH GRANT, STAR OF CHOICE

6-7

TWITTERING ON

By Angela Kelly

8-9

TRAVEL Wonderful Copenhagen

10-11

CELEBRITY FEATURE Hugh Grant, star of choice

12-13

HOME Spring clean your lifestyle

19-22

FOOD James Martin’s Spanish Adventure

20-21

GARDEN What sort of garden will you grow

26-27

MOTORING Steve Howarth test drives 2 cars.

Bridgeman House 77 Bridgeman Street | Bolton | BL3 6BY. Sales Enquiries : T: (01204) 238180

Travel

E: artwork@mcgrathmedia.co.uk

WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN

barnes coaches

Family days out during May Half Term, by coach!

Bowood House & Gardens Tue 28th May 2024 Adult: £35* Senior: £31* Child: £30*

London Zoo (coach travel only) Tue 28th May 2024 Adult: £31 Senior: £29 Child: £15

Weston Super Mare Tue 28th May & Sun 2nd June 2024 Adult: £27 Senior: £25 Child: £15

Legoland Windsor Resort (coach only) Wed 29th May 2024 Adult: £28 Senior: £26 Child: £15

Longleat Safari Park Wed 29th May 2024 Adult: £66* Senior: £63* Child: £45*

Barry Island OR Cardiff Wed 29th May 2024 Adult: £28 Senior: £26 Child: £15

Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens Thu 30th May 2024 Adult: £38* Senior: £35* Child: £24*

TOURS MARKED WITH AN * INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS! Kew Gardens Thu 30th May 2024 Adult: £45* Senior: £42* Child: £21*

Birmingham; Bullring Brighton & BIG Primark Fri 31st May 2024 Fri 31st May 2024 Adult: £33 Adult: £29 Senior: £30 Senior: £27 Child: £15 Child: £15

01793 821303 barnescoaches.co.uk 4

Call the Midwife Tour & Chatham Dockyard Sat 1st June 2024 Adult: £58* Senior: £56* Child: £36*

Bournemouth OR Poole Sat 1st June 2024 Adult: £30 Senior: £28 Child: £15

Hamilton Sat 8th June 2024 Bristol Hippodrome Ticket & Coach: £133

Conveniently pickup these listed trips from in and around the Swindon, Wiltshire area.

View even more day trips on our website

IT’S TIME

TO FOCUS ON LIFE NOT THE COST OF LIVING Free up cash and lower your overheads in a comfortable, well-located home

NEW PLOTS NOW AVAILABLE

Available from £249,950

Seeking the best of both worlds? Badgerwood Park in Wokingham, Berkshire, offers the ideal blend of town and country living exclusively for the over 45s. If you’re dreaming of retiring to a peaceful, leafy part of Britain while staying close to London and a full range of amenities, look no further than Badgerwood Park. And with only a handful of plots remaining on the park there’s no better time to move to this picturesque county.

High-quality, low-maintenance, single-storey homes Safe, secure community of like-minded residents Private garden and parking No stamp duty Part exchange and assisted move options available

Get in touch to find out more or arrange a park visit:

www.tingdene-parks.net | 01933 427800 | info@tingdene.net

5

TWITTERING ON | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

TWITTERING ON

By Angela Kelly - because x’ing on doesn’t sound quite the same

questioned believed that overweight passengers should pay more to fly.

And nearly 80 per cent said they thought “plus-sized zones” should be introduced on flights.

While there are currently no limits for larger passengers flying on commercial American flights there are some requirements.

They must be able to sit with both armrests down, be able to buckle their seatbelts and they don’t block the aisle.

If they can’t comply, they may be asked to pay for a second seat on the flight, unless there are two empty seats together somewhere on the plane.

Debate over weighing air passengers and luggage

Either way, now that the subject of weight generally on planes has been broached, it won’t just go away.

I SUPPOSE it had to happen eventually but now one airline is weighing passengers as well as their carry-on luggage.

Finnish carrier Finnair, which runs budget flights between Finland and the UK, wants to better estimate the plane’s weight before takeoff.

Apparently, airlines work out the weight of the plane, its interior and passengers to balance the flight and make the journey safer.

They may use average weights provided by aviation authorities or collect data themselves.

The weigh-ins are voluntary and they’re not the first airline to do this. Last year, Korea’s largest airline, Korean Air, said it was planning to weigh passengers on international flights for a short time.

This was to reduce wasted fuel and for that more accurate overall weight estimateto, which must be a difficult “sum” to get right.

House too chavvy?

Just not your choice

Not long before Korean Air’s move, EasyJet asked 19 passengers on a flight from Lanzarote to Liverpool to get off the plane because they said it was “too heavy to take off.”

YOU lay your lifestyle on the line when you put your home on the market these days.

The whole subject of the weight of both passengers and their luggage has sparked an outcry and I don’t know why we’re so surprised.

Photos of your currently decorated rooms and décor choices are there for all to see and pick over. And, believe you me, people do like to criticise the decorating style of others.

Not only are there plenty of overweight people around but the increasing cost of hold luggage – and the reduction of what weight airlines allow in a suitcase – has prompted some people to now cram items into carry-on luggage.

Take the case of poor Henry Reilly, for example, He is trying to sell a three bedroomed, semi-detached house in Prescot on Merseyside but has found himself caught in an online trolling storm.

You’ve only got to look at what the overhead lockers are holding on the average flight to see where passengers have packed in the most possessions. Just trying to find a space for your own, probably quite modest, bag or backpack can be almost impossible.

The whole subject of passengers and weight is a regular minefield. In 2017, a poll by jetcost.co.uk showed almost 90 per cent of Britons 6

Chanel logo rug, black velvet chairs and glitterball-style vase with gold pink roses is “chavvy” and are highly critical of his general style tastes.

OK, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it seems to me quite snooty to take this high moral tone over what is actually just one man’s choice of the décor he wants to live with.

His neighbours say Henry and his wife are a “lovely couple” and that it’s up to them what they do with the house they live in. As one pointed out: who is anyone to tell someone else how to decorate their home?

The reality is that most people when they move into a new home change the style anyway. You may have just painted the hall, stairs and landing, put in a new kitchen or newly tiled the bathroom before putting it up for sale but if it’s not to the new buyer’s taste, it’s all change.

To unleash a storm of criticism on a homeowner who has simply surrounded himself with the style he enjoys strikes me as rude and snobby.

Few us share the same sense of homestyle and one man’s favourite is another man’s no-go area. We’re individuals and it really doesn’t matter.

Ever been wellied or squiffed?

HOW do you describe yourself when you’ve had one drink too many?

Wasted? Out of it or just plain drunk?

Well, linguistic researchers have discovered that virtually any noun can be transformed into a “drunkonym” – a synonym for intoxicated – simply by adding “ed” at the end.

In fact, they found 546 words that can mean drunk including “trolleyed”, “hammered,” “wellied” and “steampigged.” Then there is “gazeboed”, “carparked” or simply “cabbaged.”

This confirms a suggestion by comedian Michael McIntyre that Britons could understand any word meaning drunk if it is preceded by “I got completely ……”

Researcher Professor Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer of Chemnitz University in Germany believes that this could be down to Britain’s deeply-rooted culture of social drinking and its absurdist Monty Python-style humour.

She also pointed out other types of playful language around being drunk including Cockney rhyming slang like the drunkonyms “Brahms” and “Schindler’s” – short for “Brahms and Liszt” both of which rhyme with pi**ed.

Britain’s favourite drunkonyms, however, also include bladdered, langered, legless, mashed, mullered, pickled, trashed, bevvied, fuddled, hammered, paralytic, ossified, sozzled, well-oiled, leathered, spannered and squiffed.

But perhaps you’ve got you’ve got your own favourites!

Olivia is a star!

Olivia Hughes is studying for a degree while opening her own restaurant in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

Personally, I think a round of applause and huge envy for her energy and commitment are due but, apparently, some customers look down on her and older staff don’t respect her because of her age. Ignore all this, Olivia.You’re doing a great job, are a terrific role model for other youngsters - and I bet your parents are as proud as punch.

or email: help@aamail.org

7

TRAVEL | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

Wonderful Copenhagen

By Rebecca Underwood, BA Hons | Travel Journalist

reconstructed with spectacular results. Visitors are also welcome to view the collection of traditional Nordic wooden boats berthed at the Museum Harbour and, as I am a committed seafarer, I was simply mesmerised.

Amalienborg courtesy Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard

Danny Kaye once sang ‘wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, friendly old girl of a town’, and it sure is! Copenhagen, located on Sealand, the largest island in Denmark, offers visitors an intriguing glimpse into a colourful tapestry of history and culture.

In the 10th century, Copenhagen was a Viking fishing village and became the capital of Denmark in the 15th century.

To learn more about the fearsome Vikings I visited the fascinating Viking Ship Museum, located by the fjord in Roskilde; 35 kilometres from Copenhagen. The Viking Ship Hall features five spectacular Viking ships, which were discovered in 1962 at Skuldelev, 32 kilometres from where they are now displayed. These magnificent vessels were excavated from the sea bed in thousands of pieces and

Copenhagen attracts millions of visitors keen to explore this wonderful city and its many attractions including Amalienborg. Built in the 1750’s, the site is made up of four identical Danish Rococco style buildings; the palace of Christian VII, husband to Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain, the palace of Christian VIII, the palace of Frederik VIII, great, great grandfather of the reigning Danish monarch King Frederik X, and the palace of Christian IX, the first monarch of the House of Glücksburg.

Eager to know more, I made my way to the the Amalienborg Museum, located within Christian VIII’s Palace, which displays a wide range of exhibits associated with the Danish monarchy dating back 150 years to Christian IX and Queen Louise.

I decided to mingle with the crowds at 12 noon sharp and I watched the changing of the royal guard marching from their barracks through the streets towards Amalienborg.

My next port of call was the National Museum, housed in the Prince’s Palace on Ny Vestergade. The Danish national treasures include archaeological finds from the Viking Age and the permanent displays include an extensive coin and medal collection, classical antiquities and a toy museum which attracts hordes of ‘grown up’ children!

During the reign of King Christian IV in the 17th century,

8

Copenhagen became the capital of both Denmark and Norway and following the widespread devastation of the plague and subsequent fires in the 18th century the city embarked on a period of restoration and redevelopment, which included the founding of the Royal Danish Theatre, in 1748 and the Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture and Architecture, in 1754.

Vuitton, Mulberry and Prada and I browsed around the department store Magasin du Nord.

For special gifts to take home I was persuaded to purchase a wide array of goodies from the Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store, founded in 1775 and purveyor to the royal Danish court. Located on Amagertorv, the property is a charming three storey Renaissance house, which dates back to 1616. Displays of the finest porcelain figurines, gifts and dinnerware should entice even the most resistant to part with more than a few Krona!

In the late 1700’s, during the French Revolution, the Russian Tsar Paul I, son of Catherine the Great and Peter III, founded the League of Weighed down with shopping bags and in Armed Neutrality to facilitate free trade with need of some pampering I checked into the France for Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Denmark D’Angleterre hotel, which provides the highest and Norway. The British Government deemed level of comfort and service. Located on this to be a hostile act, which threatened the Kongens Nytorv, one of the city’s classic squares, Royal Navy’s supremacy over the French fleet. this imposing hotel, established in 1755, is an On 02 April 1801, under the command of historic landmark, which oozes with charm and The National Museum of Denmark courtesy Daniel Rasmussen Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Vice Admiral Horatio sophistication.

Nelson led the Royal Navy’s main attack on the I was escorted to a spacious and comfortable deluxe one-bedroom Danish-Norwegian fleet. Many of the Danish-Norwegian vessels were suite, which features elegant furnishings, plump sofas, luxurious destroyed before a truce was reached. drapes and a very grand bathroom. Hotel Six years later, during the Napoleonic facilities include an urban spa, a fitness The Royal Guard marching in front of Wars, the British Government was anxious room and a swimming pool, which is the the Royal Theatre that Denmark might close the Baltic Sea perfect place to unwind after a busy day. to British vessels with the possibility of Later that evening I headed for the hotel’s French troops arriving in Sealand. In 1807, Balthazar champagne bar and whilst the Bombardment of Copenhagen began sipping on a glass brimming with bubbles when the British fleet attacked the Danish/ I decided to dine ‘in house’ and made Norwegian fleet and the city was evacuated. my reservation at Marchal, the hotel’s Over a thousand buildings were destroyed by impressive restaurant, recipient of a fire and the city suffered greatly. The Danes Michelin star. duly surrendered and the British retreated from Copenhagen.

I sampled the delicious winter truffle ravioli with Jerusalem artichoke, gruyére The Danish Golden Age began in the 19th and creamy truffle sauce and accompanied century and Copenhagen was transformed by the 2015 Moët and Chandon, it was, with new buildings reflecting the Neoclassical quite simply, unforgettable. style and the arts flourished.

German Romanticism emerged and the works of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg led the way. To view examples of Eckersberg’s works, including the magnificent 1841 masterpiece ‘A nude woman doing her hair before a mirror’ I hurried along to the Hirschsprung Museum on Stockolmsgade. The collection also features works by P.S. Kroyer and the enchanting ‘Summer day at the South Beach of Skagen’, completed in 1884, demands admiring glances from those in the room.

Later in the afternoon I felt the urge to embark on some retail therapy and ‘bag a bargain’. I headed for Strøget, one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets crammed with international brands including Louis

After a deep slumber, a long lie-in followed by a rejuvenating shower and a first class breakfast, I decided to take a leisurely stroll along the Langelinie promenade, the site of the Little Mermaid bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen. Based on the fairy tale by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, the Little Mermaid statue was unveiled in 1913 and has become an icon and a major tourist attraction, recognised worldwide.

As I took a breather beside the Little Mermaid the sea air filled my nostrils and I reflected on my explorations and suddenly the voice of Danny Kaye sang in my head ‘wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, salty old queen of the sea’.

Images (excluding accommodation) provided courtesy of copenhagenmediacenter.com 9

CELEBRITY FEATURE | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

HUGH GRANT

star of choice

IN the 1990s and 2000s if ever a handsome but vulnerable lead man was needed in casting a potential hit romantic comedy the call went out: get Hugh Grant.

He really was the star of choice for some of the best British and American-made films of that era.

All of which is no surprise when you consider that the likeable, archetypal upper-crust Englishman has had a very special relationship with the public since he first burst onto the scene in 1994 with Four Weddings and a Funeral.

In 1979, he won the Galsworthy scholarship to New College, Oxford, where he studied English literature. At the time, he viewed acting as nothing more than a creative outlet, joining the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

He made his screen debut in the Oxford University Film Foundation sponsored film Privileged but then took up a variety of jobs including working as an assistant groundsman at Fulham Football Club, tutoring and writing comedy sketches for TV shows.

He was approached by a talent agent but needed to gain his Equity card by acting in regional theatre first. So he joined the Nottingham Playhouse and had small roles in various productions including Lady Windermere’s Fan, Hamlet and Coriolanus.

He created a sketch comedy group called The Jockeys of Norfolk with friends Chris Lang and Andy Taylor which toured London’s pub comedy circuit.

fact, it’s hard to believe that the perennially youthful Grant is 64 this year and has developed into an actor who has embraced challenging, non-romantic roles with such panache.

After a sketch on the Nativity as an Ealing comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fring, they were invited on to Russell Harty’s BBC2 TV show.

Hugh John Mungo Grant was born into a distinguished military family. His father was Captain James Murray Grant and his grandfather Colonel James Murray Grant DSO was decorated for bravery and leadership during World War 2.

With increased profile, Grant played in An Inspector Calls at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre to positive reviews. Minor roles in TV productions followed but his first leading film role came in Merchant-Ivory’s Edwardian drama Maurice in 1987.

He went to an independent prep school in Notting Hill and gained a scholarship to Latymer Upper School, where he played on the school’s first XV in rugby and cricket.

He and co-star James Wilby shared the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival – the first of many accolades.

10

In 2004, he reprised his role as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, but by now he was starting to move into darker areas and in 2006 starred in the black comedy American Dreamz.

Grant had both TV and film work during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and in 1993 had a supporting role in the Merchant-Ivory hit film drama The Remains of the Day. At the age of 32 in 1994 - and just as he was on the verge of giving up acting - he was sent the script of Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He loved it and accepted the lead role of Charlie, kickstarting his romantic onscreen reputation.

The floppy hair and the charming smile dazzled cinema-going audiences; Grant’s future appeared set. This hugely successful and high-grossing British film did have its downside, though.

In 2007, he starred opposite Drew Barrymore in pop culture parody Music and Lyrics and brought his sense of fun in 2015 to Guy Ritchie’s crime thriller The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Hugh Grant at the New York Premiere of Notting Hill, 13th May 1999

As he said later: “Although I owe whatever success I’ve had to Four Weddings and a Funeral, it did become frustrating after a bit that people made two assumptions.

“One was that I was that character – when in fact nothing could be further from the truth, as I’m sure Richard (Curtis the film’s writer) would tell you.

“The other frustrating thing was that they thought that’s all I could do. I suppose because those films happened to be successful noone, perhaps understandably, bothered to rent all the other films I’d done.”

After a couple of less impressive films - The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain and Nine Months – what became classic Grant arrived via the much-acclaimed 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility as Emma Thompson’s suitor.

He won over both critics and audiences once more, however, in 2016 playing opposite Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins.

He was an enjoyable villain in Paddington 2 but then surprised many with his believable performance in 2018 as disgraced politician Jeremy Thorpe for TV miniseries A Very English Scandal.

Since then, he has played several roles against his original type, both in the UK and the US and last year, proving he is always up for a challenge, turned up as an Oompa-Loompa in Wonka!

Anyone dismissing him as a one-trick pony during the romantic comedy years has had to revise opinions and acknowledge his skills.

Now, his many fans eagerly await what Hugh Grant does next.

Hugh Grant & Sandra Bullock at the Premiere of Two Weeks Notice

After a three-year break, when he successfully made his debut as a film producer in the 1996 thriller Extreme Measures, he was back to box-office winning ways with Notting Hill opposite Julia Roberts.

This funny and heartwarming story about a travel bookshop owner and a Hollywood superstar featured another sharply funny Richard Curtis script and proved an immediate and enduring hit.

His next role that year, in Mickey Blue Eyes, didn’t capture the public’s imagination in the same way but in 2001 he was back on hit form as bad boy Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones’s Diary.

He was also a womanizer the following year in the film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s best-selling novel About a Boy, at 41, a more complex and interesting character. This role earned Grant his third Golden Globe nomination while the London Film Critics Circle named him Best British Actor.

He went back to romantic comedy in 2002 with Two Weeks Notice opposite Sandra Bullock in a blockbuster that made $199 million internationally but brought poor reviews.

It was the 2003 comedy Love Actually, featuring Grant as the British Prime Minister, that made fans fall in love with him all over again.

11

HOME | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

SPRING CLEAN YOUR LIFESTYLE https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-britishinsulation-scheme There are also simple ploys around the house. For example, ensure back and front DOORS fit properly and don’t lose valuable heat in cold weather.

The same for windows, especially if they’re double-glazed. Check that they all fit properly and don’t let in a draught. If they do, it’s worth considering replacing what you can afford to.

Lined CURTAINS can help your heating work better and feel cosier all year round.

Many people are now going for a blinds/ curtains combination that looks attractive on windows and helps with better insulation.

SPRING is a time of new beginnings for Nature and a time of Spring-cleaning and a new assessment of your home and lifestyle.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last couple of years thanks to lockdown, it’s focusing on what is important to us in life and trying to achieve it.

Even given tough financial times, lifestyles can easily change for the better for many people. The emphasis on work/life balance, budgeting to concentrate on the importance of basic vital elements and making life choices that enhance our lives are all welcome.

Contemporary homes reflect this more and more so Spring is a good time to decide how you want to improve your life and daily living – and take action.

ENERGY consumption is top of everyone’s budgeting list today so perhaps it’s time for realistic advice from your local heating engineer about making the most of your energy supply.

There are many different schools of thought on the best way to heat your home so getting plenty of individual information about your property’s needs is best.

For example, solar panels (with a storage battery) have come into their own now, with many people making use of the stored energy via electric cars in joined-up thinking that makes sense.

One mantra is insulation: ensure your loft is fully insulated.You may be able to get free insulation or support. For more information go to 12

Move furniture away from heat sources.

This sounds like a no-brainer but a couch or a bed left in front or very near a radiator or other heat source can just block warm air from circulating around the room.

RECYCLING matters far more to people now that we are all trying to take a more responsible stance on the planet’s resources. The UK produces 26 million tonnes of waste a year but recycling doesn’t just mean separating your rubbish and wasting less food.

It also means not necessarily buying new items like clothes, furniture and electrical goods. We lower our environmental impact if we buy second-hand and the first three places worth looking at are local businesses, online marketplaces and charity shops.

For the last, check out your local area but if you want to save time, download the app from the Charity Retail Association.

This is the UK trade association for charity shops and you can find out more about them at https://www.charityretail. org.uk/

change our beds every eight years for healthy living.

Make your bedroom as relaxing as possible to aid the right kind of sleep.

Blackout curtains filter out light and restful décor in neutral shades like beige and lavender all help; add a dimmer switch to your lights to enhance these pleasing tones.

Flea markets and car boot sales are also ideal for searching out those bargains and there are plenty of online marketplaces like Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. For books try World of Books or Oxfam and for clothes download the Vinted and Depop apps.

Generally, DECLUTTER your home to promote that positive feeling of wellbeing and order. Go through boxes of possessions and see what is worth keeping, recycling or giving to charity.

Look for FURNITURE bargains and support local charities at the same time.

The British Heart Foundation https:// www.bhf.org.uk and homeless charity Emmaus https://emmaus.org.uk offer cheaper second-hand and often new furniture so find out your nearest centre and have a look.

You can also sell pre-loved items on Vinted, eBay, Gumtree and many other online marketplaces to create a valuable side-hustle and keep those useful items circulating. In fact, it’s called the Circular Economy.

Repair your own GADGETS to save money and prevent them having to go to landfill. The Repair Café, an international movement, is particularly interesting here as experts and others offer to help you repair items free. Look out for one in your local area or visit the website https://repaircafe.org.en

Clear entrances like hallways and the upstairs landing to promote a feeling of space throughout and take an objective look at your living areas.

Is your living room overcrowded with unnecessary furniture? Do you need some pleasing pictures to enhance walls or how about a grouping of photographs of loved ones?

Whatever enhances your enjoyment of life is worth trying now in your home.

Is your home helping your WELLBEING? Is the ventilation good, promoting air quality flow throughout?

It’s an old but true adage that fresh air is good for you, even while we keep in valuable heat during the colder months. Looking forward to the months when we can open doors and windows to get more air circulating, though, it’s worth checking that useful flow through.

E

BEFOR

Can you turn a ROOM into somewhere you can enjoy a pleasing hobby like sewing, model-making or even into a small gym? Having the facility for home-workouts can save you money and help all those other New Year resolutions about health and fitness.

AFTER

This need not cost a fortune, either. If you need structural changes, get a good local BUILDER on referral and check out their work beforehand.

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13

CELEBRITY FEATURE | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

PETER KAY BORN TO BE FUNNY PETER Kay was born to be funny. He is a natural comedian who uses observations on everyday life to tickle the nation’s funnybone.

His humour transcends age, culture and geography and, as the thousands who queue to see his latest ongoing tour know, it’s the ideal antidote for everything from recession to piles.

Born in Farnworth, Bolton and unashamedly Northern, Peter, now 50, knew he wanted to be in comedy from an early age. He studied media performance at the University of Salford and began working as a part-time comedian in North-west comedy clubs.

His day jobs, however, ranged from a factory worker packing toilet rolls, in a supermarket, a video shop, a cash and carry and a bingo hall as well as a mobile disc jockey. He worked in a garage for six years in between all the other jobs.

“Being a comedian is the only job I’ve ever managed to keep for a long period of time,” he once confessed. “In all my other jobs, after a while it got to the point where it was like I wasn’t there.

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“Hey …. I bet my former bosses are sat right now saying ‘You’re damn right you wasn’t there, that’s why you’re not there now!’ but I guess I wasn’t meant to pack toilet rolls or stack shelves. I was destined to make people laugh.”

However, he does admit that his “best job before being a stand-up comedian would have to be when I was usher at my local cinema in Bolton.

“I got to see all the movies for free, got free sweets and I told people endings of films as they were going in, like ‘I didn’t know Al Pacino was in ‘Ghost’.”

Peter was also an usher at the huge Manchester O2 Arena – the venue he now packs out night after night to thousands of adoring fans. Such is karma.

As a stand-up comedian, Peter won the North West Comedian of the Year award in 1997 and the following year Channel 4’s So You

Think You’re Funny contest. He was also nominated for a Perrier Award for his show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

months of release. It’s still a popular buy and ranks as the biggest selling British hardback autobiography of all time.

As his profile started to rise, Peter wrote, directed and starred in That Peter Kay Thing for Channel 4 which resulted in spin-off sitcom Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights.

His second book TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen was published last September and greeted with the same sort of acclaim.

This was a turning point for the young comedian. Phoenix Nights, filmed in a Farnworth social club, ran for two series from 2001 to 2002 to become iconic comedy.

Peter is currently in the middle of a lengthy tour – his first for 12 years - which when it ends will also prove to be a record-breaker with a lengthy stint at London’s O2 Arena.

It also generated another successful spin-off with friend and fellow Boltonian Paddy McGuinness - Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere – in 2004.

Previously, Peter wrote and starred in comedy tour Mum Wants A Bungalow which turned into the Guinness World Records’ most successful ever tour selling more than 1.2 million tickets

In 2005, Peter recorded a promotional video in which he mimed to Tony Christie’s 1971 hit Is This The Way to Amarillo. This was re-issued as a fundraiser for Comic Relief, raising more than £2 million for charity. It also reached No.1 in the UK singles’ chart to become the year’s best-seller.

He is notoriously private about his life away from performing and still lives in Bolton. He is married to Susan and they have a teenage son, Charlie.

He followed this up two years later when he created a star-studded video to (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles.

In 2007, he moved into theatre to play director Roger DeBris in the Mel Brooks’ musical The Producers at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.

Then, always keen to try fresh projects and experience fresh challenges, in 2008 Peter co-wrote and starred in Britain’s Got the Pop Factor ….and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice. In this parody of several British reality TV shows , Peter was the series’ fictional protagonist Geraldine McQueen. He even released a single from this The Winner’s Song which, ironically, reached No.2 in the UK singles’ charts.

He has spawned a variety of catchphrases during his comedy career including his disbelieving “Garlic bread?” and “Put big light on”. In a series of hilarious TV adverts for beer (he’s actually teetotal) he coined “’Ave it!”

Peter is quite an unstarry person and often seen around Bolton but he is also extremely generous and has supported a variety of local charities including Bolton Hospice.

In fact, local people are generally very protective of this famous son and proud of his ongoing achievements.

It’s not everyday a working class lad becomes a superstar and still lives in his home town but then Peter Kay is definitely not your average superstar – and his fans are very grateful for that!

In 2015 he brought back Phoenix Nights for a series of live performances for Comid Relief and in 2016 he toured the UK with Peter Kay’s Dance For Life in aid of Cancer Research.

From 2015 to 2018 he captured the attention of TV audiences once more with his series Car Share and in 2016 won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Male comedy Performance, the BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy and the National Television Award for Best Comedy for Car Share. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford.

He has made several guest TV appearances over the years – on Coronation Street, The Catherine Tate Show, Mrs Brown’s Boys and even Doctor Who to name just a few.

In between all this, Peter wrote his autobiography The Sound of Laughter which sold more than one million copies in the first three 15

barnes coaches UK & European Coach Holidays

We offer a wide variety of UK & European coach holidays, all with tailored itineraries and hotels to showcase the best the destination has to offer!

Wonders of the Weald Thu 1st August 2024 5 Days: From £629pp Includes Penshurst Place, Walmer Castle, Hole Park and train ride!

West Wales & Pembrokeshire Coast Mon 12th August 2024 5 Days: From £579pp Includes Picton Castle, National Wool Museum and free use of spa hotel!

Not only do we visit three We see the great coastal of the best houses in Kent, scenery in this area of but have tours of them all West Wales, and we have and food at two of them! included two fascinating We also experience a guided tours. We love ride on the Kent & Sussex the Cliff Hotel & Spa, and Railway through the they offer all guests an rolling hills of the High hours use of the spa each Weald countryside. day for no additional cost (book on arrival).

Guernsey by Sea Sun 1st September 2024 6 Days: From £749pp Guernsey is a place where you can escape the ordinary and discover an island bursting with local charm and inspiring nature. There are daily connections to Herm, Sark, and Alderney if you wish to explore further.

All tours include a halfday familiarisation tour of the island! We travel with Condor on one of their high-speed vessels so the journey time to Guernsey is just three hours and ten minutes.

Disneyland Paris & World War I Battlefields Kynren - An Epic Tale Walt Disney Studios Tour, Ypres of England Tue 20th August 2024 Tue 27th August 2024 Fri 30th August 2024 4 Days: From £649pp 4 Days: From £599pp 4 Days: From £449pp *Based on x4 person Gain an insight into the Includes Deluxe Kynren sharing a room* World War I battlefields of Ticket! The UK’s most Includes 2-day Disneyland Flanders and the Somme spectacular open-air Pass! The Disneyland Park which shaped the history live show plus Durham, is a world that inspires of modern Europe and Whitby & Scarborough. the imagination, where commemorate the brave An Epic Tale of England, wonder and enchantment soldiers who made the the UK’s ‘must see’ fill the air! Our hotel is off- ultimate sacrifice for spectacular outdoor live site, but our own coach peace. Includes visits to action show covering will take us to and from Flanders Field Museum, 2,000 years of history. the park each day which Tyne Cot and Essex Farm, is just a ten-minute drive. Last Post Ceremony at Or use the hotel’s shuttle Menin Gate, Somme buses if you wish to travel Battlefield, Historial, de la at a different time.

Grande Guerre Museum, Albert, Thiepval Memorial and Beaumont-Hamel Memorial Park.

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way Sun 1st September 2024 Paris to Atlantic River 7 Days: From £989pp Seine 4-star Cruise Includes Scattery Island Wed 4th September 2024 and guided tour, Cliffs 9 Days: From £2,275pp of Moher, Aillwee *UPGRADES AVAILABLE* caves, cheesemaking Includes Les Andelys, demonstration, sheepdog Rouen, Le Harve, Vernon demonstration and & Paris! and full board on birds of prey! This tour boat with all-inclusive was new in 2023 and drinks! On this trip, you feedback from the driver will soon realise that the and customers alike was Seine has more to offer phenomenal. This year we than just the city of 1,000 have added free time in Lights.

Waterford.

Three Islands of the Inner Hebrides Fri 13th September 2024 7 Days: From £1,229pp Includes Isles of Skye, Mull & Iona, Iona Abbey, Duart Castle, Iona Abbey & four ferries! We spend two Blackpool Illuminations nights on Mull and then & The Lake District two more on Skye on this Fri 6th September 2024 fabulous island-hopping Fri 27th September 2024 itinerary, that offers the Fri 11th October 2024 opportunity to view some 3 Days: From £259pp of the best scenery that Blackpool is Britain’s the west coast of Scotland largest holiday has to offer. destination with a flat 6-mile promenade and three piers. The trams on the seafront are the only survivors of their kind in England.

01793 821303 | barnescoaches.co.uk

Our Drivers and Coaches

Our drivers are renowned for their care and professionalism whilst driving and their helpful attitude, which all contribute to the enjoyment of your holiday. All executive coaches have comfy, reclining seats with arm and foot rests, air conditioning, a toilet, fridge and all new coaches that are rolled into our fleet now come with USB charging ports! View our full fleet gallery online at: barnescoaches.co.uk/fleetgallery

Jersey, Guernsey & Herm Wed 18th Sept 2024 8 Days: From £1,189pp 2-centre holiday, plus a tour whilst on Guernsey & Jersey! If you can’t decide between Jersey and Guernsey why not enjoy a holiday that visits both?

And we also have a day trip to the island of Herm!

We travel with Condor on one of their high-speed vessels!

The English Riviera, Paignton Fri 27th September 2024 4 Days: From £399pp As well as the beautiful coastline, our tours will show us much of Devon’s enchanting countryside.

Includes visits to Exeter, Dartmouth, Teignmouth, Torquay, Wells.

By Hook and By Crooke, ireland Sun 6th October 2024 5 Days: From £629pp Includes Huntingdon Castle & Gardens, Waterford Crystal, Dunbrody Famine Ship & Guided Tour of Hook Lighthouse!

Codebreakers & Cambridge Glorious Gower Thu 10th October 2024 Peninsula, Llanelli 4 Days: From £439pp Mon 7th October 2024 Jersey by Sea Includes Bletchley Park 6 Days: From £629pp Mon 7th October 2024 Include local guide, Tenby and Guided Tour of 6 Days: From £629pp and the National Botanic Cambridge plus Ely, Jersey is an island shaped Gardens of Wales. Plus Bury St Edmunds, and by the sea where some St Albans. On this tour Gower Heritage Centre of the most astonishing and Cream Tea. A much- we visit the home of tides in the world circle loved Welsh destination, the famous World War the coast and feed the II Codebreakers and epitomized by the land. It’s an island that’s beautiful golden beaches discover a land of lazy small on size, but big waterways and majestic of the Gower Peninsula on personality, where cathedrals. Our 4-star and the welcoming country lanes open to hotel has full leisure seaside resort of Tenby. cliff top views and the facilities and in 2023 the Savor the beautiful land sea is never more than improved itinerary on this and seascapes on this ten minutes away. We tour was a huge success tour and explore the travel with Condor on award winning National plus this year we have one of their high-speed Botanic Garden of Wales. added a visit to Bury St vessels so the journey Great feedback from this Edmunds in Suffolk. time to Jersey is just four hotel in 2023. hours and ten minutes.

Everyone is guaranteed a seat on board and there’s a restaurant, bar, duty-free shop and Wi-Fi.

Request a free UK & European Coach Holiday Brochure!

HOME PICKUP & DROP OFF SERVICE ON HOLIDAYS 4 DAYS & OVER! Use our online postcode checker to see if we can pickup from your postcode! barnescoaches.co.uk/holiday-pickups

Hotels

An important part of the holiday, so we are very careful about the hotels used. All are to a good standard with en-suite rooms.

ABTOT Bonded Coach Holiday protected: Membership number 7005.

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18

FOOD | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE Well-travelled chef James Martin gets underneath the skin of Spain - a country he hardly knows but is excited to explore - as he discovers its history and culture.

Here we share 4 recipes from his new book.

CASTILE BEANS AND MEATBALLS Castile and León is a region rich in pulses, and the largest producer in Spain. This recipe uses white beans from La Bañeza, which have a soft and buttery texture and hold their shape well when cooked, making them the perfect choice for a tomatoey stew to accompany beefy meatballs.

Serves 6-8 Ingredients • 100g dried alubias de La Bañeza (white beans) • 1kg beef mince • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 3 garlic cloves, chopped • 100ml olive oil • 100g lardo, sliced • 5 tomatoes, diced • 1 onion, sliced • 500ml passata • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 300ml red wine • 200g roasted red peppers in a jar, sliced • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method Soak the beans in cold water overnight, then drain. Pop in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour.

Drain and set aside.

Mix together the beef, half the parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt and one-third of the garlic. When evenly combined, shape into 12 large meatballs.

Heat a large pan over a medium–high heat until hot, then add half the oil and pop in the meatballs. Once the meatballs have coloured, turn them over, then add the lardo, rest of the garlic, the tomatoes, onion, passata, oregano and wine. Season, bring to the boil, then pop in the peppers and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the beans and cook for a further 10 minutes, sprinkle over the remaining parsley, then drizzle over the remaining oil and serve.

FOOD | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

ROASTED SEA BASS WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES An impressive dish of whole sea bass, roasted on a bed of tomatoes and olives and drizzled in oil and sherry for extra Spanish flavour.

I’ve complemented it with some grilled asparagus coated in a tomato and parsley dressing served alongside.

Serves 2 Ingredients • 1 x 700g whole sea bass, gutted and fins removed • 1 lemon, sliced • a few flat-leaf parsley stalks • bunch of asparagus • 25ml olive oil • pinch of salt For the sauce • 150g tomato pulp • 2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks • 50ml olive oil • 1 tablespoon sherry • 100g olives of your choice, stoned For the dressing • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar • 3 tablespoons tomato pulp • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley • 1 tablespoon sherry • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 50ml olive oil

Method If you want to use a BBQ, heat a BBQ until hot and the coals are white. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6 or heat a pizza oven to 400°C (750°F).

Start with the fish. Cut 3 or 4 deep slashes on each side, fill the cavity with the lemon slices and parsley stalks. Spoon the tomato pulp for the sauce into the base of a paella pan, sprinkle over the chopped tomatoes and sit the fish on top. Drizzle over the oil and sherry, then roast in the oven for 12–15 minutes, or in the pizza

20

oven for 10 minutes, adding the olives for the last minute of cooking.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.

Pop the asparagus onto a tray, roll in the oil and season with the salt.

Place onto the BBQ grill and char for 2–3 minutes, turning during cooking. Alternatively, you can cook in a griddle or frying pan on the hob.

Pop the asparagus onto a plate, spoon over the dressing and serve alongside the fish.

BAKED ARTICHOKES AND EGGS This dish is my personal celebration of locally grown Spanish vegetables. Perfect for brunch or lunch served with crusty bread for dipping. Delicious.

Serves 4 Ingredients • 5 purple artichokes • 100ml olive oil • 1 bay leaf • 4 eggs • crusty bread, to serve For the sauce • 3 large tomatoes • 50ml olive oil • 1 onion, diced • 3 garlic cloves, diced • 1 charred red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced • 1 teaspoon pimentón ahumado (smoked paprika) • 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

Method Heat a BBQ until hot and the coals are white. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6 or heat a pizza oven to 300°C (570°F).

Start by prepping the artichokes. Peel away the bottom leaves and then, using a potato peeler, trim the stems back. Remove the top third of each artichoke with a knife and then cut into sixths. Pop the artichokes into a pan with 100ml water, the oil and bay leaf and cook for 15 minutes until all the liquid has gone. Grate the tomatoes over a sieve with a box grater. Chop the skins finely and mix up with the pulp and juice. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes to soften. Add the tomatoes, pepper and pimentón and bring to the boil. Reduce by half and season with the salt.

Put the artichokes into an ovenproof dish, spoon over the sauce and crack the eggs on top. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or the pizza oven for 6–8 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

21

SPICED SEVILLE ORANGES WITH CRÈME CARAMEL

A pudding which makes the most of Seville’s famous citrus export. The crème caramels are flavoured with orange as well as the vanilla and served alongside sticky caramelised slices of orange.

Serves 8 Ingredients For the caramel

• 150g caster sugar • squeeze of orange juice

For the filling

• 500ml full-fat milk • zest of 1 Seville orange • 1 vanilla pod, seeds removed • 3 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks • 100g caster sugar

For the orange

• 1 Seville orange, peeled • 2 star anise • 1 cinnamon stick • 3 cloves • 2 bay leaves • 100g caster sugar • 100ml water

Method Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and the orange juice. Do not stir but carefully swirl in the pan until the sugar is brown and caramelised. This should take about 3–4 minutes. Once the sugar has caramelised, spoon into four ramekins and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 130°C (110°C fan)/265°F/gas 3/4. Heat the milk, orange zest and the vanilla in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until combined. Pour over the warm milk mixture and whisk again. Then ladle the mixture onto the caramel. Place the ramekins into a bain-marie and bake for 45 minutes. Transfer to the fridge to chill overnight.

For the orange, pop all the ingredients into the caramel pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool and infuse. To turn the caramels out, loosen the edges with a sharp knife onto plates, then spoon the oranges on the side.

22

James Martin’s Spanish Adventure by James Martin (Quadrille, £27), Photography © Dan Jones

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GARDEN | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

What Sort of Garden will you grow?

The snowdrops are showing, the hellebores are in bloom, and the camellia buds are turning pink. It’s definitely time to start planning your garden for the year ahead.

What do you want from your garden? Do you love your herbaceous border, or would you rather while away the afternoon with a good book. Do you use your garden for weekend barbecues, or do you prefer raising plants from seed in your greenhouse. In other words, are you looking for a labour saving garden, or are you a plantsman, nurturing seedlings and happy to spend hours weeding and staking.

The garden as an outdoor room If you want an attractive garden where you can sit in the sun and eat outdoors as often as possible, then it makes sense to go for a sweep of lawn, and plenty of paved area. You’ll want to cut down on the bedding plants and herbaceous borders, and go for something which needs as little maintenance as possible.

The patio Make sure there’s enough room to take table and chairs, recliners and barbecue gear. A well laid patio is labour saving, needs nothing more than the occasional brush over, and you can walk on it at any time of year. York stone, brick, or textured concrete slabs which weather and look like natural stone are all useful options, or you could go for decking, which is relatively easy to put down. For winter, to add greenery, box or bay in pots look good, trimmed into pyramids or balls, and for summer, bring in blocks of colour with pots of geraniums or fuchsias. If you want to move these around, you can buy useful little stands on wheels, so that even the heaviest pots can be moved at will.

24

Plantings Go for shrubs and perennials, with blocks of colour on the patio provided with pots of geraniums, fuchsias and begonias.

Shrubs such as Mahonia and Skimmia will form a pleasant backdrop, and can be allowed to grow without looking neglected. They also have the added bonus of flowers and berries. For a touch of colour, try the yellow leafed variety of Choisya Ternata, which gives the impression of sun on its leaves, even when it’s raining. Try Cistus, with its glossy, evergreen foliage and vivid flowers or Hebes, which can be found in most nurseries. This is also evergreen, with flowers ranging in colour from white to deepest red.If you spread a good thick mulch around these shrubs, the moisture is kept in the soil, and the weeds are kept down. In front of the shrubs, use ground cover plants. Sedums are good, with pale green foliage and flowers which resemble pink broccoli heads.

Butterflies and bees love them, and even when the flowers dry out, the seed heads remain attractive. Bergenias are another good ground cover, with huge, polished leaves and luxurious stems of pink flowers in January.

For the keen gardener A garden design for the gardening fanatic would be quite different.

Of course, you still want to sit out in it occasionally, but with the true gardener, the real pleasure comes from working in the garden.

You need a sunny spot for a greenhouse; you’ll want wide flower beds for herbaceous borders, and plenty of trellis work for roses and clematis. You’ll probably want a water feature as well, to encourage wild life.

The Water Feature These have moved on since the days of concrete fountains set in a pond filled with black vinyl. Some of the most attractive I’ve seen recently include blocks of natural stone, bored through to take a water pipe, which is flush with the stone. More natural stones form the base, so the effect is of water flowing through outcrops of rock. The constant splashing of water will attract birds and the surrounding damp area will encourage frogs.

accommodate a full size one, there are smaller ones available which could provide you with rain water if hose pipes are banned again.

Climbing plants All gardens need climbing plants, and clematis figure very large in this category. There are now so many varieties of clematis available, that you could have one flowering at almost any time of year. Try the bright yellow clematis tangutica, which flowers well into the autumn, then shows off its silvery white seeds heads, and for early spring, the blue clematis alpina is very frost resistant.

No garden would be complete without climbing roses. Some of these will flower all summer, and some have just one spectacular blooming period, so it’s as well to check on this when you buy, and if you feel that a rose is not a rose unless it’s scented, then make sure to check on that as well. Other climbing plants, which involve more attention as they’re grown from seed, are sweet peas and Black Eyed Susan. Last year, I grew my sweet peas in a large pot within a black obelisk framework. It worked well, looked good and because they were in a pot, I could keep the plants well watered. I was rewarded with plenty of sweet smelling flowers for the house, and a feeling of achievement that a bunch of perfect, scented blooms can bring.

The plantings Most keen gardeners love their herbaceous borders, and it’s useful to have a good, sturdy trellis as a backdrop, to provide support for roses and clematis. For the midsummer garden, remember last summer, when many areas of the country were on hose pipe bans, and go for plants which can more easily tolerate drought conditions. Lavender, helianthemums, valerian, and acanthus all provide attractive foliage and colour, and the wonderful spherical flower heads of alliums provide a striking accent in mid border. Another plant which is gaining in popularity is the lily, and Lilium Regale, with its pink buds opening to purest white, is one of the easiest to grow, with the added bonus of delicious scent, especially in the late afternoon and evening.

All gardens are as individual as their owners, so whether you’re a lazy gardener, or a full time, hands on plantsman, start planning now, to make the most of the summer.

Saving water We’re told that this summer will be as hot as last year, so remember to check out available water butts. There is now a wider variety of shapes and sizes, and even if you can’t

Check list to prepare for a long hot summer Water butt. Mulch. Trellis. Greenhouse shading. Flower pots. Seeds and seed trays. Potting up tray.

Potting compost.

25

MOTORING | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

STEVE HOWARTH’S TEST DRIVE hang of it the system can boost your range but if you just can’t live with it the e-pedal can be switched off for normal driving.

The Leaf also has Nissan’s ProPilot driver assistance which includes adaptive cruise control, lane assist and traffic jam assist, which can control the car in slow-moving traffic.

The standard Leaf has that 148bhp electric motor which gets its energy from a 40kWh battery while the longer range e+ has a 62kWh battery.

Every Leaf also comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and pedestrian detection as standard along with blindspot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

NISSAN LEAF SHIRO ELECTRIC cars have made great strides in terms of performance and practicality in the few years since they first appeared on our roads.

I can recall testing one of the very first well over a decade ago which could only manage 14 miles on a full charge and had reliability issues – it suddenly discharged itself with no way to open the recharge flap meaning a call to those helpful breakdown people!

Fast forward to 2024 and my latest test vehicle was the 2024 Nissan Leaf – 150 miles plus range, 0 to 60 in a shade under 8 seconds and lots of standard kit.

Plus if you want to go even further there’s the Nissan Leaf e+ with a bigger battery, which gives a range of up to 239 miles with 214bhp compared to the standard car’s 148bhp.

Our test Leaf was in entry level Shiro trim and came with two charging leads meaning powering up via a 7kW wall box three pin home charger will take 7.5 hours. The e+ takes 11 hours while a 50kW fast charger will get the standard car’s battery from 20 to 80 per cent charge in an hour.

If you keep the battery topped up every time you park then range anxiety shouldn’t be an issue so you can enjoy the Leaf’s quiet, refined and comfortable ride and the many driving aids.

One of which is Nissan’s e-Pedal system which uses resistance from the electric motor to allow you to drive with just one pedal - without having to press the brake unless in an emergency. Once you get the 26

Other standard kit on our Shiro version includes smart 17” alloy wheels, power fold mirrors, LED running lights at the front and tail lights, rear privacy glass, heated seats all round and a heated steering wheel, front and rear USB ports, adaptive cruise control, an 8” central touch screen infotainment system and 360 degree cameras plus auto lights and wipers.

After a week with the Leaf I found that regular overnight charging kept it topped up and ready to go - I even got used to the e-pedal system, completing several journeys without even touching the brake pedal.

First introduced by Nissan in 2010 the Leaf was the world’s bestselling electric car until Tesla took that title a few years later but the recently refreshed Leaf remains one of the front runners in the electric vehicle market.

Our Shiro version with optional Artic While special paintwork is £28,790 on the road while a range-topping Tekna will cost you £31,995.

More info at www.nissan.co.uk

off steering wheel which works well with the 308’s smart geometric interior featuring quality metallised trim finishes and appealing materials.

Also there is a long list of standard equipment, much of which was not even thought of when those first four wheel legends hit the streets, including adaptive cruise control, three driving modes (Eco, Sport and individual), parking sensors all round and a rear view camera.

Peugeot’s latest-generation infotainment system i-Connect, is touchscreen but enhanced by a row of ‘i-toggle’ manual switches below.

Safety kit is comprehensive and includes driver attention warning, an SOS and assistance system, blind spot detection and electronic stability programme.

PEUGEOT 308 GT HYBRID

SPORTY versions of family cars have been on our roads for decades and created a whole new category of vehicle – the hot hatch.

Think Golf GTi, Escort XR3i and Peugeot 205GTi which all became motoring icons and the tradition continues today with Peugeot’s latest 308GT. I got to try out the hybrid version that has a 1.6 turbo petrol engine and electric motor which, working together, deliver 180bhp giving a sprightly 0 to 62 time of 7.6 seconds and top speed of 139. There is an even more impressive 225bhp model which shaves a little off the 0 to 62 time but delivers less electric only range.

A firm yet comfortable ride, excellent brakes and a slick 8-speed auto box (there is no manual option) all add to the driving experience.

I got to give this GT a true Grand Touring test during a 300 mile round trip to the Cotswolds where it performed impeccably. I even emerged after a few hours at the wheel feeling fresh and comfortable with my experience.

Prices for the 308 range start from a 1.2 petrol model at a shade under £30k but the plug in hybrids in GT spec are around £10k more with our test version in a striking Olivine Green being £42,170 on the road with options including a panoramic opening glass roof with interior blind and special 18” alloy wheels.

More info at www.peugeot.co.uk

However, unlike its prestigious predecessors this hot hatch can return up to 250mpg and drive on its electric motor alone on a full charge for up to 35 miles.

Both 308 Hybrid models are front-wheel drive combining a 109bhp electric motor with that turbo petrol engine.

The new car is a little bigger than the outgoing model with 55mm more wheelbase and is over 100mm longer as well as wider and slightly taller yet has a more sporting stance.

Peugeot’s i-Cockpit control system has been with us for more than a decade with its raised instrument cluster and low-set small squared

For all the latest car tests see the motoring section of our website at www.50plusmagazine.co.uk/motors/ 27

HEALTH | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

RETURNING HOME AFTER A STAY IN

HOSPITAL?

For people who are recently discharged from hospital changes in ability can arise that make yesterday’s straightforward tasks todays challenges. From bathing and toileting, to making a cup of tea, to getting out of the house and maintaining independence, it can be a challenge for recently discharged patients to adjust to life with limited mobility even down to finding shoes and slippers that fit swollen feet.

your feet and they can even arrange for short term stairlift hire and hospital beds if needed.

If it’s just a temporary injury all the stores have wheelchairs, knee walkers and mobility scooters available for immediate hire or purchase, as well as things you might not consider such as waterproof bandage/cast protectors and stools for when you bathe or shower, overbed/chair tables, special cutlery as well as crutches, walking sticks and rollators.

As we discovered on our recent visit to the Wroughton branch, The Mobility Store has a surprisingly wide and varied range of products, from simple grabbers to fully automated bath lifts, making life easier if you suddenly find yourself less spritely on

All The Mobility Store’s four branches have level access parking right outside for easy access, and their staff have the experience to advise on any future needs that may arise should your mobility continue to be an issue.

MAKE LIFE EASIER Rise and Recline Chairs

• Large Range of Mobility Aids • • Hire Services • Wheelchairs • • Stairlifts & More...

• WHEELCHAIRS • MOBILITY SCOOTERS • POWERED WHEELCHAIRS • RISER RECLINER CHAIRS • WALKING AIDS • BATH/TOILET AIDS • LIVING AIDS • COSYFEET • SERVICING AND REPAIRS • ADJUSTABLE BEDS

Living Aids Adjustable Beds

Walking Aids

Mobility Scooters

FOOTCARE APPOINTMENTS & FREE HEARING HEALTH CHECK

Shoes and Slippers

www.thehearingandmobilitystore.co.uk 7 Clive Parade, Cricklade Road, Swindon SN2 1AJ 01793 701313 6 Devizes Road, Wroughton SN4 0RZ 56 George Lane, Marlborough SN8 4BY 01672 511550 Lansdowne, Bourton on the Water GL54 2AR FREE LEVEL ACCESS PARKING AT ALL STORES

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01793 815083 01451 810088

Hearing impairment affects 1 in 6 people can connect via blue tooth technology to telephones, radios, televisions etc all enabling the wearer the best possible information for their brain to work with.

Above all else my most important message to the reader is, if you, a friend or relative suspects a hearing deficit have it checked out early.

We know now that people who do not address their hearing loss early are more likely to be sad, depressed and are more likely to develop dementia. Whereas people who do wear hearing aids successfully have a better quality of life, better relationships and a positive self-perception.

Choose your Audiologist carefully because it will be a lifelong relationship.

Hearing aids last on average 5.2 years and you are likely to see your Audiologist many times during the life of the hearing aids. Be prepared to share your lifestyle with your Audiologist so that the hearing aids can be programmed to suit your lifestyle. Hear well and have a happy life…..

“It sounds like I’m listening through a tea towel”. That was how a recent patient described hearing when he went back to his previous hearing aids, having worn the new hearing aids for only five days.

My career as an Audiologist has enabled me to improve the quality of people’s life by using the latest technology to improve their hearing. Being able to hear means that the individual remains in the group, this is very important to a person’s self-esteem and their mental wellbeing.

Becoming an Audiologist was not something that my careers master suggested, and even today few young people go through school wishing to become an Audiologist. For my part I love science and engineering and I wanted to work in health care in a clinical capacity. Initially I thought of working in the renal world, because a friend of my father had a kidney dialysis machine at home, but there was an opening in Audiology so I took that. An interesting point in that the kidneys and the ears form from the same part of the embryo. Such that a person with Alports syndrome is likely to have hearing loss and kidney failure.

My early career in the NHS exposed me to fitting non-electric hearing aids such as speaking tubes and the banjo. The main hearing aid was the OL56 designed by the Post Office telecommunications department, a body worn hearing aid which ladies tucked into their bras and men had to wear shirts with a breast pocket to accommodate the hearing aid. A wire trailed up to the ear and a large earphone clipped to a solid earmould. Soon the NHS introduced behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids and it seemed like everyone wanted them yesterday, the rush was amazing but understandable, people wanted to have better hearing in a discrete format.

The turn of the century witnessed the development of the first digital hearing aids and once again there was a mass clamor for the improved technology. Science fiction precedes reality and in the same way people have demands that are always ahead of the technology which is great because it fuels the development. Today patients want hearing aids that make speech louder and noise quieter and that are not obvious when worn. So, we have hearing aids with tens of millions of transistors in them all on a chip that is a fraction of the size of a finger nail. Hearing aids make millions of changes per second to the sounds that are presented to a patient’s ear. Hearing aids

For more details contact : Mrs Laura A L Reed RN BSc MSc Dr David J Reed BA MSc MBA AuD RHAD Consultant Audiological Scientist T: 07585 525993 E: reeds@reedsear.co.uk

Miss Hearing, suffering

Consult your local independent professionals Consult a local independa Mrs Laura A L Reed RN BSc MSc David J Reed Dr David J Reed Dr BA MSc MBA AuD RHAD BA MSc M

• • • • •

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Ear wax removal Hearing Assessments www.reedsear.co.uk reeds@reedse Up to date digital Hearing Aids 4 Raglan Close, Lawn, Swindon Personal Attention & Lifelong aftercare Hearing protection

Call: 07585 525993

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TRAVEL | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE

WEYMOUTH

The perfect spot for your sunny getaway

The second is the George, more of a modern style with restaurant over 2 floors serving top quality drinks and meals prepared with the freshest local ingredients. It also has a good outdoor space to sit and watch the world go by.

During the Summer months I took a five day coach holiday with Daish’s Holidays staying at The Russell Hotel, situated on the glorious seafront esplanade of Weymouth.

The sandy beach is sprinkled with deck chairs and has many food & drink stalls and a vast range of attractions including donkey rides, a large funfair and even a traditional punch and Judy.

During the Summer months there is a large firework display every Monday at 9pm which adds to the holiday experience.

The esplanade is wide and flat and very well kept, making it perfect for a long stroll in the sunshine, you can walk for miles along the coastal path lined with brightly coloured beach huts.

During our visit we took an optional excursion organised by the hotel out to Bournemouth and Poole. It was well organised, leaving the hotel after breakfast and returning in plenty of time to get ready for our evening meal.

Bournemouth has the perfect beach front with sandy beach, Ferris wheel, many little cafés, restaurants and a large pier. For those with mobility problems there is a cliff lift to help you down. Highlight of our visit was the botanical gardens, a vast outdoor space with water, music and plenty of plants to admire.

The hotel occupies a beautiful building and has 87 bedrooms with many offering sea views. Facilities include a coffee shop, bar, restaurant and dance floor. The hotel hosts a programme of live entertainment every evening which includes dancing, bingo and quizzes. There is also the option to book excursions and day trips via the hotel.

What’s included in a Daish’s Holiday package: • Luxury coach travel with comfort stops on route • Convenient pickup and drop-off along popular routes • Breakfast and three-course evening meal every day • On-site entertainment Seated on a beautiful bay Weymouth boasts one of the finest beaches in Dorset. The seafront is lined with Georgian buildings, restaurants and a vast range of eateries from fish and chips to ice cream parlours.

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Weymouth is a family friendly beautiful resort which I would visit time and time again.

Poole was in a different class, gorgeous pubs, restaurants and a harbour full of luxury yachts, well worth the visit.

By Helen Gergus.

My favourite part of Weymouth is the traditional fishing harbour with lift bridge.

Watch the boats come and go from luxury yachts to working fishing boats.

Either side of the harbour is lined with pastelpainted houses and many restaurants and bars, too many to mention them all.

Two of my favourites were the Kings Arms, a 16th Century Inn where King George III is said to have stayed with its low ceilings and doorways and decorated in a traditional fashion.

Daish’s Holidays is a family-owned and operated business that has 12 hotels, located in 10 popular tourist destinations across England and Wales including Newquay and Weymouth. The company also has its own fleet of luxury coaches to transport guests in comfort from a number of pick-up points across the UK, stretching from west Yorkshire to Cornwall. Customers have the choice between coach or self-drive options across England and Wales.

Committed to fighting FRAUDLENT ACTIVITY Council Tax Benefit Council tax bills are based on the assumption that two adults occupy the property as their main home.

If it’s occupied by only one adult, and the property is their main home, the bill is reduced by a single person’s discount of 25%.

In addition, there are certain groups of people who we do not count for Council Tax purposes when counting the number of adults in the household. These groups are known as ‘disregarded persons’.

If there is an adult from one of these groups living in your property, they may not be counted for Council Tax purposes and you may be entitled to a discount.

Examples of disregarded persons are: • people on some apprentice schemes • 18 and 19-year-olds in full-time education • full-time college and university students • student nurses • foreign language assistants registered with the British Council • people with a severe mental impairment • live-in carers who look after someone who isn’t their partner, spouse or child • diplomats Fraud within the Council Tax system costs each lawful Council tax payer. Fraud can get into the system a number of ways but the most common issues are: • Making a false statement at the outset, i.e. misleading the Council into accepting information which at the time was not true.

• Failure to report relevant changes to circumstances to the Council Tax service, for example; someone over 18 has moved into your address and you receive a Single person’s discount.

If you suspect that someone may be defrauding the Council Tax system in any way you can help by reporting you concern’s in confidence to: CALL 0118 937 2143 Email antifraud@reading.gov.uk Report via web pages http://www.reading.gov.uk/ internalaudit

Who is eligible for a blue badge?

If you are disabled, you may be able to park in restricted areas under the blue badge scheme. The scheme is for drivers and passengers.

Who can get a blue badge?

Some people can get a blue badge automatically. This is called being eligible without further assessment. You fit into this group if one or more of the following applies to you: • you are registered as blind/severely sight impaired • you receive the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement • you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) • you receive the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and you scored at least 8 points in relation to the ‘moving around’ activity in the PIP assessment, or least 12 points in the mobility activity for planning and following journeys • you have been awarded a lump sum benefit from the Armed Forces Compensation scheme (tariffs 1 to 8).

You have also been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability which means you can’t walk or find walking very difficult • you receive a government grant towards your own vehicle.

If you were on higher rate mobility component of DLA, but you had to claim PIP instead and didn’t get enough points to be eligible for a blue badge, you can continue to use your badge until it expires.

If none of these apply to you, you may still be eligible. This is called being eligible subject to further assessment, and will apply to you if you meet one of these criteria: • you have a permanent or substantial disability which means you can’t walk or find walking very difficult

of another person. Anyone aged over two years can be eligible under this condition, including people over 65.

• you are applying on behalf of a child under three with a medical condition that requires them to be close to a vehicle for emergency medical treatment or transporting bulky medical equipment.

If you have any queries about whether you’re eligible for a blue badge, you can contact the national blue badge helpline on 0844 463 0215.

How are you assessed?

If you are eligible subject to further assessment, your local authority will look at the evidence of your disability to decide whether you can have a blue badge.

You may need to have an independent mobility assessment. If you have applied for or held a blue badge previously, your GP may have carried this out.

Assessments may now be carried out by an independent mobility assessor.

This is usually a medical professional such as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist, who has never treated you before.

If your local authority wants you to have a mobility assessment, it will refer you to the assessor. You will not be charged for the assessment.

You may not be required to undergo an assessment if your council says it is very obvious that you are eligible or ineligible.

Blue Badge (disabled parking permits) Fraud: Disabled Parking Permits or Blue Badges are issued by your Local Authority to persons with a genuine need to access facilities and park within easy reach of these. However there are some people who are prepared to misuse or fraudulently acquire these badges.

The Investigation Team are committed to fighting fraudulent activity but need your help to do so!

If you suspect someone of committing Blue Badge fraud please contact us in confidence.

CALL 0118 937 2143 Email antifraud@reading.gov.uk Report via web pages http://www.reading.gov.uk/fraud

• you are a driver and have severe upper limb disabilities • as a result of a mental disorder you are unable to follow the route of a familiar journey without the assistance

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Tenancy TenancyFraud Fraudin inReading Reading Tenancy Fraud in Reading We’re We’reclosing closingin in We’re closing in

When When somebody somebody with with aaa council council or or When somebody with council or housing housing association association home home rents rents ititit out out housing association home rents out without without permission permission or or obtains obtains aaa home home without permission or obtains home through through providing providing false false information, information, through providing false information, they they are are guilty guilty of of housing housing fraud. fraud.

They They they are guilty of housing fraud.

They are are using using up up valuable valuable housing housing spaces spaces are using up valuable housing spaces and and depriving depriving families families and and vulnerable vulnerable and depriving families and vulnerable people people on on the the waiting waiting list. list. people on the waiting list.

It’s It’s not not fair. fair.

It’s not fair.

CALL: CALL:0118 0118 937 937 2143 2143 CALL: 0118 937 2143 Email: Email:antifraud@reading.gov.uk antifraud@reading.gov.uk Email: antifraud@reading.gov.uk Report Report via via web webpages: pages: Report via web pages: http:/ http:/ /www.reading.gov.uk/fraud /www.reading.gov.uk/fraud http:/ /www.reading.gov.uk/fraud

IfIfIfyou yoususpect suspect you suspect someone someoneof of someone of unlawfully unlawfully unlawfully sub-letting sub-lettingtell tellus. us. sub-letting tell us.

Your Your report report will will be be treated treated ininin the the Your report will be treated the strictest strictest confidence confidence and and can can be be strictest confidence and can be given given anonymously. anonymously. given anonymously.