Big Voice in Lee on Solent March 2015 by Big Voice Directories

March 2015 | Issue 89 | Priceless

Rainbowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

25th Anniversary

SAVE THE

SQUARE UPDATE

Train

FARES

THIS MONTH..

23 11 , ealth h , y t u ni omm nd more c , s a pe Reci operties r p

7 16

FOOD AND DRINK 48

Apricot and passion...

...flan de queso with spiced, roasted pears. A perfect dish to complete a meal on a cold, frosty Sunday!

HOUSE AND GARDENS 26

A specific request

CHILDREN

Infinite Sky

Check out this book review on Infinite Sky.

COMMUNITY 8

St Faithsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Church

Alan interviews Richard Dewland, the successor of the late John Witham.

Mark Rowe takes a look at marketing tactics that 15 Gig Guide should be avoided when choosing your local agent. Support your local bands and enjoy some fabulous live music at pubs in the area during February and 27 Planning Matters March! Check out this months round up of planning applications in and around Lee on Solent HEALTH, BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL 23

Train prices

Remarkable Relationships

Jessica looks at why the decisions you made a while ago no longer seem right? There is a good reason for this. Read on!

Consumer champion James Walker looks at the confusing matrix of train prices. 4

march issue 2015

BVD Publishing 01329 630630

Joint Editors Coralie Todd & Sean Middleton editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Advertising Sales sales@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Regular Contributors Martin Lewis, St Faith’s Church, Tim Barnes-Clay, James Walker

Distribution This Big Voice Bigazine is delivered to residents and businesses in Lee on the Solent and Cherque Farm For distribution enquiries please give us a call and speak to Sean. Four other editions are also published in Alverstoke, Whiteley, Titchfield Park and Burridge, Gosport and Stubbington and Hill Head Whilst Big Voice Directories aim to provide a quality publication for local reference, it cannot be held responsible for the services, reputation or cost of any of the advertisers, and content of adverts or editorial herein. Readers must make their own enquiries to establish the credentials of each entry. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the Publishers. The magazines are produced on paper sourced from FSC approved paper mills and printed using vegetable based inks. They love being recycled but please pass to a friend first! Magazine, adverts, design, layout and content © Copyright BVD Publishing.

“I

Smalalltalk Sm ltalk

t’s snowing still... … said Eeyore gloomily

“and freezing”. But what’s not to love about the snow?

Sean and I got super excited because, on the day of the Big Cover Selection for the magazines (which is always a fun day in the office because I always pick the covers and Sean has to agree with them) it started snowing. So we grabbed the camera, woolly hats and boots and after we dropped the kids off at school started our mission to get a fabulous snowy picture. First stop was Whiteley. What a beautiful blanket of white, strewn across the fields, the golf course and even settling on the roads so you couldn’t see that nasty streak of black spoiling our pictures. Then we dashed back to Stubbington to get the next batch of shots. Well, we might as well have popped to another country because where was all the snow? There was a rather miserable smattering on the grass in the village which by this time resembled a load of tissue that had gone through the washing machine in one of our kids pockets and not a lot else to show for the wintry skies that morning. So then we scurried to Priddy’s Hard in the hope that there may be a smattering of something…. But no. Could Lee give us something akin to an Alpine picture-postcard view? No. The big thaw had happened as fast as the snow had descended. So instead we have resorted to a rather pleasant, albeit unsnowy picture of a route we take every so often on our bikes when we want to fly down to the beach. Hopefully you’ll all recognise it and if not, take a walk out to find the little lane (go careful) and look out for the ponies on the way! Until next month, much love

Coralie and Sean x

Advertise with us! Reliably delivered by our local teams, reaching over 25000 homes each issue, FIVE editions of Big Voice provide exceptional monthly coverage of our area every single month. Call our friendly team now on 01329 630630, jump on our website and have a chat or link up with us on Facebook. Visit our Facebook page Big Voice Directories

Visit our website www.bigvoicedirectories.co.uk 5

Out and about

Lee -on-the-Solent Horticultural Society Holds Three Shows a Year and a number of Social Evenings, also has a Trading Hut for Members opens 10 -12 Noon on Sundays and Thursdays. Contact Membership Secretary 02392 554363

Lee Residents Association Holds several Open Evenings with guest speakers a year, three up to date newsletters; joint events with other community groups, planning permission involvement; the Christmas social event; fund raising activities; liaison with Lee NEW! SING for FUN Business Association (LBA).and organises Starts the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the a Monthly Table Top Event in Lee, contact month at St Faiths church, Lee on Solent the Secretary for more info 02392 551547 19.30 until 21.00 pm . £4. Aimed at young or visit the people and adults with learning website www.leeresidents.org.uk difficulties, also all ages and abilities Gosport Access Group and Disability Forum welcome. More details contact Phil Meeting 02392 360120 Lee Players We meet in Crofton Hall Theatre Crofton Community Centre, Stubbington every Tuesday at 7.45pm. Whether you wish to “tread the boards” or help out backstage, please come along, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome. Please call Peter or Sally Appleton on Telephone: 02392 551010

6th July (AGM) (11.30-2.30) in Council Chambers 7th September (1.45-4.00) in Council Chambers 9th November (1.45-4.00) in Council Chambers Maria Battley (Secretary) gosportaccessgroup@hotmail.co.uk

This is an informal gathering for people with mixed disabilities, carers and supporters. We have one or two speakers each meeting and time for discussing any access issues of concern in Gosport. Everyone is welcome to come along for a cuppa and join in, from 1.45pm for a 2pm start. Meeting dates for this year are:9th March (1.45-4.00) in Committee Room 1 11th May (1.45-4.00) in ~Committee Room 1

List your local event for F REE on our Out and About pages Email details to editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Book Review Infinite Sky is a powerful and moving story aimed at older teenagers. When Iris’s mothers leaves, her father struggles to keep the household together. Iris’s brother Sam falls out with his best friend and gets involved with a group of wayward teenagers. When a family of travellers set up camp in the paddock next to the farmhouse where they live, Iris becomes friends with Trick the teenage boy. Iris and Trick develop a strong bond despite warnings from both their families. Gradually family relationships break down and as Iris’s father tries to get the travellers evicted events spiral out of control and lead to a series of shocking and tragic events.

Infinite Sky I was immediately drawn to her. You care about what happens and empathise with her situation. The subjects and events are thought provoking and challenge our sense of right and wrong. This isn’t a story with a happy ending but it will provide plenty to think about and challenge for older readers.

It won the Branford Boase Award 2014 which is a prize for a debut novel not only for the author but for the editor as well. The role of the editor is essential in nurturing a new writer and this is the only award that recognises this. It is named for Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase who both died from cancer in 1999.

Infinite Sky is beautifully written. The character of Iris is very strong and as a reader

St Fait hs’ Communit y

As many of you will know, John Witham, Organist and Choirmaster at St Faith’s for 57 years and Musical Director of the Lee Singers, sadly died last October. Even after his relatively recent retirement as leader of the Lee Singers, John continued to sing with them and, I’m sure, was more than pleased to see his work being carried on so enthusiastically under the baton of his new successor, Richard Dewland. Being with Richard and seeing his eyes light up as he talked of his love for choral singing reminded me of a poem I wrote some years ago which began with lines: In chapel, as a child, I’d sing, enthusiastically, Not certain if I sang the hymns or if the hymns sang me. The choir dressed in Sunday-best wove magic from their parts: Sopranos, altos, tenors, basses –

pouring out their hearts! After spending more than an hour with him and hearing about his passion for music of every kind from Bach to Boogie, I began to feel those hymns singing me again. Born in Bristol, an only child whose father was stonemason and mother a civil servant, Richard’s fascination with music began at primary school where, watching his teacher’s hands dance across the piano keyboard, he decided he’d ‘like to do that’. At the age of 5 he enjoyed his first piano lessons and, at 8 he learned the recorder, joined the Wolf Cubs and was transfixed at a church service watching the organist play not only with his hands but with his feet as well! On visits to Bristol cathedral he was awestruck by the height of the organ’s enormous pipes and, later, at an organ recital in Bath Abbey, he knew for certain that he had to learn

to play the instrument. He began having lessons under Tony Pinel at St. Mary Redcliff in Bristol and, in 1994, started a four-year course of organ study with David Saint at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he gained a first class Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. Having graduated and gained his Post-Graduate Certificate of Education, he worked for fourteen years as a Secondary school music teacher before deciding to become a freelance organist, pianist, choral conductor, vocal coach and composer. He settled in Hampshire with his wife, Ruth, a soprano singer, and their children, Michael (aged 11 – a cornet player), Philippa (aged 8 – who sings in the school choir) and Martha (aged 4 – who also loves singing). As well as directing the Lee Singers, Richard is currently Organist and Director of Music at two churches: Sacred Heart R.C. Fareham

and Blessed Mary C of E, Upham. And, as if this wasn’t enough to fill his time, he’s also set up a Liturgical Music Business selling a range of his recently published church compositions, sings with and sometimes accompanies the Fareham Philharmonic choir and teaches singing techniques and music theory to various individuals and groups. Apart from his credentials, what impressed me about Richard was his sheer love for making music. When I asked what he’d choose for his Desert Island discs he couldn’t think what to exclude. I think he’d

need many more than seven records. Under his direction the Lee Singers’ numbers are already growing but I know he’d welcome newcomers (especially men!). You don’t have to read music. All you need is a love of singing. The choir meets at St. Faith’s on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 pm - 9.15 pm. Why not come? I’m sure you’ll enjoy both the company and the conductor! For more information visit Richard’s website: www.newliturgicalmusic.co.uk

Our wonderful St Faiths contributor, Alan Millard can be contacted via St Faith’s Church, Lee on the Solent. Parish Office Mondays - Fridays 10:30am - 12:30pm 023 9255 6445 alan.millard@talktalk.net

Important Phone Numbers COMMUNITY Community Association 023 9255 2841 Crofton Secondary School 01329 664251 Family & Friends Lesbians & Gays 0845 6520311 Lee on Solent Parish Office 023 9255 6445 Lee on Solent Infant School 023 9255 1767 Lee on Solent Junior School 023 9255 0551 Local Councillor 023 9255 2177 Local Council Offices 023 9258 4242 Neighbourhood Watch 023 9258 3637 Police 101 or emergency 999 RSPCA 01329 667541 Tourist Information 023 9252 2944 Victim Support 0845 3899528 HEALTH Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 7697555 Dental Helpline 0845 0508345 Gosport War Memorial Hospital 023 9252 4611 Lee on Solent Health Centre 023 9255 0220 NHS Direct 111 NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 0224332 TRAVEL Coastguard 023 8032 9486 Dial a Ride Gosport 01329 223151 First Bus Service 023 9286 2412 Hampshire Highways 0845 8504422 IcanGo 07787 292666 National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950

Love where you live!

Remarkable relationships Follow your heart Your mind will follow!

Have you ever wondered why the decisions you made a while no longer seem right? There is a good reason for this. The decisions we make at 23 are made with a 23 year olds perspective and mind, and life experience. What was right for us then isn’t necessarily right for us as we get older in life. Problem is that sometimes we try to hang onto what we have created. Why? Because it is too scary to ‘start again’.

is to see that it is not about getting all these things yesterday, but just as the previous ten years were about creating our life up to now; the next ten years can evolve and include all the things we want.

The first step is to start allowing yourself to see these missing bits of you and what you have denied It is about starting somewhere – even with a small step. The first step yourself. To really touch in with your is to learn about yourself a bit better. heart and find out what it longs for. And then to start moving towards Try out a few things that shift how you see yourself and your world. Be creating that for yourself in your life. kind to yourself so the world can be As I said to a client recently – don’t wait for your head and ego to say yes kind to you. It will help soften the to what your heart wants – follow ground for new things to come into your life. We can soften the ground your heart now and let your mind and ego catch up! to receive whatever we want by beginning to give it to ourselves first.

So how about instead of seeing it as starting again – seeing it as moving forward. Learning from our life experience and letting go of what we don’t want and refining and putting If it is your career you could begin by in place what we do want. Finally just allowing yourself to think big listening to our heart. about what you’d like or even simply admit to yourself once and for all I was recently working with a client that you have no heart in your job who wanted to review the past ten and you have to take that years and focus the next ten. What courageous step to find out what was interesting about our your true passions are in life. To do conversation was that as many that you do need to learn more people do, she had not about yourself. acknowledged the things she had done and only focused on the things How well do you know yourself? she hadn’t. So using this as a starting What are you wanting in your life? point it was good to actually list out Are you giving it to yourself? and acknowledge the things she had Are you even letting yourself know achieved. And then, as with all good what you truly want – especially if it foundations, build upon them. means changing your life? Once we know what we do not want it is much easier to discover what we do. Looking back can be useful as we begin to see what was missing and what we would really like to have in our life from now on. The next part

don’t know’ to be an answer because the consequence of knowing is too scary.

So many people have that crisis of realising that they are not living the life they want, or even maybe just part of their life is not as they’d like, and then they bury the feeling for fear of what it means. They allow ‘I

Jessica McGregor Johnson, an international speaker, guide & mentor and author of “The Right T-Shirt, Write Your Own Rules and Live the Life You Want” and “Remembering Perfection – Everyday Inspiration for Living Your Spiritually”. She helps people who are at a crossroads in their life, knowing that there must be more meaning than they currently feel, discover themselves anew, identify their true passions, and live them, whether it be in their work or personal life. You can read the first two chapter of her book here http:// www.jessicamcgregorjohnson.com

Health Boss DRY SKIN BRUSHING This is nothing new. The Japanese and Scandinavians have been doing it for decades and it’s a well know Ayurvedic cleansing philosophy. A simple, fast, and uber effective daily detoxification technique, that helps the body inside and out. Dry skin brushing is the perfect start to your busy day.

3. Cleans the pores of the skin so they can absorb more oxygen and essential nutrients Strengthens the Immune system… under stress? You need this. 4. It stimulates nerve endings in the skin to revive out nervous system

How to incorporate it into your daily life: If you only get 5 minutes to yourself, Select a natural fiber body brush. this is the best way to spend it. Prior to your morning cleanse i.e. bath, shower, steam, sauna brush Top 5 health benefits: your whole body using long stroking 1. Stimulates the skin to increase movements in the direction of your blood circulation and rejuvenate heart. You want to follow the cells, for better muscle tone and pathway of the lymphatic system. distribution of fat deposits Work left to right, lower body to 2. Detoxifies the body by stimulating upper body, feet, legs, hands, arms, the lymphatic system to eliminate back, stomach (use a clockwise toxins circular motion here to follow the

100’s of Moda and Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Gorgeous Fat Quarter bundles. Snuggly inspirations to warm your home and heart. Open Tuesday – Saturday

Quilting & Patchwork Shop 2b Church Road, Alverstoke Village, Gosport. PO12 2LB Contact Caroline - 07906 146779 Email: honeybunsewingbee@gmail.com 12

movement of your digestive system), chest, then neck. Pay particular attention to the areas of the major lymph nodes: groin, under arms, base of neck. Use light pressure in more sensitive areas and avoid broken or sensitive skin areas. After 3-5 minutes follow with a bath or shower. It is now the perfect time to moisturize. For a super immune boost brush twice a day and for longer intervals. Don’t under estimate your skins role in daily detoxification. Kristin is based in sunny Australia and is the creator of Health Boss and designer of Salad As The Main Meal. She shares her expertise on how you can become your own health boss whilst living a high-paced, time poor lifestyle. She is a firm believer that despite how successful you are, you will never truly feel it unless you have the health to match it.

lee on solent

Resident’s Association

Our aim is to make Lee an attractive and thriving place to live, work and visit. Website www.leeresidents.org.uk Facebook www.facebook.com/LeeResidentsAssociation We have over 1000 members and offer the following: Individual membership available to all is £3.00 or £5.00 per couple at the same address. Non members £1.50 each to attend meetings with speakers. If you would like to join this thriving Association: Pick up an Application Form, complete, drop-off and pay at Lee Book Shop or contact Dave Knox on 02392 556030 or pay on-line at www.leeresidents.org.uk

Three Newsletters per year Meetings and an AGM with speakers start at 7.30.p.m 27 January, AGM 24 March, 26 May, 23 June, 22 September 2015 Heartstart Talk 5 March 2015 at 2- 4pm – vital lifesaving first aid instruction A Community Event jointly with St Faith’s Church, Lee Business Association, Lee Community Association and the Gosport and Lee Lions. - Date to be Confirmed Social evening with free buffet and drinks for members 28 November 2015 in the Bulson Hall. Community BOOST Tabletop/Craft Event 3rd Wednesday of every month Lee Historic Waterfront Walk and Talk first Tuesday of the month (Feb – Oct) BOOST events and all meetings are in the Methodist Church Hall unless indicated Help with matters relating to: Planning, Health, Environment, Transport, Youth, Schools and Pre-schools, Daedalus and Alver Valley developments We also raise funds for projects – we have carried out improvements in the Alver Valley We have also funded some chairs in Lee Library and installed an Interpretation Board about Lee Pier and Tower on the seafront.

By Nig el M ais ey

GIG GUIDE All gigs start at 9pm unless otherwise stated.

February February Friday 13th Friday 13th Saturday 14th Sunday 15th Friday 20th Friday 20th Saturday 21st Saturday 21st Sunday 22nd Friday 27th Friday 27th Saturday 28th

Mar arch ch Sunday 1st Friday 6th Saturday 7th Sunday 8th Friday 13th Friday 13th Saturday 14th Saturday 14th Sunday 15th Friday 20th Friday 20th Saturday 21st Saturday 21st Sunday 22nd Friday 27th Friday 27th Saturday 28th Saturday 28th Sunday 29th

Monkey Butlers The Mighty Fly TBA Scarlet Ghost Pond Life Hazzard County Amy Winehouse Tribute Louise (Blondie Tribute) Punk Pirates Four Play Carnage Ian Hunt

The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke

Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport

Lewis Creaven One Fret Away The Business Sly Hardy Diesel Poets Rock Hoppers Bone Idol Absolute Zero Life o Riley Higher Ground Mighty Shrimp Groove Monster Roy Peplow The Business Mike Fry Band Diana Ross Tribute Somethin Else STATE 6 Bemis

The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird

Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm

ÂŠ Tim Stephens

Sensei Says I’ve been asked on many occasions what people should look for when thinking of enrolling their child or indeed themselves into a karate club for the first time. Although I don’t have much insight into the way all other clubs are run, I do have some philosophies that I’ve always adopted in my teaching career that I think are morally correct and proven. Let’s start by saying that I believe a dojo must be run with discipline and respect throughout otherwise the whole ethos of the activity dies in the very first instance. I’m not saying that it should be run with an iron fist but it has to be a welcoming environment where all students are treated equally whist retaining the traditional dojo mentality. A friendly atmosphere is always going to be a better place to encourage and nurture students to fulfil their potential whereas a dojo that has a clique mentality does nothing but segregate the willingness to learn. Some dojos I have trained at whilst a lower grade were horrendous! Black belts refusing to talk to beginners, expecting “newbies” to carry out tasks they felt were above them was simply unacceptable (then and now). Way back then, although I always imagined running a dojo (probably as a pipe-dream) it was something I swore I’d never let happen in MY club. Respect is something that’s earned in my world and just because an individual wears a coloured band around their waist does not immediately make it a given. Occasionally I do see a small divide in students where grades become insular in

Sensei Rob Wood is a Fourth Dan in Goju-Ryu Karate and has taught children and adults for over 20 years in his dojo in the UK South Coast.

their groups. It’s not an intentional one and in fairness, can be caused by long periods of training hard and little room for social interaction with a partner. All the same, if I notice it then it needs correcting. Solution when this happens? The syllabus is set aside for the week and the focus is on ensuring all students are introduced to one another with a forfeit for those not being able to name everyone in class. This absolutely breaks down barriers that students have relating to grade. After all, young students have immense respect for older black belts so why destroy perceptions with ignorance?! Other advice I offer is to go and have a “try-out” lesson first to see if it’s an activity that suits the individual, after all, karate is not for everyone but if it was the world would be a lovely place! A first lesson will absolutely install confidence in knowing if the instructor can actually teach. There are no laws, qualifications or licenses governing who can teach and let’s face it, not everyone is a born leader, Managing Director or indeed Karate Instructor. In my opinion, you can either teach or you can’t and being instructed first hand rather than observing a class will display their qualities as a teacher (if they have any of course). If they can’t teach clearly, safely and practically then find someone who can and don’t settle just for convenience sake. Classes need to be tailored to suit the age of the students. Infants need to have an exciting and enjoyable time if we are to keep their interest. These kids are the future of all dojos and retaining them is difficult enough what with all the other activities out there for them to do, so an enjoyable class where the total focus may not be entirely set on Martial Arts per se is essential . To add clarity, infants of between 4 years – 8 years approximately, still require elements in physical development that they essentially need for Karate fundamentals. Hand/eye coordination, balance etc are skills we take for granted as they get older but for little ones these can be difficult at times. Adopting exercises, karate “games” that increase their awareness and proficiency of these motor skills allows me to relatively quickly get the Karate basics

installed and allow them to progress and graduate into the Junior class whilst knowing they won’t get awestruck or left behind in the process. Juniors and Cadets are a different audience all together. The age group can be quite vast (sometimes 7 years to 15 years) so classes need to be structured in a way that keeps them all fired up and keen. Giving older students roles that allows for their personal development can often lead to the respect I spoke of earlier becoming evident. Additionally it also offers a chance for those born leaders to shine. I look back on the students that have become excellent Sempai (Assistant Instructor) and ALL of them have that special something that makes them exceptionally great Instructors in their own right. I like to give all students an opportunity to be a Sempai in the dojo but in my experience, there are those that can teach and those that it doesn’t fit quite as well with. Seniors are like sponges! They recall almost everything that’s taught albeit they need repetitive training for it to become second nature but all the same, classes need to be physically demanding but also technically challenging. Unfortunately many adults do not want to get a sweat on these days and many new comers have a trial lesson, complain that they ache like crazy in the following couple of days and never return. I completely understand that levels of fitness are a personal challenge but working students to their maximum in class is part of my job. Over time, physical development levels improve and as a byproduct, their mental states mind changes from one that screams “I CAN’T do this” to one that says “ I WILL do this”. It’s an excellent philosophy to have in life, knowing that challenges are always there but with a positive mental attitude and physical ability – almost anything can be achieved. So what makes a good dojo? Lots of things… a disciplined, safe & enjoyable class, a good Instructor that can teach, a dojo with no barriers amongst its students and most of all, a Sensei that has an awareness of all his students and their development needs.

Consumer Champion The annual rise in rail fares, coupled with engineering work travel chaos over Christmas period has put the cost of train travel under closer scrutiny than ever before. But while the government is putting a positive spin on rail fare increases – saying that the 2.5% rise is the lowest for five years – we’re still saddled with an incredibly complex and confusing system of rail fares in the UK. And this week we’ve been finding out just how tricky children's’ fares can be.

Train Fares

stressful enough without the complications of tricky fare structures. The way some train operating companies approach pricing for families blatantly unfair and almost seems to be deliberately confusing. At resolver, we’ve found out that families could well be paying unnecessary train fares for their children. Here’s what we discovered.

Children under 10 can travel free within Greater London, yet when Travelling with your kids – you buy a child’s ticket from a whether it’s for a fun day out or a station outside zone 6, they will necessary journey – can be often give the option of

‘bundling’ in a travelcard for an extra cost – extra cost for travel that ought to be free. In our example, we found that a child’s return ticket from Winchester into Waterloo cost an extra £2.35 when you added a one-day travelcard. Train companies do not make you aware of this loophole, and are happy instead to sell you a ticket. Outside of the capital, incredibly complicated fare structures can mean there similar pitfalls for unwary families out on day trips into cities with urban and suburban rail networks – here are

just a few examples: Newcastle: An anytime child return from York to Newcastle costs £30, or £32 if you want travel anywhere within the Tyne and Wear Metro network. Which is fine, except that a child’s day pass for the Metro network costs just £1.10 Glasgow: An anytime child return from Edinburgh to Partick, just west of Glasgow, costs £11.65. Yet if you hop off at Glasgow Central and head to Partick on the SPT subway you’ll save £5.45 if you use SPT’s Smartcard system. Manchester: It’s not all bad news, mind you – we looked up the cost for a child travelling from Liverpool Lime St

to Gorton in south-east Manchester, and it cost the same as the return ticket to the city centre station Manchester Piccadilly.

Consumer Champion James Walker – the man who helps you resolve your consumer complaints! www.resolver.co.uk/

“outside of the capital, incredibly complicated fare structures mean there are pitfalls….”

‘Save the Square Campaign’ - update The second batch of our petition to the Bishop of Portsmouth was presented on 27th January further confirming the strength of opposition in the community to the Diocese’s plans for Victoria Square. In addition many people have written individually to the Bishop. The petition which is still being collected by hand is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SavetheSquare , where it can be signed on line. Throughout the campaign we have received huge support from the community, local organisations and our MP. It is clear that people treasure their town and its history, and do not want it spoilt by such an inappropriate development. Caroline Dinenage MP has recently written again to the Bishop offering to arrange a meeting with him and representatives of the campaign. We have always accepted that the successful planning appeal gave the Diocese the legal right to proceed with their plans. We still hope, however, to persuade the Bishop to adopt a different approach, forgo the profit from the development and reduce the adverse impact the current plans would have on the area. Although several developers have expressed an interest in developing the Vicarage site, you may be surprised to learn that the Diocese (at the time of writing) have yet to provide the prospective developers with the detailed specifications they require. The possibility of obtaining ‘village green status’ for ‘the square’ is being investigated. While this status would not necessarily prevent the existing proposals going ahead, it would help to protect the ‘square’ for future generations. If you think you can help please let us know. We would be particularly interested to hear from anyone prepared to research the history of ‘Victoria Square’. If you have a view, or just require further information, please call 07798941427 or email us at savethesquare@hotmail.com

THINKING OF

Advertising?

If the answer is ‘Yes’ then the Big Voice Bigazine is just what you need!

Chat to us about what’s great about your business and we will create an advert which sends the right message to the right people.

Call us now on 01329 630630 to We’d love to see your business in our reserve your space. newly designed, refreshed magazine, so we’re pleased to offer you this £10 off voucher when you book any size of advert for 4 issues. We are dedicated to working harder than anyone else to get the best response for your business.

In house chat I’m sure you’ve seen a few leaflets or letters delivered through your letterbox over the years explaining how your local estate agent has a specific buyer for your property type or even the road it’s situated on? Now before I go any further, I want to make it very clear that I’m more than aware that this approach can fall on deaf ears, as there is a large majority of agents that simply blanket drop the area in the hope that they will get at least one phone call from a hopeful seller. However, my approach is slightly different. I’ve always been of the mind-set that if you are constantly sending these specific letters or leaflets to a wide area it dilutes the genuine request so much that people start to lose faith, after all, how can it be genuine if you simply send out thousands to a wide area every week?

A SPECIFIC REQUEST

Mark Rowe, MD & Owner of RPS Estate and Letting Agents specific marketing efforts to find you that home will be warmly received. Here at RPS we’ve matched many properties this way and it makes for a very happy buyer and seller.

I’ve included a picture of how I do this with RPS, you’ll notice it’s not an unprofessional, meaningless I truly believe that asking the right leaflet – it gets questions when a buyer registers for straight to the a property search we, as estate point and gives a agents, will be in a prime position to little more detail, find their perfect home. But we can but not too much, only show buyers what’s currently about the available on the market, so a genuine potential demand request to a few suitable homes can from a specific buyer. be very affective. My advice this month would be to give as much detail as possible to the estate agents when registering. Try to think of the specific roads that you would love to buy a property in, perhaps you have a certain style that you know would be perfect. If the estate agent is pro-active and is trusted in the locality then their

P lanning Matters A monthly round up of planning applications submitted since 1 January 2015 GOSPORT COUNCIL 14/00627/FULL 24 Montserrat Road Lee- Erection of single storey front, side and rear On-The-Solent extensions, balcony to front elevation Hampshire PO13 9LT

Grant Permission

14/00369/VOC Land North Of Manor Way & West Of Bayntun Drive/Redmill Drive At HMS Daedalus Lee-OnThe-Solent Hampshire

Variation of conditions 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, Pending 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of Consideration planning permission reference 13/00431/full to allow revised car parking layout and installation of solar pv panels

15/00002/FULL 29 Grove Road Lee-OnThe-Solent Hampshire PO13 9JA

Erection of detached garage

Pending Consideration

Fareham council P/15/0086/FP

4 Old Street Fareham Hampshire PO14 3HU

Two storey rear extension and alterations to existing first floor loft conversion including installation of two solar panels to southern elevation and front and rear balconies

Undecided

P/15/0090/FP

5 St Marys Road Stubbington Fareham PO14 2HP

Proposed conservatory to rear of property

Undecided

P/15/0075/FP

22 Haven Crescent Hill Single storey front extension replacing existing Head Fareham PO14 3LA sun lounge

Undecided

P/15/0046/FP

Smithy Cottage 22 Bell Davies Road Fareham PO14 2AY

Undecided

P/15/0013/LB

Undecided 27 Cuckoo Lane - Cuckoo To re-lay the hearth in the fireplace in the Cottage - Fareham lounge with reclaimed bricks and to lay a floating wood floor over the concrete base floor Hampshire PO14 3PF in the same room.

Single storey front extension

Fraudsters are targeting people to list items on their behalf on popular online auction sites. The scam involves a job offer to sell desirable items at below market value and receive money from any potential buyers. The ‘work from home’ job will usually require retaining 10% of the money received as a “salary” and fraudsters will ask that the remaining funds are sent to them via bank transfer or money transfer. In these cases the proposed items being sold do not exist and are therefore not dispatched to the proposed buyers. This will usually result in the buyer making a complaint concerning the individual who has listed the items. This can result in your bank account being closed by the bank for suspected fraud or money laundering and being held accountable for reimbursing the potential buyers. To find out more www.actionfraudalert.co.uk Don’t forget Gosport Community Safety Day on Saturday 14th March in the High Street, Gosport between 11 am - 2 pm Get your bike security coded for free. Cycle D Locks will be on sale. Come along and meet Gosport NHW and Gosport SNT

Don’t forget to follow us on

www.gosportnhw.co.uk Tel: 023 92583637 To contact the Police phone 101 or in an emergency 999

Prices include Fi ng Good Underlay Grippers Door bars & Disposal of old ďŹ&#x201A;oor

Across 1 Satiny (6) 4 Agricultural (8) 10 Discharge (9) 11 Rounded subdivisions of an organ (5) 12 River deposits (5) 13 Permissible (9) 14 Put in place (7) 16 Anglo-Saxon slave (4) 19 Partly open (4) 21 South African mongoose-like animal (7) 24 Astonished (9) 25 Disrobe (5) 26 Follow up on (2 words) (5) 27 Truce (9) 28 Genetic endowment (8) 29 Lines up (6)

Crossword

Down

1 Skid (8) 2 Showing no enthusiasm (8) 3 Poems of heroism (5) 5 A region in northern Israel (7) 6 A weekly gift of money to your children (9) 7 Drink (6) 8 Imbedded (6) 9 Attack (6) 15 Ended a meeting (9) 17 Making a shrill sound (as in bagpipes) (8) 18 Machines used to fasten papers together (8) 20 Glowing (7) 21 Women of refinement (6) 22 A tomb or shrine (6) 23 Stationary part of a motor (6) 25 A plant used to make rope (5)

Naturally good.. Apricot and passion fruit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;flan de Quesoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with spiced roasted pears

1. Preheat the oven to 300F/150c.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings: For the flan 120ml full fat milk 240ml double cream 100g full fat cream cheese 2 free range eggs 8 large moist dried apricots 1 tbsp honey One passion fruit 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the roasted pears 2 pears Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch ground ginger 1 tbsp unsalted butter

2. Place the milk and dried apricots into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Then remove from the heat and leave to rest for 20 minutes to let the apricots soak up some moisture and become plump. 3. Prepare the passion fruit by scraping out the seeds into a sieve above a bowl, use a metal spoon to scrape the seeds against the sieve to remove as much of the juice as possible, discard the seeds and add the juice to the mixture. 4. Place all of the ingredients for the flan into a blender and blitz on full speed for 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are well combined and smooth, pass this mixture through a sieve into a jug and then use this to fill 4 ramekins (or 6 ramekins if you want smaller portions). 5. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot, but not boiling, water to come halfway up their outsides. (This is called a bain-marie or water bath). 6. Place the bain-marie onto the center shelf of the oven being careful not to spill any water into the ramekins which will ruin the flans (a tip to make life easier is to place the baking dish with the ramekins halfway into the oven before adding the water to the dish). 7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the custards are just set but still a bit wobbly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Chill until needed for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. 8. When you are ready to serve the flans, prepare the roasted pears. Peel, core and slice the pears and place onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the pears with the ground ginger and cinnamon and add the butter. Place into a preheated oven at 350F/180c for approximately 20 minutes until the pears are soft and the edges are turning golden brown and caramelized. 9. Spoon the roasted pears on top of the flans and serve.

Ryan Turner, real food and low-carb chef - www.thefoodbible.com

Lucyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipe corner

INGREDIENTS

150g rolled oats 100g plain flour 100g light brown sugar 100g desiccated coconut 100g butter 2tbsp golden syrup 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda 2 tbsp boiling water Yummy when warm with a cup of tea! Put the oats, flour, sugar and coconut into a large bowl and put to one side. Pop the butter and golden syrup into a pan and let it melt gently. Get a little bowl, put in the bicarbonate of soda and pour the boiling water over the top. Give it a stir so it dissolves and then add it to the pan. Put your spoon into the middle of the oaty mixture and make a hole, then pour in the butter and syrup and give it a good stir.

Coconut Co Cookies okies

Use your hands to make small balls of dough and put them onto a baking tray, pressing them down a bit so they flatten. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 175 c /gas mark 4. O

P uzzle Answers Answers March 2015

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Fancy dress / disco Saturday 7th March FREE ENTRY School dinner ÂŁ5 to be booked in advance

8:30pm start