Villages in Focus December 2022

Dear All, It’s December and another year has flown past. There is no doubt that this winter period is going to test us all, both personally and professionally, as we battle with the rising cost of everything.

It will be a time for resilience and digging deep and a time to remember that individual fortitude is not something you do or don’t have but it comes from your friends, your family and your community. I like the idea that resilience is a team game and, hopefully, time spent with your ‘team’ who care about you over the festive period will be a huge boost for you all.

There is good evidence that the more we feel part of something bigger than ourselves, the more it positively impacts our mental and physical health, so let’s try and remember that we are all in this together and the time and support we can give others is the best Christmas present ever.

Thank you once again to local photographer Jaqueline Rackham and the Felpham Sea Dippers for our wonderful front cover photograph (see page 6). To find out more about Jaqueline’s work visit jaquelinerackhamphotography.co.uk

Thank you all for your support and kindness in 2022 and all good wishes for Christmas and the New Year to you the readers, all the advertisers and all those in the In Focus team, Kate x

Copies of Villages in Focus are available to collect from Barleys hardware store in the centre of Middleton village.

office@infocusmagazines.co.uk Tel: 07729682245 www.infocusmagazines.co.uk

FEBRUARY ISSUE DEADLINE  TUESDAY 10 JANUARY

YAPTON VILLAGE CAFÉ

Yapton Village Cafe, Middle Hall, Yapton Village hall, Main Road, Yapton, BN18 0ET.

So many houses are being built in Yapton and there is no place for people to meet up and have a coffee.... we need a cafe. “

That’s what has been said for so many years. So I decided to be the one to try and provide one!

We open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am till 2pm.

I enjoy the cafe as I meet locals whom I would never have met before and so far, I have met many newcomers to the village. I love to chat, so an ideal opportunity for me. I hope in time it becomes a real hub for the village. I have started small offering sausage, bacon or egg baps and homemade cakes and traybakes. I have just started offering jacket potatoes and hope to expand the menu in the future. I even sell bath buns that you can only get from Ambleside in the Lake District as their recipe is a secret!

We offer a variety of coffees using a bean to cup machine, tea and hot chocolate. We are on Facebook. I have lived in Yapton for 22 years. I set up The Flying Fortress children’s soft Play on Ford Airfield nearly 18 years ago while bringing up 4 children with my husband. Come in and see us, Violaine x

Follow us on Facebook Scan QR Code to follow us! @YaptonVillageHallCafe

Wednesday and Thursday 10 AM - 2 20% OFF*

Monday, OPENING HOURS ADDRESS YAPTON = Village Café =

DIPPING IN FOR THE RNLI

We are a group of chill swimmers called Felpham Dippers and we have put together a fun 2023 calendar to raise funds for the RNLI – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

This is an important emergency service that is reliant on volunteers and donations.

All the calendar photos have been taken on local beaches, as well as at Selsey and Littlehampton Lifeboat Stations, by the amazing Jacqueline Rackham, and Ritchie Southerton has taken the drone pictures.

Everybody involved in the pictures has given their time freely to bring this to you, and sponsors have paid for the first round of printing. This year we are also holding a separate raffle with wonderful prizes from many businesses, both local and national. The calendar can be purchased by emailing us at felphamdippers@gmail.com.

More details about the £10 calendar and where you can buy it, the raffle and joining our group can be found on our website: felphamdippers.com.

Thank you to you all for your support and have a very Merry Christmas!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

THE ORIGINS OF THE ADVENT CALENDAR BY KATE MCCARTHY

I loved the arrival of the Advent Calendar when I was growing up. Every year we had a cardboard one from Woolworths, printed with a Christmas scene, each little door opening to reveal a tiny picture such as a teddy, a reindeer or a bauble. My brother and I would take it turns to be ‘odds’ or ‘evens’. I always wanted to be ‘evens’ so I could open the Christmas Eve door which was always slightly larger and had a picture of the Nativity or Santa on the roof of a snow-covered house. When some of the kids at school started boasting about their ‘chocolate’ Advent Calendars we begged my dad for one and eventually he gave in. We were disappointed when we realised that once the chocolate was removed there was no picture, just an empty space where the chocolate had been. The ‘open’ chocolate Advent calendar had all the charm of a mouth with missing teeth. We never asked for another one.

The Advent calendar originates from Germany. It began with German Protestants marking the days of Advent either by burning a candle or marking a wall with chalk. This morphed into the practice of hanging a devotional image every day and ultimately to the creation of the first known wooden Advent calendar in 1851. The first printed calendars appeared just after 1900. Small doors were added in the 1920s. Often short bible verses were hidden behind the doors alongside the picture. During the World War ll cardboard rationing put a stop to advent calendars but when hostilities ceased Richard Sellmar of Stuttgart obtained a permit from the US officials to begin printing and selling them again. He designed a calendar based on a German winter town scene. By the 1950s, they were mass-produced and affordable and exported across the world.

Chocolate Advent Calendars might seem like the new kids on the block but they have been around longer than you might think. Fry and Son produced the first chocolate Advent calendar as early as 1958 and Cadbury popularised them in the Seventies. Lego got in on the action in 1998 with a set that contained a Santa Claus minifigure and simple brick-made structures, which could be finally reassembled into a bigger model or scene. They’ve produced at least one every year since. My oldest teen begs me for their Harry Potter one every year.

Over the past decade Advent calendars have gone ‘luxury’ and become a key marketing strategy for many companies. This started around 2010 when Selfridges department store launched a beauty-themed Advent calendar with the cosmetics giant L’Oréal. It was filled with product samples from fragrances to body creams. There is now a advent calendar catering for pretty much every taste, most of them marketed at adults rather than children. There are advent calendars for ginlovers, tea-lovers, and nail-polish addicts; there is even one for pets, and they are not cheap! Some cost upwards of £150!

It’s all worlds away from Sellmar-Verlag, now run by Richard’s grandchildren, which still produces traditional card Advent calendars to this day. The company’s most popular advent calendar is still Richard’s original design, called Little Town.

A few years ago my husband (knowing my love of traditional Advent Calendars) bought me a wooden one which is reusable and is a beautiful Christmas decoration in its own right...in fact my teens actually argue over which one of them will inherit it when I die (that’s the festive spirit guys!). However you choose to mark the occasion ... Happy Advent!

THE SIDLESHAM SNAIL BY SIMON BAKER IRONS

The ‘Selsey Tram Way Trail’ is a great walk with something for all the family or on your own if you want to escape the Christmas chaos. The 19km (11.8 mile) trail can be done in its entirety or broken down into smaller walks.

The trail which has been created by the ‘Manhood Wildlife & Heritage Group’ follows much of the route of the old tram way that once ran between Chichester and Selsey from 1896 to 1935, it had eleven stations enroute, but much of the old tram way is now over private land and not accessible. However, the old route is very evident in many areas and some features and infrastructure are left which shows where it once passed by. A very informative and useful leaflet has been put together which tells you a little bit about the history of the tram way and has a detailed write up and map of the route (link below). It is recommended, if possible, to follow this publication.

The ‘Selsey Tram Way Trail’ begins at Chichester Railway Station and finishes at East Beach in Selsey, it is fairly easy going underfoot and straightforward to navigate as new footpath signage has been put up. Information boards detailing the area and history of the tram way can be found wherever the route crosses the line of the old track or where infrastructure once stood.

The route can be completed in one go or can be walked in smaller sections. There are bus stops at Hunston, The Anchor at Sidlesham, The RSPB Visitor Centre and East Beach in Selsey. I did the route in two sections catching the bus to and from Sidlesham.

Two particularly good small sections that are ideal for all the family which can be done as straight or circular walks are:

1. The start of the trail at Chichester Railway Station where you can enjoy the facilities and festive attractions of Chichester before following the route south out of the city and joining the tranquil canal down to Hunston.

2. A circular walk from RSPB nature reserve visitor centre in Sidlesham follows the tram way route at the edge of the mudflats of the harbour, where the shrill call of terns can be heard. Many information boards along the route describe the history of the tram way along with details about the local nature and wildfowl.

The Sidlesham Snail as it was known by locals was one of the nicknames for the tram way that was the brainchild of Colonel Stephens. It opened in 1897, having taken just four months to build. It also had many other ‘nicknames’ such as the Blackberry Line, the Hedgerow Train and the Clickety-click which illustrate its quirky reputation, in the 1920’s a folk group even wrote a song about it.

The line closed in 1935 due to a combination of its own unreliability and the competition of the Southdowns Bus Company.

The pdf download of the route can be found here: https://www.thegreatsussexway.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/02/Walk-the-Selsey-Tramway-Leaflet.pdf

WILD WINTER

WONDERLAND!!

BY ROB YARHAM (Volunteer Coordinator and Guide)

Father Christmas isn’t our only visitor from the far north this season – many water birds, ducks and geese have flown thousands of miles from the Arctic to be here. But why have they come all that way? Well, it might seem a bit chilly to you and me, but compared to the winter conditions in the Arctic, it seems positively Mediterranean to these visitors from the cold and, at this time of year, continuous darkness of the polar north. And our reserves are packed with lots of the special types of food these birds like to eat. So what might you find at our RSPB reserves over Christmas and the New Year?

Let’s start with two of the wader species you’re most likely to see. Black-tailed godwits are large wading birds, rather plain grey above and pale below at this time of year, with long legs and long, straight bills, which they use to fish in the pools of water and mud for invertebrates, including worms and snails. The black-tailed godwits you see here now will have come from the land of ice and fire – Iceland!

Now is a great time to wrap up warm and go for a walk at one of our coastal reserves to look for wintering flocks of brent geese, which have come here to enjoy our comparatively warmer weather, before they return to breed in the Arctic in spring.

At the other end of the wader scale are the dunlin. These common, small waders are about the size of starlings and are short and round, with brown-grey backs and pale bellies, and short, slightly down-curved bills. You’ll see them flying or running around in large flocks, digging their little beaks in the mud, looking for molluscs, worms and small crustaceans. Our winter-visiting dunlins will have flown all the way here from Scandinavia and Russia.

Then we have the many wintering ducks and geese. RSPB Pagham Harbour and Medmerry reserves are nationally important sanctuaries for these birds at this time of year. They are also drawn to our food-rich wet fields, saltmarshes and muddy harbours and estuaries. The ducks include wigeon, teal and a nationally important number of the rather smart-looking northern pintail duck. The sound of hundreds of ducks whistling at dusk on the marshes is one of the most atmospheric sounds of the winter.

Finally, this month is a great time to look for the brent geese for which our reserves are famous at this time of year. Our smallest goose – about the size of a mallard duck – they nest on the boggy tundra in the Arctic during the very short summer in the far north, and begin to arrive on our coasts in large flocks from early October onwards. In East Anglia and here on the south coast, we see flocks of the dark-bellied brent geese, which nest in eastern Siberia and fly about 3,000 miles each year to spend the winter with us. When here, they divide their time between feeding on eelgrass in estuaries and the Solent at low tide and feeding and roosting in nearby fields at high tide. Look up to see flocks of these small, dark geese fly out to sea and back again, calling softly to each other.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team at RSPB Pagham Harbour! Join us on one of our guided walks this month to learn all about our wonderful wintering waders and wildfowl! Find out more by visiting our website https://events.rspb.org.uk/paghamharbour or call 01243 641508. And support the RSPB’s conservation work by joining or donating at: www.rspb.org.uk/join-anddonate/join-us/

Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

ALL CHANGE FOR CHRISTMAS

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW BY TANIA BROWN

I spent Christmas 2019 working hospital shifts until Christmas Eve. Using logistical planning worthy of the British military I shopped, attended two concerts and a Nativity play in three different schools (on the same day of course), bought and wrapped gifts, decorated the house, attended two work parties, entertained my extended family, offended my mother over our choice of food, and my aunty over allowing our 17-year-old to have a beer, and I cried myself to sleep on Christmas Night.

I spent Christmas 2020 working on the front line in COVID care. My family celebrated the day without me or a turkey and I cried myself to sleep on Christmas Night.

Last year, in early December, while discussing how much of a ‘normal’ Christmas might be possible, my husband announced, ‘I don’t want to go back to normal Christmases.’ And suddenly I loved him more than ever.

Last year we kept Christmas small, just us and the kids and a small twinkly tree. We ate chocolate for breakfast, played board games, went for a walk, watched a film, ate my husband’s amazing sticky Chinese chicken wings for lunch, read books, played cards, then ate Christmas pudding for supper followed by marshmallows toasted on the fire...I relaxed completely and shed no tears.

This year I asked what everyone wanted to do. The consensus was that last year was great but there were some aspects of our previous Christmases that my kids and my husband missed. So, we took the chance to recalibrate the festive season, and this is what they came up with.

Things we loved about Christmas last year:

NO HOUSE GUESTS (everyone)

• Playing board games (everyone)

• Toasting marshmallows (the kids)

• Long walk (me and husband)

• Things we missed about Christmas last year:

• Singing in the church carol service (my husband)

• Ice skating (everyone)

• Going to see The Nutcracker (ballet-mad ten-year-old)

• Attending the Christmas lights switch-on (everyone)

• Family tobogganing night in the snow dome (everyone)

• New things we’d like to try this year:

• Go to a local stately home to see the lights (everyone)

• Go to a German market (husband and me)

• Make a gingerbread house! (the kids)

We’re still hosting immediate family for a couple of days between Christmas and New Year, and extended family are invited to visit for one of those days. Not everyone is happy about this state of affairs but I’m not going back to the pre-2020 madness of festive martyrdom, trying to be all things to all people and stressing over whether everyone else’s Christmas is perfect at the expense of my sanity. If Covid showed us anything, it’s that life is precious, fragile, and unpredictable. It forced us to make decisions about who we wanted to spend our time and energy on. The pandemic was a catalyst for change for our family, and I suspect it might be the same for other folk too.

Will Christmas ever be the same? I don’t know, but different doesn’t mean worse. We can make new traditions that are more personal and meaningful than before and may even look back and wonder why we didn’t shake things up earlier.

Merry Christmas

SUSSEX CHRISTMAS QUIZ

BY KIM LESLIE

A prize – a book A Sense of Place: West Sussex Parish Maps – will be awarded for the first correct answers received. Answers should be emailed to kimleslie@ymail.com before 2 January 2023.

Memorials

Where are memorials to:

1. William Huskinson, the first person killed by a railway engine? 2. Henry Bishop, inventor of the postal frank? 3. Gustav Holst? 4. The ‘Gentle Kate’ of Shakespeare’s Henry IV? 5. Spike Milligan?

Commemorations

Who are commemorated by: 6. The dewpond on Bignor Hill? 7. The Chattri at Patcham? 8. The ‘V’ at Streat? 9. The monument at Cocking Causeway? 10. The sculpture in North Street, Chichester?

Old Railway Stations Where was: 11. Cliftonville Station? 12. Ferry Station? 13. Ham Bridge Halt? 14. Bognor’s first station? 15. Bungalow Town Halt?

Transport

Where was: 16. The first electric railway in the country? 17. The first railway to be operated in Sussex? 18. ‘Daddy Long Legs’? 19. A former overhead cableway? 20. The last Sussex toll-bridge to operate?

Odd Names

Where is: 21. Amen? 22. Worlds End? 23. Seven Sisters (West Sussex)? 24. The Devil’s Jumps? 25. Blackboys?

3. Where is the memorial to Gustav Holst?

7. Who are commemorated by The Chattri at Patcham? 12. Where was Ferry Station?

18. Where was ‘Daddy Long Legs’?

Foreign Names

Where in Sussex is: 26. Bohemia? 27. France? 28. Canada? 29. Gibraltar? 30. Via Ravenna? Animals Where is: 31. Frog Firle? 32. Mickey Mouse Town? 33. Dragons Green? 34. Turkey Island? 35. The Knuckerhole (Knucker = a legendary water dragon)

28. Where is Canada in Sussex?

Quotations

To which places do these refer: 36. ‘Away to Sweet – for Heaven is there’? (Blake) 37. ‘Kind, cheerful, merry Doctor –’? (Thackeray) 38. ‘Old Mother Goring’s got her cap on, we shall soon have wet’? (proverb) 39. ‘That’s a Kremlin!’ ? (Cobbett) 40. ‘– Hill is in Desolation’? (Belloc)

Sport

Which sports and games are associated with: 41. Ebernoe? 42. Tinsley Green? 43. Cowdray Park? 44. Slindon? 45. Pagham? Miscellaneous 46. Which ancient East Sussex town is on the Greenwich Meridian? 47. Which village is associated with ‘Fox’s-brewings’? 48. In which church is there a Danish raven? 49. For what purpose was Hassocks gasworks originally built? 50. Which Victorian poet lived near the highest point in Sussex? Answers will be available at Felpham on Focus online on 3 January 2023.

36. To which place does ‘Away to Sweet – for Heaven is there’ refer? (Blake)

46. Which ancient East Sussex town is on the Greenwich Meridian?

FESTIVE TERRINE

A delicious and easy terrine that looks impressive but is easy to adapt to ingredients you have available.

Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 2 hours plus chilling time Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to brush

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp. brandy, (optional)

• 12 rashers smoked streaky bacon (optional)

• 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (about 1cm)

METHOD

• 500g minced pork or turkey.

• 50g frozen peas OR 50g roughly chopped pistachios OR 50g chopped walnuts

• 50g dried cranberries OR 50g chopped dried apricots OR 50g chopped dried prunes

• ¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• leaves from two sprigs of fresh thyme.

• Plenty of seasoning.

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas mark 4. If using the bacon, line a 2lb loaf tin with 10 of the rashers making sure you leave part of the rashers hanging over the edge of the tin. To the cooled onion in the bowl, add the chopped chicken, minced pork or turkey, and the rest of the chosen ingredients, with the thyme leaves, nutmeg, and a generous amount of seasoning. Mix thoroughly.

• Press the resulting mixture into the loaf tin, levelling off the surface. If you’re using bacon fold the overhanging rashers over the filling. Fold any overhanging bacon over the filling and cover with the remaining rashers. Press down again. Cover the top with a lightly oiled sheet of cooking foil and press this down on top of the loaf tin. Then wrap the tin securely in a double layer of foil and place put into a roasting tin.

• Boil the kettle then half-fill the roasting tin with boiling water and carefully transfer to the oven. Cook for 90 minutes until the terrine feels solid when the top is pressed. Lift tin out of the water, remove the outer layers of foil, leaving only the greased foil layer in place. Then carefully pour out any liquid from the terrine to prevent it setting as jelly. Leave to cool. Place a weight on top of the foil layer (tins of beans or even a house brick will do) and chill overnight.

• Remove the terrine from the fridge and release it from the tin a couple of hours before serving, to allow it to come to room temperature. Slice and serve with chutneys, and warm crusty bread.

SPARKLE IN STYLE THIS CHRISTMAS

BY FELPHAM FASHION GURU VICKY BOOKER

It’s party time! Whether you’re living it up at glitzy do’s, or keeping things relaxed and simple with drinks at home, there’s a look to suit every occasion this festive season. Let’s talk colour

I know the default is often to go for black - the classic LBD (little black dress), black trousers and a ‘nice top’, or maybe a black jumpsuit. But, why not step out of your comfort zone and try something different when it comes to colour!

Black isn’t always that flattering on everyone. It can look heavy or draining, especially if you have lighter hair and fair skin. So, rather than a black party dress, how about a cobalt blue velvet leopard print dress by Roman? The wrap-style is super-flattering on most body shapes, and the fabric has lots of stretch so is great on curvy figures (and more forgiving if you hit the buffet hard!). And it has longsleeves which is a bonus if you prefer to keep your arms covered.

Continuing the velvet theme, I absolutely love this Red velvet tuxedo-style suit from Reiss. This certainly has the wow factor! You can’t get more Christmassy than red velvet, and the trousers are a very on-trend kick-flare style. What’s great about this suit is the versatility. Wear with a silky Cami and sparkly heels for a ‘black-tie’ dress code event. Then team the jacket with some leather trousers, or even jeans and boots for a meal out, or drinks party. The trousers would work with smart leather pumps, a slogan t-shirt and a bomber jacket, or a simple polo-neck knit for Christmas day.

Sparkle and Shine

It wouldn’t be Christmas without sequins and sparkly things, and this season there’s lots to choose from. Try a sequin skirt and team with a fluffy knit to play it down (left), or heels and a corset top for full party glamour. This stretch silver skirt is by TU at Sainsburys, so you can pick up your sprouts at the same time – and it’s just £24!

Or try this sparkly jumpsuit by one of my favourite brands – Sosandar. Again, a sleeve for a bit of coverage, and the pewter shade is universally flattering for most skin tones.

If you’re after something a little more relaxed, or aren’t keen on super-dressy partywear, try an embellished shirt, or a stylish Christmas knit. A pink blouse from River Island comes in four colours (yes, including black if you must!) and would go with everything – a leather skirt or jeggings, jeans, or wide-leg silky trousers. Or try a stylish take on the Christmas jumper with this fitted fairisle knit from Karen Millen. It would look fab with a maxiskirt and boots – the ideal Christmas Day outfit.

Hopefully that’s given you some ideas for your celebration outfits. As ever, if you need help with picking the best looks to suit your style, get in touch – I also offer gift vouchers if you’d like a unique present for someone (or yourself!).

Thank you all for reading my fashion musings this year, and I wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year – Cheers!

If you’d like some help with staying stylishly cosy this winter, get in touch to see how I can help – I offer a Personal Shopping service as well as styling. www.vickybooker.com and email: vicky@vickybooker.com

SUDOKU

How to Play Sudoku

It’s simple! Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the numbers 1 through to 9 with no repetition.

SPEEDING UP THE HEALING PROCESS IN 2023

BY DAPHNE HAZELL, LEAD GP AT HOMEWOUNDCARE

Many people with bumps and knocks and slow healing wounds (which are known as ulcers) are keen to do everything they can to get back to normal. As we look to a new year and fresh start, here are some of the things you can do to help your wounds heal quicker.

Eat more protein

Studies have shown that people with wounds need a lot more extra protein in their diet for healing. We need a higher percentage of protein in our diet as we age anyway, and your protein need can triple with a particularly nasty, wet wound. Protein in meals delivers the amino acids necessary for wound healing and if deficient the body will prioritize protein needed for muscles over that needed for wound healing.

Achieving the recommended protein intake for wound healing, can be extremely challenging. People naturally think of eating more meat and fish but many people don’t like to eat meat at every meal or are vegetarian.

Simple ‘swaps’, our experienced wound care nurses suggest, are eggs with your morning toast, high protein yoghurts instead of standard ones, cereal swaps (such as weetabix ‘protein’ for weetabix), protein pasta – available in health food shops and made from pea protein, high protein snack bars, protein ice-cream and protein shakes.

Vitamins, antioxidants and minerals in fresh fruit and vegetables also help improve wound healing, and it may be worth discussing taking a supplement to boost these as well.

You should aim to maintain your weight whilst healing, and then if you need to lose weight to start this again when you have healed.

Cut down alcohol

Alcohol exposure significantly reduces the level of key components of the immune system involved in healing and significantly decreases healing rates. High alcohol use doubles the risk of wound infections. It is amazing to see how even tiny little antimicrobial peptides in the outer layer of skin are reduced in number by a few glasses of your favourite tipple. We recommend cutting down alcohol to an occasional drink, and no more than two drinks on any one occasion.

Continue to exercise

Exercise reduces oxidative damage to tissues, reduces inflammation and maintains wellbeing.

Keeping on with physical activity is an important part of healing

By using dressings and medical adhesives that stay secure longer, it is possible to exercise without dressings falling off. We tend to use waterproof dressings for people who exercise vigorously as sweat can break down some adhesives. Many people find being told not to swim an unpleasant aspect of having a wound and there are multiple ways around this. It is important however to speak with your practice, community or homewoundcare specialist nurse to find the right way for you. We often recommend our clients to schedule a wound dressing appointment for shortly after they exercise.

Homewoundcare.co.uk provides specialist wound care nurses, focused on faster, effective and convenient wound care in your home or office.

GINGERBREAD

BY SARAH DAVEY

RUN, RUN, FAST AS YOU CAN, YOU CAN’T CATCH ME, I’M THE GINGERBREAD MAN!

Who hasn’t eaten a festive gingerbread man? You may even have attempted to make a gingerbread house. Gingerbread is strongly associated with Christmas but how did that happen?

Ginger root originally came to Europe via the Silk Road, which was an ancient trade route, and in the Middle Ages it was used for medicinal purposes and in the preserving of meats.

By the late Middle Ages, Europeans had begun to bake sweet gingerbread biscuits. These were shaped like animals, kings, and queens, and were sometimes gilded with gold leaf. They were a staple at Medieval fairs across Europe, particularly in England, France, Holland, and Germany. Queen Elizabeth I is even said to have had some made to resemble the dignitaries visiting her court.

So popular was gingerbread that the fairs became known as Gingerbread Fairs, and the gingerbread biscuits were named ‘fairings.’ As the fairs took place throughout the year the shapes of the gingerbread changed with the seasons: flowers in the spring and leaves in the autumn.

The gingerbread houses we know today originated in Germany during the 16th century. Bakers created elaborate buildings were decorated with foil and white icing in addition to gold leaf. The Brothers Grimm penned the story of Hansel and Gretel, who discover a house made entirely of sweet treats, deep in the forest, but it’s unclear whether the popularity of gingerbread houses were a result of the fairy tale, or whether the fairy tale borrowed from an already established tradition.

Quite why gingerbread became associated with Christmas is also unclear but is probably due to a number of factors. Christmas markets were big ‘whole town’ events, and gingerbread is easy to make, and keeps well, so it’s ideal for selling on a stall. It’s likely that the combination of white icing and foil decoration was easily adaptable to create miniature snow-covered dwellings which provided pretty centrepieces for the festive dinner tables of middle-class households. The longevity and structural integrity of gingerbread also lends itself well to creating edible decorations for hanging on trees or giving as gifts. Historically diets of ordinary people were simple and bland because sugar was an expensive luxury. People could only afford to splash out on ingredients for cakes, biscuits, and sweets occasionally, and Christmas was the time when even less well-off people spent a little extra on fancy food and drink.

Whatever its history, gingerbread is now firmly entwined with the festive season, from sweet little gingerbread reindeer to gingerbread lattes, the sight, smell, and taste of gingerbread is synonymous with Christmas.

The Pros and Cons of a DIY Will

by Mark Riley, Founder & Managing Partner, MJR Solicitors

A DIY Will is exactly what you think it is. It’s a Will you write yourself, by using an online Will writing service or completing a Will pack by hand, rather than having an experienced solicitor write it for you. Writing your Will this way is popular and provides you with standard templates and resources. It’s cost-effective, and it gets the job done. But here are a few things to consider with DIY Wills:

Pros

• It’s a cheap, or even free, easy to complete

• Online and paper documents widely available

• Completing a DIY Will can be done quickly

• It will provide enough detail for small estates

Cons

• Easy to make mistakes, meaning can be invalid

• Mistakes can add significant delays to probate

• Errors can cause financial or other problems for your family

• It can cost more in the long run to correct any mistakes

• They still require legal witness(es)

• Not enough detail for larger or more complicated estates

• There can be a risk of legal challenges

This is just a small selection of cons for a DIY Will. If you’re thinking about a DIY approach, you probably won’t know how to write a Will properly like a qualified solicitor with plenty of specialist experience will, who will make sure it complies with all legal requirements.

The Importance of Using a Solicitor for your Will

By using a Solicitor, you are ensuring peace of mind as they will make sure the Will is written properly. A Solicitor will:

• Ask the right questions so nothing is missed

• Draft your Will properly so it’s not invalid

• Understand your complexities

• Fulfil your estate planning (Inheritance Tax, Probate, and Power of Attorney)

• Supply safe storage

A Will should be created with care and consideration, following all the required rules and procedures, and only an expert Solicitor can do that for you.

With a range of affordable fixed fees, our experienced team at MJR Solicitors can help you, giving you all the legal advice you need – without the legal jargon – on your Will and any estate planning or administration matters. Contact us today to book your free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Trusted, knowledgeable, by your side

Tel: 01243 945054

info@mjrsolicitors.co.uk www.mjrsolicitors.co.uk

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ROTARY CLUB

This year has been a busy one for our club members and our friends’ group. At the beginning of the year, we ran many CPR and defibrillator training sessions for local groups and members of the public and these were very well received by those attending.

During the summer we organised themed music events in Hotham Park which were well attended by over 500 people sitting on the grass and listening to both country and Rock n Roll groups.

At the beginning of October, the Arun Sports Association for the Disabled, ASAD, reopened after a break of several years due to Covid. Our club has for many years provided volunteers to run these weekly Sunday events at The Arena Sports Centre. Between 2.00pm and 4.00pm every Sunday afternoon the disabled in our community can play boccia, short mat bowls, darts, table tennis and cross bow archery. All of these activities have been adapted for the disabled. If you are disabled and would like to attend or you are someone who would like to help at these sessions, please contact the Chairman Mike Fildes on 01243 828718 during office hours or email him at fildesroofing@yahoo.co.uk.

December is always busy with collections at our local supermarkets and this year we will be at Tescos on the 15th and 16th December and at the Marks and Spencer’s Food Store on the 17th and 18th. Please come and say hello and if you can donate some money, we will use it all to help people in our local community.

From all the members of our club, A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Friday 2nd December – 7.30pm.

60 Minutes of Classical Music. (in studio 1 – unreserved)

Tickets - £6.50 / Under 25s £3.50

Tuesday 6th December – 2pm.

2 O’Clock Club. (in studio 1 – unreserved seating)

Tickets - £6 / £5 cons. / Friends £4.50

Booking Now!

Wednesday 7th December – Sunday 1st January 2023

‘Beauty and the Beast’ – Pantomime.

Tickets - from £17.00

It’s Pantomime time again in Bognor Regis…. And the Regis Centre have really got a show for you this year!!

Friday 9th & Saturday 10th December 2022 – 7.30pm, Sat Mat – 2.30pm

Christmas Concert. (in studio 1 – unreserved seating)

Tickets - £10 / Cons £9

WHAT’S ON

Friday 6th January – 7.30pm

60 Minutes of Classical Music. Tickets - £6.50 / Under 25s £3.50

A monthly 60 minutes concert in Studio One at the Alexandra Theatre. This month with cellist Roger Clayden.

Tuesday 10th January – 2.00pm

The 2 O’clock Club. Tickets - £6 / £5 cons. The celebrated Reunion Band will be performing a wide range of great songs and tunes that people will easily recognise, drawn from English and Irish folk traditions.

Thursday 19th - Saturtday 21st January Marvellous Musicals. University of Chichester Ticket prices - TBC Enjoy a journey through songs from the musicals with the students from the University of Chichester’s Cabaret course.

www.alexandratheatre.co.uk

MEDICAL TEXTING - DOES IT WORK

BY BARRY FOX

Health services, GP surgeries, clinics and hospitals, are increasingly using cellphone SMS text messaging to communicate. This can be a pain in the neck.

Often the messages are from a ‘NoReply’ address so you can’t query or respond. If you try phoning the sender, you will very likely be sucked into an automated “Press 1 for confusion” switchboard, with horrid music on hold broken by announcements that you are “Number 42 in the queue” and parroted apologies which pretend there is a long wait only because you have selfishly phoned at a bad time.

The text message will usually contain a link to a website which you then have to access with the phone’s tiddly keyboard and small screen that is all-too easily washed out by sunlight. Keying in passwords and answers to questions is tricky for anyone with stubby fingers. At the end of the obstacle course there is no easy way to save or print confirmations direct from the phone. You can’t refer back to the original message if the phone battery is flat. Or the phone is lost or stolen.

Add to that the fact that scammers are now routinely mass-sending fake texts with website links that try to trick us into revealing personal data.

It would all be so much easier if the medical messages came by letter post or email for reading on a home computer. But snailmail is slow and increasingly unreliable. IT experts say (unconvincingly) that email is less secure tha n SMS text. So we are stuck with phone text.

What’s needed is a simple way to get text messages out of a fiddly phone and into a computer with solid keyboard, big screen, removable storage sticks and connection to a printer.

IT experts will rattle off clever ways of connecting a phone to a computer by USB lead or wireless network, after installing and learning to use extra software (e.g. KDE or Joplin).

Fortunately, there is a much simpler way. Read the text message on your phone, as usual. Then long-press on the message to bring up a menu which offers the option to “Share” the message. Tap on Share and choose the Email option, or a messaging system such as WhatsApp or Telegram if you use them. This will then give you the opportunity to email (or message) the text to yourself. From then on, you will be able to read, print, save, copy or edit the text message on a computer.

This trick works with modern Android smartphones. I can personally vouch for this because I have done it myself.

A similar procedure allegedly works with iPhones. I say ‘allegedly’ because although I use an iPad and Mac laptop, and I know how owners love their iPhones, I happen to think that iPhonery is over-priced and cursed by too-rapid obsolescence. So I have never bought into the iPhone world. When I tried recently with two friends’ iPhones, the share-to-email trick stubbornly refused to work.

If anyone succeeds do please share and tell.

To contact Barry Fox visit www.tekkiepix.com

Clubs, Classes and Events

OUR DAILY

BREAD

BY LOUISE ADDISON

A BREAD MAKER MEANS YOU’LL NEVER BE WITHOUT FRESH BAKED BREAD AGAIN

If there was a Top Twenty for aromas then surely the smell of freshly baked bread would be number one. Top three at least.

But how many of us have the time to bake our own bread? Enter the bread maker. I bought one twenty years ago and have never regretted it. It’s still working, but I’m tempted recently to upgrade, and bread makers have moved on light years since my initial purchase.

My old Panasonic is a bit of a behemoth. It takes up a lot of counter space, and I was surprised that some newer models are even larger! But there are compact appliances available now too.

So, what do modern bread makers have to offer?

Well, they will all cook standard white and wholemeal loaves, and if that is all you require, a basic model is all you will require. Why pay more for features you won’t use?

But if you’re interested…

• Automatic ingredient dispenser - I paid a premium for this feature twenty years ago but it’s more common now and I would definitely recommend it for adding dried fruit and nuts easily.

• Alarm – You can’t add moist ingredients like cooked onions of grated cheese or ingredients that might melt like chocolate chips, into the automatic dispensers of most bread makers, so an alarm to let you know when to do it manually is useful.

• A delay timer – My delay timer is now a bit temperamental, which is one of the reasons I’m looking to upgrade. A delay feature means you can add ingredients to the mixing bowl several hours ahead, so you have freshly baked bread at a time to suit you – in the evening with supper, or first thing with your coffee.

• Viewing window - A few new models offer this. I managed for 20 years without one but it’s a cool feature for checking on the progress of your loaf.

• Keep-warm - This setting keeps your freshly baked bread warm for up to an hour after the programme has finished. Handy if you’re delayed.

• Speciality breads - Modern bread makers have mastered brioche, rye, sourdough, Italian and French (though not baguettes obviously because of the shape!). Some have even mastered gluten-free, though some models manage this better than others (The Tefal PF240E40 Bread Maker has many GF fans). Some bread makers make a great pizza dough and /or fresh pasta dough (Gastroback 62823 Automatic Bread Maker Advanced, Morphy Richards 48281 Bread maker, Sage the Custom Loaf Bread Maker). I love making pizzas and I do love fresh pasta, but find it a faff to make the doughs by hand, so they would be bonus features for me.

•

Yoghurt - I learned to make yoghurt in a thermos over lockdown. Apparently it’s a similar process in a bread maker but how useful it would be for me I’m not sure.

• Jam - Some models promise to cook the sugar and fruits at the right temperature to make jam, so that it can be decanted straight into jars. If you’re into jam-making as well as bread-making it’s something to consider.

If you’ve always wanted to have a go at making your own bread but never have the time, try putting a bread maker on your Christmas list this year. It’s the gift that will keep on giving.

Shape & Tone Studio Unit 4a, Vinnetrow Business Park Vinnetrow Road Chichester PO20 1QH

Tel: 01243 786378 Mob: 07714247497 Email: shapeandtoneclub@gmail.com

WHO IS IT FOR?

Shapemaster provides accessible exercise equipment for older adults and those who are recovering from surgery or need simple and safe exercise as a means to getting back to fitness after an illness or injury Shapemaster provides a sociable exercise solution for:

• Ideal for the over 45’s

• Weightloss and toning

• The body conscious

• Poor mobility and those living with long term conditions, fibromyalgia, arthritis

• Those who want to try a different and fun way to exercise!

If you have moved to this area, or are looking for a new dentist, we would love for you to come and join our friendly Bognor Regis practice. We pride ourselves on a partnership built on trust and mutual respect to improve your dental health. We aim to work with you to provide optimum dental care with the latest and advanced dental treatments, transparent costs and a friendly experience every time you visit us.

Dr Davina Mahoney Dr John Harker Dr Mauricio Carrillo Dr Sharad Patel

Felpham Dental Implant Clinic

A GOOD READ

BY NATASHA DONOVAN

One Day in December by Josie Silver

It’s the time of year for a feel-good romantic novel, one that can be enjoyed curled up under a blanket with a nutmeg-spiced hot chocolate. Laurie is unlucky in love and stuck in a career rut. One day she is sitting on a bus when she spots a man reading at the bus stop. He looks up, their eyes meet and somewhere there is a spark. Laurie can’t stop thinking about him, wondering if they will ever meet. Her best friend and roommate Sarah is Laurie’s opposite. She introduces Jack, her new boyfriend to Laurie, anxious that they will hit it off except... her boyfriend is the man from the bus, the guy that Laurie has been dreaming about. No surprises here...classic romantic chick-lit so far.

Cue heartbreak and hiccups, and the quest not to hurt a friend while pursuing your own ‘happily ever after’. But this novel actually spans a decade (unusual for a romance) of friendship, fate, unrequited feelings, forgiveness, heartache, and love. It’s not a typical love story...there’s good character development. It’s told both from Laurie and Jack’s perspectives, with the reader privy to their thoughts and feelings. It has all the nostalgia (and a few of the cliches) of a Richard Curtis film, but the trio of central characters clearly care deeply about each other. Their friendship feels genuine, which in turn makes us care about them and gives the story its heart.

If this book doesn’t get made into a film at some point, I’ll be surprised.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig, illustrated by Chris Mould

This enthralling tale tells the story of Father Christmas as a boy. It’s touching, funny and packed with memorable characters

Nikolas and his lumberjack father Joel are poor. Miika (a mouse) is his Nikolas’ only friend. In his whole life Nikolas has only received two Christmas presents: a sleigh and a turnip doll.

Then Anders the Hunter comes to recruit Joel to work on a mission for the King. If they can prove the existence of Elves they will be rewarded handsomely.

Keen to improve their circumstances, Joel heads off, leaving Nikolas to be looked after by his horrible Aunt Carlotta.

When Joel doesn’t return Nikolas begins to worry and eventually sets out with Miika on the long and treacherous journey to find his father.

Along the way there is Elf Village, a kidnapped elf, a naughty Truth Pixie that likes to watch people’s heads explode, and an unpleasant Troll named Sebastian. There is also of course, a flying reindeer. Haig does not disappoint with the ending, explaining how Nikolas finally finds his purpose, by becoming Father Christmas.

A Boy Called Christmas is the perfect festive story to read to children on the run-up to Christmas. As a bonus it is beautifully illustrated by Chris Mould. One you will return to each Christmas.

BOGNOR REGIS TIDE TABLE

Tidal information is reproduced by kind permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office. Crown Copyright. All Rights reserved.

BOGNOR REGIS TIDE TABLE January 2023, Time Zone GMT

Tidal information is reproduced by kind permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office. Crown Copyright. All Rights reserved.

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Aerial Installation

Aerial & Satellite Connections 7

Bathrooms

Coastline 52 Everything Bathrooms 7

Builders

Allbrights 39 Roofing Solutions 9

Business Networking Fun Friday Social 18

Car Repairs / Maintenance NL Autos 11

Caravan Services

T H Caravan Services 13

Care Centres & Home Care Ashton Care 41 Hollymead House 22 Home Instead 51

Chiropractor A Cobb 29

Cleaning Services

Conway Carpet Cleaning 26

Curtains, Blinds & Fabrics Hillarys 11 Stock Blinds 29

Dental Care Felpham Dental Surgery 44-45

Double Glazing / Windows Andy Payne 23

Drainage Contractor

Julian Munn 23

Electrical Contractor

Danny H 13

Estate Agents

Redwood & Sons Estate Agents 25

Events

Eastergate Players 9 Jazz in the Village 51

Executive Travel Arundel Executive Cars 19 Financial Services Advice for Later Life 15 Footcare Prescription Footwear 33

Funeral Services

Darren Miles 51 Graphic Design John Asbridge 4 Garden Services Garden Concepts 21

Hair and Beauty Emma Jade Beauty 35 LJ Hair 42

Hardware & Calor Gas A & M Barley 23 Health & Fitness Eurotherapy 47 Shape and Tone Studio 43 West Sussex Colonics 21

Interior Designers TJ Interiors 2

Locks / Security Lock Medic 37 GRN Locksmith 13

Make Up Jess Bonwick 21

Painting / Decorating J R Decorating 9 The Decorator Man 21

Pest Control TempPest 19

Plumbing & Heating Alan’s Plumbing 13 Priority Heating & Gas 25

Property Maintenance / DIY

Allbrights 39 Brett Property 27 Pro Tradesman 33

Restaurant / Hotel / Café

Bailiffscourt Hotel 38 The Boundary 3 The Yapton Cafe 5

Roofing Roofing Solutions 9 Solicitors MJR 30-31 Security GRN Locksmith 13 Sport Bognor Goodwood Bowls 4 Skin Care Emma Jade Beauty 2 Tree Surgery C M Tree Care 37 Watches & Clocks Arundel Clocks 29

All advertisements are printed in good faith, however Villages in Focus cannot take responsibility for the content of the adverts or the services provided by the advertisers. Opinions and views expressed in articles are not necessarily held by In Focus Magazines. No part of the publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.