BERSTED IN FOCUS
The Independent Local Directory of Businesses NORTH AND SOUTH BERSTED Delivered FREE to over 5,700 homes February 2022
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Bersted in Focus
Book a FREE Design & Quote Service on products to fit yourself or installed by us.
The
for everything BATHROOMS KITCHENS & TILES 24-26 Queensway, Bognor Regis PO21 1QT 01243 869966
Lots of Fabulous New Kitchens & Tiles on Display To contact BERSTED IN FOCUS please email: office@infocusmagazines.co.uk
Bersted in Focus
FEARLESS AT MIDDLETON SPORTS CLUB! New for 2022, Fearless Catering will be taking over the management of the Middleton Sports Club restaurant. Bringing their delicious menu, experience and great reputation from The Boathouse in the Marina and Littlehampton Golf Club, we are thrilled to have Fearless serving meals, snacks and barista coffee from January! Also hosting: – Weddings – Parties – Events – Live Music – Functions – Meetings Non-members welcome.
Find out more on our website or call to book today on 01243 583157 opt. 3 Middleton Sports Club 3 Sea Lane, Middleton-On-Sea, West Sussex Po22 7RH Tel: 01243 583157 Email: info@MiddletonSportsClub.co.uk www.MiddletonSportsClub.co.uk
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WELCOME
BERSTED IN FOCUS
Hello everyone! I hope your 2022 has got off to a good start and you are all keeping well. It’s very busy at the In Focus Head Office with local businesses starting to get back to “normal” and feeling able to make plans for the year ahead. There is optimism in the air and let’s hope that continues. If you are a budding chef don’t forget a UK-wide contest, dubbed Bake Orf, has been launched as part this year’s first ever Platinum Jubliee. To mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne, anyone over the age of 8 can submit a delicious pudding recipe that could become a national treasure like, Coronation Chicken, devised when the Queen took the throne in 1952. Five finalists will then take part in a live “bake off ” in March at the Fortnum & Mason store near Buckingham Palace. Visit www.fortnumandmason.com/platinumpudding to enter before Friday 4 February and please send me your recipes too, as we would like to feature them in the months ahead. If you know anyone who would like a copy of Bersted in Focus it is available to collect from Durlston Drive Post Office, 4 Durlston Parade, Bognor Regis. Thank you to local artist Mary Hite (www.maryhitepaintings.co.uk) for this month’s evocative, wintry front cover. See you in March. Best wishes, Kate office@infocusmagazines.co.uk Tel: 07729682245 www.infocusmagazines.co.uk
The Independent Local Directory of Businesses NORTH AND SOUTH BERSTED Delivered FREE to over 5,700 homes February 2022
FELPHAM IN FOCUS
The Independent Local Directory of Businesses FELPHAM Delivered FREE to over 6,000 homes February 2022
VILLAGES IN FOCUS
The Independent Local Directory of Businesses MIDDLETON, ELMER , YAPTON AND BARNHAM Delivered FREE to over 5,300 homes February 2022
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All advertisements are printed in good faith, however Bersted 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.
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SUGAR COATING GREG DAVIS INVITES YOU TO JOIN THE UPVC COLOUR REVOLUTION My name is Greg and I am a uPVC colouring/coating specialist living in Chichester. Our familyrun company specialises in transforming the uPVC features of your home. We spray your existing windows/doors/facia and soffits on site at your home in a colour of your choice. Farrow & Ball colours are particularly popular with our customers. What we do is specialised, we don’t use paint, we are experts in spraying specialist industrial colour coatings that chemically bond to your existing uPVC. The coatings are used in the automotive/marine industry to colour cars and boats, and are proven to be extremely durable and guaranteed for 10+ years. The spraying of colour to existing uPVC windows and doors is both innovative and relatively new to the South of England but is well established in some larger cities across the UK. We follow a four-stage process to ensure a professional factory finish: consultation and colour selection, complete mask-up, deep clean and three layers of colour coat. Respraying your existing uPVC is up to 80% cheaper than replacing with new uPVC windows. The coating extends existing uPVC life by more than 10 years and is environmentally friendly. Our typical projects consist of transforming the windows and doors of residential properties. It takes 3-4 days to complete a full home transformation. We are currently taking bookings for spring and summer 2022. To find out more give me a call for a free, no obligation consultation on 07872 586 401 or email enquiries@sugarcoat.uk You can also visit our website www.sugarcoat.uk I look forward to hearing from you.
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ST VALENTINE’S DAY BY KIM LESLIE Traditionally St Valentine’s Day marks the first day of Spring – still several weeks away meteorologically. The year has turned, the days are getting longer, the sap is rising, new beginnings are in the air. Garden birds are rousing themselves from their winter silence, their singing not only a threat in marking their territory, but a love song to find a mate. So it’s not hard to see why the Feast of St Valentine has been called the ‘Birds’ Wedding Day’. It was back in the 14th century that the poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the much-quoted couplet reflecting the medieval belief that this special day was the first day of the bird-mating season:
For this was on St Valentine’s Day When every bird comes there to choose his mate And why St Valentine? Confusingly there have been two Romans of this name both martyred for their faith in the 2nd and 5th centuries. One story tells of one of them falling in love with his jailer’s daughter and writing a note for his lover signed ‘your Valentine’; another tells of one of them performing secret marriage ceremonies for Roman soldiers forbidden to take a wife. All sorts of romantic superstitions have been told in the past about Valentine’s Day, one, appropriately, linked to birds: if a woman saw a robin flying overhead she would marry a sailor, if a sparrow, it would be to a poor man, and if a goldfinch, to a rich man. Whilst red roses and chocolates are today’s favoured gifts to a loved one, the simple gift of the past was the Valentine greetings card. Originally handmade, their production proliferated in the 19th century with advances in colourprinting and mass-production, aided greatly by the new penny post. Romance could now be conducted remotely! Typically the loving messages in Victorian cards (see right) were adorned with intricate lace patterns and embossed decorations with cascades of flowers, cherubs and love-hearts to create beautiful and romantic flavours. Have a love-filled day!
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THE WINTER OLYMPICS BY TRACEY ANDERSON 4th-20th FEBRUARY The modern Olympics first took place in 1868. Five years later Sweden decided to stage the first international competition for winter sports. It was called the Nordic Game, and only Scandinavian countries competed. Like the Olympics, it was staged every four years, but it always took place in Sweden. Then in 1908 figure skating was featured at the summer Olympics … sort of. It was actually showcased three months after the main event! In 1911 the international Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed a separate winter competition but initially the Swedes were not keen, then the First World War forced the cancellation of all Olympic events. In 1920, figure skating featured in the summer Olympic schedule again, and was joined by ice hockey, which proved very popular. Soon after, the Scandinavians agreed to stage an IOCsanctioned International Winter Sports Week in Chamonix, in the French Alps. 16 nations took part, and it was so successful that in 1925, the Winter Olympics were formally recognised as a separate international event, effectively making the competition at Chamonix the first ever Winter Olympics. The original nine sporting events were: bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, crosscountry skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and skating (both figure skating and speed skating). More events have been added over the years and today there are fifteen: Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, and snowboarding. An event that never made the final cut was Scandinavian skijoring. This event appeared as a demonstration in the St Moritz Winter Olympics in 1928 and involved competitors on skis clutching reins attached to a wooden harness, fitted to a horse. Then in 1932 at the Lake Placid Winter Games, sled dog racing was showcased. I rather wish they’d kept that one in, don’t you? Of course, a Winter Olympics relies heavily on snow. In 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria, there wasn’t enough of it and the games nearly didn’t go ahead! Fortunately, the Austrian army came to the rescue, transporting 20,000 blocks of ice from the mountains to the bobsled and luge track, and 40,000 cubic meters of snow to the Alpine skiing courses. Then as soon as the Winter Olympics ended (of course) Innsbruck received one of its heaviest snowfalls for years! Norway is the country that really punches above its weight at the Winter Olympics. It only has a population of five million (London alone has nearly nine million!) but to date has won 368 medals (132 gold, 125 silver, and 111 bronze) – way ahead of their nearest rivals, the United States, who have 305 medals and a population of 329 million. Whether skiing, bobsleighing or figure skating is your winter sport of choice, pour a hot chocolate or a gluhwein and curl up under a blanket and enjoy all the action.
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BARNHAM OPTICIANS WIN PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD For the first time in three years the National Optician Awards were presented in person at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. The atmosphere on the night was electric, with optical professionals from all over the country attending. The team at Barnham Opticians were delighted to be guests at this glittering black tie event which started with a drinks reception before dinner. During his welcome, Optician Magazine editor, Chris Bennett, said the magazine had pushed to hold a live event to honour practices up and down the land who had striven to serve their patients over the past 18 months. After dinner, guests were entertained by the celebrity host Stephen Mulhern, who kicked off with some magic tricks before hosting the presentation of the much sought after Art Deco trophies. After just missing out on winning Independent Opticians of the Year the team were elated when Barnham Opticians was named as Optical Assistant Team of the Year. Barnham Opticians Owners, Tony and Mandy, said: “It was such a proud moment for the team to be on stage in front of fellow professionals to collect a National Award. It is an amazing achievement to win and is a testament to our whole team for all the hard work that they do.” Barnham Opticians was described by the judges as a practice “with a brilliant overall approach with a sense of true integration within its community.” The evening concluded with dancing and celebrations into the early hours. It was an amazing Christmas gift to win such a prestigious award and we will be sharing it with all our patients and staff in the year ahead. Happy New Year!
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FINDING SILVER IN THE SALTMARSH
ZOOM MEETING, Thursday 10 February 2022 Matt Eade, Naturetrek Tour Leader – ‘Papua, New Guinea’ at 7.00 pm Zoom talks are free to all RSPB Chichester Local Group members and £4 each to non-members. Places are limited, so please book your place in advance by contacting : Rob Yarham – email: chichesterbirds@gmail.com, tel: 07545 376074 CHICHESTER, Thursday 24 February 2022 Illustrated Talk by Sara Frost, Naturetrek Marketing Manager and Tour Leader, on ‘St Kilda’, to the Chichester Local RSPB Group at The Pallant Suite, Masonic Hall, South Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1S at 7.30 pm. Entrance: members £2-50/visitors £5 07545 376074 wheelchair access Maria Wildman, 12 Harbour View Road, Pagham PO21 4RG Tel: 01243 262833 Email: wildthings2@waitrose.com
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Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Nothing beats the atmosphere on a saltmarsh in winter, and February is the last month to see, hear, smell and even feel the saltmarsh at its atmospheric best here at Pagham Banks and the North Wall path. At low tide, the dark mud may look (and smell) bitter and unwelcoming – but look again. Scattered across the mud are the tracks of Pagham Harbour’s birds, perfect footprint after perfect footprint, retelling the journeys of curlews and dunlins. On some days the dark mud does not look dark at all, but a silvery blue as the sun bounces off it. In the wintery Breech Pool. evenings, you can see golden and sometimes rosy sun rays bursting through the clouds as you look towards Sidlesham, almost beckoning you for a hot chocolate at the Visitor Centre. At this time of year, make sure there is a spare pair of gloves in your coat pocket, as walkers are often scoured by the wind on North Wall as it sweeps past the exposed path. The wind whistles as it passes through the reeds on the north side of the bank, blowing away your cobwebs as it does. Alongside the whistling wind, listen out for the melancholy call of the curlew, as it drifts over the mud and the water. The curlew’s eerie ‘cur-lee’ is an iconic sound of British wetlands and moorlands, as the curlews breed on boggy ground and damp pastures. The UK is home to a quarter of all Eurasian curlews, surely underscoring the importance that lies within our saltmarshes, wetlands and natural meadows. The curlew is a gorgeous bird and can be seen sifting through Curlew. the mud on the south side of the path at low tide. A curlew’s bill is as long as its legs, with a downward curve at the end. This is the curlew’s cutlery, acting like tweezers or chopsticks in the mud as the bird searches for a worm. The Eurasian curlew’s species name arquata is the Latin word for archery bow, referring to the shape of the curlew’s bill. To soak up the last of the winter atmosphere on Pagham Harbour’s saltmarshes, take a stroll along the North Wall, accessible from both Pagham and Sidlesham and don’t forget to drop in to the Visitor Centre on the B2145m just north of Selsey for a warming cuppa.
(rspb-images.com)
BY MEERABAI KINGS
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DIPPERS DELIGHT
BY JANET STOCKLEY-POLLARD AND THE FELPHAM SEA DIPPERS It started with an idea at the beach … and grew into so much more. A group of us had met for a dip at Felpham, back in October. Christine, who had recently joined after losing her husband Roy, said she would like to do something for the charity, St Wilfrid’s Hospice, and on the spur of the moment, I suggested a calendar and it grew from there. Gorilla Robes from Emsworth sponsored our printing costs and Jacqueline Rackham, a professional photographer from West Sussex, gave her time for free. This meant 100 per cent of the sales went to supporting the Hospice with their end-of-life care. To make the calendar so many women gave their time and enthusiasm to pose on the beach and in the sea in their swimming costumes (most of the time!), often for more than two hours. Every photo was taken on beaches between West Beach at Littlehampton to Aldwick. We certainly caused a stir amongst passers-by, raising a smile from them as they went. All these photo shoots were done within three weeks in November last year and the calendar was back from the printers (SRP in Chichester) by the beginning of December. And then the media whirlwind began. It started off with an interview with Milly at V2 radio, helping us promote the calendar. By the time we had the launch of the physical calendar, we had already raised over £2000 in pre-orders. Felpham In Focus helped tremendously by featuring us on their front cover as well as an article in all three of their local publications, The Bognor Regis Observer supported our story and featured us, BBC Radio Sussex heard about the calendar through the paper and invited us to do an interview. Then it was television. The BBC’s regional news programme South Today wanted to do a feature about us, so many of the girls gathered in front of the Felpham Sailing Club to reenact some of the photos – we even had a gorilla lurking behind the scenes! Interviews were done and we persuaded Ed Sault BBC South Today filming on the beach. (pictured above) the BBC South presenter to join us in the sea … to be fair it didn’t take much persuading! Calendars have now been sold as far afield as America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Tasmania and Jersey. In addition, we attended The Felpham Farmer’s Market, The Thatch Christmas Fayre and Middleton’s St Nicholas Church Christmas Fayre, followed by Felpham Post Office Pop up shop to promote and sell the calendars. St Wilfrid’s Hospice liked the calendar so much that they started selling it directly in their shops (there are still some available), so the support has been overwhelming. To date the funds raised come to about £5500 and we are still selling the last remaining calendars. So much more has grown from this though. Friendships have been formed and joy and laughter have grown from grief. We are a group of friends brought together from all walks of life united by a common bond and we hope we have spread that joy and made others smile too.
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Bersted in Focus
CURIOSITY CORNER
BY KIM LESLIE
A series of little titbits, a bit of nostalgia, some local history and trivia What is Bognor’s most unusual architectural feature? Maybe the old ice house near the Library, but these early types of refrigerator survive in their hundreds throughout the country, many of them in Sussex. The answer is that it’s probably a wall, but a very special wall, a crinkle-crankle wall, more prosaically called a wavy, zigzag or snake wall. Lovely names for such an unusual feature. They date from the late Georgian period and like ice houses were to do with food. In old dialect a crinkle-crankle meant a bodily wrinkle, a type of wavy indentation, so it’s not hard to see the connection. Crinkle-crankle walls are serpentine in shape with curve – shaped concave recesses providing shelter and warmth for growing delicate fruit such as peaches, apricots and nectarines. Their sinuous curves made for very graceful ornamental edges to many gentlemen’s walled orchards in the past. The shape has the added advantage in that it gives the wall strength, allowing them to be built high but just one-brick thick without the need for any buttressing. Our local crinkle crankle wall, in the grounds of Chichester University’s campus at Bognor, is most unusual in that it is two bricks thick with even a cavity between each side, no doubt to insulate against cold north winds. The two sides of the wall are tied together using a single brick across the cavity. What is striking is that this cavity construction, pre-dating 1828, is well in advance of its popular use in house building. It was clearly built by someone with advanced ideas, with money to match. Look at the wall closely and one or two original iron fixings survive from which wires would have been supported for training the climbing fruit. The grounds at the easterly end of the university campus were the home of the 3rd Lord Arran (1761-1837), Bognor’s principal resident at the time. He lived at Arran Lodge (now called St Michael’s). Richard Dally’s local guidebook of 1828 was dedicated to Arran, giving a glimpse into his Bognor estate where ‘no expense has been spared in the erection of hot houses, pineries, succession-houses and conservatories. The hand of taste is visible in the laying out of the grounds, walks and shrubberies, which altogether form a perfect Elysium.’ Lord Arran’s crinkle-crankle wall dates from these improvements and apart from some adjacent contemporary ‘straight’ walling seems to be the only significant vestige of his ‘perfect Elysium’ in Bognor. Today, propped up with a wooden buttress at one end and with quite a few loose bricks, it’s in need of some loving care before it falls down. Most of these surviving wavy walls are to be found in East Anglia, renowned for its biting arctic winds so damaging to fruit. Only two others are known in Sussex, at nearby West Dean and West Stoke. Maybe there are only a few around here because of our milder southern climate.
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MUD-FREE WALKS
SIMON BAKER IRONS EXPLORES THE BOGNOR REGIS HERITAGE TRAILS At this time of year, the fields and country paths have become much muddier, so having a walk in the countryside usually means a lot of cleaning of the boots afterwards. With so much local history around us, I feel it is a great time to feature some local walks that are easier under foot, accessible to all and follow the heritage trails around Bognor Regis. Varying in length between one and three miles there are six trails and a guide to novels set in the town. The Bognor Regis Heritage Trails were set up by the Bognor Regis Heritage Partnership Board and have been compiled to discover and explore the best of the history of Bognor Regis. I found the easiest way to follow the routes was to use the trail guides that can either be downloaded from the heritage trail website at https://bognorregistrails.co.uk/ or picked up from the library. Starting with the Bognor Regis Blue Plaque Trail, this is the longest of the trails at three miles long and visits the many blue plaques and memorial stones around Bognor Regis. It features the people that have lived in or influenced the town. The trail starts at the pier, then navigates the roads of the old town and on towards Marine Park Gardens, it returns via the town to Hotham Park and ends at Dome House. The Bognor Regis Museum is also on this route and well worth a visit to find out more local history. The Richard Hotham Trail explores the buildings which Sir Richard Hotham influenced in their design, much of his regency architecture can still be seen in the town today. The trail starts at Hotham Park House, features the buildings along Upper Bognor Road, then passes the icehouse before it finishes at the railway station. The Hotham Park Heritage Trust Tree Trail is suitable for families with young children as well as those who have a bigger interest in trees. This trail winds its way through Hotham Park and identifies some of the more interesting and unusual trees that were planted in the park by William Fletcher. Bognor Regis Town Trail is more focused on the town centre exploring the Old Town area to the west of the High Street and finishing on the promenade. This trail aims to show how the town has changed over the centuries. Bognor Regis Pier and Western Bognor Regis Trail explores the western area of the town starting at the pier, finishing at Marine Park Gardens and the remains of the Mulberry Harbour section from World War 2. This trail also features the museum. The Bognor Regis Seafront ‘Fun and Facts’ Trail is another route specifically suited to families with young children and particularly suited to those in wheelchairs. Take a leisurely stroll along part of the 2.5 mile long promenade of Bognor Regis and learn about the town, its seafront, glorious weather and history. These trails have been superbly created for us to walk around the places we pass every day and learn more of the history of our lovely town. Please do visit my blog at piertopiertrekking.com
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WHY IS FEBRUARY ALONE? BY DEBBIE JAMES “I wonder why February is the only month that has 28 days … ” my teenage son mused one day. It got me thinking. Today we use the Gregorian Calendar, a solar calendar used in the international standard for Representation of dates and times. In Roman times though the calendar had a quite different structure. It originally consisted of 10 months rather than 12. There were 304 days in the year; six months had 30 days each and four months had 31 days each. Then the Roman king Numa Pompilius decided to bring the calendar in line with the lunar year and added January and February to the original 10 months. The king did not want months with even numbers of days though, because the Romans believed even numbers were unlucky. To this end he subtracted a day from each of the 30-day months to make them all 29. The lunar year consists of 354.367 days, but he didn’t want to round the number down to 354 because that would make the entire year unlucky, so he rounded up to 355 instead. Now he had six months with 29 days and 4 months with 31 days, giving 298 days, and leaving 57 extra days to be divided between the two new months. Mathematics dictated that one of the months would have to have an even number of days because the sum of any even amount (12 months in this case) of odd numbers will always equal an even number - and he needed the total to be odd. So, the king chose February as the unlucky month. Over the following centuries the calendar has been altered several times. February has been shortened at some points, and sometimes a leap month was included, but eventually February has settled at 28 days, with the addition of a leap day every four years. And the answer to my son’s question? February has 28 days because of superstitious Romans!
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MY SISTERS’ HOUSE
THANK YOU
We’d like to say a massive “Thank You” to everyone who gave to My Sisters’ House this Christmas 2021. Whether your donation was a carrier bag full of toiletries, something from our Amazon Wishlist, or a car full of presents, it has made a real difference to local families in need. Thanks to your donations, we have been able to help almost 300 families this Christmas season, providing gifts to more than 500 children. Children who may otherwise have had little or nothing to open on Christmas morning received at least two lovely gifts, some chocolate, and a few extra special treats in their stockings. Women who came to our gifting days were also able to pick out something just for themselves, and were given a little bag of goodies to enjoy as well. But, just as importantly, we were able to relieve some of their anxieties about providing for their families at this festive time. The gratitude expressed as they left with their bags of gifts was immense, and that is down to you. Christmas can be a magical, joyful and peaceful time – it can also be stressful, demanding and worrying. Thanks to you, some of that worry was eased and a lot of joy was shared! If you’d like to stay in touch with My Sisters’ House please subscribe to our newsletter by emailing office@mysistershouse.info or visiting our website at www.mysistershouse.info, where you can also find information about different ways of supporting us throughout the year.
VERY ELF-FUL A huge thank you to the hundreds of you who helped St Wilfred’s Hospice raise a tree-mendous £13,300 in last years’ Christmas Tree Recycling Campaign! This alone could fund a bed on the ward at the hospice for over 22 days! Special thanks to these special ‘elf-ers’: The many volunteers who helped make this project possible by collecting the trees: • Panther Truck Hire for the vans • Beaver Tool Hire for a truck and chipping half the trees in partnership with Madam Green Farm • Chichester District Council for all their support • The Woodhorn Group for taking half the trees to turn into compost and top soils And thanks to the following places for storing trees until they could be recycled: • • • • •
The Fishbourne Centre Chichester High School The Regis School (with help from their students to load trees into a van!) Barnham Community Hall Hills Nursery
St Wilfrid’s Hospice is much more than a building. It provides tailored end of life care both in the community and at the Hospice, supporting patients living with a terminal illness, and their loved ones. These vital services are all provided free of charge, thanks only to the ongoing generous support of fundraisers and donors. You can find out more information at www.stwh.co.uk or by calling 01243 775302.
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CROSSWORD
Across 1. Spectacles (7) 5. Foot joint (5) 8. Apologise, redeem (5) 9. Die (7) 10. Surveying method used to calculate distance (13) 11. Sound reflections (6) 12. Petrified prehistoric remains (6) 15. Sweets and chocolates (13) 18. Heathrow or Gatwick (7) 19. Common blood pressure medication (5) 20. Layers (5) 21. Captures, seduces (7)
Down 1. Enormous, colossal (5) 2. Eradicate, prohibit (7) 3. American name for canine guides for the blind (6, 3, 4) 4. Element with symbol Na (6)
5. Person who excavates historic remains (13) 6. Brownish-olive (5) 7. Without pause, endless (7) 11. Bewitch, enthral (7)
13. 14. 16. 17.
Rainbow (7) Effigy, figure (6) Courage, fortitude (5) Slang name for US citizens (5)
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HOROSCOPES FOR FEBRUARY BY LOCAL ASTROLOGER LETICIA PARMER If the weather outside is frightful, don’t worry, because your Astro forecast for February is delightful! Happily Mercury is out of retrograde, so your thinking will be sharp and reliable once again. In fact, a wonderful harmony between Jupiter and Uranus this month may give you just that touch of innovative genius and originality that makes others stand back in awed admiration. ARIES You are a natural leader and starter of projects, so you should enjoy this month’s planetary influences that spark in you intuitive ideas for making life more comfortable and secure, perhaps through music.
LIBRA Yes, you do like to look at every angle of a situation to form a balanced opinion, but this February you will be more curious than ever, as you cleverly intuit which rabbit holes to go down to ferret out the truth.
TAURUS Uranus in your own sign can bring out the ‘grace on your feet’ joy of dancing through life, as you sense the need to shrug off your usual yoke of reliable solidity and let your lighter side shine and sparkle.
SCORPIO Partner and children will be all important this month. You will be so thoughtful and considerate, they will positively glow. This is because you have sensed and applied a better way of approaching things.
GEMINI Your intuition will be phenomenal this month, so trust your hunches and expect more than a bit of magic as your charm and charisma move your career and status to those higher levels you know you deserve.
SAGITTARIUS Working from home is sometimes a blessing but at other times a curse. That is why you will be delighted with the brilliantly innovative ideas you can now come up with to make this much more comfortable.
CANCER It is not just the gloomy weather that will be driving you to make travel plans with friends or a group now. It is this month’s planetary influences that provoke some great ideas for foreign adventure.
CAPRICORN Communications are very significant for you this month and you can wow an audience with your brilliant choice of words. You can write and say things in a wonderfully original and charismatic way this month.
LEO Jupiter and Neptune’s current placing make you deeply intuitive and spiritually searching. Add to this the beautiful harmony with the planet Uranus and you can really enjoy honouring your ancestors now.
AQUARIUS Yes, you’ve been thinking and planning home improvements, either for yourself or for others. This month you can at last come up with the design that is both aesthetically and economically bang on target.
VIRGO This February you will gain the most by teaming up with one other person to deepen your level of knowledge and skills, whether this person is your business partner, your life partner or your sports team-mate.
PISCES Because Jupiter (expansion) and Neptune (dreams) are both in your own sign, and in great harmony with the planet Uranus (innovation), your intuitive creativity will know no bounds this February.
Leticia has been a lifelong astrologer and healer and has among her clients, politicians, celebrities and royalty. Her mission is to help and heal others, so book an appointment for an in depth counselling session or a healing with Leticia, by emailing: leticiaparmer@yahoo.com Leticia Parmer’s book WHY ON EARTH is available from Amazon.
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ADRIAN FOULKS
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LOCAL HISTORY BY SYLVIA ENDACOTT
FELPHAM METHODIST CHURCH Welcome to a new year, with a nostalgic view of our history. In 1909 Felpham had a shortage of religious provision and a lady called Alice Boyling tried to redress this problem. Living at The Gables in Bognor Regis, she was overheard to remark, ‘Out east Felpham is growing and there is nothing for folk out there,’ she was then to set up a small Sunday school for children at No.1 Sea Road, Felpham. On 2 October 1932 the group commenced services, but without an organ. They were offered one but without transport the organ was moved to their new little church in Alice Boyling’s bath chair. In fact, Alice and her maid trundled the organ the two and a half miles to Flansham by themselves. There were 23 people present at their first meeting, 12 who had moved from the Bognor Regis Methodist Church to help and encourage this small group of enthusiastic worshippers. Reports at the end of the year announced that a total of 770 adults had attended services, they had 34 Sunday school scholars and that there ‘were 14 members on their books.’ Numbers rose and as a result the premises in Flansham became inadequate and contact was made with Mr. J. Rank who offered to help. Mr. Rank offered to buy a site for the church with financial assistance from others in the community and it was near today’s Felpham Methodist Church. On the 7th June 1939 the Methodists held their stone laying ceremony. Alice Boyling, the lady who had had the original dream, laid one of the stones.
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.
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GARDEN VIEW CONTAIN YOUR EXCITEMENT BY RACHEL LEVERTON For me February marks the real beginning of the gardener’s year. Seed sowing starts in earnest, and we can begin to plan to bring the patio pots alive. As a gardener I do raise a lot of my plants from seeds in cold frames and greenhouses. But there is no right way to approach this. If you’re super busy and time in the garden is short, wait until late February and purchase fresh, well grown young plants from the garden centre. Yes its more expensive but it might be worth it in time and energy saved. The patio is a great place to indulge your creativity. Do you want a brilliant, chaotic, colour palate or a cool, tranquil colour scheme, or maybe even monochrome calming greens in many textures of foliage. I think of patio pots like soft furnishings in the house…changing things up can transform the mood. While containers are conventionally planted in autumn and late spring, they can actually be planted at any time of year, and I like to get a couple planted up in February so they can become really established and give me a running a start. I use containers of all sizes but generally the large ones provide more impact. If they are too large and heavy to move easily, plant them with hardy bulbs or permanent shrubs or trees. You can then add seasonal geraniums and pansies etc around the core planting. Small, moveable containers can be planted with bright bulbs and specimen plants that can be brought to the front as they reach their peak with flowers or foliage. If you have a sheltered frost-free area for a cold frame or poly cover you can plant early, keep safe from the worst of the winter weather, and then bring them out when the frosts have finished. Good trees for larger containers are conifers. There is such a huge variety of shapes and colours to choose from. For patios its best to choose more compact, well-groomed shapes in bright greens or yellows. Groups of three or five pots containing contrasting shapes and colours work very well together. Alternatively go for similar shapes in a variety of sizes and colours. Because February tends to be quite wet, drainage can be an issue. As a guide, patio and decking surfaces should be dry, or only wet if it’s rained recently. If a patio or decking is constantly wet it’s likely that algae and moss will start to grow which can look unsightly and make the surface dangerously slippery to walk on. Use a strong yard brush and approved detergent to keep hard surfaces clean and safe. As anticipation in gardening provides much of the pleasure take the garden furniture out of storage this month and clean it up … then you can enjoy a cup of tea on sunny days and watch your patio begin to wake up. Happy Gardening,
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TO REVERSE AGEING THINK BLUE
WHAT ARE BLUE ZONES AND WHAT CAN THEY TEACH US ABOUT AGEING?
LOUISE ADDISON FINDS OUT As a nation we’re obsessed with ageing. We try to turn the clock back with lotions, potions and sometimes Botox and fillers. Yet some nations seem to have solved this issue without resorting to cosmetics or surgery. These people live in the world’s so-called Blue Zones. The term ‘Blue Zones’ refers to geographic areas in which people have low rates of chronic disease including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and several types of cancer, and enjoy life spans more than a decade longer than people elsewhere in the world. The concept of Blue Zones grew out of the work done by researchers Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain. The five Blue Zones are: Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, The Ogliastra Region in Sardinia, Loma Linda in California (which boasts the highest concentration of Seventh Day Adventists in the US), and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. Dan Buettner, who is an author, explorer, educator, and endurance cyclist, studied these regions intensively and concluded that the inhabitants all shared certain characteristics. They exercise – but not at the gym, and they don’t run. Instead, they live in environments that encourage movement. They walk, garden, and tend to use manual tools rather than electric ones, when working in the house and garden. They live with purpose – The Okinawans call it ikigai and the Nicoyans call it plan de vida; both roughly translate to “why I wake up in the morning.” A sense of purpose adds several years to your life span. They take time out – Everyone, even those living in Blue Zones experience stress. Stress is the leading cause of chronic inflammation and is associated with every major age-related disease. The Blue Zone populations understand how to deal with and diffuse that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap, and Sardinians do happy hour! They follow the 80% rule – The Okinawan’s have a 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra, ‘Hara hachi bu’, which they recite before meals. It reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight and gaining it. People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the early evening, and then they don’t eat any more for the rest of the day. They eat a plant-based diet – The people of the Blue Zones eat mainly plants and beans, limiting meat to small portions a few times per month. They drink moderately – Apart from the Adventists, all the people living in the Blue Zones drink alcohol regularly. Moderate drinkers actually outlive non-drinkers. So, keep to one to two glasses a day, preferably drunk with a meal and with friends or family They have a community – The world’s longest-lived people chose – or were born into – social circles that support healthy behaviours. For example, Okinawans created moais - groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious, so healthy social networks are essential for long life. So, if you are interested in living a longer, and healthier life … think blue!
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F R E S H LY P R E P A R E D HOME COOKED FOOD LOCAL PRODUCE G R E AT W I N E S & R E A L A L E S BEER GARDEN LARGE CAR PARK Waterloo Road | Felpham | Bognor Regis | PO22 7EH
For bookings call : 01243 829363 www.thefoxfelpham.com Mon–Sat : Midday–11pm (Food served all day until 8:30pm) Sun : Midday–10pm (Food served all day until 5pm)
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IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE TREAT YOUR LOVED ONE TO A LUXURIOUS CHOCOLATEY DESSERT FOR VALENTINES Serves: 8 Preparation time: 30 minutes plus cooling and chilling time Cooking time: 10 minutes. INGREDIENTS Base Vegetable oil, for oiling 175g chocolate chip cookies 55g unsalted butter
Filling 225g plain chocolate (at least 70%), broken into pieces. 225g good quality milk chocolate (at least 45%) broken into pieces 55g golden caster sugar 350g cream cheese 425ml double cream, lightly whipped (this means that it’s no longer liquid, has increased in volume and just holds its shape when the whisk is removed). 3tbsp coffee cream liqueur
METHOD Line the base of a 20cm springform round cake tin with greaseproof paper and brush the sides with oil. Place the chocolate chip cookies in a polythene bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat then add the crushed cookies. Press the resulting mixture into the base of the prepared tin, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Place the broken plain and milk chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool. Place the sugar and cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, then the melted chocolate, and finally the coffee cream liqueur. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin on top of the biscuit base. Smooth the surface and place in the fridge to chill for two hours. When it’s firm transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with more melted dark chocolate if required,
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A GOOD READ
BY TASH DONOVAN
The Invisible – By Tom Percival This is a book about untold stories and human connections. Tom Percival has blended gorgeous illustrations with his simple, clear prose in this picture book which is perfect for bedtime reading. Isabel is a happy child whose parents love her and each other but the family is struggling financially. They slip through society’s cracks and descend into poverty. Isabel discovers that poverty brings a cloak of invisibility. No-one seems to see her, though she can see more than ever before. She begins to notice the other invisible members of society, and she begins to understand that alongside invisibility poverty brings something else ... loneliness. Isabel decides that she will do something to tackle the problem. The book has modern social themes, but rather than being unremittingly grim, or alternatively, ridiculously upbeat and positive, Percival uses his light touch to show us the humanity and love that exist between people everywhere in society, and how we can all make a difference, whoever we are. The beautiful, heart-warming ending doesn’t rely on a lottery win, or a fairy godmother but on Isabel herself showing the way. The author has drawn on his own experiences growing up in poverty to create a gentle and thought-provoking window into a world that for many of us goes entirely unnoticed. This is another book that will stay with you and one which children will delight in hearing again because it has the magic of a fairy tale with none of the schmaltz.
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS Solution to Mind Benders 1. Cars 2. Jungle Book 3. Tangled
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FEBRUARY
What’s on at Bersted Jubilee Hall
Subject to change, please call 01243 842221.
Mondays: Pilates -Christina 8.45 -10.15am Pilates-Jane 12 - 1pm Arun A Cappella 7 - 10pm Tuesdays: Mother & Toddler Group 10-11.30 Tai Chi (term time only) 12.30 -1.30 U3A History Group—22nd 2—4pm Council Committee Meetings 7pm Wednesdays: Aerobics 10-11am Pilates 11-12am Carpet Bowls 2-3.30pm Yoga—Kerry 7.15 - 8.15pm Thursdays: Pilates—Christina 9-9.45 Zumba Gold –Clare (new class) 10.30-11.30 Yoga 12.30—2pm NBWI 10th 2.15-5pm Boogie Bounce Fitness 6-7pm Friday Toddler Group (meeting room) 9.30-11.30 Carpet Bowls
Saturdays:
2-3.30pm
Bognor Regis Art Society 12th
Sundays: Open Heart Church Group Table top sale 6th (monthly) –
2-5pm 10-2pm 3-5pm
Bersted Parish Council public meetings start at 7pm on a Tuesday. February Meetings: Planning 1st February Full Council 8th February March Meetings: Planning 1st March Full Council 8th March Community Resources 15th March
Friday February 25th - Hoy Bingo Friday March 18th - Book swap & Raffle
Come and Join us 10-12pm
Hamper donations
If you would like to donate any amount, please contact the Clerk for details. We will, via 3 schools be providing fresh meat and fruit & vegetable hampers to families on 18/02/22.
It could be you?
Are you looking for a local weekday part-time position of 12 hours which offers a progressive role? This is a great opportunity to join the team here, starting as an Admin Assistant and progressing towards the Clerk role. Full training will be offered. Closing date for applications 9th February. See our website for further details.
Bersted Parish Council – Fresh Food Hamper Project. “We’re in the customer vote for a Tesco Community Grant. It’s a scheme which gives community projects like us grants of up to £1,500. Tesco customers can now vote in Tesco stores/expresses around Bognor Regis during January, February and March to decide how much funding we get, so please support us next time you shop at Tesco!”” Link to the Community Grants website www.tesco.com/communitygrants
Bersted Parish Council, Jubilee Hall, Chalcraft Lane, Bersted, PO21 5TU, 01243 842221 clerk@bersted-pc.gov.uk www.bersted-pc.gov.uk
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ARUN & CHICHESTER (AIR) ENTHUSIASTS SOCIETY AirACES
www.airaces.org.uk Patrons – Sqn Ldr Richard (Dick) Kharegat RAF (Retd) – ex Vulcan, Victor, B52 Pilot Wg Cdr Robert (Bob) Prothero MRAeS, MIMgt, RAF (Retd) – ex Victor Pilot
Monday 28th February - 1900 for 1930 hrs ‘Flying Scholarships for Disabled People.’ Presented by Mr Mel White. The charity Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (FSDP) was established in 1983, following the death of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader. FSDP was founded by Paul Bowen and Tim Prince, with the aim of using Douglas Bader’s life as an inspiration to other disabled people. Since its inception, FSDP has changed the lives of over 400 disabled people, through its annual flying scholarships. Today, FSDP remains focussed on its core mission of changing the lives of disabled people, by continuing the flight training scholarships. Mel White will illustrate how this is done, and look at the impact FSDP had had on the life of Steven Robinson, known to many as ‘The One Arm Pilot’. Steve has been awarded the British Empire Medal, for services to people with disabilities. AirACES is an aviation talk society, providing its members with regular talks, given by experts in many different fields related to the world of aviation. The talks are held at the Chichester Park Hotel, Westhampnett Road, Chichester 7pm for 7.30 start. Members £5, visitors £7 and under 16s FREE. Doors open at 6.45, no pre-booking, no reserved seating. For further information about AirACES, please see www.airaces.org.uk, or call David Batcock on 01243 823007
ROTARY CLUB 2021 was a difficult year for all the service clubs in Bognor because Covid 19 curtailed our usual activities such as supporting schools with one-to-one reading and organising the annual senior citizens Christmas party. On the bright side we were able to support local hungry children by raising over £50,000 from the local community and from a number of bids that we made to organisations such as the Lottery. We were also able to collect at the local supermarkets in December where people proved yet again how generous they can be over the festive period. Thank you also for supporting the Bognor Hotham Rotary Club’s Father Christmas Sleigh, with your help, we raised £12,114.25 for local causes. Moving on to the new year a date for your diary is Father’s Day on June 19th when we are organising, with the other two service clubs in the town, a day in Hotham Park of fun and entertainment. “Sunday in the Park,” will be an opportunity for all of you to get dad organised and bring him along to celebrate his day. We are also in discussion with the Town Council about jointly running a number of summer Sunday musical events organised by our club’s friends’ group. Our friends’ group is also organising a number of free CPR training sessions during the spring for more details on our website at www.bognorrotaryclub.org or by emailing us at rotary.bognor@gmail.com.
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St Mary’s Church, Felpham
All the benefits of networking... but without the scary bits!
TABLE TOP SALE Saturday 5th February 10am-12 noon To keep everyone safe, please wear a mask while in the Centre
St Mary’s Centre, Grassmere Close, Felpham For details phone 01243826606
Local Business People!
Looking to grow your business? A chance to meet your local business community in a relaxed and informal way. Just bring your business cards, and join us for a drink!
Next Bognor Regis Meetings: 5pm-7pm
Fri 28th Jan - Tao, High St Fri 25th Feb - The Waverley £5 meeting fee to cover costs. Profits to local Charity.
Follow us & find out more on social media FFS_funfridaysocial FFSfunfridaysocial
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Book a KSS talk
Do you belong to a group or club? • Learn about the amazing life-saving work being done by your local air ambulance 24/7 • Hear real life stories about the people we have helped • Find out how you could help support our work • Talks can be given by video call or in person, adhering to the latest government guidance
Book your free talk today Email: talks@aakss.org.uk
Call: 01634 471 900
Charity no. 1021367
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Arun Neighbourhood Policing Team You can contact your local team in the following ways: • Call us: on 101 to report a crime or 999 if it’s an emergency • Email us: arun@sussex.pnn.police.uk TEN WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR BIKE Follow these 10 tips to ensure your bike remains safe, secure and not a statistic. 1. Double lock it. Using two locks slows thieves down and makes your bike less of a target. Use two quality locks, at least one of which is a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools, so use two different types of lock if possible. 2. Lock the lot. Lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand. 3. Secure it. Secure your bike as close to the stand as possible to give any thieves little or no room to manoeuvre. 4. Take removable parts with you. Take parts that are easy to remove with you, such as wheels, lights, baskets or the saddle. Or use locking skewers or nuts which can increase security by securing the bike’s components to the frame permanently. 5. Park securely. Lock your bike at recognised secure cycle parking. It should be well lit and covered by CCTV. 6. Register it. Register your frame number for free on a cycle database such as BikeRegister or immobilise.com. Alternative companies can be found on the ‘Secured by Design’ website. The frame number is usually found underneath the bike between the pedals or where the back wheel slots in. If your bike is ever stolen and recovered by the police, it can be traced back to you. 7. Mark it. Get your bike security marked. It’s a highly effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves. They know that if they are caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced and they will be arrested. Bikeregister provide a list of police bike marking events. You can also mark your bike with SmartWater. 8. Remember safety begins at home. Take the same care to lock your bike securely at home as you would on the street. Avoid advertising that you have a bike at home, for example, by removing car roof racks, and creating ‘privacy zones’ on apps like Strava to avoid disclosing your location. 9. Check ownership. Ask for proof of ownership and check the bike frame number on a cycle database such as Bike Checker at BikeRegister. Alternative companies can be found on the “Secured by Design” website. 10. Act fast. If your bike has been stolen, contact us as soon as possible by calling 101 or reporting online. Give us your frame number, cycle database number, a photo and any other details and make sure you update the status on the cycle database where you registered it. The sooner we know, the sooner we can act, which might stop it being sold on. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BIKE IS STOLEN There are various courses of action open to you if your bike goes missing. Whichever you take, make sure you do it as soon as possible. Time really is of the essence. Stolen Bikes in the UK will help to spread the word on the theft of your bike and offer you advice to help get it back. Find that bike lists adverts for bikes placed on online marketplaces, which you can check frequently to see if yours has been listed for sale. Adverts are usually placed within 24 hours of the theft but if not, keep looking as they sometimes take a few months to pop up. If you wish to report crime anonymously you can do so via Crimestoppers-uk.org or via the phone 0800 555 111. For further crime prevention advice please visit: https://www.sussex.police.uk/ cp/crime-prevention/ FRONT OFFICE OPENING HOURS: Bognor Regis: London Road, Bognor Regis, P021 1BA. Monday to Friday from 10am until 2pm and from 3pm until 6pm. Littlehampton: County Buildings, East Street, Littlehampton, BN17 6AR. Monday to Friday from 10am until 2pm and from 3pm until 6pm. We work closely with Neighbourhood Watch and you can find out more about your local scheme online or by emailing. Visit the Arun Neighbourhood Watch website: arunwestnhw.org.uk and for more info email: info@arunwestnhw.org.uk
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Bersted in Focus
BOGNOR REGIS TIDE TABLE February 2022, 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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Bersted in Focus
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Bersted in Focus
Fabulous New Kitchens Now On Display
Book a FREE Design & Quote Service on Kitchens to fit yourself or installed by us.
The
for everything BATHROOMS KITCHENS & TILES 24-26 Queensway, Bognor Regis PO21 1QT 01243 869966
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