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Northleach Court Care Home Because we care... Family-run care home with family values. High-quality care with very competitive fees. Northleach Court is a family-run care home that provides exceptional care with lovely ‘home from home’ accommodation and specialises in nursing, dementia, residential and couples care. We deliver high-quality care services, tailored to each specific resident with very competitive fees, offering complete peace of mind to those who may be concerned about a friend or family member transitioning into care. Northleach Court remains free of Covid-19, and our professional infection control measures mean that our home is the safest and best option in these challenging times. Unlike so many homes we have been able to offer Covid-19 safe visits for months and we continue to do so. We also have free access to Wi-Fi and phones
throughout the home, so relatives and residents can video/phone call each other 24/7. The main ethos of our home is ensuring we have a team whose nature is caring and respectful. This ensures the focus is always the overall wellbeing of all our residents and making their time here special and fulfilling. The home manager is dedicated to ensuring a person-centred approach by working with families, residents and health care professionals to guarantee the unique needs of all individuals are nurtured. Northleach Court is a welcoming environment set in a stunning Grade II listed building. Our peaceful and tranquil surroundings make us a very popular choice of care homes in the Cotswolds. If you would like to find out more or to arrange a virtual visit, please: Call: 0 1451 798027 info@northleachcourtcarehome.com www.northleachcourtcarehome.com
Move over Menopause Exercise has been shown to be a great therapy for many issues associated with menopause and mid-life but so often, it can feel impossible to know where to start.
gentle start that develops gradually will bring improvements immediately. Taking time to carefully build confidence and good technique is key to getting results.
Working with a skilled practitioner can open the door to effective exercise, making it enjoyable and rewarding. Low-impact workouts that improve muscle tone will help to manage weight, lift low mood, increase energy levels, reduce stress and improve sleep. There are even reports that with regular exercise, hot flushes lessen in frequency and severity.
Current Covid restrictions mean that all of FitActive’s sessions are delivered online, without the need to leave your home and venture into a gym. With some simple pieces of equipment and a little know-how from your personal trainer, a great workout is at your fingertips.
In addition, a well-targeted programme will protect against key risk factors for menopausal and postmenopausal women such as heart attack, loss of bone density, stroke and diabetes. Plus, regular exercise is one of the few therapies that has been shown to protect the brain against a loss of mental function.
With almost 10 years’ experience Nicky Hall, owner FitActive Personal Training at working with women in all stages of life, and being in mid-life myself, I understand the issues all too well. For a confidential, no obligation chat about how exercise could fit into your life, give Nicky a call on 07902 489 417. Session prices start at £55.00 per hour.
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since undertaking any exercise, a
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inside
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‘Crowdfund Cotswolds’ is launched!
new online crowdfunding platform is launched by Cotswold District 06 ACouncil to help residents raise money to improve their neighbourhoods
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Garden View
How to make sure you have the right garden tools
Mother’s Day
look into the history of 08 AMother’s Day
news: 06 local ‘Crowdfund Cotswolds’ launched 10 A Space Craft Launch education interest: 08 general The History of Mothers Day 10 Chill out & stay positive! garden view: news 08 local Local Cafe provides lockdown support 12 Tools of the Trade FEATURED
astronomy
FEATURED
FEATURED
Welcome to the March - April issue In this issue we welcome Spring with a look at the key tools you’ll need in the garden (p12). There’s also exciting news from CDC as a new crowdfunding platform is launched to help residents improve their neighbourhoods (p6) I hope you all enjoy this issue and I’ll see you again in May. Best wishes,
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Christine Campbell | Editor
Cotswold Link Magazine is published in good faith and the editors cannot be held responsible in any way for inaccuracies in reports or advertis-
in reports or advertising that appear in this publication and the views of the contributors may not be the those of the editors. Adverts and Your Cotswold LinkLink Magazine carry no implied recommendation from the magazine or the publishers. All rights reserved. appearing in Cotswold 4ingadvertisers Please YourforCanyotswoldLink when contacting any of our advertisers All information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to press. Cotswold Link Magazine cannotmention be held responsible errors or omissions.
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Cotswold District Council launches ‘Crowdfund Cotswold’ to bring community project ideas to life Cotswold District Council is launching an exciting new online crowdfunding platform that enables residents to raise money to improve their neighbourhoods. Working in partnership with the UK’s leading civic crowdfunding platformSpacehive, ‘Crowdfund Cotswold’ aims to give residents with ideas to enhance local places the opportunity to seek financial support. The aim is simple – to fund and deliver on ideas to improve the Cotswold District put forward by the local community, for the local community. The Council has allocated a total of £140,000pa for the programme, with up to £10,000 available to boost projects towards their funding target. The deadline to put forward your idea is 21 April 2021. You can get started by simply visiting Spacehive’s website and creating your own project page. People and organisations can pledge as little as
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£2 towards a project and contributions are only charged if the campaign hits its target. Spacehive will also lead a series of events online for anyone who is interested in learning a little bit more or might want to discuss ideas that they have. This includes a launch event taking place at 12:00 pm on 22 February and two project creator workshops taking place in March. Sign up and register your interest for the launch event. Cllr Jenny Forde, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “We’re excited to launch ‘Crowdfund Cotswold’ with Spacehive and I can’t wait to see the range of ideas that our residents put forward. Local people are best placed to understand the challenges and opportunities in their local area and this model puts them and their ideas in the driving seat.
us in offering support, whether funding or in-kind, to project ideas so we can turbocharge the success of locally-led campaigns together. The more people that get involved in ‘Crowdfund Cotswold’, the better.” Misha Dhanak, CEO of Spacehive, said: “Despite the challenges of the last year, it has been really inspiring to see the way people have reconnected with their local area - and with each other. We all glimpsed how things could be better in our own communities and that we could seize this opportunity to reimagine our local areas. Spacehive is proud to work in partnership with Cotswold District Council and we can’t wait to help local people bring their ideas to life.”
“The Council is also calling on companies and organisations who care about the Cotswolds to join
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LOCAL CAFE HELPING TO KEEP KIDS OCCUPIED DURING LOCKDOWN
Cotswolds based bakery and tearooms, Huffkins, has launched a new initiative to help keep children entertained at home. #HuffkinsAtHome offers a range of free printable activity sheets aimed at children aged 3-11 years.
Bourton and District U3A
The next 2 meetings of this group will be on Wednesday 24th March and will be a talk by Paul Clark on the subject of “Human Rights Monitor in Palestine and Israel” and on Wednesday 28th April when the talk will be by Timothy Brain on the subject of “Floods of Gloucestershire 2007. Both meetings are at 10.30 and will be via Zoom. Connection details will be available nearer the time.Although we are unable to hold meetings as a result of the Covid restrictions, it is proposed to hold monthly Zoom meetings until we are able to meet as a group once more. For full details and information about the special interest groups please see our website: www.u3asites.org.uk/bourton
Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and
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Adventure Trail sheets are also available, to make daily outdoor exercise more fun. Children are encouraged to look out for things on the ‘map’ on their local walks and tick off what they see. In keeping with what this Cotswolds brand is known for, Huffkins has also shared some tasty recipes, including Rocky Road and Triple Chocolate Brownies. Suitable for older children to complete with minimal supervision, or as a fun ‘messy play’ activity for younger children with a responsible adult. The recipes have been simplified for home baking and allow children to choose their favourite ‘star ingredients’. Huffkins have confirmed that more recipes will be added soon. Josh Taee, Managing Director of Huffkins, said: “Lockdown has been tough on everyone, but we know it’s extremely difficult right now for parents, who are juggling home-schooling with working from home or day to day chores. #HuffkinsAtHome has been created to try and ease some of that burden. The simple activity sheets can be easily printed at home and should help to keep the kids occupied for an hour or two each day.”
Sunday 14th March
History of Mother’s Day
For younger children, including those of pre-school age, a range of colouring-in and spot the difference sheets are available. Each colouring-in sheet also includes additional activities of varying difficulty and effort, such as spelling, writing and maths tasks, suitable for primary school aged children.
was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service. Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.
Huffkins is an award winning brand with bakery and tearooms locations throughout the Cotswolds. Due to the current national lockdown restrictions, they are able to offer takeaway service but cannot welcome dinein trade as normal. The brand also offers a range of bakery goods and luxury gifts online, but this has been temporarily halted, due to severe flood damage caused to their main bakery and distribution centre over the festive season. Taee continues: “The flood was awful timing for us given that we’ve also had to limit our tea room service due to lockdown. But we’ve always been inspired by the amazing community spirit in the Cotswolds. So while things are a little quieter for us, we decided to use our time to help people and give something back. #HuffkinsAtHome is just one of the ways we’re doing that. We hope that children can return to school very soon. In the meantime, if the activity sheets and recipes prove popular, we’ll continue to launch new ones regularly and will also continue it during future school holidays.” For further information, please visit www.huffkins.com/huffkins-at-home or see their Instagram page www.instagram.com/huffkinscotswolds
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The
Chill Out & Stay Positive
Cotswold Sky
We have been in lockdowns and received more than our fair share of
Captivate The Children, Show Them A Space Craft Launch
stress and perhaps still wondering and worrying how to get away from the present problems that may be submerging us into another crisis. Here are 10 positive tasks we can do:
The use of computer technology in the form of education as turned the world upside down, but there is more to education than passing examinations. We need our children to be more broadly educated whether it be by looking at nature, becoming interested in the arts of music and craft or as in this article expanding our knowledge on what other events are taking place on planet Earth and outer space. The information on how to watch a live space launch is available on the internet. Once seen it may ignite that spark of enthusiasm in a future hobby or even a career in space flight, astronomy or satellite communication. Information can be obtained from the following sites to mention but three: www.nasa.gov/nasalive www.spaceflightnow.com www.space.com/space-calendar. html
Good Luck, I trust that viewing a launch will bring some joy to many youngsters who find it difficult to occupy their minds with something of interest.
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1 Watch something funny – Laughter
DIARY
is the best medicine that relieves physi-
Vernal (Spring) Equinox occurs at 09.37 on Saturday 20th March. This is when the Sun crosses the equator on its journey towards the Northern Hemisphere. On this day there are affectively 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness almost everywhere on Earth. British Summer Time occurs on Sunday 28th March – Don’t forget to put your clocks forward by 1 hour. Super Moon The full Moon on the evening of Monday 26th of April is known as the Full Pink Moon. Well worth showing the children. Mercury Difficult to spot during the month of March and the first few weeks of April. May be seen at the end of April in the evening sky to the right of a setting Sun. Venus Not observable during the months of March and April. Mars The most observable of the planets during this 2 month period but its brightness is beginning to fade. Look high in the south west at around 19.00 hours at beginning of March and watch it over the weeks move further westwards. On Saturday 17th April at around 21.00 hours, it will be seen very close to a crescent Moon. Jupiter and Saturn Following their historical encounter during the month of December both Jupiter and Saturn will now appear in the early morning dawn. You may catch a glimpse of first Saturn rising followed by Jupiter from the second week in March if you look towards the south east.
cal tension, reduces stress. So, turn on and enjoy your favourite comedy.
2 Stop Multitasking – It is said that Napoleon would never multitask he always concentrated on problem at one time not allowing any outside interference. In modern day parlance do not text or speak on the phone while watching the tv. Discipline yourself by taking one task at a time. Multitasking increases the production of stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline)
3 Get a Colouring Book – Colouring helps you chill out because it is very difficult to focus on other tasks when you are doing it.
4 Have a banana - When we’re
John Harris
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stressed out our blood pressure tends to rise but the potassium found in bananas can help to regulate this. Stress can also leave us feeling drained, but bananas give you a replenishing energy boost that will get you swinging from the trees again!
5 A spoonful of honey - Mother nature’s delicious treat has compounds that reduce inflammation in the brain which can help improve a low mood. Bee happy… (sorry, couldn’t resist).
6 Listen to Music, Sing and Dance Music can help build self-esteem, lift your mood and reduce anxiety.
7 Watch a nature documentary Not only are David Attenborough’s dulcet tones particularly soothing, but nature documentaries can also sprinkle our minds with mood-lifting wanderlust and highlight the sheer scale of life which can in turn help us gain perspective of our own lives.
8 Breathe ‘Pranayama’ style - This yoga method requires you to breathe through one nostril at a time...
... (inhale through the left by block-
can help take the pressure of the
ing the right, exhale through the
stresses in your own life and sup-
right by blocking the left, repeat
porting others can also give you
for 3 minutes) to relieve stress.
valuable insight for how to redress
Weird but wonderful!
your issues. Seeing the impact,
9 Drink hot water - Learn from
you make in that person’s life will
the tradition of Chinese healing
also boost your self-esteem which
and drink a cup of good, clean hot
in turn, can help de-stress.
water. It may not be as delicious as
Many more ideas can be found by
a hot chocolate, but it will cleanse
looking at:
your system of toxins that have
www.ditchthelabel.org/101-ulti-
accumulated in the body and may
mate-ways-chill-reduce-stress/
be causing tension.
1 0 Support someone else - Mov-
John Harris
ing your attention outside yourself
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GARDEN VIEW
Tools of the Trade The right tools make gardening easier, and in my opinion you should buy the best you can afford then look after them so they will last many years. But which tools are essential? Gloves - Gardening is hard on the hands. Weeds, roots and digging are brutal on the skin. Buy a thick, good quality multi-purpose pair to begin with. Make sure they fit. My first pair were too large and cumbersome. I was so naive I didn’t realise they came in different sizes...much like gardens...and gardeners! Secateurs - The task of pruning comes around with alarming regularity, so a good pair of secateurs is one of the most used items in my garden tool kit. Find a pair that feel good to hold, are wellbalanced and easy to operate with one hand. Keep them clean and sharp and they will serve you well for many seasons. Trowel - Useful for hand weeding, dividing smaller plants, planting, potting on, and seed sowing.
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Hand Fork – A hand fork is essential for breaking up compacted soil. Sometimes it’s easier to use than a trowel and is less likely to damage roots in more densely planted areas or when separating smaller plants.
Spade –You can’t dig large areas without one. As with hand tools, I prefer stainless steel. Keep it clean, with a sharp edge for digging, planting, and edging beds. Choose one that feels right for your height.
I like a comfort handle for my hand tools but make sure to choose tools where the shaft of the handle and trowel (or fork) are one unit, not welded or rivetted together, as they are not as strong and snap with repeated use. I choose stainless-steel tools because they are rust resistant.
Fork - A stainless-steel fork is great for stony soil, and for breaking up compacted earth. It’s also good for lifting shrubs without damaging the root system too much.
Watering can - A large watering can is great, but very heavy when full so if you have arthritis or not much upper body strength choose a smaller watering can that you can handle easily and make a few more trips to the tap. A rose allows for a gentle sprinkler effect on tiny seeds and seedlings. You can use a hose if you garden a larger area. Choose a multitasking one with misting and sprinkler attachments
Dutch Hoe - Weeding is a necessary task (and a somewhat relentless one during the growing season). The Dutch hoe has a shallow angled blade with a front cutting edge for keeping weeds down between seedlings and established shrubs and plants. Ground rake -. Use this for breaking down the soil to that fine tilth gardening books go on about. Use the wide head and teeth to open and level the top surface of the soil, then use the back of the rake to firm it down. It makes seedsowing easier and more likely to produce healthy seedlings.
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