May Lockdown Edition - Issue 18

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Issue 18

DELIVERED TO 10600 HOMES & BUSINESSES ACROSS BEDFORDSHIRE

May 2020

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To our Readers....

Stay Safe, Stay Home

Also inside

Update from our Advertisers Room 101 Kid’s Got Talent

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PROUD TO BE APPROVED BY...

NOTE FROM THE EDITOrS A very warm welcome to our ‘lockdown’ edition of LivingLife Magazine. We hope that you are keeping safe and well, and that this publication brings a little normality back into your lives, providing a welcome connection to your community, especially if you are housebound and isolating.

Due to Covid-19 and public health guidelines it has been necessary to make changes to our magazine. Many of our advertisers are no longer able to operate their businesses, everything for them is on hold, as a result it has been necessary to not only reduce the size of our publication but also to print a single version only. This is a temporary measure and we will return to normality in good time.

Many of our regular features will be missing from this month’s magazine – we have no Scene By You, no Spot the Difference, and not surprisingly there is no What’s On Guide, however, Railway Steamer landlady, Anne Bowen, banishes her biggest annoyances and irritations to Room 101, and we get to meet Ashland Taylor, this month’s Kid’s Got Talent, a young filmmaker from Shefford.

| Andrew Martin |

Last month we put a shout out on social media asking for our readers and followers to submit their rainbow pictures. We have been overwhelmed by the response, receiving a huge number of photographs. As you can see, we decided to create a photo collage for our cover photo, which we believe is perfect for this edition. Thank-you to everyone who contributed.

Get in touch with us: We would love your feedback on what you enjoyed about this edition, and of course, any areas where we could improve.

01462 414265

admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk

In last month’s magazine, our Street Watch article provided some advice for drivers when overtaking cyclists: ‘Make sure you give at least the same room overtaking as you would a car - up to 1.5 metres’, please note that this should have said ‘at least 1.5 metres’.

| John McBurney |

From everyone at LivingLife Magazine, please keep safe, look after the vulnerable and continue to stay at home.

Kind Regards, Andrew & John

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in LivingLife magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, publisher or their agents. Whilst every reasonable care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information included within this publication, the publishers take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in LivingLife Magazine. The content is not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.

Please pass to a friend, recycle or compost after reading.

Competition Winner

Golden ticket a big well done to:

Craig Farrell who found our Golden Ticket in our April edition and WON £25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 8 9 10 14 16 19 20

how our advertisers are adapting artisans in the yard shefford community festival room 101 kid’s got talent business heroes henlow academy - careers fair arlesey town council update

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HOW LOCAL BUSINESS IS ADAPTING to covid -19

We spoke to some of our regular advertisers to see what they are doing...

At Will Trust & Protect we are doing everything we can to ensure that our service to you is not interrupted by this global crisis. We are following government advice along with additional measures to ensure the safety of staff, clients and the public. We will continually look at what help is available to you with regards to income, loans and availability of government grants, and will advise and provide updates on request.Most importantly, I hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy during this time. We are all in this together and we will get through this together.

John Doyle, Partner, Will Trust & Protect We are open as usual, 7 days a week, obviously the restaurant is closed, but a contactless takeaway service is now available, for delivery or collection. We now follow strict guidelines to keep both our staff and customers safe. Please follow us on Facebook to view these guidelines or give us a call on 01462 700500. Please keep safe.

Ali, Manager, Spice Lounge We hope everyone is keeping safe and well and isolating themselves. We are currently closed to protect our staff and customers, but we are still taking calls and emails. We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone to our brand new showroom on Shefford High Street once everything returns to normality.

Tom Mouskovias, Owner, TNM Property Services We are keeping calm and carrying on, albeit with general business on “pause”. Our main focus is to help our vulnerable clients who need support having moved into our area away from their families. We’re very proud to live in such a lovely, friendly community and massive thanks to the NHS and carers along with congratulations to Captain Tom Moore, what an inspiration to us all!

Please stay at home and stay safe everyone.

Jules Harwood, Partner, First Step

In these current times we are all stuck indoors and possibly cleaning everything to within an inch of its life. Here is a little tip one of our customers passed on to us…

If you have black mould on your silicone around your bath or shower tray, which you just can’t seem to shift, try rolling up some toilet paper or cotton wool into a sausage shape, soak it in bleach and push it against the silicone so it has full contact against the affected areas and leave it for at least 12 hours. With any luck, when you pull it away you should see a marked difference.

Don’t forget to wear gloves when you’re handling bleach.

Stay safe everybody, and we will see you when it’s safe to re-open the showroom.

Bob Banks, Owner, Bathroom Vogue We are still working, attending emergencies and essential works. We are wearing gloves, changing them regularly and washing and sanitizing at every opportunity. Whilst we are working, we ask our customers to adhere to the 2 metre distance rule or stay in another room whilst the works are being carried out. We hope everyone is keeping safe and well

Terry Johnson, Owner, T J Plumbing Shefford Ltd 6

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local art

Contribution thanks to

Marje Fitt

in the spotlight....

and collective Artisans

www.ArtisansInTheYard.com FB@Artisansintheyard

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his month we are delighted to feature one of our most talented artists, Linda Helliar, whose work has been exhibited widely in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Having relocated to Biggleswade from Surrey in 2017, Linda now paints in her conservatory, or outdoors in fine weather. She has always been interested in art, but decided to join a regular class after retirement. Beginning with watercolour, she then tried acrylics and other mediums, and loves to incorporate collage, pastels and granulation fluid for added texture.

Linda’s vibrant artwork is inspired by nature, especially trees and flowers, and always demonstrates a mysterious atmospheric twist. Within her paintings you are aware of a complex journey from shade towards illumination and harmony. She continues to experiment with different styles, and we wish her a most successful journey.

The gallery is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but our paintings and products are available online from our new website.

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community

SHEFFORD COMMUNITY FESTIVAL UPDATE C

Contribution thanks to

Ian Deavin Shefford Community Festival www.sheffordcommunityfestival.co.uk

learly the whole situation of public events is up in the air at the moment so the likely occurrence of our September Festival is in doubt – although if all goes well then it could be a ‘Welcome back to normality’ celebration – we shall see. As organisers we would welcome news of any planned events – there are one or two that ran last year that I am not yet aware of for this year – so please, if you have thought of re-running your activity please let me know otherwise we could all get caught out when the brakes come off. If they don’t come off in time for the September Festival then we can review to postpone until later in 2020 or sometime in Spring possibly. There are also one or two newly planned events that I am aware of which are probably on hold – again, please keep me up to date so we can be prepared.

Programme Update As usual I am working to a deadline of the end of June for August publication – and then to update it on the website and with LivingLife Magazine as event notifications come through. Getting your event into August publication obviously gives you a head start, so, if you can please let me have basic information ASAP – by e-mail or by registering on the website www.sheffordcommunityfestival.co.uk

shefford craft & produce show September 2020 Update

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fter a lot of thought and discussion, we have regretfully decided to cancel this year’s Show, even though it’s not until September. Our quiz goes a long way to funding the running costs and all the events and venues where we sell the quiz and hand out our schedules are being cancelled or closed. Not only that, but now the library is shut and that is the main place where people pick up their schedule.

It is for these reasons and the fact that social distancing may still be an issue later in the year, that we have reached our decision.

We will plan another show next year and thank all those who support our event. We hope to see you all there The Committee of the Craft and Produce Show Don’t forget to mention LivingLife when contacting advertisers

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ROOM

We caught up with Anne Bowen, the landlady at the Railway Steamer in Shefford, who took over the pub in December and has completely turned it around. She has now turned the pub into a temporary shop and a takeaway food bar during COVID-19 Here’s what she would put into Room 101…

101

Holding the door open

It’s so annoying when you hold a door open for someone, they walk through and don’t say ‘thank-you’, sometimes without the slightest acknowledgement.

Admittedly, there are certain etiquette rules at play here but at the end of the day, if you hold the door, it’s common courtesy to say ‘thank-you’. Sometimes, awkwardness is inevitable, if the ‘follower’ is a considerable distance away and you hold the door, the ‘follower’ can panic, worried that they themselves are holding you up, so they speed up with a sudden shuffle-run, but this begs the question, should they speed up or maintain their current speed? It’s a complete minefield!

People who drop the bag

Most dog owners do the right thing and pick up their dog’s poop in a bag and dispose of it. But there is a small minority who refuse to pick up their pet’s mess, and this of course is completely shameful. However, please don’t even get me started on the halfwits who bag it and then DROP THE BAG! What is the point of this completely futile exercise. If you want a dog, there are certain responsibilities that go along with it and scooping the poop and disposing of it is one of them.

Plastic shoes with holes in

Without naming names (I think we all know what I am referring to) and I apologise for being so blunt, but I can only describe these items of footwear as ugly plastic shoes. But their defendants have remained strong and steadfast. They maintain that the comfort outweighs their appearance, and besides, they don’t look that bad, right? Right? WRONG! Ugliest shoes ever made. Ever wondered what the holes are for?

That’s where your dignity leaks out.

Now it’s your turn!

Do you want to banish your top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101?

Submit your top 3 at: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/room101 10

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Welcome to our monthly feature: ’Kid’s Got Talent’ The place where we showcase the amazing talents of local children.

We hope this will help motivate and inspire other children to discover new sports and hobbies.

Name: Ashland Taylor

age: 17 from: shefford Q. Briefly explain your talent?

I have experience of taking photographs and creating short films.

Q. How did you get involved in film and photography?

I have been brought up around photography and filmmaking from a young age, helping set up lifestyle photoshoots and have been taken along on location where adverts were being filmed.

Q. Do you have to spend lots of money on filming equipment?

You can build up your equipment over time and some items can be expensive, however, you can start off small with a camera and a tripod.

Q. Where do you get your filming inspiration from?

The benefit of being exposed to the creation of advertisements, filmmaking and photography has given me the drive and inspiration to path out a career for myself in this industry. I get a lot of enjoyment out of filming and editing.

Q. Where can people watch your films, do you have a YouTube channel?

You can find my YouTube channel by searching for ‘Ashland Taylor’ or by following this link: www. bit.ly/ashlandtaylor Q. Do you enter any competitions or film festivals?

I have entered school competitions and recently I was shortlisted at the ‘Buntingford Shorts’ Short Film Competition with my film called ‘Never too Old’.

Q. Any advice or tips for anyone wanting to make films?

My advice would be to continually keep shooting and developing your portfolio, set yourself a subject, for example I have just created a film on the Corona Virus.

Does your child have an amazing talent? if so, please get in touch at admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk

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s s e n i s Bu s e o r He

Prou suppd to o local rt busin ess

At LivingLife, we want to take some time out to recognize all the small business owners, working hard to put food on the table during these unprecedented times.

Be sure to show them your support if and when you can......

SP Business Solutions - 07814 017320 SP Business Solutions offers an all encompassing service for smaller companies supporting them with issues including: Health and Safety, Environmental Management and BookKeeping. A value for money, cost effect service provided by someone with twenty plus years experience. Having an issue, I’ll help find the solution. Problem solved! Unfortunately I had just launched as we went into lockdown, having been made redundant so have not been able to adapt or find another income stream at present.

Lifestyle Diet Space - 07942 675828 www.lifestylediet.space

FREE ADVICE on Diet, Nutrition, Exercise and General Lifestyle is offered during the Lockdown period. We can help you with a FREE meal plan for one week, recovery from suffering COVID-19, Sports Nutrition, IBS and Diabetes 2. FREE consultation to see how we can help. Skype, phone or email consultations available. Qualified therapist with over 20 years experience.

Prestige Landscaping & Garden Design Ltd - 07495 011278 www.fb.me/landscapesbyprestige

Prestige Landscaping & Garden Design Ltd specialise in all aspects of hard and soft landscaping: Patios, decking, fencing, turf & artificial grass, planting of trees and plants, brickwork, block pave driveways and carpentry work such as: Bespoke summer houses, sheds and pergolas. We have a team of landscapers with over 10 years experience and an in-house garden designer.

Wagtail Joinery Ltd - 01462 338313 www.wagtailjoinery.co.uk

Bespoke Joinery based in Stondon. Offering all aspects of joinery - Doors, Windows, Staircases, and Furniture. Specialising in Grade Listed and heritage joinery. We are still open for quotations during this time. Contact us for further information: info@wagtailjoinery.co.uk

Claire’s Happy Hounds - 07791 285996 www.fb.me/claireshappyhounds

Being a dog trainer not being able to see my customers and their dogs face to face can be a real problem but during lockdown we shifted to doing online classes and 121 consultations. These are available either as a video course from my website, with a private facebook group for support or a Facebook group providing daily exercises for you to do with your dog. I was being contacted by a number of people with issues with their dogs caused in part by lockdown and the massive change in life for them so I started to offer zoom 121 sessions to help.

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Andy Leonard Painter & Decorator - 07889 903283 andythepainter5@hotmail.com

Exterior work still being carried out while restrictions are in place, adhering to social distancing at all times and no access required inside your home. Interior work will be resumed as soon as it is safe to do so. Check out my face book page for reviews and portfolio.

The Family Entertainer - 07775 607732 www.fb.me/thefamilyentertainer

As soon as I could I set up a superhero studio at home and now entertain families & children via video every day! As a professional actor/performer I create a magical video experience as a realistic Superhero/character. I’m so grateful that I am still able to do what I love. There is a tiny fee but it’s due to my years experience, training & quality of every call. Do check my reviews! I will keep on entertaining via video link even after this surreal time as well! Thank you, Kevin Sherwani - Owner

Bandit’s Bespoke Pet Care Services - 07787 502906 www.fb.me/

Banditspetservices

I provide pet care (dog walking / small animal feeding and care over holidays) and I have a small in line Pet shop (Bandit’s Shop) - I cant walk - feed / visit animals so I have tried to provide offers and deals with pet foods and provide a once a week delivery - contactless / cashless delivery for those that want pet treats delivered.

Dance Generation Studios - 07974 224420 www.dancegen.co.uk

A dance school for ages 3+ based in Shefford. We offer classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern, Street Jazz and Acrobatics. We offer a free trial of all classes and hope to resume classes as normal from September.

Contact now to book a free

Newlook Dry Cleaners & Laundry - 01462 816999 www.newlookdrycleaners.com

Newlook dry cleaning and laundry services are still open and helping to serve the community. We are able to collect and deliver all your personal and household items from service washes and ironing to bed linen, duvets and curtains. Please give us a call to discuss tour requirements or book a collection.

Deb’s Virtual Office - 07766 632316 www.debsvirtualoffice.co.uk

Reliable, efficient and experienced professional, based in Stotfold, offering virtual PA and office services to business owners. Free up your time to concentrate on being more productive in your business. Shortterm arrangements over this difficult period or longer-term arrangements to get your business back on track! Here to help businesses in any way I can.

Tracy’s Treasured Keepsakes - 07981 309519 www.tracystreasuredkeepsakes.co.uk

At Tracy’s Treasured Keepsakes I transform those sentimental items into beautiful Keepsakes. Whether it be those special outgrown baby clothes or something that belonged to a loved one

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education

Careers Fair –

Such a Success!

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Contribution thanks to

Karen Bowskill

Henlow Academy www.henlowacademy.co.uk

n Friday 13th March, Henlow Church of England Academy’s third annual Careers Fair took place. The year 7 and 8 pupils had a day exploring a range of career activities: the most exciting one being a visit to the careers fair. The pupils were given the option to ‘dress for success’ and it was great to see so many looking incredibly smart and making the most of the opportunity.

The pupils had a great day and had their eyes open to a range of exciting careers. The fair included, amongst others, a pilot, a flight attendant, an engineer, representatives from Shefford vets, a solicitor, representatives from Border Force, a vicar, midwives, a retired military intelligence analyst, a retired forensic laboratory manager and even LivingLife Magazine being represented, too. Henlow Academy would like to send a big thank you to all of the people who were involved with making the fair such a success!

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COMMUNITY

Your Local Update from…

Chairman of Arlesey Town Council, Councillor Ian Dalgarno.

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would like to extend thanks to the residents of Arlesey for continued co-operation and compliance with Government and Public Health England guidelines during these unprecedented times. This temporary, new way of life is not easy and when the sun is shining it is tempting to go out, but I urge you all to continue with your great effort and support of guidelines issued on social distancing, hand washing and self-isolation when any member of your household display coronavirus symptoms, and express overwhelming gratitude and thanks to all individuals working tirelessly in frontline roles and the NHS. The Council have had to close play facilities and appreciate co-operation from residents in adhering to these closures. The Recreation Ground remains open however residents are reminded of the Government advice to stay at home and when participating in an hour daily exercise regarding maintaining safe distance of 2 metres at all times.

During this time community spirit rises and we have seen a great local support network that has been established, Arlesey’s very own Good Neighbours project is co-ordinated by a wonderful group of volunteers assisting those vulnerable, self-isolating or in need, please visit www.goodneighbour.arlesey.org.uk and Central Bedfordshire Council provides regular updates and contact numbers for support and guidance www.bit.ly/CBC-Covid19.

Whilst the Town Council office is currently closed to the public, staff continue to work and are still contactable via adminassistant@arleseytc.co.uk or assistantclerk@arleseytc.co.uk and by calling 01462 733722 with voicemail messages being monitored along with the website www.arleseytc.co.uk and Facebook pages providing information. The Town Council continues to closely monitor Government advice on COVID-19 in order to keep our residents, staff and volunteers safe and healthy during this time. We are all experiencing extraordinary circumstances and we thank you for your continued understanding and commitment to observing restrictions.

Raynsford academy Update…

An inspiring Easter message from the staff at Raynsford Church of England Academy to let the children know that they are still in their thoughts and hearts even though school is closed but at the same time reinforce the current Covid-19 advice. This fabulous picture collage includes the Head, teachers, teaching assistants, midday supervisors, office staff and cleaners!

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