LivingLife - Issue 12 (Shefford)

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Issue 12

November 2019

Inside

FOCUSON

Money & Finance

Also inside

Diddy Directory 1 Year Anniversary Festive What’s On Guide

A FAIR MOT TEST FOR A FAIR PRICE WWW.THEGARAGESHEFFORD.CO.UK E: INFO@THEGARAGESHEFFORD.CO.UK

T: 01462 414820

A: 2B ST FRANCIS WAY, SHEFFORD, SG17 5DZ (NEXT TO MORRISONS)

The Garage Shefford is a small friendly and family run company. Our team has over 40 years experience in the motor trade and provides an honest, reliable and cost effective service, which is approved by both the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) and Trust My Garage. We believe in providing a fair MOT test for a fair price.

MOT Testing - £35

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SERVICING & REPAIRS

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SERVICES: add an MOT to your Interim, Annual, or Major Service to save

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The Garage Shefford reserves the right to revoke or rescind these offers at any point, without notice.

Identification may be required for Uniformed Services (professional ID or Blue Light Card) or Seniors discounts.

PROUD TO BE APPROVED BY...

billy the squirrel keeps running away - help us find him!

Help us find Billy the squirrel, he’s hiding in one of the adverts in this edition.

If you find him you could win £25!

Simply tell us which advert Billy is hiding in, along with your name and contact details and we will put you in the draw. Closing date 22/11/19

To submit your answer go to: www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/billy Winners agree to being published in LivingLife Magazine.

The editor’s decision is final

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

NOTE FROM THE EDITOrS Welcome to the November edition of magazine!

A huge milestone for us as it is our 12th edition, which means LivingLife Magazine celebrates its 1st birthday! Happy Birthday to us!

To celebrate this milestone, we are giving our readers the opportunity to purchase a beautiful photo calendar for 2020 with proceeds raised going to a local charity. The photos used in the calendar are a selection of the best photos submitted by our readers to our ‘Scene by You’ feature. Our chosen charity will be selected over the coming weeks and we will publicise this in next month’s magazine. We hope that you can give your support.

| Andrew Martin |

Our recent Pubfest 2019 event was a big success. We had so much fun and look forward to organising the event again next year. Check out next month’s magazine (December) as we will have a write-up and include a selection of photos captured during the event. | John McBurney |

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.

This month we have a fantastic mix of articles. Our FocusOn feature is ‘Money & Finance’, with an insightful article about pensions, plus we have our regular Money Matters update.

Elsewhere in the magazine Ian Deavin reviews the recent Shefford Community Festival, our Kids’ Got Talent is an young entrepreneur from Shefford who likes to bake, we also have a special festive What’s On Guide to help you discover what’s happening over Christmas.

Kind Regards, Andrew & John

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

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

how much do you need to retire? money matters beginners guide to birdwatching shefford community festival shefford runners... Affiliated what is mantrailing? livinglife celebrates 1 year on soundarc’s interview with... delivery boys’ review artisans in the yard update diddy directory scene by you kid’s got talent november crossword what’s on guide - festive special

Equestrian

ed r ur se at rti Fe ve ad

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6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 28 30 34

Groundcare

A big welcome to our new advertisers this month......

MPL Electrical Slimming world - shefford dynamic theatre dance school This publication wouldn’t be possible without the support of our advertisers. Please ensure you mention us when you contact them.

We still have a few spaces left. If you have a business in the area, feel free to get in touch

Competition Winner

september

a big well done to:

Pet & Wildlife

Smallholding

Sandy Lane, Chicksands, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QB.

01462 810190 | www. chandlersfe.co.uk

Amanda Devaney who found Billy the Squirrel and WON £25 4

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FOCUSON

Contribution thanks to

Paul Savuto APFS

How much do you need to retire comfortably?

Chartered Financial Planner DGS IFA Ltd 07834 499595

P

eople on an average salary who wish to retire at the age of 65 will now typically require a pension pot of almost £450,000 in order to fund their retirement until they are 100 years old, recent analysis has found. (Source AJ Bell, June 2019)

Never too early to start saving The research also shows that an individual who starts saving into a pension at 25 years of age will need to invest around £235 a month in order to accumulate a retirement fund of that size.

However, a delay of 10 years would see this monthly figure almost double to £428, while someone who only starts saving at the age of 45 would need to set aside £859 a month to attain a pension fund of that size.

This analysis vividly demonstrates the benefit of starting to save for retirement at the earliest opportunity, ideally from the day you first start work. While other financial challenges can inevitably make this difficult, investing regular amounts in a pension throughout your working life provides the best chance of building up sufficient money to enjoy a prosperous retirement.

Better late than never

Although it’s undoubtedly better to start saving for a pension early in your working life, it’s never too late to begin saving for your retirement. Employer contributions, including those made through automatic enrolment, allied with the favourable tax treatment pensions enjoy and their potential for investment growth means that any contributions you make later in life can also still make a huge difference to your standard of living in retirement.

Make pension saving a priority

While it can seem a long time until retirement, it does come around a lot faster than people expect. So, the sooner you engage with the topic, the better the chance of enjoying the retirement you deserve.

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s r y e e t Mon Mat

Economy on the brink?

This month, Living Life’s FocusOn feature is Money and Finance. As a reader, you may have investments tucked away in pension funds with little knowledge of how much money is in your pension pot. If you do know the amount, do you know what type of investment your funds are in?

Are they in property, gold, shares or perhaps a mixed bundle of different types of investment? Wherever your money is, you need to know. Why? Because according to a recent editorial in the Financial Times (9th October) the global economy is teetering on a precipice, as trade wars (think Trump and China) push the world economy to the brink. The brink of what? The brink of recession and a stock market upheaval that could cost you thousands of pounds in losses in your pension funds. Of course you won’t feel anything right now so perhaps it doesn’t really matter? Those around me took note over a year ago when I warned of this very thing coming upon us. What did those who had ears to hear do? They moved their money into low risk fixed interest funds. The result? Their funds grew by between 8% to 10% in 12 months. You could do that too. Now! If you have questions that you need answered to do with savings and investments you can contact Robert at harrisfinancialfriend@gmail.com Robert’s job is not to give financial advice but to use simple explanations that help you along the way

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9

wildlife

Contribution thanks to

BEGINNERS GUIDE to BIRDWATCHING

Mark Hogan

Wildlife Writer & Photographer 07769 666996 mark.hogan@live.com

I

have been birdwatching since I was five years old, my parents used to have a trailer tent and we would set off on a Friday night to the New Forest or the Wye Valley. We would go for long walks and look out for birds and wildlife. This is where I got my enthusiasm from, my parents.

If you have a garden put out some feeders to encourage birds.

I have four feeders, two containing sunflower hearts and two with suet fat balls. As the nights get colder birds need our help feeding because the ground is hard, and they are unable to get worms and bugs.

Another thing you can do is put a birdbath out in a position where you can see it from your window and you might catch Starlings having a bath or a Carrion Crow dipping in bread before eating it, it is quite amusing to watch. You could also throw out some scone.

Greenfinch

There are various places in this area you can go to see birds, Paxton Pits (near St. Neots), Pegsdon Hill (near Hexton), Rushmere Country Park (near Leighton Buzzard) and also the RSPB reserves at The Lodge (Sandy) and Fowlmere (near Royston in Hertfordshire), they are all worth going along to. Buy a pair of binoculars and have a phone or camera ready to take pictures too.

Robin

What type of birds might you see in your own garden? If you have feeders then Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinches (they like Sunflower hearts), Greenfinches, Blackbirds on the ground looking for worms and breadcrumbs left out by yourself, flocks of Long Tailed Tits (they are beautiful little pink and white birds), you might even get a visit from a Woodpecker on your suet balls (they like them).

Wren

The strangest visitor I had to my feeders was last year. I opened my blinds and there was a Sparrow Hawk, it had bright orange eyes and was staring at me. They like to swoop down and catch unsuspecting birds and then land and eat them but that is the circle of life, I guess.

Blackbird

One visitor I really miss, is the Song Thrush, they are the size of a Blackbird and have an amazing song, google it and listen to it, you might just hear it one day in your garden or surrounding area.

So, keep your eyes peeled. If you see anything unusual, take a picture of it and send it in and we will put it in the next issue.

Good luck, enjoy nature, it is amazing!

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Kingfisher

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11

COMMUNITY

Shefford Community Festival Review 21-29th September 2019

T

Contribution thanks to

Ian Deavin

Community Festival Organiser

07860 218334 ian@sheffordtaichi.org

he weather on our opening Saturday was wonderful which gave many activities a great start – the ‘highlight’ of my day was a climb to the top of our newly renovated church tower but it was also lovely to see the History Group getting so much interest with the working model of the old Shefford Railway, and my personal favourite, the Eat Feast street fayre in the town centre plaza following the Prince and Princess Day presentations with visiting Gruffalo. Other presentations included the Community Hall open day – again supported by the WI - and the Library open day. I also managed a brief visit to the Bowls Club who had their ‘club finals and visitors welcome’ well attended in lovely September sunshine.

The Garage Sale Trail was a great success – we had a record number of almost 40 stalls and I heard that one stallholder even made nearly £100 on the day – others were happy with perhaps less money but a pleasant day with neighbours and visitors – many of whom came from out of town.

Shefford Scout Group opened their doors to the public on an exciting evening, their enthusiastic members engaged in a Bridge Building Challenge – they had great fun and succeeded brilliantly.

Tuesday evening was an opportunity for Festival followers to experience the fascinating art of Karate with Sensei Kevin Stark at his class in Robert Bloomfield Academy, where a grading was taking place along with a mixed level/beginners’ class. Every day of the week found cakes and drinks – tea, coffee and squash - at the St Michael’s inclusive coffee shop cafe – a chance to chat and rest quietly, with some beautiful cake!

Singing, acting and dancing with Mad Hatters musical theatre classes were a fabulous opportunity for the youth of Shefford to learn some performance skills and have a great deal of fun! These classes at the Methodist Church hall formed part of our Community Festival again this year.

On Friday I manged to visit Annette at Artisans in the Yard where she was having a great week – after a successful Garage Sale Trail she was greeting visitors to the Yard. Over at Shefford House, I went to see the inauguration of the Hand in Hand Social Club – a new monthly support group for hearing and sight impaired adults also offering free hearing aid assistance including replacement of NHS hearing aid batteries, cleaning, re-tubing and replacement of open fittings.

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It has been an event packed week, so I was delighted to see all the events going on over our last weekend – Barnwell Music for example had singing workshops free of charge. Saturday saw the Michaelmas Fair at St Michaels church, including the WI tombola and my own Tai Chi stand. Inside was a very professional photo display from Karen Brammer, along with a Christmas turkey raffle and tea/coffee and cakes. Moving up the High Street I came to the annual Art Exhibition where

some delightful works were on display. The much publicised Shefford Lower School ‘Pop up Circus’ went off brilliantly with stalls and games complimenting the circus – a notable feature being the Clown make up presentation – much appreciated by all who wonder if there really is a human being under that mask!

There is much talk of more street dressing for the High Street and more of everything next year – a resounding success for our participants – and I suspect for the Festival ‘fringe’.

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health

Contribution thanks to

Julie Rogers

Shefford runners, Affiliated

Shefford Runners FB@sheffordrunners

Have you seen a group of runners around the local area and wondered who they are? Well it’s us, the newly approved England Athletics affiliated club, Shefford Runners!

The group has been running (excuse the pun!) for over 4 years and we now have a committee in place, made up of people that ran previously and people that have found their love for running over the last few years. This has enabled us to become approved by England Athletics as an official running club. We are a friendly group and although we want everyone to improve, we are not your usual competitive group – we just want all of our runners to get as much enjoyment from running as we do.

We regularly run ‘Couch to 5K’ courses for complete beginners or those that feel they need a little support to get back into running. Find us on Facebook and join our group, “Run Shefford” to discover when our next course will start. So, whether you are an experienced runner or a complete beginner, get in touch with us or check out our brand-new website – www.sheffordrunners.co.uk

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Pet TraininG

what is mantrailing?

Every dog can do it...

M

Contribution thanks to

Gerry Moss

Jay K9

www.jayk9.co.uk 07775 924248

antrailing is a dog sport sweeping the Nation. It teaches owners and their dogs how to find missing people, but just for fun. It doesn’t train people to go on real-life search and rescue missions! Unlike search and rescue dogs (who air scent) our mantrailing dogs are taught to take scent from an item left by the missing person. Each person’s scent is unique (like a fingerprint) and the dog will use this scent to follow the trail left by that person.

Police patrol dogs often use tracking to locate people where they use the scent left by footprints and ground disturbance. The scent molecules in the footprints will deteriorate and so tracking dogs are most effective between 0-4 hours after the person leaving the area.

Mantrailing dogs use a combination of the two methods (air scenting and tracking) and will use any useful scent source to follow the trail left by the missing person.

Mantrailing dogs have been able to successfully follow trails that are several days old. The dogs we work with are all pet dogs with owners that just want to try something new with their dog. It’s an on-lead activity that is suitable for all dogs and all dogs have the ability to trail.

Most dogs do this every day when they follow the scent of a rabbit or another dog, we are just teaching them to follow a particular scent and to stick with it. Given the choice, dogs will often switch trails to the freshest scent e.g. if they are following a rabbit trail and come across another rabbit trail with fresher scent, the fresher one is most likely to lead to an actual rabbit!

As the first training centre in the area to offer Mantrailing workshops and training sessions we’ve already seen many customers start their journey into Mantrailing and have had some amazing venues to thank for allowing us to trail.

When greeting other dogs and people the first thing a dog will do is have a sniff, their nose and their sense of smell is so important to them... why not join them in a sport they already love?

For more information about sessions and workshops contact Jay K9 @ info@jayk9.co.uk, on Facebook, or number above.

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LivingLife Magazine celebrates its

1st birthday!

W

e are very happy to announce that this is our 12th edition of LivingLife Magazine! We launched our 1st edition at the end of November last year and it’s been an exciting journey ever since. We have met so many people and made so many friends; working closely with local businesses and community groups. At times, it has been hard work, but our magazine has grown month on month and looking at our cover photos from over the last 12 months fills us with much pride. We hope our readers continue to enjoy our magazine as much as we enjoy producing it. As always, if there is something you feel you would like to see in the magazine then please get in touch and let us know, at the end of the day, it is your magazine. *Our contact details can be found inside the front cover.

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Charity Wall Calendar To celebrate our 1 year milestone, we are giving our readers the opportunity to purchase a beautiful photo calendar for 2020 with proceeds raised going to a local charity. The high quality, A5 wall calendar includes a selection of amazing photos submitted by our readers to our ‘Scene by You’ feature.

Our nominated charity will be chosen over the coming weeks and will be publicised in next month’s magazine.

We thank you for your support

If you would like to nominate a charity then please get in touch at admin@livinglifemagazine.co.uk, our only criteria is that it is a registered charity and that they are local to Shefford, Clifton, Campton or Chicksands.

To show you support, you can order your calendar now!

Simply visit the link below to order yours.

www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/calendar2020

£4 only

inc

P+P

*Calendars will be dispatched during December in time for Christmas.

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’s C R A d n Sou w e i v r e t in with.....

The Soul Enforcement Bureau are the ULTIMATE Classic Soul Band that perform classic soul songs, and nothing other than classic soul songs which will have everyone up on their feet all night long!!

They are a seven to eight-piece band incorporating a two to three piece brass section that encompass a whole range of classic soul labels from Motown to Stax, Atlantic and beyond covering gigantic soul artists like: The Temptations, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Don Covey, Sam & Dave, Ray Charles, Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Rufus Thomas, Junior Walker, Aretha Franklin, Edwin Starr, The Four Tops, Wilson Pickett and many more iconic soul legends.

The band consists of former professional 5. What do you enjoy most about being a musiand highly experienced players that have cian been performing for many years and pro- Watching a jam-packed venue joining in with our duce a powerful and hard-hitting wall of show and dancing away the night on a rammed dance soul music while their charismatic vocal- floor. ist will have you up and moving the whole night long.

6. What do you prefer, Gigging or Recording?

Gigging.

1. How did you meet?

Franky (the drummer) decided to put a classic 60’s soul covers band together with his mates, just to meet up once a week in a rehearsal room for some fun rather than everyone sitting at home midweek watching rubbish TV. After a few phone calls and a year of meeting up we decided to do a one-off gig which was so successful that we did more gigs and are now one of the busiest soul tribute bands about, and as they say… the rest is history!

7. Favourite song of yours to play live?

2. What does your band name mean?

Both!

Unchain my Heart (Ray Charles). The Joe Cocker version.

8. If you could play in any other band, who would it be? The Foo Fighters.

9. The Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles, then The Beatles and then The Beatles.

10. Bacon sandwich - Red or Brown sauce?

A collective of soul loving, top-end, ex-professional musicians bringing soul music with a punch into the popular forum.

3. Your biggest Influences?

Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, and too many more to mention!

4. In order of band members, who’d come first/last in a 100m sprint We would all come evenly last!

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Connect via their facebook page @soulenforcementbureau

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21

food & drink

DELIVERY BOYS’ REVIEW

by John McBurney & Andrew Martin

We check out the local restaurants & eateries

After a gruelling day of delivery in Shefford, our delivery boys headed over to Tawa Roadside Indian Restaurant. Opened only a few months ago, we had heard lots of good things about it on social media, it was time to check it out.

Finding the restaurant is easy, head out of Shefford down the A600 towards Bedford, past Rowney Warren and on to Deadman’s Cross, Tawa restaurant has a colourful prominent position, you can’t miss it. You may well recognise the building; it was once a pub (many years ago) and previously Gigi’s Italian restaurant.

Considering it was Monday night, the restaurant was busy, with lots of diners and several reserved tables. The décor inside is delightful, very bright and colourful, almost garish – a visual treat, with stunning artwork and interesting furniture and fittings which create its ‘roadside’ theme. We were warmly welcomed by Ali, the manager, who later explained that a graffiti artist from Northampton was commissioned to do the artwork both inside and outside the premises.

Tawa is not your traditional Indian restaurant, although classic curry dishes are available, the menu also includes street food and roadside grill options. For starters, John ordered the 22

Tandoori Chicken, which was very tasty, Andrew opted for the Potato & Papri Chaat, which was quite different, both delicious and refreshing, containing crispy pastries, chickpeas, potatoes with sweet yoghurt & chutney – a highly recommended starter!

For mains, Mastak, our friendly waiter, provided some helpful guidance on what to order, we both chose the Tawa ‘Tak-a-Tak’ (meaning street food), shredded main ingredients tossed with fresh herbs, spring onion, peppercorn, red & green peppers, and cooked in a ‘tawa’ (a large, flat, disc-shaped frying pan), John ordered Chicken and Andrew chose the Crunchy Veg version. To go with, we ordered mixed fried rice, mushroom & spring rice and a garlic and olive oil naan.

What can we say, the food was just amazing, we were most impressed, and later on we got to meet chef and we thanked him for our lovely meal.

We finished with coffees, said our farewells and headed home feeling full and satisfied.

This Month’s Review

Tawa Restaurant

High Rd, Deadman’s Cross, Shefford SG17 5QQ

01234 381189

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local art

always something special at artisans in the yard.....

Contribution thanks to

Annette Glenn and collective Artisans

Artisans in the Yard FB@Artisansintheyard

In the nine months since we first opened in Shefford, our little gallery has become increasingly popular with an enviable reputation for high quality artwork.

Whether you purchase a unique pair of earrings from Erika, a special piece of furniture by Adrian, or an original painting by one of our many talented artists, you won’t find it anywhere else!

So, will you choose a diving swallow by sculptor Roger Davies, or a pair of loving cats by Jim Francis?

A wooden bowl hand-turned by Henry Seebohm, perhaps? Or how about a fork handle centrepiece by Alan Hill? Oops! That should say “four candles” - a fabulous candelabra that’s sure to be a conversation piece for years to come!

You will always find something different, interesting and original at Artisans In The Yard. It’s a changing scene in Shefford –

so do drop by! open Fri & Sat 10-4

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The

Diddy Directory

the guide to local trades & businesses cost effective, contract free advertising

Book your advert today - visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/diddy

ÂŁ20 ÂŁ30 1 Area

2 Areas

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SCENE BY YOU Your chance to share your favourite photos

Submit your photo for the next edition www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/myphotos

1 4

2 5 A big thanks to this month’s submissions

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1

Jack Hollingsworth

2

Juliet Hooper

3

Kate Harris

4

Kelly Macklin-Millard

5

Keith Wilson

Autumn Sunrise over Shefford in October Tree lined walk behind Polehanger Farm Young Wildlife Photographer - Rowney Warren Ladybird in my garden Shefford

Denim plant spotted in Shefford

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27

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: Rebecca Collinson Age: 13 from: shefford Q. Briefly explain your talents.

I have baked for as long as I can remember, but only recently launched my business ‘Sugar ‘n’ Spice’. Sugar ‘n’ Spice’s main offerings are breads and sweet breads, although I do find myself often baking cakes/cupcakes as this has a much greater customer demand. I run my business alongside going to school and my out of school clubs, luckily, I am a very organised person and I understand my time limitations so manage myself accordingly.

Q. What do you love about baking?

I just find it therapeutic and fun. I think the way you can turn flour, egg and sugar into something truly magical is amazing, and seeing bread prove is so rewarding.

Q. What is the most challenging aspect?

Kneading; having to knead dough for bread, Chelsea buns or (my personal favourite) cinnamon swirls is a bit strenuous on your muscles, but I just see it is as burning the calories before you put them on.

Q. Who taught you how to bake? Do you attend training courses?

Mostly my parents taught me how to bake; in the school holidays when I was younger, I vividly remember helping my mum make coconut ice and peanut butter cookies (separately of course!). My dad on the other hand was more the savoury chef in our family, I would always try and get involved in helping make our Sunday roasts. In terms of professional teaching I have been on a couple of baking courses; ‘Masterclass in Bread Making’ and ‘A Sweet Bread course’, both run by Paul Barker in his own cafĂŠ Cinnamon Square (www.cinnamonsquare.com).

Q. What are your favourite things to bake? Do you prefer sweet or savoury?

I enjoy baking Cinnamon swirls as they go down a treat for the whole family and are just soooo good, so I think I prefer baking sweet treats. Although my Thai dishes are pretty good as well (if I do say so myself). đ&#x;˜Š 28

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Q. Who is the best baker you have ever met?

It would have to be Paul Barker (Cinnamon Square) as he is just such an inspiration to me. Teaching me not only how to bake, but the science behind it. He has also been an advisor on ‘The Great British Bake-off’, which I would love to be a future contestant in.

Q. Do you enter baking competitions or produce shows, e.g. Shefford Craft & Produce Show? If so, have you ever won any prizes?

Surprisingly no, although it is something I would, and should, consider doing in the future.

Q. You run your own bakery business called Sugar ‘n’ Spice, how did this come about and who are your main customers?

The inspiration for Sugar ‘n’ Spice came from my Mum, who is the owner of her own local business. With the amount of baking I was doing there was a worry that I would make my friends and family fat if I kept feeding them my bakes so decided to spread my love of baking further afield.

Initially, my first customers where friends and family but thanks to local social media sites, and of cause recommendations, over the past few months I’m getting more and more orders from new customers. The name came from my enjoyment of creating both cakes and bakes (sugar in cakes, spice in bakes), and of course as the saying goes, they are ‘all things nice’!

Q. Which aspect of running your own business do you enjoy the most / least?

I most enjoy seeing people’s faces when they come and collect their orders, and I don’t particularly dislike any part of the job as I just take it in my stride.

Q. Do you want to continue being a baker when you leave school?

I would love to continue baking when I am older, although not sure whether I will continue doing it as a hobby or turn it into a profession.

Q. Any advice or tips for anyone wanting to become a baker or starting their own business?

I would advise to learn the basics i.e. how to make a vanilla sponge and a simple bread dough, these skills come in handy for any bake you would do.

And when baking for a customer (albeit friends or family) always make more than the customer ordered in case your piping bag explodes (happened to me once) or you damage a cake etc. Although my main piece of advice would be to keep going, it’s the time when things go wrong that you learn from most, and never put so much pressure on yourself that you stop enjoy it.

You can follow Rebecca’s baking and her entrepreneurial journey on Facebook @sugarnspiceshefford

Does your child have an amazing talent?

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puzzles

The November edition

CROSSWORD Answers on P11

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Cycling Success for Nathan Hardy Onwards and upwards for talented cyclist

B

ack in July our Kid’s Got Talent spotlight shone on Nathan Hardy, a 15 years old cyclist from Shefford. We now have some fantastic news to share, Nathan has now been selected for the GB Cycling Team Apprentice Program. We caught up with Nathan to find out more…

“I have been selected for the Great Britain Cycling Team Apprentice Performance Team. This is the first step on the British Cycling Talent Pathway, selecting National Road and Track cyclists to develop into riders who could potentially ride for Team GB on the international stage.

The Apprentice level is for 15/16 year olds and runs for a year, this year British Cycling have selected only 12 boys for their Endurance pathway from across England, Scotland and Wales.

There are training sessions at various locations, but luckily mostly at Lee Valley Olympic Velodrome in London, at least twice a month. There will be plenty of ‘off-bike’ workshops such as bike maintenance, race tactics and strength and conditioning.

I’m really looking forward to my first weekend training camp at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, meeting up with the rest of the squad and getting my new GB kit!”

Well done Nathan! We look forward to following your continued success and progress.

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WHAT’S ON GU christmas & new year What:

Christmas Craft Fair

What:

Henlow Festive Walk 2019

When:

Wednesday 20th November 7pm

When:

Sunday 8th December

An evening of Christmas Shopping, Mulled Wine & a mince pie or two. Local crafters selling wood & bead craft. Fundraising for The Alzheimer’s Society, at The Loft Shefford.

A fun, festive walk around Henlow! Arrive 10:30am, start 11am. Raising funds for Raynsford C of E Academy.

Registration forms from school office or Engineers Arms

What:

A Christmas Carol

What:

Christmas Day Worship

When:

1st & 8th December

When:

Wednesday 25th December

A one-man candle-lit performance, at 5pm, St. Mary’s Church, Meppershall (1st Dec), St. Mary’s Church, Henlow (8th Dec). No tickets needed. www.vintageverse.co.uk

What: When:

Stotfold Community Christmas Fayre Saturday 23rd November

12-4pm at the Memorial Hall, Stotfold. FREE Entry, tombola, raffle, craft & gift stalls, Santa’s Grotto & Post Box plus refreshments. Fund-raising for Stotfold Guide Association

What:

Trendy Gift Club

When:

November & December

9.30am at Shefford Methodist Church. Family service led by Ben Williams. Bring a gift to show at the front.

What:

STMA New Year’s Eve Party

When:

Tuesday 31st December

Live music from the sensational band Donut seeing us into 2020, Disco until late, buffet. Tickets are on sale now: Adults £5.00, Kids £4.00, Family (2 adults, 2 kids) £15.

**29 Nov, Henlow Ladies Xmas Fayre, 7pm, Henlow Pavillion. **8 Dec, Henlow XmasFayre, 10am, Henlow Pavillion. **15 Dec, Shefford Xmas Fayre, 11am, Shefford, STMA

CLUBS, GROUPS & SOCIETIES

What:

Toy service Shefford Methodist Church

What:

Over 60s Coffee Club

When:

Sunday 8th December

When:

Weekly Wednesdays

9.30am. Enjoy a family service with a children’s presentation. Bring a new toy to give to a child in emergency care in Bedford.

The club meets up between 9:30-11am. Annual membership is £5. If you want more information about the club, simply contact Sue or John Francis on 01234 381533

What:

Christmas at Shefford Methodist Church

What:

Campton Gardening Club (Trugs & Trowels)

When:

Tuesday 24th December

When:

Monday 4th November

Christingle services by candlelight: 4pm Family Christingle, 6pm Christingle and carols. Candles in oranges to hold and sing with loved ones.

Talk by Roger & Penny Grey ‘Plants of China’. Meeting starts 7.30pm at Campton Village Hall, Gravenhurst Road, Campton. Non-members welcome £3 Entry

What:

Henlow Singers Christmas Concert

What:

When:

Friday 13th December

When:

At 7:30pm, at St. Mary’s church, Henlow.

32

Chiltern Scale Model Club 1st Wednesday of the month

We meet at Shefford Town Memorial Association (STMA) Sport and Social Club, Digswell Park, Shefford (SG17 5JA) at 8pm and lasts till about 10pm.

Advertising deadline for Dec- 10th Nov- visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk

l a i c e p S e UIDE Festiv SPORTS, HEALTH & WELLBEING

family & music

What:

run shefford running club

What:

When:

Weekly Mon/Thurs

When:

Run Shefford organise two running sessions per week on Monday at 7:15pm and Thursday at 7:30pm. Starts at the Shefford STMA.

Cinderella! The Panto 29th & 30th November

Presented by the Meppershall Players at the STMA, Shefford.

Follow Cinders as she goes from rags to riches in this family friendly panto! Tickets: themeppershallplayers.org/tickets

What:

Get Fit With Tessa

What:

Pat McManus Band + RedRock

When:

Weekly Mon/Thurs

When:

Friday 22nd November

Aerobic Classes, Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30pm at Clifton Community Centre, for further info contact Tessa on 07787 970810 www.getfitwithtessa.com

Irish Rocker, Pat McManus, and his Band at Club85, Hitchin for a night of fantastic Rock and Blues.

Tickets: wegottickets.com or see Club85 website

What:

Henlow Netball Club

What:

When:

Every Tuesday Evening

When:

Netball Training at Henlow Academy 7-8:30pm. Training costs £3.50. We always welcome new players! Contact Julie Hepburn 07766 492037 Juleshep82@yahoo.co.uk

Campton School of Dance Weekly

Shefford - Mondays after school - Ballet, Tap and Modern.

Campton – Tues & Weds after school - Ballet, Tap and Modern. Contact: Lynda 07765 964495

What:

Tai Chi Shefford

What:

Rockin’ the Aisles

When:

Sundays & Mondays

When:

Saturday 30th November

Drop-in classes available for beginners on Mondays at 2.30pm or on Sundays at 6.30pm. Located in Shefford Community Hall.

What:

Boxing for Fitness with L-FIT

When:

Wednesday Evenings 8.15pm

At Henlow Pavilion, 8.15pm. Limited spaces, booking in advance required. For more info get in touch! lauraozholl@ hotmail.com www.l-fit.co.uk What:

Callanetics exercise class

When:

Tuesday Evenings

Toned muscles, Better shape, Stronger body!

7pm-8.15pm every Tuesday evening. Henlow Methodist Church (High St, Henlow) Call Cathy 01462 811568 What:

Kids Run Free

When:

1st / 3rd Saturday

Millennium Green Park, Purcell Way SG17 5RY. Arrive at 8:45 am for warm ups and the running starts at 09:00 am for an hour. Visit www.kidsrunfree.co.uk

All Saints Church, Campton - Rock Band 70’s & 80’s + bar.

Music Performed in a Church 8 - 11pm. Tickets £10 Joy 07899 858767. Proceeds to Church.

Running a local event?

Promote it here?

Simply submit your event at:

www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/event *Community & Charity events Free of charge, small donation of £3 for business listings.

All donations go to our nominated charity

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33

Spot the Difference Let our tricky puzzle put your observational skills to the test.

Answers can be found on P11

Can you spot 10 differences between these two photos?

You can also find the answers at

www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk/spot 34

Advertising deadline for Dec- 10th Nov- visit www.livinglifemagazine.co.uk

Don’t forget to mention LivingLife when contacting advertisers

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