LocalReach Weston December 2022

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COMMUNITY MAGAZINES Issue No. 18

COMMUNITY – page 4 CHURCH – page 6 KIDS – page 8 RECIPES – page 12 PUZZLES – page 17 GARDENING – page 21 BUSINESS A-Z – page 29

• Three and Four Wheeled Walkers • Wheelchairs • Bath Lifts • Rise and Recliner Chairs • Stairlifts • Mobility Scooters • Electric Wheelchairs • Cosyfeet Slippers and Shoes

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WELCOME TO LOCALREACH

Are you looking for more visitors to your event or more customers for your business?

LocalReach is an excellent way to promote your event or gain more leads for your business. Prices start from only £24+vat per month. We are the ONLY magazine delivered every month to ALL of your postcode area by the ROYAL MAIL. We now deliver 111,130 copies each and every month to ALL homes and businesses to ALL of: Westonsuper-Mare, Worle, Portishead, Burnham on Sea, Glastonbury, Street, Clevedon, Wedmore, Cheddar, Axbridge, Winscombe & Wells.

A massive 95% of our advertisers rebook their adverts every month and we don’t hold anyone to a long contract. Readers say they love LocalReach and read it every month cover to cover, they keep it on their coffee table for 3-4 weeks and keep referring back to it, they then recycle LocalReach in the knowledge the new monthly issue will drop through their door. Readers tell us they love LocalReach, trust LocalReach and use the services of the businesses inside.

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Deadline January Issues 1st December

Disclaimer. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this magazine, we make no guarantee that the content will always be current, accurate or complete. We do not approve any of the services or products provided by advertisers in this magazine. Anyone using the products, services or advice from advertisers will need to carry out normal checks to make sure businesses are trustworthy and reliable. LocalReach Ltd 2022.

DO YOU RECEIVE A COPY OF LOCALREACH EACH MONTH? LocalReach is delivered each month by ROYAL MAIL to ALL of the Weston-super-Mare/BS23 postcode WESTON-SUPER-MARE areas, including all towns and villages within the postcode areas, to every resident and business, totalling 18,147 copies each month.

We take non deliveries very seriously and in the event of a non delivery being reported to us we follow the Royal Mail’s complaint procedure.

If you are not getting your monthly copy by the end of the first week of any month please send us an email to royalmail@localreach.co.uk with the full address of the non delivery and we will ask Royal Mail to investigate and report back.

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World AIDS Day Vigil - 30th November To commemorate World AIDS Day, the North Somerset LGBT+ Form will be presenting a concert and vigil at All Saints Church, BS23 2NL, on Wednesday November 30th at 7.30pm, entitled ‘Torch Songs and Tiaras’. It will be an evening dedicated to those affected by the AIDS epidemic, with songs and monologues performed by local choirs and individual musicians. All are welcome and admission is free.

Ladies Walking Football – Monday & Tuesdays Monday Night: 8:00pm - 9:15pm and Tuesday Morning: 10:00am – 11:00am. Sessions are suitable for all ladies over 18 years of age. All are on the 3G pitch at Weston-super-Mare AFC, Westonsuper-Mare. The cost is £4 a session. Appropriate footwear is required for the 3G pitch. New players welcome, sessions are aimed to improve fitness at all standards, in a fun and friendly environment.

The first session is free, so why not come along and give Football a try? For further information Contact Arie Van Vliet. Email vanvliet1130@gmail.com or Telephone Arie on 01278751029.

Men`s Walking Football – Monday, Tuesdays & Fridays Monday Night: 8:00pm to 9:15pm, Tuesday Morning: 10:00am – 11:00am & Friday Morning: 10:00am – 11:00am. All sessions suitable for men over 50 years of age. All are on the 3G pitch at Weston-super-Mare AFC Winterstoke Road, Westonsuper-Mare. New players welcome. The sessions are aimed to improve fitness at all standards, in a fun and friendly environment. The first session is free, so why not come along and give Walking Football a try?

For further information Contact Arie Van Vliet via Email on vanvliet1130@gmail.com or alternatively Telephone Arie on 01278751029.

Tai Chi QiGong with Age UK Somerset Tuesdays Keep active this winter with Tai Chi sessions in Weston.

Specially designed for people over 60, the programme is based on a form of Tai Chi called QiGong Shibashi, which is made up of 18 mindful movements for your physical and mental wellbeing. Choose from outdoor Tai Chi in Westonsuper-Mare (Tuesday pm) or online Tai Chi (Tuesday/ Wednesday pm) from the comfort of your own home.

Bookings advised - for more information contact 01823 345624.

Email: ageingwell@ageuksomerset.org.uk.

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Visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/somerset/activities-andevents/ageing-well-classes-timetable/

Weston Scrabble club - Tuesdays Looking for a kind word?

Weston Scrabble club has loads of them. We are one of the largest and oldest Scrabble clubs in the country situated in the very heart of Weston. We play every week with 3 leagues from beginners to tournament players. Competitions, Christmas party, raffles and quizzes too. You are invited to join in with the fun.

We meet every Tuesday at St Saviours hall on The Locking road starting at 7pm, entrance £3. It’s a great way to socialize, especially if you like playing with words. For more details contact the chairman, Geoff Hammond on 01275 879214.

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

Are your stairs a struggle?

Enjoy independence in your home…

Do I need a Stairlift? – If you have difficulty getting up and down stairs you are not alone. The decision to install a stairlift is sometimes a difficult one to take but, when compared with the alternative of moving or living on only one level of their home, many people have found a stairlift to be their preferred solution.

Why choose us? – Suttons Stairlifts aim to provide a reliable and prompt service to their valued customers. Thanks to personal recommendations from satisfied customers referring us to their friends and relations Suttons Stairlifts is now a wellestablished company committed to providing expert advice with a no-pressure selling policy, guaranteed!

Our Products and Services – We offer a range of new or refurbished Handicare stairlifts for either straight or curved stairs throughout the West Country, from Bath & Bristol right down to South Devon.

We also offer a rental option for straight stairlifts as well as annual services and safety checks, repairs and removals.

What happens next? – We will visit you to survey the staircase and conduct a user assessment leaving you the leaflets and prices so you can make the decision in your own time. Once you’ve made your decision we aim to install your lift within the week, or even the next day subject to availability.

With our comprehensive 12 or 24 month warranty and 365 day coverage you can be assured of a firstclass and personal service from Suttons Stairlifts.

Call us on 01749 346 900 for more information.

STAIRLIFTS NEW from £1,495 RECONDITIONED from £949 RENTAL from £55 per month

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www.suttonsstairlifts.co.uk

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CHURCH

‘The wonder of Christmas’ I can remember this feeling one time. I am walking on a calm but chilly night in Bristol. The sun was just setting, the stars were stirring, rubbing their eyes as they awake to the cool air of the gathering night. Christmas tree lights twinkled in the windows as family members returned home with bags bulging with just-bought presents and wrapping paper. I had this overwhelming sense of sheer joy in the moment, a tingling of excitement, a feeling of Christmas wafted through the air. A perfect moment, but as soon as there was awareness of it when you tried to focus on the feeling it evaporated, as though startled by your consciousness. It left you longing for more, thirsty, and alone, emptied, yet full of anticipation for something more. That experience has not left me, though it happened many years ago, it is still vivid, but allusive.

C. Lewis had experienced something similar which helped him to move from atheism to becoming a Christian, he called it ‘Being surprised by joy’.

Reflecting on this moment of ‘joy’ it felt like it was a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, another world that we all long to experience, like eternity that is written on the human heart wanting something better than the current reality we live in.

Give us a kiss for Christmas…

So goes the vintage Pinky and Perky song. A kiss under a sprig of mistletoe is a well-known festive tradition. But why?

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant which attaches itself to a tree by means of something called a haustorium, and through this it extracts water and nutrients from the host plant.

So how did it become associated with romance?

Mistletoe’s medicinal uses can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where they used it as a cure for everything from menstrual cramps to spleen disorders, and the Romans used as for epilepsy, ulcers and as a poison. No obvious romantic overtones there!

Enter the Celtic Druids around 1st century A.D. Mistletoe thrives during the coldest winters, so the Druids adopted it as a sacred syambol of vivacity, and used it in both humans and animals in the hope of restoring fertility.

Then there is the Norse myth of Odin’s son Baldur, who was prophesied to die, so his mother Frigg, the goddess of love, went to all the animals and 6 | www.localreach.co.uk

I would like to redeem many aspects of Christmas that may have been considered an enemy of the true meaning of Christmas. These are, to name but a few, gifts, Father Christmas, parties, and the like. Now, of course, the birth of Jesus is central to the Christmas story, hence why the tradition still stands today. However, the way we can alienate many qualities with such terms as ‘don’t take the Christ out of Christmas’ or ‘there is only one reason for the season’ in a defense of the faith. We have an opportunity to point people to Jesus, by redeeming the familiar motifs of Christmas. In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe we see Father Christmas portrayed as a solemn and more significant character than say Santa was. Lewis’ Father Christmas gave gifts that were needed; not based on being good enough, but on grace. This simple but transforming version of the man clothed in red redeems something for the faith we love and believe in. What other things can we buy back, what creative ways could ooze love and grace? What could transport us and others into the wonder of His kingdom and be surprised by joy once again?

Have a great Christmas everyone. Merry Christmas!

Kindly provided by Revd Andy Pearce, Associate Minister at Locking Castle Church & Community Pastor for Church @ St Anne’s, West Wick.

plants of the natural world to secure an oath that they would not harm him. But she forgot to ask the humble mistletoe, so the god Loki cunningly made an arrow from the plant and used it to kill the otherwise invincible Baldur. But the gods were able to resurrect him, so (somewhat counterintuitively perhaps) Frigg declared mistletoe a symbol of love and vowed to plant a kiss on all those who passed beneath it.

Mistletoe’s associations with fertility and health continued through the Middle Ages, and by the 18th century it had become entwined with Christmas celebrations. Unusually the kissing tradition spread upwards from the lower classes of servants to the middle classes.

The old custom was that men were allowed to steal a kiss from any woman caught standing under the mistletoe, and refusing was viewed as bad luck. Some versions have the men pluck a single berry from the mistletoe with each kiss, and to cease their amorous intents when the mistletoe was bare.

Do you love or hate the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe?

By Tom Hancock

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MTH Dancing - Wednesdays If you enjoy dancing, join us on Wednesday evenings from 8pm10.15pm at The Grand Atlantic Hotel Ballroom, Weston super Mare, for a social evening of Ballroom, Latin & Social Sequence dancing at a price of £5.00pp. Our club has been established for over 30 years, dancing to `Mark’s Music’ We pride ourselves on offering a friendly welcoming atmosphere and are pleased to welcome dancers of all abilities. For more information check our website www.mthdancing.com or our Facebook page MTH Dancing.

Weston 50+ Social Singles Group Wednesdays Are a local volunteer led friendly group of ‘the older age’ single people in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and even 80’s who enjoy meeting at a local pub each Wednesday evening to chat and arrange social events for each other to enjoy. If you are an ‘older singleton’ looking to make new friends and improve your social life then we could be just the thing for you!

COMMUNITY

Weston Super Mare Bridge Club Saturdays Weston Super Mare Bridge Club is a long established club offering friendly bridge to players of all levels of experience. The Club is based at the Haywood Village Academy on Saturday afternoons 1.30pm for 1.45pm start. The cost to play is £2 per session.

Visitors and new members are always welcome.

For further details please contact Daphne Greatorex telephone 01278 555897 or email daphnegreat@ sky.com

Friends of Playhouse Coffee Mornings Saturdays The Friends Of The Playhouse hold their popular coffee mornings regularly on a Saturday Morning They commence at 10am in the upstairs bar of the theatre in the High Street. Hot drinks and biscuits are on sale. The coffee mornings are open to members and non members, so if you are passing the theatre any Saturday morning then please drop in and you will be made most welcome. The coffee mornings form a big part of our fundraising throughout the year, so please support them as we must have the cheapest coffee in town!

We arrange meals, walks, shows, music events and lots more besides! Just ring one of our organisers below, find out more and arrange to come along to try out our group for a week or two to see if we suit you and then become a member if we do! We understand it will be brave of you to contact us in the first instance but remember, every one of our current members have done the same thing originally so why not pick up that phone or mobile and give us a call, or text us.

Calling all businesses!

For more info Contact Margaret on 07887 883251 or Rob on 07899 755457.

95% of our advertisers rebook each month.

Badminton Club - Fridays We are a small friendly social Badminton Club who play badminton every Friday evening. We now play in the Sports Hall at this brand new location, Winterstoke Hundred Academy, Beaufighter Rd, Weston-super-Mare. If you have played before you are most welcome to join us, as we are always looking for new members. Our membership has a good mix of both male and female players. Your first visit is free of charge. Plenty of free parking. 6.30pm - 8.30pm.www.firstbadmintonclub.co.uk

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COMMUNITY

Weston Organ and Keyboard Club – Thursday 1st December The Club meets on the first Thursday of every month, at our new venue Bleadon Coronation Hall, Bleadon, Weston super Mare, commencing at 7.30pm-10.00pm. Top Artists entertain us using today’s state of the art instruments. They play music from shows, musicals, films the big band era, 1960’s and more. During a thirty-minute interval we provide tea, coffee and biscuits etc for a small charge. Entry fee is £8.00 at the door with free parking. For more information, please visit the websites www.westonorganclub.20m.com, www. organfax.co.uk/clubs/weston or call Jo (Chairman) on 01934 812759.

Our next concert is December 1st, Nicholas Martin B.E.M.: www.organfax.co.uk/players/ nicholasmartin/

Caprione Community Choir Christmas Concert – Saturday 3rd December We shall be giving our Christmas Concert at Clarence Park Baptist Church, on Saturday December 3rd at

2:30pm. There will be a mix of Christmas music from the choir, readings serious and humorous and community carols, for all to join in. There will also be special contributions from our young soloists, Aggie and Elsie. Refreshments, (cold drinks, tea/coffee and mince pies/biscuits) will be served during the interval. Also, there will be a sale of fine beautifully crafted items, donated by Weston Wood-Turning Circle.

There will be no charge for admission, but a retiring collection along with the proceeds of the craft-sale will be donated to the Weston Food Bank.

Concerts at All Saints’ Church – Saturday 3rd & Wednesday 14th December On Saturday 3rd December at 7.30pm at All Saints’ church, WSM, the superb Costanzi Consort present ‘A Portugese Christmas’, which will showcase sacred music from Portugal for the festive season.

Tickets are available on the door.

Also, don’t forget the free entry All Saints’ annual Carol Service, ‘Carols by Candlelight’, on Wednesday 14th December at 7pm; an integral part of Christmas in Weston, and supporting the RNLI.

Laura’s Mobile Hair & Beauty

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COMMUNITY

Artisan Markets – Sunday 4th December The Stable and The Stable Games Room monthly Artisan Markets take place the first Sunday of the month 10am - 4pm. Free entry at 3-6 Wadham Street, WsM.

Weston Civic Society Christmas Quiz – Monday 5th December Weston Civic Society invites you to their Christmas Quiz at 7.30pm on Monday, December 5th at Weston Museum.

Pit your wits against our Quiz Master Cllr John Crockford-Hawley, North Somerset Council’s Heritage Champion, the author of numerous local history books and a frequent lecturer on Weston’s history.

The quiz will be a mixture of testing local knowledge along with straightforward observation of what we see every day. It’ll be good fun: nothing too serious.

There will be prizes!

Teams of up to four and Doors and bar open at 7.00pm.

NHS Retirement Fellowship – Tuesday 6th December Our next meeting is Tuesday 6th December 2022 for coffee/tea, mince pies and raffle at our normal venue the Scouts Hut, Windwhistle Lane, BS23 4PR from 10.30am to 12.30pm. There’s no speaker this month but all are welcome including family and friends whether NHS staff or working in the social care sector. Further information on our group can be found on the web:- ‘Branch Finder NHS Retirement Fellowship Weston super Mare’.

Wine and Crime – Friday 9th December Local crime authors Brian Price and Ben Mears will be hosting a Wine and Crime evening, in aid of Weston Food Bank, on the 9th December, when they will talk about their books and invite questions.

It will be held at the Sanctuary café, Orchard Street, from 7pm to 9pm. Admission will be £5, which includes a glass of wine or a soft drink. Tickets are available from the café.

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Sock it to Them

LOCALREACH

Socks are actually the perfect Christmas gift. They are great for stocking fillers, brilliant for Secret Santa, and just the thing for those awkward relatives and friends.

Everyone needs a pair of socks in the winter, particularly now we’re all trying to use the heating less. Bed socks and Hygge-style lounge socks are making a big comeback this year as we all try to keep warm.

And socks wear out, they also have a propensity for disappearing. It’s a rare person who can claim to have too many socks!

They are affordable too. Even if you have a friend who favours designer brands, a pair of socks is usually within budget. Admittedly cashmere socks are super-expensive, but the recipient will love you forever.

As a child growing up in the Seventies, I thought socks were the most boring Christmas gift possible until the year my Aunty Glenda bought me a rainbow-striped over-the-knee pair with individual toes. She was the coolest aunt and they were the coolest socks. I was the envy of my friends and my obsession with socks began.

And there’s a sock for everyone: witty, pretty, glittery, bright, pastel, practical, and luxurious. The choice is endless.

And every time the recipient wears your gift, they’ll think fondly of you.

So, sock it to everyone this Christmas.

By Kate McCarthy

LOCAL MAN WITH A VAN www.manwithavan.info

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Please let me know you saw this advert in LocalReach.

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RECIPE

Festive Terrine

Ingredients:

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

1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to brush 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp. brandy, (optional) 12 rashers smoked streaky bacon (optional) 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (about 1cm) 500g minced pork or turkey.

50g frozen peas OR 50g roughly chopped pistachios OR 50g chopped walnuts 50g dried cranberries OR 50g chopped dried apricots OR 50g chopped dried prunes ¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg leaves from two sprigs of fresh thyme.

Plenty of seasoning.

Method: Cook the onion gently for 10 minutes until softened and translucent. Pour in the brandy if using and cook for 30 seconds. Empty the onions into a large bowl and allow to cool.

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

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Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas mark 4.

If using the bacon, line a 2lb loaf tin with 10 of the rashers making sure you leave part of the rashers hanging over the edge of the tin. To the cooled onion in the bowl, add the chopped chicken, minced pork or turkey, and the rest of the chosen ingredients, with the thyme leaves, nutmeg, and a generous amount of seasoning. Mix thoroughly.

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

Boil the kettle then half-fill the roasting tin with boiling water and carefully transfer to the oven.

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

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

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Christmas Jumper Day! Thursday 8th December 2022 is Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day!

LOCALREACH

With the rise of consumer advertising in the fifties and sixties, jumpers had always featured heavily in Christmas adverts. The models’ usual suits and dresses were replaced with cosy knitwear to encourage consumers to buy seasonal goods.

These were more conventional woollies though. As Christmas became ever more commercial, ‘novelty’ jumpers appeared decorated with snowmen, snowflakes, Santas, and popular cartoon characters dressed in festive attire.

In the film Bridget Jones’s Diary, Colin Firth’s character sported a classic ‘ugly’ Christmas jumper with a giant reindeer’s head emblazoned on the front, and the ugly Christmas jumper entered British consciousness. Almost everyone from celebrities to politicians own at least one item of silly festive knitwear.

The charity Save the Children started Christmas Jumper Day in 2012. Every year since then, millions of people don gaudy festive knitwear in their school or office and donate £2 to a good cause.

The Christmas jumper has grown in popularity, going from ‘hideously misjudged gift’ status to a desirable festive fashion statement. Some 12 million Christmas jumpers are sold in the UK in the run up to Christmas every year.

From

£895

*

for a fully fitted electric garage door.

There’s a Christmas jumper to suit every taste, from ‘techno-knits’ covered in fairy lights, which connect to your phone and play musical clips, to jumpers bearing whimsical dachshunds in Santa hats, through to elegantly beautiful sparkly numbers that wouldn’t look out of place at a cocktail event.

Pull on your Christmas pullover on December 8th and help raise money for a good cause.

By Sarah Davey Garolla garage doors are expertly made to measure in our own UK factories, they’re strong and solidly built. The electric Garolla door rolls up vertically, taking up only 8 inches inside your garage, maximising valuable space. Our expert local installers will fit your new door and they’ll take away the old one too, so there’s no mess.

Give us a call today and we’ll come and measure up FREE of charge.

CALL US TODAY ON:

01934 660 140 MOBILE:

07537 149 128 *Offer valid for openings up to 2.4m wide & including 2 remote controls, 55mm white slats, internal manual override.

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

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Browns …. Wishing you a happy Christmas The year is drawing to a close, and I am sure that many of us will wonder how times have changed since last December. The world is certainly a different place again, and so we look in hope for better days to come in 2023. However first we have Christmas and in this month of preparation we hope that you will find some light and laughter and festive cheer.

Here at Browns this is usually a busy time for ovens and cookers. We repair all makes of electric ovens and cookers. So, if you have a problem then please don’t hesitate to give us a call. One of the main problems is blown elements and unlike other spares, we do tend to keep a selection of the more popular elements in stock. Other spares can usually be sourced quickly. But please don’t leave it too late, as we are always extra busy at this time of year. We also sell new ovens and cookers and can help you choose one that is just right for you.

And don’t forget that we also repair and sell washing machines, washer dryers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, hobs and integrated appliances. We also sell fridges and freezers both freestanding and integrated. We include delivery and installation* in our prices and so you don’t get a list of extra charges once you’ve chosen your appliance and we will also take away your old appliance for recycling. We have to charge for refrigeration appliances as there are special rules for the recycling of those, but for everything else that is included. As everything is costing more, we aim to do our best to keep our prices affordable - as a local family business we know how important it is to watch out for each other in these difficult times.

So now we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and to thank all our customers for their business over the past year. *installation is to existing connections. Charges may apply for extra work.

Browns Domestic Appliances Ltd Making things simple!

Your complete local domestic appliance specialist for sales and repairs We sell and repair washing machines, washer dryers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, ovens, hobs and hoods, cookers, fridges and freezers.

We are specialists in Freestanding and integrated appliances Local family business established 38 years All work insured and guaranteed No hidden extras. We keep things simple!

01934 517657

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Friends of The Playhouse Coffee Morning – Saturday 10th December On Saturday 10th December from 10am we are holding our Christmas Coffee Morning. There will be a Grand Raffle with some lovely prizes to win.

Mince Pies will also be on sale. This will be the last Coffee Morning before Xmas so there will be no Coffee Mornings on Saturday December 17th ,24th and 31st as there are matinee performances of this year’s Panto, Sleeping Beauty. We will return in the New Year when the first coffee morning will be on Saturday 7th January 2023. The Friends Of The Playhouse Committee wish all your readers a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

A Festive Evening of Folk Songs for Ukraine - Saturday 10th December Two highly acclaimed and popular singing groups Mendip Folk Choir and shanty group High & Dry are joining forces to put on an evening of seasonal folk songs and sea shanties in aid of the Ukraine War Appeal. The concert will be held on Saturday 10th December, Cheddar Baptist Church, Lower North Street. Doors open 6.30. Concert 7 - 10pm.

Tickets in advance only £5. Join us for an evening of wonderful songs, and rousing choruses you’ll find impossible not to join in with. Enjoy a glass of mulled

COMMUNITY

wine, or coffee and cake (donations) in this stunning venue to get you in the Christmas spirit, and raise much needed money for the people of Ukraine. For tickets and further info. contact: Issy Emeney issy@ emeney.com. 01934 741551 or James barattini winscombe.folk@gmail.com 07703 538861.

Weston-super-Mare Archaeological and Natural History Society - Tuesday 13th December WANHS would like to invite you to their monthly talks at The Stable, 3-6 Wadham St, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1JY. Commencing at 7.30pm with £1.00 entry fee for members and £3.00 for non-members. For further information please visit www.wanhs.co.uk Tuesday 13th December: Nature in the Church Yard

by Ged Keele

Christmas Carol Service – Tuesday 13th & 20th December Weston u3a’s annual Christmas Carol Service will be at St Johns church on 13th December and we will have our usual carol singalong at our coffee morning on 20th December. Please come along and celebrate together. We wish you all a very happy festive season.

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LOCALREACH HEALTH AND BEAUTY

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Our Daily Bread

But if you’re interested…

A bread maker means you’ll never be without fresh baked bread again

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

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

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

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

So, what do modern bread makers have to offer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Louise Addison

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HEALTH AND PUZZLES BEAUTY

Crossword

Across 2 Santa’s helpers (5) 5 _____ Christmas! (5) 6 _____ ____ fairy (5,4) 8 Frozen rain (4) 9 Circular decoration (6) 12 Santa’s means of entry (7) 13 Tree decoration (6) 16 Striped sweet (5,4) 19 Tree topper (4) 20 Film starring Martin Freeman (8) 21 Santa’s lead reindeer (7) 22 Kris _______ (7) 23 Dr Seuss’s green Christmas villain (6) 24 Little _______ Boy (7) Down 1 ______ Bells (6) 2 Traditional dairy drink (6) 3 Charles Dickens’ anti-hero (7) 4 The Holly and the ___ (3) 5 You might get a kiss under this (9) 7 Three Kings Day (8) 10 A girl’s festive name (5) 11 The Christmas ballet (10) 14 Used to build festive houses (11) 15 Famous snowman (6) 16 Christmas song (5) 17 Where Santa lives (5,4) 18 Santa’s transport system (6) 19 Hung over the fireplace or at the end of the bed (8)

Word Search

Mindbenders

apples brie broccoli carrots cheddar chocolates crackers

crisps grapes gravy ham mince pies mints nut roast

olives parsnips red cabbage roast potatoes sausage rolls sprouts stilton

stuffing tangerines trifle turkey

Solutions: Turn to page 21

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

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Live the life you deserve If you thought bathing safely and stylishly wasn’t possible, think again Picture the scene, it’s the end of the day. Your body feels tired and your mind is ready for some downtime. You imagine what it would feel like to climb into a warm, soothing bath and let you cares melt away. Then a niggling doubt takes hold. Last time you had a bath you had to call your partner to help you get out.

Maybe it won’t happen this time. So, you run a bath anyway thinking this time you’ll be ok. But can you enjoy your bath with those doubts in your mind?

We know that going from a ‘normal’ bathroom to one with mobility aids feels like a step in a direction you don’t want to go. But it depends how you look at it. It’s very common for people only to seek help with their bathroom as a result of a fall, accident or near-miss. Should you wait that long, or are there changes you could make now? Just because you’re adding grab rails or a raised toilet in your bathroom for example, doesn’t mean it will look like a hospital bathroom. You could see it as an opportunity to refresh and update one of the most important rooms of your house.

Updating your bathroom with AHM We guide you through the whole process of updating your bathroom. If you’re in immediate need of a solution, we do our best to make it happen quickly. If you prefer taking time to think through the options, that’s fine too.

We’re a small, family-run firm with a background in caring and mobility, so we’re flexible and we know what it’s like. We visit customers at home, for free, to get a full understanding of their needs and there’s always a real person at the end of the phone.

We don’t employ salesmen. Our experienced surveyors visit you to discuss your needs. We also pride ourselves in employing courteous and trustworthy fitters to install every bathroom.

We use specialist bathing products which come with a manufacturer’s warranty, plus our own 12-month installation warranty.

If you’re ready to seek help with your bathroom, call us on 01934 318438.

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LOCALREACH

All Change for Christmas

Things we missed about Christmas last year:

Things are different now

Singing in the church carol service (my husband) Ice skating (everyone) Going to see The Nutcracker (ballet-mad ten-yearold) Attending the Christmas lights switch-on (everyone) Family tobogganing night in the snow dome (everyone) New things we’d like to try this year: Go to a local stately home to see the lights (everyone) Go to a German market (husband and me) Make a gingerbread house! (the kids)

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

We’re still hosting immediate family for a couple of days between Christmas and New Year, and extended family are invited to visit for one of those days. Not everyone is happy about this state of affairs but I’m not going back to the pre-2020 madness of festive martyrdom, trying to be all things to all people and stressing over whether everyone else’s Christmas is perfect at the expense of my sanity.

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

If Covid showed us anything, it’s that life is precious, fragile, and unpredictable. It forced us to make decisions about who we wanted to spend our time and energy on. The pandemic was a catalyst for change for our family, and I suspect it might be the same for other folk too.

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

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

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

Things we loved about Christmas last year: NO HOUSE GUESTS (everyone) Playing board games (everyone) Toasting marshmallows (the kids) Long walk (me and husband)

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

Merry Christmas,

By Tania Brown

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COMMUNITY

WsM & District Family History Society – Wednesday 14th December The next meeting will be on Wednesday 14th at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, Baytree Road, WsM from 2-30pm to 5pm. Speaker Margaret Flux starts at 3pm on My Wonderful Curio Cabinet. New members and visitors are welcome. Entrance fee is £1-50 for members & £2 for visitors.

Weston Woodturning Circle – Thursday 15th December We will meet on the 15th of December being the third Thursday of each month commencing at 7.00pm at Weston AFC, Winterstoke Road, Weston super Mare. This meeting will include our annual auction sale with 50% of proceeds being donated to the Weston Foodbank. Anyone interested can attend our meeting which is free of charge for the first two meetings. For more information about our friendly welcoming club contact us by visiting our website www.weston-woodturning-circle.co.uk

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The Womens Institute In Weston-SuperMare – Tuesday 20th December If you would like to meet likeminded women of all ages, come along to our next meeting, where you can learn more about Women of Weston super Mare Women’s Institute. WOW WI meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Haywood Community Hall, Whitney Crescent, Weston super Mare. Our meetings include talks from a variety of speakers, crafts, quizzes and other activities, a raffle and refreshments. We have a small Wild Swimming group! Non-members welcome, first meeting free. Just turn up! Contact us on: wearewowwi@gmail.com. Facebook Women of Weston- super -Mare Womens Institute (WOWWI).

Weston Whippets In December Weston Whippets will be working hard to raise funds for their current Charity of the Year - RNLI. Our members will be taking on various distances over the month to help us raise much needed funds for our local crew. We will be asking all participants to dress up in festive attire. If anyone would like to support us to fundraise please contact us at WestonWhippetsrc@gmail.com

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GARDENING

Garden View… This month - Magical Poinsettias

In the UK, poinsettias have become as entwined with Christmas as holly and mistletoe. Yet poinsettias are actually sub-tropical plants, native to Central America and Mexico, requiring temperatures of between 10 and 21 degrees centigrade to survive.

The bright red ‘flowers’ are really bracts, surrounding the real flowers, which are tiny and insignificant.

They are notoriously difficult to persuade to flower again so it is with some pride that I tell you my current poinsettia is seven years old, huge, and flowers every year.

If you want to try this, fertilize the plant once a month then cut back the stems in February to promote new growth. In May repot it to a larger container.

One year Pepita’s family had no money at all to buy such a gift so it was with a sad heart that Pepita walked to the church that Christmas Eve and as they drew closer she began to weep.

“Little Pepita, why do you cry?” asked her older brother Pablo.

“Because I have no gift for the Christ child,” she answered.

“Oh Pepita, even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be accepted by him,” said Pablo, comforting her.

Pepita considered this for a while then gathered a handful of weeds from the roadside verge and fashioned them into a small posy. But as she entered the church her heart felt heavier than before.

With her head bowed she approached the altar and knelt to lay her posy before the manger.

Suddenly the tiny bouquet burst into blooms of brilliant red starry flowers and all who saw them were sure they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

The flowers are known as Flores de Noche Buena in Mexico which translates as Flowers of the Holy Night.

Happy Christmas,

By Rachael Leverton

Puzzle Solutions

From late September to 1st December cover the plant between 6pm and 8am as poinsettias need long periods of darkness in order to persuade the bracts to turn red. Around December 1st you should have a beautiful flowering poinsettia.

But if this sounds too much like hard work...well, you can always buy another one!

As it’s the festive season I thought I’d finish with a traditional Christmas story, explaining how the poinsettia came to be associated with this time of year.

If you buy a poinsettia for someone this year it might be nice to tell them the story when you give them the plant: In Mexico, there once lived a little girl called Pepita who came from a very poor family.

Every year, she and her brother Pablo looked forward to the big Christmas festival in their village.

A manger scene would be set up in the church and the days before Christmas were filled with parades and parties. On Christmas Eve the whole village would attend church and all the children would place a gift for the baby Jesus next to the manger.

Mindbender: 1: Three wise men 2: Holy night 3: Naughty list

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

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The Twelve Days of Gleaming!

On the first day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the second day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Two Clean Roasting Tins and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the third day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: 3 New Oven Liners, Two Clean Roasting Tins and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the fourth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Four Gleaming Glass Doors, 3 New Oven Liners…and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the fifth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Five Sparkling Racks, Four Gleaming Glass Doors…and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the sixth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Six Shiny New Bulbs, Five Sparkling Racks… and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the seventh day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Seven Seals Degreased, Six Shiny New Bulbs …. and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers

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On the eighth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Eight Hinges Gliding, Seven Seals Degreased ...and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the ninth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Nine Fan Blades Spinning, Eight Hinges Gliding…and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the tenth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Ten Shiny Oven Walls, Nine Fan Blades Spinning …and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the eleventh day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: Eleven Cooker Knobs Turning, Ten Shiny Oven Walls …and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned by OvenGleamers On the twelfth day of Gleaming my true love sent to me: 12 HOURS CLEANING SAVED, Eleven Cooker Knobs Turning …and A Gleaming Cooker cleaned

by OvenGleamers!!

Call Graeme at OvenGleamers TODAY on 01934 440032 and get yours gleamed!

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Gingerbread Run, run, fast as you can, You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!

LOCALREACH

Quite why gingerbread became associated with Christmas is also unclear but is probably due to a number of factors. Christmas markets were big ‘whole town’ events, and gingerbread is easy to make, and keeps well, so it’s ideal for selling on a stall. It’s likely that the combination of white icing and foil decoration was easily adaptable to create miniature snow-covered dwellings which provided pretty centrepieces for the festive dinner tables of middle-class households.

The longevity and structural integrity of gingerbread also lends itself well to creating edible decorations for hanging on trees or giving as gifts. Historically diets of ordinary people were simple and bland because sugar was an expensive luxury. People could only afford to splash out on ingredients for cakes, biscuits, and sweets occasionally, and Christmas was the time when even less well-off people spent a little extra on fancy food and drink.

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Sarah Davey

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COMMUNITY

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The Fridge Of Free Stuff Celebrates Its 1st Birthday With A New Website The Fridge of Free Stuff is a community fridge at the Sovereign Centre. It opened its doors in November last year, followed by an official opening by the past Mayor Cllr James Clayton on the 18th January 2022. The aim of the Fridge of Free Stuff is to share surplus food within the community to reduce food waste going to landfills.

Since being set up in November 2021, the Fridge of Free Stuff has saved 20.4 tonnes of C02e, the equivalent of 30,366 meals. In the future, the plan is for the Fridge of Free Stuff to play an even bigger part in the community. To aid this vision a website has been created to draw attention to the fridge and the volunteer opportunities and signpost to food clubs and other environmental reuse, recycle and repurpose community organisations. Please visit www.fridgeoffreestuff.co.uk. The project is made possible through the collaborative efforts of all the volunteers, WsM Helping People, For All Healthy Living Centre, The Sovereign and North Somerset Council who all worked with Weston-super-Mare Town Council’s Community Resilience team to bring the ‘fridge’ to fruition. Join us! We have a team of

volunteers who assist with the running of the community fridge. If you have some free time, enjoy meeting new people and want to play a part in the fight against climate change, please apply with this link: http://bttr.im/zin8t

Weston Rotary Crime writer, Damien Boyd, was the Speaker at our Friday lunchtime meeting at Weston Golf Club. Fans of DI Nick Dixon, the central character in the crime series, enjoyed an insight into the way in which both he and the author have developed through the series.

Set locally the first, written in 2013 featured Rock Climbing in the Cheddar Gorge, whilst the most recent book, Carnival Blues published during 2022 set in Bridgwater revolves around crime during the Winter Carnival. Other books in the series are based around the Burnham to Taunton areas, with the fictitious Detective Inspector based in the Avon and Somerset Police, living in Brent Knoll. To find out more about Rotary, ring Stewart on 07776 216304.

Petanque

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Please note this is a paid service and prices start from only £24+vat per month.

Thanks to LocalReach over the last year, Petanque players at Clarence Park Bowling Club grew from a handful to over 30. Some started to join Petanque England and the Clarence Park Petanque Club formally registered with Petanque England 3 months ago. Our members started to compete in the Great Western Region leading to qualifying to go to the Triples Champions of Champions competition. Our team finished 17th nationally, winning the Plate. We are competing in the Regional Winter Doubles and doing well so far. We play 4 times per week. Come and join us. All welcome. Further details at Clarence Park Bowling Club website.

Weston-super-Mare Conservative Club Forthcoming Events Saturday 3rd December: 3-6pm Jason Lee.

COMMUNITY MAGAZINES

Saturday 10th December: 3-6pm – Young at Heart Sunday 11th December: 2pm – Grand Xmas Draw.

Saturday 17th December: 3-6pm – Jordan Hill.

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Sunday 18th December: 3-6pm – Beverlyn.

XMAS EVE 24th December: 3-6pm - Beau Jangles.

NEW YEARS EVE 31st December: 3-6pm – Steve Cesari.

Bingo played every Tuesday: 3-4pm.

Restaurant now open lunch times, not Mondays.

Winter Savers Menu - Tuesdays to Fridays – save on your energy at home. Children are welcome in the restaurant area. Basket meals available during entertainment. e-mail wsmconclub@zen.co.uk For more information visit www.wsmconservativeclub@co.uk

COMMUNITY

road/s near to where you live, North Somerset Council will provide you with support including litter picking equipment and safety guidelines.

Apply to become a volunteer, or find out more Visit: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/adopt-a-street or Email: adopt-a-street@n-somerset.gov.uk #WeCanAllMakeADifference

Beach’d Buoys - Stars of stage, screen and Gas Rig? The Buoys have had a busy last few months, appearing at Festivals in Cornwall, at many local events on behalf of the SW Childrens’ Hospice and were delighted to appear on the See Monster in October.

Adopt-A-Street Litter Picking Winter is upon us and with it the colder weather. Litter picking is a great way to motivate yourself to keep enjoying the outside, whilst staying fit and healthy.

Adopt-a-Street allows residents to adopt streets, or roads, in their locality to help litter pick and caretake the cleanliness. If you decide to adopt a street or

We found the time to host a Festival of our own in Weston where the Hospice received a cheque for almost £3000.

Christmas will be busy time for us so for further details of the Buoys’ itinerary please go to our Website: thebeachdbuoys.com

Quality Cut Gardens Hedge Trimming Lawn mowing Lawnmower Servicing Turf Laying Herbicide Weed Control Licensed & Insured 07803 582150

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BOOK REVIEW

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A Good Read

A Boy Called Christmas One Day in December

by Josie Silver

It’s the time of year for a feel-good romantic novel, one that can be enjoyed curled up under a blanket with a nutmeg-spiced hot chocolate.

Laurie is unlucky in love and stuck in a career rut.

One day she is sitting on a bus when she spots a man reading at the bus stop. He looks up, their eyes meet and somewhere there is a spark. Laurie can’t stop thinking about him, wondering if they will ever meet. Her best friend and roommate Sarah is Laurie’s opposite. She introduces Jack, her new boyfriend to Laurie, anxious that they will hit it off except... her boyfriend is the man from the bus, the guy that Laurie has been dreaming about. No surprises here...classic romantic chick-lit so far.

Cue heartbreak and hiccups, and the quest not to hurt a friend while pursuing your own ‘happily ever after’.

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

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

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by Matt Haig, illustrated by Chris Mould This enthralling tale tells the story of Father Christmas as a boy. It’s touching, funny and packed with memorable characters Nikolas and his lumberjack father Joel are poor.

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

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

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

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

Along the way there is Elf Village, a kidnapped elf, a naughty Truth Pixie that likes to watch people’s heads explode, and an unpleasant Troll named Sebastian. There is also of course, a flying reindeer.

Haig does not disappoint with the ending, explaining how Nikolas finally finds his purpose, by becoming Father Christmas.

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

By Tash Donovan

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

ColourFence Fencing, built to last for at least 25 years!

ColourFence is becoming increasingly popular across the UK with homeowners fed up of losing their garden fences to winter storms and the hassle of replacing them. Equally, timber fences decay rapidly and require regular treatment with paint and chemical cleaners.

Unlike standard timber fences, ColourFence is designed to resist harsh weather conditions and will withstand wind gusts of up to 130mph!

The weatherproof and durable ColourFence range has a number of core benefits that appeal to homeowners, it’s guaranteed not to warp, crack, rot, peel or colour fade for the next 25 years.

When fencing maintenance costs are high, you want an option that is easy, low maintenance and cost-effective; and ColourFence is all those things and more, not least the 25-year guarantee. No painting, preserving, repairs or harsh cleaning chemicals, just an occasional hose down to keep it looking as good as new.

There’s a choice of colours available, green, brown, cream and blue – to harmonise and enhance your garden’s design. Choose a trellis in the same shade or contrasting colour.

Both sides of the panels are the same colour meaning both you and your neighbour have a stunning fence to look at year after year, helping you build good neighbourly relations.

The panels are 2.35 metres wide compared to 1.8 metres wide for standard timber panels (so you need fewer panels like for like) and can be cut on-site to custom fit your garden, whatever the size and the natural contours of your land. Our traditional metal garden gates are ideal for front gardens or driveways. With the ability to choose from simple drop bolts to key operated deadlocks we can guarantee the safety of your garden.

Call Jordan or Courtney on 01823 792029 today for a free no obligation visit or for further information visit colourfencetaunton.co.uk

ly High itive t pe com wood with PLUS all s ! price benefits e h t

For a free no-obligation site visit, please call Jordan or Courtney.

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COMMUNITY

Waves of Harmony Ladies Chorus We can’t believe it’s December!

Mind you, for the past few months the Waves have been feeling festive through rehearsing our Christmas songs. Now looking forward to singing them in public! We are an all-female a cappella chorus based in Weston-super-Mare. If you love to sing why not come along to a Waves rehearsal to see what we do? You don’t have to be a fantastic singer, or be able to read music. More information can be found on www.wavesofharmony.co.uk, or on our Facebook page. Alternatively ring Sue on 01934 642806, or Stephen on 07889 015681.

Weston-super-Mare Fibromyalgia Support Group It is a group of people who are living with Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions. We meet regularly to support each other and have some fun. Please contact us for more information - call Jules 07840189641 or Val 07411989478 or email wsmfibro@gmail.com

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Composting tips for when temperatures drop • Keep the lid on – this keeps out rain and prevents heat loss.

If you have a heap, cover it with flattened cardboard or old carpet.

• Shred, chop or cut the materials you are adding into smaller pieces – this speeds up decomposition.

• If you have too many brown materials (such as prunings and twigs), pile them up to make a woody heap. The pile will break down quite slowly, but can make great a home for insects, hedgehogs and fieldmice.

Find out more about composting on North Somerset Council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/ composting. #mastercomposters

Weston pupils help set up library in Africa with Jill Dando News link

By Colby and Kieran, age 13, PCSA, Jill Dando News.

As one brilliant new pre-school opens up, Weston pupils are sending books to a new nursery just opened in Africa.

Little Learners pre-school has opened at Castle Batch Primary School Academy.

At the same time, in Malawi, Africa Sunrise Nursery opened in the St Paul’s community, Mzimba, Malawi.

Now pupils from Castle Batch are sending out dozens of books for the Malawi children.

In October, Jill Dando News lead teacher Sarah O’Gorman travelled to visit the nursery and launch it with her charity, LIFO. Miss O’ Gorman founded Jill Dando News at Priory Community School Academy five years ago, where she is an English teacher. Shortly after she started Jill Dando News in Malawi before Lockdown put a pause on the plans.

Sarah said: “This is a wonderful link between our schools, The Priory Learning Trust and the new community pre-school in Malawi.

“I’m so excited to go over in October and to help officially launch the project.”

Little Learners, Castle Batch and PCSA are all part of The Priory Learning Trust (TPLT).

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01934 312171

Kind and positive students win prestigious Anne Frank Awards Harrison Craddock, Kenny Blair and Ruby Newlands all of PCSA or WCSA, achieved a Somerset Anne Frank Youth Awards at a celebration at Broadoak Academy in Westonsuper-Mare.

They have all helped to make a more positive, kind and inclusive society.

One of the awards went to Liam Shepherd who went to Ashcombe Primary school in Weston-super-Mare and who was due to start PCSA in September 2021.

LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z

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DOMESTIC APPLIANCE REPAIRS AND SALES

Domestic Appliance Sales and Repairs

01934 517657 Freestanding and integrated appliance specialists Local family business established 36 years All work insured and guaranteed

Browns Domestic Appliances Ltd

www.brownsdomestics.co.uk DRAINAGE

Liam sadly died in his sleep in March 2021 after leading an inspirational life.

The incredible boy had done lots of charity work, raising money for sports clubs and his school. He ran a marathon in a week for the NSPCC. He had also made cakes and donated to the NHS, Police, his care home and his teachers.

Liam had also donated food out of his pocket money for a vulnerable family at his school and he was currently holding a raffle and gathering prizes to raise money for Winston’s Wish before he died.

The awards are named after Anne Frank, a GermanDutch diarist who was one of around six million Jews to be murdered in the Holocaust.

Director of Careers James Wilmot said: “It was wonderful to hear so many inspirational stories about these brilliant students. Every single one of them are heroes.”

Local Business A – Z BOILERS

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COMMUNITY MAGAZINES

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z DRIVEWAYS

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01934 312171 FENCING

20% OFF all confirmed bookings until the end of December 2022

All works guaranteed No job too big or small

ANCE INTEN LOW MA

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ANCE INTEN LOW MA

DITED ACCR E PROFESSIONAL

INSTALLATION

Specialising in…

Resin bound & bonded driveways Stone Paving • Block Paving • Tarmac Drop kerbs • Landscaping • General building Check out our 4.7 star rating on

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Quality Cut Gardens Hedge Trimming • Lawn mowing Lawnmower Servicing • Turf Laying Herbicide Weed Control • Licensed & Insured

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z PLUMBING

NO JOB IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL

Shore Plumbing and Property Maintenance prides itself on Honesty, Attention to detail, Quality of workmanship and Reliability at a Fair price.

With 25 years+ experience.

All aspects of plumbing, from dripping taps to replacement radiators and bathroom refits etc.

07498 285533

darren@shore-plumbing.co.uk www.facebook.com/Shore.PlumbingWSM

MOBILITY

• Three and Four Wheeled Walkers • Wheelchairs • Bath Lifts • Rise and Recliner Chairs • Stairlifts • Mobility Scooters • Electric Wheelchairs • Cosyfeet Slippers and Shoes

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20% off all Wills with this advert!

Divorce & Finances, Will Writing, Powers of Attorney, Probate & Estate Administration, Trusts

01934 641191

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20% OFF all confirmed bookings until the end of December 2022

All works guaranteed No job too big or small

Specialising in…

Resin bound & bonded driveways Stone Paving • Block Paving • Tarmac Drop kerbs • Landscaping • General building Check out our 4.7 star rating on

Call us for a FREE, no obligation quote

Tel:

01934 265371

www.stonewaypaving.co.uk