LocalReach Wells February

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February 2021

Issue No. 56

COMMUNITY MAGAZINES

Delivered by ROYAL MAIL to 9,699 homes & businesses including ALL towns & villages in the BA5 postcode areas

GARDENING – page 4 CHURCH – page 5 RECIPE – page 6 HISTORY – page 7 PUZZLES – page 9 COMMUNITY – page 11

Feb 14th Valentine’s Day - see page 11

BUSINESS A-Z – page 17

LOW COST WEB DESIGN SERVICE WEB SITE DESIGN DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION WEB SITE HOSTING We will design up to 10 page web site for only £20+vat per month, then drops to only £10+vat per month.

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LocalReach Community Magazines serving the community for 10 years

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How green is your home?

When we think about the issue of waste most of us think about single use plastics, packaging or cheap throw-away fashion, but how many of us think about our furniture and soft furnishings? Amazingly Brits discard around 22 million pieces of furniture annually, most of which goes straight into landfill.

So, what should we do with our old or unwanted furniture? Despite the success of TV shows such as The Repair Shop and Money for Nothing, research studies show that less than 1 in 10 people consider repairing their furniture to extend its lifespan or try their hand at up-cycling or repurposing.

Finding creative solutions to keep furniture from being thrown away could save on resources, save on landfill waste and save you money. If you don’t want it someone else might, so donate it, freecycle it or sell it on sites like eBay or Facebook marketplace. Have your old sofa reupholstered, your cushions refilled or make scatter cushions out of your old curtain fabric.

When we choose to buy second hand we are cutting down on someone else’s waste by reusing it.

Refurbishing old pieces is also a creative way of making something unique and personal that you wouldn’t find on the High Street.

If we spend too little on our furniture we may be buying poor quality pieces that deteriorate very quickly and get thrown away. That is the ‘real’ price we pay for wanting cheap furniture: we have to replace it more often. We expect it to last and it simply doesn’t.

If we do choose to buy new we should buy the best we can and choose brands that value sustainability in their production methods and materials. For instance, some UK textile producers are adapting their looms to accommodate recycled yarns and fibres. Beautiful new textiles are being produced from recycled plastic waste and the natural cloth produced by British woolen, linen and cotton mills is amongst the finest in the world.

These are the issues that the team at Pretty Sitting in Cheddar are keen to talk to their customers about, helping us all to restore, reuse and re-love our old furniture and to create greener and more beautiful homes to live in

Pretty Sitting Upholstery Curtains Soft Furnishings Homewares Furniture Classes

Upholstery & interiors Barrows House, Tweentown, Cheddar BS27 3HU

Curtains & Soft Furnishings Bath Street , Cheddar BS27 3AA

01934 752725 Info@prettysittingvintage.co.uk Shop online at www.prettysittingvintage.co.uk

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WELCOME TO LOCALREACH

A message from the team at LocalReach Community Magazines.

LocalReach Community Magazines are still open for business! We are delivered monthly by Royal Mail to 47,500 homes & businesses across Somerset. We are working on the March issues and the deadline is 1st February; If you would like to advertise email us at hello@localreach.co.uk. If you know anybody who wants to advertise please let them know we would welcome their business. We can also be contacted online at www.localreach.co.uk or call 01749 600388.

LocalReach is now delivered to ALL of TA8, TA9, BS28, BS27, BS26, BS25, BA6, BA16 & BA5. That includes all towns & villages; Burnham, Highbridge, Berrow, Brent, Brean, Mark, Cheddar, Axbridge, Wedmore, Winscombe, Street, Glastonbury & Wells. Below is a map that indicates where LocalReach is delivered in your area. Should you not receive a copy by the 1st of each month please email us with your full address and we will investigate and make sure you do receive a copy.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the businesses & community groups that have supported LocalReach over the last 10 years and who continue to support us.

These are unprecedented times and many of the events we normally publicise are not going ahead so we have put in content that we hope you like as an alternative. We usually give 30% of our content to the community free of charge and will happily receive your editorial if you believe it would be of interest to our readers. Email between 70-100 words to editor@localreach.co.uk before 1st February for the March issues.

Stay safe. From the team at LocalReach Community Magazines.

Editorial deadline for the March issue is 1st February LocalReach Community Editor: Robert Hutchinson

Advertising & Enquiries:

01749 600388 hello@localreach.co.uk

editor@localreach.co.uk

Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm, Saturday 8:30am to 6:00pm and Sunday 10:00am to 4:00pm

Yoxter LocalReach is delivered to all of Wells by ROYAL MAIL. Your local postman delivers to 9,699 homes & businesses to all of BA5 every month. This includes all the villages.

Priddy Green Ore

Rodney Stoke Easton

Mudgley Wookey Panborough

Upper Milton

BA5 WELLS

Coxley Polsham Godney Southway

Dulcote Dinder

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 2021.

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GARDENING

Top gardening jobs for February Spring is in sight

This month there are signs of the approaching spring, with bulbs appearing and wildlife waking up as light levels and temperatures increase. There’s plenty to do indoors this month to prepare for the season ahead. Outdoors, as the garden comes to life again, it’s time to prune shrubs and climbers, such as Wisteria as well as evergreen hedges.

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Top 10 jobs this month: 1 Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow some vegetables under cover 2 Chit potato tubers 3 Protect blossom on apricots, nectarines and peaches 4 Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off 5 Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering 6 Divide bulbs such as snowdrops, and plant those that need planting ‘in the green’ 7 Prune Wisteria 8 Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges 9 Prune conservatory climbers such as bougainvillea 10 Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter, remove dead grass from evergreen grasses Tips from www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/february

Garden View Heavenly Hellebores I fell in love with Hellebores a few years ago after an early spring visit to the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge where there are some beautiful displays. They provide a spring garden with elegant colour, and I admit to being quite excited when they appear. They are poisonous plants so are probably best avoided if you have young children. They have a somewhat magical history. A mythological physician named Melampus was said to have observed the cathartic effect of hellebore on goats who munched on the plants. Melampus allegedly then used the milk of the same goats to cure the daughters of the King of Argos of their madness. The plant was used for its purgative properties into the Middle Ages and beyond.

Personally, I would recommend growing them only for their attractiveness!

The original species originated in the northern parts of Greece and Turkey, but they grow incredibly well in British gardens. Having said that, I was disappointed when my first hellebore plants didn’t thrive initially.

They seemed to succumb to disease quite easily. I subsequently learned this this was black rot. Then I heard Alan Titchmarsh’s advice to carefully cut the large fingered leaves from the plant at ground level in January, taking care not to damage the buds. This somewhat brutal treatment has worked a treat and my hellebores are now flourishing.

Hellebores like well-drained soil in sun or dappled shade. My clumps are happily increasing in size year-on-year. The stems shoot up to 25-30cm high between late January and February and the flowers appear at the top. Colours tend to be subtle: green-tinged white, yellow, oxblood red or dull purple but they glow in the more subdued light at this time of year. They would certainly appear washed-out in the bright sun of late spring and summer. The flowers are rich in nectar so provide food for early bees.

There are many varieties of hellebore, with single or double flowers. Just note that not all of them are easy to grow. I have struggled to get the Christmas Rose Helleborus niger to survive, never mind flower, but I’ve had much more success with the Green hellebore, Helleborus viridis, the pretty pink Lenten rose Helleborus x hybridus, which self-seeds quite nicely, and also the Helleborus x hybridus Ashwood Garden hybrids, which come in a variety of colours but don’t seem to self-seed as freely, at least in my garden.

Dig in plenty of mushroom compost before planting, and mulch after you’ve cut the leaves off. Dust with a blood, bone and fishmeal mix after flowering and mulch again with well-rotted leaf mould or compost.

Dig up any small self-seeded plants and use them as gifts, or to increase your own colony.

By Rachael Leverton

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CHURCH

Take a Knee In the film A Knight’s Tale, when William, a Commoner is rewarded for his valour with a knighthood, the Prince commands him to ‘take a knee”. Submission results in honour and vindication.

In the past year we have seen images of men and women “taking the knee” in protest against racism – in compassion; in contrition; in solidarity. Somehow, this centuries-old symbol of humility has become a position that rallies people – and challenges and offends as many others.

Many of us have been brought to our knees this last year. That very saying conjurs up emotional responses, does it not? For some it means being overwhelmed by the circumstances –a position of desperation or despair. Where we feel like the bottom has fallen out of our worlds, let alone The World!

But for many, it is the most hopeful posture we can adopt.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father…I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power, through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 Do we need power to go on right now? I’ll say! And it may well be that we just don’t feel that we have it within ourselves. When we kneel in worship and prayer, we will be strengthened by Him, to our core – “in our innermost being”. Do we need to know that we are loved? More than ever! With all the imposed social distancing, our need for community and belonging has become ever-more apparent.

We have a longing to be rooted and established in love. As you Take the Knee, may you indeed grasp, how wide and long and high and deep is Christ’s love for you.

Kindly provided by Sue Marland. Senior Pastor, Wells Vineyard. wellsvineyard.com

Claire Carter

NCHort FdSc

Somerset Gardens & Landscapes We Design, Create and Build your Dream Garden into a Reality Garden design / Planting schemes Garden maintenance All aspects of hard and soft landscaping Tree pruning & hedge cutting Regular maintenance or one off garden tidy ups

07855 406651 / 01749 938014 www.clairecartergardens.co.uk

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RECIPE

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It’s pancake day this month

Your LocalBeech Specialist Cleaning Service Copper Cleaning Under

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•Please Professionally and ifreliably cleaned be assured, you need carpet or upholstery cleaning/sanitising or emergency • Family safe and Eco friendly products stain treatment carried out. We will wear the •appropriate All work fully guaranteed andclothing insured at personal protective all times (face covering & gloves), always •maintaining We take pride in2the service we provide a safe metre distance whilst in home.

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I grew up near Olney, in Buckinghamshire. It’s a pretty little town with lots of lovely independent shops and a strange claim to fame; it is the home of the pancake race. Legend has it that in 1455 a woman cooking pancakes heard the shriving bell summoning her to confession. In her Christian haste she ran to the church, wearing her apron and still clutching her frying pan, complete with hot pancake, and so the tradition was born.

The reason this 15th Century woman was cooking pancakes in the first place was due to a Christian dictate; that through the 40 days of Lent no person should eat milk, eggs, or butter.

This was a pre-fridge era, which meant that if a housewife had stocks of these foods they would go off before the fast ended on Easter Sunday, so she had to use them up. The solution was to make pancakes and they became a symbol of selfindulgence before the fast. Indeed Mardi Gras, as the ritual is called in France and the USA, literally translates as ‘Fat Tuesday.’

Over the years I’ve tried my pancakes with fruit, maple syrup, and a variety of savoury fillings but I keep coming back to fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar...irresistible. Here is my own recipe for perfect pancakes.

Ingredients 115g (4oz) plain flour Pinch salt 1 large egg 285ml (half a pint of milk) 115g (4oz) butter, melted Juice from 2 lemons, strained Caster or Demerara sugar to taste.

Method To make the batter: sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Beat in the egg and a little of the milk until smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining milk and add 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Cover the bowl and leave to stand for one hour.

In a small non-stick frying pan heat some of the butter until sizzling, but taking care not to let it burn.

Pour enough batter into the pan to coat the base evenly. Cook over a moderate heat until the pancake is light golden-brown underneath and looks dry on top. Flip over (try to do this with style!) and cook the other side until golden. Continue until all the batter is used. The recipe should make 10-12 pancakes.

You can keep the pancakes warm in the oven (Gas mark 1 / 140C) until they are all cooked, but in our house they’re barely out the frying pan before they’re scoffed. Serve with the lemon juice and sugar...Enjoy!

SHORT NOTICE OFTEN POSSIBLE • EVENINGS & WEEKENDS ALSO AVAILABLE

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LOCAL HISTORY

Suggestions for what to do on Valentines Day boiled an egg hard, and took out the yolk, and filled it with salt; and when I went to bed, ate it, shell and all, without speaking or drinking after it. We also wrote our lovers names upon bits of paper, and rolled them in clay, and put them into water. And the first name that rose up was to be our valentine.

Would you think it, Mr Blossom was my man. I lay a-bed all morning and shut my eyes till he came to our house; for I would not have seen another man before him for all the world.”

Antique Valentines from the late 1800s to the early 1900s

We associate St Valentines Day now with the exchange of cards and other messages of love.

In the past it seems that it could be a little more complicated for women to ensure that they got the man of their dreams. William Hone in his “Every Day Book” (vol. 1, p,225, published 1825) recounts what one young girl did: “The night before Valentines’s day I got five bay leaves and pinned four of them to the four corners of my pillow and the fifth to the middle and then, if I dreamt of my sweetheart, Betty said we should be married before the year was out. But to make it more sure, I

In Somerset it seems there was one seemingly less romantic custom for men. According to Hone, young men in the West Country “used to go out together before daylight on St Valentine’s day with a clap-net to catch on old owl and two sparrows in a barn. If they brought them to the hostess of the inn before the ladies of the house had risen they were rewarded by her with three pots of purl in honour of St Valentine, and enjoyed a similar boon at any other house in the neighbourhood.”

Hopefully Mr Blossom was not amongst them!

Note: purl was basically a mulled ale infused with spices (though originally wormwood.

Kindly provided by Elizabeth Friend, Axbridge Archaeological and Local History Society. www.aalhs.co.uk

01749 346 900

www.suttonsstairlifts.co.uk The Works, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. BA4 5DX www.localreach.co.uk | 7

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Are you a VAT registered contractor?

From 1 March 2021 the domestic VAT reverse charge for construction services must be used for certain supplies of building and construction services, where these will no longer be subject to a VAT charge by the supplier. Instead, the customer must account for VAT on the supplier’s behalf.

This means that there will still be VAT charges applicable to supplies, but where applicable will be dealt with by the customer and not the supplier. The aim of introducing this measure is to reduce VAT fraud in the construction sector.

What you need to do if you are VAT registered • Check whether you must use the reverse charge on your sales, purchases or both.

• Find out how the charge works if you supply services.

• Find out how the charge works if you buy services.

How to prepare • Make sure your accounting systems and software can deal with the reverse charge.

• Consider whether the change will impact your cash flow.

• Make sure all your staff who are responsible for VAT accounting are familiar with the reverse charge and how it will work.

The workings of the scheme • Mr X who is a roofer and VAT registered constructs the roof of an office building for Company Y who is a builder and VAT registered. Company Z is the end user as the developer and will be occupying the finished building.

• Mr X issues an invoice for £200,000 and states this work is subject to the reverse charge. Mr X includes the sales figure in their VAT return, but does not account for output VAT as he only charged his £200,000 fee and did not charge VAT. • Company Y pays Mr X £200,000 and accounts in their VAT return the £40,000 output VAT that Mr X would have charged if normal VAT rules had applied, as well as the £40,000 input VAT. • Company Y issues an invoice for the build to Company Z and charges the normal VAT amount as Company Z is the end user. Company Y and Company Z report the transaction in their VAT returns as standard transactions.

• The change will impact Mr X’s cash flow, as under the old rules, if Company Y was a prompt payer he could use the £40,000 in VAT to purchase his materials and offset the input tax paid against his output liability.

• Company Y has a cash flow advantage, it does not have to pay Mr X £40,000 and at the end of its VAT quarter it is accounting for the reverse charge as the output VAT offsets the input VAT. When you must use the reverse charge There are a wide range of services where you must use the reverse charge. More information on this can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-domestic-reversecharge-for-building-and-construction-services It is a complex subject and if you would like bespoke advice to guide you through the process, please contact Bishop Jones.

YOUR LOCAL CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT AND TAX ADVISERS Audits & Accounts Bookkeeping & Payroll Business Start-Ups Company Secretary VAT Returns & Registration Tax Services Sage & QuickBooks Training With over 30 years’ industry experience you can rely on Bishop Jones for the highest levels of expertise.

For a quotation, contact us today!

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enquiries@bishopjones.co.uk www.bishopjones.co.uk

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PUZZLES

Crossword

Across 1 Celebrity, headliner (4) 4 No longer in use (8) 8 Teaching period (6) 9 Libretto, dialogue (6) 10 Pockmark, healed wound (4) 11 Single spot of precipitation (8) 13 Persistence, tenacity (13) 16 Going to ground (5,3) 19 Belongs to you and me (4) 20 Frail, ailing (6) 22 Joined (6) 23 Long-handled frying pans (8) 24 Effortless (4) Down 2 Wilful betrayal (9) 3 Set aside, save (7) 4 Proprietor (5) 5 Period of sustained drinking (informal) (7) 6 Enticed (5) 7 Apex (3) 12 Without scent (9) 14 Small glamorous white dog (7) 15 Defeat decisively (7) 17 Prizes awarded for peace, physics, literature etc. (5) 18 Home of Snowdonia National Park (5) 21 Large deer (3)

Word Search Solutions

adore adulation affection amour appreciation ardour

cherish crave crush desire devotion fondness

friendship idolise infatuation like love lust

obsessed passion prefer respect tenderness yearning

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

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What is more valuable – your computer or your data?

When a computer goes wrong, people often realise that their data is far more valuable than the computer itself.

Far too often, we meet people who call us due to their machine not starting properly and, in some cases, failure of the hard drive means that precious data has been lost.

This can be in the form of documents, photographs, emails, address book and so on. To keep your data safe, the best method is to have both a local backup drive and also some online protection. The more places that your data is stored, the better, but please do check that these backup mediums are working, by creating a test document then check to see if you can restore from your backup. If doing such a task isn’t your thing, please see our advert on this page as we can help with setting up a backup and making sure all works well for you.

Neil Buzzard, Director, Computer Problem Solutions Ltd, Tel: 07973 536299

Computer Problems?

We come to you or remote appointments are available!

Engineer: 07973 536299 Office: 0800 011 2096 E-mail enquiry: sales@e-cps.co.uk

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The Ring’s the Thing Choosing an engagement ring

COMMUNITY From that time the engagement ring tradition evolved. Initially rings were a simple solitaires or neat clusters, but modern tastes have expanded to include more extravagant options with the additions of coloured stones and unusual metals.

Grooms often choose to wear ring now too and many couples same sex couples choose to wear contrasting or complementary rings. Some couples choose a custom-made ring, either from scratch or using sentimental gold from the ring of a parent or grandparent. It’s nice to add unexpected accents to personalise a ring and add a pop of personality.

Gone are the days of having no idea where the stones in your jewellery were sourced, and at what human and environmental sacrifice. Quality labgrown diamonds are 100% real and offer guilt-free sparkle. Another ethical option is moissanite, which costs significantly less than lab-grown diamond.

Moissanite stones can have even more brilliance and fire than diamonds, which some people like.

They are guaranteed ethical and have minimal environmental impact.

Valentine’s Day - the day of romance. Perhaps you are hoping for a proposal, or maybe you are the one hoping to do the proposing. An engagement is an occasion to be celebrated and usually involves the presentation of a ring to one or both partners.

Engagement rings can be traced back to Ancient Rome and were made from flint or bone. They were worn probably to show that a man owned a woman, so certainly not the romantic gesture it is today. By the Second Century precious metals were being used but rings were still a sign of a business contract and implied commitment and obedience.

The couple were lucky of love featured as part of the deal.

Choosing your engagement ring is exciting and romantic and is a declaration to the world about your feelings for each other. Enjoy the hunt for your perfect design.

By Tracey Anderson

Gold betrothal rings became popular in Pompeii in 79 A.D. thought Roman women often kept the gold ring for when they were out in public, preferring to wear an iron ring while at home.

By 850 A.D., Pope Nicholas I proclaimed that engagement rings signified the intent of a man to marry. At this point gold was the preferred metal but diamonds were not used Then in 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria commissioned a ring with a long and narrow diamond in the shape of the letter “M” to propose to Mary of Burgundy. This may be the first documented use of diamonds in an engagement ring. But it was more than 300 years before diamonds started becoming popular. In 1947 the British corporation De Beers, which specialised in mining diamonds, launched an ad campaign that featured Hollywood stars and the now-famous slogan, ‘A diamond is forever.’

The Perfect Fit Ben and Nathan (a third-generation member of the family firm) are two of our fitting team.

Unlike many (if not most) of our competitors we employ our own fitters each of whom is highly trained, qualified and above all committed to meeting the highest standards we expect our customers to expect.

8 Mill Batch Farm, East Brent, Near Highbridge, TA9 4JN 01278 760616 or 01749 671431 hello@thekingfisherfamily.com www.thekingfisherfamily.com

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

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THE 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan Hi I’m your 1:1 Diet Consultant Fran, For your free virtual appointment and free delivery all that you have to do is call Fran on 07999 584935 or inbox me cwpfran@gmail.com

How’s this different to other diet plans?

The 1:1 Diet is a lot more flexible than other weight-loss plans and it’s the ONLY one that gives you dedicated, one-to-one support from your own personal diet Consultant. That means your diet is designed for you, and only you. Together with your Consultant, you’ll work out an easy-to-follow eating plan that fits with your routine and gets you the results you want.

Frances Fountain The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan

Our meal replacement products, snacks and Step Up Meals® can be enjoyed on Plan to achieve your weight loss goals or to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle once you’ve hit your target.

With over 35 products to choose from, you’ll never get bored. We are constantly developing tasty new products with your needs in mind, to ensure every day on Plan is varied, exciting and motivating, making The 1:1 Diet perfect for weight loss. It caters for all kinds of dietary requirements too - check the packs for more information or view our on line information.

All of our products are approximately 200 calories or under, so it’s really easy to plan out your day, no matter what step of the Plan you’re on. Your personal weight loss Consultant Fran will be available every step of the way to find the right products for you, that fit with your lifestyle and cater to your every need. Whether you want to start the day with a filling bowl of porridge, a scrummy smoothie or an on-the-go bar, we’ve got you covered.

For lunch and dinner, you’ll have plenty of delicious options to choose from; mouth-watering soups to some of the nation’s favourite dishes; Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Tikka or Macaroni Cheese, you’ll be spoilt for choice. If you’re feeling peckish we also have our savoury snacks, the Crunchy Fava Beans! They’re high in protein and low in fat so are sure to curb those cravings!

All our products are either quick and easy to make or you can just grab them and go or why not become a consultant and join my team and you will have all of the products to hand while earning!!

For your free virtual appointment and free delivery all that you have todo is call Fran on 07999 584935 or inbox me cwpfran@gmail.com 12 | www.localreach.co.uk www.localreach.co.uk

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LOCAL EXPERT PAGE

To claim your free virtual appointments together with free delivery call Fran 07999 584935 or email cwpfran@gmail.com

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LOCAL HISTORY COMMUNITY

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Open Wide!

Creating Calm If you know a child or young person struggling with big feelings, stressful situations or other life challenges, then therapy can really help them. There are lots of reasons they might come for therapy and generally, the answer is, ‘Yes, I can help.’

The truth about yawning

I work with children and young people experiencing a huge range of concerns including: • Abuse • Anger and frustration • Anxiety • ASD and PANDAS • Attachment • Bereavement • Family issues

• Fears and phobias • OCD, TS, ODD and PDA • School issues • Self-esteem and self-image • Trauma and PTSD • And more…

I support children and young people with play and creative arts therapy, AutPlay, TraumaPlay, Emotional Logic and animal assisted therapy. I generally work 1:1 with clients, but I will often work supporting the family too. I have a few client spaces, for immediate start in my private practice, at Cherry Tree Studio, Mendip Court, South Horrington, Wells.

If I can help someone you know, or you would like to know more about how I work, please get in touch.

You can also find out more at www.creatingcalm.co.uk

Do you need help for a child or young person that you know?

I'm a local therapist, based in Wells, who supports children, young people and their families to help them manage big feelings, stressful situations and other life challenges.

Elaine Hutchinson www.creatingcalm.co.uk hello@creatingcalm.co.uk 01749 599066 | Autplay | trauma play | emotional Logic coaching | tele-therapy

creative art and Play therapy sand tray therapy

The average adult yawns 20 times per day, and once you feel one coming on, they are almost impossible to suppress.

Why do we yawn?

There is no scientific consensus on why we yawn.

One theory argues that when humans are tired, we stop taking deep breaths, which causes a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body, and a yawn might be a special kind of respiration, to increase oxygen quickly, while expelling carbon dioxide more efficiently. During a yawn we compress the muscles of the face, and drive oxygen-enriched blood to the brain.

Why are yawns contagious?

We are six times more likely to yawn if we see someone else yawn. This may be related to a phenomenon called social mirroring, where animals imitate the actions of others. Yawning is not the only mirrored behaviour – smiling, scratching, leg crossing and laughing also fall into this category.

Mirror neurons in the brain match what we sense and feel to the way we move, so if you see someone scratch their nose, you feel what it feels like and may feel compelled to do it too. The most likely reason for mirroring is social bonding. It’s a form of communication and a sign to others that we are empathetic.

Fascinating Fact: Yawning is so contagious that you will probably have yawned at least once while reading this!

By Louise Addison

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How to… …argue with a conspiracy theorist

COMMUNITY Be respectful, even if you think the other person is completely bonkers Almost no-one has ever been ridiculed into changing their mind.

In the same vein, avoid publicly shaming them.

Reach out and speak or message privately. This prevents embarrassment and implies a genuine interest in conversation.

Ask ‘What would it take for you to change your mind?’ If they reply, ‘Nothing will ever make me change my mind,’ it’s probably best to take them at their word and change the subject. Sometimes it’s not worth the effort.

We all have one relative or friend who believes everything they read on the internet and is convinced that COVID 19 is a hoax and the Government is using the vaccines to implant us with microchips. How do you talk to someone like that?

First be kind. It’s actually a very human response to look for patterns in events, and to develop and believe in conspiracy theories. We’re primed to be suspicious of things that can’t be easily explained.

Use questions to help others probe their own views.

This is often the best way to change someone’s mind. The way to do this is to engage, then gently and politely question, pointing out inconsistencies in their arguments and allowing them to respond, until you hit a dead-end. Research has shown that this tactic prevents people feeling attacked.

Always evaluate your relationship with the person.

If it’s a misguided family member who you love dearly, it’s often best to let it go. The relationship is the bigger prize. And even one little conversation might just be enough to get them thinking.

By Tom Hancock

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COMMUNITY

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A Good Read When the Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher Somewhere in every town or city is a special place. A place where real life is suspended, and you can forget about your problems.

A place that shows us life in all its details. The ups and downs, love, death, joy, and sadness. It shows us life as we wish it was and life as we hope it will never be. That place is of course, the theatre. This novel catapults you into that world and provides a fascinating glimpse of life backstage where the audience usually never get to venture.

Part romance and part ghost story When the Curtain Falls switches between the present day and 1952, where two young lovers try to steal moments together backstage as life begins to echo the drama being played out on stage. Tragedy strikes and one

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of them is destined to remain forever haunting the dressing rooms and fly floor high above the stage.

Nearly 60 years later and their fateful play is revived at the same theatre. Among the cast are Olive and Oscar, also stealing moments together to keep their budding romance secret. But strange things start to happen as a previous occupant is reawakened.

Sometimes (especially right now) you need a light, easy-to-read, novel for a bit of escapism. When the Curtain Falls fills that brief. It won’t win any literary awards, and sometimes the character development feels rushed, but it has a certain level of charm.

Fletcher herself has grown up in the theatre and anyone who knows her cannot help but picture her when Olive is described. But that only adds to the fun.

Into the Spotlight by Carrie Hope Fletcher Yes, that’s right: Fletcher has also written our children’s novel this month.

Published in September last year I was eagerly awaiting its arrival, having preordered it 6 months earlier. Why? This story tells of the three Pebble children who live in a theatre. Not related by birth they were adopted when they were found by Brilliant Aunt Maude – or BAM – in her various travels around the world. If you think this sounds as if it might be the opening of another story, then you might be right. This novel is inspired by Noel Streatfield’s classic, Ballet Shoes: a story that helped to give many young readers a love of the theatre, myself included.

Whilst playing in an old dressing room in the theatre, the Pebbles find an old diary, and in its pages they learn of the Fossil children, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy. For fans of Ballet Shoes this offers an insight into their lives after the end of the original story and you find out if they fulfilled their dreams.

But their excitement at reading the diary is soon dampened when they learn that the theatre is losing money and will have to be sold. Can the three children help to save the theatre they love so much?

Once again Fletcher brings her experiences of being a child in the West End to this story and does the legacy of the Fossils proud.

By Willow Coby

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Wells Civic Society

LOCAL BUSINESS

The Mendip Society Wells Civic Society may not be at it’s busiest at the moment but behind the scenes there are plans afoot!

Society Chair, Chris Winter, said: “We are busy planning for our ‘re-launch’, Very Revd Dr John Davies, Dean of Wells, sees the Cathedral window for the first time hopefully, in the – depicting the famous scissor arches. With spring. As well as Ruth Ames White, mosaic artist. © Chris Winter our usual evening meetings with refreshments and speakers, we will be looking at other ways to encourage existing members to become more engaged with our activities, and to welcome new members and new projects.”

F O RO

In the meantime, the Society continues to support many of the activities that are going on in the City.

For example, with a financial contribution from the Society for materials, Ruth Ames White has completed several more windows for the beautiful Wells in Mosaic, and observing all appropriate rules, these have been approved by the Very Revd Dr John Davies, Dean of Wells, and David Walker, curator of Wells Museum.

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Chris added: “I have been pleased to be able to represent the Society on many zoom calls over the last few months, supporting some of the great work that is being done by Project Factory, the Wells Coronavirus Network and other groups and organisations.

Project updates and plans for 2021 will be posted regularly on www.wellscivicsociety.org.uk.

Despite Covid-19, The Mendip Society has continued to function in its on going programme of Caring for the Mendip Hills.

Our members and guests continue to walk in their “bubble” group in accordance with guidelines and safety. We hope that the ongoing vaccine will result in the return of a full programme early in the new year.

Our Grant Aid budget is still operational and we welcome hearing about projects in the Community that require financial help. Richard Frost. 01275 472797, www.themendipsociety.org.uk

Local Business A – Z ACCOUNTANTS

Accountants and Business Advisors Supporting the local community T:

St Lawrence Lodge, 37 Chamberlain Street, Wells, BA5 2PQ

AERIAL & SATELLITE SERVICES

DAVID FORD AERIALS Please call DAVID FORD on either TEL: 01749 649196 MOBILE: 07740 946385

01749 605381

Wookey Post Office If you live on the western side of Wells, remember that Wookey has its own Post Office at Burcott Mill (opposite the Burcott Inn). We are open Mondays 10:00am – 1:30pm, Tuesdays 10:00am – 1:00pm and Thursdays 10:00am – 1:30pm. Car park adjoining.

Wells Library Visit: www.librarieswest.org.uk or www.somerset. gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-communities/ libraries. Find, reserve, renew or suggest a library item. e-Books, e-Magazines and e-Audiobooks.

Online Reference Tools. Business Tools. Home Library Service.

All you need is your library card and PIN

01749 677989

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BATHROOM & KITCHEN FITTERS

Glastonbury Bathrooms & Kitchens Reliable bathroom and kitchen fitters

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z

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BATHROOM FITTERS

BOILERS

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FULLY INSURED • 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE FREE QUOTATIONS

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BLINDS

OFFER OF THE MONTH 3 Vertical Blinds for Only £179 Up to 6ft wide, max 5ft drop Other sizes available

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Over 20 years in the trade

BUILDERS

Experience affordable elegance with FREE Fitting & up to 60% OFF VERTICAL • ROLLER • VENETIAN • ROMAN PLEATED • CONSERVATORY SPECIALIST

Call Colin for your free quote & fast local service

Somerset 01749 467091 18 | www.localreach.co.uk

• Garage and loft conversions • General builders Call 07718 488123 garageloftconversions@gmail.com

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01749 600388 BUILDERS CONTINUED

CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY CLEANING CONT.

General Builders & Property Maintenance For all your building needs

Extensions - Driveways - Window Fitting - Roofing - Fencing Stone/Brick Walling - Patios - Decking - Pointing - Renovations Kitchen Fitting - Wood & Tile Floors - Patio & Decking Cleaning

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FREE Estimates - All Jobs Welcome

No Job Too Small - We finish one job before starting the next

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CARPENTERS AND JOINERS

Carpet & & Upholstery Upholstery Steam Steam Cleaning Cleaning Carpet Powerful Van Van Mounted Mounted Equipment Equipment •• Powerful Residential & & Commercial Commercial Cleaning Cleaning •• Residential Pre & & End End Of Of Tenancy Tenancy Cleaning Cleaning •• Pre Stains & & Pet Pet Odour Odour Removal Removal •• Stains • No VAT

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Ca ll Sally: Mo b : 07766 117219 Te l: 01749 440011 www.s ta in awa y.c o .u k CHIMNEY SWEEPS

High Quality Sweep Stove Fitting & Repairs

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COUNSELLING

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TELEPHONE & ONLINE COUNSELLING & EFT THERAPY Jane Ross-Wheatley

Concessionary Rates Available

janeross-wheatley.com

07731 937293

Eve & Weekend Appointments Available

DOG WALKING

Pe t s 4 Ho l i d ay s Qualified Vet Nurse.

Available to Dog walk, Dog mind and look after your pets.

Dogs walk individually around my 12 acre holding.

Happy to collect and drop back to your home

Phone Nicky: 01749 677722 / 07875 957023

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z DOORS

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DRIVEWAYS

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FLOORING

Carpets • Rugs • Vinyl • Wood Skirtings replaced • Stock rolls • Remnants • Ranges from leading manufacturers • Competitively priced • Fully qualified, reliable fitting team and floor repairs service Large showroom in Market Street, BA5 2DS

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z

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Thea Mirfin DipFH. MCFHP. MAFHP.

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LOFT BOARDING

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FUEL INSTALLATIONS

SOLID FUEL INSTALLATIONS LTD Wood Burning Stove Fireplaces Chimneys Fully insured Qualified installers

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solidfuel3@aol.com

www.solidfuelinstallationsltd.co.uk GARDEN MAINTENANCE AND SERVICES

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LOG SUPPLIER

Kiln Dried Hardwood Seasoned Hardwood Smokeless Coal & Eco Logs Kindling & Natural Firelighters

LLLL B FREE LOCAL DELIVERY

01934 734662 www.ebdonfirewood.co.uk

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PLUMBING & HEATING

Need more

Collins & Inchley City & Guilds Trained Gardeners

Garden Maintenance | Makeovers | Clearance | Pruning

01749 605385

LAWN MOWING

stevecollinslawncare.co.uk 01749 595224 / 07971 677790

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LOCAL BUSINESS A – Z

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01749 600388 PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CONTINUED

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

LOCAL HOME CARE GUTTER CLEANING SERVICES

EPDM flat roofs and repairs

Bath & Radstock Property Maintenance South West Fencing • Plastering • Painting • General Building • Plumbing • Oil heating • House Clearance • Guttering • and MUCH more!

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Supply, fit and repair Fascias, Soffits and Guttering

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Drives, Paths, Gutters and Patios cleaned UPVC Fascias, Frames and Conservatories

01749 600387 600387 01934 265358 01749 01749 01458600387 552891

01458 552891

COVID 19 – We are currently working and practising social distancing of 2m.

Central Partnership Ltd 11522535

All types of Re-Roofs Call Geoff for your FREE estimate 01749 605415 or 07554 184479 www.local-homecare.co.uk

HandyMan in wells Shepton Mallet • Street • Glastonbury • Cheddar

Carpenter • General handyman Property maintenance • Sash window repairs

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SEWING 07/06/2018 14:03

Frances C “I sew for you” ALL YOUR SEWING NEEDS Clothing, Curtains & Blinds • Shortening • Hems • Fitting

• Repairs • Alterations • Making new

Frances Christine 01749 939578 Randall BA Hons Fashion Knitwear & Textiles Centrally located in Wells. Collection/delivery if required.

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F O O PR

SKIP HIRE

Providing a waste recycling service

Fully licensed & compliant

TREE SURGEONS CONTINUED

All gardening services All tree surgery services Stump grinding service Grass cutting | Hedge trimming Covering all of Somerset and the Southwest

Call Carl Carter

Commercial & Domestic

07909 040525

01749 678279 / 07721 415677

Fully Qualified & Insured

email@cheddarskips.plus.com www.cheddarandwellsskips.co.uk

STOVES (MULTI FUEL)

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ECOSY Purefire Curve 5kw A+ Energy Rated

Upholstery & Soft Furnishings

Courses in upholstery & related crafts

Prices exclude any additional building works

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Pretty Sitting UPHOLSTERY & INTERIORS

Call 01749 600388 or email hello@localreach.co.uk TREE SURGEONS

Interior Design

01934 752725

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Upholstery Fabrics

Showroom and online store

5 Year Guarantee

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Recycled, restored and handmade furniture & accessories for sale

The Showroom & Workshop, Barrows House, Tweentown, Cheddar. BS27 3HU

WEB DESIGN

LOW COST WEB DESIGN SERVICE WEB SITE DESIGN DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION WEB SITE HOSTING We will design up to 10 page web site for only £20+vat per month, then drops to only £10+vat per month.

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Glazier, Windows & Door Engineer • Glass, Sealed Units • Handles & Hinges • Gaskets & Seals • Repairs & Servicing •Emergency Boarding Up Service Call Stephen from GlassCorp on

01458 851 020 07563 623 604 www.glasscorp.co.uk www.localreach.co.uk | 23

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