Living Wirral Magazine Spring 2016

Living

WIRRAL

LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2016

DREW PRITCHARD

We catch up with the Salvage Hunter

WIRRAL WOODCARVER Rob Thunder interviews John White

ALFRESCO DINING Six of the best to tantilise your tastebuds

TEST DRIVING BMW M4 Nik Ellis gives us the low down on tne blue beast

PLUS BEAUTY TIPS by Samantha Peddie PAULINE DANIELS on life after cancer MANDY MOLBYwith fundraiser rundown TALKING RUBBISH with Dave Peddie FREE FROM with Joanna Jones

THIS MAGAZINE IS FREE WITH OUR COMPLIMENTS

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Are you starting a new business?

Or want to grow an existing business?

If so, you should speak to Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF).

The Sewing Room

MSIF offer funding of up to around £2million to businesses in the North West but predominantly in the Liverpool City Region including Wirral.

In fact, since we began investing back in 1996 we have provided over £25million worth of funding to more than 300 Wirral-based businesses.

Funding is available to most small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) - companies with up to 250 employees and a turnover of €50million or less.

We can invest in businesses from most sectors for a variety of purposes including: start-ups; development/growth capital (equipment, staff, premises, stock, export, work in progress); management buy-outs (where an existing management team buys the business); management buy-ins (where an external management team buys the business) and acquisitions (where a company buys another business).

Bakewell & Horner

MSIF offers funding by way of loans or equity investments through a number of different funds and we also provide grant funding for businesses wanting to expand or relocate in the Liverpool City Region and create or preserve jobs in the area. The grant provided through this fund can total up to 20% of the overall project cost with the remainder coming from other sources of finance or applicants’ own funds.

Here are a few examples of Wirral companies we’ve helped recently:-

Little Kickers

For further details call 0151 236 4040 or email info@msif.co.uk www.msif.co.uk 2

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Living

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CONTENTS

PAGE

CONTENTS

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DREW PRITCHARD THE SALVAGE HUNTER

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LIVING HOME

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WHITE, THE WIRRAL WOODCARVER

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TALKING RUBBISH

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LIGHTING UP THE HISTORY BOOKS BIDSTON LIGHTHOUSE

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I NEED ALLOT OF TIME

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FILM REVIEWS

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TASTE TEST - BLACKBERRY GROVE

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6 OF THE BEST FOR SUMMER - ALFRESCO DINNING

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FREE FROM - GLUTON

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ARTIST PROFILE - DIRTY HANS

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A LOOK AT THE BMW M4

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LIVING MALE

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LIVING GADGETS

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WHAT’S HOT IN BEAUTY

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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

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PAULINE DANIELS - LIFE AFTER BREAST CANCER

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MANDY MOLBY - FUNDRAISING NEWS

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LIVING FEMALE

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SPOTLIGHT ON MARK POLLARD - VANTAGE LAW

Living

INFO

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Living Wirral Tel: 0151 558 1007 Email: hello@livingwirral.com

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Editor: Diane Tremarco Email: diane@livingwirral.com Sales Director: Sammy Peddie Email: sammy@livingwirral.com Logistics Director: Jade Tremarco Email: jade@livingwirral.com Publisher: Mouse Media Website: www.mousemediastudio.com Front Cover: Photograph by Eleri Griffiths

www.livingwirral.com Disclaimer

While precautions have been take to ensure the accuracy of the contents of our magazine, neither the editors, publishers or its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise there from. Living Wirral reserves the right to edit comments or choose not to publish selected comments, whether in printed, mobile or digital format. No part of any of our publication, whether in print or digital may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, electronic, mechanical or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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Spring into Summer...

with unique gifts for gardeners

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50 Christchurch Road, Oxton | Tel: 0151 652 8452 www.drawingroom-oxton.co.uk

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DREW PRITCHARD THE SALVAGE HUNTER Drew Pritchard owns and runs a salvage and restoration business in Conway, North Wales.

You may know him as the Salvage Hunter from Quest TV, a series followed by our Editor.

fitted shops, such as Ralph Lauren in America and Monaco, and Rive Gauche in Paris; and restaurants, including Marco Pierre White and Jamie Oliver.

Drew, with his sidekick Tee, (a school friend), scoures the country for unusual and historical pieces to sell in his showroom back in Conway, run by wife, Rebecca.

He is passionate about the industry and loves to turn the items he buys back into something useful, breathing new life into the antiquities.

His diverse, ever growing client list include Hollywood actor Jim Carrey and Ringo Starr’s musician son, Zac Starkey. He has also

He has an exceptional eye and buys exeptional pieces, an interior designers dream. Check out his site, drewpritchard.co.uk.

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Have you always had an eye for design? It’s not something you can be taught, so have you always been creative?

I was taught by my father who has an exceptional eye for detail as a signwriter and artist. I think he noticed in me, at a young age, that I liked and appreciated good design and taught me for as long as I can remember how to look at things. For example, “What’s right with that building?

What’s wrong with that building?”

Why stained glass, why not interior design or similar?

I went into the world of stained glass because it was a way into the architectural antique industry at a time when it was booming and more or less a closed shop. My first day on the job, an architectural antique dealer pulled up and openend the van and shouted me over. I helped him pull out a huge stanined glass door with butterflies and foliage all over it which was of an extremely high quality and I knew from that moment on I was in!

I have a huge interest in interior design and have been asked to do numerous projects but have never done it professionally, rather concentrating on architetural salvage. I’m not going to discount it completely though as it’s something I’d like to look into in the future.

Why the fascination with antiques? Are your family in the trade?

My family are not in the antiques trade. I was always fascinated by antiques, junk, rust, old cars, scrap yards, flea markets. You name it, I was there and loved it! I spent my early years reading books on antqiues and design and decided at age eleven that I would become an antique dealer.

Photography: Eleri Griffiths

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Beside your work, do you have any other passions?

I have a passion for classic cars particulaly vintage VW and Porche. I also deal in these cars through my other business, DP Classics and hold a full International Grade A Racing Driver’s Licence. I race the only historic VW Beetle in Europe, with the Historic Racing Driver’s Club in like places Goodwood and Silverstone. My own cars include a 1952 Sunroof Beetle and a constantly changing stock of early Porche 911’s. This hobby has now developed into DP Classics and we specialise in looking for rare, low mileage and high specification cars from across Europe and America. www.dpclassics.co.uk

Photography: Eleri Griffiths

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Perfect escape...

Now that Spring is here, maybe your thoughts have turned already to this year and you’re wondering about booking early to make sure you don’t miss out on the holiday of your choice. How great would it be if you never had to worry about booking again? With a holiday home at Glan Gwna holiday park in beautiful North Wales that dream could easily become a reality.

You can set yourself free from the tyranny of holiday companies and booking requirements and fees, and have your own home from home in Snowdonia, ready for you whenever you want it, whether it’s for a quiet weekend away or a full-on family holiday. Glan Gwna has a wide range of new and pre-owned holiday homes for sale and can offer advice and information to help you find the ideal holiday home for your requirements.

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Glan Gwna is situated between the Snowdonia National Park and the Llyn Peninsula with its renowned golden beaches, and is a great base for exploring local attractions such as castles, historic houses, gardens, the Isle of Anglesey, and a huge choice of sporting activities.

Of course, if you’re looking for a true retreat that you don’t have to leave, there are plenty of facilities on the park itself, including an outdoor heated swimming pool, a poolside bar, a well-stocked shop, a children’s play area, and even a beauty salon offering a wide range of treatments. Plus, fishermen can catch trout and salmon on the river, or go coarse fishing on one of the site’s two lakes.

For more information visit www.glangwna.com or call 01286 673456.

How did you meet Rebecca?

Rebecca bought a farm house and campsite in 1999 in Betws y Coed, North Wales and we met the same year whilst looking for architectural antiques to restore the house and convert it into a Bed & Breakfast.

What part of Wirral is Rebecca from?

Rebecca grew up on the Wirral, the early years in West Kirby, and later Oxton, Noctorum and Willaston. She regulary returns to catch up with cousins, Andrew and Sarah Collinge along with old friends, in an old haunt, the Red Lion pub, Parkgate. She was educated at Birkenhead High.

What do you like to do on a day off?

When I do get spare time, I love exploring the countryside near where I live with Enzo, my dog, and spend time catching up with friends…usually in a pub.

Who is your favourite artist I don’t have a favourite artist; I like all forms of art.

How did your TV show come about?

There was an advert in the Antiques Trade Gazette saying something like “Are you a man in a van travelling to antiques fairs and architectural savalge yards? If so please contact us.” I read it and didn’t do anything about it and then a few days later a friend brought it into me and said “This is you, give them a call!” I waited another six to eight weeks before I rang them and they came up from London. I did a 20 minute piece to camera and then a year later they offered me a ten part deal. We didn’t take it seriously and just saw it as a bit of fun. Eight series later, we’re still going!!

Is there one piece of memorabilia/antique or quirky item you would love to own but don’t?

I’d love to own a chimney piece by Robert Adam, a chair

by Rene Macintosh, a piece of stained glass by ByrneJones or Henry Holiday, a chair by Carlo Bugatti or my ultimate find would be a Bugatti T35B race car designed by his brother Ettori; the ulimate piece of art, meeting industry, meeting design.

Photography: Eleri Griffiths

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Garden Igloo £699 | Havana Cane Chair and Table Set £699 BHS.CO.UK

Hafod Grange Small Dandelion Head Paperweight £30 NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK A Dandelion head perfectly preserved in a paperweight made in the middle of Margam Forest near Port Talbot Wales by the craftsmen of Hafod Grange. This design is a supreme example of the care and patience required in its production and was awarded the Tarian Label by the Design Council. For the National Trust collection, these have been especially hand gathered from land in South Wales looked after by the National Trust. Once dried using a range of techniques designed to preserve their natural beauty, the specimens are cast in clear resin and then individually turned and polished to a superb finish. Each paperweight comes in a protective gift box, making it a wonderful present. Hafod Grange Ltd. is a family business, first established in 1968 by Barry Needham and continued by his nephew Alan. Hafod Grange was awarded the Prince of Wales Shield in 1975 for quality crafts in Wales. Captivated by the unique paperweights, HRH Prince Charles presented the award personally. Presented in a gift box. Paperweight measures approx: 6.5cm Diam.

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Orla Kiely - Multi Flower Oval Pillowcases - Set of 2 - Marine £28 AMARA.COM

Striped 4 Person Wine Flap Hamper £46 BHS.CO.UK

Living

HOME Outdoor Butterfly Clock £60 LAURAASHLEY.COM

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White, the Wirral

Woodcarver

On a recent visit to Oxton Village, a strange ‘tap-tap-tapping’ caught my attention. It was coming from the car park of the Oxton Bar and Kitchen (commonly known as the OBK). I walked over to investigate and found a very approachable gentleman carving a bull’s head out of a tree stump in the far corner. John White is, most likely, the only traditional woodcarver on the Wirral. He has a love of big horses (carved and real), and is a keen advocate of traditional hand carving techniques. I caught up with him a few weeks ago to find out a bit more about this local artisan.

How long have you been woodcarving?

Gosh, since 1984, so 30 odd years now.

What attracted you to the profession?

I was looking for a change of career and my father in law was a ships carpenter, so wood has been quite prominent in my life. He give me my first couple of tools. I found myself amongst some real top quality, Wirral woodcarvers, one being a classical sculptor, a guy called Richard Bembo, who has unfortunately passed away now. Also my teacher from school, a guy called Bill Downing made musical instruments; he was absolutely fabulous. And another guy, Jack Smith, still carving today who does figurative stuff. I only found out a few years ago that my great grandfather was a carver in Cornwall. Along with encouragement from my wife, I sort of moved into woodworking, training as a Blacksmith as well.

Is that what you did before woodcarving?

Well I did it both together, but I was on the railway first, on electrical mechanical breakdown. They didn’t recognize my qualifications because I didn’t do a recognised apprenticeship, so I retrained as a blacksmith

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and carver. I wanted to be a farrier originally but the cost of the training was prohibitive. I did a three year City and Guilds and later, taught Wood Carving at West Cheshire College for 20 years, but we’ve just been made redundant from there, due to a lack of funding in adult education. So I run private courses now: one in Greasby, one in Neston and I do weekend courses in Ness Gardens and one in Scotland.

Is most of your time taken up with courses or private work?

It’s a mixture. I do two evenings a week teaching over 25 weeks throughout the year and then rest of the time is taken up with private commissions.

Do you work from home or a studio?

Well, I have a workshop at home because my background is in classical carving, architectural and which I have a flair for. So that’s all bench work, which is done in my workshop. And then the big pieces, like the one in Oxton, they’re done on site, but I’m pretty flexible.

So you must have quite a range of tools that you use?

Gosh, yeah, different sets for different bits of work. Mainly hand tools. It’s only probably the past three years or so that I’ve started using any sort of power tool like a chainsaw. Before then, I’d just used my chisel and hand tools; anything big was done with a big chisel and mallet. In light of the training which was quite traditional, all the sculptures were done by hand. But then that becomes more prohibitive these days with all these chainsaw carvers out there. They’re knocking stuff out in a couple of days, whereas if you’ve hired me, it might take a couple of months! So I’ve had to compromise and use the chainsaw to cut the big stuff and then finish everything off by hand.

Is there much competition on the Wirral?

No, not really, I think I’m the only carver, certainly in this area. People come up to me and say “Oh have you seen this piece of work here or that sculpture there?” and it usually turns out to be one of mine so that’s alright!

What’s your favourite piece of your own work?

It tends to be the piece I’m working on. I think my heart really is in the architectural because you’ve got to be real careful and a lot of it is nice, flowing pattern work.

Do you have work in public spaces?

In Ashton Park in West Kirby, there’s four or five pieces and a big sign that I did last year or the year before. There’s some metalwork at Royden Park, Frankby. And there’s a sculpture in the walled garden called ‘A Tribute to Gardeners’, down the side of the coach house towards the mere. Unfortunately, that piece is now falling to bits, but that was a piece that was carved by my teacher, Richard Bembo.

Any mentors or pieces of work that inspire you?

Lots of stuff really inspires me and not just woodwork. I have a great enthusiasm for other peoples work. I get a real buzz from honest pieces of work, whether it be a drawing, paintings or stonework.

Wood and metal are my favourite; I think wood and metal go together really really well.

I look at other pieces and think, “Cor crikey! I wish I could do that!”

And that has one of two effects; it either says to you “Forget it, don’t bother” or, as with me, I say “Crikey, I’d like to do something like that.”

What are the smallest and largest pieces you’ve made?

Smallest – probably flowers of about 1cm square which would be part of a cornice carving for the guy who owns Matalan. The biggest piece I’ve got at the moment is a figurehead in my workshop of a horse and he’s going to be half horse, half fish. It was a training project. I used to do a lot of work for the Maritime museum. I had a chap who came over from Canada, who wanted to retrain as a ships’ carver. This was the piece we started. It was gonna be an 8ft tall seahorse figurehead for a ship. He trained with me and went back to Canada and continued his career as a woodcarver. It was really uncanny because we were so similar, like twins. It was really odd, same markings, same earrings, same age and when you look at a photo, its hard to distinguish who’s who!

If money were no object, what would you like to work on?

Big wood and metal carved horses. I have a massive love of horses. I learned to ride years ago, a friend of ours used to run a stables and I have some sort of affinity with horses. I love them.

What projects do you have in store for 2016?

My next piece is a tree of life, quite a big piece around 2ft tall, carved from Mulberry. It’s for an ex student of mine who had a real serious illness and his wife got in touch to have it commissioned as his Christmas present. That piece will all be by hand apart from the initial cutting of the block and I think it will take roughly 3-4 weeks.

The piece up in Oxton, that was chainsawed out and then carved by hand, that was a week’s work.

E: john@jw-woodcarving.co.uk

Written by Rob Thunder

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TALKING RUBBISH WITH DAVE PEDDIE

Moo Music classes are more than just a music class! We sing, we dance, we play and we have fun. Our 40 minute sessions are a lovely way to interact in some creativity with your little. Your children can enjoy our fantastic original songs developed by Early Years Educators and professional musicians whilst engaging in imaginative role play, sign language, sensory play and parachute games to name just a few of our activities. All this alongside the singing, movement and instrument work that you would expect at a music based class. Classes not only develop musical ability and enjoyment but they can also contribute to your child’s speech and language development, motor development and social skills.

The first session is free and our mixed age sessions are ideal for siblings of different ages.

I am Lindsey and I am the owner of Moo Music Wirral West & South. I am a qualified Performing Arts teacher, a trained children’s nurse and a mum to three little boys! I am very passionate about the creative and performing arts and strongly believe in the benefits of music, movement and creative play. Since opening Moo Music West Wirral in February 2015 I have been having the best time at the classes - it’s a real joy to work in such a fun environment and a real honour to watch children develop and grow in confidence. Planning the lessons is great fun too! We have a different theme every week and its brilliant to see the children’s faces when they see the props and equipment! Some of our classes are open to mixed ages so it’s nice to see brothers and sisters having fun together.

One of my mums described my class as a “new adventure every week” and that is what I aim for. Songs are repeated as little one’s love familiarity but it is amazing how quickly they learn the songs which soon become firm favourites alongside the well known traditional nursery rhymes.

My experience as a Performing Arts teacher means that there is a lot of imaginative play in my sessions and as everything is tied in with the Early Years Curriculum your children will be learning without even realising it!

For the baby siblings who come along to class I plan in sensory activities for them to engage in whilst the older children do something more challenging but usually find that the babies are much more interested in our bigger moovers - it’s very entertaining to watch!

Baby Moo sessions have been a big hit since launching in September 2015 - these sessions are slightly shorter and a bit calmer with lots of emphasis on interaction between babies and carers. They are still themed each week but some parts of the class stay the same for familiarity - for example, every baby gets their own Peekaboo Bag at the start of each sessions which we explore by singing “Little Fingers”, a song which is a firm favourite with the Baby Moovers!

Dialogue-1: That stuff you’ve got in your hand, just before you drop it on the ground, take a good look at it. What is it? Just a polystyrene chippy tray? Just an empty plastic bottle? Did you know it’s going to be around a lot longer than you: maybe 500 years longer. Being blunt, just dropping on the ground or on the beach, because you can’t be bothered to put it in the rubbish bin just behind you, is wrong. It’s not somebody else’s job to clear up after you: you are responsible for your rubbish!

Dialogue-2: Are you about to throw away that food? What’s wrong with it, looks good to me. What? It’s past its sell by date? Just because your local Supermarket would bin it, you don’t need to. Thousand of tons of perfect food is binned by Supermarkets every day. It doesn’t have to be like that and it certainly doesn’t have to be like that in our own homes. By the way, you know that family a few doors down the road. They’re just on their way to the food bank while you are binning food.

Dialogue-3: So what’s that you have you just found in the back of your clothes cupboard? Not going to wear that again? Why? A bit out of style? Ah, you bought a new one. Nice. So what are you going to do with this old one? In the bin? Seriously? The charity shop down the road could sell that for a couple of quid, and make someone who can’t afford brand new clothes very happy, and you’d be helping a charity as well.

We now live in an intense consumer-driven and throwaway culture, and have done for years. At least we in the UK and the West do, and have done for quite a long time. As a society, we unthinkingly throw away food that is still perfectly edible, bin clothes which are fine to wear, scrap electronics because it’s not the latest version of what we think we need, and we consign perfectly good furniture to the tip because it’s the wrong colour.

We are acting like spoilt children who constantly whine, ‘I want, I need, I’ve got to have, I deserve this.’

And where has this led us? We’ve got to the point where we were are literally throwing it all away, often on a whim, and an increasing amount of it finishes its life on our streets, in our parks, on our beaches, or along our highways and byways and in landfills. The outcome of this is that, as a society we stand at the edge of a rubbish Armageddon. But there is a spark of hope on the horizon that we are being slowly, very slowly, dragged back from the brink, even if we are kicking and screaming.

Out of overwhelming necessity, we are finally beginning to see some sense and starting to realise that we cannot remain a consumerist and throwaway culture for ever. It is completely unsustainable. Many of the resources we have on this planet are finite and will eventually run out, and the natural resources we do have, we are poisoning.

We have venues across Wirral including two real life farms - Church Farm and our newest venue Claremont Farm which both have amazing cafes if Mummies and moovers want some refreshment afterwards. Our Saturdays sessions are really popular with Mum’s who have had to go back to work and Dad’s who miss out during the week.

Moo Music Wirral West and South has just celebrated it’s first birthday and are excitedly looking forward to the future with new venues and classes in the pipeline plus the icing on the cake is that Lindsey has just been nominated in the What’s On 4 Little Ones Awards for Oustanding Class Leader.

If you would like to try a taster session please email Lindsey@moo-music.co.uk or phone 07789 765 394

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LIGHTING UP

THE HISTORY BOOKS The Story of Bidston Lighthouse

Photograph by Raymond McBride

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With captivating views across most of Wirral and Liverpool, Bidston Lighthouse stands tall, proud and strong at the top of Bidston Hill.

Although it is no longer used as a lighthouse, it is inhabited by Dr. and Mrs. Pickles who keep the lighthouse alive. Its doors are open to the public during the Spring and Summer months each year to allow everyone to view these great walls of architectural marvel and learn some of its facinating history.

In 1762 during King George III reign, an Act of Parliament was passed which enabled the Corporation of Liverpool to construct lighthouses wherever necessary for the navigation of ships and boats into the port. William Hutchinson was appointed Liverpool Dockmaster some three years prior and had plans to build lighthouses in Hoylake and Leasowe. The following year saw the construction of leading lights; The Mockbeggar Lights (or Sea Lights) at Leasowe and The Lake Lights at Hoylake.

Hutchinson used Bidston Hill as a signal station, initially comprised of 58 flagpoles, to give merchants in Liverpool early warning of the arrival of their ships and cargo. Eventually, there were hundreds of flags signaling which ships were coming in having been assigned to certain companies. You can see a diagram of this in the Lighthouse today.

In 1764 Hutchinson began measuring the times and heights of high tides in Liverpool and carried out this work for almost 30 years. He was the first person in the UK to carry out such a task. This data is still used today to compare climate change studies.

Unfortunately, in 1769 the Lower Mockbeggar light was destroyed by vicious storms. This natural setback allowed the Bidston Lighthouse to be built in its place circa 1771. It stood 55 feet high and was built using local sandstone.

Its light was visible for 21 miles thanks to a parabolic reflector which was 12 feet in diameter.

If you visit the Lighthouse today, you can see where the parabolic reflector was placed. Ask Dr. Pickles about the echo’s in the room too…

Bidston Lighthouse was damaged by fire in 1865 and in 1872 the original lighthouse on Bidston Hill was demolished. The new lighthouse was designed by George Fosbery Lyster, built a few yards further North than the original and completed in 1873. It was equipped with a light which cost more than the tower itself!

The 5th July 1908 saw the Leasowe light extinguish, and on 9th October 1913 the Bidston Light shone for the last time at sunrise.

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board had only decided four years prior to this that the strength of Bidstons’ light would increase from 4,500 to 12,000 candle-power (or candela). That would be 56,565 lumens (943 watts) to 150,840 lumens (2514 watts) if you were using an LED lamp at 60 l/W. Basically, it was really powerful and bright!

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board sold Bidston Lighthouse and Lighthouse Cottages in 1935 to Birkenhead Corporation for the “knock-down price” of £1,000. In today’s monetary terms, this would be the equivalent of around £49,700. It was agreed that the property would be used for recreational purposes, open to the residents of Birkenhead. The conveyance contained a covenant forbidding the erection of new buildings.

A little bit of history repeats itself when an extract from The Log of Bidston Hill Lighthouse explained that on Sunday 14th May 1950 there was a fire. Yes, another fire.

“The East door of the lightroom caught fire. The wind blew the flames into the lightroom and broke the glass. The Observatory called the fire brigade who brought the flames under control.

All the gear was in the Wardroom and Galley, where the flames did not penetrate. The Lightroom was gutted but the main structure and the copper roof were untouched. Later, the Fire Brigade report stated that the fire was caused by sparks from the cottage chimney igniting the leaves blown onto the parapet, which, in turn, set fire to the East door. The crew were thus very relieved to hear that they were completely

LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS Richard Wilding (d.1797) Succeeded by: Elizabeth Wilding (Richard’s widow) which was hugely frowned upon at the time, and William Urmson, her son-in-law. Elizabeth Wilding (d. 1800).

Succeeded by: William Urmson becomes sole keeper. William Urmson (d. 1835).

exonerated from any blame connected with the accident.”

Birkenhead Corporation leased the Lighthouse gardens to The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for 99 years, effective from 1 June 1973. This is the land upon which the Joseph Proudman Building was later constructed, despite the 1935 covenant against new buildings… ahem! Then in 1981, NERC bought Bidston Lighthouse and Lighthouse Cottages from Wirral Borough Council. It was shortly after that the Lighthouse, Observatory and boundary wall became Grade-II listed buildings and it wasn’t until 2000 that the Bidston Lighthouse began its restorative process.

NERC put Bidston Lighthouse and three Lighthouse Cottages on the market in 2010 and Dr. Pickles was found to be the highest bidder. It wasn’t until 2011 that the property sales were secured to Dr. and Mrs. Pickles.

The English Heritage rejected an application in 2012 to list the Joseph Proudman Building, so Wirral Borough Council actioned its demolition.

The demolition commenced on 26th November, at a cost of £177,000.

Today, The Bidston Lighthouse is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and was incorporated in 2015. The history this incredible building holds exceeds more than can be written on a double page spread. We have merely given you a taste of it. Go and see it for yourself this Spring/Summer and you will not be disappointed. Some of its original features can be found, with artefacts used by previous lighthouse keepers. And the view? Well, that’s just something no picture would ever be able to capture.

Bidston Lighthouse is but a jewel in the heart of Wirral and should always be honored for the service it provided. Personally, I’m glad it is now a Grade II listed building and I know that it is in safe hands with Dr. and Mrs. Pickles.

DID YOU KNOW? In 2013, The road leading to Bidston Lighthouse is named Wilding Way, in honour of the first lighthouse keeper.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1690, William III set sail from Hoylake, then known as ‘Hyle’ or ‘Highlake’, with a 10,000-strong army to Ireland, where his army was to take part in the Battle of the Boyne.

Succeeded by: Ann Urmson, Williams’ daughter. Ann Urmson (d. 1869).

Succeeded by: James Adams. John Urmson, Ann’s husband and second cousin, carries on as assistant keeper.

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I NEED ALLOT OF TIME ALLOTMENT FEVER WITH ROBERT THUNDER About six years ago, I took the ferry over to the Isle of Man for a 10 day permaculture design course. I’d become interested in permaculture during my travels in previous years. A guy in Melbourne told me about it during a climate rally and I was immediately interested as it seemed to be exactly aligned with my own ideals about where our food comes from. Permaculture was originally a reference to permanent agriculture and later expanded to signify permanent culture. It is a philosophy of working with nature and using ecological design to create sustainable environments. In our ‘modern and advanced age’ of farming methods that is resulting in a worrying decline of far too many species, permaculture seems like a smart move.

The course was fantastic and opened my eyes to the need for food to be more local, more homegrown and more diverse. I have finally settled on the Wirral and thought now is the time to put all my ideals and philosophies of food and how to grow it into action, so I decided to get an allotment.

Last year, I lived on Bidston Hill and noticed there were some allotments at the bottom of the hill, just off Boundary Road. I took a mooch around a few weeks ago and found two gentleman leaning on their pitchforks having a chat over the fence. They were very friendly and encouraging and told me to go to Tam O’Shanter and have a chat with John Jakeman who runs the allotments in the area. After an invigorating walk (about 200 metres) we found ourselves in the right place and John gave us a nice tip that, if we applied for Harris allotment, there were a couple of plots that were so overgrown nobody wanted to take them on, so if we wanted one straight away, we could skip the waiting list.

It was more or less straightforward to apply online. A quick Google search led me to the Wirral allotment Society homepage,

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wirralallotmentsociety.org.uk that has a (slightly out of date, but nonetheless very useful) downloadable list of allotments and respective waiting times. There is also a link to the allotment application page on the Wirral Council website (wirral.gov.uk), although this link leads to a page that ‘does not work’. Hooray.

After a short search, I found the link to allotments under ‘Leisure, parks and events’ and off I went. The application process requires you to pick two allotments from the list. After speaking with John Jakeman, I decided to put Harris as my number one choice and King George on Boundary road as my second. If the information he gave me is correct, I should be receiving an email within the next two weeks to come and have a look at the overgrown plot and jump the list. The waiting list for Harris allotment was 65 at the time I applied and due to my impatient nature, I simply couldn’t deal with that.

After about four weeks, I received an email from Neil Garnett, the man in charge of that particular site. We arranged a meeting a few days later to look at the plots. Many of them were very overgrown with brambles.

One was so boggy the ground squelched right up to my ankles and I fear taking on that plot would deprive some happy frogs of their habitat.

I finally settled on a plot that was not too overgrown but had clearly not been touched for several years. Various bits of plastic, broken glass and old broken fence panels lay about but generally it looked ok. I agreed with Neil that I would take it on and within three days I had the paperwork signed and my own key. Also, because I joined part the way through the year, the price was reduced from the normal annual fee of £52 to £34.

The plan is to do a little bit at a time, creating raised beds with seasonal produce to eat at home. The only trouble is now… finding time to do it!

Watch this space.

FILM REVIEWS WITH A FILM PODESSEY MAKING OF A MURDERER - NETFLIX This is a Netflix exclusive series which I began watching after finding myself in the midst of a pub conversation between my friends about how great they thought it was but with no clue what they were talking about.

Making of a Murder is a series comprising of 10 episodes depicting the real life story of American, Steve Avery, who is exonerated due to conclusive DNA evidence for a rape he did not commit and for which he served 10 years in prison.

The programme is structured using real TV footage and interviews with the lead characters filmed over 10 years. During this decade, Steve is freed, sues the local authorities for wrongful imprisonment (based upon the theory of either grave incompetence on the part of the local police or else serious and deliberate tampering of evidence) in order to secure a successful conviction against him and which finishes with him on trial for murder.

I would highly recommend this series to while away your evenings. Be patient with the first two episodes which lay the foundations of the story and introduce you to the key characters but after that, you will struggle to refrain from shouting at the TV in disgust and horror as the constant plot twists are unveiled. What makes this series all the more gripping is the fact that it is true and these people are still living through this ordeal.

By the end of the last episode, you will probably want to cross off any planned trip to the southern States of America.

It is a very serious version of both of these characters that we are presented with, Director, Zach Snyder, deliberately wanting to portray the universe in a very ‘real world’ setting. Both our lead characters constantly look like they are carrying the world on their shoulders and this becomes a little exhausting. It sorely lacks some comic relief to lighten the mood and give the audience a break from it’s intensity. Neither of Synder’s incarnations of these characters accurately reflects their comic book versions and whilst Marvel have shown that a variation from an origin can work quite nicely, Synder has ignored the key components of what makes these guys the heroes that they are and, in doing so, has lost their very essence. Superman is supposed to be a ‘glass half full’ kind of fella but in this he comes across as a hormonal teenager. Batman is the world’s greatest detective, whose strength lies in always being one step ahead and being able to plan for every eventuality. This helps him avoid having to kill people. In this film, Batman is a ‘kill first, think later’ type of hero which makes his character clumsy and just not very ‘Batman’!

Plot-wise, this film is all over the place. It smacks of DC trying to squeeze into one film what it took Marvel 8 years to build and this leaves gaping inconsistencies’ and random side-stories which simply do not make sense.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN I’m not a comic book fan boy by any stretch but I have been sucked into the universe, so expertly served to us, by Marvel’s many character incarnations.

For those not in the know, there is a legendary rivalry between Marvel , who have pretty much created everything you have watched in this genre over the last eight years and DC Comics, who are the guys bringing us Batman v Superman. In the film version of the two rival’s comic book battle, DC would probably be represented by a lame tortoise trying to reverse backwards out of the traps. Although DC have made movement in the TV series world, their ‘movie universe’ has thus far given us just one instalment as against Marvel’s ten.

Why is this relevant? To put it simply, DC’s release of Superman: Man of Steel in 2013 was the equivalent of a gentle stretch before a long bout.

Batman v Superman is intended to be their big entrance into the ring and was clearly pitched as an exciting glance into the world they would be unveiling over the next few years. At a cool $250m filming budget, I think it’s safe to say there was a lot riding on this movie being a success!

This film is set 18 months after ‘Man of Steel’ with the world in two very distinct camps over the appearance of Superman. After his somewhat destructive battle with General Zod which flattened a lot of Metropolis, there are those who think he is a godlike hero who saved them from almost certain peril. The other side, wholeheartedly blame him for needing to be saved in the first place and consider his powers and the damage caused by his heroics, a liability. A somewhat weathered, aging Bruce Wayne/Batman is in the latter camp, having seen Superman and/ or General Zod destroy one of Wayne Enterprises’ skyscrapers, killing many of his employees and friends in the process. Batman’s fury is focused on a plan to rid the world of Superman, whilst Superman aims to stop Batman, whom he considers to be a lawless vigilante. To delve any further would be to spoil the film so, if you want to know more, I guess you will have to go see it!

It may sound like I dislike this movie but that simply isn’t true. It was a very entertaining experience and I thought Affleck’s, Batman and Jeremy Iron’s, Alfred were, by far, the best things in this film. My problem was that this movie was supposed to be a mouth-watering masterpiece.; DC’s two stars throwing down the gauntlet to Marvel who have had things their own way for far too long. I wanted it to be great and I needed it to be but instead I got delivered average as lazy Warner Brothers executives wanted an instant cash cow but without being willing to put in the effort to earn our adoration.

I guess I am saying to go see this movie. You would be missing out not witnessing the impressive effects in a cinema environment but just don’t go in expecting magic because you will just come out having been served with some depressing realism.

T: @afilmpodessey

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Summer has arrived with Gusto Heswall 146-148 Telegraph Road Heswall Wirral CH60 0AH 0151 708 6969

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Gusto Liverpool Edward Pavillion Albert Dock Liverpool L3 4AF T: 0151 708 6969

GUSTO!

TASTE TEST BLACKBERRY GROVE 23 MARCH 2016 Have we discovered the best triple cooked chips on the Wirral? Quite possibly!

Popular GUSTO Restaurant and Bar at the Albert Dock and Telegraph Road, Heswall, have introduced their new Summer menu which boasts a vast selection of seasonal dishes.

The new menu has a comprehensive and extensive selection of summertime dishes embracing seasonal flavours and giving the whole menu selection a fresh, new sunshine feel.

Old favourites are still there, plus new additions that will satisfy the most discerning of palates in every section of the menu.

Every single item on the menu is cooked fresh on site and many main course dishes have been added.

A small selection of the menu changes are highlighted below.

The ‘Breads and Nibbles’ section sees the introduction of:Bruschetta: Smoked Salmon, Mascarpone and Chives Smoked Duck, Caramelised Chicory and Ginger Whilst the popular ‘Pasta and Risotto’ section welcomes a selection including:Garganelli Arrabiata with Tomato, Chilli, Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil with Pepperoni Garganelli Primavera with Summer Vegatables, Pine Nuts and Grana Padano with Chicken Smoked Haddock Risotto with Baby Spinach, Peas and Poached Egg Handmade Beef Tortellini with Pickled Walnuts and Tomato Jus The ‘Mains’ section of the menu sees the introduction of 8 new dishes including:Spincach and Ricotta Timbale with Asparagus, Tomato and Avocado Salsa Pan fried Chicken Breast with Wild Mushrooms, Tarragon Cream and Herb Polenta Roast Lamb Rump with Truffled Cheese flavoured Piccolo Raviolli and Tomato Sauce

Blackberry Grove is a little off the beaten track being nestled amongst the back streets of New Brighton. Not perhaps the most obvious location but parking was fortunately ample in and around the venue. We attended mid-week at likely the busiest lunch time period at around 1p.m. The venue was bright and airy with a rustic, driftwood, style of décor.

We were greeted with a warm friendly smile by our host and owner Joanna Jones and located ourselves to a cosy corner with bench style seating to peruse the menu. Everything on the menu is gluten free, how refreshing! Coeliac sufferers can relax, safe in the knowledge that everything is suitable for a gluten free diet and there is not even a remote possibility of cross contamination in the kitchen.

Whilst none of our party had any dietary restrictions, we were drawn in by the refreshingly varied choice on offer. It was no less tempting by the absence of gluten and indeed, to the contrary, we all agreed it offered something entirely different than mainstream menus ranging from Eggplant Burger to Fillet Steak Stroganoff. We each opted for a different variety of burger and I picked the beef burger with avocado and parma ham with swiss cheese, chipotle mayo and watercress. All burgers come with hand cut chips, fresh salad and fennel slaw so the toughest question really was whether to have one burger or two! A single was competitively priced at £11.95 given the extras that were included and a double just £2 more.

The venue started to fill as we sat and chatted and drank in the atmosphere. The food arrived a reasonable 15 minutes or so after placing our orders. The saying goes that “You first eat with your eyes” and if that’s true, we had our first taste without touching the plate!

Each dish was beautifully presented with a fresh salad and perfectly proportioned chips.

Having opted for the single burger, I was relieved; portions certainly err on the generous side so be aware! The table fell into silence as we all took our first bite. Succulent, tender, juicy beef simply melted away in the mouth. Beautifully fresh, ingredients indicated that Joanna clearly knows how to pare food to make the most of seasonal produce. The chunky chips would be a reason to return on their own, let alone for their infamous burgers! The homemade chunky chips became a talking point with their perfectly crispy exterior which gave way to a soft fluffy centre; basically everything you want from a chip and more besides!

In summary, a warm, friendly host dishing up a refreshingly varied menu that caters for anyone with gluten food intolerances as well as offering a good range of vegan, meat and vegetarian options.

Given Blackberry Grove has only been open less than a year, we are hugely impressed at what a big impact this little venue has already made and will undoubtedly continue to make as its reputation spreads.

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Living Wirral have highlighted six eateries for you to enjoy al fresco dinning this summer. Nothing beats a cold beer or glass of wine, good food and pleasant surroundings. You just need to select some good company, request some sunshine and enjoy!

OF THE BEST

Blackberry Grove Independent bar & eatery A: 3 Grosvenor Road, New Brighton, Wirral CH45 2LW E: hello@blackberry-grove.co.uk T: 0151 639 9608 W: blackberry-grove.co.uk

Oxton Bar & Kitchen A: Claughton Firs Oxton Village, Wirral, CH43 5TQ E: drinkandeat@oxtonbar.co.uk T: 0151 651 2535

Pollards Inn A: Village Square Willaston Wirral CH64 2TT E: info@pollardsinn.co.uk T: 0151 327 4615 W: pollardsinn.co.uk

Blackberry Grove has a rare, unique charm and atmosphere, with a homely feel. Breakfasts and brunches are served from 11am and served right through to evening meals and beyond. They have an extensive menu and are particularly popular with vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free eaters. That said, their gourmet burgers and triple cooked chips are a big favourite with carnivores too.

Situated in the heart of leafy Oxton Village conservation area, amongst a vibrant community of shops, bars & restaurants. Oxton Bar & Kitchen is an independent family owned business, priding themselves on our service, quality and atmosphere, since 2004.

Pollards Inn, Willaston is a charming pub and restaurant with bedrooms, set in the stunning village of Willaston on the Wirral.

The usual tipples are on the drinks menu with the added extra of some locally brewed beers.

Classic cocktails, local micro brewery cask ales, boutique craft beers & wines, sourced from small, independent suppliers.

Alfresco dining available for Summer 2016

Freshly prepared, locally sourced, simple, delicious food.

Alfresco dining available all year round.

Owned by villagers Jamie and Cara Kimpton, Pollards Inn has been lovingly refurbished into a country jewel of a pub with emphasis on a warm welcome and good service. The food at Pollards Inn is served by Head Chef Ged Smith and his talented brigade – and the focus is on fresh, seasonal produce.

Jamie and Cara, along with chefs Ged and Dom are pleased to be returning Pollards Inn to its rightful place as the true heart & soul of the village and its surrounding area…

They would be delighted if you joined them on their journey…

Some other members of the team to look out for are Manager Barry Ferns and Assistant Managers Claire and Craig.

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for Summer The Wro A: North West House, Grange Road, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 4DY E: info@the-wro.co.uk T: 0151 625 2010 W: the-wro.co.uk The multi award winning Wro is a venue with a difference, split over 3 sites at the gateway to West Kirby comprising the Bar, the Lounge & the Loft.

They are very proud to have been awarded Wirral’s ‘Most Professional Bar Team of the Year’ for 2014, for the 5th time and ‘Merseyside’s Bar of the Year’ for the 3rd time.

With sophisticated decor, an undisputed reputation for excellent service and casual dining, the Wro is locally recognised as much more than your ordinary bar or restaurant. They pride themselves on being a hub within the community.

The Manor A: 91 Greasby Road, Greasby Village Wirral, CH49 3NF E: themanorwirral@aol.com T: 01516777034 W: www.themanorwirral.com

The Red Fox A: Liverpool Rd Thornton Hough Wirral, CH64 7TL E: red.fox@brunningandprice.co.uk T: 0151 353 2920 W: www.redfox.pub

A tastefully converted 17th century listed building. Set within a beautiful landscaped courtyard located in the heart of Greasby village. A warm welcome awaits.

It is a large property sitting in its own grounds with many spacious, airy rooms, and plenty more intimate nooks and crannies to nestle away in if you’re so inclined. Open fires abound throughout, with wooden floors, an attractive collection of rugs, plants and lots of good old furniture. It has real character.

The function suite is set in the original millhouse and is ideal for your special occasion, whether it be that perfect boutique wedding or a business meeting with plush carpets, original wooden beams and even a minstrel’s gallery.

To the rear of the pub extensive raised terraces overlook the landscaped lawns and countryside beyond. It’ll be a wonderful spot for an al fresco lunch in the summer.

Don’t take our word for it..... go and see for yourself !

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FREE FROM - GLUTEN THE HEALTHY OPTION WITH JOANNA JONES Delighted to be writing what I hope is my first of many columns for this brilliant publication. It is great to talk about things I take a genuine interest in and that I’m passionate about. I own Blackberry Grove, a new independent cafe-bar-restaurant in New Brighton – and I think I’m right in saying I’ve been asked to write this because my establishment is completely gluten free.

I tend not to make a big fuss about being gluten free as I know it can put off people who can eat gluten. When I opened a few months back, my headchef and myself spoke about the options and the choice was to do either a small section of the menu gluten free or make the whole place entirely gluten free. I either wanted to go the whole hog – or not do it at all. So we went for it. It is obviously far more expensive for us to do but it rules out the risk of cross contamination.

We have so many people who finish their meal and can’t believe everything has been gluten free. I’m determined to get the message out there, that you can have a totally normal – and tasty - diet while being coeliac or cutting out gluten for other reasons. At Blackberry Grove we have an action packed menu, it all just so happens to be gluten free.

We’ve had two separate customers in tears after eating with us (for good reasons I assure you!!). One female customer hadn’t eaten fish and chips in 20 years and although ours is real ale battered fish and chips, we use gluten free beer.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a health freak by any stretch of the imagination but I like to eat well. I run whilst I take my dog for a walk every day and I’ve always been generally sporty – but I believe a healthy, varied and balanced diet can foster the correct conditions for one to live a long, happy and healthy life. A good diet can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, stop you gaining weight, reducing your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. It can also help lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of a lot of cancers.

Nutrition plays a key role in our health and wellbeing throughout our lifecycle: starting from conception and later at all stages in life: for babies, infants, adolescents, young and older adults.

Some people are very sensitive to gluten and some people are totally intolerant. In these cases, going gluten free is a good idea. There are lots of pros and cons of course. One of the biggest cons associated with a gluten free diet is the lack of certain important nutrients. Folate is incredibly important and unfortunately, most gluten free foods don’t have the amount of folate you need due to the fact that they aren’t fortified.

The lack of it isn’t great for your body, which is definitely something to take into consideration. Knowing ALL the pros and cons of going gluten free will help you make the right decision for you, your body and your health needs – so be sure to do your research before taking the plunge.

Next issue, I will talk about how I believe nutrition can make a big difference to children with autism.

RUBY’S CHOICE

10 year old Ruby Poland was diagnosed as coeliac when she was just six, following in the footsteps of her mum and grandma. We have asked her to contribute to our magazine, putting forward a recommendation for each edition. We would like to think it will help other young sufferers in some way.

The Little Tea House in Parkgate serve a gluten free selection of beautiful scones and cakes. The massive scones taste lovely with clotted cream and jam. Mum pre-ordered ours. www.yourlittleteahouse.com

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NEWS FLASH!

Pizza Express now make their gorgeous dough balls GLUTEN FREE! So, so, tasty. www.pizzaexpress.com

DIRTY HANS PAINTER, ILLUSTRATOR, DIGITAL ARTIST Liverpool born Dirty Hans is an original, self-taught painter and illustrator who specialises in high impact contemporary urban Art. Hans began painting as it was the only thing that brought a calming effect over his childhood hyperactive tendencies.

The work of artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec strongly influenced his painting style.

Inspiration for his work has come from many things; the imagery of the 1950`s culture, movies, comic books, travelling and from studying more traditionalist contemporary artists. He paints with acrylics, spray paint on canvas and has produced pop art and renaissance pieces and more recently has been branching into the “Digital art Media�

Dirty Hans has exhibited in Antwerp, Brussels, Toronto, Paris, Berlin and Miami.

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The Living Wirral team were keen to find out more about what makes this artist tick so we had a few select questions to put to him.

Which super hero power would you have?

I`d go for mind control super powers as my super power, which is interesting because it tends to be super villains that have this power.

Do you like tattoos or just see them as indicative of our time?

I`ve only ever dated girls with tattoos; I find the skin can be a canvas. In another life, I would love to have been a tattoo artist whose form of art is very much underrated by the mass public.

Have you ever painted a living person?

Would you like to?

I did once attempt to paint my mother but she got annoyed at standing still; it was in the summertime and I was fascinated by the shadow/silhouette effects that her hat and clothes gave off. So that’s my one and only try at it. I have mood boards when I paint or create.

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Who are your artistic and non-artistic inspirations?

Being self-taught in all aspects of my art, I find inspiration in any art form. Art for me is all about give and take; I see, I generate my own view, then create. I can sometimes create it in my mind and carry it around until I might work on a piece of art and that memory pops up and I can use it.

What’s your worst habit?!

Never being able to say no to people can be a little debilitating.

What or whom inspires your art?

Anything creative can inspire me; hearing people speak, sing, reading, watching…

What or whom never fails to make you laugh?

How people get zombified into being sheep; one person says something is good then the next person automatically thinks the same!

It’s laughable how people don’t think for themselves anymore. They need to think, question why they like or don’t like something.

Batman is my favourite super hero character being the only hero without a super power.

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Creative thinking is being confined in a technology “LIKES” modern world.

How long does it take you to paint a typical piece?

Depending on size, with my acrylic on canvas pieces, it can be anything from 4 hours up to 2 weeks. With my print art, it can be longer, partly due to educating myself into that new medium and partly finding I have so many options to explore.

Which piece/s are you most proud of and why?

One of the first paintings I sold in Belgium, called “Pop will eat itself” and in print art “Batman” which is my favourite super hero character being the only hero without a super power.

Who is next to get the Dirty Hans urban art treatment?

I’ve been experimenting with Asian imagery

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the past few months with my agent at Eye Kandi (www.eyekandiart.co.uk) and speaking about doing another New York exhibition, along with an up-coming Chester gallery (www.artat41.com ) What inspired the alias name ‘Dirty Hans’?

Dirty Hans came from a friend that always used to say my hands were dirty and in Liverpool, Andrew gets shortened to “Ands” which everyone calls me. Whilst living and painting full time in Antwerp/Belgium, people would pronounce it Hans and it was then that a friend coined the word “Dirty Hans” and its stuck ever since!

What’s your biggest achievement in your print art?

Finding and working closely with Karen Bowen-Carter, my agent, who’s been integral to my work. With her constant support and drive, I feel and know my work is improving. I owe her a great debt.

BMW M4 A LOOK AT THE MEAN MACHINE WITH NIK ELLIS The BMW M4 is the latest offering from BMW’s Motorsport subsidiary, now simply called BMW M. They have a rich history of motorsport reaching back to 1972 with their first offering, the mighty 3.0 CSL which was tuned and tested, like all M cars at BMW’s private facility based at the legendary Nurburgring circuit in Germany. They went on to create their own bespoke vehicle in the form of the M1 back in 1978. However, since then, they have concentrated on road cars, in particular the M3 & M5 derivatives of the best selling 3 & 5 series. In more recent years, BMW have introduced X5 & X6 diesel versions and the M2 & M6 petrol powered vehicles.

As the race for more horsepower against the likes of Mercedes AMG and Audi’s S division, the M vehicles saw ever increasing sized engines reaching a peak between 1998 and 2010 with a 5.0 litre V10 being fitted to M5 & thereafter M6 models with a 4.0 litre V8 being fitted to the M3.

BMW preferred a huge engine over forced induction (superchargers or turbos) back then, although with environmental and economical constraints the current offering is now a 3.0 litre in-line six cylinder but with two turbochargers forcing the fuel in.

Today, we’re driving the 4 series version called the M4. The 4 series is actually just a coupe or convertible version of the 3 series, this particular one being a convertible.

First thing we noticed about the car is its eye-caching ‘Yas Marina’ blue pearl paint job, one of two special colours for the M series. The M4 is subtly identified with a few minor differences externally such as flared wheel arches, four exhausts, big brakes plus a few different trims which give it an aggressive stance. The bulging bonnet hints at the powerful engine underneath.

Inside the car looks fairly similar to the standard with leather & carbonfiber clad cabin. This one is a 7 speed semi-automatic M-DST gearbox, so it can be driven in a conventionally automatic way or manually via paddles on the steering wheel. There is a raft of technology inside including heads-up display, touch & voice controlled iDrive and a host of functions that can be controlled via a phone app such as the heating, sat nav & even unlocking functions.

Starting up the vehicle reveals a deep bass tone consistent with its power, although this example is fitted with BMW’s M performance titanium exhaust. Moving off, the car is refined, well behaved and can be driven like a normal modern car. However, there are two M buttons on the steering wheel that alter the car significantly. The suspension can be stiffened for more grip (less comfort), the gearbox altered to allow the engine to rev much higher, the engine’s full power can be accessed, traction aids reduced, even the steering can be sharpened.

As soon as the M button is pressed, the car instantly feels very different.

The tone deepens & the whole car feels as if it’s itching to move.

Accessing all 425 horse power in a 1650kg car means a very rapid accelerating machine, with 0 - 60 mph coming in just 4 seconds. Being rear wheel drive, it can be a bit of a handful, especially in the wet, so not a car to be taken lightly.

Typical of the direction modern cars are taking, this is a dual role machine; on one hand an executive, high tech and specification car which can be driven easily for hundreds of miles at a time. On the other, a furious race-ready car. This is an ideal car for seeing off the competition both on the road and track.

Contact Nik: T: @3NikEllis FB: /3NikEllis E: nikellis3@me.com

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A non-profit T-shirt ‘Peace Trete’, the profits from its sales will be donated to peacedirect.org.

• • • • • •

Super soft cotton treated for higher durability Short sleeves Graphic printed front with embroidered detailing Unique Trete Stone wash vintage look 180GSM, machine washable Screen printed neck, no annoying neck labels

£20 Unisex Tee Shirt available from trete.co.uk

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TANFASTIC!

TAN AND CREAM FOR THIS SPRING’S SCENE

1. Barbour Waterproof Coater Jacket £279 BARBOUR.COM | 2. F&F Straw Hat £10 TESCO.COM | 3. T-Shirt £24 NEXT.CO.UK | 4. Dune Woven Sandal £44.99 OFFICE.CO.UK | 5. Brown Belt £18 RIVERISLAND.COM | 6. Mustard Chino Shorts £22 TOPMAN.COM | 7. Giro Stripe Trophy Neck Polo £35 WHITESTUFF.COM | 8. Mens Holdall RIVERISLAND.COM

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A NEW LIFESTYLE BY THE SEA ...

SHOW HOME LAUNCH JOIN US EASTER WEEKEND March 25 - 28

Awel y Mor The Promenade, Pwllheli LL53 5BP Located in a prime position directly overlooking the seafront and beach at Pwllheli and within walking distance of the town centre.

At the heart of the Llyn Peninsula, the town is known for its superb marina and provides some of the best sailing waters in the UK. Enjoy the beautiful surroundings with simple walks along the North Wales coastline or more rigorous walks in nearby Snowdonia National park. Awel y Mor offers a wonderful new lifestyle opportunity, ideal for living and relaxing whilst taking in the stunning panoramic coastal views.

Only 14 stunning 4 bedroom homes with balconies and spectacular sea views – Reserve your beachfront plot now. Ready to move into spring / summer 2016.

Photographs for illustrative purposes only.

Prices from ÂŁ290,000

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SELLING NOW - CALL FOR DETAILS

07741 311239 or email: awel.y.mor@watkinjones.com Watkin Jones Homes www.watkinjoneshomes.co.uk

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CABOVINO Wine Bar & Tapas

84 Victoria Road, New Brighton, CH45 2JF 0151 345 3232 | www.cabovino.co.uk | info@cabovino.co.uk

LUNCH OR EARLY EVENING OFFER Available Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 6pm QUOTE “2TAPAS” Choose 2 tapas £7.50 per person *Valid for any Tapas dishes under £5 “Order a sharing platter or 3 or more tapas & get 15% off any bottle of wine before 5pm Tuesday to Friday”

NEW: Sunday Roasts with a Mediterranean twist from £8.95 pre-booked tables only Open Tuesday to Sunday serving freshly prepared Tapas, lunch dishes & daily Chef’s Specials. We stock a carefully selected range of wines, beers, spirits & soft drinks along with freshly ground coffee & loose leaf tea.

We can cater for private events such as Birthday’s, Corporate Hospitality & also host private wine tasting events, tailored to you in addition to our monthly hosted wine tasting events.

Cabovino Wine Cove & Deli is now open selling wines, beers, coffee & a small selection of deli items.

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YOU NEED Mr Clean and Tidy Zak offers a professional, courteous and reputable cleaning service.

From one off cleans to deep cleans Zak covers it all.

Carprt cleaning is available on request but not offered as part of a

standard clean.

Zak is fully insured and a key holding service is available on request.

Zak has plenty of testimonials that are available on request.

Wirral area only.

Call Zak today: 07803 593 372

@mrcleanandtidy Mr Clean and Tidy

www.mistercleanandtidy.com

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WONDERWOOF BOWTIE £102 WWW.WONDERWOOF.COM The BowTie is designed to be as stylish as it is functional, monitoring your dog’s daily activity based on their size, breed, and age to ensure they stay fit, healthy and happy. It attaches to any dog collar and then wirelessly pairs with the WonderWoof iPhone app, calculating the amount of exercise your pup needs while giving you incentives to help them meet their goals! Whilst it’s super important to keep your dogs physical health in check, our most popular feature is our social network for dogs – connecting and socialising dogs to keep them not only healthier, but happier too! Each time you go out on a walk you can choose to walk privately, share with your friends or share with everyone. The latter allows owners to see a map of all WonderWoof dogs within the local area, allowing them to avoid busy dog walking routes, or ‘friend’ them within the app, broadening out their doggy networks. WonderWoof also offers shareable dog walking routes, so people can discover & share new routes, which for all doggy parents out there is super helpful!

APPLE WATCH £599 WWW.APPLE.COM Instantly receive and respond to your favourite notifications. Because it’s on your wrist, Apple Watch lets you receive notifications immediately and conveniently. The moment the people or apps you care about have something to say, you’ll feel a gentle tap. Then you can send just the right response.Throughout the day, Apple Watch measures your workouts, tracks your activity and helps encourage healthy routines. You can make the watch even more personal by switching straps and changing watch faces, anytime you want.

Living GADGETS

MULTI CHARGER £24.95 WWW.RED5.CO.UK It’s one of those first world problems that actually kind of sucks. You need to charge your devices but you only have a handful of sockets at your disposal (if you’re lucky), and if you’re not so lucky you’re continually fighting over who gets to charge their phone or tablet on the one or two sockets that you have. So if you regularly find yourself having to charge your devices somewhere inconvenient, this powerful Multi Charger 6 in 1 is your new guardian charging angel.

It’s time to bring your plug situation up to date and begin the joy of simultaneous charging for multiple devices. The Multi Charger 6 in 1 offers an impressive 33W through 6 charging ports, allowing you to charge a combination of smartphones, tablets and other USB charged devices at once. This clever porting system detects your device to give you the fastest possible charge speed up to 2.1A per port or 6.5A overall. So whatever your USB charged device, this handy charger will save you time, save on space and keep all your gadgets in the green! Hurray! Please note: this is not a USB Hub – the Multi Charger 6 in 1 can charge up to six devices at once but doesn’t hold its own power. This product comes with supplied with a UK plug. If you are purchasing for use in a country outside the UK, an additional adaptor/converter may be required.

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IMMERSE VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET £30 WWW.THEGREATGIFTCOMPANY.CO.UK Leave your ordinary, humdrum world behind and immerse yourself in another dimension with this incredible Immerse Virtual Reality Headset The Immerse Virtual Reality Headset is the latest in Virtual Reality (VR) technology ; this set is easy to use...and easily turns your smartphone into an affordable, fully featured virtual reality headset which will, quite literally, transport you to another world Featuring adjustable eye lenses, eye cushions, adjustable head strap and a removable window for augmented reality play to improve your comfort and the virtual reality experience, the Immerse Virtual Reality Headset is extremely simple to use and is the perfect way to watch 3D movies, play immerse games or explore new places and experiences. Simply download one of the hundreds of free apps available and immerse yourself.

And remember that it’s almost as much fun watching someone else experiencing VR as it is to do it yourself! The Immerse Virtual Reality Headset works with most smartphones (Apple and android) measuring a maximum 3.5cm - 15.4cm (3.5 - 5.7 inches) in size. Using the extendable phone holder place your phone into the device and using a pre-downloaded app, game or movie step into your virtual reality world Measures W 17cm x H 10.5cm x D 12.5cm Gift boxed. Includes instructions

CHIPOLO £22.98 WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK Ring lost items just like you’d call a lost phone. If your Chipolo is within the 200-foot Bluetooth range, it will play a loud sound until you find it. Check the map for its last known location and time. The app automatically records the last time and place it saw your item. So, if you left it somewhere, you know where to look first. When you have the Chipolo app installed on your phone, you’re helping people find their items. Let’s say you have attached the Chipolo to your keys and they get “misplaced”. Mark your keys as lost in the Chipolo app and every phone in the network can help search for them. When somebody walks by the missing keys with the Chipolo app running, you get a location update, and a glimmer of hope. You can use a phone to find the updated location—down to the exact spot your keys ended up. You’re happy and there’s one less misplaced item in the world.

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Beauty with Sam Peddie

If you have any questions, please e-mail/tweet me/ FB and I’ll research them and provide you with my reply based on the best beauty industry’s advice

Blogging Beauty

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www.zoella.co.uk This year has been the year of Zoella from publishing her first book to conquering the online world.

Twitter: 305M Facebook: 2.53M Instagram: 6.9M Youtube: 9.8M

www.pixiwoo.com Sister act and makeup artists.Sam and Nic deliver video tutorials and posts demystifying all the beauty tricks used behind scenes.

Twitter: 363K Facebook: 6315K Instagram: 761K Youtube: 1.9M

www.lisaeldridge.co.uk Makeup artist Lisa Eldridge works with everyone from red carpet A-listers to top beauty brands. Master of the fresh-faced look

Twitter: 143K Facebook: 404K Instagram: 462K Youtube: 1.3M

3 free beauty apps. Go!

s p i t p o t 1

2 3

Beauty Magazine

Shadescout

Superduper

Concealer is great for hiding spots and blemishes but also try lipstick in a warm pink (no matter what your skin tone). Apparently it “…. distracts people’s eyes from blemishes and other imperfections,” says makeup artist Morgan Schick.

Feeling tired? Avoid piling on the foundation.

Use a tinted moisturizer instead. Also try swapping your dark eye pencil for a white one, placing it on the inner bottom rims. This creates the effect of brighter, more wide awake eyes.

Pamper your feet with a moisturizing facial mask. Then pumice after. Silky soft feet. Ta-dah!

Product review: Have you ever wished there was a loyalty scheme that rewarded you for spending all your wages on gorgeous MAC goodies?! Well, wish no more - it is here!

It’s called MAC Select and it’s based around how much a customer spends, so not only do you come out with a whole new range of gorgeous products, but you also get access to free shipping, an annual gift and access to the Back To MAC program (when a customer returns 6 empty containers and receives a free product).

To set up a membership is free (even better!). Everyone starts at the ‘Seduced’ level. For anyone who spends more than £100 a year, you get promoted to ‘Devoted’ level, and the final tier is called ‘Obsessed’.

Sign up today! www.maccosmetics.com

Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow If you’re like me and have been trying to find the right illuminating products to achieve the ‘dewy, glowing, fresh-faced’ look then this could be the solution.

I’ve generally gone for highlighting moisturisers like MAC’s strobe cream beneath their Studiofix foundation followed by MAC mineralise highlighter.

Giorgio Armani’s radiance-imparting foundation potentially solves the solution. It provides sheer coverage it softly evens out your skin and above all else, leaves you a soft natural looking glow.

The light consistency makes it the perfect base for summer, but if you prefer a heavier coverage for winter, mix a few drops with your usual foundation.

The nourishing oils and pure pigments results in a super silky application and leaves your skin feeling supple and fresh.

My product rating out of 10? Er, 9.5!

Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow Bi-phase Elixir SPF 30 £40 at Lewis’s

CHECK OUT...

They’re Real Tinted Mascara Prima £18.50 www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk This new for 2016 product claims to work in two ways: 1.Wear as a mascara primer to dramatically boost length & separation.

2. Wear alone to tint & define lashes for a feathery, natural look.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Body Oil £29 www.elizabetharden.co.uk If you can’t leave home without the cult classic Eight Hour Cream, you’re going to love this new oil version.

A multi-purpose product: you can use it on your face, spray it on your body or even mist it over your hair.

How to apply: Wiggle the wand at base of lashes then sweep upward from root to tip. Wear alone or layer your mascara on top.

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We are the only clinic that have been approved as a ThermaVein centre in Liverpool, Wirral and Chester.

What does ThermaVein do?

ThermaVein offers the instant, safe and permanent removal of facial veins, medically referred to as “telangiectasia”. There are a variety of more commonly used names to include thread veins, spider veins, rosacea, vascular blemishes and spider naevi Three Dimensional Liposuction Med Machine Our 3D Lipo Med Machine is part of the newest technology in fat removal. It is a natural fat loss method and a powerful 3D alternative to liposuction which doesn’t require invasive surgery and can target specific areas.

This cutting edge technology rids you off fat cells, tightens skin and banishes cellulite.

What type of treaments can I recieve?

1. Cavitation (Fat Melting) – Cellulite is eliminated and fat is transformed into a liquid state and drained from the lymphatic system 2. Radiofrequency (Skin Tightening) – Radiofrequency is used in combination with low frequency ultrasound to tighten the skin 3. Cryopolisis (Fat freezing) – Eliminates fat cells by freezing them, without damage to your skin 4. Cryofuse (PPC infusion) – Supports the breaking down of fat within the body by decreasing the size of the fat cells

Thread Vein Removal - Reviewed Like most women, there are numerous parts of me I’d like to change but I haven’t got the nerve (or money!) to go under the knife.

Revitalaser in Heswall is perfect for women like me who want to improve their looks without undergoing anything too drastic.

Andrea Mappouridis, Revitalaser’s founder, is a highly qualified beauty and laser therapist.

Friendly and knowledgeable, she talked me through the various treatments offered by Revitalaser and how they can be used including the removal of hair, thread veins, cellulite and fat.

Of the various bits of me I’d like to improve, a small thread vein on my face has been bugging me since it appeared a few years ago when I was pregnant with my second child, so for my first treatment (there will be many more!) I opted to have this removed a

Hair Removal - Review To laser, shave or wax, that is the question! Or at least it is for most women.

I’m sure that I am not alone in feeling fed up of the daily (ok perhaps not daily but certainly weekly!) underarm shaving routine. Yes, it’s a necessary but dull task given we are not yet as confident as our European counterparts in allowing such hair to be proudly displayed!

Nor do I envisage that ever being the case any time soon.

After 30 years of shaving, I thought it was time to take the plunge and find out what all the fuss is about laser hair removal and where better to try this out than Revitalaser on Telegraph Road in Heswall. I was keen to ensure that I attended a reputable salon and this ‘Medical Skin Spa’ came with a wealth of recommendation.

I made my booking a week or so in advance and I was particularly impressed to receive a reminder a few days or so in advance asking me to confirm my booking which I duly did. On arriving at the salon, I was greeted by Andrea Mappouridis, the Managing Director. I filled in a detailed health and background questionnaire before being taken into the treatment room. There, we went through my personal information and chatted about my intended procedure. I felt completely at ease and in safe hands. At no time was I left wondering what would happen or the post treatment effects; Andrea explained everything so I was raring to get started.

She prepped the underarm area then applied the laser with a continuous circular, sweeping motion. At no time did I feel any pain and nor was there any smell or discomfort. Andrea explained that the laser heats the targeted hair follicles with gentle pulses of laser energy. Within literally minutes, the first underarm was completed and the other was done as quickly and painlessly. I was surprised that the procedure took about 20 minutes in total so would be easy to pop in on a lunch hour or after work.

Perfect!

It was suggested that six or so sessions would be the optimum to achieve the best results. I was pleased to be advised that the salon offers payment plans so that the cost could be spread. In the long run, the saving would be huge and the fact that the razor could be ditched permanently within a short period, a particularly attractive proposition.

So, in summary, if you’ve been debating laser hair removal and not had the courage to try it out or perceived it was beyond your reach financially then I strongly recommend you try Revitalaser. It was quick, painless, professional and achieved brilliant results. What you waiting for?!

Although it was only quite small, it was a dark red and slightly raised which meant that I couldn’t conceal it with make up.

I was quite nervous about the treatment as I’m not great with pain but Andrea assured me it wouldn’t hurt and she was right.

The treatment was over within about 30 seconds and I didn’t feel a thing.

The effect was instant; straight away the vein had almost completely disappeared.

Andrea had said a small scab might form but it didn’t and within a few days it had completely gone.

I can’t wait to go back and work my way through their treatment list!

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Revitalaser 189 A Telegraph Road, Heswall, CH60 0AJ Contact: Andrea Mappouridis T: 0151 342 2409 M: 07931 341 333 E: info@revita-laser.com

Beauty salon offering everything from acrylic nails, waxing, facials, massage and more

ESSENTIAL

Bring your skin to life this Summer with Bean Burst Coffee Scrubs.

Targets; cellulite, stretch marks, scarring, acne and dry skin conditions.

Go to www.beanburst.com to order yours today and stay social @beanburstltd

249 Seabank Road, New Brighton, CH45 1HE, UK

Web: www.essential-therapy.co.uk Phone: 0151 792 6216 Email:info@essential-therapy.co.uk

Also available at Nancie Henry in West Kirby.

Full body Swedish or Aromatherapy. £5 off for 1st visit!

Tsuboki Japenese facial £15 ... 30 min Tsuboki Hand massage £15....30 min Hopi Ear Candling £15 --- 30 min

T: 01516326731 M: 07825 304 026 E: www.allthatjazzhairandbeauty.co.uk

FRESH JUICES & SMOOTHIES FRESHLY FROZEN JUICES FROZEN MEALS RAW CHOCOLATES CAKES, COOKIES & MORE GLUTEN FREE VEGAN FRIENDLY

10%

19 VILLAGE ROAD LOWER HESWALL CH60 0DX T: 0151 342 1208 FIND US ON: FACEBOOK TWITTER

OFF FRESHLY FROZEN JUICE PROGRAMMES ON PRODUCTION OF THIS ADVERT

www.Fresh-Start-Health.co.uk

• • • • • • • • • •

T: 0151 608 9052 M: 07736327662 E: Rejuvenatebykarla@hotmail.co.uk W: dermalogicaconnect.co.uk/rejuvenatebykarla

Sole to soul Holistic’s aim is to promote the body’s natural balance and help maintain equilibrium and wellbeing through holistic treatments. West Kirby based.

Jane: 07899 745 778 Facebook: /Soletosoulholistics jane@sole-to-soulholistics.co.uk www.sole-to-soulholistics.co.uk

This month we are offering a nonsurgical face-lift course of 10 for £270 20% discount on all Jane Iredale skincare Makeup and Dermalogica skin care products

Free, safe, high quality midwifery care for all NHS patients A dedicated midwife who is accessible to you 24/7 Unlimited ante-natal appointments Home appointments - evenings and weekends Care through labour and birth 6 weeks post-natal care Scanning Free hypnobirthing courses Breastfeeding advice and support Continuity of carer

Refer by calling 0330 3309 121 Email info@121midwives.co.uk Visit www.onetoonemidwives.org

• •

Unique and luxurious handcrafted Worldwide products sourced predominantly from Africa M: 07793824650

E: viki@vikita.boutique

20% OFF FRAMED ILLUSTRATED MAPS, USING THE PROMO CODE fatcat16 Facebook: /CunninghamArtIllustration/ E: anitacunningham@hotmail.co.uk W: www.fatcatillustration.co.uk

•

Are you dealing with the estate of a loved one & need help or don’t want to pay high solicitor fees?

Have you been named executor on a will and have no idea what your responsibilities are?

Wirral Probate Services can help.

Our probate pack, for a one off payment of £249, provides all the information you need to deal with a loved one’s estate and explains your role as executor.

M: 07803 297 607 www.wirralprobate.co.uk

www.livingwirral.com

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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND IT’S MANY, MANY USES! The healing power of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) dates back to ancient times where it is alleged that Hippocrates II of Greece, used it as a natural antibiotic and antiseptic to heal patients in 400 B.C.!

However, fast forward to today and research has shown that ACV is not only useful in a variety of ways you never thought possible but also effective in treating a variety of ailments & conditions.

In recent times, the food we eat is processed, affected by pesticides or genetically modified but often we don’t give it a second thought trusting that the food that is prepared for us is healthy and nutritious because the label tells us so!

However, we are questioning more and there is definitely a movement that is going back to basics and using only natural ingredients.

Here’s just a few of the many alleged health benefits:• Eases nausea • Aids weight loss • Slows and decreases cancer growth • Aids digestion • Reduces inflammation • Reduces acne and wrinkles Word of Warning: It’s important which vinegar you buy!

Raw organic ACV should never be confused with regular clear vinegar. Clear vinegar has none of the health properties of ACV and can actually be harmful.

So, how does it work?

Well, it creates a perfect alkaline environment in your body. Health experts say, that most diseases cannot thrive in that environment.

Raw, organic ACV is made from organic apples.

It undergoes a double fermentation process, which produces enzymes and preserves its health-promoting characteristics.

What nutrients can be found in raw organic ACV? • Potassium: essential for normal heart, kidney and other organ and cellular function • Iron: important for blood health • Magnesium: vital to heart health • Enzymes: boost chemical reactions in the body and helps digestion • Acetic acid: slows the digestion of starch and inhibits bacterial growth • Calcium: builds strong bones and teeth • Pectin: helps regulate blood pressure and cholesterol Plus, ACV provides an array of vitamins including vitamin A, B6, C, E, amongst others.

More people than ever are struggling with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Instead of

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treating these illnesses after a person is sick, wouldn’t it be better to prevent them? Whilst there is no replacement for a healthy diet and exercise to manage weight, apple cider vinegar does show potential for managing hunger and weight control by helping people feel fuller.

Exercise and good nutrition are essential for health.

So there you have it! ACV can work miracles for your health, home and garden and it is inexpensive… are you tempted to try any of the remedies? Tell us how you get on if you do!

ATS HELP SORE THRO

Ingredients: 60 ml ACV • 60ml filtered water • sore throat, mix At the first sign of a st 30 seconds. lea at and gargle for d repeat.

Rinse with water an

ply spritz ACV TO KILL WEEDS. Sim her! on and watch them wit

TO PRO M

OTE SH INY HA IR Ingredie nts • ½ teasp oon AC • V 250m Mix and l water pour on to hair a water. nd rinse with

UNBLOCK YOUR DRAINS Funnel approximately 250ml of baking soda into your drain followed by a cup of ACV. After the foaming stops, flush the drain with hot water and wait 5 minutes. Afterwards, flush with cold water.

IN THE H TIME rget the C U M ? Fo TOO BURNT r sunburn, SPENT u D GOT o N y A r fo N SU ons pple and loti ked in a It creams g a cloth soa in. k s d e rn lyin try app gar to your bu nt relief and ine insta cider v rovide efully p p o h l il w ealing. rapid h

PAULINE DANIELS LOOKING AT LIFE AFTER BREAST CANCER WITH THE FIRST LADY OF COMEDY Well I’m back in the land of the living I’m pleased to say, travelling is fantastic, but how good is it to walk through your door put the kettle on and have a real cup of tea, I was cruising around South America and I know that sounds extremely exotic, but I’m afraid that a lot of the places we visited were very poor and sometimes there is an element of the human zoo which wasn’t the nicest of things.

was really pleased to see that we women no longer need to worry, there are bras that will take you through right from surgery to when it is all over and you can wear your fancy French matching underwear again, I was happy to be able to say a few words and the whole evening raised money for North West Cancer Research follow Morgan on Twitter @lovememysecret and Facebook Lovemeandmysecret.

Anyway, talking of tea, I have to be honest and say that I am a confirmed tea urn, I can’t function without at least two cups before I do anything in the morning but I have recently discovered the benefit of green tea, because I’ve always pulled a face at those people who drink all those fancy arty farty teas but I have a tip for those lovely ladies who are going through the menopause and suffering with hot flushes, have a couple of cups of green tea and it certainly does help, it tastes awful but some tea companies offer green tea with fruit, my favourite is mixed berries and grapefruit, they make it just a bit more palatable. Remember though that it isn’t decaffeinated so if you’re like me and find it hard to sleep, then make sure that you have the green tea before lunchtime and most definitely never before bed. I hated the fact that I had to stop having “normal” tea but the decaf stuff is getting better, I have become quite a big fan of Twinings Everyday decaf and if I can’t get that then good old Yorkshire tea do a decaf too now, give it a try once you get used to it, it’s just like a normal cuppa, of course you also have to get used to having semi skimmed or completely skimmed milk too, it’s a never ending battle haha!!!!

When I went to the hospital they told me about the joys of acupuncture and that I could go to Wirral Holistic and it may help with my hot flushes, going off on a tangent here I’d just like to point out that I hate it when women say things like, “are you having a power surge” or “ ooohh are you having a tropical moment” they are HOT FLUSHES and I hate them I don’t want a fancy saying for them, ok!!!! Right, rant over.

I have been to see the nurse and given her dates when I can start my lipo modelling on my boobs so hopefully it won’t be too long now to wait, when it’s being done I will need a comfortable bra, now anyone who has had breast surgery will know just how hard it is to find the right bra, without it looking like it has been made by Cammell Lairds during the Middle Ages but last year at the Merseyside Woman of the Year Awards, which I host, I met a young lady by the name of Morgan Dowler who told me that she was addressing the problem because her mum had had breast surgery and she was in need. It reminded me of the day I was in a department store looking at the underwear and I literally broke down crying because I didn’t think that I would ever be able to wear a pretty bra again, it’s an awful feeling because you don’t feel like the woman that you were and it sometimes seems that you never will again.

Anyway at the beginning of the month I went to the launch of Love me (and My Secret) , 23 year old Morgan is now director of her own company and I

So I’m home for a week or two and then I get a call asking if I’m available for the next eight weeks, the only reason I wouldn’t have been would have been because I’d given the dates to my breast surgeon for my re construction to start, anyway that’s now on hold again because I have now found myself in Essex about to open in a new play called Silver Gym. Apart from the fact that it’s very funny it tackles exercise for the older generation. Now in the past when I have rehearsed a play the most physical thing I’ve probably ever done is put the kettle on but this!!!!!! We have a pump lesson every morning as a warm up because at the end of this play we actually do a demonstration. I’ve got to be honest and say that it’s taxing but I feel better for it, I don’t do really strenuous stuff because of my joints, although they are feeling much better these days which is down to coming off some cancer medication which I obviously discussed with the surgeon you just can’t stop taking tablets without advice but he was happy and I am much happier since coming off them.

Getting older doesn’t really have to mean slowing down completely but as you get older your body changes and I can only speak as a woman when I say that the lack of oestrogen has raging effects, not only the hot flushes but I have now discovered the thing that Joan Rivers used to make me laugh about is now happening to me, yes the undercarriage is going, or the medical phrase, I now have a prolapse womb, which I will be seeing the Women’s hospital about when this play is over. Meanwhile I need to exercise I need to do pelvic floor exercises so I’ve got a Pilates ball and a little electrode device to help, but pounding the floor power walking is no good and neither is carrying anything heavy, so Frank will have to carry his own wallet.

I’ll let you know how everything goes and also how the diet is going next month, I’ve been a little sidetracked because it’s not easy when you are away from home and trying not to pick up convenience food. And on that note I’m about to treat myself by going to get the best fish and chip in the world, Byrnes in Liverpool sorry it’s on the wrong side of the water but they do GLUTEN FREE fish and chips, even the vinegar is gluten free and I discovered it some time ago but up till then fish and chips were a no no because I also have ulcerative colitis, OMG, there’s not much right with me is there, it all went downhill the minute I reached 55, so let that be a warning.

Keep healthy and keep smiling, that’s the best medicine ever xx

Can I please pass on my condolences to Keith Singleton and family on the loss of Bernie otherwise known to us as Bernie Bucket.

She was a massive inspiration to me and when I had just been diagnosed she rang to ask me to do a charity show for Clatterbridge cancer and even though I felt so low she made me realise that there were people off worse than me, she was one of them and all she wanted was to find a cure for this horrendous disease and I’m sure that the money she raised will help.

RIP Bernie xx

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WIRRAL DOG GROOMERS

244 Wallasey Village, CH45 3HB | 0151 668 0018 | rita@wdgroomers.co.uk

BIG OR SMALL WE GROOM THEM ALL! DROP IN SESSIONS AND APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE. PICK UP AND DROP OFF SERVICE. PENSIONER DISCOUNTS ON WEDNESDAYS.

Claire House Events Calendar 2016 PRINT READY. pg1.pdf

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20/01/2016

Zip Wire Challenge Saturday 16th April Saturday 16th July Fly through the Bethseda Valley in Europe’s longest and fastest zip wire!

Minimum sponsorship £150 No Entry Fee

Wirral Coastal Walk Sunday 12th June Follow the coastline from Seacombe to Thurstaton in Wirral’s most scenic event.

Walk 4, 10 or 15 miles. £5 adult, £1 children aged 10 and under.

Claire House Splash Dash Birkenhead Park 3k Saturday 9th July Sefton Park 5k Saturday 24th September Powdered paint fun… on the run! www.splashdash.org.uk

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Summer Solstice Skydive

www.wdgroomers.co.uk

16:07

Excalibur Saturday 21st May Clywdian Range

Party in your PJ’s and stay awake so our families get a good night’s sleep.

£40, £35 or £25 Entry Fee www.conquerexcalibur.org.uk

Email events@clairehouse.org.uk for your All-Nighter pack.

Snowdon at Night

Liverpool Chester Bike Ride

Saturday 25th June

Saturday 18 June, Shropshire.

Plummet 10,000 ft. at 120mph!

Minimum sponsorship £150

Minimum sponsorship £400

Registration fee £25

No Entry Fee

www.claire-house.org.uk/challenges

Tough Mudder Saturday 10th September Sunday 11th September Cheshire Are you tough enough? Join the Claire House team at one of the toughest events on the planet!

Minimum sponsorship starts from £200.

No Entry Fee

Friday 27th May

Altitude with attitude! Could you conquer Excalibur? Run or walk 26.2 or 13.1 miles off-road.

New 10k route added this year.

Experience Wales’ highest peak at night and watch the sun rise from the top!

th

Claire House All-Nighter

Claire House Christmas Fayre Sunday 27th November Thornton Manor

Sunday 3rd July Take part in Merseyside’s biggest cycling event and cycle from 5 to 100 miles, with six routes to choose from. www.liverpoolchesterliverpool.com

0151 343 0883 www.clairehouse.org.uk

Celebrate the festive season with Claire House!

events@clairehouse.org.uk

£2 adult entry, children FREE

Registered charity number: 1004058

MANDY MOLBY Fundraiser Extraordinaire!

I’d like to start this month by sharing something that happened to me a few weeks ago.

I recieved a letter in the post calling me for an early mamogram (selected randomly I believe). I duelly went for the scan thinking no more of it, well, that was until I had a call asking me to return to discuss the findings.

After a deep core biopsy, it turns out that my abnormal mass, was grade 3. Maria Callaghan, my specialist was amazing and operated immediatly to great effect with little scarring. I am, thanks to early detection and superb care, cancer free. Please, please, do not ignore any offer of scanning - whatever the reason, you just never know what you may prevent.

In October last year, the Ambassador’s Ball raised £76,000 and in January, my husband Jan’s Ambassador’s Lunch, raised £50,000.

These are just two of many fundraising events that happen throughtout the year and enable us, via your generous donations, to pay for community projects and individual requests for help through Cash for Kids.

Here are some of the charities we pledged money to recently: Wirral Community Narrowboat Trust provide boat trips for the elderly, disabled, special needs, youth and community groups. They applied for £2,125 to provide cruises aboard their specially designed narrowboats which have ramps, lifts etc suitable for wheelchair bound clients. We granted the full amount.

The Rainbow Centre - Autism Together are services and support for individuals with autism and social communication difficulties. They wanted to set up a Tailor made sensory experience by linking several dens together and the children will be able to engage with parents, siblings and support staff in a safe, calming environment. Because the equipment is easy to set up, take down and fold flat for packing away, the support workers will be able to take additional dens into family homes and to the childrens centres, ensuring that as many children with autism as possible recieve this beneficial experience. They applied for £2063. We granted the full amount.

Clare Mount is a special school in Moreton, Wirral. They would like to esablish a community café on site. Pupils can develop their social and communication skills in a familiar environment and will offer them work experience. They will open the café to the local community to change their perception of the pupils that attend. They applied for £7000, we granted the full amount.

Ronald McDonald House is a place where families can stay at the hospital if they live far away and their child is ill in hospital so that they can saty on site to be near their child. They would like to re vamp their play area for younger children so a TV for £150, a soft flooring play area £100, Duplo toys £200, Storage £300 and equipment for older children inlcuding a laptop £200 and a games console £300. £1250 was applied for and the full amount was granted.

The Welcome Centre provides a safe, warm enviroment for parents, carers and people with all disabilities regardless of age. Based in Birkenhead people who use the centre are mainly deprived families and are from families who have disabilities. They would like to fund their 5 and under club to operate at the weekend on a Saturday between 10am-12noon. They will have messy play and give children

Mandy Molby is totally down to earth. You couldn’t meet a kinder, more sincere person if you tried. Her endless charity work gives you the measure of the woman and yet, it only scratches the surface.

She is compassionate, understanding and full of fun despite having faced some trying times in her personal life. If we all did a fraction of what Mandy does in a year, the Wirral, no, the world would be a better place.

In each edition of Living Wirral, I have asked Mandy to talk about the money the Ambassadors have raised and more importantly, where that money has been allocated. That way, we can all see the good our money is doing on our own doorstep, so to speak.

Cash for Kids is part of the Bauer Radio’s network of local charities, which operate across 21 areas around the UK, including Radio City.

Their mission is to respond to the needs of children from the North West, Merseyside and across North Wales where it is needed most.

Supporting those who are suffering abuse or neglect, who are disabled, or have special needs, to live life to the full and achieve their individual potential.

The money raised by Cash for Kids locally, goes to support local children under the age of 18. We have a grant-giving process that organisations, charities and individuals can apply for, support that will make a difference where it is needed most. In 2014, 318 grants including Mission Christmas were approved that helped 38,709 children to the value of £1,087,160 Our Mission Christmas Appeal provided gifts and presents to over 25,500 children this year”

OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR EVENT

breakfast and they will cater for children with speciail needs such as ADHD and Autism. They would like to purchase craft materials, breakfast and promotional materials. They applied for £4000 and the whole amount was granted.

The list is endless. We paid the ground fees for a caravan allowing respite to 52 families at risk.

We bought a wheelchair to allow a youngster to stand (whilst still in the chair). It will change his life, allowing him to be at eye level with his friends during school or play.

We paid for a sign language course and a speech therapy course.

We also granted money to help families in distress or desperation with bare necessaties.

All in all, the money you donate is put to very good use here in Wirral and Liverpool. We can never thank you enough for your generousity, but just know that together WE ARE making a difference.

Mandy x

www.livingwirral.com

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M

SPOTLIGHT ON MARK POLLARD

ark is the 35 year old Managing Director of Vantage Law and a proud Yorkshireman. This former semi-pro footballer has also represented Leeds in the National Swimming Championships and taught himself to speak Italian.

He presently resides in Thurstaston, Wirral with his financee having recently relocating his law firm from Liverpool where he lived for ten years.

What’s your favourite App? It changes weekly - The ‘dull’ answer is Last Pass or One Note because I’d be lost without them. Otherwise I love annoying my fiancée by looking up every programme we watch on IMDb.

Quick Fire Apple or Android?

Apple all the way for me.

What’s the last film you watched?

Batman v Superman - What a distinctly average disappointment of a film. Come on DC you know you can do better!

What device do you prefer to use it on?

The beauty is they work perfectly whatever you use.

Ketchup or Mayo?

Big dollop of Ketchup.

What’s the last thing you downloaded?

Another new app called Sleep Cycle which records your sleep quality & does a load of other really cool, clever things.

Pepsi or Coke?

Honestly, don’t really drink either so I guess whichever offered to pay me the most for advertising their product.

Cats or Dogs?

I suspect my dogs would have an issue if I went with cats - plus there’s always something shifty about cats.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Tuscany in Italy - heaven on earth outside of my beloved Yorkshire.

Night in or night out?

Night in these days. A good meal, film and the Missus; that’ll do me nicely thank you.

What’s your poison?

Nothing beats a cold beer & a cheeky occasional Limoncello to cleanse the pallet of course.

Facebook or Twitter?

Twitter because giving people unlimited characters to say something is dangerous.

Vantage are a modern firm based in Heswall. Set up in 2010 the team draws upon their years of experience to provide a premium legal service. Their aim is to reduce the stress of the legal process by providing support, guidance and expertise throughout in a way that fits around your needs and will never compromise quality over quantity!

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