Kingsthorpe Magazine December 2016

in and around

December ‘16 / January ‘17

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PICK

A community magazine and business directory for local residents

UP! I’M

A Merry Christmas & Happy New year to all our readers!

Over 4,000 copies distributed across your local Area For news feeds and what’s on, visit

www.northamptonmagazines.com Contact your local property experts to arrange a FREE valuation of your home: 01604 722197

or

jacksongrundy.com

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Kingsthorpe in and around

& Boughton

This issues highlights . . .

High Intensity:

4

Looking for a different type of fitness training? Read on . . .

Dear Readers, Welcome to this festive issue! It’s a time of year where most of us can at least enjoy a break!

As usual, our aim is to include something for everyone. If you’re new to this magazine, there is some fun for the kids on page three, two competitions for over 18’s, the usual quiz page and plenty of good reading for both youth and adults alike. It was nice to hear that some school goers are among our fans!

So chill out and take a leisurely look at what’s inside. Have a good Christmas and see you in 2017.

Quiz Corner:

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Go on! Spoil our quizzical experts’ Christmas . . .

Win! Win! Win!

Want the chance to win a majestic prize? Then investigate further . . .

Festive Frolics:

A look at some odd festive habits from around the globe.

Space Oddity: When ground control got into another panic . . .

Fly Sywell:

There’s something new on offer at Sywell Aerodrome . . .

Luv ‘em / Hate ‘em?

Debating the pro’s and con’s of the Christmas market!

Bev & Dez

In & Around Kingsthorpe & Boughton Magazine

Recipe:

If you would like to advertise in this magazine or have an event to promote, please contact us:

Local Sport:

Try your hand at these easily made low fat festive treats . . .

07747 632918

It’s almost half time in the United Counties League!

admin@northamptonmagazines.com

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What’s On:

See our local events guide but if you want more try our website!

This journal does not accept any responsibility for errors and omissions in this publication, or for the accuracy of claims made by advertisers. Views expressed by contributors are their own and are not necessarily shared by the publishers. This publication has no political bias.

10 13 17 31 35 41 50 60

Front Cover Image: ‘Some dogs will do anything for a biscuit’. Image supplied by A.S. images.

The Intrepid Kids-Can You Find Korky?Kingsthorpe Kat!

Simply flick through this magazine and find the other seven pages that Korky is hiding on. Have more fun by timing how long it takes you . . . and see if Mum or Dad can beat you!

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HIIT properly. Sadly, many people jump into overly-intense HIIT before they are ready and get injured. Strains, sprains and development of muscle imbalances are all too common among beginners doing HIIT. Never sacrifice your form in the name of intensity! Make sure you completely understand the proper way to execute each exercise before throwing yourself into it and if you are too tired to do the exercise with good form, STOP! Its important to note that whatever your fitness level, if your body is not in the correct state, fully hydrated and nourished with the right foods you will not reap the benefits from HIIT. When your body is stressed it releases chronically high levels of cortisol, a hormone that causes you to lose muscle, retain fat, and lowers your guard against illness and injury. Your body can only deal with so much stress at once, whether it’s from HIIT, work, poor sleep, or your other workouts.

Also rest and recovery time is absolutely essential for getting good results from HIIT with adequate downtime between workouts in order for the body to fully recover and rebuild.

Otherwise, you’re just continually tearing yourself down without allowing time for your body to rebuild.

A good rule of thumb is to rest at least 48 hours between intense full-body HIIT sessions, you can still train but just perform a different type of exercise on your ‘off’ days. No matter what exercise style you choose, it’s best practice to take one day per week completely off from training. Gentle activities such as walking and stretching are excellent for recovery days.

The Bottom Line HIIT when performed correctly its an amazing tool to improve your fitness and get you lean, you will of course also need to be persistent and consistent with it. Like anything, consistency is key for achieving results. www.becca-mclachlan.com www.metabolic-booster.com becca@becca-mclachlan.com Becca Mclachlan Fitness Studios, Brampton Heath Golf Centre, Church Brampton, Northampton NN6 8AX

So what is HIIT? You’ve probably heard of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), over the past few years this type of training has become increasingly popular. A HIIT session involves short bursts of intense exercise broken up by short periods of (High Intensity downtime for recovery.

Interval Training) HIIT workouts are different

by Becca Mclachlan from other types of interval training because the high intensity intervals involve your MAX effort and not just a higher heart rate. The high intensity part of HIIT involves giving it your all for a certain amount of seconds (duration can vary). So you might do an intense burst for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds, it can be applied across all exercise modules including cycling, running, swimming, weight training circuits and group exercise classes.

There are several key benefits of HIIT, firstly its an amazing fat buster which fires up your metabolism burning calories fast, not only whilst you are training but hours after your workout too.

It also improves cardio performance and lean muscle development. HIIT can offer something for just about everyone, whether you’re an athlete looking to improve your performance or a wanting to change your body shape. I often use this type of training with many of my small groups and personal training clients.

The Do’s and Don’ts Of HIIT After reading the benefits you might be keen to get started with this type of training, but if you have been living a sedentary lifestyle and haven’t exercised for a while I’d advise that you begin with steady exercise first and get yourself into a regular routine before including HIIT into your weekly workouts. If you have any health issues always get the all clear from your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

There is also a right way and a wrong way to go about high-intensity interval training. Done the wrong way HIIT can result in injury and other downgrades in performance such as inadequate recovery. If you want to reap the awesome benefits you need to make sure you’re doing

Beginners Guide To HIIT

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Finished with this magazine? Then pass it onto a friend & let them enjoy it too!

AJ

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Coffee time

COFFEE TIME CROSSWORD

Mindbogglers You’ll find all the answers on the events page near the back!

WORD LADDER Convert the word at the top of the ladder into the word at the bottom of it, using only the 4 rungs in between. On each rung you must put a valid 4 letter word that is the same as the word above it, apart from a one letter change. There may be more ways of achieving the final answer.

DEER LEAD LOAD LORD CORD TERM

Across

1. Pub name (4, 4). 6. Lighthouse that topped the chart in 1969 (6). 9. Shocked (7). 10. Desire for food (8). 11. Depart or seperate (8). 12. Twice & once more (6). 13. Famous sherry (7, 5). 16. Cover expenses (4, 4, 4). 19. Drinks container (6). 21. Surrounding the Isle of Man (5, 3). 23. A factor of life (8). 24. A copy? (6). 25. Potato disease (6). 26. Relegated (4, 4).

Down

2. Month (6). 3. Look at a way up? (5). 4. Hairdressing term (9). 5. Most expensive (7). 6. Brit living abroad (5). 7. Decipher (9). 8. Visual tekky (8). 13. Game ending injury (9). 14. Lowly out of sight (3, 6). 15. A lonely sound (8). 17. A 60’s party (7). 18. In the rainbow (6). 20. Birds resting point (5). 22. Pester or stalk (5).

SPORTSWORD Answer questions 1-7, fill in the grid and use the initials to name a Premiership striker..

Answers to all 3 puzzles are on the events page near the back of this magazine!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 T

J

N A

E O

T A

R

1. Legendary member of D the crazy gang. 2. Retired Pakistani all rounder with R L over 250 ODI’s behind him.

I 3. Keeper currently with Juventus. 4. F1 speed merchant at Toro Rosso. 5. Multiple gold medallist & OBE paralympian.

6. Current European champion indoor triple jumper. 7. Netball coach who was awarded an MBE. 6

advertorial

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It’s a busy Saturday afternoon on your local High Street! You are in a department store and decide to go back to try that duffle coat on for a second time. How would you feel if the price had changed or a nearby display lit up with a special offer?

What you may not realise is that technology has been developed which could allow the store to track your shopping movements using the Wi-Fi on your mobile phone! The technology identifies the MAC address of a smartphone and can be linked to a specific individual and is already being introduced by shops seeking to build up a picture of how people typically use their stores.

In the near future it could also be used to track passengers at airports and railway stations.

Added to this, is the use of facial recognition technology, which has been used by advertisers to determine the gender of customers as they pass by enabling them to tailor advertising on nearby screens for either men or women.

The days of remaining anonymous on the High

Shopping incognito!

Street are all but over - thanks to technology that allows stores to track our movements via our mobile phones or even identify us by scanning our faces.

The Information Commissioners Office has issued a warning that it may need to take action to protect the privacy of shoppers being monitored without their permission. The data protection watchdog has also announced that some companies may already have used ‘wi-fi location tracking’ without telling their customers but was unable to give actual examples of misuse of the technology but said ‘the ability is there.’

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Win a case of wine!

Majestic Vintners opened its first Wine Warehouse in Wood Green, North London, in 1980 and specialises in selling brilliant wine by the case. We believe wine – whether you’re buying it or selling it, and especially when you’re drinking it – should be full of fun.

To enter a draw for the chance to win one of four cases, simply answer the following question: In what year was Majestic first established?

Email your answer and contact details to: northamptonentries@gmail.com by Saturday 14th of January 2017. Please include “Majestic Competition 2017” in the subject line of the email.

At Majestic there is no membership requirement and no minimum purchase. Just drop in sometime and browse our great selection. We are open 7 days a week and also offer great savings when you mix-and-match any 6 or more bottles from our range of wines, spirits and sparkling wines.

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Baileys Hair

by faye

Salon owner Faye Bailey has recently supplemented her growing popularity as a hair stylist by introducing her own brand of luxury hair products.

Baileys Hair by Faye are members of the hair council. With over 25 years experience, clients can choose from up to date trends and styles as well as traditional classics.

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of the ancient god Thor, who rode in a chariot pulled by a pair of goats.

Apparently, between Christmas and New Year’s Day, people wearing masks and costumes go door to door where neighbours attempt to identify who is under the disguise. Some also sing Christmas songs and are usually rewarded with sweets. Then at least one person from the visited household joins in and the Julebukkers continue to the next household. In it’s earliest forms a goat would be slaughtered but that part of the celebrations is now only reserved for people who can’t sing but think they can!!

Some will be pleased to learn that further research reveals that none of these rituals occur in Greenland although personally, I wouldn’t fancy spending my Christmas there!

As well as eating Mattak, (raw whale skin with added blubber) their other festive delicacy is something referred to as kiviak! This is made by wrapping a small arctic bird called an Auk, in seal skin, I suppose it sounds like a poor mans’ sushi! The problem being is that they then bury it for several months before eating the decomposed flesh!! Think I’ll stick with sprouts this year!

For those who may wish to traverse the land to enjoy the festivities in Austria please take in this note of caution as doing likewise in the UK is probably a recipe for spending your Christmas break in a police cell! So the tale goes, the Krampus is a demon-like creature that is regarded by all as St Nicholas’s evil accomplice who punishes naughty children. I am told that men dressed as the Krampus roam the streets during the festive period, frightening the lives out of little children. In some parts of Bavaria this creature, that is described as a horned, anthropomorphic figure or put simply, “half-goat, half-demon” is in high demand while babysitters take their festive break!!

In contrast, the Japanese like to keep things simple! In the land of the rising sun, Santa Claus is more commonly known as “Santa Kurohsu”, and is said to have eyes in the back of his head, allowing him to keep an eye on naughty children as well as being an ideal football referee. E

Festive madness Please accept my apologies if you really don’t want to be reading about Christmas festivities weeks before the true spirit of Christmas actually arrives. I think it’s true to say that as most of us get older the festive period loses its magic and most of us just look forward to some time off work!

Having investigated whether different cultures across the world think likewise, it appears that some of our rituals are a bit bland compared to some which may explain the degree of apathy we give to Christmas.

Take a nose at the Catalonians of Spain for instance. Their tradition of caga tió (or as we would translate it, “defecating log”) involves creating a character out of a small wooden log.

This often wears a hat, has a grinning face and sits on their dining room table in the two weeks prior to Christmas. ‘Not too bizarre’ I hear you say, but then they feed it every day with fruit, nuts and sweets! And then on Christmas Eve the entire family thrash the living daylights out of the log with sticks, while singing traditional songs, forcing the log to excrete its treats!! mmm! sounds like complete anarchy!!

Meanwhile, wicked Christmas Norwegians believe that Christmas Eve coincides with the arrival of evil spirits and witches! Nothing out of the ordinary there I suppose, except that all Norwegian households hide their brooms before they go to sleep. I wonder where . . . in the broom cupboard perhaps? Along with Sweden, another festive tradition popular in Norway is the Julebukk (or Julbock in Sweden).

From what I understand, it’s something about a Christmas goat and derives from the worship 13

In the Ukraine, the only thing likely to scare you other than Vladimir Putin’s Red Army is the Ukrainian tradition of decorating their Christmas trees with a spider and its web.

It is reputedly said to bring good luck and originates from the tale of a poor woman who could not afford to decorate her tree.

She awoke one Christmas morning to discover that a spider had covered it in a glorious, sparkling web . . . . . really??

Now, in the USA, there are many festive rituals but not many as bizarre as the one where they adorn their Christmas trees with decorative pickles! I gather that the tradition originated from an American infantryman who was captured in April 1864. On Christmas Eve he was a bit peckish and begged a guard for a snack item. The obliging guard came up with an old leftover pickle from his lunchbox and after release, the prisoner is said to have begun the tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree every year!

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After due consideration, I suppose it’s only fair to look at how other parts of the world perceive Christmas antics in the UK. The Welsh ritual of Mari Lwyd probably confuses many - even me! A local villager parades around with a mare’s skull on the end of a wooden pole, while others sing traditional songs. White sheets are used to conceal the pole, and the person carrying it. Sometimes the horse’s jaw is spring-loaded, so that it can be used to snap at passers-by. I have to say that the logic of this totally escapes me as with diving into a freezing body of water on Christmas Day. Just how the ritual of brave Londoners leaping into the Serpentine in Hyde Park or wherever caught on, I’ll never know!! Irrespectively, enjoy your break!

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as technicians frantically checked monitors and other tracking devices in an attempt to identify the UFO. The sheer mention of something else ‘up there’ keeping Gemini 6 company created tension and panic in the control centre.

Then, just before Houston could respond, the ground controllers heard the familiar strains of “Jingle Bells,” played on a harmonica backed by miniature sleigh bells echoing over their headsets. They’d been well and truly had by a Stafford and Schirra’s improvised rendition!

Something to consider

Gemini jokers Ten days before the Christmas of 1965, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration got an early festive gift when astronauts Walter Schirra Jr. and Thomas Stafford, who were aboard Gemini 6, rendezvoused in space with Gemini 7, piloted by Frank Borman and Jim Lovell.

After they’d finished the song, Mission Control’s Elliot See breathed a sigh of relief and just said, ‘You guys are just too much.’

The Santa Claus plot had been hatched weeks before the Gemini 6 mission. “Wally came up with the idea,” recalls Stafford, now a retired Air Force general, who chairs an International Space Station advisory group. “He could play the harmonica, and we practiced two or three times before we took off, but of course we didn’t tell the guys on the ground . . . . and we never considered singing, as we couldn’t carry a tune in a bushelbasket.”

Gemini 6 had been launched several days after Gemini 7. Schirra and Stafford manoeuvred their capsule to within a few feet of the sister ship in what was the first prearranged meeting in space between two spacecrafts. Schirra then eased his craft away, and the crews settled in for a short winter’s nap. The mission required the utmost piloting accuracy and computer based control of a space vehicle and its success demonstrated that Mission Control in Houston, Texas clearly had the technology and support to enable future link ups with two vehicles in space - seen as a key element in the future of space exploration.

Today that harmonica, a tiny, four-hole, eightnote Little Lady model manufactured by Hohner, as well as five small bells of the kind that might embellish a Christmas wreath, reside in a gallery on the second floor of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The quirky artefacts, which Schirra and Stafford donated in 1967, are included in a display of personal items astronauts have taken into space, along with such standard-issue gear as long underwear and survival knives. Apparently, the harmonica and bells were the first musical instruments ever played in space.

Then, on December 16th, just before Stafford and Schirra were scheduled to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere the pair reported they had sighted some sort of UFO. Stafford immediately contacted Mission Control: “Houston, do you read me okay? We see an object . . . . . looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit . . . . . looks like it might be going to re-enter soon . . . . you just might let me pick up that thing . . . . I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front . . . . . and the pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit.”

Music, of course, was not new to space.

Mission Control routinely used recorded songs to wake up astronauts. But live music from space represented a giant leap for the performing arts, not to mention Santa’s public relations. The astronauts performance was a larky gesture not equalled until Alan Shepard turned the lunar surface into a golf driving range some four years later.

There followed a few eerie moments of silence 17

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What can give your garden all year round colour even in the darkest months? flowers held on tall flowering stems. The colour range is generally simple from white and creams which compliment beautifully against the bright leaves, there are however a few bright reds and pink flowers that are wonderfully eye catching.

Some varieties are almost perpetual flowering from spring through to autumn. Although they are small flowers the bees really do love them.

Heucheras are happy in most soils - provided that they have good drainage, heavy wet soils are just not good for them.

They love a good mulch to keep the soil structure open.

In the spring give your plants a tidy up - remove all old dead foliage and give them a good hair cut and off they will grow again.

Heucheras are Hardy so don’t wrap them in fleece to keep them alive, they need lots of air around them. When planting avoid plants hanging right over them - give the foliage some room to breathe.

Once established Heucheras are drought tolerant - so will withstand periods of dry very well.

During the winter months they provide some much appreciated colour in our gardens. With the recent breeding programme the breeders have been able to provide us with so many different colours, leaf shape and size there are plenty of varieties to choose from.

Collecting the different ones can fast become addictive, you have been warned!

Written by Emily Mitchell of Cramden Nursery in Whitehills, Kingsthorpe, Northampton.

Telephone: 01604 842365.

At this time of year there are not many plants that can brighten up some of the shortest & dullest days of our year.

Heucheras can.

Heucheras are wonderful versatile and one of the easiest group of plants to grow.

These North American Plants all belong to the Saxifragiace family.

And it is their evergreen brightly colour leaves in a stunning range of colours that can give a beautiful splash of colour to your garden all though the year. The leaf colour ranges from lime greens & yellows, Orange & browns, purples & black, reds & pinks, silvers & variegated.

Every garden no matter how big or small can find a place for a Heuchera or two. They look stunning as container plants standing out on their own creating a real impact on patios. Plant them as part of a mixed border, in groups or on their own they will bring colour to the dullest of corners. Some varieties have wonderful trailing habit and are perfect for all year round colour in a low maintenance hanging baskets. Plant them in troughs or half baskets to brighten up walls and walk ways.

There are varieties perfect for full shade, full sun & partial shade positions of the garden. Some Heucheras are happy in all of the above. If you have a hot sunny spot you will need to pick the hotter ,deeper colours the reds, oranges, blacks or purples . Shade is great for silvers, limey greens, golden ,oranges and variegated leaf varieties.

Although Heucheras have wonderful colourful leaves they also do have, attractive frothy 19

Christmas is just around the corner so it’s time to stock up on the Mistletoe. But did you know that in reality you may be kissing someone under the Bird Poo? Confused? Well, this festive plant is actually a parasite that feeds off trees and plants. So what’s the connection between bird poo and the kissing stuff?

Some birds like to feast on Mistletoe berries and then when nature calls, they have a habit of relieving themselves whilst perched in trees.

This excrement can drop onto plants below as well as the branches of the tree. The berries contain seeds which then grow and take root, via the poo, in the tree or plant. Therefore, Mistletoe is an evergreen pest that steals nutrients and water which weakens and may disfigure the host plant, and eventually kill it.

The word mistletoe is an Old English word combining “mistel” (which means “dung”) and “tan” (which means twig). Could this be because the plant looks a bit like bird poo on a stick?

The plant is also poisonous! Which could be handy if your festive partner comes on

Don’t get too near the mistletoe . . .

too strong! Eating any part of the plant can cause drowsiness, blurred vision, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, weakness and seizures. The symptoms are caused by an ingredient called phoratoxin, which is found in all parts of the plant, including the berries, and is especially concentrated in the leaves. Eating the plant raw or drinking it in tea can be a one way ticket off the planet . . . so take care when kissing!

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E

NLT Sports

Get Active 2016 Award (Sponsored by Northampton Borough Council) Winner: David Smith. Runners Up: Monica Darby & Jack Cobley.

Community Club of the Year (Sponsored by Travis Perkins) Winner: Northampton ON Chenecks FC. Runners Up: Northampton Basketball Club & Northampton Swimming Club Team of the Year (Sponsored by Cybex) Winner: Northampton Express Fours.

Runner Up: Northampton Demons ARLFC & UON Men’s Hockey 1st team.

Coach of the Year (Sponsored by University of Northampton) Winner: Arthur Daly (Kings Heath Boxing Club) Runners Up: Stuart Seery (Northampton ParksTennis) & Tony Warren (Northampton Express Bowls Club) Volunteer of the Year (Sponsored by Nottingham Community Housing Association) Winner: Walter Merino (N’pton Judo Club).

Runners Up: Robert White (N’pton Express Bowls Club) and Adrian Wake (N’pton COYS Touch Rugby) Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year (Sponsored by David Smith Associates) Winner: Eleanor Robinson (N’pton Swimming Club) Runners Up: Claire Stancliffe (N’pton Town Deaf F. C.) & Maisie Summers-Newton (N’pton Swimming Club) Local Sportswoman of the Year (Sponsored by BBC Radio Northampton) Winner: Chantelle Cameron (Far Cotton Boxing Club).

Runners Up: Susan Corless (N’pton Archery Club) & Sofia Jankiewicz (British Dressage) Local Sportsman of the Year

Awards 2016

Northampton Leisure Trust held their 8th annual Sports Awards on Thursday 20th October at the Guildhall, Northampton. The awards are held in partnership with Northampton Borough Council and were hosted by Lennie Newman from BBC Radio Northampton. We have a number of generous sponsors who contributed to the event who we would like to thank. There were close to 100 nominations across all categories with as many as 10 in some. The standard of nominations continues to grow each year and the range of sports involved increases all the time. The awards evening once again demonstrates the strength of grass roots sport in Northampton and the success that many athletes have locally, regionally and nationally! Each award category is shortlisted down to three nominees who are invited to the awards evening, where the winner is announced.

On the evening David Buchanan from Northampton Town Football Club came along for a question and answer session and a chat about the exciting times at Sixfield Stadium.

List of Awards: Young Sportswoman of the Year (Sponsored by Northants Sport) Winner: Eleanor Robinson (N’pton Swimming Club) Runners Up: Emily Williams (NSG 7 kettering Town Harriers) & Rosie Foden (N’pton Swimming Club) Young Sportsman of the Year (Sponsored by Knight, Kavanagh & Page) Winner: Eithan James (Kings Heath Boxing Club) Runners Up: Tom Symons (Pro Martial Arts) & Leo Barker (GKR Karate) Young Leader of the Year (Sponsored by Healthwatch Northamptonshire) Winner: Abbie Thompson (Lings Primary School) Primary Sport School of the Year (Sponsored by Friday Legal) Winner: Weston Favell CE Primary School Runners Up: Blackthorn Academy & Boothville Primary Secondary Sport School of the Year (Sponsored by MacIntyre Hudson) Winner: Northampton School for Boys Runner up: Malcolm Arnold Academy

(SPONSORED BY NORTHAMPTON MAGAZINES)

Winner: Christopher Willies (England Short Mat Bowls) Runners Up: Carl Fail (Far Cotton Boxing Club) & Victor Oyesola (UON Athletics Club) Long Time Contribution to Sport (Sponsored by Speedo) Winner: Grahame Yates (Basketball) Runners Up: Brian Juffkins (ONs RFC) & Jane Pell (Gymnastics) We will be opening nominations for the 2017 awards on 1st January 2017. For more information visit: www.trilogyleisure.co.uk 22

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THE GUILD OF MASTER CHIMNEY SWEEPS Powering chimney sweeping into the 21st Century

The tall storey!

According to at least one encyclopedia, a skyscraper is a multi-story building whose architectural height is at least 100 metres.

Clearly the authors have never visited the Newby-McMahon building in Wichita Falls, Texas, which is widely known as the “world’s smallest skyscraper”.

This building is four storeys and only 12 metres tall, which in most peoples’ minds makes it little more than a house! When it was built in 1919, the Woolworth building in New York was the world’s tallest building, standing at 241 metres.

J. D. McMahon was the owner of the Wichita Falls Oil Co, whose offices occupied a one-story brick building on the corner of Seventh and La Salle. Next door was a vacant lot, and during the local oil boom in 1912, he decided to meet the city’s growing demand for office space. Plans appeared to show this new build at 480 feet high and investors promptly gave him $200,000 to crack on. Preferring to keep things in-house, he used his own construction company.

This might be why it took the investors a little while to realise they’d been had. Slightly late in the day, it became apparent that McMahon was, in fact, building a 480 inch tower. The investors tried to bring a lawsuit against him, but the judge found they’d signed off the original blueprints. Sure enough these promised that the building would be 480” tall, and not, as they’d assumed, 480’! . . . . Suckers!

Completed in 1919, the building was 12 feet long, 9 feet wide and 40 feet tall. There was no way to get from one floor to the next! In addition, McMahon hadn’t even asked for permission to build on the land which didn’t bother him one iota as he disappeared from the town shortly after, presumably with a good chunk of the investors’ $200,000 in his back pocket.

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Making every moment count this Christmas at Cynthia Spencer Cynthia Spencer Hospice is a haven for many people across South Northamptonshire.

Their aim is to make every moment count for the patients and their families supported by the Hospice and this Christmas, the 40th since the Hospice opened is no exception.

The Hospice will be decorated with trees and celebrations will be happening throughout December both in the Hospice and throughout Northamptonshire.

The Hospice will be inviting patients and their families to decorate the trees within the Hospice with decorations they have created together and the public are being asked to support also by decorating the trees in reception and their coffee shop.

Those wishing to join the Hospice in this special 40th Christmas celebration can do so by visiting the Hospice between 10 & 4 on 1st December.

The Hospice is also inviting people from across the county to join them at their annual Tree of Love service. Anyone wishing to dedicate a light to a loved one should call 01604 678082.

The trees will be lit at the Hospice and from the 13th December with special services being held at the Cathedral on 13th & 15th December. For more information call 01604 678082 or visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk Should you wish to support the Hospice at any point call Louise Danielczuk 01604 678088 or text FCSH11 ÂŁX to 70070 (replacing X with the amount you wish to donate).

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less via science and more via toilet visits.

Then I found ‘Ken’, otherwise known as the Ketogenic Enteral Nutritional diet and involves eating absolutely nothing at all! Instead, for ten days at a time a patented liquid formula made up of protein and nutrients is dripped directly into the stomach via a plastic tube that goes up one’s nose and is taped on to their face. It can be backpack-mounted for those who actually need to work for a living but the thought of parading round with nasogastric tubes doesn’t appeal to me so I quickly moved on to explore the16:8 diet which claims to be Hugh Jackman’s inspirational god!

His wolverine physique was powered by this eating regime which is a form of intermittent fasting where you eat nothing for 16 hours a day, then cram everything into the other eight!

Some quick research shows there is more to the diet than mutant pecs as intermittent fasting is proven to extend lifespan, reducing the risks of cancer and heart disease while 16:8 also claims to vaporise fat fast, revealing the abdominals you never thought existed.

Of all the options, a visit to an Ayurveda retreat turned out to be my preferred option, until I saw the costs involved. Whether you consider it as alternative medicine, a pseudoscience or utter baloney it is one of the world’s oldest holistic (whole-body) healing systems and was developed thousands of years ago in India. The prospect of visiting a retreat (such as Shinshiva. com) did appeal as it claims to provide the ultimate detox or complete MOT for the body.

By identifying which of your mind and body characteristics are malfunctioning, the resort grants its customers a bespoke programme of treatments, including a hyper-specific diet plan and spa treatments that pledge to cure all manner of ills. One bizarre treatment is Sirovasthi, in which luke warm herbal oils are poured into a cap that is fitted on the head for 15 to 60 minutes per day for a period of seven days. Apparently, it helps to cure insomnia!

As for my final choice . . . . well, I always wanted to own a sports car.

My drastic new years resolution Being on the cusp of 2017, I decided on an early look at new year’s resolutions. The canyons of my mind have been urging me to change my diet for some time so I decided on a detox hunt that might at least repair the festive damage!

There’s something satisfying about a detox!

It’s almost like you’ve had a new body and it’s heartening to know that no matter how trashed our insides might get, mankind is always capable of hitting the reset button before the rot sets in and becomes irreversible. Just take a nose at the craggy, century-old rock stars who committed years of Class-A abuse and then swapped it for yoga and meditation!

Despite looking like death warmed up, they will probably outlive us all! Nowadays, the market for body rebuilding is very lucrative and the diverse options I discovered included plenty of fairy tales among the facts.

The first product that took my eye was ‘VB6’ which sounds more like a sports car but apparently tastes like a plant! ‘Vegan Before 6’ does exactly what you’d expect - by day you’re an animal-saving, dairy-swerving vegan, by night a flesh-devouring free spirit. Invented by writer Mark Bittman, the logic behind the diet is appealing because you only have to be disciplined part of the time, which I think should make VB6 easier to sustain long-term compared to stricter diet plans.

Another option is cunningly called ‘Plenish’ and is designed to help you achieve your weight loss goals by replacing solid food with cold pressed juice 2 days per week. This is an intermittent fasting programme without the calorie counting but costs an arm and a leg. I think a lot of juice based detoxes often represent a fix that works 28

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Pastures Community Centre Mob: 07741 493625

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www.pasturescommunity.co.uk Email: Booking.pastures@btconnect.com Directory of regular user groups and contact details Monday – Friday Mornings: Highfield Pre-School - Julia 07974 615733 Mondays: 10.00-11.00: R Conley Food & Fitness with Miranda - 01536 724376 / 07979 042925 6.15-9.15 Whitehills Beavers, Cubs and Scouts - contact Gary 07740 181999 (Email: gsl@whitehillsscouts.org.uk www.whitehillsscouts.org.uk) Tuesdays: 11.30-12.30 Age Concern Tai Chi - 01604 611200 2.00-4.00pm Tea Dance - Derek on 01604 846869 4.15-7.15pm Unified School of Dance - www.unifieddance.co.uk 6.30-7.30pm MindBodybe Hatha Yoga: Deborah T:07525808632 E: Deborah@mindbodybe.co.uk www.mindbodybe.co.uk 7.30-9.30pm Girl Guiding - Linda on 01604 858105, Sally 07989 568071 Wednesday 10.00-11.30 Line Dancing - Derek 01604 846869 1.15-2.45 Yoga with Lorna 01604 719260 3.00-9.00pm Slimming World - Gayle 07156 339822 Thursday 10-11.30am Yoga with Lorna 01604 719260 1.45-2.45 Keep Fit Moves Patricia 01933 674263 Thursday 3.00-6.00 First Class Learning - Carol 01604 315191 (www.firstclasslearning.co.uk/centres/northampton-kingsthorpe) 7.30-9.30 First Thursday of every month Heart Support Group 6.00-8.00 Rokakai (Karate) Brian (Email: senseiholland@rokakai.org www.rokakai.org) Friday 9.30-10.30 am Pilates with Louise 07766 807184 (Email: pilateswithlouise@gmail.com) 2.00-4.00 50 plus club 5.30-7.30 Unified School of Dance - www.unifieddance.co.uk NEW 1st Sunday of every month Methodist Church Meeting 10.30am all welcome please mention In & Around Kingsthorpe when responding to adverts

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Room 101: The Christmas Market?

In the 1290’s Albert I, King of Germany and Duke of Austria allowed the city of Vienna to stage the world’s first December market. The “krippenmarkt”, as it was eventually called became a special market for small traders and was otherwise known in England as a ‘crib market’.

Without a shadow of a doubt this became the forerunner of today’s Christmas market - and so the single most catastrophic development in the history of retailing was born.

public, fall for it every year.

Christmas markets are, of course deeply rooted in Germany, an apparent legacy of King Albert 1. It is also because they are a gifted and clever nation. Alongside their many talents like football, engineering and the steaming of dumplings, the German populus are skilled at integrating the crazy extremes of sentimentality with the old ‘sturmund-drang’ movement still instilled in the nation’s character to this day. These are people who taught the Swiss to yodel and invented the cuckoo clock.

In fact, in the Black Forest they have at least three contenders for the title of the ‘Biggest Cuckoo Clock in the World’. The one near Triberg is about the size of a three-storey house!

Following Albert’s disastrous initiative, December markets spread throughout the German-speaking world like a wildfire in the Aussie outback. So much so, that they now stretch across the entire western world bringing with them fake snow, plastic greenery, ridiculous looking reindeer, literally billions of fairly lights and chalets that look like they’ve just come out of an Ikea warehouse.

Millions of visitors behave as if glühwein was actually for drinking rather than chucking over the heads of imitation elves and gingerbread angels. Every year travel companies run trips to these appalling phenomena and people in their droves take it upon themselves to buy an array of terrifying trinketry - wire jewellery, tomatoscented soap, miniature pottery rabbits, candied fruit - and a thousand other things that have very little bearing on Christmas and for which nobody anywhere in the world has ever had the slightest use.

Overwhelming evidence reveals just how big Christmas is in Germany. The Käthe Wohlfahrt outlets are the only chain of shops I know which sells Christmas goods (only) all year round. In the build up to the festivities their main shop in Rothenberg-ob-der-Tauber displays countless glittering balls, happy and grim Santas, uncountable nutcrackers, six-feet high pyramids and probably over 80,000 artificial lights.

In my view they are a complete and utter charade, disguised by clever decoration, with a bit of Christmas music thrown in for good measure.

Although it’s a horrifying chasm in the human soul, uncovered only in Advent, I think there is also a degree of capitalisation involved . . . and we, the

If you fancy a visit, Cologne has not one market but seven, including what may be the world’s only gay and lesbian Christmas market. According to sources, it was themed pink and purple last year and even sold Christmas dog accessories.

35

Nuremberg claims to be Germany’s biggest and most beautiful market, so if you like sausages, gingerbread and Zwetschgenmännle, it’s the place to go! . . . by the way, that last item, beginning with Z, is a festive figure made from prunes and figs. Just for the record, the limbs are prunes, the body is fashioned from figs and the head is a walnut. Oddly enough, this Z-thing is not classed as edible, so I really can’t see the point of it?

You could always consider venturing elsewhere as this festive madness is gradually and worryingly spreading in a westerly direction.

Gothenburg is Sweden’s second city and ‘boasts to be hosts’ of Volvo and the ‘Ace of Base.’ If you’re a fairy light fanatic, this is the place to be - as there’s five million of them!

Don’t forget to take a pair of shades with you! Closer to home is Strasbourg, although it encompasses an outstanding red sandstone cathedral, welcoming half-timbered streets and apple-cheeked matrons serving up choucroute,

France’s most civilised city has also succumbed to the invasion of the Ikea sheds! Even closer is Narbonne in Languedoc but the internet offers little information on this apart from an untrusted comment that mentions ‘Dustcarts’ and “made in China” in the same sentence.

As you may have deduced by now, I am not a fan of german markets but concede that there are many who are. Christmas is a time to be merry and flash some cash . . . so I am told, I just like to moan about it!

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www.watts-furnishers.co.uk 241 Birchfield Road East, Northampton NN3 2HG Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 5.30 For a wider selection of quality new furniture visit us at 80 Abington Street, Northampton NN1 2BB Tel: 01604 231800 please mention In & Around Kingsthorpe when responding to adverts

Don’t forget that you can advertise in our Duston, Abington & Parklands magazines as well!

J.B. Double Glazing Repairs

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38

Having a perfectly

imperfect Christmas

Christmas is a time of giving, a time of celebration, and a time to reflect and to remember people of years past, who may no longer be with us for whatever reason.

But for some, Christmas is fraught with selfimposed anxieties and feelings of overwhelm in trying to create the perfect Christmas ideal.

From making sure you have the most perfect tree and decorations possible. To trying to create the perfect Christmas dinner, and then spending all the time stressing over the little things like hoping you don’t overcook the brussel sprouts again, to having gravy so thin, it’s like pouring water. This is alongside spending hours

buying the perfect present, and then constantly worrying if it’s going to be liked, or if it’s going to be given to the nearest charity shop!

My professional advice is to take a step back and keep it in perspective. Does it matter in the great scheme of things if the tree is bald on top, the decorations look well loved, the brussel sprouts could substitute as golf balls, and you wish Jesus could turn your gravy into wine, as Aunt Dolly always drinks too much, and it would save you an absolute fortune.

What does matter is making memories with the people who are special to you. Those people who love and appreciate you, and value the time and effort you have put in, to make Christmas a truly special and magical time. This perfectly imperfect Christmas will set the stage of future stories to tell. To be told with joy, laughter and embellishment, for future generations to come.

If you need to talk about your anxiety issues call Julie on 07776 031332 or visit: www. anxietyblaster.com

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Keep this magazine handy - it contains important info & is great for swatting flies

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Nice ‘n’ light festive mince pies Makes 16 Pies (7 syns each) Prep Time: 5 Resting Time: 30 Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Ingredients: Frylight (preferably butter flavour) 225g Plain Flour 110g Margarine Pinch of Salt 16 tbsp Mincemeat 1 level tbsp icing sugar, to dust Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mk 5.

Lightly spray some bun tins with low calorie cooking spray.

2. Make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the fat and gently rub it in with your fingertips.

3. Add sufficient cold water to mix to a ball that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Rest in the

fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 32 rounds with a 7.5cm/3 inch fluted cutter. Use to line the prepared bun tins.

5. Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cases. Roll out the remaining pastry trimmings and make some little stars with a star cutter.

Use to decorate the tops of the tarts.

6. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and lightly coloured. Cool on a wire rack and dust lightly with the icing sugar.

41

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Burning fossil fuels is a good source of energy, but it releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere warming the Earth’s climate, which has become a big problem. But what if you could capture that carbon dioxide as it’s released from a smokestack and turn it back into fuel?

Chemically it’s possible, and it’s already been done on a small scale. Scientists around the world are working to make it practical on an industrial scale, where a stream of carbon dioxide could be captured and “recycled” back into fuel before ever hitting the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.

The good news is that scientists say they’re one step closer to ‘putting the genie back in the bottle’. In theory, the chemical reaction in which fossil fuels are burned to generate carbon dioxide, water and energy is reversible. It’s very similar to how scientists dissolve carbon dioxide in a conductive liquid and run electricity through it using electrodes to produce carbon monoxide. That carbon monoxide can then be combined with hydrogen to make products like synthetic diesel.

Of course, there is a catch! To make a litre of fuel, you need to feed in at least the amount of energy in the form of electricity that would be released by burning a litre of fuel - in other words, a lot. But the synthetic fuel could be effectively carbon neutral if both the hydrogen and carbon monoxide were produced using renewable energy, such as solar or wind.

If that were the case, not only would the process stop carbon from being spewed into the air, but it could also be a way to store renewable energy in places where it tends not be sunny and windy at the times when we need the most electricity.

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42

Always keep your copy of this magazine handy! - as well as a list of useful phone numbers & school terms dates, our advertisers provide important services!

Oakview Landscaping The Professional Garden Renovation Service

our services include:

Patio’s, Fencing, Decking, Block Paving, Artificial Grass, Hard Landscaping, Tree / Hedgework & free no obligation quotes

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45

If you’re over 50? Then see the Northants 50+ Networks News Magazine on our website

Kick Start the New Year!

Free Talks: Good Health is Your Wealth!

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Venue: Abington Clinic, Beech Avenue, NN3 2JG

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www.dwsolicitors.com 46

Are you a member of the National Trust?

If so, have you considered joining your local association to get more use out of your National Trust membership and to meet new people whilst learning more about the good work of the National Trust and the many activities they have to offer.

Founded in 1971, the Northampton Association is a voluntary group of National Trust members and volunteers drawn from Northampton and the surrounding areas.

We aim to provide an interesting and entertaining programme for our members as well as raising funds to promote the work of the National Trust.

What we do…

Every year we organise a variety of activities including: · Evening talks at Weston Favell Academy, Booth Lane (September to April) · Day outings (not only to National Trust properties but also to other private stately homes and gardens. · Short holidays in the UK and Europe

Northampton National Trust Association

· Fund raising events which include Punch and Paté Evenings, Pancake Day Celebrations, Autumn Fair at St Matthews, New Years Lunch etc) · Carols in the Courtyard, an annual festive event at National Trust Canons Ashby A quarterly newsletter is published which contains full details of all our activities and booking forms.

We have donated over £110,000 to a wide range of Trust appeals as well as providing regular support to our local properties at Canons Ashby and Lyveden New Bield.

For more info and to join the Northampton Association, please contact our Membership Secretary Margaret Richards on 01604 722717 or email: richardsmargaret33@yahoo.com

Skip Hire & Recycling Ltd WE ALSO HAVE WE ALSO TO OFFER HAVE TO OFFER

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01604 883688 please mention In & Around Kingsthorpe when responding to adverts

WIN!

A SET MEAL FOR TWO!

The long established, BOMBAY PALACE RESTAURANT is one of Kingsthorpe’s best fine dining Indian experiences and is renowned for its very friendly and excellent hospitality.

This high quality Indian restaurant, with it’s clean and tidy traditional interior is situated just a few hundred yards from the Waitrose supermarket near the start of the Welford Road.

The excellent menu offers a wide variety of choice, including Chefs and House Specials as well as a four course banquet for only £10.90 per person - Sunday to Thursday.

Added to their excellent service is a take away menu offering a £3 discount on collected orders over £15 or free home delivery within 5 miles.

To WIN a complete set meal for 2 people including papadoms etc., starters, main course

THE

A SET MEAL BOMBAY PALACE RESTAURANT FOR TWO! IN KINGSTHORPE

with side dish and naan, simply answer the question below and email it to: northamptonentries@gmail.com where a lucky winner will be drawn at random. Please include ‘Bombay Palace Competition’ in the subject title.

In what country is the city of Bombay?

The closing date for entries is January 15th.

Please include your name and phone number.

Alternatively, you can claim a 10% discount* by presenting this article and booking a table in our restaurant at 11 Welford Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Tel: 01604 713899 You can also book a table online at: www.bombaypalacerestaurant.co.uk

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Local Football Update

by Andy Goldsmith

With the season three months old, the early UCL Premier Division leaders are free scoring Peterborough Sports who have carried on their good form after taking Division One by storm last season. They presently lead the Division by three points from Eynesbury Rovers, but have a massive +25 goal difference. Olney Town and Bugbrooke St Michaels are tied at the top of Division One, closely followed by Daventry Town but the division is now one club short after newcomers, Whittlesey Athletic withdrew in September after the loss of their floodlight sponsorship.

With both of the national cup competitions well underway, the last UCL club Kirby Muxloe bowed out of the FA Cup at the Second Qualifying Round stage, losing 2-1 at home to Boston United. In the FA Vase the UCL has 7 clubs still in the competition, among them are Northampton Sileby Rangers who progressed to the Second Round following a 5-0 victory over Oxley Jets and now face the long trip to Thurlow Nunn (Eastern Counties) League side, Gorleston. Northampton ON Chenecks mini run in the competition ended in round one as they lost 1-3 at home to Ely City (another Eastern Counties League side).

ON Chenecks have received some excellent recognition as the club has been chosen as the Northampton Community Club of the Year by the Northanmpton Leisure Trust and they now go forward to the county wide award. The newly promoted team have settled down to a sound start in the top flight despite a lengthy injury list which includes key man, Ben Lewington (knee), George Clarke (calf) and Janis Lauskinieks (groin) although returns are imminent for Perry Moore and Liam Butcher after ankle and knee problems respectively. A recent addition to the Chenecks squad is striker Justin McKenzie from Woodford.

ON Chenecks’ marked their first home game in

Photo by Glynn Hughes

the Premier Division on 28th September with a derby victory over Cogenhoe. Goals from Sam Watkins and Ben Lewington secured all three points in a 2-1 victory. The club had started top flight life with six consecutive away matches, their first victory arriving in game number five as Sleaford were beaten 3-2 at Eslaforde Park with Calvin Budd, Ben Foster and Adam Spalding sharing the goals. Another piece of history was the club’s first ever match in the Northants Hillier Senior Cup, but Wellingborough spoiled the occasion by running out 4-3 winners.

Over at Moulton Park, Northampton Sileby Rangers have made their best ever start to a Premier Division season, ending September unbeaten in their first seven games of the new season. Sileby have added a number of new faces to their squad in recent weeks. Goalkeeper James Goff has joined Rangers on work experience from Northampton Town having played for ON Chenecks last season on a similar arrangement. Another recruit with a background in professional football is striker Craig Curran who started out as a youngster with Celtic before spells with Motherwell and Queen’s Park. Midfielder Lewis Leslie joins on dual registration from AFC Rushden & Diamonds and his younger brother Bayley has also joined Rangers from Daventry. Completing the new faces at Fernie Fields is experienced midfielder Andy Hall, the ex-Kettering man arrives from Rugby. Strike duo Michael Byrne and Brian Farrell will be back in action shortly after completing suspensions. At the time of writing, the club were exactly half way up the table in 11th place, 3 points and one place above Chenecks.

50

If you are in need of a service, call one of our advertisers for a quote!

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We have been designing beautiful gardens both large and small for many years. We offer a friendly, reliable service and aim to provide the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship. Our services include: P Patios CALL P Timber decking Richard P Driveways P Fencing P Turfing P A regular maintenance service P Rockery and planting For a FREE P Arbours and Pagodas Estimate P Walls and Borders P 2 year guarantee with all Hard landscaping

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or

this exciting Iceland Trek adventure you will be helping to raise funds which will allow us to maintain our Day Hospice expansion as well as helping us to meet the £844,000 required per year to continue running our 16 bed in-patient unit.

So come and trek with us!!!

The Challenge: This five day adventure will see you trek across Iceland, a country which boasts some of the most spectacular wilderness in Europe. With its striking mix of wild volcanic landscape dotted with steaming lava fields, icecaps, glaciers, waterfalls, bubbling hot springs and geysers; this Iceland Trek will be one you will never forget.

Trek Details - Date: 12th-16th July 2017; Registration Fee: £299; Sponsorship: £2,380 Want to find out more?

Please contact: Sarah Denston – Events Fundraiser on 01604 678160 or sarah. denston@nhft.nhs.uk Watch this video: http://cynthiaspencer.org. uk/news-and-events/challengetreks/icelandtrek-2017/

Iceland trek 2017

We have a new and exciting challenge for 2017 where you can join Cynthia Spencer Hospice’s Matron, Gail Oliver, and trek across the wild landscape of Iceland!

Gail has taken up the Iceland Trek not only as a personal challenge but also because she wanted to raise funds and awareness for our Hospice.

2017 is going to be a very exciting year for us as we will be increasing our Day Hospice service from two to five days per week, meaning we can welcome even more patients and their carers through the doors! By joining Gail on 52

safehands -penny hont

To advertise call Bev on 07747 632918 or email: admin@northamptonmagazines.com

Footprints

Do you need assistance with your housework?

Podiatry Practice

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The present Northamptonshire Home Guard researches the history of the Home Guard in the county which helps us better portray life in wartime Britain. We have attended meetings of a number of local history societies, W.I. and National Trust local groups, where we have been able to share our research and talk about the wartime activities on the Home Front. Also, we have assisted schools, where children have experienced some of the things evacuees had to cope with. We have worked closely with other bodies in the county, and wider afield, including many museums as well as the heritage centres at Desborough and Rothwell.

Northamptonshire

Home Guard

Northamptonshire Home Guard Living History Unit was formed in September 2005, as a tribute to the fifteen battalions raised in Northamptonshire, having answered Anthony Eden’s wireless broadcast in May 1940. The Unit has supported the Northampton & Lamport Railway at their 1940’s events just as railway workers would have volunteered for the Home Guard. Many of the railway members were also Home Guard volunteers. Where the Railway operates, in the Brixworth area, to the north of Northampton, the 9th (Brixworth) Battalion, would have been guarding Vital Points in that vicinity, including some of the Northampton to Market Harborough Railway line, whilst ‘E’ Company of the 12th (Northampton) Battalion was formed from railway workers guarding the LMS Railway within the Borough Boundary.

Northamptonshire Home Guard meets for regular parades and drill practice, takes part in weapons training and receives lectures in appropriate subjects. In this way members of the platoon can experience the role they are portraying backed up by first hand knowledge of the period. We also attend a local Remembrance Parade and service each year when we remember all those who have lost their lives in conflicts both at home and overseas. www.northamptonshirehomeguard.org.uk

54

01604 754305 please mention In & Around Kingsthorpe when responding to adverts

Hope

enterprises Northampton Hope Centre has been helping homeless, poor and disadvantaged people in Northampton for over forty years. Originally set up as a soup kitchen, the organisation now not only helps people in desperate need, it also helps them to move on out of homelessness and poverty and into training and work.

About 100 people a day come into our day centre on Campbell Street in Northampton where they can get free food, cheap hot breakfasts and lunches, and take away a big bag of food for 70p. Most of the food is given to Hope from the local community. People can get showers, clothes, haircuts and footcare, and they also are able to attend crafts and social

activities that help them feel more a part of society, where they learn to work together and gain confidence.

However just giving food and clothes will not help a person move on from homelessness and poverty. That’s why Hope set up Hope Enterprises, which offers training and experience, and for some, actual jobs in catering and in tool repair alongside our trainers and managers.

The catering business supplies lovely, tasty and good value buffets for any occasion, and by buying from Hope, you help an ex- homeless person get skills and experience along with great food.

The tool repair business offers work placements recycling old garden tools which Hope sells to raise money for its work. Trainees learn skills with machinery and in retail.

The catering can be booked via 01604 289111 Tools can be bought, and old tools donated, at Workbridge Garden Centre, Bedford Road, Northampton, and at our workshop at 35-37 Campbell Street Northampton.

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Always keep your copy of this magazine handy! - as well as a list of useful phone numbers & school terms dates, our advertisers provide important services!

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57

Update from the Whitehills & Spring Park Residents Association

A Kingsthorpe ByPass?

“To be or not to be . . . . . . . . . . .”

WASPRA took this photo when doing its traffic count. You will recognise the Brampton Lane Roundabout and you will see car lights at Pitsford. Since then progress was made on a Northern Orbital Road to bypass Kingsthorpe.

We say “was made”. It took a step back in September.

Fields is sold and developed it will be another 700+ houses in Kingsthorpe without suitable road infrastructure. Our comment - Kingsthorpe and surrounds in double chaos.

WASPRA has asked the County Council three questions. The first was why a Northern Orbital Road consultation was undertaken when there now seems to be many issues against the road routes proposed. We are assured that the work is ongoing and options evolving. The options will be presented at the next consultation.

“WASPRA exists to voluntarily serve the community of Whitehills and Spring Park”.

Regarding the amount of houses planned on the outskirts of Northampton, exact totals are hard to tie down but it’s thousands.

The Team attend meetings, has dialogue with relevant elected representatives and seeks to ensure that the quality of life for the community is enhanced, e.g. our Cemetery intervention.

So why can we not interest or ‘tap in’ to more people? AGMs are ignored. Our Facebook Page falters. New blood is non-existent. So the question is - how can we ‘grow’ and ‘engage’ our audience, young and old? We would like to hear your comments please.

Secondly, we asked the Council to confirm that the two roads, the North West Relief Road, ending at the Windhover, and the Northern Orbital starting at the Windhover would be in tandem. The short answer is no, if all goes to plan, the North West Relief Road will be completed by 2021. The Northern Orbital has an anticipated start date of 2021. Our comment to this - Kingsthorpe and surrounds will be in chaos for a few years.

Please contact us on Facebook (WASPRA) or via emai: waspraresidents@gmail.com This really does sound too early!!

However, Seasons Greetings!

As for WASPRA, although our budget is running low we will continue to keep you updated via this column.

Please Follow, and Like, us on Facebook as we all enter this very crucial phase of infrastructure for Kingsthorpe.

Thirdly, what were their plans regarding Buckton Fields Phase 2 - they committed in 2011 not to proceed with the sale of this land until infrastructure assurances were in place.

The reply is that with the progress being made on both roads they believe they are moving towards the infrastructure solution. If Buckton

We are your Residents Association.

58

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What’s on in December & January

2/3/(10-4pm) 4 (1-4pm) Dec Christmas Tree Festival at St John the Baptist Church 3 Dec O.N’s 1st XV v Bugbrooke at Billing Road 2.15 3 Dec The Jets at the Picturedrome 7.45pm £10 3 Dec Kingsthorpe College Christmas Fair 11-3pm 3 Dec A Christmas Carol (Dickensian evening of carols and readings) at St Mark’s Church. Tickets £5 (including refreshments) from 01604 844565 4 Dec Carols on the Green at St John the Baptist, Kingsthorpe 6pm 9 Dec Saints v Leinster (ECC) at Franklins Grds 7.45pm 14 Dec Carols on the Green (at the top of Kingsland Avenue) St. Davids, Kingsthorpe 6pm followed by judging of Christmas Carol Banner Comp & refreshments 17 Dec Cobblers v Rochdale at Sixfields 17 Dec O.N’s 1st XV v Ilkeston at Billing Road 2.15 18 Dec Service of 9 Lessons & Carols at St John the Baptist, Kingsthorpe 18 Dec Carols on the Green (St.Marks Crescent) St. Marks, Kingsthorpe 4pm 20 Dec The Real Thing at Roadmender 8pm £19.50 23 Dec Saints v Sale Sharks (AP) at Franklins Gardens 24 Dec Crib Service at St John the Baptist, 5pm 24 Dec Midnight Mass at St John the Baptist, Kingsthorpe 11.30pm 24 Dec Christingle Servat St. Davids, Kingsthorpe 2pm 24 Dec Midnight Mass at St. Davids, Kingsth’pe 11pm 24 Dec Christingle Service at St. Marks, Kings’ 4pm 24 Dec Midnight Holy Com at St.Marks, Kings’ 11.30pm 25 Dec Family Euch’t at St John Baptist, Kings 10am 25 Dec Family Holy Communion at St. Marks, 10am

31 Dec–3 Jan Robin Hood & Babes in the Wood at St. Peters Church, Marefair. Looking Glass Theatre productions - bookings via Derngate website 2 Jan Cobblers v Bradford City at Sixfields 7 Jan Saints v Bristol (AP) at Franklins Gardens 7 Jan Motown’s Greatest Hits at Derngate 10-14 Jan Sunny Afternoon (Kinks story) at Derngate 13-14 Jan Burlesque Show at the Royal 13/14/15 Jan Saints v Castres (ECC) at Franklins Grds (date to be confirmed) 14 Jan Cobblers v Scunthorpe at Sixfields 14 Jan Antiques Market at Market Square, Town Centre, Northampton 9-5pm Free 14 Jan O.N’s 1st XV v Leighton Buzzardd at Billing Rd 2.15pm 21 Jan Shoe Fashions (Talk by Rebecca Shawcross) £5 at N’pton Museum & Art Gallery 28 Jan N’pton’s Boot/Shoe Heritage (talk by Peter Perkins) £5 at N’pton Museum & Art Gallery 28 Jan Cobblers v Coventry at Sixfields 28 Jan O.N’s 1st XV v Market Rsn at Billing Road 2.15 Running til 31 Dec Peter and the Starcatcher at the Royal Theatre, Northampton Duston Badminton Club play at Duston School every Thursday evening from 7.30 until 9.30 pm. Please contact Colin on 0771 326 6971 for further details.

28 Nov and 5, 12 & 19 Dec FFA Walking Football (over35’s) at Malcolm Arnold School (Mondays) 7-8pm Contact Phil 07842-537854 30 Dec Panto at Parklands Com Cntre T:07734 007183

QUIZ ANSWERS CROSSWORD: ACROSS: 1. Nags Head. 6. Edison. 9. Aghast. 10. Appetite. 11. Estrange. 12.

Thrice. 13. Bristol Cream. 16. Make ends meet. 19. Beaker. 21. Irish Sea. 23.

Feelgood. 24. Double. 25. Blight. 26. Gone down.

DOWN: 2. August. 3. Stair. 4. Extension. 5. Dearest. 6. Expat. 7. Interpret. 8.

Optician. 13. Break a leg. 14. Lie Hidden. 15. Farewell. 17. Shindig. 18. Yellow. 20.

Roost. 22. Hound.

SPORTSWORD: 1. Vinny Jones. 2. Ijaz Ahmed. 3. Norberto Nato. 4. Carlos Sainz. 5. Ellie Simmonds. 6. Nelson Evora. 7. Tracy Neville.

The Dutch Premiership striker is Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur.

Korky the Kat can be found on pages 6, 17, 24, 43, 48, 58 & 63.

60

WORD LADDER

DEER BEER

BEAR TEAR TEAM TERM

Well worth a

visit . . .

Once a month, St Giles Church runs a Saturday morning Café in the Church Centre, St Giles Terrace, Northampton.

We offer support to those who have a relative or friend who has been diagnosed with dementia or memory loss and their carer.

We offer a range of fun and engaging activities, such as a themed reminiscence table and singing and dancing to live music. The Way Café gives both carers and people with memory loss a chance to get information and advice and talk to others with similar problems over a cup of tea or coffee and cake.

If you know a friend, relative or neighbour with Dementia, please pass this information on to their carer.

The WAY CAFÉ is open from 10.30 to 12.00noon on the dates listed below. It is open to everyone, couples or families can go along together.

Remaining date for 2016 •Dec.17th Dates for 2017 •Jan. 21st •Feb. 25th •March 25th •April 22nd •May 27th •June 24th •July 22nd •No café in August •Sept. 23rd •Oct.28th •Nov. 25th •Dec.16th Visitors will find a warm and friendly welcome from us all.

People with dementia, and people supporting or caring for someone with dementia, often say that the best decision they made was to meet other people living with the same condition.

No-one can support someone with a diagnosis quite like other people with the same diagnosis, and the same goes for carers.

If you need more information on the Way Café please call Helen Thorman on 01604 706146.

Have pity! This magazine hates recycling bins! Why not pass it onto a friend or relative! inspiration, ideas, quality workmanship, choose:

CREATIVE CARPENTRY 01604 821717 mobile: 07743 319751 email: philip.wood23@ntlworld.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Studies . . . . finished to perfection please mention In & Around Kingsthorpe when responding to adverts

Oakle

Abington Park Vets

helping to get your pets back on their feet.

C o A o

s

3 W

Tel: 01604 628685 www.abingtonvets.co.uk

L a

427 Wellingborough Road, Abington, Northampton, NN1 4EZ

P

A o

SCHOOL TERM DATES

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS Kingsthorpe Medical Centre 01604 713823 Queensview Surgery 01604 713315 Kingsthorpe Library 0300 126 1000 Kingsthorpe Community Centre 01604 838792 Kingsthorpe Grove Dental Practice 01604 719955 Al-Anon Family Groups 020 7403 0888 Citizens Advice Bureau 0344 488 9629 Electricity (power loss) 0800 056 8090 Gas (emergency) 0800 111 999 National Assoc for Blind 01604 719193 Neighbour Watch 08453 700700 ext.7536 Northampton General Hospital Main 01604 634700 A & E 01604 545601 Police Non - Emergency 101 Kingsthorpe Post Office, Harborough Rd 01604 792794 Water (emergency) 08457 145 145

Term 2 (2016/17)

Tuesday 1 November 2016 to Tuesday 20 December 2016

Term 3 (2016/17)

Thursday 5 January 2017 to Friday 10 February 2017

Term 4 (2016/17)

Monday 20 February 2017 to Friday 31st March2017

(

Term 5 (2016/17)

Wednesday 19 April 2017 to Friday 26 May 2017 (dates taken from N.C.C. website & may vary)

To ADVERTISE in IN & AROUND KINGSTHORPE magazine call BEV on 07747 632918 or EMAIL: admin@northamptonmagazines.com Deadline for our FEBRUARY issue is 6th of JAN 2017* *Subject to advertising / editorial space being available. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

62

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made not to infringe copyright or image ownerships where applicable.

Open: Mon-Sun 8.30am to 10pm, 24hrs, 7 days a week.

Emergency fees are payable between 8pm and 8am.

The out of hours consultation fee is ÂŁ28 - see website for full details

C

C

W L U A

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