NN Pulse February 2022 edition

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Issue 75 | February 2022

County-wide news, views and stories

The magazine at the heart of Northamptonshire

What’s going on in your local area

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CONTENTS

From the

Editor

February 2022

Kerry Lewis-Stevenson

I

t’s great to feel that spring is on its way again as the early bulbs start to break through the soil.

This month is the perfect time to enjoy our favourites, the snowdrops, in one of the many beautiful Northamptonshire historic gardens. You can rely on Laura Malpas to find some fascinating historic facts about these bright spring beauties along with her suggestions about where to see them locally.

Although there’s still a chill in the air it’s also a good time to head out with the secateurs for some early pruning. At the same time, don’t forget the gardener’s best friends, hedgehogs, whose numbers are falling alarmingly. The team at Animals in Need looks after the little ones that are too small to hibernate and those that are injured and need their help. What would these spikey little creatures do without them?

As always, we’re impressed by the remarkable people we have in our community. We’ve heard a heart-warming story about brain tumour survivor, Bob Chapman. His daughter entered him into a competition to win a room renovation from local company, LD Home Improvements. Bob is not only impressed with the transformation; he says he’s also “overwhelmed by the kindness”.

Another remarkable person is Northampton’s rising radio star, Kerrie Cosh, who discovered her presenting skills when she returned to education to complete her A-levels and head to university. She’s already had two stints on Radio 1 and is excited about the next steps in her very promising career – we’re looking forward to it.

Don’t miss our competition to mark the 125th birthday celebrations of the Cobblers. You can win four tickets to watch Northampton Town Football Club in the East Stand, so make sure you get your entry in by the 28th.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you romantic people!

Kerry Read previous editions online: www.pulsemagazine.co.uk 01604 935300 nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk 17 Stilebrook Road, Olney, Bucks MK46 5EA Connect with us on socials: /pulsemagazines @pulsemagazines nnpulsemagazine FINISHED READING? PASS PULSE MAGAZINE TO A FRIEND OR PLACE IT IN THE RECYCLING.

The deadline for advertising in the next edition of Pulse Magazine is MONDAY FRIDAY 11TH 8TH FEBRUARY Published by NN Pulse Limited NN Pulse cannot take responsibility for the content of the advertisements, editorial or the services provided by the advertisers. Advertisements are accepted on the understanding that descriptions of goods and services are accurate. All artwork is accepted on condition that permission has been given for use in MK Pulse. Reproduction, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. © NN Pulse

4

12 8

NEWS

12

INTERVIEW

20

LOCAL HISTORY

23

RELATIONSHIPS

24

BUSINESS

28

BEAUTY

29

FASHION

30

FOOD & DRINK

32

THE COBBLERS

36

HOME & GARDEN

40

INTERIORS

42

MUSIC

44

THEATRE

46

WHAT’S ON

48

MOTORING

49

PUZZLES

50

YOUR STARS

30

20

NN Pulse is distributed door to door to 22,000 homes and businesses in: Ashton, Astcote, Blisworth, Brafield-on-the-Green, Bugbrooke, Chapel Brampton, Church Brampton, Collingtree Park, Collingtree Village, Dalscote, Denton, Eastcote, East Hunsbury, Gayton, Grange Park, Great Brington, Great Houghton, Greens Norton, Hackleton, Hardingstone, Horton, Kislingbury, Little Brington, Little Houghton, Lower Harlestone, Milton Malsor, Moulton, Nether Heyford, Pattishall, Piddington, Preston Deanery, Quinton, Roade, Shutlanger, St Georges Fields, Stoke Bruerne, Upper Harlestone, West Hunsbury, Wootton, Wootton Fields, Yardley Hastings and pick up points across Northamptonshire.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

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For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

5

NEWS

‘I’m blown away’: Brain tumour survivor hails kindness of builder after makeover gift A brain tumour survivor has been left “overwhelmed by the kindness” of a local trader who provided an impressive room makeover for his family.

B

ob Chapman, who lives in Northampton, was entered by his daughter Jodie into a competition to win a stylish room renovation with new furniture worth more than £2,000.

He was one of 60 entrants in the competition run by Lee Duggan, of Northampton-based LD Home Improvements, who wanted to give back to the local community by asking people to nominate friends and family members in need.

“I have been running my building company for over five years now and I wanted to do something kind for the local community by doing what we do best - and that is our highquality renovation work,” says Lee. “I put a call out on social media and had some really heart-wrenching nominations from people with disabilities and families who were borderline homeless, so it was really difficult to shortlist. We managed get it down from over 60, to 12, then six and then it was down to a random generator.”

Bob was diagnosed with his brain tumour in December 1995 and had part of his skull removed so that the tumour could be taken out. After later contracting a meningitis infection and undergoing a total of four operations in 14 months, he was left with a degenerative brain condition which left him paralysed and cost him his job.

“Bob’s story always stood out for me from a personal perspective as my Dad had

Bob Chapman in his new room

passed away at the age of 43 from a brain tumour,” says Lee. “I know first-hand what it is like to see a loved one go through cancer so it feels really rewarding to have been able to transform his bedroom from what had become a bit of a storage area into a relaxing and calming space.”

Bob’s new room at his home in Wellingborough Road now has a fresh feature wall, dark blue wallpaper theme, a new bed, TV and supportive chair. “I cannot believe how good and fresh it looks,” says Bob. “I am just blown away that a local business can do something so thoughtful. I cannot thank Lee and his team enough for

what they have done for me.”

The transformation took Lee and his team four days to complete. “My dad has done so much for our family and has been through a lot,” says Bob’s daughter Jodie. “We are so grateful to Lee and his team for their amazing transformation and it means he can now relax in a lovely bedroom.”

Now Lee is working with the Thomas’s Fund children’s charity looking to carry out similar projects for other. Plans are in place for another transformation project in the future, he says. >> Find out more about LD Home Improvements on the company’s

Music: An outlet for expression where words are not enough ‘Music therapy provides an emotional and creative outlet’

Some children and young people, with a life-limiting condition, may need to be away from their education setting for long periods of time, often being extremely isolated through disability and /or illness. Thomas’s Fund was set up in 2007 to provide music therapy at home, in hospital or elsewhere.

he fund is named after Thomas Smith, who died aged ten, and celebrates his brother Harry. They both loved their music therapy sessions and Harry was an ambassador for the fund.

Thomas’s Fund is run by a group of volunteers and employs a team of registered music therapists. Music therapy provides an emotional and creative outlet which helps development socially, emotionally

and physically during interactive sessions in which the young person can express themselves through vocal and instrumental sound, words, silence and gesture.

Covid has required us to modify our service to sessions online but, hopefully, more face-to-face sessions will resume this year. The music therapists travel around Northamptonshire and fuel is a key outlay within fundraising, alongside therapist wages and resources.

T 8

It is a high total to raise each year so we welcome the support of new grants, sponsors, fundraising ideas and volunteers.

The Fund is always grateful for the support of individuals, groups and businesses. It has also received support from BBC Children In Need. >> Find out more at: www.thomassfund.org or our Facebook Page (Friends of Thomas’s Fund).

Or call 07395 962072.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

Cloudy2Clear, A Local Service With A Smile.

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Customers are no longer needing to risk their windows by using the dreaded double glazing cowboy down the road, instead, now they can join over 320,000 happy customers and have their glass replaced in an affordable and ethical manner. Remember, a failed glazing unit may no longer provide you with the protection you need or be energy efficient. Why not spend a few minutes checking your home to see if you

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When talking to Trevor & Wendy Skidmore the owners of Cloudy2Clear Northampton & Oxford it became clear that these values have been held for over 15 years. Since buying the local franchise in 2006 they have remained true to their core values of supporting the local community whilst introducing their 2 sons Lloyd & Ross & daughter-in-law Lori into the family business along with Dan, Mark & Jo as demand for their service has grown.

The Cloudy2Clear service only requires the glass to be replaced and not the whole window once the unit has failed. Trevor commented “Cloudy2Clear were able to assist our community through the last financial crisis in 2008 due to the savings that can be made in using our service. Unfortunately we might be going through something similar again soon and the public can rest assured that we will be there to help once again”.

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MPS OUT & ABOUT

Children and Masks Covid has had the most impact and devastation amongst the frail elderly. The average age of deaths in the UK due to Covid is 83. In 2020, it was the second biggest cause of death in a care home.

T

hankfully with the rollout of the vaccine programme and the dominance of the much milder Omicron strain of Covid, deaths and hospitalisations are now a fraction of what they were compared to the infection rate. The average stay in hospital relating to Covid has now dropped dramatically to only three days. This is very good news; it looks like we may be entering the end game of this terrible period in our history.

Over the last two years, we have been left feeling vulnerable, scared and at times, panicked, about how to respond to this threat.

We have all experienced loss of freedoms to our daily lives and in many cases harm because of the response to the virus, as distinct from the clear harms caused by the virus itself. Clearly when not everyone followed these restrictions, or came close, at the height of the pandemic a sense of unfairness has been added to people’s feelings about that awful time.

One such group that comes to mind has been our children. They are the ones least impacted by the virus, yet have borne huge pressures on their development, both social and educational, by restrictions put upon them.

As a result of vaccine success in adults and the reduction of risk due to Omicron, it struck me as illogical and damaging to reintroduce wearing of masks in school (at the same time but not as part of legislative measures such as Vaccine Passports which I recently voted against in Parliament). Masks in schools is a policy the Government originally said it would avoid, because it would – in their words – damage education. They later changed this advice and brought in mask wearing in schools on a number of occasions, but it is this most recent introduction that is the most egregious.

It is right to reflect that decisions made purely on Covid-safety grounds have further reaching consequences and must be set

against other needs in society, be those of a functioning economy, or other health needs – of which cancer treatment is only the most obvious example. With children, mental health comes to mind, but actually just day to day well-being too. It is not normal to cover up your face in our society and should especially not become so at this most formative time in life. It never was with ‘flu outbreaks and it should not routinely be as we get used to living with Covid.

In the words of the Government’s own report: “A survey conducted by the Department for Education in April 2021 found that almost all secondary leaders and teachers (94%) thought that wearing face coverings has made communication between teachers and students more difficult, with 59% saying it has made it a lot more difficult.”

There was an explosion of commentary on Twitter when I posted about a meeting my friend and colleague, Miriam Cates MP, and I had with the Education Secretary recently to discuss our aspiration for children to be mask free in school, to which the Minister was, encouragingly, receptive. There were hundreds of tweeted replies in support but, yes, also hundreds in opposition. This underlined to me just how fraught and tense debate on this topic is. However, it also underlined how important it therefore is to engage in such debate calmly and respectfully. I want us as a society to restore a “normal” that does not allow the terrible times and losses so many of us have suffered to diminish our future, particularly for our children.

CONTACT DETAILS: Tel: 01604 978080 | Email: andrew.lewer.mp@parliament.uk | www.andrewlewer.com CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: 42 Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DE 10

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For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

11

INTERVIEW

‘It’s like being a kid in a sweet shop’ Northampton’s rising radio star Kerrie Cosh tells Pulse’s music editor Sammy Jones about her career so far - including two stints on Radio 1...

E

very one of us will have a specific memory of radio; those of us of a certain age will still recall the importance of taping the Top 40 singles chart on a Sunday evening.

Perhaps you’ve had a shout out on local radio, or used the background hum to get you through a working day. Radio is the faceless friend that is always there for us.

But what makes you want to go from listener to presenter?

There’s no point asking Kerrie Cosh. The BBC Music Introducing in Northamptonshire and Evening Show presenter with BBC Radio Northampton didn’t aspire to take on the role: “The strangest thing about my journey in radio is that I didn’t decide I wanted to be a presenter. I just sort of fell into it,” she told me, but she does remember tipping her ears to the Jagger & Woody on Northants 96 as a youngster.

“I remember listening in the car with my grandad, that’s my first and earliest memory of it.

“I was a daily listener during the Chris Moyles Radio 1 Breakfast show days, but even back then the thought of working in radio was mad to me,” she admits, “It was something I listened to on the way to and from my 9 to 5, but it was always an alien concept that people could turn up to work, talk about anything and everything, get paid and have fun. That’s a real job?!”

After leaving school Kerrie worked a succession of admin roles before making a 12

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

INTERVIEW

Kerrie pictured during her stints at Radio 1

change – at 24, she put herself through night school to pass her A-levels before heading off to Nottingham Trent University.

Kerrie’s first time in front of a radio microphone was guesting on a friend’s student radio show to talk about pizza!

While it certainly wasn’t worthy of a Sony Award, it gave her a taste of what life in radio might be like – and she felt remarkably at ease in the studio.

“It was the first time that something had ever felt ‘natural’ to me, almost like it was meant to be,” she recalled, “After that, I begged the programme controller to give me a show, and she did - it was one hour on a Saturday.

I was awful at it at first, I look back on those shows every so often as they’re saved on my hard drive and cringe at myself, but they were so important in learning my craft and becoming the presenter I am now because I could try silly things and I’d know there were maybe three listeners at a push.”

With a burgeoning confidence, Kerrie entered the annual Student Radio Association competition, Demo Factor, very much like the X Factor, but for aspiring radio presenters, as the name suggests.

Her demo was aired and the majority of judges pressed their red buttons (we told you it was akin to X-Factor!). Seemingly, Kerrie wasn’t making the right noises for them.

But one judge bucked the trend and smashed his gold buzzer.

“It was the nicest, most encouraging thing that has happened to me in my career so far.

I never imagined I’d ever actually be good enough to do it for a job, but that moment completely changed my mindset.”

The chap who hit the buzzer was Aled Haydn-Jones, and he knows a thing or two about hitting the right note on air; for two years he has been at the helm of radio 1.

After her success with Demo Factor, Kerrie began working on Kettering based Connect FM as a weekend newsreader. She was on her way.

Kerrie clearly loves her job, but what is the allure?

“It’s about the connection with a listener and sharing something new with them.

I’ve always loved chatting to people, and I’ve loved stories and reading since I was a child, so I’m quite an inquisitive person naturally,” she says, and when she’s not on air, or enjoying her beloved Leicester City on the pitch, Kerrie can be found with a book in hand, “Radio is just a great way of connecting with people on a one to one level.

“As a music specialist, I’m so invested in the future of music, but also finding out more about artists behind the music.

“You may think you know a lot about new music, but there’s always something or someone new to discover,” says the presenter, who professes a love of all genres, but when pushed, admits that her biggest musical squeeze is Arctic Monkeys.

It’s about the connection with a listener and sharing something new with them.

I’ve always loved chatting to people, and I’ve loved stories and reading since I was a child, so I’m quite an inquisitive person naturally.

Five and a half years since beginning her radio journey, Kerrie has been a staple on BBC Radio Northampton in her hometown since last April.

“There was only one show I ever wanted to do, and that was BBC Introducing in Northamptonshire,” she admits, “I respected Annie Mac, Janice Long, and Annie Nightingale, and the colossal impact they’ve had on generations of music as strong females in the industry. And I wanted to be part of that too.”

And she’s following in their footsteps; towards the end of 2020 she decided to chance her luck by applying for the Radio 1 Christmas Presenter Search.

“I thought I had no chance,” she admits, “...thousands of people apply for it.”

But she was picked for a pilot where she wowed and was given an opportunity: “I sat in for Greg James for two days on the Breakfast Show playing anthems from my teenage years, and it was such an amazing experience as it’s something I never in a million years imagined I’d ever get to do,” she told me, “It’s a bucket list dream that you put to the back of your mind as being a bit outrageous, isn’t it?”

But that opportunity was no fluke, and she’s since been back in the hot chair again – at the tail end of 2021 she returned to the Radio 1 airwaves: “Getting to be on a platform like that to share the newest and best music in the world has been unreal. It was like being a kid in a sweet shop.”

Ask about future ambitions and Kerrie is less certain: “...because I’ve already surpassed my own expectations,” she explains, “We’re into uncharted waters now - anything from this point on is a bonus really.

“As a Punjabi woman working in mainstream music, there are very few people like me.

“So I guess I just want to encourage more women from marginalized backgrounds to get into music and radio, and to keep championing new artists - because for me, that’s the best bit about it: discovering new artists and watching them grow, develop, and progress in music.”

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

13

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NEWS

‘A privilege to head this incredible organisation’ Northamptonshire Community Foundation is advertising for a new Chief Executive – two decades after the charity was first set up to support the county’s voluntary and community sector.

T

he organisation, which supports many of the most vulnerable communities in Northamptonshire, has been headed up by Victoria Miles for the last 15 years.

Victoria, who received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list in recognition for services to the community in Northamptonshire during Covid-19, is excited about her new challenge but also hugely proud of all the Foundation has achieved since its inception and her appointment: “I am forever in awe of the groups we support. We are the voice of those community and voluntary groups and that is what I am most proud of - shouting for people who don’t have a voice because they are busy on the front line fighting to make a difference and improve lives.

“We have made this organisation utterly sustainable, fit to support those in need for generations to come. I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t know the Foundation was in such a great place. The time is right.”

Rachel Mallows, who joined as a Trustee during the pandemic, took on the Chair of Trustees’ role at the start of this year, said:

“Victoria has been extraordinary and The Parks Trust will undoubtedly continue to thrive under her leadership. I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of my fellow trustees, staff and all the groups Victoria has worked with, to offer our profound gratitude and best wishes for her future career.

“Over the last two decades the Foundation has grown from a modest charity to one that awards around £1.4million a year and has a £20 million endowment. During the pandemic, in 2020/21 we awarded an incredible £2.6 million – the Foundation were literally life savers.

“We are excited to advertise the role of Chief Executive and are looking for a very special, committed person to lead the Foundation in the years to come – someone who can build on Victoria’s work and continue to grow the organisation so it can support people and communities and for decades and generations to come.”

Victoria, who was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in 2016, added: “I am so proud to have been a custodian of this incredible charity, one that continues to build something that is forever,

Victoria Miles MBE

not just for now. The Foundation is here for the problems, challenges and issues of the future. What a privilege it has been to head up this incredible organisation – and what an exciting role this will be for my successor, the Foundation’s new custodian.

“I live in Northamptonshire, I will remain a Friend of the Foundation and donate annually and will continue to be an active supporter.” >> To find out more about Northamptonshire Community Foundation visit www.ncf.uk.com

Energy Bill Crisis

How can you save more?

It is no secret that energy prices have soared over the past 12 months and the industry is warning that energy bills are likely to rise by a further 50% by April.

I

n 2021 wholesale energy prices increased significantly and hit their highest levels for decades. There are a host of reasons why this has happened. Last year’s cold winter put significant pressure on suppliers resulting in stored gas supplies being low. The UK had a particularly windless summer following this, making it difficult to replenish supplies. In addition, there has been an increased demand from China for liquefied natural gas during the pandemic leading to several major energy firms going bust. This ‘tsunami’ of issues has led to the dramatic rises every household is seeing.

So, what can you do to reduce energy bills?

There are several good habits and smart solutions that households can employ to improve on energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and carbon emissions. For example, turning standby appliances off at the plug when you are not using them, using energy smart meters, utilising thick curtains and adding insulation to your roof and cavity wall will help to retain heat and reduce bills.

But one of the best additions to saving on your energy bills is by modernising your home with the latest high-performance A+ rated triple glazed units, sealing the draughts and keeping out the cold air for years to come.

By installing highly efficient glazing, households can save £100’s every year, and with energy prices only increasing year on year, after ten years those savings may run into thousands of pounds.

With a wide range of colours, styles and glazing options to choose from, not only will you save money on your energy bills but you will also have reinvented the way your home looks and feels.

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>> T&K Home Improvements is a family-run business that provides quality windows, doors and conservatories since 1979 in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas. To find out more on high performance energy efficient glazing options and how much you can save, visit www.tkhi.co.uk.

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

15

HEALTH & FITNESS

How much exercise should we really be doing?

We all know that exercise is hugely important for our health and wellbeing but how much should we really be doing? Maybe a more manageable amount than you think.

E

veryone Active, the award-winning operator of Moulton Leisure Centre, is on a mission to get everyone doing at least 30 minutes of moderateintensity exercise, five times a week.

This is the basic amount everyone should be aiming to achieve in order to live a healthy lifestyle and to keep their body in good condition.

Of course, ‘moderate-intensity exercise’ means different things to different people.

For some, a half-hour stroll might be enough to get the blood pumping. Others may need to work a little harder, by running on a treadmill or attending a group fitness class.

Whatever it is, it all counts.

Just because someone cannot do 25 minutes on an exercise bike does not mean that what they are doing is not hugely

The 25-metre pool, with moveable floor, hosts a variety of aquatic activities.

beneficial or that they will not be able to do that in the future.

For those looking to lose weight, it is important to be specific and realistic with fitness goals and the 150-minute target is a great place to start.

With increased fitness, you can push yourself slightly harder, to 45-60 minutes per session while being careful to avoid overtraining.

Moulton Leisure Centre offers a wide range of activities so

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For those looking to lose weight, it is important to be specific and realistic with fitness goals. meeting the 150-minute target is within reach for everyone, no matter what your age, interests or ability.

Among the facilities are a 80-station, state-of-the-art gym,

group fitness studio and group cycling studio.

The 25-metre pool, with moveable floor, hosts a variety of aquatic activities including swimming lessons for all ages and the health suite offers opportunity to relax after a workout.

Jamie Brightwell, Everyone Active’s contract manager, says: “We are proud to help the whole community get their 150 minutes as there is an activity for everyone at Moulton Leisure Centre.

“We want to play our part to raise standards of health locally and to improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Our colleagues are very happy to help with any questions which new and existing members may have.” >> Find out more about the facilities at Moulton Leisure Centre visit everyoneactive.com/ centre/moulton-leisure-centre/ or call 01604 492222.

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IN YOUR AREA

Sign up for KUMON’s ONE-WEEK Free Trial This is taking place from 1st February to 15th March.

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t your local Kumon Northampton South Study Centre, our aim is to help children of any age and ability become confident, independent learners. Our students develop lifelong study skills and a passion for learning, as well as the confidence to complete their work independently.

Your child can experience the benefits of Kumon too! Your local Northampton South study centre is offering a Free trial for all new students.

To take advantage of the Free trial offer, all you need to do is contact your local Instructor, Berta Rapoz and book a consultation.

Your child will complete a free maths and/or English assessment so that their level of study can be precisely tailored to their ability. Our individualised maths and English programmes allow students to start at their own, individually set starting point and to progress to an advanced level at their own pace.

This creates a positive learning experience, with work always set at just the right level.

After the initial consultation, parents are welcome to “try before

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they buy” without any obligation.

Their child will join the other four million students across the world currently developing to their full potential with Kumon.

With 60 years of experience, the Kumon Maths and English Programmes enable students to work above their school grade level. Because our students are able to reach an advanced level of

study, often far beyond their school curriculum, they are well-equipped with the skills they need to excel.

Kumon is also proud to be recognised as an education provider that delivers proven academic results. An independent study in 2020 revealed that Kumon students are over a year ahead of the national average, and over six months ahead of their peers in their maths learning at the end of primary school*.

Our programmes place great importance on self-learning, encouraging students to discover how to solve problems for themselves. As our students begin to take ownership of their learning and become independent learners, they develop invaluable confidence and self-motivation.

To find out how Kumon study can help your child to shine, contact your local Instructor, Berta Rapoz on 07740 150924 or email northamptonsouth@ kumoncentre.co.uk to book a consultation. * Study based in England. Further details can be found at kumon.co.uk

FREE TRIAL Take advantage of our Free trial offer and find out what your child can achieve through the Kumon Maths and English Programmes.

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Northampton South 07740 150924 kumon.co.uk For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

17

LIVING

Are you ready to rethink retirement?

Meet the communities where over 65s are making the most of the freedom retirement brings and possibly living the best years of their lives.

"T

he pandemic has encouraged us all to re-evaluate our lives and interestingly we have seen a large uptick in enquiries to live in one of our villages,” says James Cobb, Director at Inspired Villages, the awardwinning retirement villages operator partnered with Legal & General and NatWest Group Pension Fund.

Inspired’s communities, which span across the UK, offer stylish apartments discreetly designed to accommodate older owners, with leisure and wellbeing facilities right on their doorstep, as well as optional home support services if wanted.

Cobb believes the uptick in enquiries is partly because people have realised they want to live somewhere right for the retirement they dream about. “The size of their house

'Stylish homes and apartments discreetly designed to accommodate older owners'

and the burden that it has become is often a catalyst to ‘right size’ – finding something more suitable,” explains Cobb.

“And with all the services and facilities available in a retirement village in reality it often feels like an ‘upgrade’.”

For many residents and their children another key benefit is the peace of mind you get from knowing the village team is there to provide security and

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support if it’s needed. From housekeeping and property maintenance to local transport and checking in on your home while you ‘lock up and leave’ for an extended break, there is a team member more than happy to help.

This secure environment then gives residents the freedom to relax, have fun, and take up new hobbies. There are numerous activities and

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events organised for residents in the villages.

Inspired resident Veronica swims in the village pool every day and goes to the gym three times a week.

“I feel fitter here now than I’ve ever done,” she says.

Experiences like this chime with research by Aston University that shows living in a retirement village leads to a 46% decrease in planned GP visits, a 31% decrease in planned hospital admissions and a drop in hospital stays from 8-14 days to 1-2 days.

Community, security, wellbeing, fun, and freedom. It’s not hard to see why enquiries from people wanting to live in an Inspired village are rocketing up. As many residents like Tricia say, it’s the “best move we’ve ever made”. >> To find out more about living in an Inspired village visit: inspiredvillages.co.uk

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February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

EDUCATION

Winchester House School, Brackley

New Headteacher for Winchester House Winchester House School in Brackley is celebrating the arrival of new head Antonia Lee.

A

ntonia joins Winchester House from St Helen’s School, where she was head of the Prep School and has taught pupils aged three to 18 in all boys, all girls and co-educational schools.

She is a huge sports fan - particularly cricket, rugby and netball, is passionate about the performing arts and is a keen hiker.

“For me, teaching isn’t just a job, it’s a vocation. I am utterly obsessed about education,” Antonia says. “In fact, if you were to ask my mum, she would say she knew that I was going to be a teacher when she saw me at five years old desperately trying to teach my two-year-old sister to read.

“Throughout my career, working with children has given me so much energy and enthusiasm, a real joie de vivre, and it is always the deepest honour to help a young person find out who they are and help them on their journey to become the very best version of themselves.”

Winchester House, which is part of The Stowe Group, has a deserved reputation as a happy, high-achieving, all-round Prep School. “I fell in love with Winchester House the moment I arrived on a cold, blustery day last year,” says Antonia. “The rain was pouring and all I could hear was a group of small children singing a rather brilliant interpretation of ‘What shall we do with a drunken sailor’. Having followed the singing, I found this group of pupils who were completely committed to their performance,

Antonia Lee

The facilities at Winchester House and Stowe offer an extraordinary platform for the programme and I am already in awe of the variety of activities on offer.

singing the song to their own actions and dance. They were finding such joy and pride in performing to an audience of one (their teacher).”

Antonia, who took up her post in January, believes that co-curricular learning is as an important part of the Prep School sector, a vital component in a successful education for a child.

“The facilities at Winchester House and Stowe offer an extraordinary platform for the programme and I am already in awe of the variety of activities on offer,” Antonia says. It is a programme where pupils can develop their passions and joys in life, as well as learning soft skills and a confidence that can be taken into the classroom and, as they grow, into the workplace.

“I’m well aware that families will be trusting us with their most precious possession for a number ofyears,” she says. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that their child will be known personally at the school and be given every opportunity to thrive in all areas of school life, via an exciting and dynamic co-curricular programme and a cutting-edge, creative curriculum.”

Winchester House School is a co-educational nursery, pre-prep and preparatory school offering outstanding education to children aged 3-13 with day, occasional and weekly-boarding available, and feeds to some of the top senior schools in the UK. To book on the next Open Day Winchester House or to arrange a private tour to discuss admissions, email admissions@winchester-house.org or call 01280 702483.

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

19

LOCAL HISTORY

Snowdrops in Northamptonshire

I

The shy stars of spring

f ever there was a sight to warm the heart on a cold day, it is a carpet of snowdrops on a woodland floor. With their delicate heads poking through the hard ground and nodding in the winter winds, they send an optimistic message that spring is on the way, and that all is well. This month is the perfect time to wrap up warm and enjoy their blooms in one of our beautiful Northamptonshire historic gardens.

20

Laura Malpas looks closer at the history of the humble Snowdrop with suggestions where to see them locally.

Because these tiny but vigorous plants appear throughout the British Isles wherever conditions are favourable, it is easily assumed that they are a native species, or possibly introduced by the Romans two millennia ago. However, the snowdrop was introduced perhaps a mere 500 years ago. The earliest English reference to them appears in John Gerard’s Great Herbal in 1597, where he refers to them as ‘timely flouring bulbus Violet’.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

LOCAL HISTORY

By his 1633 edition, they have gained the common name ‘snowdrop’. Gerard states that the plants originated in Italy and were often to be found in the gardens of collectors, especially in London. They were fashionable, and as such appeared in the gardens of the wealthy landed gentry, especially those who favoured the consciously ‘natural’ gardens styles made fashionable in the eighteenth century. Many of our Northamptonshire country houses introduced these bulbs into their woodlands and gardens, more of this later!

Left: Thenford Arboretum Below: Coton Manor Garden Bottom left: Galanthus Atkinsii

Perhaps because snowdrops appear at a time of year when there are few other flowers showing, they exert a special fascination and even affection in the eye of the beholder. They have been given many charming names, such as ‘February fairmaids’ or ‘Candlemas bells’, and those who collect and admire the bulbs have their own name ‘Galanthophile’. This originates from the snowdrop’s Latin classification Galanthus. During the Victorian period the snowdrop became even more popular. The simplicity and purity of its appearance struck a sentimental chord with artists, poets, and plantsmen alike. New varieties were sought after and exchanged hands for serious money.

Bottom right: Rockingham Castle

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

21

LOCAL HISTORY

One of the most popular varieties was discovered and named by a Northamptonshire plantsman, James Atkins (1806 – 1884). Atkins was a nurseryman on the Kingsthorpe Road in Northampton, specialising in growing pelargoniums and tropical orchids in his glasshouse. He eventually retired to a cottage in Painswick, Gloucestershire, and took a holiday travelling in the Alps. He returned with a snowdrop bulb he had purchased nearby to Naples thinking it was Galanthus Imperati.

But it was something different and he cultivated it for sale, releasing it some five years later. It is an early bloomer, with long slender outer petals, each inner petal has a small green heart shaped mark at its tip, and a distinctive honey fragrance. It was renamed Galanthus Atkinsii and proved very popular. It remains well regarded and highly desirable today.

Nowadays, galanthophiles can easily become obsessed with all things snowdrop. In Northamptonshire there is quite a competition to collect the greatest number of different varieties.

Many country house gardeners tell me they grow in excess of three hundred varieties, and Thenford Arboretum have claimed over six hundred! Many of these are kept very carefully as their bulbs can be worth several hundreds of pounds.

Thenford Arboretum

Where to see snowdrops this February Lamport Hall

A single bulb of Galanthus ‘green tear’ sold for £360 a few years ago, and recently, the world record price for a single snowdrop bulb was smashed when a golden yellow and white Galanthus woronowii sold at auction for £725.

Luckily, we have an abundance of places in Northamptonshire where we can enjoy these beautiful harbingers of spring. Here are just a few of my favourite places, although there are many more. Please note that you must check the relevant websites to ensure that the gardens are open before you set off, and opening times and dates will vary. Some also require pre-booking.

And as snowdrops can’t read a calendar they may decide to bloom earlier or later than expected. However, the last two Sundays in February offer the best chance for a snowdrop visit.

Boughton House does the ‘snowdrop carpet’ to stunning effect under its ancient trees, and the last time I visited the honey scent was delicious. Open 27th February with NGS. www.boughtonhouse.co.uk Canons Ashby has prettily naturalised snowdrops in the paddock and in the wonderfully restored formal gardens.

Open daily from 12th February www.nationaltrust.org.uk/canonsashby Coton Manor, one of the finest privately owned and managed botanic gardens in the county is open for both their wonderful snowdrops and exquisite hellebores. Open last two weekends in February, and the first weekend of March www.cotonmanor.co.uk Deene Park also has an impressive collection of varieties set in their manicured and topiaried formal gardens and canalised woodland gardens. 20th and 27th February www.deenepark.com Lamport Hall can offer you snowdrops and art! They are hosting the Northamptonshire Open Studios Spring Exhibition over the weekend of 19th - 20th February too.

Artists will be creating works of art live. www.lamporthall.co.uk Rockingham Castle has the most wonderful setting, with views for miles over five counties if it’s a clear day, and carpets of snowdrops too. Check their website for availability. www.rockinghamcastle.com Thenford Arboretum seems to take the record for the largest number of varieties.

It’s such a pretty spot, and is home to 675 different varieties of galanthus, under the care of Emma Thick, aka ‘the snowdrop lady’. Open afternoons of 9th, 19th and 22nd February 2022. www.thenfordarboretum.com Badby Woods, The Nuttery and Evenly Woods are wonderful places to enjoy snowdrops in the most natural settings.

Managed by the Woodland Trust, you will also see other winter flowers such as aconites and primroses as the season develops. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk And the National Garden scheme is worth a look for more places in Northamptonshire that may be opening especially for snowdrops on 27th February 2022. www.ngs.org.uk

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February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

RELATIONSHIPS

No fault divorce is coming No fault divorce is due to come into effect in England and Wales on 6 April 2022.

From this date couples will be able to get divorced without one person needing to blame the other. This change will also apply to civil partnership dissolution.

T

he Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 will be the biggest reform of divorce law in 50 years and means you’ll no longer have to make allegations about your partner’s conduct to obtain a divorce.

Currently one spouse must allege adultery or unreasonable behaviour to prove the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage or wait at least two years.

Under the new law, irretrievable breakdown will remain the sole basis for divorce but the need to give a reason will be removed. Couples can make a joint application where they both agree the relationship has broken down or, alternatively, one person can apply. There will be a minimum of 20 weeks between issuing a divorce petition and reaching the first stage of the divorce to give the couple a period of reflection and the possibility of reconciliation.

This long-awaited reform to the law will enable couples and their lawyers to focus on positive uncoupling rather than allocating blame, especially when a parting of ways is a mutual decision and there are children involved.

Children undoubtedly cope better with a separation when their parents are not in conflict and can see a joined-up approach to their parenting. This continues into adulthood and their own life events such as graduations, family events – perhaps even their own weddings.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the average duration of a marriage at the time of divorce is 12.3 years for opposite-sex couples. This is a long time to share your life with someone and often having a good relationship with your ex and with wider family and friends is high priority, but this can be ruined by the legal process or the wrong approach by a lawyer. A good divorce lawyer will listen to what is important to you and work with your spouse and their lawyer, as well as other professionals you may need to support you along the way.

Under the new law, irretrievable breakdown will remain the sole basis for divorce but the need to give a reason will be removed.

Sally Robinson, Partner in the Family Law team at Shoosmiths

Caroline White-Robinson, head of Shoosmiths’ organisational and personal development team

A good divorce will also require personal reflection and allow you to prioritise your wellbeing. Understanding how you are feeling will encourage you to consider the impact on your ex or children and the emotion involved in decision making.

Our relationship coaching service

There is a lot to think about before you even issue a divorce petition, so we recommend you get advice early.

Our relationship coaching service is delivered by Caroline White-Robinson, head of Shoosmiths’ organisational and personal development team for the last fifteen years. Aside from impeccable professional qualifications and membership of the British Psychological Society, Caroline also has direct personal experience of the aftermath of relationship breakdown and so truly understands what couples may be going through.

There are different tax rules depending on whether you are married, separated, or divorced. Tax advantages may only apply in the current tax year and therefore it is important to take tax advice before 5 April.

Caroline has since re-married and so also understands the stress of blended families and how the range of emotions, whichever side of the fence you sit on, can encompass hurt, guilt, anger, sadness, disappointment, and frustration.

Should you wait for no-fault divorce to start?

What next?

• For an initial, free consultation and to find out about our fixed fee divorce, or to find out more about Shoosmiths’ relationship coaching service, please contact us: 03700 868686 or by email yourfamilymatters@shoosmiths.co.uk • Read our free information about tax on divorce and separation here: www.shoosmiths.co.uk/tax-on-separation • A useful source of support to help parents journey through separation, divorce and beyond is Resolution’s Parenting Through Separation Guide. You can download a copy from their website: www.resolution.org.uk/parenting-through-separation

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

23

BUSINESS

Big exposure that doesn’t cost a penny: How to ‘go viral’.

Learn the tricks of the trade for getting your content to go viral on social media.

G

oing viral is the holy grail of marketing. What we mean by ‘viral’ content is that you create something on social media which gets the attention of the public, people then share it to their network and, in turn, those people do too. Before you know it, and in the same way bacteria multiply in a dish, hundreds of thousands to millions of people have seen your content and it hasn’t cost you anything!

Viral content creates success Many successful businesses and careers have been created off the back of one piece of viral content. Yes, one! If you look at your Facebook or Linkedin feed you may notice the same few people cropping up time and time again. From modern marketing gurus such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Stephen Bartlett and Neil Patel to Internet celebrities like Logan Paul, The Smithy Family and The Bald Builders, they were all catapulted to success by viral content. In today’s connected world, all it takes is for a single, popular piece of content to create notoriety for you or your brand and the rest can be built from there.

What makes content go viral?

Any old content does not simply go viral – it takes a perfect storm of factors for this to happen. Of these factors, you can control only one and that is the content itself. The rest is down to influence. You need to pitch it the right way then what happens next is almost entirely out of your hands, down to the public’s response and the platforms’ algorithms (e.g. Facebook).

Just like a fire, in order to achieve an inferno of attention you need fuel, a spark and a catalyst. The spark is your content, the fuel is the platform (e.g. Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, TikTok) and the catalyst is the public response.

The most critical part here, as you can probably gather, is what content you create and then where and how you pitch it to get traction.

How does some (rubbish) content go viral and other (great) content not?

If you are even vaguely familiar with content on social media you will have noticed that not everything of brilliance goes viral and not everything viral is brilliant. Far from it, in fact.

More often than not, the content that gets the most impressions/reach (people seeing it) and interactions, is pretty dull. You will have seen a basic quiz or personal questions that rack up hundreds of thousands of comments, shares and likes or someone’s

random cat video… but why is this? Well, it all comes down to engagement. Whatever the platform, they all work fundamentally the same way. People create and post content, some of the people in their immediate network see that, the more people interact with it, the more other people then see it.

This works on two levels; first, if you have say 1,000 followers and post something most of them are not actually going to see it. This varies from platform to platform but 100% of your followers will never be exposed to 100% of your content and this is intentional. If you create good content that people interact with then more of your immediate network will see it, simple as that. And ‘good’ does not mean the content is good, just that people seem to respond well to it, whatever it is, it has their interest. Second, the more your immediate network interacts with your content by liking it, commenting, sharing, tagging their friends or hash-tagging groups, the more people outside of your network, who you do not know, will see it. Then if they do the same, their connections do and you end up with an exponential growth in exposure all the way through the six degrees of separation. Where this really can also take off is, on some platforms like Linkedin, this “trending” content is then shown to selected people that the algorithm believes may also like to see it. These are people you have no connection with whatsoever. You can see the fundamentals of how it works; everyone else is doing the work for you and it works in a similar way to spreading a rumour.

How are you going to create that spark that gets the public behind you?

There are actually some fairly simple base mechanics to creating content that is primed to go viral. If we keep in mind that the goal is public interaction then we want to create something which the public wants to interact with, whether they know you or not. We can do that one of two ways: 1) Create content that asks them to interact in some way or 2) Create content that they feel compelled to express an opinion on. Believe it or not, there does not have to be any reward mechanism at all. You do not need to give away something for free (though that can be hugely effective) you simply need to get a response.

The most effective way to do this is by creating something that is both visual and emotive.

By visual, I mean it should be noticed, be clear and draw people to it. Whether this is a giant personal question in text format or a cute kitten, it works the same way.

By emotive, I mean your content should resonate with people in some way emotionally. It can be silly or it can be serious, it can be happy or it can be sad, it can evoke anger or it can bring laughter.

Positive content (eg. good news stories) will always outperform negative content (e.g. criticism of bad traits in business) so you are better concentrating on emotions that provide a human serotonin or joyful response. This said, both can work well but be careful with the negative stuff and steer well clear of anything deeply sensitive or political, as you do not want to polarise your audience. You then want to make sure you post it on all your social channels and use appropriate hashtags to push it into groups you think are most likely to respond to it.

Get creative. Think outside the box.

How will I know if my content is going viral?

There is a fairly simple rule of thumb that we look for to have a good idea if a piece of content is going to go viral. When you post it, you want to keep a watch of the number of impressions/views primarily, and also the number of likes, reactions and comments.

If these numbers are roughly doubling in a 24hr period, two days in a row, then they could well be on track to go viral. You will know it’s ‘gone viral’ once you start getting into the thousands.

If you want to see a current example of a viral piece of content in action, go to the following link. I shared a personal story about our newborn son on Linkedin and, at time of writing on 19th January, it had approaching 400,000 views and 7,300 comments: bit.ly/3rwF4n1. I hasten to add, this was not shared with the intention of self-promotion, it just happens that a 6-week old baby is now more famous on Linkedin than the 44year old man who created him.

Follow TFA’s Linkedin page here to see the exciting viral content campaign we have coming up: bit.ly/3AkSCGf If you need help with your business marketing, feel free to get in touch with me at TFA: darren.isaac@t-f-a.co.uk 01908 263650 www.t-f-a.co.uk

Darren Isaac is the owner of TFA, a multi-award-winning brand, marketing and creative agency.

56 The Triangle, The Coachworks, Wolverton Park Rd MK12 5FJ www.t-f-a.co.uk | 01908 263650 24

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

THE POWER

of Three

The Power of 3 runs through the core of OCM as we have three professional disciplines brought together allowing

us to deliver such a powerful client focused proposition.

As an Independent Chartered Financial Planning Firm, a Discretionary Asset Manager and Tax planning

specialist, we utilise the power of 3, to ensure we deliver a seamless and first class, cost and time efficient service to clients. This is because at OCM we truly believe Our Clients Matter.

CHARTERED

Financial Planners TAXATION

& Accounting DISCRETIONARY

Asset Managers

ocmwealthmanagement.co.uk 01604 621 467

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate the activities of tax planning, estate planning or IHT planning.

OCM Wealth Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (www.fsa.gov. uk/register/home.do). FCA Registration No: 418826. OCM Asset Management is a trading name of OCM Wealth Management.

BEAUTY Show the Lush lover in your life that they are your No1 with a seasonal bath bomb – and Mr Loba Loba bath bomb is the perfect way to do it.

The lobster will swim into the bath and release his sodium alginate, which is perfect for hydrating while they soak.

Mr Loba Loba also features biodegradable red hearts and is an aromatic treat; scented with sweet benzoin and tonka.

You might say it’s boombastic, romantic and fantastic!

For the lovers...

It’s time to snuggle up and bring the romance with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. Here’s some of the beauty products that we heart the most this month...

RRP: £3.50

The bigger the bath bomb, the bigger the bath art – and the Big Aubergine is a 9” version of Lush’s cult classic. Nothing more to say...

RRP: £10

Send them Lots of Love with a collection of five products from Lush’s all year round selection, and two products from the Valentine’s Day range. And we love the environmental message too; the present is wrapped in paper made from t-shirt offcuts.

RRP: £45 Roses are red, but so too is the Lush Strawberry Heart Shower Jelly, and it smells divine!

Wobble the anatomically correct heart-shaped goodness over you and lather up for a scentsational time under the water!

The Lush Sweet Temptation gift is a fresh orange hit, pairing a Valentine’s Day 2022 exclusive shower gel with the orange body scrub which is available all year round.

RRP: £15 Pucker up with Sisley’s first refillable lipstick, Phyto Rouge Shine, which offers a sheer and glossy flush of colour whilst providing nourishing and moisturising benefits to care for your lips just like a balm.

Sustainable and sensational, Sisley has delivered again with 12 shades to match any mood.

RRP: £39

Get it: H Beauty at centre:mk or at sisley-paris.com

Looking for a little loving care for hair? Nutriplenish moisture treatment masques from AVEDA deliver an advanced hydration system for all hair types and textures, giving highperformance, nutrient-powered hydration for 72 hours. The range also includes shampoos, conditioners and hair oil.

RRP: £5 Get it: All Lush products are available at the stores in centre:mk and at the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton

Mindful Extracts have a CBD bath bomb gift set bringing together a trio of products to help still the mind and calm the body.This ‘holy trinity’ of bath bombs comprises one bergamot and lemon for positivity, one lavender to promote sleep, and one eucalyptus and peppermint to ease aches. Run your bath, step in...and relax. And for every set sold, the company plants a tree in Indonesia. Another thing to love about them.

RRP: £22.49

Get it: mindfulextracts.co.uk

RRP: £45.50 (Deep Moisture Treatment Masque), £35.50 (Light Moisture Treatment Masque) Get it: aveda.co.uk

26

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

FASHION

A new year resolution that you can keep... for yourself E very January we have lots of new years resolutions and good intentions by the end of the month we often find those resolutions waning for one reason or another!

Loosing weight, toning up , looking/feeling confident, getting rid of all the clothes you never wear...

Are all common themes for many reading this article. Many of you promise yourself that when you have lost weight, toned up, etc then you will “treat yourself” to maybe a spa day, a haircut and colour or perhaps a colour analysis or a style consultation. Some are waiting years!

One service that is not weight related is a colour analysis; it doesn’t matter where you are in your weight journey. Getting advice about colours which are going to make you look healthy and wearing them in the right way can make you look taller and slimmer has to be a win win! A colour analysis will also guide you to the correct colours to select when selecting makeup colours too.

When it comes to loosing weight many ladies have a number of wardrobe sizes on the go.

Be honest with yourself, if you loose all the weight you are aiming for will you be able to maintain it? Finding a healthy, ”mid weight” which is easier to control and takes the pressure off psychologically helps you to relax and feel happier about your appearance rather than constantly beating yourself up about not being the “perfect” weight on the scales.

Discovering that actually your height and where your shoulders, hips and general proportions of your body doesn’t change while loosing weight is quite a revolutionary for many. Where you lay down inches depends on your body shape.

Hour glass shapes tend to put weight on more evenly all over. In contrast rectangles tend to put it on around the middle of their bodies.

Unless you have many stones to loose your overall proportions won’t change that much. For example, If you have always been short waisted,

or longer in the body than the legs neither will change whatever your size. The fabrics selected might be different BUT it’s really important to find a few pieces you really like wearing and flatter your figure shape at that moment regardless of where you are in your weight journey. Giving you the confidence to continue, and help you feel better about yourself. It is very important in building self esteem which is fundamental to us all, especially as so many ladies and gentlemen have found the past couple of years challenging, with many finding it difficult to reconnect in social environments. We all need a boost to our self confidence.

Once you have the basics of colour and style for you at your figure tips then it is far easier to make sense of your wardrobe and discover why you have so many clothes that no longer work.

This will allow you to make sensible wardrobe investment decisions rather than just buying more clothes without working out how they will add value to the wardrobe.

In my 25 years of experience it doesn’t matter what weight, height or shape women are NEVER happy with the way they look. So instead of chasing unrealistic goals ask your self what do you like about yourself? I know most of you will struggle badly with this question, acceptance is the key. It is entirely possible to look good and feel confident regardless of your size or shape, long will you wait to look and feel better about yourself?

Jane Sumner Image Matters 07779 585323 www.imagemattersuk.com

An introduction to colour, style and make-up advice for just £99 At Image Matters Studio in Olney Bucks or online Quote MK or NN Pulse when booking your appointment Valid until February 28th 2022

Image Matters | Fashion Styling | Colour Analysis | Personal Styling

Email Jane on: jane@imagemattersuk.com or call: 07779 585323 www.imagemattersuk.com For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

27

FOOD & DRINK

Treat your Valentine...

Salmon with citrus slaw INGREDIENTS

METHOD

30g pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Roast the pecans for 5 minutes, then set aside. Meanwhile, mix the juice of 1 tangerine with the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Use 2 tbsp of this dressing to marinate the salmon. Set the remaining dressing aside.

2 Waitrose Tangerines ½ tsp finely grated fresh root ginger 1 small clove garlic, finely grated 1½ tbsp reduced salt soy sauce 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 2 Scottish salmon tail fillets, skin removed 1 medium raw beetroot (about 100g), trimmed and peeled 1 small carrot, peeled and grated or julienned ¼ pointed spring cabbage, shredded ½ small red onion, finely sliced

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 2 28

2. For the slaw, finely slice the beetroot into rounds, then cut into thin matchsticks. Put in a bowl with the carrot, cabbage and red onion. Peel the remaining tangerine and separate into segments, then cut each into thirds. Set everything aside.

3. Turn the grill to high. Put the salmon on a foil-lined baking tray and grill for 5-6 minutes, until opaque and fully cooked through. Toss the shredded vegetables with the remaining dressing, then toss through the pecans and tangerine pieces. Divide the slaw between plates and top with the salmon.

COOK’S TIP A julienne peeler is really useful for making slaws. If you are cutting the vegetables by hand, sharpen your knife first to ensure you get neat, thin slices.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Waitrose.

Recipes can be found at www.waitrose.com/recipes.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

FOOD & DRINK

Irish cream fudge This fudge makes a lovely gift. Wrap it in parchment and arrange in pretty boxes, or simply use a little cellophane and ribbon.

INGREDIENTS 397g can condensed milk 150ml whole milk 425g light brown soft sugar 115g unsalted butter 100ml Baileys The Original Irish Cream Large pinch of salt 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

Preparation time: 20 minutes + cooling + chilling Cooking time: 25 minutes Makes: About 30 pieces

METHOD 1. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with parchment. Put the milks, sugar and butter in a large, nonstick saucepan and warm over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Put a sugar thermometer in the pan and turn up the heat a little, bringing the mixture to a moderate bubble. Stir continuously until the thermometer reaches 113-115°C or ‘soft-ball stage’ (this should take about 15 minutes).

Take the pan off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Stir the Irish cream and salt into the mixture. Using electric beaters set to a medium speed, beat for about 10 minutes until you have a thick mixture that’s starting to come away from the sides of the pan. (You can also do this with a wooden spoon, beating for about 15 minutes.)

Tip the mixture into the lined tin, spreading it out evenly. Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for 1 hour.

3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth. Meanwhile, put a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface. Turn out the fudge and trim the edges to neaten, then cut into squares about 3cm x 3cm. Dip ½ of each square of fudge in the chocolate. Leave to set on the parchment, chilling again briefly if needed.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Waitrose.

Recipes can be found at www.waitrose.com/recipes.

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

29

SPORT

WIN FOUR MATCH DAY TICKETS

Birthday celebrations

for the Cobblers Do not miss your chance to get involved with the 125th birthday celebrations of Northampton Town Football Club this spring.

N

orthampton Town have announced a series of events that will take place in 2022 to mark the club’s 125th birthday and the 25th anniversary of the 1997 Wembley play off final win. The club are grateful for the support of All Things Management who are the club’s official 125 partner and the supporters and volunteers who form part of the club’s 125th birthday working party group.

This programme of events has been constructed in consultation with them and the club would like to thank those supporters for their continued input and support.

The celebrations will kick off with the club’s designated birthday fixture against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday 5 March which will see the team wear a special 125th anniversary kit. Former players will be invited to attend the game and there will be a commemorative programme and ticket available. Hospitality is now available for this fixture for you to enjoy a 3-course meal, receive a match programme and much more!

30

WIN 4 TICKETS TO WATCH THE COBBLERS IN THE EAST STAND Just answer this question – in which year did Northampton Town win the Play Off Final at the old Wembley?

Email your name, address, telephone and answer to nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk Closing date: 28th February 2022 To mark the club’s 125th birthday this year, we also have a limited number of commemorative double sided lamppost signs available around Sixfields where you can own your very own lamppost by displaying your name or logo on a lamppost banner until April 2023! Included in the banner is your logo/ name at the bottom of the sign, your logo and name on our 125 web page on ntfc.co.uk, two match tickets for the official 125 year celebration game against Tranmere Rovers at Sixfields on Saturday March 5 2022 The excitement will continue to build the following month when a charity game involving Northampton Town Legends and celebrities will take place on 24 April. Hospitality, mascot packages and sponsorship are now available!

On 20 May, the club will host its Wembley Promotion Anniversary Event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Wembley play off final featuring appearances by members of the successful 1997 squad.

Supporters will be given the chance to show off their own collections of club memorabilia at a Pop-Up Museum Weekend and Club Open Day on 9 and 10 July celebrating 125 years of Northampton Town Football Club.

Work is also underway to host the Official 125th Anniversary Dinner which promises to be a glittering occasion on 4 September at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

Caroline Lucy, Commercial Director said: “This promises to be a really exciting year at the club. We’d like to say a big thank you to All Things Management who are our official 125 partner and to all the supporters and volunteers involved in our 125th birthday working party group.

“Special thanks also go to Sixfields Travel Club who are sponsoring our birthday fixture.” > For further information about any of the events, or to book any spaces, please email commercial@ntfc.co.uk or call 01604 683734/5.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

Open Mornings Fridays 4 February 11 March 13 May 2022

WINCHESTER HOUSE SCHOOL Day and Boarding Prep School for children aged 3 to 13 years.

We’re proud to offer an exciting blend of the traditional and the innovative, with a deserved reputation in academic, sporting, musical and performing arts success.

Meet our new Head Antonia Lee at one of our Open Mornings or arrange a private tour.

Visit www.winchester-house.org, email registrar@winchester-house.org or call 01280 702 483.

Based on the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire borders

FEATURE

Heroes for

hedgehogs!

Long considered a gardener’s best friend, their numbers are dwindling and our spiky hedgehogs and hoglets are now the ones in need of friends.

Luckily for those who get into trouble in this neck of the woods, Animals in Need are dedicated to their cause, as Pulse’s Sammy Jones discovered...

32

H

aving more than 200 patients needing to be looked after every day would be enough to give anyone a headache – not least when they are decidedly prickly in nature.

But Lizzie Collins doesn’t have a problem with those who are spending their winter in her care – they are all hedgehogs.

Numbers of the spiny mammals are continuing to decline because of multiple factors, but largely because of us. Roads steal the lives of thousands annually, and as we continue to replace green spaces with new builds, and farm the land in new ways, their habitat is simply being lost forever.

Lizzie and the team at Animals in Need (AIN) are among those making a very real

difference at a time when it has never been more important.

The reason for the rise in numbers of hogs being brought into centres like AIN? Many are simply too small for hibernation – and that’s down to climate change.

“They simply aren’t big enough for hibernation,” Lizzie told Pulse, “They need to be 600 grams in weight to hibernate and we are getting them in at 200-300 grams, so half the size they need to be.

“They are being born later too, because the weather is warmer – it’s definitely climate related,” she explained.

“A lot of the small ones coming in to us this season have a heavy parasite burden, so we treat them with a wormer as soon as they

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

FEATURE

arrive, and give them fluids, just to maximise their chances.

“Aside from the young ones, we are still getting the injured adults too,” Lizzie says.

Broken legs and eye complaints are all too familiar wounds: “They get their legs caught in drains and fences, and because they crawl through thicket and bramble, eye ruptures are quite a common thing.

“They do really well; hedgehogs with a back leg amputation can recover really well...”

If luck is on their side, hedgehogs can live to be anywhere between two and three years old in the wild, and occasionally AIN get a particularly elderly lady or gent through the doors.

“When they are old their eyes are slightly duller, their spines lighter in colour and their ears a little tatty, and because they are elderly they usually have few or no teeth. It’s just old-age, isn’t it? In that situation we will find a permanent home for them – somewhere the animal will be looked after with a large space.

“When we re-home them we have the same strict criteria as we do when we re-home rabbits, rodents or guinea pigs – we’ll vet the place and make sure the people are right and have a keen interest and knowledge in hedgehogs.

“We want to make sure that for the rest of that animal’s life, even if it’s for a short few months, that it is cared for.”

Looking after these gentle creatures comes with a big responsibility. Every life matters at the charity, and absolutely all species are treated equally. But with fewer of them around, caring for the hogs comes with added pressure.

“Because it’s an endangered species, it does make us stress a lot more – it makes us very aware of how much we need to fight and do everything we can to save that animal,” she admits, “But with 210 in my care, I do feel like I have the whole of the UKs population in one room!”

One of the hog babies currently making use of the facilities at AIN

A few of the guests do manage to get some shut-eye and slide into hibernation during their visit, but they are in the minority.

“The smaller ones stay inside with us when they are on medication, then we move them outside into big pens with straw, upside down dog beds and heat lamps, so some of them may hibernate, but there is always food and water there for them in case they wake up.”

We want to make sure that for the rest of that animal’s life, even if it’s for a short few months, that it is cared for.

When it comes to completing the daily routine for the not-so-fluffy balls, it’s all hands on deck to get the job done!

“It takes up to five or six hours of an eight hour day. It’s just relentless, the work is hard,” Lizzie admits, “In the wildlife unit at the moment we have 130 cages. Outside I have another 28 aviaries full of larger animals.”

Lizzie has spent a decade working at the charity and even she questions how the staff manage to get through workload. It’s certainly not glamorous - it’s often smelly, dirty and tiring, to say the least. Anyone who has visited the Little Irchester base for a rehoming, or to drop in a donation, will know only too well the work that goes into keeping Animals in Need the brilliant success that it is.

It’s a charity built on passion and belief, and a refusal to entertain the word ‘can’t.’

Animals come first – and for Lizzie right now, the hogs are at the heart of her workload.

“We whizz round cleaning them and feeding them, and then medicate afterwards. We have about 260 bowls to wash, and that

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

33

FEATURE

There’s a hog outside in daylight.

It’s probably fine though, isn’t it?

“No, it’s not,” Lizzie says, “Most people find them and put them back under a bush, when in fact the hog is most probably unwell with an illness that could prove fatal. If you don’t know what to do, please phone a wildlife rehabilitation centre and get proper information, as opposed to getting involved in arguments, or taking advice from people giving out dangerous, wrong information online.

There is a hog in my garden – what should I feed it?

If you have hedgehogs visiting your garden do not feed them bread and milk

alone takes about an hour. Then we have to mash the food and dish it out, which takes another 40 minutes.

“It is just a conveyor belt and you have got to go as quickly as you can, because we want to spend time on assessment and their general care.

“Hedgehogs are really surprising. They all act differently and have different personalities, and you won’t really see that unless you work somewhere like a wildlife rehab, but they really do – they are all totally different; some are braver than others, some are more shy than others, and they are really smart.”

Some of the hedgehogs have been brought in by wellmeaning members of the public, who will collect them when the time is right and release them back into the gardens from which they came. Other people don’t want them back in their outside spaces.

Lizzie then finds them safe places.

Even the release of the spiny babies currently in AIN’s care is dependent on the weather – usually they would be let go at the start of April, but a nasty late spell of cold weather last year meant the temperatures were too chilly for them to be set free before May. The long term prognosis for hogs makes for sobering reading. According to data from The Hedgehog Preservation Trust, since 2000 their numbers have declined by half in rural areas and by a third in urban spaces, and the species is now classified as vulnerable to extinction.

Let that data sink in. It’s shocking. There’s a very real fear that they could disappear forever.

34

“That would be awful wouldn’t it?” asks Lizzie, though really, she’s stating the fact, “It would be horrendous. It is so upsetting.

You would be showing your kids and your grandkids pictures and saying, ‘Once upon a time we had this spiky animal...’

It is just crazy to have to think like that.”

But we can all do more to support and encourage real change.

“Look at the Red Kite for example; they were as common as crows years and years ago, so ‘we’ decided to cull them almost to extinction.

But with driven, determined people to make successful breeding programmes, you see Red Kites everywhere now. It can be done if people care.

“There are so many species that have been on the borderline of extinction, and people have got together and turned it around.

“People are butchering the landscape to build on and it’s like a steam train, you can’t stop it.”

Thankfully there is some positivity puncturing the doom and gloom: “I am hopeful that more people are taking more of an interest,” Lizzie says, “A lot of companies who build the footings and the walls for gardens in new builds are offering to leave a gap in the wall for the hedgehogs – it’s your choice as a purchaser whether you want it. Things like that are really good and on the rise, but everyone needs to be on the same page for it to work.

“A lot of people think that someone else is doing something so they don’t have to, but actually everyone could do a bit to make it a lot easier – for hedgehogs and our wildlife in general.”

“Please don’t feed them bread and milk, which is terrible for them, and don’t feed them dried mealworms; they contain a really high level of phosphate which stops them absorbing calcium, which gives them brittle bone disease, which is lethal and awful.

“Instead, you can feed them Calci Worms as a replacement,” Lizzie advises, “They contain a balanced level of phosphate and calcium, which is not harmful. They taste the same, but are just a little bit chunkier and fatter.

The best thing to feed them is hedgehog dry biscuits for their teeth and poultry in jelly for the smaller ones.”

We don’t have hogs where I live...

“Grab yourself a cheap wildlife camera, which you can get on well known shopping sites for as little as £20 or £30. They are infrared and can be linked to your phone. You’ll be amazed by what is in your garden.

Hedgehogs are out there, but they are nocturnal and elusive, they don’t want to be seen. Just because you haven’t seen one, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.”

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

Lizzie with one of her patients

MOTORING

Volvo Car UK records increased sales and market share in 2021

V

olvo Car UK has again demonstrated the quality and appeal of its cars and the strength of its business, recording growth in both its new car sales volume and its market share in 2021.

The achievement is set against the challenging trading conditions for the global automotive industry, caused by the continuing pandemic and associated vehicle supply issues.

In total, 48,260 new Volvo cars were registered in the UK, an increase of 4% on 2020’s figure, outperforming the market as a whole, where volume grew by 1%. As a result, the company’s market share rose from 2.85 to 2.93%.

Central to this performance was the success of Volvo’s fast-expanding Recharge range of electrified – plug-in hybrid petrol-electric and pure electric – models: with sales more than doubling to 15,376 units year-on-year, these accounted for 32% of all Volvo’s UK sales in 2021. Order books show that proportion rising to more than one third (37%) of the total, reflecting the momentum of growth in customer demand for low- and zero-emission cars.

This strong UK performance has contributed to Volvo Cars’ global growth. Worldwide, the

Central to Volvo’s performance was the success of their fast-expanding Recharge range of electrified models

business saw its sales rise by nearly 6% to 698,693 units; international Recharge model sales increased by 64% compared with 2020.

The XC40 compact SUV was again Volvo’s UK best-seller – its total sales of 25,242 units reaffirming it as the country’s most popular premium SUV for a second consecutive year. The XC40 was also the third-best-selling plug-in hybrid car of all in the UK in 2021. The mid-size XC60 and large luxury XC90 SUVs held second and third places in Volvo’s rankings, with 10,131 and 7,221 sales respectively.

The high demand for Volvo products extended to the pre-owned market, with the

Volvo Selekt Approved Used Car operation recording 32,401 sales – up 12% on 2020’s business, despite reduced supply.

Matt Galvin, Volvo Car UK Commercial Operations Director, said: “This continues to be a challenging time for the automotive industry, but these excellent results demonstrate how the strength of our products and the way we are adapting our business are inspiring customer confidence. Having seized the initiative with our Recharge electrified model range, and by progressing towards alldigital car sales, we are reaping the rewards of innovation while preserving the qualities and values that are central to our brand.”

Kristian Elvefors, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said: “It is hugely rewarding for everyone at Volvo to see their hard work and dedication delivering this strong sales performance. My thanks go to them, and to the growing number of consumers who are making Volvo their preferred choice. I am confident that the coming year has the potential to deliver greater rewards as we expand our Recharge portfolio and continue to evolve business models that address new consumer preferences for accessing mobility.”

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Experts in educating girls aged 2 to 18 Experience all that Northampton High School can offer at our Open Morning, Friday 4 March 2022. We invite you to visit us, to get a feel for what a High School education could do for your daughter. Scan below to book your visit, or contact us today at: 01604 765765 northamptonhigh.co.uk/visit-us

DELIVERY PEOPLE WANTED The role is to deliver magazines once a month and would suit a retired, active person, a stay-at-home parent, someone looking to supplement their income or school children (must be over 14 years with parental consent).

To apply and for more details please email: nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk stating which area(s) you could deliver to. www.pulsemagazine.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

35

HOME & GARDEN

DIGGING DEEP

Gardening with Pulse

A

lthough still some way off, the new season is drawing that little bit closer, and our garden reflects the approach of spring; we get our first peek of bulbs breaking through the soil, and things are warming up just a little bit, or rather a lot; those record breaking new year temperatures show that things are changing.

A number of shrubs and plants can be pruned now, including wisteria and climbing roses, but be sure to leave spring-flowering shrubs alone – instead of stimulating growth, getting busy with the secateurs will damage your chances of blooms.

Generally speaking, there should still be more than a chill in the air, so if you are going to plant hardier seeds, a snuggly environment helps ensure the best chances of success.

A heated greenhouse is perfect, but is a luxury many of us don’t have, so seed trays should be brought inside instead.

As for flowers? Sweet peas are a delicate delight in the summertime garden. They deliver a dazzling array of colours and a fragrance that takes this gardener straight back to her childhood gardening roots – where I spent hours learning about seeds and flowers and vegetables as my grandfather’s little helper.

But though they may look dainty, sweet peas are hardy and super easy to grow – and now is the time to get them started, planting them into biodegradable pots. They will be perfectly

Top Tip...

If you want to learn more about the comings and goings in your garden, consider installing a nest box and camera. Watching birds raise their young is a wonderful thing, and needn’t be confined to episodes of Springwatch!

Birds will be looking for suitable homes to nest in from the middle of February, so fly to it!

If you have old boxes already in place, ensure they have been cleaned out; empty old nests and rinse through with boiling water.

Cameras are an affordable way to grow your appreciation of nature, and you don’t need to stop at birds; garden cameras will show you who is making the most of your outdoor space while you sleep. You might be surprised at just how busy a place it is!

36

How does your garden grow?

Sweet peas give off amazing scent and make excellent cut flowers

fine in an unheated greenhouse, and in time when they are transferred outside, they can simply be planted in their pots. It’s a good way to guarantee a great bloom later in the year.

Now is also the ideal time to chit potatoes.

Chitting simply means to encourage and prepare the seed potatoes prior to planting. If this is new to you, don’t try to use supermarket purchased examples as seed potatoes – they are more prone to disease, and many shop bought spuds will have been treated to prevent the act of sprouting.

Once you have your seed potatoes, simply let them sprout shoots; Pop them in an open box or an old egg box, not too deep, and use newspaper to divide the box into sections for the pre-sprouters.

Anywhere between four and six weeks after the chitting process is started, the green shoots should arrive.

“About 35 years ago, when we were designing the garden, we planted two crab apple trees, whose labels have long-since gone,” remembers Ralph Westmoreland from Denton & District Gardening Club.

“The smaller tree has yellow fruits which drop off as soon as they ripen, however the other one can be relied upon to bear the most brilliant red fruits in great profusion, which are held throughout the winter.

“On dull, misty mornings, although the russet colours of the autumn leaves are long gone, it looks as if it has been decorated with festive lights,” Ralph explains, conjuring up a magnificent image in his mind.

“Most years it provides a feast for visiting flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares from Russia and Scandinavia. They soon strip the tree of all its fruit before flying to another promising location.

“The fruit is particularly important at this time of year, as the ground is often too hard for the birds to penetrate in their search for worms.

“Now the short days are lengthening and the colours in the garden are changing, we may be surprised to catch the scent Sarcococca confusa, and see the fluffy yellow flowers on the bare branches of Cornus mas, growing above a carpet of snowdrops.”

Denton & District Gardening Club is a small, friendly club which meets on a Monday evening every month. New members and visitors are always welcome. > For more information please contact Margaret at m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk or 01604 890875.

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

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39

INTERIORS

www.crucial-trading.com

www.alternativeflooring.com

SASSYSTRIPES

S

tripes are going to be featuring heavily in our interiors this year.

They’re fun and playful and can liven up our homes. They adorn the Mills and Kinsella showroom, there’s so much choice; from the stunning stair runners and rugs of Roger Oates and Off The Loom, to the sensational Mississippi and Audrey carpets by Crucial Trading.

Fabrics and wallpapers are no different, with Cole and Son having an entire collection full of striped wallpapers and Jane Churchill and Designers Guild both including some fashionable striped fabric designs in their latest spring collections.

Whether you prefer a neat little pinstripe or a big, broad line, stripes can bring structure and elegance to a space. They can be a statement in their own right, creating a focal point that diverts attention away from less desirable features. Vertical stripes help a ceiling to look taller by drawing the eye upwards, horizontal stripes give the opposite effect, making rooms seem wider and the ceiling lower. Strong, vibrant stripes give a small room a more spacious feel, narrower stripes make a space feel grander.

Stripes work exceptionally well when combined with patterns. Try striped curtains with a floral wallpaper or a floral headboard with striped bed linen.

Rosie Kinsella Interior Designer 01604 751262 www.millsandkinsella.com 40

www.janechurchill.com

So long as the colours within the stripes and patterns complement each other, the scheme will co-ordinate and look balanced.

Alternatively, monochromatic stripes can be used to bring relief to a highly patterned scheme, breaking up the plethora of colour and giving the eye a rest, something more orderly on which to focus.

If black and white stripes are the main feature of your room, then accessorise with colourful vases, ornaments, sculptures or artwork. A bright pop of colour will be set off perfectly by the black and white background.

Stripes are a tool that can be used in any room, they never go out of fashion; but be careful in bathrooms where the look can become a bit New England. To prevent this, stay away from being too coordinated, mix your colours or use stripes of different proportions.

If you fancy being more daring, then combine stripes with other stripes. Layering different thicknesses and colours, some positioned with the stripes lying horizontally, some vertically, can be very effective, particularly in rooms where you want to

be continually stimulated. Home offices, kitchens or playrooms are perfect for this treatment. However, in bedrooms, stripes are best used in softer tones where they will stimulate less and be more conducive to relaxing and winding down at the end of a hard day.

Stripes used on the floor will anchor a scheme. Whether your choice is a striped rug or carpet, choose the style and colour you like and then build the rest of the scheme around it. Striped carpets are still a relatively recent phenomenon, but you only need look at the lifestyle imagery featured in the advertisements of Crucial Trading, Roger Oates, Off The Loom and Alternative Flooring, to know how impactful they can be. Their awe-inspiring designs can be perfectly matched with neutral walls and simple furniture; or striking paintwork in deep colours.

Over the last couple of years we’ve seen a surge in interest in striped stair runners.

They create a strong design statement as soon as you enter a house, adding colour,

www.offtheloom.co.uk

www.redefiningwoodburners.com

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

THE ARTS

texture and pattern. A broad stripe will help a staircase feel wider and any stripe leading up the stairs will help the stairwell feel taller and larger.

If you don’t have the stairs to support a runner, or they’re not of good enough quality to have the sides exposed, then consider a striped rug to make a similar statement.

Whether it’s long and narrow to fit on the landing or hallway, or square or rectangular to suit the living or dining room, a rug is a simple way to deliver impact and colour in an otherwise ordinary space.

When dabbling with stripes for the first time, keep away from anything too complicated. If you’re unsure, maybe start with some paint that can be easily changed. Cover a wall in a two-tone stripe, with the top half a sightly lighter tone than the bottom half. This might not feel very adventurous but it’s a good way to take a tentative step towards a bolder scheme.

www.rogeroates.com

Next add a striped cushion or a striped piece of artwork and go from there. Layering up your room in a gradual way, will help to ensure that the finished result is coherent and most importantly, easy on the eye. It should also give you the confidence to try more daring ideas as you develop your look.

If you’re still not convinced, and prefer to keep your home neutral and minimalistic, then consider how each of your rooms makes you feel. Even paired back spaces could usually do with a little lift to stop them feeling flat and dull. Adding a small section of stripe could be the perfect way to achieve this. Try a single cushion, vase or book with a striped finish.

The stripes trend is timeless. It’s a classic look that will always remain fashionable.

There are very few patterns that have such staying power so don’t be afraid to experiment and bring a stripe into your home!

Symbolism

of Love

he romantic holiday of Valentine’s day, falling on February 14th, is the occasion to show that special someone just how much you love them. Some express their affection through flowers and chocolates, or opt for a delicious dinner or relaxing trip to the spa. In Italy, it’s customary for couples to receive ‘Saint Valentine’s Keys’, a symbol of inviting another to unlock your heart.

However, Valentine’s Day has not always been all about romance, only becoming associated with love in the 14th century, and the history of the celebration is fascinating.

Its exact origins are cloudy, as there have been numerous notable Christian martyrs named Valentine who could have been commemorated through the creation of the holiday. One potential is a priest martyred in about 270CE, who was thought to have written a note to the daughter of his jailer, ending it with the now widely used phrase “from your Valentine.” Alternatively, a bishop may be responsible, who was said to have secretly officiated weddings between couples behind the emperor’s back to save husbands from being sent to war, thus connecting his day of remembrance with love.

Whatever the true origins of Valentine’s day, the occasion has grown to have its own traditions and symbols, including Cupid, the Roman god of love and desire.

Mythology states that Cupid would shoot an arrow through a person’s heart to control their affections and who they fell in love with, unbeknownst to the victim. Birds also commonly feature on Valentine’s day cards, and this is theorised to be due to the coinciding of their mating season.

Lastly, and most abundant, is the symbol of the heart – the origins of why hearts are now integrally linked to love and Valentine’s are unclear, in the absence of an explanation, it could be related to the image of the joining of two halves.

Nevertheless hearts are a prominent feature on the holiday, and have crept their way into artwork depicting displays of affection and appreciation. Jenni Murphy’s limited edition print ‘Sparkly Love’ is a charming piece portraying a couple running up a hill, hand-in-hand, painting a heart into the night sky using a glittering sparkler.

Mackenzie Thorpe is an artist who is no stranger to heart symbolism, featuring as a distinct characteristic in much of his artwork – ‘Hand in Hand’ is a new limited edition print illustrating lovers making their way through a field of heart-shaped flowers, plucking them as they go.

Doug Hyde is another artist with a variety of romantically-themed pieces; one of my favourites is the limited edition ‘Together In Love’, which incorporates a more modern Valentine’s token in the form of the Love Hearts sweets.

Gemma Davey Gallery Correspondent www.therosegallery.co.uk

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

41

MUSIC

Mammoth line-up for IVW at The Black Prince

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ndependent Venue Week (IVW) is back with a bang for February – and The Black Prince gets stuck in with Andy Bell Space Station (Feb 2), writes Sammy Jones.

The Space Station is the latest treat from the Ride guitarist who has also coloured up Oasis and Beady Eye in his time. His skills have also been utilised by everyone from Pink Floyd to Talk Talk and The Brian Jonestown Massacre in a career that has delivered plenty.

Then there’s his electronic streak and remix work, delivered as GLOK. Music flows wherever this man goes, and Northampton is in for a real treat with his arrival.

Space Station was founded during lockdown, at the Lo-Fi coffee shop in Crouch End. Andy began streaming performances at the empty coffee emporium, helping music fans to get their quota of musical caffeine during the dour times by playing electric guitar along to reworked versions of backing tracks from his catalogue of projects.

‘The backing tracks are deconstructed and extended in a way that makes them easy to improvise over,’ apparently.

Or at least that’s how it works when you are as talented as Mr Bell is.

Mid-week gigs aren’t supposed to be this cool – or cheap; tickets are just £6. Maps will provide a DJ set on the night too.

The venue will still be sweaty from the night before when London’s Tiña bring psych-pop to the stage, much of it lifted from their debut album, Positive Mental Health Music, which crammed a whole heap of emotions and tricky subjects into its 11 songs; anxiety, depression, love, sex, isolation, fear and failure are all covered in the ‘honest and intimate portrait,’ with frontman Josh Loftin using the material to ‘work through a mental breakdown.’

The ‘fampton’s own bloody/bath will support on the night. Songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Kailan Price is making friends and influencing still more for his music-making, which takes influence from the ‘80s tunes that found their way to him courtesy of his late mother.

‘If The Cure created their records in a Northampton bedroom, this is what it would sound like,’ declared Manchester’s Yuck magazine.

Opening up the bill falls to Megalashhh, visiting from London with their pile of unsettling psychotronica.

Plenty has happened since The Virginmarys (Feb 4) issued their debut album back in 2013, including plum support slots with artists including QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal, Skunk Anansie and Slash.

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Andy Bell (above) kicks things off in February at The Black Prince with the Andy Bell Space Station, while local favourite FFSYTHO?! (left) brings grime to the party on Feb 6

And they’ve accumulated more than 10 million streams on Spotify. The band is now operating as a duo with Ally and Danny in control of everything.

“We are hugely excited about this decision, and though perhaps a little scary first off, we’re really going to thrive from the challenge of playing strictly as a duo, with bigger riffs, higher power and fresher sounds than ever before, guaranteed!” they promised.

“The live show will be bigger than ever, and of course we’ll still be honouring the older material at the gigs as well,” they added.

Slick riffs and easily identifiable influences meld with the rich vocals of Henrik Steenholdt to provide the backbone of Empyre’s hard rock sound, but when they choose to, they can cut a clear tune of stripped back emotion too.

The pandemic only served to see their creativity surge; they issued seven singles,

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

MUSIC

15 music videos and the acoustic album, The Other Side. Work has since begun on their second electric album. They support The Virginmary’s, along with Northamptonshire’s Apollo whose roots can be traced back to a chance meeting at a Starbucks between two members back in 2019.

Since then, they’ve brewed up intriguing tracks including The Getaway and Lay My Body Down. Tap to their social media pages to tickle your ears with those.

Despite hardly having had the chance to play for the musically curious thanks to covid, they debuted at The Black Prince, so this is a return to familiarity for the quartet.

Press to MECO (Feb 5) had been spreading their noise for a decade or so when it came to working on their third album, but it could so easily have been curtains for the trio: “When Luke and I hid away to begin writing this album, we were on the brink of giving up pursuing a career in music,” Lewis Williams said, “However, these songs helped us rediscover our love for the process and why we even do this in the first place,” he said.

Then Jake Crawford entered the ranks to replace Adam Roffee on bass, and they ended up flying producer Machine (who has captured magnificent releases by artists including Clutch) over from the States and took up residence in a 15th century tower in the Cotswolds to record Transmute.

It was issued through Marshall Records in August, feeding their fans a carefully crafted fusion of typically great MECO stuff.

It also rejuvenated the band: “We’ve learnt more about ourselves and about music in the last two years than we have in the last 10, and for that we have this album and our collective perseverance through hardship to be thankful for.”

Show support this time will be courtesy of Pillowhead and RETREAT! RETREAT! There’s a local goodie in place for the final IVW gig from a lady who boasts a tongue sharper than broken glass: Northampton’s grime MC FFSYTHO?! (Feb 6).

Press to MECO hit the stage on February 5

As live shows go, sets at Reading and Leeds Festivals are right up there on the cool scale, and that’s what happened in 2021 when FFSYTHO?! trod the Introducing stage.

Her freestyle abilities have made her a hit with Radio 1 and 1Xtra showing support, and everyone who has passed that eye-catching and quite marvellous mural of the lady by the Grosvenor Centre will know her face.

Also hitting up the venue before February says ‘ta ra’ catch The Barratts (Feb 11), Pulp Friction (Feb 12) promise ‘the world’s best live tribute to Quentin Tarantino’ with singing,

dancing and theatrical performance. We Are Not Devo (no explanation required) will be joined by NN’s Venus Fly Trap and Gestalt for their date (Feb 18) She Chameleon (Feb 20) will get busy delivering the music of Marillion, and last up (Feb 25), give a warm anti-bac and mask attired welcome to Bristol techno heads Scalping, with able support from Mandy, Indiana and Drownd.

For info and tickets visit FB: blackprincenn If there’s nothing in that lot to tickle your fancy, you need to visit your GP.

Miles puts the brakes on UK tour

I

t’s not unusual for artists to shift tour dates in these messy times, but it’s still a bit of a blow when they do. Miles Kane was due to play The Roadmender this February, but has postponed.

“For the safety of my fans, band and crew, it felt like the right time to move the dates,” Miles said.

The tour is in support of his new album Change The Show, which has been declared ‘the apotheosis of his previous works, incorporating those classic rock and glam influences, but focusing more closely on Motown, soul and 40s RnB.’ The release includes a tasty duet with

Corinne Bailey Rae called Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough.

“This is all about that feeling of giving everything you’ve got to something or someone but feeling like you’re never quite getting the same energy back,” Miles explains, “And how sometimes the harder you try and reach for it, the further away it becomes.”

“I love the back and forth between us,” Miles says of the pairing, “I wanted an Ike and Tina Turner vibe, not a gratuitous guest.”

Miles will now play the Roadmender on May 17.

Tickets for the original date remain valid.

Visit theroadmender.com

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

43

THEATRE

Dick and Angel escape to the Derngate

Six brings Tudor girl power to Derngate

Sunshine served with every ticket Comedy, ballet, classic shows, new shows and thoughtprovoking nights out. February is certainly delivering on all counts when it comes to theatre.

Sammy Jones takes a peek at the month to come...

with a big emphasis on the historic, Six (Feb 15-19).

The wives of Henry VIII have been silenced for centuries, but no longer – they are remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power.

‘These Queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red,’ says the blurb.

Stop right here for a musical you can truly lose your head over!

The last time we saw Ray Quinn on a stage, tacey Dooley has been a staple on our he was starring as Don in Summer Holiday, and television screens in recent years for he was superb. Now he’s on the road with All her investigative shows and presenting Singing All Swinging! which tells the story of work, and she lifted the coverted the Rat Pack.

Strictly glitter ball in 2018 as well.

Aside from the greatest hits of Sammy She had been due to visit the Derngate on Davis Jr, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, you’ll February 8, but just as this edition get a generous delivery of wit, charm and of Pulse was bring put to charisma. Ray will be joined on stage by bed, her show probing Nick James and Shane Nolan for the into the difficulties of show at The Deco (Feb 18).

Britain’s mental health Funny fella Paul Foot will play at emergency, became the Underground (Feb 18) with another Covid Swan Power. casualty. The show Paul will be opening his will now visit on beak and exploring topics February 4, 2023. including Nanna on the Previously, rack, murdering Santas and quick-tongued witty interfering ambulance drivers. wonder Katherine ‘Odd couple’ Dick and Angel, Ryan had denounced stars of the Channel 4 hit show partnership, but now Escape to the Chateau have said she has married her first Katherine Ryan ‘au revoir’ to their castle home and love, although apparently it set their sights on a tour of this fair was accidentally... how do you isle. do that?!

Take your Derngate seats (Feb 20) and they’ll Her new session with the mic (Feb 10) is a explain who they are, where they’ve come from, chance to hear Katherine’s new perspectives how they met and why they dared to do it. on life and love and what it means to be It’s a surprising story of a retired Lieutenant Missus, in the show by the same name.

Colonel and his entrepreneur and designer Next up, a decidedly modern musical but wife, told first hand.

S

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Eric & Ern will be hitting all the right notes, just not in the right order, at The Core

Olivier Award nominated duo Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens are back with Eric & Ern, their nostalgic show crammed full of those comedy sketches by Morecombe & Wise that charmed the nation – remember Grieg’s Piano Concerto?

Sunshine is guaranteed with every ticket taken for this evening of enjoyment at The Core at Corby (Feb 24).

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia will cut a beautiful figure at the Derngate when their three night stay delivers as many productions; Cinderella (Feb 24), Snow Maiden (Feb 25) and The Nutcracker (Feb 26).

At The Royal (Feb 25-March 5) An Improbable Musical will be created in front of your eyes.

You never really get to see the very best bits of a production, do you? You know, when the fresh minted gags and beautiful moments of discovery reveal themselves.

But you never see the worst either; the dead ends, the bits that don’t work and the totally duff choices.

This new R&D production will put it all out there – triumphs, disasters, the wonderful and the what-the-hell?

Curious? You know you are. And Improbable have form with more than three decades delivering make-it-up-as-you-go-along shows.

Back at the Derngate, Bedknobs and Broomsticks invites you to enter a world of magic and fantasy when it flies in (from Feb 28). Hold on tight! > Book in: Royal & Derngate and Underground: royalandderngate.co.uk The Deco: thedeco.co.uk The Core: thecorecorby.com

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

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WHATS ON

#WhatsOnPulse Stony Words: Selina Todd – The great British social mobility myth February 1, 7pm The Stony Words Festival continues with a Zoom event in the company of Selina Todd, a Professor of Modern History at Oxford University. She will show ‘how a powerful elite on the top rungs of the social ladder have prevented others from ascending, and argues greater opportunities for all to thrive to ensure the survival of our society.’

Click and connect: stonywords.org.uk

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s story The Smeds and The Smoos is on stage at The Core, Corby

Walk & Talk: Wonderful Willen – A Sociologist’s View Wednesday, February 2, 1.30pm-3.30pm Take a guided walk around Willen Lake and the Tree Cathedral through a sociological lens, as The Parks Trust explores how the landmarks around the lake reflect the social makeup of Milton Keynes.

The brisk two hour walk is suitable for adults and children aged 12+ Check out the greenery: theparkstrust.com Shaparak Khorsandi: IT WAS THE 90S! Wednesday, February 2, 8pm Join Shaparak as she steps back in time, ‘to the decade where ‘kinky’ was nurse roleplay and whipped cream’ when our lady at the mic found herself navigating London with hope in her heart, a tenner in her pocket and spare knickers in her handbag! Suitable for over 16s.

We were young, we were free: stables.org Stony Words: Kehinde Andrews – The New Age of Empire Wednesday, February 2 Kehinde is the UK’s first Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. Join him for an evening exploring his current book, The New Age of Empire – How racism and colonialism still rule the world. ‘This is not a book that offers easy answers but forces us to think about the legacy of our history.’

Books will be for sale at the event, being hosted upstairs at The Crown in Stony Stratford.

A new chapter: stonywords.org.uk

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Women’s Walking Network Thursday, February 3, 10am-midday The Parks Trust organised event visits Tattenhoe Valley Park this month. The parkland is well known for its necklace of ponds which provide a great habitat for insect, bird and water life. Participants will also get to explore the ancient woodland of Howe Park Wood during the walk, which is a little less than four and a half miles long.

Best foot forward: theparkstrust.com Stony Words: Helen Thompson - Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century Thursday, February 3 Join the Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University as she talks about her upcoming book release; a long history of the present political moment created by the shocks of economic failure by the banks, the rupture of the European Union and political schisms in the United States.

Tickets are £5 in advance for the event, which is taking place upstairs at The Crown in Stony Stratford.

Book in for the book bash: stonywords.org.uk

The Smeds and The Smoos Thursday, February 3 (1pm & 4pm) and Friday, February 4 (10am & 12.30pm) Theatre-time for little folks who will be charmed by the Tall Stories team as they deliver an exciting adaptation of the awardwinning book by Julai Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for those aged three years and up.

Space time: thecorecorby.com Stony Words: Performers’ Night Friday, February 4 Visit York House Centre in Stony Stratford for your chance to perform those folk/ roots/acoustic songs that you’ve been perfecting!

Entry is £5 on the door – from 7.30pm ready for an 8pm start.

Turn up: thesongloft.com

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

WHATS ON

Hairspray Northampton Derngate Until Saturday, February 5 The musical with big volume and even bigger songs is back.

You still can’t stop the beat: royalandderngate.co.uk Stony Words: Alfie Moore – Fair Cop Unleashed Saturday, February 5, 7pm Alfie is an original and distinctive comedian with his niche area as a recently retired police sergeant – book for an arresting evening in his company at York House Centre, Stony Stratford.

Tickets are £10.

Guilty as charged: stonywords.org.uk Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Sunday, February 6, 3pm Enjoy the RPO at Northampton’s Derngate Theatre as they deliver work by Walton (Portsmouth Point Overture), Elgar (Introduction and Allegro for Strings) and The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, by Jenkins A classic afternoon: royalandderngate.co.uk Stony Words: Tales Tattled & Told Sunday, February 6, 7.30pm An evening of wicked words and mind-blowing music is promised with stories and songs by and for adults upstairs at The Crown in celebration of National Storytelling Week.

Stony Storytellers and the 2022 Bard of Stony Stratford will be among those present, and the Hatstand Band will take charge of the folk and rockabilly.

Tickets are £5.

Naughty but nice: stonywords.org.uk Parks & Run: Great Linford Manor Park Sunday, February 6, from 10am Get that body moving with a choice of either a 2, 6 or 10km route at the historic park. Be sociable while getting the blood pumping.

Want to participate? Meet at the Arts Centre Parklands, off St Leger Drive – there’s no need to pre-book.

Jog on: theparkstrust.com The New Scummy Mummies Show Thursday, February 10, 8pm Comedians Ellie and Helen return to the Wavendon venue with new songs, new jokes and new catsuits as they celebrate the scummier side of parenting, from drinking wine at teatime to hiding from the PTA. Find the funnies: stables.org A talk: ‘Different Ways with Clematis’ Monday, February 14 Peter Skeggs-Gooch will be in conversation at Denton & District Gardening Club.

Entry is free for members, £3 for visitors. There will also be a raffle and home-made refreshments.

Put down roots: Call 01604 890875 or email m.pateman@yahoo.co.uk

Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee Larry Dean brings the laughter to Derngate this month

Dick & Angel Dare To Do It Sunday, February 20, 7.30pm Join the stars of the hit TV show Escape to the Chateau as they explain who they are, where they have come from, how they met and why they dared to do it!

Head to the castle: royalandderngate.co.uk Larry Dean: Fudnut Friday, February 25, 8pm The double Edinburgh Comedy Awardnominee takes to the Underground stage with a new hour-long show of stuff guaranteed to turn frowns upside down.

The show is suitable for those aged 16+ Get the giggles: royalandderngate.co.uk Dan Webster Friday, February 25, 8.45pm Singer-songwriter Dan’s music is influenced by the sounds and storytelling traditions of Americana, which the Yorkshireman melds with an honest northern English perspective.

Open your ears: stables.org

Space Friday, February 25, 7.30pm During the band’s lifetime, Space have shifted more than five million records, and made their way into the Top 10 singles chart 10 times. After an extended period of downtime because of Covid, the Brit aces are getting back on the stage with a date in Corby. Suburban Rock and Roll: thecorecorby.com Bob Dylan Night Saturday, February 26, 8pm Enjoy local performers as they deliver their own interpretations of Dylan’s marvelous music; from Freewheelin’ to Street Legal.

Those taking the stage at York House in Stony Stratford will include Rd Eyre, Sue de Souza, Chrissy Leonhardt, Monty Lunds, David Mains, Paul Manning, Miller & Walker and Pat Nicholson. The bar opens from 7.30pm, the music starts at 8pm, and ‘those times are not a-changing,’ say organisers. Nice work.

Going, Going, Gone: wegottickets.com/event/531645

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

47

MOTORING

Super Cupra ADAM TUDOR-LANE reviews the Cupra Formentor

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FACTS AT A GLANCE Top Speed: 127 MPH Performance: 0-62 in 8.6 secs

upra, the young, hip brand by SEAT. Its first-ever bespoke model is here, the Formentor. Just don’t tell them that my 67-year-old father really wants one. Wrong demographic.

Thinking that Cupra was meant to be a sporty brand, it’s odd that the least powerful engine is this 1.5 litre turbo, producing 147 BHP. Not slow, not rapid, but it’s half the oomph of the most potent model. Prices start at £28,895.

Yes, it’s yet another crossover; everyone loves them…right? This one does however look slightly different. It’s wide, low at the front and looks mean; there’s an LED strip that runs right across the rear to give it a unique light signature, although there’s still a third brake light which is odd.

It’s certainly more stylish than a Nissan Qashqai and sleeker than the Hyundai Tucson.

Drive wise, the Formentor is firm, as you’d expect. It matches the looks and gives it a slightly sporting dynamic worthy of those svelte lines. It still does an excellent job of

soaking up the lumps and bumps but becomes more jittery at slower speeds.

With a 0-62 time of 8.6 seconds, it’s nippy enough for most; this one had the optional DSG gearbox, which didn’t miss a beat over 300 odd miles. It picked up pace when I needed it and became an eco-cruiser over those longer jaunts.

MPG came in at a respectable 39 over a mix of A-roads, motorway and town driving. The lowest official figure is 41.5, which is probably doable over a long journey.

Jumping inside and the SEAT heritage is clear to see; the dark trim is brightened by a few bronze touches here and there. It’s all very cocooning; the low seating position also makes you feel as hunkered down as the Formentor looks.

A super large 12.3-inch touchscreen handles everything, and I mean everything.

You won’t find any heating controls below, nor a tactile dial for the volume. For me, it’s something manufacturers should avoid, as

Power: 147 BHP Economy: 39 MPG it becomes a faff to do something as easy as demisting the windscreen.

You have to take your eyes off the road for far too long while you prod and poke at menus.

A touch-sensitive bar enables you to turn the heating up and down, but trying to do so while on the move can be hit and miss – the same goes for anything on the touchscreen to be honest.

Rear seat leg and headroom is decent considering the coupe-esque lines; shorter passengers or children won’t be able to look out of the windows though, as they’re incredibly high up and small.

The same goes for the rear window; it’s tiny.

Luckily you have a reversing camera to stop you from hitting things at wheel arch height.

Boot space is easy to access thanks to a low, lip-less opening. It measures in at 450 litres, but that shrinks if you opt for the four-wheel-drive model and even further for the hybrid version.

Cupra’s Formentor feels more like a hatchback than an SUV; its lower centre of gravity and wider track are to thank for that. It gets a ton of looks while out on the road, so that helps set it apart from the rest of the monotonous crossover crowd. Overall, it’s a yes from me.

For more car news, reviews and motorsport action visit carwitter.com or follow us @car_witter 48

February 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire

PUZZLES

View from the Far Kerb

SUDOKU PUZZLE Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats. Good Luck!

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Politics T

he word ‘politics’ comes from the Greek: Πολιτικά, politiká, meaning, ‘affairs of the cities.’ For some that is the most interesting thing about politics, and if you find the etymology interesting, then you probably need to get out more.

Note to self: I must make more time for walks...

Regardless of whether you consider yourself left, right, central or some political flavour utilising the seventh of nine dimensions, you may always be mislead by the word.

One accepted definition of ‘politics’ is this: activities associated with the governance of a country or area Imagine a pride of lions. Then imagine a second pride of lions.

Now, stretch and consider the two prides overlapping. It wouldn’t be too far left-field to suggest that the prides engage in a form of politics; the attempt to outmanoeuvre each other as one seeks to establish their dominance over the other.

Because everyone knows that they are just smaller versions of lions, I shall henceforth use the term ‘kittens’ and by reasonable extension include ‘puppies.’ As rabbits overgrazing will impact negatively on the survival of one warren over another, governance and competition entails. In keeping with the nomenclature thus far used, I shall refer to ‘bunnies’ as opposed to ‘rabbits.’ Therefore a piece entitled, ‘Politics’ might be about kittens, puppies and bunnies. Nothing tough or unfriendly here!

I can hear rumblings of dissent as counter arguments are prepared to be fired off via cannon and mortar. Explosiveness is ready to correct me and make it known that ‘politics’ is far more than just kittens, puppies and bunnies.

Politics, in the view of Harold Lasswell, is “who gets what, when [and] how.”

Harold Lasswell (1902-1978) was a respected political scientist and communications theorist. He was a professor of law at Yale University and had studied at the Universities of London, Geneva, Paris, and Berlin in the 1920s. He served as president of the American Political Science Association, of the American Society of International Law and of the World Academy of Art and Science. In short, he was not silly, yet his definition of ‘politics’ completely supports my stance.

And in case Harold Lasswell was having an off day, here is another expert.

The kittens, puppies and bunnies of my world of politics don’t use money. Instead they trade on survival.

Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) said, “politics is the most concentrated expression of economics.”

The kittens, puppies and bunnies of my world of politics don’t use money. Instead they trade on survival. A face-off between a pair of lions (or kittens) over a carcass (their next feed), is likely to be a highly concentrated (intense) affair.

Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov to his friends), ran a large country.

Whether for good or bad, is something for debate elsewhere.

However, I’m going to suggest that running a small hobby club hasn’t quite got the same kudos. I believe his view might carry more weight and that I need to become a prime minister or president, or tell some fibs, before being able to pronounce upon such matters with suitable gravity.

Politics – the science of kittens, puppies and bunnies.

PHIL O’HARA

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4. Slumbers (6) 24. Windpipe (7) 5. Acidic fruit (5) 1. Asian temples (7) 26. Problem (5) 6. Small house (7) 29. Foreign (5) 5. Place (5) 7. Wizardry (7) 8. Caustic solution (3) 30. Grounds, 12. Male child (3) 9. Line of descent (7) causes (7) 14. Pale (4) 31. Also (3) 10. Engine (5) 16. Bitter plant (4) 32. Indications (5) 11. Embarrass (5) 17. Broad sword (7) 33. Roams (7) 13. Thin fried 18. Significance (7) batter (7) 20. Account for (7) 15. Church service (4) Clues Down 1. Bohemian dance 21. Insect (3) 17. Percussion (5) 23. Restricted (6) instrument (6) 2. Italian port (5) 25. Clues (5) 19. By means 3. Former Greek 27. Beach (5) of this (6) 28. Corrodes (5) 22. Type of agate (4) currency (7) Solutions to Sudoku and Quick Crossword can be found on page 50

For the latest local news visit www.nnpulse.co.uk | NN Pulse Magazine | February 2022

49

Your stars

HOWARD PARKER

THE ASTRO-GUIDE

Flavour of the Times - Last month may have delivered a few surprises but at least you could deal with them. This month, the same unpredictability is involved but it may challenge us more. The new moon is in Aquarius, Uranus is the planet of that sign so it’s going to require you to muster all your resources to get to grips with the consequences. Both Planet and Sign have a kind of ‘this is the last thing you’d ever think would happen’ flavour to them, so be prepared for the twists and turns. Where this hits you will depend entirely on your own chart and will be different for everyone.

AQUARIUS January 21 – February 19

GEMINI May 22 – June 21

LIBRA September 24 – October 23

PISCES February 20 – March 20

CANCER June 22 – July 23

SCORPIO October 24 – November 22

The new moon on the first day of the month in your sign really sets the tone. To make it more serious and down to earth, Saturn is very close by, so working in an organised manner in groups is the kind of activity you should be considering here – what radical changes can you make in work processes, perhaps, or maybe a new campaign strategy?

Your mind may be spinning with ideas, concepts, thoughts etc. (as usual!) but you really should try to make some space for listening to what is going on in other peoples’ minds! Why? Because you are in danger of a) misreading what is real out there, and b) failing to see something important that you should take notice of right under your nose.

If you dare to dream, you might want to announce your intentions to everyone this month. Well, maybe, but I wouldn’t be too quick to do this for fear that it may all turn to dust. Or maybe you will just change your mind – again – which is not unknown, is it? Some serious thought is needed this month, so don’t go overboard on your instincts.

ARIES March 21 – April 20

The shock of the full moon last month may have rocked your home base where everything you thought was secure and dependable was shown to be transitory and problematic. Having hopefully, learnt the lessons of that crisis, the cosmos is offering you a more detached time to consider how to reshape things. There is probably a spiritual side to this so slow down enough to tune in to it.

LEO July 24 – August 23

Sometimes you can’t tell a Leo anything, but a good leader is always a good listener and this month you will need to pay attention to some of the subtleties bubbling up from down under. It’s a grounded time for bringing ideas gently into action but if you go too far, the full moon in your sign on 16th will show you where you went wrong!

Battering your way out of difficult situations through sheer activity may not pay off very well this month as, deep down, maybe you actually lack your usual self-confidence? You might literally bang your head, so take care, physically.

On the other hand, there may be an opportunity to do something pioneering here. Subtlety and sensitivity is key, if you can manage it.

TAURUS April 21 – May 21

Your imagination is stirred but the actual details have yet to be worked out. This is a good time to make a start, but you do need to be open to things taking a different path from what you expected, (you should be used to this by now!). Career plans are likely to be unpredictable, to say the least.

If you are still uncomfortable about all this, your mind needs to catch up with the cosmos!

VIRGO August 24 – September 23

Some adjustments to your usually highly organised routines are to be expected this month. Virgo sometimes needs to see the bigger picture, so allow the possibility that you need to rip up your carefully constructed plan and write a new one. Sorry about that, but sometimes you need to take bigger leaps rather than smaller steps.

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PUZZLE

SOLUTIONS

To really understand what this means for you on a personal level during 2022, I would recommend that you consider booking a comprehensive personal astrological consultation that is completely specific to you and your life. This will illuminate many things that you may not have considered and it will enable you to really take advantage of the positive energies and avoid the negative ones throughout the year.

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You prefer far distant horizons to what is close around you, which is why you probably like to travel. At the moment, though, all the cosmic action is happening within and around you. So try to travel in the mind and see what new vistas open up for you. It’s also time for leaving dogma behind and being open to new paths, directions and perspectives. Not everything is a conspiracy!

CAPRICORN December 23 – January 20

Last month may have had some tough and rather harsh moments, but the flavour this time is shifting from the past to the future, from constraints and limitations to possibilities.

Be grounded in your actions, but also stay open to innovation and lay plans that allow for alternative opportunities, especially at the beginning of the month at the new moon.

Chart readings with me start at £67 and last for an hour on Zoom or Skype. Please go to www.astroguidance.co.uk for more details and to book a session. You can also text or WhatsApp me on 07866 727743 or email me at howpark@aol.com for more information.

If you are interested in discussing and learning more about astrology, why not pop into my Facebook group The Astrocafe | Facebook.

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GET INVOLVED!

We are always looking for local stories, news and events. If you want to get involved, please email nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk

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SAGITTARIUS November 23 – December 22

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You may have been digging deep this winter but the first stirrings of spring are occurring deep in the ground beneath your feet. Scorpios are probably the best people to be able to feel into this energy. The new moon occurs at the Celtic festival of Imbolc which symbolises this early movement in nature and this may appeal to you on a spiritual level.

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You will be able to bring your sense of balance and harmony to this month. This will help to ease the rather cranky and off the wall things that might be coming your way. It is a time to start to build some new foundations that may be based on new ideas and technologies.

Your natural elegance will appeal to people you work with.

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