Sawyer & Co Sales and Lettings - Poets Living - Issue 1

October 2016 Issue 1

© photo by Steve Ullathorne

Stoneham Park

A Quick Trip Through History See inside for details...

Your Local Multi-Award Winning Property Experts

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www.sawyerandco.co.uk

PoetsLIVING

Sue Perkins on The Great British Bake Off, Punchlines and Her Fans!

A Sawyer & Co. Publication

October 2016 Issue 1

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PoetsLIVING

October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

Dear Reader

W

elcome to first edition of our Sawyer & Co bi-monthly magazine.

In this issue we catch up with Sue Perkins who is busy touring the country with her ‘Live! In Spectacles’ show as well as gracing our screens in the Great British Bake Off, we travel back through time to see Stoneham Park in all its former glory and our property update will give you all the latest information on the local market.

The summer months have been great for us as we can very proudly announce that our Senior Lettings Negotiator Kerry-Anne Holland became a Sunday Times Best Lettings Agent finalist at their national awards ceremony, while Sawyer & Co have been named as a finalist at the upcoming Brighton & Hove Business Awards and the prestigious national Negotiator Awards.

Contents This month we....................................................04–05 Rust, how to remove it..........................................07 Property market........................................................ 08 History of Stoneham Park.....................................09 Property for sale and rent.................................... 11 Sue Perkins Q&A...................................................10–11

The property market in Hove shows no sign of slowing down so if you’re thinking of selling or letting your property we’ve got plenty of prospective buyers and tenants who would love to know.

For a free valuation of your property pop into the office and say hello or contact us now on 01273 77 88 44 to arrange a time that’s convenient for you.

Chris Sawyer, Director.

Recently sold or let in your area

We’re always keen to discuss any future ideas for features, reviews or advertising as well as hearing about new charity events or community projects. Pop into the office and say hello or contact us now on 01273 77 88 44 or email jenny@sawyerandco.co.uk No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the publishers.

The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the publishers.

October 2016 Issue 1

this month

PoetsLIVING

...we love

Goldstone Road FOR SALE Elegant Bay Fronted Terraced House with Outdoor Summer Kitchen Contact us now on 01273 77 88 44 and find out more about this property

this month...

...we’re looking forward to

Taking part in the Warrior Run on behalf of Albion in the Community 04|

October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

this month ...we’re enjoying A little something we like to call ‘The Vegan Scrambler’! Created by our very own Adam Farrell this is vegan take on the classic British fry up with scrambled ‘eggs’ as the star of the show… Heat a medium non-stick skillet over a medium heat and add 15oz of drained organic sprouted tofu along with a slither of non-dairy butter. Add ¼ tsp of black salt, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder and ¼ tsp pf turmeric powder and using a spatula, chop up the tofu in the pan until it looks like scrambled eggs. Add 3 tbsp of vegetable broth, one at a time and bring the mixture to the boil until the tofu soaked it all up. Remove from the heat and season. Then for the ultimate gut buster, add vegan sausages, vegan bacon, fried mushrooms, hash browns, baked beans, grilled tomatoes and toast!! Wash down with a big mug of tea (with soya milk of course!) and crash out on the sofa for a while to recover. Serves two.

…we’re listening to Now the summer sun has disappeared our Branch Manager Ashley Butler cheers himself up while he’s driving around town with a soundtrack that includes: ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’ – Justin Timberlake ‘That’s Not My Name’ – The Ting Tings ‘I’m Too Sexy’ – Right Said Fred If your taste in music is a little more alternative our vegan maestro Adam highly recommends you check out these tunes: ‘Morning’ – Beck ‘Minor Work’ - SUUNS ‘Higher Than the Sun’ – Primal Scream

Listen to our Sawyer & Co playlists at find out more at: https://open.spotify. com/user/sawyerco 05|

October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

Property Market Update Whether you voted to leave or remain in the referendum it shouldn’t make any difference to your own plans about selling a property or buying a new home, looking for a great new tenant or deciding to rent a new house or flat.

IF there is a change to market conditions it’s reassuring to know that you’re dealing with experienced professionals who can advise you on the pros and cons of a change in market conditions.

Life goes on and here at Sawyer & Co. we’re always here to find the best solution, the best deal and the best outcome for you no matter what’s happening in the news headlines.

Our experience helps us to help you and we’re always happy to offer you our professional advice on everything from whether this a good time to trade up to if there are any good mortgage deals available.

Over the years we’ve seen most things, from booms, bust and uncertainty to elections, budgets and credit crunches, so as the saying goes we’ve ‘been there and done that’.

Vote for a multi award-winning team and contact our property experts now on 01273 77 88 44 or pop into our branch at 52 Church Road and allow us to get things moving for you.

For Sale £425,000

Contemporary 2 Bedroom, Bay Fronted Maisonette with Landscaped Rear Garden Goldstone Road Available NOW Contact us now on 01273 77 88 44 for more details.

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October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

History of Stoneham Park a quick trip through history With a history that dates back over a hundred years, Stoneham Park nestles within the ‘Poets Corner’ area of Hove.

Originally a gravel pit, the land was turned into somewhere for the Duke of Portland to keep his pigs and it was these two previous uses which gave the park its current name - ‘Stone’ and ‘Ham’!

During the early 1900’s the average working week was 54 hours and in August 1906 the Duke gave the piece of land as an open space to the people of Hove so that they could have somewhere to carry out their recreational pastimes when they finally had the chance to relax.

Today Stoneham Park is a focus for the local community. Hive, a community run 08|

cafe, is a perennial local favourite with its coffee and locally sourced food and thanks to the Friends of Stoneham Park organisation there’s a well-kept playground and plenty of regular events.

If you like your bread freshly baked the nearby Stoneham Bakehouse offers so much more than your average loaf and even offers bread-making workshops.

The Friends of Stoneham Park is a group dedicated to the continued well-being of the park and it has regular open meetings meaning that everyone is welcome. It’s a great way to make friends in the local community and also play an active role in organising activities such as Picnic in the Park, a Winter Market and taking part in regular litter picking days.

October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

On Saturday 10th September the Sawyer & Co team enjoyed meeting the local residents of Poets Corner at the Friends of Stoneham Park’s Picnic in the Park event.

Helping to raise much needed funds for the upkeep of the local community park, our team had fun filling one of our eco-friendly Sawyer & Co cars with over 60 helium balloons. Congratulations to the two lucky winners who won a bottle of champagne and a hamper of sweets by correctly guessing the amount.

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the event that saw local MP Peter Kyle take on Councillor Garry Peltzer-Dunn in a game of table tennis. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, see you again soon.

You can find out more at: www.facebook.com/FriendsOfStonehamPark/ @ stonehambake @ thehivehove

! u o y k n Tha

Available NOW

For Rent £1,900 PCM

Contemporary 4 Bedroom House with Master Suite and Rear Garden.

Conveniently located in the catchment area of West Hove School’s Portland Road site, this spacious family home features four bedrooms, a large open plan dining room/kitchen and an easy to maintain rear garden. Situated on a quiet family orientated road, this well-presented home is arranged over three floors and offers a wealth of storage.

Contact us now on 01273 77 88 44 for more details.

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October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

Kemp Town Living catches up with Sue Perkins ahead of her show at the Brighton Dome Q: What prompted you to hit the road with your new tour, “LIVE! in Spectacles”?

A: It’s a good time to look back on my life so far. I fully intend to live to the age of 92, so this is half-time. Essentially this tour is handing out the orange segments.

Q: Tell us more.

A: Writing a memoir begins a process that doesn’t necessarily end with publication. You begin to think about family life and stories and relationships, and those are ongoing. Once the book was published, I thought, “There is so much more still to ay without necessarily writing another book. Why not animate the book with a live tour?”

It’s like a companion volume, I guess. A big, technicolour puke of thoughts. Perhaps I should put that on the poster…

Q: You have always relished live performance, haven’t you?

A: Yes, I love live. I really enjoy playing with an audience. At book events, I do Q&As and it’s often then that the madness starts. It often feels like an anarchic version of Question Time.

Q: What do you particularly like about interacting with the audience?

A: It enriches me. Performing live challenges you to be more engaged. And the great thing is, each venue is completely different. What I have done lately has been TV-based, so I haven’t had the same feedback as I get live, and that’s what I love. I adore the raw surprise someone of asking a question you would never have expected. I love the spontaneity of it. I don’t encourage hecklers, but sometimes a heckler is the funniest person in the room - why not embrace that? The audience is a big pool of fun you can swim around in.

But remember - no petting.

“Sometimes a heckler is the funniest person in the room” 10|

www.sawyerandco.co.uk

October 2016 Issue 1

PoetsLIVING

Q: You will be giving each ticket-holder a copy of your book, “Spectacles”. What’s the thinking behind that?

A: It gives me the opportunity to meet the whole audience one by one afterwards during the signings. A gig is a two-way street. It’s not about me broadcasting. It’s not, “This is what I’ve got to say about this.” It’s as much about how people respond to the material. My memoir is a story of family and childhood, and everyone has had one of those. Mine is not the definitive version of childhood, but it’s a great way to start a conversation. I love it when someone says, “It’s weird. I lived next to an electricity substation for 20 years as well.” Or, “We had a cat that dragged our turkey across the room at Christmas and we had to eat boiled eggs for our lunch instead.” The book is a recorded history of my life so far, but the tour brings extra stuff to it. The audience adds so much on top of that. It’s important to have that double act thing going on with them.

Q: So what subjects will you be covering in the show?

A: Births, deaths, lemon drizzle and getting fondled by a Cambodian hermit. I’ll talk a lot about the catastrophising that went on in my family. There was always a sense that something awful, that imminent doom, was around the corner. It came from my mum – she’s a worrier. Everything was a potential trip to A & E!

Q: What else do the fans ask you?

A: They always want to know what Mary Berry is like. Well, Bez is the best. End of. She’s the nation’s sweetheart. I love her – so much so, I’ve been trying to get her to adopt me for the last seven years.

Q: Why do you think The Great British Bake Off has proved so popular?

A: I think the chemistry between the four of us – Mary, Paul, Mel and I – works so well. We’re all big kids at heart. We’re all very playful. We don’t approach it as a job. We approach it as a day out at a country fair! But the real reason why the show is so successful is the 12 people who come to bake every year. Although we four have received a lot of attention, I really do believe that the bakers are where the magic is.

Q: Finally, do you believe that a sense of humour is vital?

A: Of course. Life is boring without the punctuation of punchlines. If you laugh at a joke, it’s because someone has put something you already know in a way you had never thought of before. You’ve always been aware of that idea, but it’s the expression of that idea that catches you. The other person encapsulates it or puts a new twist on it. It illuminates and cheers in one fell swoop.

Without humour, what’s the point? Life would simply be one long argument with a man from the BT helpdesk.

Q: I believe you will also be showing some slides.

A: Yes, there will be lots of slides. There is only one picture of me in the book and I have this horrific haircut in it. People say, “Surely that was just one bad haircut day.” But I’m afraid I have 150 slides of myself at different ages, all with the same haircut! My mum had someone round to cut my hair who, it transpired, had only done dog grooming before. So I had a low Dougal-style fringe that was perfectly straight. It swayed like a trimmed, bearded collie! A bowl for all seasons. Perhaps that should be the title of the second volume….

Q: You have a wonderful relationship with your fans. Do they frequently stop you in the street?

A: Sometimes, yes. Often they’ll want to ask about the weird things I’ve eaten. I’ve eaten everything. There’s nothing I haven’t eaten.

I’ve eaten peacock, rat, squirrel, wigeon, teal, snipe, snake, moose and yak. Bear Grylls, eat your heart out! In fact, he probably has eaten his heart out…

Sue Perkins – Spectacles A Memoir’ is available now.

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Silver BEST

BEST

ESTATE AGENT

LETTING AGENT in Brighton And Hove

in Brighton And Hove

2015 for

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

2015 for

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Hove 52 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FN 01273 77 88 44

Sawyer & Co. Small Estate Agency of the Year