Solent Life Magazine Park Gate June issue

solentlife.co.uk JUNE 2011 • ISSUE 74

r Hat e n g i s e a D day out at and a wood d o o G s u o i r o Gl

ladies Fastnet

challenge

strawberries

& tennis your guide to local events

plus… your essential

local business directory

A RT R E V I E W S • I N T E R I O R S • G A R D E NS • H E A LT H & B E AU T Y • CO M P E T I T I O NS • W H AT ’ S O N

contents

welcome ISSUE 74 • JUNE 2011

PARK GATE EDITION

06

PHOTOGRAPH BY AELTC

Welcome to flaming June – The longest day, summer solstice and the start of summer. Did you know that most people think the summer solstice is a day and always occurs on the 21st June?

However, the solstice is in fact a precise moment in an astronomical positioning of the earth in relation to the sun, but that actual moment varies year by year. For example the solstice in 2010 was at 11:28 on 21st June, in 2011 at 17:16 on the 21st and next year it will be 23:09 on 20th.

Over the next few months we will be bringing you exciting coverage of a group of determined ladies who have come together to become the crew of a Gosport based yacht Koru, to enter the gruelling Fastnet race in August.

Solent ‘life’ spotlights Bishop’s Waltham and together with a feature page we bring you the delights of this most charming of country towns.

Strawberries and tennis are seasonal and feature with us in this issue together with Fathers day which is also in the calendar (that’s just a gentle reminder to my kids).

So we continue to offer plenty of variety and heaps of interesting content to keep us as the number one favourite local magazine.

In order to widen our circulation to new readers, we will now be distributing to more areas in Portsmouth, including Old Portsmouth and parts of Gosport.

It just remains for me to say that now that May is out, I dare say its now safe to cast that clout (but keep a brolly handy just in case). Have a great month and enjoy those strawberries while they last.

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50

contactus

in this issue…

Tel… 01489 583800 • Fax… 01489 583803 Online… www.solentlife.co.uk • Email… info@solentlife.co.uk

10… Clocking up the Years • an interesting history

features

Solent Life Magazine WEBB HOUSE, 20 BRIDGE ROAD, PARK GATE, HAMPSHIRE, S031 7GE

theteam

of the Hug family, one of our oldest local jewellers

12… D ays Out • visit Bursledon Brickworks 18… Father and Son Special • past and present coxswains of the Hamble Lifeboat

Editorial

22… The Interview • the Store Manager of Fareham’s

Dave Hill – Managing Editor Tel… 01489 583743 • Email… davehill@solentlife.co.uk David Rose-Massom – Senior Journalist Email… editorial@solentlife.co.uk

31… Solent 'Life' • the characters of Bishop's Waltham 50… Real Adventure • eight ladies who are taking

Advertising Sales Abby Champkin Tel… 01489 583815 Email… abby@solentlife.co.uk

Janet Grimm Tel… 01489 583800 Email… janet@solentlife.co.uk

Tina Maggs Tel… 01489 584057 Email… tina@solentlife.co.uk

Barbara Smith Tel… 01489 584010 Email… barbara@solentlife.co.uk

Design & Production Design by SolentLife Email… design@solentlife.co.uk • Online… solentlife.co.uk Deadline for advertising copy & editorial for next issue: 17th June 2011

Publisher Published by Living Coast Media. © Copyright Solent Life 2011. All rights reserved. No part of Solent Life Magazine can be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, either wholly or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure all information is correct, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions contained within.

new Debenhams

on the real challenge and of the Fastnet Race

regulars 06… Forest Walk • a heathland walk in the New Forest 16… Coast & Country • strawberries and tennis 26… Travel Feature • pearl of the Adriatic 32… Road Test • experience the Marquis Motorhome 36… Restaurant Review • Bishop’s Waltham’s latest oldest restaurant

46… Gardening Feature • enjoy June in the garden 49… Interview with the Head • Boundary Oak 52… Back to Nature • butterflies and Swanwick Lakes 64… What’s On Guide • reviews, events, theatre and music coming your way

66… Mindgym • try out our latest puzzles solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…03

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

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forestwalk

a stroll in

heathland heaven The United Nations has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests.

It has invited governments, organisations and individuals to do all they can to raise public awareness of the key role of forests and sustainable forest management in building a greener, more equitable and sustainable future. For Solent Life’s small contribution we took a stunning walk in the New Forest in order to appreciate a little more what a wonderful and diverse landscape it is. words & images • david rose-massom

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

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here is the hum of an electric train as it approaches the Beaulieu Road Station but it is so deep in the cutting that although it is heard it is not seen. Between the car park and the railway stand the corrals used for the pony sales following the Drift which takes place each September. This time of year the rustic corrals and sales ring stand empty and abandoned. The Drift is the equivalent of the cowboy’s round-up and it is the time for the commoners to fetch the ponies from across the Forest and check their health.

As the walk began another train whispered by and there was a longing for the belching of steam from an old-fashioned engine and the clackety-clack of the old joinedup railway lines. Throughout the day the railway line would, in fact, be the spine of my journey and the pathway would cross over and under its straight route, but strangely the sound and the whizzing past of the trains did nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the walk.

There are several routes radiating out from around the Beaulieu Road Hotel and its pub, the aptly-named Drift Inn, but for this journey the route began alongside the corrals and wandered down an incline toward the open heathland that makes up most of the New Forest. As the hill dropped away someone had taken the time to make a large smiley face out of small white stones on the grassy slope. It widened the smile that was already on my face.

On reaching the lower pathway I noticed for the first time the surrounding sound of bird song; it was pretty, it was busy and it was coming from all directions. Standing still for a while and just listening I heard a distant mewling cry; it was as if a buzzard was trying to get my attention. Looking up there

was a pair of them circling on the warm thermals, their broad wings silhouetted against a clear and cloudless blue sky.

Suddenly one of them dropped from the sky and in a split second had hit the heath floor; it was in full hunting mode. It would also go hungry as this time it missed its prey, but within seconds it was once again climbing on the thermals and this time there were four of them circling overhead.

The footpath curved away from the heath and passed through a tunnel and under the tracks and out the other side it opened out into a broad swathe of grassland where ponies and cattle grazed. As a pony approached a cow she lowed for her calf to come a little closer. For its part the calf tucked its head under the pony in search of udders; it was a contest to see who was more shocked, the calf or the pony. Back with mother normal order was restored.

Then across from the wooded area came the sound of my first cuckoo of the year. In the distance also was the rat, tat, tat of a woodpecker hard at work under the midday sun.

The trek reaches the tree line and through the shade of the trees runs a slow-moving shallow stream and reflected in its waters was the bright blossom of a tree growing on its banks.

Keeping the tree line on the right a short distance offers a bridge, although the stream is fordable, and this crossing is a lovely shaded spot to stop and listen and take in the surrounding views. In the brackish water under the bridge bog myrtle grows, pretty and delicate flowers in harsh surroundings.

Late spring/early summer is a stunning time in the New Forest as leaf buds burst open and fill the naked branches with fresh, bright green leaf while other trees show off with their bright blossom. Gorse flowers, bright

and clean yellow, fill the landscape and within a few weeks the heather will offer a purple carpet.

Over the bridge and through a stand of fir trees and again the Forest opens out into a mixture of heath and grass; if you want to extend your walk this route should take between three and four hours, then there is a beautiful wooded enclosure here where a diversion can be taken.

I slowly wandered on along the ridge of a hill and back toward my start point. It was at that start I had seen and saluted a lone magpie, always a sign of good luck, and so far my walk had been just glorious, so thank you, Mr Magpie.

Down across the heath and over another stream, where the croak, croak greeting of a hidden amphibian drifted across the water.

There was also the aroma of burnt wood as the path skirted an area where the gorse had been burned away in controlled Forest management.

The New Forest has been a part of my life since early childhood as my parents brought us out to picnic and wander on weekends and holidays as well as summer evenings and I have always appreciated its splendour.

On this bright, warm spring day I walked across heath and grassland and strolled through shaded woodland. I stood under mighty oaks and passed by tall and sentinellike firs and watched in awe as buzzards circled overhead and graced the sky with their presence. I had listened to frogs croak, robins chirp and cuckoos call. A walk does not get much better than that.

And, of course, at SPONSORED BY the end of the exertions there is the Drift Inn just across the road for lunch and a refreshing, much needed, drink! l

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…07

New Office Now Open in Warsash SOLENT FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD are delighted to announce the opening of their new office in Warsash. Strategically positioned in the heart of the village beneath the historic clocktower. Solent Financial Services are a family run business providing traditional values such as, honesty, integrity and professionalism. Being independent financial advisers they can offer you impartial advice on many aspects of both personal and business financial needs, which means they are able to tailor the recommendations made for you, utilising plans and services from across the entire financial market place including: • Mortgages • Savings & Investments • Pension Planning • Life Assurance • Critical Illness • Income Protection Being a local company they are happy to visit clients at their home or place of work and offer a complete financial planning service. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a meeting to review your current financial situation, please do not hesitate to call the office on 01489 808690, alternatively you can email enquiries@solentfs.co.uk or visit www.solentfs.co.uk.

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

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solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…09

coast&country

a family’s

time

As we reach the longest day of the year it is easy to let thoughts wander along the strange path that is time. Life and time, indicated by the ticking of a clock, move forward, impossible to stop and having movement of their own, so no matter what we do they take direction without us. Some are born somewhere in the middle of a timeline and story that are not of their own making but ones they have inherited, both in the physical and spiritual sense. words & images • david rose-massom

T

he Hug family are part of Gosport history and their immigrant ancestors began a legacy that the family still fulfil in ways they could never have dreamed of. “My great-grandfather came here from the Black Forest region of the Swiss/German border area. I think it was around that period that the Welsh mines were in full flow and it was a very affluent time so he moved from Switzerland to Abergavenny.” Brian Hug was sitting in the lounge of the Gosport house he grew up in as he told Solent Life his family’s fascinating story. “Our name comes from the Huguenots and my great-grandfather married a Welsh girl.

“I believe the clock-making skills in Switzerland come from the fact that they were farmers in the summer months and then during the cold winter months they needed something else to sustain them and this is where the watch and clock-making began; it was a sort of double life. Now living in the Portsmouth area, my grandfather would have followed in his father’s footsteps but then moved to find his own fortune and life, if you like, and came here because of the Navy.”

The Hug family was moving into a new hour. “My grandfather was getting contracts from the Navy and when the fleet came in they would take the clocks, barometers and chronographs to him for servicing and repair,” Brian continued, now happily caught up in the lives of his predecessors. “I recall my father used to turn up in an old lorry loaded with those clocks and barometers and lots of technical stuff on board. With him being the young member it would be his lot to get the dirty jobs, and he would have to scrape the battleship grey from the

10…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

equipment before it could be serviced. In later years I noticed that one of his thumbs had been worn down and he told me it was because of the constant rubbing-down motion.

“In some small way my family kept the Royal Navy pointing in the right direction with their servicing of the chronometers that helped with the navigation,” he added.

“My grandfather would travel around the town of Gosport and the surrounding area on his push-bike, winding the clocks in all the big houses and in the churches. In many of the houses once the job was done he would be given a glass of sherry, meaning sometimes he would arrive home quite tipsy!

One day as he was finishing winding the clock in Holy Trinity Church down by the waterfront, he stepped back and fell through the trapdoor, injuring himself quite seriously.

Afterwards I recall him working with a ball in his fist trying to get the strength back in his hand.

“Our first shop in Gosport was bought out

by Woolworths so they could build their large store, and we moved to our present location. I find it quite amusing that we have outlived the giant that was Woolworths!”

A moment’s break in the story as Brian reflected for a brief spell. “The business of jewellers was changing back then; opticians began originally from jewellers and that industry came about through their trade.

My father went to Moorfields and trained as a jeweller/optician; that was probably somewhere back in the 1930s.

“My father was one of ten children, many of whom then trained for the family business, the girls in the shop and the boys in the workshop. Then it was Dad’s turn to strike out on his own; this was just after the war.

During the war he had been at Fleetlands

The photograph is of the centenary of the Gosport shop back in 1990, and Brian on the left is with his cousin Nick, who died of cancer in 2006.

servicing the instruments, which probably kept him alive during that terrible time.”

Brian’s father followed his own dream and opened a shop in Leeds and but for a stroke of fate the family name would have still been there. “He was running his business and doing really well when my brother Peter was born; he would have been around 75 now if he had lived. My mother, despite what the doctors said, was convinced Pete had diphtheria – he would have been five then.

After he died my mother could no longer live there; there was also a lot of poverty in the region then. It is difficult nowadays to understand how badly off people were then without the benefit of the welfare state! So they sold up and headed back down here to the south coast.

“My dad took over the Gosport shop with his brother Richard, who had just left the RAF. Together they ran the business for many years and I joined the business in 1970.

“We are now looking at moving the business even further forward; it is running now with my step-children who were perfect for the business. We have the shop in Fareham and now we are looking more seriously at the Internet.” Brian ended by admitting that the family story was far from over.

“It has been a privilege to keep the family business going and the new generation all know their stuff and we have the most knowledgeable staff.”

The lives of the Hug clan may not have run entirely like clockwork but they have moved on and occasionally needed rewinding, but the family and the business just keep ticking. l www.hugthejeweller.com

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solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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daysout

Bursledon

brickworks Back in 1897 a brickworks in Chandler’s Ford was struggling because of a lack of clay in the nearby pits so the owner moved his business lock, stock and brick to Bursledon where the clay deposits were plentiful. It also had the added advantage of being close to the river so barges could be used to move the bricks. words & images • david rose-massom

I

n its heyday this brickworks took the art of production forward and it was very much a seasonal craft; the bricks would be made during the summer months, allowing the clay blocks to dry in the sun before firing them. Then in the winter months the brick maker would become a builder. At the height of production a staggering 20 million bricks a year were being made on the site.

The clay would have been dug by hand and fed into hoppers that brought the clay up to the steam-powered rollers, which then forced the material through a die to bring out the correct shape in the wonderfullynamed pug machine. The clay bricks would then be rolled in sand to stop them sticking together. The processes involved can now be seen in the museum that celebrates the work of the brick maker.

Over recent years there have been many changes in management, structure and layout of the museum and now the revitalised attraction has gained national recognition with a very prestigious award,

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

which previously had been won by the likes of the Forth Bridge. Solent Life thought it was time to take another look at Bursledon Brickworks.

One change which sits in tranquil splendour next door to the brickworks can now be reached by footpath: the old clay pits that supplied the raw material are now full once again, but this time with water, and they are surrounded by the wonderful wildlife sanctuary of Swanwick Lakes.

Terry White is one of the new management team and we asked him what the improvements had done for the visitor attraction. “Oh, it’s fantastic now! We even won the Institute of Mechanical Engineering Heritage Award – very prestigious and major stuff,” he said proudly. “In fact, we are the first factory they have ever given the award to.”

For visitors the Brickworks are only open on Thursdays but there are many themed weekend open days already scheduled.

To try one of the museum’s open days for myself, a few weekends ago on a glorious sunny day I headed there for a steam weekend with my daughter and three-yearold grandson. As soon as we stepped from the car little Harry spotted one of the trains running through and around the site and begged for a ride; then he noticed the steam truck and wanted to try that. Alongside one of the brick sheds he then found the miniature train with steam belching from its short stack and changed his mind again. In fact, around every corner something else

caught his attention. Indeed, this was a perfect example of the appeal and fun for all ages at the original open days that can be enjoyed throughout the summer.

The open days are busy, but not overcrowded, and there is always something going on throughout the day and volunteers to explain how each machine works and how bricks were made. I am no steam buff but even I had a great time looking at the engines and the characters that tended them.

“Part of the reason for all the changes at Bursledon Brickworks was due to an attempt to make it a conservation centre rather than a museum, but with the growing recognition of how important this site is there was the realisation that it needed to be a museum and that it should attract visitors,” Terry explained. “We have to preserve its heritage, build up the education side and also preserve the historic buildings on the site.

“It used to be just about men in boiler suits,” Terry admitted, “but now it is more about families, both as volunteers and with our visitors. We are still on a learning curve but we glean something new with every day we are open and every event we have; the visitor feedback has been both encouraging and educational for us.”

Each open day has a different theme, such as in July there will be a Victorian Open Day with everyone getting into costume and character. “We are planning that event in conjunction with Bursledon Windmill

which is just up the road from us – all we need – and your readers may well be able to help here – is a couple of old-fashioned buses to transport visitors backwards and forwards for free,” Terry added. “Our aim is to simply make every visitor day a better experience and although we still have a lot of work to do here it is already a great visitor experience.”

This is part of our local history and is a fascinating day that has something for all the family, and with entry for Mum, Dad and two children just £12 it is also great value.

There are friendly catering services with home-made cakes and a great atmosphere and all that is missing is a few more volunteers so that the open days can be extended and even more people can enjoy this historic site. l

Special event days: 19th June: Father’s Day Special and Transport through the Ages 17th July: Victorian Family Fun Day.

Contact details: Bursledon Brickworks, Swanwick Lane, Swanwick SO31 7HB – Tel: 01489 576248 www.bursledonbrickworks.org.uk

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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www.ralphnealeopticians.co.uk 14…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

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…15

strawberries

& tennis

Drive down the short hill that leads to Swanwick railway station and you may spot something strange: a steely dull glint coming from the kerb. A quick glance and it is easy to spot that instead of kerbstones marking the barrier between the gutter and footpath it is a long stretch of single railway track. words & images • david rose-massom

S

wanwick station was built for one reason – to transport the strawberries grown in Titchfield and along the Hamble Valley up to the London markets.

Such were the numbers of horse-drawn carts that continually arrived to unload the bright red fruits that the kerbside was being worn away by the large wheels, hence the placement of the metal track. Still clearly evident today, this piece of track is a little-known but prevailing legacy of an industry that is now only a tiny fragment of its past glory.

Hampshire strawberries are still considered, quite rightly, the finest of all and this year’s weather conditions have produced the best and sweetest crop for many years.

Come June and the strawberry takes on an extra meaning – it is the arrival of summer.

It is about heatwaves, men in Panama

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

hats and women in their summer frocks, and thanks to a small village in London the consumption of strawberries, and their favourite partner cream, becomes synonymous with one great sporting event. The village, of course, is Wimbledon and the world watches as the All England Lawn Tennis Club holds its annual Championships.

A little known fact is that the strawberry is actually a variety of the rose family known as Fragaria and this plant grows sideways, spreading out runners. After the flowers have pollinated the ends of the stems swell up and redden. Strawberries are therefore not actually a berry but, apart from botanists, few of us seem to care as we bite into the fleshy delicacy.

English strawberries are normally available between May and September, although with the right conditions, modern techniques and newer varieties this can stretch from April, as with this year, right through to October. But there will always be the link between the classic strawberry and tennis thanks to Wimbledon, where during the Championships some 28,000 kilos of strawberries will be consumed and over 7,000 litres of cream will be drizzled over them.

This year Wimbledon 2011 will be the 125th time that the All England Lawn Tennis Club

Tennis is just one sport that brings people together in this modern age. Years ago it was local industry that formed tight-knit communities, and the strawberry growers, workers and their families across the Hamble Valley, Titchfield and beyond did just this and helped shape where we now live.

The names of modern Wimbledon Champions are well-known, as is the list of who is who in the history of the sport: Perry, Laver, Bjorg, McEnroe, Ashe, King, Agassi, Graf and Sampras. However delicious, modern strawberry varieties are less well-known, carrying names such as Elsanta, Driscoll Camarillo, English Rose, Eve’s Delight and Jubilee. While older traditional varieties like Talisman, Joseph Paxton and Sovereign may be less wellknown too, they are more likely to be recognised as pub names around the area.

Will we have a British Champion at Wimbledon this year – who knows?

One thing is certain, however: the Hampshire strawberry will still be in the winner’s circle. l Get involved…

Go to www.altsb.co.uk for details of Alverstoke Tennis, Squash and Badminton Club.

Taste of the past…

For some wonderful images of the old strawberry pickers go to www.hants.gov. uk/rh/evidence/change1.html

PHOTOGRAPH BY AELTC

who are in their seventies. This means that as a club we are welcoming to people and families of all ages; we even have toddler sessions on a Sunday morning. Nobody is excluded and throughout May we held an open month where anyone could come along and we saw many new faces thanks to the event.”

David and his wife Marie, who together run Gosport Tennis Academy, are experienced Grade 4 coaches. This is close to the top level of teaching in the sport. As well as coaching at Alverstoke, they not only go out to schools but encourage and host schools visiting the club.

“We also have two Tennis Assistants who are junior members here at the club and help us teach the very young,” David added.

One bundle of energy and excitement for the club is Steve Wright, who wears garish shorts and, as well as being a member, handles the admin for the club. “The friendliness of the people we have here is something that is helping the growth of our club,” he said. “Anybody who walks through our door is welcome as we are very much a part of the community; tennis is a sport for all.

“We have members of all standards and this makes a club environment where the social side grows with the sport and nobody feels excluded. It is just a great place to be, with just about every sort of person from every sort of background. It is a community here!”

PHOTOGRAPH BY AELTC

will have hosted the Championships since the first tournament in 1877. The only event held that year was the Gentlemen’s Singles, which was won by Spencer Gore from a field of just 22; around 200 spectators paid just one shilling each to watch that final.

The modern game of lawn tennis is believed to have been invented by the wonderfullynamed Major Walter Clapton Wingfield back in 1873 after a boring day in Wales apparently, and he patented the game in 1874. The roots of the game of lawn tennis came from the centuries-old game of royal or court tennis. At one point there were so many courts and players that legislation was necessary to curtail the amount of time everybody was playing.

Just as the strawberry industry has changed, so has the tennis club. No longer considered the élite establishment, instead the tennis club has become a regular member of the community. It has grown to be a haven for families, singles and youngsters, not just a place to get fit through sport but somewhere to fulfil personal challenges and enjoy a good social life.

David Buzzard is Head Tennis Coach at Alverstoke Tennis, Squash and Badminton Club. “We are all working hard to make this a family club, which you can see happening daily as parents play with their kids and the youngsters can also enjoy themselves in a safe environment,” he told Solent Life. “We have a list of eight and unders in the tennis programme and we also have members

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…17

father’s day

father & son With Father’s Day imminent we felt it would be suitable to celebrate by speaking with a father and his son; then we heard about the perfect candidates: Colin Olden MBE and his son Andy, the retired and current coxswains of the Hamble Lifeboat. words & images • david rose-massom

T

he Hamble Lifeboat was established in 1968 when there were no lifeboat stations in the area and there was an average of ten deaths annually on the River Hamble.

The local people got together and set up their own service.

“It began with a small dory in 1969 and grew to the two boats we have here today.” Andy, the son, and I were sitting at the water’s edge watching a benign Hamble drift by with the myriad of boats that work their way back and forth each day. Dad was in the cramped lifeboat station behind us working on one of his beloved boats. “We have two Halmatic Pacific 32s with twin 360hp diesels to power them and they are driven by water jets rather than propellers.

“They were designed for local conditions and working in shallow water,” Andy continued. “When you realise under the right circumstances a holed yacht can sink in five to ten minutes speed is of the essence. We are one of the busiest stations in the country and we average 100 to 150 rescues each year.”

Andy grew up on the water, just as his father did. “Dad retired from active service just a couple of years ago but is still very active with the Hill Head Coastguard Auxiliary. He

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

joined the crew round about 1976 and my brother and I followed him quite naturally; my brother is now one of the Southampton Harbour Masters. We just grew into the crew and had Dad’s experience handed on. He was a trawlerman out of Hamble and my brother and I crewed for him.

“He was involved with the lifeboat and my joining was a natural thing. At the time I was the first cadet-crew aged sixteen and within a year I was crewing as I was around the boat all the time. Just after turning twenty I became cox as well and have remained so ever since.”

So what is the coxswain’s job? “The crew would say I just drive, but it is my job to assess situations, check casualties and plan what to do next, as well as deciding what other services to call in should they be needed.

“Wives and families have to be very supportive; my wife was part of the crew at one time – our two-year-old put a stop to that – but I did end up marrying one of the crew,” Andy added. “For as long as I can remember I have messed about and worked on the water and it is second nature now.”

Dad is Colin, 64 years old and still fit and young-looking. He is totally relaxed around his beloved boats which each have six months in service before they are pulled out,

stripped down and overhauled by him. “I grew up on the water and had my first job aged just eleven working on the Dittybox, the fuelling station at Port Hamble, he said. “I did an apprenticeship as an engineer as well as having a small fishing boat. I built up the fishing business until I had a 36-footer and I fished for close to twenty years.

“I became involved with the lifeboat in the seventies and because I was fishing the river and had the experience I was made cox just a couple of years later,” Colin continued.

“The thought of my lads not getting involved never even entered my head; it was just natural that they would follow me. It can be a tough job. When the Fastnet yachts got into trouble we were one of those called out; the conditions were so bad it took an hour to reach the Beaulieu River when normally it would take just nine minutes!”

Colin built the boats from scratch after just receiving the hull and inflatable sides. So inventive was his build and design of the finished boat that Halmatic took up his design and the RNLI now has boats that he designed. He admits the busy lifestyle keeps him fit and active. He received the MBE in 2005 for services to HM Coastguard and Marine Safety.

“It was absolutely unbelievable,” he said, still in shock ten years on. “I didn’t think I deserved an award and I was amazed that anyone thought I was worth it. I received my award from the Queen and it was fabulous and so awe-inspiring that I recall very little of the day. All I can remember is the Grand Ballroom and going up onto the stage!

Although I have great respect for it the sea has never frightened me but that experience terrified me; I was right out of my depth!

“My joy now is watching the boat go out, doing a great job and coming back safely; it gives me a great sense of achievement.”. l For more information on the Hamble Lifeboat and its crew email hamble. lifeboat@btinternet.com.

Locks Heath £205,000

Titchfield Park £235,000

Sarisbury Green £324,950

Warsash £415,000

Warsash £519,950

Bursledon £1,175,000

• Semi-detached 3 bed house • Conservatory • Garage & driveway • South facing rear garden

• Detached family home • 4 good bedrooms • 3 separate receptions • Large kitchen/breakfast

• End of quiet cul-de-sac • UPVC double glazing • Gas central heating • No forward chain

• Glass roof conservatory • South West facing garden • Detached double garage • Hook School catchment

• • • •

Superb 3 bed detached Downstairs cloakroom Kitchen/Diner En-suite to master

• Detached individual house • 4 large bedrooms • 4 spacious receptions • Corner plot position

• Garage & driveway • Private garden • Cul-de-sac location • No forward chain

• Double garage • Private rear gardens • Close to River Hamble • Hook School catchment

• Detached 3/4 bed home • Kitchen & Utility room • Study • Driveway suitable for caravan

• Individual detached property • 4/5 beds, 4 receptions • Set in plot of 6 acres • Thatched main dwelling

• Ground floor bedroom • Versatile layout • Detached garage • Private rear garden

• Separate annexe • Far reaching views • Six car garage • Potential to extend

“Due to unprecedented demand....”

“Due to record sales levels....”

“We urgently require your property for a waiting tenant….”

YES we know you’ve heard it all before, but

Warsash £650pcm • Annexe Property • Large Bedroom/Living Room • Open Living/kitchen Area • Luxury Shower Room

• Radiator Central Heating • Double Glazing • Private setting • Close to Warsash village

this is a genuine request for your property.

We have experienced record levels of successful lets and consequently are in need of a greater supply of property. Please call our lettings department to discuss the possibilities of renting your home.

Locks Heath £595pcm • • • •

2nd Floor Apartment Large Lounge/Diner Modern Kitchen & Bathroom Dressing Area To Bed 1

• Allocated Parking • Communal Garden • Immaculate Order • Available Immediately

w w w. s b k 4 h o m e s . c o m Canterbury House, 58 Botley Road, Park Gate, Southampton, Hampshire, SO31 1BB

The Some ideas for Sunday 19th June

father’s day...

Park Gate Tandoori

Delicious Indian Cuisine

WINNER at the 2009 Good Food Awards Best Local Indian Restaurant for their Indian Cuisine.

Nominated for BBC Radio 4 Food Farming Awards 2005 in ‘The Best Curry’ catagory

BOOK NOW FOR FATHER’S DAY

• Warm, friendly atmosphere • Catering for up to 40 diners • Air conditioned • All major credit cards accepted • Open daily: Lunchtimes 12 noon - 2.30pm, Evenings 6pm - Midnight

Tel: 01489 583153 or 01489 570947 A unique eating experience...

51 Duncan Road, Park Gate (Old Swanwick Railway Station)

The Ferry Restaurant is situated in the heart of the Elephant Boatyard, Bursledon is a real hidden gem set right on the Hamble river where the popular TV series Howard’s Way was filmed. The outside seating lets you take full advantage of the beautiful views in peaceful surroundings on those lovely summer evenings Why not arrive by boat and moor up beside us? Join us for a full meal, a relaxing drink or simply coffee and cake. French Head Chef Anthony prepares and cooks everything from fresh and sources local produce. Come and check out our brilliant new menu including lobster, mussels and scallops and much much more...

Plus breakfast is available from 9am - 11.30am Saturdays and Sunday. Our lunch time menu is ideal for those wanting a quick bite to eat - from baguettes to fresh fish, steaks, shellfish and salads. If you are looking for something more substantial our evening menu offers a superb a la carte menu. We specialise in celebration parties where we can organise a menu to suit your budget, including entertainment and decoration.

Book now on 023 8040 2566.

Flaming Andy FLAMING ANDY BBQ Chef in conjunction with SAVOURY EXPRESS Let us come and cook your BBQ, to make it a special occasion. Rain or Shine we can cater for all your requirements. Contact Andy on 01329 511528 or 07919 447794 or visit www.savouryexpress.co.uk for more photos and references.

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

FATHER’S DAY JUNE 19th

Spoil your father this Father’s Day, with wines and cheeses from the Cork & Cheese.

Hampers to made suit your needs all year round.

We look forward to seeing you.

The Cork & Cheese 44 Bridge Road, Park Gate SO31 7GF

Tel: 01489 588255 www.thecork&cheese.co.uk

Family run restaurant

All private functions catered for including...

• Weddings • Birthdays • Anniversaries • Special Occasion

Goodwood Racecourse

Glorious Goodwood 26 t h to 30t h Ju ly

Mid-Week Summer Offer Complimentary main course when another 2 or 3 course dinner is ordered.

Tues, Wed, Thurs only.

a Desig n and a da er Hat Glorious Goy out at odwood H

Open Tues - Sat Evening

Tel: 01489 584129

Hook Village, Warsash SO31 9HH

Nellie’s Celebrates First Year Anniversary!

Nautical Nellie’s is celebrating the first year anniversary by hosting a Fashion Show for the charity Naomi House. All ticket sales and raffle sales will go directly to the charity. Owner Tracey Thurlow said “I can’t think of a nicer way to enjoy our anniversary than by helping such a worthwhile charity. I wanted to give something back as a way of saying thank you to all our customers who have supported us throughout our first year. We have been donated some splendid raffle prizes by local companies, such as a trip for 6 people to Cowes and back on a 9m rib, Case of Champagne, Wine, Meals out & Beauty Treatments! It is set to be a great evening.”

Nellie’s first year has flown by and has fast become established as the perfect party venue, with weddings booked every month and corporate functions for clients such as John Lewis Sailing, Rona Sailing Project, Pascoe International, J Willment Marine & NATS. Happy Birthday Nellie’s… here’s to many more!

Travelling Trends Fashion Show. Monday 6th June. 6.30pm.

Tickets £5. All ticket & raffle sales go to Naomi House.

Phone 01489 589768 for more details.

It was the 3rd Duke of Richmond who in 1802 first brought horseracing to Goodwood. Now more than 200 years later Goodwood is internationally acclaimed as being one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world. Set high on the Sussex Downs, Goodwood is the perfect setting to enjoy top-class racing with friends and family.

It was the 3rd Duke of Richmond who in 1802 first brought horseracing to Goodwood. Now more than 200 years later Goodwood is internationally acclaimed as being one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world. Set high on the Sussex Downs, Goodwood is the perfect setting to enjoy top-class racing with friends and family.

More than 100,000 people flock through the gates during the five-day Festival to enjoy the chic, relaxed and incredibly stylish atmosphere. A quintessentially English event, where champagne and strawberries are in abundance and everyone is dressed in their chicest summer fashions, it has none of the formality of a great occasion but all the glamour. Glorious Goodwood attracts the very best from the international world of horseracing, as well as the crème de la crème of English society.

The opening day of the five-day Festival is dedicated to celebrating Britain’s sporting heroes. Sponsored by bet365, Sporting Greats Day attracts the great and good of the sports world to enjoy the first class racing and hospitality.

★ Beautiful Wedding Venue ★ Perfect Party Venue ★ Barbeques

This year Chris Tarrant will lead in a team of top celebrities to bat for a special charity cricket match on the historic pitch in front of Goodwood House after the day’s racing. Organised by the Lord’s Taverners, the UK’s leading charity cricket club founded in 1950 to give children a sporting chance, the match will see a celebrity eleven taking on a team drawn from racing and cricket.

★ Corporate Functions ★ Business Meetings

A27

Barne

Goodwood is offering one lucky Solent Life reader the chance to win two Richmond Enclosure badges, car park label and the essential Panama hat to the opening day of the Festival.

All you have to do is answer the following question. For which popular TV show is Chris Tarrant most famous?

(A) Total Wipeout (B) Million Pound Drop (C) Who wants to be a millionaire?

To enter, email competition@solentlife.co.uk quoting ‘Goodwood Day & Designer Hat’, with your name, contact details and answer! Alternatively post your entry to Webb House, 20 Bridge Road, Park gate, Hampshire, SO31 7GE. Closing date 30.06.11

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SB

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ad

Holly Hill Lane

ge

Nautical Nellie’s, Universal Marina, Crableck Lane (off Holly Hill Lane) Sarisbury Green, SO31 7ZN nauticalnellies@btconnect.com www.nauticalnellies.co.uk

Brid

01489 589768

s Lan

e

• Open daily from 8.30am. Closing times vary.

• Please book for evening meals.

UNIVERSAL • Late Night Opening Friday & Saturday.

MARINA • Free Parking.• Family Friendly.

Crableck Lane • Spectacular Views.• Al Fresco Dining.

• Garden & Deck. • Fully Licensed Bar. 8

9

M27

To find out more about events at Goodwood Racecourse or to book tickets please call

01243 755055 or visit www.goodwood.com.

T&Cs: Two Richmond Enclosure badges, car park label.

This prize is non-refundable or transferable.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…21

theinterview

theinterview It is a sure sign of the poor financial times when 1,900 applicants are considered for just fifty jobs and this is just what the recruitment staff of Fareham’s new Debenhams store had to contend with. But, admits Andrew Birt, the new Store Manager, the task was made even tougher because of the high quality of the applicants. words & images • david rose-massom

W

e had to get that massive number of applicants down to a short list of just 125 for interviews and assessments,” he explained to Solent Life on the day that he welcomed the first of his new team into the store. “The staff members in our store are invaluable and we need them to work across the store, not just to be knowledgeable about one department. It was especially pleasing then when we became aware of the very high standard of applicants.

“One eighteen-year-old was so keen that he had been working in a shop for free in order to gain retail experience before he came to us; that is the sort of person we want working for Debenhams,” he added.

The development path to this store was not without some controversy for Debenhams but it is now about to become a reality and Andy is a little like a small boy at Christmas, sitting by the tree awaiting permission to open his present. “I am confident that our customers are going to really like what we are creating.”

“Fareham is a growing area and there is an existing market; many people do not want to head into the nearby cities such as Southampton and Portsmouth. Not only is driving into those towns a chore but many people prefer to shop within their own community. My view is that we want to engage on a local level with the smaller store concept.”

As Andy speaks, community is a word that keeps cropping up. “I grew up in a small village in Gloucestershire so community is very important to me. I do have family who

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

live locally so I know the area quite well and I am trying to capture the essence of the region and the people who live and work here.

“Retail is all about the people, so to watch the new staff begin, as I did today, is very exciting. It sort of makes the fast approaching opening feel like a reality, and I am already impressed with the people we have chosen; after all we, as a company, are only as good as our team.”

If anyone should doubt Andy Birt’s passion and dedication to his career you only need to hear him talk about his eighteen years in retail to understand his commitment. Also, he met his wife in a Debenhams store when they both worked in the Weymouth branch.

“As a company this is not unusual. We often have families work for us at Debenhams, and another aspect we are very proud of is the fact that we have great staff retention. Once with us the majority seem to stay forever.”

When he describes the new store, which will open mid-June, it sounds like an exciting concept. To begin with it is, at 25,000 square feet, about a quarter of the size of the Portsmouth or Southampton stores.

“We will be selling women’s clothing and accessories, lingerie, men’s clothing and accessories and children’s, of course. There will be a health and beauty department with well-known names such as Lancôme, Clarins and Clinique as well.” Andy explained, talking quicker as his own excitement for the challenge ahead grew.

“As a store we will not be defined by the four walls that surround us; we are aiming for multi-channel shopping. There will be five kiosks set up for Internet shopping which means the four walls of the store do

not constrict the stock we carry; we have a whole world of Debenhams products out there. And once the customer has purchased on-line they do not have to wait at home for the product to arrive; it can be delivered in store to be collected when the customer is ready to collect.

“It is mainly traditional department store shopping with the addition of modern Internet shopping. This gives us the ability to fulfil most of our customers’ needs.

“Our new staff quickly bought into this new concept with great enthusiasm, and they have also had their input. One staff member noted that the kiosk terminals were standing points and that it was uncomfortable.

Thanks to him we have now had seats installed and it makes it a much more pleasurable shopping experience.

“By employing local people, rather than shipping in staff from existing stores, there is a natural rapport with the customers. I have already said that our team will have crossstore knowledge. Well, this is even more important when explaining the new concept of the Internet kiosk.”

Andy was keen to point out that being in Fareham is not just about taking money through the tills, although of course that is important as Debenhams’ key reason for being, but as a company and as an individual Andy is keen that the store and the staff will become involved with local events and local charities, as part of being in and working with the community.

As for the new store opening in a tricky financial climate: “There is an element of apprehension about any new store, and in my eighteen years in retail I have worked in most aspects of the business. But there is still a thrill and great excitement to make this succeed as a business and as a part of the community and the town.

“We are bringing something new to enhance the town and in doing so we are also able to bang the drum about Fareham. The town fits us as a family department store that can deliver for the whole community.” l

By employing local people, rather than shipping in staff from existing stores, there is a natural rapport with the customers.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…23

Rooksbridge Poultry Farm Rooksbridge Poultry Farm has been trading for over 15 years, selling top quality egg-laying poultry. Nestled amongst picturesque woodland in the beautiful Hampshire countryside, the farm is now under new ownership. All the poultry is free range and fully vaccinated and great care is taken to ensure their health is of top importance.

Rooksbridge Poultry Farm has a variety of breeds available and also has everything that is required to keep hens.

Phone or e-mail for an appointment to come and visit us.

Tel: 01489 580278 Email: info@rooksbridgepoultry.co.uk

www.rooksbridgepoultry.com

The home of Art, Framing and Printing and of course Max the White Dog!

LEE TOWER EXHIBITION - WE NEED YOUR HELP We are looking for photos and stories from local people for an up and coming exhibition. Please visit our website for more information.

Sonic Embroidery Hidden away down a winding country road near Botley, is a treasure trove for local parents looking for good quality and reasonable prices when buying school uniform. Joan and her team at Sonic Embroidery stock a full range of embroidered and non embroidered uniform for boys and girls of all shapes and sizes. The range meets the standards required by the school, the parent and even the fussiest, most fashion conscious teenager!

Please call Joan with your requirements and she will arrange collection or delivery of your order. Sonic embroidery also stock a wide range of corporate and leisurewear.

MH Photography Specialists in portraiture.

With a focus on weddings, graduations and celebrations.

Capture your special day or occasion with high quality photography supplied with a friendly personal service.

Contact…

Martin on…

0782 4 3 3 173 0 A LOCK SHE ATH BUSINE SS

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

photocomp

picture perfect On a daily basis, images have been arriving at Solent Life via E-mail and it has been a little like Christmas as we tear the wrappings from the internet and open the gifts that have been sent us. These images continue to bring looks of joy and admiration from the whole team. They have also caused much discussion and gentle constructive argument, which is a good thing, about who should win each month as we build our 2012 calendar. words • dave hill

this months winner...

David Phillipson (top) runner up...

Paul Stone

T

he winner this month, amidst a magical collection of images, is David Phillipson from Hedge End with his beautiful and moody New Forest Sunrise. It was picked by a majority decision against some strong competition. A close runner up this month which deserves an honourable mention was Paul Stone’s amazing reflective sky taken on Hayling Island.

Following the Macro feature in last month’s Solent Life from John Dallimore, Branch Manager of London Camera Exchange (Fareham) our sponsors for this competition, we also had some amazing close up work from our readers.

The challenge is on and the time has arrived, to look back over your photographic libraries as over the next few weeks we will need you to send in your autumn and winter images. This is necessary, in order to choose the winners for the later months, to complete the calendar and get it printed ready for the year end. Keep sending your summer images but search out those colourful autumn shots or those chilly winter scenes.

Just keep the images coming, the standard is high and the judging is fun.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

…25

pearl of the

Adriatic “Those who seek paradise on Earth must come to Dubrovnik.” So wrote George Bernard Shaw, smitten by the beauty of the city whose untouched, 1940m-long defensive walls girdle in a city which carries the appellation of the Pearl of the Adriatic. Dubrovnik basks in a warm Mediterranean climate with groves of lemon, orange and tangerine trees, sumptuous palms and agaves, adorned by Renaissance parks and the flowering gardens of medieval stone palaces and unobtrusive monasteries. ubrovnik, the centre of the

D

southernmost region of Dalmatia and its most famous representative, is also the star on the front pages of many prestigious world magazines, as well as being at the very top of the scale of the most beautiful cities of the world.

Dubrovnik can be used as a base for visiting the surrounding Dalmatian coastline and its outlying islands; there are plenty to visit as Croatia boasts almost 1,200 islands in all. Dubrovnik itself has plenty to offer and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg either.

Possibly the best way to appreciate the city’s vast expanse of historical architecture is from the heights of Mount Srd. Standing at 413 metres, it offers a brilliant panorama of Dubrovnik and its surroundings. As it is a fairly exhausting climb to the top, via the serpentine footpath (roughly 90 minutes), it is advisable to bring plenty to drink, especially in hot weather. If you’re not feeling up to the challenge you can always opt for the recently restored cable car which will whisk you to the top in no time at all.

For those looking to just relax and unwind Banje Beach offers the opportunity to bathe

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

in its sparkling water, catch some rays or just watch the sun go down at the end of another glorious day. Banje is conveniently located beside the Old Town, and benefits from its own café bar and restaurant.

Other places of interest include Luza Square, a meeting point and focal point for tourists to the city. It is the home of the historic Sponza Palace, St Blaise Church and city Bell Tower. The square also serves as the venue for processions and events throughout the year, such as Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival. Another great place for people watching is the Stradun, formerly a swamp, which is now the pulsating centre of the city, with its many shops, cafés and restaurants. Paved with white limestone, which dates back to 1468, this pedestrian street expands 300m and is surrounded by the historic city walls. If you are on a selfcatering holiday and in need of supplies or maybe you just want to get a feel for how the locals live then a visit to the Gunduliceva Poljana is a must. A great way to start your day, this vibrant morning market is based at Gundulic Square. Fruits, vegetables, flowers and crafts are all sold here in this traditional and friendly setting. Also worth visiting here is the statue of the square’s namesake, the acclaimed 17th century poet, Ivan Gunduli.

Croatia is well and truly back on the tourist trail and one of the best times to visit is right now, with excellent weather, long lazy days and without the mass throng or high prices of the summer holidays. For further information on Croatia call in to Amity World Travel where you will find a wide choice of resorts and accommodation, all at highly competitive rates. l

travelfeature

Are you planning a major holiday?

Whatever your reason for planning a trip of any kind, you want to be sure that the arrangements are just right and that you have the holiday of your dreams. One way to be certain of this is make Amity World Travel your first port of call in order to discuss your plans. Here, you can be sure that you will be offered expert advice and assistance in putting together your perfect holiday.

Amity World Travel has been trading since 1970 and has been based at its current location in Segensworth since 1994. This unusual location for a travel agency offers a “non shop” setting where clients are welcome to drop in (often by appointment), and meet with a consultant who can take as much time as is needed to discuss your plans over a coffee, suggest a variety of options and make the necessary arrangements in quiet and relaxed surroundings.

As an independently owned, ABTA and ATOL accredited company, Amity is able tailor the widest choice of travel options match your own personal needs. Through years of experience they have built direct

relationships with ground handlers and hoteliers around the world, and they may be able to offer unique experiences that you just won’t find in a mass-market brochure.

Amity World Travel blends old fashioned qualities of customer service, choice and impartiality with modern day booking technology to help give them the edge over their competition. As the leisure travel division of one of the most successful Business Travel Management Companies in the south of England, their consultants use the most up to date reservation technology, and have millions of “contract” rates for worldwide flights, hotels and car rental.

Put this together with the 60+ years of travel experience that Jeff, Sue and Lisa have between them, and you have a winning formula that sees clients returning year after year to put their trust in travel arrangements planned and booked at Amity World Travel.

Telephone: 01489 579975

Contact us for expert advice and the widest range of holiday options to beautiful Croatia

Your Local Travel Experts As members of Advantage, the UK’s leading consortium of independent travel agents, we have the widest choice of tour operators from which to choose your dream holiday.

Our expert consultants can also piece together the elements of your dream trip into a tailor-made holiday while you relax, safe in the knowledge that your arrangements are fully bonded.

Telephone: 01489 579975

Email: holidays@amitytravel.co.uk

Web: www.amitytravel.co.uk

4 Manor Court, Barnes Wallis Road, Segensworth East, Fareham, PO15 5TH solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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health&beauty Titchfield Dental Health welcome Lorraine Gleeson GHSC NHS

Garbo’s Hair

On Thursday 7th July at 5.30–7pm Lorraine will be hosting an evening at Titchfield Dental Health. Lorraine is qualified with INT and validated by GHSC she will be explaining exactly what hypnosis is and answer any questions you may have.

Are you anxious or nervous about dental treatment? Lorraine will explain how to use self-hypnosis to help you at your dental appointments.

This is a free of charge evening with a free CD to take away. You don’t have to believe it, you only have to use it and enjoy your success. Hypnosis can help reprogram your subconscious mind.

Lorraine has had particular success helping clients with a wide range of phobias and problems from weight loss to migraines.

If you are interested in hearing more about the benefits of hypnotherapy come along to Titchfield Dental Health on Thursday 7th July at 5.30–7pm.

Garbo’s Hair is one of the leading hairdressing salon groups on the south coast, highly regarded by the industry and clients alike, with three salons in the Portsmouth region. Garbo’s have many accolades behind them including being the finalists in the prestigious Hairdressing Business Awards and finalists in the Loreal Colour Trophy.

Garbo’s are always creating their own haircut and colour collections and have had their work featured in many top fashion magazines including Vogue, as well as cover images on Hair Now and Hairdressers Journal.

Southsea is the group’s flagship salon which has been at the heart of the reinvention of the west end of Albert Road for over fifteen years. The salon itself has an amazing minimalist-look interior and has appeared in many design magazines. In 2005 Garbo’s decided to open a salon in the university quarter of the city and took on the name of The Lab, which caters mainly for the student population and local office workers and is at the cutting edge of fashion with the salon interior often likened to a New York loft space. Garbo’s are just about to relaunch their rebuilt London Road salon after it was demolished a year ago; this salon is at the forefront of the regeneration of the London Road area of the city.

Billy Smith, co-owner of Garbo’s, has many years of experience behind him having been trained by the legendary Rita Rusk in Scotland and is the salon’s Artistic Director. Jimie Russell, co-owner with Billy, is Technical Advisor and Head Colourist and has sat on the highly-regarded Colour Round Table in London as well as writing columns for consumer hairdressing magazines. Each salon has a Wella Master Colour Expert which equates to a colour degree, so almost anything is possible with that amount of knowledge and expertise.

At Garbo’s they have a simple philosophy: they want you to look great, feel fantastic and be able to maintain and enjoy your style between salon visits. The highly-trained team pride themselves on their consultations, and take the time to ensure that the cut and colour is personally tailored for you. They will always discuss what they are doing and why, and recommend the products that will assist you in maintaining your look.

Garbo’s have been an Exclusive Sebastian Haircare Grand Salon for over fifteen years and are also a Premier Wella stockist. Garbo’s also offer the full range of wedding services in-salon at any of their locations, and can arrange for the salon to open early for you on your wedding day. Alternatively, they also offer an on-location service, with time allocated for the stylist to do as much as possible for you and your bridal party whilst they are with you.

At Garbo’s Hair they also take men’s grooming very seriously. Men’s hairdressing is not just about making hair shorter, it’s about creating the right statement. With so many different techniques available in both cutting and colouring, it really is possible to be as outrageous or as discreet as you wish when deciding on your hair image.

DENTUR

E

OPE AFTERNN O Wednesd ON 15th Jun ay e 2–4pm

Hypnotherapy explained with Lorraine Gleeson Anxious? Nervous?

Hypnotherapy can help. This is a free of charge evening to learn about self-hypnosis with a free CD to take away to continue from the evening.

You don’t have to believe it, you only have to use it and enjoy your success!

Come along Thursday 7th July at 5:30–7pm.

63 Southampton Road, Park Gate, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 6AH

T: 01489 581158 | F: 01489 582220 | E: info@titchfielddental.co.uk

www.titchfielddental.co.uk

Inspirational cutting, styling, and colouring Be your best...

Call for a free consultation

01489 565456 COLOUR SPECIALIST DEGREE SALON

www.oskahair.com | First Floor, 20 Middle Road, Park Gate 28…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Oakwood D ental P ractice Mark Thomas BDS DPDS

New Private Patients Welcome We would like to welcome our new dentist Jim Overton BDS LDS RCS, to our practice!

Jim is currently accepting new patients.

61 High Street, Botley, Southampton, SO30 2ES

01489 797902

If you’re overweight here’s some very good news!

Sue Peckham and James Holmes at the Hampshire Hypnotherapy Centre in Whiteley, Fareham have developed 3 programmes that will empower you to achieve your weight loss goals easily.

1. Easyloss Virtual Gastric Band stimulates your body into thinking you’ve had a gastric band fitted. Most suitable for clients with a high BMI over 30. Consultation Fee usually £75 but call us before June 30th quoting ‘Solent Life’ and your fee will be only £50… saving a massive £25!

2. Easyloss Programme created by James and Sue. Sue lost over 3 stone with this programme in 2004 and has kept it off ever since!

3. Pure Hypnoanalysis which clears any underlying unconscious cause which may be driving you overeat or ‘comfort eat’.

All initial consultations for Pure Hypnoanalysis and Eayloss are FREE! Guaranteed results! We guarantee that if you follow our simple guidelines you will lose weight so just pick up the phone and call us FREE on 0800 970 4776 to arrange your Initial Consultation and start your weight loss success story Today!

Weight Loss Diary update...

I am approaching the end of this stage of what has been a very personal weight loss journey with Sue and James at Hampshire Hypnotherapy Centre in Whiteley. I have completed the ‘pre-op’ and look forward to the actual virtual gastric band ‘surgery’. It is also the start of a new journey towards my weight loss goal.

I have learned so much about myself, I no longer have the crippling social anxiety that contributed to my eating too much and my success so far has motivated me to exercise and to be more active. This has been a very personal choice, but the programme works even without the additional things that I have wanted to do and that’s what makes it so amazing.

So until the ‘surgery’ I am continuing to follow the guidelines that are now second nature to me. I carry the golf ball, which represents the size of the top part of my stomach post-surgery, everywhere and listen daily to my preparation CD. I look forward to telling you all about the surgery – look out for next month’s diary.

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With offices in Fareham and factory in bishops Waltham, we would welcome your enquiries for all aspects of glazing, we manufacture both upvc and aluminium frames including, folding and stacking doors, windows and conservatories. We also fit, replace and stock commercial shop fronts and glass.

In short if your enquiry has glass in it Awesome can help.

Local, commercial and domestic glaziers

www.awesomeglazing.com mail: awesomeags@sky.com 01329 287352

Butterfly of Bishop’s Waltham Visit Butterfly and view the gorgeous summer collection of European designer clothes whether you are looking for an outfit for Ascot or Goodwood or that special outfit for a wedding. Butterfly is also showcasing its stylish range at the “Fabulously Vintage Tea Party” organised in aid of the Honeypot Charity at Hill Place, Swanmore on 9th June - 2.00-5.30pm and will feature clothing from across their wide range from casual to formal For more information and tickets visit www.fabulouslyvintage.eventbrite.com or contact Andrea Wilcox at andreawilcox.co.uk.

Tel: 02380 890002.

Wedding and Celebration Cakes

The Professional Cake Company Where Quality Counts Exclusive Designs by Sheila Pope Tel: 01489 896662 / 893883 Email: sheila@inspirationcakes.co.uk Web: www.inspirationscakes.co.uk Unit 5, Claylands Park, Claylands Road, Bishop’s Waltham, SO32 1QD

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

solent‘life’

characters of

bishop’s waltham It is said that 80% of the shop owners in Bishops Waltham are women, so Solent Life spent a sunny morning roaming around this charming village seeking out the characters and independent traders. It is friendly village with some amazing shops, as well as some real characters; men as well as women and that was brought home as we strolled past a pavement café, it was the men that were left holding the babies! Visit Bishops Waltham and see for yourselves what a friendly and relaxing place it is to explore. words & images • david rose-massom

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roadtest

the

statelymotorhome The next in the Solent Life series of ‘his and hers’ road tests is a complete departure from anything we have done before. No nippy little sporting numbers this month, but instead a motorhome that sleeps six and is over 23 feet long. words • dave hill & janet grimm

W

ith my family having now grown up, my wife and I spend many a weekend touring to explore this amazing country of ours. To fulfil that desire we cover a great many miles and so expect a degree of comfort for the extended time spent driving.

This means that on many occasions accommodation is a problem – in both availability and the unknown quality when you arrive at an unexpected destination.

Like a tortoise with his shell there has often been the temptation of taking that accommodation with us. Camping sadly has little appeal, despite the modern trend toward fairly inexpensive four-bedroomed detached canvas bungalows that adorn the campsites. Another alternative is a caravan but towing also has little interest for me.

So the motorhome is the obvious choice – however, the age old question hangs out there. What do you do when you get there?

With a caravan unhook, lock it up and drive around the countryside at your leisure. But with a motorhome you do have to take it with you unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to have a little Smart car or similar to tow behind – great idea, but there’s that towing word again.

Very clearly the type of holiday will heavily influence choices here. The longer distance, ‘moving-on’ style of holiday without lengthy stays in one location really favours the motorhome approach.

The vehicle Solent Life tested was an Elddis Majestic 180 which is coach-built onto a

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Peugeot 335 chassis. With a 2.2 litre 100bhp HDi turbo diesel engine coupled to a six-speed gearbox, I was impressed with the ease with which it drove. Not at all the ultra-low gearing of a commercial vehicle, but comfortably-spaced gear ratios that offer relaxed driving.

Seats were armchair-like and very comfortable and the high seating position gave an impressive and commanding view of the road ahead.

Bearing in mind that this is originally based upon a commercial vehicle, there are a number of traits that, of course, have that feel to them – pedal positions, steering wheel, and gear lever, which left me waving my arm about looking for it until I got used to the fact that the stubby lever was located directly into the dashboard. I will stress though that none of this is intended to imply a criticism – it’s just different and needs a little familiarisation and that is something that came surprisingly quickly. I became confident driving this motorhome in no time, not only with the controls, but being comfortable with driving something 23 feet long and nearly nine feet wide.

Rear view mirrors were, in fact, brilliant when driving and showed everything behind on both sides as well as kerbs, lane markings etc. The only real weakness I found lies with these mirrors – whilst excellent for driving, the ability to judge distance when parking I found impossible; whether an obstacle was three feet or 300 feet behind was impossible to tell and needed outside guidance when reversing. A rear parking sensor or rear view reversing camera would make an excellent

option.

One assumes that a vehicle of these proportions will have the aerodynamics of a barn and that making reasonable headway on a motorway (at the legal limit) into a headwind would result in fuel consumption that would at best be disappointing. I was surprised to see 30 plus mpg appearing even though my driving style had been not in the best economy mode (why did I keep forgetting to change into a higher gear – that would have helped even more?).

Accommodation for two people was generously adequate with a comfortable seated area to relax in, a galley area with the requisite cooker/oven, sink and refrigerator together with a small adjacent dining area.

Whilst we chose the only weekend with monsoon-like weather to take our jaunt to the New Forest, we decided to relax inside in the warm and dry. With the optional blown air heating system, warmth was available in abundance – a really good option too, especially if you plan to explore the countryside in colder weather.

We chose to use the rear seating area to convert to a double bed. A few minutes of juggling with the seat cushions converted the rear cabin space to our bedroom whilst still leaving the rest of the accommodation available for use. The over cab bed was a ready-made alternative, but at my age and stature that access ladder looked decidedly perilous.

The seat cushions as a mattress for me proved a little on the firm side, so if you

are used to a softer bed I would suggest some sort of air or memory foam mattress topper.

Once the rain stopped we added some extra accommodation by erecting a gazebo next to the door with a table and chairs. With this simple addition the handover to Janet, my testing colleague, was celebrated with a barbecue for us two, Janet and her family of six and our journalist Hagrid, not forgetting Janet’s ubiquitous small horse-sized dog. So coping with a party of nine in day mode was easy.

In summary then, driving was comfortable and easy especially for a large and unfamiliar vehicle. After a very short time I felt happy to drive all day long. Accommodation for two of us was pleasing and quite adequate with all of the features and equipment really nicely built in. The versatility of this motorhome is great and I could see myself touring the length and breadth of Europe in one of these.

I believe that I am the founder and sole member of a new sorority: that of women motorhome drivers. The male fraternity of drivers, however, has many members and charmingly all these men acknowledge the presence of a fellow motorhomer with a nod or a wave, just before their surprised double take at spotting a woman driving one of these large home from homes. I was initially rather anxious at becoming a part of this macho world but have discovered that this world is friendly and that my anxieties were unfounded.

The Majestic 180 is easy to drive and manoeuvre, even around the tight corners of New Forest villages and lanes, and it also kept a good pace on the motorway without any effort from the engine or driver. Seating in the front and for the four passengers was comfortable and safe with four seatbelts in the seats immediately behind the driver.

Parking was a slightly more exhilarating experience and those of you who know me well will understand why I completely concur with Dave’s point that rear parking sensors would be a welcome extra!

Safely camped in the New Forest, my family took over our weekend accommodation and having moved to a slightly less sloping pitch settled down to enjoy the indoor/outdoor experience. The Majestic offers spacious and comfortable seating accommodation, and despite the driving rain we enjoyed our evening playing cards and quality family time, warm from the efficient heating system, with easy access to a spacious

bathroom and watching all those poor tent-campers huddled over their barbecues and under their umbrellas through our double-glazed windows!

In sleep mode, with two proper adults, four adult-sized teenagers and Bear the dog on board, the accommodation was snug but not impossible as long as you didn’t want to open the fridge or climb up and down from the over-cab bed! As a six-berth the Majestic 180 would be easier if two of the party were small children. We found the beds to be comfortable and easy to assemble and we all slept well, lulled by the rain beating on the roof perhaps! We were quite surprised by the amount of rocking caused by anyone moving in the van – I’m not sure if stabilizing options are available but they would be worth checking out.

As a family we love the outdoor life and have been caravanners and are seasoned campers. As we get older the attraction of camping is beginning to wane somewhat and I long for ‘glamping’ at worst or just plain luxury. The Majestic doesn’t come with butler service (yet) but I could easily be persuaded by the comfort and luxurious facilities afforded by a motorhome such as the Majestic. l

The vehicle tested was an Elddis Majestic 180, £40,840 OTR and was kindly provided

by Marquis Motorhomes.

For more information: Marquis Motorhomes, 01489 860 666 Winchester Road, Lower Upham, SO32 1HA www.marquismotorhomes.co.uk/hampshire

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restaurantreview

finefood

Pasta soft and sensuous on the tongue, a sauce that coats every taste bud and the recorded sound of a lazy jazz guitar playing softly in the background as if reflecting the exquisite flavours that were playing in my mouth during that first bite.

Even for a good chef, pasta can go wrong or just slip past us as ordinary but this was a soft pasta that was a perfect ravioli shell for the hand-dived scallop, organic salmon and crab filling. It sat in a delicate and delicious pool of saffron fish velouté and was one of the most delightful starters it had been my privilege to taste. It was decorated with crispy rings of shallot which added a lovely crunch of texture to the smooth dish. Chef Stephen is rightly proud of this starter and is happy to call it his signature dish and I looked up guiltily as I swept up the remains of the sauce with my bread. words & images • david rose-massom

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

S

olent Life for this month’s restaurant review had been invited underground, in the cellar that is The Wine Bar & Bistro in Bishop’s Waltham where they boast ‘Good Eating and Good Drinking since 1617’. Proprietor of The Wine Bar & Bistro Josephine Latouf explained and, no – she has not been there since the start.

“This is the oldest building in England to have continually sold liquor,” she explained.

“The wine shop upstairs which recently closed had been selling wines for 400 years, but I have taken it over and will soon have a reopening with my son running that side of the business.” If the restaurant is anything to go by the new wine shop will be an amazing success and we have already been invited to the opening.

My attention was distracted by a wonderful aroma that was approaching my table, delivered by the charming and friendly Rachel; it was my main course of roast rump and confit shoulder of lamb – the shoulder is a slightly sweeter meat than the rump – served with dauphinoise potatoes, spring carrots and a red wine sauce. I had been tempted by the pan-fried cod supreme served with Parmesan and saffron risotto, but with a seafood starter and lamb being my favourite meat it was no contest.

THE WINE BAR & BISTRO, 6 High Street, Bishop’s Waltham SO32 1AA www.thewinebarandbistro.co.uk The three courses in this revue cost just over £30 – superb value for money.

They say we eat with our eyes first, and the sight of the well-presented dish, along with its glorious aroma, had my mouth watering even before my knife approached the tender meat.

The sauce was rich and slightly sticky, so it coated the mouth, the carrots just crisp and perfect while the dauphinoise was served as a block adding structure to the dish; for one moment I felt it may be on the dry side, but I should have had more faith – the texture was spot on. The visual element was completed by slightly pink, as it should be, lamb slices – a tower of confit of lamb and this rested on a bed of pea purée, a delight to the eyes. Confit is the name given to a meat which has been cooked in its own fat and then covered and preserved in the same fat to prevent it from spoiling. This intensifies the flavour and provides a lovely flaky texture. If I had to be picky, the dish could have done with just another teaspoon of the sauce. I had half a slice of lamb left with nothing to dip it in – tragedy!

The lamb was so tender a spoon would have cut through it and each forkful just melted on the tongue. As I tore the tower of confit of lamb apart it sent up a new surge of delicious aromas and every section of the main course offered something to the dish which was stunning.

spoiled for choice. Chef is obviously very talented and my waitress Rachel was attentive and friendly while the dining room is comfortable and clean and tables are nicely spaced. There are even quieter corners for the more romantic of evenings.

A light and delicate starter followed by a hearty main course and then a rich dessert – the perfect combination. l

Two out of two dishes had been delivered and scored highly – wonderful textures, great aromas, beautiful presentation and great flavours. The chef himself brought out my dessert, a warm dark chocolate fondant with raspberries and a quenelle of calvados crème fraîche. My spoon broke open the chocolate fondant and from it poured divine chocolate, and I believe all the calories also poured from the same hole and escaped. On the sound system now was an easy sax playing and once again its smooth sound suited the smoothness of the dish.

The dessert was as perfect as the rest of the meal. The menu has a wonderful selection of dishes and diners really are

Here at Solent Life since we began this popular series of restaurant reviews we have been pleasantly surprised by the amazing quality of food and service out there. The standard has been incredibly high and the feedback we have had from you the reader is that our assessments of these establishments have been honest and forthright. If you own a restaurant and feel we should tell the Solent Life readership about you then give our team a call and join the list of restaurants adding to their success.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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ANDREW M c Kellar 25 years a healer

Andrew McKellar has been healing for twenty five years, the thousands of testimonials at the sanctuary speak for themselves. As a young child Andrew knew he was born for a special purpose, and today he has become world renowned.

People travel from all around the world to receive treatment from him. Cure after cure is seen at his sanctuary - Arthritis, Back Problems, Skin Disease, Frozen Shoulders, people deemed incurable only given weeks or months to live have been cured through Andrew’s healing gift. The list goes on and on. Medical science is backward when it comes to recognising spiritual healing. Andrew says “the results I see with the sick and suffering, the medical profession can only dream of achieving. Sooner or later they are going to have to accept Spiritual Healing as a forefront health treatment of the future”. One question often asked is are there many gifted healers in the UK, Andrew says. “Beware of anyone calling themselves a healer. Most healers in the UK are not born with the gift and really do little to help”. Sufferers: when seeking out a healer one must seek out a miracle

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healer. Andrew says “there are about five in the UK”. Andrew has appeared on television in both the UK and USA. Here are just a few of the thousands of grateful patients treated by Andrew McKellar: Ken Gibson suffered years with back pain.“Chiropractor treatment was only temporary, I heard about Andrew, wow the man is amazing. My back pain vanished within a few visits, I was also awaiting a carpal tunnel operation. Andrew treated the condition and said I would not need the operation, and yes all pain and stiffness vanished. The operation was cancelled. He even cured a friend of mine of Chronic Bell Palsy”.

Solent Life reader Louise Newton had five spinal operations, but still suffered agonising pain for nine years. On entering Andrew’s sanctuary barely able to walk, after a few treatments all pain had dispersed. “I am pain free living a normal life, I carried on with the treatment just to make sure. I cannot believe, all those operations and continued

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

suffering, I am so grateful for Andrew McKellars gift”. Andrew says, “even chiropractors have said to their patients, they wish they had my ability in treating spinal conditions”.

a true blessing to work way beyond the boundaries of medial science. Twenty five years a healer and many more years to go and many more thousands of cures to unfold.

Nicki Desky suffered with chronic M.E. “For seven years being only just able to walk, and with great difficulty seeing my future in a wheelchair I managed to reach Andrew’s sanctuary. He transformed my life - I’m back to work full time. This would not have been possible without Andrew’s gift, he also cured my mum of chronic graves disease. My mum thought her life was over, when her doctor said to go and see Andrew - she is now cured.”

Maria White says “I crawled into Andrew’s sanctuary in agony after years of suffering. No doctor could help me - I walked out of the sanctuary upright and pain free. He is a miracle healer.”

The Testimonials go on and on, in their thousands. Andrew says he has no interest in religion, only in helping people become happy and free of suffering. It’s

Healer Andrew Mckellar

Easy Alfresco Summer has arrived and it is time to start enjoying the garden as a comfortable extension to your home.

We associate dining alfresco with being on holiday, beside the ocean, or at our favourite restaurant, but with the help of the team from Ruscrete you can recreate the experience in your own garden. They stock an extensive range of paving, decking, furniture and innovative lighting solutions to ensure that it is easy to create the ambiance you require.

With increasingly busy lives, many professionals or more mature people who find a traditional garden difficult to maintain, are opting for a low maintenance garden. This garden style is a perfect extension of space and for living alfresco. With high quality artificial turf to ‘carpet’ your outdoor room Ruscrete can help those looking for a low maintenance garden with innovative ideas for a beautiful space.

The garden design team at Ruscrete offer a friendly and professional service to help you improve, renovate or redesign your garden. Beginning with a Free Design Consultation the team will help you to develop your ideas and your garden to its full potential and create a detailed plan including materials , planting schemes, lighting and water features.

At the Ruscrete Design and Landscape studio in Funtley Road, Titchfield you can gain inspiration from the eight beautiful display gardens and receive valuable advice as part of a modern shopping experience to create a stunning alfresco space in the style of your choice.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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The Queens Head Evening Meal Deal 2 Meals for £10

Choose from: Gammon Steak & Chips • Sausage & Mash Scampi & Chips • Fish & Chips Chicken in Chasseur Sauce Prawn/Chicken Korma • Mushroom Stroganoff Chicken & Chips Monday to Thursday only 6-9pm.

Excludes parties over 4 people.

Tony Christian Dinner Dances 25th June - Seventies • 23rd July - Sixties £24.95 (inc three course meal)

Braganza Room

Birthday/Christening/Wedding/Anniversary • 30-70 people • Bar and Dance Floor • Buffets to Full meals • Discount room rates for Midweek The Queens Head, High Street, Titchfield, PO14 4AQ Tel: 01329 842154 www.queenshead-titchfield.co.uk Find us on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/queens.head.titchfield www.twitter.com/The_QueensHead

The Rising Sun

2 Main Meals for £9.95 Selected Menu

All Day – Every Day Sunday Roast £8.29 After 5pm 2 for £9.95 (Subject to Availability)

Weds: Spice Night – Curry & *Drink Thurs: Pie Night – Pie Meal & *Drink Special for Two: 3 courses £19.95 With a Bottle of Wine £27.90 Email: mail@thejollyfarmer.uk.com www. thejollyfarmer.uk.com 40…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Claire and her team look forward to welcoming you to the Rising Sun, Warsash, right on the River Hamble. * IPA, Stella, 175ml House Wine, Coke or Lemonade.

Tel: 01489 576898 74 Shore Road | Warsash | SO31 9FT | Email: 7941@greeneking.co.uk

business

successstory Throughout the country pubs are closing down, being demolished or being redeveloped into apartments, and yet Nick Hunter and his family-run company Divided by 4 now own and run four pubs in the Solent Life area and are bucking the national trend and turning them into successful venues. words • david rose-massom

A

As part of Solent Life’s Support Your Local Business campaign we went and spoke to Nick at his latest pub, the Cob and Pen at Wallington. “Two of the pubs we now own had already closed and two more were destined to close,” he told us as we sat in the comfortable rustic interior. “What we have done is to concentrate on several things. We cannot, for example, compete on prices with the likes of national chains, so our focus has to be on quality, great value and excellent service – and for these we actually have a charter for our staff to follow – and we do have some great people who work for us.

“We also support other local businesses wherever and whenever possible,” he continued. “Our beef is Hampshire-bred and from an excellent local supplier, all of our fruit and vegetables are supplied locally and our fish is also from a local supplier;

everything we do has to have a personal edge to it!

“We are a family business. One of my sons, Joe, is in charge of the design of such things as the menus and handles all of our marketing; his brother Ben is the Commercial Director and amongst other things oversees food purchasing and more importantly he keeps the quality high. Even Holly my daughter, despite having just finished stage school, still works for the business as my secretary.

“We work at pleasing the customer from the moment they walk through the door until the moment they leave. To take any sort of market share in the pub and catering industry we have to be the best at everything we do. It is that simple – and that difficult. To be a success we have to be the best.

“We believe strongly in family fun days and events like Father’s Day and offer everything expected from a good family pub. I just like

to see things done properly; the message we put out is the same through all our pubs and that is setting the right standards right from the start.”

Nick has a long and distinguished record of working in the pub trade and works to just one main criterion: “Service is important and we make the customer feel important. We work as a family and people who regularly use our pubs know us as a family and we know their families.”

Nick Hunter is very proud of the business and the fact that his wife and children are all involved. That family enthusiasm runs over to their staff and then onto the customers.

They use small family businesses for the supply of their food produce and search along the south coast for small brewers to supply the best of beers. To Nick it is quite simply about quality, about supporting other local businesses and working in an industry he knows well, and it is entrepreneurs such as Nick and his family who are not only stopping the decline in our traditional local pub but turning it into a success story. l

www.dividedby4.co.uk The Brass Monkey, West Street, Fareham Clinkers Tavern, Trinity Street, Fareham Sir Joseph Paxton, Titchfield Common and The Cob and Pen, Wallington

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homes

The Hampshire Kitchen Company At The Hampshire Kitchen Company we pride ourselves on our quality of both service and kitchens. We believe that buying a kitchen should be a pleasant and exciting experience, and our family business provides a highly personal service, endeavouring to satisfy our customers every wish. Our fitted kitchens are all very high quality, with handmade ranges to ranges engineered and imported from Germany. We have a wide range of beautiful work surfaces and the ability to tailor your kitchen to your specific lifestyle needs. With a variety of independent local joiners and fitters that we use to install our bespoke kitchens, we support other local businesses whilst ensuring that the quality of the work will live up to that of our beautiful kitchens. We will project manage each kitchen to completion, providing peace of mind for the customer. Founded in 1978, The Hampshire Kitchen Company has a wealth of experience in top of the range handmade English and German kitchens behind it, and we draw on this experience as a resource in every dealing we have with our customers.

Frequently Asked Questions: 1) Where do I start?

The first stage is to visit our showroom and spend some time exploring our kitchen ranges and getting a feel for what is available. This gives you an opportunity to browse our different kitchen styles, understand what each range offers, and see what best suits you. Feel free to pop in whenever is convenient for you, or alternatively start your design process by phoning ahead and booking an appointment with our design manager Karyn.

Locks Heath Windows Windows & Doors

2) Do you offer a design service?

Yes we do. After the initial showroom visit we will either visit you in your home to measure, or work from architect plans. At this stage we will work with you to create a design brief to ensure that the kitchen will be tailor-made to all your needs. We will produce plans and costings of your new kitchen and we present these to you in the studio where we can look at samples and specification. We work with state of the art kitchen software to ensure that you can visualise your new kitchen, and take a virtual walk through the space.

3) Can we take the plans away with us?

Drawings, plans and 3D images are all available once an order is placed.

4) Can you take care of the whole kitchen including appliances?

We specialise in complete kitchen projects. We have three teams of longstanding and highly experienced fitters backed up by top class tradespeople. Our continued relationship with these fitters has built a relationship of trust and responsibility, as they fit seamlessly into the complete Hampshire Kitchen Company team.

5) Can you carry out any building work we might require?

Yes. Our dedicated installation teams can plaster rooms, carry out all electrical services (with Part P certification), install gas appliances (with Gas Safe), and we will oversee the whole process. We also provide a painting service with colour consultation and we can supply and fit tiled floors including natural stone.

6) What appliances and fittings do you supply?

We are supported by: Neff, Miele, Franke, Corian, Caesarstone, Okite, Farrow and Ball

7) How do you compare in terms of price?

Our complete kitchens start at about £10,000 plus the cost of the appliances. This includes fully fitted kitchen furniture, worktops, sinks, taps, and the installation of all appliances needed within the plan.

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Members of Hampshire County Council Buy With Confidence Trading Standards Service,

Your local family business since 1992 .

10 year insurance backed guarantee.

Telephone us on 01489 577895 www.locksheathwindows.co.uk

ROOFING PROBLEMS? 39 years experience in flat & pitch roofing

BOB WEAVER ROOFING LTD Your local RubberBond EPDM contact

• Free Roofing Survey & Quotations • All Work Covered by 15 & 20 Year Guarantee • Flat & Pitched Roofing • EPDM Flat Roofing

023 9265 3352 • 07860 356466

www.bobweaverroofing.co.uk bob.weaver1@ntlworld.com

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Fully Insured Scotch Guarding & Anti Flea Treatments Available

Local family business - fully trained staff We guarantee excellent results

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WATERSIDE BLINDS With over 55 years experience Waterside Blinds offer an excellent made-to-measure service specialise in all types of blinds and window shutters. And with summer nearly here conservatory blinds and patio awnings are particularly popular at this time of year.

To look at the possibilities for your home then the first step is to arrange for one of our expert designers to provide you with a free no-obligation home visit to discuss your individual requirements.

This will allow you to view the hundreds of fabrics available and choose the one that is right for you. Alternatively visit our factory and showroom to see the full product range.

For more information about Waterside Blinds, call 023 8084 0505 or visit www.watersideblinds.co.uk

Ceramic Wall & Floor Tiling Specialist

PAUL HUBBARD • Member of The The Tile Association • CSCS Registered

• Domestic & Commercial Work Undertaken • Marble • Slate • Porcelain • Ceramic • Limestone • Mosaic & More • Free Estimates Mob: 07775 725098 Tel: 01489 572954 Web: www.hubbard-tiling.co.uk

PLUMBING • HEATING • GAS SERVICES £1695 COMBI BOILER INSTALLATIONS: (PRICES INCLUDE STANDARD FLUE, PROGRAMMER AND SCALE REDUCER) COMPLETE CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS FROM:

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M: 0778 9394486 T: 023 8083 9211 E: liam_omahony@hotmail.com W: www.lpssouthampton.co.uk solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

£1895* £1895 *5 YEAR GUARANTEE ON VAILLANT SYSTEM. 2 YEAR GUARANTEE ON ALL OTHERS.

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Doors & Glass

Doors & Glass are manufacturers and suppliers of the highest, traditionally constructed, quality wooden external and internal doors with associated fittings, producing conventional and historical through to the latest contemporary and minimal designs.

With this heritage we have become renowned for our expertise within the industry and consider ourselves, as do many of our high profile clients, as the leading authority when it comes to the supply and installation of these products.

Fit a new Kitchen/Bedroom or Transform the one you have

www.kabt.co.uk FREE survey & quotation CALL 01329 830111 NOW! Heming & Co The Square, Wickham PO17 5JT

SA TILING & BATHROOMS Ltd COMPLETE BATHROOM INSTALLATION SERVICE PROFESSIONAL WALL AND FLOOR TILING ESTABLISHED TRUSTED LOCAL TRADESMAN Complete Bathroom Fitting Service Plastering/Radiators Moved All Types of Showers All associated Small Building works Genuine Professional Wall & Floor Tiling by Trained Fitters Wetrooms/Bathrooms for the less able Suites and Tiles supplied at Trade Prices Supply and Fit or Fit Only

References for local work carried out always available

For callShaun Shaunonon satling@aol.com ororcall Foraafree freeestimate estimateemail emailsatiling@aol.com

01489 577268 / 07801 957718

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Offering an unrivalled selection of products to delight the most discerning customer, our vast showroom, free survey, nationwide delivery service, local installation service combined with expert friendly customer service will leave you highly satisfied.

In addition we have a glass and key cutting service along with a comprehensive range of high specification door furniture.

We are completely unique in that we can Design, Supply and Install to Architects, Developers, Tradesmen and Retail customers.

Come and see for yourself!

BOTLEY BATHROOM CENTRE with 36 years experience, let us build your dream

Largest family run bathroom centre in the area

• GRP (Fibre Glass) Flat Roofing • U.P.V.C. Facias & Guttering • Lead Work • Slate & Tile Repairs • Insurance Work Undertaken

70% OFF Selected Shower Cubicles

EXTENSIONS • GARAGES DORMERS • BALCONIES TOPSEAL APPROVED CONTRACTORS FULLY TRAINED FITTERS 25 YEAR GUARANTEE

Call Us For Your Free Survey And Written Quotation on Freephone:

0800 587 7966

21 Sylvan Avenue, Bitterne, Southampton, SO19 5JW

Email: terry@southcoastflatroofsolutions.co.uk Web: www.southcoastflatroofsolutions.co.uk

Planning Service Available | Large Bathroom and Shower Showrooms

Extensive Clearance Area Now Open

Large dedicated shower & bathroom showrooms Evening Planning Appointments Available The Malthouse, Church Lane, Botley, Hampshire OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK tel: 01489

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We understand how important an investment in a new kitchen is to you and your home. With over 38 years combined experience we will take every step to more than satisfy your expectations.

ALLSORTS OF KITCHENS

Unit 9, Solent Industrial Estate, Hedge End, SO30 2FX

T: 01489 788617

www.allsortsofkitchens.co.uk

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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“

greenfingers

June greenfingers For many gardeners June is the highlight of the year. The garden is at its peak, so enjoy all the pleasures it has to offer. Sunny evenings can be spent making the most of your garden, along with some tending to keep it looking good. words • ann watson

A

s it was a dry spring you might want to introduce some drought-tolerant plants into your garden.

There are several that fit the bill and are available for planting in June. Sedum Xenon has lovely silver-blue foliage that is tinged pink. It turns a vibrant purple-red in June and grows to 12 inches high. It tolerates dry conditions and a chalky soil, so is ideal for the South.

Fragrant lavender and rosemary are both good in dry weather and lastly Callistemon Little John, or bottle brush plant. They all need to be watered-in well and kept watered during their first season until established; after that they should cope with dry spells.

I recommend collecting rainwater, especially as it’s better for your plants than tap water.

A water butt is a good investment and if you have a big garden you could have one next to your house and another beside your shed or garage to make the most of rainfall.

Still on the subject of water, a bird bath or bowls of water are a welcome addition for the wildlife in your garden. It’s great to encourage wildlife, including birds, hedgehogs and frogs, and it’s so easy.

Choosing the right plants will help attract wildlife. Lupins and alstroemeria are a draw for bees, butterflies and other insects.

Butterflies and bees love nectar-rich plants, including the already-mentioned lavender, along with buddleia and hebe. Mixed into

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

your borders, these plants give a natural cottage garden effect.

Remember to check the eventual size and spread of plants such as buddleia – also known at the butterfly bush – so they don’t outgrow the space.

Hedges and dense shrubs provide shelter and hiding places for wildlife, along with food if they are berry varieties. With a little thought your garden can become a complete eco system right before your eyes.

We all know the wildlife we don’t want in our garden – slugs, snails and aphids. However, these garden pests are a food source for birds, frogs and toads. Garsons has various protection methods for your plants that won’t interfere with wildlife. These include barrier material like copper tape, traps and coarse grit. Some slug pellets are now based on synthetic chemicals which are wildlife friendly.

Jobs for June include: l Feeding flowering plants weekly with liquid tomato feed and paying special attention to those in containers and hanging baskets. l Keep on top of weeds to stop them taking over.

Let’s hope we have some glorious weather over the coming months. Until next time, happy gardening!

A taste of Hampshire at the Food Fair Come and meet independent local producers at the Garsons Food Fair on 18th June for tastings galore. The Garsons Farm Shop team in Fontley Road, Titchfield, are passionate about sourcing speciality food and drink.

THE BEST QUALITY & SELECTION YOU WILL SEE LOCALLY www.medinanurseries.co.uk

Inspirational outside spaces where once there was just a garden • Garden design & planning

COME & SEE YOUR LOCAL SPECIALIST Award Winning Hanging Baskets & Patio tubs. 100’s to choose from The finest selection of Zonal Geraniums and Pelargoniums Beautiful large plants in 6 inch Pots Pick ‘N’ Mix for summer.

Many new & unusual plants for baskets & tubs. Lots of new colours to choose from. A range of seasonal bedding plants, including Begonias & Busy Lizzies

HOME GROWN PERENNIALS

• Landscaping • Award winning environmental policy

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Garden Design

Leydene Gardens Nursery

A family nursery with friendly helpful staff, specialising in hanging baskets, tubs and pick-an-mix basket and patio plants.

QUALITY PLANTS GROWN BY US OPEN 7 DAYS

Tel: 01489 584476

46 Brook Lane, Warsash SO31 9FG

Bedding Plants and Hanging Basket Plants Telephone: 01329 843899 33 Titchfield Grange, Fareham PO15 5AR

THE BEST ‘VALUE FOR MONEY’

SHEDS

AND SUMMER HOUSES CUSTOM BUILT PINE FURNITURE

Call in and see our displays at...

THE ULTIMATE SHED Co LTD Fontley Road, Titchfield, Fareham, PO15 6QX (Opposite Garsons)

Open 7 days - Call for opening times

Tel: 01329 841 700 www.ultimatesheds.co.uk solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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The Hot Tub Man scores a birdie.

ASince moving into their new premises in March, The Hot Tub Man would like to thank. Its local customers for their continued support and as a thank you we have a special offer, - a full service, a pair of filters and a thermal cover for £500 inc, a saving of £58. The Hot Tub Man would be delighted to welcome their customers into Unit 5 Braxells Farm to purchase their chemicals and accessories which are 10% off when booking a service. Not only does The Hot Tub Man sell chemicals and accessories we also do relocations, servicing, and repairs. New to 2011 we now stock new and used Tubs if you order a new tub for summer 2011. You get FREE LED waterline lights worth £450, Free chrome Jet upgrade worth £199 FREE chemical Starter pack worth £50 and FREE commission and delivery with demo. If you buy a used Tub you get a FREE chemical starter pack.

Thermal Covers, we supply quality deluxe covers for all makes of Hot Tubs for £325 inc (up to 2.5 sq). These covers come in 8 colors, fill in the form on our website www.thehottubman.co.uk New Website, – we have launched a new website where you can see all our new and used Hot Tubs for sale.

‘The Hot Tub Man’ Putting the Ahhh back into your Spa!

• Used Hot Tubs for Sale • Maintenance Contracts or one off Service & Repairs • Chemicals/Filters/Accessories all with free delivery • Thermal Covers with choice of colour, only £325 inc

34 B3

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E-mail: enquiries@thehottubman.co.uk T: 01329 835415 • 07590 777850 E: info@green-retreats.co.uk

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Green Retreats Landscaping & Maintenance Starting a new business during the recession in June 2008, was always going to be a gamble – however, three years on, Green Retreats are going from strength to strength. During this time, we have completed a huge variety of projects of all shapes and sizes and have managed to build up a fine reputation. We are proud members of Checkatrade – see for yourselves what our customers say about us www.checkatrade.com/greenretreats With a combined 21 years in the landscaping business, we have amassed a wealth of experience and are always keen to embrace new products and ideas into our designs.

For further information contact us on 01329 835415 • 07590 777850 E-mail: info@green-retreats.co.uk or visit www.green-retreats.co.uk

Pon D octor

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01489 788883 • Hillier Garden Centre, Woodhouse Lane, Botley SO30 2EZ

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

t: 01489 780980 m: 07812 074726

www.thehottubman.co.uk

backtonature

events

Junewildlife June is the month when the meadow areas at Swanwick Lakes are at their best, with a variety of meadow flowers attracting butterflies and other insects to feed off their sweetly-scented nectar. The distinctive spotted leaves of the Common Spotted Orchid develop their tall flowering spikes in the early part of the month while the grass-like leaves and delicate flowers of the Grass Vetchling are much harder to spot. Towards the end of the month the stately teasels develop the pale purple flowers which are a rich nectar source for many insects. words • jess daish-miller images • darinn smith

B

ut without management the open areas of the Reserve which are so important for flowers and butterflies would soon revert to dense dark woodland, as can be seen by the masses of small birch trees which sprout up readily every year in the meadow. Regular visitors to Swanwick Lakes will be familiar with one of the ways we try to maintain this important habitat: for many summers we have used grazing animals to keep the meadows open. Most recently we have been using Argentinean Criollo ponies.

The ponies will probably arrive on the Reserve in late July and immediately start munching birch saplings, thistles, brambles and other kinds of scrubby plants. Without their hard work Swanwick Lakes would be a much less colourful place in June.

Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve is an 80-acre reserve located on Sopwith Way, off Swanwick Lane. The reserve is owned

by NATS and managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. The reserve is open from dawn until dusk for all to enjoy.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works to create a better future for wildlife and wild places in Hampshire and the Island.

Find out more at www.hwt.org.uk.

at Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve…

Swanwick Toddlers – Ugly Bug Ball 7th June • 10.30am–12.00 noon or 1.00–2.30pm Come along with us to the glorious ugly bug ball.

A celebration of all things minibeast at Swanwick Lakes for pre-school children. Booking is essential as places are limited. For further details and to book your place please contact Dawn Preston or Jess Daish-Miller on 01489 570240. Please bring outdoor clothing and wellies.

Suggested donation £3 per child.

Wildflower Walk 16th June 2011 10.30am–12.00 noon Join reserve staff for a guided walk focusing on the colourful summer flowers of Swanwick Lakes and the creatures that depend upon them for food. For further details and to book your place please contact Dawn Preston or Jess Daish-Miller on 01489 570240. Please bring outdoor clothing and wellies. Suggested donation £1.50.

Meet the Artist in Residence 26th June 2011 • 1.00–4.00pm Sarah Morrish, Swanwick Lakes’ Artist in Residence, will be visiting the reserve one Sunday a month to work on paintings either out on the reserve or in the classroom.

She will also have examples of the artwork completed so far and will be happy to answer people’s questions. For further details contact Dawn Preston or Jess Daish-Miller on 01489 570240. Please wear outdoor clothes and sturdy shoes or boots.

Join us today …and enjoy the benefits of being a member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. For more information contact our membership team on 01489 774408.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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adventure

the

Fastnetgirls

THE CREW OF KORU Jannine Stoodley • Director and Chief Instructor of Dream or Two Ltd Debs Hunt • Yachtmaster Instructor Clare Pengelly • Businesswoman Penny Priddy • Dental Hygienist Sara Banks • Senior Compliance Manager Price Waterhouse Cooper Chloe Porteous • IT Manager Vanessa Hogbin • Social Enterprise Consultant Linda Johnson • Acupuncturist

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

“This really is a journey of getting through to 14th August and the Fastnet Race,” said skipper Jannine when three of the crew of Koru, a Beneteaubuilt yacht of just under 37 feet, dropped into the Solent Life offices for a chat. Over the next hour she and two of her team, Rae and Penny, told us of the all-woman challenge to take on the unforgiving Fastnet. words • david rose-massom

T

he media is full of heroes and heroines. It seems easy these days for anyone to make a name for themselves, and yet when these slightly-built and very ordinary women began to speak they became anything but ordinary. What makes them special? Well, first it is important to weigh up the size of the challenge that is before them!

The organisers’ own website quotes: ‘The Rolex Fastnet is more than just a race. When the British Isles weather conspires to deliver conditions typical of the time of year it becomes a true test of human endeavour.

It is for this reason that the 608-nautical mile race consistently attracts a large and varied fleet: man and machine set against the elements. The 44th edition, which starts from Cowes on Sunday, 14 August 2011, is no exception. The entry list opened in early January and within ten days was closed. The 300-boat limit reached with record speed.’

The telling part in that quote is the mention of ‘man and machine set against the elements’ – no mention of a crew of eight ordinary working women, all aged between 42 and 59, who are daring to dream and overcome all their fears and discomforts to take on all that the sea and nature can throw at them, and take on the men as well.

If you think that the Fastnet is a nice little cruise down the coast in the company of like-minded souls then just look back at its history, especially to the fateful 1979 race.

The Rolex Fastnet traces its history back to 1925. Held biennially since 1931, except for a break between 1939 and 1947, the race to the Fastnet Rock, off the south-western tip of Ireland and back to Plymouth and lasting four days, is one of yachting’s toughest fixtures.

In 1979 303 boats began the 608-mile race and then the fleet sailed into one of the worst storms to ever hit an offshore yacht race. Fifteen sailors lost their lives and dozens of boats were lost. One survivor reported that within just twenty seconds the wind went from just thirty knots to sixty knots.

Rae, the shore part of the team, speaks in the soft accent of a New Zealander. “The name of the boat is Koru, which is a Maori name meaning new beginnings; it reflects how much heart and passion have gone into this adventure. The hardest thing is for us to actually get together when we each

have our own lives, jobs and families to work round,” she explained.

“The training weekends go back to April and we have all sailed, but there are certain techniques, such as sailing with a spinnaker, that some of the crew have never experienced,” Jannine Stoodley explained.

She is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and she is the Dream or Two Principal and Chief Instructor, as well as the instigator of Sailing Women. “Sailing Women came about as some women do not feel comfortable on a boat full of men. From there we have now got this crew of eight about to take on the biggest challenge of their lives.

“Some of the crew have only been sailing for a year and some had never even been out of the Solent, although we have got one crew member who has done blue-water sailing.

Entering the Fastnet – it is a dream!” she added.

Crew member Penny explained the process.

“Even before our first race we had to go to the Sea Survival course which is compulsory.” To look at Penny and her tiny stature you would believe that she could not survive a light breeze, but there is a steely grit to her and, as with all the crew, an unwavering determination. “It was a real eye-opener for some of the crew. So we practised safety procedures, we practised sailing with a spinnaker and it brought us all together as a team.”

In some instances that team building causes a problem for an all-woman crew. “Women love to multi-task and so it is hard to get them to stay on their own station on the boat,” Jannine explained. “When a man is given a job on a racing yacht he sticks with his job, but with women it is natural for them to want to go and help other crew members to carry out their tasks.”

On racing yachts the bulkier of the crews who operate the punishing winches are known as gorillas; there are no gorillas on Koru’s crew, so their approach as an allwoman crew has to be tactically different.

What they don’t have in pure muscle and brawn they make up for with a different routine and teamwork. “Basically the crew member on our boat keeps grinding until she is too tired and then someone else will take over; we have a system of helping each other with the harder tasks.”

Penny again: “For the uninitiated there is the problem of where to sleep, of using the head (toilet), of being wet for four days and not being able to wash properly. There are few

facilities on a racing yacht and no luxuries.

For some of the crew the training took them out of sheltered water for the first time.”

Jannine explained that to qualify for the Fastnet each crew must have completed at least 300 miles of offshore racing. “Each warm-up race is an overnighter, and it was nice that in our first race over to France we were not last. On the way back we sailed in winds up to 40 knots and with big seas – that is, a Force 7. It was a wonder after that some crew members did not drop out. But they are all so determined and committed to succeed.

“Throughout the crew there is trust in each other and in the boat; trust has never been an issue,” Jannine continued. “It is not until you get into rough seas you realise, even with the inexperience, that there is that trust.

We came back from that race shattered but just wanted to get back out there again.”

Penny said, “It is not about challenging the men. The challenge for an all-woman crew is different and the challenge for each of the crew is different.”

Jannine said it was about beating the other boats. “We are steady and consistent in our sailing technique; rather than exploding from the start, we work our way through the fleet as a team. Each individual on board has a personal goal as well as the team goal and that is getting through the Fastnet.”

She then explained that the boat is frisky and a handful, and then some crew members also have to overcome the problem of sea-sickness which can be totally debilitating.

Rae will be in charge of the food and fluids.

“Food and fluid intake is a very important issue. We will be sailing in driving winds and rain, four hours on and four hours off, and even those watches will be longer if we encounter rough conditions, and it is a hard thing to realise you just have to keep going so the correct intake of foods and fluid is vital.”

Jannine summed up the determination of her crew. “I cannot see us failing because everyone is so focused and determined.

When a crew member is asked if they want a hot drink they don’t get a choice, they get what’s coming, same as everyone else.

There are no hair-dryers on board and they have no nails left so varnishing them is not a problem! They are not ready yet, but come the Fastnet they will be!”

Over the next three months Solent Life will be following the training, their next qualifying race in mid-June from Cowes, then the big race itself and, hopefully, the crew’s safe and successful arrival in Plymouth. We will talk more with the dental hygienist, the crew member who has to fly in from her banking job in Switzerland and the rest of the all-woman crew about the challenges they face. www.sailingwomen.co.uk www.yachting-school.co.uk

If you have a company or business and want to get some great coverage for your company name and logo then you could be part of this adventure through sponsorship and corporate involvement. Call Solent Life and we will be happy to invite you and the crew of Koru to our offices to discuss how you can promote your name and the cause of eight very determined, brave and adventurous women who are about to take on the challenge of a lifetime.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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education

meet the headmaster “Ask anyone whose school this is and some will say the governors’ or the headmaster’s, but once outside school the children will always refer to it as ‘their’ school and I try to enforce that.” Smart-suited and wearing a subtle Saints Football Club tie, Headmaster Stephen Symonds of Boundary Oak School sat comfortably in the office he has occupied since 2008. “The school council does have a say in the running of the school and to get on the council the children have to apply, be interviewed and work to get the job; it is a life skill and if they do not make it through the selection process then we explain why and encourage them to apply again next year.” words • david rose-massom

I

f it was not for the casual but efficient manner of the school’s headmaster that last statement could well have seemed a little harsh, but the moment Stephen Symonds begins talking about the school and his charges nothing but happiness and contentment shines through.

“Maybe it is necessary to describe the school and its first impression to truly reflect its character. Drive off the busy Wickham Road after leaving Fareham and dipping under the M27 and there, almost hidden among the trees, is a grey turreted gatehouse, a fortress protecting those beyond. Pass through its narrow entrance and the world the other side opens out into lush fields and farmland.

A huge spreading cedar tree dominates a field lined by woodland and at the top of the drive is a wonderfully haphazard building with one part of the main house of Roche Court dating from 1280 while its extensions boast Tudor builders. The school and its collection of outbuildings offer an amazing and welcoming home for education, development and growth. It is a beautiful house in a stunning setting.

The school has 135 students aged three to thirteen and any growth in that number, according to the Headmaster, must be a gentle move forward. “The joy of a smaller school is we get to know the children.” As we walked around the nursery, classrooms and corridors Stephen instantly knew every child in his charge by first name. “I was a primary school teacher before and the skills learned there I have now brought here. All the teachers here have wonderful standards and when you have classes of just sixteen you get to know the children. If there is a common theme here it is that the parents want the very best for their children and so does the school.”

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

As he talked of the school his smile broadened and the pride in his expression became even more apparent. “This is not a job – this is a way of life,” he said. “If you want a nine to five existence then this job is not for you; being here is about so much more. My family lives on site, my wife Amanda works closely with me as we have both been house parents and my two sons also attend here. You do not take a job like this without it becoming a way of life for your family.

“What we have here is a nurturing environment. All the staff and everything we do here as individuals have an impact on what happens in the school,” Mr Symonds continued. “I enjoy being a teacher and always wanted to be a school head as there were things I wanted to do within education.”

With a serious world on the other side of the gatehouse is there a danger that children can grow up too quickly? “Helping them become rounded individuals is our aim; something I believe in strongly is that we keep children as children for as long as possible but instil them with confidence.

Many children are desperate to get older and they miss out on childhood. Children should be happy and nobody has the right to make them unhappy.”

Education through application seems to be the way of Boundary Oak School and as we toured the facilities every lesson seemed to be linked with not just finding solutions but the application of those solutions.

The children in their uniforms were smart, apart from the odd twisted tie and shirt tail hanging out which gave them individuality, but all were proud to be in those uniforms.

They were polite and confident and whether working with a team member or let loose on an assignment they all had a solid work

ethic. But the biggest thing that came across was happiness; throughout the whole school there were smiles and happy voices, and not just from the children either!

“The children here thrive within their own abilities and we are always quick to praise.

Praise them for one thing done well and other things drop into place. We find the best in the children and discover what they are good at and work with that,” he said.

“We have enough experience here and see enough different children coming through and we have a real mixture of backgrounds, so we have a broad spectrum of activities both in and outside the curriculum.

Eventually, because of how we do things, the child’s strengths soon show through. It is not just about achieving their best but also about having pride in what they have done.”

Boundary Oak School moved to Roche Court fifty years ago and it exudes solidity and protection, yet it also produces happy well-educated children who have become well-rounded individuals who can move easily on to the next part of their education and growth. The happy faces were not put on because there was a visitor at the school – they were all genuine smiles on people who enjoyed being at the school – and the young pupils were just as happy about being there as well. What better sign could a parent have that their child is in the right place? l

For details of Boundary Oak’s history, curriculum, activities and fees go to www.boundaryoak.co.uk Roche Court, Wickham Road, Fareham PO17 5BL Email: office@boundaryoak.co.uk Tel: 01329 280955

Express your creative side at Fareham College Do you have a passion for the Arts and Creative Media?

Then Fareham College is the place for you.

Offering a wide range of courses at A-level and BTEC there is something to suit your needs within the Arts. The College is equipped with industry standard facilities including a theatre – The Venue – which regularly puts on performances open to the public. Past shows include ‘A Night at the Musicals’ in aid of Help for Heroes and ‘The Producers.’ There is also a photography dark room, Mac suite, media studio, cinema and extensive workshops.

Within Arts and Creative Media you can study IT, Media Mix, Media Production, Media Studies, Film Studies, Photography, Graphics, Drama and Theatre Studies, Musical Theatre and Performing Arts.

These courses are led by trained staff that have all had industry experience at places such as the BBC, the Royal Ballet, Welsh National Ballet, Badger Press and an independent film company.

Staff also include an award-winning filmmaker, self-employed musicians and Media graduates. Together, they provide a variety of methods and showcase talents from a wide range of levels, ensuring students have access to knowledge from those who have experienced it first-hand, can share best practise and advise students on their future careers paths, whatever they may be.

If you want to find out more and explore your creativity, visit our social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Flickr. Call (01329) 815200 or visit www.fareham.ac.uk for more information.

Meoncross School A culture of care and excellence

An independent school for boys and girls aged 2 3/4 to 16

Kindergarten and Infant Open Morning

Saturday 11th June 10 am to 12 noon

For further information, please telephone the Registrar:

01329 662182

Burnt House Lane, Stubbington, Fareham PO14 2EF

enquiries@meoncross.co.uk

Meoncross Kindergarten provides a happy and secure environment in which your child will develop socially and emotionally, preparing him or her for the next stage in their education. Children may join the Koala class when they reach two and three quarters where the emphasis is very much on learning through play. The Panda class, from age three and a half, takes a slightly more structured approach to the advancement of children’s reading, writing and arithmetic, but plenty of time remains for other fun activities. Once in Reception, our teachers will continue to build firm foundations in English, Maths and Science, whilst specialist staff deliver lessons in P.E., French, Music and ICT. As play, both indoors and out, is still an essential part of a young child’s development, the timetable allows space for this too. You are welcome to come and see the school and kindergarten on the morning of Saturday, 11th June from 10am to 12 noon or call Lorraine Orridge for further details.

www.meoncross.co.uk solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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At Charlton House Preparatory School and St. Mary's College we believe that we can respond to the needs of your child and provide a happy, caring family atmosphere in which your son or daughter can develop and fulfil his or her potential.

Mr Craig Lickley, Headmaster of St Mary’s College, says “St Mary’s is an exceptional place. It has a special atmosphere that you see on the faces of our children. You can feel it in their enthusiasm and in everything they do here. The magic of St Mary’s lies in creating an environment in which children can grow because children who are happy, secure and loved will learn, develop and achieve. With almost ninety years of first class results, ours is a community in which individual talent and academic excellence shine through the rich, challenging learning experiences our children encounter every day. Above all else, we value the whole child. At the end of their journey here, we’re proud to see our students emerge as confident, well-rounded young adults who with integrity and maturity take the experiences and magic of St Mary’s into the competitive world.”

Set in seventeen acres of meadow and woodland, the schools will be opening their doors to parents and children during an Open Day on Saturday 11 June 2011 from 10am – 2pm. Visit www.stmaryscollege. co.uk/blog or telephone 023 8067 7575 for more information.

Thomas gets ready for take-off with flying scholarship An Itchen Sixth Form College student is on course to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a pilot after being awarded the GAPAN (Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators) Gliding Scholarship 2011.

First year student Thomas Baldock’s knowledge and dedication so impressed the Guild Young Members Committee during the interview process that they selected him as one of the two winners of the coveted scholarship.

Thomas has been flying high since he was told of his success and said, “I was delighted and honoured that the Guild felt I was a suitable recipient for the scholarship. I’m hoping one day to achieve my childhood ambition of becoming a Commercial Airline Pilot.”

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• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

communitynews COME SWIM WITH ME HITS HAMBLE Recently Hamble Sports Complex has received funding from The Big Lottery Grants Scheme to offer a free fun swimming session for children/young adults and their families. The session is a wonderful opportunity for the children to make new friends and gives the parents an opportunity to network and share good practice.

The sessions will run on a Sunday afternoon 12.30–13.30 pm and are completely free for the child/young adult and their family.

The first session will be on 10th July and will continue for ten weeks. For more information please contact Hamble Sports Complex on 02380 452321.

CAMPER HEAVEN Returning for another year is the largest event in the Marquis Show diary! Customers old and new are invited to join Marquis in the grounds of Paultons Park, Ower, near Romsey, Hampshire SO51 6AL on 10th–12th June 2011 to view one of the largest displays of new and quality pre-owned motorhomes in the South.

Showcased will be new 2011 models from the UK’s top manufacturers including exclusive special editions such as the MercedesBenz and Peugeot County ranges and the distinctive and affordable Majestics.

As well as new models, Marquis will also be displaying a comprehensive range of quality pre-owned motorhomes complete with the industry leading three-year unlimited mileage AutoMarq warranty as standard.

If you’re looking for a fun day out for all the family then a visit to the largest motorhome show in the South is a must! Entry and parking is FREE and Marquis are also able to supply discounted tickets into Paultons Park!

For more information about the Paultons Park Show call the freephone number 0800 026 7777 or visit the website www. marquismotorhomes.co.uk/paultonspark.

MOBILITY FOR THE DISABLED AT NEW FOREST SHOW The New Forest and Hampshire County Show works hard to ensure that the disabled have good access and facilities at the Show.

This includes not only parking safely near to the showground but also having the opportunity to book on-site power chairs and scooters to take them around the showground. There are plenty of parking places for the disabled. However, it has to be stressed that the stewards can only admit those cars with registered disabled stickers clearly displayed (including the correct pass for the occupant) so please do not try to enter this car park if you are not in possession of a valid sticker – you will be refused.

Wheels for Freedom will be at the Show and they specialise in helping the disabled enjoy local shows by providing a range of scooters, power chairs and wheelchairs for hire on site.

It is vital that anyone wishing to take up this offer books in advance by ringing Wheels

june

community news Your essential guide to all the local news and events in your community of Freedom on 01202 670450 or by going to www.wheelsforfreedom.org.uk and following the Out n’ About link to the New Forest Show. This will help the charity try to ensure that all demands are met.

The New Forest and Hampshire County Show, New Park, Brockenhurst on Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th July.

There is a special offer of 20% off all tickets until 11th July so get your tickets now either on-line at www.newforestshow.co.uk or by ringing the credit card hotline on 01590 622409.

SARISBURY GREEN COUNTRY FAIR The annual Sarisbury Green Country Fair Fun Day on the green will be held on Saturday 11th June from 12.00 to 4.00 pm with many stalls and displays – a fun day out for all the family.

NEW at Sarisbury Green Community Centre: sequence dancing classes for beginners, Mondays 4.00–5.00 pm after the tea dance.

Everyone welcome with or without a partner.

For further information please call 01489 573114.

SEA SUNDAY The annual celebration of the part the sea and the river play in the life of our local communities takes place at 6.30 pm on Sunday 26th June at the D-Day Memorial by the Hard at Warsash shore with Hymns of Praise led by St Mary’s Parish Church, accompanied by the Warsash Band. As usual, local uniformed organisations will also be taking part.

WARSASH FESTIVAL This great village fête is a celebration of the community, local groups and businesses and there will be traditional entertainment stalls, along with things to buy, eat and enjoy. The event, which attracts some 4,000 folk, really brings the community together. There will be around sixty groups presenting, demonstrating or perhaps selling their products. Arena activities will include a children’s carousel, music from the Warsash Band and Brookfield Jazz Band, an event opening demonstration by the Sea Scouts,

Majorettes, tractor rides, line-up style shows from the Warsash Theatre Club, a dog show and many other activities throughout the afternoon.

Admission is £1.50 to include a programme, with children under 16 free. Pedestrian access is from Newtown Road with disabled access from Shore Road. There is no public parking on Strawberry Field (with the exception of disabled badge holders).

Strawberry Field, Warsash Shore, 12.30 to 4.30 pm on Saturday 2nd July.

Galleries of past festivals and last time’s scarecrows can be seen at www. stmarywarsash.org.uk GIRL GUIDES SEEK VOLUNTEERS Rainbows, Brownies and Guides in Botley and Hedge End are continuously searching for more adults to help with their units.

There are already 18 units meeting weekly in the area with over 400 girls enjoying Girl Guiding experience, but additional adult support is required to ensure these can all continue and to allow extra units to open to meet the demand for Girl Guiding in the area.

Volunteering with Girlguiding UK is a fantastic way to make a real difference to the lives of girls and young women locally – and have great fun and gain amazing experiences yourself. Whether you can help out every few months or make a regular weekly commitment, there is a role to suit you. As well as leadership roles working directly with the girls, we also need people to volunteer in other support roles such as sharing a skill with the girls, assisting with administration or public relations.

If you would like to find out more about the volunteering opportunities available or arrange to spend an evening at a unit meeting to experience Girlguiding first hand then please contact us at guiding@hotmail. co.uk or telephone 01489 786884 or 07702 390101.

IF YOU HAVE A LOCAL EVENT You wish to promote then please contact us at info@solentlife.co.uk

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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out&about

out&about Solent Life has been venturing out across the region to capture and bring to you some the best events in the past few weeks... images • david rose-massom

Royal Wedding street parties

56…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Holding an event you’d like us to feature?

Simply email details of your event to info@solentlife.co.uk and we will do our best to cover the most exciting and interesting events.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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Solent Flooring Ltd

Established 21 Years • Fully Insured

CARPETS • VINYLS • LAMINATES • REAL WOOD • CERAMIC TILES ALL SUPPLIED AND PROFESSIONALLY FITTED

SPECIAL OFFER

All prices include fitting, good underlay, disposal of old floor covering, grippers and door bar.

Solent Twist

Approved Retailers & Installers

FREE Home Selection & Estimate Service For a friendly and genuine service with no obligation call: Freephone: 0800 9177 553 Jason: 07770 411734 John: 07812 132087 Fax: 01329 238861

Email: jason@solentflooring.co.uk

Unit 19, Regent Trade Park, Barwell Lane, Gosport PO13 0EQ

10 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty 10 Year Stain Warranty 12 Colours to choose from

Solent Berber

50% Man Made, 50% Wool Natural Looking Carpet

Room Price Examples Including VAT

3m x 4m £156 • 4m x 4m £208 5m x 4m £260 • 6m x 4m £312

WE PAY THE VAT INCREASE FOR YOU 58…

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Volunteers Wanted for RSPCA Solent Branch Could you spare a few hours for our Animal Shelter?

Would you like to meet new people, make friends and gain new skills whilst making a difference?

Can you man a table/tombola at our events?

Can you sell our goods at car boot sales?

Transport and all stock supplied

Contact Vanessa Eden Fundraising Manager on

01329 666916 07880 926751 Stubbington Ark Animal Shelter 174-176 Ranvilles Lane, Fareham PO14 3EZ

Charity No 205096

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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Business Directory Accountants JACKY GREGORY ACA Chartered Accountants Accounting, Payroll, Reporting & Taxation Sole Traders, Partnerships & Limited Companies

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

Tel: 01489 885491

Blinds

Carpentry

Cycle Repairs

Sunguard Blinds Ltd

CYCLE

Venetian • Conservatories Roman • Roller • Vertical

All Blinds Made to Measure

REPAIRS

Truly Unbeatable Prices For a free quote please call:

01489 577915

or

Nigel Tidman - Mobile Service

07984

Experienced & Friendly Mechanic • Same day repairs available

Builders

• Service £40

Appliances

• Collected & delivered to your door • Some 2nd hand bikes bought & sold

FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

10%

DISCOUNT WITH THIS ADVERT

PLEASE CALL MIKE ON:

07958 410101 01489 578476

BUTLER

Domestic Appliances Repairs & Servicing • Washing Machines/Vacuums • Dishwashers/Cookers • Tumble Dryers/Microwaves

NO CALL-OUT CHARGE £5 off any repair with this advertisement

01329 844 884 01489 559 687

Mob: 07879 841881 60…

T.J. Mitcheson BUILDING SERVICES

• Conservatories • Patios • Extensions • Garages • Decking • New homes from planning to completion

Free Estimates

JA • All aspects of carpentry & joinery covered, building refurbishments & new builds • Over 20 years experience • Fully qualified & insured • References available

- Between 8am and 8pm -

Dog Grooming

01489 786652 07738 162448

Computer Services

Silk Computing PC Tuition and Maintenance

• Repairs, Troubleshooting, Upgrades & Tuition • No Fix, No Fee Tel: 01489 580124 Mobile: 07885 175550

www.silkcomputing.co.uk

Service with a style!

Quality accessories

01489 576118 07795 056649

www.dollybags.co.uk 22G Middle Road, Park Gate, SO31 7GH (Behind Sheila Hurst Florist)

TEL: 01489 571694 MOB: 07771 925421

LANGDALE Building Locally Design & Build Land Purchase Project Management Extensions & Renovations

Call: 01489 588832 07816 288841

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

Do you have a computer?

Not sure how it works?

Do you want it explained in plain English?

* Fault Finding * Training * Software Installations * Virus Removal * Broadband & Wireless Set-up * Upgrades * PC’s Built to Your Specifications Free computer advice available 9am - 9pm, Mon - Sat

Tel: 01489 662012 Mob: 07833 323992

www.for-matt.com * enquiries@for-matt.com

a

HA

Over 20 years experience

New Builds Extensions/Renovations Loft Conversions Project Management Kitchen & Bathroom Installations All General Building Work Take a look at our website www.urban-developments.com Contact Pete on: 07900 082882 02392 135938

Jonathan Abbess

M

ob

PP ile

s

COOKERS WASHING MACHINES SAME DAY SERVICE NO VAT NEW MACHINES SUPPLIED & FITTED

Competitive ~ Extremely Reliable Honest

Tel 01489 572583 Mob 07771 783822

g Y d oServ

e

TUMBLE DRYERS OAP DISCOUNT DISHWASHERS

City Guilds Approved

ic

NO CALL OUT CHARGE DOMESTIC APPLIANCE REPAIRS

Groo ming

A mobile grooming service where your dog is groomed in your own home.

• Body clipping • Trimming

• Bathing • Nail clipping

All with professional products Prices start from £15

Call Claire on: 01489 505556 • 07527846908 Email: claires.happydogs@gmail.com Web: www.happydogs.vpweb.co.uk

Double Glazing

Electricians

Garage Doors

Gardening Services

GHH Electrical Services

Dons Doors

Team Greens

EAL Qualified Part P Electrician

PG Windows Double glazing repair specialist v Misted & broken units replaced v Broken hinges & handles v Patio rollers v Locks for doors & windows v Supply & fit new windows v Doors & conservatories v Facias, soffits & cladding v All guttering replaced

All electrical work in the home or garden Everything from new lights to new fuse boxes Additional telephone/aerial points

www.donsgaragedoors.co.uk

FULLY INSURED - NO JOB TOO SMALL Call 01489

578111 or 07876 212766

Private and Commercial • Manual • Automatic • Spares & repairs • Maintenance free • All leading brands supplied & fitted

07795 498889

023 8060 0027

Bishops Waltham, Southampton

Fax: 023 8060 0070

Unit 9 Vicarage Farm Business Park, Winchester Road, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, SO50 7HD

Fencing

Planting / Re-planting

All types of Fencing Work New & Repairs No Job Too Small Competitive Rates

Tel: 07983 622747 01489 588533

Home: 01489 571214 Mobile: 07590 040506 E-mail: info@fwfencingltd.com

SHORELINE FENCING of Warsash

All Types of Quality Fencing Supplied, Erected and Repaired

• Gates • Decking • Sheds & Bases • Patios & Paving and Much, Much more

mikeparkins@talktalk.net

Site Clearances

F&W Fencing

Please contact Chris for a free estimate

(01489) 570307 07899 915651

Garden Maintenance

Steve Allen Fully Insured

admin@teamgreenstreeservices.com S

4Electrical Installations 4Fault Finding 4Repairs & Maintenance 4Certificated Testing & Inspection 4Landlords Electrical Safety Inspection & Certification

Target Pruning / Trimming

All Green Waste Disposed of

Solent Garage Doors

Electrical Services

All Aspects of Hedge Work Mowing and Brush Cutting

Telephone Paul Graham on

Electricians

Grounds Maintenance Services

Tel: 01489 578699 Mob: 07850 332363 www.shorelinefencing.co.uk

Florist

G

THE PREMIER GARAGE DOOR SPECIALIST

D

GARAGE DOORS SUPPLIED & FITTED

• MAINTENANCE FREE DOORS • UP AND OVER DOORS • ROLLER DOORS • SIDE HUNG DOORS • SECTIONAL DOORS • AUTOMATION TO NEW AND EXISTING DOORS • REPAIRS - SPRINGS CABLES - LOCKS ETC. FOR ALL MAKES OF DOORS. FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE OR ADVICE PHONE CHRIS ON 07500 926558 3 OAKTREE GARDENS, HEDGE END, SOUTHAMPTON, SO30 4AP EMAIL: SOLENTGARAGEDOORS@YAHOO.COM

TEL: 01489 786273 or 07500 926558

Gardening Services

THE FRUIT & FLOWER BASKET

Est. 1980

Your local florist & greengrocer.

Quality Floristry with Local, National and International Delivery Local Produce & Home Delivery Service

Tel/Fax:

DJO Services - Home & Garden - Decorating & General Repairs - Clean, Tidy & Reliable - Free Estimates Please ring 01489

482855

Green Fuse Gardens A reliable and efficient garden care service offering single, occasional or regular visits.

For a free informal chat, in your garden, telephone David White on:

07973 326157

• Grass Cutting • Hedge Trimming • Pruning • Planting

01489 576764

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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Business Directory General Maintenance

Landscaping

S P

UPERIOR LASTICS

For a professional service with over 30 years experience call: Tel: 01489 582655 Mob: 07771 970294

Decorating Services Est. 23 years

Gutters Cleared using the reach vacuum Also:

UPVC conservatory & window cleaning. Gutter repairs & replacement. where reputation matters

www.highvac.co.uk

CALL MARK 023 8040 2221 / 07762 807824

0800 955 0888 14 Cedar Close, Bursledon, Soton

•Internal/External •Paperhanging •Insurance Work a Speciality

Call Derek on 01489 581 269 • 07780 910 799 All Aspects of Hard & Soft Landscaping

• Patios & Decking • Pergolas & Pathways • Fencing • Water Features Jonathan Pearman: 07974 195874 William Pearman: 07793 116017 escapes@hotmail.co.uk 98 FUNTLEY ROAD, FUNTLEY, FAREHAM, HAMPSHIRE. PO17 SEE

Graham Thomas

Landscape & Construction Driveways, Patios, Paths & Walls Turfing, Fencing & Decking Ponds, Water Features & Drainage Block Paving Specialist 20 Years Experience Fully Insured, Free Quotations

Tel: 01329 315409/07970 780490 www.grahamthomasonline.co.uk

Dan Morgan

All Aspects Of Garden Maintenance & Landscaping • Hedge Trimming • Pruning • Patios • Border Maintenance • Decking • Pergolas • Fencing

Mobile: 07725 210869 Home: 01489 589516

FAIRVIEW LANDSCAPES PATIOS - DRIVEWAYS - PAVING

the magazine online... www.solentlife.co.uk

C.C. Jones PLASTERER

FREE ESTIMATES

30+ years experience TELEPHONE: LEE-ON-THE-SOLENT

BOILERS • CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS WATERHEATERS • FIRES • COOKERS

BATHROOM INSTALLATIONS POWERFLUSHING - LANDLORDS CERTIFICATES FREE ESTIMATES

01329 845279

LOCAL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

A&M

Plumbing, Heating & Electrical Eng. Established 1982

• Boiler Services & Breakdowns • Boiler Upgrades • Power Flushing • Solar Heating • Drain Clearance • Gas Fires • Gas Cookers • Landlords Safety Certificates • Reg. Unvented System Installer • Bathrooms • Heating Installations • Electrical Rewires • Extra Sockets Our Reputation Is Based On Quality

WARSASH 01489

577086

Mark: 07703 337939 Aaron: 07779 781665 14 Osborne Road, Warsash, SO31 9GG

023 9255 0844

PLASTERER JEFF MARRIOTT

ALL PLASTERING WORK UNDERTAKEN - INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CLEAN, TIDY, RELIABLE

CALL JEFF ON 01489 576209 OR 07799 498494 FOR A FREE QUOTE

Plumbing/Heating

PURPLE

PLUMBING & HEATING LTD

All aspects of plumbing & heating undertaken • OAP Discounts for boiler servicing • Boiler changes/replacements • Reasonable rates • Power flushing • Free estimates • Local and reliable • Bathrooms

233959

W.R.A.S Approved 01489 691541 07711 812966 or 07977 807057

Proctor Plumbing & Heating Services For All Your Plumbing & Heating Requirements, From a Dripping Tap to Bathroom Installations & Power Flushing Fully Insured - Free Quotations Tel: Dave 01329 847056 Mob: 07852287476 Gas Safe Registered

(CLEANED, RESANDED, RE-SEALED)

FENCING - DECKING CONCRETE BASES - REPAIRS

15 YEARS EXPERIENCE & FULLY INSURED

Tel: 01489 559214 Mob: 07810 832667

Email: fairviewlandscapes@yahoo.co.uk

62…

Plasterer

DOMESTIC GAS & PLUMBING, Gas Appliances Installed, Serviced & Repaired

BLOCK PAVING RESTORATION

HEDGE TRIMMING

You can now view

=

Gutters Cleared

G.T. Services

FREE ESTIMATES

Don’t Make A Decision Without Speaking To Us First

Don’t Gamble.

Peace of mind from Independent Warranty For Garage Conversions Visit http://convert-a-garage.co.uk www.superiorplastics.co.uk

KEVIN TAYLOR

All types of decorating, paper-hanging a speciality, no job too small.

Public liability insurance held.

10 Year Company Guarantee.

10 Year Insurance Backed Guarantee 20 Year Discoloration Guarantee Over 15 Years Experience

Tel: 02381 780141

Plumbing/Heating

Professional Decorating Services

Hampshires Specialist • Installer of PVC-U Fascias • Soffits, Guttering & Cladding • Windows, Doors & Conservatories

To Book Your FREE No Obligation Quotation

Painter/Decorator

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

COLIN SHARPE

PLUMBING & HEATING Boiler Servicing, Central Heating, Dripping Taps, Landlord Safety Checks, Blocked WCs, Bathroom Suites

All Plumbing Work Undertaken 01489 787647 07775 506891

Roofing

Paving

Roofing

Tree Services

with complete peace of mind

BJ DAWKINS

Anthony George Withey Block Paving Specialists

HIGH PERFORMANCE FLAT ROOFING STRIPPING & RE-DECKING GENERAL ROOFING & MAINTENANCE

A. W. PAVING Turning Dreams into Reality -

Drives • Paths • Patios •1 0 year Marshalls guarantee •M ember of Hampshire County Council business Standards Partnership

Y WIT U

C

CO

N

E

H

B

Tel: 01489 557268 Mob: 07958 678811 Email:awpaving@yahoo.co.uk www.aw-paving.com FID E N

Property

Strawberry Homes REQUIRED Building Plots & Houses in need of Renovation in Warsash and the surrounding area.

Call Paul on

01329 841416 or 07876 194823

ROOFING & PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST

New Roofs & Repairs to:

• Flat Roofs • Tiled Roofs • Slate Roofs Etc • Re-Pointing of Brickwork • Chimneys • Valleys & Ridges • UPVC Fascias & Guttering

All Aspects Of Property Maintenance • Fully Insured Over 20 Yrs Experience All work Guaranteed 10% OFF

NEW SERVICE:

WITH THIS ADVERT

UPVC FASCIAS & SOFFITS CLEANED & GUTTERS CLEARED

Tel: 01489 583486 or Mob: 07813 087210

20 years experience & fully insured All areas covered

Tel 01489 576020 Mob: 07774 552349

www.samgrayroofing.biz

& PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

COMPLETE ROOFING SERVICE ALL ASPECTS COVERED ROOFING WORK

01489 584 550 07780 877955 1 Mulberry Lane, Sarisbury Green

Taxi Services

Grab a Cab

01329 825045 Drives/Patio Cleaning

PRESSURE CLEAN SOUTHERN • Fully guaranteed • Fully insured • Block Paving Cleaned & Re-sanded • Patios & Drives Cleaned • Patios & Paving Sealed • Decking Cleaned & Restained • Fascias & Soffits Cleaned • Gutters Cleaned Out • Any Pressure Cleaning

UPVC Fascia & Soffits • Velux Windows Gutters • Loft Conversions Dorma’s etc • Insurance Work

MAINTENANCE WORK

Block Paving • Fencing Garden Decking • Garden Walls Re-Pointing • General Property Repairs

FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTES

01489 574306 • 07960 947971 jands.roofing@yahoo.co.uk

All aspects of tree work » Crown Reductions » Crown Lifts / Felling » Target Pruning » Dismantling » Hedge Work

Call Joe on:

Wheelchair and pushchair friendly

Roof Repairs : New Roofs Flat Roofs : Extensions Tiling/Slating : Lead Work Re-pointing : Guttering Fascia/Soffits : Insurance Work Emergency Call Outs

Tree Services

FULLY INSURED NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL

Airports, Seaports, Clubs Local & Long Distance

AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

Team Greens

FOR A FREE QUOTATION CALL

01489 881 110 07540 878 089

» Stump Grinding » Emergency Tree Work Undertaken

Steve Allen NPTC Qualified Fully Insured

Tel: 07983 622747 01489 588533 admin@teamgreenstreeservices.com

Valeting Mobile Car & Caravan Valet £30.00 for cars £40.00 for caravans This includes inside & outside other treatments available

steve edney

07870590352 02392790040

Will Writers

Solent Wills A member of The County Wills Group

Not Written Your Will yet?

Don’t put off the essential job any longer.

Now it could not be easier with a confidential and professional Will Writing Service in the area.

Instructions are taken in the comfort of your own home.

Your family deserves the protection a legally binding Will can provide NOW also lasting power of attorney Don’t be tempted to put it off For prompt personal attention,

Tel: 0845 6200016 or 02380 403781

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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Local events across the Solent region.

on guide what’s

Events

The Point, Eastleigh Tel… 02380 652333 Chichester Festival Theatre Tel… 01243 781312 Salisbury Playhouse Tel… 01722 320333 Mayflower Theatre Tel… 02380 711811 Theatre Royal, Winchester Tel… 01962 840440 King’s Theatre, Southsea Tel… 02392 828282 Tower Arts Centre, Winchester Tel… 01962 867986 Ferneham Hall Tel… 01329 231942 Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham Tel… 01329 310600 The Concorde Club Tel… 02380 613989

If you have anything going on, tell us here at Solent Life and we will include it in our feature Tel… 01489 583800 Fax… 01489 583803 Email…

whatson@solentlife.co.uk

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REVIEW SHE LOVES ME • Utterly charming – the only way to describe this witty, romantic musical set in an eastern European perfumery of the 1930s… reviewed • sue brooks

solentlife theatre correspondent

T

he story, based on Parfumerie

by Miklos Laszlo, revolves around Georg and Amalia, two shop workers who are at constant war whilst enjoying a wonderful correspondence with anonymous pen-pals, little knowing that they are writing to each other. If this story sounds familiar it is probably because it has been used as the basis for more than one Hollywood film, notably The Shop Around The Corner from 1940 with James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan and more recently You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

The Minerva Theatre is a perfect venue for this production; small and intimate it gives the audience a real feel of being a part of the story. A beautiful set brings the perfume shop to life and the elegant costumes make one yearn for bygone times.

The main characters are well played by Joe McFadden and Dianne Pilkington. Dianne, as well as having a lovely voice, is able to bring a lovely comic

• JUNE 2011 • solentlife.co.uk

touch to her romantic role.

The rest of the ensemble are excellently cast with notable performances from Annette McLaughlin as Ilona and Mathew Goodgame as the rakish cad Kodaly, as well as Jack Chissick as the shop owner Mr Maraczek.

The orchestration is superb, weaving its way through the scenes with undertones of Hungarian gypsy violins. The dancing is beautifully executed and I particularly enjoyed the tango dancers in the Café Imperiale.

Praise should be given to Steven Mear who has both directed and choreographed this production, a first for him and done with great effect.

All in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable show and I would highly recommend it for an evening’s entertainment.

For booking information regarding the musical and other productions visit www.cft.org.uk

THE RIO SUMMER BALL The Hat Fair is Britain’s longest-running festival of street theatre and outdoor arts and the streets and venues throughout the city are filled with strange costumed performers, jugglers, acrobats, bands, actors and some strange events that defy description but are none the less enjoyable. Hat Fair offers three funfilled days jam-packed with hundreds of breathtaking performances from many national and international companies, taking place throughout Winchester’s ancient streets. Even in this economically uncertain world, Hat Fair doesn’t charge the audience a penny for any performances. The shows are free to view for all, but you can show your appreciation by putting coins (or notes!) in the artists’ hats after the performance.

Various venues throughout Winchester; the 2011 festival will take place from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd July. www. hatfair.co.uk CELEBRATE GOSPORT Celebrate! Gosport is a two-week programme of activities and events designed to celebrate the best that Gosport has to offer. The programme includes key events such as Gosport’s Big Day Out on 12th June, the Sultan Show over the weekend of 18th/19th June and a spectacular Grand Finale showcase of music, dance and fireworks at Stokes Bay on Saturday 25th June.

During the two weeks there will also be themed programmes celebrating Gosport Past and Present, offering fantastic opportunities for residents and visitors to explore the area’s rich heritage and local culture. From walks, talks, exhibitions, food and drink, art, dance, music and sport, there is sure to be something for all ages to enjoy. Various venues and running from 11th to 26th June www. discovergosport.co.uk.

OXFORD STREET CRAFT MARKET Southampton’s Oxford Street traders have launched a stunning new arts and design-led crafts market, set to take place on the fourth Sunday of every month. The market aims to highlight the superb high standard of creative work produced in and around the area. Whether indulging your love of fine art, handmade jewellery,

Theatre & Music Children graphics, sculpture or shabby chic, you’ll be amazed by the selection. Illustrations and textiles, together with vintage clothes and records, will be available to buy direct from the artist or maker. The market will bring a vibrant, creative vibe to the area, making it an ideal day out for all the family. OXFORD STREET, Southampton 10.00 am till 4.00 pm 4th Sunday of each month. www. oxfordstreetsouthampton.co.uk FOURTH KING ALFRED BIKE RIDE Who knew he could ride a bike as well as burn cakes? This is the fourth Hyde900 Wantage to Winchester Bike Ride and it will take place on Sunday 10th July. Entries for the ride are now open. The ride celebrates the historic connection between Wantage, King Alfred the Great’s birthplace, and his final resting place, Winchester. Starting at the statue of King Alfred in Wantage’s Market Place and finishing at the Winchester statue, the 50-mile route will head past the Blowing Stone where Alfred summoned his troops to battle the Vikings.

Following quiet, scenic lanes, the ride passes over the Lambourn Downs and through the Bourne valley. Entering Winchester, riders pass the remains of Hyde Abbey to finish in the Broadway.

The ride is non-competitive.

Directions will be provided and there will be route signs and marshals to keep the riders on track. Transport for bikes from Winchester to the start in Wantage can be arranged.

Entries can be made on-line via the Hyde900 website at www. hyde900.co.uk

OLIVER! It may be almost a year away but this theatre event could well be a sell-out long before the trucks unload the sets onto the Mayflower’s stage. Theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh recently announced a national tour of the smash hit musical OLIVER!. One reason why tickets will sell so fast is that it will be starring Brian Conley as Fagin. The sensational score of OLIVER! is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick-aPocket or Two, I’d Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah and As Long As He Needs Me. The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton from 1st to 26th May 2012. www.oliverthemusical.com.

Tickets for Oliver! are on sale from the Box Office telephone 02380 711811, on-line at mayflower.org.uk or in person from the Mayflower ticket south shop in The Marlands, Southampton.

PORTSMOUTH SCHOOLS MUSIC FESTIVAL This annual festival is run by a team of passionate volunteer teachers and due to a successful festival last year the event has been extended to four nights.

The spectacular event involves over 1,500 young people from across Portsmouth. The theme for the infant and junior choirs this year is The Elements and secondary schools will be singing popular film songs.

Other ensembles across the four nights include grammar school junior and senior brass bands, Northern Parade junior bands, Zoo in the Sky band from Priory and dancers from across the secondary schools. Chloe Dixon and Matt Cobb (from the band The Hourglass) have been visiting Mayfield, Springfield and Admiral Lord Nelson schools

and leading Rock School workshops. These children will be performing their own compositions at the festival.

Portsmouth Guildhall, 28th June to 1st July. www.schoolsmusic.org.

Time: 6.30 pm. Tickets: Circle £6, Side Circle £5, Upper Stalls £5, Stalls £4. Children under 5 go free and tickets are only available from the Guildhall on the night, or advance tickets can be ordered through the schools.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING The atmospheric ruins of historic Beaulieu Abbey provide a dramatic setting for Castle Theatre Company’s inspired interpretation of this classic Shakespeare play. Two open-air performances will take place in the ancient grounds of the Abbey, a beautiful summer backdrop to a very British comic war of the wits. Castle Theatre Company offers some of the best student drama in the UK, and this year celebrates its 33rd Summer Shakespeare Tour of castles and manor houses in Britain. Beaulieu’s gardens are open from 6.00 pm for picnics, and the performances will commence at 7.00 pm. In the event of wet weather the performance will be moved under cover. Beaulieu Abbey on 12th and 13th July. Tickets are priced at £12 for adults and £10 for under 18s and concessions, with parking in the Beaulieu attraction arena. Tickets can be purchased in advance on-line at www.beaulieushop.co.uk, by telephone on 01590 612888 or on the gate.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT It is not often that children’s shows have the adults in the audience laughing out loud, but such was the intelligence and wit of the performers from Hiccup Theatre that this was a treat

for the whole family. The owl in particular was a performance worthy of an Oscar and the grown-ups could not help but smile and laugh at his antics. The trio of performers, discounting the brilliant Piggie who stole the show, with their colourful set, simple story line and music, had the children gripped from first to last, so if you would like to give your child a taste of live theatre this is a great start and a real treat. The Berry Theatre, Hedge End, 11th June. Go to www.theberrytheatre.co.uk or to discover more about the show and the company www. hiccuptheatre.co.uk.

ROARY THE RACING CAR Roary, the number 1 little race car, zooms into Fareham for the very first time this June when he stars in a brand new live stage show especially for the under 10s! It’s the day of the Champion of Champions race at Silver Hatch and Roary is all set to battle it out with Maxi, Cici and all the other cars to win the race and lift the trophy! Farmer Green has created some brand new biofuel to make sure this race is the fastest and greenest ever... but hang on. Flash has his eyes on that fuel for his skateboard and Big Chris seems more interested in baking a pizza and eating doughnuts than in preparing the cars for the race!

Luckily Marsha Marshall is on hand to make sure that everyone will be ready at the track for the big day. Fareham's Ferneham Hall, Sunday 26th June at 1.00 pm and 3.30 pm. Tickets priced £14 (under 16s £12, family of four £46) are available from the box office or by calling the ticket hotline on 01329 231942.

You can also book your tickets on-line through our website www.fernehamhall.co.uk or call 01329 231942.

solentlife.co.uk • JUNE 2011 •

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