Active Magazine // Stamford & Rutland // October 2020
Meet author Adam Croft
Find out more about Stamford’s Green Wheel Class Q planning revealed The mystery of magic Swashbuckling swordfighting anyone?
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Editor and Publisher Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com
Deputy editor ate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com
Art editor Matt Tarrant
Contributors Will Hetherington, eremy Smithson-Beswick
Cover image David irk image courtesy of www.goldmarkart.com
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EDITOR’S LETTER
‘Oakham is the focus of our issue this month and there are excellent independent shops to enjoy in this pretty market town’
I AM SITTING here writing this in shorts and T shirt with the door ung open en oying the extraordinary mid September heatwave. Of course you may be reading it 10 days later mu ed up in boots and umper with the fire lit but let’s en oy this weather whilst we can. It’s my birthday this month so I am going to catch up with friends and bask in the unexpected warmth. Luckily it’s not a significant birthday (and I wouldn’t admit to it if it was) as gatherings are now limited. It’s not up to me to comment about this but we can still thankfully meet up with other people (at the time of writing) and en oy a walk or a glass of wine or coffee together.
Oakham is the focus of our issue this month. I’ve had an interesting time catching up with many retailers in the town and finding out more about its history. I’ve also very much en oyed Adam Croft’s book What Lies Beneath and can’t wait for the next one which is published on September 2 . I caught up with Adam recently to chat about how he has transformed Oakham and Rutland into a den of intrigue, iniquity, murder and vice thankfully all fictitious.
Someone whose life has changed recently is Rob Persani. The face of Rutland on the now defunct Rutland Radio, he was the mainstay of our mornings for over 21 years. And hopefully he still will be, find out more from my interview with him.
I’ve been learning about planning laws and Stamford’s planned Green Wheel. ate has been learning about the Magic Inner Circle and indulging her love for swashbuckling swordfighting. This also ties in with her piece about Tolethorpe’s fight for survival, let’s hope it’s a fight they win. And of course Will has been out pacing around the countryside.
Talking of walks, some exciting news. Next month we will be publishing a Will’s Walks’ book of rambles around Stamford and Rutland to coincide with our November issue so do look out for it, we can give you more details next month but it’s going to be a great stocking filler and a must for everyone’s bookshelves.
Mary - Editor
Kate
25
Kate chats to magician Chris Stevenson
Mary Bremner discovers all things Oakham
36
Meet two old Stamfordians who are heading up a new planning consultancy business
40
This month Will is in the most eastern part of Rutland
Schools
The
54
Mary meets David Taylor who has a vision to keep us all cycling and walking
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Meet author Adam Croft | What’s Rob Persani doing next? Magicians and stage fighters | Class Q planning | Meet the chair of 4Oakham
EDITED BY MARY BREMNER
4
Classic have the answer to this problem and you do not even have to change the existing windows/doors, although you can. Structurally very strong which means your new sun room meets full Building Regulation Approval.
New violin shop
STAMFORD STRINGS HAS opened its new shop at 3 St Leonard’s Street in Stamford.
O cially opened by the town’s mayor, Bill Turner, on September 21 proprietor Libby Summers now has the perfect ‘go to’ shop for all keen violinists. She will be selling violins, violas and cellos and accessories as well as offering a repair service. And remember as a luthier she can make you a violin too.
Date: Sunday 18th October
Time: 9am start
Distances: 51 mile and 22 mile routes
Price:
Fund raising events
THERE ARE TWO charity events taking place this month, the Walk to Remember in aid of Sue Ryder on October 1 when you pick your own route and on October 18 there’s an Uppingham Community College fire relief sportive organised by Wild Dog Events.
Front cover
MANY THANKS TO Goldmark Gallery for the front cover image by artist David irk. You are able to buy this print from their gallery in Uppingham www.goldmarkart.com
‘Often a violin shop can become a destination location for serious players and what nicer place could they have to travel to, than Stamford?’ says Libby. Pop in and say hello.
www.stamfordstrings.co.uk
Rutland
Round Challenge; is anyone younger?
THE STAPLES AND the Pierce Smith families have set themselves the challenge of walking the Rutland Round. They all live in Whissendine and have children ranging from five to 12. They started the walk in Whissendine by the church and, as I write, are five walks in which ranged from 1 2 miles to four so far. The children have been
loving the walks discovering treasures, climbing trees and hiding behind bales as well as enjoying lots of picnics. The families wonder, are Annabelle, aged five and Arthur, aged six the youngest girl and boy to complete the Rutland Round? Get in touch if you know anyone younger who has managed it, or indeed the oldest person to have done it too.
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RECIPE
Apple muffins
IT’S APPLE PICKING time. If you have a tree in your garden you’ve probably got a glut of apples and at this time of year there always seems to be someone selling them (or giving them away) on the roadside. This simple mu n recipe is a great way to use some apples and is an alternative to the perennial favourite, apple crumble. Best served warm these mu ns are lovely and moist.
INGREDIENTS
22 g self raising our
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp nutmeg
• 1tsp ginger
100g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 150ml milk
• 3tbsp sunflower oil
• 40g melted butter
• 150g apples (peeled and diced)
• 75g sultanas
• 3tbsp light brown sugar
METHOD
• Mix together all the dry ingredients, apart from the light brown sugar
• Beat the egg and add the milk to it. Stir in the oil and melted butter then add the diced apple. Stir into the flour mix and blend together adding the sultanas at the same time.
Spoon the mixture into mu n cases and sprinkle with the light brown sugar.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly brown. The muffin should spring back when pressed gently.
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TRAVEL
Podtastic!
A change of scenery is as good as a rest; an old adage, and Mary Bremner is a rm believer in it
T HAD GOT to the middle of August when I realised that apart from a night camping with the Active girls and another night in a hotel working in anuary I had not spent a night away from home or had any sort of break at all. I’m probably not the only one to be in this situation because of the Covid pandemic but something had to be done about it. As I work from home as well, and had been working all the way through lockdown and subsequent easing I hadn’t had a break action had to be taken. And it came in an offer from Simon and Sarah Singlehurst of New Lodge arm at Bulwick to try out one of their pods for a spot of glamping. It wasn’t far from home in Stamford but, as they say, a change is as good as a rest and a night away communing with nature sounded ideal.
There are two pods at New Lodge arm on their caravan site which caters for over 18s. The site is normally only open until the end of October but this year they have decided to stay open until December as demand is high. I would never have known I was on a campsite as the pods are located on the side of a hill away from the vans, you can’t see them or hear them and, apart from one neighbour, you are completely alone with only the crows, a few distant cows and a resident kestrel to keep you company.
Arriving at the site you grab a festival trolley and load it up with your gear before trundling down to the pod. And what a pod it is. ully equipped with ensuite shower room and cooking facilities it has all the mod cons you could need. Plenty of oor space, a comfy sofa and double bed and even a television. Best of all you have your own terrace in front of the rench windows and I had a fire pit waiting for me as well. ou bring your own duvet and pillow as well as towel so once that’s thrown on the bed it’s home from home.
The site has a good, well stocked farm shop as well as caf , with friendly staff, which is being extended so I didn’t need to do any catering, which suited me. As I was so close to home one of my daughters oined me for an early supper curiosity had got the better of her, she wanted to see where I was and she could be chief photographer too. The weather gods were kind and it was a
glorious, warm September evening. As the sun set it began to get slightly chilly so we lit the fire pit and en oyed a pretty sunset. Shortly afterwards Georgia left me to it. I sat outside for a couple of hours en oying the warmth of the fire and communing with nature. It slowly got fully dark but it was too relaxing to head inside ust yet. The quiet and peace was all enveloping and I was en oying star gazing. All I could hear was the odd screech of an owl and the wind in the trees. It didn’t matter that I was barely 10 miles from home, it felt like I was a lifetime away from the usual stresses and constant buzz of my phone. (It helped that my battery had run at
and I’d forgotten my charger, possibly a reudian slip there).
Heading inside once the fire had burnt down it was time for an early night. I had ung the port hole window wide on arrival and considered sleeping with the doors open as I thought the only night time visitor I might get would be a curious rabbit or two. In the end the port hole window was enough to keep the pod cool as there was a stiff breeze. I slept incredibly well - and I am not a good sleeper - so woke bright and early in the morning thoroughly refreshed. I had a quick wander down towards the river at the bottom of the site and then en oyed one of New Lodge arm caf ’s delicious bacon rolls.
I’d only had a short night away from home but I felt as though I’d found topia. If you want to commune with nature, get away from it all but en oy your home comforts one of these pods is for you I guarantee you’ll en oy it and feel relaxed and refreshed afterwards.
The pods cost £70 a night from SundayThursday or £75 on Friday and Saturday nights www.newlodgefarm.co.uk
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THE RESIDENTS OF Bulwick are delighted that after a devastating thatch fire in February 2019 that destroyed the Pickled Shop it is now open again, having re-opened at the end of September.
Camille Ortega McLean had been running a very successful village and speciality food shop, The Pickled Shop, where she also sold her renowned pickles, when she lost everything in the fire which started in the chimney and spread to the thatch. The village had lost its very popular shop but Camille had lost her 15-year-old business and personal possessions as well as her family home.
Not one to be deterred she has literally been the Phoenix rising from the ashes and rebuilt everything from scratch. She and her husband moved to Stamford to live with their daughter but spent longer there than they expected because of the lockdown as building was delayed. During this time she was kept busy - extremely busy - keeping up with her hamper orders which escalated during this period.
The shop has been redesigned as a deli-kitchen space incorporating marble counters, antique lighting and a place to perch for a coffee and cake. The shop always sold Italian, Spanish and Greek speciality food as well as fine wine and local gins but also supplies the basics for the local villages, and is continuing to do so. And, of course, don’t forget the pickles and chutneys.
The shop also serves delicious homemade food and is renowned for its breakfasts and light lunches as well as tapas, all served on the pretty terrace behind the shop. The residents of Bulwick have been very supportive of Camille and are delighted to see her back, and she’s delighted to be back.
Bring out the bodies
Rutland, it would appear, is a den of iniquity with the murder rate rocketing and a population involved in subterfuge and dishonesty. Mary Bremner nds out more
RUTLAND IS NOT the county we thought it was: low crime rate, friendly neighbours, beautiful scenery. We’ve still got beautiful scenery but murders seem to be increasing at an alarming rate and you certainly can’t trust your neighbours any more, even the local Methodist priest is a bit dodgy. Thankfully though this is all fiction and the work of author Adam Croft.
Adam’s first book in the Rutland series, What Lies Beneath sold like the proverbial hot cakes and now he has another one coming out, On Borrowed Time, on September 29. So poor old DI Caroline Hills has another murder on her hands and hopefully we will get to find out more about her backstory and her attempt to fit in with the locals (being a Londoner) as well as enjoy intrigue and thrills and mysteries all within our beloved county.
So why did Adam Croft choose to make Rutland the star of his books, and it really is the star with Adam’s vivid descriptions of Oakham, Rutland Water and surroundings, even road numbers? ‘I love the county and know the area well,’ he explains. ‘We got
engaged in Stamford 10 years ago and my parents moved to Oakham 18 months ago so I am a regular visitor. I feel relaxed here and when I’m relaxed I find it very easy to write. We only live an hour away so it’s easy to get here. And the county and area is a stunning place to set a novel in with amazing scenery and interesting history.’ And then, with a big grin, ‘Also it’s fun to set a thriller in a low crime area and turn it on its head, it is fiction!’
What many of you might not realise about Adam is how successful a writer he is, one of the best-selling independently published authors in the world having sold over two million books. And what makes this interesting is he publishes the books himself, a strong tie in here with independent little Rutland that fought to break away from Leicestershire. We strived for independence and Adam has retained his by choosing to publish himself. This means he is much more able to react quickly to events, increase print runs, keep in close touch with readers and, very importantly, keep control of his own work. ‘I have been offered publishing deals
but turned them down, preferring to carry on the way I am. Obviously I need help when it comes to designing front covers, translations and negotiating certain deals - which I have an agent for - but ultimately I am the publisher.’
When Adam first started writing ten years ago independent publishing was rather pooh poohed by the industry, viewed as an outlet for vanity publishing. But Adam could see the potential: ‘it was a viable alternative,’ he says. Adam’s background was in marketing, the internet and web design and he quickly spotted that Kindles (which were new on the scene) were going to have a massive impact on the way people read books. He’d always been self employed so decided to stay that way.
‘The easy bit is to actually publish the book. You pop it on Kindle and sell it through Amazon. But you need to raise awareness to generate sales which I managed to do for my first book so I kept going and wrote more books.’
Thank goodness he did as now, 30 books later, Rutland is the star of the show. So much
so that production companies are showing interest in wanting to turn the books into a television series. This will be excellent for the area as it will be filmed in the county, ‘I will insist on it,’ says Adam.
Adam is a prolific writer writing four or five books a year. What Lies Beneath was written during lockdown and published just as it began to ease slightly at the end of July. This meant that Adam and Jo, his wife, couldn’t visit the county to check on certain locations. ‘I was always ringing my parents asking them to just check this or that point when they were out on their daily walk.’
Cleverly Adam managed to create quite a buzz in the county before publication. He offered signed first editions to local shops undercutting Amazon slightly so encouraging people to support local
businesses, which they did. So much so that What Lies Beneath broke all pre-orders Walkers have had in 50 years in business. It’s also their biggest seller; Adam had to restock twice on launch day. So for the next book, On Borrowed Time, Adam only has his own record to beat. Word quickly got round this summer about Adam’s first book and interest was generated over social media. Even Leicestershire police were sharing his tweets.
‘Local businesses have suffered during lockdown and I wanted to help by
What many of you might not realise about Adam is how successful a writer he is, one of the bestselling independently published authors in the world having sold over two million books.
encouraging people to buy from them. A team deliver the books to the shops and I enjoy popping in to say hello. By publishing and marketing this way it also means we can be very exible and drop more books off. And we have had to do that lots of times!’
Launch day is always a tense one but Adam is usually sat at home watching his computer for sales to show. The launch of What Lies Beneath was completely different as he was out delivering books by hand. ‘I was really twitchy about this one - well I am about them all - but particularly this one as I wanted to do Rutland justice and for people to like it. When I saw people walking down the High Street carrying my book it was an amazing feeling.’
So far he has sold thousands of books locally, all signed. And thanks must go to his parents too who have been busy delivering. And his wife Jo who is always in the background working as o ce manager and editing his scripts. Adam has been incredibly busy because since publication he has had to write book two as well as maintaining deliveries and talking to the local press and readers; talk about putting yourself under pressure.
But all is now done and publication of On Borrowed Time is hotly anticipated and imminent at the time of writing. Adam is going to market the book locally in the same way as the first book. Signed first editions are available in a list of local shops which you will find on his website. Pre orders have been rising dramatically. Adam will be signing 4,000 books in the days leading up to the launch, all for Rutland retailers based on huge pre-orders.
An audio book deal has now been signed. A narrator hasn’t been confirmed as yet but there are a lot of well known names in the frame. And also there’s that TV series waiting in the wings.
DI Caroline Hills, the main character in the book, is quite an ordinary character in many ways. ‘I wanted her to be pretty normal and relatable,’ says Adam, ‘married with two children, she has aws which will become more apparent but it’s her work life which she struggles with rather than her home one.’ Interestingly Adam never physically describes her so the reader has their own picture of her. So who would Adam like to play her? Rosie Cavaliero is Adam’s choice (google her you’ll recognise her) and I’m with him there, she’s just as I imagined DI Hills. Happily it looks like there will be many more murders in Rutland, with Stamford playing a part too, as there are many books planned for the series. The third one is due out early next year. We will all soon be looking over our shoulders looking for bodies and planning where the next one might be. Happy days!
www.adamcroft.net
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#Saveyourtheatre
If we want outdoor theatre to continue we all need to do our bit by making a donation, attending the events that are still on or buying prints and gift cards that promote them from local artists. Kate Maxim nds out more
HOW MANY OF us like to enjoy a picnic with friends and family in the summer and then watch an outdoor performance of some kind, whether that’s a Shakespearean comedy, a musical theatrical extravaganza or opera? We’re lucky, normally we have access to all these delights at Tolethorpe Hall, Kilworth House Theatre and Nevill Holt Opera with performances by touring companies thrown into the mix. Unfortunately as we all know, much of the summer fun was cancelled this year. And the theatre and touring companies are struggling.
Stamford Shakespeare Company has launched a campaign to raise funds to keep the theatre company a oat and to ensure the summer season can continue next year at Tolethorpe Hall. The Theatre and Hall were closed in March and the Company has lost a forecasted £240,000 worth of ticket sales which is used to fund the productions, maintain the grounds and upkeep the Grade ll* listed Elizabethan Hall.
welcoming more than 900 people to the gardens at Nevill Holt. According to managing director Annie Lydford: ‘It matters to us that we are producing work and able to funnel our financial support through to the artists and freelancers who are particularly affected by the pandemic. Understandably, many organisations have been focusing on broadcasting well-known and established singers during this period, but we believe it is crucial to be supporting and employing those at the very start of their careers, too.’ For a list of 2021 productions go to www.nevillholtopera.co.uk
ortunately for us some touring companies stop off in our area to put on their productions. And one company who finally managed to get their tour underway this summer is The Three Inch Fools performing a riotous three-hander of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Having performed at Lyddington Village Green last year, local resident and artist Sheena Gri ths Baker is helping with their fundraising efforts by auctioning off her painting of them in action. For more details and to see prints of her other work, visit sheenagri thsbakerpainter.bigcartel. com and for info on the Fools visit www.threeinchfools.com
Caroline Stephenson, chair of SSC Board of Directors, said: ’We have been putting on Shakespeare plays for over 50 years and we are determined that Covid-19 will not put an end to this, but without the help from the community, we will not survive.’ For more information and to donate, visit www.saveyourtheatre.co.uk
Nevill Holt Opera had to cancel their planned programme for the summer but were still able to stage open garden events with serenading from their oung Artists in early uly, and they also filled the theatre with art and sculpture so it could operate as a gallery for the public once galleries were allowed to open.
In August and September they hosted six outdoor concerts
Kate Maxim jumped at the chance to learn about swashbuckling ghting techniques from stage combatant Douglas Saxey-Santillo-Hempkin
Following in Zorro’s footsteps
I’M SURE IT wasn’t just me who grew up watching Zorro, both the TV series and the feature film on repeat and thrilled at the swashbuckling expertise of the eponymous hero; the dashing man in black. Then fast forward a few years and we had the Three Musketeers to enjoy once again with D’Artagnan and friends co-starring Luke Pasqualino who comes from our neck of the woods and took film classes at Stamford Arts Centre.
Another local boy, Douglas Saxey-SantilloHempkin, had his interest in drama piqued while at the Wildcats Musical Theatre School, also in Stamford. He went on to do West End Wildcats and then won a scholarship and bursary to do drama A level at Oakham School. He’s now on a three year BA degree course in Acting and Stage Combat at East 1 , a drama school based in Essex and London. I wanted to know why he was particularly drawn to such a specific style of acting.
‘History and acting have always been my two favourite things and I can integrate them both by doing classical theatre and stage combat,’ says Dougie. ‘The only way you can become a member of the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat is to do loads of courses over a long period of time, or this course or another one in Denmark.’
With a name like his I’m sure he’ll go far on the stage and screen anyway, but Dougie has had a raft of skills to learn along the way. Stage craft, fight craft, or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers, and now it extends to film and TV. There are four basic safety principles which is distance, victim control, recasting of energy and (aiming) off-target. ‘ ou drill these four concepts to the point where you are so confident you know the rules, you can then start to ignore them,’ says Dougie. ‘Safety is the most important factor for both the actors and the audience. There’s a lot of work that goes into placing any fight on the stage to make sure it’s engaging for the audience. They can suspend their disbelief but the moment an audience member thinks they, or an actor, is in danger that’s when it’s completely lost.
‘Day one on the course is about learning the principles unarmed, without weapons. ou learn the parrot punch first which is punching over someone’s shoulder you find a rhythm with your partner, just like a dance. You learn to mark the same couple of steps and then you put the intention on top. You learn how to knap while you punch your opponent, which is making noises by hitting or slapping yourself, and you work hard to find the optimum angles so the audience can’t see that you’ve slapped yourself. You rely on the reaction of your partner to block what you’ve done. Even though you’re doing something right in front of the audience, if they’ve suspended disbelief and all the angles are met, it works. If you’re wearing
There are four basic safety principles which is distance, victim control, recasting of energy and (aiming) off-target.
clothes you make more of a thud than a slap. You can end up bruising yourself to make the noises but it’s all part of it, you get used to it.
‘Some people get very excited about the combat side, making fancy moves, putting in spinning back-kicks and weapon changes. Stage combat without the acting side is just doing moves, there’s no story to it. I personally find the stories and the stakes the most interesting. My favourite fights in film and theatre are because of the intention behind the fight. Why are you hitting this person? What does it mean if they hit you?
‘On the course we learn about the history of fights and analyse them to see what works and what we like. In the original Bond films, it was all suave, slightly dramatic stuff. In the later films with Daniel Craig it’s more interesting as he’s not that person. He started one film washed up on the beach suffering from depression; you see a real person with mental health issues and you see that in the fight sequences, there are real things at stake. Before Bruce Lee came along, eastern cultures didn’t have a lot of representation in film, and the Americans have now created something gritty and realistic in films like The Bourne Legacy as they used the krav maga style of fighting which is a deadly Iranian martial art used by the special forces.’ I wondered what skills you need before embarking on such a course as this. ‘You do have to be fit,’ says Dougie. ‘There’s a culture in the stage combat world of getting really muscular and growing a big beard! But the most important thing is stamina as wielding a heavy sword is tiring so we work a lot on making sure we are exible so you don’t pull a muscle. I did a lot of dance when I was younger and 5-6 years of Tae Kwando. On my foundation course we’d do three hours of ballet a week which was helpful as combat is all about engaging your core and
maintaining balance.
‘There’s a misconception that it’s a very male dominated sphere but that’s not the case. There are 17 of us on my course and it’s predominantly male with only four girls, but in the year above it was the complete opposite. In the year below it’s 50/50 which is the best way. Fortunately with regards to gender and race in theatre it’s becoming more blind so you can have a female Hotspur which is great because it would be a shame to disregard a whole load of new combatants just because historically the classic plays, which form such a large part of the British theatre industry, have so many male dominated scripts.’
Once they’ve mastered unarmed combat, the students move on to weapons training. They start with the rapier and dagger as they were the most common weapons during the European Renaissance. Then they move onto the double handed broadsword, then the sword and shield and different rapier variants such as rapier and cloak and rapier and buckler, then the small sword and finally a quarterstaff. In the final year of training they learn to wield a knife which is mainly used in films, in very close quarters.
Stepping away from the weapons for a while, Dougie and his course mates learn acrobatics and tumbling, ying on cables, and green screen work wearing suits with little balls on holding fake weapons and doing the moves. That way, characters are created for video games and other up and coming industries.
Another string to an actor’s bow is voice work, and with all the audio books on sale nowadays it’s a very important industry. With guidance from his Shakespeare teacher Dougie spent the beginning of lockdown making voice reels and researching the connotations of voice. ‘I’m trying to work on being really expressive with the tune of my voice,’ he says. ‘Many actors rely on their facial expressions and their physicality to convey emotion but to be accurate with your voice is a very sought after, but rarely acquired skill.’
What with learning to wield a broadsword, mastering a back ip and working on the timbre of his voice, let’s hope Dougie and his peers manage to keep the tradition of theatre and stage combat going so we can all enjoy their skills once the theatres re-open.
Let’s pick a pocket or two…
Kate Maxim tries (and fails) to glean some insider knowledge from the Magic Circle
LAST YEAR AT a joint 90th, 60th and 30th birthday party in Stamford I met Chris Stevenson, the resident magician for the day. I was fascinated. He carried out a whole host of magic tricks which delighted the audience (of very different ages) and I couldn’t work out how he did any of them. So I recently went to meet him at the White Lion Inn in Whissendine, where he’s been the landlord for the past eight years, to find out more and to see if he’d tell me how he does it.
‘I was given a magic set when I was a kid, enjoyed it and just stuck at it. I liked being able to fool people and cheat! And also entertain them. My first trick was a very simple thing that I can’t reveal. It was a very clever gadget that most magicians use today, and it got me hooked as it was so easy and I could use it immediately.’
Secrecy is key
And there’s the rub. The unwritten code for magicians is secrecy. The motto for the Magic Circle is indocilis privata loqui, which means that members give their word not to wilfully disclose magic secrets other than to bona fide students of magic. As an Associate Member of the Inner Magic Circle Chris wouldn’t be drawn at all when I asked him to show me how he did one of his tricks apart from to say it’s all about distraction and misdirection. He presents lectures to various magic societies around the country where he performs some of his own routines and then reveals how it’s done, but he would never share the knowledge with lay people. He’s also a founder member of the High Peak Magician’s Society in Buxton and anyone keen to join must prove their genuine interest and after a few months may be invited to join.
To become a member of the Magic Circle you have to perform a nine minute act as an audition. Immediately following Chris’s audition he was asked to become a member of the Inner Circle so he could entertain on the Ali Bongo memorial day (a very famous magician and one time president of the Magic Circle), an accolade indeed.
Chris was a full-time magician for 13 years, performing many times on the Meet the Circle nights where paying guests come along and see six magicians perform close up magic and then watch a stage show at the
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‘I’m probably good, particularly at competitions, because I like to put something in that fools other magicians.’
end. He was one of the resident magicians at Manchester United for 12 years, entertaining fans in the boxes and suites for two hours before the match. He’s performed for the Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic magic convention in New York, reputably the most prestigious gathering of close up magic in the world, and at the O2 arena.
He’s also worked all over Europe and in Dubai doing trade shows for companies like Volvo and Mercedes. ‘It’s hard work but I really enjoy it. You’re on your feet all day, you’ve got to keep smiling, interacting with people. But I don’t have a problem approaching people cold and performing for them. I’d be used to generate a crowd and put a company’s product like the Volvo badge into the act. I try and come up with different ways of doing that.’
Invention
Having bags of inspiration is key to being a good magician. ‘I never switch off, I’m always thinking of magic,’ says Chris.’ I use cards, coins, cups, ropes, balls and rings, and I do a lot of metal bending with things like forks. I have several inventions that I’m still selling today via my lectures. One particular move will apply to lots and lots of tricks particularly with cards. You use the same move but it’s presented in a totally different way.’
When I asked Chris why he was so good at magic, he said: ‘I’m probably good, particularly at competitions, because I like to put something in that fools other magicians.’ Chris was the British Champion for Close up Magic in 2012, a competition that takes place at a huge magic convention in the Winter Garden in Blackpool every February. Around 3,000 magicians from all over the world come for lectures, workshops and shows, with magic dealers selling their props and gadgets.
Chris does close up magic which is right under your nose, and cabaret magic or parlour magic which is for larger groups. ‘I
have several quite big props I use for that. I’m also a pickpocket where I take belts off trousers without people realising it, and ties, and I steal a lot of watches. I don’t do it secretly, I introduce myself as a pickpocket. I’ve been asked before to ‘put pocket’ too, ie putting messages into people’s pockets telling them there are pickpockets around working the area, that was paid for by the police force.’
Obviously to perform magic you need dexterity and I wondered about arthritis.
‘That worries me,’ says Chris, ‘because I have it in one finger, and it can cause me problems sometimes. I used to work in a forge in a steel works doing big, heavy, hot work and I was always worried about damaging my hands there. That’s where I did most of my learning as I had 200 men who wanted to see a card trick every day.’
Now as Chris puts more time into the pub, the magic has taken more of a back seat. But he still has plenty of bookings for corporate and private parties. He can entertain guests at a dinner party for 40 minutes either at restaurants or at someone’s house; at parties and weddings, and at the pub they run three or four magic nights a year. Guests watch six magicians each doing a ten minute act at their table, Chris does a spot and they get a hot meal for £20 a ticket. Understandably tickets sell out fast.
www.chrismagic.co.uk
RECORDS FOR OAKHAM show there was an existing Anglo Saxon settlement before the Norman invasion and was originally owned by the widow of Edward the Confessor, Queen Edith. To dominate this settlement Oakham Castle was built around 1075 and appears in the Domesday Book. It’s interesting that the castle belonged to a fortified manor house, which is quite unusual.
The castle changed hands many times, including at one point being owned by Oliver Cromwell. But mention must go to the de Ferrieres family, Robert in particular, who built The Great Hall, which we still know today, around 1180. It is one of the best surviving examples of Norman architecture. It was under his tenure that the tradition began where every passing magnate and nobleman had to donate a horseshoe on passing through the Lordship. It isn’t really clear why this was started but it could be as mundane as removing a shoe from the horse meant that guests passing through were delayed so could not depart without paying! If you visit the Castle today you will see the horseshoes hanging and the tradition is still carried on today, some 500 years later. Obviously not for the same reasons, more ceremonial now, but you will see horseshoes from the Queen, Prince Charles and Princess Anne and dating back to King Edward IV from about 1470; go and have a look, it’s quite fascinating.
Note the horseshoes hang with the ends pointing downwards, traditionally thought to be unlucky. Rutlanders would disagree. They hang them ‘upside down’ so the devil can’t sit in the hollow.
Today the Castle is open to the public and you can get married there. And until 1970 it was used as an assize court.
Natallia
Yell
The Buttercross
An iconic sight in Oakham, and one it is renowned for, is the Buttercross. Situated just behind the town’s market place and surrounded by Oakham School it is thought to have been built in the late 17th century. A butter cross is a market cross associated with many English market towns. It used to be where people from the town and local villages gathered to trade. Do note the stocks that are still there today, ready to deal with any miscreants!
Oakham School
The school is a focal part of the town, by location as well as historically as it is situated right in the centre, just behind the Buttercross. Founded in 1584 by Archdeacon Robert ohnson, who had a strong belief in the benefit of education and used his personal wealth to set up two free grammar schools at Oakham and Uppingham. In 1905 the school applied for a Direct Grant from the local authority and served as the grammar school for Rutland as well as being an independent school. In 1970 it became fully independent. In 1 1 it became the first boys’ independent secondary to accept girls and has been fully co-educational ever since.
The school owns a lot of property throughout the town including the old workhouse which is now home to some of the boarders. The chapel is a focus of the school, built to commemorate 70 old Oakhamians who died during WWl, the names of 83 added on a memorial in the vestibule from WWll. Famous old Oakhamians include cricketer Stuart Broad, actor Matthew Macfadyen and, of course, a few well known rugby stars including Tom Croft.
Oakham today
Rutland lost its claim to be England’s smallest county when it was incorporated into Leicestershire, but the town and county fought back and in 1997 Rutland was reinstated and Oakham once again became its county town, now with a population of just under 11,000. Big changes had happened with Rutland Water opening and offering huge tourism opportunities. But dare we say that Oakham did not appear to be taking advantage of this. The once thriving town seemed to have lost some of its oomph losing well known, well established independent retailers with its high street becoming very bland and rather dated.
But the town is fighting back and we have been talking to some of the people who are oining the fight with backing from the council and local retail associations.
‘Founded in 1584 by Archdeacon Robert Johnson, who had a strong belief in the benefit of education and used his personal wealth to set up two free grammar schools at Oakham and Uppingham.’
Oakham School
Oakham School
Natallia Yell
MILL STREET MASTERPIECES
Mill Street is the Bond Street of Oakham, full of independent retailers and one more has recently joined their ranks
YOU’LL NOTICE THAT a few new shops and businesses have opened in Mill Street recently. Described by some as ‘the Bond Street of Oakham,’ someone who saw the merits of the street was Cory Fuller from Gladwells art gallery which opened its doors at number 23 in June.
Gladwells is a long established family business with Cory’s grandfather buying it in the 1920s and it’s been in the family ever since. It has a very old heritage, established in 1752 near the Bank of England in London with a close association with Van Gogh. Cory and her brother joined their father in the business 20 years ago and since then they have combined two galleries into one in London’s Beauchamp Place. And now they have a Rutland branch as well.
‘I’d been talking to clients over the years and many of them had some connection to Rutland and the surrounding area,’ says Cory. ‘I quickly realised that Rutland was an ideal location for another gallery and as I live near the town it killed two birds with one stone. I wouldn’t have to travel to London every day and Mill Street is the perfect location. I spent a year looking for premises so was delighted when
this one popped up. Mill Street is a thriving little street, with an incredible vibe. It’s a busy street with new businesses popping up and has a really successful, supportive Traders’ Association. I like that the street is full of independent retailers and we are getting together and doing things for ourselves. There’s lots going on here and it was just perfect for Gladwells.
‘Long before Covid I knew that Oakham was the right place for a beautiful gallery exhibiting high quality paintings. There’s absolutely no need to be in London as people will find you wherever you are. And Covid has proved my point, people are travelling less and like the fact they have a gallery right on their doorstep.’
Gladwells has a world-wide reputation and has a particularly close relationship with the Paris salons. 20th century French Impressionists and contemporary artists are one of their specialities and if you were an early visitor to the gallery you would have spotted a Picasso on the wall. It’s exciting to think that Masterpieces are on show in Oakham, and the Picasso is not the only one.
Artists exhibited are from all over the world: ’we select on the quality of the artist,’ says Cory. But have a look, there’s a couple of local artists represented too.
Gladwells are holding a Portraits of France exhibition throughout October which celebrates French landscapes from Impressionist and modern artists. And yes, there will be some Masterpieces on the walls.
www.gladwellpatterson.com
Another new resident in Mill Street is Honeykins Vintage which opened on August 1. Proprietor Katie specialises in all things vintage ranging from the late 1800s to the 1980s. She’s a talented seamstress so makes any repairs needed and washes everything too. ‘There’s no stinky vintage here!’ she says. Her quirky, listed shop is a perfect foil for the vintage clothing it houses.
‘Mill Street is where I wanted to be,’ says Katie. ‘It’s an independent Mecca and I also love the vibe of the street. It has an ancient charm but with new business ideas. All the shops are different and we all get on really well. We have
‘We all live locally and I think that people like the fact we are independent businesses run by local people.’
formed The Mill Street Collective as we realised that to survive the unknown that is now, we needed to band together. We all live locally and I think that people like the fact we are independent businesses run by local people. Look out for the #shopmillstreetoakham hashtag on Instagram.’
Not technically on Mill Street, but just across the road in the High Street is Oakham Wines. Long established in the town owner Harish is the fount of all knowledge when it comes to wine and spirits. This well stocked shop offers a huge range of wines, port and gins and whatever else you can think of. Delivery is also available. www.oakhamwines.co.uk
And of course there’s more Mill Street is not the only retail street in Oakham, there are many. Another favourite is Gaol Street and, yes there was a gaol in the street with a new, larger gaol relocated to Kilburn Yard which is now owned by Oakham School. This eventually closed in 18 . It always amuses me that the gaol was one end of the street with the Friends Meeting House at the other. Maybe the Quakers laid in wait to persuade the prisoners to change their wicked ways when they walked past on release from the prison.
The benefits of living in Oakham
Living in the county no one has ever heard of (according to a metropolitan paper) has many benefits, with even more to be gained by living in its county town which was voted in 201 Britain’s best rural place to live as well as being one of the happiest places to live as well. Once described as ‘terrifyingly quiet’ but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A fun fact is that if you are female and live in the town you have the fifth highest life expectancy of . years in England and Wales (according to figures released in 2016). But that does not mean that the town is full of ancient old ladies…
ntil very recently Oakham was also home to Rutland Radio that was the hive of all information for the town and county.
RADIO RUTLAND ANYONE?
Rutland Radio came off the air at the end of August. Mary Bremner catches up with radio presenter Rob Persani, who was the face of the station
AUGUST 31 WAS a sad day for Rutland with the demise of Rutland Radio, a local radio station that has kept us entertained and informed since 1998. And it was a particularly sad day for the radio presenters and back room staff, virtually all of whom lost their jobs and were made redundant. And this included Rob Persani, the face of the station, who had been joining us for over 21 years, broadcasting into our kitchens whilst we had our breakfasts. His was the first voice we heard when Rutland Radio first started - he read the news bulletin - and was one of the last we heard too when it went off air at the end of August.
Stamfordians and Rutlanders had been trying hard to keep the radio going with online petitions and campaigning but it wasn’t to be. New owners Bauer Media in their infinite wisdom had decided to rebrand the station, along with many other local ones around the country making it a national station with reduced local content. It made sound commercial sense for them to do this but it meant residents lost their local voice. And what a terrible time for it to happen.
‘I knew we had a loyal base of listeners who tuned in every day and depended on us for local news, says Rob. ‘When Covid struck and we were locked down the station became even more important to many listeners as many people were stuck at home alone and could not go out or see anyone. Our voices were familiar and we kept them in touch with what was going on. Even reporting on things like trips to the supermarket. We helped stave off loneliness and anxiety and were offering a public service. It was a bit like the snow watch broadcasts, but more intense. We were needed and the service we offered was much appreciated with many new listeners tuning in. Our lives had become very insular, we couldn’t move around much so people wanted to know what was happening on their doorstep and we were telling them.’
Theresa Dewar
Rob was broadcasting from home throughout this period, starting back in March. He did everything remotely with only a two minute delay so there was always the element that things could go wrong. But they never did. Unknown to the vast majority of us at the end of May Rob and his colleagues were all told their jobs were at risk to be made redundant and it’s a credit to them that they carried on in a professional manner as it must have been very di cult not to be able to engage with the listeners and let them know what was happening.
‘It really was like a bereavement for us as we were leaving the jobs we loved but we also felt the loss of something special. I’d spent 21 years on the station, listeners had got to know me and all about my life including my marriage and birth of daughter lorence. It was di cult not to be able to tell them what was happening. And now there is no longer a radio station that offers what we did and had such a local feel. And that’s the case in other parts of the country too.’
Rob is right, Rutland Radio was brilliant for local news and knowledge. You heard if the sheep had got out at
‘The council realised that, with Rutland Radio gone, the community would lose a valuable asset and source of local information.’
Manton; a road was closed due to roadworks; a tree was down or if there’d been an accident. Not only that, if something or someone was news worthy Rob had them on the radio to have a chat. We’re a small community so you often recognised the voice and were then inspired to go and see what it was that was going on, basically you were invited to join in and kept informed. And now that has all disappeared.
Or has it? Rutland County Council realised what the county was losing and has started an independent community-led project to see if it may be feasible to establish a community radio station for Rutland, and all credit to them for moving so quickly.
Rob takes up the story, ‘I knew there was a demand for the old Rutland Radio services but I had to find a ob. It was a scary time and di cult coming to terms with all that had happened. In conversation with Rutland County Council we spoke about safeguarding the community feel that Rutland Radio offered. The council realised that, with Rutland Radio gone, the community would lose a valuable asset and source of local information.
‘They quickly came back to me and offered me the ob of Project Manager to lead a study to see if it is feasible to run a community radio in Rutland. The ob is for a year and in that time I will need to work out whether this is possible. The radio must be able to sustain itself as the council will not control it, fund or run it. Momentum is high at the moment with lots of people mourning the loss of their local voice so I am hitting the ground running.
‘It’s very early days, I only started today! Obviously I can’t run a radio station alone so there will be a strong volunteer base and lots of people are already getting in touch which is really encouraging. I’m excited and overwhelmed by the response from everyone. As well as working out a feasibility study we will also need to look at obtaining a licence to broadcast which is slightly more complicated. I think it is fair to say that we might not be back on the radio for a while but we will certainly have an online presence within a few weeks so use the email below to register to be kept informed about what is going on.’
Thankfully Rob hasn’t disappeared from the airways completely as he’s set up The Persani Podcast which is a weekly podcast keeping us all up to date with what’s going on in Stamford and Rutland and he really does have his finger on the pulse and his nose to the ground to sniff out what’s happening. He’s done it for over 20 years and thank goodness we shall be seeing and hearing from him again hopefully telling us what those sheep are up to and who’s got something interesting to tell us. Let’s hope Radio Rutland (my name for the new station, it’s not o cial) is here to stay.
07866 450070 gladwellpatterson.com Portraits of France
From the Class of 2010 to Class Q Ltd
Two old Stamfordians who have been friends for years are now running a successful planning consultancy business in the town
TOM HELLIWELL AND Iain Downer have been friends since they met at Stamford School aged 11. They went on rugby tours together and remained firm friends after leaving school as well both going off to study law. Here their paths diverged slightly with Iain stepping away from law spending five years running nightclubs before heading into IT, web design and digital marketing.
Tom stuck at law and after graduating from law school in 2014 with a diploma in law headed to Barbados on holiday and got chatting in a bar (as you do) to Christian Wentzel, a German who lives in America, who offered him a ob. This was nothing to do with law but Tom’s knowledge of it attracted Christian as he wanted someone to work in his company which was finding solar sites that were ‘shovel ready.’ This company would finance, build and sell on solar sites and Tom was drawing up the contracts. This quickly changed to him developing sites from scratch and he spent six months in Toronto travelling around the SA finding potential sites before doing the same in Ireland and then headed up the team in the Netherlands.
Tom then returned to the and he and Iain shared a at in London together with Iain getting involved with the digital side of the solar business in his spare time. By now government subsidies for large scale solar panels had dried up. Christian owns land in the UK and wanted to sell some barns, so Tom started researching the legislation for planning development of agricultural buildings. This comes under a relatively new legislation, Class Q permitted development, revised in 2015, which allows for the conversion of agricultural buildings to residential use. And they were away, Class Q Ltd the business was set up with Tom heading it up.
Class permitted development is a very specific sort of planning. You have to be able to demonstrate that the agricultural building is suitable for conversion. There must not be any ma or structural changes made to the building; no contamination issues; it is accessible, and most importantly the building must have been last used for
agricultural purposes and built before 2013. So very pretty traditional barns come under this urisdiction but so do the large steel framed grain stores and cattle sheds which you would not think would make a suitable home. But look at the plans Class have drawn up you’ll quickly be converted yourself. And the attraction of these buildings is many of them are rural, very isolated in fabulous positions - one they are selling at the moment is in Capability Brown designed parklandand because of planning restrictions you know there will be no new development around these sites. You are pretty much guaranteed to have no neighbours for the next 100 years.
The beauty of this planning regulation is that it is a very streamlined process and has to either be approved, or not, in 56 days otherwise automatic approval is granted. It’s an ideal way for landowners to utilise an asset that they never thought had any value. This has helped change many of their lives, enabling retirement or expansion of their businesses. And in some cases, allowing another generation of the family to stay living on the farm.
Class Ltd offer a full service to landowners. They will take the property through the planning stages with no risk, or cost, to the landowner right the way through to planning being granted and to point of sale. They cover the costs of structural engineers, ecologists, architects, etc and take a percentage of the sale fee once the building is sold. This way the landowner has no costs to cover, nor any risk. And
‘We know which sites will get planning and are very picky so it is a calculated risk on our part, we know we will get planning on the sites we apply for as they are eligible.’
so far Class Q Ltd has a 100% success rate of getting planning. ‘It’s not as simple as that though,’ says Iain. ‘We know which sites will get planning and are very picky so it is a calculated risk on our part. We know we will get planning on the sites we apply for as they are eligible. We also have an eligibility checker on our website so potential clients can check if their property is likely to get planning or not before they get in touch.’ And this is where Iain comes in as he designs the website and runs the digital marketing side of the business. This means with Iain’s expertise they can quickly update the website and be exible and quick off the mark which they need to be as planning legislation is changing quickly, particularly at the moment.
Tom was very busy and doing so well that he needed help and Iain was the ideal candidate to join him, which he did a year ago. Now was the time to leave London and return to their roots in Stamford.
‘There was no point in us being in London,’ says Tom, ‘as there aren’t many barns there. We were spending too much time travelling. Stamford, as well as being home, is also the ideal spot as we can cover an awful lot of the country within 100 miles of the town. We go as far north as north Derbyshire, into rural Essex, Norfolk, north of the M25 and Worcestershire as well.’
There is usually very little resistance from locals to these developments as they are generally away from dwellings, and if there is it’s quite often because of historical, previously unsuitable
applications. Local Planning Authorities can sometimes be slightly more resistant but Tom and Iain know the legalities and so far have always been able to persuade them otherwise. Plans have been granted for a disused pig farm at Ridlington in Rutland with more in the pipeline locally. Class Q Ltd work with large estates and landowners as well as individual farmers or smallholders. They also offer a consultancy service rather than taking the building through the whole planning process.
The barn in the Capability Brown parkland was under offer within three weeks of going on the market and Covid does not seem to have slowed these two down. ‘We had a couple of quiet weeks but were able to keep working because of the eligibility checker on the website,’ says Tom. ‘Then as soon as we were able we were back making site visits as they are easily done socially distanced when you are in a remote location. We have never been busier.’
The company is now finding they are being approached by landowners with word of mouth working well for them. Developers also are approaching them looking for suitable sites. Class Q Ltd are helping get full planning permission for new build dwellings on greenfield and brownfield sites as well, their largest application so far is for 73 houses on a cherry farm where the owners wanted to retire.
The business has done so well that Tom and Iain are going to have to take on more staff by the end of the year with plans for a satellite o ce elsewhere in the country in the pipeline. ‘But our main o ce will always be in Stamford, it’s home,’ they say.
And would they want to live in one of their conversions themselves? ‘We aim to build an o ce to show what can be done, and yes one day to live in a barn conversion would be the plan,’ they both say.
But at the moment Stamford town is definitely home. Iain plays for Stamford’s 1st XV and does triathlons whilst Tom is in the gym (injury stopped rugby) and they are both now playing golf ‘it was the first sport we were allowed to do after lockdown eased so we took it up,’ says Tom. And all from meeting as a couple of 11 year-olds at Stamford School. www.classq.co.uk
Rutland’s Renewables
You may have noticed a new addition to Oakham’s High Street in Victoria Hall. Mary Bremner chats to the owners of Renbrac Renewables Ltd
RENEWABLE ENERGY IS the latest buzz industry at the moment and electric cars are fast becoming the norm with charging points popping up all over the place. But for those of us who don’t know much about this fast changing, rapidly expanding industry who do we turn to? Yes we can do lots of internet research and be blinded by the science but wouldn’t it be so much easier to just walk into a high street business and ask the question? Really we want our hand holding and to be advised on what grants are available whether our house is suitable for solar panels; the merits of heat pumps or wind power, and then when it comes to electric cars where do you start? Do you need a
hybrid, purely electrical, quick charging; the list goes on and on. Please can someone offer some good, sensible, advice.
Well if you wander down Oakham’s High Street to the Victoria Hall you may find the answer to your prayers. Renbrac Renewables Ltd opened its doors for the first time shortly before lockdown and has now reopened. Michael and Antoinette Robertson recently opened the business which specialises in renewable energy, domestic charging points for electric vehicles, destination charge points for leisure businesses, domestic and commercial energy, grant availability and everything else in between. If you want renewable advice, electric car advice, or
both, the Robertsons at Renbrac (named after Antoinette’s father’s home village in Co Mayo) are the people for you.
‘We’d had the lease since January, done a ma or refurb and refit before opening and had big plans to exhibit at the Rutland County Show and become established as a business in the town,’ said Michael, ‘but of course, as for most people, all that changed. We had to shut the business but behind the scenes we were busy rethinking and training as there are always new products popping up in this industry. A major part of our business is fitting domestic charge points so, of course, that all had to stop but thankfully is now up and running again.’
‘We offer a bespoke service which is quite unique,’ says Antoinette. ‘People can come to us and we are able to channel them in the right direction and offer excellent, accurate, practical advice. As well as allay fears.’
Michael and Antoinette have been residents of Oakham for over six years heading north from Hertfordshire for a better quality of life for their young son. And they’ve certainly found it in the town, settling in well and establishing themselves within the community, which they love.
Michael has a passion for cars and bikes and used to race them. ‘And if you’re interested in cars you quickly become curious about electric cars, which is what I did,’ says Michael. ‘From this my interest was piqued if I got an electric car I wanted it to be supplied by renewable energy which is fundamentally wind or solar, and I could see that this was a growing industry, that was rapidly changing. We always planned to be on the high street as we could see that a service was needed to answer the endless questions that everyone has about renewable energy, and subsequently electric cars. So here we now are. Pop in and see us, we are finding that more and more people are doing so and you are always welcome.’
www.renbrac.co.uk
Ryhall, Tolethorpe and The Drift
This tiny corner of east Rutland packs a decent punch with a clear river, some steep sections and bags of rural charm.
By Will Hetherington
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WILL’S WALK
Images: Will Hetherington
are one or two
Difficulty rating
THE ROUTE
ACTIVE INFO
The Drift is a good example of an ancient drovers’ track used to take cattle to market before railways and motorised transport. The cattle moved at about 12-15 miles a day and needed a wide route to graze as they went. The Drift also follows high ground to avoid the cattle becoming stuck in the bogs.
I like to do this as a clockwise walk so I park on the western verge of the main A6121 before the tra c lights in Ryhall. There is a public footpath sign here and parking for three or four cars. ust make sure you don’t block the gateway. Take the footpath west along the track with the chicken farm on your left and the Gwash on your right. At the end of the chicken farm the footpath goes straight on up the hill but it’s much nicer to take the permissive route to the right and follow the meander of the river. The dogs will have plenty of opportunities for a dip in this tempting water, and I have been in a few times as well. ollow the horseshoe all the way around and you will then go up a hill towards Tolethorpe and pass the other end of the straight path across the field on the left. Almost immediately afterwards there is a stile in the hedge on the right which leads into a pasture, and then a kissing gate in another 0 metres. rom here head down the hill and you will come to Tolethorpe Mill on the left and Tolethorpe Cottage on the right. It’s a beautiful spot and we can only envy those who are lucky enough to live in this piece of English idyll. rom here stay on the very minor road (ignoring the path to the right) and follow it round until you come to the T- unction. Turn left here and walk along the road for 100 metres before turning right in the mini layby and through the kissing gate. Take care on this short section of road because there is no verge. Once you are through the kissing gate, head north passing the pill box in the hedge on the right, and onwards into Walk arm. There is a very well maintained track all the way here and it’s a pleasure to walk through this diverse modern business. In about one kilometre you will come to a steep dip ust to remind you Rutland has some contours. At the top of the hill on the far side of the dip look out for the slightly concealed footpath sign in the bushes and trees on the right. Take this turn and follow the path towards The Drift, an ancient byway which connects Pickworth to the north of Ryhall. When you reach The Drift you will find two or three beautifully renovated farmhouses. Turn right here and after 200 metres look out for the footpath sign in the hedge to the right. Take this right turn and head south east through the valley and across three fields to Grange arm. ollow the track through the farm, around to the left and then go through a gate on the right at the footpath sign.
Head south over a couple of fields until you oin the road ust by the campsite. Cross the road and there is a footpath that goes diagonally across the field and comes out between the houses on the A6121 in Ryhall. Either turn left and walk back to your car along the road or, far better, turn left and explore the pretty centre of the village and the church. ou can easily find your way back to the car from there too.
There
surprisingly steep sections on this walk.
Ryhall makes a good place to start and finish.
Essential information
WHERE TO PARK
On the verge of the A6121 or anywhere in Ryhall.
DISTANCE AND TIME
Five miles/two hours.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ryhall and the River Gwash, Tolethorpe Mill and Cottage, the diversity of Walk Farm, the tranquility of The Drift.
LOWLIGHTS
It might be a bit muddy in places.
REFRESHMENTS
The Green Dragon in Ryhall.
DIFFICULTY RATING
Three paws. There are one or two steeper sections and it’s a good five miles.
THE POOCH PERSPECTIVE
There are some sheep around but not many and your dogs will love the Gwash.
For your own safety and navigation make sure you have an OS map with you when you go out walking. You won’t regret it.
The Gwash at Tolethorpe Mill.
Active Kids
Students take part in UK coaching week
STUDENTS FROM THE Stamford College Level Coaching and Development courses have been taking part in national ‘UK Coaching Week.’ The week, run by Coaching, was developed to promote sports coaching post Covid-1 and encourage signing up to a GreatCoachingPledge. Students from both the coaching course and Stamford ootball Academy took part, getting involved online and face to face throughout the week.
As part of the week, students signed up to complete a ‘Mental Health Awareness in Sport and Physical Activity Course’ which they completed and received certificates for.
The Sports Department are also looking for sports coaches from all forms of sport to get involved. If you feel you could help out as a volunteer guest please get in touch. For more information email caz.dolby stamford.ac.uk
Oliver and Harry win Gold at Club Championships
A YEAR 7 pupil at Stamford School and his teammate, who studies at Catmose College in Oakham, have won a number of races within the Rutland Sailing Club’s Championships over the first weekend of September, and are already in preparation for the next set of championships.
Oliver McKee entered the annual club championships with his sailing partner, Harry Rowlands, coming first overall in the 0 boat strong race, beating even the adult pairings. Between them, the pair have won several trophies including 1st Dinghy, 1st nder 12s and 1st nder 1 s, and their names will now be added to the club’s display board in perpetuity, alongside the names of former Olympic squad sailors.
A new head at Witham Hall
WITHAM HALL HAS a new head, William Austen, who joined at the start of the academic year from Ludgrove School where he was deputy head.
Educated at Stowe School, Mr Austen went to St Andrews to study chemistry. He then followed his passion for horses to become an assistant trainer on the umps at a yard in the Cotswolds. Whilst in Oxfordshire an opportunity arose to oin the teaching staff at Summer ields School, where he duly completed his PGCE and taught science.
Along with his wife, ossie, who he met at university they went on to run a boarding house at Summer Fields School where during their ten year tenure they gained a wealth of experience in pastoral care.
ossie, who is from New ork studied History of Art at St Andrews. She brings significant expertise to her position in external relations at Witham Hall and is already playing an incredibly supportive role in pastoral care. Their two sons, Archie and Sebastian, have en oyed settling in to their new school too.
Mr Austen is a sporty character a keen golfer, an avid runner with three London Marathons under his belt, an accomplished skier and he loves his cricket, a proud member of the MCC and an avid collector of Wisden annuals. Growing up on a farm in Norfolk he has a real passion for the countryside. He en oys field sports and eventing, having competed at intermediate level, and is looking forward to getting to know the local area.
Having recently celebrated a record number of scholarships and with pupil numbers thriving following the gentle expansion of the Pre-Prep, Mr Austen arrives at an exciting time at the school.
ActiveBody
EDITED BY KATE MAXIM
Active home working
Working from home has advantages and disadvantages, physio Sarah Babbs talks about the pros and cons
AS I WRITE there is ongoing concern about people being asked to go back into the o ce having worked from home during lockdown. Many who are at home are arguing the case, reporting better work output as well as improved mental health and more e cient use of time when at home. Gone is the long commute and in its place is more time spent with family, exercising and eating more healthily. There are others of course who miss the atmosphere of the o ce and can’t wait to get back and those who fi nd themselves too close to the biscuit tin!
In the clinic I have seen a few people who are struggling with the working from home set up. Some are still working at the kitchen table and missing their ergonomically designed desk and chair. But though these can be comfortable, really the most important thing is not sitting or staying in
any one position for any length of time.
One of the most important things with all pain is looking not only at the person’s body but also at what is going on around them. This is known as the bio-psycho-social model and has an enormous role in managing both acute and more long term and chronic pain. For instance, if a person has a painful neck they may believe that it is entirely because of sitting at the computer for longer. However, those who are unhappy in their work, have little control over it, are struggling with poor sleep as well as being less fit often report higher pain than those who are satisfied with factors all around them. These are important and if you have wondered why your physiotherapist has asked these questions, this is why. It can be a vicious circle, with pain limiting sleep for example.
Of course exercise and keeping moving is
what I’m all about and both of these things help with our physical and mental well being. Studies have shown that exercise improves sleep (better taken earlier in the day than just before bed). Exercising outside is even better, lowering blood pressure and heart rate and improving our vitamin D uptake. There is a drive for GPs to use ‘green prescriptions.’ One study even found that just being outside in a local park for 20 minutes helped improve these, and mental health too, but adding aerobic exercise improved this even further.
At the beginning of lockdown Joe Wicks promoted physical exercise in his class on Youtube to help children keep, or improve their health and fitness. Many parents and other adults too found these short bursts of exercise, known as HITT (high intensity interval training) beneficial and fun. Strength training is also excellent to negate the loss of muscle strength when we sit for long periods.
A study in 2017 looked at people susceptible to a genetic cause for Alzheimer’s Disease. They also found that ‘exercise can mitigate the risk of dementia for people without the variant of the apolipoprotein genotype.’ These researchers are now looking at the benefits of high-intensity training (HIIT) versus moderate continuous training (MCT) and stretching in older adults as a way of delaying the onset of the condition.
Another study looking at older women in Japan found that their physical health was better with less sedentary time so this advice is not just for those of working age. Shuh et al in 2016 looked at large studies and found that overall there was found to be a positive effect of aerobic exercise and interventions supported by exercise professionals. ‘Our data strongly support the claim that exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression.’
So for those of you still working from home, using that extra time to get up and go outside, walking or running, or popping YouTube on for a quick work out would defi nitely be time well spent, especially during the working day if possible; before work or lunch times often works well. I am really encouraging it with my patientskeep moving!
01780 480889 or 07780 900201
A weighty issue
Gary Trickett addresses lockdown weight gain, and suggests ways to counteract it
IF RECENT HEADLINES are to be believed, subscriptions to online slimming clubs are at an all-time high as we attempt to remove the additional layer of cushioning around our middles – yet another unwanted legacy of lockdown.
Spoiler alert: diets, quite simply, do not work. When you diet it’s very easy for your body to think it’s in famine mode so it employs thrifty mechanisms to counteract this, which disrupts metabolism, making it easy to gain weight when the diet is over.
The key to a healthy lifestyle is exercise. It increases the rate at which the body breaks down foods so less of your food intake is stored as fat reserves. Try to exercise for at least 10 minutes a day and as your fitness levels rise, increase your activity accordingly. Your routine could include swimming, cycling or simply walking, all of which will help to improve circulation, make you feel brighter and burn off those extra calories.
Feeling sluggish or bloated? Weight control is often hampered by poor digestive function. If food isn’t digested properly it can ferment in the gut resulting in abdominal discomfort, acid indigestion and weight gain. Make sure your diet is healthy and balanced; faddy diets that cut out an entire food group can cause all sorts of problems, including deficiencies, cravings and bloating. A varied, balanced diet should include lots of fruit and vegetables, plenty of wholegrain foods (bread, pasta and rice), some proteinrich foods (good vegetarian options include eggs, nuts, tofu and lentils) and some dairy products.
Your diet should also be low in fat, especially saturated fat, salt and sugar, and high in fibre (18g to g a day), but make sure you drink plenty of water to keep your digestive system healthy. Insu cient fibre or too much fibre coupled with low uid intake
Feeling sluggish or bloated? Weight control is often hampered by poor digestive function
can lead to constipation and bloating. Aim for between 1. to 2 litres a day, but don’t drink all of this at mealtimes, and no, tea and coffee don’t count!
A good prebiotic supplement should help to enhance digestion and improve your metabolism. Taken before a meal it can help to stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes throughout the whole digestive system, which helps to reduce the rotting of food residues and resulting gases, making it very di cult for unfriendly bacteria to gain a hold.
Once unfriendly bacteria have been discouraged and friendly bacteria are given the environment they like, digestion and metabolism improve, and energy levels increase. Try A Vogel’s Molkosan Fruit
diluted in a large glass of water, twice daily. Never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. Without breakfast, blood sugar drops and the hormones adrenaline and cortisol kick in to correct the balance. This leads to cravings for stimulants such as caffeine, carbohydrates and sugars. Your body may also start breaking down muscles for fuel. Muscles help you to burn fat, so less muscle means more fat and not what you want.
Don’t go more than four waking hours without eating. This helps to keep your blood sugar steady, keeping cravings at bay. If cravings for sweet foods are your biggest downfall the mineral chromium might help. It helps to regulate the uptake of sugar or glucose into cells, which helps to keep sugar highs and lows, and consequently cravings, to a minimum.
Craving Essence from Jan de Vries may also help. It provides ower essences to help maintain the motivation to make daily progress and keep a positive self image.
For further advice visit Gary and his team at Healthy Route, 18 Silver Street, Leicester or call 0116 253 9097.
How hot is hot?
Word about the bene ts of hot yoga is spreading locally, and in no small part that’s down to Harry Hewetson, new studio director at Ironstone Wellbeing Club near Kettering. Kate Maxim went to nd out more
WE’VE MENTIONED YOGA quite a few times in the magazine, especially as we have an abundance of brilliant yoga teachers and studios in the area. No-one can deny the benefits, it works all systems of the body muscular-skeletal, lymphatic, digestive, endocrine and cardio-vascular. It’s incredible how you can raise your heart rate without actually moving much ust by holding your body in a position. Hot yoga does all that, and then some. ‘Heat gets the body a bit more limber and opens things up’, says Harry. ‘It augments your practice when you’re actually doing it but it also multiplies
and speeds up the benefits thereafter.’
And Harry should know. He developed chronic lead poisoning after 1 years in his old ob restoring bath tubs and was not in a good way. Overweight, smoking and drinking heavily, he thankfully discovered yoga and threw himself into it. He did his teacher training in LA at a residential boot camp with 20 students living together in one hotel. ‘It was an intense couple of months,’ he says. He started teaching in various studios around the country including three days a week in London. He then developed his brand Hot oga with Harry in this area, teaching classes at
Archway House in Market Harborough, Market Harborough rugby club, Woodcock Theatre Arts and Leicester Grammar school. And now Ironstone has snapped him up. Harry teaches the Original Hot oga class which is based on the Bikram sequence of the same 26 postures, repeated twice in a 0 minute class working every bit of the body every muscle, oint, ligament and tendon. He also teaches Inferno Pilates which is a really vigorous HIIT class. ‘It’s tough and hot, but since taking it up I’ve changed shape and feel really different,’ he says. To get up to the required temperature of high 0s 0 degrees the main studio has inbuilt infra-red heaters and Dyson fans are used upstairs creating a clean heat.
There are currently 6 classes on the schedule including vinyasa ow and yin yoga which is very calm and focuses on your parasympathetic nervous system so it slows
‘Harry teaches the Original Hot Yoga class which is based on the Bikram sequence of the same 26 postures, repeated twice in a 90 minute class working every bit of the body’
everything down. There is also Pilates, tai chi, mindfulness, meditation, Fitsteps and Zumba. Also childrens’ teen and pregnancy yoga classes during term time. ‘We’re open seven days a week, and we’ve got a really good team of teachers, about 18 of us with a nice broad mix of people, so there is something to suit everyone,’ says Harry. ‘And we still run one regular outdoor class as it’s a very nice space, and teachers can take their classes outside if they want to. During lockdown we ran free classes via Facebook and we’re planning to do some live streaming of our schedule.’
Ironstone and Harry are now spreading their expertise a little wider and will shortly be opening Hot Yoga with Harry and Friends in Association with Ironstone in Market
Harborough. This will bring Harry’s former classes in the area under one roof and introduce other teachers to Market Harborough too.
When I asked how many times a week Harry would recommend doing a yoga class, he said ‘every day of course! I’ve had people saying to me that doing one class a week has changed my life – usually mentally. And some people come twice a day. Often doing the same thing over and over is the way to see improvements; it’s like it’s no good going for a run once a month. Three classes a week and you’ll be walking on air.’
Not content with demonstrating the benefits of yoga, Harry has recently qualified from the Institute of Optimum Nutrition as a registered nutritional therapist, doing clinical
practice. He doesn’t purely advise on nutrition but also lifestyle factors such as exercise, sleep hygiene and meditation practices that are proven to have direct effects on physical wellbeing, by reducing stress levels and improving the parasympathetic nervous system. ‘I had to do a couple of science A’ Levels before I could start the course and everything is evidence based,’ says Harry. ‘It’s functional medicine so you treat the patient not the disease. We have consultation rooms at Ironstone where I help people on a one-to-one basis. It’s fascinating, very involved and each case is different. We are also running some group online nutritional programmes starting with a liver cleanse which is a nine day programme removing and adding certain things from your diet, and taking certain supplements. We’ll also do programmes to help with IBS, and a metabolism reset to promote achievable then sustainable weight loss. There are lots of diets you can do where you lose weight really quickly but it pings back on again. We want to stop that.’
Ironstone also offers consultations with a chiropractor, a holistic therapist and they will shortly be offering acupuncture, re exology and psychotherapy
www.ironstone.club
Tugby Orchards, Tugby, LE7 9WE I 0116 259 8063 I www.cafe-ventoux.cc By bike follow the Route 64 Cycle way
Cafe Ventoux is now a grocery store supplying local produce including fruit and veg, dairy and a selection of meats. We are also making our own bread, pies, special occasion cakes and much more. We have an extensive home made take away menu too - Wednesday is international cuisine night, Thursday is curry night followed on Friday and Saturday with our homemade pizza and burger menu. If you would like to pre order for collection please just give us a call during opening hours.
Stamford’s green wheel plans | Spotlight on hockey | The roundup
ActiveSport
Distance: 37.44 miles
On your bike!
Gary Waterfall and Richard Mackintosh ride a at, circular 37 mile route starting at Spring elds outlet in Spalding then heading out into The Fens, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
THIS IS A circular route so pick clockwise or anti-clockwise, depending on the wind. It’s only 100 feet of climb overall so you can enjoy some fast cycling, in theory. But a lack of shelter and being fully exposed out on those Fen roads will make this a challenge when the wind blows.
Leave Springfields Outlet where there is plenty of parking and cycle through the
market town of Spalding before heading south west through Pode Hole along some perfectly quiet roads which are built for cycling. Watch out for farm vehicles though and oncoming vehicles haring around sharp 90 degree bends.
You’ll quickly be riding past the gravel pits at the 12 mile point heading for Market Deeping. At the 14 mile point as you reach the A1175 go straight over onto a path for
about 20m before you join a disused road. If you wish take a break in Market Deeping.
After your pit stop head out of Market Deeping through Deeping St James before ‘climbing up a hill’ to ride alongside the River Witham. Then cross the river into Crowland. Leave Crowland and enjoy the last 12 miles which takes you through a few rural hamlets before joining the Spalding bypass for a short ride single file here for sure – until left at the roundabout and back to Springfields. There’s lots of options for eating and drinking here.
http://www.strava.com/ routes/2730126749551883546
Elevation: 102ft Ride type: Road
Spalding
Moulton Chapel
Crowland
Tongue End
START / FINISH
Market
Deeping
Leave the car at home
During lockdown many of us spent more time cycling and walking than ever before. Mary Bremner meets David Taylor who has a vision of how to keep us doing this
THERE’S NO DOUBT that every cloud has a silver lining, even the Covid-shaped massive, black, lockdown one. Many of us realised that when we were restricted to just one form of exercise a day we needed to make the most of it. This meant that many people who hadn’t been cycling for years scrabbled around in the back of their garage and dragged out an old bike, pumped up the tyres and started riding. And those that didn’t have a bike started walking, often for miles, out for hours at a time as there was no limit to how long we could be out for, just once a day.
Now that lockdown restrictions have eased many of us are still cycling and walking more than before, determined to keep up the good work; mostly for health benefits but also because we realised how much we enjoyed it.
One such person who did this was David Taylor. A keen walker and cyclist David is determined to help us all keep at it. In June this year he launched Connect Stamford, a community partnership which brings together the Burghley Estate, Lincolnshire County Council, the SKDC and Sustrans (the
cycling charity which is responsible for the National Cycling Network) with the aim of promoting and enabling ‘active’ travel in and around the town. As it is a Community Interest Company (CIC) it is a not for profit organisation which means they will be able to apply for funding and grants.
David, who moved to the town eight years ago, has long had a pipe dream to transform Stamford town centre into something like Cambridge’s: fewer cars, with cyclists and pedestrians travelling harmoniously and safely with plenty of cycle paths to encourage cyclists to cycle into the town centre. He is not anti-car but would like the town made safer for people who would like to walk and cycle more.
‘The Covid restrictions got us all out and about on two wheels and on foot and we were able to cycle and walk safely because of
the lack of tra c and it encouraged more and more people to do this. It was fabulous to be able to enjoy the countryside and centre of town tra c free. The sky seemed bluer and the birds seemed to sing more loudly,’ he says. ‘I just thought we needed to keep the impetus going so started speaking to a few local landowners and councils. Peterborough has a very well used cycle path around the city, and has had for over 20 years. Why can’t Stamford have something similar?’
After the launch of Connect Stamford David undertook a Stamford Travel Survey which showed broad support for the aims with 67% of responders saying they would take up cycling if it was safe to do so. Almost three quarters of respondents were supportive of more pedestrianisation in the town centre and 94% supported the creation of a green wheel for the town.
‘After the launch of Connect Stamford David undertook a Stamford Travel Survey which showed broad support for the aims with 67% of responders saying they would take up cycling if it was safe to do so.’
David also spoke to lots of people and realised that the people who live on the outskirts of Stamford often don’t feel part of the town as they have to drive to the centre and then of course there is all the hassle of trying to park. And - whatever we may think about it - the town is growing with big developments planned to the north of the town as well as St Martin’s Park on the Barnack Road.
‘If we had a Green Wheel around the town with spokes heading in to the town centre residents and visitors would be able to hop on a bike, or walk and be in the centre within
a very short time in safety as there would be no tra c to contend with. Obviously the one big problem in Stamford is that the streets are already narrow and historically not at all car or cycle friendly but with a tra c free green wheel and dedicated low tra c neighbourhoods this could be overcome.’
Connect Stamford aims to capitalise on the growing interest in cycling and walking and the response so far from residents, visitors, councillors and local landowners alike has been very positive. There is talk of Burghley Bikes which will ape the Boris Bike, more bike parking and even a Car ree Stamford
day in 2021. The possibilities are endless.
David clearly has a passion for Stamford and serves as a local councillor as well as supporting other community groups. ‘We always wanted to live in the town but only in the centre as it’s so beautiful. Eight years ago we were able to realise that dream and it’s a privilege to live here.’
Development of the Stamford Green Wheel is at the early stages at the moment but there are already cycle paths around the town which are part of the National Cycling Network which they can possibly link up to. And enthusiasm is high with David being approached by many people offering their services as volunteers. Potential routes into the town centre for the spokes are also being researched.
There’s a lot to do but if all goes according to plan, within five years the residents of Stamford and outlying areas, may well be getting on their bikes. And it could all be as a result of a global pandemic as I said every cloud and all that
The cricket season is drawing to a close as the rugby season is trying to get off the ground. Jeremy Smithson-Beswick tells us more and turns his attention to a local swimming club
LAST MONTH WE reported on Oakham Rugby Club’s James Beanland and Ben Turnbull’s planned bike ride in aid of the Matt Hampson Foundation. ‘Beany and Bully’s Bike Tour’ duly took place at the end of the month and the 150 miles was completed with time to spare. So far the amount raised is £4,358.99 plus £733.58 in Gift Aid. (Their Just Giving page is still open, by the way). The lads confessed themselves overwhelmed by all the support and thanked a whole list of people too numerous to mention here, but an exception must be made for Jonny Bland who, they report, ‘wanted to do the first 0- 0 miles with us to break the wind and ended up doing the whole ride with us - what a guy!’
Oaks also have a new President. Chris Burton takes the role as Steve Beanland has stepped down after five successful seasons that Burton described as ‘a hard act to follow.’ It’s still unclear what form the coming season will take for our local sides but all are taking steps back towards normality with minis and juniors in particular starting up again across the region.
As rugby re-starts, so the cricket season draws to a close and it’s been one of the strangest, not to say shortest, I can remember. Sunday’s Rutland League saw some notable performances this month, not least fford Park’s win at Oakham to leapfrog them at the top of the table. It was an easy victory in the end as fford’s 200-6 was never in danger due to a sterling bowling performance by Joe Harrington which saw Oaks all out for only 94. Oaks’ second string also lost a local derby in the division below to Ketton Sports with another below par batting performance, all out for 16 . This time it was etton’s Ian Moss who was their nemesis with four wickets for only eight runs. In reply Jacob Miller hit an unbeaten 81 to see the Pit Lane side home with more than an over to spare.
etton’s Saturday first string were involved in what they called a nail biter against Houghton and Thurnby. Chasing 147 on a sticky wicket their ninth wicket fell on the last ball of the game with the scores level. Draws are commonplace, but ties are extremely rare.
Lovers of English eccentricity also had cause to be grateful to the club, who have restarted a village tradition – the Ketton Ping Pong race. A casual visitor on the day would have been mildly surprised to see over one thousand balls travelling sedately down the river Chater, being cheered on raucously and occasionally rescued from the bank by the locals. At £1 a ball, it’s a great way to raise much-needed club funds. or the record, Wisden may need to know that the winner was Ball 177 purchased by Jai Nairn.
Burghley Park have had a good campaign unbeaten in fact - and are now uncatchable at the top of the Hunts League. The title was assured by an away win at Nassington to the chagrin of their closest rivals Stamford, who may have thought themselves in with a chance as they were defeating Barnack in their last fixture. Opener Alex Birch has particular cause to feel a tad aggrieved after his sparkling quick fire innings of 1 in an opening century stand with Ben Peck. Nevertheless, Barnack made a fight of it by taking wickets cheaply thereafter and making a solid start to their own innings with Imad Hussain and asir Mirza in fine form, followed by number three Shohaib Arshad with 2. It was a tight finish but Barnack fell short of the required 22 by nine runs.
John Butcher
‘Parent and keen biker Andy Roffe set the target by posting a very impressive 1,198km, narrowly holding off youth winner Holly Leggott’s equally mind-boggling 1,151km.’
challenge to see who could make the most distance in four weeks. Parent and keen biker Andy Roffe set the target by posting a very impressive 1,1 8km, narrowly holding off youth winner Holly Leggott’s equally mind-boggling 1,151km. For those of you who have di culty visualising such a distance, London to Edinburgh is a mere 650km. Nearly there and back then.
By a stroke of luck, Deepings Swimming Club has been in touch again to tell us of their latest exploits. It’s always good to be kept abreast of what’s going on. (Can you see where I’m going with this yet?) I don’t want to crawl but I’d have butter ies if every club made my job so easy with similar freestyle updates. Always full of a medley of information, their press releases are a joy.
The club’s usual leisure centre venue closed in March (as did all the others) but head coach Lynn Chapman was evidently determined to keep her protégés in tip-top physical shape. Thirty-nine of them took part in a running competition she suggested (or insisted on more like) including juniors, youths and ‘masters’ – I think that means people like me - followed by a cycling
Enough already - you might think, but no. Next up was a challenge to determine which club member could run a kilometre in the fastest time. Just to prove that there isn’t an end to this group’s capacity for self harm, no sooner was that gauntlet thrown than interim club chairman Andy Cardell raised the stakes by pledging that if anyone beat his personal best of 3 minutes 10 seconds he would pay a penance with a 1,500m swim. I have to tell you I’m really annoyed that Hannah Matthews managed only 3 minutes 23 and Harry Newman came even more agonisingly close at 3 minutes 16. Six seconds was therefore all that stood between Andy and his extended dip. I don’t know Andy and I’m sure he’s a fine man - but I instinctively wanted him to lose for his chutzpah alone.
Spotlight on hockey
Ian Kenyon, rst team captain at Rutland Mixed Hockey Club, gives us the lowdown on hockey
HOCKEY IS A game played between two teams of eleven players each, using hooked sticks with which the players try to drive a small, hard ball towards goals at opposite ends of a field. Also known as field hockey (to differentiate it from its puck-sliding, ice skating, North American cousin), the game is believed to (possibly) have found its origins in Ancient Egypt with images depicting the game being found in a 4,000 year old tomb!
Hockey’s journey from ancient times has brought it to all corners of the world. It is incredibly popular in Pakistan and India (believe it or not cricket fans, it’s their national sport) and, as well as its namesake, played on icy lakes or inside freezing arenas. It’s also very similar to other ancient games across the globe such as the Scottish game of shinty.
Hockey, as we know it today, is thought to have been developed in the late 19th century when a cricket team in London, looking for a way to keep their eye-in over the winter break, started pushing cricket balls around their smooth outfield in Bushy Park. Hence Teddington Hockey Club was formed. Since then associations have been formed, rule changes have been made and the game of hockey has well and truly been established.
Generally played on AstroTurf (though you may find the occasional team still honing their skills on grass, having to play in a totally different way!) it can be a fast and thrilling game and has seen a rise in participation in recent years.
Some of the growth in interest in the game is due to the success of women’s hockey on the national stage over the past decade culminating in Great Britain’s Women’s team
winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This alone is thought to have inspired an estimated 10,000 people across the UK to try hockey for the first time. Hockey is known now as ‘The’ field sport, with the secondgreatest number of participants worldwide after football, and it is a fantastic way to meet new people and have fun.
As we come out of COVID lockdowns and with organised team sports being allowed, now is the perfect time to get involved.
So, where can you play hockey in Stamford and Rutland? Well, there are several great teams in our region, all offering the opportunity to play. Hockey can be played at junior and senior level and teams can be made up of all-male, all-female or mixed players. Mixed hockey offers a unique challenge and is one of a very few team sports where men and women can play together in the same team. This creates a very friendly, but competitive environment in which to play. The team consists of five men, five women and a goalkeeper of either gender.
One such team is Rutland Mixed Hockey Club. It was first established in 2001 and today remains the only mixed hockey team
in the county. The club fields two teams in the Leicestershire and Rutland Mixed Hockey League – The Horseshoes and The Oaks – with both teams providing opportunities to play hockey in the top two divisions of the most competitive mixed hockey league in the country.
Training takes place every Tuesday night at 8pm at Oakham School AstroTurf pitch and anyone and everyone is welcome, irrespective of age or previous hockey experience. League and cup matches are played every Saturday throughout the season (September to March). All training sessions and matches have been adapted to comply to the COVID guidelines and offer a great way, even in these ‘new normal’ times to maintain your fitness and meet new people. The club also has a fantastic social side with regular social events organised throughout the season.
Rutland Mixed Hockey Club is always welcoming new players, so please get in touch via the website (www.rutlandhockey. co.uk) or by contacting club secretary Tracey Taylor (tracey.taylor13@uwclub.net) if you are interested in playing or would like to find out more.
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