Active Magazine // South Leicestershire // August 2015

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Concussion: what lies beneath...

What everyone playing sport needs to know about the deadly injury ISSUE 4 // AUGUST 2015

SOUTH LEICESTERSHIRE SPORT AND LEISURE MAGAZINE

Sun lounging?

No chance - there's too much to do!

ISSUE 4 // AUGUST 2015

In this issue: › Healthy summer recipes › Great places to entertain the kids › Start training for a half marathon › Get your metabolism going › Visit historic houses › Start pre-season fitness regime › Win a £400 kids' bike › Do some great walks

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21/05/2015 15:07

Editor’s Letter IT IS INEVITABLE WHEN YOU PLAY SPORT that you will get injured from time to time.

Certainly I’ve been to casualty on a number of occasions with various bits of my body not pointing in the direction in which they started the game. You accept the risks and then afterwards everyone compares their battle scars and has a chuckle about it.

But concussion is different. As Max Hartman of sports health and fitness experts Function Jigsaw points out in this issue, it is a threat that is often unseen and not understood, and only with the advent of some post-career research in American football has the huge damage done been recognised.

Obviously, in local sport you’re not playing to the same intensity as 20-stone giants smashing each other to pieces every day, but nevertheless it is still an issue – not least because a second impact close in time to the first can have catastrophic, even fatal, consequences.

Quite a few years ago, I was playing hockey and sprinting across to intercept a through ball when the attacking player took my legs out. I skidded across the Astroturf and concrete and headbutted the fencing behind the goal.

Having made quite a mess of my elbows and knees, and knocked myself out, I was carted off by ambulance to hospital. Dozens of stitches later they let me go home. But they couldn’t find the details of my local GP. Not surprising really, because I gave them the name of one of my parents’ friends, who was an estate agent. A day later, I felt so ill I could barely move, although fortunately it relented after a day or so.

Looking back, it seems shocking that nobody in the hospital thought much of looking into why I thought a bloke with a good track record of selling houses might be a useful point of contact for my rehabilitation.

Nowadays, that concussion would be monitored far more carefully, and if you run a sports club, hopefully you have measures in place to manage players back to fitness. If you think you need more advice, have a read of Max’s column on page 48.

I hope you enjoy the magazine, Steve

Twitter // @theACTIVEmag Facebook // www.facebook.com/theACTIVEmag

Publisher Chris Meadows chris@theactivemag.com Editor Steve Moody steve@theactivemag.com Deputy editor Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com Production editor Julian Kirk julian@theactivemag.com Art editor Mark Sommer mark@theactivemag.com Contributors Martin Johnson, William Hetherington, Sandie Hurford, Jeremy Beswick, Julia Dungworth Photographers Nico Morgan, Pip Warters Production assistant Gary Curtis Advertising sales Lisa Withers lisa@theactivemag.com Amy Roberts amy@theactivemag.com Editorial and Advertising Assistant Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com Accounts accounts@theactivemag.com Active magazine, The Grey House, 3 Broad Street, Stamford, PE9 1PG. Tel: 01780 480789

If you have information on a club then get in touch by emailing editor@theactivemag.com. If you would like to stock Active magazine then email distribution@ theactivemag.com. If you would like to discuss advertising possibilities please email advertise@ theactivemag.com Active magazine is published 12 times per year on a monthly basis. ISSN 2049-8713 A Grassroots Publishing Limited company. Company registration number 7994437. VAT number 152717318

Disclaimer

Copyright (c) Grassroots Publishing Limited (GPL) 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or be stored in any retrieval system, of any nature, without prior permission from GPL. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of GPL or its affiliates. Disclaimer of Liability. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information contained in this publication at the time of going to press, GPL and its affiliates assume no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of and, to the extent permitted by law, shall not be liable for any errors or omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained in this publication.

Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of the advertising material which they submit and for ensuring the material complies with applicable laws.

GPL and its affiliates are are not responsible for any error, omission or inaccuracy in any advertisement and will not be liable for any damages arising from any use of products or services or any action or omissions taken in reliance on information or any statement contained in advertising material. Inclusion of any advertisement is not intended to endorse any view expressed, nor products or services offered nor the organisations sponsoring the advertisement.

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Contents NEWS

ISSUE 38 /// AUGUST 2015

38

12 ACTIVE LIFE

Details of Riverford Organic Farm’s open day

16-17 FIVE THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST

Great ideas for days out during the summer holidays

18-19 HEALTHY EATING

Another tasty recipe from Riverford Organic

20 DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

Stone and plaster conservator Simon Ebbs

23 COOPED UP

The chickens plot their escape

26-27 WHO’S NEW IN TOWN...

50

Focus on new businesses in the area

29 WHAT’S ON

The best local events coming up

35 MARTIN JOHNSON COLUMN

The writer recalls some of his strangest assignments

36-37 KIT BAG

Essential gear for the sporting summer

FEATURES

46

30-33 EARLY START

Get training for the winter sports

38-41 FLYING HIGH

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

42-49 HEALTH AND FITNESS

The latest on looking and feeling great

30

REGULARS 50 DOG HEALTH

More great advice to make life with your pooch easier

52-53 GREAT WALKS

Will Hetherington heads to Wing and Manton

55 SPORTSMAN’S DINNER

We try out The Saxon Crown in Corby

56-59 SCHOOL SPORT

Our focus on the latest achievements from local pupils

62-66 ROUND-UP

How clubs in the area are faring

6 AUGUS T 2015 ///

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In Play

Vulcan comes home Around 4,000 people turned up at Bruntingthorpe to see a final flypast of the last ever Avro Vulcan nuclear bomber. During its 15 year restoration, the Vulcan was based at the airfield but due to cost and lack of spares 2015 will be its final year in the air.

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JOHN ISGAR

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In Play

Bike Bonanza Mallory Park race circuit hosted thousands of enthusiasts on bikes of all shapes, sizes and ages at its Bike Bonanza recently, which gave amateurs a chance to test their machines on the track.

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JOHN ISGAR

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Activelife GREAT THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE, PEOPLE TO MEET // Edited by Mary Bremner

OUT AND ABOUT

Cave the contemporary This summer Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester is showing new work by Leicestershire contemporary artist Daniel Cave. He will be their artist in residence throughout August and his work, that makes bold use of colour, surface and sculptural materials, is well worth looking at. www.attenborougharts.com 1 2 AUGUS T 2015 ///

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Activelife

A day in the life of

NICK QUINN

General manager of St Martin’s House in Leicester

I

originally trained as a chef at Leicester College and then went to London to work and train with the Roux brothers for a year.

After that I cheffed at the merchant bank Kleinwort Benson. I then came home as I didn’t want to live in London when I started a family.

I’ve worked all over Rutland – at the Haycock in Wansford, the Old Plough in Braunston, as front of house manager at Barnsdale Lodge, then as general manager at Greetham Valley Golf Club.

Later I moved on to become the business manager at Launde Abbey working for the Diocese of Leicester.

Launde is based on a hotel model – a property with bedrooms – but aimed at religious organisations as a retreat in a beautiful parkland setting.

We carried out a major revamp with the full understanding of what a retreat house is all about – for people to explore religion, explore themselves and find some peace and tranquility in their busy lives.

But it’s somewhere anyone can visit, you don’t have to be religious. Business people often stay just to switch off for a few days, there’s no TV, phones, or wifi. I was there for three years and would say I’m inwardly religious with a business head and an ethically understanding mind.

Then I was asked to go and manage St Martin’s House which is the head office for the Leicester Diocese. The biggest change for me has been working in the city instead of rural Rutland. It’s good – the hardest part is getting in and out of Leicester at rush hour.

I now manage a building that used to be the old Leicester Grammar School and houses the Diocese HQ; conference, banqueting and events facilities for up to 200 people and six commercial tenants with 250 employees.

Below that we have our outreach centre which is a dedicated area used by different charitable groups for up to 80 people a day.

There’s the food bank, a range of different counsellors, a group called City Sanctuary that helps asylum seekers, and people who teach them English.

My favourite part of the job is dealing with so many diverse people, from the Church of England world to business people.

One minute I can be dealing with the Bishop of Leicester, the next a homeless person, then a conference organiser from Marks & Spencer.

On a typical day I normally get to Leicester for 8am, then I’ll check around the building. Apart from managing the tenants and the conference meetings I oversee the Christian resources

‘One moment I can be dealing with the Bishop of Leicester, the next a homeless person’ bookshop and look after the cathedral’s merchandise. Some days I still chef for the banqueting rooms where I might produce lunch for 120 asylum seekers – it’s a way of giving back every week.

On a Wednesday we bake cakes for a group called Sound Café who take over our grand hall for the homeless to play and listen to music and have tea and cake.

Every day is a mix of business, religion and outreach work and I love the diversity of it all.

Richard III Since the funeral of Richard III we’ve had lots of new visitors.

When I started my job Richard’s bones had been found but we didn’t know if he was going to stay in Leicester or go to York to be reinterred.

It’s a great story and has been brilliant for the

city. The best part has been the thousands of people who came to see the cathedral, the coffin and the body in repose.

Being with the public for those three days while they queued to see the body was an amazing time. About 20,000 people from all over the world came.

My role at the funeral was managing the daily events outside the cathedral and looking after royalty, VIPs and special guests like Benedict Cumberbatch.

He was there because he’s a distant relation of the king and read the poem written by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, to mark the occasion.

Richard is now buried in a tomb in the cathedral made by James Elliot, a stonemason from Market Overton.

He also made the new altar from alabaster.

And soil was put into the coffin from the site of the Battle of Bosworth. /// AUGUS T 2015

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Activelife

1 6 AUGUS T 2 0 1 5 ///

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GREEN BEAN AND POTATO SALAD WITH EGGS AND OLIVES INGREDIENTS

500g new potatoes Salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 2 eggs 100g kalamata olives 30g chervil 15g basil 15g chives 1 tbsp capers 200g French beans 1 garlic clove 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp cider vinegar Olive oil for dressing

METHOD

Give the potatoes a wash and scrub. If they are not similar sizes cut the larger ones down to match.

Fill a large pan with cold salted water. Add the bay leaf, potatoes and eggs and bring to the boil. After exactly seven minutes from the time the pan starts to boil, remove the eggs and pop them in a bowl of cold water to cool them down.

Leave the potatoes cooking until they are tender

RECIPE BOXES Riverford recipe boxes are a simple and inspiring way to cook. Every week, we deliver everything you need to make three tasty organic meals. Inside each box, you’ll find the freshest, seasonal organic produce, step-bystep recipe cards and all the ingredients in exact quantities.

The recipes are quick to cook and ideal for week nights – most are ready in under 45 minutes. Think well balanced and nutritious,

and then drain and leave to one side.

Peel the eggs when cooled. Wash the pan and put it back on to boil again.

Remove the stones from the olives with your fingers (1); you should be left with scraps of olive flesh. Discard the stones. Wash the chervil, basil and chives and shake them dry.

Soak the capers in a cup of cold water.

Remove the tops from the green beans. Fill the bowl with cold water. Blanch the beans in the boiling water for three minutes until tender, drain and plunge into the cold water to stop them cooking.

To make the dressing, pound the garlic clove with a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar. Add the mustard and vinegar (2) and mix together to make a paste. Slowly stir in 3 tbsp of oil to make a thick dressing.

Finely chop the chervil leaves and chives (3).

Drain the capers, squeeze dry and roughly chop them.

Cut the warm potatoes into a mix of slices and wedges. Mix together with the dressing, green beans, olives, capers, chopped herbs and some freshly torn basil leaves. Season if you think necessary.

Divide between two plates and top each with an egg, cut into wedges.

with a few treats thrown in. Our cooks come up with nine new recipes every week, so there is always plenty of choice.

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Activelife

OUT AND ABOUT

FIVE THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST  Visit the Bird Fair at Rutland Water.

Described as the Glastonbury of birdwatching, enthusiasts from all over the world flock to Egleton for the fair on August 21-23. The fair, now in its 27th year was the first ever bird fair and has raised more than £4 million for global conservation. Alternatively, there’s plenty of other activities to keep you busy at at Rutland Water – sun yourself on the purpose-built beach, take a trip round the reservoir on the Rutland Belle, visit the church at Normanton (pictured above), hire a bike to cycle around the perimeter or just enjoy wandering around with an ice cream taking in the peaceful surroundings. www.birdfair.org.uk  Visit the open air theatre in the beautiful grounds of Kilworth House (pictured above right).

Legally Blonde, The Musical is showing this month from August 20 to rave reviews. www.kilworthhouse.co.uk  If it’s raining during the school holidays – and we’re sure it will on at least one day – visit Elsie’s Pottery Painting Barn in Market

 Visit Bradgate Park that was first enclosed as a deer park 800 years ago.

It’s hard to believe that this 830 acre site is only six miles from the centre of Leicester. It’s an ideal place to go for a picnic and explore the dramatic rocky outcrops and ancient trees. The River Lin runs through the Lower Park and is an ideal spot to watch the deer while children can paddle in the shallows. www.bradgatepark.org Harborough. Here you can create your own pottery masterpieces and decorate them to your heart’s content.

They charge a £4 studio fee which covers glazing and firing. Free drinks and biscuits provided or you can bring your own. www.elsiespotterypaintingbarn.co.uk

 Go and pick your own fruit. Take the children and make a day of it and then come home and get the pans out to make delicious jams and chutneys. Locally there’s Whetstone Pastures Farm between Leicester and Lutterworth who have a tearoom and play barn. www.whetstonepasturesfarm.com

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Activelife GARDENING

Things are hotting up!

August is traditionally the warmest month, so take extra care to keep your garden watered August can often be the hottest month of the year so watering is vital, particularly pots and hanging baskets as they will quickly suffer if too dry.

It also isn’t a great month for the garden as many plants have now gone over and your beds can start to look tired. But there are ways to counteract this.

Remember to keep feeding pots and hanging baskets weekly to encourage more growth.

Keep cutting back and dead heading. If you remove dead heads from summer flowering blooms it will encourage fresh growth and keep them flowering into the autumn.

Perennials in herbaceous borders that have flowered and died back can now be cut back.

Prune climbing roses that do not repeat flower and cut back lavenders once they have flowered to stop them becoming leggy. Support tall plants such as dahlias, lilies and gladioli before autumn winds, that can often appear in August, do some damage.

Allotment corner It may be a quiet month in the flower garden with blooms past their best but it’s a different story on the allotment. August is the month of plenty with most things coming to fruition at this time.

There will usually be something to harvest every day including peas and beans, courgettes, tomatoes and potatoes to lift. Fruit-wise it’s abundant with berries, currants and plums. So, as well as being busy harvesting on the allotment, you’re going to be busy in the kitchen.

Freeze what you can’t eat or make jam and chutney out of any surplus.

Remember to feed your pumpkins to ensure

they’re a good size for Halloween.

Towards the end of the month, when beans and peas have finished, start clearing the allotment ready for autumn planting.

Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and kale can all be planted out this month once you have cleared

space. Remember to water them regularly if it’s dry. Plant new strawberry plants, but remember to put them in a spot that hasn’t grown strawberries for at least three years.

Remember, it’s the two Ws this month – weed and water.

NATURE

How to spot an oystercatcher The coastal Oystercatcher may seem an unusual choice for landlocked Rutland, but summer visits to the Egleton reserve are sure to be rewarded with sightings.

With its black head, breast and back and white under parts offset by a long orange bill and red legs, this is a very distinctive bird. A loud ‘kleep, kleep’ call attracts immediate attention.

Oystercatchers have bred in

increasing numbers at Rutland Water since 1977, using gravel covered islands in the lagoons.

Eight pairs bred in 2012, seven pairs fledging sixteen chicks. The nest is a shallow hollow in the gravel where up to four eggs are laid. Both sexes incubate and the young hatch after about four weeks, leaving the nest within a day. The young are fed mainly on earthworms brought by the adults

from nearby pasture. A chick ringed here in 2005 was seen at

Findern (Derbyshire) in February 2012.

Breeding Oystercatchers return to Rutland Water in late February or early March and after nesting leave for the coast in August. Birds on spring or autumn migration are regulars at Eyebrook Reservoir and have been heard calling at night as they fly over Stamford.

Occasional winter birds are seen at the reservoirs. Terry Mitcham

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21/05/2015 16:46

Activelife

LIFESTYLE

COOPED UP

Editor Steve Moody is taking up the good life and keeping chickens. Month three: the chickens try to escape

O

ne of the things that put me off chickens in the first place was all the looking after they might need. After all, if you’ve ever had rabbits or guinea pigs as a kid you might remember all that hassle with cleaning them out. And it’s recommended you clean the chicken coop out once a week, which seemed like a lot of effort.

But thanks to our Clever Chicken Coop it’s nowhere near as troublesome as I thought it would be. The design is such that the tray on which the sawdust sits just slides straight out, and because it is made of plastic the bedding and poo just sweeps into a bin bag. A quick spray with disinfectant and the job’s done – in

about as much time as it takes to read this paragraph. Brilliant.

More troublesome are Daisy, Olly and Mildred, who appear to have been hatching more than eggs: daily they seem to have a cunning new plan for escape.

On one occasion, Daisy, who is by far the most confident, tried the fairly simplistic ruse of just following very close behind me and sneaking out before I shut the gate before diving into the flowerbeds for a day out. Being fairly simplistic myself, it worked – first time at least.

Once I had foiled that scheme, they took to using the various bits of wood in the run as a springboard to get over the picket fence,

managed to prise a gap through a piece of wire fencing into next door and as far as I can work out must have fired Matilda out of a canon to get her over the fence.

So it was clear they needed their wings clipping. Not a job me or my wife fancied so we brought in a friend, Andrew, who reckoned he had the necessary skills and equipment (which turned out to be YouTube and a pair of scissors).

The chickens seemed non-plussed by the whole exercise, and were quite happy to be clipped.

Subsequently, there were no more escapes, so it obviously worked.

Although for all I know, they are secretly digging a tunnel as you read this...

SPORT

Burghley Rotary moves to Borderville Burghley Rotary Club, organisers of the Stamford Santa Fun Run and the Victorian Cricket Tournament, now has a new sporting home at Borderville Sports Centre.

Andrew Harwood, president of Burghley Rotary, said: “We feel it is important to support this new community project and we look forward to a good relationship with the site and its excellent management team.”

Paul Pepper, commercial manager of SAFC, added: “We are delighted to welcome Burghley Rotary into the Stamford AFC family. With our community links and their charitable fund raising we hope this will be a successful partnership.”

Pictured right: Paul Pepper welcomes Burghley Rotary president and Rotarians to Borderville

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Activelife

WHAT’S ON

HISTORIC HOUSES This area has some fabulous houses to visit, including Boughton, near Kettering, and Kelmarsh, near Market Harborough.

Both have beautiful gardens as well as awesome antiques and paintings. And they have very good cafes that serve delicious food. The houses are well worth a visit and have extra events on during the summer months.

KELMARSH HALL A beautiful Grade I listed country house (pictured right) built in 1732. Now in the care of a charitable trust, the house and gardens are beautiful. Visit the website to ďŹ nd out opening times. This month on Wednesdays (August 19 and 26) there is storytelling in the garden. A professional storyteller will keep all ages entertained within the walled kitchen garden with lots of tales of adventures. www.kelmarsh.com BOUGHTON HOUSE Home to the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry, the house and gardens (pictured above) are open throughout August. Renowned for its art collection that includes paintings by Van Dyck and Gainsborough. This month the house is holding an outdoor cinema weekend on August 22 and 23. www.boughtonhouse.co.uk

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Activelife

HEALTH

METABOLISM MYTHS T

here are a few big myths and misconceptions that exist around metabolism, and it’s important that before we begin debunking them, we understand just what metabolism is.

Metabolism is the entire chemical process which is going on continuously inside your body in order to keep everything functioning properly. All metabolism processes are controlled by hormones and the nervous system and influenced by your age, gender, muscle-tofat ratio, diet, physical activity and overall lifestyle.

There is always a price to pay however, and this comes in the form of calories. The amount of calories used to maintain each and every process every day is called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), and is spent as follows: - 60-70% maintaining vital functions including breathing, regulating body temperature and keeping the heart beating – this is the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

- 15-30% on our daily activities, including walking, training, commuting, etc.

- 10-15% on breaking down food and absorbing it.

Basal Metabolic Rate, daily activities and diet are therefore the key factors that affect our total daily energy expenditure.

So when it comes to metabolism, what’s true and what is false?

Myth 1: You are overweight because your metabolism is slow.

Truth: It’s actually more likely the other way around – the more weight you’re carrying, the harder your body has to work to move and to avoid heat dispersion.

As a result, the metabolism of an overweight individual generally runs faster than the metabolism of a skinnier person, so apart from some rare metabolic diseases, a lack of exercise and over-eating are more likely to be the reasons for being overweight.

Myth 2: Your metabolism slows down as you age.

Truth: Your metabolism doesn’t drop just because you’re getting old, but because your hormone levels drop and you begin losing muscle mass. However, if you keep up your

training, sleep well and eat properly, you can prevent hormone levels from falling and muscle mass from being lost.

At the end of the day, it’s not uncommon to see a 50-year-old who is fitter than someone half their age, and you can bet they have a better metabolism as well.

Myth 3: Long runs are the best form of exercise to speed up your metabolism.

Truth: Considering the fact that your body adapts in order to survive, why would someone who’s going to burn hundreds of calories each session need a higher metabolism as well? The reality is that steady-state aerobic exercises cause a temporary increase in the energy expenditure but as rebound they slow down the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

Also, strength exercises don’t burn many calories themselves but by leading the body to build functional lean tissue (anabolism) they consistently rev up the metabolism. A smart resistance-training programme is what should be at the very top of anyone’s metabolismboosting regime!

Myth 4: A high metabolism is the best health goal.

Truth: It is true that an ultra-fast metabolism allows you to eat more, recover faster, sleep less and generally live your life in a higher gear, but the downside is pretty obvious – people with faster metabolisms show signs of cellular aging faster than people with slower metabolisms and are perhaps more likely to develop diseases sooner. Scientists think this is a major reason why women, holding other factors equal, so often outlive men.

Nobody is saying you should be spending your life sat on the sofa trying to slow your metabolism down, but just try to not get obsessed by having an ultra-fast metabolism and being envious of anyone who has one – all that glitters is not gold!

Myth 5: Metabolism is genetic; you have no control over it.

Truth: You have full control over your metabolism! Here are eight great tips for doing just that: 1. Have a more active lifestyle. Walk instead of taking the bus, take the stairs instead of using

the lift, go to the shops instead of shopping online – just a few activities that can impact on your metabolism, substantially increasing your daily energy expenditure and fat-loss.

2. Modify your workout routine. Alongside cardiovascular training, focus on building muscle through big compound body weight exercises (squats, press-ups, pull-ups etc.) and strength exercises. Switch part of your steadystate aerobic workouts to HIIT protocols.

3. Sleep more. The amount of rest you get each night doesn’t only affect your mood and productivity the next day but it also affects your metabolism. Required sleep levels differ but as a general rule try not to sleep less than 6 hours per night, and ideally around 7-8 hours.

4. Improve your breathing. The way we breathe affects our metabolism since the amount of oxygen use determines how many calories we are able to burn. Make sure your breathing system is alright, learn the proper breathing basics and breathing exercises to increase metabolism.

5. Drink enough water: Proper hydration is essential to a fast metabolism, since all metabolic processes require water. The amount a person needs to drink to avoid getting dehydrated will vary depending on a range of factors, including their size, temperature and how active they are.

As a general guideline drink at least 30ml water per kg of body weight.

6. Get enough protein. It has been proven that those taking in adequate levels of protein have higher energy expenditure at rest. Make sure you get your portion of lean proteins alongside vegetables and fruit.

7. Drink caffeine and theine. A cup of coffee or green tea may give you more than just an energy boost midday. One of the benefits of caffeine and theine consumption is a short-term rise in your metabolic rate that means a temporary higher caloric expenditure. The downside is that they tend to dehydrate your body, so make sure you are drinking the right amount of water as well.

8. Spice up your meals. Spicy foods have natural chemicals that can kick your metabolism into a higher gear. Cooking foods with a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper is a good idea to boost your metabolic rate. The effect is temporary and not massive, but if you eat them often and combine with the previous tips, the results will add up.

FUSE

Understanding how your body works can help you keep fit and healthy

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Specialists in bespoke construction projects, from extensions to entire new builds as well as period property restoration. Working with a trusted team of local craftsmen to create the property of your dreams

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17/04/2015 11:15

Activelife

NUTRITION

HEALTHY SNACKS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

FOOD

Know your crop: wheat When you’re out and about do you look at a crop in the field and just call it corn as you’re not sure what it is? This month we focus on wheat.

First grown in the Middle East and Turkey over 10,000 years ago, wheat is now grown worldwide and is the third largest crop behind rice and maize.

Wheat was a key factor in the development of cities at the start of civilisation as it was the first crop that could be easily cultivated on a large scale. The Babylonian and Assyrian empires owe much of their existence to wheat. Because the plant can cope with extremes of temperature it can be grown from near the Arctic to the equator and from sea level to the plains of Tibet at approximately 13,000 feet above sea level, so it’s a very versatile, adaptable crop.

Part of most of the world population’s staple diet, wheat is Britain’s biggest crop. Because it features so heavily in the world’s

diet price fluctuations greatly affect the economy. When the price is high food prices rise and this can affect inflation rates.

It is certainly the most popular cereal grown in this area, predominantly winter wheat which is sown in the autumn. You can tell it from barley as it ripens later, so is the last cereal crop to turn golden. If you get close to it you will see that it has much larger, fatter ears (heads) than barley.

Wheat is split into two types, milling and feed. Milling wheat goes off to the mills to make flour for bread and pasta whilst feed wheat is used for animal feed.

Wheat is also used to make beer.

Both types are grown locally.

Combined later than barley, the harvesting of wheat will start towards the end of July depending on the weather and amount of sun.

Wheat straw was commonly used for thatching, and certain varieties still are today.

Fit Snack is a monthly box delivered to your door packed with delicious healthy products. It’s ideal for those in intensive training so we asked Emma Sowden (pictured), from estate agents Sowden and Wallis, to try a box as she is in training for marathon a er marathon this year (five in total, including an ultra marathon), so needs all the help she can get.

Emma said: “I used the Fit Snack range as a mixture of pre- and post-training run snacks. I liked them as when you start training, it’s very difficult to know what you need and when nutrition-wise.

“I found that ‘snacks’ were a big part of my training diet as, for me, to eat little and o en worked far better than three large meals a day.

“I loved the veggie crisps and the almond and pumpkin mix and even the Noggi protein powders were tasty, and being chocolate flavoured was a real bonus – what more could a girl ask for!

“I really liked all the snacks in the box, and it just made it so easy. But I have to confess my favourites were the protein bakery cookies and the brownie. They are filled with protein so an ideal post-run snack and the best bit was I was actually eating a cookie and it was doing me good.

“The boxes are brilliant because, rather than doing hours of research about what you should and shouldn’t eat, they’ve done it all for you. So all I had to do was concentrate on the training knowing that I was eating healthy snacks.”  To find out more about Fit Snack and to arrange delivery visit www.fitsnack.com

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Feature /// Training

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The pain starts here…

The winter sports season might seem a little way off yet, but for some these lovely summer evenings are about pushing themselves to the limit in pre-season training. By Jeremy Beswick Photography: Pip Warters OKAY, OKAY, I know it’s only August – and many of us like to moan about the encroachment of winter sports, particularly football, into the traditional domain of the cricket season, but all over our county rugby, hockey and football players have already dusted off their kit and hauled their tired muscles into pre-season training.

I remember it well, and how it got inexorably more difficult the older I became. You try to keep yourself in reasonable shape in the couple of months off with the odd light run here and there, but those extra few pints and occasional curry have taken their toll, even if you don’t know it.

Somehow having forgotten the misery of the year before, you turn up for the first training session without a care in the world thinking

“how difficult can this be?” and 20 minutes later you’re vomiting at the side of the pitch. That’s not so bad compared to the next morning, when getting out of bed and tying your shoelaces can take anything up to an hour to achieve.

So, it’s only fair we pay tribute to those bold men and women who are going through their own version of this purgatory right now – partly for the sake of our entertainment.

Perhaps the toughest pre-season to go through, because of its full contact, is rugby, not least because as well as getting fit, you have to condition your body to take the hits again. I spoke to South Leicester RFC chairman Wayne Marsden.

“We started with the senior players in the first week of July. We have to draw a balance really

between fatigue and conditioning, as many of our squad play for the County and won’t have finished until late May – that’s less than six weeks off.”

The Colts, however, were back for what Wayne called a “pre-pre” as early as mid June.

Wayne’s delighted to have recruited some big names to the coaching staff, particularly Harry Ellis “because he’s an ex South Leicester player” (as many of you will know, Harry also turned out for some less important sides such as the Tigers, England and British Lions). Newly appointed as forwards coach is another ex-Tiger, Ben Woods, and Tigers have also allowed fitness coach Ed Gannon to join South for a short period to help with their early work.

Wayne reflected how things had changed

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19/07/2015 09:37

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16/07/2015 18:57

Feature /// Training

since our playing days.

“As opposed to running up and down hills, which is most of what I remember doing, these days they do lots of ball work and drills so they gain fitness by playing. Every session is pre-planned and laid out in advance – that’s what you get with experienced coaches.”

South have recruited about a dozen new players and so will be able to field three teams every Saturday next season.

“The third team will be playing social rugby,” said Wayne “Come and give us a try if that’s what you want.”

Training is at 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and contact details can be found at www.pitchero.com/clubs/southleicester.

South were promoted to National 2 last year and Wayne expects “a massive learning curve”.

One implication of promotion is the travel involved. Broadstreet and Leicester Lions are just a hop away, but all their other away league fixtures will mean a 200 mile round trip. “We’ll look to consolidate and I’ll be happy with a mid-table finish. We’ll strengthen our squad further at Christmas if we have to,” said Wayne.

Over at the Welland Park Academy you’ll find

Market Harborough Hockey Club hard at work.

They have two men’s teams, two mixed teams and are, for the first time this season, adding a second ladies’ team to the firsts – who hold the Leicestershire County Cup and finished as runners up in the Premier Division last time around.

I spoke to first team captain Kerry Moralee: “We’re always looking to recruit new players and are obviously particularly interested to hear from ladies at the moment as we’re adding the new team.”

This new side will play in division one. Kerry went on: “We’re having some open sessions on Wednesday evenings from 6.30 – 8.00 during which we will have some coaching followed by seven or eight a-side games, depending on how many people we get. People can just turn up on the night to this or they can contact us through the website or our Facebook page. Full training also takes place on Wednesday evenings.”

Perhaps you played at school? Harborough are keen participants in the national “Back to Hockey” initiative, which you can find more details about at www.englandhockey.co.uk.

There’s also something for local youngsters, with

Harborough fielding a side in the Badgers League. Kerry stressed “We’re a friendly club.

Wherever your interests lie, whether it’s competitive or social hockey, we can accommodate you.”

All our local football clubs are also well under way with their pre-season. Just over the border in Rutland is Uppingham Town. I spoke to manager James Coughlan, who says his players seem to have behaved themselves in the close season.

“To be fair, I was surprised what good shape they were in. Our first session was for two hours in a 30 degree heat and they stood up pretty well. There was a good turn-out in terms of numbers too”.

They train twice weekly, Wednesday evenings from 6:30 and Saturday mornings at 11:00. James told me: “We are looking to recruit players at the moment. We’re very much a community club with a great atmosphere but ours is a strong and competitive league. We’ve maintained our top flight status for a good few years now and we’re a match for anyone on our day with our strongest team out.”

They’re looking for a top half finish this season. To join in, find them at www.facebook. com/pages/Uppingham-Town-Football-Club.

Whatever your sport, if you do decide to grasp the nettle then well done you. If not, as you watch our local sides throughout the coming months, spare a thought for the hours of pain and effort that’s the price for all the fun.

Not to mention the vomiting – or was that just me?

GET A SHOUT OUT FOR NEW PLAYERS! Do you need new players for the upcoming season?

Email Active before the 15th of each month and each issue we’ll pin it up on a ‘noticeboard’ in the magazine and also put it on the website, Twitter and Facebook.

Email steve@theactivemag.com and we’ll do our best to help you unearth some new local talent.

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19/07/2015 09:37

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Guest column

Olympic kissing, time travel and Formula 1 phonetics Martin Johnson recalls some of his stranger reporting assignments

W

ith the release of his new book recounting life as a sports hack, Martin Johnson picks three of his stranger assignments...

Winter Olympics I wandered over to the ice rink, where the Olympic Kissing Championships were taking place. This followed a comparatively dull affair called the ladies’ ice skating short programme, which more or less confirmed my suspicion that once you’ve seen one triple toe loop you’ve seen them all, and once it was out of the way the punters were treated to a far more compelling contest to see which of the two American girls, Michelle or Tara, would have more bouquets thrown at them.

They were then required to kiss all the flower collectors, and fall tearfully into the arms of their coaches, before retiring to a booth containing even more flowers to await the judges’ marks.

Tara got the better marks, which led to a ferocious scrum in the interview room. You wouldn’t have got a glimpse of Michael Jordan, never mind a girl who stood all of 4 foot 10 with her skates on, but you could just make out a squeaky voice somewhere behind the sea of bodies. One reporter grabbed another as he rushed to file his copy.

“What did she say?” he implored. “I gotta replay this tape recorder,” came the reply. “But it was something about being on a cloud.”

McLaren’s new car Imagine my unrestrained outpouring of joy when the office asked me to attend the launch of McLaren’s new Formula 1 car.

I was, though, slightly taken aback by the choice of venue. I’d assumed it would have been in a garage, but the launch was held at Alexandra Palace complete with ticker tape, dry ice, go-go dancers, and all-girl rock bands. All this spanned a period of three hours, with the various intervals allowing the punters the chance to wander past a large tarpaulin and wonder what might be hidden inside it?

It was the nerve jangling equivalent of waiting for those lights to go out on the starting grid, but at last the great moment arrived.

Someone pressed a button, the tarpaulin was whisked into the air, and the audience let out a collective gasp of astonishment. Followed by a spontaneous outbreak of applause.

Then the female MC – Devina – introduced the two drivers, David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen, and she quickly moved to what she described as the “big question.” Big? It was enormous. “Tell me David. Is it Coul-tard? Or Coul-thard?”

David, recognising the invaluable experience this would give him should he ever be cornered by Jeremy Paxman, put up no resistance.

He meekly pulled over like the driver of a Morris Minor spotting the new McLaren in his rear view mirror. “Coul-thard” he croaked.

Henley Regatta If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to own a time machine, albeit with the needle permanently stuck in reverse, you could do worse than spend a day or two at the Henley Regatta.

There, if you listen hard you can just pick up – above the general hubbub – conversations about the Boers kicking up in Pretoria, or Mr Gladstone addressing the House on the thorny issue of raising road tax on ponies and traps. Only the price of a Pimm’s jolts you back into the realisation.

Henley might be regarded as a quintessentially English event, but the intensity of the competition is fierce. A small group of spectators tucking into their smoked salmon were startled by an American crew whipping themselves up into a frenzy with a bonding routine that appeared to have its origins in a Sioux war dance.

“Eight of them, huddled in a circle, each held out a clenched fist, and listened, heads bowed, to their leader. “Okay guys, we’re going to win this race! We’re trained! We’re the best! A collective whoop of “Yeeeessss!”” as they all leapt about 30 feet into the air it so unnerved a lady picnicker she had to have her back thumped to retrieve the olive for her Martini.

WIN MARTIN’S BOOK!

Can I carry your bags? The Life of a Sports Hack Abroad is a hilarious new book by Martin Johnson, published by Constable (£18.99). To win a free copy, answer the following question: About which cricket team did Johnson infamously write: “There are only three things wrong with this English team - they can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t field” Was it: A) Jardine’s 1932/33 Bodyline tourists, B) Gatting’s 1986/87 squad, C) Strauss’s 2010/11 team.

Email your answer to johnsoncomp@theactivemag.com by August 31. Three winners will be picked at random.

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17/07/2015 20:58

Feature /// Gear

Kitbag

The latest kit to keep you active this summer

Giant Alpecin standard short sleeve jersey

This jersey, featuring in the Tour de France, is high performing, and takes away moisture from your skin keeping you dry. It will also keep you cool with the front and side panels for breathability. The full length zip allows you to choose your ventilation level, and you can keep all your belongings in the pockets.

Price £64.99 From www.rutlandcycling.com

Outwell Bredon Hills with side table

Striking fabric patterns and colours in totally new squares and stripes in blues, greens and pepper blacks complement the superb materials and reliable designs with a durable, powder-coated hybrid frame of steel and alloy. Foldable to small pack sizes.

Price £49.99 From www.getlostinrutland.co.uk

Kooga Leicester Tigers home jersey For 2015/16 Tigers have a new kit supplier in Kooga, and this is their first shirt. For those that want something a little less busy, there are classic versions without the green to white fade.

From www.leicestertigers.com Price £55

Sky Gingham swim short

Gagliardi embodies the timeless appeal of Savile Row but adds a distinctive Mediterranean flair and a penchant for rich colour. These swimming shorts should make you look stylish and continental whether you’re at Bourne Lido or in the Bahamas.

Price £59 From Gagliardi, Stamford

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19/07/2015 09:46

Outwell Gourmet Cooker three burner stove/grill

The stove with grill is ideal for making that all-important cup of tea and toast first thing in the morning! Also among the main features here are auto piezo ignition and separate controls for a wide range of heat control, plus windshield, lid and base.

Price £69.99 From www.getlostinrutland.co.uk

Olpro windbreaks

Every British summer holiday needs a windbreak, but these new ones with a sense of humour from www.olproshop.com are just the job for picnicking, camping or barbecuing and they’ll certainly ensure you stand out from the crowd.

Price From £29.99 From www.olproshop.com

Ted Baker Cascading Floral 4-wheel large suitcase

Want to be the most stylish holidaymaker on the airport carousel? This Ted Baker suitcase might win you the prize. Constructed from ultra-lightweight and durable makrolon polycarbonate, the suitcase features four wheels for great manoeuvrability and stability. Other features include a fetching floral print on the front panel, bespoke Ted Baker hardware and a fully lined interior with a ‘Take Flight’ bird print.

Price £295 From www.johnlewis.com

Poler Retro rucksack

Poler’s Rucksack has stood the test of time thanks to its brilliantly cra ed old school design it looks as good now as it did 30 years ago. Made from highly durable campdura fabric with leather accents, this bag will be up to the job as your trusty hiking, backpacking and camping companion.

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19/07/2015 09:46

Feature /// BBMF 75th anniversary

IN HONOUR OF THE

FEW Mary Bremner meets two local men who are privileged to be able to fly the iconic Spitfire on a daily basis Photography: Richard Paver

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DO THE HAIRS ON THE BACK of your neck stand on end when you hear the huge rumble of the Lancaster bomber approaching? And do you, like almost everyone else, stop in awe to watch as it lumbers overhead escorted by a couple of menacing looking Spitfires, and think back to what these planes and their pilots must have been through, filled with pride at what they did for our country?

Virtually everyone has the same reaction, and we are lucky in Stamford as during the summer months they frequently pass overhead either on their way to a flying display or returning to RAF Coningsby where they are based.

This year, being the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, is going to be a busy year for the flight and a very significant one as it is quite probably going to be the last big celebration when former veterans, ‘The Few,’ will still be present.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is run from RAF Coningsby and is made up of 12 aircraft including Spitfires, Hurricanes, the Lancaster and a Dakota. All the pilots are serving RAF officers who are experienced flyers with more than 2,500 hours’ flying time. All fly with the BBMF on a voluntary basis, giving up most of their weekends in the summer to take part in displays – an understanding wife and family is obviously a prerequisite. The aircrew, including engineers and navigators, are also mainly voluntary. All are stationed at RAF bases around the country including Brize Norton, Waddington, Cranwell and Coningsby.

The only permanent member of the BBMF staff is squadron leader Duncan Mason, who is the officer commanding. He is an ex-Red Arrow and Harrier pilot who has served at both RAF Cottesmore and Wittering and now lives just outside Bourne. Dunc’s job is to organise the air displays and to train the pilots to fly the iconic aeroplanes that belong to the nation.

“I look for pilots with natural flying ability when they come to try out for the flight as they will be flying a national treasure that is over 75 years old,” says Dunc. “Flying a Spitfire is very different to flying a modern fighter plane such as the Typhoon or Hawk – it’s raw flying at its best.

Every pilot wants to fly the Spitfire and it’s the reason I joined the RAF. I feel beyond privileged to have ended up being the officer commanding the BBMF, it’s my dream job.”

As the Spitfire is a single seat aircraft the first time the pilot flies it will be solo so there’s a lot of pressure and no room for error. Dunc’s job is

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PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL PRESENTS

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21/04/2015 15:54

Feature /// BBMF 75th anniversary

Clockwise from far le

Dunc Mason and Andy Millikin; Dunc in the cockpit; the two remaining airworthy Lancasters flyng over Eastbourne; old and new – a Typhoon flies alongside a Spitfire

‘THE SPITFIRE IS BEAUTIFUL TO FLY. IT’S A FANTASTIC PLANE THAT LOOKS LOVELY AND MAKES A GREAT SOUND’ to make sure that the pilots are up to the job. He has many applying to join the flight as they all want to experience the thrill of flying the old planes.

When Dunc isn’t flying he’s cycling and often rides to work and back, which is 32 miles each way. It takes him just over an hour and a half and keeps him in training for the many challenges he sets himself. He cycled 400 miles in four days for a charity ride in 2011, from Land’s End to John O’Groats and the following year changed to a mountain bike for a coast to coast off road challenge. Last year he cycled up Mont Ventoux in France – all 6,000 feet. He didn’t just do it once but three times in a day!

This year he hasn’t set himself a challenge as, as well as organising extra events to commemorate the 75th anniversary, he is also leaving the BBMF as his tenure has come to an end. But before he leaves he will be organising numerous flypasts starting with one over London and culminating with a flight over Westminster Abbey on September 21 where a commemoration service will be held, attended by members of the royal family and war veterans.

In October, at the end of the flying season,

RICHARD PAVER

Dunc will move on to another job within the RAF and squadron leader Andy ‘Milli’ Millikin will take over as officer commanding.

Milli is currently a Typhoon pilot based at Coningsby who has seen active service over Iraq and most recently in Libya. He is perhaps one of the pilots who can relate best to ‘The Few’ who fought during WWII as he is involved in ‘quick reaction alert’ duties. This means that about once a month he spends 24 hours on standby with a Typhoon armed and ready to go if the call comes. And don’t think it doesn’t happen – Typhoons are routinely launched to defend the UK’s skies.

“I am really doing exactly the same job as the pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain. The RAF is here to secure the skies. It was doing it 75 years ago and is still doing it now,” he said.

“The BBMF flight is run just like a modern day front line unit within the RAF but with planes that saw active service 75 years ago.”

Milli is a third-generation pilot from his family – grandfather, father and brother all being pilots – and attended Stamford School as a boarder. He has been based in this area for many years and now lives just outside Bourne so classes himself as a local. He’s very much looking forward to taking over command at the BBMF: “The Spitfire is beautiful to fly. It’s a fantastic plane that looks lovely and makes a great sound. It’s a huge responsibility to be in charge of such national treasures, but one I shall relish.”

So next time the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the planes fly over, spare a thought for ‘The Few’ who did so much for the country and, who knows, it’s quite likely to be Dunc or Milli flying so give them a wave.

To find out more about the BBMF displays or to visit the BBMF visitor centre at Coningsby go to www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf

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ActiveFit

MARIDAV

EXPERT ADVICE ON GETTING, AND KEEPING, IN GREAT SHAPE

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE ‘RUNCH BREAK’

Fitting a run in to your working day might seem impossible, but if you follow our top tips, it is possible.

Be prepared

Plan your working day of meetings and calls so nothing eats into your lunch hour If you don’t have showers at work, why not join a local gym or club and use that as your base?

Leave your kit at work from Monday to Friday and make lunch before you leave for work to save time.

Warm up at your desk!

Don’t waste valuable time: use the hour before lunch to warm up and stretch. Run up or down the stairs, stretch calves, raise and lower your heels and tap your toes at your desk; do a few shoulder rolls, gentle twists and neck bends so you’re ready to go as soon as you’re changed.

When to run

Every day would be great, but that may not be possible. If not, Monday Wednesday and Friday gives you a recovery day between each session. Add in a long run at the weekend and you’ll be getting plenty of exercise.

The ultimate Runch Break runner Nathan Still set himself a fundraising challenge – to run at least three miles a day, every day, for a year with no days off, no matter what.

Last year Nathan Still, who works for Junction, local insurance group giant BGL Group’s partnership brand, visited Zambia to see a primary school which was funded by the firm. Since that trip keen runner Nathan continued to support the school on a personal level and in his own style.

He said: “To say it has been challenging is a true understatement. Generally fitting the running in has been the hardest thing. Anyone that says they don’t have time to keep fit needs to think again!”

Over the 365 day period Nathan covered 1,234 miles, spending seven days 12 hours 54 mins and 28 seconds pounding the streets. In that time he burnt just under 150,000 calories (over three stone) and his

total height ascended was more than twice the height of Everest.

However his efforts have certainly been worthwhile as he has raised over £4,000, including £1,000 of match funding from BGL, to put a volunteer teacher through his teaching qualifications.

The challenge saw Nathan run in various locations, not only in the UK but also around the world, with the support of friends, family and colleagues.

“Some of my favourite runs have been across the bridges of New York and in the mountains and marshlands of Spain. The runs around the industrial estates of Peterborough have not been quite as picturesque, but have been made a lot more bearable by the many people at BGL that have joined me along the way.”

“There is a great sense of achievement but I am looking forward to a rest!”

Who to run with

You’ll perform better if you can find somebody at work to buddy up with and push you harder.

What to run

You don’t want to be running so hard for so long that you come back to work a gibbering, exhausted wreck, but you want it to do you some good.

So try and vary your pace, with a slow warm-up of about 10 minutes followed by a very high intensity period of five minutes, then a really gentle warm down. Depending on how much time you have, try and repeat this process two or three times. Obviously, if there’s a hill or two you can sprint up for a short, high intensity burn, then even better.

But there’s always space for a gentle jog in the working day too. If you got a place you just like to cruise along listening to music, then it’s a great way to distress and think about what you need to achieve that afternoon

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Health & Wellness EVERYTHING A WOMAN NEEDS TO BE FIT, HEALTHY AND FANTASTIC

// Edited by Sandie Hurford

GET THE KIDS OUTDOORS: Campaign aims to tackle childhood obesity The World Health Organisation says nearly a quarter of British children under the age of five now fall into the overweight/obese category.

Meanwhile, the National Wildlife Federation reveals that children are spending 50% more time indoors than 30 years ago, and 28 hours a week looking at screens.

Research commissioned by a children’s outdoor clothing brand, in partnership with Your Baby Club, found that 65% of respondents felt more should be done to get children outdoors and 19% feared their children spent too much time watching TV and on technology.

Natasha Ascott, a mum of three, entrepreneur and managing director of the clothing business Muddy Puddles, is spearheading a “Get Outdoors” campaign. The aim is to get children active and healthy by encouraging parents to send their children out to the park rather than plugging them into an iPad. It also wants to encourage this culture to spread through nurseries and schools in the form of outdoor education. Maths lessons can be about estimating the number of leaves on a tree, not just the number of dots on a piece of paper.

Alongside other businesses that are turning their focus to this issue, such as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and the National Trust’s 50 Things to Do before you are 11 and ¾ campaign, Muddy Puddles is aiming to inspire families to Get Outdoors by becoming a publisher with purpose.

They are creating a Muddy Days blog full of ideas for what to do outdoors, expanding their calendar of free outdoor events and building partnerships with like-minded businesses. The team aspire to remind families that the greatest childhood memories are of climbing trees and rolling down hills or marching through the rain singing songs.

The team at Muddy Puddles passionately believe in the words of the great outdoor educationalist, David Polis, when he said: “Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the mountains and the stars up above. Let them look at the beauty of the waters and the trees and flowers on earth. They will then begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education.”

“If we can change British culture to be in line with Polis’ words, then it will lead to the next generation of children with healthier bodies, better concentration and bigger imaginations,” added Natasha.

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GET THE KIDS OUTDOORS: Dogs aren’t just for fun – they can bring major health benefits too Want to live a longer, healthier life? Get a dog!

That’s the message from health psychologist David Moxon.

Recent research shows that children who grow up in households with a dog are less likely to develop eczema, a common childhood skin allergy. Also, there is some evidence that children from a ‘doggy’ home may develop more robust immune systems generally. The theory that possibly underlies these findings is that dogs carry dirt and therefore by exposing infants and children to this at an early age, their immune systems become stimulated, enabling them to fight pathogens more effectively.

Taking this line of argument a stage further, researchers at Stanford University in the US found that owning a pet could reduce the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a form of lymphatic cancer) by nearly a third. Again their explanation is that ‘it is possible it’s related to altered immune functioning’. Our modern obsession with sterile living could partly be to

blame and having a ‘dirty’ dog around the house could potentially reduce the risk.

What about the apparently obvious argument that dog owners do more walking and this must be good for their hearts and cardio-vascular systems? Owners do enjoy such benefits, but it might not be due to just the walking.

Studies have shown that pet ownership generally reduces owners’ blood pressure in stressful situations compared to non-dog/cat owners. Further research has concluded that heart attack patients are significantly less likely to die within a year of having an attack than those who are not dog owners. So it seems that there are both direct and indirect benefits of being a dog owner where the cardio-vascular system is concerned.

What about the psychological benefits? Taking your dog for a walk not only provides your daily exercise - it also provides a source of social interaction. A dog becomes a ‘mobile common point of interest’, an ice-breaker to allow you to

seamlessly start interacting with others. Dogs help ease people out of social isolation or shyness, suggests Nadine Kaslow, professor of psychiatry and social sciences at Emory University, USA. Also, child psychologist Robert Bierer points out that children who experience caring for a dog have higher levels of empathy and self-esteem compared to children without pet dogs.

According to a review in the British Medical Journal, dogs act as ‘social catalysts’. It is suggested that dogs offer ‘intrinsic’ support such as shared pleasures in recreation, relaxation and uncensored spontaneity - all of which add up to good quality of life. It appears to be the day-to-day positive mental health benefits that dogs can provide which could be the connection between dog ownership and human health outcomes.

Having a dog around can provide its owner with a sense of being needed and the fact that dogs provide unconditional love can amplify these psychological benefits, especially for those who live alone or feel lonely.

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// Active Fit

You can do a half-marathon Part one of our fun, easy 12-week training guide on how to train for half-marathons such as Perkins Great Eastern Run. By Claire Maxted Part 1 – Get yourself to 5k

Fitter, healthier, happier, with a proud memory that lasts a lifetime – that’s you hitting the finish line of the Perkins Great Eastern Run (PGER) in Peterborough this October. Half marathons are a great way to get into long distance running and it’s easier than you think to whip yourself into shape for the Peterborough event (21.1k/13mile) if you follow our three-part, 12-week plan from local personal trainer Jon Sheehan.

Start today with Jon’s simple 5k plan; next month it’s 10k, then the full 21k. Get your running shoes on and off you go!

Fuel up right

You don’t need to eat during the runs on this plan, run one-and-a-half to two hours after meals and drink plenty to avoid thirst all day. Distracted by pre-run hunger pangs? Scoff a handful of raisins for a healthy, energy-boosting snack.

Kit yourself out

Biggest mistake!

Avoid injury

Cross-training ideas

Treat yourself to new, feel-good running kit for extra motivation. All you need is a t-shirt or vest, pair of shorts, trainers and, for the ladies, a sports bra. With trainers, pick the comfiest pair.

Warm up: five minutes gentle jog, two x10 of each - high knees, butt kicks, fast walk with arms circling, skipping and bounding.

Cool down: five minutes slow jog then stretch quads, hamstrings, calfs, back and arms.

Stay motivated!

Write your goal on your calendar - Perkins Great Eastern Run, Sun 11 October – then all the reasons why you want to do it. Read this when you don’t feel like running and BOOM! - you’ll want to run.

The absolute biggest mistake beginners make is thinking you must go faster. Go steady! The secret to enjoyable running, or jogging, is to slow down so you have fun and want to do it more often.

Try cycling, swimming, yoga and Jon Sheehan and Vicky Player’s fun, sociable classes at Stamford Endowed Schools’ sports hall. Circuits Mon 7-8pm, Boxercise Wed 7:15-8pm and The Weekender strength and conditioning Sat 8-9am. All levels welcome, pay on the day or book at www.mojobootcampstamford.co.uk.

Claire Maxted is the editor of Trail Running magazine www.trailrunningmag.co.uk

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

TRAINING SCHEDULE WEEK 1

Day 1: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 2: Run 10 minutes, walk 1 min – repeat twice Day 3: Rest Day 4: Run 12 minutes, walk 1 min – repeat twice Day 5: Rest Day 6: Run 13 minutes, walk 1 min – repeat twice Day 7: Rest

WEEK 2

Day 1: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 2: Run 15 minutes, walk 1 min repeat twice Day 3: Rest Day 4: Run 17 minutes, walk 1 min, run 7 min Day 5: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 6: Run 19 minutes, walk 1 min, run 7 min Day 7: Rest

WEEK 3

Day 1: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 2: Run 20 minutes, walk 1 min, run 6 min Day 3: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 4: Run 24 minutes Day 5: Rest Day 6: Run 26 minutes Day 7: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins

WEEK 4

Day 1: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 2: Run 28 minutes Day 3: Rest or cross-train 20-30mins Day 4: Run 30 minutes Day 5: Rest Day 6: 5k parkrun or a 5k race!

Day 7: Rest, pick up Active for your 10k plan

Stamford and Rutland runners at the Perkins Great Eastern Run EXPERT MAGGIE SKINNER, 35

INTERMEDIATE MARK ANDERSON, 40

BEGINNER PAULA STENSON, 44

It’s hard fitting in my weekly six runs, two swims and three bike rides (I do triathlon too) with a six-month old baby, but sport’s a great stress reliever. I started running eight years ago after retiring as a professional dancer and I’m aiming for 1hr 28min at PGER to get a championship qualification for the London Marathon in 2016.

The hardest part about my training has been having to rest frequently after surgery over the last six years. I’m aiming to beat my personal best of 1hr 33min at PGER so if I can do it, anyone can. I love the freedom of running, and that feeling of tiredness walking upstairs the next day – you know you’ve worked hard!

Losing my mum to a heart attack in January 2014 gave me the impetus to don my running shoes. My exercise routine was non-existent so now I love the feeling of achievement after running, exploring the countryside, and eating cake without feeling guilty! I just hope to complete the PGER, my first half - 2hrs 30mins?

Top tip: You get enormous satisfaction from running whatever your age, level, shape or size – there will always be someone quicker or slower than you.

Top tip: Enter races to push yourself, and get a decent pair of socks, they’re just as important as shoes.

Top tip: Many say, “Oh no I couldn’t do that, I’m not built to be a runner,” but give it a try, you might surprise yourself.

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// Active Fit

HEAD CASE Concussion has been a misunderstood issue in sport, but high-profile cases mean that even at club and junior level there needs to be greater awareness.

By Max Hartman

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COMSTOCK

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

CONCUSSION IS THE BIGGEST BUZZWORD in sport right now and rightly so. More people than ever are suffering the ill effects of head injury acquired on the field and with court cases in the US ending with hundreds of millions of dollars being paid out to retired professional athletes, there is clearly an issue in the identification and management of head injuries.

A concussion is caused by trauma to the brain resulting from a direct impact to the head, or sudden acceleration/deceleration of the head, causing a movement of the brain within the skull.

Symptoms can include, but are not limited to, loss of consciousness, confusion, aggression, loss of co-ordination, as well as sickness, nausea and vomiting. As with any injury, concussions can range from mild, to moderate, and severe, with symptoms changing accordingly.

Part of the issue with concussions, especially at grass roots level and in youth sports, is that they are incredibly difficult to identify and manage as symptoms may only present themselves hours after the incident.

Furthermore, as diagnosis can rely on players reporting symptoms to the team doctor, physiotherapist, coach, or a parent, and the pressure to play on ‘for the team’ can often get the better of an athlete and lead them to continue play.

All of this combined with a chronic lack of medically trained professionals working with youth and grass roots teams, identification of concussion is poor at best and players will often stay on the pitch following what is essentially a traumatic injury to the brain.

Over time if the brain is not given sufficient time to heal, changes to the structure of the brain occur and the brain becomes unable to function adequately. In the short term, consequences can be dire, and a second impact to the head following a concussive episode can result in what is known as second impact syndrome: a cascade of chemicals within the brain known as neurotransmitters causes a rapid decrease in brain function, which in the most severe cases can be fatal.

What can you do?

The biggest factor is education: many young players do not realise when they have actually been concussed.

Seeing stars, having their ‘bell rung’, wobbly legs, or even a simple headache can all point toward a concussion, yet many young players and parents will brush these off as a simple bump.

If we can educate athletes as to the risks of concussion and help them to communicate to coaches and parents how they are feeling following a head impact, it is easy to remove the individual from play until it is safe for them to continue.

In an ideal world, all players should be tested during preseason using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT test) to establish a baseline of cognitive function and short, mid, and long term memory.

A trained professional such as a doctor, physiotherapist, or sports therapist can easily carry out this test in a few minutes and moving forward, once a player has been identified as possibly having a concussion, the player can be tested again to ensure that the brain is functioning well enough to rule out concussion.

If on the other hand the player is found to have a confirmed concussion, a graduated return to play should be followed consisting of daily progressions from low intensity jogging, progressing to higher intensity running and building in sport specific skill training.

Once this has been completed with no recurrence of symptoms and a SCAT test shows full cognitive function, a player can return to activity with the full knowledge that it is safe to do so.

For more information

For information regarding how to safely return to play, or for a full SCAT assessment, contact Function Jigsaw to speak to one of its professionals about how you can manage concussion in the safest way possible. @functionjigsaw, info@functionjigsaw.co.uk, www.functionjigsaw.co.uk

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Feature /// Dog Health

HOME ALONE

Learning to be left alone is an essential life skill for dogs. Over the next two months, Bobs Broadbent explains how to teach it

Part 1: Developing positive associations with being left

KIM_YOUNG

Why do some dogs become anxious when left alone while others learn to cope well?

Dogs are social animals and like to be part of a group. They enjoy the company of their own kind but happily latch onto human affections to replace canine bonds – that’s what makes them such good pets. Being part of a social group is not just something they enjoy, it’s a vital element of their wellbeing and without it they feel bereft.

For dogs to be content when left alone they need to develop a strength of mind, so they can find comfort in the knowledge that they will be reunited soon enough.

Some dogs are genetically prone to becoming anxious while others will develop fears and phobias due to unhappy experiences. We can learn from the behaviour that these dogs demonstrate and use this as early warning signals to possible future attachment problems.

For example, dogs that constantly follow owners from room to room, unable to settle when their owner moves around the home or dogs that repetitively instigate petting by leaning into their owner to encourage them to stroke them are likely to have issues with being left. The onset of this kind of reassurance-seeking behaviour needs to be handled carefully because being oversympathetic to it can potentially make the situation worse.

Similarly, if a dog is never left alone they can’t be expected to learn how to cope and any isolation will become a much greater ordeal for them. Indeed, our own behaviour can be at the core of an over-attachment problem and when identified, this requires tackling along with teaching the dog that being left is nothing to be feared.

All dogs need to learn that it’s okay to be separated from their owner while staying in a familiar place for a period of time and to enable them to do so will make a positive lifelong impact on them. Nurturing an independent dog that is happy and confident even when alone starts by developing positive experiences to being left.

From a young age in puppyhood help your dog to develop positive associations with being left alone so that something special happens that makes your dog feel good about your departure.

The best form is by offering a distraction that becomes a fun game that they look forward to.

There will need to be some preparation on your part to create your dog’s liking for occupying themselves, by playing with toys, chomping on chews or learning how to use a interactive food toy, such as a Kong product, (which once they can use well, can potentially keep them busy for 10-15 minutes and more).

Begin by leaving your dog for lots of short

sessions of less than a few minutes, putting out favourite items (play and food toys). Refrain from giving these things freely throughout the day, saving them for this training, so that the appeal is higher.

Hopefully your dog is still actively involved with the distraction when you return. Several successes will teach him that it’s okay when you leave because it’s the start of something rewarding for him, plus you always come back.

Gradually build up the time you leave to a 30-minute session. If you can achieve this and your dog is settled when you return, you can be fairly sure that they will continue to be relaxed, even when left for longer.

You can further this by hiding the toys and treats before you go, then give your dog the cue to find them, so that they are searching out the rewards and extending both the time they are active as well as the fun they are having!

Avoid the ‘follow-my-leader’ game. Dogs that act like ‘Velcro’ and follow you everywhere are likely to find it most difficult when left alone and this needs to be redirected. Use the same distraction technique as above but simply walk out of the room into another and begin by returning almost straightaway and remain a little aloof towards your dog, then extend the time and distance gradually.

Place high-value, long lasting chews or a favourite toy on the ground or scatter a trail of kibble back into the room you are leaving. The toys and treats will need to be motivating for your dog. When you find the right rewards, this will break the action of your dog automatically following you and gradually you can extend their ability to cope when left alone using the method above. (More ingrained problems will need the help of a skilled dog behaviourist).

If you have a puppy or young dog, make time to include this into your daily training plan and next month we share four essential tips so you can understand how well your dog copes when left alone and what you can do to improve their experience.

If you are encountering any problems, such difficulties tend to worsen rather than improve on their own, and therefore it’s recommended you seek the help of a qualified Dog Behaviourist at www.apbc.org.uk.

Bobs Broadbent is the founder of Dogknows (dogknows.co.uk). You can join her on Facebook or Twitter

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Official fuel consumption figures for Abarth range mpg (l/100km): Combined 45.6 (6.2) – 48.7 (5.8), Urban 34.4 (8.2) – 37.2 (7.6), Extra urban 55.4 (5.1) – 60.1 (4.7), CO2 Emissions: 145 – 134 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained for comparative purposes in accordance with EC directives/ regulations and may not be representative of real-life driving conditions. Factors such as driving style, weather and road conditions may also have a significant effect on fuel consumption. Abarth UK is a trading style of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles UK Ltd. The New Abarth 595 Competizione range starts from £19,890 OTR. Model shown is an Abarth 595 Competizione 1.4 T-Jet 180 hp at £22,110 OTR with Cordolo Red Tri-Coat Metallic Paint at £660, 17" Formula – Matt Black Finish Alloy Wheels at £190, Black Stripe and Door Mirrors at £170 & Abarth Corsa Front Seats by Sabelt in Leather/Alcantara at £1200.

Feature /// Great walks

Foxton Locks

One of the area’s tourist traps also offers some picturesque walking country alongside the Grand Union Canal, as Will Hetherington discovers Photography: Will Hetherington

Difficulty rating (out of five)

THE ROUTE

You can park in the main car park at the locks and start and finish there but I parked in Foxton village and took the footpath from the cemetery at the southern edge of the village. It seemed slightly more adventurous than joining the hoards in the tourist car park. The footpath from the cemetery to the locks only takes five minutes so you will be quickly immersed in day-tripper territory.

Dogs must be kept on leads all around the locks area so I quickly made my way through, stopping briefly to admire the 200-year-old system of 10 locks which enables the Grand Union Canal to go uphill. It’s an impressive sight and is worth going to see, but there is good walking here too so I pressed on westwards.

The path crosses a cattle field immediately after the locks and then crosses a country lane before another brief traverse of a sheep field.

After this turn left along the stunning lane and stay on it for 100 yards before taking the right turn. Take another right turn very shortly after entering this field and walk up the hill towards Gumley at the top.

When you get to the top of the hill pass through the bottom edge of the horse paddock and follow the path to the road which runs through the village. The path continues almost directly across the road and soon drops downhill. At the first junction take the right hand option and follow the path back across a couple of flat pasture fields. You will then come to a modern footbridge back over the Grand Union Canal. If it’s a hot day your dog may want to take a dip here on the far side of the bridge but be careful because it’s not that easy to get out.

From here I followed the towpath back through the locks area passing the extremely popular Foxton Locks Inn. And then I carried on back into

Foxton village. But you can take a path straight from the footbridge which bypasses the locks and goes into the village.

Clockwise, from above

A beautiful English country lane, but where’s Mr Toad?; Foxton Locks is a popular tourist attraction; The Foxton Locks Inn sits at the heart of the locks and draws the crowds on a sunny day; this walk goes through Gumley village, sitting pretty on top of a hill to the west of Foxton; the locks form a junction of the Grand Union Canal.

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Where to park You can park at Foxton Locks but I chose to park in Foxton village and walk down to the locks from the cemetery.

Distance and time Two and three quarter miles/one hour.

Highlights The 200-year-old engineering masterpiece that is Foxton Locks. Green and pleasant country lanes and the chance for a very pleasant drink watching the canal boats going through the locks.

Lowlights This is a lovely walk but it’s not tremendously dog friendly, with cattle, sheep and the ‘dogs on leads’ policy around the locks.

Refreshments The Foxton Locks Inn, the Black Horse and the Shoulder of Mutton.

The pooch perspective Not brilliant: cattle, sheep and tourists aren’t the perfect combination for a great dog walk but as long as you have control then you will be fine.

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.

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Corporate Architecture Ltd

office@corporatearchitecture.co.uk www.corporatearchitecture.co.uk

The Saxon Crown, JD Wetherspoon Food served from 7am to 11pm each day with deals and offers available daily Enjoy JDW’s recognisable quality in a great town centre location

Sample our fantastic menu including gourmet burgers, 35 day aged steaks and under 500 calorie lighter options, craft beers and lagers, cask marque accredited traditional ales and international spirits

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The Saxon Crown 100 Elizabeth Street, Corby Northamptonshire, NN17 1PF Tel: 01536 203 762

16/07/2015 18:56

Feature /// Sportsman's Dinner

The Saxon Crown, Corby Kate and Tim are impressed with the value and food at this JD Wetherspoon pub Kate I have to confess I’ve never eaten in a Wetherspoon’s pub before so I’m not sure what to expect. The place is buzzing so I’ve obviously been missing out on something. There are loads of people here tonight and it’s only a Tuesday.

Tim That’s probably because it’s Steak Club night. Monday is Mexican night, there’s chicken on Wednesdays, curry night on Thursdays and fish on Fridays. If I choose a mixed grill then I can have a pint of Thatcher’s Gold cider for £6.25 altogether. You can’t get better value than that.

Kate I’m sure, but I can see you have your eye on the bottled ciders in the fridge. Go on, push the boat out – have a bottle of Orchard Pig Truffler from Somerset. Or you could try one of their ten draught beers – they’ve even got a local one from Oakham Ales. As for me I could choose one of the gins from the gin palace or a cocktail but I think I’ll stick to my favourite tipple and go for a glass of sauvignon blanc – although I seem to have chosen the most expensive wine on the menu with the Villa Maria.

Tim That sounds about right for you! We could have chosen two steaks and a bottle of wine for £14.99 depending on the cut and all steaks are matured for 35 days.

Kate I cooked steak last night and we all know you shouldn’t eat too much red meat so I’m going for the sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry with pilau rice, naan bread, mango chutney and poppadums. Doesn’t that tempt you? Or are you going to stick with your meat feast of gammon, pork loin, rump steak, lamb and sausage?

Tim What do you think? It’s a great choice. The steak is really tender and the lamb is tasty too. We could have chosen something off the Scottish menu like the Macsween handmade haggis or the highland haggis burger with whisky sauce. Each Wetherspoon pub likes to capture something of the local area so there are plenty of Scottish touches including the tartan carpet. It’s also good fun watching the chefs at work in their open plan kitchen. They make cooking look easy.

Kate I know, they’ve kitted out the place beautifully. It’s all copper utensils, wood and gleaming glass doors. And I like the way the dining area is separated from the bar. This used to be the toy department in the old Co-Op building – I used to spend many an hour in here – but you wouldn’t know it now. Apparently the two massive conker trees in the garden were brought in from elsewhere – now they’re thriving and decked out with fairy lights. I bet in the evening

there’s a great atmosphere. Especially if you’re lucky enough to bag a space on the grass sofa.

Tim The one thing I’m not so keen on is being told how many calories are in each meal. I’d rather not know. It seems I’ve consumed 924 calories with my mixed grill but you’ve not eaten your poppadums so you can happily order a pudding. Or we could share?

Kate My vegetarian curry was absolutely delicious and you’re right, I could manage a pudding so let’s try Eli’s salted caramel cheesecake with vanilla ice cream. Salted caramel is sold everywhere at the moment and now I can see what all the fuss is about – the salt takes any cloying sweetness away. I’ll have an espresso and then I’m done. There are 12 bedrooms here so if you’ve overindulged you could just roll upstairs.

It’s been a real eye-opener and I’ll definitely come again, and bring the children too. It’s great value for money, so instead of them eating us out of house and home, we should bring them here.

The Saxon Crown Elizabeth Street, Corby. 01536 203672. www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk

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Feature /// Kids and schools

Looking for something fun and active to do this summer?

It can always be difficult to find something to entertain the kids with over the long summer holiday, especially if the weather is variable.

But Leicestershire and Rutland Sport has a brilliant website with a number of suggestions for things to do. You can search by area, type of activity, and distance from your home.

Observation and Analysis, working with mixed abilities such as Back to Netball and Juniors.

SPORTSFEST Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015, 11:00 - 17:00 Venue: Humberstone Gate West, Gallowtree Gate and Clock Tower, Leicester Open to all ages and abilities - Free entry!

GREAT BRITISH TENNIS WEEKEND Date: Sat, 01 Aug 2015 - Sun, 02 Aug 2015 Venue: Across Leicester-Shire & Rutland Thousands of free events will be taking place across the country for the whole family.

CYCLING: SKY RIDE LEICESTER Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 Venue: Leicester Join Sky Ride for a fantastic traffic-free bike ride in Leicester this August.

VICTORIA PENDLETON ACTIVE GIRLS CAMP Date: Mon, 03 Aug 2015 Venue: Loughborough University The five day camps are aimed at girls aged 8 to 14, and will include a range of sporting and fitness activities.

Rock n Maul 2015 - Combining music and rugby in one amazing event as part of the ‘Festival of Rugby’.

ROCK AND MAUL RUGBY FESTIVAL Date: Sat, 08 Aug 2015, 10:00 Venue: Coalville RFC, The Memorial Ground, LE67

NETBALL COACH DEVELOPMENT DAY Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015, 10:00 - 15:00 Venue: Soar Valley College, Leicester The emphasis of the day will be built round

All of the local districts and boroughs, as well as a number of other providers across Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland, are endeavouring to bring this amazing summer of sport home - offering a range of exciting activities, sessions, camps, courses and clubs, to keep everyone active over the summer holiday.  To find out more details of these events, and to find more activities going in Market Harborough, Wigston, Leicester and surrounding areas, visit www. lrsport.org/holidayprogrammes

Grammar girls on Holland hockey tour Leicester Grammar School U13 Girl’s hockey squad left for Holland on tour recently, spending the first day travelling there by bus and ferry.

After a day and a half of training and fun, they had their first match against SV Kampong U13 girls.

They knew the opposition would be very tough with their club being one of the best in Europe.

Although they showed great progress and teamwork which improved throughout the game, unfortunately, they lost with the final score being 11-0.

Thursday started off with another morning training session while in the afternoon they played Amsterdam Hockey Club, who were another strong team.

Everyone had improved huge amounts and Emma Richards even managed to score!

The whole team put in lots of effort although the final score was 5-1.

Well done to Holly Coulson who was awarded most improved player through the tour, and Felicity Wheeler, who was named player of the tour.

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IAPS national finals success Oakham School’s youngest athletes had an incredibly successful day at the IAPS National Athletics Finals at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, bringing home seven medals and setting six new school records.

Four of the pupils who competed (all aged 10 to 14) achieved gold medals, including superstar runner Helen Braybrook, who ran the U13 Girls 1500m in just under 5 minutes, having smashed the county record for the U13 Girls 1200m the week before at the Leicester and Rutland Schools Track and Field County Championships. The athletes also won a silver medal and two bronze medals.

Ten Oakham School pupils qualified for the national finals, an amazing achievement considering that a total of 50 schools competed at the regional finals in Bedford.

Athletes get advice from national coach Oakham School’s top javelin throwers had an intensive training session with David Parker, national coach mentor javelin throw and combined events for England Athletics.

David spent two hours introducing new drills and imparting his extensive knowledge as a former National Champion and Junior World Champion.

The School’s javelin throwers have enjoyed considerable success this season, culminating in three medal wins at the Leicestershire and Rutland County Championships for Daniel Sharman (Gold, U19 Boys), Flora England (Silver, U17 Girls) and Luke Taylor (Bronze, U15 Boys). /// AU G U S T 2 0 1 5 5 7

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Glen Eden (142)_Layout 1 19/03/2014 08:37 Page 1

Oakham Swim School

JUNIOR SWIMMING LESSONS Church Langton CE (Aided) Primary School Looking for your child’s first school or relocating? Why not come to see the amazing opportunities we could offer your child.

www.oakham.rutland.sch.uk/swimschool If you would like more Information or would like to organise a tour on a separate date please contact

01858 545237

Children ages 4 – 16 • Small class sizes • ASA National Framework for Swimming Lessons • Join at any time and move according to child’s progression • First class free • Lessons from £6 per lesson •

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Feature /// Kids and schools

Are your kids active enough?

The NHS Change4life programme has some great tips on its website for things to do with kids, as well as advice on their health and fitness.

Active kids are happy kids - they like to be running around and having fun. In fact, kids aged five to 16 need to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity that gets their heart beating faster than usual.

And they need to do it every day to burn off calories and prevent them storing up excess fat in the body which can lead to cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It also keeps their bones healthy and encourages muscle strength and flexibility.

WHY NOT INTRODUCE A KIDS’ WEEKLY ACTIVITY PLANNER? Taking control of your busy week ahead is a great way to reduce stress, get more things done, and introduce more activities which help your family to be healthier.

Try making activity part of your every day routine. If you have to go to shops for instance, try walking instead of going by car. It’s good for your health and better for the environment too.

Why not create a weekly planner like the example below and fill in things you’d like to do

with your family in the week ahead. Visits to the park, the supermarket or friends house are all good examples.

Try getting into the habit of planning your week every week.

If you’re stuck for ideas just have another look at all the suggestions on this site, or if you get them, the packs that come through the post.

CHANGE4LIFE’S PARENTING TOP 5 TIPS 1. Encourage kids to solve problems themselves – it will get their brains working so you don’t have to come up with all the ideas.

2. Let them take the lead – some kids like energetic play, others were born to perform or make things.

3. Join in with make-believe games – your kids will love it and you’ll have fun too.

4. Don’t get too over-protective – if the worst that can happen is a bump or scrape, let children take part and they’ll learn about risk.

5. Get outdoors when you can – playing outside lets kids be more active – and if they get dirty, well that’s what baths and washing machines are for.

ones they like best are often full of fat, sugar and salt.

Don’t try and cut out the kids’ favourite snacks all at once - just ease them, and yourself, in gently. Here are a few simple tips to start you off which they probably won’t even notice.

Two snacks Max: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Mums, don’t feel guilty if the kids complain - blame “Max”!

Keep count: keep an eye on the number of snacks you eat and you’re more likely to cut down - which is good for your kids and for your purse too.

Chop up the choc: cut up regular-sized chocolate bars and give them a little piece instead of a whole bar. They still get the taste but not nearly so much fat and sugar. Or use the mini, sweet-sized chocolates instead and just let them have one.

Thirsty instead? If your kids ask for more snacks after you think they’ve had enough they may be thirsty instead of hungry. Try offering them water or low fat milk (skimmed, semiskimmed or 1%, as long as they are aged over five) instead.

HEALTHY SNACK TIPS FOR KIDS If the snacks are there, they’ll eat them. And the

 For more advice and ideas, visit www.nhs.uk/ Change4Life

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Feature /// Competition

WIN! A £400 Frog Team Sky kids’ road bike from Rutland Cycling We’ve teamed up with Rutland Cycling for yet another amazing prize: a fabulous Frog Team Sky road bike.

The Frog range of bikes were born out of the desire of one couple who wanted to see high quality, child-specific bikes.

The Frog mountain and hybrid range are the most popular kids’ bikes Rutland Cycling sells, and the Frog road series deliver everything that we have come to expect of Frog bikes.

Modern kids’ bikes can generally be placed in one of two categories: either they are heavy and poorly specced, or they are simply small adult bikes with specifications and components which make no sense on a kids’ bike.

• Frog are unique in that they design their bikes from the ground up with children in mind.

They design and source every component and spec on the bike to make it easier and more comfortable for children.

• The Frog 58, for example, has small, shallow road bars and small levers to accommodate smaller hands.

Two pairs of high quality tyres are included; one slick pair for road use and one grippy pair for more all-purpose riding.

And, in no more than 50 words: Why do you want to win this bike?

Please include the following information with your entry: Name: Age: School: Parental consent is required to enter. When emailing the entry please include the following wording: I give permission for my child (name) to enter the Active magazine competition to win

a Team Sky bike. If selected at random as the winner I also permit photos to be taken and used for marketing purposes. (Your name).

If you do not consent to the above please do not allow your child to enter. Entries should be sent to frogbikecomp@theactivemag.com Closing date is August 14. The winner will be announced in our September issue.

For more information, visit www.rutlandcycling.com

How to enter

To win this incredible machine, worth £399, all you have to do is answer these questions: In what year did Sir Bradley Wiggins win the Tour de France?

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Roundup The scores, star performers and stats from a month in South Leicestershire

Cricket

Kibworth open up healthy title lead

BY JEREMY BESWICK

K

ibworth opened up a healthy lead at the top of the Premier Division of the Everards Leicestershire and Rutland League following victories over Kegworth and Rothley Park as they showed the resilience to bounce back from their recent defeat by 13 runs at the hands of title rivals Lutterworth, which was only their second reverse of the season in this competition.

Should they be confirmed as champions – which second-placed Lutterworth will do their best to prevent – it will be for the second time in three years in a league, captain Matt Craven described as “more competitive than ever this year”.

It’s been a successful season for them in the cup competitions as well. They reached the final of the League Cup by defeating Enderby at Fleckney Road and, as we go to press, are about to play Ibstock in the semi final of the County Cup. Over at Coventry Road, Lutterworth’s captain Oliver Pickering highlighted the

contribution of Leicestershire CCC player Lewis Hill to their cause, but was playing down his side’s chances of landing the Premiership, especially as it seems Hill may be recalled to county duties soon. Thirdplaced Sileby are also very much in the mix, a status confirmed by their winning draw against Lutterworth this month, but they will be disappointed that they allowed Market Harborough to hold on for a draw, Ben Collins with some stubborn tail-ender heroics to prevent them being all out as he faced nearly thirty deliveries for his five runs.

Medbourne’s focus on youth development continues to pay dividends, their teenagers sweeping all before them in the evening league whilst making significant contributions to both senior sides as well.

Honorary secretary David Nance said: “The focus on youth is best demonstrated in the Market Harborough & District Midweek Evening League where the young players dominate and the aim is to involve all players rather than have a win at any cost approach.”

In that evening league they beat last season’s champions Billesdon with 17-year old Joe Bell and Harvey Clarke both picking up a couple of wickets as they restricted Billesdon to 101, and then reached the target in 12 overs, Rob Collins top scoring with an impressive 43. Joe Bell is their leading wicket taker with 36 to date, but a trio of 14-year olds are hot on this relative veteran’s heels, they being James Clarke with 29, Harvey Clarke (26) and Will Matthews (23).

The mid-week XI took a side to Fleckney that contained only one player aged over 20 and still came away with a win. Batting first on a difficult pitch, 27 runs came from 18-year old captain Joel Nance who was playing his second game with an injury, and an excellent 48 from 17-year old Harry Clarke and 20 from 14-year old Tom Worrell (playing only his second game for the club having hit 59 on his debut the previous Saturday) helped them to a total of 116 for 5 from their 14 eight ball overs.

They then bowled Fleckney out for 103 in the final over with Joe Bell taking the four

The Barbers Of Uppingham Hot Towel Shaving 1 Market Place, Uppingham

6 2 AUGUS T 2015 ///

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GEOFF ATTON

Vox Fox

Above

Action from Oakham’s match against Loughborough Carillion

remaining wickets with one caught and bowled, two run outs and one bowled - from his first four balls.

Bowden hosted Wellingborough Old Grammarians, who batted first and were restricted to 194 on a good batting track, Sam Keenan, Wepener Groenewald and Joe Whitworth sharing the wickets. Bowden chased down the runs in 41 overs with notable contributions from Anthony Paton, Karl Pollard and Charlie Standley.

Next up was a trip to Weldon. Bowden don’t seem to be able to win the toss for love nor money at the moment and were put into bat, but still managed a respectable total of 205 on a dry wicket that was difficult to score on - Karl Pollard (36), Alex Frith (40) and top scorer Tony Roberts (52) getting the runs. The sun seemed to take its toll on Bowden’s bowlers alas, and as they laboured in the heat Weldon’s Jonny Freeman made an unbeaten 101 to reach the total in 47 overs.

The relief felt last month as Leicestershire won an LV= County Championship match for the first time in over two seasons has not yet opened the floodgates to more victories, and the Foxes remain rooted to the bottom of Division Two. It was a famous victory nevertheless.

Openers Angus Robson and Matt Boyce anchored both their innings against Essex at Chelmsford with stands of 58 and 87 whilst bowlers Ben Raine and Charlie Shreck weighed in with five-fors as they completed their victory by six wickets before lunch on the fourth day.

They had their chances in the next LV= match against Surrey too, having taken five wickets for 17 runs a er lunch on the first day to take control but it was not to be, wickets tumbling on the final day as they chased 350-odd to win. At the close I sat down with the man who’d shared in those vital opening stands at Chelmsford, Matt Boyce, who’s also recently completed his 100th appearance for the club.

“That victory felt really good obviously,” he told me. “Some of the youngsters here have never been part of a winning side in the four day game so I’m pleased for them and particularly for Ned Eckerlsey, who we’d worked out was the only ever-present during that winless run and is a really fine player. There’s no win better than a four day one – the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows. We really belted out the club song a erwards, but as we travelled back there was an air of calm confidence – this is going to continue”.

What’s his perspective on the approach under new coach Andrew McDonald?

“Psychologically I think we’d been looking too far ahead in games. Andrew stresses that we take it one step, one ball at a time.

To perform optimally in that one moment is the priority and then the result will take care of itself.

“If something goes wrong well, what’s gone is gone. We move on rather than holding on to bad decisions or dropped catches. We’re living and playing in the moment and I’d say there’s more of a collective bite about us even if things aren’t going well. Now we’re sticking at it”.

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25/06/2012 02:02

Roundup

Netball

Rutland County Netball League summer fun

D

riving rain threatened to stop play as Rutland County Netball league held its summer fun tournament at Oakham’s Catmose Sports Centre recently.

But spirits remained high and all were determined to play on, as 13 teams from Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire competed across two pools to win a place through to the finals.

An unusual format required each player to select their bib out of a bag before the start of each game. With fast-paced matches and a quick turnaround between fixtures, teams playing out of their usual positions added to the challenge and tested the versatility of each player.

While Rutland teams did their league proud, four guest teams won through to the semi finals. As the sun started to break through after lunch, Boston won their tie against Northants JMs 9-4, while Sleaford Hurricanes took a very convincing 15-1 win over Bassingham Belles. Undeterred by this result, the Belles came back fighting to win the third place play-off. Sleaford Hurricanes proved the strongest team on the day, winning the final against Boston 7-2.

Full results: 1st - Sleaford Hurricanes, 2nd

- Boston, 3rd - Bassingham Belles, 4th - Northants JMs, 5th - Yee Ha, 6th - Melton Marvels, 7th Randoms, 8th - Papura NC, 9th - Allsorts, 10th - Vixens, 11th - Mighty Ospreys, 12th - Stan’s Stars, 13th - Rutland Lakers.

Player of the tournament: Sophie McGarvie of Rutland-based Stan’s Stars.

Joint most sporting players: Charlotte Bone of Melton Marvels and Kaira McHattie of Sleaford Hurricanes.

New Classes in September

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Roundup

Equestrianism

Great turnout for show jumping

BY JULIA DUNGWORTH

W

ith the ground getting ever harder through the summer, a lot of people have turned their hands to show jumping in favour of riding on a more forgiving surface.

This was very apparent at the Cottesmore Hunt Supporters’ Club BS show at Ranksborough Polo Club near Langham, where they had 70 horses entered, which is great news for the sport. I think the word is spreading of what a great show it is, with a clear round and unaffiliated class to start with, there really is something for everyone.

This month’s winners were Louise Cavender on Baleens Queen in the 85cm, Sophie Robertson in the British Novice, Ben Cornwall riding Het Vliegen Hofz in the 1m open, and the Discovery winners were Danielle Farnsworth on Cellennio.

Newcomers winner Holly Gilloton on Grannastown Sarco Lux H also won the Foxhunter and the 1.25 open, riding Armani Z and Emerald Butterfly. The last in the series of shows will be on August 9.

Buckminster Horse Trials ran on the weekend of July 11-12 and the team had

done an amazing job of the ground which was helped even more by overnight rain to make the going perfect.

Buckminster is probably the most local event to us (apart from Burghley) and is always full of local riders; this year didn’t disappoint the locals with some great results. Richard Jones had an impressive first, second and third in different novice sections. Emilie Chandler took the five year old BE100 section on Poppy’s Law. Willa Newton on Lauries Laudatio also took the first novice section beating local Gabby Cooke into second spot. Willa was also third in a novice on Rapide Gil. Finally JP Sheffield also took the last novice section on Postmaster II. Meanwhile in Marlborough, the Barbury International was running, where Simon Grieve finished with two convincing double clears in the 2* and 3* then to top off a good weekend he finished eighth in the ROR (retraining racehorse) class.

The main news though really was that Andrew Nicholson won the CIC3* on Avebury, only beating himself into second place on Nereo by five marks! It is looking

entirely possible that not only could Nicholson win Burghley, but he could do it on Avebury, last year’s winner, which would make it four wins.

On August 15-16, Vale View Equestrian Centre, near Melton, holds its annual Arena Eventing Championships, which boasts a huge prize pool. If you haven’t qualified yet, there are still a few chances to do so if you check their website for dates. If you’re thinking more on the spectator front you can purchase lunch tickets and sit down by the lake and watch all the action, with great trade stands.

Don’t forget that Equifest is again at the East of England Showground over August 12-16. If you haven’t been before, it is a must, with nearly 1,000 classes and there are a lot of showing classes which people have been travelling all over the country trying to qualify for. There is definitely something for everyone’s taste and no excuses about days off as the big show jumping classes run very late into the night and are indoors so the weather can’t even turn you. A lot of people just use it as a shopping warm up for Burghley, too!

Show your support for local sport...

Email advertise@theactivemag.com 6 6 AUGUS T 2015 ///

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