March2014

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CGA MAGAZINE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 ISSUE 121/1

BER S M E M FIT

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

PRINCESS OF THE PALACES Dr Lucy muses on murder and her passion for the past S C I L LY M A K I N G WAV E S • R O W I N G I S A L L T H E R A G E A D E S T I N AT I O N W I T H A D I F F E R E N C E • H E L I C O P T E R H E RO E S

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Chairman’s comment CGA Chalke House, Station Road, Codford,Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 0JX Telephone: 01985 850706 Fax: 01985 850378 Email: enquiries@thecga.co.uk Website: www.thecga.co.uk For more than a century, those in the know have enjoyed the remarkable collection of benefits that come with CGA membership. Membership includes a magazine, exclusive events, numerous privileges, a wide range of retail discounts and much, much more.

CGA Financial and Investment Services Specialists in investment strategy and inheritance tax planning, incorporating trusts and wills. Providing advice on a diverse range of financial matters - both large and small - including PEP transfers, ISAs, offshore investments, best deposit rates, unit trusts and investment bonds. Advice on pensions, mortgages and school fees planning is also provided by experienced consultants nationwide.

Representing only the St. James’s Place Group for the purposes of advising on the Group’s investment management, risk management and banking products and services. Members of the St. James’s Place Group are authorized by the FCA. The St. James’s Place Partnership and the title ‘Partner’ are the marketing terms used to describe the representative of the St. James’s Place Group.

CGA Insurance Services Exceptionally competitive terms combined with the best possible level of service from the CGA’s highly respected insurance arm. Cover is arranged for both private and commercial clients and we possess a long-standing reputation for quality home, contents and travel insurance.

CGA Insurance Services Ltd, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 0JX is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Our FCA Register number is 307262. Our permitted business is advising on and arranging general insurance contracts.

CGA Legal Services To complement the investment, financial and insurance services offered, the CGA is also able to assist and advise on private client legal matters Telephone: 01985 851300 Email: james.baker@cgalegal.co.uk Website: www.cgalegal.co.uk CGA Legal Services Ltd is licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to provide private client legal services. Our professional team advises on all areas of private client law, including Wills and Estate Planning, Probate, and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Cavendish Equity Release Suite 4, Chapel Allerton District Centre, Town Street, off Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 4BN Telephone: 0113 228 4488 Fax: 0113 228 4489 Email: info@cavendishequityrelease.co.uk Website: www.cavendishequityrelease.co.uk

I

t’s perhaps ironic in the circumstances that my contribution to the first CGA Magazine of the year is referred to by the publishing department as “the welcome piece”. For thousands of people the start of 2014 was far from welcome, with so many homes, so many businesses, so many lives destroyed in what was one of the worst “weather events” – as it seems we must now call them – that most of us can remember.

Unlike previous disasters it seemed to go on for ever, with new flood and storm warnings day after day. Even now, weeks after the worst of the weather has passed through, there are hundreds of families across the country who have scarcely even started to recover from the heartbreak and nightmare of seeing their homes devastated.

Our hearts go out to each and every one of them as they strive to get their lives back to some degree of normality – and our appreciation too must go to those in the emergency services who did such a sterling job in the face of so many difficulties.

So, is there any good news I can bring you for 2014? Yes, I’m pleased to say there is.

Following the success of equestrian eventing champion Emily Llewellyn (you can read more about her achievements in this issue of the CGA Magazine) I’m delighted to be able tell you that we are now also supporting two rising ice skating stars, Leticia Marsh and Elliot Crook.They qualified for the British Figure Skating Championship last year and are now fifth in the UK Advanced Novice rankings, aiming to represent their country in the 2018 Winter Olympics.We wish them every success on their journey to Pyeongchang in South Korea in four years’ time.

And we’re adding to the list of charities we support with a donation to the Willow Wood Hospice to help them buy new furniture for their Bereavement Lounge. As you’ll imagine the team at the hospice want family and friends to be as comfortable as possible when faced with distressing news and it’s been their policy, ever since the hospice was opened in 1999, only to buy the highest quality fixtures and fittings.There’s a practical reason for this too – the majority of the equipment and furniture they bought back then is still in everyday use.

Willow Wood, in Ashton-under-Lyne, is a haven of warmth and comfort set in a homely environment, a haven of relief to those who have spent months, sometimes years, in and out of hospital.Through the CGA Charitable Foundation, we’re more than happy to help ensure that it remains at the centre of care for the people of Tameside and Glossop.

The longest established Equity Release specialist in the UK. Trusted market advice is available to homeowners who are considering the benefits of raising funds from the equity tied up in their home.

Equity Release comprises Home Reversion Plans and Lifetime Mortgages.

To understand the features and risks, ask for a personalized illustration.

The Country Gentlemen’s Association (CGA) accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication. While all reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, the CGA cannot give an assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances. The views expressed are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect CGA policy. All rights reserved. No part of CGA Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Marketing Director of the CGA. © CGA, 2014

Editor Lucille Parker - lucillep@thecga.co.uk Senior Designer Kelly Roberts Designers Katrina ffiske Staff Writer Peter Corbett Advertising Susan Anslow - 01985 850706 - susana@thecga.co.uk Front Cover Photo credit Steve Meddle/Rex Contributors Mike Cattermole, Elisabeth Luard, David Walsh, Dennis Furnell, and Linny Bartlett.

Photography and illustrations Zebedee Helm, Martin Honeysett, Rex Features, Creative Commons and Dennis Furnell.

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William Harrison-Allan Chairman William Harrison-Allan Legal Counsel James Baker CGA Group Business Manager: Neil Simmons Cultural Events Sylvia Cotterill Marketing Manager Emma Rice Marketing Assistant Helen Huett Special Projects Manager Hanne Holm Web Developer Sam Webb Receptionist and administrator Natasha Marlow Chartered Financial Consultant Ian Finn Financial Consultants Neil Bedford Mark Beverley Keith Wyatt Head of Management Information Barbara Moulds Technical Pensions Consultant Robert Gaines

Cavendish Property Investments Richard Perry Technical Finance Assistants Louise Glasby Robyn Harding Tamzin Rose Anna Shawcross Consultant Support Anita Gomez Insurance Team Linda Chisholm-Urvoy Emily Hards Bertie Mayall Robert McKinlay Hayley Perkins Abi Spratt Lucy Ward Group Accountant Harvey Clark Accounts Assistant Vera Webber

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 3

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VE LUSI EXC MBER ME EFITS BEN f

of 25% oak fine iture furn

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52

Upfront

Features

6

CGA News Sponsorships and charity challenges – the CGA has a busy start to the year

18 Cover Feature An audience with Lucy Worsley, the lively lady who reigns over the Historic Royal Palaces

8

Great Golf Tee for two! Join us for a pair of golfing get-aways

10 The Purdey Awards We applaud the three shooting estates that took top honours at the Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation

26 Radio Scilly Tune in to the world’s smallest commercial radio station 32 National Treasure Linny Bartlett meets a helicopter hero

12 Cultural Events Join exciting, exclusive outings to some distinguished destinations

34 Motoring Mike Cattermole visits an exhibition of classic cars – they don’t make ‘em like they used to!

14 Countryside News A wild and wonderful collection of rural reports

36 Market Town Historic Hexham on the Northumbrian border boasts some terrific tales

16 Events Diary A list of where to go and what to do as winter draws to a close

40 Sport In the wake of 2012 Olympic success, GB rowing is chasing the World Cup

46 Antiques How an English innovation revolutionised the ceramics industry around the world 48 Nature Notes Creatures great and small are shaking off their winter somnolence 52 Gardening We advise on sprucing up for spring, and home in on healthy house plants 54 Shopping Appealing ornaments and sculptures to add interest to your outdoor space 56 Food Elisabeth Luard whips up dinner for two to celebrate lovers 70 Travel Take off for an exotic African island adventure

42 AGA Enjoy supper with Mary King, and pick up some spring-cleaning tips

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Contents

February/ March 2014

42 18 Financial & Legal

Regulars

23 Putting your future in safe hands The head of CGA Legal Services explains the ins and outs of a lasting power of attorney

24 Walsh’s World Columnist David Walsh experiences some trials and tribulations on a research trip to Italy

29 Made to Measure insurance Earn a Marks & Spencer gift voucher – refer a friend to the excellent CGA bespoke insurance services

30 Horsing Around The first in a series of columns about all matters equestrian by racing commentator, Mike Cattermole

50 Flood defence The CGA insurance team has affordable insurance solutions for previously flooded homes

64 Hotel Review We visit the Michelin award-winning Greyhound on the Test

60 Bursting the Bubble Richard Perry forecasts a competitive year for the property market 61 Seize the day The end of the tax year brings opportunities 63 Coffee House Sound financial advice from Cheviot Asset Management

74 Member Benefits There are two new offers for CGA members listed in our register of benefits 76 Wine Cellar David Porter takes us to Tuscany to sample some sensational Sangiovese wines 78 Book Club Pick up a good read at a special CGA members’ price 80 Offers & Wants A free market-place for members 82 Last Laugh Love makes fools of us all

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News The CGA is all about caring – so far this year we’ve been working for charity, sourcing new member benefits and sponsoring up-and-coming young sports stars

Youth in Sport Sponsorship

DANCING ON ICE The CGA is dedicated to sponsoring rising young sports stars, and the latest additions to our “stable” of budding talents are a pair of extremely accomplished ice skaters – Leticia Marsh (aged 12) and Elliot Crook (aged 15).

Leticia and Elliot skated their way to qualifying for the British Figure Skating Championships in November last year, and are now ranked 5th in the UK at Advanced Novice level.

This young couple joined forces just over a year ago to train for the Championships, and have since become “the ones to watch” at junior level, with one newspaper report hinting that they may well be on their way to becoming the new Torvill and Dean. This is not a pie in the sky suggestion, because these prodigies are spending more than 20 hours a week at Oxford Ice Rink with Ice Dance Coach Mark Rickard, and figure skating coaches Tamsin Sear-Watkins and Jane De Lange, working towards their ultimate goal of Olympic qualification.

The aim is to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, and witnessing their amazing enthusiasm and daring on the ice, achieving lifts and complex dance moves usually only associated with adult performers

and couples with considerably more experience, has convinced the CGA that the sky is the limit for this dedicated duo.

CGA sponsorship will assist Leticia and Elliot in funding their demanding training programme for the coming year.

Leticia’s mum, Denise Marsh, explained that success for the young athletes requires not only their talent and commitment along with wholehearted parental support (which they have in spades!), but also a

significant financial investment. In fact coach Mark Rickard has devised a four-year training programme for Leticia and Elliot which costs out at a whopping total of £15,050! This includes not only coaching sessions but also test fees, competition entry fees, equipment and costumes, club memberships, international seminars and travel and accommodation.

Everyone involved with making the hopes and dreams of this zealous pair of ‘whizz kids’ come true is grateful for the CGA sponsorship and we, in turn, are proud to be able to assist such positive youngsters whose dedication makes them wonderful role models for their peers.

Youth in Sport Sponsorship

An eventful year for Emily The CGA recently received a lovely letter from young eventing champion, Emily Llewellyn, summing up her achievements for 2013 and setting out her hopes for 2014.

Emily says she reached all her goals last year, and at the end of the season sadly decided to sell her mount, Bueno Uno, to invest the funds in a string of young new horses. “I am exceptionally lucky to be sponsored by the CGA and very proud to be your brand ambassador,” Emily wrote.

In 2013 Emily was best placed rider at the Fontainebleau Nations Cup (riding Pardon Me II); Team member of the GB winning team at the Houghton Hall Nations Cup (Pardon Me II); winner of the best under-25 Rider prize at Burghley (on Greenlawn Sky High). There were other achievements too – in fact too many to list here!

This year Emily plans to take her horses Greenlawn Sky High and Junior II to Badminton and Burghley; ride Pardon Me II for the CIC3* and Nations Cup teams; and take some young horses to BYEH and Osbertion National Young Horse championships. She also is aiming for a CCI* with her six-year-old towards the end of the year and possibly selection for Le Lion d’Angers.

We wish Emily all the best for 2014, and will keep you posted on her progress.

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CGA News

CGA “legal eagle” trekking for charity

James Baker, training with fellow trekkers Sian Lloyd (left) and Novello Noades.

GA staffers are always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to charitable causes, and are not averse to giving up their holidays to assist the disadvantaged.

Just before Christmas CGA graphic designer Katrina ffiske travelled to Nepal for a month to work in an orphanage.You will be able to read all about her experience in a travel article in an upcoming issue.

Next to take on an adventurous charity challenge is the Head of CGA Legal Services, James Baker, who will shortly embark on a sponsored week-long trek through the hills and mountains of Jordan in searing temperatures to raise much-needed funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-shortening inherited disease, affecting almost 100,000 people in the UK. One in 25 people carry the faulty CF gene, and for someone to be born with CF, both parents must carry the faulty gene. CF causes the body to produce thick mucus which affects the lungs and digestive system in particular. Currently there is no cure, however through research and improved services and care, the quality and length of life for people with the

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condition continues to improve.

James confesses that he is something of a veteran at taking on fund-raising challenges.

The upcoming trek through the Jordanian desert is particularly exciting though, not only because it is for a cause close to his heart, but also because en route he will be exploring the enigmatic “lost” city of Petra, carved into the mountains. The “cherry on the top” is that the expedition is to be led by ITV weather presenter, Sian Lloyd, who has been a supporter of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for a number of years.

“This is the Trust’s first overseas challenge, which comes fittingly in its 50th anniversary year,” says Sian.

The trekkers hope to raise £50,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust by way of sponsorship for the trip, and James needs all the help he can get to meet (and hopefully exceed) his personal target of £2,500. To see details of the challenge visit : cysticfibrosis.org.uk/petra, and to make a donation online visit : justgiving.com/JamesBakerPetra.

Donations can also be sent through the post to James at the CGA (cheques made out to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust).

Win a unique book dedicated to dogs

Hot off the press is a splendid, beautifully illustrated book dedicated to Lord Byron’s devotion to dogs – an extremely readable marriage of the great poet’s writings and his appreciation for canines, crafted by Byron expert, Geoffrey Bond.

Geoffrey is a former TV presenter, a collector and antiquarian who lives at Burgage Manor in Southwell, Nottinghamshire – the home of the poet Byron from 1803 to 1808.

We are delighted to be able to offer a copy of his book – “Lord Byron’s Best Friends: From bulldogs to Boatswain and beyond” – as a prize in a lucky draw. Published by Nick McCann Associates Ltd., the book retails at £25 and is available from Amazon. To enter the draw to win a copy simply fill in and tick the relevant box on the reply card between pages 74 & 75, and return it to the CGA by 7th March, 2014.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 7

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CGA Golf Days 2014

GOLF lf New Zealand Go highly regarded d an lar pu is – po lt e Th y heath be the famed Surre lf Club – located in the first CGA go r fo e nu ve le sirab the decidedly de day of 2014. ve decided to ent last year, we ha a.

After a fantastic ev le -ho extravaganz Zealand for an 18 w Ne the t to tha urn ret by it is likely is anything to go If past experience delectable postthe by e on tsh be ou the great golf will e there will be urs co e lunch – and of urs -co ee thr me ga the 9th hole, t half way round at ample refreshmen tion. bar will be in opera where the Pimm’s May, 2014. To 22 y, e is Thursda The date to diaris application form to do is fill in the join in all you have on as possible so return it to us as on this page and ail/telephone em or t), to fill up fas ). (places are likely d number below CGA (address an the in Emma Rice at the ed lud Inc m. e will be 9a The first tee-off tim refreshments fee are welcome try en n rso pe £145 per lf-way ha lf, go n roll, 18 holes of ith wine), and a tasty baco (w ch lun d ne aforementio refreshments, the best se who put up the and prizes for tho y. da performance at the up to three, to enter teams of d You are welcome ll be happy to fin tering alone we wi but if you are en g partner/s. and allocate playin ub was w Zealand Golf Cl Ne s iou tig es The pr ing Estate – e-K ck laid out on the Lo , 95 18 in ed nd fou ong connections the family had str named because e course is ’s colonisation. Th with New Zealand m easy, the fro t reputedly far relatively short, bu heather, backed of s ue en ough av greens winding thr bhouse is oldbience of the clu by forest. The am rivalled. un the hospitality world charm, and

: A two-course treat

Surrey

Have a swinging time in

NEW ZEALAND GOLF DAY 2014 Application Form Name NO DEPOSIT NECESSARY AT THIS STAGE.

Address

Simply return the completed form to: CGA, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, BA12 0JX

Postcode

Telephone

THURSDAY 22 MAY - NEW ZEALAND GOLF CLUB Number of places

@ £145 per head

Players Names

Handicap

Players Names

Handicap

Players Names

Handicap

Book your places now by emailing Emma Rice at emmar@thecga.co.uk or by completing and returning the Application Form

8 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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CGA Golf Days 2014

CGA members who enjoy a sociable, scenic and satisfying round or two of golf are invited to join us at two of England’s top clubs for a “hole” lot of fun!

Pick one event, or sign up for both...

Trevose

two-day summer spectacular

A PRI LL H E LC E S F RO D 201 M 3

The CGA late su mmer golf break at the scenically splendid Trevose Golf and Country Club course near Padstow on the Cornish coas t is fast becoming a traditional even t which our golfin g members anticipate with re lish each year!

Once again we wi ll be hosting the all-inclusive two-day event – on Thursday 11 an d Friday 12 September, 2014 – for the surprising ly reasonable price of £269 per person.

This includes two rounds of golf, lun ch, dinner, guest accommodation for the night and breakfast – as we the essentials, su ll as ch as wine and ref reshments.

As anyone who ha s joined in this jol ly event previously will kn ow, it is a break pa r excellence, with plenty of laughter and light-hearted banter to spice up the competitio n.

For those new to Trevose, you can rest assured the Championship co urse, designed by Harry Colt, ranks as one of the top links golf courses in the British Isles guaranteeing a un , ique golfing expe rience with the sound of the Atlan tic Ocean breake rs hitting the shore in the back ground. The gree ns are wide with generous fairway s, and the rough can be as challenging as the wind (which we ho pe to avoid!).

Accommodation at Trevose consist s of luxury selfcatering apartme nts and lodges (w ith free wi-fi) in close proximity to the club house. Th e cherry on the top is the fine din ing on offer, overs een by head chef Julian Lloyd – a bo rn and bred Corni shman famed for his seafood dishe s.

To join us for this superb CGA golf experience simply fill in the ap plication form be low and return it soon as possible as (places are limite d). Teams and individuals are we lcome to enter – if you are registeri alone we will team ng you up with a pla ying partner. Call or email Emma Ric e for more inform ation.

TREVOSE GOLF BREAK 2014 Application Form Name NO DEPOSIT NECESSARY AT THIS STAGE.

Address

Simply return the completed form to: CGA, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, BA12 0JX

Postcode

Telephone

THURSDAY 11 MAY - FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER TREVOSE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB Number of places

@ £269 per head

Players Names

Handicap

Players Names

Handicap

Players Names

Handicap

Book your places now by emailing Emma Rice at emmar@thecga.co.uk or by completing and returning the Application Form

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 9

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2013 Purdey Awards

Making conservation count Shooting estates in Wiltshire, Lincolnshire and the North Kent Downs took top honours at the recent prestigious Purdey Awards Ceremony held in London.

T

ARD iltshire GOLD AW , Rockley, W a F Temple rm

SILVER AWARD Vine House Farm, Market Deeping, near Spalding

BRONZE AWARD Lees Cou rt Shoot,

Faversham , Kent

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he owner of a Wiltshire estate who has planted a million new trees and laid 23 miles of new hedgerow was named as winner of the top accolade in the latest Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation.

Count Konrad Goess-Saurau bought the Temple estate and farm at Rockley, near Marlborough, in 1985 and since then has transformed what was a 2,000 acre “prairiestyle” arable farm into a wildlife haven. In the past five years alone the Count has seen to the construction of nine new dew ponds to support a healthy population of roe deer.

However, it’s achieving the maximum habitat benefits for farmland bird species which Count Goess and estate manager, Chris Musgrave, have been concentrating on. Their policy of planting game cover, over-wintering stubbles and carrying out a determined campaign of vermin control has paid off.

So much so that “the RSPB nearly wet themselves when they counted 115 lapwings, in addition to stone curlews, yellowhammers, turtle doves, tree sparrows and skylarks”, according to Temple Farm’s head keeper, Phil Holborrow.

This led to Temple Farm being chosen as the launch site of Natural England’s South West Farmland and Nature Improvement programme in 2012. The programme aims to create better places for wildlife by encouraging more and betterconnected habitats at a landscape scale, providing space for wildlife to thrive and adapt to climate change. The estate also featured on BBC One’s Big Wildlife Revival series last September.

The Count was presented with the coveted Purdey Awards Shield and a cheque for £5,000 by Sir Barney WhiteSpunner, Executive Chairman of the Countryside Alliance.

Awards organiser Richard Purdey said: “This is a most impressive entry by any standards. Count Goess wins our Gold Award not only for the leading role Temple Farm has played with 41 other farms in the Natural Improvement Area, but also for actively encouraging visits from local schools and the Royal Agricultural

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2013 Purdey Awards MEM BENEBER FIT 10%

Purd discou ey See P nt. age 75

Left to rig ht: Georg e Chris Mus grave and Hood, Alastair Balm Phil Holbor ain, row

lmain, : Alastair Ba grave Left to right Goess and Chris Mus ad Count Konr

Left to right: Roseanne Bell, Nigel Beaumont and Kendra Kauffman

Hamish Macdonald Lockhart (left) enjoyed the awards with two guests

Smiles all ro und as

a Purdey a Frith-Powell, Annik Left to right: Helen n Joh St. and Melanie

the winners were celebr ated Enthusiastic applause!

University in Cirencester to see at first hand how this exemplary estate manages its farming, conservation and shoot.”

The Silver Award and a cheque for £3,000 was presented to Nicholas Watts, of Vine House Farm, Market Deeping, for his “outstanding wild game and habitat management”. The Bronze Award and a cheque for £2000 was presented to Lady

Sondes, who owns Lees Court Shoot near Faversham in Kent. This was in recognition of her mission to improve the shoot, which was the passion of her late husband, and to preserve a way of life at one with the local community.

Said Richard Purdey: “Every year the Purdey Awards uncover the most extraordinary conservation work taking

Left to right: Mr and Mrs

Carol Emanuel

Left to righ t: Count Ko and Nicho nrad Goess las Watts

place in our countryside, and we are delighted that our awards serve to highlight these and reward the best.

“I hope that in 2014 we will again receive a wide selection of entries from the people who work so hard throughout the year to improve the habitats of game and farmland birds and wildlife, and I look forward to meeting them.”

Entries are now open for 2014 Purdey Awards. For details about how to enter visit : purdey.com email

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8 purdey.awards@purdey.com or telephone ( 0207 4991801

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 11

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CGA Cultural Events - Short Break

CGA Members Cornish Spring Break with lunch at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant A two night break based at the 4* Carlyon Bay Hotel, St Austell, with visits to Caerhays Castle and Pencarrow House (private tour) Wednesday 2nd - Friday 4th April 2014

Tour costs:

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ombine a luxury hotel stay with the opportunity to dine at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and to enjoy exclusive tours of two of Cornwall’s private houses.

Banish away the winter blues at the four star Carlyon Bay Hotel. With its stunning setting overlooking St Austell Bay, attentive service, over 250 acres of private grounds, luxury spa, 18 hole championship golf course, beautiful rooms and fine dining, the hotel offers the perfect luxury escape.

The hotel is a short taxi ride from St Austell Station on the Paddington to Penzance line.

After making your own way to the hotel on Wednesday 2nd April, there will be an official welcome reception before dinner. On Thursday 3rd April, we travel in an executive coach to Pencarrow near Bodmin. Pencarrow estate has been the home of the Molesworth family and their descendants since Elizabethan times. A guided tour around the 50 rooms Georgian mansion does more than display a superb collection of antique furniture, paintings and porcelain; it reminds you that this is very much a warm and cherished private family home. It is full or artistic treasures from the Joshua Reynolds’ family portraits to Meissen figurines and the Pencarrow Bowl – a Ch’ien Lung famille rose bowl.Yet there are quirky reminders that it is first and foremost a family home, from children’s toys to the 1840’s portable shower.

We then drive to Padstow, a delightful seaside town and home to Rick’s Stein’s famous Seafood Restaurant and Cookery School. A three course

12 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

seafood lunch with wine can be enjoyed with some free time to explore Padstow. We return to the hotel to relax and enjoy a leisurely evening. Dinner is not included but could be booked if required.

After breakfast on Friday, we depart for Caerhays Castle, a Nash semi-castellated manor house set in 100 acres of historic woodland gardens and home of the National Magnolia collections and world famous Williams II camellias. It is still the private home of the Williams family. After our tour, lunch is included and you can explore the superb gardens before we return to the hotel to depart at leisure.

Cost per person: £399 Single Supplement: N/A subject to availability and extra night rates on application Non-refundable Deposit: £120 Final Balance due 8 weeks prior to the tour date

What’s included: • Two nights en-suite accommodation at the four-star Carlyon Bay Hotel • Full English breakfast and table d’ hôte dinner on the first evening • Three course lunch with wine at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant • Executive coach • Professional guide • All private/exclusive tours as indicated • Refreshments at Pencarrow and a light lunch at Caerhays • A game of golf each day and use of the spa facilities at the hotel To book and for further information please contact Sylvia Cotterill on 01763 288277.

The Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan are close to the hotel should you wish to visit these during your stay in Cornwall.

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CGA Cultural Events 10 March 2014

Cultural calendar

The Vintners’ Company

Upper Thames Street, London Private guided tour and luncheon 12 noon start £75 This is a prestigious venue. We are privileged to be able to tour this fine building – one of the 12 great Livery Companies. Luncheon will be served in the Board Room.

11 February 2014

Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London Private guided tour followed by luncheon 10.30am start £62

11 February 2014 MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, PALL MALL, LONDON Not normally open to the public.

Private guided tour followed by luncheon and a glass of wine.

10.30am start £62 10 March 2014 THE VINTNERS’ COMPANY, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON Exclusive private tour and luncheon will be served in the Board Room.

12 noon start £75 2 - 4 April 2014 CORNISH SPRING BREAK From £399 - see opposite page for details

We are privileged to have a private guided tour of this unique building. Built for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and designed by Christopher Wren, it was completed in 1711.

For 100 years it was the London residence of the Duke of Marlborough, before being taken by the Crown. The House was donated by Queen Elizabeth II for use by the Commonwealth Secretariat which continues to use it today.

15 May 2014 DEENE PARK, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Exclusive private opening and luncheon which will be hosted by Mr and Mrs Robert Brudenell 11am start £67

15 May 2014

Deene Park,

Northamptonshire Exclusive private opening and luncheon hosted by Mr and Mrs Robert Brudenell, direct descendants of the late the Hon. Mrs Brudenell.

11.00am start £67 Deene Park has belonged to the Brudenell family since 1514 and was the seat of the Earls of Cardigan, of whom the most notable was the 7th, who led the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. There is a large and interesting collection of family portraits and possessions.

3 June 2014

Houghton Hall,

3 June 2014 HOUGHTON HALL KINGS LYNN, NORFOLK The home of the Marquess of Cholmondeley and his family.

Exclusive private opening, guided tour and luncheon.

11.30am start £67 8 July 2014 BERKELEY CASTLE, BERKELEY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE We are privileged to have Charles Berkeley, eldest son and heir to the castle, as our guide. Luncheon will be served at the prestigious Thornbury Castle Hotel prior to our guided tour.

12.30pm start £67 RETURN VISIT DUE TO UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND

Kings Lynn, Norfolk The home of the Marquess of Cholmondeley and his family.

Exclusive private opening, guided tour and luncheon 11.30am start £67

Cancellations will be refunded only up to two weeks before any day event (conditions apply).

Built in the 1720s by Sir Robert Walpole, our de facto first Prime Minster, Houghton is one of England’s finest Palladian houses. To realise his dream for a truly magnificent house that would justly reflect his considerable power and status, Walpole employed the architects James Gibbs and Colen Campbell to draw up plans for the house whilst William Kent took charge of the interiors. No expense was spared and each room was lavishly decorated using the finest craftsmen of the time. It was to become a place for political entertaining on a grand scale as well as family living.

To book, and for further information, please contact Sylvia Cotterill, CGA Events Organiser, on 01763 288 277, or at Garden House, Rushden, near Buntingford, Hertfordshire SG9 0SZ. (Cheques made payable to CGA Events)

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News & views from the major countryside organisations

Countryside English Heritage

Breathing life into Stonehenge

The new English Heritage Stonehenge exhibition and visitor centre. Credit James O. Davies/English Heritage.

COMING FACE TO face with a disturbingly lifelike reconstruction of the head of an early Neolithic man is one of the highlights of a visit to the recently opened Stonehenge exhibition and visitor centre on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire – the first phase of English Heritage’s £27-million project to improve this iconic archaeological site and the experience of the many hundreds of thousands who come to see it.

The new visitor centre, designed by leading architects Denton Corker Marshall, opened just before Christmas a mile and a half from the Stonehenge circle itself. From this month onwards (February 2014) tickets will be timed and should preferably be booked in advance. Visitors are received at the centre, tour an exhibition of artifacts connected with the enigmatic henge and the daily life of the people who built it, and are then transported to the site itself on a shuttle bus.

The former A344 road, which passed within spitting distance of the massive monument, right across the start of the ceremonial avenue which led to the henge in ancient times, has been removed and grass sown in its place. By this summer the old car park and entrance will also have been removed and grassed over, leaving Stonehenge isolated from modern interferences in surroundings closer to its original setting.

Scheduled to open at Easter is an outdoor gallery at the visitor centre

14 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

featuring a group of Neolithic houses constructed by specially trained volunteers.

All these improvements are being funded in the main by a £10-million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and gifts from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Linbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.

Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “At last, visitors to Stonehenge will be able to get a sense of the people who built this monument, of their lives, their deaths and their ceremonies.

“Instead of just a stopover or a quick photo opportunity, we want our visitors to step back in time and into the shoes of those who created and used this extraordinary place, to marvel at original everyday objects they used, to walk the surrounding landscape as they did, and to sit in the dwellings that they would have built. It makes the real encounter with the stones themselves so much more exciting.”

Below: An aerial view of Stonehenge, before (left) and after (right) the transformation.

For more information about visiting the revamped Stonehenge – including opening hours, prices and to book online – visit :english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge.

It’s useful to know that members of the National Trust as well as English Heritage can visit the site for free!

Defra

Mums-to-be beware!

DOWN ON THE farm the spring lambing season is fast approaching, but pregnant women should keep their distance from ewes giving birth and avoid cuddling new-born lambs for fear of putting their health – and that of their unborn baby – at risk.

This warning comes from Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), who advise that mumsto-be who come into close contact with sheep during lambing, or other farm animals that are giving birth, may pick up infections that such animals carry.

To avoid the possible risk of infection, pregnant women should: • not help ewes to lamb, assist with a cow that is calving or help a nanny goat that is kidding; • avoid contact with aborted or new-born lambs, calves or kids or with the afterbirth, birthing fluids or materials (e.g. bedding) contaminated by such birth products; • avoid handling (including washing) clothing, boots or any materials that may have come into contact with animals that have recently given birth, their young or afterbirths; • ensure contacts or partners who have attended lambing ewes or other animals giving birth take appropriate health and hygiene precautions, including the wearing of personal protective equipment and clothing and adequate washing to remove any potential contamination.

Defra points out that farmers have a responsibility to minimise the risks to pregnant women, including members of their family, the public and professional staff visiting farms.

Pregnant women should seek medical advice if they experience fever or influenza-like symptoms, or if concerned that they could have acquired infection from a farm environment.

Find out more at : defra.gov.uk

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Countryside news

Ramblers

A step in the right direction SIX OF ENGLAND’S finest wildlife and geological sites have been permanently opened up for walkers, with more to follow, as a programme to give access to England’s National Nature Reserves (NNRs) gets underway.

Barrington Hill in Somerset, Castle Eden Dene in Durham, East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths in Devon, Highbury Wood in Gloucestershire, Hog Cliff in Dorset and Humberhead Peatlands in South Yorkshire can now all be enjoyed by walkers.

The six sites were the first NNRs to be given public access rights as part of a four year programme which aims to open up 81 of the 224 sites in England which are specially protected for the wildlife that flourishes there.

NNRs have always had arrangements in place for people to enjoy them for recreation, but the programme (delivered by Natural

England) will give people a legal right to walk in some of the nation’s most beautiful countryside, under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act. “We’re delighted that the crown jewels of England’s natural world will be permanently open for walkers to enjoy,” said Ramblers Senior Policy Officer Kate Conto. “We fought hard for CRoW to be made law in 2000 and it’s great to see the act still working to open up more places.”

Further NNRs will be officially opened up for public use throughout this year in Merseyside, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire and Kent, as well as further sites in Somerset and Devon.

To find out more visit : ramblers.org.uk

National Trust

Lake District set to go global

A GROUP OF local, regional and national organisations are working together to make the Lake District a World Heritage Site. If successful, England’s premier national park would join Egypt’s pyramids, the Taj Mahal and Hadrian’s Wall as an internationally recognised site.

The Lake District will be bidding for World Heritage Site status in 2016, according to The National Trust, which has been caring for this iconic landscape for more than 100 years, nurturing both the natural environment and its cultural heritage. The Trust looks after more than 20% of the Lake District National Park, including England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, its deepest lake, Wastwater, and 90 tenanted farms.

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Besides 24 lakes and tarns, the Trust also cares for the legacy of legendary writer Beatrix Potter, who gifted 14 farms to the Trust.

Within the National Park , there are 132 places that are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, as well as 18 Special Areas of Conservation, more than 16 lakes and miles and miles of pathways enjoyed by 15 million people every year.

Mike Innerdale, Assistant Director of Operation, National Trust (North West) said: “This is a brilliant opportunity to share these special spaces with an international audience.”

NEWS BRIEFS: Former investment banker Andrew Sells of north Wiltshire was recently confirmed as Chairman of Natural England by Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson.

The Wildlife Trusts have called on Government to invest in natural solutions for flood control following the recent extreme weather conditions. The Trusts urge “an imaginative approach” such as peatland restoration, improved farmland management and wilder city greenspace rather than “knee-jerk solutions such as inappropriate dredging”.

The Woodland Trust says Defra’s recently announced commitment to continue to give woodland creation grants falls “far short of the 5,000 hectares per year needed to reach the 12% aspiration detailed within the Government’s Forestry Policy for England”. At 10%, England has one of the lowest rates of woodland cover in Europe.

Friends of the Earth senior campaigner Jane Thomas has criticised the Government announcement that local councils will keep all business rate revenue from shale gas schemes (‘fracking’) in their area. “The Government should be encouraging the development of Britain’s huge renewable power potential, instead of coming up with new incentives that keep the nation hooked on climatechanging fossil fuels.”

Have your say on issues affecting the countryside – find us on Facebook (facebook.com/CGA1893) and join the debate.

: nationaltrust.org.uk

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 15

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Events

EventsDiary As the days lengthen it’s time to get out and about BER MEM IT F N E B E

Turner’s maritime masterpieces

% off

20 entation of s on pre embership CHA m card

Above: The Battle of Trafalgar ® National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Above: The Fighting Temperate, tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838 ® National Gallery, London

When it comes to capturing the moods of the sea on canvas, the master of the craft was undoubtedly Britain’s beloved JMW Turner. The artist’s dramatic depictions of sunsets, storms and shipwrecks revolutionised maritime art and constituted more than half of his life-time output of astonishing works.

The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich has fittingly brought around 120 of Turner’s masterpieces together for an unprecedented exhibition, on now and running until 21 April.

The works on display – many on loan from some of the world’s most prestigious art institutions - include The Fighting Temeraire (1839), which has been voted Britain’s favourite painting; The Battle of Trafalgar (1824); Fishermen at Sea, the first Turner painting exhibited at the Royal Academy; and The Wreck of a Transport Ship (1810), which has not been seen in London since the 1970s.

This exciting exhibition will be open every day between 10am and 5pm (late opening until 8pm on Thursdays) at the National Maritime Museum. To find out more, and/or book tickets, ( 020 83126565 or visit : rmg.co.uk.

Head for the high seas Ten lucky readers could win a pair of tickets to the cruise show!

Enjoy a voyage of discovery at Europe’s biggest cruise travel event – the 6th London Cruise Show – to be held at Olympia on 22 and 23 March.

If you are a seasoned cruiser there will be plenty of inspiration for deciding where to go next; even armchair travellers enjoy a day out at the Show, which covers a multitude of options from small ship adventures to all-inclusive ultraluxury odysseys.

For more information visit : crossings.com For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show tick the relevant box on the reply card inserted between pages 74 and 75 of this magazine, answer the questions and fill in your details, then post it back to the CHA. (Terms and Conditions: Entries must be received by 7 March 2014. The winners will be drawn from all entries on that day. Judge’s decision is final.)

We are also offering readers reduced price advance tickets to the show! Get your tickets for only £4 (that’s saving £6 off the door price!!) by quoting ‘CHA’ when booking tickets online at : crossings.com, or when calling ( 0871 620 4024. (Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras).

WHAT’S ON FEBRUARY Works on Paper Art Fair 6 – 9 February Science Museum South Kensington London SW7 : worksonpaperfair.com

La Boheme 27 February – 9 March Royal Albert Hall London SW7 2AP : royalalberthall.com

London Fashion Weekend 20 – 23 February Somerset House Strand London WC2R 1LA : londonfashionweekend.co.uk

16 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Bath Literature Festival 28 February – 9 March Bath Somerset Various venues Box Office: 01225 463362 : bathfestivals.org.uk

MARCH The National Stallion Show 1 March Stirling Agricultural Centre Stirling, Scotland FK9 4RN : thenationalstallionshow.co.uk

StAnza: Scotland’s International Poetry Festival 5 – 9 March St Andrews Various venues : stanzapoetry.org Crufts Dog Show 6 – 9 March NEC Birmingham, B40 1NT : crufts.org.uk Ideal Home Show 14 – 30 March Earls Court London : idealhomeshow.co.uk

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Events

Climbing for cancer It’s time to lace up those hiking boots and start training for the Snowdon 500 Challenge – a trek to the summit of Snowdon, highest mountain in England and Wales – which once again will aid the tens of thousands of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year.

The big climb will take place during the weekend of 17 and 18 May, but those intending to take part need to register now on the website at : snowdon500.co.uk (( 07446 534436). There is a nonrefundable registration fee of £30 payable, which goes towards the cost of staging the event. All sponsorship funds raised go directly to the Prostate Cancer Research Centre, and it is hoped that the efforts of this year’s trekkers will push the grand total raised during the past six years at this annual event well over the £1 million mark.

Described as a unique charity challenge, the climb can be completed by anyone of average fitness, and a team of experienced marshals will be deployed on the route to guide everyone safely to the summit and back. Hikers can choose either of the days to do the climb, enjoying not only a memorable mountain experience but also the satisfaction of knowing they have made a contribution towards finding better treatment for prostate cancer sufferers.

BADA struts it stuff Members of the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) will put their best pieces on view at their annual Antiques & Fine Art Fair in The Duke of York Square, off Sloane Square, London, between 19 and 25 March. Quality is the watchword at this event, where the UK’s leading specialists in the field show off a range of works from classic antique furniture to contemporary and modern pieces. This year a highlight will be a unique loan exhibition of 50 military portrait miniatures, entitled In Love and War: The Story of the Military Miniature Portrait.

Included in a display of the finest furniture from various periods will be a magnificent regency marble and carved giltwood centre table, being brought to the BADA Fair by Godson & Coles. Inlaid with 161 coloured stones in concentric rings, this beautiful English piece dates from 1820 and comes from the estate of international society hostess and collector, Dodie Rosekrans.

Besides furniture there will be awe-inspiring jewellery, exceptional paintings and drawings, and a host of other pieces to admire. Absolute Taste at the Cellini Restaurant and The Duke of York Brasserie will provide food and refreshments and the world-renowned and family-owned champagne house Tattinger will once again be the Fair’s champagne sponsors.

Full details are available on the BADA Fair website at : bada-antiques-fair.co.uk

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival 16 March Trafalgar Square London London Super Comic Convention 15 & 16 March ExCel One Western Gateway Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL : londonsupercomicconventi on.com

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Chelsea Antiques Fair 19 – 23 March Chelsea Old Town Hall Kings Road London SW3 5EE : penman-fairs.co.uk Kendal Festival of Food 29 & 30 March Kendal Lake District :

kendalfestivaloffood.co.uk

SPORTS DIARY TENNIS 3 March World Tennis Day Showdown Earls Court, London : worldtennisday.com HORSE RACING 11 – 14 March Cheltenham Festival Cheltenham Racecourse Gloucestershire GL50 4SH : cheltenham.co.uk ROWING 29 March The Head of the River Race Between Mortlake and Putney on the Tideway, London : horr.co.uk CRICKET 28 February, 2 & 5 March England vs West Indies ODI Series Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua 9, 11, 13 March England vs West Indies T20 Series Kensington Oval Bridgetown, Barbados RUGBY UNION Upcoming RBS Six Nations matches: 8 February Ireland v Wales – Aviva Stadium Scotland v England – Murrayfield 9 February France v Italy – Stade de France 21 February Wales v France – Millennium Stadium 22 February Italy v Scotland – Stadio Olimpico England v Ireland – Twickenham 8 March Ireland v Italy – Aviva Stadium Scotland v France – Murrayfield 9 March England v Wales – Twickenham 15 March Italy v England – Stadio Olimpico Wales v Scotland – Millennium Stadium France v Ireland – Stade de France SNOOKER 19 February – 2 March Welsh Open Newport Centre

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 17

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Photo credit: Tony Buckingham/Rex

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Lucy Worsley

Doyenne of the Days of Yore She’s no crusty old curator! Lucille Parker prises some confessions and confidences out of Lucy Worsley, the vivacious historian who not only looks after Britain’s Historic Royal Palaces but also brings the quirky and grisly side of our history to the television screen.

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book of the same name), which followed other successes such as Tales ith her impish smile, slight frame and blonde bob Dr from the Royal Bedchamber, and Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed Lucy Worsley breezes through the dark halls of Hampton History.

Court Palace and the Tower of London like a breath of So does she enjoy being a celebrity? fresh air, her eyes aglow with excitement as she contemplates yet “I’m hardly a celebrity – I’m mostly on BBC 4 you know,” she says, more ways of bringing history alive for visitors. employing her surprisingly deep, throaty laugh which makes it Currently it is the Georgians who have her enthralled, because this impossible not to laugh along with her. dynamic historian is busy with her team organising and promoting She confides, however, that there may be the possibility of stepping exhibitions across her domain, the Historic Royal Palaces, to outside of the realms of broadcasting on historical matters and commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Hanoverian Succession, perhaps showing off some of her other attributes on the next season which occurred in 1714. of “Strictly Come Dancing”.

“This year history lovers are going to suffer from ‘metal fatigue’ – a “It’s tempting; something I’d really like to do, term that’s been coined to describe the surfeit but my appearances on TV are to promote my of events taking place everywhere to mark the “I’m hardly a celebrity work and the Royal Palaces,” she says.

100 years since the start of the First World War. One gets the impression, though, that it We don’t want it to be forgotten though, that - I’m mostly on BBC 4 wouldn’t take much to twist her arm into giving this year also marks the 200th anniversary of “Strictly” a whirl. Lucy confides that she is, after George I of the House of Hanover becoming you know.” all, a “natural show-off ”, and she undoubtedly King of Great Britain and Ireland – the German has the fitness required, being a keen jogger and protestant who had little choice in the matter having her office at Hampton Court set atop a 51-step spiral staircase after his second cousin, Queen Anne, died without any other heir,” (“it’s like working at Hogwarts”), which she negotiates nimbly as she explains Lucy. goes to and from work.

She says that the era of the ‘German Georges’ (there were four of Getting back to the work ethic, Lucy believes that connecting with them who reigned between 1714 and 1830) saw significant changes history is vital – that the future is built on the past. A knowledge of happening in Britain, particularly politically and architecturally. history, for example, can help us predict what will happen in certain It is typical of Lucy that she starts talking history almost circumstances – “it’s a guide to the future”. immediately at the outset of our interview, as soon as possible after “Studying history teaches us to make judgments and analysis, gives the introductions and pleasantries are out of the way. It’s no good us the ability to empathise, be tolerant and even sort truth from lies,” trying to deflect her from the subject she is so passionate about, she enthuses. “Most of all, it shows us that people have always been because somehow she always manages to drop in a fascinating the same – that there have always been good and bad times, and historical fact, or intriguing antique anecdote, no matter what the things happening for better or worse.” topic under discussion.

She bemoans the fact that at some schools “history has become a It is her sharp intellect and knowledge that has earned her the job luxury”. “Academies no longer have to include history on the of Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces (an independent charity curriculum – a very great pity.” responsible for palaces not in current use by the royal family). She also She sees education as a very important part of the role being played has a gift for imparting that knowledge to the general public in a by the Historic Royal Palaces. “For example someone might come to charming and entertaining manner, resulting in her becoming a Hampton Court for a fun day out with grandma, become inspired familiar face on our television screens as presenter of an impressive enough to read a book about the Tudors, and go on to study for a string of popular historical series and documentaries. history degree with the Open University … it has actually happened Her most recent triumph on the small screen, towards the end of in my experience.” last year, was the BBC 4 series A Very British Murder (released with the FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 19

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Cover Story

Being as enamoured as she is with bygone eras, would Lucy have preferred to live in a particular historical period?

“Oh no … not live, but it would be nice to visit as a tourist! If I had to live in the past I would certainly not choose any time before the development of anaesthetics! If I could visit, it would be great to make a trip back to the 18th Century, perhaps – just to make sure we’ve got things right with, for example, the wallpaper at Kensington Palace. That would be why I’d like to go back in time – just to check on things.”

Apart from checking on things, perhaps she would also like to meet the historical characters she has studied so intimately? I suggest that she seems to have a soft spot for Henry VIII, for example, who looms large in her books and TV shows.

“Poor old Henry!” she responds with genuine sympathy. A surprising reaction, considering the monarch in question has a reputation for being a cruel, vicious and tyrannical monster of a man with a habit of divorcing and/or beheading his many wives.

Lucy, though, believes that Henry’s megalomaniac character was shaped more by the pressures of his office than his natural character, and the ill-health which plagued him because of his over-indulgent lifestyle.

“Another king everyone loves to hate is George IV. In fact he had a lot in common with Henry, including the fact that they both had a 54 inch waistline! George drank copious amounts, including at breakfast – of course he was an alcoholic, and today would have received help for his problem, instead of being branded a silly old man.”

Lucy says she feels that the effects of stress, loneliness and pressure have afflicted most royals through the ages, and some have reacted worse than others.

“If a handsome prince asked me to marry him I’d say ‘no thanks’ – don’t want that job, thank you very much!”

She assures us that the reason she has so much to say about bygone kings and queens is not because she particularly favours the monarchy, but because there is so much more information available

“A lot of people take pleasure in something bad happening to someone else. I am not afraid to admit there is a certain pleasure in ghoulishness -watching or reading about something horrible while you are tucked up safe and snug at home”

about them than there is about ordinary folk, almost their every move having been documented.

Lucy is certainly intrigued by the daily life of the common people of yore – and she has done full justice to this with her book entitled If Walls Could Talk:The History of the Home, which was televised on BBC 1 in April 2011.

When it comes to home life, Lucy – who currently lives in south London with her architect husband, Mark Hines – says that when she first took on the job as Curator “I actually got to live in the past”. She was temporarily installed in Fish Court at Hampton Court, formerly Henry VIII’s confectioner’s kitchens, which has been turned into holiday apartments (administered by the Landmark Trust). The surrounding warren of courtyards and alleyways which made up the great Tudor kitchens were “spooky”, but since Lucy does not believe in ghosts she revelled in the atmosphere. She loves Hampton Court best, she says, on dark, gloomy days “when you can imagine a vampire might come sweeping round the corner.”

This leads us on to Lucy’s “dark side” … the part of her character which prompted her to explore some of Britain’s most celebrated historical murders in her book A Very British Murder.

“I’m very ghoulish – I’m known for that among my family and friends,” says Lucy, who said that as a child her favourite pastime was “Cluedo parties”.

“Murder is a bit of a hobby of mine, so I did the TV film and book as a sort of fun project.”

She’s not worried that anyone might look askance at her admitting to being bloodthirsty and a fan of murder mysteries: “A lot of people take pleasure in something bad happening to someone else. I am not afraid to admit there is a certain pleasure in ghoulishness – watching or reading about something horrible while you are tucked up safe and snug at home.”

Lucy’s favourite crime writer is Dorothy L Sayers, creator of the aristocratic amateur sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey. She is delighted by the fact that novelist and children’s writer Jill Paton Walsh carried the Sayers tradition forward, crafting a few more Wimsey novels to add to the original lexicon. “I’ve just read one and it is wonderful!”

Lucy does not believe, however, that the mobs who used to gather to witness public executions in days of yore were necessarily any more bloodthirsty than people today, who watch gruesome films or enjoy killing people off in video games.

“In fact, back then they were watching someone they believed to be guilty paying the price for a crime. Watching a public execution was seeing physical justice in action. It was different from contemporary culture where we take pleasure in violence just for the sake of it.”

It’s a sombre note on which to end our discussion, but Lucy inevitably lightens the mood by describing her upcoming skiing holiday in Colorado, USA. Having been taken to Canada to live by her parents as an infant, she says she has fond memories of deep snow, and hopes that even though it will be her first excursion into winter sports, she will quickly find her feet on the slopes.

No doubt skiing is something this multi-talented woman will embrace as effortlessly as she has most other things, both academic and practical, in her busy life.

Link up with Lucy

The book “A very British Murder” is available to buy on Amazon, along with Lucy Worsley’s other entertaining historical books, including “If Walls could Talk”.

Those who enjoy her writing will delight in following Lucy’s life via her amusing and informative blog posts on her website at : lucyworsley.com To find out what is happening at the Historic Royal Palaces this spring, visit : hrp.org.uk Shop online for regal palace-inspired novel gifts, jewellery, souvenirs, clothing, toys, homewares and collectibles (also available in the Palace shops) at the website of Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises Ltd, : historicroyalpalaces.com. The trading arm of the charity uses all its retail profit to conserve the fabulous buildings for the future.

20 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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Lucy Worsley

Left: As this scene shows, for the duration of the filming of A Very British Murder, Lucy “wore mainly black, and plenty of make-up – I especially enjoyed the slash of red lipstick”.

Picture Credit: BBC Bristol Below: Dr Lucy Worsley displays one of the grisly items in the collection of the St Bartholomew’s Hospital Pathology Museum – the preserved stomach of a person who died after ingesting acid.

Above: Lucy Worsley here portrays one of her most admired historical heroines – Celia Fiennes – in a BBC documentary series entitled Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls. Celia was a 17th Century Wiltshire woman who travelled the length and breadth of England on horseback, riding side-saddle, keeping a journal of her experiences, in a time when travel just for the sake of it was still a novel idea, particularly for a woman.

Picture Credit: Silver River Right: Dr Lucy Worsley as she loves to be … in period costume, bringing history alive on the small screen.

Picture Credit: Silver River

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CGA Legal Services

Putting your future in safe hands James Baker, head of CGA Legal Services, tackles the tough task of considering how your affairs will be affected should you become mentally disabled.

ost people are aware that it is important to make a Will to protect their assets and loved ones after they pass on – but all too few of us consider protecting ourselves if the worst happens and we lose mental capacity while we are still alive.

It’s a horrible thought, but one, sadly, we have to face up to, judging by these statistics (pertaining to the UK population) from the Alzheimer’s Society:

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Currently 800,000 people have dementia – one in five people over 85 suffers from it Over 17,000 younger people have dementia There will be more than a million people with dementia by 2021 (Source: www.alzheimers.org.uk)

Statistically, therefore, the condition could strike anyone as they age, and as it progresses handling your financial affairs becomes virtually impossible. Planning ahead can make a great difference and ease the burden on relatives and carers.

So, what can be done to ensure your finances stay afloat and are in safe hands if you reach a stage where you are no longer able to hold the tiller?

The best thing to do is consult CGA Legal Services for help with making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), which gives an appointed individual the legal authority to take care of specific aspects of your financial affairs – and/or your health and welfare – if you no longer have the mental capacity to do so.

CGA Head of Legal Practice, James Baker, points out that it is not only the elderly who should consider an LPA – there are numerous reasons why younger people might become mentally incapacitated, for example through accident, stroke or illness.

James advises that an LPA is an essential safeguard which should be drawn up alongside a Will.

“Most people think that if they become unable to look after their affairs loved ones can just step in and take over.That isn’t the case, however.”

He explains that if you have not made an LPA a family member would have to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as your Deputy. This involves a hefty annual fee and lesser powers than those granted by an LPA. There’s also no guarantee that the family member would be accepted as a Deputy, and if that’s the case the local authority would be appointed to have access and authority over your bank accounts, financial decisions, where you can live and what care you will get.

“Your family would be caused a great deal of distress and frustration, having no say or control over your finances and welfare,” says James This unpleasant scenario can be avoided by arranging an LPA, which is best done under the guidance of a solicitor.

“It is important to remember that an LPA is a powerful, serious document, which requires top legal advice to be correctly drafted,” stresses James.

Making an LPA involves you (known as the ‘Donor’) choosing someone you know and trust (known as the ‘Attorney’) to make important decisions for you when you are judged unable to do so. In terms of the LPA an Attorney is strictly governed by the provisions of the Mental Health Act 2005, and the Donor can stipulate which decisions they are permitted to make. The LPA must be certified by someone (preferably a solicitor) to attest to the fact that you have not been pressurised into signing it. LPA documents must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before they can be acted upon by an Attorney. If the documents are not properly drafted the Office of the Public Guardian could render the power of attorney invalid.

CGA Legal Services is experienced in advising which LPA is appropriate for you, and can assist you with obtaining, completing and registering the relevant forms.

“We are here to support you every step of the way through the process,” says James.

For more information about CGA Legal Services please contact James Baker on 01985 851300 or by email james.baker@cgalegal.co.uk.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 23

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WALSH’S WORLD An Italian Odyssey David Walsh’s trip to research World War 2 memories involved some unpredictable elements

W

hen a military historian friend, James Holland, asked me to travel Italy with him for the working week to translate material in two state archives, I was immediately drawn to the proposal. Even if a little anxious that my Italian, which is superlative in day to day matters, is a little short on the vocabulary to be found in World War II letters, diaries and autobiographical memoirs.

The brief from James was quite clear: following publication of his excellent book, ‘Italy’s Sorrow, A year of War 1944-1945’, he is now working on a book about the Second World War in the west. He wanted to research material about the lead up to, and the early years of, the war.

We landed in Bologna and hired a ‘standard’ car: a Fiat with 120,000 kilometres to its name!

We headed east on the motorway parallel to the Via Emilia, breaking our journey at Forli to visit the cathedral with its tall campanile, and view the ceramic plaque with numerous pictures and names of the fallen from the wars. Then we went south, up into the hills, arriving at the small town of Pieve Santo Stefano in northeast Tuscany.

The town is also known as Citta del Diario – ‘the town of the diary’. It was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, but the town hall survived. Forty years after the war a “house of memory” rose in one of the wings and was named the Archivio Diaristico Nazionale. It contains over 6,000 biographies and diaries penned by civilians, soldiers, seamen and airmen who experienced the war in different ways.

We checked in to our hotel, which is mostly used by groups on a pilgrimage to Monte Penna, La Verna, sited 10 km away, where St Francis received the stigmata.

I asked the charming receptionist, Daniella, where all the guests were? The hotel – with its archetypal travertine and marble, echoic passages, saints and such like, and a vast cavernous dining room – seemed empty. Daniella informed us that the weather being wetter than usual, had kept them away. Talking further it emerged that she was a laureate of English, and I suggested she might like to come and help us the following day at the archive, since she lives but 50 metres from it.

24 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Next morning, with certain trepidation and much excitement, we arrived at the archive and there on the desk was the material we had requested before leaving England. The custodian gave us instructions.

James looked up in disbelief when he was informed that he could not photograph any material. He protested that all over the world this was normal practice when consulting archives. The custodian insisted written permission was required from all the families concerned – this would take a long time and there were no guarantees.

One should be aware that there are two types of figure that feature strongly in Italian society: one is the ‘furbo’ – the cunning one who is always looking for ways around the rules, while the other type, the ‘pignolo’, will apply the rules doggedly even when (and especially when) they are inappropriate. At this juncture James pointed out that even if he were to use the material in his book, the correct procedures would be adhered to and suitable acknowledgements would appear.

At one o’clock we were obliged to leave for lunch until three o’clock; no surprise there! We took the opportunity to put the hire car through its paces.Various warning lights illuminated periodically as we whizzed up the road to the top of Monte Penna - at 1283 metres – to visit the monastery church of La Verna, looking out over the mountains and villages of Umbria.

We drove to Modena for the night, dining

in a traditional restaurant where we had an anti-pasto of parma ham, parmesan and lambrusco: this wine really does make sense when it is consumed in the correct environment.

The following morning we headed north to Trento for two days work at the Archivio della Scrittura. Caterina, the custodian, greeted us and could not have been more enthusiastic and energetic in her help. We had a fine day there, much lighter in both light and tone.

The next morning started with a brutal surprise. I went to check on the car, parked in the street as had been suggested by the hotel, and discovered the thoroughfare had been transformed into a huge market.The space where the car had been was now occupied by a stall holder selling kitchen knives!

We acquired a taxi driver, Stefano, who drove us to the police station in an obscure suburb to pay the fine and retrieve the car. A policeman informed us gleefully that two or three cars are towed away most Thursdays.

He said there is a tow away sign indicating no parking on Thursday morning due to market day. The sign, however, is only at one end of the street, quite small and set about 12 feet high, so you really do have to search for it. A branch of a tree also partially obscures it, even more so when in leaf! This is what I love about Italy and almost makes the €40 fine easier to bear!

We had to jump back into the taxi to collect the car from the pound: €135 had to be paid at the office, before a further taxi ride behind the pound attendant to pick up the car – only he had forgotten the key to the gate and had to return to the office. At this point Stefano turned to us and said: “Chi non ha testa ha gambe” (‘he who has no brains has legs’)!

Eventually we commenced our work at the archive, a little later than intended, and after more research allowed ourselves a late afternoon walk in the hills above Trento, looking towards the Dolomites.

The next day the Fiat felt strangely smooth driving back to Bologna; one can only assume it benefitted from being lifted and shaken about a bit!

Now we must all wait patiently for James Holland’s book to learn more of the content of the amazing testimonies researched in the archives.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 25

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Radio Scilly

A little voice

making big waves Peter Corbett was all ears when he met the man behind the world’s smallest commercial radio station

B

ack in 1997 Keri Jones – a commercial radio executive in South Wales - was taking a few days break. He found himself chatting to a friend in a pub on Tresco, one of the Isles of Scilly.

She remarked, unaware that she was planting the seed of a unique enterprise in Keri’s mind: “You should open a radio station over here.”

The seed was not only planted; it germinated, took root and then started to grow. It was to be ten years, though, before it finally bore fruit and the world’s smallest commercial radio station was launched.

The initial plan was for Radio Scilly to operate under a restricted service licence, and a number of trials took place over the next three or four years. The licence would mean it could operate for 28 days at a time across the span of a year, although the regulator did say it could broadcast once a year for three months, giving the station the same flexibility as the short-term stations in rural Scotland. High copyright costs however made that longer run prohibitive.

Then Ofcom came on the scene, and from 2005, started awarding not-for-profit

community licences, with Radio Scilly becoming one of the first stations to be granted such a licence.

That didn’t mean, however, that the station started broadcasting the next day - it was not until May 2007 that Radio Scilly moved into its now permanent base. There was a manic couple of days when everybody involved in the logistics of setting up the station – from the technicians who installed the basic studio kit to those who fixed the transmitter aerial to the mast at Telegraph Hill, the highest point on the islands – had to be there at the same time to pull everything together. From then on the station started to broadcast on a regular, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis.

The voice of Radio Scilly. Keri Jones broadcasting to the 2,000 islanders and a great many Scillyphiles in the UK and much further who listen regularly via the internet.

Not exactly Broadcasting House but… the Radio Scilly studio is on the first floor of what is an estate agent’s office at Porthmellon, on the edge of Hugh Town, the islands’ ‘capital’.

26 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Keri is still the only “staff ” broadcaster, starting off the day’s local schedule at 7.00am, six days a week (he allows himself a lie in on Sundays), before handing over to Greg Dukeson at 10.00am on weekdays.

Greg himself does not broadcast from the studio – indeed he’s not even on the island – but the briefing he is given by Keri is so comprehensive that it’s hard to believe he’s actually broadcasting live from a studio in Essex. Islanders of course feature strongly in

“Radio Scilly now has more Facebook and Twitter followers than people living on the islands, so who knows what the next move will be” the broadcast schedule with regular contributions from the local Wildlife Trust’s team, the Maritime and Fisheries officer for the islands, farmers and members of the local book club. There’s a special weekly show dedicated to Tresco, the island with the world famous Abbey Gardens.

There’s also Radio Scilly’s own version of Desert Island Discs, aptly named Criminal Records, because it’s the islands’ police sergeant, Colin Taylor, who does the interviewing, under caution of course (if you think I’m joking tune in to the show!). Then there’s Maggie’s Moan, a weekly diatribe delivered (generally but not always) with tongue in cheek by long time island resident Maggie Perkovic, who has been involved with Radio Scilly since its earliest days.

Even when islanders take over Keri’s broadcasting seat (metaphorically, as so many of their contributions are pre-recorded in their own homes) he isn’t at leisure. He’s in the studio until at least around lunch time, making sure everything is set up for the rest of the day, and then spends much of the afternoon following up local news stories.

National and international news and sports coverage is supplied by Sky, but island news has to be gathered item by item, with no

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Radio Scilly

The Isles of Scilly

press releases to provide the basic information, no “spokesman” to talk to apart from when the islands’ council is involved, and no freelance “stringers” out there sniffing out stories they can sell.

Despite that Keri is content with his lot and he pays tribute to all of the residents who host their own programmes and keep the station alive.

“You are the reason that we have achieved so much,” he says, “why we won Station of the Year, South West, in 2009 and were a Sony award nominee finalist for UK Station of the Year.

“We’re continuing to build on what we have achieved so far with more attention and effort given to local news coverage and better use of emerging technologies. When we launched the web wasn’t as important as it is now. Radio Scilly now has more Facebook and Twitter followers than people living on the islands, so who knows what the next move will be.

“Whatever it is, it will showcase the rich amount of talent and creativity here in Scilly, bring news and information about life in our special place to a larger audience, here and abroad, and ensure that the voices islanders hear will be the voices of people they know.”

How is it all financed?

Radio Scilly is a not-for-profit community radio station, and receives enough income from the Scilly Lottery, Tshirt sales and advertising to make ends meet. And it doesn’t get any grants either.

Indeed it supports clubs and groups in Scilly through the Scilly Lottery. While I was interviewing Keri an islander popped his head round the studio door to say ‘thanks’ for the cheque his club had just received.

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And the technology?

Radio Scilly is largely a music-based station which uses what Keri describes as a giant MP3 player to store and play the records which he and other regular broadcasters, like Greg Dukeson, feature in their shows, with the music carefully chosen so that it appeals to a pretty broad listener spectrum. However, individual presenters are free to choose what they want to play themselves, often using their own CDs and recording their contributions at home.

Contributions from those living on the four other islands are generally pre-recorded to guarantee sound quality. Over-the-phone interviews are of course used for news stories and so on. The result can be heard locally on 107.9FM or via the internet at radioscilly.com.

In many ways the UK’s best kept holiday secret, the islands lie 28 miles from Land’s End: next stop the east coast of America!

There are five inhabited islands plus a great many smaller isles and groups of rocks, inhabited only by seals and sea birds, including puffins and, in the autumn, a number of rare migrants. The archipelago’s location in the heart of the Gulf Stream airflow gives the islands a climate which is arguably the mildest in Britain and allows a great many sub-tropical trees, flowers and shrubs not just to survive in the wild, but also to thrive.

Travel by sea from Penzance or by air from Exeter, Newquay or Lands End. : simplyscilly.co.uk

The Radio Scilly bike, almost as much a trade mark as the station’s lighthouse logo designed by the late Pete ‘the Hat’ Hobson, best known as a drummer with 80s rock group Marmalade and a long time Scilly resident.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 27

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28 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH

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Insurance

Bespoke

is the best policy ER REFIEND A FR0 M&S £2 CHER VOUFFER O

You’ve seen the adverts on television for those comparison websites which offer cheap insurance, haven’t you? Nothing wrong with the service they offer – provided that the cover you want is, as the meerkat would say, ‘simples’; the kind of off the peg solution which will match most people’s needs.

But what if your needs, the risks you want to be protected against, don’t meet their limited box ticking criteria?

That’s where we at CGA Insurance Services come in. We specialise in creating bespoke policies – policies which are designed specifically to meet your requirements, to give peace of mind in the knowledge that if something goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world.

For example: • Is your house non-standard in its construction?

• Is there an enhanced risk or even a history of flooding or subsidence where you live?

• Do you own a second home or a property which you let?

• What about the contents of your home?

• Are there antiques or pieces of fine art along with the everyday items?

• Do you have a need for extra public liability or professional indemnity insurance?

If you’ve been nodding your head as you’ve been reading this list, then here at CGA Insurance Services we have the experience and expertise to help protect you.

The CGA has been in the business of serving the needs of its members in a variety of areas for more than 120 years, developing a reputation for excellence. Our insurance department was inaugurated in the mid-1940s, and since then we have become renowned for providing first class cover for members and non-members alike, protecting valuable assets like homes, thatched roofs, businesses, smallholdings, travel – even horses and trailers. The proof of our market-leading personal service is reflected in the fact that our insurance team can boast an annual client renewal retention level of more than 94%.

Our team of specialists is based in the CGA’s offices in rural Wiltshire, not in a city or an overseas call centre, and would be happy to give you a quote.

The majority of clients have come to the CGA through referrals and we’d like to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who make those referrals. If you pass details of friends and family to us and that results in a new annual policy (other than travel) being taken out, we’ll thank you both by sending each of you a £20.00 Marks and Spencer gift voucher.

Now that’s something else you probably won’t get from a comparison website!

• Maybe you own some commercial property with all the insurance needs that that entails?

• Or are you, shall we say, rather more mature in years than most and need travel insurance?

CGA Insurance For a quotation call freephone ( 0800 028 1001, or for more information about all your insurance needs email 8 insurance@thecga.co.uk WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 29

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Horsing around

horsingaround

by Mike Cattermole

The Horse Comes First The sport of racing has nothing to be ashamed of in its attention to horse welfare, contends Mike Cattermole.

MEET MIKE ….

A familiar face to all those involved in “the sport of kings”, Mike Cattermole inherited a love of horse racing from his father, so after graduating from Keele University in 1983 with a degree in Economics and History, he turned to a career of racing journalism and commentating. After a spell working for Timeform, and several years with The Sporting Life, he took to the small screen.

Since 1995 Mike has been a TV presenter and broadcaster – a key part of the Channel 4 Racing team for 14 seasons. Most recently he has been the lead male presenter of Channel 4’s flat racing coverage alongside Emma Spencer, as well as the Saturday morning show, “The Morning Line”.

Now this popular, polished racing media personality has agreed to put pen to paper to keep CGA members up to speed with news and views from throughout the busy British equestrian arena, writing a regular column encompassing all things horsey!

To find out more about Mike visit him online at : mikecattermole.com

CGA Foxhunter Trial Hunter Chase February 13th Kelso and Leicester 15th Haydock Park 19th Doncaster and Ludlow 20th Huntingdon 25th Leicester 26th Lingfield Park 27th Ludlow and Taunton March 1st Kelso 9th Warwick 10th Stratford 14th Cheltenham

Upcoming major race meetings February Saturday 15th: Ascot Chase Saturday 22nd: Kempton Park Chase March Saturday 8th: Sandown Imperial Cup Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th: Cheltenham Festival Saturday 29th: Doncaster Lincoln

30 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

C

ome the next Grand National day in April, the sport of horse racing will be holding its collective breath, as it does every year. It will be hoping that the great steeplechase showpiece makes the headlines for sporting reasons involving bravery, skill, talent and nerve, rather than for any equine fatalities, which have acted in recent years as a catalyst for the various anti-cruelty pressure groups to try and hog the headlines.

For a long time, the sport has been on the back foot in trying to defend itself and justify its existence, when, in practical terms, it has had nothing to be ashamed of.

This was the philosophy behind the launch, late last year, of “The Horse Comes First” campaign, which is being backed by the various leading bodies in the sport, namely: The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), National Trainers Federation, The Jockey Club, Racehorse Owners Association, Racecourse Association and the Professional Jockeys Association.

British racing employs over 6,000 people to provide first-class care and attention to the 14,000 horses in training (that’s one person looking after two and a third horses each) and the claim of the scheme is that: “British racehorses enjoy a level of care virtually unsurpassed by any other domesticated animal.”

Those involved in the sport already know this, but it is spreading the word that has been the problem up until now.You get the impression that there is an awful lot of catching up to do.

Paul Bittar, the chief executive of the BHA, says: “Our sport can, and should, be proud of its record on equine welfare. This campaign will help to ensure that everyone understands the importance we all place on horse welfare. We have a great story to tell and this campaign will help us to share it.”

Watching a horse break down badly or suffer a broken leg during a race is both heartbreaking and stomach-wrenching. Nobody wants to see that, but the fact is that horses are clumsy animals and at risk of serious injuries throughout their lives, whether during a race or exercising, or even when turned out in field.

Interestingly, a study by Liverpool University found that 62% of traumatic injuries (from grazes to fractures) suffered by a sample of leisure and competition horses occurred when turned out in a field, compared to only 13%

during ridden exercise.

On the course itself, the fatality rate has fallen by one third (from 0.3% to 0.2% of runners) over the past 15 years.

Dr Peter Webbon, former chief executive of the Animal Health Trust, explains: “During this time, we have worked very hard to improve racing conditions.The going, the obstacles – the way they are constructed and the siting of them – have all been looked at.The National fences are obviously different in that they are unique, and there will always be evolution to those fences.”

Indeed, the National fences were altered for last year’s race; many were constructed with a more forgiving internal frame. There were just two outright fallers compared to the two fatalities in each of the previous two races.

Looking further ahead, Webbon foresees a time when there will be much research into the genetics of the horse, so that certain weaknesses in a horse’s physical make-up will gradually be ironed out. How this will go down with certain breeders will be interesting, because you and I probably know of many a top-class racehorse retired to stud in spite of being compromised by physical problems.

There was a time, only too recently, when unspeakable things happened to racehorses once their racing career was over. But in these enlightened times, many racehorses go onto second careers after retiring from the track, including polo, showing, dressage and eventing.

Even the great Kauto Star is now enjoying life as a dressage horse.

Kauto Star is one of currently over 8,000 horses registered with the Retraining of Racehorses scheme, which is British horseracing’s official charity for the rehoming and retraining of racehorses. Many of those are just engaged, very happily, in hacking and exercising.

This is not a well-known fact but since 2000, the sport has ploughed over £23-million into veterinary research and education, and the results of that not only benefit racehorses but all equine breeds.

That is surely something to be proud of as the industry makes a concerted effort to spread the word to help understand equine welfare issues and protect the sport form those who attempt to undermine it.

To find out more what British Racing is doing for horse welfare, visit :thehorsecomesfirst.com WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

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National Treasure

Saviours from the sky Helicopters are an essential element of emergency response, saving lives in rural communities across the country. Linny Bartlett visits the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service for the lowdown on these high flyers.

I

t’s seven o’clock in the morning when a typical call comes in for Anglia One to take to the skies. Conditions are icy and there is a strong north-easterly, gusting up to 30mph. The patient is an elderly gentleman, and his farmhouse is over thirty miles from the nearest hospital. Time is critical. Unless help arrives soon, his chances of survival are slim.

But as Captain Steve Norris explains, rapid response with a fully crewed helicopter means that effective treatment can be given early, and for this patient, it meant that a complete recovery was made.

“I find it extremely satisfying to return home at night safe in the knowledge that 32 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

I’ve been able to help someone on probably the worst day of their life. This is especially true in large rural counties like Norfolk and Suffolk where the nearest hospital might be over an hour’s drive away.”

Working for the East Anglian Air Ambulance charity at Norwich, Captain Norris is part of the life-saving team that covers the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Like many other parts of the country, the region has large areas that are poorly served by road networks and has a dispersed population. Add traffic congestion and weather conditions to the mix and it is clear to see how crucial the role of Air Ambulances has become.

Steve’s career as a helicopter pilot began in 1992, whilst in the Army. Postings in Germany, the UK and Belize followed.

“I flew operationally in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq,’ he says. ‘I enjoyed my time in the army, but left at the end of my contract in 2006, as I was spending a lot of time away from home.”

Ready for a new challenge and keen to make use of the training he had received in the military, Steve began flying Air Ambulances.

His current piece of hardware is a Eurocopter EC135 helicopter, the most widely used for air ambulance work in the UK due to reliability and performance, as

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East Anglian Air Ambulance Service

well as their cost and size. With cruising speeds of 135 knots (150 miles per hour), all parts of the region can be reached within 25 minutes. By road, many of these journeys would take an hour or more.

Having recently taken delivery of a new EC145 helicopter at the Cambridge heliport, the East Anglian service has become the first in the UK to be able to fly missions after dark. A second of these larger and faster models will be put into service at Norwich during this year.

“Once the new helicopter is in service I am expecting to start night flying,” says Steve. Having aircraft with this new capability means the number of missions flown will increase by about a third.

Each call-out costs on average in excess of £2,000, and there are more than one thousand per year. Once both new helicopters are flying night missions, the annual operational cost is expected to reach six million pounds. With no direct funding

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from the government, the NHS or the National Lottery, the charity relies heavily on its devoted and energetic band of volunteers and fund raisers. They also run their own lottery, which accounts for a large percentage of money raised.

Road accidents account for around a third of the incidents that Steve and his crews are required to attend. Much of the region is comprised of narrow country lanes where high speeds play a part in causing serious collisions. The service also treats people who have had horse riding accidents, which can occur in areas very difficult for a land ambulance to access. The same is true of agricultural accidents. Whatever the cause of the injury, swift diagnosis and response are usually essential.

The on board paramedics are trained in pre-hospital critical care, so treatment begins the very moment contact is made with the patient. In many instances, lives have already been saved before the patient is loaded into the helicopter for their journey to hospital.

One of Steve’s biggest challenges is landing in towns and cities, which pose their own problems.

“There is less open space and a lot more overhead wires. We need a 25 meter square space to land in – about the size of a tennis court.”

The helicopters often land on or alongside roads, but are also sometimes called upon to land in more unusual places, such as atop the iconic Orwell Bridge in Ipswich!

Nerves of steel and immense skill as a pilot are clearly par for the course, qualities that Steve had to draw on during his military service.

“In 2004 I was on patrol near Basra.

There were reports of up to 300 local people, armed with rifles, RPGs and missiles meeting at a football stadium.”

Having flown over at three thousand feet and confirmed the situation, Steve volunteered to do a low level pass to obtain

more information on the weaponry.

“We flew over at about thirty feet above the stadium. Thankfully, nobody opened fire and we were able to send all the information and photos we had up the chain.”

Among the other incidents that Steve was involved in was when he was tasked with locating a missing UN helicopter in Bosnia.

“We found the helicopter about seven miles off its route. They had flown into a cliff in bad weather. Of the fifteen people on board, only three survived.”

No stranger to highly emotive, life and death situations, Steve says he cannot pick one particular mission he has undertaken since working as an air ambulance pilot that stands out.

“There have been a lot of moving incidents. The jobs that seem to affect us most are when children are involved, as most of us have children ourselves.”

Steve, the paramedics and the other pilots are real heroes in the eyes of the good folk of East Anglia. As he says, in the intensity of the moment, some patients can elevate the status of their saviours even higher.

“One woman, after being given a strong pain killer, was convinced that our paramedic was an angel!”

An exaggeration maybe, but for anyone who has received help from Air Ambulances anywhere in the country, it may not be too far removed from the truth.

Find out how to support the East Anglian Air Ambulance at : eaaa.org.uk. Reading the news section on the website, which describes recent missions, is an eyeopener about the valuable service this and the other 23 Air Ambulance charities across the UK provide.

To find your nearest Air Ambulance service, visit : associationofairambulances.co.uk © Linny Bartlett 2013

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 33

Motoring

Mike Cattermole runs into some car stars and star cars as he takes a drive down memory lane.

s a long-time fan of classic cars, the Classic Motor Show held in November at the NEC in Birmingham has been a must-do for me for years, but I hadn’t made it there until the recent 30th anniversary show.

What a thrill! Talk about a kid in a sweetie shop – I just didn’t know where to start. So much to see, so little time, at least in one day, but the show is held over three days.

There is something incredibly nostalgic about old cars. It takes me right back to a very different time when cars were understandable – so at odds with the computer-managed vehicles of today. They say they don’t make ‘em like they used to.

They don’t; they are very different machines these days. I think it is harder to bond with them now. Besides, they smelt different in the old days, didn’t they?

The Morris Minor Traveller brings back my first memory of my father’s cars. With its wooden-framed rear, simple seats and 1000cc engine it was a pretty basic machine, and yet it has become a cult classic to own and cherish. It was the first car at the show that I

A

34 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Classy classics

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discovered to swoon over: an example that had been beautifully restored in maroon with modern, tan leather seats that, in practice, were a huge improvement on the originals. Some purists, however, didn’t agree at all!

So that’s where I first found myself, in the Morris section in Hall 17 at the NEC. The NEC is humungous and not easy to orientate oneself in at all. With all the stands and stalls squeezed in there, it is very easy to lose your bearings. But after a while, you don’t care: you just wander and marvel. All sorts of cars, all sorts of parts, all sorts of people – everywhere.

The Morris section was buzzing with enthusiasts, revelling in the fact that it was 100 years since the production of William Morris’s first car. I appreciate the fascination and following of the Morris Minor, totally… but the Morris Marina and Ital? Well, clearly plenty do, which is why the Morris Marina Owners Club (MMOC) were all having a great chinwag (mostly in a Birmingham accent I noticed) about British Leyland’s best-seller from the 1970s.

BL sold one million Marinas in less than 10 years, but most of them have long been scrapped and the MMOC reckon that there is less than half of one percent left of this icon of bread and butter motoring.

Similarly, there was an Austin Maxi Owners’ Club present too, trying to preserve what was Britain’s first hatchback family saloon. The Maxi was slightly more posh than the Marina, of course, but also hailed

from the Leyland stable.

Strange to think that while we were travelling around in our Marinas and Maxis during the rather style-challenged ‘seventies, the Americans were still into their gas guzzling Buicks, Fords and Chevrolets.

Attracting plenty of attention was a 1976 red Ford Gran Torino with a white stripe down the side – the unmistakeable car that featured in “Starsky and Hutch” and, would you believe it, Hutch was there himself: David Soul being interviewed on the stage

by Mike Brewer of Wheeler Dealers fame.

For those not in the know, Wheeler Dealers is a fun programme, aired on the Discovery Channel. Brewer is teamed with the wonderfully named Edd China, a genius in restoration, to turn a profit on an old car that Brewer’s expert eye sees potential in.

The two men are big stars in the car world.

Behind Brewer and Soul on the stage there was an enlarged photograph of the actor and singer as he was in his “Starsky and Hutch” handsome prime, looking as cool as you like alongside co-star Paul Michael Glaser (currently touring the UK in Fiddler On The Roof, in case you wondered what had happened to him).

Brewer opened his remarks with the comment: “You don’t look any different …. does he ladies and gents?” It didn’t quite get the response from the audience that he might have hoped, but Soul didn’t seem to mind. After all, he is now 70.

Soul was there to explain his part in rescuing Ernest Hemingway’s 1955 Chevrolet New Yorker convertible, which was found after being lost for decades, in a derelict state at the legendary writer’s former home in Cuba.

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Motoring

News in brief

Great plans to restore the car initially generated plenty of excitement, but with resources extremely limited in Cuba, the project was soon stopped in its tracks by the US embargo.

Enter David Soul, who has had a life-long fascination with Cuba. On being told about the car while on the island doing some filming, he immediately offered to help.Very nice of him, you may think, but what difference did that make?

Huge, as it turns out: Soul has been a full-time British resident and citizen since 2004 (did you know that? I didn’t!), so he was able to source and send any required missing parts over to Cuba completely legally. Soul enlisted the help of Practical Classics magazine and its enthusiastic editor Danny Hopkins, and soon financial help was forthcoming as well as the necessary parts.

(The background to finding Hemingway’s long-lost Chevvy is quite a detective story in itself, but for another time).

Having moved on from the stage, I continued my tour of wonderment and almost literally bumped into Sir Stirling Moss, who was making his way round on a motorized wheel chair. Whether the now 84year-old uses this form of transport regularly, or whether he was out performing a test drive, I don’t know, but I couldn’t help but think it ironical, given the speeds that this legendary racing driver attained in his prime.

One nifty three-point turn, and he was gone!

I then came upon the stand for The SL Shop, a Redditch-based company which specializes in the Mercedes Benz marque of that name, especially those of the R107 variety, which were manufactured between

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Mud and Guts Landrover and Bowler Motorsport have joined forces to organise the rough, tough 2014 Defender Challenge which will see competition-prepared Land Rover Defenders pushed to the limits in a seven-round rally series across the UK, starting in Newtown, Wales on 2 March. Further events follow in Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Dorset and Dumfries, Scotland.

The challenge acts as a feeder series for the annual Dakar rally, it will be regulated by the MSA (Motor Sports Association) and each Defender Challenge car will be FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) compliant, enabling competitors to compete internationally.

For the full story see : bowlermotorsport.com.

1971 and 1989. I know these cars well as I have owned three of them, but seeing the examples they had for sale there had me drooling. Some were totally original while others had been meticulously restored. All were stunning.

I also enjoyed admiring the Aston Martins (who wouldn’t?) at McGurk Performance Cars, where you could buy a nice 2005 DB9 for just over £30,000. A lot of money but a lot of car for the money, given its price when new was well into six figures.

A lovely original 1971 Vanden Plas 1300 (like a Morris 1300 but with walnut picnic trays attached to the rear of the front seats!) with 27,000 miles on the clock, priced at £8950, also impressed. Then there was a beautifully restored Chevrolet Bel Air (price on application), a gleaming 1996 Jaguar XJS for £11,500, and a very low mileage 1997 BMW 740 which seemed a lot of car for nine grand. I was fascinated by a collection of several and immaculate Daimler Darts, their front ends resembling the mouth of a fish.

I ended up buying an Aston Martin DB5, made in China, for £5, some interior cleaner and a chamois leather!

And the conclusion I drew from all this?

From the Bristols and Bugattis to the Morris Marinas right through to the VWs and Volvos, there is clearly a car out there for everyone.

Map Stats Motorists are still largely dependent on printed maps to plan their journeys, according to a recent AA-Populus poll, which consulted 23,824 drivers. A total of 63 percent confessed to using a paper map in the preceding six months.

Of the map-users, however, many use a sat nav as well, 35 percent preferring both modes of route planning in conjunction. Unsurprisingly, 43 percent of younger drivers (between 18 and 24) were found to depend solely on sat navs for navigation. Mapping expert and author of Mapping the Roads, Mike Parker, is a map fan. According to the AA he maintains: “With a good map, you can quite literally see the bigger picture, get a sense of the context of the landscape through which you're travelling and hunt down some unexpected gems along the way.

The younger generation may be changing the way maps are used but even those using sat navs are still dependent on the mapping behind the devices, so maps and mapping the roads are still vital for the future of road travel.”

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Market Town

The queen, the bishop and a bloody massacre!

Lucille Parker discovered some horrible history when exploring the beatific beginnings of the Tyne-side town of Hexham.

T

he flourishing town of Hexham, just south of the River Tyne in Northumberland, grew up around an imposing early medieval abbey.The church was built c. 674 as a Benedictine monastery by Wilfrid (who became Bishop and, ultimately, a saint) on land given him by Etheldreda, Queen of Northumbria (who famously made a vow to remain chaste for life and refused to consummate her marriage).

The redoubtable Wilfrid and his virginal, reverent Queen would probably be delighted were they to visit Hexham today, strolling through the historic centre in the shadow of the majestic working abbey, which still serves as the centre for worship in the town.

Wilfrid would not recognise his abbey, though – only the crypt and apse remain from the original building, built partly from stones taken from Hadrian’s Wall, sited just a few miles away. Most of the church as it is now dates from the late 12th Century, with later rebuilding work having been done over the years. As recently as 1996 a chapel was added at the east end of the north choir aisle.

It may not be the grandest of Britain’s cathedrals, but Hexham Abbey has a great deal of charm and historical significance, keeping a visitor happily engrossed for an hour or so. The Abbey is decidedly the best place to begin exploring Hexham – it’s a town best discovered in layers, from the inside out!

Just outside the Abbey is Market Place – where goods have been sold for centuries. Markets are held here every Tuesday and Saturday, but the pièce de résistance is the Hexham Farmers’ Market, held on the second and fourth Saturday of every month. If you’re a food-lover (and aren’t we all!) time your visit to coincide with one of these delicious events. Local producers set up shop early in the morning, all coming from within a 50 mile radius of the town, offering goods they have grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed themselves. There are generally around 30 stalls selling a variety of products.

Hexham’s Farmers’ Market is more than just a tasty shopping experience – there is usually musical entertainment of some sort, special themed events highlighting seasonal foods, and cookery demonstrations.The stallholders themselves are a friendly, welcoming bunch who add to the jolly 36 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

atmosphere and are only too willing to explain the provenance of their pies, jams, artisan bread and the like.

Also in the central Market Place is the historic covered market – The Shambles. This is a listed building, having been built in 1766 by Sir Walter Blackett. A handful of market stalls operate here six days a week (closed Sunday).

If you have children with you, it’s worth taking a look at the Old Gaol – also in the town centre just off Market Place. As England’s first purpose-built prison (built in 1333) this forbidding stone box has been turned into a museum, telling the gory tales of many an inmate, particularly the Border Reivers who found themselves incarcerated here during the heyday of these infamous raiders from both the Scottish and English side of the border country, up to the early 17th Century.

The Old Gaol was used as a prison for 500 years.

Nowadays it provides insight, particularly for youngsters, into crime and punishment through the ages, with interactive displays about archaeology, costumes to dress up in and armour to try out. The “gaoler” is on hand to conduct visitors around. The story of the Reivers is told via an entertaining film, and an audio-visual presentation.

Another old building worth a second glance is the Moot Hall, in front of the Old Gaol at the east end of Market Place. This 15th Century gatehouse is Grade 1 listed – used as a courthouse until 1838, but now housing an art gallery on the ground floor.

Standing in front of Moot Hall, surrounded by the cheerful commerce of the market, cast your mind back to a dark day in 1761 – known as “Bloody Monday” – when the North Yorkshire Militia opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing upwards of 50 (estimates vary and a final death toll was never officially announced) and wounding many more. The so-called Hexham Riot all came about when locals gathered to protest about the ballot system of recruitment for the military. The angry mob refused to leave the confines of the Market Place, and the Riot Act was invoked by the local magistrates, giving the troops’ commander the go-ahead to fire into the packed crowd.

The Market Place was also the scene of many an execution in days of yore – most notably the Lancastrian Duke of Somerset who was defeated in

In the spotlight Hexham’s main industry for many years was the tanning of hides and manufacture of leather goods. There’s some evidence of leather processing going on as far back as Anglo-Saxon times.

Leatherworking in the area became increasingly important to the local economy during the 17th and 18th Centuries – during its peak gloves from the town, known as Hexham Tans, were in hot demand in London and even abroad.

Little record remains of the town’s thriving leather business, but a book about the history of Hexham, by Andrew Biggs Wright, published in 1823, notes some statistics: At that time 77 men and boys were employed as leather dressers and glove cutters, 40 boys as dusters and 1,111 women were working as sewers.

Wright records that 80,000 skins were being dressed annually, and a further 18,000 skins were being imported each year. “From these were made and exported annually 23,504 dozens of pairs of gloves”.

Sadly, the luxurious leather era drew to a close at the end of the 19th century, due to the availability of cheaper imported gloves, and the local industry’s failure to keep up with mechanisation.

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Hexham

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Market Town

a battle south of the town in 1464 during the Wars of the Roses.

Apart from the Abbey, Old Gaol and Moot Hall, there is little overt evidence of Hexham’s rich history in the town itself, but the local Tourist Information Centre has cleverly put together a very informative booklet with details of three circular walks, pointing out historic markers en route that may otherwise go unnoticed.The booklet (with maps) takes one on fascinating tours through the cobbled streets: ‘A Medieval Meander’ takes around half an hour, covering about half a mile; ‘The Apple Amble’ takes an hour and covers a mile or so; and ‘The Society Circuit’ is a walk covering about a mile and a half, taking up to 90 minutes.

You can download the booklet, entitled “Discover Hexham’s Hidden History”, from : visithexham.net or call the Tourist Information Centre on ( 01434 652220 to request a copy.

Most visitors come to Hexham to use it as a base for visiting the incredible Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Wall – built in AD 122 to mark the border between England and Scotland – which passes the town just six miles to the north.

It’s easy to enjoy a trip to the Wall – just hop on board the AD122 Hadrian’s Wall bus, which leaves from Hexham’s railway station and Tourist Information Centre five times a day between March and October, stopping by all the main visitor attractions along the central and most interesting section of the Wall. Download the timetable from : visithadrianswall.co.uk.

Finally, don’t be thinking that Hexham is all about

ancient history. Indeed it has an extremely lively and ongoing programme of upto-the-minute cultural events – from music and drama to comedy and art exhibitions – usually hosted at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre. The latest movies can be enjoyed in the local cinema. In the summer there is also usually something on the go in the central Abbey Grounds park with its pretty bandstand. Then there is the truly wonderful selection of eclectic

independent shops to explore – along with the usual high street brand stores.

Hopefully we’ve given you plenty of reasons to hasten to Hexham!

Where to shop & drop in Hexham Where to shop Hexham offers a genuine dose of retail therapy with its heterogeneous collection of absorbing shops. For a brilliant browse take a turn round the Fat Giraffe in Hallstile Bank (opposite Tesco), with three floors of gifts and home furnishings to covet. Also in Hallstile Bank, near the Market Place, is an Aladdin’s Cave of arts and crafts in a quaint store called Jaspah of Hexham. This little gem is run by volunteers as a non-profit-making cooperative of local artists. In the same street two enterprising sisters stock stylish gifts and home accessories in their shop, Sorella. In the pedestrianized section of Fore Street in the town centre there is a whole host of teddy bears waiting for a cuddle (and a new home!) at the Chare Gallery, which also stocks stunning jewellery and fine art. For a good read pop into Cogito, the bookshop close by the Abbey, where the ambience is relaxed and the service excellent. Gaia in Market Street is hard to categorise, but this

store describes itself as a ‘Fair Trade Emporium’, packed with all sorts of goodies, from recycled rugs to books, music and clothing. Then there are the food emporiums! If you’re planning a picnic you’ll be drooling with delight at the Deli at Number 4 (opposite the Abbey) with its range of quality cheeses, sauces, pickles, jams and home baked goods. Listers Biscuit Box, tucked away beside the Old Church ruins, caters for those with a sweet tooth with a mouth-watering selection of traditionally hand-baked biscuits, jams, curds and marmalades – they also boast 500 varieties of sweets!

You might need a libation to wash it all down, so don’t miss calling in at Northumberland’s largest independent retailer of wines, spirits, fine cigars and beers, bin 21, in Market Street: choose from 400 different wines and more than 85 malt whiskies.

Where to eat Rave reviews are the order of the day at the stylish French restaurant, Bouchon Bistrot, in Gilesgate,

38 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Central Hexham – with seasonal menus that make the most of genuine French country cuisine.

Warm and welcoming, Danielle’s Bistro in Eastgate is run by an Italian family, but specialises in Mediterranean and British cuisine.

Vercelli, on the quaintly-named Priestpopple street, delivers up classic Italian cuisine with a modern twist, using local produce where possible. For a pub lunch you can’t beat The Heart of All England in Market Street, where the menu covers traditional fare but homecooked and beautifully presented. A tea time a definite “must” is to visit the Hexham Tans in St Mary’s Chare – actually a vegetarian restaurant run in aid of a local charity, but renowned for its delicious home-baked scones and cakes. The lunch menu is good too, and includes fish dishes. Central Hexham is very well supplied with Indian restaurants, but one of the most popular is the Diwan-E-Am in Priestpopple which offers its own speciality dishes.

Where to stay There’s a Best Western hotel right in the heart of Hexham: the Beaumont, with 34 rooms, is family owned and run and overlooks the Abbey and the local park. The Station Inn (obviously in Station Road) has a selection of clean, pretty, basic rooms (recently refurbished) and a good restaurant.

In a lovely riverside location, The Boatside Inn about three miles from Hexham’s town centre is a rural option, ideal for salmon and trout fishing, access to the golf course and race course, and a perfect base for walking and cycling the Hadrian’s Wall routes. For a little more luxury there are some lovely country house hotels and guest houses in the vicinity, such as the magnificent De Vere Slaley Hall (eight miles from town) and the elegant Loughbrow House, where a few guests are hosted on the beautiful 9-acre Clark family estate which overlooks Hexham just a mile away.

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Sport

Back the

British Boat!

40 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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Rowing

Don’t miss out on following the fortunes of Britain’s best rowing talent as they embark on another season of international challenges, urges Mike Cattermole The GB Rowing Team may not often hog the headlines, and its great achievers are not always familiar faces to the man in the street, but our top oarsmen and women are consistently racking up their medal tally in international competition.

As we go to press it is two British rowers who head the World Rowing “Top Ten Men” – Andrew Triggs-Hodge MBE (double Olympic gold and treble world champion) and Pete Reed MBE (two Olympic golds as well as three golds and three silvers in the World Championships).

Rowers have to pull hard to earn their place on the GB Team, which competes for international honours around the world every year – starting in March with the first of a series of three World Cup events, and culminating in the World Championships at the end of August. Then of course every four years there are the Olympic and Paralympic Games to train for.

It’s not only the men and women at the apex of their rowing career who get the chance to compete for Britain internationally – GB Development, Under 23 and Junior crews also race in a range of regattas and World Championship events every year.

With its wonderful rowing tradition many fans in Britain will be behind the GB Rowing team when the Samsung World Rowing Cup takes to the water in Sydney on March 28, with coverage from the BBC. The three-day regatta is the first of three legs in the competition. Part II takes place in France at Aiguebelette from June 20-22 and the final leg is at Lucerne in Switzerland from July 11 to 13.

At each regatta, the points are awarded as 8 points for a win, 6 for second and so on, dropping a point for each placing, right down to seventh place which gains a solitary point.

The crew with the most points from each class win the World Rowing Cup for that boat class, but the nation with the most overall points is declared the winner of the Samsung World Rowing Cup, a competition that was first held in 1997. Switzerland won the inaugural competition but then followed a period of German domination right up to 2006.

The British then went on a four-year winning spree from 2007 to 2010, only for the Germans to win it again in 2011. But in both 2012 and 2013, Great Britain was triumphant.

Unlike the summer’s football World Cup, we will be at least giving the Germans a run for their money out there on the lakes.

With backing from the National Lottery Sports Fund, our rowing squads are likely to keep bringing home the medals – and their success (particularly in the 2012 Olympics)

has inspired a new generation to dip their oars into our rivers and lakes.

The coach is key A great deal of the men’s British Rowing team success has been ascribed to their chief coach for the past two decades – Jurgen Grobler.

Grobler’s is an extraordinary record of high achievement, coaching crews to gold medals at 10 consecutive Olympic Games from 1972 until 2012. He wasn’t involved with the 1984 Games because his home country, East Germany, boycotted them in retaliation to the American boycott of the 1980 Games.

Grobler moved to the UK in 1991 when Germany was reunited. His acceptance into the sport over here was not without its controversy, given the state-sponsored drug programme at work in East Germany at the time. Grobler has long maintained his innocence and has surely long since earned the right to be trusted on such matters, as he has built his superb legacy in his adopted country.

His first two golds with the British team came with Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent in the pairs at Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta four years later. Grobler then masterminded their move into the four, which won in Sydney with Tim Foster and James Cracknell.

Pinsent and Cracknell were still there in Athens when they were joined this time by Ed Coode and Steve Williams. The personnel were different four years later and again four years after that. Grobler has consistently produced winning squads to achieve success at the highest levels, whether Olympic or World Championships.

Rather than being out on the water, Grobler does a lot of his coaching from his bike, cycling along at the side of the river where his expert eye misses nothing from the performance of those on the water, whether to do with the rower’s technique or indeed his character.

Grobler’s record is one so outstanding that he has to be one of the greatest sporting coaches in history.

Women at the rudder Women’s rowing is certainly one sport which has benefited enormously from the muchvaunted “Olympic Legacy”.

The 2012 Olympian “golden girls” – women’s pair Helen Glover and Heather Stanning – inspired a flood of enthusiasm for rowing, with clubs across the country being deluged with enquiries from beginners, after they won Britain’s first gold medal of the Games.

Another iconic woman in the sport is Katherine Grainger CBE, (above) arguably the most outstanding female British rower of all time, having finally managed to win an Olympic Gold at London 2012 after three successive Olympic silver medals.

That Grainger managed to win gold in more than one rowing discipline across her wonderful career marks her out as a very special athlete.

She won her Olympic gold with Anna Watkins in the double sculls (in which she has also been world champion twice) but has world championship golds in the quadruple sculls and the coxless pair.

Grainger has still not ruled out training for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has spent the past year completing her PhD in homicide at King’s College, while Watkins has recently given birth to her first son.

Should Grainger and Watkins, who are clearly both in different places in their lives nowadays, both decide that they want to make a comeback, it would make some story.

British Rowing statistics show that the Olympic surge of interest in women’s rowing has been sustained. In the year after the Olympics more than 11,500 new members joined British Rowing – and almost half of them were women.

The increasing popularity of the sport among women was borne out by a record entry of 320 crews for the Women’s Head of the River Race last year – about one-third of the participating rowers and coxes being novices.

Start Rowing...

… visit : explorerowing.org/clubs to find your nearest rowing club which offers accredited courses.

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 41

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Style

Weekday supper with Olympian

Mary King Great ingredients, cooked simply, make for a lovely weekday supper – as we found out when we dropped in on Mary King and her family…

42 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Mary King is something of a national hero. An equestrian of more than 30 years, she has represented Great Britain at six Olympics since 1992, winning two silver and one bronze medal in the team eventing. She was the British Open Champion in 1990, 1991 and 1996 and won the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials in 1992 and 2000 and the Burghley Horse Trials in 1996.

Most recently, Mary won team silver on Imperial Cavalier in the three-day eventing at last year’s memorable London Games.

But Mary – whose home and equestrian centre is in Devon, a short hack from the coast – is also a busy working mother, who faces familiar challenges when it comes to feeding husband David and children Freddie, 14, and Emily, 17, on a daily basis.

“We always eat together,” she says, “except during the competition season, when Emily and I are away. Then, on a Saturday night, we often do our own thing. But during the week, if

we’re not competing, we will always sit together and have supper. I think it’s really important.”

While Mary does most of the cooking when she’s at home, Emily, herself a successful equestrian, and Freddie, who is still at school, will often pitch in to help.

“If I’m around, I am chief cook,” Mary says.

“The children can cook – they learned at school – but on a day-to-day basis I do most of it. They could both cook if they were deserted. Freddie would probably just put a pizza in the AGA, but Emily would probably do pasta on the top.

“David is very good at fending for himself and I’ll often leave them a casserole or some bolognaise so they can just cook a bit of spaghetti and do a salad. If I’m too busy to think about that, David will quite happily cook himself a steak, but he wouldn’t be very fancy with his cooking.”

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Style

Posh steak and chips with a bulgar wheat salad and roasted vegetables Bulgar wheat salad Any leftover salad can be kept until the next day, covered in the refrigerator.

120g bulgar wheat 600ml cold water flavoured with 2 tbsp liquid chicken stock Olive oil Red wine vinegar Salt and black pepper 1 can chick peas or beans of your choice, drained and rinsed 1-2 onions, fried 1-2 garlic cloves, fried Roasted pepper from a jar, chopped (optional) 1-2 avocados, chopped into cubes (dress with lemon juice to prevent browning) Fresh herbs, chopped (optional) Baby spinach leaves Baby salad leaves to serve alongside Fillet of beef 1 x 1kg fillet of beef, trimmed centre Rapeseed oil Fresh rosemary and thyme, finely chopped Salt and black pepper Ground garlic To serve - Horseradish cream 1. Bring the beef to room temperature, then rub it all over with a touch of oil. Cover a board thickly with the herbs, some salt, pepper and a little ground garlic.

Roll the beef across this mixture until it is thoroughly coated.

2. Place a little rapeseed oil in a large AGA sautĂŠ pan, with a removable handle, and heat. Sear the beef fillet all over.

1. Wash the bulgar wheat thoroughly in a sieve. Heat the wheat and stock from cold and bring to the boil.

2. Place a lid on the pan and place in the simmering oven for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains are soft. Drain in a sieve if needed.

3. Season and dress the bulgar wheat with a little oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Allow to cool.

4. Just before serving, gently stir in the drained chick peas, onion, garlic, peppers, avocado, chopped herbs and spinach leaves. Serve with baby leaves.

3. Place, without the handle, into the roasting oven and roast for 15-20 minutes.

4. Allow to rest for 20 minutes, covered loosely with foil. Slice thickly with a nonserrated knife. Serve with horseradish cream.

Posh chips Several large cold baked potatoes (Maris Piper) Olive oil or rapeseed oil Sunflower oil Rock salt and ground black pepper 1. Thickly slice the potatoes. Season and fry slowly in a shallow pan with a generous amount of olive or rapeseed oil and sunflower oil (half and half).

2. On the hotplate, heat the oils in a large pan with a removable handle or frying pan with a heatproof handle. Add the potatoes and transfer to the floor of the roasting oven to fry. Turn the potato rounds over and fry the other side until golden on both sides. This should take 20-30 minutes. AGA Total Control: Use the floor grid. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the dips.

Roasted vegetables 4 small courgettes 2 yellow peppers 2 red onions, peeled 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled Olive oil Salt and black pepper Balsamic vinegar 8 tomatoes on the vine Basil/thyme/rosemary (optional) 1. Slice the courgettes and peppers into strips of equal size. Slice the red onion into eights, leaving a little of the base attached.

Place in the large AGA cast-iron baking dish with the garlic cloves. Coat all with a little olive oil and season.

2. Place the baking dish on the oven grid shelf, placed on the third set of runners down in the roasting oven and cook for about 30 minutes until tender and caramelising around the edges.

3. Add the tomatoes (still on the vine) and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cook for 5-10 minutes more.

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4. Arrange on a serving plate with herbs and a drizzle of balsamic.

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Style

Give up smoking!

Householders living in smoke-controlled areas now have the option of economical and effective heating with the announcement of exciting additions to the collection of cast-iron wood-burning stoves from iconic brand AGA. The new Ludlow SE and Stretton SE (smoke exempt) stoves are designed to be installed in smoke-controlled zones, such as town and city centres, and both meet the strict requirements of the 1993 Clean Air Act. The Ludlow SE is specifically designed for medium-sized properties, with a nominal heat output of 6.5kW, which can rise to a

44 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

maximum 9.7kW. User-friendly features include a ’cool touch’ handle, removable shaker grate, ash pan, fire fence and front ash tray. It can be easily fitted almost anywhere, thanks to top and rear flue outlets.

The Stretton SE is designed to be fitted easily into a 16-inch (405mm) or 18-inch (460mm) fireplace. With a smaller output of 4.9kW, this model is also designed so that it can be left to burn overnight, resulting in a lovely warm room in the morning. Features are the same as on the Ludlow SE, and are designed to make cleaning the stove as easy as possible.

When it comes to heating the whole house, Rayburn Heatrangers are range cookers with a built-in boiler that can manage up to 20 radiators upstairs and downstairs, whilst providing hot water at the turn of a tap.

They are A-rated for efficiency, which is excellent news from the perspective of running costs.

Another unique feature of a Rayburn Heatranger is the solid fuel option (SFW), meaning you can choose a woodfired model to cook with, to heat your water and to gently warm your home.

Sustainable and self-sufficient, a woodburning range cooker is the ideal choice for rural homeowners and those working towards self-sufficiency where suitable wood varieties are in plentiful supply. Wood is carbon neutral, so it is cleaner to burn than other fossil fuels, namely coal, oil and gas.

To find out more visit www.agaliving.com or www.rayburn-web.co.uk

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Spring is finally here - make your AGA sparkle.

Style

Your AGA works hard for you all year so give it a showroom shine to be proud of. Here’s everything you need to get your AGA looking as good as new in no time at all and with minimal effort.

AGA E CLOTHS

ENAMEL CLEANER

For everyday cleaning the fabulous Aga E cloth is a must. Giving the Aga the once over with the cloths after cooking is finished will keep the cooker looking sparkling new.

The pack comprises two high quality cloths, one for general purpose use and one for polishing.

Just add water to the cloth for fast, effective cleaning. The Aga E Cloths are the best quality and really last. They are also fantastic for other jobs in the house too, such as polishing windows and mirrors leaving a streak free shine.

CHROME AND STEEL CLEANER Ideal for cleaning chrome and steel dome lids and stainless steel cookware. The unique formula will clean the AGA or Rayburn chrome and steel lids whilst warm, bringing them to a polished shine

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For cleaning your AGA or Rayburn cooker whilst warm without smearing the Aga enamel cleaner is designed to remove tough stains .

TOP PLAT E SCRAPER The top plate scraper has been designed to clean ceramic and enamel surfaces. Perfect for removing the build up of burnt - on food spillages on the enamel top plate , especially the area in between the two AGA hotplates

For more information visit agacookshop.co.uk

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Art & Antiques

BONE UP ON CHINA Of all the great inventions that Britain has introduced to the world, delicate but durable bone china is probably one of the most admired.

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Staffordshire bone china covered chocolate cup, with enamels and gilding, ca.1815-20 (Victoria and Albert Museum).

Wikimedia Creative Commons: By David Jackson

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here is a bone of contention as to who first decided to mix the ash from incinerated animal bones into the formula of the ‘frit’ (clay mix) used to produce what was originally known as “fine porcelain”.

The development of what we now call “bone china” is generally ascribed to Josiah Spode I, and his son, Josiah II – those legendary Stokeon-Trent potters whose name has become synonymous with the high quality, widely collected Blue Italian porcelain that was first produced at the Spode factory in 1816, and continues to be a popular range to this day. (The Spode brand name has since been sold to the Portmeirion Group, who now continue to make Blue Italian at their Stoke-on-Trent factory).

The bone china story, however, goes back to the very beginnings of the manufacture of porcelain in England, in the early 18th Century, long before the pretty blue and white Spode hit the market.

A bit of research reveals the fact that porcelain has been made in China since antiquity, and began to appear in Europe in the 16th century after the Portuguese ‘discovered’ the sea route to China.

Europeans were delighted with this most desirable pottery. Bright and shiny, smooth to the touch, heat resistant, tough but brittle, impervious to liquids: to medieval Europeans used to earthenware pots and wooden plates this was luxury indeed.

The Chinese kept the secret of producing porcelain close until the late 17th century – it was obviously worth their while because they were “coining it” from exports to Europe. Apparently a German alchemist named Johann Friedrich Böttger got hold

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Art & Antiques

of the precious formula in 1708, and the European ceramics industry has never looked back.

It was up to the English to refine porcelain still further as ceramics manufacturing exploded into an important industry during the 18th century.

In 1748 an Irish artist by the name of Thomas Frye, manager of the Bow Porcelain Works in London, applied for a patent to manufacture porcelain from materials different from the norm (which were generally petuntse and kaolin, sourced in England from Cornwall). The rather vague materials designated in the patent were “virgin earth”, produced by calcinating animals, vegetables, and fossils, “but some in greater quantity than others, as all animal substances, all fossils of the calcareous kind, as chalk, limestone, etc.”.

It seems Frye experimented with adding bone ash – and various other forms of incinerated organic matter – to porcelain, but until 1867 no-one was sure whether the Bow factory (very few of their products having survived) actually did add bone to their mix. Then, in 1867, some drainage operations got underway on the site of the old Bow Porcelain Works (which had by then become a match factory), and the foundations of one of the kilns was discovered, containing a large quantity of waste specimens and broken pottery from the china factory. Chemical testing of these bits and pieces revealed that they all did contain bone ash – Bow had indeed been turning out bone china during its operations between around 1750 and 1770, when the factory was sold off. Frye’s formulation used up to 45% bone ash – in an effort to whiten the finished porcelain, and improve its strength and durability. An added bonus proved to be a translucent effect which was produced by the bone ash.

The British Museum and Victoria & Albert (Schreiber Collection) Museums today preserve some pieces from the Bow Factory – one in the British Museum, a little teapot with an embossed vine ornament, is marked TF and is probably the work of Thomas Frye himself.

While the fortunes of the Bow Factory were falling, Josiah Spode I was up in Stoke-on-Trent, adapting and improving the formula for making bone china.

Fortunately one of his earliest developments was to stop calcining the animal bone together with the meat and marrow, and instead heat and treat just the bone. The ultimate Spode recipe (his son Josiah II had a hand in it too), perfected by around 1788, ended up

The iconic Spode Blue Italian design, which first appeared in 1816, is still produced by the Portmeirion Group in Stoke-on-Trent : portmeirion.co.uk

being the traditional bone china recipe of six parts bone-ash, four parts china stone and 3.5 parts kaolin, all finely ground together, that is still used today.

Some notes from the Spode archives suggest: “The best that can be used are the leg bones of oxen and cows, but on no account horses bones, as they are open and spongy, whereas the former are solid”.

All the great British potteries – Minton, Davenport, Coalport, Royal Worcester, Royal Crown Derby, Wedgwood and so on – adopted the bone china formula, establishing English porcelain as the gold standard for the industry.

Bone china production – which is more tricky than porcelain because of its lower plasticity and narrower vitrification range – remained essentially English until the late 1900s, when it spread abroad a little. The exceptional quality of English bone china, however, has ensured that our products remain the most desired of their ilk the world over.

Discover the history and heritage of England’s great potteries on the Stoke-on-Trent Ceramics Trail : visitstoke.co.uk/ceramics-trail

There are many companies in Stoke-on-Trent still using the traditional techniques of bone china production that put England on the ceramic map. One such is William Edwards Ltd., who have a retail range available through their website and take on bespoke commissions for such illustrious establishments as The Goring Hotel, Historic Royal Palaces, Blenheim Palace and the House of Lords – not to mention a host of extremely well-to-do private clients (including members of the Royal Family). Pictured here is an example of the contemporary Tweed design, one of William Edwards’ delightful “off the shelf” collections. To view the full range of the William Edwards Studio collections, visit : williamedwards.co.uk.

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Nature

All things bright and beautiful Dennis Furnell is on hand to greet our feathered and furry friends as they emerge vociferously from winter sleep, dressed in their best

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uman beings are able to insulate themselves from the worst of the cold and wet by use of fire, something that may well have come about by happy accident.To every other animal species with which we share this wonderful and diverse planet, fire is an implacable foe, but our ancestors opened up a whole new source of food when they began to heat otherwise unpalatable and indigestible plant and animal ingredients.

The by-product of a wood fire is smoke.

One can only wonder and marvel as to how the first humans discovered that meat and fish exposed to wood-smoke not only remains edible for longer, but also, in some cases, develops an even more enjoyable flavour. Few people smoke their own food nowadays, but commercially smoked meats and vegetables, fish and fowl are the basis of a multi-billion pound industry.

It is not only food cooked by fire that suits our species: fire heats our homes, whether directly or indirectly, and in countries where

people live close to nature fire also acts as a deterrent to predators that might otherwise add human beings to their diet.

In Great Britain we enjoy the benefits of creating a comfortable micro climate in our homes with no fear of predatory beasts larger than a house spider to disturb our equilibrium. In any case spiders, along with various other six and eight-legged invertebrates, are tucked up in hibernation at the moment, waiting for the sun to describe a less flattened arc across the sky.

The creatures of the countryside do not enjoy the benefit of central heating, but they do have feathers and fur and evolutionary development to keep them warm.

Nevertheless, wildlife needs our help, particularly so at the end of winter when natural food supplies are almost exhausted, or hidden by snow, or hard to reach in frozen ground ... and we are amply rewarded if we do so. The advent of bird feeders has brought nature into the garden and nature reserves have helped to change our perception of WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

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Nature

winter as being a dour, dead time to be out in the countryside. These days we think of it as a time to be enjoyed. In the city, in an urban environment, in the countryside, or by the coast on marshy sea-girt wetlands and estuaries a wealth of birds and animals thrive... and winter nature watching has become a national pastime.

Of course, we can now to begin to look forward to spring as the wildlife is doing, particulary birds.

The breeding season is near and they are showing off their brightened plumage and becoming more territorial.

A typical sound at this time of year, be it in towns or on the coast, is the “kee-aaa” call of black-headed gulls. It’s subtly different in the frosty thrall of a February day as the birds follow mums with children in pushchairs on the way to feed the ducks.The call increases in expectation when the first crust hits the water, and as mallard and Canada geese rush to grab it, so the hovering flocks of gulls dash into action with an aerobatic display that is as amazing as it is noisy. Some of the mature gulls are beginning to show a dark smudge behind the eye that by April will replace the white head completely with deep chocolate brown feathers; but they have some way to go before their full breeding plumage can compare with the beauty of the wintering and resident ducks and drakes.The iridescent green and dove grey of the mallard drake contrasts with the female, already camouflaged for nesting in brown and gold.

Duck-watching reflects the changes that conservation has introduced to the urban scene.Widgeon, dabbling grazing ducks of saltmarsh, have taken to city life with alacrity.The widgeon drake has a copper-coloured head with a crown of gold and is a little smaller than mallard.Widgeon and mallard can easily be confused at a distance, especially the females as they also need the benefit of camouflage when the time comes for them to sit on eggs in deep cover. Among my favourites is the tiny, incredibly pretty, teal. Cinnamon-coloured head, iridescent green eye strip outlined in yellow, dove-grey body ornamented with fine pencil lines and an elegantly finished tip-tilted pointed tail with golden-coloured feathers

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surrounding a black triangle; it is an exquisite example of nature’s skill.

Not all ducks “quack”. The teal is a case in point; it chirrups like a songbird.

Widgeons don’t quack either, but make an evocative “fluting” call. The mallard does quack; loud and raucous. In the still air that sometimes occurs in later winter the combination of chirruping teal, fluting widgeon and raucous laughing mallard is the classic music of the wetland.

The sun has still some way to go before its power is renewed and the cool, still air of evening is the perfect stage for wildlife players.

Foxes bark, although they will have already found a mate by now; tawny owls are advertising their readiness to set up territory and find a mate with much hooting and “keeicking”. It’s certainly not a good time to be a short-tailed field vole; this furry fall guy of nature is the target of foxes and owls and virtually every predatory creature out and about either by night or by day. However, should snow fall they will have a slight advantage over the hunters for they can scurry beneath the featureless white covering and find safety in their warm runs in the grassroots beneath the snow.

From left to right: , Teal Drake, Black-headed Gull. and a Mallard Drake. Photos by Dennis Furnell

Fact Box The Royal Society for the Protection for Birds, the premier European conservation organisation : rspb.org.uk The British Trust for Ornithology A scientific and research organisation that has provided more data about birds, habitats and populations than any other. : bto.org The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust The brainchild of the late Sir Peter Scott. If you are at all interested in wildfowl and wetlands WWT reserves are essential visiting. : wwt.org.uk

Spotlight on...

Woodland owners have been offered the chance to win an award (with cash prizes) for managing woods to make them resilient to the threat of pests, disease and climate change.

The ‘Woodlands for Climate Change Award’ has been launched as part of the 2014 Royal Forestry Society Excellence in Forestry Awards in association with Forestry Commission England and England’s Climate Ready Support Service, led by the Environment Agency. The closing date for entries is 31 March. For details visit :.rfs.org.uk/involved/woodlands-for-climate-change-2014 or contact Trefor Thompson 8 rfscompetition@boyns.net ( 01824 704230

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Insurance

FLOODED? We can bail you out!

As we go to press people across the UK are counting the cost of the new year floods, and wondering whether their “flood risk” properties can be affordably insured against such disaster in the future.

In many cases home owners living in areas which have been inundated by water are finding insurance is at best hugely expensive, or at worst unobtainable.

If your home fell victim to the most recent floods, or has been previously flooded at any time, CGA Insurance Services has specialist cover available, which is granted in most cases with the adoption of recommended flood resilient/resistant measures. We can work with you, hand in glove with our partner providers, to ensure the most affordable premiums and low excesses available for properties with a flooding history.

Our solution is a tried and tested, highly regarded scheme which involves a “flood insure” process. Our insurance team arranges an initial desk top survey of your property, to identify the risk of flooding, at a cost of £35 plus VAT. Should this initial

survey show cause for concern, it will be followed by an on-site survey (£495 plus VAT) carried out by specialist company, Flood Solutions Ltd, who will draw up a report containing recommendations for the installation of measures, if suitable, to protect the property from ingress of water.

If all recommendations are implemented the property will become insurable under this scheme and the CGA insurance team will come up with the best possible quote with a maximum excess of just £2,500.

So, come rain or shine, there is no reason for despair about flood insurance. The CGA has a string of satisfied clients signed up for this specialised cover. Our customers have found not only that they have peace of mind regarding the risk of future flooding, but can also rest easy knowing they have been professionally advised about staying high and dry, and implemented practical measures to keep the water at bay.

CGA Insurance

“RECORD” INVESTMENT” IN FLOOD DEFENCE PROMISED Following concerns from MPs that cuts to the DEFRA budget would seriously impact on investment in flood defence infrastructure, the Government has sought to re-assure people at risk that spending would continue “at record levels”.

Environment Minister George Eustice, whose own Camborne and Redruth constituency was recently hit by flood waters, told the “Today” programme that, in the 2015-2021 spending round, a record £2.3 billion would be ploughed into preventing repeats of what he called “the absolute tragedy and nightmare” suffered by families who were flooded out of their homes over the festive period.

“the absolute tragedy and nightmare” This figure, he claimed, represented a “real terms increase” in investment in flood defences. He added that the Environment Agency, a statutory planning consultee, was also helping pre-empt future problems by frequently denying planning permission for new buildings on the basis that they would be located in flood plain areas.

In answer to a Parliamentary question recently, Prime Minister David Cameron said that whether or not the more frequent “abnormal weather events” from which we were suffering were due to global warming, it made sense to invest in flood defences and getting more information out to those who might be affected.

To find out more about the CGA specialised flood insurance homeowner’s policies call freephone ( 0800 028 1001, or email 8 insurance@thecga.co.uk 50 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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Gardening

To Do List for the close of Winter PRUNE winter flowering shrubs and wisteria, and trim winterflowering heathers CUT BACK old foliage from ornamental grasses to just a few centimetres from the ground PREPARE vegetable seed beds – remove all weeds and fork in compost, then cover with sheets of plastic until time for spring planting MULCH fruit trees with well-rotted manure or garden compost, taking care not to mound mulch up around the trunk

AT ITS BEST...

IN THE

Garden Spring will soon be busting out all over, so get down and dirty as you prepare for a new growing season.

Pretty Camellias provide a splash of ornamental colour at this time of year when there is not much else in bloom. Depending on the variety these oriental shrubs flower in winter or early spring, but beware their susceptibility to late frosts, which can damage the buds. Camellia Japonica is the most common species – there are more than 2,000 named cultivars. They do best in woodland settings, and need acid soil (ideally

nge of us Gruffalo® ra al, the gorgeo tic ac ssories pr ce d ac an Cute d gardening oor clothing an td n ou tio n’s ac re to ild in ch to spring ungsters keen ful ht lig de is will get the yo Th . pear this year ap ls di ffo by da d e te when th aracter crea the Gruffalo ch on d se ba ly – on e rang effler – is not n and Axel Ch e: kit the Julia Donaldso t comprehensiv bu e, bl rta fo m co s and d colourful an ece, hat, scarve hing from a fle yt er ev th wi y t kids ou can. Exclusivel s and watering gloves to wellie uk o. : briersltd.c available from

with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5) with a loose, open structure; therefore they perform well in areas like Cornwall and Devon. If your soil is not suitable, they make lovely container plants, easily grown when potted with an acidic compost. Camellias were the favourite flower of the late Queen Mother: a wreath of pink camellias adorned her coffin when she lay in state in the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park before her funeral in 2002.

“Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made By singing: Oh, how beautiful!” - and sitting in the shade” Rudyard Kipling, “The Glory of the Garden”

EVENT The Edible Garden Show at London’s Alexandra Palace is an award-winning grow-your-own event which will be held from March 28 to 30. : theediblegardenshow.co.uk

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Gardening

For our purposes I have picked out a few examples of “clean air” plants which are attractive additions to the home:

Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) Potting: Use a pot with drainage holes, about 5cm (2 inches) bigger than the root ball (or nursery pot).

Fill the pot about a quarter way up with rich potting soil, add the palm then pack more soil around the plant until it is firmly embedded with a gap of around 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the soil surface to the rim. Water straight away and position the palm in a bright spot (not in direct sunlight).

Care: Don’t over-water. Just moisten when the surface soil feels dry. Preferably use filtered water. Feed with a suitable fertiliser during the growing season and keep a check for spider mites on the underside of the leaves. If mites appear wash the leaves with soapy water. Remove brown leaves and repot if/when the palm outgrows its container.

Peace Lily

GROW YOUR OWN

FRESH AIR!

Liz Bell is an experienced gardener who finds herself temporarily without a garden! Thus her attention has turned to window-boxes and house plants...

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aving no garden definitely doesn’t mean you can’t be a gardener!

There is always someone who will appreciate a bit of a helping hand in their garden – a neighbour, relative, or even one of those wonderful community gardens that are springing up in towns everywhere.

At home though, if, like me, you are living in a flat with no outside space at all, you can pretty things up considerably, and even grow herbs and vegetables, by making use of house plants indoors, and pots on the window-sills.

Did you know, indoor plants are actually good for you? They reduce stress, raise your spirits, and control humidity levels, among other things. Best of all having some plants around the house will ensure you are breathing cleaner air, especially during winter when you’re stuck indoors with the heating on and the windows closed.

A great deal of research (initiated back in

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the late 1980s by NASA scientists) has been done into indoor pollutants – nasties that are found in every home (and building) – like formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, to name just a few. In fact, it is now a known fact that the air inside your house is far more polluted than that outside, no matter where you live. The chemicals pervading the air in your home can cause symptoms like allergies, headaches and fatigue, and even cancer.

Never fear – there is a way to clean up the air. Get yourself some indoor plants. Not just any plants, though. Researchers have identified which work best at removing harmful gases and pollutants in our living environment.

It’s a long list, and if you’d like to know more, get hold of a book called “How to Grow Fresh Air” by Dr B.C. Wolverton (a former NASA researcher), which is available on Amazon.

(Spathiphyllum) Potting: These plants thrive in a rich, loose potting soil containing plenty of organic material. A large plant can be divided into clumps and potted independently. Pot should be well-drained.

Care: Peace Lilies prefer a shady spot, and enjoy humidity. Water and mist the plant frequently, ensuring the soil does not dry out (but don’t let it get waterlogged). Keep away from cold drafts, and feed regularly in the summer. Keep a check for aphids, mites and scale.

Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) Potting: A ceramic or terracotta pot is best, around 5cm (2 inches) larger than the circumference of the plant’s previous container. Cover the drainage holes with shards, tease the roots of the fern and pop it in the pot. Then pack it in with a rich, peat-based potting mix, leaving a one inch (2.5cm) gap at the top of the pot.

Saturate with water, but then let the soil dry out slightly before watering again.

Care: The Boston Fern needs to be kept in a humid atmosphere – mist it frequently and if the heating is on keep it from drying out by standing on a tray filled with pebbles and water. The plant should be placed in indirect sunlight. Watch for spider mites and whitefly.

Now is a good time to choose, pot and settle your indoor plant collection. In the next issue we will have some advice on planting up window-boxes and outdoor containers to brighten up spring and early summer.

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Shopping

Artful Outdoor Adornment Garden ornaments have been used in landscaping to add character and aesthetic appeal for thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians used statues of their gods in temple courtyards; the ancient Greeks venerated the human form with an abundance of statues; and the Romans perfected garden adornment with their extravagant and artistic stone sculptures and fountains. In the east garden ornaments were, and still are, designed to invoke peace and serenity, strategically placed according to feng shui principles. The modern approach in UK gardens is a mix of the classical – copies of Roman and Greek urns and statues – and a host of new themes and weather-proof materials.

We have shopped around for an attractive assortment of outdoor ornaments to add a new dimension to your garden – large or small – as spring approaches.

A real talking point in any outdoor space are the slightly weird but totally wonderful works of “Chainsaw Mick” (Mick Burns) of Lincoln, a former forester who has turned his talents to sculpting with a chainsaw. Mick takes on commissions, but some of his smaller works are available ready-made at the Forge Arts gallery, Main Street, Hackthorn, Lincoln, LN2 3PF. POA : chainsawsculpture.co.uk ( 07718 388760

This pretty classical figure of a water nymph can be positioned beside a pool, or used as a centrepiece in an elegant water feature. Available in Portland or Bath Stone, Terracotta, Slate and Coade colours. £649 : haddonstone.com ( 01604 770711

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One of a set of four depicting the seasons, this is the demure figure of Spring cast in stone, perfect for enhancing lawns, terraces, courtyards, borders, woodlands – or even indoors. A range of complementary pedestals is available. £599 : haddonstone.com ( 01604 770711

This baluster style sundial plinth (in the style of James Gibbs) has a matching bird bath in the range, and makes a beautiful focal point in the garden. Shown here with the crescent sundial mounted atop it (sold separately). £289 for the plinth, £899 for the dial : haddonstone.com ( 01604 770711

These have to be our favourite (the emblem of the CGA being the wren!) – a pair of resin wrens to adorn your bird table or patio. £8.99 : gardens2you.co.uk ( 01933 624084

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Garden Ornaments

Make sure there are fairies at the bottom of your garden: this delicate little lady is asleep on a toadstool, in a bronze finish, sculpted in high quality resin. £115 : candleandblue.co.uk ( 01284765522

ent of the wild Bring an elem with this pair of into the garden in aluminium st garden deer, ca -finish. Other nd ha with a bronze ulptures are sizes of deer sc .00 the pair available. £190 lue.co.uk : candleandb 22 55 ( 01284 76

Designed to suggest the moonlight reflecting in water this handmade mosaic bird bath is great for adding colour into the garden, as well as being practical. Many more designs available. (Pot base shown is not supplied). £35 : josara.co.uk

From an original design by renowned “pop art” sculptor Paul Harvey, this stone owl statue comes in both this “rust” finish and in grey slate. A wise choice for jazzing up the garden. £260 : gardenstatueshop.co.uk ( 0844 248 4851

This bright multi-coloured mosaic lizard is made from frost resistant resin – a fun surprise hiding among the underbrush! £9.99 : gardens2you.co.uk ( 01933 624084

This cute hand-crafted Pug stone ornament with an aged ‘Cotswold’ finish is durable and part of a collection of delightful dogs (eg. Spaniel, Terrier and Labrador). £89 : gardenstatueshop.co.uk ( 0844 248 4851

Rust-resistant, made of high grade aluminium with an age d bronzed finish, this graceful pai r of swans add a touch of elegance to pond surrounds, river banks, or simply sitting on the lawn. £21 5 (the pair) : candleandblue.co.uk ( 01284765522

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Oh come on! We just had to include a gnome! We are rather taken with this jolly little chap called Monty. £8.99 : gardens2you.co.uk ( 01933 624084

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Food

Award-winning food writer, Elisabeth Luard, leads us into temptation with a fruity feast

S

ilver-tongued Bishop Valentine was martyred on 14 Feb AD 269 in the usual unpleasant manner visited on those who upset the Emperor in Imperial Rome.

This doesn’t make him the obvious candidate for a lovers’ festival, though he did indeed share with Cupid a persuasive way with words.

Thrown into jail by the Emperor Claudius for aiding and abetting an outlawed sect, Valentine’s oratory was so powerful his jailor was persuaded to turn his coat and switch sides.The Emperor, annoyed by the inconvenience – equivalent, in Downton Abbey terms, to having your valet pinched by an unscrupulous guest – had the sweet-talking miscreant flogged, beheaded and strung up on the Flaminian Way as a lesson to passers-by

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who might be considering anything similar.

There’s no obvious connection between this bloodthirsty event and a festival devoted (to put it daintily) to activities indulged in at the same time of year by the birds and the bees.Timing is the key. By mid-February, spring is just about sprung round the shores of the Mediterranean – never mind that we northerners have to wait out a couple more months of winter – and everywhere and all about, nature is busy with the business of choosing a mate.

Procreation was also the purpose of the feast of Lupercalia, an event sacred to the fertile goddess Juno or the goat-god Pan, depending on which side of the Aegean you hung your hat. Not to put too fine a point on it, before the main business of Lupercalia could commence, lots were drawn for partners.The names of all unmarried girls were placed in a box, drawn out and allocated without the need for preliminary introductions: this custom is reflected in the habit of sending unsigned valentine cards to those who may not even suspect an interest.

Once Rome and her empire converted to Christianity, the Early Church Fathers, disinclined to merriment themselves, found that the laity needed a dose of bread and circuses to balance the gloom and doom, so hitched the sainted bishop’s star to the fun and games of Lupercalia.This is why Valentine cards remain unsigned and dinner-for-two is on offer in every eatery in town. So there you have it, would-be Valentines. Cast your lot in the ring – there’s nothing to lose but online dates. Same old, same old, really. O tempora, o mores, as Cicero put it.

Here’s a couple of delectable dishes to set you on the seductive track. No need for dessert – unless perhaps a sip of something well-chilled, flowery and sweet.

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Food

Start as you mean to go on. Eggy things are always to be considered aphrodisiac – and you shouldn’t need me to work out why. This particular dish, popular since the twenties, shows an encouraging willingness to spend time on a task.

Serves 2 (of course) 4 eggs (fresh though not new-laid) 2 muffins Butter 2 slices ham (the real stuff, carved from the bone) Hollandaise sauce 2 egg yolks 4 oz/100g butter 1 teaspoon lemon juice Salt Make the sauce first, which is easy enough in a liquidiser. Put the yolks in the blender and whizz them up for a moment. Melt the butter, and when it’s foaming but not yet beginning to sizzle, trickle it steadily into the yolks, continuing to process. As the sauce emulsifies, add the lemon juice. If the sauce is not thick enough, pour it into a small bowl and whisk it over simmering water - it won’t take long to thicken, so be careful not to let it scramble.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs in the proper manner: that is in a whirlpool of boiling water with a drop of vinegar, not in one of those egg-steamers which produces a tough little egg-bun rather than a soft orange yolk lightly veiled with white.

Split the muffins, toast them on both sides (crumb-side last), and butter them. Top each with ham, and then with a poached egg.

Finish with a spoonful of hollandaise. Do not delay in the serving.

Small birds and the fruit of the vine are to be considered stimulating for much the same reason as eggs. And eating with your fingers, if both of you are doing it, is sexy.

Serves 2 4 quails Generous knob butter, softened Thyme and rosemary, crushed 2 dozen small green grapes Salt and pepper To finish 1 wine-glass ginger wine Small knob butter Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas6 Place the birds in a roasting tin and lightly butter the breasts.

Sprinkle with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Pop a couple of grapes inside each bird and cover all loosely with butter-paper.

Roast the birds for 18-20 minutes till the drumsticks can be wiggled in their sockets, removing the butter-paper half way through the cooking to allow the skin to brown. Transfer the birds to two warm plates and keep them warm while you make the sauce.

Place the roasting tin on top-heat, add the ginger wine and bubble it up, scraping in the brown sticky bits. Add a splash of water and the remaining grapes, skinned and de-pipped, and continue to bubble it up for another couple of minutes till you have a little sticky sauce.

Sauce the quails, and serve with bread but no potatoes or salad the latter is unromantic and the former induces an inappropriate sense of guilt. Eat the birds with your fingers while gazing into your beloved’s eyes to divert attention from the butter on your chin.

Rose-flavoured Turkish delight to finish. The rest is up to you.

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 57

Food_Layout 1 29/01/2014 10:35 Page 3

Specialist Food Producer

Super Scrumptious Sausage Rolls “Once tasted, they are never forgotten.” That’s the proud boast of Ivan Watkiss whose skills as a chef and delicatessen owner are essential in the creation of his company’s signature products.

For though his Coopers Gourmet Sausage Rolls company uses only the best possible free range ingredients, all with local provenance, it’s Ivan’s culinary expertise which turns those ingredients into sausage rolls that are bigger, heavier and tastier than their fast food namesakes.

A self-confessed foodie – “I come from a family that is totally involved in catering” – Ivan’s maternal grand-parents lived the good life on a small farm, where they reared animals and grew veg.

“I helped them from seven years of age, and that’s what started my passion for great local produce,” he says.

As owner of Gilhams Deli in Oswestry Ivan had developed it into a business which offers a bespoke catering service for private functions, parties, corporate catering, business lunches and high profile events. Then the recession came along.

“I decided to diversify and disappeared into the kitchen,” he reveals. “I began creating the perfect sausage roll, because I’ve always thought it had a bad press and I knew it could be a delicious foodie product.”

Ivan’s prototype Cranberry & Nut sausage rolls were devoured by staff and never made it to the shelves but once they did go on sale in Gilham’s customers clamoured for more, and he couldn’t make his next creation – Shropshire Blue & Caramelised Onion – fast enough.

Still made in Shropshire, though now in a bespoke food production unit at the new Shrewsbury Food Centre, Cooper’s sausage rolls are still sold at Gilhams, and also at delis, farm shops, farmers’ markets and other mainly rural outlets across Shropshire, and can also be bought in Harrods and Selfridges.

: coopers-sausage-rolls.co.uk 8 ivan@coopers-sausage-rolls.co.uk ( 01743 441811.

E USIVR L C EX MBE ME EFITS BEN per

ham us a n i W delicio of fish

Don’t let this be the one that got away! Enter our competition to win a mixed box of fabulous fish worth £60, direct from the fishing port of Peterhead in north-east Scotland.

This piscatorial prize – which includes salmon, mackerel, scallops and plaice among other varieties – is being offered by DelishFish – a bespoke internet fishmongers – run by John Milne and his family. The current Milnes are the fifth generation of fishermen, fish merchants, fish smokers and fishmongers to ply their trade in Peterhead, which has a fishing heritage stretching back to the 14th Century.

Peterhead’s all-weather harbour and long tradition of fishing and fish processing have resulted in it becoming the major fishing port in Europe for catching white fish, pelagic (herring and mackerel) and langoustine (cold water prawn).

The modern Milnes sell their fish – all caught, landed, filleted, skinned, smoked and/or frozen within a quarter of a mile of Peterhead Fishmarket – online, having found it preferable to cut out the middleman and provide a bespoke, personal service at reasonable prices.

For more information visit : delishfish.co.uk How to Enter For your chance to win the DelishFish hamper complete and return the reply card between pages 74 and 75.

Win a hamper of delicious fish

Terms and conditions: Entries must be received by Friday, 21 March 2014 and the winner will be informed by Tuesday 25 March 2014. The winner will be chosen at random and the judge’s decision is final. The prize will be dispatched and delivered to the winner by arrangement with DelishFish.

Member benefit! Order fish online at : delishfish.co.uk and quote coupon code DF009 to claim a 20% discount!

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK 58 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 59

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Finance

Bursting the Bubble Property Finance Specialist Richard Perry is optimistic that the property market will become more active this year.

I will start by saying “Welcome to 2014 !”

There is a lot of optimism about lending and economic growth in the year ahead. I have always subscribed to the philosophy that ‘I did not cause the global economic crisis and I cannot fix it .. so I am just going to get on with it..!’

In 2013 I felt that the vast majority in the country were working on the same principle. In terms of mortgage and finance there was a clear rise in demand, and a slight easing in restrictive criteria – in short lenders seemed to be lending more money. I have a great optimism and hope that this will continue in 2014 and indeed beyond.

Charles Haresnape, Managing Director of Aldermore Residential Mortgages, says: “I expect to see a marked increase in activity in the housing market in 2014. As it grows, mortgages for new households will improve new lending over and above the normal churn from mortgages and counteract the recent trend of overpayments, redemptions and downsizing. In 2014, we will need to address the issue of heightened demand. 2013 has seen a marked increase in the number of first-time buyers, but house prices will continue to rise until the housing stock increases.”

I feel that the two Help to Buy Schemes that have been released over the past 12 months will help, and have helped, the first time buyer market as well as perhaps getting a few under-performing regional areas moving again in terms of more sales. This is a market that has been dormant for a few years due to lack of funding.

With more houses being planned, as well as more opportunities for first time buyers and those with smaller deposits, I really feel that the outlook is positive. The first time buyer market is crucial to the future of the British housing market.

I am also a strong believer in having a positive outlook. There has been talk of a possible housing bubble and this is of course possible - I personally do not believe that this will happen in the near future.

60 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

There have been strong growth figures in terms of house price increases, but remember there were huge drops in values throughout the UK. It could be argued we are simply re-adjusting and getting back to where prices should be. If we live by the rule of “what if”, then nothing would be accomplished.

The outlook is strong and the mortgage lenders are providing better rates as well as lower fees, so I am confident we will have a very competitive 2014.

As ever the need for an overall view of the market is key, so by all means contact me on either ( 0113 228 448 or 01985 850706, email 8 Richard.perry@cavendish.uk.com, for a chat or even a second opinion. All initial discussions are not charged so should you or a family member wish to discuss mortgages, whether it be a remortgage, a purchase, buy to let or even to purchase a holiday property, then give me a call.

Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up payments on a mortgage or other loan secured upon it.

PM is positive on property ….

Prime Minister David Cameron has – like Richard Perry – dismissed fears that the Help to Buy scheme will create a property market bubble this year.

He told the BBC in an interview early in the new year that the initiative, which allows people to buy properties for up to £600,000 with a 5% deposit, meant that people without wealthy parents and a hefty deposit could realise their dream of owning a home.

Mr Cameron brushed aside suggestions that the scheme would inflate property prices.

“House prices are way below the peak they reached in 2007. Forecasters don’t believe they will return to the level before the crash, even by 2019, so there is no evidence there will be a problem,” he said.

He told the BBC there were many parts of the country (outside London) where house prices were barely moving at all.

As of early January more than 6,000 buyers had applied for a mortgage through the second phase of Help to Buy, and nearly £1-billion in home loans had been made in the first three months after its introduction in October 2013, with 750 purchases having been completed.

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

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Finance

Seize the day From pension savings to estate planning, the end of the tax year offers an array of opportunities to build and protect capital.

T

he ageing population is perhaps the biggest challenge facing governments, financial institutions and savers today. People are living longer – many of us could spend a third of our lives in retirement – and we will require more savings to match our longevity. The cost of this demographic time bomb has already pushed Britain’s government to raise the state retirement age. As politicians look to contain pension budgets, individuals will need more than ever to take advantage of investment and tax-saving opportunities provided by pensions.

Despite the wider picture of falling levels of savings and rising numbers of people heading towards retirement, there is an array of initiatives in place for individuals to pursue an income for retirement. With the government keen to encourage us all to save, significant tax advantages are in place for those contributing to a pension scheme.

A carefully drawn-up plan can help realise the twin objectives of reducing tax liability and saving for retirement. However, the new tax year will bring an extra pressure. The government has reduced the amount of pension benefits that can accrue, known as the ‘lifetime allowance’, to £1.25 million from £1.5 million. It is estimated that this will affect as many as 360,000 wealthier individuals, who could help to mitigate a 55% tax penalty by taking action before the end of the tax year.

The new tax year will also bring a reduction in the annual amount that can be contributed to a pension.The allowance will fall from £50,000 to £40,000, which makes it even more important to maximise the current year’s contribution. Individuals who have not fully funded their pension in the previous three years also have the opportunity to make those contributions before 6 April.

(The end of the tax year is the last opportunity to use the 2010/11 allowance and offers a potential tax saving of £22,500.)

‘Voluntary levy’ On its introduction in 1986, Labour politician Roy Jenkins famously observed that Inheritance Tax (IHT) was “a voluntary levy paid by those who distrust their heirs

more than they dislike the Inland Revenue”.

Whilst this might have been a slight exaggeration, with the value of property and other assets on the rise, the UK government is looking to bring in larger sums from this posthumous tax. Government figures forecast receipts of £3.3 billion in this tax year, up nearly 14% from two years ago, as recovering house prices boost estate values (www.parliament.uk, 20/06/13).

The amount of money an individual can leave to his/her heirs free of Inheritance Tax is £325,000. (This does not include funds that pass to your spouse or civil partner and certain organisations.) Above this level, an individual’s estate is taxed at the rate of 40%.

With the right planning and appropriate use of available exemptions, this liability can be substantially reduced and wealth can be passed on. The end of the tax year presents a ‘use it or lose it’ deadline for a number of these valuable exemptions.

IHT planning largely revolves around reducing an individual’s estate by giving away assets. When a gift is made it requires the donor to live for seven years for the gift

to be free of IHT. However, HMRC also allows any individual to make gifts each year that are immediately exempt from IHT if certain conditions are met. While some of these allowances may appear small, if they are used consistently over the years they can produce significant savings and benefits.

The annual £3,000 gift exemption provides not just an opportunity to pass wealth to your heirs, but also an immediate IHT saving of £1,200. If the exemption hasn’t been used from the last tax year, this saving can increase to £2,400. That means a couple can potentially give away £12,000 that will be immediately outside their estate, saving tax of £4,800 in the process.

Many individuals gain considerable satisfaction from being able to see their loved ones use and enjoy such gifts, as well as from the knowledge that they are increasing the proportion of their wealth passing to their family rather than the taxman. Surplus income which accumulates in an individual’s estate also adds to an IHT liability. But, provided certain conditions are met, there is no limit to the amount of income which can be given away each year and become exempt from IHT. Known as ‘normal expenditure out of income’, this relief offers an additional opportunity for individuals to pass wealth to their heirs during their lifetime through regular gifting.

Retirement funding or simply the desire to pass on a larger inheritance can become that much more achievable by making lump-sum annual or regular contributions to savings accounts or pension plans, or as outright gifts. These valuable gift opportunities can provide ready and rewarding ways to help children and grandchildren with the many financial challenges they face, such as school fees, university funding and house deposits.

The end of the tax year reminds us of the opportunity to take advantage of exemptions and reliefs and help keep more of your wealth in the family.

*Trusts are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority If you would like to find out more about the subject of inheritance tax and/or retirement planning contact William Harrison-Allan on 01985 850706, email wha@thecga.co.uk, or fill in the enquiry card inserted between pages 74 & 75 of the magazine.

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62 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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Finance

Notes from the

Coffee house

By William Buckhurst of Quilter Cheviot Investment Management 2014 starts with the prospect of a modest acceleration in global GDP, low inflation and low interest rates. Combined with reduced risks – as deleveraging and restructuring progress – and reasonable starting valuations, equities are well placed to produce further gains and outperform bonds.

In the short-term investors may have already anticipated the improving trends, and end of year exuberance could be tempered by corporate guidance when yearend results are announced. However, estimated profit growth of 11% for 2014 is not excessive for this stage in the cycle and – if companies do surprise on the upside – markets could be re-rated further.

While investors should aim to capture the improving economic prospects in the UK, they should also seek to identify themes such as global demographics, the opportunities offered by cheaper ‘shale’ energy in the US, companies with restructuring potential, and those generating reliable free cash-flow which can reward investors with a growing income stream and share buy-backs.

Emerging economies – especially those in Asia – continue to offer the prospect of high GDP growth, mainly because of their strong demographics, but their appeal has been reduced by weak export growth and potential funding difficulties when US interest rates rise. For China 2013 was a year of change in leadership and economic adjustment.The reform plan laid out in the 3rd plenum in October was received positively but the transition to a more sustainable growth path could prove a challenge.

One of the biggest turnaround stories was the UK, where in the last two quarters GDP growth accelerated at 3% annualised.

The re-acceleration reflected a mix of aggressive monetary and credit stimulus, reduced headwinds from household deleveraging and fiscal policy, as well as pent up demand for cars and housing.

The recovery in exports and investment remained modest but improved tax revenues combined with ongoing austerity meant government spending came in below budget. CPI inflation of 2.1% reflected government regulated prices and wage

inflation was below 1%.

Quantitative easing was quietly withdrawn and while the Bank of England provided ‘forward guidance’ that interest rates would remain low, bond investors started to discount higher rates raising the relative attractiveness of sterling which ended at a two-year high of $1.65.

The favourable macro background and strong financial position should mean another good year for equities. The Vix (volatility indices) indicate a degree of investor complacency short-term, but with corporate earnings estimated to grow and the UK stock market trading on a forward price to earnings ratio of 13.9x, equities are still fair value vs. their long term averages (10 year average 13.0x, 20 year average 15.7x) and a long way from previous peaks.

Investors should remember the value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up.You may not recover what you invest. Investments referred to may not be suitable for all recipients; this commentary is not intended to constitute financial advice.

The CGA has benefited for some time from a close partnership with Quilter Cheviot Investment Management. This arrangement significantly adds to the overall range of high-quality investment opportunities available through the CGA. For further information or to arrange an appointment, call William Harrison-Allan on 0800 028 1001 or email wha@thecga.co.uk

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 63

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Hotel Review

Stockbridge

The Greyhound on the Test is the Michelin Guide’s “Pub of the Year”. Not surprising as this place is really something special.

The Greyhound on the Test 31 High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 6EY ( 01264 810833 : thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk

64 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Over the centuries, presidents, princes, prime ministers, poets, sportsmen, aristocrats, diplomats, artists and rock’n’roll superstars have made their annual pilgrimage to the 35 miles of the River Test during the magical month of May. It was here that the term “duffer’s fortnight” was coined, the few weeks of the year from mid-May when even the clumsiest fly fisher would be rewarded with a bag of plump brown trout.

When she took it over last year, Lucy Townsend re-named her pub in Stockbridge The Greyhound on the Test (previously it was just The Greyhound) and she makes the most of the lasting appeal of the Test’s gin-clear waters, on the banks of which the pub perches. The Greyhound on the Test’s logo features crossed fishing rods bisected with a fork, and this perfectly sums up the inn’s priorities. The pub enjoys its own private River Test beat at the bottom of the garden flowing from the beautiful water meadows beyond and the owners have hooked up with local experts to ensure that visitors experience the best of this fly fishing Mecca.

But this is a place which won’t only appeal to hard-core sports fishermen. Lucy has brought The Greyhound bang into the 21st century, using suppliers on Stockbridge’s High Street to beautifully furnish its low-beamed bar and restaurant, insisting on the best local produce being used in the kitchen, and kitting out the seven bedrooms with superb beds and decent showers; that’s all most visitors crave. There’s WiFi throughout, a flat-screen TV, a place to make tea and coffee in your room and a clever Honesty Cupboard in the hallway should you feel parched and find the bar downstairs too far to go.

Stockbridge itself is a small town, but one where Hampshire’s well-heeled society demands, and supports, the best in independent shops. It has been marked out by foodie awards in recent years and is a charming place to spend a few hours.

As Lucy chats with locals, who are still clearly the backbone of this pub, we peruse the menu and are spoiled for choice. There’s an ‘On Toast’ section aimed at people popping in for a pint at lunchtime, prawns and oysters aplenty and a weekly rotation of specials. My local lamb is pink and juicy, served on a perfect cloud of minted mashed peas; the chips are almost more than I need but arrive piping hot and crispy, exactly as you realise they always should be and rarely are.

Under the tutelage of Hotel du Vin co-founder Robin Hutson, Lucy has learned how to do restaurant and rooms to the highest standard without having to charge impossible prices. She’s also got her staff, no matter how young or junior, trained up to the same high standards and the team’s warm welcome makes a visit to The Greyhound on the Test add up to more than the sum of its parts.

SPECIAL OFFER: The Greyhound on the Test is delighted to offer CGA members a complimentary bottle of house wine if they mention their membership when they book an overnight stay at the pub. Offer extends until the end of April 2014

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

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WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 65

Hotel Review_Layout 1 29/01/2014 10:42 Page 1

Hotel Review

Stockbridge

The Greyhound on the Test is the Michelin Guide’s “Pub of the Year”. Not surprising as this place is really something special.

The Greyhound on the Test 31 High Street, Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 6EY ( 01264 810833 : thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk

64 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Over the centuries, presidents, princes, prime ministers, poets, sportsmen, aristocrats, diplomats, artists and rock’n’roll superstars have made their annual pilgrimage to the 35 miles of the River Test during the magical month of May. It was here that the term “duffer’s fortnight” was coined, the few weeks of the year from mid-May when even the clumsiest fly fisher would be rewarded with a bag of plump brown trout.

When she took it over last year, Lucy Townsend re-named her pub in Stockbridge The Greyhound on the Test (previously it was just The Greyhound) and she makes the most of the lasting appeal of the Test’s gin-clear waters, on the banks of which the pub perches. The Greyhound on the Test’s logo features crossed fishing rods bisected with a fork, and this perfectly sums up the inn’s priorities. The pub enjoys its own private River Test beat at the bottom of the garden flowing from the beautiful water meadows beyond and the owners have hooked up with local experts to ensure that visitors experience the best of this fly fishing Mecca.

But this is a place which won’t only appeal to hard-core sports fishermen. Lucy has brought The Greyhound bang into the 21st century, using suppliers on Stockbridge’s High Street to beautifully furnish its low-beamed bar and restaurant, insisting on the best local produce being used in the kitchen, and kitting out the seven bedrooms with superb beds and decent showers; that’s all most visitors crave. There’s WiFi throughout, a flat-screen TV, a place to make tea and coffee in your room and a clever Honesty Cupboard in the hallway should you feel parched and find the bar downstairs too far to go.

Stockbridge itself is a small town, but one where Hampshire’s well-heeled society demands, and supports, the best in independent shops. It has been marked out by foodie awards in recent years and is a charming place to spend a few hours.

As Lucy chats with locals, who are still clearly the backbone of this pub, we peruse the menu and are spoiled for choice. There’s an ‘On Toast’ section aimed at people popping in for a pint at lunchtime, prawns and oysters aplenty and a weekly rotation of specials. My local lamb is pink and juicy, served on a perfect cloud of minted mashed peas; the chips are almost more than I need but arrive piping hot and crispy, exactly as you realise they always should be and rarely are.

Under the tutelage of Hotel du Vin co-founder Robin Hutson, Lucy has learned how to do restaurant and rooms to the highest standard without having to charge impossible prices. She’s also got her staff, no matter how young or junior, trained up to the same high standards and the team’s warm welcome makes a visit to The Greyhound on the Test add up to more than the sum of its parts.

SPECIAL OFFER: The Greyhound on the Test is delighted to offer CGA members a complimentary bottle of house wine if they mention their membership when they book an overnight stay at the pub. Offer extends until the end of April 2014

WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

Five of the best_Layout 1 29/01/2014 10:43 Page 1

Photo by Leandro

Photo by Loren Javier

Travel

5 th f o

e

s be

t

M A R D I G R A S C E L E B R AT I O N S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’ – traditionally the day a final feast is indulged in before fasting for Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (which falls this year on 5 March). Around the world Mardi Gras is celebrated with colourful carnivals, the revellers bedecked in fantastic masks and costumes. We’ve picked out our favourite five fun frolics.

66 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

RIO DE JANEIRO CARNAVAL, BRAZIL, SOUTH AMERICA

The mad, magical spirit of the world’s most legendary Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans could not even be dampened by Hurricane Katrina when it devastated the city eight years ago – just six months after the tragic event the festival went ahead as usual.

This year New Orleans will again be thrown into a crazy whirl towards the end of February, as it has almost each year since 1857 (with breaks for World Wars). Traditionally the partying begins around two weeks ahead of “Fat Tuesday”, with a total of more than 60 parades scheduled along with dozens of dances, masked balls and allied events throughout the city centre, all leading up to the grand finale on the big day.

There are numerous weird and wonderful customs associated with the New Orleans Mardi Gras, most originating with the social clubs, known as krewes, who put on the various parades.

To join in: There are no direct flights from the UK to New Orleans, so to get there one needs to connect to a US domestic service (such as Delta or American Airlines) which flies into Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. The best way to plan a trip is to search online for a package deal, or visit a travel agent. Demand is heavy at Mardi Gras time, so book early! : mardigrasneworleans.com

It’s been dubbed ‘the greatest party on earth’, and there is indeed no rival for Rio when it comes to putting on a dazzling festival that can only be described as an energetic explosion of music and colour. Carnaval (the spelling is Portuguese) is actually a contest between 12 elite samba schools whose thousands of devotees of this famous Brazilian dance whirl and twirl enticingly through the streets in fabulous feathered costumes, vying to be selected as Queen of the Carnaval. Egged on by literally millions of spectators, the groups process with a parade of unbelievably splendid floats to the giant Sambodrome, while Carnaval balls are held at locations such as the Copacabana Palace, and street parties abound, usually led by one of the city’s irreverent street “bandas” thumping out their irresistible rhythmic music. This year Rio Carnaval dates are 1 to 4 March.

To join in: There are dozens of flight options to Rio de Janeiro from the UK, the main carriers being British Airways and TAM Linhas Aéreas.

: rio.com/rio-carnival

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Photo by Philippe Teuwen

Photo by Edward N Johnson

Five of the best

VENICE CARNAVALE, ITALY

TRINIDAD CARNIVAL, TRINIDAD & TABAGO

SANTA CRUZ CARNIVAL, TENERIFE

The famous Venice Carnavale is characterised by the wearing of gaudy and often macabre masks and extravagant costumes: one of the most important elements of the Carnavale is a contest for the most striking mask.

The carnival draws around 3-million visitors to the watery Italian city each year, its roots steeped in the medieval past. It’s believed the first festival was held to celebrate a military victory in 1162, then celebrated regularly until the King of Austria outlawed it in 1797. The festival was re-instated in 1979 and seized upon with enthusiasm, especially by tourists.

The tradition of wearing masks is deeply rooted in Venetian culture – in ancient times allowing citizens to hide while misbehaving.

There is a mystique and definitive lore attached to the masks and their different styles, which the Venetian craftsmen who make them enjoy explaining to visitors.

To join in: There are numerous flights to Venice from airports throughout the UK. The main airlines offering direct flights are British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet. An alternative is to travel by train: a popular journey is to take the Eurostar to Paris then change onto the Thello overnight service to Venice, departing 7.45pm and arriving at 9.30am next morning. : venice-carnival-italy.com

Redolent with catchy calypso and soca music, the hottest mardi gras carnival in the Caribbean is the colourful explosion that hits Port of Spain, capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in the two days before Ash Wednesday every year. In fact, Trinidad starts partying straight after Christmas in preparation for the grand finale, with a full programme of concerts, cultural shows, steel pan band and limbo contests. Carnival proper kicks off in the early morning hours of Monday (this year on 3 March) with a celebration called J’Ouvert – which is almost ritualistic in character and based on local folklore and customs. Revellers take to the streets smothered in mud, chocolate, oil and paint, dressed as devils, demons and evil imps.

When the sun comes up the colourful crowds come out to gyrate to the music – it’s one giant, feverish street party leading up to the Tuesday parades of thousands of masqueraders in full costume, all competing to become Masquerade Band of the Year.

To join in: Fly direct to Port of Spain (Trinidad) from the UK with Caribbean Airlines or British Airways. : gotrinidadandtobago.com/trinidad/carnival/

It’s no accident that the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capital of the largest of the Canary Islands, is twinned with Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro: carnival fundis regard the island’s annual mardi gras bash as second only in ebullience to that of its Brazilian counterpart.

The merry-making goes on for several days, starting on the Friday before Fat Tuesday, when revellers in dazzling costumes flood into the streets of Santa Cruz for a spectacular opening procession, which devolves into a wild street party, continuing virtually unabated until Ash Wednesday. Meanwhile, the official carnival parades – comprised of more than a hundred musical and dance troupes and a bevy of carnival queens – take place.

On Ash Wednesday itself the partying gives way to a ceremony known as the “entierran la sardine” (burial of the sardine), which marks the official end of the carnival. This rather comic affair has everyone shedding their colourful costumes to dress in black mourning as they witness the “cremation” of a large model sardine.

To join in: Travellers from the UK have plenty of options to choose from to reach Tenerife. Airlines British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet, Thomson, Monarch, Jet2, and flythomascook all offer direct services to the island from various UK airports. : webtenerife.co.uk/activities/culture/carnaval/

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 67

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Crossword

The JJ Crossword Can you solve the CGA’s very own cryptic crossword, compiled by our quiz master JJ Foy? See the entry details (below) for your chance to beat JJ at his own game Across 1 3 6 9 10 11 15 16 18 20 21 23

24 25 26 27 29 31 37 38 39 40 41

Down

Machinery opening I will use to grind (4) Hire left to alleviate (5) Nought lucky ends delightful (6) Anagram pedantry?

Some is increased (6) Won’t stay the night, not in with forbearing (10) Compose pentameter after month off for puncture (9) Detailed share proportion (5) Proficient present, peculiar pet (5) Intelligence missing a trial is diminishing (9) Can follow loud story (5) Additional one time skill reversed (5) Infinite disaster is only marked by initials (don’t take this literally!) (5) Alloy between waste electrons (5) City and state speed spirit (5) Quaking heart’s pierce net thrown (9) Drop off last ship’s rubbish (5) Breaking news with second pen (5) Scent seen somehow to sets of words (9) Amazon is one carbon-free refractions engineered (10) I pry crudely after old flame’s death (6) Manage man around new land (6) Attempt stumped when lovers meet (5) Drink social worker’s got on hand (4)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 17 19 20 22 28 30 32 33 34 35 36

Pen real numbers in Complete the crossword, fill in your details & send to: producer (6) CGA Crossword Competition (February/March), CGA Magazine, Name ballet dance that’s Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, Wiltshire dreadful (10) BA12 0JX by 14 March 2014. The winner will receive a copy Submit midnight in vein (5) of Hidden Shakespeare by Nicholas Fogg.

Brew containing preposition’s single (5) Go in with fluent, erudite 1 2 3 4 5 6 segment ( 5 ) Meadow road is the lowest (5) Appear on low grade join (6) 9 10 The old note from the Himalayas (4) Impotent prisoner made 11 12 13 14 lesser change (9) Brazil in riot distributed 15 16 food (9) Self evident to get a team 18 19 atomic explosion (9) 21 When it’s drunk rage sense 20 is desire (9) 23 Square, unthinking to refuse (5) 24 25 Ease about illuminated 26 Illuminati (5) Joined and given meal 27 28 29 around states (5) Different to marine, but 31 32 33 34 35 gets hit (10) 36 Right work on model particle (6) 37 38 Run in to repay adapted plea (6) Wear old case in before (5) 39 40 41 Within theatre atypical cure (5) Crazy teachers time unknown (5) NAME Ten in overturned diagram ADDRESS to apply (5) A church hospital POSTCODE structure (4)

CALL MY BLUFF Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the BBC television series QI and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and the creator of the iPhone App Tingo, a game involving interesting words. Here he sets us a “Call-My-Bluff Quiz” from different rural dialects. Can you guess the right answers for the definitions of the following words: FESTIVE ISSUE ANSWERS 1a) the opening in a skirt or petticoat 2a) a word used to start boys off in a race 3a) to become wet as a cold stone floor from thickened steam in some weather 4b) peevish, unwell

68 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

1) aisins (Shropshire dialect) a) the drops of water which fall from the eaves b) wax drips from a candle c) if one boy were chasing another and the latter cried “aisins”, he would expect to be allowed a little breathing space before the chase was resumed 2) recklin or ricklin (Lancashire dialect) a) of a woman’s hands: shrivelled and wrinkled from being too long in the washtub b) to poke around with one’s nose, as dogs do c) the smallest and weakest pig of a litter 3) yerks (Lincolnshire dialect) a) downy particles which accumulate under furniture from the negligence of housemaids b) the corners of the mouth c) pieces of twine or leather straps attached to farm labourers’ trousers to prevent rats running up the inside when corn was being threshed

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LAST MONTH’S WINNER... is Eileen Clayton from Little Yeldham, Halstead. Check your own answers against the correct grid shown here.

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Crossword_Layout 1 29/01/2014 10:56 Page 2

classifieds FASHION

PROPERTY LETTINGS

GARDENING RETIREMENT

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL 01985 850706 OR EMAIL susana@thecga.co.uk WWW.THECGA.CO.UK

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 69

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Travel

I

t’s the time of year when we become weary of winter, but spring still seems a long way away. Surely, then, now is the perfect “tween season” to seek out a sunshine holiday to banish the blues – but that probably means a long-haul flight to the southern hemisphere, or around the globe to Asia, right?

Just under six hours flying time from the UK is an up-andcoming tropical island destination which, throughout the British winter, experiences an average nine hours of sunshine every day, the temperature hovering around 27°C (80.6°F). There are miles of golden sandy beaches lapped by turquoise waters; amicable islanders ready to show off their interesting fusion of cultures; and a variety of fascinating landscapes to explore. Best of all, it’s not overcrowded and you won’t find any flashy neon-pulsing “strips” packed with drunken revellers.

It seems that not many Britons have heard of this seemingly heavenly holiday haven – the 10 Cape Verde Islands – sprinkled in the North Atlantic ocean about 310 miles (500kms) off of the coast of Senegal in West Africa (right in line with the middle of the bit that bulges!).

The reason for Cape Verde not being in the forefront of most

of our minds when we are considering fun in the sun is simply because the islands are still a little “rough round the edges” when it comes to providing the sort of tourist service and holiday experiences that we Brits usually demand.

If you can set aside expectations of gourmet restaurants, celebrity-spotting, six-star opulence, sensuous spas, designer shopping, flashy nightlife, thrilling theme parks and the like, then Cape Verde could be your dream destination – think truly “getting away from it all”, rather than “living it up”.

You won’t have to “live it down” either, though, if you decide to take a trip to Cape Verde. During the past decade or so there has been quite a lot of development, particularly in the way of resort hotels, across the more ‘accessible’ islands, which now sport a wide choice of comfortable hostelries from two to four-star. Most of the accommodation is available as part of a package deal, with options of all sorts, from self-catering to fully-inclusive.

With ten islands on offer, and each of them having their own distinct character and landscape, it’s necessary to do some advance research before settling on one. The best thing to do is divide up your time and indulge in a bit of island-hopping –

Take off from gloomy Gatwick this morning, and be basking on a beach by early afternoon.

Lucille Parker unearths a serene, sunny ‘undiscovered’ holiday spot just a hop and a skip away.

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Travel

easily arranged by a specialist company such as The Cape Verde Experience, who put together tailor-made holidays using any combination of their recommended islands and hotels you fancy.

Before we head off to explore the delights of the individual islands, let’s take a look at the Republic of Cape Verde as a whole.

The origins of this island nation are as innocuous as its rather unglorious history. The islands were stumbled upon in the 15th Century, uninhabited apparently, by one or two of Prince Henry the Navigator’s maritime explorers (there is some dispute as to which adventurer arrived first), who claimed them for Portugal. Colonisation began in 1462 on the island of Santiago, and the colonists almost immediately set about importing slaves from the African mainland. Even with the free labour, agriculture proved a failure (except for cotton), due mainly to lack of water resources and unsuitable terrain, but the main islands settled in to trading fairly lucratively with passing ships, sited as they are in the Atlantic between Europe and South America. The main commodity was slaves, and the islands prospered on the back of these unfortunates, until Portugal hooked up with some monopolies and eventually banned Cape Verdeans from trading in anything much at all.

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The islanders fell into desperate straits, until the trade restrictions were finally lifted in 1721.

Portugal remained overlord of Cape Verde, but the islanders piggy-backed on a nationalist movement which fought for independence for Guinea. Guinea won independence in 1973 and Cape Verde in 1975.

Unusually for an African nation, Cape Verde has remained politically stable for decades, although it remained a single-party state until democratic elections were first held in 1990.

The present-day natives of Cape Verde are a colourful mix of African, Brazilian, Portuguese and Italian – former slaves and settlers – their numbers having been thinned over the generations by periodic famines and, more recently, waves of emigration.

Today around 450,000 live on the islands – about half of them on the main island of Santiago, most surviving on a subsistence economy and heavily reliant on tourism.

Portuguese is the official language, but the islanders chat to each other in Creole – a patois of African and European languages which varies slightly between islands. English is spoken and understood in the hotels and resorts.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 71

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o now we have seen the big picture, let’s go islandhopping! To really enter into the spirit of Cape Verde, I’ve chosen a two week itinerary covering five islands – Sal, São Vicente, Santo Antao, Santiago and Fogo (this would cost in the region of £1,880) – but you can tailor-make your own holiday with the help of The Cape Verde Experience experts.

The six hours flying time to the island of Sal’s international airport in the capital, Espargos, passes relatively quickly – just time for a snack, a read and a snooze – and then you will be approaching the little island, lying just 15° north of the Equator, measuring only 22 miles (35 kms) long by 7.5 miles (12 kms) wide.

As the plane comes in to land initial impressions are underwhelming: no lush tropical jungle here, but instead a reddish-hued desert-like landscape (described by one travel writer as akin to landing on Mars). Sal is a volcanic island, formed 50-million years or so ago (the extinct crater is still there, in the north of the island).

We aren’t stopping to explore Sal yet, though – it’s straight on to a local flight to the island of Santiago, the largest in the archipelago, where the landscape is more what you would expect – lush green valleys between brown craggy mountains. The capital is Praia – an African town with Mediterranean overtones, filled with old colonial buildings, bustling markets, chic cafés and quality restaurants.

Here in Praia we settle in to the Pestana Tropico Hotel, on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, flanked by the dark sand Prainha beach. The rooms all face the sea or pool area, comfortably appointed and decorated in contemporary Iberian style. The hotel restaurant, Alex, is renowned as one of the best on the islands, serving local, Portuguese and international cuisine. This provides a comfortable base for three nights while exploring Santiago. Chief attraction is the old capital of Cidade Velha, a UNESCO world heritage site, which was the centre of the islands’ slave trade.

Praia itself offers a good insight into island culture.

The market is worth a visit for local handcrafts.

Best spot to see on Santiago is the picturesque bay of Tarrafal in the north of the island – great for swimming, snorkelling, fishing or just chilling out.

72 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

The next stop on our island tour is, so to speak, the peak! The island of Fogo (which means ‘fire’) is actually a volcano, rising up to 2989m from the ocean. It last erupted in 1995. A village called Chã das Caldeiras is sited inside the caldera, its residents purportedly descended from a French nobleman, thus they cultivate vineyards on the slopes and produce their own wine. The island’s main city is São Filipe – a neat little colonial town with some lovely squares and gardens.

Accommodation here is at the Hotel Xaguate, perched on the upper volcanic plains, with comfy air-conditioned rooms and a restaurant serving Portuguese dishes with Fogo wines.

Next it’s on to São Vicente (returning via Santiago) for a three-night stay at the Foya Branca resort hotel, right beside the sandy beach of São Pedro (a windsurfer’s nirvana), set in lovely gardens. There are two swimming pools, a gym, tennis courts and other useful facilities and the hotel is happy to arrange fishing, windsurfing, diving and horse-riding excursions.

Getting out and about on São Vicente means starting with Mindelo, the island capital, about 15 minutes from the hotel (via a courtesy shuttle bus). Mindelo is known as the centre of the unique Cape Verdean musical styles of morna and funana, which you can hear live in some of the cafes.

A highly recommended excursion while visiting São Vicente is a boat trip to the nearby uninhabited islet of Santa Luzia, where you can feel like a real castaway on the magnificent deserted beaches and dunes.

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Moving on, next port of call (literally, because we travel there by ferry) is the stunningly scenic island of Santo Antão.

Not for the faint-hearted are the roads clinging to the mountain sides above deep ravines, and below precipitous peaks. If you’re into hiking, this is the place to put your boots to good use. Personally I prefer the option of taking it easy at the Pedracin Village. Not so much a hotel – more of a retreat – this delightful accommodation establishment consists of 20 thatched stone bungalows, simply furnished, staggered down the mountainside, set in a tropical plantation and surrounded by spectacular mountain views.

There’s a small pool to dip in and a relaxing terrace. Two nights here are great for recharging the batteries!

Finally, it’s back to Sal for the last few days, coming to roost in the island’s southern town of Santa Maria, which has seen plenty of development to become what is known locally as the “touristic area”.

This is the location of the longest established hotel on the island, the Morabeza, which has won TripAdvisor Awards for Excellence. There are enough amenities at this attractive, homely hotel to make leaving it unnecessary while you while away a couple of pleasant days, but you’ll miss out if you don’t get out and about for a walk on the stunning beach, sample wonderful fresh seafood at local restaurants, and take excursions into the capital, Espargos, or the salt lake and extinct volcano crater in the north.

Sal is particularly well known for being a watersport mecca – being windy the sea is often a little too rough for bathing, but it offers real challenges for windsurfers and kite surfers.

Marine life abounds and therefore diving is pure pleasure, and deep sea fishing fruitful. Equipment hire, lessons and excursions are easy to come by.

As we bid farewell to Cape Verde on this occasion, I just have to mention that we left one of the main islands off our two-week tour. Boa Vista will have to keep for a return visit, but it is definitely a case of saving the best until last, according to the enticing description distilled from the The Cape Verde Experience brochures.

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Boa Vista is the island where Cape Verde lives up to the image of a holiday paradise, with its sweeping golden sands and azure sea. Its main town is Sal Rei, a sleepy little port where there is little else to do except relax and unwind. The island also has a natural attraction in the form of Ervatao beach, which is one of the world’s key nesting sites for loggerhead turtles.

To find out more about Cape Verde, and how to get there visit : capeverde.co.uk or ( 0845 3302047 to request a brochure from The Cape Verde Experience.

The Cape Verde Experience is part of Serenity Holidays, a specialist and superior UK tour operator, with 26 years firsthand knowledge of West African destinations, including Cape Verde.

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Member Benefits on Kindo David r 0473747 Membe

Titchmarsh and Goodwin For more than 90 years Titchmarsh & Goodwin have been crafting beautiful furniture at their Trinity Works in Ipswich’s Back Hamlet – unique in Britain because the company employs under one roof some of the country’s most gifted wood turners, carvers, cabinetmakers and French polishers as well as a gilder, glazier and a lacquer artist.

The company prefer to use native oak (Quercus Robur), prized for its strong figuration and varied colours, resulting in pieces with characterful grain.

CGA members can now enjoy a 25% discount off the designer English Oak range.

View this magnificent collection online at : titchmarsh-goodwin.co.uk, or call in to the new London flagship showroom at + 55 King’s Road. A brochure can be requested through the website, or by calling ( 01473 252158.

To take advantage of the discount, just quote ‘CGA Member Benefit’ when ordering.

The CGA have teamed up with two bespoke furniture makers to offer members a 25% discount off purchases from each company Tu d o r O a k Manufacturers of high quality oak furniture of distinction, Tudor Oak – based in Kent – was founded in 1969 by talented cabinet-maker, Richard Foreman.

The company uses mainly English or European oak to produce its pieces, using traditional methods and a unique polishing process.

The natural character of the oak ensures that no two pieces are ever identical. There are also a number of pieces in the Tudor

Oak range made in European Walnut, Cherry and Yew. From humble beginnings in Richard Foreman’s garage, the company is now known far and wide for its craftsmanship and attention to detail, exporting pieces to Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Norway.

In addition the company has a reputation for training fine English cabinetmakers, who are carrying the skills and experience gained at Tudor Oak into a new generation.

PRIVAT E MEMBERS CLUBS The Naval & Military Club, London CGA members may book accommodation at weekends (and throughout August).

Telephone 020 7827 5757 and advise the club that you are a CGA member at the time of booking.

The Naval & Military Club, No. 4, St. James’s Square, London SW1Y 4JU www.navalandmilitaryclub.co.uk The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh Members are entitled to book accommodation at the club and use the bar.

Telephone 0131 556 4270 and advise the club that you are a CGA member at the time of booking.

The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6QE. www.royalscotsclub.com St James’s Club CGA members benefit from a 10% discount on accommodation. To obtain the best available rates for specific dates, telephone the club on 020 7629 7688 and mention your CGA membership.

St. James’s Club, 7-8 Park Place, London SW1A 1LS. www.stjamesclubandhotel.co.uk Leander Club CGA members may reserve bedrooms at Leander Club at favourable rates subject to availability. (Excl.

Regatta and Christmas weeks).

Telephone 01491 575782 Leander Club, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 2LP www.leander.co.uk The Royal Over-Seas League Specially discounted joining fees for CGA members. Social and cultural events and clubhouses in London and Edinburgh.

Telephone 020 7408 0214 Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR www.rosl.org.uk IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING CLUBS Each club will have its own rules and regulations.

Generally they operate a dress code requiring gentlemen to wear presentable or smart attire (including jacket and tie) and ladies are required to dress appropriately. For full details regarding the terms and conditions visit www.thecga.co.uk

FOREIGN EXCHANGE World First Access to foreign exchange solutions, including preferential exchange rates for personal and business transactions. Telephone 0207 8012 3278 Email: cga@worldfirst.com

FAMILY HISTORY The Genealogist Discover your family history. The Genealogist offers a discount on its subscriptions to CGA members. www.thegenealogist.co.uk/CGA

Tudor Oak is now offering CGA members a 25% discount on furniture from their catalogue, which includes more than 500 designs. The discount extends to the company’s range of solid oak doors, windows, flooring and other architectural joinery items.

Explore the Tudor Oak collection online at : tudor-oak.co.uk, or visit the company at + Parsonage Farm, Heath Road, Boughton Monchelsea, ME17 4JB. Telephone ( 01622 743747 for further information.

To make use of the discount, quote ‘CGA Member Benefit’ when ordering.

74 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Please note that all services, privileges and benefits are subject to change. Offers may be amended or withdrawn without prior notice.

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CGA Register of Benefits TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION Mansley Apartments CGA members benefit from a discount of 15% on available properties around the world.

Email reservations@mansleyapartments.com and quote “CGA Mansley Privilege” or telephone Mansley Apartments on 020 7373 4689. www.mansleyapartments.com The Goring Hotel Preferential rates to CGA members on certain room types, subject to availability. Simply contact the hotel on 020 7396 9000, mention the “CGA Rate” and have your CGA membership number to hand.

The Goring, Beeston Place, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0JW www.thegoring.com

MOTORING CGA Car Buying In association with the Sytner Group, CGA members receive exclusive terms on car purchases, including new, used and ex-demonstrator vehicles.

Telephone 0845 051 7827 Email: cga@sytner.co.uk www.sytner.co.uk/cga Car Rental Complimentary membership of the Hertz Member Benefit Programme. This provides specially discounted terms with the world’s number one car rental company. Telephone Hertz on 0870 8444 844 or visit www.hertz.co.uk and quote the following reference number: CDP 583637

FOOD AND WINE CGA Wine Cellar The CGA’s own preferred wine merchants Lea and Sandeman can advise members and have regular special offers (see Wine Cellar article).

CGA Fine Food Club London Fine Foods will allocate an individual CGA Fine Food Club code. Every time you order from London Fine Foods receive 10% discount. Telephone London Fine Foods on 0845 643 9121. Then start shopping by visiting www.efoodies.com (use member discount code CGA10 at checkout).

Virginia Hayward CGA Members receive a 10% discount on all Virginia Hayward luxury hampers and gifts. Choose from a wide range of sumptuous food and wine hampers and gorgeous gifts for Christmas, birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. Ideal as corporate hampers with a personalised and bespoke service also available. Use promotional code CGAM10 on website or mention on the phone when ordering.

10% discount excludes delivery and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount offer.

Telephone: 01747 851515. www.virginiahayward.com.

FINE ART & ANTIQUES Bonhams (Auction Service) CGA members receive a special 20% discount off the standard commission charge should you sell something through Bonhams Auctioneers.

Telephone 020 7468 8255 www.bonhams.com Gurr Johns Gurr Johns will negotiate a purchase or bid at auction on a member’s behalf. Members can also commission them to find and recommend suitable items.

Telephone 020 7839 4747 www.gurrjohns.com

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Pall Mall Art Advisors - Valuation Services for Insurance, Inheritance Tax and Tax Planning purposes Receive 25% off Lyon & Turnbull’s standard full day valuation rate. Benefit from a free preliminary visit prior to the valuation, wherever practicable.

Telephone 0845 882 2794

VU Limited Receive a 10% discount on sporting experiences offered by VU Ltd. Telephone 0871 871 5300 www.vultd.co.uk

Lyon & Turnbull (Auction Service) Receive a 20% discount off Lyon & Turnbull’s standard sales commission rate.

Telephone 0845 882 2794 www.lyonandturnbull.com

Downey & Co Personal stationery, writing paper, correspondence cards and more are available at a significant discount for CGA members.

Telephone 01493 859860 www.downey.co.uk

WARDROBE James Purdey & Sons A 10% discount on any purchase of clothing and accessories is available to CGA members.

(Excluding guns and ammunition).

Telephone 020 7499 1801.

James Purdey & Sons, Audley House, 57-58 South Audley Street, London, W1K 2ED www.purdey.com Sunspel CGA members receive a 15% discount on all Sunspel clothing and underwear. Use the voucher code CGA1 online or by phone. Discount does not apply during sale periods, usually January and July.

Telephone 0115 9735292 www.sunspel.com Dege & Skinner Made to measure shirts with a 10% discount for CGA members who purchase four or more shirts.

10 Savile Row, London W1S 3PF www.dege-skinner.co.uk Shipton and Heneage Shipton & Heneage sell more than 300 different styles and types of shoes. Members receive a free pair of socks (RRP £9) with their first order. Mention CGA Sock Offer. Telephone 0207 738 8484.

117 Queenstown Road, London SW8 3RH www.shiptonandheneage.co.uk Regent Tailoring Regent Tailoring offer the very highest standards of traditional service. From time to time, CGA members will benefit from certain discounts on specific items or services. Telephone 01722 335151 Regent Tailoring, 73 New Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2PH www.regenttailoring.co.uk George Cleverley & Co CGA members receive a 10% discount on any bespoke or ready-to-wear shoes on production of their membership card.

13 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4SL www.gjcleverley.co.uk Corgi Hosiery Since 1892 Corgi Hosiery has been producing socks and knitwear of the very highest quality at its factory in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. To receive your 10% discount when shopping online at Corgi Hosiery enter the code CGAspecial10 when making your purchase. www.corgihosiery.co.uk Cordings of Piccadilly CGA members are entitled to a 15% discount on any purchase from Cordings. Telephone 020 7734 0830 19 Piccadilly, London W1J 0LA www.cordings.com

SPORTING EXPERIENCES

STAT IONERY

Honey Tree Bespoke Illustrated & classic personalised stationery, invitations & labels. Exclusive 10% discount code CGA13. Call our full service Bespoke experts on 0844 335 0620 or visit us on line at www.honeytreebespoke.com

HOME-SITTING Minders Keepers CGA members may claim a 7.5% discount on all pet- and home-sitting assignments.

Telephone 01763 262102 www.minders-keepers.co.uk

LEATHER GOODS SageBrown A 10% discount on any purchase of SageBrown’s luxury leather products either in-store or online.

Member discount code SBCGA08 at checkout.

Telephone 020 72875757.

17, Princes Arcade, Piccadilly, London SW1Y 6DS www.sagebrown.co.uk

JEWELLERY Ian Norrington A 15% discount on jewellery, including high quality signet rings, from Farnham-based jeweller, Ian Norrington. Telephone 01252 820585. www.ian-norrington.com Signets & Cyphers A discount of £50 is available to members on quoting reference CGA2013. Telephone 01548 831070. www.signetsandcyphers.com

HEALT H White Cloud MAGNEWOOL Underblankets and Seat Pads.

A Magnewool can help with arthritis, headaches, migraines, back pain, sprains, sports injuries, bone fractures, allergies, skin conditions, asthma, stress, chronic fatigue symptoms and maintaining natural health. Soft and comfortable, these unique Merino Lambswool underblankets have helped thousands of customers enjoy improved health and wellbeing.

Save 15% - quote CGA13 Telephone 01989 721010 www.whitecloud.co.uk

RENEWABLE HEAT The Wood Heating Company Leading installer of biomass boilers in the North East. CGA members within a 100 mile radius of Cramlington can receive a free biomass feasibility study (worth £750) to find out whether biomass is viable for your property Tel: 01670 735658 Unit 4b Colbourne Crescent, Nelson Park, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 1WB www.thewoodheatingcompany.co.uk

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 75

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Wine cellar

Tuscan sunshine in a bottle

- Sangiovese, the perfect winter warmer David Porter sheds some light on a heart-warming red variety “Wine.The Intellectual part of a meal.”

Alexandra Dumas As I write we have just come to the end of our Christmas trading – a wine merchant’s ‘silly season’ when it can seem like there simply are not enough hours in the day to keep up with all our customers’ needs, such is the flurry of orders taken in the last two weeks of December. It is a fabulously busy time when adrenaline, mince pies and the odd reviving glass keep the engines running, ensuring everyone’s parties have flowing fizz and that cellars across the land are brimming for the seasonal festivities.

At this time of year we all like to ‘pull out the stops’ a bit – it is time to indulge and treat ourselves and guests to traditional favourites. The amount of Claret, White Burgundy, Champagne and Port we sell in December is quite staggering, really. During the season of ‘festive fun’ it is these fine wines that keep the wheels of celebration turning.

However, here we are in 2014, the dust has settled and I have had my fill of these more traditional old friends. It is time for something different, and my mind and heart turn to Italy.

The short, damp days of January and February are brightened up by thoughts of Tuscany and the delicious red wines produced there, predominantly from the Sangiovese grape.

Sangiovese has had some tough times.

Wicker-covered bottles of Chianti, converted to candlesticks and draped with wax, are a distinct memory from my youth. This was arguably the best use for some bottles of this once ‘rough n ready’ and very rustic red.

84 76 • CGA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER FEBRUARY/MARCH 20142011

A bad reputation was rightfully earned in the eighties and nineties where too many producers were simply making wine badly.

What makes Sangiovese such an individual and fabulous drink is the characterful spark of acidity that makes it such a great food wine. Sadly in the wrong hands, with under-ripe fruit, picked too soon and the juice often blended with the local white wine Trebbiano, the results were depressing.You still find the pale, limp and acidic versions of this grape variety in the most basic of Italian Trattorias and neighbourhood restaurants, but they are fast becoming the exception rather than the rule.

Done properly Sangiovese makes wonderful, rich, berry filled wines with great spice. That twist of acidity keeps it distinctly Tuscan, meaning it is the perfect partner to wholesome meaty and even tomato-based dishes which are notoriously difficult to pair with wine.

Lasagne for supper? Think Sangiovese.

Roast beef? Look no further. Pork chops, simply grilled or fried?

Sangiovese is the bottle to reach for!

I was recently asked to select some wines for a ‘Wild Boar Dinner’ – an important date in the busy calendar of seasonal events organised by the London Shooting Club. A club member provided the boar and three delectable courses were put together by the accomplished team at The Brompton Bar & Grill in Knightsbridge. I chose two red wines from the Poggio Bonelli estate, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region just north east of Sienna. The estate’s biggest seller is their 2010 CHIANTI

CLASSICO Poggio Bonelli – at £12.95 a bottle this is super drinking: from the glass you are hit with supple plummy fruit and peppery spice. This very polished, jolly style of Chianti worked brilliantly with the ‘Pulled Wild Boar Croquettes’. For the main course of roast loin of wild boar, served on a bed of white bean and wild boar chorizo stew, something more intense was needed; so we turned to the 2008 CHIANTI CLASSICO Riserva Poggio Bonelli.

Ninety per cent Sangiovese is here joined by ten per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, which adds some structure and intensity.

This has great purity and drive but with lots of lovely glossy, dark fruit. As you would hope there is a lick of acidity on the finish, keeping this bright and perky: great Chianti from the ‘maestro’ of Tuscan winemaking - Carlo Ferrini.

Grander than Chianti are the beautiful wines from Montepulciano.This is one of those classic, fortified, hilltop towns that perches above the rolling plains of Tuscany.The Sangiovese grown here is of a superb quality, and in the right hands some very sophisticated wines are produced. A huge hit this year are the wines from the lovely Caterina Dei. Start with her cracking 2012 ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO Dei: pure, elegant and so bright and vibrant.This is a perfect example of what can be achieved here in these beautiful, relatively high vineyards.

Spicy with glossy black fruit and some red notes of cooked cherry, this is delicious, very Italian drinking, at a very sensible price (£11.95).

Caterina’s flagship wine is the beautiful, savoury 2010 VINO NOBILE

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Wine cellar

DI MONTEPULCIANO Dei. This is classic Dei style. Pure, poised and very vibrant with more cooked cherry and leather notes, backed up with perky, dark fruit, keeping it on its toes beautifully.

This sophisticated Sangiovese is a steal at £17.50 to members.

In terms of reputation Sangiovese’s highest performers come from the slopes around another hilltop town – Montalcino.

Another picture-perfect spot, gloriously Italian, with medieval walls, winding narrow lanes and staircases plunging off between houses to the roads below, where the best way to get around is on a noisy Vespa over the cobbles.

The top wines here are known as Brunello. This is a meatier, deeper more brooding style of Sangiovese. Designed for the long-haul in terms of ageing, some of these wines can drink beautifully for thirty years or more.

My favourite producer here is the fabulous, family run Fuligni estate.

Founded in 1923 the Fuligni estate is co-owned by the charming Roberto Fuligni and his delightful aunt Maria Flora Fuligni. This redoubtable lady must now be in her eighties, but still guides visitors around the farm and the winery for the most detailed and insightful of tours – never yet seen without her handbag, even amongst the vines!

The Fuligni wines have attained international recognition for their purity of expression, balanced acidity and polished tannins. These are simply the finest wines of Brunello, epitomising all that is great from the region. The family’s 2008 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO Fuligni (£41.95) is a great example of what they are achieving here: although for Fuligni this is quite a broad style, it is still beautifully elegant and has the trademark finesse we so love from this great estate. Intense notes of plum and cherry fruit and some leafy, tobacco spice. Delicious.

Thankfully there is also the 2011 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO Ginestreto Fuligni, made from the younger vines that are not yet up to ‘full speed’ and therefore not ready for Brunello. This offers an affordable way of enjoying the flavour of the top wines: at £17.75. This is a real gem and a relative bargain to boot.

So, over the next month or two, dig in to the wonderful wines of Tuscan Sangiovese and I am sure you will learn to love these joyous, unique reds which are just perfect drinking at this time of year, ‘Salute!’

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CGA Winter care-free Quaffing Case Available exclusively to members, representing great value drinking.

A mixture for every occasion delivered to your door for £105.00 inc. delivery.

This contains 3 bottles of each: 2012 MÂCON VINZELLES Cave des Grands Crus Blancs 2012 LA GRÊLE Rosé Château de Roquefort 2011 CHÂTEAU LA MOTHE DU BARRY Bordeaux Supérieur 2012 ARADON Rioja Tinto Riojana de Alcanadre

CGA Complete Works Case Available exclusively to members, representing great value drinking. £145.00 inc. delivery.

This contains: 2 x Champagne BARON ALBERT Traditional brut 2 x Dry White Loire Wines - 2012 TOURAINE LES SAUTERELLES Domaine de Pierre, Lionel Gosseaume 2 x White Burgundy - 2012 LEA & SANDEMAN White Burgundy 2 x Red Bordeaux - 2009 CHÂTEAU LARIVEAU Canon Fronsac 2 x Rhone Wine - 2011 CÔTES DU RHÔNE Rouge La Dame Rousse Domaine de la Mordorée 1 x Half bottle of Pudding Wine - 2011 CHÂTEAU MONTEILS Cru Bourgeois Sauternes 1 x Half bottle of Port - NIEPOORT Tawny Dee

CGA Tuscan Red Selection Includes the wines from te article in this issue. £120.00 inc. delivery This contains 1 bottle of each: 2010 CHIANTI CLASSICO Poggio Bonelli 2008 CHIANTI CLASSICO Riserva Poggio Bonelli 2012 ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO Dei 2010 VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO Dei 2011 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO Ginestreto Fuligni 2008 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO Fuligni

To order either of these cases of wine from the Lea and Sandeman CGA Wine Cellar list please email orders@leaandsandeman.co.uk or telephone 020 7244 0522 : leaandsandeman.co.uk

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 77

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Bookclub There’s something to suit all tastes in our eclectic book club selection which covers history, politics, popular science and a rediscovered way to navigate naturally

The Improbability Principle By: David Hand Published by: Transworld Ever experienced an amazing coincidence?

Chances are, you have, and this highly original book puts into perspective why incredibly unlikely things happen all the time. Written by David Hand – an eminent statistician – this erudite and entertaining book is aimed at anyone with an interest in coincidences, probabilities or gambling, attempting to explain the phenomena. The book will appeal not only to those who enjoy stories about startling coincidences and extraordinarily rare events, but also those who are interested in how a single bold idea links areas as diverse as gambling, the weather, airline disasters and creative writing – as well as the origin of life and even the universe. The canvas is broad –

from explaining what the Bible code and Shakespeare have in common, how to win the lottery, why Apple’s song shuffling was made less random to seem more random, and even why lightning does, in fact, strike twice. Author David Hand is an emeritus professor of mathematics and senior research investigator at Imperial College, London, a former president of the Royal Statistical Society, and chief scientific advisor to Winton Capital, Europe’s most successful algorithmic trading hedge fund. He is no stranger to readers of popular science, having penned seven books dealing with data and statistics. This fascinating guide to improbability is likely to be his best-selling work yet.

Book of the month

CGA Book Club price £18.00 inc postage (RRP: £20.00)

The Natural Navigator By: Tristan Gooley Published by: Ebury Publishing Forget the Satnav and GPS, and even fold away your map – head out there and find your way by using pointers inherent in the natural world. That’s the message from explorer and expedition leader, Tristan Gooley, billed as “the world’s only full-time natural navigator”, in this inspiring book that is an absolute must-have for any lover of the great outdoors. Starting with a simple question – which way am I looking? – Gooley blends natural science, myth, folklore and the history of travel to introduce the reader to the rare and ancient art of finding your way using nature’s signposts, from the feel of a rock to the look of the moon. With Gooley’s help you’ll learn why some trees grow the way they do, and

how they can help you find your way in the countryside.You’ll discover how it’s possible to find North simply by looking at a puddle, and how natural signs can be used to navigate on the open ocean and in the heart of the city. Wonderfully detailed and full of fascinating stories, this is a glorious exploration of the rediscovered art of natural navigation. Gooley is a man who practices what he preaches, having hands-on experience using natural navigation on expeditions in five continents, on the ground, the ocean and in the air. He is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. When he is not trail-finding and travelling, he lives with his family in West Sussex.

CGA Book Club price £8.99 inc postage (RRP: £10.99)

78 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

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Books & Stamps

The CGA book club provides a hand-picked selection of books at discounted prices.

To order, call 01206 255800 and quote ‘CGA14’

A Quiet Word

A right royal rarity

Lobbying, Crony Capitalism and Broken Politics in Britain By: Tamasin Cave & Andy Rowell Published by: Random House This book – described as “balanced, urgent and important” – is an exposè of the tools and tactics of professional lobbyists in Britain and how this “murky” industry affects us all at every level of our lives. Put together by Tamasin Cave, an investigative journalist, campaigner and commentator, and Andy Rowell, award-winning journalist and author, it aims to show that the corporate takeover of democracy is not a paranoid nightmare of conspiracy theorists, but a reality impacting on the food we eat, the medicine we use, the wars fought in our name, the temperature of our planet, how we spend our money, and how our money is spent for us by those who control the public purse. According to the book, Britain’s influence industry is worth £2-billion, employs upwards of 15,000 people, and operates out of public sight. It is accountable to no-one.The

book asserts that protestors are ignored, but the financial sector has the ear of government, peddling its influence quietly, behind closed doors, with friends and former colleagues in government, whom it courts with fine dining, direct funding and promises of jobs in retirement.

CGA Book Club price £18.00 inc postage (RRP: £20.00)

The Northmen’s Fury- A History of the Viking World By: Philip Parker Published by: Random House One summer’s day in 793, death arrived from the sea off the coast of what is now Northumbria. The bloodthirsty raiders who sacked the island monastery of Lindisfarne were the first wave of Vikings – sea-borne attackers who went on to bring two centuries of terror to northern Europe. Before long the sight of their dragon-prowed longships, and the very name ‘Viking’, became objects of fear and dread – so much so that monks were reputed to pray each night for delivery from ‘the Northmen’s Fury’.Yet for all their reputation as savage warriors, the Vikings possessed a sophisticated

culture that produced art of great beauty, literature of abiding power and kingdoms of surprising endurance. Historian Philip Parker has encapsulated the Viking story in this book, from the first pinprick raids of the 8th century to the great armies that left their Scandinavian homelands to conquer larger parts of France, Britain and Ireland. It recounts the epic voyages that took them across the Atlantic to the icy fjords of Greenland and to North America, over four centuries before Columbus, and east to the great rivers of Russia and the riches of the Byzantine empire.

CGA Book Club price £21.00 inc postage (RRP: £25.00)

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Stanley Gibbons has just acquired a ‘one of a kind’ item – in fact, it’s probably the rarest British Commonwealth stamp they have ever offered – and it has quite a story: In 1848, William Perot had a problem. He was the Postmaster of Hamilton Post Office in Bermuda and, in an effort to attract new business, he devised a simple plan that would allow people to send more mail even when he was unavailable.

You see as Postmaster, Perot would manage the delivery of the mail himself, even meeting ships as they arrived into port to pick up the mailbag and head into Hamilton to deliver them.

To cover the times he was out and about he cut a slot in a door where people could drop letters along with the pennies for their postage.

The plan worked. More mail was dropped off, but increasingly, fewer pennies were left behind and he had no way of knowing who was short-changing him.

So he devised a unique solution - the Perot stamps. And it’s these innovative stamps that could deliver future returns for you.

He sold them individually, or in sheets of 12, and known examples were dated from 1848 to 1856.

Today, Perot stamps are prized by collectors, commanding six figure sums on the rare occasion they become available.

In total, only eleven Perot stamps survive and three are owned by The Queen.

Today you can own one of the three examples struck in red on white paper. It is unquestionably the finest and most attractive of the three on white paper – even better than the one in the Queen’s collection (sorry Your Majesty).

It is also the only unused first type ‘Perot’ in private hands, having once been the right-hand stamp of a pair.

The other half of the pair? In the Queen’s collection.

Here’s the stamp in question: This is one of the rarest items we have ever had - one of the most famous and immediately recognisable icons of Commonwealth philately.

It’s one of the earliest British Empire stamps ever issued and one that was not discovered for almost 50 years after its release. Since then, it has been tucked away in major collections, one after the other, appearing only twice at auction – once in 1934 and again in 1978.

It is in fact, the only one of its kind. And it is precisely this rarity factor that makes this stamp such a prized asset.

This wonderful item is available from Stanley Gibbons for £175,000.

Call the investment team at Stanley Gibbons on ( 0845 026 7170 or email 8 investment@stanleygibbons.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 79

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Offers & Wants

&

Offers Wants Free confidential advertising for CGA members

OFFERS Attractive south facing one bed S.C. retirement flat to rent Exeter. Lovely views across city to hills, coast. Light, sunny, triple aspect with Juliet balcony. Excellent communal facilities include hairdresser, laundry, drawing room, library, patio garden, free car parking. £650pcm. Further information and photographs contact grannycuckoo@icloud.com Member 200371 (Surrey)

Mornington Crescent NW1 : To rent a lovely newly refurbished raised ground floor 1 bed flat on authentic Regency crescent . Own front door into light living room with TV. Double bedroom and shower with rain shower head.

Wood floors, contemporary furnishings.

Fully equipped kitchen opening onto large, quiet grassed garden with patio.

One min walk from Mornington Crescent tube station (Northern Line, Euston Station 1 stop) Bus no: 168 to Euston, Covent Garden and Waterloo and 253 from Hampstead Heath to Euston. Buzzy café culture, five mins walk to Regents Park.

Ideal as a holiday or business base.

Details on request. Minimum 2 nights, longer period by arrangement with weekly rate. Email: caheatonw@aol.com Member 115416 London 80 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Victorian Cast-Iron Trough: 30 inches long and 12 inches high. £50.

Also Large Victorian Cast-Iron Trough: 42 inches long, 12 inches high. £95. Both troughs without damage. Buyer collects or carriage by mutual arrangement.

Member 105275 Northumberland Gents Bladen Pure Wool hacking jacket. Green, fully lined, 40R. Hardly worn, in excellent condition £50 (a similar Bladen tweed Sheringham jacket today costs £350). Tel 02380 736845 Member 172075 Hampshire Vintage magazines and newspapers covering historic funerals – Queen Victoria, King George V, Sir Winston, etc. List available.

Member 98383 ( Melrose)

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Offers & Wants

2006 Mini Cooper Convertible Manual, 6-Speed. Hyper Blue, Dark Blue Hood with Leather trim. Low miles, wife’s second car, FSH, currently kept in garage. Fantastic condition. Air-con, Reversing Sensors, Visibility Pack. All extras.

Petrol. £7,000 ono.

Tel 07843 074700 Member 176042 (Hertfordshire) Absolutely gorgeous tea set.

Arzberg factory. Blue/white flower design. 8 settings. Small plates, cups & saucers, 1 large cake plate, 2 medium cake plates, 2 butter/jam dishes, teapot and sugar bowl. Buyer collects. Email janewayuk@yahoo.co.uk Member 176460 (Wiltshire)

Mahogany breakfast table c 1840 standing on a central pedestal with tilting top. 5ft x 3ft 6ins: £1000. Set of six matching late Victorian mahogany balloon back chairs with green velvet upholstery: £850.Will accept £1500 for all items.

Please contact pb@bta-pr.demon.co.uk for more photos and information.

Member 182392 (West Sussex) RULES & REGULATIONS: At the CGA’s discretion members are allowed up to three advertisements and each can be repeated only once.

Advertisements should not exceed 40 words and all descriptions of goods must be true and accurate.

Advertisements for shotguns require the appropriate certificates. The publishers regret that they cannot accept responsibility for errors.

PLACING AN ADVERTISEMENT: Full- sized Riley slate-bed Billiard/snooker table, hardly used since new. Original quotation available.

4 cues; cross rest; spider rest; 1 set long, half butts and rests. 1 set Snooker and Billiard balls. Triangle, marking board, and dust cover, plus full size timber shade.

Situated on ground floor with easy access. OIRO £2500. Email dr.gordon@btinternet.com Member 88142 (Colchester)

Lovely family villa to rent in July and August near Roses, Costa Brava, close to French border, three bedrooms, sleeps 6. Large pool and garden; quiet, unspoiled location, fantastic views of sea and mountains. From €1550 per week. Contact nesbittspink@gmail.com.

Member 121511 (Berkshire)

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Advertisements, which may include an email address and/or telephone number, must be printed clearly, quoting your name, address and membership number, and sent to: CGA Offers and Wants, Chalke House, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0JX

REPLIES: Letters should be addressed to the membership number given at the end of the advertisement, quoting the month of publication, and sent to the above address. On receipt all replies will be forwarded to the relevant advertiser.

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you require a reply from the advertiser. Alternatively interested parties can (if shown) use the telephone number or email address provided within the advertisement.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 CGA • 81

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Last laugh

FOOLS IN LOVE I’m sorry Mr Bigg-Wither - I’ve changed my mind

L

ove is in the air at this time of year, what with Valentine’s Day falling in February and spring in the offing – the season when “a young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love” (from the poem Locksley Hall by Alfred Lord Tennyson).

We therefore thought we should have a few laughs at the expense of the lovelorn, because, although being in love is a serious business, one has to admit that the emotion does tend to make fools of us all!

The most tricky aspect of the whole affair, for a man at any rate, appears to be the actual declaration of his love. Reams of advice has been issued over the centuries, by word of mouth as well as in all the media, about how to propose to one’s beloved.

Of course the main fear of all men as they approach this task is that they will be spurned by their intended – even in this modern age where couples have probably lived together and discussed the pros and cons of marriage, and their views on the subject, there is always the possibility that she will reject him if, and/or when, he does actually “pop the question”.

Probably one of the most famous “spurnings” of all time was suffered by the suitor of romantic novelist Jane Austen – renowned for her literary marriage proposals. In real life the famed author did not fare as well as the characters in her books, only ever receiving one proposal of marriage, as far as is known.

In December 1802, aged but 21, Wiltshire lad Harris Bigg-Wither finally plucked up the courage to propose to the 27-year-old Jane, whom he had known since childhood. She accepted him, but mysteriously the following morning changed her mind, and ran off to hide at her brother’s house, and thence dashed off to Bath. No-one has ever figured out why.

One could speculate that on reflection she thought that being Mrs Bigg-Wither might not do her career much good. Visualise a book cover bearing the message: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Bigg-Wither.

It just wouldn’t have the same ring to it, would it?

Then there is also the fact that Harris was said to be “awkward in manner and a stammerer”, who enjoyed to “tease and trick his sisters”.

He also had, as mentioned by Jane in a letter, a “bad habit of body”.

With no explanation as to what that was, the mind could boggle!

All round, one can’t blame Jane for having second thoughts.

By the way – Harris Bigg-Wither did find someone to accept him.

He married an Anne Howe Frith two years after being spurned by Jane, and the couple ended up having 10 children.

Back to the present day, and men are still having difficulty with marriage proposals. Most want to do things properly in a romantic setting – on bended knee, presenting a diamond ring, and so on. It appears though, according to reports of “failed” proposals found on the internet, that it doesn’t always pay to be too fancy when preparing for the occasion.

82 • CGA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Take the story of the London floor-fitter who spent his life savings on an engagement ring, and concealed it inside a helium balloon. The plan was to entice his lady-love to a picnic in the park, and have her pop the balloon, then he would pop the question when the ring fell out. It all went awry when on the way to the rendezvous he let go the balloon, which floated off into the ether, never to be seen again.

A similar tale, but with a twist to it, is that of the jocular suitor who took his heart’s desire out in a row boat and produced the ring when they reached the middle of a picturesque (deep) lake. When she rocked the boat in a delighted, surprised lunge towards him, the ring fell overboard. While the distraught woman was crying in despair at the loss of the bauble, her laughing cavalier produced another ring – this time the “real” one. His first offering had been a plastic toy, and the drama of its loss planned as a practical joke. It’s not recorded, but perhaps the prank earned him a slap in the face, if not an outright rebuttal.

Putting the ring in a glass of champagne may be old hat, but it’s still a tactic favoured by many. Beware though if you decide to change the method slightly, like the chap who bought his prospective fiancé a milkshake and dropped the ring in it. She was obviously a milkshake fan because she glugged down the shake in record time – ring and all!

There are similar uncomfortable and distressing reports of ring swallowing when the item has been concealed in puddings, cakes, and even, in one instance, a hamburger.

Picture credit: Wikimedia CC: Portrait of Jane Austen digitally restored and re-mastered by Amano1

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