Capture Spelthorne

Capture Spelthorne, Spelthorne Borough Council's photography competition, is starting in March, and we are looking for the best photographs of the Borough.

This is a great opportunity for you to embrace the outdoors, explore our beautiful Borough and showcase your photography skills. The overall winner will see their photo as the cover of the Council's Bulletin Magazine and across our social media pages. Monica Chard was chosen as the overall winner of Capture Spelthorne 2020 for her winning entry in the My Spelthorne category.

You don't need an expensive camera to take part, any camera or smartphone will do, as long as the photograph was taken in Spelthorne since 1st May 2020 and is submitted by the closing date. If you are intending to take a photograph for the competition as part of your essential daily exercise, continue follow all current Coronavirus rules.

Cllr Tony Mitchell, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development, said: "The standard of last year's entries was incredibly high and I want to congratulate all the finalists once again for their superb photography. Every year, these photos bring home to me what a beautiful place Spelthorne is to live and it is something we must continue to cherish. I wish all entrants the best of luck and I am looking forward to seeing their submissions over the coming months." We are looking for pictures that tell a story about Spelthorne in the following categories:

Community in Spelthorne

There are so many things that happen in the community that deserves to be seen whether it be from Scouting to book clubs to charity coffee mornings. This has come to the fore in the last year due to Covid-19 where so many individuals, communities and organisations have done some amazing things to help and offer support in these very difficult times.

Business in Action

We want to see our various businesses in action, this could be images of construction sites, the High Street and shopping parades to factories, transport and beyond. This category is open to individuals but companies might also want to enter as well to show us how they do business.

Nature in Spelthorne

Spelthorne in the spring, summer, autumn or winter, we are keen to receive photographs that show the various landscapes of the borough in any of the seasons, whether in glorious sunshine or a covering of snow!

Sporting Spelthorne

Spelthorne has a lot of sporting history ranging from Olympic champions from the Queen Mary sailing club to Staines Football Club. There is a vast

away of sports that take place across Spelthorne including tennis, basketball, bowls, golf, netball, squash, badminton, the list goes on. We are looking for action shots from these and any other sports that take place

Categories for Under 16's

We accept entries from under 16's from any of the categories above. Entrants under 16 must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian prior to submitting any images. Any entry by someone under 16 will not be deemed complete without the child's name and age, the parent/guardian's name and a contact telephone number and email.

Go to www.spelthorne.gov.uk/capture from 1 March 2021 and complete the online entry form and upload your images. We regret we are unable to accept entries via any other method. The closing date for submissions is 31 August 2021. Three finalists for each category will be invited to a private screening of their entries at the Cinema at Shepperton Studios where the winners will be announced. The overall winner will receive a trophy, £100 and see their photo on the cover of the Council's Bulletin Magazine.

Each category winner will receive a £50 cheque, a framed picture of their winning photo and a pair of tickets to the Pinewood Cinema.

Follow us on Instagram @spelthorneboroughcouncil where we will be sharing some of our favourite pictures from last year's competition.

Terms and Conditions

Three finalists for each of the four categories and the under 16 section will be invited to a private screening of their entries at the Pinewood Cinema at Shepperton Studios where the winners will be announced. The overall winner will receive a trophy and £100 and see their photo as the cover for one of the editions of the councils Bulletin Magazine

Each category winner will receive a £50 cheque, a framed picture of their winning photo and a pair of tickets to the Pinewood Cinema

Go to www.spelthorne.gov.uk/capture and complete the online entry form and upload your images. We regret we are unable to accept entries via any other method.

Tag us in your photos using #capturespelthorne on Facebook (spelthornebc), Twitter (@spelthornebc) and Instagram (@spelthorneboroughcouncil).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Makes 12)

Prepare: 15 mins Cook: 12 mins Level: Super Easy

Ingredients 125g unsalted butter, room temperature 50g white granulated sugar 75g soft light brown sugar 1 free-range egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 200g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 pinch of fine sea salt 2 packets of mini eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy either with a handheld whisk or a wooden spoon (and a bit of elbow grease). Crack in the egg, add the vanilla and mix well.

3. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together using a fork to get rid of any lumps. Fold this into the butter mixture to form a dough.

4. Using your hands divide the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Place on your tray, allowing space in between, and flatten slightly, dot a handful of mini eggs on top. Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes if you have time.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, they should still feel slightly soft to the touch once baked, but they’ll firm up once cooled. Cool completely on the baking sheet, then scatter with sea salt flakes to serve, if you like.

Totally Tangerine Cookery, run by Catherine Hayes, offers hands-on lunch time and after-school cookery clubs in primary schools to teach young children this valuable life skill. The children get to cook savoury and sweet dishes from scratch as well as try new foods and ingredients from around the world which will hopefully spark their curiosity and develop a lifelong love for food. We want our kids to grow up having the confidence to cook for themselves and making healthier eating choices.

Web: www.totallytangerinecookery.co.uk Facebook: totallytangerinecookery Instagram: totallytangerinecookery

We are a small family-run estate agents with exceptional in-depth knowledge about the local property market. Our core values are based on providing outstanding customer service and putting people’s dreams first.

Whether you are selling or buying, a landlord seeking responsible letting, an investor looking to build a property portfolio, quality tenants, or a buyer searching for a home, we are here to work alongside you to help you realise your property dream. Our enthusiastic team of professionals and friendly staff ensure that we don't just provide a service but build an enhanced long term customer relationship.

We work to be at the forefront of the property letting market, ensuring that we are fully up to date with ever changing tenancy law and government legislation. With our high attention to detail and conscientious approach, we have all the talent, experience and skills to deliver the kind of service that our investors, landlords and tenants seek.

With the ever-changing world of digital platform, information on some of the properties currently on our books can be found on this website. Follow us on social media platform for the latest updates.

FULLY EXPLORE YOUR PROPERTY POTENTIAL WITH US!

Stunning new British plants for your garden this spring

As the weather starts to warm up it’s a great time to treat yourself to some new plants for your garden. There are some stunning new varieties to choose from this year, many of which are grown in Britain.

Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres commented; “We are proud to stock a superb selection of new British grown plants this season. Look out for new varieties of Roses, Cordyline and Erysimum wallflowers among many others – the colour and scent will be truly amazing! Britain is home to some of the best growers in the world, and every year the quality and choice of varieties gets better and better. At Squire’s we always try to support local growers, in fact 80% of our plants are grown in Britain, many from nurseries that are very local indeed. This promotes our brilliant British nursery sector and reduces plant miles.”

So, if you want top quality British grown plants that have been cared for by experts, buy online at www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk or head to your local Squire’s garden centre and stock up for spring!

Great British plants available at Squire’s Garden Centres

1. NEW Erysimum ‘Winter Charm’ wallflower – this new variety of wallflower is fragrant and has multicoloured flowers in tones of yellow, purple and orange. It produces soft velvety blooms year after year from March to July (from £4.99).

2. NEW Escallonia ‘Showstopper’ – an easy-care evergreen shrub or a low hedging plant, this new variety has bigger brighter flowers from July to October with a neat, compact shape (£12.99).

3. NEW Heuchera ‘Frilly’ – this fun new variety has unique frilly leaves and is excellent for filling gaps between taller plants. It produces attractive caramel coloured foliage year-round (£10.99). 4. NEW Cordyline ‘Pink Star’ – with its distinctive shape and spiky raspberry and apricot-pink leaves this new variety will bring instant impact to large summer containers. Available late April (£17.99).

5. NEW Cordyline ‘Charlie Boy’ – this new variety is more colourful than ever with striped leaves in shades of burgundy edged in cerise pink. It works well in large summer containers. Available late April (£17.99).

6. NEW Euonymus ‘Gold Rocket’ – this new small upright, very hardy evergreen shrub with variegated leaves is perfect in containers and grows almost anywhere. Available early April (£12.99).

7. NEW Rose ‘Sommergold’ – a new yellow-gold climbing rose that’s bee-friendly (from £10.99).

8. NEW Rose ‘Ebb Tide’ – this new variety has deep smoky plum frilled petals and a spicy-citrus fragrance (from £10.99).

9. Forsythia – a deciduous shrub with bright goldenyellow flowers in spring (from £14.99).

10. English Lavender – sumptuous scented flowers that attract bees & butterflies (from £10.99).

11. Aubrieta – an abundance of purple flowers, perfect in a raised bed or rockery. Available early April (from £2.99).

12. Anemone ‘Harmony Double Scarlet’ – this striking plant attracts bees with its bold red flowers and bright green lacy foliage. It flowers from May to June (£10.99).

13. Clematis ‘Alpina’ –has a mesmerizing fragrance and delicate nodding flowers that suit high walls and sturdy fences. Very free flowering between April and May (£14.99).

"The team at Allium Home Care are very friendly and caring; they treat the people using their service as part of their own family, going out of their way to ensure everyone is cared for.

I have loved getting to know the other people I work with and the ladies and gentlemen who I've had the pleasure to meet and care for so far. I have learnt so much about how care workers can provide, and do provide, support to those who need help to stay in their own homes.

Everyone has their own interesting story to tell and people have been so kind and patient with me as I learn my way around the care work. I love being part of a team who care so much for others. "

P.M. - Home Care Worker

"When I joined Allium Home Care in September, I had no experience of the Care Industry at all, but everyone has been friendly, encouraging, helpful and genuinely a pleasure to work with. I am throughly enjoying my journey with Allium Home Care."

L.D. - Home Care Worker

"Little did i know when I joined your team how rewarding I would find this work."

9.75