Valley Life - July 2019 by Pixel8Creative

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Valley Life At the heart of the Cheddar Valley

JULY 2019, ISSUE 34 FREE

www.valley-life.co.uk

Look whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s come to lunch News, views and features from Cheddar, Axbridge, Winscombe and Wedmore

Inside this issue

welcome . . . Cheddar business wages war on plastic – Page 5

New faces elected to Cheddar Parish Council – Page 9

Jennifer Hunt outlines a walk on the Mendips – Pages 17

rob@valley-life.co.uk Valley Life is published by Valley Life Publishing and printed by Pixel8Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written consent is prohibited. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any errors made in advertisements of for claims made by any advertisers which are incorrect. The publishers reserve the right to refuse advertising for any reason. All material submitted for publication, including colour transparencies, is done so at the owner’s risk and no responsibility is accepted by the publisher for its return.

Welcome to the thirty-fourth issue of Valley Life and we hope you are continuing to enjoy our offering of news, views and features from the Cheddar Valley.

The news that The Cafe is under threat is something that should concern many of us. For the vast majority of people living in Cheddar, The Cafe can be seen as a nice place to have a cup of tea or coffee and meet up with friends. For some less fortunate it is a place where they can shelter from bad weather and be given a real welcome from friendly faces who will spend some time listening to their problems.

So the need to save this vital part of our community is a pressing one.

So far, Cheddar Valley Community Church has funded this vital service, but like many organisations it has succumbed to financial pressures and feels it cannot afford to continue its support. This is why those who run The Cafe have sent out a plea to the community to help to save their service. The organisers are using every means possible to try to raise the money needed to keep the business going. Perhaps you or your business can help - if so contact them and Valley Life will be there to publicise your kindness. Rob Perkins, Editor

NEWS

Help needed to save a vital community hub

he Café in the centre of Cheddar village is in a race against time to secure funding to ensure its work goes on.

and spend some time together. We also like to think that we help out those in our community who are less able to look after themselves.

Parish Council and Sedgemoor District Council and we are exploring ways of making sure The Café can bring in extra funding.

At the moment, The Café which is a charity, is supported by Cheddar Valley Community Church, but that help will finish in August.

“But we’ve never made a profit and we have relied on the church to make up any shortfalls. Unfortunately, that funding will come to an end in August and we need to put a business plan together to make sure that we can fund the £18,000 a year it costs to keep the place open.”

“But it would be a real shame if this important community hub were to close and we are hoping that people in the community will want to see it remain open.”

The Café manager Angie Hall, pictured above left, said the outlet which has been running since 2002 is much more than just somewhere to have a cup of tea or coffee. She said: “This place is a real hub in the community – a place where people can meet

Deputy manager Harry Pimm, added: “We’ve started approaching various sources of funding like Cheddar

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

Angie added: “We would like to appeal to the community to get in contact with us if they can offer support. We will be starting a crowd-funding or just giving page in the near future the details will be on our Facebook page.”

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Riverside Inn & Restaurant Cheddar

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NEWS

CoCo leads the way as it cuts its plastic waste

Cheddar hair salon has become the first business in the village to sign up to drastically reduce its plastic. Susan and James Grant, owners of CoCo Hair on Tweentown, have replaced a number of products to become a 96% plastic free business. The move towards being plastic-free was born out of the desire to do more for the environment. James said: “The hairdressing industry is one of the biggest polluters on the high street something we set out to change by introducing new measures throughout the salon from using recycled materials to create

the salon, replacing all singles use plastics and partnering with Oway an eco-friendly organic hair care range packaged in amber glass that clients can bring to the salon for a refill to avoid plastic going to into landfill. “We have a wormery on site which we add all of our loose tea and ground coffee as well as our 100% biodegradable eco-friendly towels that we use as opposed to washing, avoiding plastic particles entering the sea. We use recycled paper for all of our retail bags, loyalty cards and gift vouchers made from recycled cocoa shells of course! Even the toilet paper

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

is made from 100% forest friendly bamboo and comes wrapped in paper instead of plastic, we also use paper not foils which are made from recycled industrial waste & are biodegradable! “We consider everything in our eco salon and use only 100% renewable green energy to power our hairdryers and heating.” Susan added: “We want to share the many eco ways we work and changes we have adopted within our business with as many other businesses as possible and we will continue to champion Cheddar to be a plastic free community status.”

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VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

NEWS

Grey heron takes up residence

heddar has a new resident – with the appearance of a grey heron in the pool at the bottom of the Gorge. The bird is unmistakeable: tall, with long legs, a long beak and grey, black and white feathering. It seems at home among the mallard ducks on the island and seems oblivious to the comings and goings of the visitors heading up the Gorge. The bird has a staple diet of fish, but has also been known to take small mammals like voles and amphibians.

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NEWS

Three new faces join Cheddar Parish Council

Cheddar’s newly elected parish councillors: from left (back row) Paul Fineran, David Comber, Barry Carter, Anne Fontaine, Adrian Male, Alan Anderson. (Front row) Corran Fineran, Christina Brown, Peter Colton, Lyn Goodfellow, Mandy Kelly, Gill Davies. Inset Clive Panchaud and Alan Flack

heddar parish councillors who were elected in May met at the annual parish council meeting to allocate roles and responsibilities for the year ahead. In the first contested parish election held in Cheddar since 2003 three new councillors were elected; Alan Anderson, Alan Flack and Adrian Male, to join eleven members who retained their seats. Peter Colton and Lyn Good-

fellow were re-elected as chairman and vice chairman of council respectively. Those elected to chair the three main committees were Paul Fineran (policy & resources), Clive Panchaud (planning) and Anne Fontaine (highways & open spaces). Peter Colton welcomed the three new members and also the newly elected district councillors to serve Cheddar; Paul Fineran, Lisa Methley and Charlie Riches. He thanked

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

the former parish and district councillors who have served Cheddar well over the past four years. There is still one vacancy on the parish council for a member to represent Nyland ward to bring the council up to its full complement of fifteen. The parish council is currently interviewing candidates. Full details on all aspects of the parish council can be found at www.cheddarparishcouncil. org.

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Later Living Tony Watts OBE looks at the issues as we grow older

A pension timebomb

ome stark statements recently hit the headlines, revealing the parlous state of future pension incomes.

Of those affected, says Age UK, more than 300,000 need help with three or more essential everyday tasks, like getting out of bed, going to the toilet or getting dressed.

Aviva say that millions of people currently earning less than £27,500 risk facing retirement on a pension far less than £15,000 - the equivalent of today’s national living wage… because auto-enrolment contributions still fall a long way short of the 12% needed to build an adequate pension pot. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum has said that pensions in the UK are likely (on average) to run out ten years before death, with women running out even earlier: 12.6 years.

Where there is family help available, sons and (mostly) daughters are filling the gap. While as many as five million people in this country juggle care responsibilities with a job, others leave or go part time… risking an impoverished retirement.

And that situation is likely to be compounded by the social care crisis – particularly for women now in their 40s to 60s.

60p of support in every pound from the government. One of the vital services affected has been social care, and councils like our own have had to make some very tough decisions on who can – and can’t - receive help if individuals can’t pay for it themselves.

Carers UK say that 600 people a week currently leave their jobs to care for a loved one. Between 2010 and 2020 councils will have lost more than

The result is that in the last two years alone, the number of older people living with an unmet care need has risen by 19% to 1.4 million older people.

The cause, they say, is increasing longevity which has not been matched by increases in savings for pensions.

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Hardly surprisingly, 72% of carers say they have suffered mental ill health as result, while 61% have suffered physical ill health and over a third say that caring means they already struggle to make ends meet. It’s also worth pointing out that the whole country is paying for the failure to properly fund social care: the running cost to the NHS of people having to go into hospital as a direct result is £500 a minute. Cuts to vital public services might save money in the short term… but in the end, we all pay the price. Some more than others…

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

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VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

Back Issues Doctor of Chiropractic Matt Sutton helps to keep you on the move

You don’t have to live with the pain of arthritis

’ve lost track of the number of times patients have told me “I’ve got arthritis, I’ll just have to live with it” or “my mother got hunched over as she got older so I’ll end up like that too”. Well the good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. The dowager’s hump people often develop later in life is wear and tear (osteoarthritis) of the neck. This means the joints of the neck have become misaligned and slowly but surely have started to degenerate. The head starts to tilt forward putting increased pressure on the neck and for every inch forward the head goes it puts an additional weight of 10 pounds on the neck joints! One of my most recent patients to see me with this problem is the wife of a GP, and they were both resigned to the fact that this was a normal part of aging. Thankfully, we’ve made huge changes in her case, people now notice her posture is better, she feels far more comfort-

able, her tennis has improved and she reports her energy levels have increased! Most people’s bodies will have some level of wear and tear (arthritis), but what people don’t realise is that if these joints are realigned by a chiropractor and the nerves are ‘happy’ you don’t get pain symptoms. The body heals from inside out, so help it along with chiropractic care and not by

masking it with pain and anti-inflammatory medication. If you want long term, sustainable health changes, Chiropractic is the way to go. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you get back to doing the things you love, or simply getting rid of that ache you thought was just your ‘age’ contact us, we’d love to help.

Contact Matt on 01934 235535 or email reception@suttonchiro.co.uk

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

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VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

Healthy Eating Nutritional therapist Linda Thomas with some food advice

How to age healthily

lthough average life expectancy is increasing, the number of “healthy” years is declining so it is important to take care of ourselves and reduce our risk of diseases such as stroke, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.

cers, depression and obesity. Exposure to sunshine in the summer ensures sufficient supply but look for fortified foods in the winter to maintain good levels. Calcium – important for bone health, muscles and nerve functions. If there is insufficient calcium in your blood to meet the many demands placed upon it, the body “steals” calcium from the bones. Dietary sources include fish with small bones that can be eaten (e.g. sardines), almonds, beans and kale.

Good nutrition and eating habits help protect us from these problems and also supports brain function, good dental health, reduces joint pain and can address digestive issues such as bloating, reflux and constipation. Two of the fundamental changes to our body as we age are, firstly, that our stomach acid is weaker and, secondly, we produce less digestive enzymes. These changes reduce our ability to absorb nutrients as the food is not broken down thoroughly. We may also feel “heavy” after meals, especially if eating rich or fatty foods.

ground flaxseed, walnuts and avocado.

The most common deficiencies resulting from poor digestion are:

Vitamin B12 – many, many roles! Including production of energy, cell renewal and nerve function. Found only in foods from animals (meat, dairy, fish, eggs) this nutrient is easily supplemented but seek advice from your GP or a Nutritional Therapist first.

Omega 3 fats – vital for brain health, protection from heart disease and joint health. Oily fish such as salmon and sardines can help here, as can

Vitamin D – especially important in aiding absorption of calcium for healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to some can-

Zinc – The immune system uses a lot of zinc. Symptoms of deficiency include slow wound healing and increased infections such as colds. It also affects your sense of taste and so deficiency may contribute to loss of appetite in older people. Steps we can take to improve our digestion include chewing food thoroughly, reducing the amount of sugary and fatty foods we eat, avoid drinking a lot of water or other drinks with meals and including plenty of fibre from vegetables, fruit, pulses, grains and nuts in order to keep our digestion moving.

Contact Linda on 07768 803198 or email: info@indathomasnutrition.co.uk

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

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Simple, honest and relaxed

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VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 / JUNE 2016

NEWS

Mendip walks Jennifer Hunt and her dogs Daisy and Dora take to the hills

An hour-long walk with views over the Levels

heddar Wood - A circular one hour walk starting and finishing at Shipham Hill (BS27 3DQ) Park at the side of the entrance to the disused Shipham Hill Quarry, making sure not to block the gate. This is situated on the right going up Shipham Hill and just before the Callow Rock Quarry exit. Cross straight over the road, pictured, turn left and then right up the rough track beside the quarry. At the top go straight on, do not turn left. Follow this road until you reach a gate on the left. Go through and walk along the path through the wood, which is mostly level. Your dogs will have a lovely time chasing squirrels up trees and sniffing down interesting holes. In spring, the woodland floor is covered with bluebells as far as the eye can see. Later in the year beautiful pink autumn crocus grow along the

edges of the path. After about 15 minutes walking, the path drops down to a stone wall and stile. Do not climb over, but head uphill following the wall. This is quite steep so you will need a breather half-way up beside a huge oak tree. It is completely draped with ivy, which hangs like bell pulls right down to the ground. When you reach the lane at the top turn right. Further along there are fantastic views of the Somerset Levels and on a clear day you can see as far as Exmoor and over to Wales. Carry on downhill and even-

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tually you will pass the gate where you turned into the wood earlier. Just a short way further on there is a small footpath on the right â&#x20AC;&#x201C; be careful as it is easily missed. Follow this down to the left, cross straight over when you reach the track, then continue down the footpath until you eventually arrive at a metal gate. Make sure you put your dog on the lead before going through as there is an open gap straight out onto the busy road. You will then be back where you started!

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Hair Talk Acutabove owner Sarah Boundy passes on tips on making your hair stand out

Home dyes are a risk P assing through the aisle of haircare on a recent supermarket trip I found myself tuning in on the discussion two young girls were having while selecting hair colour.

Have you ever noticed how the model on the box looks like she’s full of happiness with her glossy, multi-toned coloured, beautifully flowing hair? But the thing is, that model’s hair was most certainly done by a professional probably using a different hair colour completely. In fact, if you look again the same model seems to be sporting a different shade on every box - hmmm. I can never understand how anyone can trust themselves enough to dye their own hair as there really is much more to the hair colour process than chucking a boxed dye through your hair over the bathroom sink. Ok a visit to the salon for colour can be a costly experience and many are tempted by the cheaper option of the

supermarket’s home colour box dye kit, but when it comes to hair colour, like most things, you get what you pay for and the time and money spent on correcting when things go wrong can be quite a sacrifice. So, should you risk colouring your hair at home? I definitely wouldn’t suggest it, but if you do, here are some points to consider. Although the dye isn’t that different to the ones some professionals use the formulation is stronger: box dye doesn’t discriminate! So, no matter how thin, thick, coarse, dark, light, highlighted, colour treated, or chemically processed your hair is the colour has to be strong enough

to work on anyone’s hair. At the salon your stylist will have considered all the above before continuing and has the ability to then highlight, lowlight, ombre, balayage, lighten and darken your hair unlike anything a box dye can do. We hairdressers love to get creative and customise your colour, but if cost is an issue, talk to your stylist about different colour options. We have colour guests whose appointments range from every four weeks to every six months! Or with the many salons training apprentices in our area there are always opportunities for low cost colouring.

Contact Sarah at Actuabove, Axbridge on 01934 733666 18

www.valley-life.co.uk

VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

Tiggi’sTravels Seeing life differently with visually-impaired Tiggi Trethowan

New addition is in love here is a new man in my life!! Before you get over excited his name is Rocky and that name illustrates our relationship. Rocky is a Rhode Island Red cockerel with a massive ego.

turned on Tiggi “. The series can be found on Facebook, Spotify or Pod bean.

He arrived all the way from Norfolk in a large cardboard box three weeks ago.

In the circle of life sometimes a thing happens that rips your heart to pieces That happened to me two weeks ago.

My intention was to keep him in the box until nightfall when I would pop him in his new sparklingly clean, five star coop. Like Pandora’s Box I had been given strict instructions not to open the box before nightfall. I disobeyed to my cost! As I gingerly opened the box for a peek, he rose like a phoenix, flapping his enormous wings and making noises that would shame an air raid siren. I was in total panic as I watched him fly up onto my neighbour’s wall about to head off to the Mendip hills when on cue my four hens appeared to see what the commotion was about. Rocky was entranced and immediately flew down to be with his new harem. Come nightfall

There are four live episodes at the moment with others to follow.

when all his girls had disappeared for the night Rocky looked lost and sad but with the help of my neighbour and a huge blanket we finally got him into his new home. I’m happy to report, two weeks on, that he is happily settled and head over heels in love with my white hen. Hopefully the patter of tiny chicken feet will soon be heard!I am delighted to report that Dracott Diaries, my brand new Podcast series, is proving very popular indeed. The most recent episode about how I arrived in Draycott, my sight loss and most importantly my new life with Jackie, is now available; “The tables are

I live above an old farmhouse with lovely people living below and our animals become as one family. We lost our most treasured and loved puppy Pip. She was a gorgeous dainty black and white collie only six months old when she died in a tragic accident. Pip was Jackie’s (my guide dog) best friend and they endlessly played tag and chase until falling asleep together in the paddock. Because the paddock was Pip’s favourite place she is buried there beneath a tree with her favourite toy between her paws. Sleep well little Pip; I dedicate this month’s piece to you. Your spirit will remain in all our hearts as a flash of the most brilliant bright light.

Tiggi is a regular speaker at events. Contact her on 07721 329129 or email tiggi1@me.com VALLEY LIFE MAGAZINE JULY 2019 / ISSUE 34

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