'Hearts Shall Dance Once Again; When Canvas of Ice Is Painted with The
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FREE from the Eskdale & Liddesdale Adveriser Issue No. 7 - February/March 2020 E& Li L fe ‘Hearts shall dance once again; when canvas of ice i painted with the brush of skates. ’ Shah Asad Rizvi. s Page 2 E&L Life • Issue No. 7 - February/March 2020 The seven rules of Life... As I write, Ciara has hitched up On Ice. Libby has very little her skirts and stormed off, last sight, yet with partner Mark seen heading for Norway. Dennis Hanretty she has been turning in is on the horizon, due to arrive some stunning, perfectly soon with gales and bucketloads synchronised performances. of rain. The bit in between We’ve been talking to Libby’s Dad brought lots of snow, but hasn’t and to friends in Newcastleton been graced with a name. Maybe where she grew up, to find out it was just winter. what they think of their ice- We seem to experience an awful dancing queen. lot of storms nowadays, but is it At this time of year there’s a climate change or just weather, strong temptation to hibernate albeit of a rather extreme but Langholm’s Buccleuch Centre variety? Are we humans to blame has entertainment to tempt even or are we simply seeing nature at the most diehard stay-at-home work? E&L Life Young Reporter away from the fireside. High on Freya McCall tackles these major its list of absolutely-must-sees is questions of our times in the annual musical put on by the E&L Life editor, Gilly Fraser interviews with two climate local amateur operatic and activists. But what’s your take – dramatic society – better known never done more than doodle a upon a time King Arthur may is climate change fact or fiction? as LAODS. This year they’ve stick figure. have walked. Sticking with weather, ice plays chosen a belter with Calamity Last month regular columnist a big part in this edition – not the Jane. Doris Day played the Sophie Mitchell told us how a Please do get in touch with your Jack Frost stuff that makes whipcracking buckskin-clad school trip to WW1 cemeteries in comments or with ideas of your unique art on car windscreens, or legend to perfection in the movie Europe had a major impact and own. Drop me an email at even the chunks that make a classic, and LAODS’ Leona her words inspired a reader to [email protected] drink ‘on the rocks.’ No, this Mason tells us what it’s like to tell us about his own experiences. frozen stuff is the kind you can follow in those iconic footsteps. Gordon Mitchell explains what glide and pirouette and dance on, For artists and artlovers, there’s the cemeteries mean to him. or if you’re mind-blowingly brave, a treat in store at the Borders Art That’s just a very wee taster of Ciara really brought you could even be spun round by Fair in Kelso. Many of the the delights to be found between home to me the the ankles with your head just a seventy artists exhibiting will be these pages – and there’s plenty benefits of living in few centimetres above it. there to meet and chat with more besides including sport a village where If you haven’t the remotest clue visitors. Langholm Outpost Arts Harry Potter style, afternoon tea people are well what I’m talking about, you founder and Creative Director as you’ve never experienced it clearly haven’t been enthralled by Lucy MacLeod is Artist-in- before, we hear about the accustomed to the amazing achievements of our Residence and the event features importance of Langholm Day looking out for one very own Paralympian Libby talks, tours and workshops where Centre to many in the town and another. Clegg in the ITV Show Dancing you can have a go even if you’ve Gavin Graham walks where once ......in this month’s E&L Life • Walk the Walk to Longtown with rambler Gavin Graham pages 16 & 17 • Langholm am-drammers’ Calamity Jane in rehearsal pages 20 & 21 • Quidditch - the wizarding game played by Muggles page 29 • plus regular columns from Carys, Sophie and Amber and so much more E&L Life • Issue No. 7 - February/March 2020 Page 3 Keeping your cool when the competition gets hot Paralympian Libby Clegg has been holding the Borders in thrall every Sunday evening with her amazing ice-dancing performances hen Libby Clegg made told me she could see a blob on her first appearance on my watch face and then said she Wthe ITV show Dancing could see the same thing when on Ice on Sunday January 5, she was reading. I thought that texts began pinging round the was strange, so Moira took her to Borders village of Newcastleton. get her eyes checked. At first ‘Are you watching?’ they said she was just doing it to ‘Isn’t she amazing?’ get attention, but we knew that ‘Are you crying? I’m crying!’ wasn’t right, so we managed to It’s no surprise that this get an appointment with a talented athlete would make her specialist.’ adopted village proud – she’s Libby was diagnosed as having been doing that ever since 2002 a rare but very serious condition when she first came to live there called Stargardt’s Macular with Mum and Dad Moira and Peter, sister Fliss and brothers James and Stephen. Over the years, Copshaw has taken great Dystrophy. It can run in families had enjoyed cross-country ‘ so her siblings were also checked, running, but her increasing sight delight in seeing her represent If you look at what her country with distinction, and to the Cleggs’ great shock, problems meant that was no bringing home gold and silver she’s done in the both James and Stephen were longer possible. Undaunted, she from international events of the Olympics, plus she’s also found to have it, though not simply switched to doing 100 and highest calibre. Now she’s quite as badly. As a result, the 200 metre sprinting, with the proving the one to watch on the had a baby, she’s Cleggs took the decision to move encouragement of her new school popular skating show in which doing the skating – from their Macclesfield home. in Edinburgh. Her athletic amateurs pair up with ‘Not knowing what would prowess was swiftly spotted and professionals to perform ever what’s she going happen in the future or if there she was given the opportunity to more intricate and challenging to do next? was any kind of treatment was compete in Prague. To the routines. Her achievements on awful,’ Peter says. ‘We wanted family’s amazement, a special the track and on the ice are She’s opening up a the best possible school for Libby event was held in Newcastleton worthy of acclaim in their own whole new world for and decided that would be the to help raise funds for the trip. right – but even more so when Edinburgh Royal Blind School. I ‘They held a coffee morning in you realise that Libby is almost herself and for people had been fishing in the Borders the village hall,’ Peter says, ‘and blind. like her. many times over the past fifteen it raised around £300. I thought ‘Elizabeth’s eyesight started to years or so and knew it well, so that was incredible especially deteriorate when she was about ’ we decided to move here.’ considering we hadn’t been here nine.’ Her Dad Peter says. ‘She Prior to the diagnosis, Libby that long.’ >Turn to Page 4 Page 4 E&L Life • Issue No. 7 - February/March 2020 Libby the athlete n 2006 as running became ever more important and her Isight continued to deteriorate, Libby teamed up with former England athlete Lincoln Asquith who acted as her guide on the track for the next four years. He was succeeded by his stepson Mikhail Huggins who was with Libby for four world medals, two European golds and a Commonwealth title. In 2016 Libby with her first running guide, Lincoln Asquith at the Rio Paralympics, Libby took the gold in both the 100 and 200m races and achieved a new record in the latter, partnered by Chris Clarke. ‘ ‘It was such a career highlight to get the two golds, I think she The skating takes a started to wonder then what else lot of courage, she could do,’ Peter says. It wasn’t long before new especially as there opportunities came knocking, in have been quite a few the form of appearances on television in such varied shows as injuries among the The Chase, Question of Sport and other skaters. She did on the panel with Sky Sports. And then – came Dancing On Ice. do ballet when she ‘It’s an amazing challenge for was little, and she her and she has really enjoyed the chance to do something does have very strong different. She does have a strong legs thanks to all the competitive spirit and she’s always been like that. When she running, so I think first started running she would that really helps. run round the block where we lived. I would sit with a ’ stopwatch timing her and as soon as she’d finished one run she’d say ‘right, time me again’ and she’d be off like a bullet. action with partner Mark ‘The skating takes a lot of Hanretty – including her fiancé, courage, especially as there have Paralympian judoka Dan Powell been quite a few injuries among who also has severe visual the other skaters.