The May 2017 VILLAGER and Town Life Free Monthly Magazine Delivered to Homes and Businesses in the Stevenage Area

Kitchen | Bedroom | Home Study

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2 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts The May 2017 VILLAGER and Town Life Free Monthly Magazine Delivered to Homes and Businesses in the Stevenage Area

Kitchen | Bedroom | Home Study

For all your design, supply and installation needs Family run business

Visit our showroom: Unit E, Gateway 1000, Whittle Way, Arlington Business Park, Stevenage SG1 2FP Tel: 01438 222929 www.kitchenergonomics.co.uk Contents 1 These boots are made for walking...... 24 Slug Survival...... 27 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results...... 28 Beds Cleverest Puppies need Puppy Parents...... 30 BMW M760Li xDrive...... 32 Nick Coffer’s Weekend Recipe...... 35 Puzzle Page...... 36 The History of Beauty What’s On...... 38 4 Prize Crossword...... 42 The History of Beauty...... 4 Book Review...... 47 Ready for Revision...... 9 Win Tickets to see Sam Brookes live...... 10 Win afternoon tea for two at Jordans Mill...... 12 Cool Customer - Choosing a New Fridge...... 15 Wine: Gems of Italy...... 16 Tips for Mums...... 18 Bank Holidays...... 21 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 28 Employment Matters...... 22

Editorial: Catherine Rose, Sarah Davey, Tony Ashcroft, Publishers Trevor Langley, Jennie Billings, Carol H Scott, Pippa Greenwood, Villager Publications Ltd James Baggott, Nick Coffer, RSPB and Kate Duggan. 24 Market Square, , SG19 2NP Tel: 01767 261122 Advertising Sales/Local Editorial [email protected] Nigel Frost - 01767 261122 www.villagermag.com [email protected] Photography Disclaimer - All adverts and editorial are printed in good faith, Anna Om and Darren Harbar Photography however, Villager Publications Ltd can not take any responsibility for the content of the adverts, the services provided by the Design and Artwork advertisers or any statements given in the editorial. No part of Design 9 - Tel 07762 969460 this publication may be reproduced or stored without the express permission of the publisher.

To advertiseAdvert Booking in The Villager Deadline and Thursday Town Life 11th please May call 2017 01767 261122 Artwork Deadline Thursday 11th May 2017 3 History

By Catherine Rose

The History of Beauty

Surviving examples of primitive art usually We all have an innate appreciation of beauty depict women as full-figured, even fat, and often but throughout history and across cultures, the pregnant. This is because fertility was of primary concept of what makes a woman beautiful has importance for those civilizations. When survival changed according to the social background and was precarious, a woman’s ability to reproduce fashions of the time. was the bottom line. 4 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 5 Just as we do today, people adorned their bodies keep a small box of them on their dressing table. with jewellery, paint, tattoos and piercings, not During the 19th century an hourglass figure only to look attractive but also as status symbols. became the desired female body shape and And status has always played a big part in our corsets, long used as undergarments (the name concept of beauty. ‘corset’ comes from the Latin ‘corpus’ meaning We can get a good idea of beauty ideals during body), were designed to achieve a waist any period by looking at art. Throughout the circumference of down to 18”, later accentuated medieval and early Renaissance era, ‘beautiful’ by the bustle. women had narrow shoulders and small breasts Following WWI and the suffrage movement, that emphasised their weaker sex compared to a new sense of female liberation produced a the broad, sword-wielding shoulders of their beauty revolution. Women no longer wanted menfolk. In many paintings women are also to be sexual objects to please men. Hemlines shown with very rounded stomachs. This didn’t went up for the first time and dresses became necessarily mean they were pregnant: it was a straighter, giving a slender, more androgynous beauty ideal indicating a woman was fertile and appearance. Women even wore suits and long able to have many children. hair was cropped. Coco Chanel, who banished It was also a religious time and for women, the notion that only a porcelain complexion appearing virtuous was a sign of beauty. could be beautiful when she showed off a suntan, Somewhat odd to us today, a long neck and a declared “a woman can never be too rich or too high forehead were prized, with almost non- thin”, arguably beginning the modern trend. existent brows to accentuate it. Women would The 1930s-50s saw curves return, possibly thanks often pluck or shave hair from their hairline to to the Hollywood film industry and stars like achieve this look. Once married, they were also Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne expected to modestly cover their hair, which was Mansfield who were the epitome of female how the elaborate headpieces and veils of this beauty. Wearing full make-up also began to be period came about. the norm, in imitation of actors who used it to During the late Renaissance and Baroque eras emphasise their looks on-screen. Max Factor was women became more voluptuous – think originally a make-up artist to the stars. With the of Rubens whose buxom females would be rise in hemlines, the focus shifted to shapely legs considered obese by today’s standards. There was and it was arguably the start of female epilation, a rationale behind this. Food was hard to come by when once women had even worn ‘mirkins’ unless you were wealthy and being full-figured (pubic wigs). meant you were well-fed and therefore of high The 1960s saw another beauty revolution. Society status - hence a desirable mate. was finally recovering from WWII, rationing had In a similar way, if you were light-skinned, it ended in 1954 and young people were enjoying meant that you were clearly a lady from a genteel a wave of new music with its roots based in black family as only poor outdoor labourers had ‘coarse culture. Once again women were re-establishing tanned skin’. So for several centuries beauty was their power and asserting their sexual freedom. measured by how pale you were (hence the term Mini-skirts arrived along with big hair. Twiggy, ‘fair’ meaning ‘beautiful’). the slender, doe-eyed model from north-west The poisonous lead-based white make-up that London became the most desirable example of achieved this was also used for disguising the womanhood. Compare her with the women in widespread blemishes from disease. Hair was Rubens’ The Three Graces and you could not have now a beauty statement and powdered wigs two more opposing ideals. were worn because many women suffered Over the last fifty years, beauty goals have gone from hair loss due to venereal disease. These through more subtle changes. The athletic, toned had become very elaborate and tall by the 18th female figure became popular in the 1980s with century thanks to fashionista Marie Antionette. the advent of the ubiquitous exercise video. Along with wigs came fake beauty patches Today, with models that range from the catwalk to cover up smallpox scars. Made of materials clothes-horse Gigi Hadid and black model Winnie such as mouse fur and velvet, eventually these Harlow who has vitiligo, to the curvy Ashley ‘mouches’ (French for ‘flies’) became a status Graham, we now seem to be embracing more symbol and women of beauty and fashion would diversity in women’s beauty than ever before.

6 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 7 104 Road, Shefford, Beds SG17 5BB

8 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Time of Year Ready for Revision Exam time is stressful for the focus. Aim to drink around up to 1.5-2 litres of water, whole family. So what’s the best way to cope? diluted fruit juice or herbal teas per day. Drinks There’s no way round it, the answer has to be rich in caffeine, such as Red Bull or coffee trigger planning and preparation. production of the stress hormone cortisol which Set up your revision timetable as early as possible, can make you feel even more edgy and nervous, that way you can pace yourself. It’s too tempting to and make it harder to focus and find the right words put everything off then face a last-minute panic. under exam pressure. How do you study best? Some people prefer to Gentle exercise, such as walking, or cycling, in spend a whole day on one subject, others prefer between study improves the blood circulation to the to break their time into smaller blocks and tackle brain and actually relieves stress, making you feel several subjects in short burst. Whichever you more relaxed. choose, make sure you take a short break every hour On the day of an exam focus on breathing; slow or so. Pop outside, stretch your legs, have a drink deep breaths in and out will help to reduce levels and maybe a snack. Oxygen, nutritious food and of the stress hormone cortisol. Try not to engage in water are essential for concentration and mental pre-or post exam discussion, as this can make you alertness. feel anxious. Effective brain function relies on neurotransmitters, If you’re well prepared and well-rested then you are which are chemicals made from amino acids. These ready. But remember they are only exams. They are are found in food rich in good quality protein, like one measure of your ability taken at one point in lean meat, fish, soya and beans. In order to convert time. They do not relate to who you are as a person, the amino acids into neurotransmitters the body or how well you will ultimately do in life. All you can also need vitamins and minerals, so top up on fruit ever do is try your best on the day. Good luck. and vegetables. Refined sugar, found in sweets What type of learner are you? and chocolate releases glucose too quickly into Visual learners - prefer note cards and tend to map the bloodstream and this can cause mood swings. out information on paper. Emotions run high around exam time anyway, so Auditory learners - prefer to read their notes aloud, it is better to snack on nuts, seeds and fruit, which and listen to them being played back. provide a slow, steady release of glucose. Kinaesthetic learners need action – Record your Our brains also depend on proper hydration to voice and play back the information while walking. function optimally. Brain cells require a delicate Take revision notes to the gym and read while balance between water and various elements to running on a treadmill, even sitting on a swing operate. Research has found that if we’re even reading notes can work. slightly dehydrated we find it more difficult to By Sarah Davey

9 COMPETITION

Win a pair of tickets to see Sam Brookes live at The Portland Arms in Cambridge on Tuesday 9th May 2017

London based songsmith and former Sunday Times ‘Breaking Act’ Sam Brookes is still one of the UK alt-folk’s best kept secrets. His acclaimed 2014 album was tipped by The Independent for a Mercury Prize nomination and received support from the likes of Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2. With over 5 million plays on Spotify, it is fair to say that those who know his music, love his music….and those who don’t, are about to. Brookes’ new single My Girl Drinks Coffee, his first for over two years, marks an exciting shift in the Sam Brookes sound. Already well known as an idiosyncratic singer-songwriter, Sam challenged himself to expand his sonic pallet, spending a few years out the game gigging and experimenting with new material. The end result is an immediate and ethereal work of chic melancholy, built on synthesised textures that devilishly underpin his soaring signature vocal. Now Sam’s new soundworld is as evocative of Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem or Grimes as it is the obvious titans of influence for any British troubadour. Jointly produced by Grammy nominated Dom Monks (Ray Lamontagne, Laura Marling & Katie Melua) and Berlin based ex-pat Greg Freeman (Goldfrapp, Portico, Mumford & Sons), the track was arranged and recorded on a trip to a remote boathouse and completed at Guy Chamber’s Sleeper Sounds studio in London, where the production duo truly realised Sam’s dark but dancey vision.

The Villager Magazine gives you the chance to win a pair of tickets for Sam’s gig at The Portland Arms in Cambridge on Tuesday May 9. Answer the following question for your chance of winning: ‘My Girl Drinks Coffee’ was recorded on a remote boathouse on which Scottish island? A. Skye B. Colonsay C. Mull D. Jura To enter, simply answer the question and complete the form below. Send your entry to: Sam Brookes Competition, Villager Publications Ltd, 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP All entries must be received by 12pm on Monday 8th May, winner will be notified on the 8th.

THE SAM BROOKES COMPETITION ENTRY To win tickets, answer the following question: Complete the Saw Doctors song title: ‘My Girl Drinks Coffee’ was recorded on a remote boathouse on which Scottish island?  A. Skye  B. Colonsay  C. Mull  D. Jura  Name: Address: Tel:

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 11 COMPETITION

Win an afternoon tea for two with Prosecco at Jordans Mill

Jordans Mill is a hidden gem, tucked in away in the heart of rural Bedfordshire on the banks of the River Ivel. It is a unique food heritage attraction with something for all the family - tours of the historic flour mill, beautiful gardens and woodland to explore, and the Riverside Café and Mill Store. Jordans Mill is open seven days a week from 9am until 5pm. In summer months it is open later in the evenings, see the website for more details. Enjoy a meal or a snack in the Riverside Café with its stunning riverside terrace and picturesque views over the mill pond. The Café serves a varied and delicious seasonal menu, using local ingredients where possible, indeed much of the produce from the Mill Gardens makes its way into the kitchen. This year Jordans Mill has launched afternoon teas, available by pre-booking only. Served in beautiful surroundings our delicious freshly baked, home-made afternoon teas are a treat not to be missed. Choose from either the traditional Whizzer’s Afternoon Tea or for something different try our Shunter’s Afternoon Tea with mini beef sliders, scotch egg, fish finger sandwich and cakes and scones. Both are served with a selection of teas and coffee and have the option to add a Prosecco or beer. There is even a children’s tea for the little people. Whatever you choose simply admire the view, take a stroll through our Mill Gardens or book onto a guided tour of the historic watermill for the perfect leisurely afternoon. For further information visit www.jordansmill.com

Please answer the following question – On which river is Jordans Mill situated? Complete your details below and send your entry to Jordans Mill Competition, Villager Publications Ltd, 24 Market Square, Potton, Bedfordshire SG19 2NP. The winner will be randomly selected. Deadline: 16th May 2017 Name: Address:

Tel: Email: Answer: Please tick if you would like to receive our e-newsletter 

12 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Top That COMPETITION Sugarcraft Bedfordshire’s largest Sugarcraft shop

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 13 CHRIS&STEVE

Be the first to experience their extraordinary impact here in the gallery Thursday 11th May, 7-9pm

These twin brothers create their monumental works together on a single canvas, so every composition represents a full and equal collaboration between them. A powerful new collection of highly sought-after original paintings and limited editions will be unveiled at this event.

Inspired by the power of the elements, this mesmerising collection represents a new departure as the brothers’ style has developed away from the abstract and into more realistic territory.

RSVP Gallery 1066 Fine Art Willow Mews, 6a Hitchin Street, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 6AE 01462 896164 • [email protected] gallery1066fineart.com 14

65066506 Rocks Rocks in Att_Advert_A4 in Att_Advert_A5 Full Pg.indd Full 1 Pg.indd 1 07/04/201707/04/2017 12:48 12:46 Home

ChoosingCool aCustomer new fridge The fridge has come of age. Gone are the days of Built-In - These are made to fit almost flush with a squat little white cupboard with a tiny freezer cabinets and counters. They are typically bottom- compartment. Fridges have gone large! Some even freezer or side-by-side styles and match your come with custom panels that exactly match your cabinets. kitchen cabinets. Compact or Mini - Perfect for a bedsit or a There are six basic types of fridge: kitchenette. Keep in mind these models may have Top Freezer - A traditional fridge, that’s good for a only one quarter the capacity of a regular fridge, but fairly tight spot. These tend to offer the most space cost just as much to operate. for their size but need space for a wide swing of the Always measure where you plan to put the fridge doors. They also require you to crouch to reach the before you buy. Check too that it can fit through lower shelves which may be an issue if you are tall or doorways and remember that you will need space to have arthritic knees. open the swing doors and for a one inch clearance Bottom Freezer - We tend to use the freezer less so around sides and back for adequate airflow. it might make good sense to have the fridge shelves Bigger is probably better as it means you can shop at eye-level. You tend to need a larger model to get in bulk, and smaller models do not necessarily mean the same useable capacity as a top freezer. smaller running costs. French Door - This has two narrow doors on top, Energy efficiency - All new fridges are a lot more opening from the centre, and the freezer below. The efficient than they were a decade ago. They all have space-saving small-swing doors have the added to be A+ rated now. Yet even between A+ models value of opening only half the fridge when stashing running costs can vary widely. Your fridge runs for 24 smaller items. They tend to be wider than top or hours per day so it makes sense to d your research. bottom freezers. Compare the Energy Guide labels of your favoured Side-by-Side - With the fridge on one side and fridges, and then compare the annual operating freezer on the other, these usually have through- costs and the kilowatt-hours used per year. the-door ice and water dispensers and temperature- Do all this and you will be a very cool customer controlled. The narrow doors can be useful if your when it comes to making your purchase. kitchen is small abut some don’t open wide enough for large boxes, and the tall, narrow compartments can mean some items disappear to the back, never to be seen again! By Tony Ashcroft

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 15 Food and Drink Wine: Gems of Italy Italy has numerous wine producers, in many regions. Multi award-winning Conti Faina estate, with its vineyards, growing both indigenous and international grape varieties, plus olive groves and more, is to be found in the heart of Umbria. Some 40K from Perugia, this area once belonged to the Borghese Princes in past times. From the 18th century the estate has been the property of the Counts Faina of Civitella dè Conti. The winery, founded in 1876, was commenced by digging into the rock beneath the impressive 13th century castle of Collelungo.

The ruby-red Pinot Noir 1883 wine is classic and aged in top-quality French oak barriques. The bouquet of dark fruits is most inviting. The mouthfeel is treated to the dryness and elegance of this wine, with a delighted palate following through, to the excellent finish. A great accompaniment to roasts, etc. Maltempo and Villa Murelli are also red productions and, again, have wonderful aromas of forest fruits. These well-structured wines have mouthfeels and palates well satisfied, with impressive finishes. Montione and Macchia della Torre are both easy-drinking white wines. Straw-yellow in colour and each with a fresh fruit bouquet, plus dry flavour, make these very popular selections, for many. Splendid pairings with fish and white meat dishes. For a sparkling production I enjoy the Senatore Zeffirino. This superb brut sparkling wine is elegant with its persistent perlage that enhances a dining occasion and is also often chosen for celebrations and events. An admirable aroma leads, enticingly, to the wonderful mouthfeel and impressive palate sensation. The wines produced at the Collelungo Winery are appreciated and respected by a good number of wine lovers and connoisseurs. The estate’s productions also include excellent olive oil, as well as walnut trees and seed crops. Accommodation, with all modern requirements, in the restored and preserved 11th century Benedictine Monastery, is available, too. Conti Faina Winery continues to promote theatre, cinema, arts and literature. Also, tastings, tours, medieval dinners, plus numerous events, happen throughout each year, whilst being committed to producing wine and olive oil to an exceptional standard of quality. www.contifaina.it As always, Enjoy! Trevor Langley Please mention The Villager when responding to adverts Charles Wilson Carpets & Flooring

• Quality fl ooring and carpets • Fresh, modern designs • Natural and sustainable ranges • 44 years of expertise 01462 450780 39 Hermitage Road, Hitchin www.charleswilsoncarpets.co.uk Ref: The Villager

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 17 House of Colour Tips for Mums How to look good at the school gates Mums are under constant pressure with ever growing to-do lists. However we still want to look as good as we can! Here are my top tips on how to up your look at the school gates with minimal effort. 1. Within your colour scheme, pick the colours that suit you best and dress up a simple outfit with a statement item in one of your wow shades. A staple accessory like a scarf or a statement necklace could be the perfect thing to spice up your outfit, so you can still pull off your everyday clothes, but with a colourful twist. 5. Show off your favourite part of you. Whether 2. Try a simple jacket within your colour scheme it’s legs, shoulders or arms, show the parts and style. It’s often tempting to wear the of you that make you feel confident! Use same old coat that’s been in the back of the accessories to draw the eyes to where you wardrobe for years. Instead, try dressing up a want them to look! casual jeans and boots look with a wonderful 6. Since lower heels are always in the shops jacket which emphasises your personality. there will be interesting choices on the Always stick to the right colours and it’s a market. Comfy shoes are vital but show your simple fix to complete your look. personality with some zebra flats or bang on- 3. Add trend to a wardrobe staple. A classic trend trainers. Step out of your comfort zone knitted jumper doesn’t have to look like and try something different but which still something from 90’s TV. Update this in your suits your personality and makes you smile! best seasonal colours and you’ve instantly 7. Don’t forget to treat yourself to a new haircut upped your look. when you need it. It is amazing how well cut 4. Try changing your jean style to flatter your hair enhances your look. Make sure your hair shape. Everyone needs jeans but to look great is the colour it is supposed to be and that the they also need to reflect your personality and cut suits your face shape and personality! fit your body. Consider investing here – you 8. Having two good statement bags helps us know you will wear them a lot! feel and look good at the school gates. Buy one in a neutral colour and another in a wow colour that will make your neutral outfit zing! Bags are key to any outfit at any time as well as providing a home for the all-important snacks, toys etc. 9. In bad weather a fabulous pair of wellies or an umbrella in your wow colours can add fun and statement to your outfit and be a great talking point! 10. A bit of lippy in your best colours will lift your eyes and make your skin glow. Always a great boost. By Jennie Billings www.houseofcolour.co.uk/jenniebillings 18 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts BLADES BARBERS REDUCED WAITING TIMES NOW With seven team members at BLADES BARBERS Price List - No appointment necessary

Wet cut & blow dry £9.50 Wash cut & blow dry £13.50 Clipper cuts 1-4. £7.50 Senior citizens. (Over 65yrs mon-thurs) £7.00 Children. (Up to 11 yrs) £8.50 OPENING TIMES Beard trim £3.50 Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Beard trim Wednesday 9am - 6pm (With cut throat shape up) £5.00 Thursday 9am - 7pm Friday a8m - 6pm Shape ups, Lines Saturday 7.30am - 4pm & patterns from £1.00 Sunday Closed

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 19 20 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Time of Year

By Sarah Davey BankI’m in two minds about bank holidays. Holidays On the one hand it’s a holiday, yay, and there are two of them in May…another yay; on the other it’s a prescribed Bank holiday if the current incumbent of No. 10 feels holiday so most people are off work at the same time, she needs a popularity boost. so there are queues and traffic jams wherever you Not everyone would welcome it though. The go. It would make more sense to me if bank holidays Confederation of British Industry calculates that just were rolled into an additional 8 days of compulsory one extra day could cost the nation £6.5 billion. It leave which could be taken anytime. sounds a lot but they also calculate that the cost In the UK we actually fair pretty badly in the bank to the economy of work-related stress and mental holiday stakes anyway. 8 public holidays is not a lot. health problems is somewhere between £4-5 billion, The Italians have 12 days; the Austrians 13, while and that sick-days cost over £12 billion per year. Spain and Portugal enjoy 14 public holidays per year! Given those figures it might be presumed that a There has been a long-running campaign for an couple of extra days’ holiday per year could prove extra bank holiday in the UK somewhere around beneficial over all. October. This is favoured because the period from However you plan to spend your two bank holidays August Bank Holiday to Christmas is a long time this month make sure you check the travel news. I to work without a break! Past Prime Ministers have plan to stay local. There are loads of great things to on occasion indicated this might be a possibility. It do on our doorstep and I really don’t want to spend occurred to me that we might get a bonus ‘Brexit’ my extra day off stuck in a traffic jam!

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 21 Employment Employment Matters Why every ‘High Tech’ customer experience still needs a human face Don’t let technology blind you to the fact that it’s Now start looking at this from the business people who provide great service, particularly when viewpoint. By giving your employees these three they go beyond customer expectations. things also creates great customer experiences: Whenever anyone talks about any great customer Autonomy - Flexible process which give employees service they’ve received they will invariably talk freedom to do what’s right for the customer and about the person who made it happen. react to their specific situation, treating them as Perhaps it was the hotel receptionist who arranged individuals for the kitchen to reopen because you were delayed Competence - Customers being dealt with by and missed dinner. The air steward who found paper people who know what they’re doing, giving and pencil to keep your child busy. The call centre efficient service with the right answers, in the right operator who resolved an ongoing problem with way and at the right time, with their competence care and kindness. being linked to customer experience. It is not a coincidence that companies which Belonging regularly appear in the ‘best customer experience’ Ensuring customers can relate to the organisation by charts are just as well known for engaged creating a bond based on shared values and common employees as they are for great service. Many other goals of the business with its employees. companies which claim to give great service to Despite increasingly living our lives through customers often overlook what makes the biggest technology – human beings will always play the difference: their people and the empathy those central role in creating great customer experiences. people can bring to the customer experience. It’s still the employees who are programming the list For people to be happy, motivated, and engaged at of processes to follow in order to solve a problem - work the three crucial things employees need are: designing the screens and coming up with the ideas. Autonomy - Allowing them control over how they So now it’s a good time to take another look at the complete the task at hand, with a focus on the organisation’s customer experience strategy and start outcome, not the process, empowering empathetic by understanding what your customers really want. people. But before starting out to design flow charts of Competence - Giving them support to be good at the ‘customer journey’, write scripts and overly- their job, developing their skills in line with their complex measurement frameworks, take the ambitions, creating ongoing development. time to understand what’s really important to the Belonging - Ensuring they have a connection to employees of the business too. their colleagues and the company through a shared By involving them in designing the customer service sense of purpose, with open communication to experience your business can find a way to please build trust. both customers and employees at the same time!

Carol H Scott HR and Business Consulting Ltd

22 To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 23 Health Alison Runham - ww.alison.runham.co.uk

These Boots (and Bodies) Are Made for Walking May is National Walking Month. It’s hard to believe can alleviate depression, help to regulate our we need a National Month to promote the default body clock and stimulate Vitamin D production. way we move our bodies around, but many of Vitamin D boosts our immune system, aids blood us now walk far less than previous generations cell formation and helps us absorb calcium and did. Yet walking can reduce your risk of disease, phosphorous, necessary for healthy bones and improve your physical and mental health, help the teeth. The World Health Organisation says 5 to environment and improve your social life, too. 15 minutes of casual sun exposure of hands, face The Health Benefits and arms 2 to 3 times a week during summer is Walking is often underrated as exercise, but it enough to keep vitamin D levels high. can have a highly positive impact on your health. Other Benefits of Walking Regular walking is proven to reduce the risk of Accessibility: Walking can be done anytime and stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, anywhere. You’re not obviously ‘exercising’, either, obesity and some cancers, and helps maintain saving you embarrassment if you’re self-conscious. musculoskeletal health. On average, you can burn Social: You can walk with a family member or 400kcal a day by walking 10,000 steps. Choosing friend - this time away from the usual distractions to walk instead of using transport reduces can allow you to spend quality time together pollution, too, potentially boosting everyone’s and enjoy a good chat. You may also meet health. Walking can also lift your mood and help other people out and about, and of course, you reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Countryside can always join a local walking group, a local walks have the added benefit of nature, health walk or the Ramblers (previously the tranquillity and fresh air. Ramblers’ Association). See the links at the end for Luckily, the UV light we absorb while walking can inspiration. improve our health too. While our skin and eyes Environmental: Every time we walk to work, do need protection from unhealthy UV exposure, school, shops or social activities instead of using some UV light is essential for good health. It transport, we reduce pollution and congestion. 24 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts This helps the environment and improves the long way from cafés or shops. health and safety of ourselves and our families, not DO be prepared; know where you’re going, what just now but in the future, too. weather you can expect and how long the walk Financial: Simple walks on the flat require no will take. Be aware of your personal safety (which special clothes or equipment. It’s cost-effective may mean telling someone where you’re going), exercise that can save you money on travel costs. and ensure you take a snack. A charged mobile Walking Dos and Don’ts phone is a good idea too. DO wear comfortable clothes and footwear. Comfy DON’T ignore pain from footwear. Head back. shoes, trainers or boots and your usual clothes are Blisters can quickly become agonising. fine for walking around streets or park pathways, DON’T ignore weather warnings. Remember, but if you’re walking in rural or hilly areas, or in weather can change very quickly. bad weather, you should buy proper walking DDON’T ignore the advice of human or printed shoes or boots and a waterproof coat. For the very walking guides. Your local country park is a far cry adventurous, waterproof trousers might be handy from an exposed, remote, hilly trail. Don’t attempt too. long or challenging hikes until you’re fitter, more DO Ensure you wear weather-appropriate clothing. DON’T play music so loudly that you’re unaware of In winter, wearing layers and donning a scarf, what’s happening around you. hat, gloves and waterproof coat will keep you Make a Walk Part of Your Day warm and dry. In warmer weather, a sun hat Walk the children to school, add a walk or extend and sunglasses are essential (your eyes can be one at the beginning or end of your commute, damaged by the sun’s UV rays as easily as your skin extend your dog’s walks, choose the stairs over the can). Talking of your skin, remember to apply sun lift or escalator. cream before setting out and take it with you for a Walking Routes reapplication if you’ll be out for some time. www.walkingforhealth.org.uk - the Walking for DO stay hydrated. Always take a drink, especially Health scheme offers 1,800+ free, short walks on hot days and long or rural walks – you may be a every week - search for those nearest you.

Fun Quiz - Days of the Week

1. If Monday’s child is fair of face, which day’s child has “far to go”? 2. What is the only word in the English language that is an anagram of one of the seven days of the week? 3. Shrove Tuesday occurs how many days before Easter Sunday? 4. In a well known 1873 novel, which literary character realises he has won a bet that he thought he had lost when he finds out that what he thinks is a Sunday is actually a Saturday? 5. What was the name of the sequel to the film Saturday Night Fever? 6. Since 1935, every General Election in the UK has been held on which day of the week? 7. The term “Mardi Gras” translates from French as what?... a) Big Monday; b) Fat Tuesday; or c) Lazy Wednesday? 8. On what day of the week did the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 take place? 9. Who played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film The Addams Family? 10. In 1979, what became the first UK number one hit single to have a

day of the week in the title?

5. Staying Alive 6. Thursday 7. b) Fat Tuesday 8. Tuesday 9. Christina Ricci 10. Sunday Girl (by Blondie) (by Girl Sunday 10. Ricci Christina 9. Tuesday 8. Tuesday Fat b) 7. Thursday 6. Alive Staying 5.

4. Phileas Fogg (in Around The World In Eighty Days, confusing dates after crossing the international date line) line) date international the crossing after dates confusing Days, Eighty In World The Around (in Fogg Phileas 4. 1. Thursday’s 2. Dynamo (an anagram of “Monday”) 3. 47 47 3. “Monday”) of anagram (an Dynamo 2. Thursday’s 1.

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 25 GARDEN CONSTRUCTION & FENCING Complete Patio Design • Landscaping • Decking Gazebos • Fencing & Gates Ponds • Turfing & Seeding Walls • Hedging • Driveways • Block Paving Rockeries • Gardening • Lawn Mowing • Tree Pruning

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26 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Garden Slug

By Pippa Greenwood www.pippagreenwood.comSurvival Whether your garden is big or small, or you have just • Encourage natural predators such as hedgehogs, a few planters in a back yard or on a balcony, the frogs, toads, slow worms and ground beetles. If chances are that slugs will cause you grief. There are you keep hens consider letting them clear the about thirty species of slug in the UK and most feed ground for you – but obviously only before you throughout the year, especially after dark and when start planting and sowing! the soil is wet or moist – and now that spring is here, • Use the Nemaslug nematode control, a treatment they’re out in force! I like because it is harmless to everything except However, most slugs actually do little damage to slugs. It works swiftly and silently too and, if living plants, instead preferring to feast on dead and you’re a potato grower and you drench the soil dying material. Typically it is smaller slugs like the around the potato plants about six weeks before greyish-black keeled slug and the pinkish-beige-grey anticipated harvest, the nematodes soon get to field slug which are more likely to wreak havoc. With work and your potatoes should be virtually slug- estimates of there being about 200 slugs per average damage free. Use it to clear a slug-infested raised cubic metre of average garden soil, the situation can bed or planter and apply self-adhesive copper soon get out of hand. tape around the rim of the container to keep the Keeled slugs in particular love to feast below ground, contents slug free. Find out more about Nemaslug as well as on plants above the soil surface. In no time and copper tape at www.pippagreenwood.com/ at all slugs can eat through the base of a young stem, products/protect-your-crops. killing the plant in the process, or eat seedlings even • Barriers such as crushed shells, wool pellets, soot, before they have had a chance to emerge above the pine needles or copper-impregnated fabric can soil surface! Later in the year, they will begin to tunnel also work well, but may need replacing regularly into potato tubers and carrots too. and results seem to vary. They breed quickly and very efficiently, and you’re • Traps filled with beer can reduce slug numbers in most likely to spot the clumps of eggs on the soil your garden dramatically. You can buy ready- surface, beneath flopped foliage and amongst moist made traps or make your own using inexpensive organic matter. Each egg is about 1-2mm in diameter plastic beakers plunged into the soil, the rim and a clear, milky or off-white coloured sphere. protruding 1-2cm above the soil surface and filled So what can you do with these squidgy little with a well-flavoured beer. menaces? Visit Pippa’s website www.pippagreenwood. • Go on an evening slug hunt, in particular after it com to buy gorgeous UK grown vegetable plants has rained or you have done some watering. accompanied by weekly advice emails from Pippa, • Choose vegetable varieties which have useful or to peruse the really useful selection of Pippa’s resistance to slugs. With potatoes, main crop favourite gardening items including SpeedHoes, varieties usually suffer most, so try to grow mainly SpeedWeeders, raised bed kits, Nemaslug and earlies. Choose varieties such as Charlotte, Kestrel, copper tape, pull-out EasyTunnels, signed books Sante or Wilja to give a better chance of success. and lots more besides. To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 27 Wildlife RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results

Robins, starlings and blackbirds joined by more unusual visitors • UK gardens have seen a boom in the number Weather conditions leading up to the Birdwatch of visits from unusual migrant birds such as meant that this year UK gardens were treated to a waxwings range of different visitors. Along with waxwings, • Number of robins seen visiting gardens at its there was also a large jump in the number of visits highest level for more than 20 years from other migrant birds. In the East there were 5 • In excess of 497,000 people took part in the times as many redwing and fieldfare seen and an 2017 Birdwatch counting over 8 million birds 18% increase in sightings of brambling as the sub- Nearly 7, 000 people in Bedfordshire joined nearly zero temperatures on the continent forced them half-a-million people across the UK in the world’s to go in search of milder conditions. largest garden wildlife survey, counting more Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientists, than eight million birds during the 38th RSPB Big said: “The sight of a robin or blackbird perched Garden Birdwatch, witnessing some exciting and on the garden fence is often one of the first unusual visitors. experiences we have with nature. So to have over In Bedfordshire, there was no change to the top half-a-million people taking part and counting a two. House sparrows held on to the top spot being bumper eight million birds across one weekend is seen in the 70% of gardens during the survey amazing. Using the information from the weekend despite having decreased nationally by 57% we’ll be able to create a snapshot of how our since 1979. Starlings were another non-mover garden birds are doing. remaining in second place, although there was a “In the lead up to the Birdwatch there was 26% rise in the number of gardens starlings were some speculation as to whether we could see a seen in. ‘waxwing winter’ and the results prove that to Blackbirds knocked the blue tits out of the top be the case. Flocks of these striking looking birds three as they moved up two places from fifth to arrived in the UK along the North Sea coast and third, being seen in a whopping 95% of gardens, will have moved across the country in search of making them the county’s most widespread bird. food, favouring gardens where they can feast on The event held over the last weekend in January berries. With it only happening once every 7-8 also revealed an explosion in the number of years, it will have been a treat for the lucky people recorded sightings of waxwings. These attractive who managed to catch a glimpse of one.” looking birds flock to UK gardens in winter once There was also good news for robins, with the every 7-8 years when the berry crop fails in their average number seen visiting gardens at its native Scandinavia. Known as an ‘irruption’, results highest level since 1986, helping it climb from showed that within the region waxwings were number nine to number seven in Bedfordshire and seen in around 5 times more gardens in 2017 the same jump nationally, its joint highest-ever compared to previous years. position in the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings. 28 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Blackbird was another climber, moving to number invaluable resource for birds – throughout the year three in the East and becoming the region’s most birds need food, water and a safe place to shelter. widespread garden bird after being spotted in If we all provide these things in our outdoor spaces more than 96% of gardens. it will be a huge help to our garden birds, perhaps The survey also highlighted a downturn in even playing a role in reversing some declines.” Bedfordshire in the recorded sightings of blue tits The nation’s school children noticed a similar (-15%), great tits (-12%) and coal tits (-20%) on last pattern when taking part in the RSPB Big Schools year’s figures. Dr Hayhow explained: “Numbers of Birdwatch. The UK-wide survey of birds in schools small bodied birds such as blue tits and great tits saw over 73,000 school children – almost 1, 900 of are susceptible to changes in weather throughout whom took part in Bedfordshire - spend an hour the year, and scientists believe that the prolonged in nature counting birds. Nationally, the blackbird wet weather during the 2016 breeding season remained the most common playground visitor for led to fewer younger birds surviving than usual, the ninth year in succession with over 88% schools meaning there are fewer to be seen in gardens.” spotting at least one. However in Bedfordshire the This year’s results also pointed to the positive woodpigeon took the number one spot. effects that wildlife friendly gardens are having on Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Schools’ Birdwatch bird behaviours. Recorded sightings increased for are a part of the RSPB Giving Nature a Home sixteen of the top 20 Big Garden Birdwatch birds campaign, aimed at tackling the house crisis facing between 2016 and 2017 showing how gardens the UK’s threatened wildlife. The charity is asking are becoming an invaluable resource for our most people to provide a place for wildlife in their common British garden birds. gardens and outdoor spaces – whether it’s putting Claire Thomas, RSPB Wildlife Advisor, said: “This up a nest box for birds, creating a pond for frogs or year was another incredible year for the Big building a home for hedgehogs. Garden Birdwatch, with our favourite garden birds like starlings, robins and goldfinches, joined in For more information about the RSPB Big Garden the gardens up and down the country by more Birdwatch results – www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch unusual visitors. Our gardens can become an

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 29 Local News Bedfordshire’s cleverest puppies need more ‘puppy parents’ They will help with the housework, load a washing machine and open doors – but now the region’s cleverest puppies are calling for your help. Charity Canine Partners is looking for special volunteer ‘puppy parents’ that can look after puppies that are training to become assistance dogs for physically disabled people. Carol Lloyd has been a puppy parent for 10 years and is currently looking after her 13th puppy, 11-month-old Labrador Milo. She says she loves helping to train and socialise the puppies. Carol and Milo also attend puppy training classes “I would recommend being a puppy parent. It’s a and they have home visits from Bedford satellite really nice way of having a dog. It’s fantastic seeing trainer Lorraine Lotan who gives Carol guidance on the difference a dog makes to someone’s life,” said the charity’s reward-based training techniques – Carol. praising the puppy and giving it lots of treats, toys The 56-year-old cleaner from Wootton, Bedfordshire and playtime when they get something right. joined the charity’s team of volunteers after moving When he is about 13 months old he will go to one of to the area from Milton Keynes. Canine Partners’ advanced training centres in West She said: “I liked the idea of having a dog but also Sussex or Leicestershire to develop the skills he is having a purpose to that. learning with his puppy parent. “Rather than having a pet dog, we have Canine Mum-of-two Carol said: “The first time a puppy Partners’ puppies.” leaves you for its advanced training is the worst but Carol has been looking after Milo since he was eight it makes all the heart ache of the puppy leaving weeks old and she has been teaching him the basic worthwhile when you see the difference it will make skills he needed for life as an assistance dog, while to someone’s life.” ensuring he was always well-behaved. Now she is calling for more people to sign up and She has taken him on busses and trains and visited join the growing band of volunteers. supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, shopping centres, She added: “I really enjoy being a puppy parent parks and banks. And they are making sure they met and in Bedford we have a fantastic support group lots of other people and animals. so you’re never on your own. We also have a great satellite trainer in Lorraine.” It comes after the group hosted a special puppy party which gave people the chance to meet the puppies and existing volunteers and watch demonstrations showcasing some of the skills puppy parents teach the dogs. There’s still time to sign up as a volunteer puppy parent for Canine Partners. Puppy parents receive full ongoing support, both at their homes and at puppy training classes. Food, equipment, vet bills and temporary holiday care is provided. And there’s another chance to meet the team at the Bedford group’s summer show June 24 at Happy Dog Training in Clapham. For more information call 01730 716017 or visit caninepartners.org.uk/puppyparties 30 Rehoming Appeal This month’s rescue Pudding animals looking for their forever home are Jessie and Pudding. Jessie and Pudding are sisters and are looking for a home where they can stay together. If you would like to find out more about Jessie They are nearly 5 years old and Pudding, please contact Liz on 01767 and very friendly girls who 681157. love fuss and attention. Alternatively please e-mail Philippa at info.rats@ Jessie is a real lap cat and gmail.com who will be pleased to forward your very affectionate and enquiry on to the team Pudding loves to play. View other dogs, cats and small mammals They will make wonderful currently in our care for re-homing on our companions but have not Jessie website: www.rats-animalrescue.co.uk or lived with dogs or young facebook: www.facebook.com/ratscharity children previously. Home checks are carried out on potential homes.

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 31 Motoring BMW M760Li xDrive Those of you hoping this was Space and practicality Value for money BMW’s M7 need to look away The 7 Series does feel a little For £132,310, you do get some now. Although this may be the smaller in the rear than rivals from goodies thrown in. Lightweight fastest BMW ever made, if you’re Mercedes and Audi, though. Up 20-inch alloys, a Bowers & Wilkins after a fire-breathing, full-blooded front the driving position is a little sound system and Car Play are M car, the M760Li will leave you cosseting too, but it’s easy to get included, as is an Advanced a little disappointed. BMW says comfortable. Parking System, adaptive LED that’s because this is a car for What’s under the bonnet? headlights, a head-up display, buyers with something of a split BMW made a lot of noise about it and massaging seats. There’s even personality. One moment they being 30 years since they installed rear-seat entertainment and a may be keen on a country road a V12 engine in their 7 Series panoramic glass sunroof provided assault so they can enjoy the at the launch. Since then, the too. There’s also an extensive glorious V12, the next they might 12-cylinder lump has doubled options list, including night vision want to kick back and relax in the in power: the 2017 6.6-litre unit and BMW laser headlights. massaging seats and just cruise boasts a whopping 601bhp, a Verdict along. staggering 800Nm of torque and is The fact BMW perseveres with Looks and image capable of propelling it to 60mph a V12 is a revelation. With The 7 Series has long been a in just 3.6 seconds. That gives it downsizing the current buzzword, luxury choice for the type of buyer the impressive title of the fastest it seems hard to believe that a who still enjoys driving, though – accelerating BMW ever made, manufacturer would launch a and the M760Li is the epitome of but you’ll pay at the pumps; the 6.6-litre petrol drinking lump. that. With several driving modes M760Li will return 22.1mpg and Although the market for it will be to choose from, sporty drivers are emits 294g/km. small, we’re still very glad it has. well catered for when its sport Behind the wheel OK, so this might not be the M7 setting is active. With the comfort The BMW is a true Jekyll and Hyde that many performance BMW setting it’s mellower, more relaxed, car with distinct personalities fans crave, but it’s as close to it as it eases over bumps and floats behind the wheel. On the track it we’re going to get. It’s great fun along beautifully. was incredibly swift and that V12 to drive, sumptuously luxurious The looks of the M760Li won’t makes a pleasingly sound and, and wonderfully relaxing when be for everyone but inside is a while there may be some body roll, you want it to be - and all in, a very wonderful place to spend time. it’s not too intrusive. It’s all helped competent and exciting 7 Series For those who are chauffeured by four-wheel drive that has a rear indeed. the back seats are arguably wheel drive bias when needed. more comfortable than up front. The steering is a little light in the There are multimedia screens to comfort setting, though, but flick it enjoy, cushioned headrests and into sport and it’s far better. massaging, reclining seat backs.

By James Baggott

32 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Electrician Stevenage airport taxiS www.rooneyelectrical.co.uk

Do you find it difficult to get someone to come and do a small job? Stevenage Airport Taxis offer the most reliable and Fault finding/repairs professional airport transfer service in and around the Extra lights and sockets Stevenage area. We have several licensed vehicles that New fuse boards can cater for up to 8 passengers. We also provide a Rewires P.A.T testing transport service for weddings, long distance journeys Landlord inspections and any occasion day or night leisure trips. Qualified electrician Fully insured Please visit our website for any bookings or quotations Reliable service  Tidy work www.stevenageairporttaxis.co.uk Free quote  Satisfaction guaranteed or call Call Nigel on: 01438 420420 01438 553083 / 07941295883 www.hertsandbedselectrical.co.uk Online Bookings • Credit Cards Accepted

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To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 33

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34 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Three Counties Radio

7 Layer Bar I am not sure I know any food writers who are more prolific than Hannah Miles. Every time she is a guest on my programme, she seems to have added another couple to her list and she is now up to well over 30 books. Her latest is called Traybakes (published by Lorenz Books) and, in it, she shows how versatile traybake cakes can be. This indulgent tray bake may actually be the Queen of Traybakes. Loads of indulgent ingredients, bound together by a can of condensed milk, to create a perfect snack or lunchbox treat, especially for your children or grandchildren. It’s also ideal, as traybakes often are, if you need to rustle together a cake for the school fete or a cake sale at work. This is a big treat bar, packed with flavour, fun… and calories!

Ingredients 1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F. For the base 2. Blitz the biscuits to fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a 300g/ digestive biscuits or graham crackers saucepan and pour into the crumbs. 125g butter 3. Stir well so that all the crumbs are coated in the For the topping butter. Press the crumbs out in an even layer over 200g chocolate chips the base of the tin using the back of a spoon. 100g fudge pieces or butterscotch chips 4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the biscuit base in a layer. Sprinkle over the fudge pieces, raisins and 60g raisins pecans. Sprinkle over the coconut and hazelnuts. 100g pecans, coarsely chopped 5. Drizzle with the condensed milk. Bake for 25 – 30 150g flake sweetened coconut (or desiccated) minutes until golden brown then leave to cool 60g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped completely in the tin. 398g can of condensed milk 6. Cut into 24 squares to serve. This layer cake will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days - if it Equipment: food processor or blender, 35cm x 25cm lasts that long! deep baking tin, greased and lined

Hear wonderful recipes on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen every Sunday morning on BBC Three Counties radio at 11am. You can also join Nick every weekday afternoon at midday for brilliant local guests with great stories to tell and all the music you want for your early afternoon.

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 35 Codeword 1 2

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Easy Suduko Hard Suduko

Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repetition. Use your logic to solve the puzzles.

36 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts GAS SAFE REGISTERED

To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 37 Deadline for What’s On entries is the 12th of the previous month. What’s on entries to [email protected] What’s On In May 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 May 4 May 9 May Branch Out Social Club for Single People Baldock Floral Society 7.30pm British Red Cross Bedfordshire Flowering 8.30-11pm United Reformed Church, Whitehorse Street, Arranging Demonstration & Shopping Cromwell Bar, The Sun Hotel, Hitchin Baldock Opportunity Meets every Monday night. It was formed Members free, Visitors £6 payable on the door 11am-3pm Savin’s Wholesalers, Vinegar Hill, in 1995 to bring together single, divorced, Demonstration by Pat Dibben “The Joys of Japan”. Hatch, Sandy Tickets £10 widowed and separated people, aged 40 Refreshments and raffle. Refreshments, soup and cakes, raffle and upwards, from the Herts, Beds and Bucks area, to tombola. Free parking. socialise and enjoy one another’s company. 4, 11, 18 & 25 May Tel: Tickets Sandra 01582 589084 Tel: Lorna 01438 233657 Sapphire Social Club Web: www.redcross.org.uk for further details Web: www.branch-out.org.uk 8.30pm The Orange Tree, Hitchin A small, friendly group for single people 9, 16 & 23 May 2 May generally aged 50 and above offering a variety The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living Rabbit & Guinea Pig MOTs 4-6.30pm of social events and the opportunity to meet and Talks 1-2pm Wood Green Animal Shelter, Heydon Centre, make new friends. Tel: Joyce 07952 678021 The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living, Highway Cottage, Chishil Road, Heydon Web: www.sapphiresocialsinglesclub.co.uk Rosehill Hospital, Hitchin Road, Letchworth £5 per pet Garden City Bring your pet along for a health check including 5 & 6 May A series of free talks on your mental wellbeing. full body check over, weight checks, dental Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ 9th May - Dealing with Stress & Anxiety; 16th advice and basic behaviour advice. Rabbits and Curtain up 7.45pm May - Relaxation & Breathing for Mental Guinea Pigs must be brought along in a secure Village Hall Wellbeing and 23rd May - How The Letchworth carrier. Booking essential. Tickets Fri £10 Concessions £8, Sat £10 Centre can help with Positive Mental Wellbeing. Please call 0300 303 9333 ext 110 or email The Meppershall Players present Mary Shelley’s Tel: 01462 678804 www.letchworthcentre.org [email protected] ‘Frankenstein’. Tickets available from Rogers Bakery. Tel: Box Office 01462 813398 10 May 3 May Branch R N A 7.30pm North Herts Association 8 May Community Centre, The Gardens, Henlow of the National Trust Icknield Quilters Meets on the second Wednesday of each month. 7.30pm AGM, Talk 8pm 7.30pm for 7.45pm start Tel: Les Dessent 01767 223212 Christchurch, Bedford Road, Hitchin Baldock Community Centre £3 Non-members £2 on the door Sewing evening with Secret Garden providing 11 May AGM followed by ‘Mary Kingsley: Victorian Lady’ some retail therapy. Visitors welcome. Stevenage RSPB 9.30am by Jeff Hales. Visitors welcome. Membership of Web: www.icknieldquilters.co.uk Willington Dovecote. A morning walk near the National Trust not necessary. river Great Ouse. Meet in the car park at 9.30am. 8, 15 & 22 May The Danish Camp café should be open for 3 May-27 September Stevenage Choral Society refreshments at the end of our walk. Luton Hoo Estate Walled Garden 7.30-9.45pm Leader Trevor Storey. Ref: 153/TL 106499. Open every Wednesday 10.30am-4pm Stevenage Music Centre, Nobel School, Admission £5 inc. guided tour Mobbsbury Way, Stevenage 11 May Enjoy a light lunch in beautiful surroundings. Every Monday. Try our friendly choir with a FREE Baldock & Clothall WI Come and visit this inspirational volunteer-run session. No audition necessary! We are inviting 7.30pm United Reformed Church, garden revival and see the difference ten years you to meet like-minded people of all ages Whitehorse Street, Baldock has made! Please pre-book dedicated tours for and abilities, to try out a wide range of music Visitors £3 including refreshment and raffle more than 15 people. A1081 between Luton & from the classics to show songs and be part of The WI has all sorts of good things lined up Harpenden. our friendly and supportive team, putting on for 2017 and lots of other things you might be No entry via Luton Hoo Hotel. excellent performances whilst having fun. interested in - a book club, a walking group, a Postcode for sat navs:LU1 4LF Tel: 01438 365769 craft club, a knitting and crochet group, a cinema Tel: 01582 721443 Email: [email protected] group and a supper club. Facebook: Web: www.lutonhooestate.co.uk Web: www.stevenagechoral.org.uk www.facebook.com/baldockclothallwi 38 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts This is a small selection of the What’s On for the full listing please go to our website www.villagermag.com What’s On In May 11 May 17 May 21 May Artists Chris and Steve Rocks at Gallery 1066! Herts at War Talk Stevenage RSPB 10.00am 7-9pm Gallery 1066 Fine Art Ltd, Willow Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm Fen Drayton. An all-day car trip to this RSPB Mews, 6a Hitchin Street, Baldock Free admission - donations welcome reserve near Cambridge. Meet in the car park at The incredible twin brothers will unveil their The Large Lecture Theatre (adjacent to Western 10.00 am. Leader Paul Collis. latest unseen original works and limited edition Auditorium), University of Hertfordshire, De Ref: 154/TL 342697. collection at a champagne receptions at Gallery Havilland Campus, Hatfield 1066 in Baldock. Recognised for their mature Return of the successful series of military talks. 23 May approach to the canvas, both working on the Mike St Maur Sheil will talk about the Fields Hitchin Oddfellows Friendship Group Coffee same painting in their recognisable Turner of Battle - Lands of Peace. Please book tickets Morning 10.30am-12 noon inspired style. For reserve your place on the online. Web: http://hertsatwar.co.uk/talks Tilehouse Street Baptist Church, guest list please contact the gallery. Upper Tilehouse Street, Hitchin Tel: 01462 896164 19-21 May Come and join us for a coffee and chat at our Email: [email protected] Plant Sale, Little Orchard, 6 monthly coffee morning. Call Helen or just Web: www.gallery1066fineart.com Road, Moggerhanger turn up on the day. Donations to Garden House Fri 10am-2pm Coffee Morning and Ploughman’s Hospice. Tel: Helen 01462 432321 13-20 May Lunches. Sat 10am-4pm Ploughman’s Lunches Lechworth Art Society Spring Exhibition and Cream Teas. Sun 12 noon-4pm Ploughman’s 24-27 May 10am-4.45pm daily Lunches and Cream Teas. All proceeds to St. Reefer Madness by Murphy & Studney Community Museum Gallery, The Arcade, John’s Church. Tel: 01767 641184 7.45pm Letchworth Garden City Lytton Theatre, Vardon Road, Stevenage Admission free 20 May Reefer Madness is a musical satire of the 1935 Weston Music Society Concert American cult film Reefer Madness which follows 14 May 7.30pm Weston Parish Church, SG4 1DJ the melodramatic events that ensue when Bridges of London Walk Tickets £15, Under 19s free high school students are lured by pushers to try This popular sponsored walk is a great way for Rachel Podger, one of the world’s foremost marijuana. The film was originally produced friends and family to get together and have baroque violinists, returns with violist Jane as a morality tale but after being purchased by a great day out in London. Every step taken Rogers (a member of Brecon Baroque) to play producer Dwain Esper the film was recut for will help to raise money to continue to provide duets. Programmes and interval drinks are free. distribution on the then popular exploitation specialist care for patients and families at Garden Tel: 01462 790573 film circuit. Since then the film has become a House Hospice. Walkers set out to walk across Web: www.westonmusicsociety.org.uk cult classic for all the wrong reasons and has the bridges to reach the finishing point near even been called the worst film ever made. Tower Bridge. Tel: Cathy White 01462 679540 20 & 21 May Tel: 01438 357407 www.lyttonplayers.co.uk Web: www.ghhospicecare.org.uk AooX (Art out of Ten) 10am-4pm Radwell Village Hall Free admission 26 May 14 May Exhibition and sale of paintings and cards. Pamper and Prosecco Evening Ashwell at Home 2017 Refreshments homemade cakes, tea and coffee. 7-10pm Derwent Lower School, Hitchin road, 11am-5pm Donations to a Charity not yet selected. Henlow Camp SG16 6BA Entry by programme: Adults £6, Under 18s free Entry £4 inc. free glass of Prosecco Entertainment for all the family with open 21 May Organised by Derwent Lower School PTA. Lots gardens, free children’s workshops, live Antiques Fair of beauty treatments (need pre-booking) and music and a wide range of street and indoor 9.30am-4pm The Weatherley Centre, shopping stalls. Treatments include express entertainment, cow milking, funfair, lunches Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade Entrance manicure/pedicure, massage, tarot readings, and teas and much more. Programmes available £1.50 facials and many more. on the day at the event or in advance from the This antiques fair offers a diverse range of Tel: Faye 07764759607 website. Free parking. antiques and collectables. Café serving breakfast, Email: [email protected] Web: www.ashwellathome.org.uk lunch and afternoon tea. Tel: Julia 07949 705824 Email: Tel: 01480 382432 or 07906 647346 [email protected] Web: www.madisonevents.co.uk Web: www.derwentlowerschoolpta.co.uk To advertise in The Villager and Town Life please call 01767 261122 39 40 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts April’s Puzzle Solutions and Winner

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46 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts Books

ByBook Kate Duggan Review

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