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Taylor Road<br />
Carisbrooke<br />
Newport<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
(Next to Argos &<br />
Island Dreams)<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Mon - Sat - 9am to 5.00pm<br />
Sunday - 10.30am to 4.30pm<br />
Telephone 01983 539700 Facsimile 01983 521181<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Contents<br />
ISSUE 3 April/May 2006<br />
25<br />
8 Foreword (NEW!)<br />
A great new diary section featuring some of the<br />
events you can look forward to over the next few<br />
weeks.<br />
12 Andy Sutton<br />
Council leader Andy Sutton has his say on speed<br />
limits, over-development and tourist coaches – and<br />
tells us why not even a Lottery win would tempt him<br />
away from his job.<br />
16 IW Walking Festival<br />
Time to dust off those boots for the Island’s popular<br />
annual walking festival – and we have the details.<br />
19 David Biles remembers...<br />
<strong>The</strong> third generation of a well-known Island farming<br />
family, David Biles opens his storehouse of colourful<br />
memories.<br />
22 John Hannam<br />
Another great contribution from John.<br />
25 Society!<br />
ISLAND LIFE<br />
Our photo round-up of some of the Island’s bestdressed<br />
events.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
12<br />
19<br />
WELCOME<br />
Welcome to the latest issue<br />
of Island Life, which the<br />
eagle-eyed among you will<br />
notice is dated April/May<br />
and not March/April. So,<br />
you may ask, what happened<br />
to March? Well, it’s all<br />
about ensuring that we end<br />
up with a Dec/Jan issue at<br />
the end of the year. <strong>The</strong><br />
good thing is that this also<br />
means the magazine will<br />
appear earlier in the month<br />
from now on – so make sure<br />
you pick up your copy<br />
before they run out! <strong>The</strong><br />
next issue date will be<br />
June/July.<br />
We never forget though,<br />
that Island Life belongs to<br />
its readers – so we’d love to<br />
hear what you would like to<br />
see in these pages. Feel<br />
free to drop us a line or an<br />
email with your<br />
suggestions, photos or<br />
feature ideas, and we’ll do<br />
our best to get them<br />
covered.<br />
Contact:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Editor<br />
Island Life Magazine<br />
66 Victoria Avenue<br />
Shanklin<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
PO37 6LY<br />
Tel: 01983 861422<br />
Mobile: 07976 797455<br />
info@islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Editor<br />
Martin Potter<br />
Sub Editor<br />
Jackie McCarrick<br />
Feature Writers<br />
John Hannam<br />
Andrew Turner<br />
Matt Legge<br />
Tony Ridd<br />
Angela Hewitt<br />
Nick Pointing<br />
Sales<br />
Lisa Burtenshaw<br />
Front Cover: St Mary's Church,<br />
Brook, Isle of Wight.<br />
3
4 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Contents<br />
ISLAND LIFE<br />
26 Sport<br />
19 or 90? Take the plunge into a sport that<br />
appeals to all ages.<br />
28 Food & Drink<br />
<strong>The</strong> verdict on Lugleys, Newport.<br />
31 - Who has plans to keep on building<br />
restaurants on the Island?<br />
32 Farming<br />
Avian Influenza - 10 things you should<br />
know.<br />
33 - <strong>The</strong>y‘re the ultimate symbol of Spring<br />
– but those woolly little lambs need hard<br />
work and dedication.<br />
35 - It’s a chicken’s life! We find out how<br />
better for the bird means better for the<br />
consumer.<br />
36 Countryside<br />
Pictures and results of this years<br />
Hedgelaying Competition.<br />
38 Equestrian<br />
10,600 accidents a year on horses, how can<br />
we help to prevent this happening?<br />
39 - Would you take to the saddle again in<br />
your late 30’s? We found two people who<br />
did. So how did they get on?<br />
40 - She’s been bitten, kicked and<br />
knocked unconscious, but Emma insists<br />
she still loves her offbeat job.<br />
41 - Who’s been horsing around with the<br />
pop icon Madonna?<br />
42 - He arrived on the Island with just<br />
£10 in his pocket and a box of tools… but<br />
where is he now?<br />
41<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
35<br />
39<br />
IN YOUR NEXT<br />
ISSUE June/July 06<br />
SUPT STEPHANIE<br />
MORGAN -<br />
Balancing a high<br />
powered job with home<br />
life.<br />
MORE JOHN HANNAM<br />
John reveals more<br />
secrets from the stars.<br />
SOCIETY PAGES<br />
We bring you snapshots<br />
from Island social<br />
events, including the<br />
Hunt Ball.<br />
EATING OUT<br />
Fultons, how did they<br />
do?<br />
MORE FEATURES<br />
Ventnor Cricket Club,<br />
Andrew Turner Column,<br />
<strong>The</strong> IW Scurry...<br />
PROPERTY<br />
Through the Keyhole, we<br />
take a look inside a well<br />
known Island property.<br />
COUNTRYSIDE<br />
Tony Ridd gives us an<br />
insight to our beautiful<br />
countryside.<br />
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Contents<br />
ISLAND LIFE<br />
44 Gardening<br />
A drive is more than just a resting place for the<br />
car! We look at ways to spruce up your<br />
driveway this Spring.<br />
46 - Considering a water feature? Check out<br />
these safety tips before you splash out.<br />
48 Fashion<br />
High heels – these shoes are made for posing!<br />
50 Health & Beauty<br />
Turn out your cosmetic bag, and stock up with<br />
the latest colours. We also look at the latest<br />
form of hair removal - and see what a<br />
difference it can make to people’s lives.<br />
52 Travel<br />
<strong>The</strong> Seychelles, a collection of 115 jewel-like<br />
Islands linked together like a string of pearls.<br />
54 - Where can you dine like a royal?<br />
56 Island History<br />
<strong>The</strong> place that time forgot: we find a remote<br />
Island location that's eerily stuck in time.<br />
58 Music & Art<br />
John Giddings promises: “This years festival<br />
will blow people away”. We find out why.<br />
60 Property<br />
Jumping into the rental business?<br />
68 Motoring<br />
<strong>The</strong> Austin 7 – a classic car that just keeps on<br />
going. We speak to Nigel Offer about the love<br />
of his life. Plus, the latest from VW, Citroen,<br />
Mazda, Skoda and BMW.<br />
74 Classifieds<br />
Check out the local businesses that support<br />
your magazine!<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
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68<br />
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46<br />
IN YOUR NEXT<br />
ISSUE June/July 06<br />
JOHN GIDDINGS -<br />
How the Isle of Wight<br />
Festival organiser<br />
managed to turn his love<br />
of music into a<br />
successful career.<br />
UTOPIA SPA<br />
We visit Melville Hall’s<br />
new Spa facility.<br />
BADGERS<br />
Love them or hate them,<br />
these striking animals<br />
are hard to ignore!<br />
MOTORING<br />
Nick Pointing test-drives<br />
the latest models on the<br />
market.<br />
7
FOREWORD<br />
26th May - 29st May 2006<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wight<br />
Diamond Festival...<br />
Summer kicks off with the 11th Wight Diamond Festival! First run<br />
in 1996, the Wight Diamond has established itself as 'don't miss'<br />
event for hundreds of bikers. It's unique combination of superb<br />
riding, events to suit everyone, on<br />
site camping, catering, bar and<br />
entertainment have earned it a<br />
reputation as the best mountain<br />
bikers party on the calendar. Last<br />
years tenth event turned out to be<br />
our biggest Festival yet with some<br />
600 people attending! This year<br />
we'll be upping the ante to make it<br />
bigger and better still!<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wight Diamond Festival<br />
<strong>The</strong> weekends events centre on the two day Wight Diamond<br />
Challenge navigator race, which takes place over Saturday and<br />
Sunday. This is the ultimate Navigator event using the whole Island<br />
as it’s course. But if two days of all out competition sounds a little<br />
too serious for you, enter the Wight Diamond Lite instead - the<br />
checkpoints are pubs and cafés and prizes will be awarded for<br />
‘entering into the spirit of the event’!<br />
If navigating<br />
isn't your thing<br />
and you'd rather<br />
just ride, we're<br />
putting together<br />
a choice of<br />
marked out 40k<br />
or 60k Wight<br />
Trail Enduros to<br />
test your legs on<br />
Saturday and<br />
Sunday without<br />
worrying about<br />
the map.<br />
If you've still got<br />
more riding in you, take on the Twin Peaks on Monday with the<br />
chance of winning up to £100 for the fastest rider. Alternatively, the<br />
Monday Chill will offer a more laid back Monday ride before you<br />
head off for your afternoon ferry.<br />
As usual the main events will be complemented by a whole heap of<br />
side-show events and activities going on back at base. <strong>The</strong> big<br />
marquee will be back, featuring its usual attractions of food stalls,<br />
full bar and excellent live music for Sunday nights prize giving party<br />
(always a lively affair, with music ‘til late and the party going on<br />
into the small hours. For further information call 0118 976 2491 or<br />
www.trailbreak.co.uk<br />
10 THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THE<br />
Royal Yacht Squadron<br />
<strong>The</strong> Duke of<br />
Edinburgh<br />
was the<br />
Commodore<br />
from 1962-68,<br />
the patron is<br />
Her Majesty the<br />
Queen<br />
since1953, the<br />
Admiral is the<br />
Duke of<br />
Edinburgh.<br />
<strong>The</strong> original building was<br />
built by Henry V111. In<br />
1539 it was built as a<br />
deterrent to the French,<br />
and proved to be very<br />
successful as the French have<br />
not been in Cowes since<br />
1539.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first commodore was<br />
the Earl of Yarborough, he<br />
had a yacht called Falcon<br />
which was armed with<br />
cannons. <strong>The</strong> crew signed a<br />
document to say they can be<br />
treated as if they were in the<br />
Royal Navy. (This meant that<br />
they could be flogged)<br />
<strong>The</strong> members built yachts<br />
and experimented with<br />
designs which were<br />
useful to the Royal Navy.<br />
Because the squadron was<br />
useful to the navy they were<br />
given the rights to fly the<br />
White Ensign. Other clubs<br />
also had rights, however<br />
when the Navy went over to<br />
the White Ensign it was<br />
agreed that only the<br />
Squadron could fly the White<br />
Ensign.<br />
At the end of the Franco -<br />
Prussian War, Sir John<br />
Burgoyne on his yacht<br />
Gazelle brought the<br />
Empress Eugenie wife of<br />
Napoleon the 3rd, back to the<br />
Royal Yacht Squadron to<br />
escape the mobs in Paris.<br />
<strong>The</strong> squadron was<br />
challenged by the New<br />
York Yacht Club, which the<br />
squadron accepted the challenge<br />
and this resulted in the start of<br />
the Americas Cup competition.<br />
Sir Thomas Sopwith who<br />
invented the Sopwith<br />
Camel was a member, and<br />
he challenged for the<br />
Americas cup in 1934, and 1937.<br />
Between 1966/67 Sir<br />
Francis Chichester was a<br />
member, he sailed single<br />
handed, non stop, round<br />
the world on Gypsy Moth.This<br />
started the Chichester trophy<br />
which has been won by Ellen<br />
Macarthur, other winners were<br />
Alec Rose and Sir Robin Nox-<br />
Johnston,<br />
<strong>The</strong> pavilion which was of<br />
great use during the<br />
Americas Cup Jubilee in<br />
2001 was built in 2000 to<br />
celebrate the Millennium.<br />
<strong>The</strong> yacht harbour<br />
which will be ready by<br />
Easter 2006 is built to<br />
provide mooring for<br />
the small yachts and tenders at<br />
the time of regattas.<br />
Photograph:<br />
Peter Mumford/Beken<br />
8 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
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IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE..<br />
15th April 2006 - 10am<br />
Top dogs on show<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight Canine Association<br />
is hosting a Pedigree Dog Show for<br />
Kennel Club registered dogs aged 6<br />
months and over.<br />
<strong>The</strong> show will comprise over 100 classes,<br />
with the chance to see between 200 and<br />
250 pedigree dogs from both the Island<br />
and the Mainland. Entrants will be<br />
assessed by six judges from the<br />
mainland. <strong>The</strong> show will include classes<br />
for puppies aged between 6-12 months,<br />
veterans aged 7 years and over, gundogs,<br />
terriers, pastoral, working, utility, and toy<br />
dogs. <strong>The</strong> event is held in the indoor<br />
arena at Brickfields, where food and drink<br />
will be available.<br />
Sat 17 June and Sun 18 June<br />
Austin car<br />
rally gets<br />
underway<br />
Last year saw the 100th<br />
anniversery of the Austin<br />
and for this the IW Austin<br />
Group held a special two<br />
day show at Haven Street,<br />
they had over 80 Austins<br />
turn up, not only from the<br />
Island but from the<br />
mainland also.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
special report on the IW<br />
Garlic festival...<br />
All visitors are welcome,<br />
but please note that the<br />
closing date for entries has<br />
now passed.<br />
Telephone: 01983 - 854898<br />
It was a great success. <strong>The</strong>ir plans for this year (2006) is as<br />
follows:<br />
Saturday<br />
Set off from Godshill (<strong>The</strong> Old Smithy) 10:15 am then head off<br />
towards West Wight stopping off en-route at the Ferguson<br />
Museum, Kings Manor Private Muesum, and then drive onto<br />
Brighstone for lunch/pinic around mid-day. <strong>The</strong>y intend to end<br />
up at Calbourne Water Mill for a static display mid afternoon.<br />
Sunday<br />
Once again on Sunday the cars will set off from Godshill,<br />
10:15am, they will travel from Godshill and have a coffee stop<br />
at Arreton Barns, then over the Brading Downs to make their<br />
way to Sandown Airport for a static display.<br />
For further details please call Nigel offer on 01983 872609.<br />
See feature page: 68/69<br />
Nigel Offers, Austin 7 “Poppy”<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
Andrew<br />
Turner<br />
Column<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight MP...<br />
How much should we plan for the future? I am not thinking of<br />
pensions, although many who have paid in throughout their<br />
lives are beginning to wonder whether those contributions have<br />
been well-handled on their behalf.<br />
No. I am thinking of the Island Plan – which has recently been<br />
the subject of public consultation – and indeed of life in<br />
general. When I look at my diary I sometimes wonder where<br />
the spontaneity has gone. Will I be able to go to the Scurry, or<br />
later in the year a village show, if I have already booked in other<br />
events that day? Or will I have time to visit my sisters on the<br />
mainland without setting a weekend aside three months in<br />
advance?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Island Plan is part of a process of planning twenty years<br />
ahead. It will take the place of another plan – the UDP – which<br />
was developed from 1996-99, only approved in 2001, and meant<br />
to last till 2011. It already seems outdated as we feel more and<br />
more the threat of global warming, pressure on the countryside,<br />
and demand for trailer parks, superstores and warehouse units<br />
and the other manifestations of the great God of economic<br />
growth. But try as we might there is every possibility that the<br />
plan, once approved, will date just as quickly as its<br />
predecessors. So people can be forgiven for taking a back seat,<br />
saying “I’ve already been consulted to death”, and leaving it to<br />
others.<br />
One thing which has become apparent to me as your MP is the<br />
extent to which ‘consultations’ are influenced by lobby groups<br />
of one kind or another. <strong>The</strong> big store chains want all-day<br />
trading on Sundays, despite the damage that it will do to the<br />
family lives of their staff. <strong>The</strong> brewers want 24-hour drinking,<br />
despite the impoverishment of the vulnerable and the misery it<br />
causes to neighbours. Aviation presses for airports, superstores<br />
demand planning permissions, the housebuilders – who are<br />
well-represented in Whitehall – talk about ‘only 1 per cent’ of<br />
green fields being needed to meet the targets they have<br />
persuaded the Government to set. And the drug companies and<br />
food processors persuade us that all ills can be remedied by the<br />
appropriate chemical concoction.<br />
That’s why it is so important that readers of Island Life take<br />
time to look at such plans, to contribute their views, and to<br />
contact their councillors (and me!). Not everyone wants to be a<br />
paper-pusher, but someone has to read the small print to make<br />
sure that we aren’t overwhelmed by the big lobby companies,<br />
turning the Island into a pale adjunct to the M27 corridor.<br />
9
FOREWORD<br />
Fri June 2nd, Sat June 3rd, Sun June 4th<br />
Old Gaffers<br />
ooh la-la?<br />
<strong>The</strong> historic and<br />
picturesque town<br />
and harbour of<br />
Yarmouth will be<br />
the venue once<br />
again for the tenth<br />
Old Gaffers<br />
Festival.<br />
Over the last nine<br />
years this weekend<br />
of festivities has<br />
gradually become one of the major events on the Island’s busy<br />
summer calendar.<br />
It offers great family entertainment. ‘<strong>The</strong> Ghost of Napoleon’<br />
will open the Festival at noon on Friday with the usual release<br />
of red, white and blue balloons and noon day gun fired by the<br />
Fort Cumberland Guard.<br />
Several French gaff-rigged vessels are expected this year along<br />
with the many others that will create a colourful spectacle in<br />
the harbour. Some of these will take part in the racing in the<br />
Solent on Friday afternoon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> usual attractions on land will also be present including,<br />
craft and beer tents; food stalls; church flower festival; dog<br />
show; Big Boy’s Toys field; children’s fun fair; Air Sea Rescue<br />
and lots of musical entertainment throughout the three days.<br />
This year there will be French flavour to the event, with a<br />
French style café street scene in the Square on Friday with<br />
typical French entertainers and pavement artists. On Saturday<br />
and Sunday there will a French market with around thirty stalls.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be a chance to dance the night away on Friday and<br />
Saturday evenings with live music from <strong>The</strong> Dance Preachers,<br />
<strong>The</strong> Accelerators, Dorsal Fin and <strong>The</strong> Enormous Small Band.<br />
Tickets are £5 each.<br />
Car Park available and Park & Ride on Saturday and Sunday.<br />
Full details in the lucky<br />
programme on sale soon in<br />
local shops.<br />
Contact 01983 761704<br />
20 THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THE<br />
IW Pop Festival<br />
1968 - the first festival<br />
was held to raise money<br />
for a swimming pool.<br />
It takes a whole 10 days<br />
to put up the stage.. and<br />
1/2 a day to take it down..<br />
On average, every person<br />
drinks 3 pints of lager a<br />
day<br />
In 2003 we sold more<br />
beer per person than<br />
Ozzfest...<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight festival<br />
in the 60's and 1970 was<br />
Europe's answer to<br />
Woodstock.. it was the<br />
UK's first large festival..<br />
before Glastonbury even<br />
started<br />
<strong>The</strong> Who have played the<br />
festival 3 times now,<br />
1969, 1970 & 2004<br />
In 1970 the IOW act was<br />
passed in Parliament that<br />
banned large over night<br />
gatherings of 5000.... until<br />
2002<br />
<strong>The</strong> Beatles came to<br />
watch Bob Dylan in 1969<br />
and stayed on a farm in<br />
Bembridge<br />
We only narrowly got<br />
permission to hold the<br />
festival in 2002.. it was a<br />
6-5 council vote<br />
It brings 10 million<br />
pounds to the Islands<br />
economy<br />
Kelly Jones wore a white<br />
outfit on stage in 2004 as<br />
a tribute to Bob Dylan<br />
1970 was Jimi Hendrix's<br />
penultimate<br />
performance..<br />
In 1968 the site<br />
boundary was marked<br />
out with straw bales<br />
and the toilets were a<br />
ditch with plastic<br />
lining.<br />
Only a quarter of the<br />
audience are island<br />
residents<br />
REM's equipment plane<br />
was damaged before it<br />
took off to fly to the<br />
Island.. it was fixed<br />
with only an hour to<br />
spare..<br />
Travis sang a<br />
Morrissey song in 2005<br />
in tribute to the man<br />
who pulled out!<br />
Kate Moss loved the<br />
Island so much she<br />
came back the<br />
following weekend...<br />
It takes 2.5 hours from<br />
London to the festival<br />
Iggy Pop is a big fan of<br />
Bob Dylan- which is<br />
why he played the<br />
festival in 2003<br />
Bryan Adams enjoyed<br />
his performance in<br />
2003, he walked off<br />
stage and asked when<br />
he could come back.<br />
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PUT THIS IN<br />
YOUR DIARY...<br />
Fri 7th April, Sat 8th April, Sun 9th April<br />
IW Jazz Festival<br />
bigger and better...<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Mottistone Jazz Festival<br />
14 July to 15 July<br />
If you missed it last year, make sure you don’t miss<br />
it again…it’s bigger, better, even more exciting!<br />
This year sees the third Isle of Wight International Jazz (Divas)<br />
Festival down in the ‘deep south’ of the UK, Ventnor. <strong>The</strong> 2006<br />
event will be featuring an International line-up of jazz music<br />
designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes and, once again, with a<br />
special focus on women in jazz, as well as new showcase of young<br />
talent.<br />
6th - 16th April<br />
Fat Cat Real Ale<br />
& Cider Festival<br />
<strong>The</strong> Fat Cat at Freshwater Bay is going to make a song and dance<br />
of its landmark 10th anniversary in April – by hosting a 10-day<br />
festival of real ales and ciders and some good old traditional<br />
music to go with it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event kicks off on Thursday April 6 with a programme by the<br />
well-known Men of Wight – and the chance for visitors to peruse<br />
the massive range of over 100 different real ales and ciders on<br />
offer, and decide which they’ll choose to tantalise their taste buds<br />
with over the next 10 days.<br />
Say the organisers: “You are in for a treat! One of the largest real<br />
ale festivals in Hampshire will be right here on your doorstep.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are ales from all over the United Kingdom to sample, from<br />
3% proof right up to 12.5%.<br />
“But you can afford to slow down, because you have 10 whole<br />
days to enjoy this festival!”<br />
Entry to the festival event is £5, which also buys your beer glass.<br />
Children are admitted for half price. <strong>The</strong> evening entertainment<br />
on offer will include something for everyone – with everything<br />
from traditional Morris dancers to<br />
rock ‘n’ roll bands, young talent and<br />
pop chart hopefuls.<br />
Food will also be available, and you<br />
can take your pick from either the Fat<br />
Cat’s bar menu, or the tea and cake<br />
stand manned by the WI. <strong>The</strong>re’ll be<br />
something for everyone at this<br />
festival, with a family atmosphere<br />
guaranteed. Make sure you note the<br />
dates in your diary – from April 6-16.<br />
<strong>The</strong> festival promises a relaxing weekend of great jazz and the<br />
chance to escape the pressures of the 21st Century in the more<br />
leisurely surroundings of the Victorian seaside resort that’s<br />
increasingly attracting a community of actors, artists and musicians.<br />
<strong>The</strong> main venues for April 7-9 events are all within a short walking<br />
distance of one another in Ventnor town centre, and include <strong>The</strong><br />
Royal Hotel on Belgrave Road, St.Catherine’s Church on Church<br />
Street, the large marquee at the Mill Bay on the Esplanade, the<br />
Winter Gardens, the Ventnor Towers Hotel on Madeira Road, and<br />
<strong>The</strong> Boathouse next to <strong>The</strong> Spyglass Inn on the Esplanade.<br />
All events are open to ticket holders only, although you could check<br />
for last-minute availability at the Winter Gardens on the evening.<br />
Ask yourself, though - is it really worth the risk of missing your<br />
chosen gig?<br />
For more information or tickets, check out the website,<br />
www.jazzdivas.tv or call on 01983 856206.<br />
Fri 12th, Sat 13th, Sun 14th May<br />
For ribsters - it is<br />
the show not to be<br />
missed!<br />
RIBEX 2006, to be held on the 12th-14th of May at Cowes Yacht<br />
Haven, is set to be the stage for a number of companies launching<br />
brand new product into this rapidly growing international market.<br />
As the market for RIBs continues to flourish and evolve, not only are<br />
more and more new manufacturers emerging, but also, many of the<br />
established brands continue to strengthen their status with the<br />
launch of innovative new models. Companies such as Scorpion,<br />
Revenger and Avon are just such examples.<br />
RIBEX 2006 is proud to announce that this year's show will see the<br />
launch of a number of exciting new craft never seen before;<br />
amongst them the Norwegian built stepped hulled 10 metre Arctic<br />
Blue RIB. Other European and world launches include those made by<br />
Caesar Marine with their brand new 8.5 metre 90mph sports cruiser,<br />
as well as the latest in all-weather design from TP Marine of the<br />
Netherlands. Much anticipation also surrounds the launch of the<br />
very first RIB model from UK premier motor-yacht builder, Hunton<br />
Powerboats.<br />
A whole array of RIBs of all sizes and types, as well as tenders and<br />
inflatable craft plus key products from engines to gear, is to be<br />
displayed at this year's event. <strong>The</strong> show will include sea-trials,<br />
demonstrations and public interactive events as well as UIM<br />
championship RIB racing. A must for professionals and enthusiasts<br />
as well as first time buyers. All information on this year's event,<br />
(including travel discounts etc) can be found via ribexhibitions.co.uk<br />
or by calling 01884 266100.<br />
11
INTERVIEW<br />
Q& A<br />
12<br />
In order to really get to<br />
know Andy Sutton we asked<br />
him some quick fire<br />
questions and these were his<br />
answers.<br />
If you could change or<br />
banish one thing about the<br />
Isle of Wight what would it<br />
be?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Liberal Democrat Party<br />
Do you think the ferries<br />
are too expensive, and<br />
restrict the amount of<br />
visitors?<br />
Yes.<br />
If the council had the<br />
opportunity to purchase<br />
one of the ferry companies<br />
would they?<br />
Yes, if we got support from<br />
central government.<br />
Would you like to see a<br />
fixed link?<br />
NO!<br />
Would you like to see a<br />
scheduled airline operate<br />
from the Island?<br />
Yes! It’s key for us for the<br />
2011 Island Games, a year<br />
ahead of the Olympics.<br />
I am absolutely 100% behind<br />
a service from the Island,<br />
especially if you get a direct<br />
link into London. We need<br />
it.<br />
Would you like to see an<br />
independent Island?<br />
No, we are inextricably<br />
linked into the UK economy.<br />
However we are taking steps<br />
to limit the amount of<br />
people moving to the Island,<br />
by introducing tough, new<br />
policies. I think the Island<br />
has reached maximum<br />
capacity.<br />
“I want the IW to have one<br />
of the best-performing<br />
local authorities in the UK”<br />
Council leader Andy Sutton hated school, made his mark in the<br />
Army – and now has a grand vision for the Isle of Wight.<br />
What’s in it? We went to find out.<br />
Council leader Andy Sutton was born in Leeds in<br />
1953, the elder of two children. His parents were<br />
both artists who met at art college and his mother<br />
still lives in Yorkshire, Andy’s father died when he<br />
was 17. His mother, now in her 70s, is still working<br />
and involved with the Yorkshire Art Society.<br />
Andy’s sister, 13 years his junior, works for the DSS<br />
on the mainland.<br />
“It’s strange,” says Andy, “that both my parents were<br />
artists, and yet both my sister and myself ended up<br />
working in government. I was not interested in art.<br />
“the Island needs<br />
its own scheduled airline”<br />
My main passion from an early age was computers. I<br />
must say computers are still my main passion, which<br />
is a bit sad I suppose!”<br />
Andy describes his upbringing as pretty strict and oldfashioned,<br />
with a mother who ruled the roost. He<br />
regularly got the “odd clip round the ear” which he<br />
reckons might have done him some good. Andy puts<br />
his success in life down to a good Yorkshire<br />
upbringing … and a good healthy Yorkshire diet.<br />
He left his comprehensive school at 15 with no<br />
qualifications, and admits to having hated his time in<br />
class.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
“I didn’t enjoy those years at all” he says. “I left at 15<br />
to work as a vehicle mechanic apprentice for Wallace<br />
Arnold, in Leeds. I really enjoyed that, and in a<br />
strange way it got me back into education. Within a<br />
year I was in the top technical grade at Leeds College.<br />
However if I’m honest I didn’t like getting my hands<br />
dirty, so I began looking around, and this is when the<br />
armed forces caught my attention.”<br />
Andy joined the Army at 17 because, he says, he<br />
didn’t like the monotony of the 9 to 5 routine. He<br />
was ambitious and loved a challenge, which might<br />
explain why he made his way up the ranks to<br />
become the youngest Sergeant in the Royal Corps of<br />
Transport, at only 24.<br />
At the age of 21,the former school-hater Andy had<br />
taken his ‘O’ Levels, and then at 24 he went on to<br />
gain 4 ‘A’ Levels,<br />
“Taking them at this age was hard work, although I<br />
actually enjoyed doing it. I think the problem with<br />
school was it never fired my imagination, whereas<br />
the Army did”.<br />
During his Army career, Andy did tours in Northern<br />
Ireland, and then spent 14 of his 23 years service in<br />
Germany, where he taught in nuclear, chemical and<br />
biological warfare. He also served in Warminster,<br />
Wiltshire, where he was a Platoon Weapons<br />
Instructor.<br />
By the time he retired from the Army, he’d risen to<br />
the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major.<br />
When he left in 1993, he opted for another uniform<br />
and worked as an officer in the prison service at<br />
Parkhurst. “It was not the most enjoyable time of my<br />
life,” he recalls, “but it kept the shekels coming in.”<br />
Andy had first come to the Isle of Wight during his<br />
Army days, when he worked on the range at<br />
Porchfield, and it was here that he met his second<br />
wife Maureen.<br />
So was it love at first sight?<br />
“Yes it was” he says, “and that goes for the Island as<br />
well I suppose”<br />
Andy and his wife were married at Freshwater. He<br />
has two daughters from his first marriage, both of<br />
whom live on the mainland, one working in the<br />
prison service and the other who is happy as a fulltime<br />
mum of two.<br />
In 2001 when Andy became leader of the opposition,<br />
he reduced his hours at Parkhurst to 19 hours a<br />
week, and spent the rest of the time with his<br />
consultancy company, doing exams with the<br />
Development and Improvement Agency.<br />
“That flourished for me, as I ended up going round<br />
working with the Audit Commission and with the<br />
Improvement Development Agency inspecting and<br />
reviewing other authorities. This gave me a good<br />
knowledge base, as I visited places from the North of<br />
England right down to the South Coast.”<br />
It was this experience that stoked Andy’s interest in<br />
politics, and led to his success in the 1999 by-election<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
“I cannot live<br />
without<br />
Sainsburys”<br />
when he took over from David Holmes.<br />
”I also stood in the 2001 election, won my seat, but<br />
unfortunately did not gain overall control of the<br />
council, so again I became Leader of the Opposition.<br />
At this time we concentrated all our efforts on the<br />
Parliamentary seat, and in 2001 we won it, which<br />
was a fantastic result. I spent the next four years as<br />
leader of the opposition, keeping a group of 13<br />
councillors together.”<br />
This must have been a testing time for him?<br />
“It was very frustrating,” he said, “to see things going<br />
wrong, but not being listened to. A good example was<br />
the Pop Festival, which we tried to stop the council<br />
from running. This, as we all know, ended up losing<br />
nearly £400,000. This should have gone to the private<br />
sector from the start. Those were an extremely<br />
frustrating four years.”<br />
But he says that far from making him want to throw<br />
in the towel, the sheer frustration increased his<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Can Island tourism ever<br />
complete with package<br />
holidays abroad?<br />
I don’t think it can at the<br />
moment. But it has a great<br />
opportunity if you look at<br />
the next 20/30 years,<br />
especially if global warming<br />
is going to continue at the<br />
rate it is.<br />
Name one building that<br />
you would love to<br />
demolish on the Island?<br />
County Hall.<br />
Do you think we should<br />
have an overall speed limit<br />
of 40mph?<br />
No. Modern cars cannot<br />
travel at 40mph.<br />
Is the infrastructure there<br />
to keep building these<br />
large housing<br />
developments?<br />
No, the infrastructure is not<br />
there and until it is we will<br />
not continue building these<br />
large developments.<br />
Where is your favourite<br />
spot on the Island?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Needles.<br />
If you had to sum up the<br />
IW in 3 words what would<br />
they be?<br />
Progressive, vibrant and<br />
magical. Would I ever go<br />
back to Leeds? No!<br />
What shop could you NOT<br />
live without on the Island?<br />
Sainsburys - and e-bay.<br />
What would you say is the<br />
best thing about the Isle of<br />
Wight?<br />
<strong>The</strong> people.<br />
And the worst?<br />
<strong>The</strong> culture of talking it<br />
down, the negativity. That<br />
old Island saying, “It won’t<br />
work here”<br />
If you were invisible for<br />
the day where would you<br />
go and what would you<br />
do?<br />
I would go to St Ormond’s<br />
Street Hospital, because<br />
that’s where you realise<br />
there are real problems out<br />
there.<br />
13
INTERVIEW<br />
14<br />
If you won the lottery,<br />
would you continue?<br />
Yes, I’m sure I would. It’s not<br />
about the money.<br />
What’s your favourite threecourse<br />
meal?<br />
Garlic Mushrooms, Fillet<br />
Steak, Cheese & Biscuits.<br />
If you have dinner with<br />
anyone in the world dead or<br />
alive who would it be?<br />
Churchill.<br />
If you could ask any one in<br />
the world one question, who<br />
and what question would it<br />
be?<br />
David Cameron, How he sees<br />
the future for local democracy<br />
and local government.<br />
Where’s your dream holiday<br />
location?<br />
British Columbia<br />
Who are better and more<br />
organised workers, men or<br />
women?<br />
Women.<br />
If you were given 50 million<br />
pounds to improve one thing<br />
on the Island what would<br />
you spend it on?<br />
<strong>The</strong> roads, they are the key to<br />
everything.<br />
Do you think there is still<br />
room for large<br />
supermarkets?<br />
We are at the top end of the<br />
threshold now.<br />
What’s your favourite music?<br />
Last Night of the Proms<br />
Your Favourite Car?<br />
Range Rover. I have had two<br />
Discoverys, two Freelanders,<br />
and two Range Rovers.<br />
determination to fight for change.<br />
“Actually what the administration did by ignoring me,<br />
was to give me a four year planning period to ensure<br />
that the Island council changed control, so Islanders<br />
could have a good council, delivering services that<br />
people wanted, and also offering value for money.”<br />
So how did the Tories manage their landslide victory<br />
in the 2005 election?<br />
“I had been working very closely with the MP<br />
Andrew Turner and a small select group of people to<br />
ensure we were elected” says Andy.<br />
“I had been lambasted in the council chamber three<br />
years before in 2002 for advertising in the County<br />
Press for people who would come and make a real<br />
difference and become Conservative councillors. Two<br />
and a half years from the election I had 35 candidates<br />
and 13 sitting councillors working together and<br />
planning the campaigns, going round knocking on<br />
“coaches put<br />
very little<br />
into the<br />
Islands<br />
economy”<br />
doors, working out the manifesto.”<br />
When Andy arrived for his first day as Council Leader<br />
he says he was aware many council employees were<br />
concerned about their jobs.<br />
“I’m quite keen to out-source services if I can get a<br />
better value for money price for the taxpayer” he<br />
says. “<strong>The</strong>re were a lot of people within the Council<br />
it was vital to look at output. We stopped a lot of<br />
recruitment right from day one, and if you look at<br />
the Council job section now in the County Press<br />
you’ll notice it is greatly reduced.”<br />
“Also within a month we changed the redundancy<br />
policy. We are the only local authority in the whole of<br />
the UK to only give statutory redundancy payments.<br />
People who have been in the same job for many years<br />
either have to respond to the new opportunities, or<br />
they go elsewhere and look for a another comfort<br />
zone, maybe another local authority that isn’t<br />
modernising and moving at the pace we are.”<br />
Andy reckons his previous experience of visiting<br />
successful councils and seeing how they operate, is<br />
now starting to pay dividends, with cost savings of<br />
5% even before the end of his first financial year.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> previous council did not communicate between<br />
departments and it did not communicate with the<br />
electorate,” says Andy. “This is why we have already<br />
hosted meetings across the Island, talking about how<br />
the Council is going to change, and the fact that we<br />
are going to keep people up-to-date with what’s<br />
happening.”<br />
“I see the Town Parish Councils playing a bigger role<br />
in the future <strong>The</strong>y are an important part of the<br />
overall picture, and powers are slowly moving back to<br />
these local Parish Councils, which, as a born localist, I<br />
am happy about.”<br />
Andy is also keen to curb the ever-increasing<br />
development on the Island, he said,<br />
“Before we build all these houses that Mr Prescott<br />
wants built, we have to ensure we have the<br />
infrastructure in place to service them – the schools,<br />
the nurses and doctors, the decent roads and sewage<br />
systems.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> other day I had calls from residents in<br />
Freshwater complaining that they had raw sewage<br />
running through their gardens. This is a good<br />
example of over-development, and it has to be<br />
controlled”.<br />
Two of the main policies that the Conservatives<br />
promoted very heavily were on bus fares and parking<br />
fees - the £1 bus fare, and a yearly parking permit.<br />
With many residents complaining that these are slow<br />
in coming, are they ever going to happen?<br />
“It’s still our intention to keep this promise, we have<br />
already introduced free bus (Southern Vectis and<br />
Wight Bus) and rail (Island Line) travel for the over<br />
60’s, and in addition to this we have introduced a<br />
50p bus fare for the under 19’s in full time<br />
education.”<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Tourism is a major area of Andy’s concern and he has<br />
some pretty stringent views on what needs to be<br />
done.<br />
Coaches, he reckons, do not do the Island’s roads any<br />
good. “<strong>The</strong>y put absolutely nothing into the Island<br />
economy, nothing, apart from damaging our roads.<br />
When a coach party goes out for the day, they spend<br />
very little - in fact almost nothing. How does this<br />
help the Island?”<br />
So if the coaches go, what replaces them and what do<br />
the coaching hotels do?<br />
“We know there is a demand for walking and cycling,<br />
because we have all the statistics. <strong>The</strong>re’s also clear<br />
evidence when you look at all the data that the best<br />
hotels have got an 85% occupancy rate all year round,<br />
and the lower hotels have not. To some degree the<br />
commercial market will drive that.”<br />
“We need to look at a fairer charging policy for<br />
coaches coming over, so the local community and the<br />
local authority get a bigger take from that market. We<br />
will look at increasing the coach parking charges. We<br />
want to shape the market, and go for higher value<br />
tourism.”<br />
“We also need to extend the season - it’s essential for<br />
the Island business community that we do this. It’s<br />
about encouraging the pounds out of the pockets of<br />
the visitors who come here.”<br />
“We will never get rid of coaches, but we can shape<br />
the bucket and spade brigade, and turn the Island’s<br />
tourism on its head. We need to shape the battle<br />
ground, as I would say with my military background.”<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
“the Needles are magical,<br />
I love the West Wight”<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
15
walking<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
festival<br />
6 to 21 May<br />
It is anticipated that thousands<br />
of walkers will once again take<br />
to the footpaths on the Island<br />
for the Isle of Wight Walking<br />
Festival be they new or regular<br />
walkers to the event. <strong>The</strong><br />
eighth annual festival once<br />
again promises 16 full days of<br />
over 200 walks to choose from.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Island celebrates its<br />
reputation as one of the best<br />
destinations in the UK for<br />
walking pursuits. Be it your<br />
first or eighth year of<br />
participation, we promise you<br />
won’t be disappointed with the<br />
programme.<br />
Well being and inner beauty is<br />
the theme of the Walking<br />
Festival this year. Walkers can<br />
release inner beauty, uplift<br />
mind, body and spirit, take part<br />
in a revitalising walks in Areas<br />
of Outstanding Natural Beauty,<br />
bringing harmony to your inner<br />
self, keep youthful.<br />
16 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Keep young and beautiful - Walking with children<br />
Physical activity is essential to a child’s development. <strong>The</strong> earlier<br />
that exercise is introduced into your child’s life, the greater the<br />
chance that they will carry this pattern through into adulthood.<br />
Walking with children, whether power walking or simply brisk<br />
walking, is a great way to get them moving. You’ll provide them<br />
with an important role model and firmly plant the idea that<br />
walking is a natural and normal activity.<br />
Walking can be made fun. Children will walk further when there is<br />
something to see and do along the way. Try different routes that<br />
take in parks, streams or woods, or why not collect some<br />
interesting things along the way?<br />
Tuning into teenagers<br />
Walking is an ideal way for teenagers to control their weight<br />
healthily and sensibly.<br />
Teenagers need challenges, so activities such as hiking or<br />
orienteering are good ways to keep them active.<br />
Take control and think positive and beautiful thoughts<br />
Knowing how to take the first step towards meeting a challenge is<br />
what separates those who achieve their goals from those who don’t.<br />
With the right attitude and simple techniques, any one of us can<br />
make the changes we want and work towards achieving our dreams.<br />
It just takes practice and courage.<br />
- Walking outdoors takes you into the sunshine instead of the<br />
unnatural lighting indoors. <strong>The</strong> combination of physical exercise<br />
and natural light releases a ‘feel-good’ chemical in the brain.<br />
- Most people have positive feelings about being in the countryside.<br />
Psychologically, we benefit by thinking of our next walk.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
FEATURE<br />
Feel fit and beautiful inside and out. Increase your circulation.<br />
Exercising brings a healthy glow to your skin so put your ‘Wight<br />
foot forward’.<br />
Sample of new walks for 2006 – we have added a few unusual<br />
walks to the programme this year, they include Tai Chi Walk,<br />
Meditation Walk, Speed Dating and Fire Walk. You even have the<br />
opportunity to join the Editor of Country Walking Magazine –<br />
Johnathan Manning on two of his favourite walks.<br />
New for 2006 Walking alone? No longer!<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight Walking Festival’s new ‘speed dating walk’ gives<br />
you the chance to meet the ‘perfect person’ or just to have a lot of<br />
fun with like-minded people.<br />
<strong>The</strong> speed dating walk, 13th May - will be along around Sandown<br />
Bay with stops en route for liquid refreshments and food. This<br />
walk promises to be a lot of fun so sign up now and possibly<br />
change your life! Meet at the Longshoreman Shanklin Esplanade at<br />
2.00 pm for a leisurely walk along the coastline. Prior booking is<br />
essential. For details contact (01983) 203888.<br />
17
FEATURE<br />
Non-stop walk around the Island is back again for 2006. It is a<br />
unique opportunity to take part in a non-stop walk around the<br />
Island enjoying the breathtaking coastline – a very popular 72 mile<br />
challenge completed in 24 hours. Not for the faint-hearted!<br />
Freedom to roam the Island – An Area of Outstanding Natural<br />
Beauty<br />
Over half of the Island is recognised as an Area of Outstanding<br />
Natural Beauty, with its dramatic and breathtaking 60 miles of<br />
Heritage Coastline, unspoilt countryside and over 500 miles of well<br />
maintained and signposted footpaths, the destination has long been<br />
a source of inspiration to visitors.<br />
For a taste of this, follow in the footsteps of the Poet Laureate,<br />
Alfred Lord Tennyson along the 12 mile Tennyson Trail in the West<br />
Wight, or take a stroll in the stunning gardens of Osborne House,<br />
Queen Victoria’s much loved and enchanting residence at East<br />
Cowes.d<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight Walking Festival Official Guide<br />
<strong>The</strong> official 44 page Walking Festival programme is now available<br />
with full listings of the fantastic festival walks. Copies available<br />
from all Tourist Information Centres and Isle of Wight Council<br />
Leisure Centres.<br />
Log onto our website for full details of the festival:<br />
www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk<br />
Walk the Wight<br />
Sunday 14 May A walk across the Island, taking you on a voyage of<br />
discovery through some of the most beautiful scenery on the Island<br />
and raising funds for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. Walkers have<br />
the choice of three distances depending on your inclination and<br />
ability.<br />
- Bembridge to Carisbrooke Castle - 12.5 miles<br />
- Carisbrooke Castle to Alum Bay<br />
(following the Tennyson Trail) - 14 miles<br />
- Bembridge to Alum Bay via Carisbrooke Castle – 26.5 miles<br />
Further information Tel: (01983) 528989 or visit the website:<br />
www.walkthewight.org.uk<br />
18 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Memories of an<br />
Island life<br />
As the third generation of well-known<br />
Island farming family, Newport-born David<br />
Biles is a storehouse of colourful memories<br />
– from bidding on cattle at the age of seven,<br />
to his days as the Island’s knackerman, his<br />
car rallying exploits and the terrifying days<br />
of WWII. He shared some of them here.<br />
David was born in 1935 in Newport, six<br />
years after his only other sibling, sister<br />
Joyce Pattie.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir father Harold was a local farmer and<br />
knackerman, his mother Annie a hardworking<br />
farmer’s wife who pulled her<br />
weight in the business, and was known on<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
occasion to have cut up half a ton of pet<br />
food before breakfast. At that time the<br />
family lived at Devonia (now called <strong>The</strong><br />
Birches) on Forest Road, next to what is<br />
now Snows BMW Garage.<br />
One vivid memory of these early days is<br />
leaving his tricycle in the middle of the<br />
road, where the local baker ran over it.<br />
David remarked “I don’t leave things in<br />
anybody’s way anymore. I learnt my lesson<br />
the hard way at the age of four!”<br />
David was always encouraged by his parents<br />
to get involved with the community and<br />
mix with people – in fact, at the tender age<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
of just four, he was dispatched to be an ice<br />
cream boy, (stop me and buy one), in<br />
Newport Carnival.<br />
During the war, the current Snows( BMW)<br />
was a factory where Mosquito’s (wooden<br />
aeroplanes) were built, so the Biles’ house<br />
was commandeered as an office for the<br />
Chief Engineers. This meant they moved<br />
into their old family home with his<br />
grandparents at Trafalgar Cottage, Union<br />
Street, where David was brought up, in<br />
those days the telephone no was Newport<br />
79, a bit different from today.<br />
He recalled how, in those days, parents were<br />
very different. In terms of explaining things<br />
to their children: “I remember on one<br />
occasion I asked my father a question, and<br />
he turned round and apologised and said to<br />
me, ‘I’m sorry David, have I not explained<br />
that to you?”<br />
“My father used to take me everywhere<br />
with him. I was bidding for cattle at the age<br />
of seven. He would poke me on the foot<br />
with his old stick when it was time to stop<br />
bidding. I also remember he used to send<br />
me off to farm sales to buy old harnesses<br />
that were not used anymore after the war. I<br />
used to have to clean it up and then sell it<br />
again, and that’s how I learned the skill of<br />
bidding. Although I still have a lot of what I<br />
bought then still stored away in a shed.”<br />
David has vivid memories of the war as a<br />
child, and can remember that most of the<br />
time at home they slept in what they called<br />
“table shelters”.<br />
“I vividly remember when Moreys were<br />
bombed, and because our house was built<br />
properly, I remember the thick plate glass<br />
from our windows flying everywhere”.<br />
He also recalls watching the fighter planes<br />
battling it out, and loved watching the<br />
pilots come down with their parachutes<br />
open.<br />
David’s early school days were spent at the<br />
National School, Newport, (which is now a<br />
block of flats) and at the age of eight he<br />
went on to Ryde School as a weekly boarder.<br />
He was accompanied to the school by his<br />
friend Terry Wood, whose father used to<br />
own <strong>The</strong> Bugle Hotel in Newport.<br />
“One vivid memory of Ryde School was the<br />
night before D-Day. I remember seeing the<br />
Solent and Spithead full with boats, in fact<br />
you could almost have walked to<br />
Portsmouth, there were so many boats! You<br />
couldn’t see water. I woke the next morning<br />
to find it empty, not a boat in sight. That<br />
was a fantastic memory”.<br />
David admits he was not a great lover of<br />
school, and at the age of 13 his parents<br />
were told by Ryde school that they didn’t<br />
think they could take him any further, so he<br />
returned to King James School, and became<br />
19
INTERVIEW<br />
involved in the Combined Cadet Force, and<br />
soon became Battery Sergeant Major,<br />
“I loved the drilling, the soldiering, and I<br />
was a first class shot. I then became Head<br />
boy of King James School and left at the age<br />
of 17.”<br />
On leaving school, David went to work for a<br />
year in his father’s business, which had<br />
been running for three generations on the<br />
Island. His father who was a cattle dealer,<br />
farmer and knackerman, used to pick up<br />
dead cattle to feed the pigs. However, when<br />
the war started there was a large demand<br />
for the best meat from the shot cows and<br />
horses they had previously collected to be<br />
used for pet food.<br />
“I remember we had to put a green dye on<br />
the meat so as people could not eat it, and<br />
the demand for the meat was so great we<br />
had to issue ration cards, so people could<br />
only have 2lb per household. <strong>The</strong> meat was<br />
prepared at Park Green Farm and then sold<br />
from Trafalgar Cottage. <strong>The</strong>re used to be<br />
100 people queuing up to buy it. It was<br />
funny, because when meat came off<br />
rationing the following morning the queue<br />
dwindled to two.<br />
After working with his father for a year,<br />
David volunteered for National Service in<br />
1953, and he recalls “<strong>The</strong>se were a happy<br />
two years of my life. If you said ‘Yes Sir, No<br />
Sir’ in the right places, you could get away<br />
with anything really.”<br />
David says in fact that had he not had the<br />
family business to return to, he would have<br />
been happy to sign up for the Army, as he<br />
enjoyed it so much.<br />
David carried out his National Service at<br />
Aldershot and Blandford. One story he tells<br />
is of the time he hitch-hiked from the<br />
barracks at Blandford to Liverpool to attend<br />
the Grand National,<br />
“It was 1953 - I hitch-hiked to Liverpool and<br />
slept on the station platform, then I had<br />
some breakfast in the fish market. I<br />
remember carrying the bookmakers’ boards<br />
to the racecourse for them, I also remember<br />
walking round the course. I had a bet and<br />
lost my money, so I only had a few shillings<br />
left. In those days you had to put a deposit<br />
on a cup, for a cup of tea, so I drank the tea<br />
and then bought a pork pie when I got the<br />
deposit back. I had no money to get back to<br />
the barracks, so I got back to Lime Street<br />
station by offering to carry the bookmakers’<br />
boards for them. When I arrived at Lime<br />
Street I said to the Guard I want to get back<br />
to London but I have no money, so he said<br />
go and wait over there until I call you. I<br />
ended up travelling back to London with<br />
Raymond Glendenning and all the reporters<br />
from the race, drinking whisky and eating<br />
lots of ham sandwiches. I arrived at<br />
London, walked across to Waterloo, talked<br />
my way onto another train and in those<br />
days at Portsmouth station they always kept<br />
a train heated because of all the troops, so I<br />
slept on this train. A policeman would<br />
come and call you in the morning for the<br />
mail boat going back to the Island at four<br />
o’clock in the morning. I walked back home<br />
from Newport Station, slept for the day and<br />
then got some money and went back to<br />
Blandford that night”.<br />
During his National Service, David's father<br />
summoned David back home one weekend<br />
to ask him if he wanted Somerton (the farm<br />
where he still lives) to live and work from.<br />
If David hadn’t wanted it, his father had<br />
received an offer on the farm, and he was<br />
going to sell it.<br />
“I made the best decision of my life and<br />
told my father I definitely wanted the farm<br />
once I had finished my National Service. In<br />
those days each generation of our family<br />
was handed down a property from which to<br />
earn a living. My grandad bought the<br />
knackers yard along Forest Road, my dad<br />
bought the one I live in currently, and I<br />
bought the farm in Calbourne where Sam<br />
and his family are going to live shortly,<br />
that's how it’s built up.”<br />
“My father was a well dressed man who<br />
liked his cars, so every year he bought a<br />
brand new car and on this occasion he<br />
bought a shiny new Vauxhall Cresta. At this<br />
time he used to have a chap move the pig<br />
manure in a Model T Ford Lorry from Park<br />
Green Farm back to Somerton and was paid<br />
30 bob (shillings) a load, so one day, dad<br />
followed this chap and saw that he was only<br />
half filling the lorry, so he drove his car into<br />
the middle of this field, got out and gave<br />
this chap a real bollocking (David’s words!).<br />
“Anyhow, when dad had ran out of steam,<br />
he turned round to get into his car and<br />
found it was gone. He asked the chap where<br />
it had gone, and the chap turned round, and<br />
calmly said, ‘I can see something sparkling<br />
David enjoying a days hunting on Mitty.<br />
down there in the stream’.<br />
It seems that whilst my father had been<br />
laying into the old chap, the car had rolled<br />
down the hill and into the stream. <strong>The</strong> chap<br />
of course found this most amusing. So this<br />
chap helped dad pull the brand new car<br />
from the stream. It was badly damaged and<br />
dad later received an invoice from the old<br />
chap for pulling the car out of the river<br />
using dads lorry, which I don’t think dad<br />
paid!”<br />
“After I had completed my two years<br />
National Service I returned home to<br />
Somerton, which I later inherited, and<br />
worked for him. During this period I was<br />
admitted to hospital for appendicitis, and<br />
whilst I was in hospital my father was<br />
admitted to the ward above me after<br />
suffering a severe heart attack in Newport<br />
Market. In those days, they were not as<br />
advanced as they are today and<br />
20 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
unfortunately my father died of a heart<br />
attack at the age of 61. That was the worst<br />
day of my life, 18th July 1961.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> most memorable time with my father<br />
was the year before he died, when he won<br />
the overall points championship at the<br />
agricultural show with horses, cattle and<br />
sheep. That was the height of his career.<br />
“After my father’s death, all his friends<br />
rallied round and gave my mother and I lots<br />
of help and advice which helped to keep the<br />
business going. During these years my<br />
mother was a rock, and that was the time<br />
when she and I formed the company A & D<br />
Biles, which we are still called today even<br />
though my mother passed away on<br />
November 2nd 1988 at the age of 86.<br />
However out of respect, I still trade under<br />
the family name.”<br />
David continued working in the knacker<br />
business whilst also working for the Fat<br />
Stock Marketing Corporation for 25 years,<br />
and says that at this time of his life he was<br />
extremely busy.<br />
“During these years I built a really good<br />
friendship with my brother in-law. We used<br />
to do a lot of sport together. We used to go<br />
car rallying, and I remember in the 60’s we<br />
won the Daily Telegraph Trophy for the best<br />
Isle of Wight Car. He even told my sister<br />
once that he would rather fall out with her<br />
than he would with me! We were there for<br />
each other, I suppose”.<br />
David courted his wife Diana for three years<br />
after a chance meeting at the Channel View<br />
Hotel in Shanklin. “Diana worked in London<br />
at the time, and could only come to the<br />
Island weekends” he says. “At the time this<br />
suited me, because as a bachelor this gave<br />
me all week to go out with my friends!”<br />
“Diana was never allowed to miss the last<br />
train back to London on the Sunday<br />
evening... If she had not said to me when<br />
are we going to get married, I suppose she<br />
would still be going up and down to London<br />
on a train even today. Even when she sort<br />
of asked me if I would like to get married, I<br />
wriggled. I remember we went to<br />
Newmarket races and she asked me outright<br />
are we going to get married. I suppose I was<br />
about 30 then, and I said then, ‘No I’m not<br />
ready yet, there’s a lot to live, so we sort of<br />
called the job off’.<br />
“Anyhow we did agree that if we met again<br />
we would get married. Diana was a clever<br />
woman so she sent a message via one of the<br />
local girls that she was going to be in<br />
London New Years Eve, and that she was<br />
going abroad to work, so I thought she<br />
might be going to America, because we were<br />
not corresponding at the time. So I decided<br />
that I would travel to London on New Year’s<br />
Eve, although at the time I wasn’t sure<br />
whether to go to London or see my mate in<br />
Dorset. I went round the roundabout in the<br />
New Forest about six times before I decided<br />
to go to London.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
I arrived at Trafalgar Square and still did not<br />
have the pluck to pop the question. We<br />
eventually got round to it two or three days<br />
later. So I called grandpa in Nottingham and<br />
told him he had better get the champagne<br />
out, and he replied ‘We drank that a long<br />
time ago!’, as he was fed up of being<br />
messed about.<br />
David and Diana finally married in 1965, at<br />
Edwalton in Nottinghamshire. <strong>The</strong>y still<br />
have many good friends in Nottingham, and<br />
see them regularly.<br />
Within three years of marriage David and<br />
Diana had their first child, a son named<br />
Samuel (Sam).<br />
“In those days Sam was a very modern<br />
name. At the time there were two quite<br />
well known Island characters with that<br />
name - one was Samuel Watson the<br />
auctioneer, and the other Samuel Mole the<br />
famous butcher from St Helens who drove<br />
carriages, both of whom thought I had<br />
named my son after them, but I named him<br />
Sam so I could shout it quickly - something<br />
short. But because Sammy Mole thought I<br />
had named Sam after him, he left him a<br />
David pictured on Duke<br />
with grandson George Biles<br />
very valuable carriage.<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
After being brought up on his family’s farm,<br />
Sam went on to study Land Management,<br />
and subsequently became a partner in the<br />
well known Island Estate Agents Creasey<br />
Biles & King. He’s now now married and<br />
lives on the Island with his wife and three<br />
children.<br />
A few years after Sam’s birth David and<br />
Diana had Sophie, who is now 36, married<br />
and lives on the mainland. Sophie is heavily<br />
involved in carriage driving, in fact she is a<br />
BDA Judge and has just written a book on<br />
the subject of carriage driving. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
just had the good news that she is expecting<br />
her first child.<br />
“I have had a wonderful life,” says David.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re have been some ups and downs<br />
along the way, we are a family that’s been<br />
brought up by kindness and we have built<br />
our business by that – more so than<br />
perhaps by being realistic. To us, a deal still<br />
is done on a handshake. Sadly those days<br />
are disappearing. I like people and I still<br />
live life to the full, and I am determined to<br />
enjoy every minute of every day”<br />
Picture: County Press<br />
21
JOHN HANNAM<br />
Gone<br />
but not<br />
forgotten<br />
After thirty four years of interviewing famous people I often think<br />
back to moments that I will never forget and to real stars like Benny<br />
Hill, Frankie Howerd, Sir John Mills, Donald Pleasence, Matt Monro,<br />
Tommy Cooper and Bobby Moore. I’d like to share a few special<br />
memories of stars that are gone but certainly not forgotten.<br />
Roy Castle was one of the most wonderful people I ever met. I first<br />
saw him in cabaret at the Ponda Rosa, Ryde, where he broke all the<br />
attendance records over several nights. Roy was a true gentleman.<br />
Nothing was too much trouble and he was loved by both fans and<br />
his fellow performers. I interviewed him several times and he was<br />
always courteous and entertaining.<br />
<strong>The</strong> last time I interviewed him is still a vivid memory although<br />
there was not a happy ending. We met at an hotel in Southsea on<br />
the day he starred in a special charity concert at the nearby Kings<br />
<strong>The</strong>atre, to help raise funds for cancer relief. That week Roy had<br />
been given the all-clear from his own cancer and he was literally<br />
walking on air and so inspirational both on and off stage. As we all<br />
know, sadly, he eventually lost his brave fight.<br />
Frankie Howerd had been a comedy hero of mine for many years and<br />
when he came to the Island for a short summer season at Sandown<br />
Pavilion, I could hardly wait. He was fascinating to interview and I<br />
got to know him well. Imagine my delight when he asked if he could<br />
take my wife and me out to a post-show dinner. We arranged a<br />
babysitter prepared to stay to around 2am and headed for <strong>The</strong><br />
Culver Haven, at Bembridge.<br />
Frank also brought along his manager, Dennis, and his pianist<br />
Madame Dixon, who has recently passed away. It was a little sombre<br />
in the bar until I mentioned tennis and the recent Borg v McEnroe<br />
Wimbledon final, when it really was a sport for compulsive viewing.<br />
He took off from that moment and never stopped talking for the<br />
next two hours or more. I came under scrutiny during the meal. He<br />
22<br />
BY JOHN HANNAM<br />
Bob Monkhouse<br />
asked me if I ever thought about death and then went on to ask my<br />
wife several personal questions about me. It was a memorable night<br />
and I had really dressed up for the occasion. Frank, as expected, not<br />
looking quite so sartorially elegant, appreciated this.<br />
When Tommy Cooper came to Sandown in 1982 for a short season it<br />
had to be curtailed because he was unwell. Around six thousand<br />
were lucky enough to see a true legend. I took my two youngsters to<br />
witness a genuine one-off. <strong>The</strong>y loved every minute.<br />
I interviewed him early in the week and found him quite lonely. He<br />
asked me if I would like to go down on some other nights, after the<br />
show, for a chat and company. What an unexpected pleasure and he<br />
shared a few secrets. I was one of at least twenty million who saw<br />
his final performance on TV’s Live from the Palladium, when he<br />
died on stage. It was such an emotional moment but, in reality, the<br />
way he would have chosen for his final curtain call.<br />
Quite recently Danny Williams, who topped the pop charts all over<br />
the world with Moon River, passed away. He was, unexpectedly,<br />
diagnosed with an illness whilst in hospital for something else and<br />
died within a couple of weeks.<br />
I loved his company and he was always fun to be with. I also had<br />
the honour of interviewing him live on stage at the Medina <strong>The</strong>atre,<br />
Newport. One of pop music’s great voices, too. Sadly, I had an<br />
interview with him in the can, recorded in Yarmouth, and had not<br />
played it on air. I never imagined it would eventually be played to<br />
celebrate his life.<br />
I remember Lennie Peters, of Peters and Lee, for a few reasons. <strong>The</strong><br />
man had such an amazingly soulful voice and his vocal talents were<br />
really not appreciated as much as they should have been. He was<br />
such a genial and fun loving character. Once he told me he kept fit<br />
by cycling many miles. I thought this quite extraordinary for a blind<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Tommy Cooper<br />
person. <strong>The</strong>n he let slip it<br />
was his exercise bike.<br />
<strong>The</strong> very last time I was with<br />
Lennie was a little scary. It<br />
was at Warner’s Bembridge<br />
Coast Hotel. He asked me to<br />
light a cigarette and put it in his mouth. This was completely alien<br />
to me and my hand was shaking. In the end – it all went up in<br />
smoke, anyway. I still keep in touch with Di Lee (the other half of<br />
Peters and Lee) and her husband Rick Price, one of <strong>The</strong> Move and<br />
Wizzard.<br />
Bob Monkhouse was a star’s star. He had such a tremendous<br />
reputation amongst other performers. So clever at everything he did<br />
and he could turn on the TV charm in an instant. Off stage he was<br />
also such a lovely guy with a fund of stories and quips. He could<br />
change his act every night to include fresh jokes. I was so thrilled<br />
that he wrote the forward to my book, I Was A Stage Door Johnny.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first time I met Bob I picked him up from the ferry and took<br />
him to the Hotel Ryde Castle. After I dropped him I noticed<br />
chocolate all over the car seat. My two youngsters had made rather a<br />
mess earlier in the day. He had a marvelous suit on but I could never<br />
buck up the courage to ask him if it was covered in chocolate. A year<br />
or two later I was giving him a lift from IW Radio to the Swainston<br />
Hotel, at Calbourne. He asked if he could do a little shopping in the<br />
then David’s store in Carisbrooke. He came out clutching his Spar<br />
carrier bag.<br />
My mother’s favourite singer was always Ruby Murray and she was<br />
so thrilled when I had Ruby on my radio show. Ruby was a true<br />
megastar in the 50s. In one epic week she had five records in the<br />
same Top Twenty. Not even the Beatles could match that. Sadly, she<br />
had been fleeced by people around her and had to sell her home to<br />
pay off huge bills. It meant she never had the money her talents<br />
merited. <strong>The</strong> first time I met her she was hoping to win money on<br />
the Sun Lottery. By rights, she should have been living in a huge<br />
mansion and not working small holiday camps.<br />
When Ruby appeared live on my radio show she held on to my arm<br />
for the whole broadcast, as she was naturally very nervous. Her<br />
singing son, Tim also came along as a surprise guest.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
JOHN HANNAM<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2005 death of John Peel was such a great shock to so many<br />
people. He was a disc jockey with no ego and was genuinely<br />
surprised by his following. <strong>The</strong>re was no way he was full of his own<br />
importance. What he did for unknown bands was quite remarkable.<br />
I visited his Suffolk home on two occasions and he was a perfect<br />
host. Eating a meal with the great Peely and his lovely wife Sheila is<br />
still a wonderful memory. Being in the same cottage as twenty six<br />
thousand vinyl records was also another milestone. It was just as<br />
well that the Peels provided a taxi service to and from the station. It<br />
really was out in the sticks – and he loved it. London was not his<br />
cup of tea and he could never relax there.<br />
Back in 1989 the much-missed local agent Sylvia Thorley, who smiled<br />
her way through any problems, rang me up and invited me to her<br />
end-of-season lunch party at the Lincoln Hotel, on Shanklin<br />
seafront. It was to thank all the entertainers who had worked for<br />
her on the Island during that summer season. Sylvia hinted Benny<br />
Hill might be coming over as a surprise guest. Sylvia had provided<br />
Benny with one or two fabulous local girls who became part of the<br />
famous Hill’s Angels television group. Low and behold he turned up.<br />
Ruby Murray<br />
Benny Hill<br />
Continues on page 24...<br />
23
JOHN HANNAM<br />
Continued from page 23...<br />
Benny was in his element. He instantly said yes to my interview<br />
request and was surrounded by a table full of local lovelies.<br />
When I approached the Southampton Echo a few days later to ask if<br />
they were interested in a feature on Benny Hill, they jumped at my<br />
offer. He would not do an interview for them. It seemed uncanny<br />
that two of Britain’s most successful comedy stars, Benny Hill and<br />
Frankie Howerd, should die over the same Easter weekend in 1992.<br />
I have been a lifelong admirer of Matt Monro and feel so privileged<br />
to have been considered a friend of his. I still see his family and<br />
have had his widow, son and daughter on my radio show. Matt was a<br />
British singer to rival and surpass many of his American<br />
contemporaries. <strong>The</strong> very last time I saw him was at the Savoy<br />
Holiday Centre, at Yarmouth, for a special charity show for the<br />
R.N.L.I. Just a month or two later his illness was made public. That<br />
was the night I almost pushed a mindless and arrogant yuppie into<br />
the urinals, after a rude comment about Matt. I still regret not doing<br />
it.<br />
I took a picture of Matt, in his dressing room, which never came<br />
out, and recorded an interview with him, which I have never been<br />
able to find. Quite remarkable.<br />
I met a couple of my idols in unexpected places. <strong>The</strong> legendary<br />
Bobby Moore came for a public appearance at Buywise, Newport, and<br />
proved such a perfect ambassador for British sport and nothing was<br />
too much trouble. I wonder what he would make of all these foreign<br />
mercenaries who now play in our domestic game. <strong>The</strong> other was the<br />
chilling Donald Pleasence, who was filming at Niton Undercliff. I’d<br />
seen Halloween a couple of nights before but, thankfully, Donald<br />
proved gentler in real life.<br />
Arthur Lowe was an acting genius who discovered real nationwide<br />
fame late in his acting career. I still love the Dad’s Army series.<br />
When I knocked on his dressing room door, for our arranged<br />
interview, he shouted:” Come in – I’m washing my hair. I won’t be a<br />
couple of minutes.” That was 25 years ago. Now I know what he<br />
meant.<br />
Having morning coffee with Larry Grayson in the Cliff Tops Hotel in<br />
Shanklin was a unique experience. Poor Larry was virtually<br />
marooned in the hotel. Whenever he went out he was mobbed by<br />
his ageless fans. One day he almost had to be smuggled out of<br />
Regent Street.<br />
In the late 50s Arthur Worsley was the best ventriloquist in the<br />
world, with his dummy Charlie Brown, and he even appeared with<br />
Elvis Presley on the famed Ed Sullivan Show. Once, for a story in the<br />
now defunct IW Weekly Post, I was made up in drag. Arthur was<br />
completely fooled and was heard to say:” I’m sure I’ve met that<br />
woman somewhere before.” He'd been to tea at our house a few days<br />
earlier. Eventually he was told the truth – and loved it.<br />
I often think of so many great moments with stars that are no longer<br />
with us. <strong>The</strong>se include Russ Conway, George Best, Dave Allen, Carl<br />
Wayne, Reginald Marsh, Michael Sheard, Leslie Crowther, Sir John<br />
Mills, Frankie Vaughan, Ted Rogers, Ian Bannen and Ray Moore.<br />
One lady who became an Island star was Military Road farmer Sylvia<br />
Jones. I talked her in to coming on to my radio show and the phone<br />
lines were jammed. <strong>The</strong> audience response was similar to when Cliff<br />
Richard appeared on the show. She even rang me to ask if I would<br />
mind if she went on to Radio 4. What a character! Every time I drive<br />
along the Military Road I think of Sylvia Jones and her wonderful<br />
Island accent, amazing stories and her old brown smock tied up with<br />
string.<br />
24 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
ISLAND LIFE SOCIETY<br />
Jan Cook Carole Dennett & Andrew Turner Clr Patrick Joyce<br />
A right<br />
Royal Ball...<br />
<strong>The</strong> Royal in Ventnor was the chosen venue for<br />
this years Conservative Ball. <strong>The</strong> evening was<br />
well attended, in fact tickets this year were<br />
hard to come by due to the popularity of the<br />
event. <strong>The</strong> Royal Hotel were perfect hosts,<br />
supplying over 100 meals (all 2 AA Rosette<br />
Standard).<br />
Julia Bickley &<br />
Clr Jonathan Fitzgerald - Bond<br />
Louis Brown & Kerry Siggins<br />
David &<br />
Clr Vanessa Churchman<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Pat Cook & Tony Papworth<br />
Alan Stovell, Clr Jilly Wood & Clr Susan Scoccia<br />
Andrea Woodley &<br />
Alan Stovell<br />
Jan Cook,Jennie Partridge , Alan Stovell, Susan Scoccia<br />
,Jonathan Fitzgerald-Bond , Joan Stovell<br />
Tony Rogers<br />
Esme Williamson<br />
Michael &<br />
Judy Jennings<br />
Raymond Back<br />
25
HOBBIES - SPORT - LEISURE<br />
<strong>The</strong> Island’s bid for<br />
the 2011 Island Games<br />
It seems that the Isle of Wight has a very<br />
good chance of hosting the 2011 Island<br />
Games. If successful the Island gets a<br />
much needed boost.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight is hoping to<br />
host the Island Games for 2011,<br />
one year prior to the Olympic<br />
games in 2012. <strong>The</strong> Isle of<br />
Wights only competitor is<br />
Bermuda. <strong>The</strong> three delegates<br />
(pictured above) Eric Legg,<br />
Jorgen Pettersson, and James<br />
Johnston spent three days on<br />
the Island looking at the Islands<br />
infrastructure, and were pleased<br />
to conclude that from what they<br />
have seen they would be more<br />
than happy to report back to the<br />
23 representatives at the<br />
26<br />
meeting in Rhodes in July that<br />
the Island is quite capable of<br />
hosting the games,which is good<br />
news for the Island.<br />
Another reason for the visit was<br />
to ensure that the Isle of Wight<br />
Council had the promised<br />
funding of £500,000 put aside<br />
for the games. Council leader<br />
Andy Sutton was there to<br />
reassure the three delegates<br />
that the funding has been<br />
allocated to the games should<br />
the Isle of Wight win the bid.<br />
We’ll keep you posted.<br />
Left: Tony Elgar, Target Shooting - Mark Harrison, Sailing -<br />
Barry Hall, Target Shooting.<br />
You’re never<br />
too old to<br />
master the<br />
waves<br />
Swimming is a great pastime, not only<br />
does it keep you fit, it’s a great way to<br />
meet new friends.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Heights at Sandown was the venue for this year’s Isle of Wight<br />
Open Masters Swimming Competition, which attracted over 200<br />
swimmers - 170 of them from the mainland. <strong>The</strong> event, which has<br />
been running on the Island since the late 1980s, brings in<br />
competitors aged from 19 right up to 90-plus.<br />
Jenny Ball, one of the club’s founder members commented:<br />
“<strong>The</strong> swimmers are incredibly competitive, no matter what age they<br />
are. In fact, we find that the older they are the worse they get!<br />
Recently we witnessed a 100 year old swimmer take part in the<br />
Masters in Montreal. <strong>The</strong> swimmers that take part must be pretty<br />
good, they are not your casual swimmer. Those from the older<br />
generation most likely would have been a competitive swimmer at<br />
some time in their life.”<br />
“We have one gentleman who is 81 years old and has a heart<br />
pacemaker. His doctor is not too happy about him swimming, but<br />
he still takes part every year. However, the majority of the older<br />
swimmers are incredibly fit.”<br />
“Also it’s nice for the younger generation of swimmers to be able to<br />
look up to and respect these veterans. <strong>The</strong>re is a lot of respect<br />
there, because the younger swimmers realise what work and<br />
training needs to go into it.”<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Masters competition is very popular even with the under 19’s,<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
as they really look<br />
forward to that day when<br />
they reach 19 and can<br />
take part themselves.”<br />
As Jenny points out, <strong>The</strong><br />
Heights is a perfect<br />
location for the<br />
competition event. With<br />
its cafe right beside the<br />
pool, spectators and<br />
competitors can sit<br />
together and have a<br />
coffee, and still watch and<br />
take part in the<br />
competition. “It’s such a<br />
friendly atmosphere” says<br />
Jenny, “I have made so<br />
many friends over the<br />
years”.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Back Row: Barnabas Timental, Michael Alchin, Paul Baldwin,<br />
Front Row: Jane Asher, Katrina Eldridge, Cecil Benfold<br />
Among the crowd was Paul Baldwin, manager of the IW swim team,<br />
which represents the Isle of Wight in the Island Games. He says<br />
there’s a very strong competitive spirit in the sport – and he should<br />
know. “Swimmers who qualify for the IW team have a very hard<br />
training regime - not only swimming in their local club, but also<br />
doing two hours training every day for the Island Games. <strong>The</strong> sport<br />
is very competitive – it has to be when you consider that the time<br />
difference between 1st and 6th place can be as little as 1.5 seconds.<br />
Another point to consider is that swimmers have to fund the trip<br />
themselves as there is no sponsorship available. So if Bermuda win<br />
the bid for 2011, it will be a costly exercise for our local teams to get<br />
there!”<br />
HOBBIES - SPORT - LEISURE<br />
Meanwhile, Jenny is preparing once again to do her epic swim across<br />
the Solent. <strong>The</strong> swim is carried out solo with only a support craft.<br />
“Obviously the swim is done at low tide, not only for the distance<br />
but to also take into account the strong currents that run through<br />
the Solent,” she said.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> route takes me from Appley, then I bear left towards Gillkicker<br />
and then bear right. If I didn’t do this, I’d end up in Eastbourne! <strong>The</strong><br />
water temperature in the Solent is around 18 degrees at the<br />
beginning of September, which isn’t too bad.”<br />
If you would like to get involved in the Masters, call Jenny Ball on<br />
01983 525457.<br />
27
Food & Drink by<br />
Baked Egg and<br />
Smoked Haddock<br />
en cocotte<br />
by Angela Hewitt<br />
This is not a terribly healthy<br />
dish but it is a delicious treat<br />
for supper, breakfast or lunch –<br />
it was the most popular starter<br />
at my restaurant.<br />
Ingredients for 4 people:<br />
4 cocotte (ramekin) dishes<br />
4 small eggs<br />
4 oz natural smoked haddock -<br />
diced<br />
6 tablespoons of double cream<br />
4 oz mature cheddar – grated<br />
1 small onion finely chopped<br />
and softened until gold in a<br />
little butter or oil<br />
Black pepper – no salt<br />
1. Preheat your oven to its<br />
highest temperature<br />
2. Oil the cocotte dishes and<br />
place a small amount of<br />
softened onion in the bottom<br />
of each dish<br />
3. Arrange diced smoked<br />
haddock around the edge so<br />
that a well is created in the<br />
middle<br />
4. Break an egg into each well<br />
5. Sprinkle the grated cheddar<br />
over the top<br />
6. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons double<br />
cream over each dish<br />
7. Season with black pepper<br />
8. Place on a baking tray<br />
9. Here is the difficult bit. <strong>The</strong><br />
dishes must be cooked so that<br />
the cheese and cream form a<br />
sauce and the egg yolk is still<br />
runny.<br />
Ovens can vary whether gas,<br />
electric, fan or aga (do not use<br />
a microwave oven) so your first<br />
effort may be hit or miss. I<br />
cook my dish for 13 mins in a<br />
very hot oven. Some ovens may<br />
require 12 mins other 15 mins.<br />
It’s the simple touches that make the difference,<br />
and from the minute we arrived at Lugleys we<br />
were greeted by friendly, enthusiastic waiting<br />
staff who were not just helpful, but<br />
demonstrated a real passion for the job. <strong>The</strong><br />
restaurant was warm, friendly and comfortable,<br />
and decorated to an exceptionally high standard,<br />
using neutral colours.<br />
Tastefully furnished, the restaurant has tables<br />
that are cleverly spaced in such a way that it’s<br />
possible to have a private conversation without<br />
being overheard.<br />
Our first impression of the menu was that we<br />
were dealing with a chef who understands the<br />
business.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were six starters, six main courses, and<br />
two specials available.<br />
To whet our appetite, we ordered a side dish of<br />
Ramekin of Olives, which were presented in a<br />
glass with a punchy blend of Olive Oil, and<br />
Herbs. Also placed on the table were 3 slices of<br />
fresh Ciabatta bread, accompanied with a butter<br />
dish.<br />
For starters we opted for the Filo of Prawns, and<br />
Malaysian Tuna. <strong>The</strong> Filo of Prawns were<br />
delicious, and came with a fresh crisp Greek<br />
Salad mixed with a blend of Feta Cheese, which<br />
produced a lovely blend of the flavours that<br />
worked well. <strong>The</strong> Malaysian Tuna was served as<br />
a carpaccio in a spicy sauce laced with fresh<br />
peppers. Both starters were presented<br />
beautifully, tasted fantastic, and the portion sizes<br />
were just right.<br />
Because there were only six main dishes, we<br />
assumed that these were freshly cooked.<br />
We ordered Green Lipped Mussels, which were<br />
presented in a nage, with king prawns, spring<br />
onions and peppers in a creamy sauce.<br />
Our second choice was Lemon Sole, one of only<br />
two dishes available from the specials board.<br />
This dish was served with a lovely garnish<br />
consisting of fresh herbs, capers, and tomatoes,<br />
and a sweet potato.<br />
Matt Legge<br />
Good time had by all<br />
at Lugleys, Newport<br />
Lugleys is a must, for its relaxed atmosphere, friendly,<br />
experienced waiting staff, and imaginative menu<br />
Finally we ordered the English Sirloin Steak,<br />
which was inventively served with mild chilli<br />
beans and fried avocado. This was the most<br />
unusual combination our diner had ever had<br />
with steak, and he was surprised at how well the<br />
combination worked. <strong>The</strong> portion sizes for all the<br />
main courses were again sensible.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dessert menu offered a choice of six dishes,<br />
from which we selected the Hazelnut & Praline<br />
Parfait with Blueberries, which were simply<br />
delicious. <strong>The</strong> other diner opted for the<br />
Blackcurrant Sorbet.<br />
Lugley’s prove that it’s not hard to get it right.<br />
All it takes is a passion for food, some thought<br />
and imagination in combining ingredients, and<br />
happy and experienced waiting staff. <strong>The</strong>se three<br />
basic elements will always make for a successful<br />
restaurant.<br />
Lugleys: 01983 822994<br />
33 Lugley Street, Newport<br />
28 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
A little gem<br />
in Bembridge<br />
As independent retailers continue to<br />
disappear off our high streets, it’s becoming<br />
more and more difficult to find an oldfashioned<br />
local deli, butcher or baker.<br />
Shanklin, for instance, has lost all its<br />
butchers, and the only remaining baker’s<br />
shop recently closed. At least we still have<br />
the local greengrocer. So isn’t Bembridge<br />
fortunate to have such a great little deli on<br />
its doorstep.<br />
Jackie Seymour and her husband Denny - a<br />
local crab and lobster fisherman operating<br />
out of Bembridge Harbour – had been<br />
looking for a small outlet to sell the fresh<br />
shellfish that he caught daily throughout<br />
the year. <strong>The</strong>y were previously processing<br />
their catch and selling it to the owners of<br />
the deli, and when these people decided to<br />
retire, the Seymours jumped at the chance<br />
of buying the business, Food for Thought.<br />
“It made good sense for us to have a retail<br />
outlet for our crab and lobster business,”<br />
said Jackie.<br />
Since she and Denny took over 18 months<br />
ago, the business has steadily expanded,<br />
and the customer base is growing all the<br />
time.<br />
“I guess it’s the fact that we are a speciality<br />
seafood delicatessen, and there aren’t<br />
exactly many of them on the Island” she<br />
said.<br />
In addition to the seafood, the shop also<br />
sells Jackie’s wholesome, home-cooked<br />
specialities, from cakes and desserts, to<br />
freezer meals – all without additives,<br />
colourings, or preservatives. One of the<br />
most popular lines are the homemade<br />
sponge cakes, which fly out of the door the<br />
minute they are baked.<br />
Customers also love olives, which is why<br />
Food for Thought has installed a large olive<br />
bar. Jackie and Denny also scour the world<br />
for suppliers of exotic continental meats<br />
such as Parma Hams and many types of<br />
Salamis.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n there are the roast joints that Jackie<br />
cooks herself, which appeal to customers<br />
who live alone, because they can buy as<br />
much or as little as they need.<br />
“Because we are a small shop, we are always<br />
looking for items that you cannot find<br />
elsewhere like in the big supermarkets, that<br />
special ingredient I suppose. For example<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
See what we have to say about Fultons<br />
and a well known Tea Room...<br />
we have just taken on<br />
some mouth-watering<br />
peppermint creams<br />
from a UK company<br />
that grow their own<br />
peppermint. One of<br />
the most unusual<br />
items is probably the<br />
pickled quails eggs,<br />
and we find that fresh whelks and lump<br />
fish caviar, also sell quite well”.<br />
Jackie will also make up gift hampers for<br />
any occasion. Customers can select the<br />
products they want included in the hamper<br />
and pay an additional charge of just £5.00 to<br />
make it up. A similar package can be<br />
prepared for picnics, using the customer’s<br />
own selection of produce.<br />
Another “speciality of the house” is the<br />
range of seafood platters (lobsters, crab,<br />
cockles, whelks etc), which cannot be<br />
fresher since Denny has only caught them<br />
that morning. Seafood platters start from<br />
£12.00 per head.<br />
To complement all this wonderful food,<br />
there is also a wide choice of fine wines and<br />
champagne from all over the world.<br />
“We try to get different wines from the<br />
usual ones you can find in an off-licence or<br />
a supermarket” says Jackie. “I take the time<br />
to research and discover new flavours and<br />
textures. I think it’s<br />
worth the effort, and<br />
I know my customers<br />
do”.<br />
Jackie and Denny are<br />
looking to expand in<br />
the next year so there<br />
may be a deli heading<br />
your way soon,<br />
(Shanklin, please!)<br />
We could probably fill<br />
several pages with<br />
what they have in the<br />
shop, but the best<br />
thing is for you to<br />
jump in the car and<br />
pay them a visit,<br />
you’ll find it’s well<br />
worth it.<br />
FOOD & DRINK<br />
Food for Thought is open Monday<br />
- Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm<br />
4 High Street, Bembridge.<br />
Tel: 01983 873555<br />
29
FOOD & DRINK<br />
<strong>The</strong><br />
Chef:<br />
Mark Cramp<br />
Age:32<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Resort<br />
Shanklin<br />
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Menu<br />
Starters<br />
Raunchy Rigatoni, Pasta tubes<br />
entwined with bacon,<br />
mushrooms, served in a lively<br />
sauce of tomatoes and garlic<br />
with a kick of Red Chillies<br />
topped with shaved parmesan<br />
£6.50<br />
Warm Salad of vine Tomatoes,<br />
Back bacon and Mozzarella,<br />
entwined on a wholegrain<br />
mustard dressing sat on a crisp<br />
green salad.<br />
£5.50<br />
Main Courses<br />
Sautéd Chicken Breast with<br />
Mussels, Tarragon and<br />
Chardonnay<br />
£9.95<br />
8 oz Rib-Eye Steak, nestled on<br />
caramelised red onion, Sautéd<br />
field mushrooms and Dijon<br />
sauce.<br />
£13.95<br />
Desserts<br />
Amaretto & Orange Brulée<br />
£3.75<br />
Baked Chocolate Tart and soft<br />
seasonal berries.<br />
£3.95<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Resort<br />
High Street, Shanklin<br />
Tel: 01983 875559<br />
We sell as many Pasties in the<br />
Summer as we do in the Winter...<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Resort,<br />
saved the day!<br />
Change is in the air again at <strong>The</strong><br />
Last Resort in Shanklin. Previously<br />
owned by Steve Wyatt, of French<br />
Franks, and more recently by Clive<br />
White, the restaurant is in yet<br />
another new pair of hands. So<br />
what’s on the menu? We went to<br />
find out…<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Resort in Shanklin turned out literally<br />
to be our “last resort” for this issue’s review,<br />
since we had already visited two other<br />
restaurants that were so disappointing we’re not<br />
even going to mention them!<br />
What we found at <strong>The</strong> Last Resort was a bright,<br />
contemporary interior, with attentive waiting<br />
staff, and a tempting, wide-choice menu with<br />
around 12 starters, 24 main courses, a stone<br />
baked pizza section, and a selection of 13 sweets.<br />
<strong>The</strong> menu has a distinct Mediterranean<br />
influence, and the portion sizes are sensible.<br />
We’d heard that chef Mark Cramp had previously<br />
built a good reputation at nearby Foxhills in<br />
Shanklin, where he was awarded a Rosette for<br />
his culinary skills - so we had an idea that we<br />
might be in for a treat.<br />
<strong>The</strong> restaurant had a great atmosphere with a<br />
real buzz – which was another indicator of a<br />
good evening ahead.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tables are well spaced, but the favourite<br />
window tables are always the first ones to be<br />
booked, so take note. We found the service<br />
efficient and friendly, and slightly unusual in<br />
that we had a number of different waiting staff<br />
serving us, which simply added to the lively<br />
atmosphere. <strong>The</strong> choice of music couldn’t have<br />
been better, Marvin Gaye, Mick Hucknell, Luther<br />
Vandross etc.<br />
So what about the food? We couldn’t fault it in<br />
any way at all. <strong>The</strong> presentation and flavours<br />
were spot on.<br />
<strong>The</strong> starters were amazing, however at the end of<br />
the day the Pasta tubes with bacon and<br />
mushrooms stole the show.<br />
<strong>The</strong> unusual dish of the evening was the Sautéd<br />
Chicken Breast with Mussels, although unusual<br />
it tasted out of this world. <strong>The</strong> Rib-Eye steak was<br />
cooked to perfection, medium to rare and the<br />
Dijon sauce was the perfect companion, one that<br />
I had not experienced previously with steak. <strong>The</strong><br />
desserts were all homemade, simply delicious, I<br />
believe that freshly made desserts really do taste<br />
so much better.<br />
On this particular Friday evening the restaurant<br />
was packed, and yet the food still arrived on<br />
time, with well-judged periods of time between<br />
courses. We certainly didn’t get the feeling of<br />
being rushed – in fact we were given the<br />
impression that the table was ours for the<br />
evening.<br />
Throughout the whole evening it was clear to see<br />
that a great deal of effort was being made to<br />
ensure that customers had an enjoyable<br />
experience – and it certainly worked for us.<br />
After our couple of false starts, we’re glad to<br />
report that at <strong>The</strong> Last Resort, we found another<br />
Island restaurant that is well-run, and well worth<br />
a return visit.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Last Resort is open for Breakfast, Lunch and<br />
Dinner. Also during the day you can pop in for a<br />
coffee and slice of cake.<br />
To make a reservation please call 875559.<br />
30 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Attention to<br />
detail, says<br />
Ian!<br />
“Ian Whitehead has the midas<br />
touch when it comes to<br />
restaurants, first with Jo DaFlos,<br />
and most recently with Fultons<br />
of Bembridge, and now his<br />
latest project is under way, a<br />
steak house located at the well<br />
known site Osborne's, in Ryde’s<br />
Union Street.”<br />
Where were you born and raised?<br />
Edinburgh, Scotland.<br />
When did you move to the Island and<br />
why?<br />
Moved over here in 1990 due to job<br />
relocation, I was area manager for <strong>The</strong><br />
Crown Hotel in Ryde.<br />
When did you open your first restaurant<br />
on the Island?<br />
Joe Daflos, Union St, Ryde in 2000.<br />
Why did you sell Joe Daflos?<br />
I wanted to move on, my original plans were<br />
to move to the states., however I thought<br />
there was still scope on the Island for new<br />
and interesting restaurants. I changed<br />
peoples perception with Joe Daflos, good<br />
food, good prices, and good service.<br />
Where do you get your inspirations from?<br />
Research, and lots of it. I travel around the<br />
world looking at other restaurants, I also<br />
spend hours reading magazines, and looking<br />
on the Internet.<br />
Why Bembridge as a location for Fultons?<br />
Bembridge is one of the best locations for<br />
fresh fish, it comes straight off the boats<br />
into my restaurant. Also I live in Ryde.<br />
What theme is your latest restaurant in<br />
Ryde going to take?<br />
An American New York Loft sort of theme.<br />
Neutral colours, no set pattern. I am also<br />
keeping the originality of the building, I<br />
think that this is important. Unusual food,<br />
ie: sloppy Sandwiches such as Hot Roasted<br />
Pork with Bramley Apple Sauce, Scottish<br />
Beef Steaks with our own unique steak<br />
sauce.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Who creates the menus, do you<br />
influence the menu?<br />
All of us including the chef, restaurant<br />
manager even the waiters and waitresses.<br />
How many restaurants do you aim to<br />
open on the Island?<br />
Two em...(slight pause and grin) well maybe<br />
five, I have already bought another site on<br />
the Island, although I am not sure of the<br />
theme yet, you’ll have to wait and see.<br />
Do you think that there is a lack of<br />
quality restaurants on the Island?<br />
No! It’s getting better, there are now more<br />
choices and better quality than ever before.<br />
If you could open a restaurant anywhere<br />
in the world, where would it be?<br />
Los Angeles, USA, I have even seen the<br />
location I want, it’s the Stella McCartney<br />
building, however I will never be able<br />
to afford this.<br />
Why do you think the failure rate of new<br />
restaurants is so high?<br />
Owners do not pay enough “attention<br />
to detail”, also they do not listen to<br />
customers and finally they are frightened to<br />
try new dishes.<br />
What’s the best restaurant you have ever<br />
eaten in, and your favourite restaurant on<br />
the Island?<br />
Langhams in London, and Joe Daflos<br />
in Ryde even though I do not own it<br />
any more.<br />
Name three basic elements for a<br />
successful restaurant?<br />
Staff, Price and Food, all three have to be<br />
there.<br />
Who would you most like to have dinner<br />
with?<br />
Thomas Keller, voted two years in a row<br />
“<strong>The</strong> best restaurant in the world”. If I<br />
FOOD & DRINK<br />
could ask one question it would be, “whats<br />
the most you have ever paid for a bottle of<br />
wine?”<br />
What would be your best ever 3 course<br />
meal?<br />
Pea and Ham Soup, Scottish Sirloin Steak,<br />
and Sherry Trifle.<br />
If you were invisible for the day, where<br />
would you go and what would you do?<br />
I would love to spend a day in an American<br />
cheese cake factory and see how they make<br />
them.<br />
Where’s your favourite location on the<br />
Island?<br />
Ryde, I think that Ryde is very under-stated.<br />
What would you change or banish from<br />
the Isle of Wight?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight County Council. Let more<br />
business people run the Island.<br />
What's the best thing about the Isle of<br />
Wight?<br />
<strong>The</strong> people, they are very diverse.<br />
And the worst ?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Local Planning Department.<br />
What’s the most underrated thing about<br />
the Island?<br />
Tourism and quality. I don’t even know who<br />
is in charge of tourism?<br />
What shop could you not live without<br />
on the Island?<br />
Greenhams the newsagents, they have the<br />
best selection of magazines. I love my<br />
magazines.<br />
Where’s your dream holiday destination,<br />
and why?<br />
New York, <strong>The</strong>y do things there that are not<br />
done anywhere else in the world.<br />
What do you do in your spare time, have<br />
you got a hobby?<br />
Research, Research, Research, also I have<br />
the biggest collection of cookery books you<br />
can imagine. I also like spending time with<br />
my family.<br />
Would you pack in work if you won 57<br />
million on the Euro lottery?<br />
No, all this would do is give me more<br />
investment to have restaurants in the US<br />
and the UK, I would live six months in the<br />
USA and six months on the Isle of Wight.<br />
What’s after Osbornes?<br />
Keep reading this magazine to find out,<br />
you’ll be surprised.<br />
31
FARMING - Sponsored by NFU Mutual<br />
Farming Contributor<br />
Well<br />
worth the<br />
trip to<br />
Scotland<br />
Congratulations must go to Michael Poland and his team at<br />
Wight Conservation for their success at Oban’s Highland Cattle<br />
Society show and sale in February. Iasgair of Mottistone, a<br />
Highland bull bred from Mr Poland’s Island based fold<br />
(Highland cattle are known as a fold, rather than a herd),<br />
travelled to Scotland to take on some of the best in his breed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> journey proved worthwhile when Iasgair took top honours<br />
in the senior bull championship, and then going on to achieve<br />
6,000 guineas in the sale ring the next day.<br />
To many people, Highland cattle on the Isle of Wight may seem<br />
like fish out of water, but the use of these animals for<br />
conservation is proving a great success. If you’d like to find<br />
out more about the use of these cattle, visit the Wight<br />
Conservation website at www.wightconservation.co.uk<br />
On your bikes!<br />
When the President of the<br />
Islands Young Farmers Club<br />
suggested that members<br />
could take on the challenge<br />
of a bike ride along the<br />
Tennyson Trail, there were a<br />
few worried looking faces<br />
amongst members.<br />
A couple of weeks later the<br />
route was planned, sponsorship<br />
forms were filled in and the<br />
rust had been knocked off the<br />
bikes.<br />
Twelve members turned out to<br />
take on the route from the<br />
Freshwater golf course to the<br />
NFU office in Carisbrooke.<br />
After weeks of dry weather, the<br />
first rain fall just happened to<br />
arrive on the morning of the<br />
12th February, the chosen date<br />
for the bike ride!<br />
Despite a puncture, a broken<br />
chain, lost brake pads, rubbed<br />
heals and a few aches and<br />
pains, all twelve completed,<br />
raising funds for the Royal<br />
Agricultural Benevolent<br />
Institution.<br />
Anyone interested in joining the<br />
Islands Young Farmers Club<br />
should contact the secretary on<br />
07866312576.<br />
10 THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT<br />
Avian Influenza<br />
Avian influenza is a<br />
disease of birds caused by<br />
influenza viruses closely<br />
related to human<br />
influenza viruses.<br />
Transmission to humans<br />
in close contact with<br />
poultry or other birds<br />
occurs rarely and only<br />
with some strains of avian<br />
influenza.<br />
<strong>The</strong> potential for<br />
transformation of avian<br />
influenza into a form that<br />
both causes severe<br />
disease in humans and<br />
spreads easily from person to<br />
person is a great concern for<br />
world health.<br />
Humans are usually<br />
infected through close<br />
contact with live infected<br />
birds. Birds shed<br />
influenza virus in their<br />
faeces so contact with faeces<br />
(for example by visiting<br />
enclosures or markets where<br />
birds have been recently<br />
kept) is also a possible<br />
transmission route.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re have been a limited<br />
number of well<br />
documented cases in<br />
which there is evidence<br />
to suggest human-to-human<br />
transmission but to date<br />
there is no evidence that the<br />
highly pathogenic avian<br />
influenza virus has adapted<br />
to spread easily in humans.<br />
Avian influenza is not<br />
transmitted through<br />
cooked food and to date;<br />
no evidence indicates that<br />
anyone has become infected<br />
following the consumption of<br />
properly cooked poultry or<br />
poultry products.<br />
Your usual annual flu<br />
vaccination will not<br />
provide any protection<br />
against avian flu. A new<br />
vaccine would need to be<br />
produced for this new strain of<br />
flu.<br />
In England in 1996 there<br />
was a single case of a<br />
female farmer who<br />
acquired H7 influenza<br />
(typically avian) and suffered<br />
conjunctivitis after cleaning out<br />
a poultry house. <strong>The</strong>re have<br />
been no human cases imported<br />
into England<br />
Outbreaks of avian<br />
influenza, especially the<br />
highly pathogenic form,<br />
can be devastating for the<br />
poultry industry and for<br />
farmers. For example, an<br />
outbreak of highly pathogenic<br />
avian influenza in the USA in<br />
1983–84, largely confined to the<br />
state of Pennsylvania, resulted<br />
in the destruction of more than<br />
17 million birds<br />
It is possible that<br />
highly pathogenic<br />
avian influenza could<br />
be introduced into the<br />
UK by either migration of wild<br />
birds, importation of chickens<br />
for consumption (now stopped)<br />
or illegal importation of live<br />
birds.<br />
32 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
Matt Legge<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Farmers<br />
fight back<br />
Many farmers see<br />
farming as a vocation<br />
but their challenge is<br />
that costs so often<br />
exceed sales. <strong>The</strong><br />
answer is to increase<br />
margins and if possible sales. <strong>The</strong> Island Food and Craft<br />
Association, IFCA, is an organisation that is setting out to help<br />
Island farmers do that. It is also focused on doing the same<br />
thing for craft producers hotels, restaurants, B & Bs and farm<br />
shops because it sees all these groups as having the same<br />
objectives and being able to help each other achieve their<br />
mutual goals.<br />
IFCA’s first objective is to bring together the creators (i.e.<br />
farmers and food processors) and promoters (hotels,<br />
restaurants, farm shops, delis etc) so they can jointly sell<br />
quality local products to the general public. <strong>The</strong>y want to<br />
create an open market so promoters know what is available<br />
and from where while creators know who is most interested in<br />
buying their product – Promoter members of IFCA.<br />
IFCA is focusing on four key methods of achieving these<br />
objectives: creating a market, special projects, creating a micro<br />
distribution system and branding.<br />
IFCA intends to create a market place through its new<br />
interactive website to be launched at the end of April. <strong>The</strong><br />
information on this website will automatically be launched on<br />
two mainland websites dedicated to supporting the local food<br />
movement and discussions are underway to add a further<br />
three more websites later in the year. <strong>The</strong> importance of this<br />
access is that, according to a recent survey, 64% of the<br />
population now regularly uses the Internet to source their<br />
requirements.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first special project will be the “Island Breakfast” <strong>The</strong><br />
concept is borrowed from the New Forest that launched a<br />
similar project last year. <strong>The</strong> idea is to create a link between<br />
the prime producer and the breakfast supplier. <strong>The</strong> promoter<br />
can find all the main ingredients and who supplies them on a<br />
website he can order them then and there and have them<br />
delivered direct. <strong>The</strong> “Island Breakfast” is then promoted by<br />
IW Tourism and IFCA as well as the users to maximise<br />
publicity for all.<br />
Using modern technology, IFCA is trying to recreate the<br />
systems that existed 50 years ago that allowed farmers to sell<br />
locally. <strong>The</strong> plan is to establish micro distribution systems ecommerce<br />
sites, couriers and cold chain distributors to help<br />
the farmer take a larger share of the pound that a consumer<br />
spends on the products he or she produces. However, IFCA is<br />
not about any particular project, it is about finding solutions,<br />
making those solutions available to its members so they can<br />
make a profit.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Making bacon, we visit<br />
Moor Farm, Godshill<br />
Sponsored by NFU Mutual - FARMING<br />
Lambs spring<br />
into the new<br />
season<br />
<strong>The</strong> sight of a new generation<br />
of woolly lambs gambolling in<br />
the fields is one of the surest<br />
signs that spring is really on<br />
its way. Did you realise,<br />
though, that the Island’s<br />
sheep farmers are responsible<br />
for bringing over 15,000 lambs<br />
into the world each year?<br />
March and April is the time of year for lambing in most flocks,<br />
although this is not the hard and fast rule for all. <strong>The</strong> breeding<br />
season is dictated by biology, with only breeds such as the<br />
Dorset Horn being able to lamb as early as December. In fact,<br />
the Dorset is one of the very few breeds that can reproduce<br />
twice in a year.<br />
Although modern British farming practices do not require a<br />
shepherd to watch the flock day and night, at lambing time the<br />
hours are not far short of this. It’s very easy to identify a<br />
shepherd at this time of year. Pop into a country pub and he’s<br />
not there; in fact, he’s probably not been to the pub, barber’s, or<br />
even seen much of his own home for the entire duration of the<br />
lambing season.<br />
One experienced shepherd explained: “Lambing season is sleep<br />
deprivation time. I actually went shopping in SCATS and forgot<br />
what I had gone in for. I was half asleep and ended up buying<br />
some boxer shorts, when I think I actually needed wormer!”<br />
<strong>The</strong> shepherd is undoubtedly a dedicated character. He’s been<br />
the matchmaker; he’s introduced the boys to the girls and then<br />
looked after his ewes through the 147 days of their pregnancy.<br />
As with any livestock, the husbandry of the sheep flock is a<br />
very demanding responsibility. In fact, the successful shepherd<br />
needs to have the multiple skills of an agronomist, scientist,<br />
nutritionist, veterinarian, logistics expert, mathematician<br />
and genealogist.<br />
He must be able to plan the grazing patterns and ensure there is<br />
sufficient grass to maintain a healthy flock, he must then plan<br />
the vaccination and worm control programmes, supplementary<br />
feeding plans, management plans and genetic matchmaking –<br />
and all this whilst dealing with the day to day chores and<br />
challenges thrown up by the sheep themselves.<br />
So, next time you’re taking a walk in the country, take a<br />
moment to look over the hedge and spend some time watching<br />
the antics of these happy newborns, and remember the work of<br />
the shepherd in ensuring their safe arrival and<br />
continued wellbeing.<br />
33
FARMING - Sponsored by NFU Mutual<br />
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Being a landowner brings many<br />
responsibilities. One of these is for the<br />
management of the countryside and<br />
wildlife that it supports. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
many legislations and laws governing<br />
what you can and cannot do on your<br />
own land and these seem to be<br />
increasing weekly with new<br />
Government Policies that appear to<br />
discourage farmers from farming their<br />
own land!<br />
In my opinion we have a rich and<br />
diverse countryside because of the way<br />
it has been managed by farmers and<br />
landowners. For many it is a labour of<br />
love and quality of life as opposed to<br />
rich rewards.<br />
ELS and HLS are two of the latest<br />
schemes from DEFRA encouraging<br />
farmers to be more environmentally<br />
friendly towards wildlife. <strong>The</strong>se will<br />
have many benefits not only for birds,<br />
wildlife and insects but will also benefit<br />
walkers, horse riders and other<br />
countryside users with their increased<br />
activity.<br />
Some of the changes that you will see<br />
include; more over wintering of stubble<br />
that provides important food source for<br />
seed-eating birds, habitats for brown<br />
hares and breeding sites for ground<br />
nesting birds such as lapwing and<br />
curlew: Buffer strips and field margins,<br />
that will protect habitats from<br />
fertilisers and pesticides: Beetle banks<br />
to create new habitats for insects,<br />
grasses and wildlife corridors. ‘Wild<br />
bird seed mixtures’ and ‘Pollen and<br />
nectar flowers mixtures’ will increase<br />
food for farmland birds and benefit<br />
insects such as butterflies and bees.<br />
Farming is changing and with it the<br />
landscape of our Island. Whether this<br />
is the best for our wildlife, time will<br />
tell. I only know that the countryside<br />
takes a lot of looking after, it doesn’t<br />
just happen naturally.<br />
We take a look at<br />
Dunsbury Farm, Brook.<br />
Farming the countryside<br />
By Tony Ridd<br />
Above: A good<br />
example of a Field<br />
Margin<br />
Left: A lone field<br />
mouse<br />
Right: Curlew, quite<br />
rare, found in the<br />
West Wight.<br />
Bottom Left: Brown<br />
Hare.<br />
Bottom Right: Field<br />
Pansies.<br />
34 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Better life for the chicken<br />
With the explosion in food quality<br />
awareness across the UK, we take a look<br />
at what “locally produced food” really<br />
means. Starting in this issue, we talk to<br />
local poultry producers Sue & Paul<br />
Brownrigg from Godshill about their<br />
“locally produced” poultry.<br />
Farming poultry, like any other<br />
type of farming, starts with a big<br />
decision: whether to be a small<br />
producer (raising around 10,000<br />
chickens a year), or a mass market<br />
supplier (100,000 chickens a year)<br />
which involves big-scale<br />
investment, high staff levels and<br />
huge premises.<br />
Sue & Paul opted for being small<br />
producers. Currently on their farm<br />
in Sheepwash Lane, they stay<br />
within the 10,000 a year quota.<br />
Says Sue: “It makes it a<br />
manageable-sized business, one in<br />
which we can ensure the quality,<br />
and well-being of our chickens”<br />
<strong>The</strong> couple buy in their chicks at<br />
just a day old from the mainland.<br />
As Sue explains: “Incubating and<br />
hatching the eggs on the Island is<br />
an extreme science, and if you<br />
have not got the perfect conditions<br />
it becomes an almost impossible<br />
task. <strong>The</strong> fall- out rate becomes<br />
extremely high, so<br />
it makes better<br />
business sense to<br />
buy the chicks in”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chicks are then<br />
introduced into the<br />
farm, where in the<br />
first 4 weeks of<br />
their lives they are<br />
kept in heated<br />
sheds, until they are ready to venture<br />
outside.<br />
Once outside, they are completely free to<br />
roam during the day, hence the term freerange.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chickens have a normal<br />
healthy existence for their lifetime,<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
- and the consumer<br />
unlike battery hens which are kept in<br />
extremely compact conditions, and never<br />
see daylight throughout the whole of<br />
their existence.<br />
Most supermarket chickens are processed<br />
at the age of 6 weeks, whereas Sue’s<br />
chickens are processed at<br />
around 10 weeks. So they<br />
have not only a better<br />
quality of life, they have a longer one.<br />
Apart from selling their chickens to<br />
members of public, the Brownriggs also<br />
supply local catering businesses.<br />
Another good outlet for them is the<br />
farmers market in Newport Square<br />
Sponsored by NFU Mutual - FARMING<br />
every Friday.<br />
Sue commented: “Customers love coming<br />
to the market, as they are able to talk to<br />
the farmers who actually produce the<br />
food, and ask the farmers how the food<br />
was raised or grown. Customers know<br />
what they are buying, and they are<br />
supporting local farmers.<br />
“This is important, as 40 years<br />
ago there were over 240<br />
producing farms on the Island -<br />
now there are no more than 24.”<br />
If you would like to try one of<br />
Sue’s tasty chickens they do<br />
offer a free Island-wide delivery<br />
service, or alternatively, pop<br />
down to the farmers’ market on<br />
a Friday.<br />
Tel: 01983 840978<br />
35
Countryside<br />
Your Countryside Matters<br />
In this issue Tony Ridd of Landscape<br />
<strong>The</strong>rapy looks at the tradition and<br />
importance that hedgerows in our landscape<br />
still have:<br />
Saturday 25th February saw the ‘15th<br />
Annual Hedgelaying Competition’ take place<br />
at Blackwater Hollow. Twenty four<br />
competitors, a record for the competition<br />
and over 350 spectators enjoyed a sunny but<br />
bitterly cold day.<br />
Hedgerows are an important part of our<br />
landscape, used to divide fields and define<br />
boundaries. Although hedges are believed<br />
to date back over 1200 years ago to our<br />
Saxon ancestors, hedge planting only really<br />
took off in the 15th and 16th Century. <strong>The</strong><br />
craft of hedgelaying was not commonly<br />
practised, until the 18th century.<br />
Hedgelaying is important to conserve a<br />
healthy and ‘full’ hedge. Traditionally<br />
carried out to maintain a boundary and<br />
retain livestock that included, sheep, pigs,<br />
cattle and horses, it is now practised for the<br />
conservation of wildlife habitats,<br />
rejuvenating derelict hedges and to improve<br />
the aesthetics of our landscape.<br />
To lay a hedge well, takes experience and<br />
regular practice. You start off by cleaning<br />
out the hedge, removing brambles and<br />
ground vegetation. Select the<br />
pleachers (the name given to the<br />
stem that are cut and laid), partly cut<br />
the pleacher using a billhook, axe or<br />
saw until the pleacher can be bent<br />
over retaining a hinge of bark, sap<br />
wood and cambium that will allow<br />
the pleacher to regrow.<br />
Stakes are then knocked into the<br />
ground at regular intervals and<br />
heathers (whippy lengths of hazel)<br />
are woven around the top<br />
strengthening the hedge and holding<br />
down the pleachers.<br />
Laying a hedge not only improves the<br />
area around that hedge, it also<br />
encourages good woodland<br />
management as a source of<br />
hedgelaying material.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hedgelaying Competition<br />
consists of three categories, open,<br />
novice and team. It is jointly organised by<br />
myself and Matthew Chatfield, Senior<br />
Countryside Officer for the Isle of Wight<br />
Council. It is supported by Wight Wildlife<br />
who give an award to ‘<strong>The</strong> Landowner in<br />
recognition to their valuable contribution to<br />
hedgerow conservation on the Island’,the<br />
AONB Partnership and <strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight<br />
College Countryside Section.<br />
Thankfully because of our Island<br />
countryside there is a growing interest in<br />
conserving our hedgerows and this is<br />
reflected in the competition, with high<br />
standards being achieved each year and the<br />
demand for hedges to be laid increasing.<br />
Look out for next years competition that<br />
will be held on the last Saturday in<br />
February.<br />
<strong>The</strong> W Hurst and Son Challenge Cup for<br />
open competition – 1 Dick Pulleine, 2<br />
James Cook, 3 Tom Murphy; <strong>The</strong> Mary<br />
Sitch Challenge Cup for Novices – 1 Oz<br />
Hoskyns, 2 Alex Holmes 3, Rob Richards;<br />
<strong>The</strong> Landscape <strong>The</strong>rapy Team Trophy – 1<br />
<strong>The</strong> Artists (Paul Sivell, Tim Johnson and<br />
Gavin Hodgson), 2 Never Mind the<br />
Billhooks (Rob Jones, Simon Sherry and<br />
Grace Booth) 3 Great Curtailers (Matt<br />
Arum, Chris Gibson and Darren Sharpe);<br />
<strong>The</strong> Wight Wildlife Conservation Award –<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Seely of Dunsbury<br />
Farm, Brook.<br />
Contributor Tony Ridd<br />
Results: Top: Rob<br />
Richards, 2nd<br />
in the Novice<br />
Section.<br />
Left: Matthew<br />
Chatfield<br />
presenting 3rd<br />
place to Tom<br />
Murphy.<br />
Below: Never<br />
Mind the<br />
Billhooks and<br />
Judge John<br />
Kingswell.<br />
36 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Sponsored by Landscape <strong>The</strong>rapy - COUNTRYSIDE<br />
Planting programme<br />
underway...<br />
Winter is the busiest time when carrying<br />
out woodland work; coppicing hazel,<br />
felling large standard trees and planting<br />
trees and shrubs to create new woods and<br />
habitats.<br />
Landscape <strong>The</strong>rapy are carrying out all of<br />
these operations in Briddlesford Copse. A<br />
230 acre native woodland, owned by the<br />
‘People’s Trust for Endangered Species’. It<br />
includes ancient woodland, meadows and<br />
miles of hedgerows that help create a<br />
wonderful habitat for wildlife. It is one of<br />
the most important sites for woodland<br />
mammals in the UK; dormice, red squirrels<br />
and rare woodland bats all living and<br />
breeding here.<br />
As part of their studies, students from the<br />
Isle of Wight College spent the day<br />
working with Landscape <strong>The</strong>rapy learning<br />
how important woodland management<br />
was to preserving the habitats that<br />
woodlands have to offer.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y planted trees and shrubs, grown<br />
<strong>The</strong> Conservation Skills Team<br />
and full time students from the<br />
IW College.<br />
Badgers, love them or<br />
hate them?<br />
from seeds and nuts collected from the<br />
copse. Protected them with guards and<br />
then mulched with woodchip that they<br />
produced from the coppiced hazel and<br />
felling of larger trees. This will aid growth<br />
through suppressing weeds and retaining<br />
moisture in the spring and summer.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process of coppicing and felling of<br />
trees can sometimes upset people if they<br />
do not know or understand what is<br />
happening. This is a way of managing<br />
woodland that has been carried out in our<br />
country for over 5000 years, resulting in<br />
the massive biodiversity that our woods<br />
have to offer. After coppicing takes place<br />
the woodland floor will come alive with<br />
flowers that may have been lying dormant<br />
for many years.<br />
Research is constantly being carried out in<br />
Briddlesford Copse so access is generally<br />
limited to public footpaths. However<br />
greater access can be enjoyed through<br />
Hurst Copse found near Wootton and still<br />
part of the Peoples Trust estate.<br />
Paul Coleman (technician) overseeing timber<br />
extraction by the students.<br />
Simon Cribb using woodchip to mulch a<br />
newly planted tree.<br />
Stevie Boudewijin chipping brash<br />
in the copse.<br />
‘Assistant Lectricuar’ John<br />
Hobart showing Anthony Biggs<br />
one of the hazel plants before<br />
planting.<br />
37
Equestrian<br />
Boring old gumboots get a new<br />
lease of life with this range of<br />
snazzy wellies, new in at<br />
Froghill Tack.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fun wellies come in a<br />
range of great designs suitable<br />
for both adults and kids. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are even co-ordinating umbrellas and rain<br />
macs - and if you want to go the whole hog,<br />
then you can even buy the matching Garden<br />
Kloggies.<br />
<strong>The</strong> funky rain gear<br />
comes in over 10<br />
designs, ranging from girly Rose and Pansy,<br />
to animal-friendly Horse, Digger and Paws.<br />
So if you want to look cool whilst keeping<br />
dry in the great outdoors, make your way<br />
down to Froghill at Sandford, and pick your<br />
style.<br />
Wellies that<br />
make a real<br />
splash!<br />
Let there be<br />
light<br />
Estimates suggest there are a<br />
staggering 10,600 accidents<br />
involving horses on the road<br />
each year – that’s almost 30<br />
per day! What’s more, over<br />
100 horses are killed on UK<br />
roads every year.<br />
Shocking statistics like these<br />
show why more and more riders<br />
are using reflective clothing,<br />
both for themselves and their<br />
horses.<br />
Wearing reflective clothing is a<br />
step in the right direction, but<br />
since it only works when lit by<br />
approaching headlights or some<br />
other light source, it’s not<br />
perfect - and in some cases, can<br />
be too little, too late.<br />
That’s why PolyBrite have<br />
devised a neat solution to the<br />
growing problem. <strong>The</strong> company<br />
has incorporated a patented<br />
advanced Polymer/LED lighting<br />
technology into its garments,<br />
which means that riders do not<br />
have to rely on outside light<br />
sources. <strong>The</strong> innovative and<br />
durable lighting system operates<br />
on two ordinary AA batteries or<br />
a 2032 Lithium battery.<br />
<strong>The</strong> light – which can be set on<br />
constant or flashing - is visible<br />
from up to 3000 metres at<br />
night, in low light, and no-light<br />
situations, and the two AA<br />
batteries will last up to 450hrs<br />
in flashing mode. <strong>The</strong> full range<br />
includes horse bibs, exercise<br />
sheets, vests and arm and leg<br />
bands, and all can be washed as<br />
normal without having to<br />
remove the lighting strips.<br />
Call into Froghill at Sandford for<br />
more details or telephone<br />
01983 840205.<br />
Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill<br />
38 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Never too<br />
late to<br />
saddle<br />
up<br />
Horse riding lessons used to be regarded as a<br />
weekend activity that was strictly for the kids – but<br />
nowadays, more and more adults are taking up the<br />
pastime.<br />
It’s easy to see why. Riding is a relaxing sport that<br />
allows participants to get out into the fresh air, see<br />
more of the countryside, whilst benefitting from<br />
some good healthy exercise into the bargain.<br />
Good examples of these new adult riders are<br />
husband and wife John and Clare Baiche-Duke. Clare<br />
rode for 10 years as an adolescent, but like many<br />
others who ride at that age, she found that other<br />
commitments in her life took over as she got older,<br />
and the riding took a back seat.<br />
Clare said: “It’s funny, but riding stays in your<br />
blood, you always come back to it at some stage of<br />
your life”. This is precisely what happened recently<br />
when she and husband John decided to get back in<br />
the saddle.<br />
Clare, in her late 30s, managed to convince her<br />
husband (who had never ridden a horse in his life)<br />
to take lessons at Brickfields so they could go out<br />
riding together. John, 43, admits he was slightly<br />
apprehensive at first:<br />
John said “Initially I had some aches and pains in muscles that I<br />
have never used, and the hardest part for me was learning the<br />
rising trot. However, my instructor was very patient and I am so<br />
glad now that my wife talked me into riding. I can see exactly what<br />
she meant – it’s very relaxing and enjoyable”.<br />
John went for a one-hour lesson every week for 7 months, and he<br />
now has his own horse and rides out regularly with Clare. “It’s<br />
lovely, we just saddle up and off we go,” he says. “<strong>The</strong>re is so<br />
much countryside to explore, and you find that the Island looks<br />
completely different from the vantage point of a saddle”.<br />
Mary from Brickfields commented: “Clare and John are a real<br />
success story. You can see they really enjoy the whole experience,<br />
from the riding to looking after their horses”.<br />
She adds: “We can teach people of any age to ride. We live on a<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
A special report on the<br />
2006 IW Scurry...<br />
Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill - EQUESTRIAN<br />
beautiful Island, and in my opinion, there’s no better way to<br />
explore it than to go out on a horse”.<br />
Contrary to popular myth, horse riding need not be an expensive<br />
pastime. Lessons cost from £15 per half hour and once a rider is<br />
confident in the saddle they have two options: either paying to go<br />
out on a weekly hack (approx £25 for an hour) or investing in their<br />
own horse.<br />
Buying a horse needs to be considered very carefully as the animal<br />
will need attention on a daily basis - come rain or shine.<br />
Expect to pay around £3,000 for a steady reliable horse and from<br />
£500/£800 for tack.<br />
For futher details call Brickfields on 01983 566801.<br />
39
EQUESTRIAN - Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill<br />
“Even horses hate<br />
going to the dentist”<br />
Emma Orchard-Ohlson has been bitten,<br />
kicked and knocked unconscious during<br />
her career as an equine dental<br />
technician – but amazingly, this has<br />
done nothing to put her off her unusual<br />
job. In fact, according to Emma: “It’s<br />
the best job in the world”. We caught<br />
up with this fearless woman to get the<br />
low-down… straight from the<br />
horse’s mouth.<br />
Were you always interested in horses?<br />
I was practically born in the saddle, as my<br />
mum was into dressage and my dad was a<br />
show hunter breeder.<br />
Have you always lived on the Island?<br />
I was actually born in Reigate, but have been<br />
on the Island since I was five years old. I<br />
spent a year away show jumping in Australia.<br />
Where did you train to become an equine<br />
dentist?<br />
I did two years HND at West Oxfordshire<br />
College followed by one and a half years at<br />
Shires Equine Dental College<br />
in Cambridge, under the<br />
instruction of Gary Draper.<br />
What is your best memory<br />
of training?<br />
Getting a star (top grade) for<br />
my final practical exam! Also<br />
only 3 of us were asked back<br />
to teach at college, this was a<br />
huge honour.<br />
And your worst?<br />
Having a horse roll over on<br />
me! Also, having a horse rear<br />
up whilst my hand was<br />
trapped in the GAG, which<br />
was very painful.<br />
What made you choose<br />
horse dentistry?<br />
I originally trained as a riding<br />
instructor and was not<br />
enjoying it, so friend’s of<br />
mine sent an application on<br />
my behalf to the college –<br />
without me even knowing<br />
about it - and I was accepted!<br />
What hours do you work?<br />
Seven days a week, and I am<br />
on call 24/7. <strong>The</strong>re have<br />
been times when I have been<br />
called out at 3.30am on a<br />
Sunday morning, which is<br />
not fun!<br />
Do you travel to the mainland to work?<br />
Yes, in fact I travel all over the world. I have<br />
been to Greece, France, Wales and Scotland, I<br />
also teach courses on the mainland, as well<br />
as abroad.<br />
Do you have to sedate horses in your<br />
work?<br />
Yes sometimes I do, however this is done<br />
under the supervision of a fully qualified vet<br />
just in case there are any unforeseen<br />
problems.<br />
Do horses have the same dental problems<br />
as humans?<br />
Yes, but the most common problem is sharp<br />
points caused by the horse grinding on hay.<br />
Since qualifying what is your worst<br />
experience?<br />
Being knocked unconscious when a horse<br />
reared up and struck out with a front leg.<br />
Can horses have crowns and false teeth?<br />
Yes, they can have crowns - although a single<br />
crown can cost up to £1,500, so in most cases<br />
it is not advisable.<br />
How badly have you been bitten?<br />
Fairly severely – bad enough to draw blood<br />
anyway.<br />
How often do horses need to have checkups?<br />
Like humans, it’s advisable to have them<br />
checked every six months.<br />
Do you think owners care enough about<br />
their horses’ teeth, and have them checked<br />
regularly enough?<br />
I don’t think people realise how often they<br />
should be attended to. I think an awareness<br />
campaign is needed within the equestrian<br />
community. Bad or painful teeth in a horse<br />
can cause all sorts of problems.<br />
Do horses lose teeth with age?<br />
Yes they do.<br />
Why should an owner choose to use<br />
yourself rather than their own vet?<br />
Because I am a specialist in my field and have<br />
spent over two years training in horse<br />
dentistry, whereas a vet will spend perhaps<br />
only a week.<br />
Now you’re qualified, do you still enjoy the<br />
job?<br />
I love my work - it’s the best job in the world.<br />
When you’re not working, how do you<br />
spend your leisure time?<br />
I love surfing - and riding my own horses.<br />
Do you see horse dentistry changing?<br />
I think it will become more popular, and the<br />
technology is evolving rapidly all the time.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be more options open for us in the<br />
future.<br />
40 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
“Teaching Madonna was<br />
an event to remember!”<br />
We caught up with Dorset-based international eventer William Fox-Pitt on a<br />
visit to the Island’s Lake Farm, and discovered more about the top-class<br />
horseman - including the part he played in teaching pop icon Madonna.<br />
He wasn’t exactly born in the saddle, but 37<br />
year-old William Fox-Pitt could be said to<br />
have horsemanship in his genes. His mother<br />
rode for the British eventing team and his<br />
father competed at Badminton and Burghley,<br />
so it was hardly surprising that the young<br />
William would take to the saddle at the age<br />
of two.<br />
He actually started eventing at 15, but it was<br />
not until he graduated from London<br />
University in 1993 that it became his career.<br />
Now dubbed the Pony Club pin-up, he has a<br />
list of trophies and honours to his name,<br />
including European Championship gold<br />
medals in 2001 and 2003 and a string of first<br />
and second placings at Burghley, Badminton<br />
and Gatcombe.<br />
Last year was an excellent one for the team -<br />
William being placed second in the FEI World<br />
Rankings, and for the fifth year running,<br />
being named as the leading UK rider.<br />
As well as eventing full time, William is also<br />
Board Director of the Event Riders<br />
Association, and Vice President of the Dorset<br />
County RDA.<br />
When did you first get on a horse?<br />
I don’t really remember, as I was so young. I<br />
think my parents had me on a pony probably<br />
when I was two. My passion took a long time<br />
to develop.<br />
Did you learn to ride bareback?<br />
Oh yes! Pony racing with just head collars on<br />
etc. Although we always wore a riding hat.<br />
Do you still ride bareback?<br />
No - certainly not. It was one thing sitting on<br />
a fat 12.2 pony when you’re 8 years old<br />
bareback, its quite another thing sitting on a<br />
bony 17.2 thoroughbred!<br />
What has been your experience of teaching<br />
Madonna?<br />
It’s been quite funny. She comes across as a<br />
real enthusiast. She’s passionate about<br />
horses, so it’s been fun teaching that type of<br />
person. Her PA tracked me down, as I am<br />
quite local, and she wanted someone to give<br />
her a few pointers. Madonna is very keen on<br />
her riding. She has fully recovered from her<br />
fall in the summer and is back in the saddle.<br />
She has a very nice horse that is well suited<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
to her, as she has only been<br />
riding since February last year.<br />
How do you find time for<br />
teaching?<br />
It has to fit in with my<br />
schedule, but my priority is<br />
always competing. At the<br />
same time I enjoy teaching<br />
and it’s very important to find<br />
time for it, as you only learn<br />
how to teach well by actually<br />
doing it!<br />
Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill - EQUESTRIAN<br />
How does this all fit in with<br />
your family life?<br />
My family life is fairly hectic,<br />
but I would not have it any<br />
other way. I think I am very<br />
lucky to be busy. My wife has<br />
a busy working life, so our<br />
little boy has to fit in. I hope that when he is<br />
older he’ll work as hard, too. When we are all<br />
together, it’s great to be able to enjoy the<br />
time we have with him.<br />
Would you want your son to follow in your<br />
footsteps?<br />
No … I hope he does something that makes a<br />
bit more money! Perhaps I’ll buy him a golf<br />
club! <strong>The</strong> privilege of being involved in any<br />
sport is having that passion, and if my son’s<br />
passion is horses then we will certainly be<br />
behind him. However if it turns out that<br />
horses are not his thing, then we will<br />
definitely not push him. Horses are an allconsuming<br />
24/7 life and you need to love it. I<br />
just hope that he is passionate about<br />
something.<br />
Do you think there is enough sponsorship<br />
for top class eventing?<br />
Sponsorship is particularly hard to come by,<br />
especially at the moment. Eventing is an<br />
expensive sport, and riders are always<br />
looking at ways of getting backing, and<br />
finding good horses. This was one of the<br />
reasons I started the Fox-Pitt Eventing Club.<br />
It means I can run the horses, and people can<br />
enjoy watching them. Gone are the days of<br />
big sponsorship deals. You’ve got to make do<br />
with endorsement and whatever else you can<br />
get.<br />
Do you think that the lack of big<br />
sponsorship holds the UK back in such<br />
events as the Olympics?<br />
We are very lucky that we now have UK Sport<br />
and Lottery funding, which is all very new.<br />
Other countries have had government<br />
funding for a long time, whilst we in the UK<br />
haven’t. <strong>The</strong> up-and-coming riders are getting<br />
much more of a kick-start than we ever did.<br />
What’s been your best ever moment?<br />
Probably winning Burghley in 94. I was 24 so<br />
it happened early on in my career. It was an<br />
indescribable feeling - in a way, the pressure<br />
was off, I had won a four star, and it also<br />
made me very hungry. Now I know what I<br />
really do want - I want it to happen again. On<br />
the other side if it doesn’t happen again at<br />
least I’ve achieved it once!<br />
What’s your worst moment ever as an<br />
eventer?<br />
I’ve had a few...Tamarillo being lame at the<br />
Olympic games, after the cross country when<br />
he was lying in 5th place but in contention.<br />
Probably the absolute worst moment would<br />
be having a fall into the lake at Badminton<br />
when my horse broke its neck, and had to be<br />
put down. I think that that’s as bad as it<br />
gets, losing a horse that you trust and have<br />
got a very close partnership with.<br />
41
EQUESTRIAN - Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill<br />
“I arrived with ten pounds<br />
and a box of tools...”<br />
Herefordshire-born Phil Legge came to the<br />
Isle of Wight as a 20 year-old farrier, with<br />
an ultimatum from his father ringing in his<br />
ears: he had to give the move a good go,<br />
and so was forbidden from returning home<br />
for 12 months. As it turned out, he ended<br />
up loving the Island so much that he made<br />
his life here – and established Brickfields,<br />
the well-known equestrian centre and<br />
tourist attraction in Ryde.<br />
Here we talk to Phil about the early<br />
struggles and successes, his love for his<br />
adopted home – and his ambitious plans for<br />
the future.<br />
Born in Hereford in 1952, Phil grew up on<br />
his parents’ 150-acre dairy farm. He was one<br />
of a large family of six children, and<br />
because there was not enough money in<br />
farming in those days for all six of the<br />
Legge brood to earn a living at it, they all<br />
ended up venturing off into different<br />
trades.<br />
Phil failed the 11-plus and admits to<br />
skipping school a lot of the time to help his<br />
father on the farm or attend horse sales. “I<br />
was probably learning more at home than I<br />
was at school,” recalls Phil. “In fact, the<br />
only level I got was a spirit level!”<br />
Phil was passionate, though, when it came<br />
to horses. He had been riding them since<br />
the tender age of two, being led round the<br />
field by his father. By the age of four, he<br />
had his own pony to ride round the farm,<br />
and was a member of the North<br />
Herefordshire Pony Club for several years.<br />
Phil’s earliest experience of the equestrian<br />
business was buying “green” (unbroken)<br />
horses with his father, bringing them on<br />
and then selling them for profit. This gave<br />
him a wealth of experience in riding<br />
difficult horses. “As soon as I got a horse<br />
right, my father would sell it on to anyone<br />
with a pocket full of money” he recalls. “I<br />
always had something to ride, and I always<br />
had the best pony!”<br />
On leaving school at 14, Phil had already<br />
decided he wanted to be a farrier, and<br />
managed to secure an apprenticeship in the<br />
nearby market town of Bromyard, with J.G<br />
Searle & Son.<br />
“This provided a solid grounding for me, as<br />
J.G Searle had many elements to the<br />
business, including, agricultural<br />
engineering, blacksmiths, farriery shop,<br />
coach builders, and undertakers, so it gave<br />
me a wide and varied experience, all within<br />
one business” says Phil, who spent five<br />
years working there.<br />
“Although I just concentrated on the<br />
farriery, I did help out a lot in the other<br />
areas of the business, which gave me a good<br />
grounding for future life. During the five<br />
years of the apprenticeship, I spent 16<br />
weeks at college every year, which I loved.<br />
In fact I excelled in college. I built a really<br />
good relationship with my tutor Billy Watts<br />
who was a world champion farrier for two<br />
years running. He took me under his wing<br />
and looked after me”.<br />
Once Phil finished his apprenticeship, he<br />
had a gentleman’s agreement with his boss<br />
that he would not set up in business in the<br />
same area.<br />
“As I am a man of my word, I looked<br />
elsewhere to set up” he says. “At the time, a<br />
neighbour of mine had just come back to<br />
the Isle of Wight after visiting a friend of<br />
his (Harold George). I was told to give<br />
Harold a call as he could not get his horses<br />
shod on the Island because of a lack of<br />
farriers.<br />
“Harold suggested I should come down and<br />
have a look, and my father drove me here<br />
because my van would not make the<br />
journey. I was 20 then, and weighed 10<br />
stone!<br />
“On the way home I thought what a long<br />
way from home this was. It was a big step<br />
to move all this way, as I had never been<br />
away from home before. I had no money at<br />
the time as I was earning only £9 per week<br />
when I finished my apprenticeship.<br />
“However, my father said to me that if I<br />
decided to go, I had to agree to stay for at<br />
least 12 months, and not come back before<br />
the 12 months was up. He also said he’d<br />
pay a deposit on a mini pickup for me, to<br />
make sure I turned up with the right image.<br />
“So I came to the Island with a £750 mini<br />
pickup on HP, a box of tools, and about £10<br />
42 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
in my pocket, nothing else!<br />
Phil moved into digs in Sandown, and also<br />
rented a little lock-up in Ryde’s East Street,<br />
with two stables attached. His digs and<br />
workshop rent was only £8 per week, and at<br />
the time the going rate for a set of<br />
horseshoes was £2.50.<br />
“I used to make all the shoes myself from<br />
straight bars, as this was cheaper than<br />
buying them in” he says. “I only worked 5<br />
days a week, and was shoeing about 10<br />
horses a day, so I found myself suddenly<br />
very well off. I used to go home almost<br />
every weekend. <strong>The</strong> first two years on the<br />
Island was great fun, I had never earned so<br />
much money, and within 12 months I had a<br />
new car and a new pickup. All in all, I had<br />
the time of my life”.<br />
He met his wife-to-be, Pam, at one of the<br />
horse shows he used to go to. He recalls<br />
that once they started going out together, he<br />
didn’t seem to go back home to<br />
Herefordshire quite so frequently at<br />
weekends! He and Pam were married in<br />
1975, at Godshill Church, and soon<br />
afterwards they purchased Brickfields,<br />
although it was not exactly the place it is<br />
now.<br />
“Back then, it was a cottage and four acres<br />
of grounds, and a couple of tin sheds,” says<br />
Phil. “It had been a brick works. It wasn’t<br />
very expensive, as in those days you could<br />
buy a good house in a street for around<br />
£7,000. Brickfields was a little bit more than<br />
that though”.<br />
Phil and Pam couldn’t buy Brickfields on a<br />
normal building society mortgage because<br />
they had no books, no history… and,<br />
besides, the property was unmortgageable.<br />
In the event, a very generous local family<br />
loaned the money to purchase the property.<br />
“I had paid them back the money within a<br />
few years of borrowing it, with interest”<br />
says Phil, “ but I will never forget this kind<br />
act. I also had a lot of help from all my<br />
neighbours around me. <strong>The</strong>y looked after<br />
me, and the Isle of Wight took me in, I<br />
suppose, I was very lucky, as really I was an<br />
outsider but I was a farrier, and the Island<br />
desperately needed a farrier”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> house itself was a shell, with no<br />
kitchen, no bathroom – and therefore a lot<br />
of work to do. Most of it was done in the<br />
evenings and weekends as Phil could not<br />
afford to pay anybody. “Everything was<br />
falling down,” he says. “We moved into the<br />
house with a tap on the wall and a drain in<br />
the corner”.<br />
In 1977 he built a new shed to house a<br />
caravan, which he and Pam used to use to<br />
take to all the shows to sell saddlery.<br />
“We used to wheel that caravan from the<br />
barn, drive to the show, pitch up, and then I<br />
used to go down the pub and leave Pam to<br />
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Sponsored by Brickfields and Froghill - EQUESTRIAN<br />
sell the saddlery, because Sunday was my<br />
only day off! We used to drive back home,<br />
back the caravan into the barn, and hey<br />
presto we had a ready-made shop. We built<br />
a good business up with this during the<br />
summer months”.<br />
“This began to make us think about the<br />
winter months, when there was very little<br />
happening, and we decided to build an<br />
inside school where we could sell our<br />
saddlery all year round, as no one else on<br />
the Island was doing this.<br />
“So we applied for planning permission in<br />
1980/81 for the indoor school, car parks and<br />
refreshment areas, and that’s how the<br />
Brickfields Arena as you know it today was<br />
born”.<br />
Having got the planning permission, Phil<br />
then faced the job of financing the<br />
ambitious project.<br />
“I donned my best suit and approached my<br />
banks and got as much help from them as I<br />
could, in the way of loans and overdrafts,”<br />
he says. “However, I wish I had known then<br />
what I know now about borrowing money. I<br />
could have borrowed far more cheaply.<br />
“I could have been a lot wiser perhaps. I<br />
never planned anything really, things just<br />
happened”.<br />
“One of the comments people make to me<br />
nowadays is ‘why didn’t you do it this way<br />
or that way?’ I did it the way I could afford<br />
to do it at the time. People have to realise<br />
this - anyone can look back and say that’s<br />
easy to do...<br />
“With Brickfields, you’re always flying by<br />
the seat of your pants, and I don’t think<br />
that will ever change. I remember one<br />
horror story regarding the actual<br />
construction of the main arena. We had the<br />
building sitting at the docks waiting to<br />
come over, and the Building Inspector said<br />
that the ground was not good enough for<br />
the building to be erected on.<br />
“I phoned the manufacturers of the building<br />
and told them what the inspector was<br />
saying, and they promptly sent a professor<br />
from Oxford to the Island, who confirmed<br />
that the ground was more than good enough<br />
for the new building”.<br />
Now, Phil and his partner Mary (he and Pam<br />
are now divorced but on friendly terms) are<br />
looking to upgrade Brickfields again, by<br />
extending the arena to bring it up to<br />
international size. <strong>The</strong>y also have plans for<br />
a new heated viewing area, a re-vamp of the<br />
bar and restaurant area, more shelter and<br />
stables outside the arena, and a resurfacing<br />
of all the car park areas.<br />
As Phil reflects, Brickfields has been a long<br />
journey, with many a twist and turn, and in<br />
a strange way the most important one is<br />
about to happen.<br />
“Brickfields desperately needs to be<br />
modernised in order to remain attractive<br />
both to the locals and to tourists” he says,<br />
“and if for any reason planning permission<br />
cannot be granted, then I suppose it could<br />
all possibly end, because without the<br />
investment and modernisation it will be<br />
hard to sustain the interest of both locals<br />
and visitors. I believe Brickfields needs the<br />
investment and I am willing to take yet<br />
another chance and go for this”.<br />
Picture Below: Phil Legge with son Simon and young Shire Horse Harry.<br />
43
GARDENING<br />
Landscaping<br />
driveways<br />
for curb<br />
appeal<br />
Nothing is less inviting than a<br />
bare concrete driveway as an<br />
entrance to your property.<br />
With the need to<br />
accommodate more cars<br />
than ever, the nation’s front<br />
gardens are fast becoming<br />
ugly old parking spaces. But<br />
you can do better than that,<br />
even in a small space.<br />
<strong>The</strong> entrance to your driveway is also the<br />
entrance to your home as a whole. How your<br />
driveway entrance is landscaped sets the<br />
tone for the viewer’s perception of your<br />
home. This is especially so when a property<br />
is bordered by a fence or wall, which focuses<br />
even more attention on a boring driveway.<br />
Driveways are a necessity in front gardens<br />
but they do have a tendency to dominate the<br />
area. Without some added areas of interest,<br />
a driveway exists as a purely functional scar<br />
running up and down your front garden.<br />
Landscaping with a little creativity can bring<br />
some much needed curb appeal.<br />
Landscaping driveways can consist of both<br />
hardscape and softscape. Hardscape options<br />
consist of walls and fences, while your<br />
softscape options include flower beds,<br />
ground covers, ornamental trees and shrubs -<br />
space allowing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> possibilities for landscaping driveways<br />
are greatly enhanced if you plan on<br />
including walls. This sets a backdrop for<br />
pots, shrubs and flower borders. Hardscaping<br />
can either parallel the driveway along its<br />
whole length or meet the driveway at the<br />
opening to the road, perhaps with a gated<br />
entrance.<br />
Decide whether the purpose of the<br />
landscaping is to accent the entrance of the<br />
driveway, run the length of the driveway or<br />
44<br />
With a little imagination, you can make your<br />
driveway an attractive front garden feature<br />
rather than an eyesore.<br />
both. Just accenting the entrance can<br />
certainly be cheaper, which is important if<br />
your budget is small and your driveway<br />
large.<br />
Accenting the entrance to your driveway<br />
adds depth to your front garden. It<br />
interrupts a viewer’s gaze from looking<br />
directly at the house. While you can use<br />
softscape to do this, consider the possibility<br />
of theft or vandalism of planting areas close<br />
to the street. Shrubs planted too close to the<br />
side of the road have been known to<br />
disappear or be trampled all over during the<br />
night. A sensible choice would be both a<br />
combination of hardscape to clearly define<br />
your garden boundary with shrub planting<br />
tucked safely behind the wall or fence.<br />
As with any design feature, you should be<br />
thinking about where you would like a<br />
viewer’s gaze to be drawn. This involves<br />
choosing a feature of your property to<br />
emphasise or, indeed, disguise.<br />
An effective budget choice is to plant beds of<br />
colourful annuals along the sides, which will<br />
draw the viewer’s gaze to the final<br />
destination of your driveway. If that<br />
destination is a rather ordinary looking<br />
garage that is in plain view from the street,<br />
then drawing attention to this is not the<br />
best idea. Likewise, if your property is<br />
already dominated by too many straight<br />
lines, then planting your driveway’s edges<br />
with straight flower beds may add to the<br />
severity.<br />
Another useful trick of the eye would be to<br />
complement an accented driveway entrance<br />
with an accented doorway to the house. By<br />
drawing the eye from the landscaping of the<br />
driveway entrance to the front door, the eye<br />
will bypass a boring old driveway. With two<br />
visual points of interest, viewer’s eyes will<br />
feel welcomed twice over.<br />
Block Paving Contractors:<br />
G.P Installations - 01983 617171 - 07831 513616<br />
R.G Dixcey - 01983 526508 - 07814 005840<br />
C.J Construction - 01983 401647 - 07899 930244<br />
Landscape Gardners/Designers:<br />
Tony Ridd - 01983 740067 - 07966 292334<br />
S P Landscaping - 01983 614573 - 07855 820556<br />
Tim Brayford - 01983 551412<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Basic tools for<br />
the novice<br />
gardeners<br />
It is often difficult for the<br />
novice gardener to know<br />
what tools to buy. <strong>The</strong>re is a<br />
vast array available and they<br />
don’t come cheaply. Tools<br />
are a long-term investment<br />
so they should be selected<br />
with care.<br />
Good gardening tools will assist you in taking care of your plants as well as<br />
cultivating good growing conditions. Poor quality gardening tools can be<br />
detrimental to your garden and to you. <strong>The</strong>se can cause injury to your plants<br />
or to yourself. Gardeners should find the best quality garden tool that they<br />
can afford. <strong>The</strong>se provide quality work with the least labour possible.<br />
Always handle tools before purchase and try them for size. Look for a tool<br />
that feels comfortable in the hands, is a suitable weight, is an appropriate<br />
length and is well-balanced. Choose a good, well-respected brand, maintain<br />
the tool well and it could well outlive you.<br />
Below is a list of the essential garden tools and their uses.<br />
Spading fork: This is a multiuse gardening tool used for aerating and<br />
transplanting. You will need this for planting and splitting grasses and<br />
perennials as well as digging over soil and mulch.<br />
Hoe: A hoe is useful for weeding and cultivating the surface of the soil to<br />
allow penetration of nutrients and water.<br />
Cultivators: This modern gardening tool is available with patented tines to<br />
help in cutting the hard compacted soil smoothly. This garden tool helps<br />
extensively in preparing vegetable plots and flowerbeds.<br />
Rake: Buy a good rake, which has short tines on one side attached to a metal<br />
frame or bow. <strong>The</strong>se are used for levelling the soil after it has been turned<br />
and prior to planting or for removing large clods of earth or rocks from the<br />
soil. You can also turn a rake over and use the flat side to smooth soil in<br />
preparation for planting.<br />
Shears: Select a pair of garden shears that fits comfortably in your hands.<br />
Shears, sometimes called clippers, are used for pruning, shaping and<br />
removing foliage or branches.<br />
Secateurs: A pair of top quality secateurs is a good investment. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
essential for pruning and harvesting fruits, flowers and some vegetables. Buy<br />
a small pair for light pruning and a pair of heavy duty, long-handled<br />
secateurs for pruning woody branches.<br />
Trowel: A hand trowel is necessary for small planting jobs, weeding, mixing<br />
and fertilising.<br />
Watering can: Long nozzles allow water to flow at a gentle rate and are useful<br />
for reaching plants at a distance. Select a watering can with a detachable<br />
spray head for watering young seedlings. Plastic cans are lighter in weight<br />
and last longer than metal ones.<br />
Hose: Buy the best hose you can afford, as cheap ones tend to kink and snarl.<br />
Wheelbarrow: Before you purchase one, take it for a spin around the shop.<br />
Make sure that the handles are neither too wide nor too narrow and that the<br />
wheelbarrow isn’t too heavy.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Top crops<br />
in pots<br />
GARDENING<br />
Growing fruits and vegetables traditionally involves either a vegetable<br />
patch or greenhouse. <strong>The</strong> lack of space and growing interest in landscape<br />
and design has forced out fruit and vegetable crops from many gardens.<br />
However, it’s been revealed that potted crops can yield an abundant crop<br />
and look decorative to boot.<br />
As well as being productive, many fruit trees and bushes make beautiful<br />
plants in their own right. Growing them in pots makes good sense if you’re<br />
short of space. Even a humble gooseberry trained as a standard can be<br />
every bit as elegant as a much pricier clipped bay tree or box shrub.”<br />
A recent trial was conducted, which showed that gooseberries and<br />
strawberries did particularly well, bearing impressive crops in their first<br />
summer. Raspberries, a fruit that does not have a good reputation for<br />
thriving in pots, produced a good harvest, as did the orange, lemon and<br />
lime trees.<br />
Fruit that requires specific soil types, for example blueberries, which need<br />
free draining acid conditions to thrive, proved to be perfect for potting.<br />
Confined to containers with compost that suits them, plants can be grown<br />
regardless of soil type.<br />
<strong>The</strong> research also found that growing fruit in pots was a good way of<br />
overcoming difficulties such as pest infestation and bird damage, because<br />
smaller plants are easier to protect and treat.<br />
Like their larger counterparts, potted fruit have decorative spring blossom<br />
and attractive foliage, making them striking additions to patios and<br />
conservatories.<br />
Trailing tomatoes, peppers and green or golden courgettes can be grown in<br />
pots, as well as leafy salads, parsley, spring onions, mini-beetroot, sage,<br />
chives and many other vegetables and herbs.<br />
New or time-challenged gardeners will prefer to buy young plants from<br />
garden centres. Stay clear of leggy plants and ensure that you buy them<br />
early enough to establish for late summer crops.<br />
Try growing crops in tubs on your patio, hanging baskets or window boxes.<br />
A tomato tumbler will put on a spectacular show with masses of fruit and<br />
foliage spilling over the edge of the container.<br />
Sweet peppers are perfect for Mediterranean summer salads and the shiny<br />
fruits look delicious planted in a patio container. Courgette flowers grown<br />
in pots are both attractive and edible and the fruits make a tasty addition<br />
to any meal.<br />
Choosing your container<br />
Always choose large containers that can hold a generous quantity of<br />
compost. Small pots dry out quickly at the height of summer and don’t<br />
produce such luscious crops.<br />
Avoid plastic pots in windy areas, as these could blow over and damage the<br />
plants. Instead, choose colourful glazed or terracotta pots, ensuring they<br />
have a large drainage hole in the base.<br />
After putting in a layer of gravel or broken-up polystyrene, to improve<br />
drainage at the base, fill with compost. Any multi-purpose potting compost<br />
will do, including peat-free types or one specifically formulated for patio<br />
pots.<br />
To encourage better water retention, which is vital for many fruits – except<br />
citruses – and vegetables, you are advised to thoroughly mix in waterretaining<br />
gel crystals into the compost. At the same time, add sufficient<br />
slow-release fertiliser granules to provide nutrients right through summer.<br />
Always water crop plants before and immediately after planting.<br />
Adding canes or a plant support frame to the pot allows you to include<br />
climbers too, such as French and runner beans.<br />
45
GARDENING<br />
Splash<br />
out on<br />
a water<br />
feature<br />
It’s that time of year again, when you heave<br />
open the patio door and venture into what’s<br />
left of the garden, after the ravages of winter<br />
have taken their toll. It’s likely you’ll have<br />
some work to do – and if that work is likely<br />
to run to a makeover, then it’s worth<br />
knowing that this year, all that shingle and<br />
decking is out … and good old grass is<br />
making a comeback bid.<br />
Another old favourite on course for a revival<br />
this year is the relaxing water feature.<br />
Actually, water features never went away –<br />
although some of them left a lot to be desired<br />
in the tastefulness stakes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new generation of streamlined,<br />
sophisticated water features mean getting it<br />
right. So let’s start with services: how many<br />
gardens have you visited where you see an<br />
electricity cable running across the lawn, which<br />
is then plugged into a socket in the<br />
conservatory or kitchen? This looks so bad that<br />
we call it the fountain out of a box syndrome.<br />
Electricity is electricity - whether it is supplying<br />
a string of lights or a water feature pump.<br />
Remember, it can kill, so make sure any feature<br />
is installed correctly.<br />
<strong>The</strong> best option is to hire a fully qualified<br />
electrician to do the job (Islandwide Electrical<br />
Tel: 526061). Depending on the distance, it<br />
could cost anything between £70 and £500 to<br />
run a cable that will not end up frying your<br />
barbecue guests or the pet pooch.<br />
If you are a DIY-er intent on doing the job<br />
yourself, there are some basic rules you must<br />
46 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
follow:<br />
- Use armoured cable, available from most<br />
electrical suppliers, or ensure that the standard<br />
flex that’s supplied with most water features is<br />
run in tough plastic trunking.<br />
- Bury the cable at least 12” underground - any<br />
shallower and you’ll run the risk of clipping it<br />
with a fork or lawnmower.<br />
- If you don’t fancy digging, then run the cable<br />
above ground, along a fence at least 2 feet off<br />
the ground where it can be clearly seen. Clip<br />
the cable at 18” intervals on a piece of timber<br />
3” x 1/2” which you screw to the fence prior to<br />
fixing the cable. <strong>The</strong> most important thing is to<br />
ensure the cable is connected to an RCD unit,<br />
so it trips instantly if accidentally cut!<br />
With practical safety issues dealt with, you can<br />
now choose your water feature. Firstly, keep it<br />
in proportion to your garden. <strong>The</strong> Trafalgar<br />
Square fountain would look out of place in the<br />
average garden, yet a surprising number of<br />
people make this mistake and go for overkill.<br />
Another craze is to buy four or five different<br />
water features when it’s usually better to opt<br />
for just one striking centre piece that’s in<br />
proportion to the scale of its surroundings.<br />
Once you start looking, you’ll find a whole<br />
range of water feature types, from the spitter<br />
to the terrace pond, the natural cascade or the<br />
modern/contemporary design. Budget anything<br />
from £30 to £1,000 depending on the design<br />
and level of sophistication. All models come<br />
with pumps that can be replaced 5 years down<br />
the line if required..<br />
Your choice will come down to individual taste,<br />
but trend-watchers are expected to be going for<br />
the modern/contemporary looks this year (as in<br />
the example pictured above). <strong>The</strong>re are also<br />
water features suitable for use indoors, which<br />
work by re-circulating the water supply. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
are the perfect choice for conservatories or<br />
verandahs.<br />
If you’d like more expert advice, call in at Busy<br />
Bee Garden Centre, Brading Road, Ryde.<br />
Tel: 01983 811096.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
GARDENING<br />
47
FASHION<br />
<strong>The</strong> season of sensible, comfortable boots is drawing to a close,<br />
which means that most fashion conscious women will be getting a<br />
pedicure in preparation for sexy sandals. This season, sandals come<br />
with maximum height killer heels. While gorgeous and super sexy,<br />
these could seriously damage more than your little pinkies.<br />
Leading posture and performance expert Dax Moy warns women<br />
that the resurgence of the five inch-heel could seriously damage<br />
their health, not just by leading to postural problems, but also<br />
period pain and even infertility.<br />
Moy’s comment comes as many designer labels, high street stores<br />
and fashion magazines are unveiling their spring/summer<br />
collections aimed at getting British Women to ‘glam up’ by wearing<br />
the 70s-inspired five-inch ankle breakers.<br />
Just about all the major designers have gone high-rise in the sandal<br />
department this season. One of the hottest footwear designers to<br />
hit the catwalks is Camilla Skovgaard, who has collaborated with<br />
Matthew Williamson for his catwalk shows. Her shoes are hot to<br />
trot - well, you might just about manage to walk.<br />
<strong>The</strong> high street, as usual, will follow in the footsteps of the<br />
designer trends. Once again, women will be adopting the attitude of<br />
no pain, no gain. <strong>The</strong>y will suffer in silence as they dance the night<br />
away and take home a collection of nasty blisters. <strong>The</strong>y may even<br />
twist their ankle, if not break it. But the health issues extend far<br />
beyond these kinds of dangers, according to Moy.<br />
“Most women are intimately aware that the prolonged wearing of<br />
even moderate heels can cause foot, ankle and knee problems and<br />
lead to back pain, but very few are aware of the very real health<br />
consequences caused by these unnatural positions,” explains Moy.<br />
“It’s not just about the feet; it affects every single function in every<br />
48<br />
Trendy killer<br />
heels could<br />
damage more<br />
than your feet<br />
joint and muscle throughout the body and can seriously affect the<br />
health of women that insist upon wearing them.<br />
“More important than the postural problems involved, however, is<br />
the potential problems that high heels can cause in relation to<br />
fertility, menstrual cycles and abdominal function.<br />
“When you wear high-heels, the pressure on the front of the foot<br />
causes you to compensate by excessive forward tilting of the<br />
pelvis. This tilting allows the abdominal contents to spill forward,<br />
producing that ‘pouch’ that many women have wrongly come to<br />
think of as a fat stomach and in doing so compressing internal<br />
organs in a condition known as visceroptosis. If left unchecked,<br />
this can lead to menstrual dysfunction and increases in period<br />
pains as well as affecting the ability to conceive.”<br />
Moy told ITV’s This Morning viewers that the risks don’t stop<br />
there: “Neck, back, shoulder pain, stress headaches and even<br />
premature hair loss can all ensue as a result of ignoring the way<br />
your body is designed to work. Seriously, if you value your health<br />
in any way at all, avoid these aptly named ‘killer’ heels at all costs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re just not worth the risk.”<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Fashion<br />
for thirty-plus<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
OLSEN . BIANCA . GERRY WEBBER . PRET A PORTER<br />
GARDEUR . POLA . SLOPPY JOES . TRICKERS<br />
FASHION<br />
Open 7 Days<br />
Four Seasons<br />
<strong>The</strong> Old Smithy<br />
Godshill<br />
Tel: 01983 840364<br />
Open 7 days<br />
49
HEALTH & BEAUTY<br />
This season sees the return of<br />
the “Natural Look” at long last.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are many ways of<br />
achieving this as you all know,<br />
but what products are available<br />
on the market that feel light,<br />
and allow your skin to<br />
breathe, whilst at the same<br />
time offering an element of<br />
some protection.<br />
Jane Iredale has come up with the<br />
perfect solution, a range of sensibly priced<br />
skincare make-up that’s a new technology as<br />
opposed to a refinement of normal make-up. It offers, fast<br />
weightless coverage due to pure pigments and lack of fillers<br />
such as talc, UVA & UVB sun<br />
protection, minimum allergy<br />
risk, and a wide range of<br />
long lasting colours<br />
from foundations, to<br />
eye shadows, to<br />
blushers, to lip<br />
plumping colours<br />
and glosses.<br />
Great looking<br />
make-up needs<br />
a great<br />
foundation<br />
which means a<br />
healthy skin.<br />
P8-N8 skincare<br />
delivers<br />
stabilised<br />
oxygen to the<br />
deeper layers of<br />
the skin along with<br />
Japanese Green Tea, Vitamins A & E and enzymes, to reveal<br />
younger healthier fresher looking skin.<br />
Easy and straight forward to use it can be used by men, women,<br />
teenagers, sun-worshipers, smokers and finally yachties...<br />
Price guide P8-N8 - 30ml - £37<br />
Neither of these products are tested on animals and are only<br />
available at selected salons and cosmetic clinics such as <strong>The</strong><br />
Beauty Sanctuary, Sandown (Tel: 406934).<br />
Getting to<br />
the root<br />
of problem<br />
hair<br />
Each issue, we’ll focus on one of the most popular<br />
treatments on offer at the Orchard Cosmetic Skin Centre.<br />
This month: a revolutionary intense pulsed light system<br />
that offers relief to people suffering the embarrassment of<br />
excess body hair.<br />
For one 25 year-old Isle of Wight woman (who we’ll call Sally), life<br />
became almost unbearable after being diagnosed with poly-cystic<br />
ovary syndrome. <strong>The</strong> condition causes a dramatic increase in male<br />
sex hormone levels, leading to excess hair growth – and for Sally,<br />
the effects were devastating.<br />
“First I started growing sideburns, and the problem got worse over a<br />
period of five years. Hair started appearing on my chin and neck,<br />
and I had to wax regularly, which was unpleasant and painful.<br />
I’d have to pluck hairs for an hour before going out, to the point<br />
where I didn’t want to go anywhere.<br />
“Apart from the physical problems, I became withdrawn and was<br />
prescribed anti-depressants”.<br />
However, after just four Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments at the<br />
Orchard, Sally now says: “<strong>The</strong> difference is unbelievable. At least<br />
two thirds of the thick hair on my cheeks is gone and I’m confident<br />
that another one or two sessions will clear it completely”.<br />
She added: “My mum is so impressed that she’s now considering<br />
the treatment to remove hair from her top lip which has developed<br />
since the menopause”.<br />
So how does IPL work? According to Máire Rhatigan, the consultant<br />
ophthalmologist who runs the Orchard Cosmetic Skin Centre, it<br />
50 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
aims precisely-controlled pulses of filtered light into<br />
the skin. <strong>The</strong>se are absorbed by the melanin<br />
pigment in the hair, which heats up and destroys the<br />
cells responsible for hair growth.<br />
“It’s safe, non-invasive, non-surgical and does not<br />
involve medication,” says Máire, “but the best thing<br />
is that it’s the most<br />
permanent form of hair removal available. At least<br />
75% of the hair is removed permanently, and the rest<br />
grows back lighter and finer, and at a more normal<br />
rate.<br />
Men as well as women have been opting for the<br />
treatment – in the case of men, it’s usually to tame<br />
over-vigorous hair growth on back, shoulders and<br />
chest. Many women choose the treatment to give<br />
them "smooth summer legs" without the painful<br />
waxing.<br />
“Excess hair might sound trivial, but for those<br />
suffering from it, it definitely isn’t,” says Máire.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>y have to cover up in summer, refrain from<br />
swimming or playing sports – and, in some cases, are<br />
afraid to get involved in relationships”<br />
For excess hair sufferers, the other big advantage of<br />
IPL is that there is minimal discomfort – unlike<br />
painful waxing, electrolysis, and other forms of hair<br />
removal which many of them have tried.<br />
Said Sally: “I was worried that it might be painful<br />
but it really wasn’t. You have cooling gel applied as<br />
well as an air cooler, so you hardly feel anything”.<br />
Most patients notice a significant change after three<br />
treatments. <strong>The</strong> recommended course is 5-6<br />
treatments, but each patient is assessed individually.<br />
In fact the process begins with an individual 45minute<br />
consultation, which includes taking a patch<br />
test, medical history and photographs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> patient pays a consultation fee, but this is<br />
deducted from the first treatment. Expect to pay<br />
between £80 a session for the chin, to £120 for chin<br />
and upper lip and £300 for full leg.<br />
Patient Sally says that before she heard about the<br />
Orchard, she’d been investigating a similar treatment<br />
at a clinic in Southampton.<br />
“It was great to find I could have it done on the<br />
Island, because it saved me a lot of money on all<br />
those travelling costs.”<br />
Sally commented...<br />
Picture: before treatment.<br />
Picture: After treatment.<br />
HEALTH & BEAUTY<br />
Before treatment. After treatment.<br />
“Now I’ve done it, I’m really happy.<br />
To me, it’s been worth every penny!”<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net 51
Travel by<br />
Martin Eccott - Regent Travel<br />
Postcard from a<br />
Private Island<br />
Nestled into the peninsula of a private island,<br />
Beachcomber’s Sainte Anne Resort & Spa blends<br />
effortlessly with its surrounding natural beauty.<br />
With all the finesse of a 5 star Mauritian cousin, this hotel offers an<br />
excellent level of service, superb accommodation options and top<br />
class cuisine.<br />
Paradise location<br />
Strung like a string of pearls, the 115 islands that make up the<br />
Seychelles, experience a year round warm climate, crystal clear<br />
waters and some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world.<br />
Sainte Anne is an island gem framed by two beaches, situated in a<br />
National Marine Park and located a convenient 10 minute boat ride<br />
from Mahé. It is also the exclusive home to Beachcomber’s Sainte<br />
Anne Resort & Spa. This romantic retreat is the only hotel on the<br />
island and offers guests the perfect luxury hideaway.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Finer Points<br />
Villa accommodation is open plan with private, hedged garden and a<br />
staff entrance from the rear path to ensure absolute privacy at all<br />
times of the day. <strong>The</strong>re are five types of villa. <strong>The</strong> Beau Sejour is set<br />
within beautiful tropical gardens and the Villa Providence has an<br />
extensive living area with views across the gardens towards the<br />
beach. For larger parties, the Villa Bel Air is double the size of the<br />
providence and closer to the beach.<br />
Spa <strong>The</strong>rapy<br />
What better therapy than a day at the Clarins Spa? Set in a peaceful<br />
location, the spa is a true sanctuary for the senses with a full range<br />
of treatments available. Sample a luxurious massage with<br />
aromatherapy oils, as well as a full range of beauty treatments such<br />
as facial, manicure and pedicure – the perfect way to start off your<br />
holiday.<br />
Special Occasions<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sainte Anne Resort & Spa is ideal for couples celebrating a<br />
special occasion. During the day, relax on the beach or, on market<br />
days, take a boat trip to Mahé and visit the capital, Victoria. Every<br />
restaurant is ‘a la carte’ so you’ll always have a variety of dishes to<br />
choose from wherever you dine. Honeymooners are treated to fruit<br />
and flowers in the room on arrival and a small gift from the<br />
52 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
management. If you are a member of a wedding<br />
party or celebrating an anniversary, Beachcomber<br />
often offers discounts off your accommodation,<br />
too.<br />
Outdoor pursuits<br />
If you ever tire of the twin beaches, there are<br />
nature trails, mountain bikes for hire and<br />
although motorised sports are not permitted on<br />
this marine reserve, the snorkelling is some of<br />
the best in the world. Other water based<br />
activities include complimentary sailing,<br />
kayaking, pedaloes and glass-bottom boat trips<br />
with deep sea fishing, scuba diving and boat<br />
excursions to Praslin available at an extra cost.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Winter sun and ski<br />
holidays...<br />
Peace of Mind<br />
Beachcomber Tours are proud to say that the Sainte<br />
Anne Resort is one of its flagship properties and if<br />
you would like to find out more about this paradise<br />
island, the UK team regularly visit the island and<br />
will be delighted to offer first-hand advice on Sainte<br />
Anne or any of the other Beachcomber hotels that<br />
interest you. For more information call Regent<br />
Travel on 01983 863013.<br />
It’s a real deal...<br />
This is an unbelievable deal from Regent Travel, you<br />
can stay at the London Marriot Hotel (4 Star) in Maida<br />
Vale for 3 nights, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for only<br />
£99.00 p/p (room only). <strong>The</strong> offer is open from 1st<br />
May through to 9th July 2006. A great opportunity to<br />
go on that special shopping trip, take in a show and<br />
visit some of Londons amazing sites. Call Regent<br />
Travel on 01983 863013.<br />
London £99 - 3 nights - 4 star<br />
Sponsored by Regent Travel - TRAVEL<br />
Raising<br />
Funds<br />
Regent Travel and <strong>The</strong> Crab Inn<br />
are actively engaged in raising<br />
money for charities.<br />
Through donations, appeals,<br />
boxes and more recently with<br />
the help of the Crab Inn Quiz<br />
Nights!. Our last campaign was<br />
for Breast Cancer and between<br />
us both we managed to raise a<br />
total of £318 which was split<br />
equally between two charities.<br />
We are now raising money for<br />
the local Mountbatten Hospice<br />
and you are most welcome to<br />
join in the Quiz Nights, or make<br />
a donation to our appeal.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crab Inn Quiz takes place<br />
Tuesday evenings.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crab Inn, Old Village,<br />
Shanklin. Tel: (01983) 862363<br />
BOOK WITH<br />
REGENT<br />
TRAVEL<br />
and have piece of mind...<br />
Just to remind you<br />
about the benefits of<br />
booking through<br />
Regent Travel.<br />
1. A.B.T.A. and A.T.O.L.<br />
bonded holidays and flights.<br />
2. Professional advice.<br />
3. Personal attention from<br />
one of our Travel Consultants.<br />
4. NEW. Coffee is now<br />
available within our warm airconditioned<br />
office, offering<br />
you a relaxed, stress free and<br />
enjoyable booking experience<br />
– and don’t worry we also<br />
have decaffeinated!<br />
Confidence, Quality, Assurance<br />
and a Coffee?..<br />
53
LOCAL TOURISM<br />
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
We visit Melville Hall’s<br />
new Utopia Spa facility...<br />
Dine like a king<br />
at <strong>The</strong> Royal<br />
When hotel proprietor William Bailey took on the landmark Royal at<br />
Ventnor 11 years ago, he realised he was facing a gargantuan task.<br />
In fact, he recalls, the beautiful but faded Victorian hotel had<br />
certainly seen better days: “It was totally run down, and the food<br />
was disgusting” he declares.<br />
“We certainly had a challenge on our hands” explained William.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> hotel had been owned by Trust House Forte, and had lost all of<br />
its three stars from the AA. All the staff were fed up and demotivated,<br />
and one of the first tasks had to be to start building a top<br />
team, in a very short time”.<br />
Eleven years on, and the picture at the Royal couldn’t be more<br />
different. <strong>The</strong> Island’s only four star hotel, it now boasts two AA<br />
rosettes for its food, a standard which has been maintained<br />
consistently for the past seven years.<br />
“It takes a long time to build a top team,” says William, “so we are<br />
very fortunate to have kept the same brigade together for several<br />
years now”.<br />
Heading up the hotel’s culinary “dream team” for the past nine<br />
years has been head chef Allen Stayley, who trained at the Isle of<br />
Wight catering college before moving to what is arguably the most<br />
distinguished training ground in the UK – the Savoy in London,<br />
54 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
IN THE NEXT<br />
ISSUE...<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
We visit Bourne Hall<br />
Country House Hotel<br />
under the tutelage of world-renowned chef Anton Edelman.<br />
Allen also worked briefly on the QE2, before moving to another toprated<br />
hotel, the Chewton Glen, where he worked under head chef<br />
Pierre Chevillard, helping the hotel to achieve a Michelin star.<br />
However, the Island lad always had a yearning to return home – so<br />
when William Bailey offered him the job of head chef at the Royal,<br />
he jumped at the challenge.<br />
Allen explains that when he started out as a chef, he realised that to<br />
get on in his career would mean having to leave the Island and work<br />
in some of the top London restaurants.<br />
“Things have changed on the Isle of Wight now though,” he says.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re are more opportunities to cook at the top level, and all the<br />
members of my team here have been developed on the Island”.<br />
In fact, every one of the dozen chefs he now has working with him<br />
is an ex-student of the Isle of Wight College. <strong>The</strong> strength of the<br />
team, he says, is the main reason for the hotel’s success in<br />
consistently maintaining food standards at two rosettes over a<br />
number of years, whilst catering for up to 120 people at a time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> hotel’s Appuldurcombe Restaurant has long been sought-out by<br />
visitors to the Isle of Wight, but local residents have also caught on<br />
to the hotel’s growing reputation for its Sunday lunch and dinner<br />
menus – and diners in the know have rated the food as among the<br />
Head Chef<br />
Allen Stayley<br />
best to be found on the Island.<br />
LOCAL TOURISM<br />
Head chef Allen aims to source as much produce as possible locally,<br />
including free range poultry from Brownrigg Poultry in Godshill –<br />
and, of course the legendary crab and lobster caught off Ventnor<br />
Bay. If he can’t get what he wants on the Island, then he sends his<br />
refrigerated van to the big London markets, Smithfield, Covent<br />
Garden and Billingsgate, to ensure that diners at the Royal are<br />
served only the best.<br />
As well as attracting a wider clientele for dinner and Sunday lunch,<br />
the Royal has also built a thriving function trade. Not surprisingly,<br />
the architectural grandeur of the hotel has made it a magnet for<br />
wedding receptions – and now that the hotel has obtained marriage<br />
licensing certification, families can hold the wedding ceremony<br />
there too.<br />
If you haven’t yet visited the Royal – or perhaps not for a while –<br />
you might be in for a surprise. It’s certainly worth considering as<br />
the venue for any family or business occasion you have on the<br />
horizon, or simply for a special lunch or dinner with friends.<br />
55
ISLAND HISTORY<br />
<strong>The</strong> lost<br />
world...<br />
by Nick Pointing<br />
Some would argue finding Niton is like going to the ends of the<br />
earth. Well I disagree. If you live there, then it is the centre of your<br />
universe, however going just that little bit further may seem like it.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Blackgang Road spurs out of Niton village with vigour. <strong>The</strong> new<br />
road opens up ‘back of Wight’ as it was once affectionately known,<br />
climbing the hills of St. Catherine’s, the surface is smooth, wide and<br />
with a beautiful sweeping curve that embraces any motorist with a<br />
passion for driving.<br />
Before you know it, it is all over. <strong>The</strong> brow of the hill brings a truly<br />
inspiring view over the South West Downs and patchwork farmland.<br />
Descending into Blackgang, the gateway to the Military Road unfolds<br />
beyond, yet amongst the bountiful beauty laid out in front we are<br />
guilty of neglecting probably some of the Island’s most impressive<br />
cliffs, but it is a fault which can be forgiven.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new road glides over a fantastic wilderness hidden below that<br />
was once as familiar and accessibly as the Under cliff of St.<br />
Lawrence. It all came to a sticky end in 1928 with a tremendous<br />
landslide and rock fall of upto 200,000 tons close to Windy Corner at<br />
Rocken End. Today, Gore Cliffs above St. Catherine’s lighthouse is a<br />
sleepy National Trust car park that ends abruptly, teetering on the<br />
edge of no-mans land.<br />
<strong>The</strong> old Blackgang Road followed a similar route as the current<br />
under cliff hugging close to the contours of the rock face. After<br />
leaving Niton, the route passes St. Catherine’s and onto Windy<br />
Corner; there, back at the turn of the century a famous photograph<br />
captured the very moment the old road gave way, and the image is<br />
now immortalised in just about any local history book regarding the<br />
Isle of Wight.<br />
Although it was one of the first reported landslips of Blackgang, and<br />
probably not the last, it did ultimately lead to the building of the<br />
new road, leaving below a forgotten memory.<br />
Standing in the car park at Rocken End, looking west, it is hard to<br />
imagine that there was ever a way through. <strong>The</strong> blue slipper has<br />
undermined the weathered cliffs, now home to nesting seagulls,<br />
leaving a moonscape of debris interwoven with pockets of greenery.<br />
Access to a small community came to a sad end in the winter of<br />
1994/1995 with a huge landslide which hit the headlines of the<br />
national media. An entourage of press and television overwhelmed<br />
Blackgang and Chale, reporting of the severity of the slide and the<br />
reluctance of local residents to move out.<br />
Die- harders' fought to stay despite the Council condemning the<br />
land, but finally the small hamlet of caravans, cabins and a grand<br />
Victorian house fell ever deeper into a lost world.<br />
Gaining access today is certainly not recommended due to the<br />
unpredictable land movement reinforced by council warning signs.<br />
However, some of us wayward folk ventured forth. Midway<br />
between Niton and Blackgang is a stretch of road cut off from the<br />
outside world. <strong>The</strong> surface is still with tarmac, and ivy clad stone<br />
walls separating road from dwelling. <strong>The</strong> sense of isolation is<br />
intriguing with an air of lost reality. <strong>The</strong>re aren’t many places in<br />
the world which are trapped in time, we are so used to development<br />
that it is hard to appreciate a place of neglect.<br />
I believe Salisbury Plain has a village unchanged since the war, now<br />
preserved by the MOD and a flooded valley exposes its residential<br />
treasures only during droughts, but to have this on our doorstep is<br />
56 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
fascinating. Although vehicle access ceased from the<br />
Blackgang end during the 1970’s the evidence lies<br />
littered all around – Bedford vans and Rover cars of a<br />
similar ilk and age play host to bramble bushes.<br />
Walking down a vacant road in full sun, birds whistling,<br />
and knowing you are completely alone is surreal.<br />
Reminders of days gone by fuel the imagination.<br />
Further on, found along the roadside neatly set in a<br />
stone wall is a Victorian water fountain which was<br />
either to supply locals or weary travellers, it confirmed<br />
a beaten track that’s no more.<br />
I find myself whispering in a vain attempt not to be<br />
heard, but by whom? I tiptoe lightly passed a home<br />
displaying ‘Private’ – am I alone? Evidence is scarce,<br />
telegraph poles stand abandoned in full tilt and<br />
wireless. <strong>The</strong> road to<br />
nowhere passes a once<br />
grand Victorian house<br />
called Southview.<br />
My thoughts are filled<br />
with romantic notions<br />
and idyllic England.<br />
Back down to earth,<br />
the next challenge is to<br />
transverse no-mans<br />
land back to the car<br />
park, ever hopeful of<br />
an easier route, I head<br />
north through thick<br />
undergrowth. Laid<br />
before me is a truly<br />
unexpected surprise,<br />
for here is a small<br />
section of road<br />
completely<br />
independent from the<br />
rest and clearly<br />
untouched for many<br />
years.<br />
At first it is hard to<br />
appreciate the early<br />
civil engineering, the<br />
ground is covered with<br />
ivy, and trees have<br />
seeded where horses<br />
and carriages passed by<br />
and three foot or so<br />
stone walls give<br />
definition to the sides.<br />
My Great Aunt Lily who lived to 100 years old, once<br />
read me a detailed account from her diary of her<br />
journey through the undercliff by horse and carriage,<br />
and standing here evokes thoughts of Victorian<br />
glamour. In one way it is sad that nature has reclaimed<br />
a small piece of history, but in another, its created a<br />
tiny wilderness that is hard to find.<br />
ISLAND HISTORY<br />
Picture Left:<strong>The</strong> Victorian<br />
water fountain, stuck in time.<br />
Below: <strong>The</strong> cottage, which<br />
was deserted many years ago,<br />
however it has “private”<br />
freshly painted on a sign?<br />
Bottom: <strong>The</strong> eery path that<br />
has been frozen in time,<br />
telegraph poles, and old cars<br />
lay littered along the route.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net 57
MUSIC & ART<br />
9, 10, 11<br />
“this year will<br />
JUNE<br />
blow people<br />
away”<br />
FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prodigy<br />
Placebo<br />
Goldfrapp<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rakes<br />
Morning Runner<br />
Foo Fighters<br />
Primal Scream<br />
Editors<br />
Dirty Pretty Things<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kooks<br />
<strong>The</strong> Upper Room<br />
747s<br />
<strong>The</strong> Isle of Wight Festival is without question one of the best things<br />
that has happened to the Island for many years. Apart from the<br />
world-wide branding exercise it creates for the Island, it is also<br />
bringing some positivity back into the Island, which is so much<br />
needed.<br />
I caught up with John Giddings, the festival organiser and had a<br />
chat with him about his take on the Islands biggest yearly event.<br />
Q. What made you consider starting the festival again?<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea of reviving the 1970’s event was suggested by Lindsay who<br />
worked for me at the time, back then my feelings were that it was a<br />
rubbish idea, and that it would not work. However Lindsay who<br />
lived on the Island kept badgering me until I come round to her<br />
Coldplay<br />
Richard Ashcroft<br />
Lou Reed<br />
Maximo Park<br />
Kubb<br />
way of thinking.<br />
Q. Why was the Fairlee site chosen and not West Wight?<br />
It could not happen over West Wight for various reasons, transport<br />
links, and the area was in-accessible for large volumes of people. So<br />
the site at Fairlee was suggested, it had good transport links, it<br />
backed onto the River Medina, with a pub and hotel to hand, this is<br />
a perfect location.<br />
Q. Do you think the festival will grow in the future or are you happy<br />
with the size it is?<br />
If anything I would make it smaller, I am not trying to compete with<br />
Glastonbury, it’s the Isle of Wight, people have to remember this.<br />
58 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Q. Will the festival extend from 3 days to say 5 days?<br />
No!<br />
Q. Will it ever move to the<br />
mainland?<br />
No!<br />
Q. Do you promote other<br />
festivals or is the Isle of<br />
Wight festival the only one<br />
you promote?<br />
I have never organised a<br />
festival before this one (Isle<br />
of Wight). This is the only<br />
one I intend to do, I do it<br />
purely for the enjoyment,<br />
not for the money.<br />
Q. Who are some of the big<br />
names that Solo manage?<br />
U2, Madonna, Rod Stewart,<br />
<strong>The</strong> Corrs, Westlife, Rolling<br />
Stones, David Bowie and so<br />
on...<br />
Q. When do you start planning the 2007 festival and have you got<br />
acts in mind at this early stage?<br />
I start planning now for 2007, my biggest worry is who on earth can<br />
I get to top the Foo Fighters and Coldplay for next year, it’s<br />
frightening...<br />
Q. Will we ever see the likes of Elton John, Robbie Williams etc at<br />
the IW Festival?<br />
No, these are not festival acts. ,they are 'middle of the road', and<br />
not the kind of artists that attract young people to a field - Elton<br />
should play Osborne house.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
MUSIC & ART<br />
Q. Will you continue to bring over smaller acts to Ryde <strong>The</strong>atre?<br />
It all depends who takes over Ryde <strong>The</strong>atre, as soon as the<br />
management situation is resolved I will probably start to look at<br />
bringing acts back to the theatre.<br />
Q. What’s your biggest worry when organising and<br />
running the festival for the 3 days?<br />
Booking the acts and paying for them, because if you<br />
have not got the money you are history. On one<br />
particular year (2003) I lost $1million so the rest is<br />
rubbish if you have not got the money. Also believe it or<br />
not it’s the local residents I worry about the most. I pay<br />
an awful lot of money both to the local council and the<br />
Police (in fact the Police bill has tripled this year). I feel<br />
that it is the Police’s responsibility to look after the<br />
residents whilst the concert is taking place. I ensure<br />
that everything within the confines of the concert are<br />
run correctly, I just hope that this year the police spend<br />
more of their time and effort looking after the local<br />
residents, like stopping people urinating in their<br />
gardens etc. If the local residents have the trouble they<br />
had last year then it will seriously make me think about<br />
next year, as I said earlier, I am doing this for fun, I<br />
don’t need the money...and when it’s no longer fun,<br />
well you can work that one out for yourself...<br />
Q.What’s your favourite part of the festival?<br />
I get a kick from watching the audience, the sheer look<br />
of excitement on their faces. I love to stand in the<br />
audience, you get a much better feel and the music<br />
sounds much better than on stage.<br />
Q. Name a few acts from past festivals that have<br />
personally blown you away ?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Who, David Bowie, REM, and Faithless to name a few.<br />
Johnny Borrell<br />
Photo:County Press<br />
59
PROPERTY FEATURE<br />
60<br />
Worried about<br />
becoming a<br />
landlord?<br />
Owning one or more properties which pay for<br />
themselves can be one way of protecting your<br />
future. More and more people are choosing this<br />
instead of relying upon other people to look after<br />
their money and assets. If YOU choose to buy a<br />
property with a view to letting it out it is essential<br />
that you do your research.<br />
Step 1<br />
Firstly, and most importantly you need to see a Financial Advisor so<br />
that you know what your borrowing capacity will be. You must make<br />
sure that you do not overstretch yourself as there will be times when<br />
you will need to pay for maintenance or need to cover the mortgage<br />
payment if the property is vacant.<br />
Step 2<br />
Now you know how much you can spend you need to give<br />
consideration to the type of property you will be looking for. When<br />
doing this you will also need to consider whether you will be<br />
marketing to a particular group i.e. a family or a professional couple.<br />
Another consideration will be the area.<br />
Step 3<br />
When you finally decide which area and what type of property you are<br />
looking for obtain as many property details as you can and arrange to<br />
view . We can also arrange to accompany you on these viewings so<br />
that we can advise on letting potential, achievable rent and also<br />
whether the property needs any work to bring it up to a suitable<br />
standard for letting. A number of our Landlords have found this<br />
service particularly useful.<br />
Step 4<br />
Having found the property, your next concern will be to let it as soon<br />
as possible. We will keep in contact with you every step of the way<br />
and once contracts have been exchanged and a completion date agreed<br />
we will contact potential tenants and arrange viewings to ensure that<br />
the time the property is vacant is left to a minimum.<br />
Step 5<br />
Finding the right tenant is the next step. This is as important to us as<br />
it is to you. Very few letting agents on the Island, big or small, offer a<br />
fully comprehensive referencing service which is undertaken by an<br />
independent company. <strong>The</strong> references company that we use check<br />
affordability, seek employers, landlords and bank references. <strong>The</strong>y also<br />
carry out a credit check and provide us with a credit score. Our aim is<br />
always to find the best possible tenant for your property.<br />
Step 6<br />
As we all know life is never straightforward so occasionally events<br />
occur which lead to a change in the tenants financial circumstances<br />
and to cover this event we would always advise Landlords to protect<br />
themselves by taking our rent and legal protection insurance to cover<br />
non-payment of rent and also legal costs if eviction proceedings have<br />
to be taken. Most Letting Agents offer this insurance but to varying<br />
degrees. <strong>The</strong>re is usually an excess to pay which can be one month’s<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Above: Linda Lovell - Lettings Manager Pittis, Newport.<br />
rent and by the time the claim is processed it can be two months since<br />
you last received rent. This can obviously lead to financial hardship<br />
for you as a Landlord.<br />
What we are offering you as a Landlord is a Rent and Legal Protection<br />
Policy with a difference and we believe the only one of its kind on the<br />
Island. <strong>The</strong> cover provided is<br />
a) For up to 12 months rent due but not paid by the tenant<br />
b) Cover for up to £50,000 of legal expenses arising in respect of any<br />
material breach of the tenancy agreement by the tenant<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are other policies available which offer the same sort of cover<br />
but what they don’t offer you is<br />
a) Rent NOT PAID by the Tenant is paid by US direct to the Landlord’s<br />
account within 15 working days of the rent due date. This means that<br />
the Landlord will know that his rent will be paid by a particular date<br />
regardless<br />
b) <strong>The</strong> is NO EXCESS payable by the Landlord<br />
c) When vacant possession occurs in breach of a Tenancy Agreement<br />
cover will continue for up to one month after possession has been<br />
obtained provided we are re-marketing the property for letting on a<br />
sole agency basis<br />
This Rent and Legal Protection Policy is being underwritten by our<br />
parent company Arun Estates which means that we have a greater<br />
interest in ensuring that the tenants are carefully selected and that the<br />
tenancy is carefully monitored. We would of course inform you if a<br />
proposed tenancy would be unacceptable for inclusion in the scheme.<br />
It is our aim to take the worry and the strain away from you the<br />
Landlord. We can also advise on all aspects of the tenancy be it legal<br />
or financial so why not give Linda Lovell a call on 01983 526670 to<br />
discuss your personal requirements.<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
More and more people are<br />
considering a rental property as a<br />
long-term investment. Thanks to<br />
the buy-to-let scheme, a joint<br />
venture of letting agents and<br />
mortgage lenders, the whole<br />
process has become far more<br />
attractive and achievable. But<br />
there are mistakes to be made.<br />
Here are some of the most<br />
common mistakes for first-time<br />
investors.<br />
Buying a single house or flat:<br />
All it takes is for your property<br />
to sit vacant for a couple of<br />
months, or a tenant to run out<br />
on the lease, to put you in a<br />
financial bind. Experts advise<br />
that first-time investors look at<br />
houses with the ability to<br />
convert to maisonettes. This way<br />
you can either live on one side<br />
and receive rent from the other<br />
side to pay your mortgage or rent<br />
out both sides and give yourself<br />
some breathing room in case one<br />
tenant moves out in the middle<br />
of the night without paying his<br />
rent.<br />
Buying to suit your own tastes<br />
and needs: You need to stop<br />
thinking like a homeowner and<br />
start thinking like a business<br />
owner. Just because you love<br />
large gardens doesn’t mean that<br />
tenants will have the same<br />
preferences. Large gardens just<br />
spell a lot of maintenance for<br />
some busy people. Think about<br />
the needs of your tenant, which<br />
could be a child-safe home near a<br />
school for families or a modern<br />
flat in a convenient location for a<br />
single young commuter.<br />
Not doing your homework: An<br />
inspection of both the property<br />
and area is crucial but you<br />
should also make a thorough<br />
investigation of the current<br />
rental market. Tenants are<br />
looking for a value for money<br />
deal, which means they are<br />
looking around and comparing<br />
what other properties offer for<br />
the same cost. This means you<br />
need to stay ahead of the game,<br />
finding out what is on offer too.<br />
If tenants can get a similar home<br />
PROPERTY FEATURE<br />
Top mistakes for<br />
buy-to-let property<br />
Be careful, dont buy a run down<br />
building thinking you have<br />
found a bargain...<br />
to the one you offer but with<br />
white goods included, they are<br />
going to go for the best deal for<br />
them. Buying cheap white goods<br />
and throwing them into the deal<br />
may prove to be an attractive<br />
package for tenants.<br />
Investing long-distance: Keep<br />
your rentals very close to home,<br />
say experts, unless the property<br />
is located in an area you visit<br />
regularly, otherwise you will eat<br />
up your profits by driving back<br />
and forth to manage the property<br />
or by paying someone to make<br />
repairs for you.<br />
Underestimating home<br />
improvement costs: Like any<br />
home improvements, it will<br />
probably take three times the<br />
money and twice as long as you<br />
estimate to get your buy-to-let<br />
ready to rent. You need to<br />
account for those extra costs.<br />
Breaking your own rules: As a<br />
landlord, you need to establish<br />
policies and stick to them. Don’t<br />
ever let someone move in<br />
without a security deposit and<br />
always establish clear ground<br />
rules for the rented property, like<br />
no pets or decorative changes.<br />
Always set up direct debits or<br />
standing orders for the rent.<br />
Being underinsured: Insurance<br />
on rental property goes beyond<br />
insuring the building against fire<br />
or damage. You need to look at<br />
your own coverage for liability. If<br />
someone falls down the stairs<br />
because of a loose stair rail, you<br />
could be liable for accident<br />
claims.<br />
61
www.pittis.co.uk<br />
Bembridge £370,000<br />
4 bedrooms, lounge/diner, kitchen, garage<br />
G.C.H and D/G<br />
Bembridge Office: 01983 875757<br />
Totland £375,000<br />
5 bedrooms, kitchen/breakfast room,<br />
2 receptions, views of Hurst Point.<br />
Freshwater Office: 01983 756222<br />
Wootton £325,000<br />
3 Bedrooms, study, kitchen, gardens backing<br />
onto countryside with views to Solent<br />
Newport Office: 01983 528888<br />
62<br />
Seaview £260,000<br />
<strong>The</strong> property, situated on Seaview Heights, comprises a mock Tudor style detached<br />
residence with accommodation to include a living room, kitchen / dining room, three<br />
bedrooms and a bathroom. <strong>The</strong> home enjoys the benefits of gas central heating and<br />
double glazing and further bonuses include a driveway, garage and gardens.<br />
Bembridge Office: 01983 875757<br />
Calbourne £375,000<br />
This is a family sized residence offering adaptable accommodation and enjoying lovely<br />
countryside views from the front aspect. Accommodation comprises 4 bedrooms, 2<br />
receptions, kitchen/breakfast room with 'Aga', utility room, cloakroom, & double garage. A<br />
must see property.<br />
Freshwater Office: 01983 756222<br />
Offices in: Newport - Bembridge - Shanklin - Sandown - Cowes - Ryde - Freshwater
Shanklin £395,000<br />
5 Bedroom, 2 reception detached house situated in a cul de sac location. Two en-suites,<br />
twin garages, security system, countryside and woodland views.<br />
Shanklin Office: 01983 868777<br />
Brighstone Price Guide £440,000 - £460,000<br />
Grade II listed character cottage in picturesque setting offering 4 reception rooms,<br />
kitchen/breakfast room, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom/WCs, central heating, detached garage,<br />
extensive gardens with a stream and rural views to all aspects.<br />
Newport Office: 01983 528888<br />
Shorwell £350 - £375,000<br />
Cowes £251,500<br />
Sandown £349,950<br />
www.pittis.co.uk<br />
2 receptions, kitchen/diner, 5 Bedrooms,<br />
Oil fired central heating, Countryside Views.<br />
Newport Office: 01983 528888<br />
4 bedrooms (main en-suite shower), 2<br />
receptions, utility room, gardens, parking.<br />
Cowes Office: 01983 292345<br />
8 bedrooms,4 receptions, sun lounge, 1<br />
bedroom annexe, parking, gardens.<br />
Sandown Office: 01983 407444<br />
D o y o u v a l u e y o u r h o m e ? W e d o F R E E o f c h a r g e<br />
63
64<br />
prestige department<br />
Offices: Newport - Ryde - Cowes - Freshwater<br />
Newport Office - 01983 524000<br />
newport@foxproperty.co.uk<br />
A stunning proper ty with great<br />
accommodation.<br />
Victoria Road<br />
Freshwater<br />
Unique character property<br />
Three spacious reception rooms<br />
Four bedrooms, master en-suite<br />
Two further shower rooms + family bathroom<br />
First floor conser vator y & two tower rooms<br />
Parking, sought after location<br />
Gui de Price £4 25, 000<br />
Newport Offic e - 01983 524000<br />
Location, location, location<br />
country views.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Old Stables<br />
Havenstreet<br />
Detached former stable home<br />
3 bedrooms - 1 en-suite<br />
Plenty of parking<br />
Sought after village location<br />
Upgraded throughout<br />
No onward chain<br />
Guide Pri ce £27 5,00 0<br />
Ryde Offic e - 01983 811811<br />
Ryde Office - 01983 811811<br />
ryde@foxproperty.co.uk
prestige department<br />
www.foxproperty.co.uk<br />
Cowes Office - 01983 292929<br />
cowes@foxproperty.co.uk<br />
A lovely detached home with<br />
Victorian style conservatory.<br />
Homeslea<br />
Wootton<br />
Detached family home<br />
3 bedrooms<br />
Victorian style conser vator y<br />
Tucked away location<br />
Off road parking and garage<br />
Well stocked garden<br />
Guide Pri ce £ 25 0,00 0<br />
Ryde Offic e - 01983 811811<br />
A beautifully presented family<br />
home in a popular village setting.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ridge<br />
Medham<br />
Beautiful presented detached home<br />
3 /4 bedrooms<br />
Large kitchen with utility room<br />
Garage & gravel driveway<br />
Gas central heating & Double glazed<br />
Popular village location<br />
Gui de Price £2 69, 995<br />
Cowes Office - 01983 292929<br />
Freshwater Office - 01983 759618<br />
freshwater@foxproperty.co.uk 65
PROPERTY FEATURE<br />
We all love a<br />
thatched cottage...<br />
Birchmore Cottages - Blackwater<br />
Price £249,950<br />
Call Newport Office:<br />
01983 524000<br />
Offered by Fox Property is this beautiful<br />
semi detached, chocolate box thatched<br />
cottage which is situated in the rural<br />
hamlet of Blackwater. It has recently been<br />
lovingly upgraded and modernised to a<br />
high standard by the current owners.<br />
One of the biggest projects undertaken by<br />
the current owners was a complete rethatch<br />
to the roof during the summer of<br />
2005, this instantly eliminates any<br />
worries for potential buyers considering<br />
buying a thatched property.<br />
Once inside you will find a newly refurbished<br />
large kitchen/diner, a decent<br />
size lounge with a fully operational open<br />
fireplace, and a stunning beamed ceiling<br />
plus bedroom on the ground floor.<br />
Upstairs there are two further bedrooms<br />
and a newly fitted modern bathroom with<br />
a whirlpool jacuzzi bath which you can<br />
soak in after a stressful day at work.<br />
66<br />
<strong>The</strong> cottage occupies<br />
a corner plot so has<br />
gardens to the side and rear. <strong>The</strong>re is a<br />
gated gravel path up to the front door and<br />
this leads around to the patio area at the<br />
rear.<br />
A mature hedge screens the property from<br />
the road and a large flower border has<br />
been planted with heathers and shrubs.<br />
To the rear the garden is mainly lawned<br />
and is again screened by a high hedge and<br />
mature shrubs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a path leading down to the<br />
gravelled parking area. Within the garden<br />
there is a timber summer house, this is<br />
split into two sections. <strong>The</strong> rear is a<br />
utility/workshop with electric sockets.<br />
<strong>The</strong> front is a sitting area with double<br />
doors that open up to allow views over<br />
the garden.<br />
Buyers note:<br />
Planning permission has<br />
been applied for to build an<br />
extension to the side of the<br />
cottage under TCP number<br />
26980/A. This will form an<br />
extra bedroom on the first<br />
floor and an extra reception<br />
room on the ground floor.<br />
prestige department<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
Two<br />
minutes<br />
from<br />
Fishbourne<br />
ferry<br />
Two minutes from Fishbourne ferry, this<br />
well known landmark of a property is<br />
essential viewing. Set in a substantial<br />
plot boasting a natural pond to the<br />
foreground of the property.<br />
‘Mallards’ was built in the late 1970’s and<br />
constructed on natural stone and brick<br />
elevations beneath a tiled roof.<br />
<strong>The</strong> property itself comprises entrance hall<br />
with parquet flooring, lounge/dining room,<br />
kitchen, utility room, bathroom/w.c., and<br />
morning room to the ground floor. To the<br />
first floor are 4 bedrooms to include master<br />
bedroom with en-suite, and bathroom/w.c.<br />
In addition to the extensive lawned<br />
grounds is a double fronted garage with<br />
electric up and over style doors.<br />
<strong>The</strong> balcony off of the master bedroom<br />
affords the owner an ideal opportunity to<br />
sit and relax, whilst absorbing all of the<br />
splendour of ‘Mallards’ setting.<br />
<strong>The</strong> property is chain free.<br />
Price £575,000<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Call Pittis & Sons, Ryde to arrange a<br />
viewing on (01983) 564646.<br />
Contact Pittis on<br />
01983 564646<br />
PROPERTY FEATURE<br />
67
MOTORING<br />
68 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
<strong>The</strong> old Austin 7 keeps<br />
on going and going...<br />
<strong>The</strong> IW Austin Owners Club was formed in<br />
1986, when founder Viv Orchard decided<br />
there were enough owners of the famous<br />
motor on the Island to form an association.<br />
We asked Nigel Offer, a member of the club<br />
and the owner of the featured Austin 7 –<br />
“Where do people find these old cars?”<br />
“Well most Austins, believe it or not, are<br />
discovered in old barns, where they have<br />
often been covered up and left unused for<br />
many years. Even today I guess that there<br />
may be some Austin 7’s that have still not<br />
been discovered on the Island, even though<br />
we have found plenty of them already.”<br />
“For instance, my Austin was discovered by<br />
pure chance in a garage in Brading. It had<br />
not been used since the 1970’s. After buying<br />
it, I spent the next two years restoring it at<br />
weekends, spending every possible minute in<br />
the garage - much to my wife’s dismay...”<br />
It can also be interesting to do a little<br />
research into the previous owners. Nigel’s<br />
Austin was owned in the 1950’s by an<br />
American airman based at Greenham<br />
Common, who then sold it to a Sheila Bartlett<br />
who came from Newbury. Sheila, who last<br />
saw the car in the 1950’s, sold it for £14 10s.<br />
In an ironic twist, this same Sheila ended up<br />
doing the Centenary London to Brighton run<br />
with Nigel in the Austin 7 that she owned<br />
back in the 50’s. <strong>The</strong> driver who Nigel bought<br />
the car from had purchased it from a man<br />
who ran a caravan business in Middlesex.<br />
Old Austins are fairly cheap to buy, although<br />
the buying price has to be offset against the<br />
enormous amount of time, money and labour<br />
that can go into restoring them. <strong>The</strong><br />
dedication can pay off, though, as a properly<br />
restored Austin 7 can fetch up to £7,000. If<br />
you’re lucky enough to come across an old<br />
Austin hidden in a barn, then the best place<br />
to start looking for parts would be the<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Beaulieu Auto Jumble, in July which includes<br />
a special Austin weekend, offering virtually<br />
every part you’d need to build an Austin from<br />
scratch. IW residents are also lucky to have<br />
the Austin 7 Workshop, which is a great<br />
source of help.<br />
As Nigel points out, another advantage of<br />
owning an Austin 7 is that there’s no need<br />
for road tax, and the insurance is cheap, (in<br />
some cases only £50 per year, which includes<br />
breakdown). However – prepare for a bit of<br />
waiting around at MoT time. <strong>The</strong> modern<br />
MoT allows 40 min to carry out the test<br />
process, and the garage cannot log out of the<br />
system before this time – but because the<br />
Austin is so simple, it takes only around<br />
20minutes, so you have some time to hang<br />
around. If you are looking at buying a classic<br />
car then the Austin 7 is probably the cheapest<br />
to keep on the road.<br />
MOTORING<br />
We recently caught up with Nigel Offer and his cherished Austin 7. This sturdy but genteel<br />
little motor has a unique charm about it, reminiscent of days gone by, when driving was a<br />
pleasure and the pace of life was rather more sedate. Nigel has lovingly restored his<br />
Austin, and reckons it’s probably more pampered than his wife. We find out what the<br />
attraction is of these old cars from a bygone age.<br />
<strong>The</strong> IW Austin 7 club is good fun, with about<br />
14 enthusiasts meeting every Sunday at <strong>The</strong><br />
Old Smithy car park in Godshill. Visitors from<br />
the mainland who are over on holiday often<br />
drop in too, for the chance of seeing an<br />
Austin pull into Godshill that they haven’t<br />
seen before.<br />
If you would like to explore the possibility of<br />
becoming an Austin 7 owner, then your first<br />
port of call would be Nigel, who can be<br />
contacted on 01983 872609 or e-mail<br />
nigel.offer@virgin.net<br />
69
MOTORING<br />
<strong>The</strong> perfect travel<br />
companion<br />
Portable<br />
Navigation<br />
nuvi 350<br />
£549<br />
<strong>The</strong> Nuvi 350 carries full<br />
European mapping while the 300<br />
is UK only. Aside from this, and<br />
the text-to-speech facility on the<br />
350, both units are very similar.<br />
Text-to-speech allows full road<br />
names to be announced so, rather<br />
than the usual, "Turn left", you<br />
will hear, "Turn left on to the<br />
B1365". <strong>The</strong> downside is that the<br />
voice is rather 'robotic' and can be<br />
difficult to understand to some<br />
people.<br />
Packed into its diminutive<br />
dimensions (3.87" W x 2.91" H x<br />
0.87" D, 5.1 ounces) it is a<br />
portable GPS navigator, Audio<br />
Book Player, traveller's reference,<br />
and MP3 player. Yes, it can do<br />
many other things besides<br />
navigate you from A to B, and it<br />
runs CitySelect V8, supporting full<br />
7 digit postcodes for the UK (at<br />
last).<br />
Sporting a 320 x 240 pixels (3.5"<br />
diagonal) 64k TFT touch screen<br />
display, the Nüvi's built in SiRF III<br />
GPS provides automatic routing,<br />
turn-by-turn voice directions, and<br />
touch screen control, but that’s<br />
just for starters…<br />
70<br />
Discrete &<br />
distinctive...<br />
<strong>The</strong> new VW Jetta<br />
By Nick Pointing<br />
It’s funny how the little things mean so much.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process of road testing was delivered by the<br />
dealership with care and courteously but not<br />
over stated, relaxed and not intimidating,<br />
allowing me to focus on what was important -<br />
the car, the new Jetta from VW.<br />
Concealed within the remote control the key<br />
springs out on the touch of a button, this was<br />
incredibly tactile and it was released and closed<br />
too many times to mention, almost forgetting<br />
what I had come for! Although the winter air was<br />
biting I stood for a while to appreciate the ascetics<br />
– discrete and distinctive spring to mind – what a<br />
contradiction!<br />
From side profile, the lines are grown up and<br />
mature with its fashionable high waistband there<br />
is attention to detail giving an expensive feel to<br />
an affordable car.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 1.6 is responsive, escorting the entry model<br />
through all six gears. <strong>The</strong> handling is confidence<br />
building and soon allows the national speed limit<br />
through some of the Island’s more challenging<br />
roads.<br />
Brighstone, Brook and onto Compton where here I<br />
pull in and evaluate the interior which I find full<br />
of ergonomics and is intuitive. Everything is at<br />
hand and the cabin is full of refinement, although<br />
a sea of black and grey, it is all with purpose and<br />
again there is attention to detail.<br />
Travelling West the road widens, and here I find<br />
the opportunity to exploit the Jettas potential, the<br />
ride is comfortable, reassuring and given the<br />
chance motorway miles would be a breeze.<br />
I never did confirm the claimed top speed of<br />
120 mph rising to 146 mph for the 2 litre<br />
sports model but I guess I will just have to take<br />
their word for it.<br />
As with many manufacturers, there are endless<br />
optional extras and a variety of paint, trim and<br />
engine sizes to choose from; however the entry<br />
model packs a pretty good deal. As standard,<br />
you can expect alloy wheels, rear electric<br />
windows, ESP, rain sensors, dusk sensors, auto<br />
dimming rear view mirror and a multifunctional<br />
computer.<br />
Superbly positioned within the VW range I<br />
found the Jetta to be excellent value for money<br />
and a pleasant comfortable drive, with more<br />
than enough comforts to keep me happy.<br />
For further details:<br />
Esplanade Ltd<br />
Medina Ave<br />
Newport<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
(01983) 523232<br />
www.esplanade.co.uk<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
BMW’s<br />
stunning X3...<br />
By Nick Pointing<br />
Life can be a bit of a circus, a balancing<br />
act, too much work not enough play.<br />
Getting the balance right can be a<br />
difficult task, one that BMW have<br />
achieved beautifully with the new X3.<br />
It is hard to drive past the Snows BMW garage<br />
without slowing down and taking a quick glance to<br />
the left on your way to Yarmouth, however, today<br />
driving past was not an option as I turned in for an<br />
eagerly anticipated test drive in BMW’s stunning<br />
new X3.<br />
<strong>The</strong> team at Snows BMW proved a valuable source<br />
of endless<br />
information<br />
outlining a<br />
formidable array of<br />
options,<br />
specifications and<br />
product detail.<br />
On presentation of<br />
my Bavarian chariot for the day, the 3.0 d M Sport<br />
imposed a presence which was exciting yet<br />
reassuring. Exciting because engineered under the<br />
hood lays a 6 cylinder, 24 valve, 3 litre, 218hp<br />
producing diesel capable of a 7 second 0-60. Now<br />
that is enough for anyone, let alone a beautifully<br />
crafted body in the form of a sports activity vehicle<br />
and reassuring because not only is it a BMW, but it<br />
is designed on a 3 series chassis combining a<br />
commanding pilots view of the world with car like<br />
characteristics such as handling and feel.<br />
Granted, the model I am lucky enough to drive for<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
the day is top spec complete with sports<br />
suspension, putting pay to Island roads.<br />
Turning left into Forest Road, the acceleration<br />
through the 6 speed step-tronic gear box was<br />
impressive. Although automatic transmission,<br />
it includes (AGS) adaptive gear box system,<br />
giving freedom to choose between automatic,<br />
sports automatic, and step-tronic sequential<br />
manual gear selection. I played with all of<br />
these and thankfully, it could not be simpler to<br />
use, designed to suit your driving mood. Due<br />
to my genuine excitement, my driving mood<br />
was pretty upbeat, so challenging the handling<br />
brought back that magic word of balance and<br />
quite rightly the X3 has got it off to a tee.<br />
I had become very attached to the X3 and<br />
considered how well BMW had catered for a<br />
wide range of motoring needs. It looks<br />
imposing, drives beautifully, sufficient ground<br />
clearance, 4 wheel drive and loads of room,<br />
appearing to compromise nothing.<br />
How well balanced is that?<br />
Contact: Snows BMW<br />
Forest Road<br />
Newport<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
Tel: (01983) 522555<br />
MOTORING<br />
Above: <strong>The</strong> 350 trip computer<br />
For the easily bored and the<br />
permanently unimpressed, the<br />
Nüvi also packs an MP3 player,<br />
audio book player (from<br />
Audible.com), JPEG picture<br />
viewer, world travel clock with<br />
time zones, currency converter,<br />
measurement converter, and a<br />
calculator.<br />
As an mp3 player it is superb, and<br />
the fact that music can be played<br />
while navigating is a huge bonus.<br />
As a navigator it excels, I would<br />
go so far as to say it blows the<br />
TomTom GO clear out of the<br />
water. True it has no BlueTooth<br />
phone connectivity, but for me<br />
that is not an issue: I’d rather<br />
have a solid, reliable, elegant and<br />
sexy GPS that I can carry easily<br />
than a fat, retro-bubble house<br />
brick that doubles as a car kit (and<br />
door stop), but that’s just me…<br />
I can’t fault the build quality at<br />
all. <strong>The</strong> Nüvi is slim, strong and<br />
exudes quality like no other GPS<br />
system I have seen to date. It<br />
looks like it came from the future<br />
(well 3 years into the future<br />
anyway). <strong>The</strong> screen is beautiful,<br />
and it’s anti-reflective too, giving<br />
a vibrant image that is easy to<br />
read in both bright and dark<br />
conditions.<br />
Take my word for it – this is quite<br />
simply the greatest in-car GPS you<br />
get at the moment.<br />
It’s just brilliant.<br />
Snows BMW stock the Garmin<br />
Nuvi 350 at £549.<br />
For information contact:<br />
Snows BMW<br />
Forest Road<br />
Newport<br />
Isle of Wight<br />
01983 52 32 32<br />
71
MOTORING<br />
<strong>The</strong> C2, it’s full<br />
of personality...<br />
By Nick Pointing<br />
Citroens success with its predecessor the Saxo has established<br />
itself as a serious contender within the super-mini market.<br />
Enter the compact and stylish C2. Everything about this car is<br />
young and vibrant, it’s built on a cornerstone of innovation<br />
and tradition, yet it is funky and contemporary.<br />
I have always admired Citroen for its bold statement and<br />
genuine foresight. <strong>The</strong> French car manufacturer holds credit<br />
to a list of ground breaking firsts, and tucked<br />
away within the C2 is evidence of this.<br />
This little Citroen is full of personality, when<br />
the midlife crisis hits, you could either have a<br />
weekend away with your secretary en-route to<br />
buying a Harley or run off with a C2, it’s that<br />
kind of car. <strong>The</strong> Furio 1.4 was light and precise<br />
as it shuffles between urban chicanes allowing<br />
easy execution of the driver’s demands. <strong>The</strong><br />
brakes bite effortlessly on the approach to speed bumps with an<br />
incredibly light clutch making gear selection as smooth as a pint of<br />
Boddingtons. Small vehicles tend to fall one way or another, either<br />
as a second car or they become captured by youth, inspired by the<br />
screening of Fast and Furious.<br />
Although very capable of adequately satisfying both needs, my<br />
More grunt than a<br />
Warthog......<br />
By Nick Pointing<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s a presence felt in the air. In waiting my test drive is poised<br />
like a wild cat, Skoda are clawing back. Like a lion tamer you are<br />
never quite sure and my initiation into vRS territory felt the same.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Skoda Octavia vRS is one hot hatch worth getting to know<br />
intimately for many reasons. Reason No1 - WHATCAR magazine car<br />
of the year, best hot hatch 2006, reason No.. well I could go on but<br />
money’s on the attention that it will get from fresh thinkers,<br />
especially if you consider the 1.1 model at 61 bhp benefits<br />
from a low insurance group with all the good looks of the 125<br />
bhp VTS.<br />
Unique sporty detail completes a desirable cabin, supported<br />
by translucent fittings in creative colour of blue, crystal and<br />
amber. This little car is thinking outside of the box, mid life crisis<br />
or not with colour palettes entitled wicked red, Poseidon blue and<br />
artic steel youth is never wasted on the young, any age, it’s here<br />
for the taking.<br />
Contact: Central Garage, Newport, IW<br />
Tel: (01983) 526541<br />
the list is endless and I'm itching to drive it.<br />
I’m hardly half a mile down the road and I’m grinning, it’s sure<br />
footed and nimble with a pacy performance. This is Octavia at its<br />
best, 0-62 mph in just 7.3 seconds, taking the vRS to pole position as<br />
Skoda’s fastest-ever production car, and I can see why. <strong>The</strong> road<br />
unfolds, embracing sweeping bends with ease, uncharted territory<br />
and unfamiliar tarmac submit gracefully.<br />
<strong>The</strong> brakes rise to any challenge, their bite is crisp and forceful<br />
which combined with superb handling gives the driver ultimate<br />
control. <strong>The</strong> interior reflects the vRS’s status, inspired rally trim well<br />
crafted and spacious for four. It’s far to easy to forget you are driving<br />
a Skoda Octavia as the vRS addition certainly pays for its keep,<br />
rewarding you with an exhilarating ride.<br />
<strong>The</strong> exterior styling of the vRS is quite aggressive, grunty and<br />
masculine, it means business... With its flared arches to<br />
accommodate the 18” Alloy wheels, and the body kit which<br />
seamlessly blends in, it becomes seductive, for both young and old.<br />
Value for money and<br />
practicality make this a<br />
thrilling all rounder, now<br />
with a new agenda the mood<br />
over Havenstreet has<br />
somewhat changed.<br />
Contact:<br />
F.H Winter & Son<br />
(01983) 882455<br />
72 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
<strong>The</strong> <strong>RX</strong>-8<br />
its got wow factor!<br />
We're not going to mess about here: the Mazda <strong>RX</strong>-8 is fabulous.<br />
<strong>The</strong> company has taken a fairly loony idea - a fast, four-seat, reardrive<br />
coupe with rear-hinged back doors and a rotary engine - and<br />
made it a production reality.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>RX</strong>-8 nameplate logically follows <strong>RX</strong>-7, but this car is not like<br />
its quick, but very raucous, predecessor of the mid-1990s. This<br />
model is a refined coupe with accommodation for four adults and<br />
their luggage, the ability to comfortably eat motorway miles, as well<br />
as put a smile on the keen driver's face when the going gets twisty.<br />
It's also great value; the standard equipment levels are extremely<br />
high and prices are (comparatively) low.<br />
Mazda is the only manufacturer to pursue the development of the<br />
rotary engine. <strong>The</strong> <strong>RX</strong>-8's twin-rotary engine, dubbed Renesis,<br />
develops 192 or 231bhp dependant on the model, and comes with<br />
the same comprehensive warranty as other Mazda models. <strong>The</strong> car's<br />
construction seems very solid, and the interior is one of the best to<br />
come out of Japan.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>RX</strong>-8 has a great image, and a cameo in X-Men II will have done<br />
it no harm.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>RX</strong>-8 gets many of the basics right. It has a very good driving<br />
position. <strong>The</strong> seats are low-slung (for a four-door with a boot), but<br />
very supportive and on the driver's side, fully adjustable. <strong>The</strong><br />
gearlever is stubby, triangular in profile and a joy to use. <strong>The</strong> small<br />
steering wheel with its ideal-width rim adjusts for rake.<br />
Unlike previous rotary engines, there is far less driveline shun. <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>RX</strong>-8 is easy to drive smoothly, and provides maximum thrills while<br />
remaining eminently usable and comfortable.<br />
<strong>The</strong> steering is responsive and<br />
all pedals, and the gearbox,<br />
have a cohesive, progressive<br />
feel. It's an agile car, and stable<br />
when pushed.<br />
Keen drivers will also discover<br />
that, with the stability control<br />
switched off, the <strong>RX</strong>-8's tail<br />
slides beautifully through<br />
corners. Judicious use of the<br />
throttle will straighten its line<br />
on the exit of tight, damp<br />
corners to provide fuss-free<br />
handling that's plenty of fun.<br />
Contact - Northwood Garage,<br />
Newport Road, Cowes.<br />
Tel: (01983) 296031<br />
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net<br />
Take Note...<br />
MOTORING<br />
Nissan's Note is the latest car off the Nissan-Renault B platform,<br />
which forms the basis of models including the Micra, Clio and<br />
Modus - and it's the roomiest yet.<br />
Stretched so it has a longer wheelbase than many C-sector cars, it<br />
replaces the Almera Tino compact MPV and although it's not quite<br />
as big overall, it's just as practical, feels more spacious inside and<br />
is even more user-friendly and<br />
easy to drive. This is a familysized<br />
car that really can seat tall<br />
teenagers or adults comfortably in<br />
the back yet, with its sliding rear<br />
seat, can adapt to carry a decent<br />
amount of luggage.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are no gimmicks in the<br />
Note, therefore: the rear seats do<br />
the usual split-folding thing, and<br />
slide backwards and forwards on<br />
their base by up to 160mm, but<br />
that's about as complex as it gets -<br />
unless you're opting for the topspec<br />
models with keyless entry,<br />
automatic headlights and rainsensing<br />
wipers.<br />
Three different engines are<br />
available: 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines (88bhp and 110bhp)<br />
or the 1.5 dCi diesel (86bhp). Prices start from £9,995, and<br />
automatic transmission is a £700 option with the 1.6 engine.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Note looks a bit like a blown-up Micra with a squared-off X-<br />
Trail rear end, but it's well proportioned and nicely done, with a<br />
friendly face and a fresh-looking, modern air. It's a car that a<br />
family could be proud to have on their driveway.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Note is absolutely user-friendly, with clear controls, an<br />
excellent driving position and obedient handling. <strong>The</strong> power<br />
steering is much-improved on that of the overlight Micra, giving a<br />
bit more feedback and a more accurate sense of where it's going on<br />
the road.<br />
Standard kit includes ABS anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags<br />
(with passenger airbag cut-off switch, should you wish to put a<br />
child seat up front) and Isofix child seat mounting points. <strong>The</strong>re's<br />
not the full array of curtain airbags offered in some models these<br />
days with the lower-spec versions, but SE and SVE versions do add<br />
two more.<br />
Contact: Staddlestones, Brading Road, Ryde.<br />
Tel: (01983) 562705<br />
73
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76 Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net