Cotswolds Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2020

24 JANUARY TO 

25 MAY 2020 

Claire as a soldier, 1987 

Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro 

© G r a y s o n P e r r y

Contents 

A Note 

from the editor 

A Culinary meat-free Journey recipes throughthat 

Northern 19Fantastic still comfort Ireland 

cosset 

BBC Producer of Planet 

Earth II Mike Gunton 

In this issue... 

04 What’s On 

We find the best events this winter 

- with lots of fun to blow away the 

January gloom 

17 Michael Caines 

24 

We interview the Michelin star chef 

from Devon on his passion for motor 

racing and his charitable work 

19 Veg Out 

Four fabulous recipes if you’re 

attempting Veganuary this year or are 

just looking to reduce meat intake 

22 Live Well 

If you’re looking to retune your health 

this year, we have some excellent tips 

to get you started 

26 Magical Oman 

We visit the mountains and the dunes 

of Oman, a glorious country with a 

rich history 

30 Homebuying Guide 

If the New Year heralds a big house 

move, we bring together tips to make 

the process easier 

17 

Michael 

Caines 

32 

Country House 

Interiors 

Editor Katie Thomson 

e katie.thomson@minervapublications.co.uk 

Publisher Sally Thomson 

Pre-Press Manager Kate O’Connell 

Contributors Rebecca Williams, Peter Thomson, Sue Cooke, Matthew Biggs 

Angela Cave, Lucy Saunders and Pete Lawrence. 

Key Account Manager Steve Davies 

e steve.davies@minervapublications.co.uk 

d/l 01225 308 099 

twitter: @CotswoldsLive 

w www.northcotswoldslifestyle.co.uk 

Here we are in a new decade. 2020, with all its 

numerical symmetry, has both the promise of 

a new year and a new epoch. It goes without 

saying that this is a time for reflection, both 

inward and outward - what shape would we like 

our lives to have taken come January 2021? 

My goals would usually be overly simplistic and 

a little nebulous - lose a few pounds, drive less, 

learn a language; I’m almost doomed to failure 

by the lack of framework in the first instance. 

This year, I’m trying the opposite approach - 

detailing exactly how I will do something and 

here it is, printed - I can’t look back now. 

1. Walk, Run or Cycle 5km a day, for the 

whole of 2020. This sounds bonkers, but 

we all need to move more and even the 

most fitness-phobic person can walk 5km 

in a day...well, I’ll update you in March with 

my progress. 

2. Consume Less - I’m not talking just about 

food. I’ll be limiting myself to one new 

piece of clothing a month (the rest will 

come from resale sites and charity shops). 

I’m going to get store-cupboard staples 

from zero waste shops and I’ve swapped 

my cleaning products for natural ones. 

This was in part inspired by our amazing 

interview this issue with Mike Gunton of the 

BBC’s Natural History Unit - his passion for 

environmentalism is infectious. 

3. Live Well - ok, this does sound like I’m 

straying into generalities but a quote I heard 

really hit home: ‘everything you eat will either 

prevent disease or fuel it’. We only get one 

body, so I’m going to treat mine with more 

respect by getting the nutrients I need - you 

can read more on that in our health guide. 

I’d love to hear your resolutions for the New 

Year - please do email them to me and add to 

the inspirational pot. In the meantime, you can 

get a flavour of everything else in this issue by 

looking left. Whatever your resolutions or goals, 

I hope 2020 is a fantastic year for you. 

Katie 

MINERVA PUBLICATIONS HQ 

County Gate, County Way 

Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 7FJ 

t 01225 308 128 

w www.minervapublications.co.uk 

Disclaimer: The publishers shall not be held liable for any loss occasioned by failure of an 

advertisement to appear, or any damage or inconvenience caused by errors, omissions and 

misprints. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the 

publishers. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the publishers. 

www.northcotswoldslifestyle.co.uk | 3

Welcome to our first what’s on guide of 2020! 

Here is a taster of what’s happening locally. 

From tribute bands, beautiful gardens to visit, shows for the children, there 

is something to keep everyone entertained during the winter months... 

Corinium Museum 

Park Street, Cirencester GL7 2BX 

01285 655611 

www.coriniummuseum.cotswold.gov.uk 

Thursday 16 January, 7.15pm 

Royal Opera House Live Ballet - 

Sleeping Beauty 

The Sleeping Beauty has been delighting 

audiences in Covent Garden since 1946. 

This ballet is sure to cast its spell over 

anyone who sees it. 

Wednesday 29 January, 7.45pm 

Royal Opera House Live - 

La Bohème 

Puccini’s opera of young love in 

19th-century Paris is packed with beautiful 

music for Act II’s evocation of Christmas 

Eve in the Latin Quarter and a poignant final 

scene over which the composer himself 

wept. Richard Jones’s production perfectly 

captures La Bohème’s mixture of comedy, 

romance and tragedy. 

Saturday 1 February - Monday 30 March 

Stone Age People Trail 

Younger children are invited to find the little 

people from the Stone Age hidden around 

the museum and older children who find 

them will answer questions relating to the 

prehistoric past. Once complete, children 

claim their prize at the end. 

Cotswold Playhouse 

Parliament Street, Stroud GL5 1LW 

01453 488040 

www.cotswoldplayhouse.co.uk 

Thursday 16 January - Saturday 25 

January 

Babes in The Wood 

Babes in The Wood is a traditional 

pantomime favourite amongst audiences 

young and old alike. 

With plenty of twists and turns and lots 

of fun and laughter along the way this 

Pantomime story is guaranteed to put a 

smile on your face .. Oh yes it is! 

16 -18 & 23-25 January 7.30pm and 

matinees 18, 19, & 25, 2.30pm 

Babes in The Wood 

Babes in The Wood is a traditional 

pantomime favourite amongst audiences 

young and old alike. 

4 | www.northcotswoldslifestyle.co.uk 

With plenty of twists and turns and lots 

of fun and laughter along the way our 

Pantomime story is guaranteed to put a 

smile on your face .. Oh yes it is! 

Saturday 1 February 

Choice Grenfell 

Choice Grenfell is a wonderful tribute 

featuring some of the best of Joyce’s 

hilarious songs and monologues from 

Stately as a Galleon and School Nativity 

Play to A Terrible Worrier and First Flight. 

Joyce is our guide for a delightful delve into 

some of her most endearing characters, 

ably accompanied by her trusted pianist 

William Blezard. 

Thursday 6 February 

Savage 

A thief. A good thief, but stealing from the 

wrong people. 

Trapped in a swanky office guarded by 

hired muscle with no way out, Apollo is 

given a proposition that will set her and her 

sister free from their office block prison. If 

Apollo does what they say, will they truly be 

set free? Or is this just the beginning? 

Everyman Theatre 

Regent Street, Cheltenham GL50 1HQ 

01242 572573 

www.everymantheatre.org.uk 

Thursday 16 January, 7.30pm 

Thank You For The Music 

This international smash-hit tribute show 

brings all of ABBA’s number one hits to 

the stage in a production like no other. 

The hugely popular show, combines 

the unmistakable harmonies, colourful 

costumes, and dazzling performances by 

an all-star cast that’ll have you thanking 

ABBA for the music again and again! 

Friday 17 January, 7.30pm 

Gladys Knight - Midnight Train to 

Georgia 

Capturing the essence of the Multi award 

winning Ms Gladys Knight, Hayley Ria 

Christian portrays her, capturing the true 

magic that Gladys Knight provides on stage. 

This production is definitely not a tribute 

but a faithful portrayal and pays homage to 

the Empress of Soul..the one and only Ms 

Gladys Knight. 

Mon 27 January - Saturday 1 February 

Six The Musical 

Think you know the rhyme, think again. 

From Tudor queens to pop princesses, 

the six wives of Henry VIII finally take to 

the mic to tell their tales, remixing five 

hundred years of historical heartbreak into 

an 80-minute celebration of 21st century 

girl power. These Queens may have green 

sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red. 

It’s time they told their story. 

Divorced. Beheaded. LIVE! 

Thursday 13 - Saturday 22 February 

Shirley Valentine 

Claire Sweeney plays the title role of Shirley 

who’s feeling stagnant and stuck in a rut in 

her empty nest, preparing egg and chips 

for her emotionally distant husband. When 

the opportunity arises to leave Merseyside 

behind for a holiday in Greece, Shirley 

leaves a note and heads for the sun where 

she starts to see the world and herself very 

differently. 

Sunday 16 and Sunday 23 February, 

11am & 2pm 

Tweedy Presents - The Missing 

Company Of Sherlock Holmes 

Tweedy is putting on a large scale theatre 

production of Sherlock Holmes. He’s built 

the set, got the props and booked The 

Everyman Theatre for the show. There is 

only one problem - Tweedy has lost all the 

actors! 

Sunday 23 February, 8pm 

Ardal O’Hanlon - 

The Showing Off Must Go On 

Where Ardal comes from there is nothing 

worse than showing off. Yet he is a 

professional ‘show-off.’ Why does he do it? 

Monday 24 - Saturday 29 February 

Ten Times Table 

Robert Daws leads a star cast in the classic 

Ayckbourn comedy. 

In the long-since “grand” ballroom of the 

local Swan Hotel, a most miscellaneous 

assemblage gather to conduct the 

business of the Pendon Folk Festival, led 

by excitable chairman Ray. Unfortunately 

for Ray, his calamitous committee quickly 

divides, as his wife Helen has a bone to 

pick. 

continued

11359 - GWR.Banbury.Living.Jan.Feb.19_Layout 1 03/12/2018 16:00 Page 1 

SHERBORNE CINEMA 

The Sherborne Cinema is Gloucester’s 

friendly traditional cinema for quality 

evening films and family films every 

weekend and holiday. 

Highlights include: 

Frozen 2 

SUPER 

VALUE! 

TICKETS JUST 

£4 to £6 

EVERYDAY 

GWR will re-open in March for the 2020 season. 

See www.gwsr.com for details, prices and bookings. 

Travel from Broadway, Toddington, 

Winchcombe or Cheltenham Race Course 

stations on our award-winning heritage railway 

28 mile round trip through glorious Cotswold 

scenery Tea room, shop, heritage trail and 

small museum at Toddington; café, shop, 

discovery coach and picnic area at Winchcombe 

It’s a 

Great 

Family 

Day Out! 

Buffets on most trains Famous 15 arch viaduct at Stanway 

693 yard Greet tunnel - second longest on a preserved railway 

Heritage steam engines, classic diesel 

locomotives and vintage railcars 

Ample free car parking at Toddington 

and Cheltenham Race Course stations 

Only 15 minutes drive from M5 junction 9 

Midway 

The Good Liar 

Jumanji: The Next Level 

Full details at 

www.sherbornecinema.co.uk 

or phone 01452 520560 

Cotswolds Hideaways have an extensive portfolio of truly 

delightful properties spread across the enchanting 

Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, each 

carefully chosen for its character and stunning location. 

Visit cotswoldshideaways.co.uk 

or call 01451 888 040 

Thinking of letting your holiday home? 

We are always looking to expand our portfolio, 

so why not give us a call? 

cotsw lds 


Hereford Racecourse 

Roman Road, Hereford HR4 9QU 

01432 273560 

www.hereford-racecourse.co.uk 

Friday 3 January 

New Year Racing 

Continue your New Year celebrations and 

take advantage of the time before schools 

go back and take the kids, as under 18s 

race for free! 

Wednesday 29 January 

Afternoon Winter Racing 

Wrap up warm and take in the fresh 

winter air for an afternoon of jump racing 

Sunday 23 February 

Half-Term Raceday 

It’s Half Term! 

Why not go down to the racecourse with 

the whole family and see what they have 

got to offer everyone on this day including 

fun activities for the children and some 

thrilling racing for the adults. 

Hidcote Manor 

Garden 

near Chipping Campden GL55 6LR 

01386 438333 

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hidcote 

Saturdays 4 January and 1 February, 

9.15 - 11am 

Tai Chi 

Tai Chi is a series of gentle movements 

which originated thousands of years ago 

in China. It is practised worldwide today 

and is suitable for people of all ages and 

levels of fitness. The classes will run on 

a monthly basis and are held outdoors, 

so please go dressed for the weather in 

comfortable clothing. 

O2 Academy 

190 Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 1UE 

01865 813500 

www.academymusicgroup.com/ 

o2academyoxford 

Saturday 18 January, 6.30pm 

The White Lakes 

Oxford-based indie-rock outfit, The White 

Lakes, have become known for their 

energetic and powerful live performances 

and they kick off the New Year with a 

hometown show packed full of surprises. 

Friday 31 January, 11pm 

Black Parade 00’s Emo Anthems 

The UK’s biggest emo night, Black 

Parade, are bringing their 00’s emo 

party to Oxford! Expect to hear hits from 

Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical 

Romance + more. 

Over 18s only 

Sunday 2 February, 7pm 

Billy Lockett 

Emotive singer-songwriter, Billy Lockett, 

is starting off the New Year with a string 

of headline shows that’ll flaunt off the 

material from his brand-new EP, Reset. 

Tuesday 11 February, 7pm 

Miz Cracker’s American Woman 

Miz Cracker returns to the UK with her 

brand-new, witty one-woman show, 

American Woman and she’ll be bringing 

a host of friends from New York along for 

the ride! Over 14s only 

Friday 28 February, 6pm 

Hot 8 Brass Band 

The Hot 8 Brass Band are an incredible 

raw and funky brass band, straight from 

the streets of New Orleans. Famous for 

their boundless energy, you can’t help but 

raise a smile when you see them live and 

they’re heading out on the Mardi Gras 

tour in the spring to bring joy to cities 

across the nation. 

Friday 28 February, 6.30pm 

Vex Red 

Electronic rockers, Vex Red, are back with 

a refreshed sense of purpose after a long 

17-year wait and they’ve got plenty of 

new music on the way. Having reignited 

their hunger, the band are set for a full 

headline tour and the year will see them 

go from strength to strength. 

Sulgrave Manor 

Manor Road, Near Banbury OX17 2SD 

01295 760205 

www.sulgravemanor.org.uk 

Every Thursday 

Toddler Time 

Explore the family friendly garden, make 

mud pies and build dens! 

After all the fun, don’t forget your hot 

drink and your little ones biscuits. 

3 for one adult and two children 

Tetbury Goods Shed 

Arts Centre 

Old Station, Station Yard, Tetbury GL8 

8DG 

01666 505496 

www.shed-arts.co.uk 

Friday 3 January, 2pm - 4.15pm 

Beauty and the Beast Pantomime 

Join Belle and the Beast together with 

Dame Tilly Tarte, Phillipe Fillop and the 

Enchantress of the Rose as they try to lift 

the curse and find the path to true love. 

Saturday 18 January, 7.30pm 

Martin James Bartlett - Solo Piano 

Since winning the BBC Young Musician 

of the Year in 2014, Martin James Bartlett 

has developed an impressive international 

career, performing in China, Japan and 

Spain as well as appearing with many of 

the UK’s leading orchestras. 

The Theatre Chipping 

Norton 

2 Spring Street, Chipping Norton OX7 5NL 

01608 649126 

www.chippingnortontheatre.com 

Friday 24 January 

Morgan and West - 

Unbelievable Science 

Captivating chemistry! Phenomenal 

physics! Bonkers biology! 

Magicians, time travellers and all round 

spiffing chaps Morgan & West have a 

secret past - they are genuine, bona fide, 

legitimately qualified scientists, and now 

are bring their love of enlightenment to 

the stage! 

Unbelievable Science is a live, interactive 

science show for the whole family, where 

real experiments take place right before 

your eyes. 

Thursday 30 January 

In Loyal Company 

In Loyal Company is the incredible true 

story of missing World War II soldier and 

prisoner of War Arthur Robinson, written 

and performed by his great-nephew, David 

William Bryan. May 1941. 

Arthur Robinson joins up becoming 

a private in the 18th reconnaissance 

division. Deployed to Singapore, his ship is 

destroyed by Japanese dive bombers on 

arrival. Arthur is declared missing. 

This extraordinary true story of survival is a 

tour-de-force war epic. 

Wednesday 5 - Saturday 15 February 

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect 

Nonsense 

Take your seats with caution! Aristocratic 

buffoon Bertie Wooster has hired the 

theatre for the night to present his oneman 

show detailing a recent and rather 

spectacular series of misadventures, 

including the theft of a novelty cow creamer 

and a narrow escape from unwanted 

matrimony. 

Friday 21 February, 7.45pm 

The Upbeat Beatles 

The Upbeat Beatles are second to none 

and the show takes you through the Fab 

Four’s long and winding road from the 

early Cavern days through Beatlemania, 

America, Sergeant Pepper to Abbey 

Road, with narrative and full multi-media 

presentation. 

Thursday 27 - Saturday 29 February 

Jane Eyre 

A Gothic masterpiece of tempestuous 

passions and dark secrets, Jane Eyre tells 

the thrilling story of an orphan girl and her 

journey from a childhood of loneliness and 

cruelty to a life at Thornfield Hall and an 

unlikely relationship with the mysterious Mr 

Rochester. 

Blenheim Palace 

Woodstock OX20 1PP 

01993 810530 

www.blenheimpalace.com 

Saturday 15 February - Tuesday 14 April 

Let’s Misbehave - The 1920’s at 

Blenheim Palace 

Travel back in time to the Roaring Twenties 

as Blenheim Palace invites bright young 

things to a magnificent party celebrating 

this famously decadent decade. 

We take great care in compiling the listings, 

however we recommend that you check 

with the venue in advance as events and 

activities may be subject to change. 

6 | www.northcotswoldslifestyle.co.uk

www.thetiteinn.co.uk 

Email: annanddavid@thetitein.co.uk 

Situated in a delightful corner of the village of 

Chadlington, on the edge of the Cotswolds, sits 

the 17th century TITE INN. 

This cosy pub has it all; tasteful, traditional 

décor, a great atmosphere, very friendly hosts, 

a good range of real ales, sparklingly clean 

facilities, and a menu of mouth-watering homecooked 

food. That’s not to mention its garden, 

which is one of the loveliest in the Cotswolds. 

Three terraces of nicely spaced alcoves, set 

amongst beautifully maintained gardens and 

lawns. A great spot for al fresco dining, or just a 

relaxing drink. 


MG ZS 

Exclusive EV 

Motoring 

Journalist Sue 

Cooke test drives 

the new MG ZS 

Exclusive EV... 

Nowadays the majority of cars I am 

asked to road test are alternatively 

fuelled vehicles. The latest figures from 

the Society of Motor Manufacturers and 

Traders show that more than one in 10 

cars joining UK roads, are either hybrid, 

plug-in hybrid or pure electric. 

In fact, the demand for the latest 

battery electric cars surged by 228.8% 

and MG has joined the jostling crowd 

and launched an electric version of 

its compact Sports Utility Vehicle. It is 

good to see the choice moving from the 

supermini electric car to an electric small 

crossover, like the ZS. Aside from power 

being derived from a battery, the ZS has 

many other attributes. 

The exterior design is stylish with a large 

MG badge taking centre stage on the full 

frame grille. The badge is what the new 

owner will press to raise a portion of the 

front grille where one end of a lead is 

plugged into the car and the other into a 

house plug to charge the battery. 

Charging from home, using the 7kW Type 

2 charger to fully charge takes 6.5 hours, 

ideal for overnight charging but with the 

50kW CCS rapid charger, you can charge 

from zero to 80% in 40 minutes. 

The class leading interior space comes 

with most of the ‘extras’ as standard and 

trim level choice is the entry level Explore, 

Excite or top of the range, Exclusive. 

The ZS has one of the most generous 

shoulder, leg and headroom capacities 

in its segment. There is 448 litres of boot 

space, which is 60 litres larger than the 

typical compact SUV. The split-level boot 

has plenty of room for prams, luggage, 

outdoor leisure equipment or the 

weekly shop. Numerous compartments 

throughout the car provide additional 

storage. 

An 8” touch sensitive infotainment 

screen is supported by DAB radio (on the 

Exclusive and Excite models). Bluetooth 

hands-free and Cruise control are also 

included and Satellite Navigation and 

a rear camera are standard on the 

Exclusive variant. MG offers Apple Car 

Play on the Excite and Exclusive variants 

at no extra cost. The safer way to use 

your iPhone in the car, CarPlay will take 

the things you want to do with your 

iPhone while you are driving and puts 

them on the car’s in-built display. 

The Excite and Exclusive models come 

with three power-assisted steering modes 

– Urban, Normal and Dynamic. Normal 

is normal, while Urban steering offers 

a lighter and quicker response at low 

speeds and when parking. The Dynamic 

mode is designed to increase the steering 

effort, deliver a higher damping effect and 

increase the centre definition at medium 

and high vehicle speeds. 

Acceleration is instant as the car 

silently tiptoes through urban traffic. 

Deceleration is gradual as the right 

foot slowly removes the pressure. The 

EV is only available with automatic 

transmission. 

MG offers a 7 year/80,000 mile warranty 

as standard across all variants, which the 

British brand says is one of the longest 

fully transferable warranties in its class. 

It’s good to see the increase in 

registrations of electrified cars. The 

larger choice of models like the MG ZS 

SUV is ideal for people who want to go 

electric but also need the space and 

practicality of a compact SUV. For 2020 

manufacturers are offering plenty of new 

and exciting alternatively fuelled models 

to give buyers even more choice. It just 

needs a more confident consumer. 

Facts at a glance 

Model: MG ZS sports utility vehicle 

Exclusive EV 

Basic Price: £30,495otr but with the 

MG grant of £3,500 on top of the 

Government’s £3,500 plug-in car grant, 

the overall price is from £23,495. 

Power: 44.5 kWh battery 

Performance: 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds 

and on to a top speed of 87 mph 

CO2 emissions: zero 

Combined fuel consumption: WLTPaccredited 

range of 163 miles 


2020 TRENDS 

WEDDING 

From the Dress to the Decor... 

WEDDED BLISS 

The standard wedding traditions of 

going to a church with your nearest and 

dearest, bridesmaids in pastels and run 

of the mill wedding table decor seem 

long behind us as couples are starting 

to plan their weddings according to their 

personalities. Even Meghan Markle broke 

Royal tradition in her wedding to Harry 

when she made her own speech. With 

that in mind, we take a look at some of 

the changing trends for weddings. 

THE DRESS 

Whilst many brides still favour traditional 

white dresses, a lot of brides are 

choosing dresses away from tradition, 

opting for dresses that not only make 

them look incredible, but are easy and 

comfortable to wear. Spending hours 

deliberating on whether to go for a 

meringue, ballgown, a-line or mermaid 

dress is out, and instead, brides are 

choosing dresses that show off their 

features whilst staying in line with their 

personalities too. Newer style options 

include gowns with pockets, two-piece 

skirts and tops and changes from day 

to night. 

BRIDESMAIDS 

Bridesmaids still, and will almost certainly 

continue to do so, play a massive part 

in a girl’s big day. They used to be a 

dressed in a sort of one size fits all 

mentality, with certain dress styles not 

suiting all bridesmaids. That, luckily, is 

a thing of the past, with brides taking 

their time to choose dresses that flatter 

their friends, are fun and comfortable to 

wear, and usually able to be worn again 

after the occasion. New trends include 

allowing bridesmaids to choose their 

own dress within a certain colour palette, 

or dresses which can be tied in multiple 

ways. 

ECO-FRIENDLY 

WEDDINGS 

Sustainable weddings are becoming 

increasingly popular amongst couples 

tying the knot. With weddings creating 

a lot of waste from leftover food to 

unwanted wedding decor, and a big 

carbon footprint on getting guests to 

and from the venue, it is easy to see why 

couples are looking for ways to reduce 

their carbon footprint. Before you think 

‘wedding in a field’, having an ecofriendly 

wedding does not mean doing 

everything outside. There are lots of 

ways that you can make your day a little 

bit more sustainable, such as choosing 

a location close to you (less travelling 

for you and guests), using e-invitations 

instead of traditional invites, or opt for 

recycled paper, and avoiding disposable 

dinnerware and instead opting hiring 

equipment and wedding decor. You can 

also make your own wedding favours, or 

give out gifts that people can reuse, we 

love the idea of little packs of wildflower 

seeds or even an eco-friendly soap from 

companies such as Chateau du Savon. 

WEDDING CAKES 

Even wedding cakes have changed over 

time. From your traditional fruit cake 

through to cakes made from wheels 

of cheese and even those made of 

doughnuts, there are plenty of different 

options to choose from. With increasing 

numbers of food intolerances and 

allergies and people stepping away 

from traditional choices, couples again 

are choosing cakes that reflect their 

personalities. 

WEDDING DECOR 

Even wedding decor has taken a shift 

away from tradition over the years. 

With Instagram, Pinterest to name but 

two, brides to be spend hours trawling 

through social media looking for wedding 

inspiration. Again, this is now more about 

what suits the personalities of the happy 

couple, with them choosing decor that 

reflects the ambience and atmosphere 

they are trying to create, over having 

everything matching! 


Cotswold Farmhouse Setting 

Norton Grounds is an 18th Century farm estate providing a unique 

location for your Exclusive, Cotswold wedding weekend. Take your pick 

from our stylish, newly converted barns for wedding receptions and 

Civil Ceremonies or the paddock overlooking the farmhouse, perfect for 

marquee celebrations. 

The Venue Hire includes luxury accommodation for 24 guests for 3 nights 

and Event Management and Planning Support. 

Contact: Anna Byass E: info@goldenpineapplehospitality.co.uk T: 07816203766 

www.nortongrounds.com 

Comparethediamond.com is a family firm with 

over 50 years’ experience in manufacturing fine 

jewellery. We offer a unique design service, an 

amazing shopping experience 

and unquestionable, 

unbeatable value. 

We are proud to be 

Trust Pilots best 

UK jeweller. 

Start designing your perfect wedding rings with us today, 

or browse our vast collection at 

www.comparethediamond.com/wedding-rings 


Weddings 

The Kings beautiful, golden stone town house, with it’s quirky decor and period 

features, offers the ideal backdrop for weddings and is fully licensed for 

civil ceremonies. 

Choose from cosy ceremonies in the intimate Garden Room overlooking the 

terrace or the restaurant for larger weddings from 2 to 60 guests. 

Enjoy delicious, home-cooked food largely using locally sourced ingredients. 

Our head chef will work with you to create an exciting menu of classic dishes 

with a modern twist to wow your guests! 

BOOK A WEDDING SHOWROUND IN JANUARY AND RECEIVE A 

COMPLIMENTARY GLASS OF FIZZ ON ARRIVAL! 

TO BOOK PLEASE CALL 01386 840256 

THE KINGS HOTEL | CHIPPING CAMPDEN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GL55 6AW 

T: 01386 840256 | E: INFO@KINGSCAMPDEN.CO.UK | WWW.KINGSCAMPDEN.CO.UK 

/KINGSCAMPDEN 

@THEKINGSHOTEL 

@KINGSCAMPDEN 

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NOTES 

from the pass 

Michael Caines MBE, chef/patron of Lympstone 

Manor, is one of Britain’s most decorated and 

well-known chefs. Sally Thomson caught up with 

him to discuss his ventures in wine, his passion 

for teaching and his need for speed... 

When we last met you were at 

Kentisbury Grange, and I note that you 

received some awards for that? 

Yes, the Small Hotel of the Year and 

Restaurant of the Year. It’s great! 

Kentisbury Grange is owned by my old 

school friend Mark Cushway. Mark asked 

me to get involved and help him with 

his project, which I did, and it’s great to 

see that over the years we’ve managed 

to acquire many awards which is a 

tribute to the team. The chef there at the 

moment is James Checkley and he is 

doing a great job, and we just continue 

to advance and improve. There are 

challenges being in North Devon that are 

different to being located in South Devon, 

unfortunately places in North Devon can 

get overlooked on the culinary map, so 

it’s nice to be able to contribute to the 

North Devon economy by creating a 

lovely venue, and to see it do well. 

When we last spoke you mentioned that 

your pride and joy was Lympstone Manor. 

You are now nearly into its third year… 

It’s incredible to think that when we last 

met, it was just in its infancy. We won a 

Michelin Star within six months, and we 

are very pleased to announce that we 

have been given five rosettes this year, 

so it is great progress and we just look to 

the Michelin gods that we might advance 

to two! But the main thing is that since 

we spoke we planted a vineyard and the 

whole property has settled and matured. 

It really is the best of me and everything 

that I have achieved in my career 

combined into this wonderful place. 

Do you draw back the curtains and pinch 

yourself to remember that it’s yours? 

Every day! When I walk into that 

"Lympstone Manor 

really is the best of 

me, and everything 

that I have achieved in 

my career combined 

into this wonderful 

place." 

property and I look 

at that view…I do pinch myself! But 

I also recognise that it has been a 

huge amount of hard work and it still 

continues to take a lot of commitment. 

So about your vineyard! The harvest 

in 2018 was good wasn’t it? 

The harvest in the UK in 2018 was 

brilliant, it was the best harvests in the 

history of English wine making, it’s been 

incredible. We planted our vineyard in 

2018, and in its second year it will 

produce grapes that we can harvest 

(next year), those grapes will then be 

vinified and we will be releasing our first 

wine in 2024. So it takes three years for 

the vineyard to establish. We are now in 

our second year. We planted, in eleven 

acres, 17,500 vines, of which 50% 

are Pinot Noir, 20% Meunier and 30% 

are Chardonnay. They are the classic 

champagne varietals, so we are looking 

forward to producing some wonderful 

English sparkling wine. Hopefully they will 

have their own story to tell, alongside the 

story of Lympstone Manor. 

I’ve been watching Jason Atherton 

in The Chef’s Brigade, and what I 

hadn’t really realised is the interaction 

between each person in the kitchen 

and how it can affect the cuisine. I 

work in an office, and each person 

does their own thing, whereas in a 

kitchen, the relationship between each 

person is quite a complex one! 

In all honesty it’s not that different! Similar 

to what you described with your office, 

everyone has different disciplines. The 

editor brings into the magazine all those 

different skills that contribute into a great 

publication. In a kitchen it is similar, it’s 

like an orchestra, and we conduct that 

orchestra, but we edit it and so we are 

the curators but it requires an individual 

team working alongside each other and 

communicating. Our deadlines however 

are very immediate! It requires massive 

amounts of effort and discipline, and 

that discipline is not self-indulgent, 

it’s selfless, as it is a requirement. It is 

a very tough environment. We are all 

interconnected and intertwined, but it’s 

also like the analogy of a swan, where on 

the surface to the customer we appear 

very calm, but underneath there’s two 

legs paddling! But we’ve got more than 

two legs on the team, and those legs are 

components, all working together. It’s 

fascinating and it’s a good insight into 

what goes on behind the scenes. 

17

On a completely different note, did 

you go to Silverstone this year? If so, 

how many Grand Prix’s did you get to 

attend? 

I did go this year, it was great! I’ve seen 

four this year, sometimes it’s five. But I 

did three Europeans and one fly-away, 

and so we send a chef out to all the 

Europeans to support ROKiT Williams 

Racing, and I go to Monaco, British, 

Monza and America. Sometimes I do Abu 

Dhabi and I might try and do Singapore 

next year. I do as many or as few as I 

want, but no less than three. 

What’s your favourite? 

Monaco is amazing but the racing is 

dull. Monza is the fastest track. Italy, I 

love Italy. But I love Silverstone for pure 

racing, it’s a great track. It’s a fascinating 

sport, and I think as much as we criticise 

it, one minute you can have a dull race 

and the next minute you can have the 

most exciting race. 

I know you are very involved with 

charities, and you have the Michael 

Caines Academy at Exeter College? 

It’s probably more of an educational 

programme at Exeter College where we 

take sixteen students through two years 

of training and they then graduate as 

a Michael Caines Academy student. In 

that time they have a slightly shortened 

curriculum where they spend six weeks 

in work experience and they have do 

one ‘experience day’ a week, which are 

cooking demonstrations, visits to the 

industry etc. After these two years when 

they graduate they are very sought after, 

because of the experience they have 

gained. So the academy is very important 

and it’s doing a great job supplying the 

industry with some much needed talent. 

They are all like-minded and are fabulous 

kids, and now in its eighth year we’ve had 

sixty cohorts going through, and we will 

continue to develop. We might increase 

the cohort, and we might expand the 

academy within other colleges. But in 

terms of the charity work I do, I work with 

seven different charities. I’m patron of 

Families for Children which is an adoption 

charity, I’m the president of the wonderful 

charity Farms for City Children, I’m on the 

board for the Exeter Chiefs Foundation, 

which is the charity for the Exeter Rugby 

team which do a fantastic job. I’m also 

an ambassador and advisor to the board 

of the Calvert Trust, and I also work 

alongside Damon Hill’s Charity who 

support people with Down’s Syndrome. 

So it’s lots of different charities! But it 

increases public awareness, and I’m 

particularly proud to have been made 

a deputy lieutenant to the lieutenant of 

Devon, because through this position 

I am able to work on improving the 

network of charities in Devon, and get 

them working together. 

In terms of the success of the Exeter 

Chiefs, and the work that they do – we 

support seventeen charities every 

year, but alongside that we donate 

undesignated funds to a huge amount of 

different charities. What we are seeing 

is a way in which we can help charities 

with capital projects, and last year we 

got together with the Property Ball. 

They raised £55,000 last year towards 

charities, and we chose to match fund 

"If you are a public 

figure...then I 

think you have a 

duty of care to do 

something and 

put back in the 

community" 

that, and so between the two charities 

we raised £110,000 to refit Devon 

Hospice in Exeter, which was a wellworthy 

cause and an incredible thing 

to do. But it’s things like that, that are 

about the community, that inspire you 

to get involved. If you are a public figure 

or you are someone who is perceived 

to be a celebrity or you are successful 

then I think you have a duty of care 

to do something and put back in the 

community. Not everybody does it but I 

think it is important. 

You can find out more about Michael 

Caines at michaelcaines.com 

and Lympstone Manor at 

lympstonemanor.co.uk 

18

TIME TO 

veg out 

Prep 

time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 2-4 

This recipe serves two as a 

main dish and needs some 

preparation the day before. 

with C hipotle Mayonnaise 

Fry each piece of chicken for about 3-4 

minutes until golden brown. Remove 

from the fryer and leave on a rack to 

cool. 

In a large mixing bowl place the 

buttermilk, egg, garam masala and For the chicken seasoning, combine 

smoked paprika and whisk well to the garam masala and salt together. 

ALL IN ONE veg lasagne 

incorporate all the ingredients together. 

Turn up the temperature of your fryer 

Place your chicken Prep time: thigh 5 pieces minutes into 

the buttermilk Cooking mixture time: until well 30 minutes coated. 

Cover the bowl Serves: with cling 2-4 film and 

place in the fridge to marinate for 24 

to 190°C Heat and the re-fry oil in the a large chicken pieces 

until dark ovenproof golden frying and very pan crispy. or 

shallow casserole dish over 

Ensure a medium-high each piece is cooked heat. Fry through. the 

hours. INGREDIENTS 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Place soffritto the chicken for 7 on minutes, a paper stirring towel 

to soak regularly. up any excess oil and 

Mix together the 200g plain pack flour, chilled paprika, Cooks’ 

onion powder, Ingredients garlic powder, Soffritto garam 

masala, cornflakes 500g carton and feuille Italian de passata brick. 

with chopped basil 

season with a dusting of the chicken 

seasoning. Tip the passata, then fill 

the carton with water and add 

For the to chipotle the pan. mayonnaise, Simmer for 10 combine 

Remove the bowl 6 fresh of chicken lasagne from sheets, the halved all ingredients minutes, together then stir in a the large pasta bowl 

fridge, and one lengthways by one place each and whisk strips well. and Put mince; the simmer fridge for and 

piece of chicken 350g thigh pack into chilled the flour Quorn Mince chill until another ready 5 to minutes. serve alongside the 

and spice mix, 125g making pack sure mozzarella, you get drained chicken. 

a good amount and of torn crumb over the 

chicken pieces. Handful basil leaves 

Scatter the torn mozzarella 

Finish over with the top fresh and zest pop of under lemon 

and lime the and grill for serve 5 minutes. with slices Grind of 

Preheat a deep METHOD fat fryer or oil in a 

saucepan to 175°C. Preheat the grill to high. 

green over jalapeño some and black plenty pepper of chipotle and 

mayonnaise. scatter over the basil to serve. 

19

BUTTERNUT 

SQUASH 

and goats cheese 

salad 

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cook time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 4 

INGREDIENTS 

1 essential Waitrose Butternut 

Squash, halved, deseeded and 

cut into 1cm slices (about 1kg 

prepared weight) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Pinch chilli flakes 

40g pecans 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

½ lemon, zest and juice 

2 x 140g packs red chicory, leaves 

separated 

2 tbsp dried cranberries 

75g essential Waitrose English 

Goats’ Cheese 

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 220˚C, gas 

mark 7. Toss the squash slices 

with the 1 tbsp olive oil and 

spread out on a large baking tray. 

Sprinkle with the chilli flakes, 

season and roast for 25-30 

minutes, turning halfway, until 

golden in places. Put the pecans 

on a separate baking tray and add 

to the oven for the final 5 minutes 

of roasting. 

For the dressing, whisk together 

the extra virgin olive oil, lemon 

zest and juice. 

Arrange the roasted squash (it can 

be hot from the oven or cooled 

to room temperature) and sliced 

chicory leaves on individual plates 

or a large serving plate. Scatter 

over the cranberries and toasted 

pecans, dot over the goats’ 

cheese, then spoon over the 

dressing. Grind over some black 

pepper and serve immediately. 

COOK’S TIP 

For extra sweetness, try adding 

some finely sliced apple or pear in 

place of the cranberries. 

20

NAAN FLATBREADS 

with spinach and caramelised onion 

Prep time:15 minutes 

Cook time:20 minutes 

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS 

1½ tbsp vegetable oil 

1 onion, halved and finely sliced 

450g pack spinach 

1 tsp cumin seeds 

½ tsp black onion seeds 

Pinch of dried chilli flakes 

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced 

2 The Spice Tailor Plain Naans 

1 tsp Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients Tamarind Paste 

2 tbsp natural yogurt 

Large handful pomegranate seeds 

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Put 1 tbsp oil in a large 

frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onion with a pinch 

of salt, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes, until deep golden. Drain 

on kitchen paper. 

Meanwhile, put the spinach in a large colander and pour over 

just-boiled water from the kettle to wilt (you may need to do 

this in 2 batches). Rinse under the cold tap, then squeeze out 

as much excess water as possible. Drain thoroughly on kitchen 

paper. 

Add the remaining ½ tbsp oil to the frying pan and toss in the 

spices and garlic. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the 

spinach plus a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until 

any excess water has evaporated. 

Splash the naans with a little cold water and bake in the oven 

for 3-4 minutes. Remove and top each with the spinach, onion, 

tamarind paste, a drizzle of yogurt, and the pomegranate seeds. 

BAKED PEAR, ALMOND 

& OAT SQUARES 

Prep time:15 minutes, plus cooling 

Cook time:45 minutes 

Makes: 16 

INGREDIENTS 

250g porridge oats 

100g ground almonds 

1½ tsp baking powder 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

¼ tsp fine salt 

50g soft dried apricots, roughly chopped 

350ml Alpro Oat Unsweetened drink 

1 British Blacktail Free Range Egg, beaten 

2 ripe bananas, mashed 

3 tbsp maple syrup 

¼ tsp almond extract 

2 conference pears 

METHOD 

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Line a 21cm square 

cake tin with parchment. Mix the oats, ground almonds, baking 

powder, cinnamon, salt and apricots in a large mixing bowl. In a 

jug, whisk together the Alpro oat drink, egg, mashed bananas, 

maple syrup and almond extract. 

Pour the oat drink mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Peel, 

halve and core both pears. Cut 1 pear into 1cm dice and stir 

through the mixture. Tip the mixture into the cake tin, smoothing 

the top. 

Slice the other pear and scatter over the top. Bake for 45 

minutes, then cool completely before cutting into squares. 

21

1 

SPICE THINGS UP 

We all know we should eat more veggies 

(ideally 10 portions per day), but we could also 

be reaping huge health benefits from herbs and 

spices by introducing them into our diets. Here 

are just a few with phenomenal healthy stats. 

SAGE - Current research indicates that sage 

may be able to improve brain function and 

memory, especially in people with Alzheimer's 

disease. 

Alzheimer's disease is accompanied by a 

drop in the level of acetylcholine, a chemical 

messenger in the brain. Sage inhibits the 

breakdown of acetylcholine 

CINNAMON - Cinnamon has potent 

antioxidant activity, helps fight inflammation 

and has been shown to lower cholesterol and 

triglycerides in the blood. 

2 

STRETCH IT OUT 

DAILY STRETCHES - Most people think that 

stretching is for gym bunnies or yogis, but daily stretching 

can have huge benefits in both pain management and 

prevention, and can delay the onset of age-related immobility. A great idea 

is to try to fit in a few as you get out of bed in the morning. 

• Firstly, lying flat on your back, hold each knee up to your chest and 

hold for 15 seconds on each side. 

• Then lying on the bed, raise one of your knees, and gently roll it 

over to the opposite side. Make sure both of your shoulders stay in 

contact with the bed at all times. 

• Sit on the edge of your bed, with your feet flat on the floor. Interlock 

your fingers and reach forward, bending from your middle back. 

Stretch with your hands forward at shoulder level. 

• Come to a standing position and stand with your feet hip-width 

apart and clasp your hands above your head. Gently lean your 

body to one side, feeling a deep stretch along the side of your 

body. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

MYOFASCIAL MASSAGE - Myofascial release is an alternative 

medicine therapy claimed to be useful for treating skeletal muscle 

immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving 

circulation, and stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles. You 

can reap the benefits at home using a foam roller 

to work out areas of tension in the body. The 

stretching motion helps to increase joint mobility 

and the targeted pressure on your fascia helps to 

release trigger points where you’re feeling pain. 

Performance Foam Roller, 

£19.99,1000mile.co.uk 

TAKE A BREATH 

According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s sufficient evidence that intentional 

deep breathing can actually calm and regulate the autonomic nervous 

system (ANS). This system regulates our involuntary body functions such 

as temperature, heart rate, digestion and respiratory rate. It can lower blood 

pressure and provide an almost immediate sense of calm. 

Cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several 

mechanisms, including by slowing the 

breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract and 

improving insulin sensitivity. The effective dose 

per day is 0.5 - 2 teaspoons. 

TURMERIC - Turmeric contains Curcumin 

is a remarkably powerful antioxidant, helping 

to fight oxidative damage and boosting the 

body's own antioxidant enzymes. 

The slow holding of breath allows CO2 to build up in the blood. An 

increased blood CO2 enhances the cardio-inhibitory response of the vagus 

nerve when you exhale and stimulates your parasympathetic system. This 

produces a calm and relaxed feeling in the mind and body. 

BOX BREATHING - Box breathing, also known as square breathing, 

is a technique used when taking slow, deep breaths. It can heighten 

performance and concentration while also being a powerful stress reliever. 

It’s also called four-square breathing. 

It's very simple - the cadence is 1:1:1:1. Deeply and slowly inhale for five 

seconds, hold your breath for five seconds, exhale slowly for five seconds, 

then hold your breath again for five seconds. Repeat at least four times. 

Curcumin is also strongly anti-inflammatory, to 

the point where it matches the effectiveness of 

3 

some anti-inflammatory drug. Inflammation is 

the root cause of most Western diseases, so 

the regular inclusion of turmeric is a no-brainer. 

GINGER - Ginger is known for its efficacy 

in treating nausea, but alongside that it is 

said to have anti-inflammatory properties. 

Research found that a mixture of ginger, 

cinnamon, mastic, and sesame oil decreased 

pain and stiffness experienced by those with 

osteoarthritis. It had a similar effectiveness as 

treatment with aspirin or ibuprofen. 

22

TAILOR YOUR WORKOUT 

We are all very different - the requirements in diet and fitness terms from one 

person to another vary hugely, as do our needs as we become fitter - that's a 

common issue with fitness equipment for the home - workouts can stagnate 

easily, leading to slowed progress and ultimately disenchantment. 

4 

The new Bowflex Max Trainer M8 is the first home exercise equipment to possess 

an Artificial Intelligence platform that can help people reach peak fitness and keep 

their home regime dynamic and interesting. The AI platform, called JRNY, uses AI 

algorithms, data from an initial assessment, and tracking from previous workouts to 

create personalised daily workouts based on the user’s fitness goals. Each custom 

workout is adjusted automatically based on how the user is feeling, how much they 

improve, and their past performance. 

In addition to the new AI platform, the new Bowflex Max Trainer M8 boasts enhanced 

features over its predecessor, the M7. Combining the full-body, low-impact motion 

of an elliptical with the calorie-torching power of a stepper, the fat-burning capability 

of the Max Trainer M8 is unmatched. At a fraction of the size of most ellipticals 

and treadmills, this space-saving machine is designed to fit in every home gym 

environment, and with handy integrated transport wheels, it can be moved about with 

ease. The Max Trainer M8 is available exclusively from Fitness Superstore for £1999. 

5WEIGHT 

TRAINING 

It's a common misconception that the only 

way to get leaner is lots of cardio. Whilst its 

fat-burning positives are important, some form 

of weight training is also essential if you want to change your body 

composition - there are a myriad of benefits - here are just a few: 

INCREASES BONE DENSITY - weight training can help 

limit the effects of age-related bone mass loss. It also increases 

joint stability, helping to avoid injury in both training and everyday 

activities. 

OVERALL STRENGTH - strength training increases our ability 

to perform daily tasks well, like squatting, rising from a seated 

position and lifting bags - it is a functional form of training. 

INCREASES LEAN MUSCLE MASS - as well as making 

you look slimmer overall, lean muscle also increases metabolic 

rate, so it's a calorie burning win-win. 

BLOOD PRESSURE - improves heart health by decreasing 

both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. 

INFLAMMATION - weight training helps reduce inflammatory 

molecules and also improves the efficiency of the cardio-vascular 

system - try to weight train at least twice a week for these benefits. 

Consult a personal trainer to help devise a routine that works for 

your level of ability and which targets the particular improvements 

you would like to make, or concerns you might have. 

Dumbells make for a good purchase to support home weight 

training, but full racks are bulky. Bowlfex's smart, compact 

solution means that with just a twist of the dial, 

your dumbell can go from 2-24kg, meaning 

it can adapt to the requirements of any 

workout and user. Bowflex SelectTech 552 

Adjustable Dumbbells, £399 

a pair, available exclusively 

from Fitness Superstore 

Please consult your doctor before 

making any major changes to your 

fitness or diet regime 

LIVE WELL IN 

2020 

6 TIPS FOR A HEALTHIER AND 

HAPPIER YEAR AHEAD 

6 

MOVE MORE 

We can all scoff at the fitness tracker 

wearers pacing around the office to 

reach their step goal, but our sedentary 

lifestyles are a huge contributor to a raft 

of diseases. Even standing and taking 

short walking breaks throughout the 

working day can have benefits on blood 

pressure, blood sugar and can alleviate 

some back and hip issues. 

A good step (pardon the pun) is to use 

a variable desk like the Varidesk (from 

£150, UK.Varidesk.com). By 

rotating sitting and standing 

hourly throughout a 

workday you can improve 

your posture, reduce back 

pain and also burn 50 calories per 

hour when standing. 

It's also essential to have a good 

idea of how much you move in a day - very 

few people hit the recommended 10,000 

steps. An easy way to get on top of the 

numbers is with a Fitbit - we love the Versa 

2 with its lightweight design, smart syncing, 

customisable straps and easy to use 

interface. £199.99, www.fitbit.com/uk 

23

THE NATURAL 

order 

Mike Gunton is a key producer within the BBC 

Natural History Unit, which is the world’s largest 

production unit. It is best known for its highly regarded 

nature documentaries, often presented by Sir David 

Attenborough. Here he talks to Sally Thomson about his 

early fascination for frogs, his delight in seeing young 

people taking an interest in the environment and the 

echoes of the natural world in our own day-to-day lives 

Whilst you may not recognise his face, 

you will certainly know Mike Gunton's 

extraordinary work. Mike has worked 

on all of the BBC Earth shows and in 

particular the Planet Earth II TV series and 

has had a long association with Sir David 

Attenborough. Mike will be appearing 

on the Planet Earth II tour along with Liz 

Bonnin, who is the host, and will offer 

some amazing insights into the footage 

the arenas will be watching. He is also 

involved in the Seven Worlds One Planet 

show on BBC1, which was launched 

October 27th. 

Where did your career start? When you 

left university at Cambridge, what was 

the next step? 

I did a doctorate in Zoology at 

Cambridge. I was quite interested in film 

making. There were grants that could be 

applied for, so while I was there I started 

making films. I actually made a film which 

I sold which was about Cambridge life. 

It’s one of those weird things, I ended 

up playing cricket with a Don, who said 

to me “What are you going to do when 

you leave college?”. I said “Well I’m very 

interested in film making and I would love 

to work at the BBC.” He said “Ah I know 

somebody at the BBC”. And it actually 

turned out it was somebody at the OU 

(Open University) who was an academic. 

When I enquired, I found out the BBC 

side wanted a researcher. 

It was all very fortunate timing. They 

offered me the job of researcher, which I 

did for about 6 months, then concluded 

my PHD, then returned to work for them 

for about 3 years, during which time the 

OU were really starting to look at crossing 

over with several other national television 

departments, so I actually ended up 

working on projects the Natural History 

and the Science department. 

I got to know people and the opportunity 

came up work with what we were being 

told was David Attenborough’s last 

series, The Trials of Life. I grabbed it with 

both hands and never looked back. 

If we look back to when you were 

13, your fascination with frogs 

subsequently lead you to taking 

photographs of them. That was your 

understanding then that we did not 

see things as well through our own 

eyes, but when you had a camera you 

were able to see and understand a 

little bit more about the creatures that 

you were taking photographs of. Was 

that the catalyst? 

I would love to say that it was a ‘ta da!’ 

moment, but no. Most people who are 

interested in animals were interested in 

lions and elephants and tigers and things 

like that. Of course I liked them too, but 

they didn’t really excite me. What excited 

me was the slightly weirder creatures, 

because you would have to take a 

slightly different perspective. 

With a lion you can stand back with a 

pair of binoculars and see one. But with 

these little tiny creatures you do have to 

think about how can I really get to see 

this. There was something about the 

combination of a bit of science, a bit of 

imagery, psychology but also the sense 

of mysteries that you can reveal by using 

something to draw back the curtain. And 

that really started I think when I came 

here, to The Natural History Unit. A lot 

of developments in wildlife film making 

happen in concert with technological 

changes. Life on Earth (1979) and 

Living Planet (1984) had been by David 

Attenborough and they had been real 

mould-breaking shows, and effectively 

defined every show that you now see. 

At that time we were all of a similar age, 

around our mid-twenties and all getting 

into the business of natural history film 

making, and there was a lot of innovative 

thinking; ‘How can we get cameras and 

lenses into positions to reveal different 

things about natural history?’. I had a 

couple of friends here who were really 

interested in ‘Macro Photography’, 

filming small things like little tiny frogs, 

and there were all sorts of unusual 

lenses being used. Suddenly, you were 

effectively creating a different filmic 

grammar because the way you move and 

position a camera had to be rethought; 

how you light it and tell the stories. 

One of the things I loved about this is 

that in some ways you could direct the 

stories more. When you are filming a 

lion hunt, you can’t really direct that, 

you just have to film what happens. 

But when you are telling the story of 

a female frog, who’s trick is that she 

carries her baby tadpole on her back 

and climbs to the top of a tree and looks 

for a bromeliad to put it on, that’s an 

extraordinary piece of evolution and 

behaviour and it’s so empathetic with 

people if you tell the story in a way 

that connects that empathy. Of course 

24

"we set out to connect 

people with the natural 

world...the viewer gets a 

sense of the extraordinary 

scale of this existence." 

Photograph by Elizabeth White 

Copyright BBC NHU 

you have to be careful to not go too 

soppy and anthropomorphic. But I’ve 

always defended anthropomorphism. 

Whenever people criticise, my reaction 

is ‘well I think you’re being rather 

anthropocentric!’. We can be a bit 

anthropocentric, in our thinking that we 

are so different. 

When watching a programme that you 

produce, it gets a bit fearful at times 

because you can see a creature being 

pursued. It can be difficult to watch! 

One of the things that’s very important 

about this is that there can be a danger 

of tripping into melodrama. Some of my 

colleagues and I have had arguments 

about this. The evolution of these new 

photography approaches that we were 

talking about is proximity. Trying to 

get the camera, and therefore you the 

audience, as close as we can physically 

but also emotionally to the action. And 

you cannot help but feel caught up at 

times. What was lovely about Planet 

Earth II and the technology that had 

been involved, was that we were able 

to bring that to a fine point. The snakes 

and iguanas sequence is a phenomenal 

example of that sense of proximity 

and viscerality, where you have people 

across the country hiding behind their 

sofas shouting ‘Run, baby, run!’. They 

are empathising with a creature that is a 

reptile and a tiny little thing. But if you get 

that sense of involvement then people are 

completely transfixed. 

These things feel like they have been 

big leaps, but in actual fact we’ve been 

doing it for a while, but the stars aligned 

with Planet Earth II and I think there was 

something in the air, some zeitgeist going 

on there and people wanted it. 2016 was 

quite a miserable year for a number of 

reasons, they were feeling at woe with the 

world, and something about Planet Earth 

II made them look up and look out and 

feel joyful. I think one of the things the 

press kept picking up on was that despite 

the intimacy and some of the terror, that 

at the end of it people overall felt joy. 

One of the things about this concert 

is that being on stage, the sense of 

joy that I felt, and that I felt back from 

the audience…I’d never experienced 

anything like it. Initially I thought I was 

going to be petrified, I was going to 

be standing on stage in front of 5,000 

people. But I wasn’t the slightest bit 

nervous. You could just sense a warmth 

from the audience. What the concert 

does is it actually amplifies another key 

thing that I think was unique about Planet 

Earth II, and that was that at the time 

everyone was saying that television as a 

media was falling away. People weren’t 

watching television, they were consuming 

media, as they say. Something about 

Planet Earth II got people flocking 

back to their television. They made an 

appointment to view at 8pm on a Sunday, 

and not only that but they did it as 

co-viewers. So families came together, 

football clubs…there was this incredible 

sense of we are all going to get together 

to watch this. And there was something 

about this group viewing that I think 

enhanced the experience of joy and that 

is why when you go to the concert you 

get that amplified! 

When people watch these programmes, 

what do you think it is about them that 

makes people behave differently? 

How long have you got?! There’s a 

conceptual answer and a practical one. 

The conceptual one is that we set out to 

connect people with the natural world 

and that’s what happened. They realised 

there was more to the world than their 

own lives. The viewer gets a sense of the 

extraordinary scale of this existence, but 

they also form empathetic connections; 

sometimes feeling that some of their 

troubles and woes can be absolved when 

watching the dynamics of their own lives 

being played back to them through the 

dynamics of animals. So I think there’s 

some catharsis there. But equally, there 

were a number of examples where after 

having seen a sequence in Planet Earth, 

there was a rush to digital media to find 

out more about some of the things they 

had seen – particularly in cases where 

there was some conservation spin on it. 

One of the things that was a real key 

moment in this series was the sudden 

magnetic attraction for young people. 

As a television producer I am constantly 

being asked "where are the 16-24 year 

olds?", the group that don’t watch 

television and certainly don’t watch BBC 

terrestrial television. Suddenly with Planet 

Earth II, they all wanted to watch these 

shows. That’s incredibly important to 

us, as they are the next generation. But 

also, their perspective on the planet I 

so different from my generation. What’s 

interesting with the Planet Earth II concert 

is that when the lights went up, I looked 

out and 50% of the audience were 

people in that group. They weren’t just 

kids being brought along by Grandmas 

and mums, they were cool hipsters from 

as far as the eye could see! 

Whether you're a hipster, a grandma, 

or somewhere in between, you can find 

out more information on the concert 

series by visiting planetearth2live.uk 

25

magical 

OMAN 

Katie Thomson journeys to the mountains and dunes of Oman to 

discover unrivalled landscapes and classic Arabian hospitality 

26

The name Oman is a particularly evocative one. It 

speaks of the shifting sands of dunes and deserts, the 

intricate mastery of wood carving, interiors bedecked in 

jewel-toned fabrics reflected in shining brasswork and 

of millennia-old traditions and classic Arabic hospitality. 

It is also a country of contrasts - high mountain passes 

with spectacular valleys and picture postcard famous backdrops of 

sand dunes. 

You might not think mountains when you think of Oman, but the 

country has some of the most spectacular landscapes and vistas 

anywhere in the Middle East. Indeed, many nationals from the UAE 

or Saudi head to the Omani mountains for their holidays, preferring 

the milder climate in the summer months. 

Sitting atop a peak in Jabel Al Akhdar is the Sahab Resort and Spa, 

the latest hotel offering from the Omani Al Nahda group. Known for 

their strong commitment to service and luxurious settings, this hotel 

seeks to offer a mountain getaway where guests can truly relax. The 

hotel is of course centred around the views - spectacular vistas of 

gorges, waterfalls and stone cut ridges. The designers have been 

keen to ground the hotel in its location through a series of careful 

touches - the million year-old fossils found in the valley are visible 

throughout all of the grounds and the local rosewater scents the 

halls. 

Sahab offers 27 rooms in three different categories - Studio rooms, 

Suite rooms & Family Suites. The decor is influenced by rich Omani 

culture, equipped with all the modern amenities and offering a 

magnificent view of the Jabal Al Akhdar mountain range. It was 

special indeed to sip my morning coffee whilst gazing out across 

the vastness of the surroundings, watching as the sun stretched and 

touched each mountainous ridge in turn. 

There are lots of excursion options from the hotel - some abseiling 

and mountain climbing for adrenaline-seekers, alongside more 

sedate tours of local villages, the rose garden or even star gazing. I 

opted for the village tour, taking in the local waterfall and getting a 

sense of the unique challenges of living in somewhere so remote. 

After days of soaking up the endless views by the pool, it was time 

to move on to a more archetypal Middle Eastern experience in the 

sand dunes. 

Mirage-like and utterly majestic, the Dunes by Al Nahda resort sits 

amongst the undulating sand dunes of Wadi Al Abyad. Only 40 

minutes from Muscat, it’s a world away from city life, creating an 

authentic taste of the Omani experience. The hotel is made up of 

a series of static ivory one or two bedroom Bedouin tents, each 

luxuriously furnished with dark woods, richly patterned fabrics and 

ultra-comfortable beds. For a truly majestic stay, and this resort 

does host royalty, there are the Royal Suites. The size of almost 

four tents together, each is capacious at 139 square meters and 

equipped with separate bedrooms, a living room and a private patio. 

Dunes Resort and Spa 

“IT IS ALSO A COUNTRY 

OF CONTRASTS - HIGH 

MOUNTAIN PASSES WITH 

SPECTACULAR VALLEYS AND 

PICTURE POSTCARD FAMOUS 

BACKDROPS OF SAND DUNES.” 

27

“IT WAS SPECIAL 

INDEED TO SIP MY 

MORNING COFFEE 

WHILST GAZING 

OUT ACROSS THE 

VASTNESS OF THE 

SURROUNDINGS” 

Other than the opulent accommodation, what makes 

Dunes unique is the swimming pool - unlike many desert 

camps, Dunes is unique in having a spectacular infinity 

pool, with views stretching out for miles over undulating 

terrain. This immersion in the landscape is important, and 

it is emphasised at every opportunity - each tent enjoys 

similarly spectacular view of the dunes or the distant Al 

Hajar mountains, so, if like me you have a little jet lag, you 

can watch the sunrise over the sands from your bed! 

The resort offers a whole host of amazing experiences 

- from riding on Abdul the resident camel, guided quad 

biking on the dunes and even a most spectacular Arabian 

feast served under the stars. Just as in Sahab, Dunes 

prides itself on an excellent menu of Indian and Omani 

dishes. These are served in the Fleur Restaurant, open 

on all sides to the panoramic mountain views. Fleur’s 

head chef is somewhat of a local celebrity, having won 

the Omani equivalent of MasterChef. He was also a part 

of Rick Stein’s series on India - showing the calibre of the 

cookery on offer. 

It is clear with both resorts that the work is collaborative 

and dependent upon excellent staff. The chefs, both 

Indian, are adept and dexterous in the kitchen, creating 

different takes on classic Omani dishes and elevating 

them to fine dining - of course with some spice and curry 

flavours thrown in. The spas too are what the group are 

known for; Dr Mary Ann is one of those brought in at the 

conception of the hotel group, with the owners seeking 

out her health and wellbeing expertise to set up the 

medi-spa in the original Al Nadha Hotel. Her ethos and 

whole-body approach to wellbeing is echoed in each 

resort and she has designed a treatment menu for each 

that reflects its setting. 

In Sahab, perched as it is high in the mountains, the 

signature scent is called ‘Clouds’ - an uplifting fragrance 

which pairs with the Signature massage. In Dunes, the 

scent is a more musky ‘Arabian Nights’ and the signature 

treatment is quite extraordinary. Called the ‘Sand Spa’, 

clients take to an open air treatment room are immersed 

in sand which has been heated by the sun. It is said that 

a sand bath provides relief for people suffering from a 

range of muscular disorders as well as helping to ease 

the symptoms and heal various skin conditions too - 

the gentle heat is also supremely relaxing, bringing a 

soothing warmth to the body without becoming overly 

hot. After the sand, which exfoliates the skin too, a 

moisturising coating of natural yoghurt is applied to the 

skin. Quite unique and almost elemental in its approach, 

this is a treatment unlike any you might find elsewhere. 

28 

Dr Mary, originally from Scotland, was certain she would 

return home after setting up the spas - but she fell in

Images, clockwise from top left: Bedrooms at 

Sahab; amazing views from the Sahab pool 

area; the infinity pool at Dunes; Dunes tent 

interior; Abdul, Dunes' resident camel 

with Oman and moved permanently. I asked 

her about her thoughts on the way the modern 

world is changing what is ostensibly a traditionled 

country “the country is not virgin anymore, 

in the respect of technology and infrastructure, 

she is newly married though - growing a little, 

finding her way, experiencing new things and 

of course changing - but ultimately Oman is 

not so changed from its core and that is what 

makes it so magical.” 

It is amazing that a country can have as peaceful 

an existence as this, often called upon to be 

the mediator of other political conflicts. The 

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said plays a part 

in this prosperity, and his particular penchant 

for aesthetically pleasing architecture has 

seen Oman, and Muscat in particular, grow 

gracefully and with tradition at its heart - you 

won’t see the skyscrapers of Dubai here as all 

buildings are limited to four storeys. There are 

lots of excursions available from Dunes which 

take in some of the city’s best sights - you can 

meander through the nearby Matrah Souk or 

visit the city’s architectural gem - Sultan Qaboo’s 

Mosque. This mosque can accommodate 

over 7,000 worshippers inside it’s cool marble 

prayer rooms and at its heart it houses the 

most dazzling chandelier I have ever seen - all 8 

tonnes of it. 

I have travelled fairly extensively in the Middle 

East, but something about Oman really did 

capture my imagination. It offers so much 

to the traveller - world-class scenery, lots of 

cultural sights, and of course that wonderful 

Omani hospitality. 

The Al Nahda Group too make the most of these 

elements, amplifying them in their hotels to give 

guests an authentic, but relaxing experience 

and surely fond memories of a holiday filled with 

adventure and discovery. 

TRAVEL TIPS: 

• 4 nights at Sahab and then three nights at Dunes, private transfers and 

return flights with Oman Air 

• Cox & Kings (0203 642 0861, coxandkings.co.uk) offers 4 nights at Sahab 

Resort & Spa on a full board basis and 3 nights at Dunes by Al Nahda on a 

half board basis from £2,395 per person (two sharing) including all private 

transfers and return economy international flights with Oman Air. 

• The currency is the Omani Rial - 2 rials is approximately £1 

• The national language is Arabic - handy phrases include 'Shukraan' - thank 

you, 'Salam Alaikum' - hello or peace be with you to which the response is 

'Wa-Alaikum-Salaam' - and peace with you also 

29

THE HOMEBUYER'S 

Thinking about moving or buying your first home? Read on... 

If you are beginning the process of buying 

your first home, selling to buy a bigger 

property or even downsizing once the 

kids have flown the nest, you may find 

that the property market is an unknown 

entity, full of potential pitfalls, doubts 

and unexpected costs. Couple that with 

the looming uncertainty of BREXIT, and 

you have a complicated set of hoops to 

jump through. In this guide, we aim to 

demystify homebuying and give useful 

advice for each stage of the process. 

BREXIT BLUES? 

UK house price growth remains subdued 

as uncertainty about the direction and 

shape of Brexit continues to weigh on the 

market. 

The latest figures from Nationwide show 

UK house prices rose by 0.4% on the year, 

the 11th month in a row that annual price 

growth remained below 1%. 

City A.M. says the latest modest rises 

“underline concerns over a slowdown 

in activity in the UK’s housing market, 

particularly in London and the South, 

despite a recent improvement in earnings 

and employment”. 

“It’s hard to see the market emerging from 

this sub-one per cent annual growth rut 

until there is clarity on Brexit,” said David 

Westgate, chief executive of Andrews 

Property group, adding “the sheer level of 

political uncertainty has left the property 

market in a protracted limbo”. 

Which? magazine says: “Whether you’re 

a staunch remainer or avid Brexiteer, 

there’s no denying that the uncertainty 

around when the UK will leave the EU, and 

the terms under which it may happen, is 

causing property market jitters.” 

What has the impact of Brexit been so far? 

“The economic uncertainty caused by 

Brexit has undoubtedly affected the 

market, with house price growth slowing 

year-on-year and the number of sales 

taking a dramatic dip in recent months,” 

says Which?. 

Nationwide’s chief economist Robert 

Gardner said this week that average 

prices rose by £800 over the last 12 

months, a sharp slowing compared with 

the year to October 2016, just after the 

Brexit referendum, when prices jumped 

by £9,100. 

Data released by Rightmove earlier this 

month found that the price of property 

coming to market has endured its weakest 

month-on-month rise at this time of year in 

over a decade. 

Prospective home buyers have been 

undeterred by the approaching Brexit 

deadline, while sellers have been put off 

by ongoing uncertainty over UK house 

prices, according to the real estate 

platform. 

While the latest Brexit extension has 

pushed back the imminent threat of a nodeal 

Brexit, investors and market experts 

have expressed concern about the 

potential consequences given it remains 

the default position if an agreement 

cannot be ratified by Parliament by 31 

January 2020. 

Information from theweek.co.uk 

FIRST-TIME BUYERS 

So, you’re about to make the biggest 

investment of your life so far. Scary, right? 

There’s a lot to think about, and a lot of 

costs you will not have even considered 

until the process has started. Your 

mortgage is the first thing you should 

think about, because until you have your 

Decision in Principle, you will not know 

what you can afford to buy. By going to 

an independent mortgage advisor, you 

will have the choice of many different 

banks and building societies, so you 

can assess options like the term of your 

mortgage, fixing interest rates and any 

cash back offered. 

Viewing Houses 

This is probably the most fun bit of 

the process, because you get to know 

your tastes and can have a look around 

some lovely properties in the process. 

Rightmove is a great resource, as is 

Zoopla for comparing prices in an area. 

As well as relying on these sites, it is 

vital that you make yourself known to 

lots of different local agents. Let them 

know in as much detail as possible what 

requirements you have (location, number 

of bedrooms, garden, garage etc) and 

your upper price limit. A good agent will 

let you know about properties about to 

come to the market, helping you get a 

head start on other buyers. 

Viewing Tip - When viewing houses, 

try to take some pictures (with the estate 

agent’s permission) on your phone as 

an aide memoir and if you have furniture 

from renting to fit in, take a tape measure 

and see if it would fit in the space. 

CONVEYANCING 

So, once you’ve found the property you 

want, you will need to instruct a solicitor 

to do the conveyancing for you. Before 

deciding on one, we recommend emailing 

or calling around for some quotes to 

make sure you get a competitive rate. 

30

GUIDE 

CHARTERED SURVEY 

Unless the property you are buying is less 

than 10 years old, it really does make good 

sense to have a survey. Most surveyors 

offer a choice between a RICS Homebuyer 

Report or a Building Survey. Send over 

the property details you have and they 

will help you decide on the best survey for 

peace of mind. Once again, it does pay to 

enquire with a few different firms to keep 

prices competitive and to find the right 

surveyor for the type of property you buy. 

Surveying Tip - If you are buying a 

flat, it can be difficult to know whether 

you need to have a full building survey 

(formerly called a structural survey). If 

you are buying a flat in a listed or older 

building, talk to your surveyor about 

whether they can offer a special package 

for you. 

SELLING 

Over the past few years, the property 

landscape really has become a seller’s 

market. With a high demand for property, 

estate agents are having to be creative 

in the way they compete for instructions. 

This is great news if you are selling, as 

you can ask them to be competitive in the 

rates they offer. 

Surveying Tips - It is likely that you 

will need to provide certificates or 

documentation of any major work you 

have had done on your home in the last 

10 years, primarily electrics. De-clutter 

before the estate agent comes to take 

photos. Your home needs to be a blank 

canvas, so the potential buyer can imagine 

their possessions there, without yours 

dominating their vision. 

MOVING 

So, you’ve accumulated a lot of stuff eh? 

Here are our top tips to make moving easier: 

• Start packing the areas of your 

home that you use the least. Pack 

essentials last. 

• At least 8 weeks before the date, 

notify change of address for any 

subscriptions. 

• Pack early if you are using the 

services of a moving company. Also 

be sure to label clearly and keep 

heavy boxes double taped. 

• Recycle anything you don’t love 

anymore. Start this process early, 

using a skip for unsellable items and 

send other bits to the charity shop. 

Removals companies sometimes 

charge by volume, so reducing the 

amount you take with you cuts costs. 

Help to Buy? 

The Help to Buy scheme offers an equity 

loan where the government lends firsttime 

buyers and existing homeowners 

money to buy a newly-built home. 

The purchase price must be no more 

than £600,000. Under this scheme, you 

can borrow 20% of the purchase price 

interest-free for the first five years as 

long as you have at least a 5% deposit. 

If you live in London, you can borrow up 

to 40% of the purchase price. 

The Government has confirmed it will 

extend its Help to Buy equity loan 

scheme from 2021 to 2023. However, this 

extension will be restricted to first-time 

buyers purchasing newly built homes. 

From 2021, there will also be new 

regional price caps which could reduce 

the maximum value of homes that can be 

bought through the Equity Loan Scheme. 

Help to Buy: Equity loans 

How they work 

• You need at least 5% of the sale 

price of your new-build flat or 

house as a deposit. 

• The government lends you up to 

20%, or 40% if you live in London, 

of the sale price. 

• You borrow the rest (up to 75%, or 

55% if you live in London) from a 

mortgage lender, on a repayment 

basis. 

• The equity loan must be repaid 

after 25 years, or earlier if you sell 

your home. 

• You must repay the same 

percentage of the proceeds of the 

sale as the initial equity loan (i.e. 

if you received an equity loan for 

20% of the purchase price of your 

home, you must repay 20% of the 

proceeds of the future sale). 

• You don’t pay any interest or fees 

on the government’s equity loan for 

the first five years. In the sixth year, 

you’ll be charged 1.75%. 

• After then, the fee rises by inflation 

based on the Retail Prices Index 

(RPI) plus 1% each year. 

• RPI figures are put together by the 

Office for National Statistics. 

Help to Buy: Shared 

Ownership 

If you can’t quite afford the mortgage on 

100% of a home, Help to Buy: Shared 

Ownership offers you the chance to buy 

a share of your home (between 25% and 

75% of the home’s value) and pay rent 

on the remaining share. Later on, you 

could buy bigger shares when you can 

afford to. 

You could buy a home through Help to 

Buy: Shared Ownership in England if: 

• Your household earns £80,000 a 

year or less outside London, or 

your household earns £90,000 a 

year or less in London 

• You are a first-time buyer, you used 

to own a home but can’t afford 

to buy one now or are an existing 

shared owner looking to move. 

With Help to Buy: Shared Ownership you 

can buy a newly built home or an existing 

one through resale programmes from 

housing associations. You’ll need to take 

out a mortgage to pay for your share of 

the home’s purchase price, or fund this 

through your savings. Shared Ownership 

properties are always leasehold. 

You can get help from another home 

ownership scheme called Older People’s 

Shared Ownership if you’re aged 55 or 

over. It works in the same way as the 

general Shared Ownership scheme, but 

you can only buy up to 75% of your 

home. Once you own 75% you won’t 

have to pay rent on the remaining share. 

31

trend spotting 

ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE 

‘The stately homes of England 

How beautiful they stand! 

Amidst their tall ancestral trees, 

O’er all the pleasant land.’ 

Felicia Hemans, 1827 

The English country house style is 

timeless. If you are a fan of collectables, 

historical pieces, and antique jewellery, 

you will no doubt fall head over heels for 

this romantic interior style. English country 

homes are whimsical, cosy, and warm and 

whether you have an ancestral home or a 

modern house, there are plenty of ways to 

recreate this style. 

THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HOUSE 

The origin of the traditional country house 

style is an interesting one. It actually 

originated during the Tudor period, a 

time of relative peace and security in 

Britain. As it was no longer necessary to 

focus your home-making efforts towards 

defence of property, aristocrats could 

instead prioritise design. Their houses 

became sources of pride; a way of 

showing off their money and impressing 

their peers. And thus, the country house 

aesthetic was born. 

Despite the true provenance of this style, it 

wasn’t until the 1920s that the interior style 

that we recognise as 'English Country' 

came into fashion. Ironic as it sounds, 

it was an American woman, Nancy 

Lancaster, that brought the style to the 

fore and crystallised the aesthetic. 

Her philosophy regarding interior design 

revolved around comfort and elegance. 

She found ways to combine the traditional 

country house style with the practicalities 

of twentieth century living. 

Even through the popularity of minimalist 

design, the English country house style 

has remained a favourite. Plus, the ‘more 

is more’ mentality linked to this style 

means that your home will look better and 

better over years of collecting new art, 

ornaments and furniture. 

HOW TO RECREATE THE LOOK 

This style can be recreated and adapted to 

suit the space you’re working with. Whether 

you’re looking to start from scratch in a 

new home, or you want to make your living 

room feel a bit more cosy, we have some 

top country house tips for you... 

PERIOD PIECES 

Historical accents work beautifully with 

this scheme. If you are lucky enough 

to have a house with original beamed 

ceilings, a cosy open fireplace, or 

hardwood floors, then make the most 

of them - restore where you can using 

traditional techniques and complement 

them with tonal elements. 

FLORAL DECOR 

Florals are essential with this stunning 

style. Whether you fill your house with 

vases of flowers, or opt for floral prints on 

curtains, wallpapers and tablecloths, there 

is always a way to freshen up your home 

with botanicals. If you want a more subtle 

floral effect, invest in some antique silver. 

Lots of silver items feature floral motifs 

and they will also add a nostalgic sense of 

antiquity to your home. 

DETAILS ARE EVERYTHING 

The beauty of an English country house is 

that you constantly discover new personal 

touches within the eclectic theme. 

Baskets, boxes and other ornamental 

antiques are perfect for adding those 

extra little touches to your home. What’s 

more, these tiny antiquities will give the 

impression of a vast collection that’s taken 

generations to acquire, giving an ancestral 

feel to your home. 

BOOKSHELVES ARE A MUST! 

What’s a traditional English house without 

some traditional tomes. Bookshelves 

are essential to country house interiors, 

and it’s another case of the more the 

merrier. As well as a capacious library, 

your country house wouldn’t be complete 

without some cosy nooks and comfy sofas 

to bed down in. With the temperamental 

British weather, you will end up spending a 

lot of time in these cosy corners, so invest 

time in perfecting them. 

AMAZING ANTIQUES 

Antique furniture is the cherry on the 

top of this style. A classic trope of the 

English country house look is its eccentric 

busyness. So, go wild! Pick a range of 

furniture in different styles, from different 

time periods. It may seem random, 

but when they all sit together, they will 

look right at home. Head to your local 

auctioneers and invest in pieces you 

love - antique pieces are built to last and 

become heirlooms in their own right. 

The age-old beauty of the English country 

house style will make you feel cosy and 

content. If you prefer maximalist styles 

and historical features to stripped-back 

minimalism, then this is the style for you! 

32

Make 2020 the 

year for a move 

to the Cotswold 

countryside 

Cotswolds living is within reach for all types of buyers thanks to the 

range of new homes available at Taylor Wimpey’s Herdwick Fold 

development in Shipston-on-Stour. 

Nestled amongst rolling hills on the 

edge of a town that has twice been 

voted by The Sunday Times as one 

of the best places to live in the UK, 

Herdwick Fold features one, two, three, 

four and five-bedroom homes across 

two development phases, as well as over 

six acres of landscaped public open 

space and stunning views for residents 

to enjoy. 

Those keen to secure their move next 

year still have a number of options 

available, including The Dunham 

at plot 7 with a south facing garden, 

available for £399,995 with 

Part Exchange available and stamp 

duty paid. 

Shipston-on-Stour itself offers a wide 

range of shops, cafes, restaurants and 

community facilities set against the 

gorgeous backdrop of the Cotswolds. 

The town combines countryside views 

with commutability to larger towns 

and cities, with Stratford-upon-Avon 

only 12 miles away. 

Anne Wallace, Sales and Marketing 

Director at Taylor Wimpey Midlands, 

said: “We’re so proud of the new homes 

on offer at Herdwick Fold. Shipstonon-Stour 

is a gorgeous town and we’re 

passionate about providing a range of 

homes for all types of buyers. We have 

three stunning show homes for you to 

see, so why not pay us a visit and let us 

help find the perfect property for you?” 

NEW HOMES IN SHIPSTON-ON-STOUR 

COTSWOLD LIVING FOR 

FIRST-TIME BUYERS 

Taylor Wimpey is making it even 

easier for those looking to get on the 

property ladder and enjoy the benefits 

of Cotswold living with the offer of the 

Government-backed scheme, Help 

to Buy, available on selected plots at 

Herdwick Fold. 

The Government-backed scheme allows buyers 

to secure a new home with just a 5% deposit. 

However, it will be restricted to first-time buyers 

from 2021 and will end completely in 2023, so 

there is a limited amount of time remaining to 

make use of it. 

Taylor Wimpey has already been helping many 

customers get their dream home that they 

otherwise might not have had the chance to 

own thanks to the use of Help to Buy scheme. 

Currently available at Herdwick Fold is the twobedroom 

Ashenford, available from £232,995. 

The Ashenford is ideal for first-time buyers 

keen to enjoy the benefits of modern open plan 

living. The kitchen/lounge/dining area provides 

the perfect space for relaxing in, with French 

doors that open out to the garden. On the first 

floor is the master bedroom and a second 

double bedroom, along with a main bathroom. 

Herdwick Fold is located off Campden Road, 

Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, CV36 4DH. 

Prices range from £232,995 to £599,995. 

The sales office is open seven days a week 

from 11am to 5pm. 

HTB Example: 

Ashenford at Herdwick Fold - £232,995 

(5% deposit - £11,650, 20% loan £46,599, 

75% mortgage £174,746) 

Herdwick Fold, Campden Road, Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 4DH 

#taylorwimpey 

Call 01608 690 848 

taylorwimpey.co.uk 

* Prices correct at time of sending. Photography is indicative of typical Taylor Wimpey homes. Images may include optional upgrades available at the time at additional cost. Please speak to your Sales Executive 

for more details. Taylor Wimpey terms and conditions apply to all schemes. Full details are available at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/terms-of-use. Distances taken from maps.google.co.uk. November 2019.

Town & Country - Contemporary 

Shaker shown in Bridgwater 

Prosecco and Dark Sage 

www.mereway.co.uk/kitchen/ 

bridgwater-prosecco-dark-sage/ 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

Splodge Duck Egg Blue 

Portrait 

www.anniesloan.com 

Cozy Living Mathea Throw 

in Army Green £79 

www.cuckooland.com 

Pale Blue Ceramic 

Round Vase 

£35 

www.shimu.co.uk 

Woven Rattan Shade Natural 

£150 

www.coxandcox.co.uk 

Palm Set of 2 Plant Pots £25 

www.made.com 

Kidman 

www.vgnewtrend.it 

Dulux Muted Sage 

2.5L = £27.56 

dulux.co.uk/en/products 

TRANQUIL DAWN 

Emerging into 2020, Tranquil Dawn is this years 

colour of choice. Inspired by the morning sky 

this cool tonal green is the perfect pair for an 

increasingly hectic modern society. Pair this with 

a jewel like olive green or pale neutral tones to 

make the ideal colour palate. 

Aliona Cushion, Green 

£65 

www.habitat.co.uk 

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UNDERSTANDING THE CLIENT AND THE SETTING 

Perfecting your design involves teamwork, it is important to understand a client’s style 

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direct you through the process and include the correct designer for your needs. Possibly 

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As a customer focused company, Buildings Restoration always strive to match up client 

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Find the perfect 

new home for you 

Bovis Homes are sure you will fall in 

love with their stunning homes and are 

on hand to help you move and find your 

dream home in the Cotswolds.… 

The Avenue is just one of the attractive new developments Bovis 

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There are several ways in which Bovis Homes can help you 

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The government backed Help to Buy scheme is continuing to 

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Caring for the elderly members of your family 

Over Christmas you may have spent some time with the family and perhaps more time with 

the elderly members and you become concerned about their health? 

Here we list 8 warning signs to assess if 

they need help and what to do if they do. 

You may wish to consider the following 

questions: 

1. Is the person (persons) able to take care 

of themselves? 

Pay attention to their appearance. Failure 

to keep up with daily routines - such as 

bathing and tooth brushing - could indicate 

dementia, depression or other physical 

impairments.Also pay attention to their 

home. Are the lights working? Is the heat 

on? Is the garden overgrown? Any changes 

in the way things are being done around the 

house could provide clues to their health. 

For example, scorched pots could mean 

they are forgetting about food cooking on 

the stove. Neglected housework could be 

a sign of depression, dementia or other 

concerns. 

2. Are they experiencing memory loss? 

Everyone forgets things from time to time. 

Modest memory problems are a fairly 

common part of ageing, and sometimes 

medication side effects or underlying 

conditions contribute to memory loss. 

There’s a difference, though, between 

normal Changes in memory and the type of 

memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s 

disease and other types of dementia. Are 

the memory changes limited to misplaced 

glasses or an occasionally forgotten 

appointment - or are the changes more 

concerning, such as forgetting common 

words when speaking, getting lost in 

familiar neighbourhoods or being unable to 

follow directions? 

3. Are they safe in their home? 

Take a look around their home, keeping an 

eye out for any problems. Could their be a 

difficulty navigating a narrow stairway? Are 

they able to read directions on medication 

containers? When asked, do they say they 

feel safe at home? 

4. Are they safe on the road? 

Driving can be challenging for older adults. 

Do they become confused while driving 

or are you concerned about their ability to 

drive safely, it might be time to stop driving. 

They could be a danger to others. 

5. Have they lost weight? 

Losing weight without trying could be a sign 

that something’s wrong. Weight loss could 

be related to many factors, including: 

• Difficulty cooking. 

• Loss of taste or smell. 

• Underlying conditions - indicating ill health. 

6. Is the person (persons) in good spirits? 

Note their moods and ask how they’re 

feeling. A drastically different mood could 

be a sign of depression or other health 

concerns. 

7. Are they still social? 

Talk to them about their activities. Are 

they connecting with friends? Have they 

maintained interest in hobbies and other 

daily activities? Are they involved in 

organisations or clubs? Have they given up 

on being with others, it could be a sign of 

a problem. 

8. Is the person (persons) able to get 

around? 

Pay attention to how they are walking. 

Are they reluctant or unable to walk usual 

distances? Have they fallen recently? Is 

knee or hip arthritis making it difficult to get 

around the house? Would they benefit from 

a cane or walker? Issues such as muscle 

weakness and joint pain can make it difficult 

to move around as well. If someone is 

unsteady on their feet, they might be at risk 

of falling - a major cause of disability among 

older adults. 

Taking action 

There are many steps you can take to 

ensure the person/persons’ health and wellbeing, 

even if you don’t live nearby. Share 

your concerns with them. Your concerns 

might motivate them to see a doctor or 

make other changes. 

Encourage regular medical check-ups 

If you’re worried about weight loss, 

depressed mood, memory loss or other 

signs and symptoms,encourage them to 

schedule a doctor’s visit. 

You might offer to schedule the visit or to 

accompany them to the doctor - or find 

someone else to attend the visit. Ask about 

follow-up visits as well. 

Address safety issues 

Point out any potential safety issues you 

have observed - then make a plan to 

address the problems. For example, the 

person (persons) concerned might benefit 

from using assistive devices to help them 

reach items on high shelves. A higher toilet 

seat or handrails in the bathroom might help 

prevent falls. If they are no longer able to 

drive safely, suggest other transportation 

options -such as taking the bus or using 

a taxi. 

Consider home care services 

Particularly if they are having trouble taking 

care of themselves, you could hire someone 

to clean the house and run errands and 

help with daily activities, such as bathing. To 

ensure good nutrition Meals on Wheels is 

also an option. 

And finally 

It would be a good idea to secure an 

Enduring Power of Attorney to ensure that 

if things get worse you can step in without 

having to involve the Court of Protection. 

Your solicitor will be able to give you good 

advice on this. 


Check your finances 

By Clive Collins, Chartered Financial Planner 


Every year, thousands of people get caught up in scams or are 

disappointed by their investments. The get-rich-quick variety are 

often delivered via cold calls, email or even investment seminars, 

and complex investments can be inappropriately sold to people that 

don’t understand the way they work. The risks are only climbing with 

around £1.2bn lost in the UK to investment fraud*. Even in the local 

Worcestershire area, hundreds of frauds and scams are reported 

each year. 

There are some basic checks that investors should do to avoid such 

catastrophes – for example, every investment company should be 

regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Investors can check 

on the FCA website register if a company is bona fide. However, it’s 

still no guarantee that the ‘promised’ investment returns on offer are 

realistic. 

work and what the relative risks around 

them are. If you would like to know 

more about how we can support your 

investment and wealth management 

needs, visit www.canaccordgenuity.com/ 

wealth-management-uk/. 

* Source: Action Fraud UK 

Important information 

Investment involves risk. The value of investments and the income 

from them can go down as well as up and investors may not get 

back the amount originally invested. 

But there is also a common-sense check: There is a fundamental 

relationship between risk and return. The promise of higher returns 

comes with a commensurately greater chance of volatility and 

losses and it is the promise of these that often draw the individual in. 

The chart (right) illustrates this relationship. 

As you can see, the ‘trade off’ for higher returns comes at the 

expense of taking greater risk, so it should not come as a surprise 

if the value of these investments falls sharply. Equally, lower risk 

assets are less likely to provide high returns. 

We go to great lengths to ensure that the investments we 

recommend are checked and suitable for our clients. We also 

explain in great detail how each of the recommended asset classes 

Est 1993 

Do you need 

live-in care? 

FOR SHORT OR 

LONG TERM CARE 

CALL US TO DISCUSS 

OUR FRIENDLY, 

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01684 562087 

Email: broomhillgroup@aol.com 

www.broomhill24.co.uk 

WORCESTERSHIRE ~ GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

HEREFORDSHIRE 

93 Barnards Green Road, Malvern WR14 3LT 

Regulated by the Care Quality Commission 


Your local wealth 

management experts 

Get your finances in shape for 2020 

Shaping up your finances can have an everlasting impact 

on your future and unfortunately, the phrase ‘doing too 

little too late’ can be true. There are ways you can save 

money, improve investment returns and manage the 

amount of tax you pay, which will help you in years to 

come. Here are our top three New Year’s resolutions to 

help you plan for a successful financial 2020 and beyond. 

1. Invest your surplus cash 

It’s important to consider what you’re doing with any 

surplus cash, mainly due to the risk inflation poses. 

Say you have a £50,000 surplus and you receive interest of 

1%; and assuming inflation is 2.5% in real terms, your pot 

is eroding by 1.5% per annum. To put this into perspective, 

leaving your £50,000 surplus untouched in the bank for 

10 years means it would be worth approximately £42,987. 

2. Use your tax allowances 

At the beginning of 2020, make sure you are using this 

year’s tax allowances. Although they are subject to change 

in the 2020/21 tax year, key allowances you should bear 

in mind for the remainder of the 2019/20 tax year are: 

• ISA allowance (£20,000) 

• Annual pension allowance (£40,000 for most people) 

• Capital Gains Tax (CGT) allowance of £12,000 

• Tax-free dividend allowance of £2,000 

• The Lifetime Allowance (LTA) for pensions of £1,055,000 

The tax treatments set out in this communication are 

based on our current understanding of UK legislation. 

3. Think about the financial future you want 

Think about the answers to the following questions: 

• What is your take home pay after taxes? 

• How much do you tend to spend per month? 

• If you are thinking about leaving funds to your 

beneficiaries, how much capital do you want 

access to in your lifetime, how much may you 

need access to and how might you be impacted 

by inheritance tax? 

It is worth considering if any of these are likely to change 

in the future or for one-off events. In addition, if you 

have a partner, how would your answers change if either 

of you were to pass away? 

This will give you invaluable insight into whether you are 

on track for the future you want and help you plan for 

tax efficiency. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, a financial 

adviser can create a personalised plan for you to ensure 

you remain on track and do not miss out on any 

valuable opportunities. 

Investment involves risk. The value of investments and 

the income from them can go down as well as up and 

you may not get back the amount originally invested. 

The tax treatment of all investments depends upon 

individual circumstances and the levels and basis of 

taxation may change in the future. Investors should 

discuss their financial arrangements with their own 

tax adviser before investing. 

At the Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Midlands office, we have the 

skills and expertise to offer clients a complete wealth management solution 

locally under one roof, with the resources of a substantial global company. 

This includes areas like pension planning, inheritance tax planning and 

long-term care provision along with investment management. 

Jonathan Hayton 

Chartered Financial Planner 

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management, Slip House, Princes Drive, 

Worcester WR1 2AB | worcester@canaccord.com | +44 1905 953623

The importance of extracurricular 

activities for children 

build a lot of endurance. Every sport has 

something good to offer, whether they play 

in teams or individually. 

Your child has spent a long day at school, 

however their first port of call when they 

get home will probably be their X Box or 

something on the TV. 

However, we suggest that they will benefit 

greatly from a non-academic activity that 

they have an interest in. There are many 

activities to choose from sports, chess 

clubs, dance clubs, book clubs, and music 

clubs and so on… your child is bound to 

find something to like. 

Talk to your child about their interests and 

see what they would like to do. High energy 

children may prefer sports or dance, while 

children who are quieter tend to prefer the 

calmer activities like book clubs, cooking 

class or perhaps pottery. 

Here are some extra-curricular activities 

that your child might enjoy. 

1. Music 

Some children learn to play instruments, 

while others prefer to sing. There are some 

who are good at doing both. There are so 

many instruments to choose from that you 

are bound to find something that they will 

enjoy playing. 

There is a certain freedom in music, and 

many children find joy in it. Children also 

tend to learn a lot about history and culture 

while learning a musical instrument or song. 

2. Sports 

Sports such as football, basketball, cricket 

and softball require teamwork and a lot 

of energy, but if this type of sport doesn’t 

sound it would suit your child, there are 

other options such as tennis, badminton 

and golf to try. 

In team based sports they will learn how 

to work well in a group and they also 

44 | www.northcotswoldslifestyle.co.uk 

3. Dance 

In dance there are so many forms to 

choose from that your child is sure to find 

the perfect fit. Be it ballet, tap or modern 

dance it is something that will help your 

child develop physically and mentally. Most 

forms of dance require discipline, a strong 

body and it keeps them active. In this 

day and age it is particularly important as 

there is very little physical activity at school 

anymore. 

4. Painting and Sketching 

Perhaps your child is a blossoming artist. 

Playing with colours is a lot of fun and 

creating different works of art may be 

something your child would prefer over 

more boisterous activities. 

These will improve creative skills as 

the brain begins to develop the areas 

associated with creativity. Painting and 

drawing can also help develop problemsolving 

skills. 

5. Crafts, Pottery and Sculpting 

Working with clay and creating something 

with their hands can give a child a sense of 

satisfaction that is not found through just 

any activity. Clay can have a therapeutic 

effect and is capable of keeping your child 

occupied for hours. 

Your child will develop sensory and motor 

skills through creative works. 

6. Martial Arts 

There are varied styles of mixed martial 

arts such as judo, Taekwondo and karate. 

These teach discipline and how to control 

strength. 

Martial arts also teaches self-control 

and self-discipline. They also help 

in socialisation skills and physical 

development. 

7. Sewing Classes 

Sewing may not be something that 

crosses very many people’s minds for an 

extracurricular activity, but it is a skill that is 

very handy indeed. Many children grow up 

with a passion for fashion, and this may be 

a very useful first step for them. 

Sewing is as creative a field as painting or 

sculpting, and it is to be noted that it can 

be very educational for those children who 

want to be future designers. 

8. Book Club 

Book clubs are a great way for little 

bookworms to have their fun and socialise 

with other book lovers. 

Many things can be gained from a book 

club. Not only will the literature teach your 

child a lot about the world, the way it works 

and so much more, and it will also help 

them to develop their reading skills, which 

will have a tremendous impact on their 

writing skills. 

9. Cooking Class 

Cooking classes are great for children 

as they are not only an essential skill but 

another area where they can express their 

creativity. 

There are additional benefits by joining a 

cookery class. Cooking food is something 

that will help your child develop focus, 

creativity and will also teach your children 

useful skills. They will learn about different 

ingredients and how to prepare healthy and 

balanced meals. 

10. Drama Club 

Your little drama kings and queens will love 

this one as it is a fun and productive way to 

use up their dramatic energies. 

Drama club helps your child to develop 

physical, artistic, social and public speaking 

skills. It also helps to improve a their 

memory and improvisation skills. Often, 

shy children who have a talent for acting 

become more confident and social through 

drama club. 

When you have a general idea of what your 

child wants, you can do some research 

to see who provides these classes in your 

area and then make the time to take your 

them to visit the place while a class is in 

session and see if is a stimulating and 

comfortable environment. 

The staff should be friendly and 

enthusiastic. It is always best to send them 

to someone who is properly certified. 

See if the children who are in the class are 

happy and look like they are having fun 

and learning at the same time. 

While education is important, children need 

additional outlets to express themselves.

stratford preparatory 

school welcomes new head 

Stratford Preparatory School has appointed a new 

Headmaster, Mr Timothy Horton MA (Cantab) FRCO. 


Mr Horton was previously Head of 

Preparatory at Old Palace of John 

Whitgift School, Croydon where he 

has led outstanding Inspections and 

nurtured the children to great success. 

Mr Horton wanted to address current and future parents. 

“I am delighted to be coming to join Stratford Preparatory School 

in January 2020 as the new Headmaster. I am hugely looking 

forward to meeting families, and getting to know them better as the 

days and weeks go by. My children will be joining the school too, 

and they can’t wait to get started, make new friends, and take on 

new challenges. These are exciting times ahead, and I am eagerly 

anticipating continuing the work of such a distinguished school with 

such an excellent reputation. I would like to thank Mrs Quinn the 

Proprietor for the opportunity to take on this role, and I am looking 

forward to working with the staff over the coming years. 

I have of course been thinking about priorities as I begin. The 

school enjoys a deserved reputation not only for its warm 

and friendly atmosphere and its family values, but also for 

its academic success, notably at 11+ and for successfully 

enabling its pupils to move on to excellent senior schools. I am 

very keen to maintain and develop these aspects, and will be 

looking to encourage families to join the school, both at Junior 

1 (Year 3) and earlier in our excellent Nursery. We are expanding 

our nursery provision to include full time care in response to 

feedback from our parents and this is an exciting time to visit, 

to see our lovely buildings and explore our outstanding facilities. 

Some families I have met have already told me they wish they 

had joined the school earlier. Please do take this as an invitation 

to book a time to speak to me. I will be delighted to meet 

families and show you around. 

Finally, I am really looking forward 

to meeting the children, and to 

teaching many of them myself. 

I have met many lovely children 

already at Stratford Prep, and 

the school really deserves its 

reputation for nurture and care. 

My door is always open to current 

and prospective families who 

would like to talk about the school 

and how we can bring out the very 

best in your children.” 

Mr Horton is in position from 

January 7th 2020 and if you 

feel you would like to visit our 

school outside of the organised 

Open Days please do feel free 

to book an appointment on 

01789 297993. 

Montessori Nursery 

Montessori and Main School Nursery 

and Main School 

Open Morning 

Saturday Open 8Morning th February 

Saturday 2020 8 th February 

10am – 2020 12.30pm 

Everyone 10am – 12.30pm welcome 

Everyone welcome 

01789 297993 

01789 297993

Time to trust in the future of prep schools 

It can’t be easy being a prospective 

parent of a prep school child. If you fall 

into this category you might be forgiven 

for thinking that there’s not much point as 

the whole fee paying independent school 

sector could be abolished in the near 

future if certain politically minded people 

get their way. 

Anything is possible, of course, but for 

this extremely vindictive approach to 

become a reality the Labour Party would 

need to adopt it formally as a policy which 

it has not yet done as well as achieve 

a working majority to pass legislation 

to make it happen. If all this does take 

place, however, don’t underestimate the 

independent school sector’s determination 

to fight for its existence with every legal 

pathway being followed to test the 

legitimacy of such a policy. There could 

even be a remarkable irony that should 

the UK still be in the EU at the time such 

legislation is brought forward it could be 

the European courts who stop the move in 

its tracks. As I said anything is possible. 

In the meantime, there is every reason to 

have confidence in prep schools and their 

future. IAPS (the Independent Association 

of Prep Schools) has over 600 of the top 

prep and fee-charging junior schools in the 

UK. The first step in your search for quality 

is to check if your possible short list of 

schools for your son or daughter carries 

the mark of quality by being a member of 

the heads’ association known as IAPS. 

This association has a history extending 

back over 126 years and the criteria 

for membership is strictly monitored to 

ensure both the head, and the school they 

work at, maintain the highest standards. 

School inspection reports are received 

by IAPS, for example, and any failings 

identified have to be rectified in good time 

to maintain membership. In one sense, 

therefore, the first level of due diligence a 

parent might feel it necessary to undertake 

is already done for them if the school can 

demonstrate they are members of IAPS 

and, better still, have been a member for 

many years. 

What should you do next as you are 

feeling your way through the maze of 

glossy publications and enticing web sites 

placed in front of you. The temptation is 

to look for a ‘brand’ name and, to some 

extent, this has merit as it will more often 

than not lead you to a school with a fine 

reputation polished over many years of 

conspicuous achievement. The question 

to ask, of course, is has the school a 

reputation for success in the areas which 

co-incide with the talents and interests 

of your child. A fine school’s sporting 

tradition is of little relevance if your child is 

a talented and developing musician – not 

that those two areas have to be mutually 

exclusive. 

The resort to social media and discussion 

forums is a likely step many will take but 

if your chosen pathway takes you in this 

direction then, at the risk of patronising 

you, the reader, beware. Do you use 

Tripadvisor when planning a stay away? 

Do you believe all the messages posted 

there and would you base your whole view 

of a school on the postings of a few with 

most likely a pro- or anti-line to promote 

for their own reasons. There might be 

themes to pick up on but it really needs 

each parent to seek out the things that are 

most important to you and your child. 

That brings me then to what you should 

do. The most important thing is to visit the 

school and not just on an official Open 

Day. If a school can’t buff itself up to look 

good on an official Open Day it really is 

a poor do. However, choose a day and 

time to suit you, though be reasonable 

when negotiating this. Nothing much is 

likely to be gained from a visit if a good 

proportion of the school is off their normal 

timetable or routine because it’s the day 

of the annual whole school cross country 

event. Ask to see the class your child 

would likely join at work and then visit 

older age groups, looking for obvious 

positive progression as revealed by the 

work displayed on the wall displays. Find 

out the answers to the questions you have 

about the areas important to you and 

judge how open and direct you find the 

responses from the school. In short trust 

your instincts and not wholly what others 

tell you. 

If you follow this advice you won’t go far 

wrong and then don’t lose any sleep over 

the long term future of your prep school. 

Let IAPS do that bit for you whilst you 

concentrate on finding the right school for 

your child. 

Christopher King 

CEO, IAPS 


ALCESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL 

Is holding its ‘flood postponed’ Sixth Form Open Evening on 

Wednesday 15th January 2020. Doors will open at 4.45pm, and talks 

will be held at 5.15pm, 6.15pm and 7.15pm... 

The 2017 – 2019 examination results saw 68% of entries 

awarded A*- B, with 286 students (40%) achieving at least ABB. 

111 students (15%) were awarded AAA or better, with twelve 

AGS students receiving Oxbridge offers, coupled with a huge 

increase in successful degree apprenticeship applications. AGS 

students continue to achieve superb ‘value-added’ results and 

numerous personal successes across the A level ability range. 


classroom. Forthcoming trips include 

visits to Naples, Vienna, Czech 

Republic, Costa Rica and skiing in 

the USA and the extra-curricular 

opportunities include EPQ, TEFL, 

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, drama, music, public speaking 

and 18 different sports. 

Present students will be on hand to help showcase the best 

the school has to offer; a place described as ‘the loveliest 

working environment I’ve ever experienced’. Students at AGS 

are still able to start four AS levels in Year 12, dropping to their 

favourite three subjects before Year 13. This gives them a broad 

curriculum, and, crucially, greater flexibility for their final choices. 

This is seen as vital for maximising grades, and so increasing 

their choices for university and careers. 

AGS is a mixed grammar school 

with students aged between 11-18. 

The unique ethos of the school, 

which combines ‘superb academic 

achievement with a contemporary 

approach to the pastoral care and 

wellbeing of the students’, continues 

to attract some of the best talent in 

the area. The students are not only 

given an outstanding education 

due to the excellent teaching by 

the dedicated staff, but are also 

enriched through the wide variety 

of opportunities offered outside the 

If you have already registered your interest you do not need 

to re-register. However, if you have not yet done so, please 

register at www.alcestergs.co.uk 

Try out your A levels before you apply 

Sixth Form Subject Sampling 

Thursday 6th February 2020 (4.30pm – 9pm) 

Students aiming high for a coveted place in the sixth form at 

one of the county’s top performing grammar schools are being 

offered a unique opportunity. Following on from the Open Evening 

in January, you are invited to try seven A level subjects. The 

evening is a chance to actually take part in tailor-made lessons 

and sample for yourself what’s on offer at this ‘outstanding’ 

Ofsted rated sixth form. The evening takes place at the school on 

Birmingham Road, and anyone considering applying to AGS in 

the sixth form is invited to come along. The deadline to register 

for this event is the 20th January 2020. 

Apply for your seven trial subjects via the school website 

(www.alcestergs.co.uk) and a tailor-made timetable will be put 

together for you. All necessary details will be given to you at our 

Open Evening in January. 

Alcester Grammar School’s 

(flood postponed) 

Sixth Form 

Open Evening 

Wednesday 15 th January 2020 

Doors open at 4.45pm 

Talks at 5.15pm, 6.15pm and 7.15pm 

Sixth Form 

Subject Sampling 

Thursday 6 th February 2020 

4.30pm - 9pm 

Birmingham Road, Alcester B49 5ED 

Telephone: 01789 762494 

Email: sixthform@alcestergs.com

10-13 MARCH 2020 

CHELTENHAM

Cotswolds Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2020

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