NiCKED Magazine Issue #1
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
SPRING 2014 <strong>NiCKED</strong> THE POLICE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 01<br />
SPRING 2014 WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 01 £2.99<br />
ISSN 2055-0782<br />
PC<br />
CHRIS FOY<br />
_ LAYING<br />
DOWN<br />
THE LAW<br />
AN INTERVIEW WITH<br />
SERVING POLICE OFFICER<br />
AND PROFESSIONAL<br />
REFEREE CHRIS FOY<br />
_<br />
WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? WE’LL HELP YOU CHANGE<br />
THE HABITS OF A LIFETIME<br />
_<br />
SHIFT WORK WOES HOW TO EAT RIGHT<br />
AND KEEP FIT<br />
_<br />
HOBBIES GALORE! GOLFING, WALKING, PHOTOG-<br />
RAPHY<br />
AND MUCH MORE...<br />
PLUS: TRAVEL - FASHION - COOKING - GADGETS - WILDLIFE - BOOK REVIEWS
Niton Tactical<br />
Original LED Torch<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Mission 5 Patrol Jacket<br />
5 in<br />
ONE<br />
FLEXIBILITY<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
D-Cell Patrol LED Torch<br />
Only available from<br />
£ 30 .00<br />
WWW.NITON999.CO.UK<br />
Code: NT60001 £ Code: NT31004<br />
Code: NT60009<br />
30 .00 £ 150 .00<br />
£<br />
40 .00 Code: NT10002 65 .00<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Black Patrol Vest<br />
Comfort Shirts<br />
Hi-Vis Patrol Vest<br />
Soft Shell Jacket<br />
Touch Screen Gloves<br />
Left handed<br />
Left handed<br />
NT32008<br />
NT32009<br />
Right handed<br />
Right handed<br />
NT32004<br />
NT32005<br />
Blue: NT24002<br />
Black: NT31007<br />
Accessories<br />
Accessories<br />
not included<br />
White: NT24010<br />
not included<br />
Sand: NT31008<br />
Code: NT40020 £<br />
60 .00 Code: NT23001 £<br />
25 .00<br />
Black: NT20007-9 £<br />
15 .00 Code: EPPTEXT £ 10 .00 Code: AA539 £ 7 .99<br />
Code: NT32004 £ 55 .00 Code: NT24001 £<br />
15 .00<br />
Code: NT32005 £ 75 .00 Code: NT31007 £<br />
75 .00 Code: NT35011 £ 15 .00<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Custom Epaulettes with Heat<br />
3 in 1 Rescue<br />
Deluxe Buddy Bag<br />
Professional Instructor Belt<br />
Short Sleeve Polo Shirt Applied Letters and Numbers<br />
Key Chain<br />
Black: NT23004<br />
Navy: NT23005<br />
White: NT23006<br />
Sand: NT23007<br />
Olive: NT23002<br />
Sand: NT23003<br />
Niton Tactical<br />
Niton Tactical MISSION ll<br />
Lightweight Trouser<br />
Side Zip Police Boots<br />
FREE * on your entire order when you choose<br />
any product displaying the Hot Pick logo<br />
DELIVERY<br />
LOG ON TO<br />
VIEW OVER 3000 PRODUCTS ONLINE<br />
WWW.NITON999.CO.UK<br />
ISSUE 14 Catalogue OUT NOW TO PURCHASE<br />
OR VIEW ONLINE AT WWW.NITON999.CO.UK<br />
AND SIGN UP FOR OUR<br />
Call<br />
E-NEWSLETTER<br />
01293 549 858 or<br />
Navy: NT20010-12<br />
Sent weekly offering you<br />
email: SALES@NITON999.CO.UK<br />
THIS ADVERT IS SUPPLIED IN ADDITION TO AND FORMS PART OF OUR PROFESSIONAL BUYERS GUIDE IN<br />
Sand: NT20013-15<br />
access to exclusive<br />
WHICH OUR TERMS & CONDITIONS ARE FULLY DESCRIBED OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.NITON999.CO.UK<br />
E.&O.E. © NITON EQUIPMENT 2013. PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. T&C’S APPLY<br />
Khaki: NT20016-18<br />
special offers and discount codes<br />
*HOT PICK FREE ECONOMY DELIVERY TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY.<br />
Black: NT20007-9<br />
FREE<br />
Pocket Buddy<br />
worth £14.99
CONTENTS<br />
48<br />
Family law<br />
66<br />
Beauty<br />
Welcome<br />
Hello and welcome<br />
to the very first issue<br />
of <strong>NiCKED</strong> magazine.<br />
If you’re reading this it means<br />
you’re probably part of the<br />
policing family and that you’re<br />
taking a quick five minutes to<br />
have a read and relax. If this is<br />
the case it means our mission<br />
is nearly accomplished.<br />
The next part of the challenge<br />
is to put a smile on your face,<br />
inspire you to try something<br />
new, or offer some advice that<br />
really can make a difference<br />
to your working week.<br />
The <strong>NiCKED</strong> team is almost<br />
exclusively made up of<br />
retired policing staff and they<br />
recognised the real need for<br />
a unified magazine specifically<br />
for police officers and<br />
their support staff.<br />
In the most part written by<br />
serving or retired officers,<br />
in this issue you’ll see a wide<br />
range of hobbies ranging<br />
from golfing to walking, bird<br />
watching to travel; and then<br />
there’s photography, fitness,<br />
business and legal advice.<br />
In short, a whole load for<br />
you to get your teeth into,<br />
but what we really want is for<br />
it to grow into the magazine<br />
that you need and want.<br />
We’d love to hear your<br />
feedback so please get<br />
in touch and let us know<br />
what you think.<br />
Christina Evatt EDITOR<br />
06<br />
Laying down the law…<br />
Chris Foy talks about his<br />
career as a police office<br />
and FA referee<br />
12<br />
Short breaks...<br />
Fancy a short break?<br />
Some ideas for the UK<br />
and Europe<br />
18<br />
Give eggs a crack!<br />
Celebrity chef Dean Edwards<br />
is on a mission to prove<br />
eggs are more than just<br />
a breakfast staple<br />
LEMON TREE MEDIA LTD<br />
The Malthouse, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk, West Lancashire L39 1QR<br />
t. 01695 668630 e. info@nickedmagazine.com www.nickedmagazine.com<br />
VAT No. 167 021 134. Company Registered No. 08546977<br />
Copyright © 2013 Lemon Tree Media<br />
ISSN 2055-0782<br />
06<br />
Laying down<br />
the law<br />
26<br />
Get your<br />
boots on!<br />
22<br />
Mind over matter…<br />
How to lose weight and keep<br />
it off. Andy Heyes shares<br />
his story<br />
Cracking eggs<br />
18<br />
26<br />
Get your boots on!<br />
Good for the body and soul,<br />
Paul Casey talks about his<br />
passion for the great<br />
outdoors and walking<br />
32<br />
A shift in the right<br />
direction<br />
Is your health suffering due<br />
to shift work? Paul Herbert’s<br />
top fitness tips will help<br />
22<br />
Mind over<br />
matter…<br />
TEAM: Directors Mike Shaw/Paul Casey<br />
Editor Christina Evatt<br />
Photography Shannon Shaw/Lesley Cameron<br />
Staff writer Brinsley Bailey<br />
Graphics Dave Butler<br />
Concept www.nectarcreative.com<br />
Designer Chris Kniveton<br />
36<br />
Paul Herbert’s food plan<br />
A programme designed to<br />
keep your body on a regular<br />
pattern each week even if<br />
your shifts change<br />
PEFC/16-33-775<br />
PEFC Certified<br />
This product is<br />
from sustainably<br />
managed forests and<br />
controlled sources<br />
www.pefc.org<br />
38<br />
Carving a career<br />
after policing<br />
Retired but with more to give?<br />
Peter Farrington shares his<br />
start-up business advice<br />
38<br />
Career after<br />
policing<br />
42<br />
Fore...!<br />
Golf has always been popular<br />
pastime in the police service.<br />
Alan Considine tells us why<br />
golf is his perfect recreation<br />
when off duty<br />
46<br />
Golf: back to basics<br />
Never played before?<br />
Intersted in taking up the<br />
game? It’s not hard to<br />
get started<br />
Follow us<br />
online<br />
48<br />
Family law<br />
Mary Shaw offers practical<br />
advice on dealing with<br />
divorce and separation<br />
53<br />
Urban birdz<br />
It’s not just for the<br />
anorak brigade!<br />
72<br />
Fashion<br />
56<br />
Vehicle check<br />
<strong>NiCKED</strong> checks out the new<br />
Seat Leon estate and discovers<br />
it's worth a close look<br />
58<br />
Gardening<br />
A flood of ways to save<br />
waterlogged plants<br />
62<br />
The art of study<br />
Find studying for police exams<br />
difficult? Follow Jim Ferran’s<br />
programme for success. It'll work<br />
for other areas of your life too!<br />
66<br />
Beauty: ageing perils<br />
Whether you work the streets<br />
or are part of a busy office,<br />
NICKED delivers some helpful<br />
tips and advice on how to<br />
care for your skin<br />
70<br />
The Poisoned Island<br />
book review<br />
Mystery and intrigue abound<br />
in Lloyd Shepherd’s new book<br />
72<br />
Spring trends<br />
Retail therapy is always good,<br />
so now winter’s gone, it’s time<br />
to brighten up your wardrobe<br />
80<br />
Life through a lens<br />
A new series of articles designed<br />
to help you get the best out of<br />
your pictures without all the<br />
techno-babble... well for now!<br />
62<br />
The art of study<br />
84<br />
Gadgets<br />
Top six portable chargers<br />
<strong>NiCKED</strong><br />
is released<br />
Over the past months we have<br />
been asked why we decided to<br />
publish a lifestyle magazine<br />
dedicated to the police service.<br />
The answer is simple. You deserve<br />
one. We’ve worked front line duties<br />
in a busy force, so we understand<br />
the pressures and demands that<br />
the service places on ALL of its<br />
staff. Whether you are warranted<br />
or support staff, front line or office<br />
bound, shift work or a regular 9-5,<br />
in some way, at some level, you<br />
contribute, you make an effort,<br />
you make a difference.<br />
So we thought it only fair to make<br />
an effort and provide something<br />
that will entertain and inform,<br />
while at the same time be a source<br />
of relaxation and distraction.<br />
In this first issue we have chosen<br />
articles based on common<br />
themes that people we’ve worked<br />
with have enjoyed as a means of<br />
distraction or entertainment.<br />
Wherever possible we have<br />
sourced articles by current or<br />
retired police professionals for<br />
the very obvious reason that<br />
‘they know the job’.<br />
Being ‘lifestyle’ you won’t find<br />
anything that is overtly political in<br />
our commentary or articles. We all<br />
know the impact the financial cuts<br />
are having throughout the service,<br />
and we are happy to leave comment<br />
and analysis of such matters to<br />
those who are more qualified.<br />
Because the magazine is for<br />
YOU we welcome contributions<br />
for future issues. Do you have<br />
a unique pastime or hobby?<br />
Have you a skill or experience<br />
that you can share with colleagues<br />
to enhance their skill set? Let us<br />
know. We’ll be only too glad help<br />
you write an article. Enjoy...<br />
Mike Shaw/Paul Casey
MAIN FEATURE<br />
Laying<br />
down<br />
the law...<br />
COULD POLICING AND REFEREEING BE THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP?<br />
WHEN BRINSLEY BAILEY MET WITH POLICE OFFICER AND<br />
PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE CHRIS FOY, HE DISCOVERED THE<br />
SYMBIOTIC ATTRIBUTES THAT HELP MAKE HIM A PROFESSIONAL<br />
AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME.<br />
The final whistle blew. Ten goals were<br />
conceded. There were no cards issued<br />
and no offsides. The game was<br />
perilously wild. On 12th September<br />
1983 the Winwick Hospital grounds<br />
were the setting of a brutal baptism<br />
into the world of football officiating.<br />
The then 21-year-old Chris Foy began<br />
his day with idealistic expectations but<br />
ended his debut with a sobering dose<br />
of reality. The young builder’s apprentice<br />
from St Helens sat alone in the Referee’s<br />
changing room; silently reflecting on<br />
his performance and his future in the<br />
sport he loved. “At the end of the match<br />
one of the managers came in.<br />
He looked at me and said ‘You were<br />
rubbish. ’He was probably right. My £2.50<br />
expenses ended up on the floor.”<br />
Foy was understandably low.<br />
He yearned for the repartee and sense<br />
of fellowship that he enjoyed amongst<br />
his teammates during the prior years of<br />
weekend football. “When you play football,<br />
you always have someone around you,<br />
that camaraderie. When you’re a referee<br />
you’re on your own. ”At this point in his life,<br />
Foy was accustomed to relying on the<br />
support of his ‘great circle of friends’<br />
but for the first time, he had to navigate<br />
these issues alone.<br />
He describes his thought process like<br />
a defiant veteran who has confidently<br />
conquered the trials of his past.<br />
“As somebody once said ‘Winners never<br />
quit and quitters never win.’ It was time<br />
for me to dig deep. It would have been<br />
easy for me to walk away but I decided<br />
that if I did quit then, I wouldn’t have<br />
achieved anything.”<br />
I have had a fantastic policing career;<br />
I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve done and when<br />
I leave I’ll be pretty proud of my achievements<br />
06<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
MAIN FEATURE<br />
Like father,<br />
I’m not<br />
saying everything<br />
we (referees) do in<br />
football is perfect<br />
but we are working<br />
bloody hard to<br />
improve<br />
like son<br />
SON OF A POLICE OFFICER FATHER AND SCHOOL ASSITANT MOTHER,<br />
CHRIS FOY WAS THE OLDEST OF THREE CHILDREN AND THE PROVERBIAL<br />
ADAGE ‘LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON’ APTLY DESCRIBES THE PATERNAL<br />
RELATIONSHIP VISIBLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD.<br />
As a child, Foy was passionate about sports like his<br />
father and it is something he still appreciates to the<br />
present day. “I’m really thankful to my Dad because<br />
he took me to watch football, cricket, rugby league,<br />
rugby union and we went everywhere watching<br />
sport and I still love sport to this day.”<br />
Like many idealistic youths around the<br />
country, Foy fantasised about becoming a<br />
professional football player. But his dream<br />
was short-lived and he accepted the limits<br />
of his ability, deciding that fun should be<br />
his paramount focus.<br />
“I think I’d be telling a lie if I said I didn’t want<br />
to be a footballer but sometimes you’re<br />
not good enough. Having said that…I really<br />
enjoyed going out at the weekend and playing<br />
football. It wasn’t a high standard but it didn’t<br />
matter because it was enjoyable and that was<br />
the most important thing for me.”<br />
At 16, with minimal qualifications, Foy<br />
found himself in the building trade earning<br />
a modest weekly wage. He had an active<br />
social life and was in a comfortable<br />
position, but he wasn’t satisfied. Change<br />
was on the cards and he looked for a move<br />
away from the 9 to 5 monotony, but was<br />
undecided on the path he should take.<br />
The unsettled Foy decided to confide in<br />
his father, who suggested the prospect<br />
of following in his footsteps. “My Dad asked<br />
me to think about joining the police and<br />
it was something I never ever considered<br />
doing…but I wanted to do something<br />
that was different.”<br />
In previous years, his father did his best<br />
to keep the negative aspects of police<br />
work out of the home and Foy understood<br />
this but was under no illusions of what<br />
joining the police would entail.<br />
“My Dad never really talked about<br />
the darker side (of police life).<br />
Obviously you can’t just deal with the<br />
lovely pink fluffy stuff, you’re dealing with<br />
things that are difficult, sudden deaths<br />
being an example and that was<br />
something he never spoke about.”<br />
Upon joining the police, Foy had found his<br />
calling and enjoyed a level of emotional<br />
fulfilment that he previously lacked.<br />
“The police officers of the early eighties,<br />
helped me tremendously with my training,<br />
education and development and prepared<br />
me for any eventuality I had to deal with…<br />
(being in the police) is something I really<br />
enjoyed”. This new environment also<br />
worked to provide the structure and<br />
diversity the young Foy craved.<br />
“Every day was challenging and you’re<br />
not stuck in a rut. It was really interesting<br />
because you’re dealing with different<br />
pressures that lead to a variety of situations.”<br />
Foy still had the ambition of becoming a<br />
referee but found at this stage in his life<br />
that it was a complicated proposition.<br />
“I just joined the police so I had to try to beg,<br />
steal and borrow time off (to referee).<br />
My probationary stage was really difficult so<br />
the refereeing and football took a back seat.<br />
(Although) I did ref locally in Liverpool so<br />
I didn’t have too far to travel from work.”<br />
The merging<br />
of career paths<br />
MOST MATCH OFFICIALS ARE<br />
KEEN TO STAY OUT OF THE<br />
SPOTLIGHT AND AVOID<br />
BECOMING THE PROTAGONIST<br />
OF THE EVENTS THAT TAKE<br />
PLACE ON THE PITCH.<br />
Foy was no different, but as a referee<br />
in the most televised football league in<br />
the world, his two career paths began to<br />
inevitably merge. Fortunately, the celebrity<br />
status that was generated served to<br />
help him in his police duties.<br />
“When I go out there in (police) uniform people<br />
see me and say ‘It’s Chris the ref!’ they don’t<br />
always see me as PC Foy. It’s amazing because<br />
they see the guy who’s on TV. In an incident that<br />
demands a police presence…being recognised<br />
has a really calming effect on people.”<br />
As Foy was becoming a more recognised figure<br />
in the game, he was predictably followed by the<br />
ever-present dark cloud of discontent that looms<br />
over all referees at the highest level. Over the<br />
years, the performances of match officials are<br />
highlighted and scrutinised as frequently as the<br />
players and managers. Yet rather than being<br />
bitter about the criticism often directed at<br />
referees, Foy is pragmatic about the decisions<br />
he has made in the past. “If I referee a match<br />
and the decision I make comes under criticism,<br />
I will watch it. If I have made a mistake I will look<br />
at it and say ‘Why have I made it?’ I have to stop<br />
that from happening again. I’ve never met a<br />
person who has never made a mistake and a<br />
lot of stuff in football is opinion based. What<br />
many people don’t understand is that in many<br />
situations the laws of the game actually<br />
state ‘in the opinion of the referee’.<br />
So when you referee a match it’s based on your<br />
opinion… and sometimes people get frustrated,<br />
emotions run high and people react in different<br />
ways. I’m not saying everything we (referees)<br />
do in football is perfect but we are working<br />
bloody hard to improve and it is a constant<br />
strive to do that.”<br />
08 09<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
MAIN FEATURE<br />
On the path<br />
to refereeing...<br />
THOUGH FOCUSED INTENTLY ON HIS<br />
POLICE CAREER OVER THE NEXT DECADE,<br />
FOY SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKED HIS WAY<br />
UP THE REFEREE LADDER AND STEADILY<br />
THROUGH THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE.<br />
Champion<br />
for respect<br />
DURING HIS REFEREEING CAREER, FOY HAS<br />
BEEN EAGER TO WORK HARD OFF THE PITCH<br />
TO ENSURE THAT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IS<br />
PORTRAYED IN THE BEST LIGHT.<br />
On 17th December 2013 he travelled to Westminster<br />
where he was inducted into the ‘Show Racism the<br />
Red Card’ Hall of Fame for his work in schools and<br />
was clearly moved by the gesture.<br />
“It was a fantastic thing for me (to be inducted), I am really proud<br />
of it and I was quite emotional to be honest… I don’t care what<br />
colour your skin is, I don’t care what religion you are and I don’t<br />
care what nationality you are, everyone is the same…I talk to<br />
kids about citizenship and show them that racism has no place<br />
in football.” Foy is also a major advocate of The FA’s highly<br />
publicised ‘Respect’ campaign and the Premier League’s<br />
‘Get on with the Game’ initiative; both of which aim to improve<br />
on and off the pitch behaviour from grassroots to the top-flight.<br />
“Respect is massive. Everyone in football has a duty to protect<br />
the image of the game. Whether that is the club chairman,<br />
managers, coaches, players, substitutes, referees, assistant<br />
referees, everybody has a massive part to play.<br />
Referees can’t do it on their own…it is about making sure that<br />
when we play football we do it in the right way, that we play it fair<br />
but firm, and at the end of it we all shake hands” In other sports<br />
such a Rugby Union, dissent is not tolerated and the protocol<br />
whereby only the captain can speak to the referee usually works<br />
to avoid mass confrontation. I pointed this out and argued that<br />
there is still a problem in football where players bring the game<br />
into disrepute by crowding the referee whilst aggressively<br />
disputing a decision; Foy was quick to quell my claim.<br />
“From 30 matches, I will probably caution no more than five for<br />
dissent which is amazing considering how many decisions I’ll make<br />
and that’s because players are becoming more receptive. We say<br />
to club captains now that they need to take responsibility of their<br />
team and it’s working…In the Premier League we’ve had less<br />
mass confrontations than we’ve ever had before and cautions<br />
for dissent are down massively. It’s all about education and we<br />
are all working together as we know everyone has a part to play.”<br />
Where many people would<br />
see this multitasking as<br />
problematic, Foy embraced<br />
the situation he had found<br />
himself in and recognised<br />
the prospective benefits of<br />
the dualistic relationship.<br />
“A lot of stuff that police officers do is very<br />
relevant to refereeing. The two jobs have the<br />
same attributes really. From the beginning<br />
you have a uniform, you have to know the<br />
law, you have to keep yourself physically fit<br />
and you have to be able to manage people.”<br />
No regrets...<br />
“As a referee there are some great opportunities for young people now and the career path is amazing. I’ve been<br />
abroad over 40 times and I’ve visited some fantastic places through football. Been to some magnificent stadiums,<br />
been involved in some wonderful matches. I’ve been to places I’ve never thought about going to and will probably<br />
never get the chance to go again. Whatever you want to do, go for it. I’ll be able to sit in a chair at 60 and say<br />
‘I shouldn’t have done that’ rather than ‘I wish I had done that’.<br />
Foy has endured a frenetic lifestyle over<br />
the past 30 years as he juggled two highly<br />
demanding careers. As he is perched in a<br />
somewhat contemplative state, he reflects<br />
on the volume of his accomplishments.<br />
“(In the police) You walk out wearing the<br />
uniform, you’re dealing with different stuff<br />
everyday, some is challenging, some is<br />
enjoyable and some is not very nice. As a<br />
police officer there is an immense sense<br />
of pride. I could never see myself doing a<br />
9 to 5 job anymore…I have had a fantastic<br />
policing career, I have really enjoyed what<br />
I’ve done and when I leave I will be pretty<br />
proud of what I have achieved.”<br />
WHEN I ASKED FOY FOR INSIGHT THAT WOULD GUIDE THOSE WHO<br />
CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL HE HAS SET, HE QUIETLY PONDERED<br />
UNTIL A MOMENT OF REALISATION BREACHED THE SURFACE.<br />
During his long illustrious career as a<br />
referee, Foy has officiated in every major<br />
domestic competition and when I asked<br />
what his greatest career moment was,<br />
he answered without hesitation.<br />
“May 15th 2010, when I refereed the FA Cup<br />
Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth<br />
at Wembley. I have refereed over 600<br />
professional matches but to walk out at<br />
the home of English football, the biggest<br />
domestic cup competition in the world, with<br />
all the prestige, was just an amazing feeling.<br />
The match was controversy free and at<br />
the end to walk up the steps, see my family<br />
in the crowd, introduce my team to Prince<br />
William, get a gold medal and look round at<br />
90,000 people…that was the pinnacle ”Foy<br />
felt triumphant and exuded immense pride<br />
at his accomplishment. He stood there for<br />
a moment, gazed at the crowd and absorbed<br />
the electric atmosphere that buzzed<br />
around him. A single thought enters his<br />
mind and he produces a wry smile. “Wow.<br />
I’ve come a long way since I sat alone in that<br />
freezing cold changing room in 1983.”<br />
10 11<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Also, you have to be cool and calm under<br />
pressure. When I go out and referee;<br />
I know the law, I’m fit and I’m confident.<br />
But my biggest strength is that I can<br />
manage people. This is more important<br />
than anything and (in both roles)<br />
diffuses difficult situations.”<br />
In 2001 Foy was rewarded for his impressive<br />
performances and became one of the<br />
original 24 referees that operated full time<br />
in the Premier League. Dilemma soon<br />
followed as he realised that he would<br />
potentially have to quit the police in<br />
order to accept the role.<br />
Foy cherished the diversity he experienced<br />
in the police but also had the desire to<br />
reach his potential as a referee. Fortunately<br />
there was compromise on the horizon<br />
and his bosses were accommodating to<br />
his predicament. “I was presented with<br />
some difficulties as I was already a<br />
full time police officer.<br />
However, Merseyside Police were really<br />
receptive to the idea (of me becoming<br />
a full time referee) and I was given the<br />
opportunity to become a ‘part-time cop’.<br />
My remit is junior schools in Liverpool<br />
south and now I have the chance to get<br />
out and speak to young people.”<br />
As a referee there are some great opportunities<br />
for young people and the career path is amazing<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
TRAVEL<br />
SPRING BREAKS - BERLIN<br />
Spring breaks<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Let’s face it, working in the<br />
modern police service has never<br />
been more taxing. With more<br />
and more people looking for the<br />
opportunity to relax and get away<br />
from it all why not plan a short<br />
break with family or friends?<br />
Sarah Marshall, Claire Spreadbury<br />
and Tori Mayo round up some<br />
of the best properties in<br />
Europe for group getaways<br />
BERLIN IS AN INCREASINGLY<br />
POPULAR DESTINATION<br />
FOR POLICE AND SUPPORT<br />
STAFF WHO WANT AN<br />
ENJOYABLE SHORT BREAK.<br />
BUT WHY GO TO THE<br />
EXPENSE OF A HOTEL?<br />
A friendly apartment should be your top<br />
choice for a weekend break with mates<br />
to Berlin, says Sarah Marshall<br />
”If you arrive after 6pm, you'll need to<br />
collect the keys from our bar, Red Rabbit,<br />
in Friedrichshain.“<br />
That's the message I receive from my Berlin<br />
host, Lisa, who has kindly lent her apartment<br />
to myself and four friends for the weekend.<br />
When we finally reach the doorway to the<br />
drinking hole, it's well beyond midnight, but<br />
for the trendy crowd sinking beers and bottles<br />
of Club-Mate, the evening is only just beginning.<br />
A Jiffy envelope is waiting for me behind<br />
the bar, packed with keys and a batch of<br />
tantalising club flyers, and I know my trip<br />
is off to a good start.<br />
Booking an apartment is often the most<br />
comfortable and fun choice for a group<br />
of friends going on holiday, but so many<br />
properties end up being empty shells,<br />
devoid of personality, with only a sprinkling<br />
of flat-pack furniture.<br />
Airbnb, however, pose the appealing<br />
proposition of staying at a (new) friend's<br />
place - while they've (most likely) skipped<br />
out of town for a few days.<br />
And sure enough, when we turn the lock in<br />
Lisa's door, we find the radiators on full blast,<br />
coffee percolator stacked with filters,<br />
and a fruit bowl overflowing with Haribo<br />
gummy bears. It's as if Lisa had just<br />
popped out to the local Wurst stand<br />
only five minutes earlier.<br />
We all have enough fresh towels and<br />
beds that don't masquerade as sofas<br />
- even though on our first night, we<br />
congratulate ourselves on discovering<br />
a ”spare camp bed“ which in fact<br />
turns out to be a ”cot“.<br />
The position of the flat is also excellent;<br />
overlooking the East Side gallery, where<br />
remnants of the Berlin Wall remain,<br />
and close to the squatter-style bars<br />
and creative hubbub of Kreuzberg.<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Of course, every flat registered with<br />
Airbnb is different, with more than 34,000<br />
properties to peruse in 192 countries.<br />
And half the fun is choosing the right property<br />
and personality to match your needs.<br />
Owners are often, as in Lisa's case, plugged<br />
into the local social scene and can recommend<br />
the best cafes, bars, galleries and shops<br />
in the area. Lisa even has a giant map in<br />
her hallway, with pins helpfully highlighting<br />
her favourite haunts.<br />
But best of all, this accommodation option<br />
is more comfortable than a hostel and<br />
far cheaper than staying in a hotel.<br />
Our stay works out less than £25 each<br />
per night - and, I'm relieved to say,<br />
not one of us has to sleep in a cot.<br />
Book this apartment from £221 for<br />
minimum two-night stay (sleeps five)<br />
at www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/115345<br />
12 WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM 13
TRAVEL<br />
SPRING BREAKS - CENTER PARCS<br />
Center<br />
Parcs<br />
FANCY A SHORT<br />
BREAK IN THE UK?<br />
CENTER PARCS<br />
HOLIDAYS REMAIN<br />
POPULAR WITH<br />
FAMILIES OF<br />
ALL AGES...<br />
Keeping the kids happy is child's<br />
play at Center Parcs, says<br />
Claire Spreadbury<br />
It's not often I swing a leg over a bicycle<br />
and go for a pedal, but it's true what<br />
they say: you never forget how to ride.<br />
As I wobble about trying to find my<br />
balance and steady myself, a flash of<br />
green whizzes by. It's my four-year-old,<br />
on her bike, wearing the biggest smile<br />
you've ever seen.<br />
Travelling around on two wheels is pretty<br />
popular at Center Parcs, especially at<br />
Elveden Forest in Suffolk, as nothing's<br />
especially far away and it's all lovely and flat,<br />
so whether you're new to cycling, or just<br />
out of practice, it's fun for all the family.<br />
If you fancy a getaway for a big group<br />
of people, which also includes kids,<br />
Center Parcs is a sure-fire hit. Whether<br />
it's a generational gathering (so nanny<br />
and gramps can babysit while mummy<br />
and daddy hit the delightfully de-stressing<br />
Aqua Sana spa), or a couple of clans<br />
clubbing together to splash out on some<br />
of the higher-end accommodation<br />
(a two-storey treehouse complete with<br />
games den, Physiotherm infrared room<br />
and outdoor hot tub, perhaps?),<br />
there's something to suit everyone<br />
- and at every budget.<br />
Every type of lodge comes with its own<br />
kitchen, so you can cook up a storm for<br />
breakfast, lunch and dinner, or dine out<br />
in one of the many family-friendly<br />
restaurants in the village.<br />
14 15<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Children (and adults) can join a plethora<br />
of activities, from quad biking or creating<br />
cupcakes, to aerial tree trekking and wildlife<br />
walks. You can even drop in for a family<br />
photoshoot if you fancy. You can literally<br />
be as busy or relaxed as you please.<br />
As I straddle the saddle for one last time<br />
before our long weekend comes to a close,<br />
it doesn't matter that my entire family is<br />
better than me on a bike. I'll be back to<br />
wobble on two wheels again pretty soon.<br />
Lodgings from £229 (sleeps six)<br />
for a mid-week four-night break.<br />
For more information,<br />
visit www.centerparcs.co.uk<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
TRAVEL<br />
SPRING BREAKS - ROME<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Rome<br />
FOR THOSE OF YOU<br />
WHO PREFER THAT<br />
BIT OF THE MED<br />
(AND THE WARMTH)<br />
BUT DONT WANT<br />
THE FAMILY SPREAD<br />
OVER SEVERAL<br />
HOTEL ROOMS, WHY<br />
NOT CHOOSE ROME,<br />
THE ETERNAL CITY<br />
A Roman holiday is a grand choice<br />
for big families, says Tori Mayo<br />
When your base for a long weekend in<br />
Rome is the seriously chic Villa Nocetta,<br />
just 10 minutes from the centre, you may<br />
consider taking up permanent residence.<br />
This beautifully renovated villa has been in<br />
the owners' family for three generations and<br />
sits in landscaped gardens where artichokes<br />
once grew among hazelnut trees.<br />
Original marble floors and a grand piano<br />
bring a sense of classic elegance to the space,<br />
and 17th century heirloom wall coverings<br />
hang alongside portraits of Angelina Jolie<br />
and Al Pacino, taken by celebrated Romebased<br />
photographer Angela Lopriore.<br />
It's certainly enough to impress my three<br />
generations of relatives, who are here for<br />
a family gathering in grand surroundings.<br />
While my boyfriend and I spend evenings<br />
enjoying sundowners on the tower-top<br />
terrace made for two, other family<br />
members head to the basement gym<br />
or relax by the pool under the shade<br />
of Mediterranean pine trees.<br />
Each of the five guest suites has been<br />
individually styled, featuring classic design<br />
pieces, artworks and fine Italian linens.<br />
Even though a continental buffet breakfast<br />
and shuttle service are provided, as well<br />
as the option of a personal concierge,<br />
Villa Nocetta feels like a luxury home<br />
rather than a hotel.<br />
It would be tempting not to leave our<br />
new abode, but we do make it outdoors<br />
to explore the city.<br />
Ancient city planners clearly had tourists'<br />
schedules at heart, as all the major sights<br />
are within walking distance of each other.<br />
It's quite possible to peer at the Pantheon,<br />
shop in the designer stores along Via<br />
Condotti, walk up and down the Spanish<br />
Steps, or surround yourself with papal pomp<br />
and ceremony in St Peter's Square at the<br />
Vatican - all in a day.<br />
My boyfriend and I even take a tour on<br />
vintage Vespas, riding along the cobbled<br />
streets lined with candy-coloured houses<br />
and cafes, weaving through traffic while<br />
marvelling at ancient sites.<br />
My parents opt for the more leisurely Roman<br />
approach, taking it all in via pit stops in the<br />
piazza for a macchiato or an Aperol spritz.<br />
But we all end up at the Trevi fountain,<br />
where we each throw a coin into the<br />
water and make a wish.<br />
If the legends are true, next year, we'll be back<br />
at Villa Nocetta for more of la dolce vita.<br />
Villa Nocetta<br />
www.villanocetta.com; +39 06 663 7119<br />
Sleeps up to 12 people and is available<br />
from 2,900 euros per night (approx £200<br />
per person per night). Minimum stay of<br />
three nights.<br />
easyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly<br />
from London Gatwick to Rome from<br />
£28.74 per person (one-way).<br />
16 17<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
FOOD<br />
GIVE EGGS A<br />
crack!<br />
Celebrity chef Dean Edwards is on a mission to<br />
prove eggs are more than just a breakfast staple.<br />
The former digger driver shares his secret for perfectly-cooked eggs,<br />
and reveals how his grandmother inspired his passion for food.<br />
by Jeananne Craig<br />
Most of us have had some<br />
sort of disaster when cooking<br />
eggs - too runny, too rubbery,<br />
or too difficult to extract<br />
from the bottom of the pan.<br />
But for TV chef Dean Edwards,<br />
his egg Armageddon<br />
came live on air.<br />
The former MasterChef runner-up got<br />
into a very sticky situation while showing<br />
the nation how to make a tortilla on<br />
ITV's Lorraine show.<br />
"I was panicking a bit, because the<br />
pan that was supplied really wasn't<br />
non-stick," he recalls.<br />
"We had about 10 or 15 seconds<br />
where we went to recap and I had<br />
to plate the food up and make it look<br />
nice and pretty. When it came out,<br />
it looked a bit of a dog's dinner.<br />
It tasted better than it looked!"<br />
The blush-inducing incident hasn't put<br />
Edwards off cooking with eggs. In fact,<br />
he's fronting British Lion eggs' Main<br />
Meals In Minutes campaign to help make<br />
them a focal point of mealtimes.<br />
"People tend to think inside the box a<br />
bit when it comes to eggs - like scrambled<br />
eggs or fried eggs at breakfast - but<br />
there are so many possibilities. They're<br />
affordable, versatile, and a great way<br />
of using up leftovers," he says.<br />
The key to success, according to the<br />
Bristol-based chef, is to avoid overcooking<br />
- and invest in a decent non-stick pan.<br />
"As soon as you think they're ready, pretty<br />
much by the time you've got them out of<br />
the pan, they're overcooked. So the secret<br />
is to take them off the heat just before<br />
they're finally cooked through. That way,<br />
they'll finish their cooking in the pan."<br />
Edwards was a digger driver before<br />
entering the BBC's MasterChef<br />
competition in 2005. He came second<br />
on the show, gave up the day job, and<br />
went on to carve out a successful career<br />
as a celebrity chef. His first cookbook,<br />
Mincespiration, was published last year.<br />
Edwards, who admits he still pinches<br />
himself about his success, credits his<br />
South African grandmother, Judith,<br />
with instilling his love of cooking.<br />
"My nan used to make an egg curry,<br />
it's one of my favourites. We couldn't afford<br />
lots of meat and it was a way of bulking it<br />
out and adding those nutrients and protein<br />
without costing a fortune," he says.<br />
Now Edwards, 36, hopes to instil this<br />
passion for food in his four-year-old<br />
daughter, Indie.<br />
"She's got an adventurous palette<br />
and she loves curry, we'll often go out<br />
for an Indian. It's great to get kids to<br />
try new things," he says.<br />
"I let her help me out in the kitchen.<br />
She's more inclined to eat what we cook<br />
than if I plonked it on her plate before her.<br />
"The kitchen's like a bomb site when she<br />
cooks with me, so it's a bit of a trade off!<br />
But it's my great pleasure in life."<br />
Edwards has created a range of egg<br />
recipes for the Main Meals In Minutes<br />
campaign. Here are three of them.<br />
You can find more egg recipes at<br />
www.eggrecipes.co.uk<br />
/mainmealsinminutes<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
"Food was always a big part of our lives.<br />
Our family parties always involved two<br />
or three big pots of South African stews<br />
and curries, and we were encouraged<br />
to help out at an early age."<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE<br />
19
FOOD<br />
Cheat's<br />
kedgeree SERVES 2<br />
- 1 skinless salmon fillet<br />
- 1 onion, finely diced<br />
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
- Small piece of ginger, peeled and grated<br />
- 1 tsp garam masala<br />
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds<br />
- 1/2 tsp turmeric<br />
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped<br />
- 1 250g pack microwave wholegrain rice, cooked<br />
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced<br />
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped<br />
- 2 large eggs<br />
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar<br />
- 1 lemon, quartered to serve<br />
- Salt and pepper<br />
Add a splash of oil to a non-stick pan and cook the salmon<br />
for four to five minutes over a medium to high heat until<br />
nearly cooked through. Flake the salmon.<br />
In a large pan, fry the onion, garlic and<br />
ginger in some olive oil for 5 minutes until<br />
soft. Add the spices, mustard seeds and<br />
chilli and cook for a further minute.<br />
Add the rice and stir through, making<br />
sure the rice is well coated. Cook for<br />
three to four minutes, adding a splash<br />
of water if necessary.<br />
Add the salmon, spring onion and coriander<br />
to the rice and stir. Season with salt and<br />
pepper and squeeze over the lemon juice.<br />
In a deep pan, bring water up to a rolling<br />
boil, add the vinegar and crack in the eggs.<br />
Leave to cook for four to five minutes<br />
(four for a runny yolk).<br />
Remove from the water and drain any<br />
excess water on some kitchen paper.<br />
Divide the kedgeree between two warm<br />
plates, top each with the poached egg<br />
and serve with a lemon wedge.<br />
One pan rosti<br />
with chorizo<br />
& eggs SERVES 2<br />
- 4 large eggs<br />
- 2 medium waxy potatoes,<br />
peeled and coarsely grated<br />
- 1 onion, thinly sliced<br />
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme<br />
- 1 tbsp plain flour<br />
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika<br />
- 20g unsalted butter<br />
- 100g cured chorizo sausage, sliced<br />
- Salt and pepper<br />
Grate the potatoes and dry them a clean tea towel.<br />
Try to squeeze out any excess starchy water before<br />
placing in a bowl with the onion, thyme, paprika<br />
and flour. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
Fry the chorizo for one to two minutes<br />
until it starts to release its oils. Add the<br />
butter, potato and onion and spread<br />
into a thin layer.<br />
Cook on a medium heat until it starts<br />
to brown, then break up and leave<br />
to brown again. This will take about<br />
8 to 10 minutes.<br />
Make four wells in the potato mixture<br />
and crack in the eggs. Continue cooking<br />
until the whites have just started to set.<br />
Place under a pre-heated grill and cook<br />
until the whites are set.<br />
Garnish with some more<br />
fresh thyme, and serve...<br />
Fiery egg<br />
& spinach<br />
curry SERVES 4<br />
- 8 large eggs<br />
- 1 large onion, sliced<br />
- 1 500ml carton tomato passata<br />
- 3 fresh tomatoes, quartered<br />
- 200ml chicken or vegetable stock<br />
- 150g baby spinach<br />
- Fresh coriander to garnish<br />
- Salt and pepper<br />
For the curry paste:<br />
- 1 onion, roughly peeled and chopped<br />
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled<br />
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled<br />
- 1 red chilli<br />
- 1 tsp cinnamon<br />
- 1 tbsp garam masala<br />
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed<br />
- 1 tsp turmeric<br />
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil<br />
Bring a large pan of water to<br />
a rolling boil and gently add the<br />
eggs. Cook at a simmer for<br />
seven minutes then place the<br />
eggs into a bowl of iced water<br />
to stop the cooking process.<br />
When cool enough to handle,<br />
peel them and set aside.<br />
Place the curry paste ingredients in<br />
a blender along with a small dash of oil<br />
and blitz into a fine paste.<br />
Fry the onion in some oil for three to four<br />
minutes. Add the curry paste and fry for<br />
a further three minutes. Add the passata,<br />
fresh tomato quarters and stock.<br />
Simmer for 10 minutes.<br />
Just before serving, stir through the<br />
spinach until wilted. Season to taste<br />
and add in the halved eggs.<br />
Divide between four bowls, garnish with<br />
fresh coriander and serve up with basmati<br />
rice and naan bread.<br />
20 75<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
Image: © Press Association
WELLBEING<br />
Mind<br />
over<br />
matter...<br />
RETIRED POLICE OFFICER ANDY HEYES<br />
LOST 10 STONE IN SEVEN MONTHS<br />
AFTER DECIDING IT WAS TIME TO MAKE<br />
SOME SERIOUS LIFESTYLE CHANGES.<br />
HERE’S HIS INSPIRATIONAL STORY<br />
OF HOW HE ACHIEVED HIS GOAL.<br />
One sunny morning in August 2013, I walked past an office<br />
block clad with mirrored glass and saw the image of a smartly<br />
dressed man reflected back at me. He walked tall, with confidence<br />
and pride. I smiled at the reflection, before turning away and<br />
continuing my journey. Although the incident lasted just a<br />
few seconds, I have often thought about the experience and<br />
the feelings it generated. Yes, it was my reflection, but the image<br />
was totally unrecognisable from the one that would have been<br />
reflected only seven months earlier - I was 10 stones lighter.<br />
No, it’s not a typographical error and you haven’t misread - I was<br />
140 pounds or 63.5 kilograms lighter than I was in January.<br />
The police service and its extended family has people working<br />
in a variety of demanding roles. Each job presents different<br />
challenges in terms of organisational needs, but also for the<br />
individual and their lifestyle. During your working life you may<br />
stay within the same role or you may choose to move around.<br />
During my police service, for example, I moved from the demands<br />
of working variable shift patterns on operational duties as a PC,<br />
sergeant and custody officer, to more sedentary nine to five<br />
classroom teaching and office duties. It is not difficult when<br />
faced with changes to your role, to focus on the job and<br />
overlook your health and fitness.<br />
Many people have noticed my weight loss, and asked how I<br />
have managed to lose so much so quickly. The brief answer is:<br />
I became a member of Slimming World and I follow its system<br />
of food optimising. However, this only tells part of the story<br />
and, as is often the case; the reality of how I achieved my<br />
goal is a bit more complicated.<br />
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get<br />
what you’ve always got.” has been attributed to a number of<br />
people including Henry Ford and Albert Einstein. Regardless of<br />
its origins its message is clear; to achieve any goal things need to<br />
change. But when this involves changing the habits of a lifetime,<br />
making that change is easier said than done.<br />
ANDY HEYES<br />
MA(Ed), Dip(Ed), Cert(Ed)<br />
is a Fellow of the Institute for<br />
Learning and a Member of<br />
the Chartered Management<br />
Institute. He is director of Aspire<br />
and Tower Ltd. providing life<br />
coaching for individuals and<br />
bespoke learning solutions<br />
to organisations in the public<br />
and private sector.<br />
Time<br />
for a<br />
change<br />
DID YOU MAKE A NEW YEAR<br />
RESOLUTION THIS YEAR?<br />
IF YOU WERE SUCCESSFUL,<br />
WELL DONE, IF NOT, HOW LONG<br />
DID YOU LAST BEFORE YOU<br />
GAVE UP? ACCORDING TO AN<br />
INTERNET STUDY OF 3,000<br />
ADULTS CONDUCTED IN 2012,<br />
ONLY ONE IN FOUR OF THE<br />
RESOLUTIONS MADE BY<br />
THE RESPONDENTS LASTED<br />
LONGER THAN NINE DAYS.<br />
As New Year resolutions normally fail, in January<br />
2013 I rather smugly didn’t set one. Nine days<br />
later, when statistically most people had already<br />
given up, my wife reminded me, “Didn’t you say<br />
that when you retired from the police and you<br />
finished your studies you would lose weight?”<br />
Yes, I had said that and I had meant it. But making<br />
a resolution or having dreams, aspirations,<br />
or goals, and achieving them are not the same.<br />
Your aspirations will remain just that if you don’t<br />
do anything to achieve them, and as time passes<br />
they may become regrets. So in January, having<br />
overindulged on my December birthday and over<br />
Christmas, and having no other excuses, I told<br />
my wife that I was going to keep my word and get<br />
myself fit. By coincidence about that time I went<br />
to a major supermarket to buy some healthy<br />
and not so healthy food. In the foyer there was<br />
a consultant from Slimming World trying to<br />
encourage people to become members.<br />
The support of others is important in achieving<br />
any goal. I therefore decided that the support<br />
from the group may motivate me and, you never<br />
know, they may have a winning formula that<br />
actually works. So on 9th January I attended my<br />
first session. Rather than paying each week, I paid<br />
upfront for 10 weeks, based on the principle that<br />
if I’ve already paid I will be more likely to attend<br />
and as I wouldn’t want to waste my money I would<br />
be more likely to stick to programme.<br />
22<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE<br />
23
WELLBEING<br />
The<br />
blame<br />
game<br />
Isn’t it strange how sometimes we will<br />
defend ourselves and blame everyone or<br />
everything around us rather than face the<br />
truth? Sometimes we become so defensive<br />
that our responses become automatic.<br />
For example, at the Northern Police<br />
Convalescent Home I once overheard a<br />
disgruntled resident who had arrived that<br />
day state, “That’s typical of this place.”<br />
He had never been there before and<br />
therefore had no idea what was or was not<br />
‘typical’; it was probably a phrase that he<br />
used routinely; blaming others was a habit.<br />
24 25<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF MY 32 YEAR POLICE CAREER<br />
MY MAIN PRIORITY AS A TUTOR, COACH, MENTOR, TRAINER,<br />
SUPERVISOR, MANAGER, ASSESSOR, AND TRAINING<br />
DESIGNER WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHERS; BUT IN<br />
JANUARY 2013 I MADE A COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP ME.<br />
I used my work and studies as an excuse for my lack of physical activity and blamed my<br />
lifestyle for my eating habits - so it wasn’t my fault that I gained weight. But of course it<br />
was my fault - life is full of choices and I had willingly made the choices that resulted in<br />
me being double the weight I had been when I joined the police in 1979.<br />
Not only do we play the blame game,<br />
sometimes we pretend that things are better<br />
than they are rather than face the truth. In<br />
2003 I made a number of visits to the force<br />
Occupational Health department. On each<br />
occasion I was weighed and my blood<br />
pressure, pulse etc. were checked, and I was<br />
praised by the medical staff as my weight<br />
decreased slightly each month. In reality, the<br />
first time I was weighed I wore relatively heavy<br />
clothing and filled my pockets with lots of<br />
coins and other heavy items, including old<br />
style truncheon and cuffs (which those of<br />
you old enough will recall were secreted in<br />
specially designed trouser pockets so they<br />
didn’t frighten the public!).<br />
“We have major motorway connections<br />
in our brain and if they’re bad habits,<br />
they’re tough to break”<br />
As the months went by I emptied my<br />
pockets and wore lighter clothes. Each<br />
month I congratulated myself and felt good<br />
at having lost some weight, but the reality<br />
was that much of the weight loss was due<br />
to carrying less on to the scales.<br />
If you’re going to achieve a goal you need to<br />
invest emotionally in it. If you’re a supervisor<br />
setting targets or introducing new legislation<br />
and processes to your staff, you need to<br />
ensure they believe in what you’re doing.<br />
Both of you need to emotionally ‘buy into’<br />
whatever you’re introducing. Previously,<br />
although I knew I needed to lose weight,<br />
there was no emotional investment.<br />
CHANGING THE HABITS<br />
OF A LIFETIME<br />
So how do you change the habits<br />
of a lifetime? Having decided that I was<br />
going to make a lifestyle change, I used the<br />
concepts I had learnt through experience<br />
and academic study of lifelong learning to<br />
enable me to achieve my goal. In essence,<br />
I became my own life coach. It is fair to say<br />
that the ideas and principles I used were<br />
not entirely my own. However, the ideas<br />
presented are my interpretation of other<br />
peoples’ work adapted to my circumstances.<br />
As a police trainer and as a sergeant<br />
I had used the SMART model to<br />
create action plans:<br />
n Specific<br />
n Measurable<br />
n Achievable<br />
n Realistic<br />
n Timed<br />
Although this model is fine for developing<br />
an achievable plan - there is nothing within<br />
it that will ensure it’s achieved. Recent<br />
adaptations of the model include ‘evaluate’<br />
and ‘review’ or ‘re-evaluate’ (were they just<br />
added just so that it would spell SMARTER?),<br />
however, there is still nothing within this<br />
model that encourages an emotional<br />
investment from those involved. Rather than<br />
focussing on plans that may or may not be put<br />
into action I devised a brain-friendly solution.<br />
Not just for weight loss…<br />
THE MIND-OVER-MATTER PRINCIPLES ANDY TALKS<br />
ABOUT NOT ONLY HELP WITH LOSING WEIGHT.<br />
They can also help with:<br />
n improving your fitness<br />
n quitting smoking<br />
RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN<br />
I’m going to keep this simple, so I<br />
apologise in advance to any psychology<br />
or neuroscience experts who may read<br />
this. The brain contains around 100 billion<br />
brain cells (give or take a few billion).<br />
Each brain cell (neuron) is connected to<br />
about 100,000 neighbouring neurons and<br />
to the naked eye they are visible as the<br />
‘grey matter’ of the brain or as Hercule<br />
Poirot would say, “The little grey cells.”<br />
A piece of brain the size of a pinhead<br />
would contain about 60,000 neurons.<br />
When we use our brain, electrical impulses<br />
are sent between connecting neurons<br />
that relate to whatever it is we are doing<br />
or thinking creating a neural pathway.<br />
Imagine for a moment that you are<br />
playing tennis for the first time in your life.<br />
As you hold the racket and hit the ball<br />
your brain creates a new neural pathway<br />
in your brain. The next time you hit the<br />
ball the same connection (or a similar<br />
connection if you hit the ball differently) is<br />
made. It will be no surprise to you that the<br />
more you practice the easier it becomes.<br />
This is because each time you hit the ball<br />
the neural pathway is strengthened. The<br />
playing tennis connection in your brain<br />
becomes stronger and stronger, like<br />
moving from a dirt track to a motorway.<br />
Imagining (or visualising) that you are<br />
hitting the ball makes the same<br />
connections in the brain as doing it for<br />
real. Visualisations are therefore used<br />
by sports psychologists to encourage<br />
sports men and women to imagine<br />
perfection within their sport.<br />
Even just thinking about doing it right<br />
makes the ‘doing it right’ connection in<br />
the brain. Repeatedly visualising positive<br />
actions strengthens the connection until<br />
it becomes an unconscious response.<br />
In other words, you can do it without<br />
thinking about it; it becomes a habit.<br />
n improving sporting techniques<br />
n changing your job or role<br />
The principles described in this article may be relevant to you for a whole host of reasons.<br />
BREAK THOSE BAD HABITS<br />
Bad habits work exactly the same way<br />
because they have major motorway<br />
connections in our brain. We have<br />
programmed ourselves to automatically<br />
do whatever the habit is. Someone once<br />
told me that they had given up smoking<br />
and as they were telling me they were<br />
getting a cigarette out of the packet ready<br />
to smoke it. The conscious mind may be<br />
willing, but the major smoking motorway<br />
connection had put the unconscious mind<br />
on automatic pilot. When you try to break<br />
a bad habit, particularly one you have<br />
had most of your life, you are often<br />
fighting a losing battle. This is because<br />
the bad habit has a motorway connection,<br />
whilst the, “I’m going to give up…”<br />
connection is just a dirt track.<br />
By now you may be thinking I may as<br />
well not bother trying and the chances<br />
are I will fail - not so fast! The more you<br />
practice the positive habit and the less you<br />
reinforce the negative habit, the stronger<br />
the positive habit connection in the brain<br />
becomes and the weaker the negative<br />
habit connection becomes. Also<br />
remember the strength of emotions;<br />
emotional responses are hard-wired<br />
into the brain's circuitry. Charles Darwin<br />
talked about survival of the fittest and<br />
we are survival machines.<br />
As we evolved from reptiles, to mammals,<br />
to humans (when I say ‘we’ I mean<br />
humankind, not me and you, although<br />
I have met a few reptiles in my time!),<br />
emotions played a major part in our<br />
survival. Emotions supercharge the neural<br />
pathways. ‘Fear’ developed to stop our<br />
ancestors from doing things that may<br />
result in their extinction. ‘Pleasure’<br />
developed to encourage us to do the<br />
things that will ensure our survival.<br />
Emotions control our motivation,<br />
learning, and decisions and therefore<br />
influence the choices that we make.<br />
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES<br />
Humans are creatures of habit. For me,<br />
the habits built up by a lifetime of unhealthy<br />
eating are still residing in my unconscious<br />
mind. Eight months of making the right<br />
food choices are not enough to rid myself<br />
of the unconscious desire to overeat.<br />
There is a six lane superhighway completed<br />
that has taken all the traffic for a lifetime.<br />
I can’t relax until I make the right choices<br />
without even thinking about it. You hear<br />
people talk about ‘yo-yo’ dieting, where<br />
they lose weight only to put it back on when<br />
they stop dieting. The cycle then repeats<br />
itself all over again. Often these people<br />
state that they have not only put the weight<br />
back on, but now weigh more than ever.<br />
This is because many diets restrict what<br />
you eat until you have lost the weight.<br />
You then revert back to old habits.<br />
Weight loss programmes are successful<br />
when they are based on making healthy<br />
eating choices, rather than banning food<br />
types. Those who have achieved their<br />
target and continue their membership as<br />
target members have more chance of<br />
maintaining their weight, than those who<br />
walk away, because the “I like… (chocolate,<br />
pies, sweets, puddings, beer, etc.)”<br />
motorway is strong. Until you can make<br />
the right choices unconsciously there<br />
is a need to remain focussed and be<br />
supported by likeminded people.<br />
I have always known that for me the most<br />
difficult task will be finding the right balance<br />
in what I eat so that I can maintain my<br />
target weight.<br />
Thomas Edison is often quoted as saying,<br />
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000<br />
ways that won't work.” but he also once<br />
remarked, “Many of life's failures are people<br />
who did not realise how close they were to<br />
success when they gave up.” As I find that<br />
right balance I anticipate that there will be<br />
weight gains and losses. After all, those of<br />
you lucky enough to be happy with your<br />
weight still experience minor gains and<br />
losses, which over the days, weeks, months<br />
and years balance out. So if I ‘gain’, I have<br />
found a way that doesn’t work, and<br />
provided over time I balance these gains<br />
and losses, I am close to success and<br />
there’s nothing to worry about.<br />
Your aspirations<br />
will remain aspirations<br />
if you don’t do anything<br />
to achieve them, and<br />
as time passes they<br />
may become regrets<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
HOBBIES<br />
Get your<br />
boots on!<br />
Good for the body and soul, Paul Casey talks<br />
about his passion for the great outdoors.<br />
If you’re up for a bit of an adventure this article<br />
will encourage you to get out and about into<br />
the great British countryside.<br />
PAUL CASEY<br />
Paul retired as a Patrol Sergeant<br />
after 31 years service in a busy<br />
metropolitan force.<br />
Spending his entire service<br />
on front line duties including<br />
postings to the Armed Response<br />
Unit and other specialist<br />
crime departments.<br />
He’s been a keen climber and<br />
photographer since chidlhood.<br />
The Cuillins from<br />
Sligachan, Isle of Skye<br />
Image: © Press Association<br />
26 27<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
HOBBIES<br />
Spring. I’ve always loved<br />
this time of year.<br />
The world is turning green again after the grey<br />
of winter, the sun is noticeably warmer on the skin<br />
than it was just a month ago, and at last the days<br />
are beginning to draw out for the long run in to<br />
summer, giving you the opportunity to do extra<br />
things with your free time.<br />
Patios are being scrubbed, garden furniture uncovered,<br />
bedding plants ordered, and pub gardens visited.<br />
For me it’s also time to drag the boots out from<br />
under the stairs, find the flask that’s been sat at<br />
the back of a kitchen cupboard, and slap the dust<br />
off the rucksack that’s been hung in the shed<br />
since November.<br />
Well, unless you love your winter walking and have<br />
spent the last few months avoiding floods, rainstorms,<br />
gales, the occasional tornado, and a blizzard or two<br />
in Snowdonia or Scotland.<br />
As someone who has had a lifelong love of the<br />
outdoors - a factor that probably kept me on front<br />
line duties for my entire service - it would be easy to<br />
write an article about how marvellous it is, drop the<br />
locations of some good pubs to visit after a day’s walk<br />
or climb, print some pretty pictures from a couple<br />
of my greatest adventures and move onto the next<br />
issue. But that would be too easy wouldn’t it.<br />
Personally, I enjoy getting onto the mountains as it’s<br />
a chance to get out of the big city for a day or two to<br />
experience the quiet and the scenery. It’s also the<br />
opportunity to get some exercise (strenuous if it’s a<br />
steep climb to a summit) plus the chance to pursue one<br />
of the other great passions of my life, photography.<br />
But walking isn’t all about mountains…<br />
Did you know?<br />
- brisk walking helps<br />
reduce body fat, lower<br />
blood pressure, and<br />
increase high-density<br />
lipoprotein.<br />
A wealth of walks<br />
We may inhabit a small group of islands but we have<br />
the good fortune to have access to a rich resource of<br />
open and beautiful countryside that can take you along<br />
river valleys, across remote dales and moorland, along<br />
huge swaths of magnificent coastline, and over high<br />
mountains, some with peaks easily achieved, some<br />
requiring a degree of experience and expertise.<br />
Brotherswater,<br />
Lake District<br />
And that’s just the countryside. Most of the big cities have spent time and money<br />
creating urban pathways, cycle routes and heritage walks, so it doesn’t always<br />
have to be a 6am alarm call to get out to somewhere worthwhile.<br />
A lot of people pass up the opportunity to<br />
start walking and climbing as they consider<br />
‘getting out there’ as something that requires<br />
elaborate planning, the spending of a small<br />
fortune on boots, waterproofs, maps and all<br />
the other paraphernalia you might need.<br />
That’s not always the case because a good<br />
set of boots and a waterproof jacket can<br />
frequently be found at a discount ‘end of<br />
season’ sale at most of the national and<br />
local climbing/walking stores. You just might<br />
have to tolerate being seen afoot wearing<br />
winter 2013 lime green! Yet I‘ve always<br />
found that once you break through that<br />
barrier and discover how easy it is, you will<br />
unlock some realistic and enjoyable options<br />
to spend some time away from the hustle<br />
and bustle of work. After all, how frequently<br />
do you hear mention from colleagues<br />
as to how busy we all are, how we don’t<br />
always have time to unwind and get<br />
some exercise, or just to get away<br />
from the ‘job’ for a bit.<br />
Now let’s assume that you’ve managed<br />
to dismiss all the excuses and doubts<br />
and want to start to explore.<br />
Some of you reading this article may<br />
already be experienced walkers or climbers,<br />
and maybe one or two have anonymously<br />
bumped into the author while traversing<br />
The Cuillins on Skye, wandering through<br />
fog on the Pennine Way, or exchanging<br />
a nod and ‘hello’ while plodding along the<br />
Pembrokeshire Coastal path on a<br />
sweltering summer’s day.<br />
28 29<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Given that the<br />
world is about 25,000<br />
miles in circumference<br />
and that the average<br />
walking rate is 3 miles<br />
per hour, it would take a<br />
person walking non-stop<br />
approx 347 days to<br />
walk around<br />
the world.<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
HOBBIES<br />
Snowdon Horseshoe,<br />
North Wales<br />
Safety<br />
Survival Bag - Available at<br />
any ‘outdoor’ retailer. A survival<br />
bag is simply a strong, lightweight<br />
bag made from a tough plastic<br />
material usually orange in<br />
colour that is designed to reduce<br />
the loss of body heat in an<br />
emergency. It can also act<br />
as a hi-viz distress signal,<br />
and an emergency<br />
shelter.<br />
Explore...<br />
FIND FANTASTIC WALKS<br />
AND TRAILS ONLINE<br />
Walking in Scotland www.visitscotland.com<br />
/see-do/activities/walking<br />
Walk Northern Ireland www.walkni.com<br />
Walking holidays in Wales www.visitwales.com<br />
/things-to-do/activities/walking-hiking<br />
Walking Britain www.walkingbritain.co.uk<br />
Walk England www.walkengland.org.uk<br />
National Trails www.nationaltrail.co.uk<br />
Do you have a favourite walk or ramble?<br />
Know of a unique and special route and want<br />
to share it with other readers? Drop us a line<br />
at <strong>NiCKED</strong> HQ and you could be the author<br />
of a future article... we may even send our<br />
photographer out with you for the day.<br />
So how do<br />
you get started?<br />
Well, let’s<br />
begin with:<br />
MOTIVATION<br />
Walking is an ideal pastime. It’s something<br />
you can do at the drop of a hat; with the<br />
family; with a friend or group of friends;<br />
with the dog. It gets you fit, gets you to<br />
places you’ve probably never seen before,<br />
and if you exceed your expectations and<br />
get to the top of a difficult or challenging<br />
peak, or finish that 20-mile trek across<br />
Dartmoor, will leave you with a real<br />
sense of achievement.<br />
A lot of forces have their own climbing club<br />
or society that will generally have a section<br />
that is dedicated to walking/rambling, but<br />
will let you evolve onto climbing if you fancy<br />
a go. Seek them out and join. Some of<br />
them already have kit discount agreements<br />
with major outdoor chains.<br />
FITNESS<br />
What I’ll never do is encourage you put this magazine down, pull on your trainers, leap<br />
into the car and head off into the great unknown to start a 35 mile yomp, or do a three<br />
peak challenge if you’re not up to it. Of course any form of exercise will be good for you,<br />
and no doubt the readership will have varying degrees of fitness that starts you further<br />
up the ladder of exertion than others. As many a mountain rescue team member<br />
will advise: never overextend yourself physically. Build up to it by improving your all<br />
round fitness. It won’t take much and as soon as you’re competent, that fitness will<br />
develop quite quickly allowing you to go further and/or higher.<br />
KIT<br />
Once you’ve decided you’re going to give<br />
it a go visit some of your local outdoor<br />
pursuit shops and price out some kit. A lot<br />
of people nowadays try stuff on for fit<br />
and comfort, and if the shop can’t be<br />
competitive in price they go home and<br />
source the stuff online from the likes<br />
of Amazon or e-bay.<br />
Usually, you will be looking for good<br />
functional footwear - it doesn’t always<br />
have to be top of the range boots at £299.<br />
You can buy decent waterproof boots<br />
for £70-£100 that will always double<br />
up as casual wear.<br />
The same applies to clothing. Always seek<br />
out a functional coat, a pair of over-trousers,<br />
and a decent set of gloves and a good hat,<br />
(preferably woolly) that can be used in<br />
inclement weather. Like with boots, most<br />
coats nowadays are multifunctional and<br />
can be used for day-to-day wear rather<br />
than an expensive wardrobe filler that’s<br />
only used when out in the countryside.<br />
You may also need a rucksack to store<br />
the inevitable camera, flask, food, map,<br />
compass, mobile phone (with spare battery),<br />
spare clothing first aid kit, iPod, sun cream,<br />
car keys... It doesn’t need to be a 80 litre<br />
monster designed to get you across the<br />
Himalayas - a good quality 15 litre rucksack<br />
is usually fine for most days out.<br />
MFH (MISSING FROM HOME)<br />
To avoid the embarrassment of having<br />
yourself all over the local or national news,<br />
and perhaps more seriously to ensure you<br />
really do get from A to B, you need to buy<br />
yourself a map and compass and learn how to<br />
use them. It’s not rocket science, and can be<br />
another little skill you can take pride in learning.<br />
More importantly it can save your life.<br />
We have become a society where the<br />
reliability of technology is taken for granted.<br />
Even the smallest of mobile phones can now<br />
use satellite signals to position you down to<br />
the nearest grid reference. This is all well and<br />
good for a stroll along the canal, but when you<br />
are out on the hills or deep into the countryside<br />
and the battery in your faithful never-beenunreliable-before<br />
phone battery decides to<br />
go to sleep - and it will – you’ll need a backup.<br />
The modern hand-held GPS systems are for<br />
the aficionado only as they begin at £150 for a<br />
basic model. These units are better than your<br />
phone because they are usually quite robust<br />
and weather sealed. I have one, but always<br />
carry a decent compass, which I bought for<br />
less than £5 on Amazon, together with a good<br />
Ordinance Survey map of the area you’re<br />
planning to visit for about £10-£12. For a<br />
little extra you can buy laminated maps<br />
which are ideal for use in wet weather.<br />
If you are ever planning on going anywhere<br />
difficult or remote I recommend doing so<br />
with someone else who has some outdoor<br />
experience and knows how to use a map<br />
and compass. Always remember to let<br />
someone know your route and an estimated<br />
time of arrival at your destination. Over<br />
the years I’ve taken plenty of reports from<br />
anxious relatives reporting missing or<br />
overdue walkers that have usually resolved<br />
themselves by the local police finding the<br />
forgetful ‘misper’ sat in the pub with a look<br />
of mystified innocence on their face.<br />
WALK ALONE<br />
OR WITH A GROUP?<br />
People go walking for lots of different reasons.<br />
Some love the solitude of walking alone<br />
across hill and dale, while others wouldn’t<br />
think of heading out unless accompanied<br />
by a companion. Walking in solitude has lots<br />
of benefits to the individual and is a choice<br />
most people make from time to time, myself<br />
included. But sometimes being part of an<br />
organised group has its advantages, not<br />
least of which is that there is generally a mix<br />
of experienced and competent walkers from<br />
whom knowledge and wisdom is dispensed.<br />
The police service has always had people<br />
who organise climbing or rambling clubs as<br />
part of the sports and social organisations.<br />
Ask around to see who runs one in your<br />
force area. Apart from my own experiences<br />
during my service, I know that there are lots<br />
of small groups of walkers including police<br />
officers, CSOs and support staff who meet<br />
up at the police station over a coffee and<br />
arrange to meet on a ‘rest day’ and head off<br />
into the mountains, or for an overnighter to<br />
the Lake District or Dartmoor, or wherever<br />
it takes their fancy. It’s also a great tool for<br />
teambuilding and cementing the trust you<br />
have for one another during work time.<br />
ENJOYMENT<br />
Remember, if you manage to get yourself<br />
into the great outdoors, ENJOY IT.<br />
Most of the country and its scenery are<br />
free for you to explore and wander over.<br />
Go experience it. Breathe some fresh air;<br />
get some exercise for the body and<br />
some calm for the soul...<br />
Coming up in the next issue...<br />
30 ‘Getting out there’. Over the coming issues we will visit every corner of the British Isles looking for those special walks and places of<br />
31<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
interest we would love to recommend. <strong>Issue</strong> #2 features Snowdonia, high and low routes, accommodation and places to eat and stay.
HEALTH & FITNESS<br />
A shift in the<br />
right direction<br />
PERSONAL TRAINER, PAUL HERBERT,<br />
GIVES US HIS EXPERT GUIDE ON HOW<br />
TO DEAL WITH EXERCISE AND NUTRITION<br />
WHILST DOING SHIFT WORK.<br />
We all know being a police officer can be a demanding<br />
(albeit rewarding) role, but add shift work into the<br />
mix and you’ll have all sorts of extra pressures.<br />
There’s the obvious sleep pattern disruption,<br />
but what about diet and fitness?<br />
Sometimes coping with actual shift hours<br />
can be as difficult, if not more so, than<br />
the job at hand. Health and fitness<br />
expert Paul Herbert met with <strong>NiCKED</strong><br />
magazine’s roaming Deputy Editor<br />
Brinsley Bailey and shared some advice<br />
on diet and fitness and how it can help<br />
with the demands of shift work.<br />
PAUL HERBERT<br />
Paul Herbert is a former GB athlete<br />
who competed at 800m against<br />
the likes of Sebastian Coe,<br />
Steve Cram, Steve Ovett and<br />
Peter Elliot. At 21 years old, he was<br />
UK champion and 25th fastest in<br />
the world with a time of 1:45.<br />
After a successful athletics career,<br />
Paul decided health and fitness<br />
was the way to go and he<br />
created Body Transformations.<br />
His company in Abbots Langley,<br />
Hertfordshire works with people<br />
from various backgrounds from<br />
sedentary to athlete. Some of his<br />
high profile clients have included<br />
Kym Marsh (Coronation Street),<br />
Penny Malory (TV presenter)<br />
and Martin Kove (Karate Kid).<br />
Only have a few<br />
minutes to spare?<br />
If you’re looking for a quick workout,<br />
old school bodyweight exercises like<br />
press-ups and wall-sits are always good.<br />
You can challenge yourself by recording your<br />
results and aim to beat the same figure<br />
throughout the week, which in itself<br />
can become a routine.<br />
It’s all about assessing the time you<br />
have - if you can only spare 10 minutes<br />
you can still get a real quality workout and<br />
it can be done on a daily basis.<br />
Even if you can only grab a spare<br />
5 minutes, at least you’re<br />
doing something.<br />
Quick tips<br />
for the gym<br />
1<br />
Always warm up/stretch<br />
2<br />
Focus on your breathing<br />
3<br />
Be mentally involved<br />
in the exercise<br />
Q&A<br />
Q:How important is nutrition<br />
in day-to-day life?<br />
A:It’s so important because if you’re<br />
moving around all day you need to<br />
supplement those spent calories by<br />
putting the right calories back in. Having<br />
good balanced nutrition is vital but a lot<br />
of people focus on not having too many<br />
carbohydrates. If you’re active, the<br />
most important thing is to have those<br />
carbohydrates. I always advise my clients<br />
to replace the calories they burn otherwise<br />
your body will go into something called<br />
ketosis, which creates a sudden drop of<br />
energy levels. Making sure nutrition is on<br />
point is always the most important thing.<br />
Q:When is the best time to exercise?<br />
A:My clients ask me this question a<br />
lot and I always recommended that they<br />
should exercise at the best time for them.<br />
There’s no optimum time to exercise -<br />
some people prefer to train in the morning,<br />
and some people prefer to train in the<br />
evening. You have to know what suits YOU<br />
best. If you’ve just done a long shift, do a<br />
15-minute blast session depending on the<br />
type of exercise you prefer. For example, if<br />
you prefer running, start with a walk and<br />
gradually build into a run and, if you want to,<br />
do some light stretches in the middle. If you<br />
prefer bodyweight exercises again start<br />
slowly and build the intensity gradually.<br />
Q:What are some common mistakes<br />
that can hinder your exercise?<br />
A:Not having the correct breathing<br />
technique. In order for the blood to go<br />
round your system once, it takes roughly<br />
23 seconds and if your breathing goes out<br />
of sync this process takes longer. If this<br />
occurs then you go into oxygen debt,<br />
which causes you to get dizzy, as the blood<br />
takes longer to get back to your brain.<br />
Keeping the process in sync through a<br />
correct breathing technique is very<br />
important. Also, it’s important when you’re<br />
exercising to ‘be in the moment.’ If you’re<br />
about to perform a squat for example, you<br />
should be working on your core muscles<br />
that support the movement and you must<br />
be 100% focused on making your upper<br />
and lower body work together. It’s amazing<br />
when you walk into a gym and you see<br />
people who are not focused on what they<br />
are doing. You can tell they’re thinking<br />
about what’s going to be on TV later rather<br />
than thinking about the exercise they’re<br />
doing. I always tell my clients that if they<br />
get mentally involved in the exercise, their<br />
body shape will change more quickly.<br />
Q:What type of problems does<br />
shift work produce?<br />
A:Shift work affects your appetite and<br />
when it comes to exercise, this can mean<br />
energy levels fluctuate. Often this is based<br />
on diet as many people eat the wrong foods<br />
on shift work and this has a direct effect on<br />
their energy levels. Generally, food grabbed<br />
‘on the go’ is loaded with carbohydrates<br />
and when you eat these foods you become<br />
full quickly, but you also become empty<br />
really quickly as well. I often encourage<br />
people who are on shift work to plan ahead.<br />
Preparing nutritious food to take to work<br />
means you know what you’re going to eat<br />
and there’s less chance you’ll make the<br />
decision to eat unhealthy fast food.<br />
With regards to exercise, you need to work<br />
out how many times a week you are able<br />
to train, what you are going to do in your<br />
workout and how much time you have.<br />
Remember to factor in cool down time and<br />
a shower etc. Be realistic and bear in mind,<br />
something is better than nothing!<br />
Q:Which foods should<br />
shift workers avoid?<br />
A:We all know the foods we should be<br />
avoiding… high fat takeaways, and foods<br />
loaded with sugar. I also advise to keep<br />
clear of any food high in carbohydrates,<br />
and definitely processed foods. Avoid<br />
overloading on bread and chips, anything<br />
like that will work against you and deplete<br />
energy levels rather than lift them. Meal<br />
replacement can work, for example: if you<br />
like burgers, instead of having a takeaway,<br />
plan your meal beforehand and have a<br />
Quorn burger with salad on a granary bagel<br />
or small wholemeal roll. This way, it’s like<br />
having a takeaway burger but you’re eating<br />
a healthier version. Sweet potatoes have<br />
a low GI (Glycemic Index) and you can use<br />
that to make baked fries which you can<br />
reheat at work.<br />
Q:‘Grazing’ is a term often heard<br />
in health and fitness circles. What are<br />
the benefits of this technique and<br />
can it be applied to shift work?<br />
A:Grazing is when you don’t have your<br />
main meal but have smaller meals instead<br />
as a snack. This method of eating is based<br />
around the core meals of breakfast, lunch<br />
and dinner and occurs either side of your<br />
lunch. For someone who does shift work,<br />
grazing is perfect. If you’re on a shift<br />
pattern that misses breakfast or (other)<br />
another key meal, you can graze on fruit,<br />
nuts or seeds, which will sustain your<br />
energy levels. I encourage people to graze<br />
because it allows you to keep energy levels<br />
up and stops you from losing the calories<br />
you need to sustain a full shift of work.<br />
However, avoid grazing on sweets because<br />
these will take your sugar level up and<br />
reduce your energy level.<br />
32 33<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
HEALTH & FITNESS<br />
Key nutrition<br />
1<br />
Healthy carbohydrates: rice,<br />
sweet potato, quinoa etc.<br />
2<br />
Quality protein: lean chicken, turkey<br />
and occasionally red meat<br />
3<br />
Fats: nuts such as almonds<br />
and Brazil nuts<br />
4<br />
Oily fish: salmon, mackerel,<br />
herring etc.<br />
Q:Energy drinks are often used to help<br />
people stay alert, particularly on shift<br />
work. Are there any natural alternatives<br />
that can provide the same boost?<br />
A:The key thing to start with is water -<br />
being hydrated helps keep your energy levels<br />
up. There is a misconception about water as<br />
you will often hear people say that you should<br />
drink 2 litres per day, but this isn’t necessarily<br />
the case. Recent studies show there are other<br />
things you drink throughout the day such as<br />
tea and coffee, which also go towards your<br />
water intake. Food also contains water which<br />
will form part of your intake and fruit provides<br />
a really good boost to your energy levels.<br />
Also, the great thing about fruit is that you’ll<br />
use it as part of energy but it won’t take your<br />
sugar level up too quickly. The kind of things<br />
that hinder people’s performances the most<br />
are the sugary fizzy drinks and even the<br />
energy ones marketed as being ‘healthy.<br />
One of the most popular ‘energy’ drinks<br />
has18 teaspoons of sugar in one bottle<br />
– it’s obviously not going to do you much<br />
good. Your intake also has to be relative to<br />
what type of sport or activity you are doing.<br />
If someone’s running a marathon I would<br />
recommend an energy drink, however,<br />
for someone who works out in the gym<br />
and is burning fewer calories, I would<br />
recommend water. Or if they need an<br />
energy boost I would suggest a 50/50<br />
mix of pure orange juice and water.<br />
Q:Protein shakes are very popular<br />
nowadays. Would you recommend them?<br />
And if so, what do you take and when?<br />
A:I do promote the use of protein shakes<br />
but it’s important not to over do them as<br />
it can mess with your digestive system.<br />
I wouldn’t suggest relying on these shakes,<br />
as it is best to vary your food. On a shortterm<br />
basis however they can be used as a<br />
meal replacement but if you decide to take<br />
it every morning for example, add oats and<br />
nuts so it becomes a better breakfast and a<br />
more complete meal. Ideally, take no more<br />
than two shakes maximum per day but again<br />
that depends on how many calories you<br />
consume in a day and your activity levels.<br />
Q:What advice can you give to people<br />
who are looking to lose weight through<br />
training as well as maintain fitness?<br />
A:Training type is key here. If someone<br />
goes out for a run five or six times a week<br />
without any resistance work then they will<br />
lose muscle tissue. But if you incorporate a<br />
resistance programme, using bodyweight<br />
exercises at home such as press-ups and<br />
squats or at the gym using equipment like<br />
the shoulder press, Olympic lifts, deadlifts<br />
etc. along with the cardiovascular exercises,<br />
you can get the best of both worlds and<br />
drop body fat whilst increasing muscles<br />
tissue at the same time.<br />
Q:Are there any health supplements<br />
you would recommend?<br />
A:It all depends on what you’re looking to<br />
achieve but I do recommend taking a multi<br />
-vitamin per day. However, if you eat a well<br />
balanced diet you probably won’t need any<br />
extra supplements. If you’re trying to increase<br />
your weight or burn body-fat, Casein powder<br />
(a milk protein) can be taken before you go to<br />
bed. This prevents too much protein being<br />
lost whilst sleeping as your body goes without<br />
food for several hours. I use the Casein with<br />
healthy peanut butter, just to add to the extra<br />
protein. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA)<br />
help the process of building muscles and<br />
replace the loss of amino acids from your<br />
system. Essential fatty acids are also important<br />
and are something that can be taken via<br />
supplements or obtained naturally through<br />
eating fish. Also, at every meal you should try<br />
and have some fat. There is a stigma towards<br />
fat and people automatically think it’s bad but<br />
it’s important to have healthy fats in your diet.<br />
Q:What’s the ‘top-tip’ people should<br />
try to remember?<br />
A:As a personal trainer, people always tell<br />
me what they eat but I guarantee it’s never<br />
accurate and only half the story. My top tip<br />
is simple. Be honest with yourself, work<br />
hard and work safe. If you’re honest with<br />
yourself, the results will come.<br />
Elaine Watson<br />
Mobile - 07962595855<br />
Email Address - elainejwatson@utilitywarehouse.org.uk<br />
Web Address - www.ShrinkYourBills.org.uk<br />
34<br />
Want to know more?<br />
Email Paul at enquiries@bodytransformations.co.uk<br />
or visit www.bodytransformations.co.uk
HEALTH & FITNESS<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
Mackerel with scrambled eggs<br />
and a slice of wholemeal toast<br />
or Porridge (water or skimmed<br />
milk) with a scoop of protein (30g<br />
Women/45g Men) with almonds<br />
(6-8 Women/ Men 10-12)<br />
GRAZING SNACK<br />
Protein Shake (made with water)<br />
with Peanut Butter on a slice<br />
of Ryvita<br />
LUNCH<br />
Quinoua or Basmati Rice (Low GI)<br />
with any lean turkey or chicken<br />
GRAZING SNACK<br />
Protein bar or cookie (make sure<br />
it has < 8.5g sugar per 100g)<br />
or Rye bread with Quark cheese,<br />
lean ham, cucumber and lettuce<br />
DINNER<br />
Any lean meat with half regular<br />
serving of sweet potato (low GI)<br />
and a large portion of leafy<br />
green vegetables<br />
DRINKS<br />
Water (add half a squeezed<br />
lemon and a capful of fruit squash<br />
to break the monotony).<br />
KEY TIPS<br />
• Preparation is key. If you don’t<br />
prepare, it is very likely that<br />
you’ll stray.<br />
• Experiment with different herbs<br />
and spices (dry powder) with<br />
the lean meat to add variety<br />
to your meals.<br />
THE 30-MINUTE WORKOUT<br />
The workout plan is based on the concept of Peripheral Heart<br />
Action (PHA), which was brought into the fore of the exercise world<br />
by Bob Gajda (Former Mr America & Mr Universe). PHA works<br />
various muscle groups in a single workout. This 30-minute workout<br />
programme focuses on the upper body and lower body alternately<br />
causing your body to work harder overall.<br />
Chest stretch, back stretch,<br />
calf stretch and quad stretch<br />
THE WORKOUT<br />
A maximum of five sets for the circuit but<br />
you should base it on your fitness levels:<br />
Beginners: 2 sets<br />
Intermediate: 3 sets<br />
Advanced: 4 sets<br />
Depending on your conditioning,<br />
rest between each exercise for:<br />
Beginners: 60 seconds<br />
Intermediate: 30 seconds<br />
Advanced: no rest<br />
WARM-UP: Spend a short time warming<br />
up and stretching off before beginning<br />
any exercise. Fig 1<br />
PRESS-UPS: (16-20 reps) Keep head in line<br />
with the spine and avoid locking your elbows.<br />
Also make sure the stomach is tucked in to<br />
stabilise the core. Fig 2<br />
Fig 1<br />
Fig 1<br />
STRETCHES<br />
Before and after the workout it is important to stretch the<br />
upper and lower body; specifically the chest, calf, quads, and back.<br />
Always remember to keep your head in line with your spine by<br />
looking forward. Tense the abdomen to stabilise your core and<br />
have slightly bent knees to take pressure off your joints.<br />
Fig 1<br />
Fig 2<br />
Fig 1<br />
Fig 2<br />
Paul Herbert<br />
The food plan<br />
This programme is designed to keep your<br />
body on a regular pattern each week even if<br />
your shifts change. You can eat these foods<br />
at anytime as long as it works with your<br />
specific schedule. Don’t feel forced<br />
to follow conventional eating times,<br />
simply view food as what it is… food.<br />
SQUATS: (16 -20 reps) Make sure that your<br />
knees don’t go over your toes and lean forward<br />
slightly, keeping your back straight while in the<br />
seated position. Breath in when you go down<br />
and out when you go up. If you want to make the<br />
exercise harder you can use dumbbells. Fig 3<br />
SPLIT-SQUATS: (16-20 reps each side)<br />
Keep the feet stationary throughout the<br />
exercise with your front foot flat and back<br />
heel up. Back straight with head in line with<br />
the spine looking forward. The lower yourself<br />
to the floor directly down with your back<br />
knee an inch away from the floor. Fig 4<br />
PIKE PUSH UP: (16-20 reps) Start in regular<br />
press up position and then walk your feet<br />
forward until your body forms a V shape.<br />
Keep your knees slightly bent and avoid<br />
locking your elbows. Fig 5<br />
Fig 3<br />
Fig 5<br />
Fig 3<br />
Fig 5<br />
Fig 4<br />
Fig 6<br />
All that matters is that your meal has<br />
a balance of fats, carbohydrates and<br />
proteins that can fuel your body.<br />
SINGLE ARM ROW: (16-20 reps each side)<br />
Both knees are bent but back is flat with<br />
a stance similar to cutting a piece of wood<br />
on a bench. Fig 6<br />
WARM-DOWN: After completing any form of<br />
exercise, spend some time cooling down, and<br />
doing some light post exercise stretches. Fig 1<br />
REMEMBER: If you are carrying an injury, or it has been a long time since you have<br />
done any exercise seek medical advice before attempting these exercises.<br />
36 37<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
BUSINESS<br />
Carving a<br />
career after<br />
policing<br />
WHEN PETER FARRINGTON HAD TO TAKE<br />
EARLY RETIREMENT FROM THE POLICE SERVICE,<br />
HE KNEW HE HAD A LOT MORE TO GIVE.<br />
HERE HE OFFERS SOME GREAT ADVICE ON<br />
HOW TO BUILD A CAREER AFTER POLICING.<br />
After leaving school in June, by August<br />
I found myself joining the police service<br />
as a 16-year-old cadet. Being rapidly<br />
assimilated into the institution that is the<br />
police family, I found almost all my friends<br />
were now employed by the police.<br />
Although I knew from the beginning what<br />
I was getting into, the actual reality of a life<br />
on shifts, which precluded me from many<br />
of the things most people take for granted,<br />
began to hit home. Family events; maintaining<br />
my football season ticket; carrying out<br />
hobbies and pastimes in mainstream society<br />
- all had to take a back seat in my social<br />
priorities. I was a police officer now, part<br />
of that bigger family that often met in the<br />
middle of the night, early on weekend<br />
mornings or on sunny midweek afternoons.<br />
Booking annual leave now involved intricate<br />
and complex negotiations involving shift<br />
rotas, line managers, and the vagaries of your<br />
colleagues’ personal circumstances. I didn’t<br />
eat at ‘normal’ times anymore, and would<br />
rarely get home on time. Long-standing<br />
engagements weren’t honoured because<br />
I was ‘dealing’ with something, or someone,<br />
else. And mid week lie-ins on my rest days<br />
were a rarity because an inconveniently<br />
delivered court warning often beckoned.<br />
We’ve all been there… We become ‘dyed<br />
in the wool cops’. We knew our life and saw<br />
the years of service stretching away into<br />
the distance like some desert highway.<br />
Unfortunately, the flow of your career can<br />
sometimes be cut short, and after 23 years<br />
of enjoyable and fulfilling police service I had<br />
an unexpected and unwelcome exit and<br />
woke one morning to find myself in receipt<br />
of a pension following my discharge on<br />
health grounds. Well OK, I might not have<br />
been able to carry out the entire portfolio<br />
of police work (if I ever was) but I was<br />
certainly young enough, and keen enough,<br />
to do some sort of fulfilling work – but what?<br />
Bills still had to be paid, mortgage payments<br />
met, and food for the family bought.<br />
Where to go from here?<br />
People usually respond to such circumstances in one of two<br />
ways. Not being the type to panic, I started by weighing up<br />
what my ‘employable’ attributes and skill sets were.<br />
The police had spent a considerable amount of time, money<br />
and effort teaching me to drive cars expertly, investigate crime<br />
efficiently, talk to people with economy; to listen, interpret and<br />
act on information boldly and assertively, without fear or favour.<br />
I could undertake surveillance without being detected; knew a<br />
lot about the intricacies of the law, and about the causes and<br />
consequences of criminality, and dishonesty. I was well versed in<br />
police procedures; reading and writing reports; and had lots of<br />
friends and acquaintances; all introduced to me by the police<br />
service. As a newly ‘retired’ detective it was an obvious career<br />
choice for me to become a self-employed investigator.<br />
However, setting it up as a business was to prove a challenge,<br />
both professionally and personally.<br />
Having determined my future lay on the self-employed business<br />
route, I had a ‘eureka’ moment when it dawned on me that I had<br />
always calculated things in pounds and pence. How much overtime,<br />
how big a pay rise, how much is a bill, what is my net pay? Rule one<br />
– forget that altogether. It is an equation you can never balance.<br />
The commodity of life outside the police is ‘time’ so I am now<br />
a time salesman – I sell my time to different people for different<br />
prices depending on a few obvious but important factors:<br />
n How difficult is the task?<br />
n How much do I like or dislike this type of work?<br />
n What resources are required?<br />
n How long will it take?<br />
n How regularly will I be doing this?<br />
Have I lost you yet? In summary – do not use your police salary as<br />
a yardstick. It is irrelevant to your new circumstances, and will rarely<br />
achieve an immediate equivalent in your new career. Of course<br />
your pension helps, but unless you’ve paid off your mortgage it<br />
will never amount to much compared to your police salary.<br />
Here’s a simple fact: in the police you can be the hardest working<br />
officer from your section, department, or force, but you will be<br />
paid (overtime excluded) exactly the same as the least productive<br />
colleague. No matter what happens, your monthly salary will be<br />
much the same as the last one, and for that matter, the next one.<br />
You do one job and get one rate of pay. But now I don’t - I do lots of<br />
different jobs. Imagine your life in the police if you were to be paid<br />
piecemeal. £X for taking a crime report, £Y for dealing with sudden<br />
death and £Z for supervising somebody else to do either X or Y.<br />
That is how it is for me nowadays.<br />
PETER<br />
FARRINGTON<br />
Peter Farrington is managing director<br />
of Probe Investigations (UK) Ltd, which<br />
was given the impressive accolade of an<br />
ISO:9001 award for quality management.<br />
The company is proud to be the first<br />
business in the UK to be successfully<br />
assessed at BS102000 level for its<br />
provision of investigative services.<br />
Peter is also a member of World<br />
Association of Detectives (WAD);<br />
Ex Police in Commerce (EPIC) and<br />
Association of British Investigators (ABI).<br />
Other achievements include:<br />
n 2009/10 Vice President, Association<br />
of British Investigators<br />
n 2010 Probe Investigations (UK) Ltd<br />
– awarded Merseyside Crime Stopper<br />
of the Year<br />
n 2011 Formation of specialist process<br />
serving business www.pdqprocess.co.uk<br />
n 2013 Formation of Probe Concierge<br />
and Security Services Ltd<br />
www.probesecurityservices.com<br />
38<br />
Visit www.probeuk.com or call<br />
0845 520 7777 for more information.<br />
39<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS<br />
40<br />
Top tips<br />
for success<br />
WHEN I TOOK RETIREMENT<br />
AND STARTED MY COMPANY<br />
I HAD PLENTY OF COMMON<br />
SENSE AND DETERMINATION,<br />
BUT ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS<br />
ACUMEN WHATSOEVER.<br />
However, apart from the ability to work<br />
with self confidence and self reliance<br />
the police service equipped me with the<br />
discipline to work through problems<br />
logically and methodically.<br />
So that’s what I did. I applied myself to the<br />
task at hand and have built a company that<br />
utilises my skills and attributes yet at the<br />
same time rewards me personally and<br />
financially. I am regularly approached by<br />
colleagues coming up to retirement for advice<br />
about starting up a business. They don’t<br />
want to waste all that training and<br />
experience just because the first earning<br />
phase of their life has come to an end.<br />
My advice is always the same and usually<br />
involves most, if not all, of the following:<br />
1. Research and engage a reputable and<br />
cost-effective accountant. Your tax affairs<br />
are very different now and the accountant<br />
will be your equivalent of the police pay<br />
department.<br />
2. Set up a business bank account.<br />
Most high street banks offer free banking<br />
to new businesses and offer all sorts of<br />
helpful advice to guide you through initial<br />
financing and setup costs.<br />
3. Consider whether you want to<br />
trade as limited company.<br />
There are pros and cons to doing so,<br />
but overall my preference is to protect my<br />
personal assets and keep my business<br />
separate from my private affairs by<br />
operating two limited companies.<br />
4. Obtain professional insurance cover.<br />
Whatever business you decide to establish,<br />
you are human and therefore liable to make<br />
a mistake at some point. Professional<br />
Indemnity Insurance is an absolute must.<br />
If you have premises that the public<br />
visits or an exposure to risk from public<br />
interaction then you should check out<br />
Public Liability insurance.<br />
5. Advertise. Potential clients or customers<br />
won’t find you unless you position signposts.<br />
The internet can frequently be the best<br />
place for placing advertisements, but also<br />
consider entries in business directories,<br />
trade exhibitions, networking events or<br />
magazines, where a suitable circulation<br />
is present for your target market.<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
6. Compliance. In your particular business,<br />
you might have to comply with specific<br />
laws. For example, I have had to notify<br />
The Information Commissioner for Data<br />
Protection purposes, and I am required to<br />
hold a Consumer Credit Licence and SIA<br />
Licence for aspects of my work.<br />
7. Communications. You will need to deal<br />
with telephone accounts, domain names,<br />
fax numbers and postal services. Social<br />
media is an important tool these days and<br />
most businesses operate Twitter, LinkedIn<br />
and Facebook pages. Consider using a<br />
PO Box address or a ‘virtual office’ address<br />
if you’re working from home.<br />
8. Professional memberships. In your<br />
new career, you may benefit from joining<br />
a professional body. I certainly learnt<br />
a tremendous amount by becoming a<br />
member of The Association of British<br />
Investigators, The World Association<br />
of Detectives, and EPIC (Ex Police in<br />
Commerce). This is your new ‘Federation’.<br />
9. Contacts. Stay in touch with people.<br />
The friends you made during your service<br />
are very valuable to you socially. It can be a<br />
lonely environment setting up a business,<br />
especially after a career where you were<br />
generally part of a team. One of the<br />
benefits of the police service is that by<br />
and large it’s a very socially orientated<br />
organisation - a surrogate family. Staying<br />
in touch will, apart from the enjoyment<br />
of meeting old friends and colleagues,<br />
help you stay abreast of changes and<br />
assist you in developing new relationships<br />
for your business.<br />
‘Peter and Rex were amazed<br />
at the quality of the CCTV’<br />
10. Branding. You don’t get many goes to<br />
get this right, so take the time to plan your<br />
business brand, and the message you are<br />
trying to send out. Find yourself a reputable<br />
graphic designer/printer and ask for examples<br />
/reviews of their work, and develop an<br />
understanding of what YOU want. This is<br />
your business and the designer might not<br />
understand your business concept, they<br />
might have ideas that are at odds with yours<br />
in terms of your chosen marketplace, your<br />
target audience and the image you want to<br />
project. The same can be said of web designers.<br />
11. Finance. If you want to start a business<br />
then understand that you need to spend<br />
money on it. The first six months are likely<br />
to be a big drain on your resources. This is<br />
not a rarity, and you will be in good company.<br />
12. VAT. By law, if your turnover is in excess<br />
of £77K per annum then you must register<br />
for VAT. This might seem a big figure to many<br />
police officers (you’re using your salary as a<br />
yardstick again aren’t you?) but in business,<br />
it really isn’t. My advice is to register for VAT<br />
from the very start. You won’t then get in<br />
a mess trying to deal with retrospective<br />
finances but you will get your VAT back<br />
on your outgoings quite quickly and that<br />
is a big help in the beginning.<br />
13.Keep proper records. Retain everything<br />
- every bill, every bank statement, every cheque<br />
stub. You may be subjected to an inspection<br />
by HMRC at any moment and they will want<br />
you to produce such records going back six<br />
years. It’s just like compiling a prosecution file!<br />
14. Grants and relief. Find out about any<br />
Government or EU Grants available to your<br />
business and also enquire with the local<br />
authority about Small Business Rate Relief.<br />
The local Chamber of Commerce is<br />
a good starting point in this respect.<br />
15. Premises.There is something nice<br />
about the idea of working from home.<br />
In some occupations this is fine. In some,<br />
it is impossible. I tried it and found that my<br />
work frequently spilled over into my house;<br />
family life interrupted my work with the<br />
working day collapsing into a rota of<br />
stop/start. It wasn’t for me. There are plenty<br />
of ‘easy in/easy out’ office deals available.<br />
Bargain hard with landlords, you’ll be<br />
surprised how much movement there is<br />
when negotiating. Get the price right down<br />
and the length of the tenancy as short as<br />
you can to begin with. That said; always keep<br />
one eye on expansion as you might quickly<br />
outgrow your offices. Changing address<br />
can be a big upheaval for a company so if<br />
you can stay in the same place but in a<br />
larger suite of offices that might suit your<br />
long-term planning better.<br />
16. Partnerships. Many people begin a<br />
business in partnership with an old friend.<br />
I did too. However, very few partnerships<br />
last the distance (mine included). Under the<br />
pressure of running a business, it becomes<br />
apparent that different ideas can<br />
sometimes conflict and cannot readily<br />
be resolved. If you’re going to become a<br />
partnership then draw up a legal contract<br />
from the very beginning. Set the rules out<br />
clearly and unambiguously, and make sure<br />
that you have formal minuted meetings<br />
on a regular basis. This is now your livelihood,<br />
not a recreational activity.<br />
17. Throwing good money after bad.<br />
If you have a business that isn’t working don’t<br />
let your pride cause you to waste more time,<br />
effort and money on it. Accept that failure<br />
sometimes happens and move into another<br />
area. Learn from your mistakes.<br />
18. Competitors. Get to know your<br />
competitors - you might be surprised to find<br />
they are actually very helpful and supportive.<br />
Remember that as a new business you<br />
are competing on a well-trodden ground.<br />
Some competitors may appear to have<br />
your business plan ‘sewn up’ already.<br />
Don’t be put off by this. My top tip is to<br />
never undercut a rival. This is guaranteed<br />
to aggravate them and it won’t impress<br />
most clients either. Customers are most<br />
impressed by good service, good products,<br />
reliability and prompt delivery. Don’t<br />
compromise your business plan and integrity.<br />
Once again, don’t use your police salary<br />
as yardstick. Concentrate on building a<br />
reliable clientele who will bring you repeat<br />
business or be pleased to refer others to you.<br />
19. Employees. If you employ somebody,<br />
then look after them. Your employees are<br />
the people who enable you to enjoy a day<br />
off, take a holiday, be in places you can’t get<br />
to and so much more. They represent your<br />
business. Make sure you have Employers’<br />
Liability insurance (it is a legal requirement),<br />
and comply with all the various Health and<br />
Safety directives.<br />
20. Pensions. Treat yourself to a second<br />
pension. You can maximise your tax<br />
efficiency at the same time.<br />
21. Personal insurance. We are all growing<br />
older and in time our health will gradually<br />
decline. With this in mind, I maintain a policy<br />
of insurance that covers my business against<br />
critical illness. If I am out of action through<br />
serious illness then the business needs<br />
to continue without me. In my business<br />
an appropriately qualified ‘locum’ can be<br />
appointed to deal with the company<br />
during my enforced absence.<br />
Remember: if it<br />
was easy, everyone<br />
would be doing it!<br />
There is far more detail I could provide<br />
and the above list, while not exhaustive,<br />
might seem intimidating.<br />
It did to me at first glance but, as they say,<br />
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so there is nothing<br />
wrong in methodically exploring which area of<br />
business or trade suits your personal skill set,<br />
and fires the desire to build a solid and<br />
profitable business. You may already have skills<br />
and qualifications or a career that you used<br />
to do before joining the service. I know lots of<br />
former electricians, plasterers, builders and<br />
plumbers who decided to change career and<br />
become police officers. Just bear in mind that<br />
the police service will have given you a fantastic<br />
array of skills - now it’s up to you to capitalise<br />
on them and create a new tailor-made career.<br />
Buy a ready<br />
-made business<br />
Rather than building up a business<br />
from scratch, another option is to buy<br />
an existing one.<br />
I have never done this, although I have taken<br />
over contracts from other suppliers and had<br />
a taste of TUPE law, which for those that don’t<br />
know, means taking on existing employees that<br />
previously worked for the first contractor<br />
- a bit tricky but manageable.<br />
There are agencies out there that sell businesses<br />
such as Turner Butler for example. It may be<br />
worth browsing what is on offer. For those<br />
who want to enter the investigation business<br />
from scratch, contact The Association of<br />
British Investigators (www.TheABI.org.uk)<br />
and enquire whether any members might<br />
consider retirement or are looking to<br />
sell up their business.<br />
It’s important to remember that before<br />
considering buying a business, it will be necessary<br />
to carry out due diligence. You don’t want to<br />
buy into somebody’s unpaid VAT bill or their<br />
bad reputation. This is the time to find the<br />
appropriate solicitor and accountant to help<br />
you strike a deal and put a true value on the<br />
business and assess its potential for growth.<br />
The aim could be to sell it on again, at a profit,<br />
further along the line or perhaps bequeath<br />
it to the next generation?<br />
Further information…<br />
For help and support please contact your<br />
relevant force Welfare Department.<br />
Police officers can contact either the Police<br />
Federation or the National Association of Retired<br />
Police Officers (NARPO) - both have excellent<br />
support resources to assist you should you<br />
find yourself approaching retirement, either<br />
anticipated or unanticipated. Support staff can<br />
call upon their respective unions to provide<br />
a comparative level of support and advice.<br />
41
HOBBIES<br />
Fore...!<br />
GOLF HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN A POPULAR<br />
SPORT AND SOURCE OF RELAXATION WITHIN THE<br />
POLICE FAMILY, SO IF YOU’RE A SERIOUS GOLF NUT,<br />
HAVE THE HABIT UNDER CONTROL, PLAY ONCE<br />
OR TWICE A YEAR WITH BORROWED ‘BATS’, OR<br />
JUST HAVE AN IDLE CURIOSITY, YOU’LL ENJOY<br />
ALAN CONSIDINE’S SERIES ON ALL THINGS GOLF.<br />
Mark Twain is oft quoted for his observation about golf being<br />
“a good walk spoiled...” This is all well and good if your time is spent<br />
plotting your next novel but for the rest of us, golf presents an<br />
accessible and enjoyable sport played by ever growing numbers<br />
of men, women, boys and girls across the world.<br />
Having successfully negotiated my police<br />
service I found myself finishing 30 years of<br />
service with the appellation of ‘pensioner’<br />
while still being under 50 years of age.<br />
Working in a busy force I appreciated<br />
the frustrations involved in trying to make<br />
a difference, as well as the huge sense<br />
of pride and achievement it can bring by<br />
solving the problems others fear to address.<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed my service, and as<br />
it was mostly operational, I’m not going<br />
to pretend I always considered it the<br />
perfect career choice.<br />
You all know that a life dedicated to<br />
the police service is a challenge, usually<br />
an enjoyable one, but a challenge all the<br />
same. And because of that, you need<br />
your distractions, hobbies and sometimes<br />
a chance to exercise.<br />
Well, there are lot of options for your<br />
down time. Personally, I always looked<br />
forward to a rest day when I could be<br />
out on the course with my friends.<br />
42 43<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Having played golf since a young age,<br />
I’ve spent most of the intervening years<br />
playing off a single figure handicap. (If you<br />
don’t understand golf handicaps, there<br />
is a jargon busting section at the end).<br />
I currently play off a 10 handicap, and if<br />
you can keep a secret, those extra shots<br />
are lovely when you are eager to secure<br />
that friendly side bet - the one against<br />
your mate, who you love dearly, but could<br />
also throttle with a five-iron if he beats<br />
you on the last.<br />
Of course golf has a language, standard<br />
of dress and behaviour, and customs all<br />
of its own that can seem foreboding and<br />
mysterious to the newcomer, but stick<br />
with me. You’ll soon pick up the meanings<br />
in future articles.<br />
Because golf has a strong social element<br />
I also dedicated a lot of my spare time to<br />
helping run and organise golf clubs in various<br />
roles, spending over a decade on numerous<br />
committees, and even enjoying a few years<br />
as a course manager where I learned<br />
a lot about setting up a course from<br />
professional greens staff.<br />
I have also had the good fortune to<br />
be invited to help organise marshalling<br />
at the British Open Championships<br />
and had the pleasure, and it IS a pleasure,<br />
of playing on courses throughout Europe,<br />
particularly Portugal and Spain.<br />
Now there’s a life… golf in the sun.<br />
But that’s for another issue!<br />
In this series we’ll visit those types of<br />
experiences, and let you know how to<br />
make it happen on your terms, and just<br />
as importantly, within your budget.<br />
We will explore, review and advise on<br />
matters such as golfing holidays and breaks,<br />
golfing equipment, tips and techniques to<br />
improve your game, and developments<br />
and gossip from the world of golfing.<br />
<strong>NiCKED</strong> may even weigh in from time<br />
to time with a prize competition.<br />
My colleague John Fisher, a PGA Teaching<br />
Professional will provide more in-depth<br />
advice about technique, skill development<br />
and equipment. As these pages grow we<br />
look forward to receiving feedback and<br />
suggestions for future issues, so let us<br />
know what you want to read about.<br />
ALAN<br />
CONSIDINE<br />
Alan Considine served<br />
as a police constable<br />
with a North West force<br />
and since retiring is<br />
usually to be found<br />
on, or near, a<br />
golf course!<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
HOBBIES<br />
Golf within the police<br />
So, you think you can play? Well always remember that most forces<br />
have police teams or societies. Undoubtedly, there will be someone<br />
in your home force who takes on the task of the stressed and<br />
unappreciated organiser of your force’s golf section.<br />
I can’t speak for every force, but there<br />
is usually someone organising an annual<br />
individual competition locally, a national<br />
individual event, as well as the PAA<br />
golf team event.<br />
The latter usually consists of four forces<br />
submitting a team, and meeting up on a<br />
course chosen by the host force. The day<br />
usually consists of two semi-finals in the<br />
morning flowed by the final in the afternoon.<br />
The winners will progress to similar events,<br />
which will eventually produce four teams<br />
who qualify for the national finals. I’ve been<br />
fortunate to play in one of those events,<br />
and had a great time pitting my skills against<br />
colleagues from around the country.<br />
Unfortunately, our team lost in the final to<br />
a team of cut throats and vagabonds who<br />
had sold their souls to the Devil. Of course,<br />
although you may 'think' it, you must<br />
never say it out loud.<br />
That would be a unforgivable breach of<br />
golfing etiquette! If you get involved at<br />
that level of police golf you will discover<br />
that golf clubs actively encourage visits<br />
by police staff and usually offer very<br />
competitive packages including lunch<br />
or evening meal with your rounds of<br />
golf to such competitions.<br />
The national individual trophy is a little<br />
bit more exclusive, in that they employ<br />
a handicap limit, so only the better<br />
golfers get to play in it.<br />
Outside of competitions you may discover<br />
a group who like to travel further a field<br />
and organise a week away playing some<br />
of the big Scottish courses, and even go as<br />
far afield as Florida in search of that perfect<br />
golfing holiday. In the next issue of <strong>NiCKED</strong><br />
I’ll be discussing the pros and cons of<br />
visiting a European tour event as a spectator,<br />
and many other golf related items.<br />
Giving it a go?<br />
So how can you get involved in the<br />
game? Well, I suppose the easiest<br />
way to see if you like it is to acquire<br />
a golf club and head off to the<br />
local driving range.<br />
I’ll steer you away from using the local park or<br />
field as you’re likely to attract the attention of<br />
either the local warden, or more dramatically,<br />
an irate householder who will angrily point to<br />
the new ventilation hole in his conservatory roof<br />
while trying to climb his fence to get to you!<br />
We’ll stick with the driving range as it’s a purposebuilt<br />
facility and you can usually hire a few clubs if you<br />
can’t lay your hands on any. Most are open all day, and<br />
are floodlit for evening use. If you haven’t got a friend<br />
or relative who can give you some basic coaching<br />
don’t worry as most will have friendly staff and/or a<br />
resident professional, if it’s associated with a golf<br />
club, who will be only too glad to give help and advice.<br />
A session usual costs around £5 for a bucket of<br />
30-70 balls. Just remember to put the basket at<br />
the mouth of the ball dispenser before you slip the<br />
token into the machine. If you don’t you are likely<br />
to attract amused attention from other range users<br />
as the ball dispenser noisily takes delight in rapidly<br />
spewing out balls all over the floor.<br />
After a few trips to the driving range you may find<br />
you’ve an aptitude for it, and have developed a swing<br />
that evolves to the point where the ball is flying<br />
through the air for a reasonable distance. Don’t worry<br />
that it’s not always in the direction you were aiming -<br />
you can consider yourself ready for the next stage -<br />
the golf course. In future editions Johns 'Beginner<br />
Articles' will give advice on clubs, etiquette, golfing<br />
jargon, and a host of other essentials, but for now<br />
we’ll move on to those with a little more experience<br />
and expectations of the game, who fancy testing<br />
their golfing prowess within the police service.<br />
A competitive<br />
friendship<br />
I’ll digress for a moment to explain<br />
my relationship with our resident Pro,<br />
the predictably titled John ‘Fish’ Fisher,<br />
who will be providing an introduction<br />
to the finer points of golf over the<br />
following pages.<br />
Before I start, I’d like to point out that he’s a<br />
friend, but one of those friends you invariably<br />
end up having a squabble and fight with! I recall<br />
a recent round when I was robbed of my rightful<br />
twenty pound wager by my club Pro friend late<br />
one evening... I was a few holes up, with not<br />
many holes to play. Life was good, and I was<br />
preparing to be smug and unbearable in the<br />
members’ lounge where I would deprive him<br />
of a twenty pound note while buying him a pint<br />
and smugly offering false commiserations<br />
and false commiserations.<br />
That was the plan. Unfortunately, it had rained<br />
until lunch-time, and we had thus set out late<br />
with the prospect of the daylight dwindling. By the<br />
time we had teed up on the 16th hole, you could<br />
see perhaps 50 yards, and were in real danger<br />
of doing harm to the wildlife that emerges<br />
at dusk. Now, most golfers, like anglers, will drift<br />
toward hyperbole and talk as though they know<br />
what they are doing. But in reality, golf is a game<br />
played mostly between the ears, even for the<br />
amateur, and the control of your swing, and<br />
thereby the ball is fleeting and transient.<br />
Well the Pro isn’t the Pro for nothing.<br />
While I was taking account of how the tops<br />
of trees bend, whether the cows are stood up<br />
or lying down, and of course my faith in Seve<br />
Ballesteros’s assertion that ‘trees are 90 per cent<br />
not there’, the Professional trusted in his swing,<br />
honed by thousands of grooved practice swings,<br />
course management, and yardage markers.<br />
My better qualified opponent and part time<br />
friend played the last three holes in Par, Birdie,<br />
Par. Which I’m sure is against the natural rules of<br />
justice. So as I missed a putt on the 18th seeking<br />
a win (or at least we think I did, because it was now<br />
dark, and we didn’t find the ball in the hole), it left<br />
the Pro with a five foot putt to save a game he<br />
had given up on a while back. As his ball dropped<br />
in the hole, the previously respectable PGA<br />
Professional leapt in the air while letting out a<br />
triumphant screech, which thankfully could not<br />
be observed, or indeed heard in the club house.<br />
He had somehow salvaged a draw!<br />
As a result the vision of me collecting my £20<br />
winnings went up disappeared quicker than the<br />
fading light, much to my friends amusement. Over<br />
the next hours I was, to use a common parlance<br />
‘made to have it’, after 'made to have it, as other<br />
members enquired where we had been, and passed<br />
comment of the new sport of night-golf, as it had<br />
been virtually pitch black for around an hour!<br />
So the moral of the story, or at least the one<br />
I am conveniently using, is that golf isn’t supposed<br />
to be fair… but it will always be much more than<br />
‘a good walk spoiled’. Maybe Mr Twain hadn’t<br />
heard of the 19th hole.<br />
Golf jargon buster<br />
m Handicap<br />
A number assigned to each player<br />
based on his ability and used to adjust<br />
each player's score to provide equality<br />
among the players. In simplified terms,<br />
a handicap number, based on the slope<br />
of a course, is subtracted from the player's<br />
gross score and gives him a net score<br />
of par or better half the time.<br />
m Birdie<br />
A hole played in one stroke under par.<br />
m Eagle<br />
A hole played in two strokes under par.<br />
m Par<br />
Standard score for a hole (defined by its<br />
length) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars).<br />
m Bogey<br />
A hole played in one stroke over par.<br />
m Fore<br />
A warning shout given when there<br />
is a chance that the ball may hit other<br />
players or spectators.<br />
m Scratch golfer<br />
A player's whose handicap equals zero.<br />
44 45<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
GolfingFACT<br />
Did you know approximately 4 million people play golf in the<br />
UK? About 2 million of those golfers are members of private<br />
golf clubs, with 80% of players being men and 20% women.<br />
There are also a large number of non-registered golfers<br />
who play on a ‘green fee’ basis, making the total number<br />
of those who play golf even higher.<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
HOBBIES<br />
Golf<br />
BACK<br />
TO BASICS<br />
GOLF PRO JOHN FISHER HAS SOME TIPS ON HOW<br />
TO GET READY FOR A NEW SEASON OF GOLF AND GOES<br />
BACK TO BASICS ON STANCE, POSTURE AND GRIP...<br />
A BIT ABOUT ME…<br />
I started playing golf at the age of 12 at<br />
Shaw Hill Golf and Country Club near Chorley,<br />
where I also started my professional career<br />
under the guidance of the professional Ian<br />
Evans. I then moved to Hurlston Hall Golf Club,<br />
Southport in 1994 where I remained until 1997,<br />
and was then fortunate to receive sponsorship<br />
from Kammac PLC, which enabled me to<br />
play full-time on various mini tours around<br />
the UK and overseas until taking up my<br />
current position in 2000.<br />
The highlights of my playing career so far have<br />
been being picked to represent England in the<br />
European Club Professionals Championship<br />
in Sardinia. Winning the British Open qualifying<br />
event held at Ormskirk Golf Club in 2003 and<br />
holding various course records including 61<br />
at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club. In 2008 I was<br />
captain of Lancashire Professional Golfers’<br />
Association. I am also proud to be in the TMAG<br />
(TaylorMade Adidas Golf) staff professional<br />
programme, being one of only 55 in Europe.<br />
WHAT’S TO COME?<br />
Over the coming publications I will be giving you<br />
the low down on the latest equipment available,<br />
teaching tips to help you with your game and<br />
even some strange rules you may come across<br />
during time on the fairways. There will also be<br />
some pointers to help you start your new season<br />
on the right foot. Golf can be an intimidating<br />
sport to take up and often thought of as elitist<br />
but this is far from the truth as golfers these<br />
days come from all walks of life.<br />
GRIP - for a right-handed golfer the club<br />
lies diagonally across your left hand from the<br />
bottom joint of your index finger to the callus<br />
pad of your little finger (fig 1). Then simply<br />
close your fingers over the handle placing your<br />
thumb just right of centre which should mean<br />
the V formed between your thumb and hand<br />
is pointing to your right shoulder (fig 2).<br />
Place your right hand on the handle with the<br />
index finger of your left hand and the little<br />
finger of your right hand interlocking on the<br />
club being placed at the bottom of the fingers<br />
and the index finger of the right hand acting<br />
like a trigger finger (fig 3). The right hand<br />
closes over and the thumb of the left hand<br />
goes left of centre so the V formed is again<br />
pointing to your right shoulder (fig 4/5).<br />
Those of you who haven’t played before;<br />
a great way to start is a handful of lessons from<br />
your local PGA professional who can be found<br />
at golf clubs or driving ranges in your local area.<br />
Non members are always welcome so don’t<br />
worry about not having the right equipment -<br />
they will provide it for your lesson. Getting<br />
expert help right from the start will prevent<br />
any bad habits forming that would hinder<br />
your enjoyment of the game.<br />
GETTING READY<br />
FOR THE NEW SEASON<br />
At this time of the year, golfers are starting to<br />
dust their clubs down for the new season ahead.<br />
However, very few realise the importance of<br />
giving their equipment an MOT.<br />
Here are some things to bear in mind:<br />
n Badly-worn club grips can mean an increase<br />
in grip pressure of 27%, which in turn can<br />
drastically affect performance. Why not ask<br />
your local PGA professional to check/re-grip<br />
your clubs, this service will cost from as little as<br />
£5 per club and can make those 10-year-old<br />
clubs feel like a new set. Most tour pros have<br />
clubs re-gripped every two to three months<br />
n Check if your shoes need re-spiking as<br />
balance and stability are key fundamentals<br />
to your golf swing.<br />
n A quick 30-minute lesson with your local<br />
PGA pro can set you on the right track for new<br />
season ahead. Some simple pointers when<br />
you’re fresh can help you improve your game.<br />
Let’s start at the beginning...<br />
POSTURE/STANCE - stand up tall with<br />
the inside of your heels the same width as your<br />
shoulders and the club parallel to ground at<br />
waist height, (fig 8) pivot from the hips keeping<br />
your back straight until the club reaches the<br />
floor and simply flex the knees to release the<br />
tension in your back of your thighs. You should<br />
now feel the weight on the balls of your feet,<br />
front of your thighs and the front of your body<br />
giving you the perfect athletic posture (fig 9).<br />
ALIGNMENT/AIM - at address, your body<br />
(feet, knees (fig 10), hips, forearms, shoulders<br />
and eyes) should be positioned parallel to<br />
the target line. The easiest way to think of<br />
this is to imagine a railroad track: your ball<br />
is the outside track and your body is the<br />
inside track (fig 11/12).<br />
Want to know more?<br />
If you would like any advice on equipment choice, rules questions, swing guidance or have<br />
any topics you would like me to cover please email me at: johnfisher@myprogolfer.co.uk<br />
fig 1 GRIP<br />
fig 2 GRIP fig 3<br />
fig 4 GRIP<br />
fig 5<br />
HOW GRIP SHOULD LOOK<br />
GRIP<br />
GRIP<br />
POSTURE<br />
fig 6 /STANCE fig 7<br />
ALIGNMENT<br />
ALIGNMENT<br />
fig 8 /AIM<br />
fig 9 /AIM<br />
fig 10<br />
GRIP<br />
"<br />
Lessons with a<br />
PGA professional really<br />
help you to understand<br />
exactly what is<br />
happening, why it is<br />
happening and what<br />
you need to do to<br />
improve your game "<br />
POSTURE<br />
/STANCE<br />
ALIGNMENT<br />
/AIM<br />
JOHN FISHER<br />
John Fisher is a qualified Class AAT<br />
PGA Professional. He has been<br />
the Head Proessional at Huyton<br />
& Prescot Golf Club on Merseyside<br />
since 2000. He is also one of only<br />
55 TaylorMade Addidas Golf staff<br />
professionals in Europe.<br />
46 47<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
LEGAL ADVICE<br />
Family<br />
Law<br />
FAMILY-FRIENDLY LAW<br />
WE ALL KNOW LIFE HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS<br />
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO RELATIONSHIPS.<br />
HERE FAMILY LAWYER MARY SHAW HIGHLIGHTS<br />
THE POSITIVE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN GET<br />
THROUGH THE LOWS AND WHAT TO DO<br />
IF WE CAN’T…<br />
TESTING TIMES<br />
Marriage is a work in progress and this is also true for civil<br />
partnerships and living-together relationships and, if I can<br />
save you ever having to see a family lawyer, then well done me!<br />
(I bet this is challenging your family lawyer stereotype).<br />
The longest and happiest relationships will have had their ups<br />
and downs. Life is like that and relationships are tested by financial<br />
realities, having children, work-related stress, bereavements and<br />
all of the difficulties and challenges that life throws at us. You probably<br />
know that the police divorce rate is high. On average, in the large<br />
departments it’s about 70-80 %. And that’s not surprising when you<br />
consider the sacrifices that have to be made by you and your family<br />
- the long hours and shift patterns, attending court on days off. It's easy<br />
to see why a couple can drift apart. And it can be difficult for a partner to<br />
accept that their spouse isn't going to be around like ‘normal’ people.<br />
MARRIAGES CAN BE REPAIRED…<br />
Many years ago I met a client for the first time who was about to<br />
embark on her third divorce. She confided in me that, with hindsight,<br />
she should never have divorced husband number two but that once<br />
she had started consulting a lawyer she didn’t know how to pull back.<br />
She now felt that her second marriage had been fixable and she<br />
regretted her divorce. That was a very salutary lesson for me<br />
personally and professionally, and I have never forgotten it.<br />
I am proud to be a trustee on the board of my local Relate, the charity<br />
which has recently celebrated its 75th birthday and assists people<br />
with all sorts of relationship problems across married, unmarried<br />
and same sex couples and parent/child relationships. Relate has an<br />
excellent website, but there are other good relationship counselling<br />
organisations the length and breadth of the country.<br />
MARY SHAW<br />
Mary Shaw is a family lawyer<br />
who has practised for almost<br />
30 years, firstly in London<br />
and subsequently in Newcastle<br />
where she has headed up<br />
the Family Law Department<br />
at David Gray Solicitors<br />
for 25 years.<br />
During that time the department has<br />
grown steadily in size and reputation<br />
and has won national awards for the<br />
quality of its legal work. David Gray<br />
Solicitors LLP (www.davidgray.co.uk)<br />
is based in the North East, but regularly<br />
advises people the length and<br />
breadth of the country and is happy<br />
to ‘meet’ clients online.<br />
Many couples<br />
who feel that their<br />
relationship is<br />
seriously under threat<br />
can repair that<br />
relationship and<br />
improve it for the<br />
long-term<br />
“I am a family lawyer. I can hear a<br />
collective snore... But this is a family<br />
law feature with a difference. Here,<br />
there will be practical as well as legal<br />
information that could help you,<br />
or someone you care about, at what<br />
could be the most difficult time. And,<br />
I will help you get advice and guidance<br />
in the most cost-effective way.”<br />
48 49<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
LEGAL ADVICE<br />
During my 30 years as a lawyer I have gained<br />
experience in all facets of family law so here are<br />
some of my top tips to help you avoid having to<br />
see a family lawyer altogether or to make the<br />
experience as pain free as possible if you do:<br />
Resist the temptation to criticise or blame the other<br />
parent to your child. They will be grateful in years to come.<br />
Top tips<br />
1. Don't bury your head<br />
You may never need a family lawyer<br />
if you can recognise that you need some<br />
help with your relationship and get the<br />
appropriate help. We have no problem<br />
getting our car serviced on a regular<br />
basis, but we are much less inclined<br />
to think that our primary relationship<br />
could do with maintenance.<br />
What I have learnt from my work as<br />
a lawyer and with Relate is that, firstly,<br />
people often wait until their relationship<br />
is in real difficulty before seeking help<br />
and, secondly, there is a common<br />
belief that couples can get to a point of<br />
no return in their relationship difficulties,<br />
making a permanent separation inevitable<br />
- this isn’t necessarily the case.<br />
2. It’s good to talk<br />
Just because you’re feeling desperate<br />
doesn’t mean that your relationship is<br />
fatally damaged. Consider relationship<br />
counselling. Even if ultimately you<br />
do separate permanently, you will at<br />
least both know that you have done<br />
everything you could to prevent it<br />
and made the right decision. Many<br />
couples who feel that their relationship<br />
is seriously under threat can repair<br />
their relationship and improve it<br />
for the long-term.<br />
Now, chaps,here's where<br />
I'm going to talk to you...!<br />
My experience as a family lawyer and<br />
working with clients, tells me that it is<br />
often the man who is resistant to taking<br />
up relationship counselling. Talking<br />
about your feelings can be difficult and<br />
scary. But this is not half as scary as<br />
the feelings you might have standing<br />
in a court corridor waiting for a man<br />
or woman you have never met before<br />
to make decisions about your children,<br />
home and pension<br />
3. Think about a prenup or<br />
a living together agreement<br />
Consider frontloading your family law<br />
advice and insuring yourself against<br />
the risk of future court proceedings by<br />
entering into a prenup. This may sound<br />
backwards, but taking family law advice<br />
at the beginning of your relationship<br />
may save you a great deal of pain and<br />
expense in the long run. It is possible<br />
to enter in to an agreement with your<br />
partner before you get married or<br />
enter in to a civil partnership,<br />
or begin to live together.<br />
You will read in the press about<br />
‘prenups’ - these agreements provide<br />
for what will happen to your assets in<br />
the event of a divorce or separation<br />
and, not surprisingly, they’re not seen<br />
as particularly romantic.<br />
It is quite understandable that a<br />
loved-up couple embarking on a new<br />
life together, which they hope will be<br />
happy ever after, should find it difficult<br />
to contemplate what would be fair in<br />
the event of their relationship not going<br />
the distance. And yet, we are happy<br />
to insure our houses against fire and<br />
ourselves against critical illness.<br />
But, paradoxically, having that conversation<br />
when you are full of love and optimism<br />
is perhaps the best time to have it and<br />
for some couples, a prenup or living<br />
together agreement might give them<br />
the confidence to move in to married life<br />
feeling that they have all bases covered.<br />
Prenups aren't right for all couples and<br />
so early advice early legal advice is a<br />
good idea. Prenups lend themselves<br />
very well to the collaborative law process<br />
– something I will come back to in detail<br />
another time. The collaborative law<br />
process is a round table process where<br />
you each have a lawyer who will take<br />
a constructive and creative approach<br />
to your discussions about the contents<br />
of your prenup agreement. In that<br />
way, the lawyers can’t get ‘in-between<br />
you’, a phrase that I have heard<br />
clients use anxiously.<br />
50<br />
4. The right divorce support will help<br />
Speak to your family lawyer about what kind<br />
of support you might benefit from. Assuming<br />
your marriage or relationship is coming to an<br />
end, it is important that you know how to access<br />
the help and resources you will need to make<br />
what will almost certainly be a painful journey.<br />
Permanent separation and divorce are tough<br />
for just about everyone. I have had many people<br />
sitting in my office telling me they thought<br />
they were going quietly crazy with the grief,<br />
fear and anger they were feeling.<br />
In my experience, this is normal and, rest assured<br />
it will get better and you will recover, but you may<br />
need some help on the way. This is another time<br />
when taking up professional support can be a much<br />
better strategy than leaning on friends and family.<br />
If you don’t have children, you may be able to make<br />
a clean break from each other but many couples<br />
suffer real bereavement about the loss of close<br />
relationships across extended families.<br />
5. Police and their pensions<br />
My time as a family lawyer has taught me that<br />
police pensions can be a really thorny issue. I am<br />
going to cut to the chase and try and save you<br />
time and money here.<br />
The vast majority of family lawyers and family law<br />
judges now understand that a uniformed pension<br />
(be it police, fire service or armed forces) is a<br />
very valuable asset. Pretending otherwise is<br />
likely to delay the financial aspects of your<br />
divorce and is likely to increase your legal fees.<br />
Be prepared for your family lawyer to tell you that<br />
you’ll need to seek expert advice on your pension.<br />
In defence of family lawyers, it might be helpful to<br />
understand that we live in an ever-increasing<br />
compensation culture, and a brief look at a website<br />
called Divorcelifeline will show you that there are<br />
people very happy to advise about whether or<br />
not a pension was wrongly valued for a divorce<br />
settlement. I shall come back to pensions in a<br />
future edition of <strong>NiCKED</strong> as I know it’s a subject<br />
dear to the hearts of many serving officers.<br />
6. Keep it out of court<br />
Everyone has heard of somebody else's nasty<br />
divorce dragged through the courts at great<br />
expense. In my experience this is usually using<br />
one round table process or another (usually<br />
collaborative law or mediation). I shall come<br />
back to this in a future edition in more detail.<br />
What would you like to read about?<br />
In future editions of <strong>NiCKED</strong> I’ll focus on the issues that you really want to know about,<br />
so do let me know what you would like to be discussed. If you have any questions that<br />
you would like covered then please email me on: mary.shaw@davidgray.co.uk<br />
Focus on your children<br />
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, THEN THE PLAIN FACT IS THAT YOU<br />
WILL REMAIN CONNECTED TO YOUR EX FOR THE REST OF<br />
YOUR LIFE AS YOUR CHILDREN’S CO-PARENTS AND QUITE<br />
PROBABLY AS GRANDPARENTS.<br />
Your children are very likely to feel some or all of a range of<br />
emotions about the changes to their family and, the sooner<br />
you can work with this the better for them.<br />
Make it your business to learn as much<br />
as you can about what your children<br />
may be feeling and what sort of help and<br />
support they may need from you, from<br />
their other parent and from anyone else<br />
in whom they might wish to confide –<br />
check out some helpful websites.<br />
I refer many clients to two great<br />
websites, Resolution and The Parent<br />
Connection, offering support and<br />
information about what to expect<br />
from your children and giving you tips<br />
and advice about how best to help<br />
them. Most importantly, resist the<br />
temptation to criticise or blame the<br />
other parent to your child. They will<br />
be grateful to you in years to come.<br />
www.relate.org.uk<br />
www.theparentconnection.org.uk<br />
www.resolution.org.uk<br />
www.david.gray.co.uk<br />
Photos: All images © Anton Evatt Photography<br />
50 51<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
NATURE WATCH<br />
Urban<br />
birdz<br />
IT’S FREE, IT’S COOL (YES REALLY!)<br />
AND IT’S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.<br />
CHRISTINA EVATT SAYS:<br />
What’s not to like about a bit of<br />
feathered-friend spotting even<br />
if you live in an urban area?<br />
Perhaps it’s just me, but if you learn to<br />
appreciate the free stuff that’s going on<br />
all around you, then life just seems to get<br />
that little bit richer. I can be typing away<br />
at my laptop, then out of the corner of<br />
my eye there’s a flutter in garden and<br />
flurry of yellow, red and gold alights on<br />
the bird feeder outside the window.<br />
It’s my regular 10am visit from<br />
a local charm of goldfinches<br />
(see I am a proper bird geek<br />
now because I know some of<br />
the collective nouns). It’s only<br />
momentary and then they’re off<br />
to pillage someone else’s seed;<br />
however it puts a smile on my<br />
face and a renewed spring in my<br />
step, or maybe that should be<br />
speed in my typing fingers.<br />
My love affair with birds, and I<br />
suppose wildlife and the outdoors<br />
in general, was handed down to<br />
me by my father and grandfather<br />
when I was a young child. I see<br />
it as like being handed a gift<br />
and it’s one that is free and just<br />
keeps giving because wherever<br />
I am, and whatever I’m doing,<br />
there’s always some gem of<br />
wildlife or nature to enjoy.<br />
Police officers are trained to be<br />
observant but most of us aren’t<br />
that great at looking up at the<br />
sky. I know I have walked the<br />
same routes a hundred times<br />
only to look up at an amazing<br />
roof line or a mind-blowing piece<br />
of architecture and wonder how<br />
I’d missed it all those times.<br />
However, my eyes are now<br />
very much aware of what’s<br />
going on around me because<br />
I have a passion for birds and<br />
not necessarily the ones in<br />
remote hedgerows or peaceful<br />
lakesides, but those who<br />
are intertwined with our<br />
day-to-day human bustle.<br />
The proper bird ‘thugs’ who<br />
have decided they can live<br />
quite happily alongside us in<br />
our sometimes inhospitable<br />
urban environment.<br />
London, along with<br />
other cities such as Coventry<br />
and Derby, is now home to<br />
one of, if not the, fastest<br />
animal in the world –<br />
the peregrine falcon<br />
53
NATURE WATCH<br />
Any time,<br />
any place<br />
IF YOU’RE A POLICE OFFICER ON<br />
A STAKEOUT THEN YOUR EYES WILL<br />
VERY FIRMLY BE ON THE MATTER<br />
AT HAND AND YOU’RE NOT GOING<br />
TO LOOK FOR DISTRACTIONS.<br />
However, there may be other occasions in the normal<br />
routine of police work that can lend themselves to observing<br />
our feathered friends even if it’s while on a break, or travelling<br />
between call-outs. But more probably it will be during your<br />
off duty time. The best thing about urban birding is you can<br />
do it almost anywhere, for any amount of time and probably<br />
get quite good at it without spending a fortune.<br />
Even in the densest urban sprawls there is green space,<br />
whether it’s one of the large public parks or a garden a<br />
few feet in length – it will provide a haven for urban birds.<br />
London, along with other cities such as Coventry and<br />
Derby, is now home to one of, if not the, fastest animal in<br />
the world – the peregrine falcon. In-between skyscrapers<br />
and ancient monuments they plunge from the sky after<br />
their prey at speeds of over 300 kph. And if you consider<br />
that pigeons are their main food source, it’s not hard<br />
to see why they can make themselves at home and<br />
flourish in urban areas.<br />
However, it was their liking for carrier pigeons in the<br />
Second World War that brought about their demise<br />
in the first place – luckily email is seen as a much more<br />
effective form of communication now and there’s an<br />
estimated 20 peregrine falcon breeding pairs in London.<br />
What’s<br />
your hobby?<br />
OK – if birding hasn’t tickled<br />
your fancy, what would you like<br />
to see in the next issues of <strong>NiCKED</strong>?<br />
Are you an avid angler, a keen camper<br />
or a rugged rambler? Let us know<br />
what you’d like to read about and<br />
we’ll get on the case…or email<br />
editor@lemontreemedia.com<br />
and you could write about<br />
your hobby.<br />
DID YOU KNOW?<br />
Kittiwakes, a seabird normally more at<br />
home on coastal cliffs, nest on Newcastle’s<br />
Tyne Bridge. An impressive 13 miles from<br />
the sea, it’s the most inland colony in the<br />
world. The four lanes of traffic roar past<br />
behind them 24/7 and yet they continue<br />
to flourish in their metal reinforced home...<br />
What’s out there?<br />
SO NOW WE KNOW WE’RE NOT JUST ON THE LOOK OUT FOR PIGEONS<br />
(THEY’RE ACTUALLY PRETTY INTELLIGENT CREATURES BUT THAT’S ANOTHER<br />
STORY), WHAT IS THERE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT?<br />
Well in London it’s not rare to see<br />
flocks of parakeets (how very tropical!)<br />
or the majestic red kite soaring over<br />
the skies of West London. And in most<br />
towns and cities you’ll see hovering<br />
kestrels at the roadside, foraging gulls,<br />
darting swifts, flocks of starlings, and<br />
garden birds such as sparrows, robins,<br />
blackbirds, and the more common<br />
finches and tits. Until you start to<br />
really look out for birds you may not<br />
have even know they’re there – it’s<br />
such a great way to connect with<br />
nature and pass a few moments.<br />
Photos: All images © Anton Evatt Photography<br />
The RSPB has reported increased membership<br />
in the under-30s in recent years and it appears<br />
I’m not alone as a woman enjoying the hobby<br />
as birding is something all genders are enjoying<br />
– it’s no longer the preserve of men in woolly<br />
hats! And it’s not just our country friends<br />
who are enjoying the wildlife around them,<br />
increasingly people in urban environments are<br />
becoming interested in the bird and animal life<br />
around them. What seems like an impenetrable<br />
barrier to us in terms of environment, doesn’t<br />
prove too much of an issue for many types<br />
of wildlife – they just get on with it.<br />
So be inspired, take a moment to enjoy what’s<br />
going on all around you, and in no time you’ll be<br />
tuned in to the world of urban birding. Enjoy!<br />
Find out more online...<br />
RSPB<br />
rspb.org.uk<br />
This site lists every birdspecies in the UK,<br />
explains what they look like, as well as when<br />
and where to see them. There are also audio<br />
files so you can listen to each bird's call.<br />
BBC nature<br />
www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Bird<br />
The BBC's searchable bird database has<br />
all you need to know about British birds.<br />
There’s also all the latest bird related<br />
news and views.<br />
Birdwatch<br />
birdwatch.co.uk<br />
Billed as being operated by birders for<br />
birders, this site is home to handy reviews<br />
of multimedia, equipment and books as<br />
well as being host to interesting features,<br />
good birding walks, and event listings.<br />
Birds of Britain<br />
birdsofbritain.co.uk<br />
As well as having all the information you<br />
could need, this site includes a guide to<br />
reserves, featured articles, and bird<br />
watching holiday inspiration.<br />
Bird Guides<br />
birdguides.com<br />
This site has a great searchable photo library<br />
showcasing birds from around the world.<br />
You’ll also find articles on everything birdrelated<br />
from destinations to conservation.<br />
Top urban<br />
birding tips<br />
Be aware<br />
Now you know there is birdlife to<br />
be found everywhere, go find it!<br />
Look up to the skies and rooftops<br />
- you’ll also be surprised at where<br />
birds like to make their home. Some<br />
birds like black redstarts like building<br />
sites, and even the smallest urban<br />
garden will attract a friendly robin.<br />
Take the time to just sit and take<br />
everything in – we are so often<br />
guilty of looking but not seeing.<br />
Feed the birds<br />
Putting food out in your for local<br />
birds is a great way to start urban<br />
birding. When I started out, I decided<br />
that I’d like to see some goldfinches<br />
in my garden, so I put out some niger<br />
seed (their favourite) and now it’s<br />
not rare for me to see 15-plus birds<br />
queuing up to get their free snack!<br />
Remember to also put out water for<br />
your visiting birds, especially in dry<br />
conditions or frosty weather.<br />
Get a bird book<br />
I still have the first bird book ever<br />
bought for me by my grandfather<br />
and I used to tick off every bird<br />
I saw. It’s amazing how many truly<br />
rare birds I saw at the age of 10 –<br />
I saw them all – honest! Anyway,<br />
mysterious bird sightings aside,<br />
it’s a useful thing to have and learn<br />
from. Children especially can get<br />
quite a buzz from learning and<br />
knowing what certain birds are.<br />
Buy some binoculars<br />
Now you’re getting into proper<br />
birding territory… a pair of binoculars<br />
will take you to the next level of<br />
being able to spot and identify birds.<br />
Of course many urban and garden<br />
birds will be close enough to enjoy<br />
without them, but if you’re out and<br />
about looking for something a bit<br />
more elusive or high-flying then<br />
some good binoculars are a must.<br />
Go technical<br />
The new generation of urban<br />
birders can also benefit from the<br />
wide range of bird apps out there,<br />
which can be easily downloaded<br />
onto your phone. You can identify<br />
various birds using sight<br />
identification apps, but also even<br />
if you can’t see the bird; it may be<br />
that you can find out what it is by<br />
the sound it’s making… now that<br />
will impress your friends.<br />
54 55
MOTOR REVIEW<br />
Vehicle Check<br />
Looking for a bit more space for the kids, dog or golf clubs?<br />
The new Seat Leon estate is worth a closer inspection...<br />
FIRST DRIVE:<br />
SEAT LEON ST<br />
We love it in five and three-door<br />
forms, but now Seat has introduced<br />
an estate version of its Leon.<br />
Is anything lost in translation?<br />
One truism of the car world is that if you have<br />
a successful model, try and spin as many other<br />
models off it as you possibly can. Nothing wrong<br />
with that of course, particularly when it comes<br />
to widening the potential audience.<br />
Seat has done well with this approach before<br />
and is doing the same with its excellent Leon.<br />
First we had the five door, more recently there<br />
was the sportier three-door SC and now<br />
there's the eminently practical ST.<br />
The other important bit is in place too,<br />
namely space. With a modest length increase<br />
of 27cm over the five door the Leon ST hasn't<br />
turned into a parallel parking nightmare, but<br />
the boot space is usefully larger. With the seats<br />
up there is 587 litres on offer (almost 200<br />
more than the hatch) and with the seats<br />
down there's a massive 1,470 litres.<br />
FACTS AT A GLANCE<br />
Seat Leon ST FR 2.0 TDI 184PS<br />
Engine: 2.0-litre diesel producing<br />
182bhp and 280lb.ft of torque<br />
Transmission: Six-speed manual<br />
gearbox driving the front wheels<br />
Performance: Top speed 142mph,<br />
0-62mph in 7.8 seconds<br />
Economy: 65.7mpg combined<br />
Emissions: 112g/km of CO2<br />
Price: £23,380<br />
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: It shouldn't be too hard to spot. You'll recognise<br />
the handsome nose and sharp creases that have become a key part<br />
of the Seat look, only at the rear it now flows into a neatly designed estate<br />
tailgate. Some might see the term 'estate' as a byword for unglamorous<br />
practicality but those days are long gone; the Leon ST is slick, sharp<br />
and thoroughly modern.<br />
All versions regardless of spec also have<br />
a moveable boot floor, giving you a useful<br />
separated storage area beneath or the one<br />
giant area, plus a 12v power socket and a<br />
through hatch, useful for long loads.<br />
An option is a folding front passenger seat<br />
too for serious load carriers. SE models and<br />
above get a handy release in the boot for<br />
dropping the rear seats, the kind of detail<br />
that makes it so easy to live with.<br />
DRIVE TIME: You might expect<br />
that the transformation into an<br />
estate means compromises in the<br />
way the Leon drives, but in reality<br />
it's easy to forget you're in the<br />
ST once behind the wheel.<br />
The same refreshingly simple and well-specified<br />
cabin greets you as you climb in, and you and<br />
your fellow passengers enjoy as much room<br />
as in other Leon models. The layout is easy<br />
to get to grips with, while the finish and the<br />
standard of materials is significantly better<br />
than the previous model. The Leon is a<br />
quality item, regardless of the bodystyle.<br />
The engine choice is usefully broad too. Petrol<br />
engines start with a surprisingly flexible 1.2-litre<br />
TSI unit, with a 1.4-litre TSI and powerful 1.8-litre<br />
version at the top. Diesel engines include the<br />
1.6-litre TDI including in super-frugal Ecomotive<br />
guise (capable of 85.6mpg combined) rising<br />
to the full-house 184PS 2.0-litre TDI.<br />
It may be the most expensive choice but that<br />
top diesel engine also gives you the most<br />
impressive overall package. It's as quick and<br />
responsive as the figures suggest, with more<br />
torque than you could possibly need yet the<br />
possibility of over 65 miles per gallon. It's smooth<br />
and powerful, making life very easy for the driver.<br />
THE VERDICT?: The Leon should be on your shopping list anyway,<br />
but if you don't think the hatch is quite big enough then the ST solves<br />
all your problems. Don't think about buying a compact estate<br />
without taking a close look.<br />
Let’s be honest Clarkson & co<br />
are all very competent, but they<br />
don’t drive and work with cars in<br />
the way the police service does.<br />
And I mean in terms of speed,<br />
control and safety!<br />
Could you write a motor review?<br />
Do you fancy becoming one of <strong>NiCKED</strong><br />
magazine’s future testers and writers? Give us<br />
a call, or drop an e-mail to <strong>NiCKED</strong> HQ.<br />
We don’t care if you’re serving or retired,<br />
warranted or support staff, as long as you<br />
can deliver an honest and balanced review<br />
of a vehicle and its attributes, from the<br />
perspective of the policing community.<br />
56 57<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
GARDENING<br />
A flood of<br />
ways to save<br />
waterlogged<br />
plants<br />
It won’t have escaped your attention<br />
that the past winter has been a little<br />
bit on the damp side!<br />
For those of you who love and enjoy<br />
your garden it will probably have been<br />
a time of frustration and in some<br />
cases desperation as downpour<br />
after downpour floods the garden.<br />
And then there are the gales,<br />
but that’s a separate article.<br />
With the rain showing no sign of<br />
abating, Hannah Stephenson asks an<br />
expert how we can protect our plants<br />
from the worst of the weather<br />
While the incessant rain may<br />
have left gardeners' water butts<br />
overflowing, it has also inevitably<br />
claimed its share of casualties.<br />
58 59<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
GARDENING<br />
Best of<br />
the bunch<br />
- Snowdrop (Galanthus)<br />
They are among the first bulbs<br />
of spring to open, their delicatelooking<br />
bell-shaped white blooms<br />
appearing with strappy leaves,<br />
looking wonderful in woodland<br />
gardens under trees or shrubs.<br />
Snowdrops are also easy to naturalise, so in<br />
just a few years you could have a carpet of them.<br />
They prefer moist, fertile soil with added organic<br />
matter and are ideally placed in light shade. Grow<br />
them with winter aconites whose large yellow<br />
buttercup-like flowers blend beautifully with the<br />
elegant galanthus. Good varieties include G.<br />
nivalis 'Viridapice', which has green tips on the<br />
flowers, or G. 'Magnet', which bears large, shining<br />
white flowers on long, arching stems.<br />
Snowdrop bulbs should be planted in early<br />
autumn in groups of 10 or more, spacing them<br />
4cm apart and 6-7cm deep, to leave enough<br />
space for the bulbs to multiply in subsequent<br />
seasons. You will need to plant an awful lot of<br />
bulbs to achieve a naturalised effect quickly.<br />
Waterlogged plants,<br />
nutrients leached<br />
from the soil and pest<br />
and disease problems<br />
can all result from<br />
consistently wet<br />
conditions, and those<br />
gardeners with poor<br />
drainage systems<br />
are likely to be the<br />
hardest hit.<br />
When soil is waterlogged, plants literally<br />
drown. Water fills all the air spaces<br />
between the soil particles and this prevents<br />
oxygen from reaching the roots. In turn,<br />
this causes the soil to stagnate and<br />
prevents root growth.<br />
If plants look a bit sickly after a week or two of<br />
solid rain the minerals may have been washed<br />
away. Restore the vigour of plants by giving<br />
them a dose of liquid seaweed fertiliser.<br />
"It's absolutely vital that one doesn't walk<br />
on the soil when it's this wet because you<br />
compact it and destroy its structure. Don't dig<br />
it or disturb it but leave it to its own devices<br />
until the tide goes out," says Guy Barter,<br />
head of RHS advisory service.<br />
Plants likely to be worst affected include<br />
those from dry climates such as lavender and<br />
rosemary, while lawns can also suffer as a result<br />
of excessively wet weather, he notes. Don't<br />
mow the lawn in wet weather or even walk<br />
on it, as the pressure can cause structural<br />
damage, especially to those grown from<br />
seed in spring - most established lawns<br />
can cope with excessive rainfall.<br />
Barter advises gardeners to shelter pots of<br />
lavender and other container plants by a wall,<br />
or even put waterlogged pots on their side<br />
for a few days to allow them to drain a little.<br />
You may need to repot them in the spring,<br />
as the compost may be spent.<br />
But the wet weather isn't all doom and<br />
gloom for gardeners.<br />
"Paradoxically, lawns will be growing in these<br />
temperatures," points out Barter.<br />
"While in the vegetable garden vegetables<br />
will still be growing, so leeks will thrive and<br />
cabbages will still be swelling slowly through<br />
this weather. By April many things will<br />
have come good."<br />
Bulbs shouldn't be affected by the<br />
continuous rainfall either, he says.<br />
"They are really good at surviving this sort<br />
of thing. Snowdrops and daffodils in particular<br />
are excellent at adapting. Bulbs are generally<br />
very tolerant of wet soil.<br />
"We might even get a better show of bulbs<br />
because in conditions like this they will be<br />
photosynthesising in the increased light<br />
as the year progresses."<br />
Herbaceous perennials renew a large part of<br />
their root system annually, so they can recover<br />
from soggy conditions. Perennials also have<br />
shallow root systems so they can flourish in<br />
situations with a high water table.<br />
Most, including those such as hardy geraniums<br />
and autumn-flowering asters, that do not<br />
normally live in wet environments can cope<br />
well with wet conditions.<br />
Plants with big, lush green leaves thrive in really<br />
wet weather. Rodgersias, rheum (ornamental<br />
rhubarb) and hostas are well-known moisture<br />
lovers. Conversely, avoid anything with small,<br />
leathery or grey leaves.<br />
Alpines, particularly the succulent ones or<br />
those with hairy leaves such as sedums and<br />
some sempervivums (houseleeks), are vulnerable<br />
to wet weather, so if you haven't yet covered<br />
them with cloches, do so before it's too late.<br />
Don't plant bare-root shrubs such as roses<br />
until the soil has dried out a little, Barter advises.<br />
"Gardeners will have rose bushes and trees<br />
and fruit bushes and turf ready to go out and<br />
they must keep that protected because it will<br />
be a rush trying to get everything planted when<br />
the soil finally dries up in February, March or<br />
even April. Gardeners need to keep their new<br />
plants in good condition ready for the happy<br />
day when they can put them out," he says.<br />
Anyone who has bought a bare-root plant<br />
should make sure the roots don't dry out in<br />
the meantime, he urges.<br />
"Take it out of the packaging and pot it up or<br />
wrap it in wet newspaper or straw, put a plastic<br />
bag over the roots and leave it in a shed ready<br />
to go out in its final position later on."<br />
While fruit trees love the moisture, the<br />
relatively warm weather may lead to earlier<br />
blossom, not a good thing in our climate<br />
because of the late frosts we so often suffer.<br />
Gardeners who want to avoid too many<br />
casualties in future years may consider building<br />
raised beds, improving soil drainage and planting<br />
species which are happy in wet weather.<br />
It may be worth thinking about create a bog<br />
garden too, which has the added bonus of<br />
attracting wildlife - plant irises, carex, gunnera,<br />
primulas, hostas, rheum and rodgersia.<br />
Of course, pests come into their own in wet<br />
weather and the number one culprit is the snail.<br />
"A wet, mild winter is slug heaven," says Barter,<br />
"so they will be in poll position to start breeding<br />
come April. At the moment it's too cold for<br />
them, but you often find bulb flowers being<br />
damaged by slugs and snails. I find putting<br />
down an old cabbage leaf (held down by a<br />
stone) next to plants which are being attacked<br />
works well as a trap. Slug pellets don't normally<br />
work at this time of year because the slugs<br />
aren't moving enough to find them."<br />
Some diseases such as leaf spots persist on<br />
plants which are in leaf during wet weather. If<br />
you find outbreaks, prune out infected material.<br />
Lastly, as the rain will have washed many<br />
of the nutrients out of the soil, give it a<br />
pick-me-up with a fertiliser rich in potassium,<br />
such as sulphate of potash or rose fertiliser,<br />
and your plants should come through the<br />
torrent of rain with few problems.<br />
60 61<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
STUDYING FOR DUMMIES<br />
The art<br />
of study<br />
IF STUDYING FOR POLICE RELATED EXAMS SENDS YOU INTO<br />
MENTAL FREEFALL, YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY. JIM FERRAN<br />
HAS SOME EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU STUDY EFFECTIVELY<br />
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY MAKE SURE ALL THE INFORMATION<br />
IS STORED AWAY SAFELY IN YOUR MEMORY.<br />
{<br />
JIM FERRAN<br />
Jim Ferran PGCE CertEd MIfL served<br />
with distinction within both the<br />
Metropolitan and Merseyside forces<br />
and since retiring has established a<br />
small bespoke training consultancy,<br />
JRC Training. In a short time the<br />
business has accumulated an<br />
impressive client portfolio and Jim<br />
is recognised by his clients as an<br />
exceptional trainer and facilitator.<br />
Designing and developing<br />
contemporary training courses,<br />
JRC Training also provides mentoring<br />
and coaching for people preparing for<br />
assessment centres and interviews<br />
using very unique and successful<br />
reflective practice techniques.<br />
He currently sits on the executive<br />
committee of Mencap Liverpool<br />
providing advice and guidance on<br />
a voluntary consultancy basis.<br />
Want to know more?<br />
Email Jim at jrctraining@hotmail.com<br />
What has studying for a promotion or<br />
CID exam, painting a wooden staircase<br />
or running a marathon got in common?<br />
Simple - they all require you to put<br />
in a significant amount of planning,<br />
preparation and hard work if you<br />
want to get the best results.<br />
“That’s all well and good” you say, “but how<br />
hard can it be? I mean, I’ve been doing the<br />
job for xx years and I know the law so<br />
it’s easy.” This is the first mistake many<br />
people make so let’s explain why that is...<br />
Without cheating and from memory write<br />
down the definition of Section 1 Theft<br />
as outlined in the Theft Act 1968.<br />
A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly<br />
appropriates property belonging to another<br />
with intention to permanently deprive<br />
the other of it.<br />
OK, let’s assume you got most of the<br />
definition correct, now the hard bit<br />
and without any cheating define:<br />
n Dishonest<br />
n Appropriates<br />
n Property<br />
n Belonging to another<br />
n With the Intention to permanently deprive.<br />
So how was that for you? You probably<br />
knew some of it but when taking an exam<br />
you’ll need to be able to instantly recall the<br />
definition and apply it to the set of specific<br />
circumstances you are faced with.<br />
Simply thinking “well it looks like theft<br />
so they would be arrested” is not going<br />
to get you through the exam.<br />
The ironic thing is that a person with no<br />
policing experience at all who studied the<br />
syllabus has a better chance of passing<br />
than an experienced serving officer.<br />
Why is that? The biggest hindrance you<br />
will face is your operational interpretation<br />
of the Law. I remember when teaching<br />
revised Code A stop search to experienced<br />
colleagues, they had a fantastic operational<br />
application knowledge of the legislation but<br />
when we looked closely they had a poor<br />
grasp of what the law actually said. This is<br />
not a criticism, rather a fact, which we all<br />
have survived with as operational officers for<br />
years. Think about the last time you went to<br />
court on a strongly-contested drink driving<br />
case - you know the accused is guilty of<br />
because you arrested him and put him<br />
through the alcometer process.<br />
Scene: The magistrates court and the<br />
defendant represented by a barrister.<br />
n Barrister: “Officer, can you explain<br />
to the court the procedure you asked<br />
my client to carry out.”<br />
n Officer: “Yes, I explained the road-side<br />
breath test procedure to him/her;<br />
I correctly assembled the device<br />
and carried out the test.”<br />
n Barrister: “Sorry officer, you misunderstood<br />
me, it may be me but what I think the<br />
court want to hear is and, using the words<br />
you used exactly, what did you explain<br />
to my client and why.”<br />
n Officer: “…er well I used the wording<br />
as outlined in the manual of guidance…<br />
well yeah the manual you know the one?”<br />
n Barrister: “Officer, answer the question.”<br />
I’m not making light of this or mocking (y)our<br />
skills but we have all been, or knew someone<br />
who has, in this exact position. We are now<br />
in the land of ‘court karaoke’ - you know the<br />
tune because you sing it all the time but now<br />
on stage with an audience you find out you<br />
only know the first verse, half the chorus,<br />
and you lip-synch the rest.<br />
Passing the promotion exam requires you<br />
to know the definition, understand the<br />
application of it and also any underpinning<br />
stated cases which are in place.<br />
Remember this simple formula:<br />
Poor preparation<br />
+ exam karaoke = failure<br />
So to be successful you have to have a<br />
structured and achievable plan. Studying<br />
is time consuming and requires a willingness<br />
on your part and also on your partner/<br />
family/colleagues to both encourage you<br />
and understand the pressure you will face.<br />
You will need to fully accept that studying<br />
will consume you and requires time,<br />
planning, patience and above all support.<br />
I employ something called the ‘i-FACTOR’<br />
when coaching and mentoring my clients.<br />
Unlike its more famous relative the X FACTOR<br />
this one does not ask you to make a fool<br />
of yourself on TV but it does require<br />
you to progress through several rounds<br />
of intense scrutiny, test your skills and<br />
above all, practice.<br />
62<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
STUDYING FOR DUMMIES<br />
The I factor<br />
TOP 10<br />
{<br />
1.Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?”<br />
This is very important as if you don’t want<br />
to study, or are doing it because someone<br />
has suggested it to you, it may be an issue.<br />
You must fully understand the impact it will<br />
have on you and your family/friends.<br />
2.What is it I want to achieve?<br />
Obviously I want to pass the exam, but do<br />
I have the plan to achieve it? Why do I want<br />
to pass? Am I ready for promotion? Is this<br />
my idea or something that others have<br />
suggested? Am I absolutely committed<br />
to this?<br />
3.When was the last time I studied<br />
or read seriously?<br />
This is very important as studying law and<br />
procedures requires a lot of concentration<br />
and the ability to store information and<br />
retrieve it when required. Reading for<br />
pleasure is very different to reading for<br />
knowledge. You also need to be able to<br />
put into context the information and also<br />
not allow your operational knowledge<br />
to cloud your judgements.<br />
Your brain, like any other ‘muscle’, requires<br />
exercise and you can’t simply pick up study<br />
material and get straight into it. Think of<br />
it as ‘hitting the gym’ after a long absence<br />
- would you really expect to be able<br />
to perform at the level you had been<br />
at previously?<br />
4.How much time can I devote<br />
to studying?<br />
How much time have you got spare -<br />
be honest because if you go overdrawn<br />
at the time bank it will cause you stress.<br />
Create a chart to see how you can work the<br />
studying into your schedule. Many people<br />
think they can study when on Mutual Aid -<br />
let’s be honest, how much peace and<br />
quiet will you get in a van with the average<br />
colleague? Supervisors may promise you<br />
a bit of study time here and there but again,<br />
it rarely happens, and certain shifts are just<br />
not conducive to effective studying.<br />
Operational policing is more intense<br />
than ever, fewer colleagues means you are<br />
working harder and finishing your shifts<br />
tired. Starting a course of intense study is<br />
a bit like signing up for the gym in the New<br />
Year, how many of us continue after the<br />
initial adrenaline or guilt rush has gone?<br />
5.Who else will be affected?<br />
Studying will impact on your family life.<br />
You must find a system that allows you a<br />
work/life/study balance. If you have children<br />
or a dependent family member etc they<br />
need to be involved. How will it fit around<br />
your work – you may be in a specialist unit<br />
that sees you constantly changing shirts,<br />
or you may be managing a heavy case<br />
load. Plan your pre-exam revision time.<br />
If necessary book annual leave in the week<br />
prior to the exam to ensure you a/ have a<br />
controlled study run in, and b/ you aren’t<br />
stuck on a crime scene till 0300hrs on the<br />
morning of the exam either as the night<br />
detective, or the uniform logkeeper.<br />
6.Who can I get to help me?<br />
Consider setting up a study group with<br />
colleagues. Some people set up a group<br />
with a diverse skill/experience mix such as a<br />
CID officer for crime, traffic colleague for the<br />
mysteries of roads policing and someone<br />
who can unravel the web of intrigue that is<br />
the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and<br />
its associated codes of practice.<br />
7. What study guides will you use?<br />
Make sure you are using the most up-todate<br />
material and be mindful that some<br />
legislation has changed and you may not<br />
have been given the training yet. The<br />
different sources are: web-based, IT-based,<br />
books, audio and formal classes - there are<br />
severely companies that run very effective<br />
weekend workshops etc and the trainers are<br />
generally very knowledgeable and will show<br />
you some fantastic memory techniques.<br />
8.What type of learning style are you?<br />
This will impact on the type of guide you use.<br />
Contact your local training officer and they<br />
can arrange a basic learning style analysis for<br />
you. You can also download these from<br />
many educational websites and do your<br />
own. It’s important you know because not<br />
everyone will get the most effective learning<br />
outcome simply by reading.<br />
I recall that when I was learning road craft on<br />
my advanced course (it had to be word<br />
perfect), I put it onto a Sony Walkman and<br />
listened to it whilst driving or cycling to my<br />
course - it worked and I got 100%.<br />
9.How will I measure my success?<br />
Firstly, you must fully understand your<br />
current knowledge level. How would you<br />
rate your knowledge now – did you breeze<br />
through the definition test outlined earlier?<br />
Set yourself small bite-sized achievable<br />
targets so you can see the progress as<br />
these will give you a confidence boost and<br />
show that you are actually learning.<br />
Always take a moment to congratulate<br />
yourself on what you have achieved with<br />
your study. You do a difficult job that takes a<br />
toll on your life. You deserve the opportunity<br />
to develop yourself in an occupation that,<br />
despite recent media attacks, is still one<br />
of the most sought-after occupations.<br />
10.When should I start?<br />
Most people wait until the application for<br />
the exam comes out, however, I would<br />
suggest that that is too late and you have<br />
already put yourself under pressure.<br />
Learning MUST be viewed as an ongoing<br />
process and cramming is not the answer.<br />
Consider reading things such as PACE<br />
codes of practice, RTA definition etc as<br />
a warm-up a few months prior to the real<br />
intensive study programme as they form the<br />
foundation for a large part of the syllabus.<br />
{<br />
The i-FACTOR works as it makes you<br />
concentrate on the most important<br />
person in this equation… you. Studying<br />
does have an impact on you, your quality<br />
of life and needs. Like any other activity,<br />
it needs to be planned into your<br />
already busy schedule.<br />
Remember, your ultimate goal is to seek<br />
promotion, be it for personal/financial<br />
reasons, or the excitement of being<br />
a ‘decision maker’, or both. You are<br />
the motivational part of that process,<br />
however, part of your planning should<br />
include encouraging your line managers<br />
to support you, either by facilitating your<br />
study periods, or by giving you hands-on<br />
insights into the role and responsibilities<br />
encountered by police management.<br />
{<br />
Information<br />
storage<br />
and recall<br />
ON A VERY SIMPLISTIC LEVEL YOUR<br />
BRAIN IS A COMPUTER - A VERY COMPLEX<br />
AND POWERFUL ONE BUT NO DIFFERENT<br />
TO THE ONE YOU USE EVERY DAY.<br />
The brain is made up of two main hard drives:<br />
n The short term memory n The long term memory<br />
Your short term memory is a storage device with a very limited capacity and<br />
information, if not processed properly, can and does drop from it. Think about<br />
a briefing you recently had. How much did you actually remember afterwards<br />
and how much did you recall when you read the bullet points you made?<br />
It is suggested that information is stored better when it is delivered<br />
in a way that suits us.<br />
Think about your school days.<br />
What was your favourite subject then ask yourself why?<br />
I would suggest the following will apply:<br />
n You had an interest for the subject n The teacher was very knowledgeable<br />
But most importantly, I bet the teacher was an exceptional communicator<br />
and made it real for you. Reverse the process and I would suggest the teacher<br />
and their method of delivering the information was poor, even though they<br />
may have had great knowledge, they did not make it real.<br />
Your long term memory is the main storage area and it is capable of storing<br />
a vast amount of information - recall the last time you conducted a victim<br />
or witness interview using the techniques you were shown on your PEACE<br />
course, think how much information we actually store. The long term memory<br />
is where we need to store all our study information.<br />
In a nutshell<br />
WHILST PLANNING AND PREPARING ARE<br />
THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS, YOU’RE THE ONLY<br />
ONE WHO CAN UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL.<br />
YOU CAN SUCCEED IF YOU PUT THE TIME<br />
AND EFFORT INTO YOUR STUDY PROGRAMME<br />
BUT IT IS IMPERATIVE YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND<br />
WHAT IT IS YOU’RE TAKING ON.<br />
We all start projects with good<br />
intentions but unfortunately many<br />
of us fail to complete because we<br />
get tired, bored or see a minor<br />
setback as a failure and give up.<br />
Set yourself achievable weekly targets<br />
and recognise your achievements<br />
and find a study/work/life balance<br />
that works for you.<br />
Finally, good luck and remember the five Ps:<br />
Prior n Planning n Prevents n Poor n Performance<br />
{<br />
How to store<br />
information e≠ectively<br />
Psychologists suggest that for information to be moved<br />
from the short term memory to the long term memory<br />
several things need to be considered:<br />
n You must be in the right mind-set to study.<br />
When tired etc. your ability to store information decreases.<br />
n Pick a place free from distractions - quiet music<br />
might work but TV or ACDC’s greatest hits etc.<br />
does not, it is a distraction.<br />
n Don’t cram your studying into long intense sessions this<br />
only works very short term – set short repetitive sessions.<br />
n Create structure or group the areas you are studying<br />
that are relevant - e.g. do not read the Theft Act and then<br />
read the Road Traffic Act they are not related in any way.<br />
n Use mnemonics as an aid - I still recall several I was<br />
taught at training school in 1982, or create a story<br />
around the definition.<br />
n Try to visualise the definition as a story - when<br />
you’re studying create a mental video of a person<br />
committing the act.<br />
n Review as bullet points the following morning/evening<br />
what you studied the previous day.<br />
Coming soon…<br />
IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF NICKED WE WILL ASSUME<br />
YOU’VE PASSED THE EXAM (USING ALL MY<br />
HELPFUL TIPS!) AND LOOK AT HOW YOU CAN<br />
PREPARE FOR ACTING DUTIES.<br />
We’ll look at the successful methods to promote<br />
your personal skills and attain acting posts, together<br />
with the all-important evidence gathering in relation<br />
to competency and professional skills, and finally a<br />
few tips for the promotion board.<br />
64 65
BEAUTY<br />
Just<br />
16%<br />
of women<br />
embrace ageing,<br />
according to a recent<br />
UK Confidence<br />
Index by L'Oreal.<br />
After grey hair, wrinkles and dark<br />
under-eye circles came top in a list<br />
of the physical factors that make<br />
women feel less confident.<br />
Side-step skin pitfalls<br />
by avoiding these surprising<br />
ageing antagonists.<br />
Ok, you might never be able to ‘Stop the clock’, but with<br />
good skincare habits you can certainly help slow it down,<br />
Lisa Haynes reveals some surprising ways to slow down the<br />
ageing process Anti-ageing isn't just down to gene pools and<br />
preventative potions. Everyday skincare sins could be interfering<br />
with your war against wrinkles without you even knowing.<br />
AVOID STRAWS<br />
AND CIGARETTES<br />
Your dentist may be all for<br />
straws to protect your teeth<br />
from dark and fizzy drinks<br />
but dermatologists aren't.<br />
"Sipping from a straw can cause<br />
fine lines around your mouth,<br />
"Mauricio warns. "Over the long-term,<br />
pursing your lips to sip out of a<br />
straw causes extra wrinkles<br />
around this area."<br />
The same process applies to<br />
cigarettes, which also compromise<br />
your skin's production of collagen<br />
and elastin, making smoking bad<br />
news for your looks as well as<br />
your health.<br />
TOO LATE? Reduce the appearance<br />
of deep and vertical wrinkles with<br />
Vichy LiftActiv Advance Filler, £31<br />
www.boots.com<br />
SLEEP ON YOUR BACK<br />
More than half of British adults sleep<br />
in the foetal position, curled up on<br />
their side with knees tucked in. That's<br />
the stuff of nightmares for your skin,<br />
according to Mauricio.<br />
"Women who tend to sleep on their sides<br />
are most likely to see sleep lines appear<br />
on their chin and cheeks - these are<br />
wrinkles etched on the surface of the<br />
skin that don't disappear when you lift<br />
your head off the pillow."<br />
Train yourself to sleep on your back<br />
so that your skin doesn't lie crumpled<br />
against the pillow.<br />
TOO LATE? Encourage a restful<br />
night on your back with Aromatherapy<br />
Associates Relax Eye Mask, £46<br />
www.aromatherapyassociates.com<br />
BEWARE OF FACE<br />
INFECTORS<br />
Many of us are permanently<br />
attached to mobile phones but<br />
chatterboxes can be blighted<br />
by regular outbreaks. And<br />
that doesn’t include those<br />
of you who are permanently<br />
stuck to an Airwave set for<br />
8-10 hours a day!<br />
"Mobiles get left around on<br />
various surfaces and pick up<br />
bacteria that can cause pimples<br />
around the cheeks and jawline.<br />
It's best to use your phone in<br />
hands-free mode," advises Mauricio.<br />
The same principles apply to glasses<br />
and sunglasses, which can harbour<br />
sweat and germs.<br />
"Bacteria can grow on the frame that<br />
will sit directly on your facial skin for an<br />
extended period of time. Aim to use<br />
anti-bacterial wipes before putting<br />
them on each day."<br />
TOO LATE? Deep clean and prevent<br />
outbreaks with Bioderma Sebium<br />
H20 micellar, £10<br />
www.garden.co.uk<br />
“<br />
Doing the wrong things can speed up your<br />
skin's ageing process, and you might be surprised<br />
at what some of those no-nos<br />
says American dermatologist Dr Tess Mauricio.<br />
are,"<br />
68 WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM 67<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
BEAUTY<br />
BUY IT NOW<br />
Travel in style on spring breaks with<br />
Orla Kiely's new wash bag range. The print<br />
designer has created a Sixties stem pattern<br />
on durable coated canvas with gold zips<br />
and leather trims, from £20 - £32<br />
www.johnlewis.com<br />
BEAUTY BULLETIN Just brows-ing<br />
Women in the UK spend a whopping £2.3 billion<br />
a year perfecting their eyebrows. Almost a fifth<br />
of British women (19%) are spending more than<br />
£10 a month on brow maintenance, according<br />
to a recent survey by QVC to mark the exclusive<br />
launch of Benefit Gimme Brow Gel.<br />
One in eight (13%) spend upwards of 30 minutes<br />
a week perfecting their arches, amounting to<br />
over one whole day (26 hours) per year. For brow<br />
inspiration, almost half of women (42%) look<br />
to the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton<br />
and her dark, defined arches.<br />
SEEK SHADE ON AEROPLANES<br />
Ah, sunbeams! Cloud gazing is good for the<br />
soul but not so uplifting for the face.<br />
"You're much closer to the sun in a plane than on land,<br />
so it stands to reason that solar rays, which can penetrate<br />
windows, are more intense at higher altitudes,<br />
" Mauricio reveals. "Plus, the air up there is notoriously<br />
dry and without moisture, so skin simply shrivels."<br />
If you're sitting next to a window, pull down the shade,<br />
drink plenty of water to hydrate, and avoid salty foods<br />
and alcohol. Mauricio recommends applying a rich<br />
moisturiser with minimum SPF15 half an hour before<br />
boarding, as sunscreen needs time to absorb<br />
before it's effective.<br />
TOO LATE? Even out age spots and stubborn pigmentation<br />
with SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector, £83.50<br />
www.effortlessskin.com<br />
Tried<br />
& tested<br />
Repair the ravages of winter with<br />
a multipurpose balm. Our testers<br />
try three soothing all-rounders:<br />
LUSH ULTRABALM<br />
ALL PURPOSE BALM<br />
This generously-sized tin houses<br />
a non-petroleum balm with organic<br />
jojoba oil and rose wax. It feels<br />
quite 'thin' on application and<br />
doesn't taste amazing, so I preferred<br />
using this on areas of tough skin,<br />
my cuticles and for taming eyebrows.<br />
£8.50 for 45g www.lush.co.uk<br />
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT<br />
Yo-yo dieters, beware. Repeatedly losing<br />
and gaining weight can take its toll on<br />
your face's elasticity, leaving behind<br />
jowls and sagging.<br />
Mauricio says: "Packing on pounds can make your skin look plumper<br />
on the surface, but carrying excess weight can cause your body's levels<br />
of insulin and cortisol to rise, which can break down collagen.<br />
"You'll see increased sagging from putting on and keeping on as<br />
little as 10-15 extra pounds, and loss of facial fat can cause sagging<br />
and a gaunt, aged appearance."<br />
Maintain a healthy weight with proper diet and exercise, aiming<br />
to keep your weight in the 'normal' range, with a body mass index<br />
(BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.<br />
TOO LATE? Perk up sagging and loose skin with Origins<br />
Plantscription Powerful Lifting Cream, £50<br />
www.origins.co.uk<br />
CRABTREE & EVELYN<br />
ENGLISH HONEY AND<br />
PEACH BLOSSOM<br />
ALL PURPOSE BALM<br />
Dinky tin with a buttery-soft<br />
moisturising balm. A little goes<br />
a long way and it felt soothing<br />
on both lips and body niggles<br />
with a subtle honey fragrance.<br />
£9 for 15g www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk<br />
LANOLIPS 101 OINTMENT<br />
MULTIPURPOSE BALM<br />
A handy little tube that's ideal for bags.<br />
The ultra-pure medical grade lanolin makes<br />
for a luxuriously thick formulation. There's<br />
a natural gloss too, making it perfect<br />
for chapped lips.<br />
£11 for 15g www.boots.com<br />
68 69<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
BOOK REVIEW<br />
The<br />
Poisoned<br />
Island<br />
LLOYD SHEPHERD’S<br />
THE POISONED ISLAND<br />
IS A GLORIOUS MASH UP<br />
OF CRIME, EXOTIC ISLANDS,<br />
BOTANIC INTRIGUE AND<br />
THE HISTORIC STORY OF<br />
LONDON’S RIVER POLICE.<br />
HERE WE FIND OUT<br />
MORE IN A Q&A WITH<br />
THE AUTHOR...<br />
An island of intrigue…<br />
LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has<br />
dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark<br />
paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives.<br />
Now, decades after the first voyage of<br />
Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London<br />
from the Pacific, crammed with botanical<br />
specimens and laden also, it seems,<br />
with the mysteries of Tahiti.<br />
John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames<br />
River Police, is asked to take a personal interest<br />
in the security of the ship and its cargo.<br />
So when, days after the Solander's arrival,<br />
some of its crew are found dead and their<br />
sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed,<br />
faces frozen into terrible smiles - Harriott<br />
puts constable Charles Horton in charge<br />
of the investigation. But what connects the<br />
crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions<br />
of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks<br />
of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's<br />
new science possibly explain the strangeness<br />
of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew?<br />
Horton must employ his singular methods<br />
to uncover a chain of conspiracy stretching<br />
all the way back to the foot of the great<br />
dead volcano Tahiti Nui, beneath the<br />
hungry eyes of ancient gods.<br />
Lloyd answers some questions for<br />
<strong>NiCKED</strong> about The Poisoned Island:<br />
Q:What’s the book about?<br />
A:Ah, the hardest question of them all!<br />
Well, first things first: it’s a sequel to my first<br />
book, The English Monster. It’s set a year<br />
later, in 1812. But like my first book, it opens<br />
with a chapter from a deeper past: in this<br />
case, with a young Englishman chasing a<br />
Tahitian princess through the trees in 1769.<br />
He catches her, but then she disappears….<br />
Forty-three years later, a ship called the<br />
Solander arrives in the Thames estuary.<br />
She has sailed from Tahiti, and is carrying<br />
hundreds of exotic plants, seedlings and<br />
seeds from that mysterious island.<br />
They are intended for the gardens at Kew,<br />
under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks of<br />
the Royal Society. A day later, Charles Horton<br />
of the Wapping River Police Office discovers<br />
one of the sailors from the Solander dead in<br />
his rooms, his face carved with a terrible smile.<br />
Horton and his magistrate John Harriott<br />
open an investigation, while upriver at<br />
Kew the strange plants from Tahiti reveal<br />
themselves to be a good deal weirder<br />
than even Sir Joseph had realised.<br />
Q:So it’s historical fiction, then?<br />
A:Well, if you read The English Monster, you’ll<br />
know I’m not in the business of writing straight<br />
historical fiction here. What I did in that first book,<br />
and what I do again here, is set real historical<br />
events and characters against an imagined<br />
canvas in which unusual – perhaps even<br />
magical – things can happen.<br />
I’ve had to dance around this a fair bit, because<br />
to have talked about it too much would have been<br />
a heck of a plot-spoiler for The English Monster.<br />
But those expecting a straightforward historical<br />
tale will be in for a bit of a surprise; whether a<br />
pleasant or an unpleasant one will depend on<br />
the reader. But if you’ve got an appetite for the<br />
fantastical, this might be a meal you’ll enjoy sitting<br />
down to. There’s a murder mystery to be solved.<br />
There’s history to be described. But there’s<br />
oddness and unexpectedness too.<br />
Put it this way. I’ve found The English Monster<br />
filed in bookshops under Crime, under History,<br />
under General Fiction, under Fantasy and under<br />
Horror. Seriously. My favourite description of the<br />
genre has come from Shelley Harris, the lovely<br />
author of the lovely book Jubilee. She described<br />
The English Monster as ‘Regency X-Files.’ Taking<br />
that theme, I’d describe The Poisoned Island<br />
as ‘Regency Lost.’ But genre is a slippery thing,<br />
is it not? What it gives with one hand it takes<br />
away with the other.<br />
Q:Why write about this period in history?<br />
A:Because it’s such a fascinating conjunction<br />
between two worlds. This period falls squarely<br />
between the questioning of the Enlightenment<br />
and the technology of the Victorians. The<br />
world has only recently begun to be reasonably<br />
measured; in the previous hundred years,<br />
two thousand years of wrongheaded<br />
knowledge has been set right.<br />
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the<br />
field of botany, on which much of The Poisoned<br />
Island is based. In the thirty years before my<br />
book is set, botanists had figured out plant<br />
reproduction and respiration. They’d begun to<br />
establish a robust platform for plant taxonomy.<br />
They’d begun to substitute superstition for<br />
science (even though that word hadn’t been<br />
invented). But there was still so much to do,<br />
so much that was mysterious and unknown.<br />
There were still white spaces on maps,<br />
but they were almost all metaphorical ones,<br />
gaps in human knowledge in which wonders<br />
could still manifest themselves.<br />
To put it another way: the early 19th century<br />
is the most recent time that still feels like<br />
deep history. The Victorians feel adjacent<br />
to us: photography means we can see them.<br />
We can even hear them. The Georgians<br />
are still unavailable to us in those forms.<br />
They remain intriguing.<br />
Q:In most crime books the lead detective<br />
is slightly flawed. What are Charles Horton’s<br />
strengths and weaknesses?<br />
A:I think the best fictional detectives are<br />
doomed because it's their flaws that make them<br />
effective. They're too committed, too suspicious,<br />
too ready to see the bad in people. Horton's a bit<br />
like that: his slightly monomaniacal nature comes<br />
from his separation from ordinary people, and<br />
that separation stems from the guilt of his past.<br />
He betrayed his shipmates in the Nore mutiny in<br />
order to secure a release, and that infects all his<br />
relationships. So he wants to perfect the world<br />
and repay his debt, and that makes him<br />
extraordinarily committed, but it also makes<br />
him a bit odd. And of course his love for his wife<br />
gives him personal strength, but also makes<br />
him vulnerable to those who would be prepared<br />
to attack him via his wife.<br />
LLOYD<br />
SHEPHERD<br />
Lloyd Shepherd is a former journalist<br />
and digital producer who has worked<br />
for the Guardian, Channel 4, the BBC<br />
and Yahoo. He lives in South London<br />
with his family. He is the author of<br />
The English Monster, inspired by the<br />
real-life Ratcliffe Highway murders<br />
and its sequel, The Poisoned Island.<br />
Q:What are the themes you’re trying to cover?<br />
A:The English Monster dealt with exploitation of<br />
a particularly chilling kind: the exploitation of humans<br />
through slavery. The Poisoned Island deals with<br />
a different kind of exploitation: that of natural<br />
resources. In 1812, the natural world was something<br />
to be harnessed to the needs of nations.<br />
The most obvious example of this relates to<br />
Tahiti. When Lt. Bligh commanded the Bounty his<br />
mission was to take breadfruit from that island<br />
and transplant it to Jamaica and the other West<br />
Indies. It was thought to be an ideal, starchy<br />
foodstuff for the slaves working on the plantations<br />
in those islands (and they were still slaves; the<br />
slave trade might have been abolished in 1808,<br />
but slavery as an institution was not abolished<br />
in the Empire until 1833, and in effect not for a<br />
few years after that). At the centre of both these<br />
examples was Sir Joseph Banks, who plays a big<br />
role in The Poisoned Island, as does his librarian,<br />
the botanist Robert Brown.<br />
Q:Harking back also to The English Monster,<br />
where did you go to research the Thames<br />
River Police?<br />
A:First stop was, of course, the River Police<br />
Office itself. There's a fabulous museum there,<br />
and I was grateful to retired river police officer<br />
Rob Jeffries for showing me around. Then I spent<br />
a lot of time in Wapping itself to get a feel for<br />
itself. The final source was the memoir of John<br />
Harriott, the first stipendiary magistrate of the<br />
River Police, and an amazing bulldog of a man.<br />
Q:It has been said the Ratcliffe Murders<br />
(discussed in The English Monster) ultimately<br />
lead to a reform of policing. Do you think that<br />
in The Poisoned Island Horton has honed his<br />
skills and tackles his investigation differently?<br />
A:I don't think Horton's quite aware of his 'skills'.<br />
He applies common sense and intelligence to<br />
crimes but does it in a way that hasn't been seen<br />
before. Most importantly, he recognises the<br />
importance of motive and opportunity, and<br />
understands how evidence can lead to solutions.<br />
He is better at this in The Poisoned Island,<br />
and of course it was a different situation, as<br />
the press and the nation weren't as obsessed<br />
with the story - because it didn't happen!<br />
Q:We reckon most of our NICKED readers<br />
have a story or two up their sleeves. What<br />
would your advice be to aspiring crime writers<br />
or those who have great story to tell?<br />
A:Get it down on paper (or stick it in a<br />
computer), and get someone else to read it.<br />
It'll be their response which tells them whether<br />
you've got something or not.<br />
Q:Who’s your favourite fictional cop and why?<br />
A:Probably James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux.<br />
A hero, a poet, a fighter and a drunk. He'd have your<br />
back in a fight, but one drink and he'd let you down.<br />
The English Monster and The Poisoned<br />
Island by Lloyd Shepherd (Simon & Schuster)<br />
are available now in paperback.<br />
Find more about Lloyd Shepherd here:<br />
www.LloydShepherd.com or follow him<br />
on Twitter: @lloydshep<br />
70 71<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
FASHION<br />
Spring<br />
Trends...<br />
pick your spring statement<br />
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<br />
After a miserable winter its time<br />
to lighten up your wardrobe with<br />
this season's fresh new looks.<br />
Casual ivory spot shirt, £39<br />
Cashmere crew neck jumper, £99<br />
Chino shorts, £39<br />
Palma sandals, £59<br />
www.boden.co.uk<br />
pastel<br />
punch<br />
* * * * * * *<br />
Refreshing sorbet shades<br />
of mint, lavender, peach<br />
and powdery pinks and<br />
blues are an instant palette<br />
cleanser for spring.<br />
The freshest way to wear them is<br />
top-to-toe in one hue. Balance out the<br />
girliness with an androgynous silhouette<br />
- a tailored suit will look pale and<br />
interesting paired with a white shirt.<br />
Texture is all-important. Look to fabrics<br />
like lace and leather to add an edge to<br />
pretty pastels. You'll even find traditional<br />
black biker jackets in pastel leather<br />
colourways for a spring staple.<br />
Wear your pastels now by teaming a<br />
skirt or trousers with a grey crew-neck<br />
sweater to tone down the colour.<br />
Lisa Haynes reviews the trends<br />
to put a spring back in your step.<br />
*<br />
Sarah jacket, £179<br />
Perry top, £89<br />
Emily trousers, £110<br />
Selma sandals, £129<br />
www.hobbs.co.uk<br />
0845 313 3130<br />
With the rainiest Winter on record<br />
behind us, your wardrobe deserves<br />
an injection of spring cheer.<br />
Luckily, this season delivers, with<br />
mouthwatering pastels, bold prints<br />
and fierce florals for an instant<br />
closet pick-me-up.<br />
The catwalk message is clear for<br />
spring/summer 14: go bold or go<br />
home. Dark and dainty pieces are few<br />
and far between, so be courageous<br />
with your trend shopping.<br />
Just a few high-fashion statement<br />
pieces are enough to revive your<br />
current spring staples. For good<br />
chiconomics, invest now and you'll<br />
get an entire season's wear.<br />
Say hello to your<br />
new season gloom-fighters...<br />
George at Asda<br />
*<br />
pastel trench coat, £25<br />
www.george.com<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE<br />
73
FASHION<br />
* * * * *<br />
square<br />
dance<br />
Checks were big for winter but<br />
they've gone wholesome for spring<br />
with girly gingham.<br />
Any colourway goes in these country-inspired checks.<br />
Pastels will make your gingham look uber-pretty, red or<br />
blue brights make a statement, while traditional black<br />
and white are more accessible.<br />
Floaty dresses and smocks are the feminine way to work<br />
this trend, but for a more contemporary look, opt for<br />
structured shapes, like scuba-style T-shirts or pencil skirts.<br />
Gingham may be a playful print but it can work for the<br />
office too, in the form of sharp, tailored trousers. Dress<br />
down with flat loafers or pointed pumps, and just add<br />
heels for business-like glamour.<br />
Ted Baker Timliaa tangled floral print dress, £179<br />
www.tedbaker.com<br />
bold<br />
botanicals<br />
* * * * * *<br />
Delicate petals are out,<br />
gargantuan blooms are in.<br />
Impactful prints are this<br />
season's floral reincarnation.<br />
In the form of hothouse and tropical blooms,<br />
often as one statement bud, florals have<br />
been supersized for spring.<br />
Wear as one bright piece or double up your<br />
petal power with matching two-piece sets.<br />
There are plenty of floral dresses out there,<br />
but you'll also discover standout separates<br />
and accessories.<br />
To bridge the gap between winter and<br />
spring, pick out bouquet prints with navy<br />
or black backdrops.<br />
Martina contrast jumper, £80<br />
Harriet checked peplum skirt, £120<br />
www.fennwrightmanson.com<br />
Helsinki printed skirt, £115<br />
Jermima knit, £55<br />
Jasmine shoes, £80<br />
Bag, £55<br />
www.coast-stores.com<br />
Casual ivory spot shirt, £39<br />
Bistro crop trousers, £59<br />
navy spot slingbacks, £69<br />
www.boden.co.uk<br />
McQ embroidered sweater, £195<br />
Untold floral prom dress, £115<br />
Dickins & Jones bird print scarf, £30<br />
www.houseoffraser.co.uk<br />
Matalan gingham full skirt, £16<br />
www.matalan.co.uk<br />
74<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
FASHION<br />
true<br />
blue<br />
* * * * *<br />
Every season introduces a new<br />
'It' shade and 2014 has got the<br />
blues; specifically cobalt.<br />
Wear the cool hue as an accent or top-to-toe<br />
statement. For a true blue takeover, mix things up<br />
using contrasting textures, like a leather skirt and<br />
silk shirt, or cotton dress and fluffy overcoat.<br />
Team with grey or black now and freshen up with<br />
stark white once the weather turns brighter.<br />
Cobalt blue can be worn right now without<br />
looking like you're being too spring premature<br />
- this is a hue that works equally as well with<br />
opaque tights as bare legs.<br />
Ossie Clark London<br />
- Iconic blue jumpsuit, £149<br />
www.ossieclarklondon.co.uk<br />
Join our<br />
Healthcare Scheme<br />
for less than<br />
£1.50 per day *<br />
*based on 2014 prices for single membership for ages 30-34<br />
Healthcare with you in mind<br />
We’ll get you back on your<br />
feet quickly<br />
Long Tall Sally - Square neck<br />
full skirt dress, £75<br />
www.longtallsally.com<br />
To find out more or apply<br />
call 0800 652 9329<br />
visit policemutual.co.uk/healthcare<br />
Marisota blue mesh insert top, £35<br />
www.marisota.co.uk<br />
Police Healthcare Scheme Limited registered in England & Wales, No. 3018474. Registered office: Guardians House,<br />
2111 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, B26 3EA. Call 0800 652 9329 (Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5.30pm) or visit<br />
policemutual.co.uk/healthcare. For your security, all telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored.<br />
HEALTH00025 0114<br />
76<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Life<br />
through<br />
a lens<br />
Get the lighting right<br />
When starting out, the best piece of shooting advice<br />
is always choose the best light over the better location.<br />
Obviously no one wants a photo of their children<br />
stood by the bins, but when you’re in a gorgeous location<br />
there’s little point in choosing that stunning view if your<br />
subjects are squinting into the camera or it’s too dark<br />
to see their faces. Consider the light that is available to<br />
you, and how high the sun is in the sky. Like in the police<br />
service, photographers use the term ‘Golden Hour’.<br />
The most frequently asked<br />
question by my clients is:<br />
"Why don't my images<br />
look like yours?"<br />
The honest answer, other than this is my<br />
lifework and career, is that it’s usually about<br />
how ‘depth of field’ and lighting are used.<br />
Modern articles tell us digital cameras<br />
and editing software can capture virtually<br />
anything, make it look special and take<br />
all the hard work out of photography.<br />
This is simply not true.<br />
Although a spontaneous happy snap can<br />
end up becoming a family favourite, there<br />
is no substitute for good lighting, and that’s<br />
a principle that hasn't changed since the<br />
invention of film. Of course ‘composing’<br />
the photograph is important but light is<br />
still the medium you will paint your picture<br />
with. You can have a beautifully framed<br />
picture in your viewfinder, but it you don’t<br />
use the light properly it can be ruined.<br />
Getting to know how your camera functions<br />
while developing your photography skills<br />
are far more beneficial than standing in a<br />
camera shop buying yet another piece<br />
of kit. When I run workshops for starter<br />
photography businesses the most common<br />
mistake people make is that they buy far<br />
too much equipment. My advice would be,<br />
learn to use what you have, and when<br />
you have exhausted that equipment and<br />
can learn no more, then consider trading<br />
it in for the next level up.<br />
In photography if refers to a certain time of day when<br />
the light is considered exceptional for the best outdoor<br />
photography. For those of you who work shifts it can<br />
fit in quite well when coming off duty at odd hours<br />
of the day, mainly because the Golden Hour occurs<br />
near to sunrise and sunset. It’s that first (or last)<br />
beautiful hour in the day where the light is ideally<br />
golden and the sun is low.<br />
If you’re lucky enough to holiday in the sun, take<br />
advantage of the Golden Hour and plan a stroll along<br />
the beach watching the sun go down (then, if you’re<br />
anything like me, ignore your poor loved one whilst you<br />
get some amazing images or better still ‘force’ them to<br />
pose in them!). However, you are more likely to be stuck<br />
at home in the UK with its unpredictable weather, and<br />
have to make the most of your time while trying to take<br />
series of nice family shots. try a local Woodland. Make<br />
sure you find one with a balance of trees and meadow –<br />
it’s surprising how dark the shadows cast by trees can be.<br />
If it's a bright day try putting your subjects at the edge<br />
of the available shade. Don’t start too far in and then<br />
move them back from where the shade starts about a<br />
foot at a time – keep going until the light on their face is<br />
equal (the same light on both sides of the face) but not<br />
so far that it’s too dark. Depending on the height of the<br />
sun this is usually two to three feet into the shade.<br />
If you want to get creative don't be afraid to shoot<br />
into the light, the trick here is to move yourself more<br />
than your subject. If the sun is low you should be able to<br />
position yourself well enough that either your subject or<br />
some nearby foliage is carefully placed to block out the<br />
worst of the glare from the sun. You should then be able<br />
to experiment, positioning yourself left, right and centre<br />
to see what effects you can take advantage of. If the<br />
light is right you should be able to get a lovely halo effect<br />
to their silhouette. It’s an old fashioned rule that the<br />
sun should always be behind the camera.<br />
I think the best thing about digital photography<br />
is that whatever type of camera you have it gives<br />
you the opportunity to keep experimenting<br />
until you’re happy. You can even use your mobile<br />
phone to gain these effects so get practising.<br />
78 79<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Which camera<br />
is best?<br />
In addition to the “Why don’t my images look<br />
like yours?” question, the most commonly asked<br />
question via email is: "What camera should I buy?"<br />
This is a difficult question as it depends on<br />
your available budget and what you are most<br />
likely to need it for.<br />
Most people are occasional photographers and<br />
with either use their mobile phone, or a low budget<br />
compact camera. Some dedicated amateur<br />
photographers will buy more specialised equipment<br />
that gives them a greater flexibility. Some of this<br />
equipment is of a very high standard and can be used<br />
by professionals. I shoot with Canon as I love their<br />
prime lenses (this means the lens range is fixed and<br />
doesn't zoom in or out and I have to move either<br />
myself, or the camera).<br />
This isn't to say I dislike Nikon - quite simply it’s<br />
a matter of preference and there are no rights or<br />
wrongs. My first digital SLR was a Pentax and I loved<br />
that camera with my heart and soul, so it really is<br />
a personal opinion. As a professional I love using<br />
prime lenses because there are by and large of<br />
exceptional quality. However, they offer less<br />
flexibility than a zoom lens. Mainly because when<br />
using a prime lens YOU have to move the camera<br />
or the subject, whereas with a zoom lens the<br />
photographer can generally remain static and<br />
adjust the lens to frame the picture.<br />
However, if you want to delve deeper into photography,<br />
it’s worth knowing that the two biggest international<br />
brands are Canon and Nikon and they have the<br />
most options in terms of cameras and lenses. This<br />
is mainly because most of their professional lenses<br />
are compatible with the lower priced ‘entry level’<br />
camera bodies, and vice versa. So you would be<br />
able to upgrade or buy additional lenses when the<br />
time called for it and if you ever decided to upgrade<br />
the body of your camera there would be no need<br />
for new lenses. The only downside is that Nikon and<br />
Canon lenses are not interchangeable between<br />
brands. So Nikon won’t fit Canon and vice versa.<br />
If you’re looking to keep costs down there is a<br />
vast range of other camera manufacturers such as<br />
Sony, who produce cameras to a very high standard.<br />
There is also the option to purchase from secondhand<br />
dealers that you can be found online or in<br />
the Classifieds section at the back of photography<br />
magazines. Make sure you do your research on the<br />
camera model and the company first. Entry-level<br />
Digital SLRs start from under £300 with an<br />
inexpensive kit lens and if you have a budget for a<br />
simple family camera I would always say to someone<br />
asking to opt for the entry level digital SLR over<br />
a smaller ‘compact’ non SLR camera.<br />
These days most are designed specifically to<br />
be small and lightweight for the convenience of travel<br />
etc, if that is all you want, but if you decide to take<br />
it further and turn your camera into a larger hobby<br />
you will have the ability to buy additional lenses<br />
and learn the photography basics as well.<br />
Most DSLRS can be controlled manually as well<br />
as automatically, which again gives you scope to<br />
take the hobby to the next level.<br />
Nicola<br />
Johnson<br />
Nicola Johnson is a self-taught<br />
professional fine art, lifestyle<br />
photographer. She has a passion for<br />
teaching photography at all levels and<br />
developing the skills of professionals.<br />
You can find out more about her<br />
work and her workshops at:<br />
www.nicolajohnsonphotographer.com<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
NicolaJohnsonPhotographer<br />
Top tips for buying<br />
smaller cameras<br />
If you decide you just want a functional point and shoot<br />
camera that costs less than £300, and you don’t intend<br />
blowing the images up too large, I would seriously<br />
consider a good camera phone.<br />
Controversial to some, however, you would always have it<br />
with you and there have been some amazing leaps in phone<br />
technology - you can adjust your ISO, change your white balance<br />
and sometimes your shutter speeds. If you look for good lighting<br />
and apply some basic framing principles you can get some<br />
great images and there’s always Instagram to add a little flare!<br />
If you do decide to buy a small camera, rather than looking<br />
too closely at the amount of pixels available on the sensor<br />
(although try to avoid anything below 10), look at its<br />
•<br />
capabilities with regards to:<br />
SHUTTER SPEED - how fast the shutter opens and<br />
closes. You need a good range of both slower, say 100,<br />
•<br />
and faster these go up into 1000s.<br />
APERTURE - how wide the shutter opens.<br />
•<br />
You will need a lower aperture.<br />
ISO - its capabilities in low light. The higher the ISO<br />
the better it will be in low light.<br />
Nicola’s top 10 basic tips<br />
1. LIGHTING: Choose lighting<br />
over location every time<br />
2. FAMILY PORTRAITS: Arrange<br />
separate days for photographing the<br />
family. Decide whether the objective<br />
is to fill the album with happy snaps<br />
(for example a day out at the zoo),<br />
or to choreograph a more formal<br />
family portrait.<br />
3. SUNLIGHT: When you’re driving<br />
home or out walking/cycling and<br />
you notice a low golden sun, make<br />
a mental note of where the sunlight<br />
is falling at that time of year. These<br />
can be used later when setting<br />
up a photoshoot.<br />
4. THINK ABOUT COLOUR:<br />
Colour affects the mood of an image<br />
not just how it is appreciated. Putting<br />
your daughter in a pastel pink or bold<br />
purple dress in the middle of a field<br />
yellow canola oil-seed field could look<br />
like a soft romantic image, but putting<br />
your son in a blue, white and red outfit<br />
in the same location would make quite<br />
a startling and contrasting image.<br />
5. CAUTION DISTRACTIONS:<br />
Have you ever seen someone in a<br />
vertically striped outfit on the TV and<br />
the screen displays a weird distortion<br />
effect that makes your eyes blink? It’s<br />
the same effect when photographing<br />
similar objects. Narrow stripes can<br />
blend together in images because<br />
of the curve of the lens try to avoid<br />
photographing objects that involve<br />
thin stripes. So try to avoid taking<br />
portraits of people in character<br />
clothing as it leads the eye directly to<br />
the source of the distraction rather<br />
than to the person or people who<br />
are the subject of your image.<br />
6. CONSIDER THE TIME OF DAY:<br />
The sun is at its highest at midday<br />
and in the height of summer it is<br />
worth avoiding as the light can be<br />
quite harsh and unflattering. Remember<br />
– as a general rule - the lower the sun,<br />
the more flattering the light.<br />
7. FOREGROUND, MIDDLE<br />
GROUND AND BACKGROUND:<br />
As you look at your image either<br />
in portrait or landscape format,<br />
take a breath and look at your<br />
framing. Try separating the image<br />
into three horizontal sections. The<br />
area to the bottom of the image is<br />
generally your foreground, the central<br />
area is the middle ground, usually<br />
where the subject of the photograph<br />
sits, and the top of the frame being<br />
the background (or horizon).<br />
To develop your skills experiment<br />
by moving your framing up and down<br />
slightly see which proportions work<br />
best with your image. It only takes<br />
a few moments yet will enhance<br />
your picture immeasurably. As a rule<br />
portraits with little foreground can<br />
look a little odd.<br />
8. CROPPING PORTRAITS:<br />
There is a rule of thumb when<br />
framing a portrait that if you are<br />
looking at the framing, try to keep<br />
the cropping point near a limb joint if<br />
you don’t want the whole arm or leg<br />
in the image. If you crop it mid-calf<br />
or forearm for example the result<br />
can appear unbalanced.<br />
9. EYE LEVEL: Using children as<br />
an example, a large majority of people<br />
photograph children by angling the<br />
camera downward. This gives a<br />
distorted perspective of the subject<br />
(and usually misses out on lots of<br />
character). If you are taller than your<br />
subject try to lower yourself to the<br />
level of your subject’s eyes as this<br />
will dramatically change the way<br />
your photos, especially of your<br />
children will appear in print.<br />
10. TAKE IT ALL WITH YOU:<br />
Keep a notebook. Don’t expect to<br />
remember everything you want to try<br />
out. You can easily make short notes<br />
on a piece of paper and stick it in your<br />
pocket (I used to write crib notes on<br />
the inside of my hands) or type/write<br />
out prompt cards, or do little drawings<br />
of stick people to use as reminders<br />
for poses or setups..<br />
As with all pastimes and hobbies it’s important to have fun.<br />
Be creative and enjoy yourself. Don’t be disheartened by getting things wrong at<br />
first, I certainly used to, and don’t think you can’t learn something from a lower level<br />
camera. One of the most common demands asked by professional photographers<br />
is for natural, low light coaching – in other words, how to get a better image in<br />
low light without flash. I learnt how to shoot in low light because I couldn’t afford a<br />
better camera. I’ve shot weddings with a Canon 40D but it was a semi professional<br />
camera with very limited ISO capabilities. But with perseverance I successfully<br />
photographed weddings with that camera for over two years. I learnt how to<br />
improvise, and move slightly and change my position to obtain a far better image.<br />
Always embrace what you have to hand rather than fretting for what you haven’t.<br />
Over time I acquired a camera that had better attributes and capabilities, and<br />
my low light images became more creative. Remember, you paint with light.<br />
Next time I’ll be giving you some tips on framing, leading lines and<br />
depth of field, and how a little experimentation and anticipation can change<br />
a mundane picture into an outstanding picture.<br />
80 81<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
GADGETS<br />
Top six<br />
portable<br />
chargers<br />
SMOOTH<br />
OPERATOR<br />
Joosa Charger - £29.99 from firebox.com<br />
The latest arrival on the portable charger<br />
scene is this highly tactile, well-finished<br />
piece of kit, laying down the standard<br />
for the next generation.<br />
Power yours up from the mains and it'll<br />
charge your mobile up to eight times before<br />
it needs attention itself. As you only plug<br />
in your USB cable, it's also compatible<br />
with almost everything.<br />
STONE ME<br />
Pebble Verto - from £21.49 at dabs.com<br />
This compact range of portable chargers<br />
comes complete with a range of power<br />
pins for various devices, and manages to<br />
store enough power inside for about two<br />
full refills of your smartphone.<br />
Not as revolutionary as others, but neat<br />
and efficient - which is actually all you need.<br />
Been kept on duty?<br />
Going out of force<br />
on mutual aid?<br />
Or maybe your mobile is just getting a<br />
lot of use. Then there’s the ubiquitous<br />
tablet and e-book readers.<br />
Whatever you’re doing, the chances are that<br />
you won’t have your charger handy, and unless<br />
you have a battery to actually make it work,<br />
it's all a bit pointless, isn't it?<br />
Thankfully, portable power stations have<br />
the answer, so we asked Peter Jenkinson<br />
to take a look at some gadgets that will<br />
help keep your mobile and other<br />
devices running.<br />
HAPPY<br />
CAMPER<br />
Biolite camper stove<br />
- £149.99 from firebox.com<br />
This contraption is not one for every day<br />
occasions, but you'll certainly look forward<br />
to using it on those non-every day<br />
occasions (camping, hiking and showing<br />
off at your friend’s barbeque!).<br />
Using flammable natural materials like<br />
twigs and leaves, it cooks for you, keeps<br />
you warm, and - crucially - powers<br />
up an internal fan to send juice<br />
to your gadgets.<br />
YES YOU CAN<br />
Fuel - £24.99 from firebox.com<br />
Not much bulkier than a box of matches,<br />
it'll come as no surprise that the diminutive<br />
nature of this re-juicer means it must<br />
compromise on power reserves. But saying<br />
that, it can still give you a much needed<br />
20 minutes of extra chat time.<br />
It also looks like a jerry can, so it's up to<br />
you if you want to make the glug-glug<br />
sounds as you fill up your phone.<br />
JUST IN CASE<br />
TurboCharger 7000 World Pack<br />
- £59.95 from proporta.co.uk<br />
A very nifty idea this one - well, if you're an<br />
iPhone 5 owner, anyway. This slim outer case<br />
both doubles the life of your mobile, and<br />
protects it from the inevitable meetings<br />
with solid surfaces.<br />
Put it on, flick the switch and off it goes,<br />
doing its work without any work from you.<br />
Clever...<br />
POWER STICK<br />
Pebble Smartstick<br />
- £14.99 from mobilefun.co.uk<br />
Available in a few different hues, this dinky<br />
charger is about the size of a lippy, ideal<br />
for carrying in - and probably losing down<br />
the dark recesses of - your handbag.<br />
Once located though, it'll offer a full<br />
recharge for that vital extra talktime.<br />
82 83<br />
WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE
COUNTY DURHAM<br />
Welcome to <strong>NiCKED</strong><br />
CLASSIFIEDS<br />
Would you like a 15%<br />
refund off your next order?<br />
Call 01695 668630<br />
07926 437239<br />
We e neve er let<br />
yo ou down!<br />
FREE UK<br />
DELIVERY
CUMBRIA CUMBRIA HUMBERSIDE<br />
ITALIAN<br />
CUISINE<br />
01482 223 275<br />
ALL TYPES<br />
OF WORK<br />
UNDERTAKEN<br />
NORTHERN IRELAND<br />
NORTHERN IRELAND
NORTHERN IRELAND<br />
NORTHERN IRELAND<br />
Belfast’s premier gym<br />
We aim to set ourselves apart from all the other gyms, once you join.. we dont<br />
want to forget about you and leave you to your own devices.<br />
We want to teach you how to get the best out of your gym and equipment &<br />
especially yourselves.<br />
Your time is very important, so instead of wasting time thinking of what you<br />
should do today at the gym just pick up a goal card with your workout already<br />
planned out, attend 1 of our free equitment workshops, or fitness tests by our<br />
personal training team or even book them for a 1-1 or group session.<br />
We will help you, encourage you, and help guide you on your fitness journey to<br />
were you want to go, getting you there safely and effectively and having lots of<br />
fun at the same time.<br />
Magee Health & Fitness, Challenge your mind & body<br />
Unleash Your<br />
Inner Beast<br />
Unit 1, M1Business Park, Blackstaff Way, Belfast, BT11 9DT<br />
02890 613333<br />
Email: info@mageehealthandfitness.com<br />
Web: www.mageehealthandfitness.com<br />
DISCOUNT<br />
Delivering World Class Fitness Facilities And Training<br />
FOR POLICE PERSONNEL<br />
NORTHUMBIA<br />
NHBC<br />
Registered.
NORTHUMBIA<br />
YORKSHIRE<br />
YORKSHIRE<br />
Stellar<br />
Signs<br />
John Jarrett<br />
Building Contractors<br />
<br />
<br />
07887 429798<br />
Angels<br />
Demons<br />
DISCOUNTS<br />
S<br />
for Police<br />
Personnel
YORKSHIRE<br />
YORKSHIRE<br />
&<br />
Leeds<br />
Harrogate<br />
Clinics<br />
It’s all in the details<br />
Why form a queue....? Let us come to you!<br />
Our valeting service covers, domestic & commercial<br />
cars, taxis, company cars, hire contract and leased cars,<br />
<br />
LGVs, motor homes, touring caravans & static caravans.<br />
We clean internally as well as externally.<br />
07927 257 156<br />
e: glistenvaleting@gmail.com<br />
www.glistenvaleting.co.uk<br />
CALL NOW for enquiries or<br />
01423 560049<br />
to book an appointment<br />
enquiries@foot1st.co.uk<br />
KevinGrimmond
YORKSHIRE<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
Ideas +<br />
Creativity<br />
= Results<br />
01942 681648<br />
www.nectarcreative.com
SCOTLAND<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
All work indoors<br />
& outdoors undertaken<br />
<br />
<br />
DECOR
SCOTLAND
the battle<br />
against cigarettes<br />
we can In help you win<br />
nosmokingday.org.uk<br />
ngday<br />
©British Heart Foundation n 2014, registered charity in<br />
England and Wales (225971) and in Scotland (SC039426).