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FOCUS Magazine May June 2017

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<strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

T H E M A G A Z I N E<br />

T H E V I C TO R I A N S E A S I D E<br />

M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 7<br />

A C O M M U N I T Y F O R E X PAT S B Y E X PAT S<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

1 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> September/Octobert <strong>2017</strong> 2015<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> www.focus-info.org<br />

The <strong>Magazine</strong> 1


EDITORIAL<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> is a unique community for expats and international<br />

professionals living in the UK. Our multinational team share<br />

their first-hand knowledge on all aspects of living and working<br />

here. Members gain access to essential information, tried and<br />

tested resources, events and seminars. Operating as a nonprofit<br />

organisation we are proud to have been supporting<br />

expats for over 35 years. We hope to see you soon at our<br />

office in Central London!<br />

13 Prince of Wales Terrace, London W8 5PG<br />

Telephone 020 7937 7799 office@focus-info.org<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

Essential information<br />

Pick up invaluable advice on living and working in the UK from<br />

our team of expert expats.<br />

Events & Seminars<br />

Delve into our unique calendar designed for expats to connect,<br />

learn and enjoy.<br />

Career development for Expat Spouses<br />

Kickstart your career search in the UK through our flexible and<br />

highly successful programme.<br />

Website<br />

Hit list of tried and tested resources recommended by<br />

fellow expats.<br />

is time of the year is probably one of the best to be in the UK. With<br />

longer days and better weather the late spring and early summer<br />

months in Britain come alive with a wonderful mix of the traditional<br />

and the new. Strolling along a Victorian seaside pier enjoying an ice<br />

cream in the sun, digging out your racquet and heading out for a game<br />

of tennis, exploring the beautiful Wye Valley during the Hay literary<br />

festival or perhaps strolling through London’s modern street food<br />

markets are a few of the suggestions we have for you in this issue of<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong>. And to plan a memorable night out don’t miss our roundup<br />

of the best entertainment apps. On a more practical side, if you’re<br />

taking a career break or are interested in technology in the classroom<br />

we have those topics, and several others, covered in this issue.<br />

As ever <strong>FOCUS</strong> has a full schedule of excellent events and seminars<br />

throughout <strong>May</strong> and <strong>June</strong>. However you choose<br />

to enjoy the warmer months ahead we hope<br />

you’ll continue to be involved in our community<br />

and look forward to welcoming you to an event.<br />

Francine Bosco<br />

FOLLOW US<br />

Catch regular <strong>FOCUS</strong> updates via our social<br />

media channels. Find us @focus-info.org<br />

Editorial<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />

Editor<br />

Francine Bosco<br />

Assistant Editor<br />

Liz Mills<br />

Art Director<br />

Rebecca Hunt-Davis<br />

Image Editor<br />

Cindy Stern<br />

Guide books<br />

Handy material at your fingertips:<br />

n Living in the UK<br />

n Children in the UK<br />

n Working in the UK<br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

Vibrant lifestyle publication exploring British culture.<br />

Office<br />

Our enthusiastic team welcomes you to stop by.<br />

We’re here to help!<br />

Monday–Thursday, 10am–4pm<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> Staff<br />

Executive Director<br />

Alessandra Gnudi<br />

Deputy Executive Director<br />

Nancy Dickinson<br />

Director of Sponsor Relations<br />

Eva Stock<br />

Director of Finance<br />

Irene Kuan<br />

Director of Marketing<br />

Stephanie Vogel<br />

Director of Events & Seminars<br />

Maria Renzi<br />

Resource Manager<br />

Paola Longobardi<br />

Membership & Social Media Manager<br />

Alexandra Casanova<br />

Career Development Consultant<br />

Denise Donoghue<br />

Career Coaches<br />

Satu Kreula, Geraldine McKendrick, Patricia Keener,<br />

Vincent Pizzoni , Claudia Deniers, Nicolette Wykeman.<br />

Karin Mueller<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 1


Are you an American or U.S. Connected<br />

person living in the UK?<br />

Having trouble investing in the UK or Europe?<br />

Are you trying to resolve FATCA<br />

and PFIC issues?<br />

Our mission is to educate the world to ensure everyone can take<br />

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Ensuring everyone has the knowledge to take control of their<br />

financial future and meet their short and long term goals.<br />

Financial Education creates sound financial futures.<br />

Attend one of our local seminars and<br />

learn how you can get control of your<br />

financial health.<br />

Please visit<br />

www.beaconfinancialeducation.org/events<br />

to see a schedule of events in the United Kingdom<br />

52 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5BT,United Kingdom<br />

info@beaconfinancialeducation.org | www.beaconfinancialeducation.org<br />

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Beacon Financial Education does not provide financial, tax or legal advice. None of the information should be considered<br />

financial, tax or legal advice. You should consult your financial, tax or legal advisers for information concerning your own<br />

specific tax/legal situation.


CONTENTS<br />

The Hay Festival page 14<br />

Contents<br />

The history of street food page 18<br />

The Rules of British Etiquette page 9<br />

FEAtURES<br />

4 British beaches and boardwalks<br />

Enjoying Victorian seaside towns<br />

9 The Rules of Engagement<br />

Getting etiquette right<br />

12 Anyone for tennis?<br />

Our guide to playing and watching<br />

20 Technology in the classroom<br />

Unique ways to help children find<br />

their voices<br />

29 On your marks!<br />

the World Athletics Championship<br />

comes to London<br />

REGULARS<br />

17 Education<br />

Children and coding<br />

18 Food & Drink<br />

Street Food Walk - London’s<br />

street food scene<br />

14 Arts & Culture<br />

A good read – exploring Hay, the<br />

world’s biggest literary festival<br />

22 Finance & Law<br />

Living as a dependant in the UK<br />

24 Careers<br />

How to stay current during a<br />

career break<br />

27 Health & Wellbeing<br />

Combatting hair loss<br />

31 My Favourite Things<br />

32 APPs<br />

APPs to entertain<br />

34 Events and Seminars<br />

36 <strong>FOCUS</strong> Sponsors<br />

Anyone for tennis page 12<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 3


Beaches and Boardwalks<br />

e Victorians loved to be beside the seaside, and it is largely<br />

thanks to them that the cult of seaside holidays is as rich and varied<br />

as it is on the British coast today. Associations that have come<br />

down through the centuries include childish innocence (buckets,<br />

spades and sandcastles), nature (crabbing in rock-pools, starfish<br />

and seaweed), simple ‘old-fashioned’ fun (donkeys, roundabouts<br />

or Punch and Judy shows), and greasy culinary delights (fish and<br />

chips, ice cream and rock candy). Let’s examine where past and<br />

present collide and how you can still find a touch of Victoriana<br />

by the sea.<br />

History<br />

Queen Victoria ruled over Britain from 1837 until her death in<br />

1901. She bestowed her name on several generations who we<br />

refer to as ‘e Victorians’, and what a legacy they left!<br />

Wealthy Victorians had for years taken houses by the sea to<br />

benefit from the fresh air and relaxed tempo. e opportunities<br />

however for leisure became a real possibility for all people with<br />

the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when workers were granted four<br />

extra days off throughout the year. is coincided with the explosion<br />

of the railway system, making transport around the country<br />

much easier for the emergent middle classes. Seaside resorts like<br />

Blackpool, Broadstairs, Margate and Southend-on-Sea flourished<br />

with the new influx of holidaymakers.<br />

Entertainment by the sea<br />

A typical seaside holiday featured walks along the shore, donkey<br />

rides, bathing, band concerts, and Punch and Judy shows. In the<br />

larger resorts, it was common to find ‘pleasure palaces’, which<br />

combined music hall entertainment with zoos, opera houses, theatres,<br />

aquaria, lagoons with Venetian gondolas and gondoliers,<br />

pleasure gardens and exhibitions.<br />

Punch and Judy, though perhaps not the most ethical of entertainments<br />

(Punch spends a large portion of time beating Judy<br />

with a bat) was extremely popular at the beach. is was in part<br />

down to the mobile puppet booth, which made it easy to manoeuvre<br />

(although later Victorian booths were elaborate affairs<br />

that soon became simplified to the red and white striped canvas<br />

booths in the 20th Century). Punch’s cry of “at’s the way to do<br />

it!” became his tagline and hordes of excited children would<br />

clamour to watch what would happen in this comical soap opera<br />

of errors. Reflecting the dubious ethics of Punch and Judy and<br />

possibly the changing taste in entertainment, this is something<br />

that you see less and less at the seaside today, but it has become<br />

engrained in the popular perception of the British seaside, and if<br />

you’re lucky you may find a show to watch.<br />

At a time when recorded music was still a novelty, brass bands<br />

and 'e Bandstand' became a popular form of musical entertainment<br />

on the seaside promenade. e bandstand (many of<br />

which can still be found today) is traditionally round in shape<br />

with a roof that both helped acoustics and provided shelter from<br />

the changeable British weather.<br />

Did<br />

Did<br />

you<br />

you<br />

know?<br />

know?<br />

You can find a modern version of this type of entertainment<br />

You can find a modern version of this type of entertainment<br />

today at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an amusement park that<br />

today at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an amusement park that dates<br />

from<br />

dates<br />

1896.<br />

from 1896.<br />

Foodie delights<br />

Fish and chips are seen as typical seaside fare because it’s a quick,<br />

easy meal that can be eaten on the go (traditionally wrapped in<br />

yesterday’s newspaper). e first fish and chip shop was opened<br />

in East London by a Jewish immigrant called Joseph Malin, and<br />

outlets sprang up like wildfire after that. It was an obvious choice<br />

for the seaside because of the abundance of local fish, and has remained<br />

popular ever since.<br />

Ice cream sold by a vendor was known as ‘hokey pokey’. e<br />

4 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


The Victorian Seaside<br />

vendors, many of whom were Italian in origin, supposedly used a<br />

sales pitch or song involving the phrase “hokey pokey” for which<br />

several origins have been suggested, although nothing can be<br />

confirmed. An example of a Victorian vendor that you can still<br />

find going strong today is Kelly’s of Cornwall, which was established<br />

as an ice cream and fish and chips business by Joseph<br />

Staffieri in the late 19th century after he had migrated from Italy<br />

to St Austell in Cornwall. In the early 20th Century the business<br />

used a horse and cart to distribute the ice cream around the<br />

coast, and today it has grown to incorporate shops as well as mobile<br />

vans. I guarantee that you won’t go far in Cornwall without<br />

being able to resist buying one.<br />

Another seaside treat with its origin in the 19th century is seaside<br />

rock. Its origins lie in raw sugar that children were given to<br />

suck. Reflecting the increase in trade, the price dropped in the<br />

Victorian era and it became easier to get hold of. e inventor of<br />

candy rock is reputed to be a man who went by the name of<br />

Dynamite Dick, who came up with the idea while on holiday in<br />

Blackpool, and started manufacturing brightly coloured lettered<br />

rock in 1887. A sugar rock craftsman is called a Sugar Boiler, and<br />

the skill can take up to 10 years to master. Rock is often up to six<br />

feet (183cm) long before it is cut.<br />

Did you know?<br />

Did you know?<br />

e slang term for a fish and chip shop is a ‘chippy’ or ‘chipper’.<br />

e slang term for a fish & chip shop is a ‘chippy’ or ‘chipper’.<br />

Places of interest<br />

Brighton Palace Pier<br />

Brighton Palace Pier has had a chequered history. It was opened<br />

to the public in 1899, was one of the last seaside piers of the<br />

Victorian age in England, and cost £137,000 to construct. It<br />

survived fire, storms and World War II bombing, and still stands<br />

today despite numerous name changes. It sports the same<br />

Victorian ironwork, and remains the location of the biggest<br />

funfair on the south coast (including the helter-skelter<br />

fairground ride).<br />

Did you you know?<br />

e e term ‘helter-skelter’ was was first first recorded in in October 1905, taking<br />

taking its name its name from from the much the much older older adverb adverb meaning meaning “in confused, “in confused,<br />

disorderly haste”. disorderly haste”.<br />

Broadstairs, Kent<br />

If you head to Broadstairs in Kent in the third week of <strong>June</strong> you<br />

may be lucky enough to encounter Queen Victoria herself promenading<br />

the boardwalk! To celebrate the great English writer<br />

Charles Dickens, who visited Broadstairs in Kent regularly from<br />

1837 until 1859 and immortalised the town as “Our English<br />

Watering Place,” the town has held an annual Dickens Festival in<br />

<strong>June</strong> since 1937. Members of the public put on their best corsets<br />

and parade the streets dressed as Victorians, while the town also<br />

hosts a local production of a Dickens play. e people of<br />

Broadstairs are clearly very proud of this connection. You’ll find a<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 5


Lyme Regis, Cobb<br />

pub, school and tearooms all named after Dickens. Atop the<br />

great hill overlooking the fabulously named Viking Bay stands<br />

Bleak House (recognise the name?), which is where Dickens<br />

stayed with his family, and where he wrote the classic ‘David<br />

Copperfield’. Good news for English literature fans: the house is<br />

still open as guest accommodation and you can even visit the<br />

study he used for his writing!<br />

Viking Bay remains a diverting holiday destination, with children’s<br />

rides, beach huts, Kent Surf School, a harbour and clifftop<br />

promenade. e pier, which Dickens referred to as “without<br />

the slightest pretensions to architecture, and very picturesque in<br />

consequence”, still stands today and adds old world charm to a<br />

seaside town that remains proud of its history.<br />

Did you know?<br />

Did you know?<br />

e Scottish novelist John Buchan began writing ‘e 39 Steps’<br />

while e staying Scottish in novelist Broadstairs. John Buchan He was bedridden began writing with ‘e a duodenal 39<br />

ulcer Steps’ and while needed staying to take in Broadstairs. his mind off He the was pain. bedridden e steps with leading a<br />

from duodenal villa to ulcer beach, and which needed give to the take book his mind its title off and the denouement,<br />

e steps are supposedly leading from based villa on to 78 beach, steps which at North give Foreland. the book‘e<br />

39 its Steps’ title and has been denouement, adapted for are film supposedly many times based (including on 78 steps by<br />

pain.<br />

Alfred at North Hitchcock) Foreland. and ‘e is also 39 Steps’ a long-running has been adapted stage play for infilm<br />

London’s<br />

many times<br />

West<br />

(including<br />

End.<br />

by Alfred Hitchcock) and is also a<br />

long-running stage play in London’s West End.<br />

Blue Lias Cliffs and Lyme Regis, Dorset<br />

If you have an interest in Jurassic fossils, girl power, or possibly<br />

both, then look no further than the coast of Dorset, where in the<br />

early 19th Century a young woman called Mary Anning (1799-<br />

1847) made significant leaps in the name of palaeontology.<br />

Anning is credited with challenging scientific preconceptions<br />

about evolution, despite being born a working-class woman at a<br />

time when wealthy gentlemen dominated science. She lived at a<br />

time when not much was known about dinosaurs and people believed<br />

in the biblical interpretation of the story of creation and<br />

of the flood. e spectacular marine reptiles that Mary unearthed<br />

shook the scientific community into looking at different<br />

explanations for changes in the natural world.<br />

England’s beaches are still bursting with fossils today, more<br />

than 160 years after the death of Mary Anning. e rocks in this<br />

area date predominantly from the Early Jurassic era, approximately<br />

199-189 million years ago.<br />

Fossil hunting remains a popular pastime for families. e best<br />

place to look for fossils is among the pebbles and rock pools on<br />

the foreshore. Loose fossils including ammonites, belemnites and<br />

reptile bones can all be found quite easily. Guided fossil walks<br />

are also led in the area if you want a helping hand.<br />

If you're interested in finding out more about Mary Anning, a<br />

number of her discoveries can be seen at e Natural History<br />

Museum in London.<br />

6 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


Bleak House, Broadstairs<br />

Osborne House, Isle of Wight<br />

Trivia<br />

e e tongue tongue twister twister “She “She sells sells sea-shells on on the the sea-shore” is reputed<br />

reputed to be to inspired have been by Mary inspired Anning. by Mary<br />

is<br />

Anning.<br />

Margate Shell Grotto<br />

Although not strictly Victorian, an oddity discovered at the<br />

dawn of Victoria’s reign is the Margate shell grotto, which became<br />

a popular destination for people visiting the seaside resort<br />

of Margate. First discovered by a father and son attempting to<br />

dig a duck pond, the grotto includes 70 feet of winding underground<br />

passages and 4.6 million shells. ese include cockles,<br />

whelks, mussels and oyster shells forming various patterns of<br />

mosaics, with images of the Tree of Life, gods and goddesses,<br />

the horns or a ram, a three-pointed star, as well as the sun and<br />

the moon.<br />

The Classic English<br />

Seaside Town<br />

The town of Seahouses in Northumberland was originally<br />

built as a fishing community comprising small cottages or<br />

‘seahouses’. With the coming of the railroad in the late 19th<br />

century, two stations were built to accommodate the<br />

booming fishing trade and the station at the end of the line<br />

by the sea became officially known as Seahouses.<br />

In 1838, the Grotto opened as a public attraction, and so it remains<br />

to this day. What was the purpose of this mysterious subterranean<br />

passageway? e question remains open but<br />

suggestions have included an 18th or 19th century rich man’s<br />

folly, a prehistoric astronomical calendar or even connections<br />

with the Knights Templar or Freemasonry. Or was it just a<br />

Victorian hoax? Carbon dating would prove expensive and has<br />

yet to be carried out, however there is an argument for leaving<br />

the mystery and letting visitors create their own stories for this<br />

amazing place.<br />

e shell grotto is open every day from March to October, and<br />

only at weekends in the winter.<br />

Osborne House, The Isle of Wight<br />

Even the real Queen Victoria was not immune to the pleasures<br />

of this newfound holiday pastime. Writing in her diary in 1846<br />

she remarked: “We drove down to the seashore and remained<br />

there for an hour playing with the children who were so happy.”<br />

Of course, it was not just any seashore just as Queen Victoria<br />

was no ordinary woman! Osborne House was Victoria’s country<br />

retreat on the Isle of Wight and had a private beach where the<br />

royal family could enjoy themselves away from the public gaze.<br />

is private beach, once so exclusive, was finally opened to the<br />

public in 2012. One of the many delights the public are now<br />

privy to includes Queen Victoria’s bathing machine. A bathing<br />

machine might seem a strange contraption to the post-1960s liberated<br />

bikini wearing folk of the 21st century, but back then it<br />

was the perfect solution to the impropriety of wearing bathing<br />

suits. e whole contraption was run into the sea so that<br />

The town’s fishing history means that you can easily find<br />

some of the best fish and chips at the seaside. One<br />

particular favourite is Neptune’s, serving traditional fish and<br />

chips and ice cream in the town centre.<br />

The town is centred on the harbour where boats take<br />

visitors to the Farne Islands, home to one of Europe’s most<br />

important bird sanctuaries as well as a massive seal colony. If<br />

you time your trip right you could catch the sight of baby<br />

seals being born.<br />

Brighton Palace Pier<br />

Slate Hall riding centre offers lessons, treks and horseback<br />

beach rides along Bamburgh and Seahouses beaches with<br />

views of the Farne Islands.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 7


Lyme Regis, Cobb<br />

Seaside Specifics<br />

The British coastline is more than 7,000 miles long.<br />

There are more than 200 beaches in the UK.<br />

There are approximately 900 donkeys working on British<br />

beaches.<br />

Weston-super-Mare has had donkey rides run by the same<br />

family since 1886.<br />

Dark donkeys are better for beach work because they are<br />

naturally protected from sunburn.<br />

The Coronation Rock holds the record for the biggest<br />

stick of rock. It weighed in at 424.5kg in 2000.<br />

King George V ordered 1,500 tons of sand to be taken<br />

from Essex and dumped onto a mud flat near the Tower of<br />

London to create Tower Beach. It could hold up to 500<br />

people and was usable for five hours at low tide. It was<br />

closed in 1971.<br />

There is technically no such thing as a seagull.<br />

There are 25 species of the gull family and the ones most<br />

familiar in the UK are herring gulls.<br />

A study by the British Psychological Society in 2012<br />

concluded that being by the seaside contributed the most<br />

to levels of wellbeing.<br />

Catherine Sykes works in the arts and is a lover of all things<br />

historic. You can reach her at catherinenicolesykes@gmail.com<br />

Victoria could enter in one side fully clothed and exit directly<br />

into the sea in her bathing suit without being seen. Inside is a<br />

changing room and a plumbed in toilet. When she had finished<br />

her dip, it was pulled back to the beach using a wire rope and<br />

winch. Non-royals also had access to bathing machines, which<br />

could be drawn by horses. Sometimes, the bathing machines<br />

would have what was known as a ‘dipper.’ A dipper was a person<br />

who waited at the shore to push people out of the bathing machine<br />

and into the sea, and then drag them back out when they<br />

were done.<br />

What did Queen Victoria think of this contraption? We have<br />

a quote from her diary that describes her feelings towards it:<br />

“Drove to the beach with my maids and went in the bathing<br />

machine, where I undressed and bathed in the sea (for the first<br />

time in my life)… I thought it delightful till I put my head<br />

under water, when I thought I should be stifled.”<br />

e Isle of Wight makes for an excellent seaside retreat to take<br />

the family to and is the largest and second most populated island<br />

in England. Osborne House is located in East Cowes. For<br />

any sailing enthusiasts, Cowes hosts an annual sailing week dating<br />

from 1826, which includes 40 daily races, up to 1,000<br />

boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world<br />

class professionals to weekend sailors.<br />

You can reach the island via hovercraft to Southsea, or there<br />

are ferry and catamaran services to Southampton, Lymington<br />

and Portsmouth. It’s an adventure in itself just getting there!<br />

Top Tip<br />

Top Tip<br />

Make sure to visit the town of Ryde, which has the world oldest<br />

seaside Make pleasure to visit pier. the e town pier of was Ryde, officially which opened has the on world 26 July<br />

1814 oldest and seaside measures pleasure 745 pier. yards e long pier (681 was metres). officially e opened pier’s on<br />

200th 26 July anniversary 1814 and was measures celebrated 745 yards in 2014. long (681 metres).<br />

e pier’s 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2014.<br />

8 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


British Etiquette<br />

e UK is an amazing country. I love it so much so that I married<br />

a Scotsman and settled down in a small city outside London. Now<br />

it feels like home, but it was daunting at first. Many expats will<br />

agree that moving to a new country can be very intimidating. I am<br />

from Los Angeles and though I speak the same language, there are<br />

many cultural subtleties that I did not understand at first. I experienced<br />

a steep learning curve that resulted in some hilarious encounters,<br />

but also some consequences.<br />

Every culture has rules of social engagement. e British however<br />

place even more importance than most on etiquette. Knowing the<br />

protocol here can mean the difference between acing or failing an<br />

interview, making lifelong friends or meeting special someone. “It<br />

is just good manners” is a popular phrase here, which is often uttered<br />

in derision about a person that has broken etiquette.<br />

As an expat who is now here to stay, I have compiled some advice<br />

to make the most of living here and to help you not make the same<br />

mistakes that I did! I would also recommend reading a copy of<br />

Debrett’s Handbook for more in-depth information. is book explains<br />

protocol, although some of the information is inapplicable<br />

to most (how to act when one meets the Queen for example), it<br />

nicely explains the finer points of British social etiquette.<br />

What to wear<br />

British fashion is, and always has been, conservatively chic.<br />

Classic cuts reign supreme, particularly in the workplace. Even<br />

in casual get-togethers, a polished look is important. In London,<br />

I showed up to work on ‘casual’ Friday in a t-shirt and torn<br />

jeans. My mentor looked at me and said: “It is always better to<br />

be mistaken for the queen than the pauper.” I cringed and made<br />

sure my casual Los Angeles clothes were relegated to the weekend.<br />

Always be well-groomed even if you are the most dressed<br />

up in the room.<br />

Greetings and conversation<br />

Over-familiarity is very frowned upon here in both conversation<br />

and physicality. A firm handshake when meeting someone is the<br />

ideal greeting. Kisses or hugs are reserved only for close friends.<br />

A typical hello is “How are you?” in which you reply, “Fine, and<br />

yourself?” Anything more said on your part will be very awkward.<br />

I used to explain my entire weekend before I realised<br />

that the person had no interest and was looking vaguely uncomfortable.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 9


Men<br />

Short-sleeved polo shirts are ideal casual wear,<br />

although a tailored t-shirt with a smart jacket does<br />

the trick too.<br />

Jeans or trousers should always fit neatly, avoid<br />

the very skinny ‘painted-on’ trend or the extra<br />

baggy look.<br />

Colourful socks or pocket squares are a fun way<br />

to jazz up a suit or monochromatic outfit.<br />

Shoes should always be in great repair, polished<br />

and/or cleaned.<br />

Typical early conversation topics include weather, recent television<br />

and sporting occasions, or the event you are attending. Steer<br />

clear of personal topics such as career, salary or marital status. It<br />

usually takes three to five times of meeting the same people before<br />

you can move on to more serious or personal topics.<br />

e words ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ will be those you use<br />

most here. is courteousness extends to people of all ages and<br />

stations. Omitting please or thank you for any services rendered<br />

is very uncouth. Sorry is said in many situations, such as before<br />

you ask for something, when you are taking too long at the till,<br />

even when someone bumps into you and it is not your fault.<br />

Interestingly, the word is not an apology for what you are<br />

doing, but more for the imposition on the other person’s time<br />

and/or space.<br />

Events and gifts<br />

Events here are always anticipated occasions and planned far in<br />

advance. Dinner parties or dining out are popular ways to spend<br />

time with friends and dining etiquette is crucial if you want to be<br />

invited again. Always make sure you have a small gift for the host<br />

or planner. Expensive or showy gifts can be a source of embarrassment<br />

so keep it small but thoughtful.<br />

If it is a celebratory event like a birthday or anniversary, the<br />

most important thing to remember is the card. Well-picked and<br />

handwritten cards are at times more important than the gift itself.<br />

ank you cards are essential in the UK, with etiquette dictating<br />

that a card should be sent within the week of receiving a<br />

gift or service. e holiday season is renowned for the card tradition<br />

and it is an important time to show your caring for others.<br />

My in-laws sent and received more than 100 Christmas cards,<br />

and took people off their list when they didn’t receive one in<br />

turn.<br />

Women<br />

Very tight clothing, visible cleavage or a lot of leg<br />

is a no-no.<br />

Dresses should always be tailored. To the knee or<br />

below are de rigeur.<br />

Stylish flats or mid-rise court shoes are the best<br />

options for shoes.<br />

For weddings, cocktail dresses are a safe choice.<br />

Make sure to wear a head dress such as a hat or<br />

fascinator.<br />

10 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


e most important advice I can give is to take risks and put<br />

yourself out there. It can be uncomfortable starting over in a new<br />

and foreign place but if you invest in learning about the culture<br />

and making friends from the UK, you will find the warm undercurrent<br />

that is British friendships. I find that once the reserved<br />

and pleasantries stage is past, friends here are made for life. Don’t<br />

stick to what you are comfortable with. You may make one mistake<br />

or 50, but you will be richer for the experience and will really<br />

see what an amazing place it is.<br />

A special thank you goes to the local and expat ladies of St Albans<br />

Mum’s Facebook group for helping me discuss these points in detail.<br />

Tara Clarkson studied and worked for four years in London and<br />

has recently returned after spending some time in Singapore.<br />

She is from California, married to a Scotsman and is now<br />

enjoying motherhood with an active toddler who has adopted<br />

a Scottish accent.<br />

Let Greycoat Lumleys<br />

find the very best staff<br />

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and your family<br />

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Don’t forget to mention Focus for 10% discount on our fees<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 11


Tennis Fever<br />

It happens every year. The days get longer. Supermarkets start stocking strawberries and cream. Pimms-filled glasses and<br />

Wimbledon posters are the final symptoms of British tennis fever! Fear not, in case you’ve caught the tennis bug, too; here are<br />

some ideas for finding tennis courts, players of your standard to play with, places to get some kit, and ways to get closer to<br />

that centre court ticket.<br />

Find players<br />

Pay and Play Public Clubs<br />

Most public tennis clubs offer group lessons,<br />

with a combination of women’s only, men’s<br />

only, and mixed drills sessions at various levels.<br />

Cardio tennis with its fast-paced tennis drills<br />

and music is also a popular option.<br />

Women’s Clubs<br />

Kensington and Chelsea Women’s Club and<br />

the St. John’s Wood Women’s Club are<br />

examples of social women’s clubs, which run<br />

two hours of coach-assisted social doubles a<br />

couple of times a week.<br />

Private Club Coaches<br />

Private lessons cost a coaching fee and<br />

sometimes a court fee too. You can save on<br />

costs by buddying up. Ask your coach to<br />

suggest a partner of a similar standard.<br />

Find fans<br />

The official Wimbledon website will explain what you need to do to<br />

enter the Wimbledon Public Ballot (1 per household), introduced in<br />

1924. Held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, this year,<br />

Wimbledon runs from 3-16 July.<br />

Another way to get tickets is to enter your club’s ballot and opt in<br />

on the LTA website. Note that public and club ballots do not<br />

guarantee tickets. Deadlines for ballots are in December and<br />

February before the grand slam.<br />

If you have unfortunately missed both deadlines you can still go to<br />

Wimbledon by having that truly British experience of queuing for<br />

tickets. Queuing begins the Sunday before the start of the grand<br />

slam where some 500 tickets for the four stadium courts and a<br />

few thousand more for ground admissions go on sale every day<br />

until the quarter-finals. Queuing is on Wimbledon Park on the<br />

Church Road side. Closest tube station: Southfields. Camping out<br />

from the night before is a sporting event in itself, but you can also<br />

queue on the day.<br />

Local Tennis Leagues and Box<br />

League Services<br />

In the Play section on the LTA website<br />

www.lta.org.uk/play you can book into play in<br />

local tennis leagues, training sessions, and<br />

social Tuesdays with players of your standard.<br />

Local Tennis Leagues<br />

www.localtennisleagues.com and Tennis Jeanie<br />

www.tennisjeannie.com are two other box<br />

league services that provide opportunities for<br />

groups.<br />

12 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


For racquets<br />

The easiest place to demo racquets for Londoners is Wigmore<br />

Sports. The closest tube station is Bond Street. Wigmore has<br />

a wall to hit against or you can demo the racquet for a week<br />

plus. Purchase your racquets there and you get a discount on<br />

a strung racquet.<br />

Online options such as Millet Sports also offer demos and tend<br />

to be cheaper. Clubs usually offer a limited range of tennis<br />

wear, shoes and other kit as well as stringing services. Gefen<br />

Sports has certified stringers and specialises in stringing<br />

racquets.<br />

Find courts<br />

Public Courts<br />

To understand the true meaning of all-weather<br />

courts, it’s imperative you try a game outside in<br />

Britain. Outdoor options are available in nearly any<br />

park. Look them up on your local council park’s<br />

website or on the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA)<br />

website www.lta.org.uk under Find a court. For some<br />

popular park courts in central London try:<br />

Regents Park www.willtowin.co.uk/regents-park<br />

Hyde Park www.willtowin.co.uk/hyde-park<br />

Battersea Park batterseapark.org/info/what-todo/sports/tennis/<br />

Indoor pay and play courts in London are precious.<br />

Here are some where you can make advance<br />

bookings.<br />

Westway Sports & Fitness Centre<br />

www.everyoneactive.com/activity/tennis/<br />

Islington Tennis Centre<br />

www.better.org.uk/leisure/islingtontc#<br />

Dukes Meadows www.dukesmeadows.com/tennis/<br />

Private Clubs<br />

Wimby secrets<br />

Grounds admissions are £25 and less; Centre Court and<br />

Courts 1, 2, and 3 range from £41 to £190. A well-kept<br />

Wimbledon secret is that once inside the grounds, you can<br />

buy great resale seats from tired spectators from 15.30<br />

onwards. Juniors with a BTM can even purchase them for a<br />

fiver! If you aren’t able to get tickets to Wimbledon this year<br />

you can still watch other professional tennis events in Britain.<br />

Take a look at the Major Events section on the LTA website,<br />

where you can try for seats at the Aegon Championships at<br />

the Queen’s Club 19-25 <strong>June</strong> where you can see many of the<br />

greats warm up for Wimbledon in a more intimate setting!<br />

Private tennis clubs in London require an annual fee<br />

and sometimes a joining fee or a debenture. They<br />

are high-end pricewise and range in waiting times.<br />

Three popular tennis clubs in central London with<br />

indoor courts are:<br />

Ealing Lawn Tennis Club www.ealingtennis.com<br />

Campden Hill Lawn Tennis Club www.chltc.co.uk<br />

The Queen’s Club www.queensclub.co.uk<br />

Health Clubs with Indoor Tennis<br />

These offer a pricey but an interesting alternative<br />

with shorter waiting periods. A few health clubs with<br />

gym facilities in London are:<br />

The Chiswick Riverside Health & Racquets Club<br />

www.virginactive.co.uk/microsites/chiswick-riverside<br />

Harbour Club Chelsea & Notting Hill<br />

www.harbourclub.com/chelsea-club<br />

David Lloyd Club Raynes Park<br />

www.davidlloyd.co.uk/club-finder/raynes-park<br />

The Park Club www.theparkclub.co.uk/tennis<br />

Haru Yamada, is a long-term expat and tennis enthusiast with<br />

two kids playing NCAA Division I sports in US colleges. Haru loves<br />

the idea of continuing to play a favourite sport into higher<br />

education and beyond! She can be reached at<br />

yamadaharu@gmail.com<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 13


ARTS & CULTURE<br />

Books Bring People Together<br />

Hay on Wye Literary Festival 25 <strong>May</strong> – 4 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

For nine days in <strong>May</strong> and <strong>June</strong> thousands of people will join some of the most influential writers and thinkers across<br />

the arts, politics and science in a tiny town in Wales. The Hay on Wye Literary Festival, or “the Woodstock of the<br />

mind” as former US President Bill Clinton famously dubbed it, started 30 years ago as an annual celebration of culture<br />

and ideas in the picture-perfect town of Hay on Wye on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Legend has it that the<br />

festival was started around the kitchen table of founder Peter Florence in 1987 and is now a global event with satellite<br />

festivals taking place in locations as far-flung as Cartagena and Segovia. It is fair to say that the events at Hay dominate<br />

culture headlines in <strong>May</strong> and <strong>June</strong> every year because there are always provocative and challenging ideas<br />

emerging from the talks. Past speakers include novelist Margaret Atwood, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, film director<br />

Sam Mendes, actress Judi Dench, Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and Nobel Laureate Mohammed El-Baradei.<br />

14 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


ARTS & CULTURE<br />

Casper Lee and Emily Riordan Lee, Hay 2016<br />

The Festival<br />

Morning sessions start around 10am and the<br />

first talks of the day are usually popular ones.<br />

The main tent serves as a meeting point and<br />

is a real hive of activity with everyone getting<br />

coffee and picking up tickets from the main<br />

box office. Entry to the main festival site is<br />

free as are some events, but many are<br />

ticketed. Advance booking for most events is<br />

important but some tickets, if available, can<br />

be bought right up to the moment the talk<br />

starts. Prices are reasonable and there is<br />

always a good mix of locals and those from<br />

further afield. Students can attend all events<br />

for free, but must book in advance. Talks<br />

range from 40 minutes to about an hour,<br />

often with Q&A sessions, after which people<br />

usually head to the main bookshop tent for<br />

that author’s book signing. Every hour the<br />

talks rotate with people dashing between<br />

tents to get to the next event; don’t be<br />

surprised if at the end of the day you have<br />

made new acquaintances. The only queues<br />

are when waiting to get into an event tent<br />

and even those move fast. The children’s<br />

festival, Hay Fever, with a full programme of<br />

authors and activities, runs on site at the<br />

same time.<br />

One of the festival’s big draws is the<br />

second-hand book tent run by Oxfam. The<br />

shelves are constantly replenished and the<br />

sight of people leaving with armloads of<br />

books is a familiar one. Around the festival<br />

site are deck chairs where between talks<br />

people eagerly dive into their new books and<br />

you will find plenty of refreshments including<br />

bars and pop up restaurants. Some of the<br />

talks finish quite late and musical events tend<br />

to be in the evening, but by about 10pm the<br />

festival is usually wound down and guests<br />

have headed out. The site never feels<br />

swamped or overcrowded, despite thousands<br />

of people descending on the festival every<br />

year.<br />

The town<br />

Hay on Wye is situated on the Welsh-English<br />

border with the River Wye running through it.<br />

Unsurprisingly, it is full of second hand books<br />

stores as well as pubs and restaurants<br />

offering everything from traditional pub<br />

lunches to Spanish tapas. Outdoor clothing<br />

stores are plentiful too because Hay is located<br />

within the Black Mountains and hikers,<br />

mountain bikers, canoers and kayakers<br />

abound. The town has a very warm welcoming<br />

atmosphere during the festival when the world<br />

comes to its doorstep.<br />

Getting there<br />

It is easy to visit the festival by car if you are<br />

not staying in the town of Hay. Poor public<br />

transport links combined with very affordable<br />

parking rates make going by car a better<br />

Hay dominates the headlines<br />

every year because there are<br />

always provocative and<br />

challenging ideas emerging<br />

from the talks.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 15


option. The journey from London on the M4 towards<br />

Abergavenny takes approximately 3.5 hours. At the festival<br />

there is plenty of public car parking priced at approximately<br />

£5 a day. There are no direct trains to Hay on Wye. Instead<br />

visitors travel to Hereford. Hay on Wye is a 20-minute taxi<br />

ride away. Trains from London take about 4 hours. Local<br />

shuttle buses operate from the centre of Hay on Wye to<br />

the festival site. Be prepared for mud if it rains because all<br />

parking and the festival itself is in a field. The weather,<br />

while warm, is changeable so pack accordingly<br />

remembering that you’ll be spending the day in a field. The<br />

flexibility of the schedule of speakers, the ease of parking<br />

and leaving, and the fact that there is no entry fee allows<br />

people to come and go throughout the day.<br />

Places to stay<br />

There is a great variety of places to stay during the festival<br />

from stately homes to humble but hip B&Bs, and<br />

campsites with yurts for the more adventurous. Booking<br />

early is essential and be prepared to not stay in Hay itself.<br />

Brecon, a lively market town, is 16 miles away from Hay on<br />

Wye and takes approximately 20 minutes by car to reach.<br />

Here festival-goers can find a variety accommodation to<br />

suit all tastes and budgets.<br />

Llangoed Hall, an Edwardian former stately home, is<br />

located on the outskirts of Brecon, approximately a 15-<br />

minute drive from the centre of Hay. The house is owned<br />

by Sir Bernard Ashley and is decorated with furnishings<br />

from his designer wife Laura Ashley in traditional English<br />

style. In <strong>May</strong>, the house is full of festivalgoers and can<br />

accommodate late bookers because of its size. Hugh<br />

Bonneville, better known as Downtown Abbey’s Earl of<br />

Grantham, was spotted staying there when speaking at Hay<br />

in 2014.<br />

On the other end of the price scale there is the Wellington<br />

Hotel in the centre of Brecon. The Wellington is a small<br />

hotel with its own pub dating back to the early 1800s. It has<br />

reasonably priced, no frills en-suite rooms, a pay-anddisplay<br />

public car park attached and provides a good base<br />

for festival goers.<br />

Westbrook Court B&B is a bit of a hidden gem and ideal<br />

for festival goers looking for a balance between a well-run<br />

B&B and a hip, individual space. The B&B is run by a<br />

couple from London who have brought a little slice of<br />

metropolitan minimalism to a cosy country retreat with<br />

stunning views over the rolling hills. Festival goers share<br />

stories and compare itineraries over the friendly, communal<br />

breakfast table. The rooms are individual units with galleried<br />

bedrooms and front doors opening out onto a communal<br />

courtyard. For further information go to:<br />

www.hayfestival.com<br />

Gary Griffiths is a bibliophile and regular visitor<br />

to the Hay Festival<br />

Westbrook Court<br />

16 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


EDUCATION<br />

Learning innovation through technology<br />

London offers some amazing schools and<br />

as a result, we have kids getting great scores<br />

in their GCSEs, A levels, IBs, SATs and<br />

more. ey are usually ready, at the end of<br />

their secondary school, to move on to university<br />

here in the UK or wherever they<br />

may want to pursue higher education but<br />

are they ready for the world that they are<br />

going to inhabit?<br />

We typically teach our children to pass<br />

tests, prepare for university, and get good<br />

scores, but that’s not enough for them to<br />

be successful in a rapidly changing world.<br />

We know from our own work (and home)<br />

lives what kinds of skills are really important<br />

– adaptability, resilience, problem<br />

solving, and communication. Adaptability<br />

because things are changing rapidly and no<br />

sooner do you get a grip on things than<br />

they change; resilience because we can<br />

choose to see ‘failures’ as opportunities to<br />

iterate and improve; problem solving because<br />

putting together solutions is where<br />

we create value; and communication because<br />

no matter how bright you are or how<br />

good your solution is, it won’t be valuable<br />

if you can’t communicate it well to others!<br />

Beyond these ‘soft’ skills, our young people<br />

will need to use information and technology.<br />

Coding and making or inventing gadgets,<br />

are great ways for students to get all of<br />

these skills. Learning basic programming<br />

helps young people break down problems<br />

and solve them systematically – it’s a skill<br />

that serves them offline as well as online.<br />

Tinkering and creating digital and physical<br />

projects lets them design, iterate, and<br />

problem solve. Children take creative and<br />

intellectual risks, and they can be proud of<br />

the original products that they create. ey<br />

can also hone their communication skills<br />

inside their games and apps, or through<br />

pitches showing off their wares.<br />

Programming is now on the national<br />

curriculum so all children in British education<br />

are getting some exposure. Some international<br />

schools have strong tech<br />

programmes, with Python programming<br />

courses, a Maker space, a Robotics league,<br />

and more. ere are also a number of<br />

groups that offer camps and courses during<br />

school holidays and at weekends with a<br />

focus on creativity and the development of<br />

a supportive and engaging community.<br />

ere’s never been a better time to learn<br />

programming, create gadgets, or build<br />

your own website. It’s a golden age of tech<br />

and learning, with lots of accessible tools<br />

and platforms. Plus, with another article in<br />

the paper each day on the automation of<br />

the economy, there’s never been a more<br />

critical time to learn these skills.<br />

Your children can build up their soft<br />

skills and be prepared for a world where<br />

change is the only certainty. Added to this,<br />

becoming confident digital creators will<br />

allow them to make their own opportunities<br />

in the future. Code on!<br />

Learning basic<br />

programming helps young<br />

people break down<br />

problems and solve them<br />

systematically.<br />

Jill Hodges is the Founder of Fire Tech<br />

Camp, which runs camps, clubs and<br />

workshops for 9-17 year olds in coding,<br />

making and digital arts. For more<br />

information, please contact Jill<br />

on info@firetechcamp.com or see the<br />

website: www.firetechcamp.com<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 17


FOOD & DRINK<br />

A history of street food<br />

Emma Parker<br />

I would like to take you on a tour of<br />

London’s food through the ages. We will<br />

start at the oldest market in London,<br />

Borough and end at one of the newest,<br />

Maltby Street. We often think of street<br />

food as a modern phenomenon created<br />

at music festivals where hipsters buy buffalo<br />

burgers and posh sausages. We can<br />

however trace its history back to the<br />

Romans and their street sellers, also<br />

known as costermongers.<br />

It is at London’s markets that you can<br />

enjoy one of the oldest street foods –<br />

oysters. Oysters occur naturally in the estuaries<br />

around England, but it was the<br />

Romans who created the oyster beds and<br />

introduced us to this delicacy. Some of the<br />

best oysters in the UK come from a small<br />

island off the coast of Essex called Mersea.<br />

The Romans had their capital at<br />

Colchester at this time and so set up the<br />

oyster beds nearby. I consider this to be<br />

Borough Market is the mother of all<br />

food markets. Oysterman Richard<br />

Haward brings the delights of the<br />

Essex coast to London where he<br />

sells oysters from Mersea Island.<br />

If you can’t carry them home, they<br />

can also be delivered to you.<br />

an almost perfect street food – it comes<br />

in its own natural container; you open it<br />

with a sharp stone or knife and then it has<br />

its own half shell as a little dish in which to<br />

serve it!<br />

Street sellers were vital in supplying food<br />

to Londoners. They became particularly<br />

important as the population of London<br />

grew exponentially in the 19th century. It<br />

is estimated that there were 30,000-<br />

40,000 street sellers including muffin men,<br />

pie men, shrimp girls, and oyster sellers<br />

feeding London at this time.<br />

If you happen to stand on the corner of<br />

Stoney Street and Park Street, look up at<br />

Borough Market building.The silver building<br />

in front of you has some interesting<br />

pineapples on its roof. This building used<br />

to be part of the old Floral Hall, which<br />

was in the old fruit and vegetable market<br />

in Covent Garden. When the Covent<br />

Garden Opera House was refurbished in<br />

the 1990s, they moved part of the hall to<br />

Borough Market. When pineapples were<br />

first introduced into England in the 17th<br />

century, they were considered the caviar<br />

of their day and they became a status<br />

symbol.<br />

As you wander through Borough Market<br />

and onto London Bridge, you can appreciate<br />

that this was one of London’s main<br />

thoroughfares. In fact, for nearly 17 centuries<br />

it was the only way over the river<br />

18 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


FOOD & DRINK<br />

“ Costermongers were a lifeline to London and provided Londoners<br />

with much of their food over the years.”<br />

The George Inn is a great place to<br />

stop for a well-earned drink.<br />

www.george-southwark.co.uk<br />

and into the City of London. Imagine this<br />

area filled with people trying to get across<br />

the bridge, fighting their way through the<br />

crowds of other travellers and costermongers<br />

selling their wares. London Bridge<br />

was locked at night, which meant people<br />

often needed accommodation. This area<br />

became filled with inns and pubs serving<br />

those who dared not go back out of<br />

London because of the risk of thieves and<br />

robbers that lay along the dark sections of<br />

road.<br />

Walk south down Borough High Street<br />

and you will notice that there are many little<br />

yards truncating the main road. These<br />

yards, including Kings Head Yard and<br />

White Hart Yard, were once the site of<br />

inns. In fact, the pubs and inns in this area<br />

were very important in serving weary<br />

travellers. The George Inn is London’s only<br />

remaining galleried inn in an area that<br />

would have been filled with places to stay,<br />

rest and eat. The George Inn dates from<br />

1677, but there has been an inn on the<br />

same site since at least 1522. The original<br />

building was big, taking 80 coaches per<br />

week in its heyday. Shakespeare knew the<br />

inn well and would have put on plays here<br />

in the courtyard. The inn would have<br />

formed a three-sided building with balconies<br />

on each side creating an internal<br />

yard. The yard was perfect for performing<br />

plays especially on Feast Days, Christmas<br />

and Easter. The rich would look down<br />

from the balconies and the poor would<br />

gather in the courtyard around the action.<br />

The noise from the street sellers and the<br />

drunken crowd would have meant that<br />

the people in the balconies probably<br />

missed much of the action.<br />

Costermongers would have brought<br />

around such delights as hot sheep’s feet,<br />

hot codlings (apples wrapped in pastry),<br />

pies, shrimps, whelks and hot eels.<br />

The next stop is Maltby Street, which is<br />

about 15-minute walk away from Borough<br />

Market. Walking along St Thomas Street,<br />

you will see the extent of the new<br />

London Bridge station and also be amazed<br />

at the height of The Shard. As you near<br />

Bermondsey Street, you might notice<br />

Vinegar Yard; this is a nod to the nearby<br />

Sarsons’s vinegar factory, which would<br />

Maltby Street Market is open<br />

Saturdays and Sundays. See<br />

www.maltby.st for details.<br />

40 Maltby Street is a delightful and<br />

relaxed eatery for those who prefer<br />

to dine inside.<br />

www.40maltbystreet.com<br />

have spewed acrid fumes into the air. As<br />

you walk around the corner into<br />

Bermondsey Street, enjoy the variety of<br />

wonderful places to eat and drink and<br />

maybe stop a while at The Fashion &<br />

Textile Museum. Again, keep an eye out<br />

for the building and road names, which remind<br />

us that this area was also filled with<br />

tanneries and wool weavers.<br />

As we cross Tower Bridge Road and walk<br />

along Maltby Street Market, it is difficult to<br />

believe that this market was only founded<br />

in 2010. It offers plenty of places to sit and<br />

have some food, a drink and the opportunity<br />

to watch the local action. The food<br />

available is eclectic among which are juicy<br />

steak sandwiches, delicious falafel, and waffles<br />

with streaky bacon and maple syrup.<br />

The rise of modern street food is a phenomenon<br />

that doesn’t look like ending<br />

any time soon. Currently, London has the<br />

largest number of markets of any city in<br />

the world and has clearly remained in love<br />

with quirky market stalls and street food<br />

vendors.<br />

Emma Parker<br />

Emma Parker creates and leads a series of tours of London including The Secret History of Street Food and East End Eats,<br />

www.coutours.co.uk. Contact Emma on 0208 6345667 or Emma@coutours.co.uk.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 19


Technology helps children find their voice<br />

Within a classroom there can be a<br />

wide range of student dynamics and<br />

personalities. Every one of these<br />

students is unique, each with their own<br />

approaches to learning. More often<br />

than not, there will be students<br />

perceived as quiet or shy; but does this<br />

mean their voices should not be heard?<br />

Technology can provide students with<br />

opportunities to express their ideas in<br />

various ways. From writing reflections<br />

on a blog, to recording a stop motion<br />

video to demonstrate a scientific<br />

concept, technology opens up a world<br />

of opportunities for supporting student<br />

learning. Some students might prefer<br />

the sequential nature of posting on a<br />

blog, while other students might prefer<br />

to express their ideas through a more<br />

hands on, creative process like stop<br />

motion.<br />

Over recent years screencasting tools<br />

have become a popular addition to the<br />

classroom. A screencast tool such as<br />

Screencastify or Explain Everything,<br />

allows students to capture a recording<br />

of their computer or tablet screen. As<br />

the child records the screencast they<br />

can also give a narration of their<br />

actions. This type of tool might be used<br />

to demonstrate a set of student<br />

instructions or to reflect on elements<br />

of their online work.<br />

Students who lack confidence in<br />

speaking in front of others can use<br />

screencasting tools to rehearse, record<br />

and playback their ideas. By allowing<br />

extra time, teachers can encourage<br />

students to reflect on their video and<br />

re-record if necessary, reassuring that<br />

mistakes are part of the process. This<br />

removes the pressure of public<br />

speaking and allows student voices to<br />

be heard.<br />

Sharing learning and taking action<br />

With inquiry-based learning, a popular<br />

approach to education, teaching is<br />

based on students’ individual knowledge<br />

and interests. Throughout the inquiry,<br />

students are encouraged to ask<br />

questions that help to guide the<br />

learning. Kath Murdoch, author and<br />

educational consultant explains that “as<br />

students move through the process of<br />

inquiry, they can draw on several ways<br />

of investigating and expressing their<br />

growing understandings”.<br />

The multifaceted nature of technology<br />

provides an excellent support for the<br />

expression of these growing<br />

understandings. Throughout the inquiry<br />

process, students can use various<br />

technologies to share their learning. As<br />

Timothy Gard, a Toronto based<br />

educator maintains: “technology is a<br />

natural way to encourage student voice<br />

in classroom and school communities.”<br />

To provide greater opportunities for<br />

sharing student voices through inquiry,<br />

Dwight School London has recently<br />

established its own school-based radio<br />

station. Dwight Radio promotes the<br />

development of speaking and listening<br />

skills and gives students the opportunity<br />

to share their learning with others. The<br />

students are involved in all stages of the<br />

process: from recording and using<br />

professional radio equipment, to the<br />

editing of radio programmes.<br />

Although Dwight Radio is in its early<br />

stages, it has already been used to<br />

promote student action. Leading up to<br />

a recent school community fair,<br />

students in Year 6 created radio<br />

advertisements to promote the<br />

handmade goods being sold at their<br />

class stall. Through teamwork and<br />

enthusiasm, the students used the radio<br />

to communicate their ideas effectively<br />

to a wider audience. These student<br />

advertisements were then shared<br />

through the school newsletter to<br />

parents and streamed through the<br />

programme.<br />

Another benefit of school radio has<br />

20 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


“ Through teamwork and enthusiasm, the students used the radio to<br />

communicate their ideas effectively to a wider audience.”<br />

been the support it provides for<br />

building student confidence in speaking<br />

and listening. During a recording session<br />

with Year 1 students, a young boy, who<br />

was not willing to speak in front of a big<br />

group, decided to come along and<br />

watch the radio recording process. In<br />

the beginning he watched and listened<br />

from afar, then gradually, as he felt more<br />

comfortable, he came closer and closer<br />

to the microphones. By the end of the<br />

session he had the headphones on, and<br />

recorded an introduction for the group.<br />

What a delight it was to see the child<br />

grow in confidence as he operated the<br />

equipment to share his thoughts!<br />

Technology enabled this.<br />

Learning a new language, a<br />

new culture<br />

Arriving in a new country, a new home<br />

and a new school can be difficult<br />

enough, but when this experience<br />

includes learning a new language, stress<br />

levels can be very high. Children often<br />

feel frustrated in not being able to<br />

communicate and need extra support<br />

to settle in with their peers. This is<br />

where technology can play an<br />

important role.<br />

Not only can devices be used as a<br />

method of language translation, which<br />

admittedly does prove very helpful to<br />

students learning English as a second<br />

language, but technology can also be<br />

used as an avenue to build relationships<br />

with peers.<br />

An example of this occurred at the<br />

beginning of the year when a class<br />

welcomed a new student who spoke<br />

very little English. Frustrations for this<br />

student were soon quickly apparent<br />

because he found communicating<br />

difficult. In an effort to foster the<br />

building of peer relationships, the<br />

students were asked to pair up and<br />

share their shortcut tips on a<br />

Chromebook with each other. Rather<br />

than having to rely on explaining his<br />

ideas, the new student was able to<br />

demonstrate his tips to his peers with<br />

great enthusiasm. Technology had<br />

provided a common language for these<br />

two students and facilitated the<br />

foundation of their ongoing friendship.<br />

Supporting students’ needs<br />

For children with special educational<br />

needs or disabilities, technology can<br />

help them to access the curriculum.<br />

Students with learning disabilities often<br />

achieve greater success when they are<br />

encouraged to harness their strengths<br />

rather than focus on their disabilities.<br />

Often technology can assist with this<br />

process.<br />

In particular, dictation and text-tospeech<br />

tools are very useful for<br />

students who need assistance to read<br />

or write. Students can use a dictation<br />

app to assist with recording ideas, and<br />

text-to-speech tools come in very<br />

handy when support is needed to read<br />

a body of text. There are many apps on<br />

the market that focus solely on each of<br />

these two functions, but you’ll also find<br />

that on closer inspection many<br />

educational apps already include these<br />

features.<br />

Essentially, technology is the Swiss Army<br />

knife of education. With careful planning<br />

and balanced use, the versatility of<br />

technology can be such an asset to<br />

today's classroom. Using it to deliver<br />

personalised learning experiences,<br />

teachers can now, more than ever,<br />

ensure that every student finds their<br />

voice.<br />

Nicole Rehman is a Digital Literacy<br />

Coach and Year 5 teacher at Dwight<br />

School London. She is a Google for<br />

Education Certified Trainer and can be<br />

contacted<br />

at nrehman@dwightlondon.org and<br />

www.dwightlondon.org.<br />

All images on this page courtesy of Nicole Rehman<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 21


FINANCE & LAW<br />

Living as a dependant in the UK<br />

UK immigration law has its complexities, but the rules for dependants can be particularly challenging. Najma Ali explains the<br />

visas that enable people to stay in the UK as dependants. By the term ‘dependant’ we typically mean the partners and children<br />

of the main visa holder. These dependants have specific rules that relate to them and in this article we will deal with three of the<br />

most common scenarios being PBS dependants, non-EEA family members of EEA nationals and the dependants of British<br />

citizens.<br />

Points-based dependant<br />

This visa is usually issued to dependants for the same period as<br />

the main applicant, or for a period of three years if the main applicant<br />

has Indefinite Leave to Remain or British nationality.<br />

To apply for extensions, the dependant must prove they continue<br />

to rely on the main applicant, who themselves continues<br />

to meet the minimum maintenance requirement of £630 for<br />

the three-month period before the extension application date.<br />

Points-based dependants usually have the right to work, unless<br />

they depend on a Tier 4 migrant who has less than 12-months<br />

Fort Augustus<br />

leave, or is educated below degree level.<br />

If a person ceases to be a dependant, they can apply for a different<br />

visa if they meet the necessary requirements.<br />

Non-EEA family member<br />

Currently, the principle of free movement within the European<br />

Economic Area (EEA) allows non-EEA dependants to reside<br />

with EEA family members for a period of six months, after<br />

which they can apply for a five-year visa. Following this, the dependant<br />

can apply for permanent residency if they meet the<br />

necessary requirements, and can prove they have lived permanently<br />

in the UK without travelling abroad for more than 180<br />

days per year.<br />

22 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


FINANCE & LAW<br />

If the relationship ends during the five-year period, the dependant<br />

can make a retained rights of residence application if:<br />

n The main applicant is still a UK resident and has qualified status<br />

at the time the relationship<br />

Fort William<br />

ended.<br />

n The relationship lasted at least three years.<br />

n The couple lived together in the UK for at least one year<br />

before the relationship ended.<br />

Dependant of a British national<br />

Dependants of British nationals are usually granted a visa for 2.5<br />

years, and extensions will only be granted if they:<br />

n Remain in a current relationship.<br />

n Have access to adequate accommodation.<br />

n Meet a Level A2 CEFR English language requirement, which<br />

is higher than the Level A1 requirement of an initial<br />

application.<br />

Kytre Loch<br />

n Are dependent on someone who meets the minimum income<br />

requirement, currently £18,600.<br />

Unfortunately, if the relationship ends then the dependant loses<br />

their right to remain in the UK, but they have the right to apply<br />

for a different visa if they meet the necessary requirements.<br />

Najma Ali is an immigration lawyer, who can be contacted on<br />

020 7183 5683 or at najma.ali@salaw.com<br />

Are you looking for a different kind of education for your child? -<br />

Dwight offers an international education in London!<br />

Dwight Global Campuses and Programmes: London | New York | Seoul | Shanghai | Dubai<br />

Dwight is an IB World School with students aged 2-18 from over 40 countries.<br />

Dwight is truly a local school with a global reach preparing students for entry in to<br />

leading universities in the UK and abroad.<br />

For details of our International Baccalaureate Programmes<br />

for students of all ages contact:<br />

admissions@dwightlondon.org or 020 8920 0634<br />

6 Friern Barnet Lane N11 3LX | www.dwightlondon.org<br />

Scan here to read the Good Schools Guide review<br />

Dwight School London has Tier 4 Sponsor Status.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 23


CAREERS<br />

How to stay<br />

current during<br />

a career break<br />

People take career breaks for a multitude of reasons – caring for elderly<br />

parents, starting a business, relocating with a partner, and raising<br />

a family. Whatever the reason and the duration of their career<br />

break, most people will return to the workforce. In this article, we<br />

will show how a little regular career maintenance can make your reentry<br />

easier – and might just have some other unexpected benefits.<br />

When you are on a career break, and life is busy, staying up-to-date<br />

with your career can seem like the very last thing on your neverending<br />

‘to do’ list. e good news however is that some minimal effort,<br />

even if only in two or three quick bursts a year, will make a big<br />

difference when you are ready to return to work.<br />

Why can’t I do this just before I return to work?<br />

e truth is that you could get back up-to-date just before you<br />

begin to look for your next role. You could read up on your industry,<br />

madly network with former colleagues, and overhaul your CV<br />

all in a matter of days. ere are however a few downsides to doing<br />

this as a rush job. First, it could make it clear to everyone that you<br />

have been on a career break. Secondly, it is usually more time-consuming<br />

to reconnect with people than it is to re-energise warm contacts<br />

in your network. Finally, it could seem just a bit desperate<br />

(“Let’s connect on LinkedIn and can you please endorse me now!”).<br />

ere are surprising benefits of staying up-to-date, and they are not<br />

just for your career!<br />

When a career break has coincided with a major life event such as<br />

having children or moving abroad, we can very quickly forget who<br />

we were when working. is forgetting of the ‘work’ self can happen<br />

very quickly, sometimes over mere months.<br />

For many people I coach, remembering their ‘work’ self can help to<br />

boost their confidence. Seeing ourselves through the eyes of our<br />

favourite manager who has just endorsed us on LinkedIn, or a former<br />

colleague who compliments our technical skills, can remind us<br />

how great our ‘work’ self is. Being able to contribute to discussions<br />

on a business-related topic in a social setting can bring us the respect<br />

of our partners, friends and even our children.<br />

For many people, then comes the realisation that they can go<br />

back to work: this career break is voluntary. ey will be ready<br />

and confident, to return to work when the time is right. It can<br />

also, of course, lead to interesting roles that fit within a career<br />

break such as voluntary and trustee positions.<br />

But I want to change careers, isn’t this a<br />

waste of time?<br />

Not everyone wishes to, or can return to their previous career.<br />

Many people take the opportunity presented by a career break<br />

to review their options and move into a new career or take up a<br />

voluntary position.<br />

So, is this investment in a career you are leaving not simply a<br />

waste of time? e short answer, supported by comprehensive<br />

research, is ‘No’.<br />

Here are three reasons why it pays to stay current, regardless of<br />

your intended next role:<br />

1. Your next job is statistically most likely to be found through<br />

your extended network (including the networks of your<br />

network). e research suggests that 80-90% of all jobs are<br />

not advertised. If your preferred next role is in another industry<br />

or location, your network has an even more important<br />

role to play in helping you identify opportunities.<br />

2. Both employers and professional recruiters look at the social<br />

media accounts (including LinkedIn) of candidates.<br />

Although you might feel that this is not appropriate, they<br />

are usually trying to understand the context of your career.<br />

Are you in touch in positive ways with people that you previously<br />

worked with? Are people endorsing you for the<br />

types of skills you should have given your career history?<br />

3. You are likely to need recommendations from your network<br />

to secure an offer for any future role.<br />

24 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


CAREERS<br />

“ Don’t aim for perfection: it is better to do<br />

a little than nothing at all.”<br />

How to Stay Up-to-Date<br />

ese ideas can be completed online, from anywhere in the<br />

world. As a bare minimum, try to do four of these things, every<br />

six months. Given that many of these activities take less than<br />

ten minutes to complete, you could be finished in less than an<br />

hour each time.<br />

You will, of course, reap more rewards if you invest more time<br />

and effort, but don’t aim for perfection: it is much better to do<br />

a little occasionally than nothing at all.<br />

LinkedIn<br />

Profile mini review: Check your location and profile picture.<br />

Your LinkedIn profile will be one of the first things people see<br />

when they search for you by name so make sure it is up to date.<br />

n Grow your network: Accept any outstanding LinkedIn invitations,<br />

and send five to ten invitations to new contacts.<br />

Remember to also connect on LinkedIn with people you are<br />

meeting in social contexts.<br />

n Congratulate people on their successes: LinkedIn notifies us<br />

when former colleagues, former bosses and friends have<br />

started a new job, published an article or shared other good<br />

news. It takes seconds to send a congratulations message<br />

and yet very few people do so. Make this small effort and<br />

your contact may well pause to refresh you in their mind as<br />

a current contact.<br />

n Endorse your contacts: is has two benefits: first, the person<br />

you endorse will think positively of you and, secondly,<br />

they are much more likely to endorse you in return.<br />

LinkedIn is rumoured to begin offering endorsed skills information<br />

to recruiters so this is important.<br />

Set up Google Alerts: e free Google Alerts system will<br />

email to you any online articles that contain specific keywords.<br />

It is a convenient way to see published information about an<br />

organisation, industry, place or person.<br />

Join online groups: Both Facebook and LinkedIn have industry<br />

and alumni groups, which can help you to stay on top of<br />

trends and changing terminology.<br />

Read professional magazines and newsletters: ese<br />

don’t often make for exciting reading but a quick skim read can<br />

sometimes highlight a mention of a former colleague for you to<br />

follow up. File any particularly interesting articles so you can<br />

re-read them before you begin interviewing.<br />

Christmas or holiday cards: An emailed card – usually with<br />

a donation to charity mentioned – is perfectly acceptable and<br />

takes almost no time to organise, but will ensure you are in<br />

touch at least annually with your contacts.<br />

“ Staying in touch with your ‘work’ self<br />

can deliver benefits – even before your<br />

next job search begins.”<br />

Kath Sloggett, Founder of<br />

Runneth London<br />

(www.runnethlondon.com),<br />

is a career change<br />

coach and start-up<br />

business adviser. She<br />

regularly coaches<br />

people returning to<br />

work after a career<br />

break, and runs career<br />

and business<br />

workshops<br />

across London.<br />

Make Every Contact Count<br />

Now that you are thinking more about your pre-break career,<br />

as a final step try to bring your career into everyday<br />

conversations. Start some sentences with “when I was<br />

working in…”. Cite anecdotes from your experiences with<br />

your team or a client. You can also introduce yourself to<br />

people (or ask your partner to do so) including some reference<br />

to your career. is will open up a whole new range<br />

of conversations with people, even people you know quite<br />

well, who may have no idea about your career background,<br />

experiences or ambitions.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 25


Welcome to kcwc, London’s largest international<br />

women’s club, providing a unique range of over<br />

35 activities including top-level lectures, courses,<br />

tours, social, cultural and special events, ranging<br />

from art history to day trips, foreign languages,<br />

networking and wine appreciation. We invite you<br />

to join us and enjoy access to exclusive London<br />

venues and attractions and attend our monthly<br />

events with high-profile speakers in distinguished<br />

settings. For more information, please contact<br />

potential@kcwc.org.uk<br />

or visit us at www.kcwc.org.uk<br />

Join the French speaking<br />

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Meet our 950 members<br />

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26 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


HEALTH & WELLBEING<br />

Can the ‘vampire face lift’<br />

save you from balding?<br />

Common baldness, medically known as<br />

androgenetic alopecia, is a prospect that<br />

many dread. It is however the<br />

commonest form of hair loss seen in<br />

clinic and affects men (male pattern<br />

balding) and women (female pattern<br />

hair loss) alike. It is most associated with<br />

the ageing process, but it can also<br />

appear at a much earlier age. Hair loss<br />

at any age is distressing and with<br />

increasing public awareness of<br />

treatments for hair loss, it is unsurprising<br />

to see a rise in the number of<br />

consultations from people of all ages<br />

seeking treatment to prevent<br />

progression and reverse the signs<br />

of baldness.<br />

In common balding, hair follicles inherit<br />

a sensitivity to male hormone<br />

(androgens) in the body causing<br />

progressive shortening of the growth<br />

phase – a process known as<br />

miniaturisation. These miniaturised hairs<br />

are shorter and finer meaning they<br />

cover the scalp less effectively, resulting<br />

in thinning and visible scalp through the<br />

hair. Men typically have a receding hair<br />

line and/or the thinning on the crown,<br />

while women tend to have a different<br />

pattern with thinning on the crown only<br />

and a normal hair line. Contrary to<br />

common belief, it is not just passed on<br />

from your maternal grandfather. The<br />

truth is, androgenetic alopecia<br />

(especially when it starts early)<br />

anywhere in your family poses a risk.<br />

Commonly used treatments for<br />

baldness include topical Minoxidil,<br />

historically a blood pressure tablet that<br />

caused patients to become hairy as a<br />

side effect (!) and Propecia, a tablet<br />

licensed for men, which blocks the effect<br />

of androgens on the hair follicles. Some<br />

forms of the combined oral<br />

contraceptive pill can be protective<br />

against hair thinning in women. Hair<br />

transplantation has also gained<br />

increasing interest in recent years with<br />

notable public figures posting photos of<br />

themselves after the procedure with an<br />

enviable new hairline.<br />

A new treatment that is gaining<br />

popularity is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) -<br />

a treatment whereby the growth factors<br />

in your own blood are extracted from a<br />

blood sample taken from the arm (a bit<br />

like having a blood test). The portion of<br />

blood containing these growth factors is<br />

then re-injected to the desired<br />

treatment area. PRP is used in several<br />

other medical fields namely wound<br />

healing, tendon injuries, some forms of<br />

arthritis and in facial rejuvenation,<br />

coined famously as the ‘vampire face lift’.<br />

Lab studies have shown that PRP can<br />

re-activate dormant hair follicles and<br />

several patient case studies have<br />

demonstrated encouraging results with<br />

regrowth and thickening of hair. Larger<br />

Contrary to common belief, baldness is not just passed on from your maternal grandfather.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 27


HEALTH & WELLBEING<br />

All the information contained in this article<br />

is intended for your general knowledge<br />

and is not a substitute for medical advice<br />

or treatment. <strong>FOCUS</strong> magazine cannot<br />

and does not give medical advice. This<br />

article is not intended to take the place of<br />

your doctor’s advice. Please discuss your<br />

symptoms and needs with your doctor or<br />

medical provider.”<br />

trials are however needed to establish<br />

the efficacy when compared to more<br />

established treatments. Although like<br />

most treatments for balding, repeated<br />

sessions would be required to maintain<br />

effect, the main advantage of PRP is its<br />

safety profile – the fact that it is not a<br />

drug and is derived from your own<br />

blood appeals to many as a low risk<br />

alternative treatment to taking life long<br />

(usually) hormonal medication.<br />

With the expanding use of PRP to treat<br />

a range of medical conditions, perhaps<br />

after all, there has always been some<br />

truth in the mystical beliefs of the<br />

healing properties of blood.<br />

Dr Sharon Wong is a UK-trained Consultant Dermatologist. She provides<br />

medical and surgical treatments for a comprehensive range of general skin<br />

conditions in adults and children. She is also one of few dermatologists in<br />

London who specialises in hair and scalp disorders. To book an appointment<br />

please call 020 7234 2009 www.hcatheshard.com<br />

Martin Saweirs<br />

28 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


World Para Athletics and IAAF Championships<br />

Ready, steady, go!<br />

What will you do this summer? There is<br />

no need to rush out of London because<br />

once again the capital is hosting a major<br />

sporting event, the World Para Athletics<br />

(14-23 July) and International Association<br />

of Athletics Federations (IAAF)<br />

Championships (4-13 August), at the<br />

London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth<br />

Olympic Park.<br />

The competitions’ organisers have recruited<br />

4,000 volunteers from more than<br />

15,000 applicants. Those ‘runners’ who<br />

have been selected have undergone a<br />

lengthy process of role allocation and<br />

training sessions to make sure that all goes<br />

smoothly.<br />

It is the first time that Great Britain will<br />

host the event comprising all disciplines.<br />

Prior to meeting in London for this year’s<br />

Championships, 16 IAAF world competitions<br />

from marathons to cross-country<br />

and track races have been hosted in various<br />

cities across the country. This tournament,<br />

which is one of the most important<br />

athletic events in the world, will gather<br />

nearly 3,300 athletes, from more than 200<br />

countries, to compete over 20 days.<br />

The 700,000 tickets to attend the<br />

Championship were first sold in a ballot in<br />

August 2016 with additional releases of<br />

tickets on sale since September on a first-<br />

The International Association of<br />

Athletics Federations (IAAF),<br />

headquartered in Monaco since<br />

1993, was originally founded in<br />

Stockholm in 1912 as the<br />

International Amateur Athletic<br />

Federation aiming to standardise<br />

programmes, equipment and world<br />

record keeping as athletics grew in<br />

importance. By the early 1980s,<br />

amateurism was abandoned for<br />

professionalism, funds were made<br />

available to help athletes attain their<br />

personal best, and athletics was no<br />

longer confined to the Olympic<br />

Games. Nowadays the association<br />

governs 214 federations across the<br />

world - an incredible growth since<br />

the 17 original members in 1912 –<br />

and supervises 24 events.<br />

According to the latest statistics, 6% of children and 16% of working adults are<br />

disabled. Of the total number of people classified as such,18.5% played sport<br />

regularly in 2012 showing an increase of nearly 3% in six years while the<br />

number of able-bodied athletes stayed at about 39%. Athletics comes in at 5th<br />

position of the top sports practiced, after swimming (1st) and cycling (4th) so<br />

there is plenty of room for involvement. As stressed by the UK Athletics<br />

Federation, anyone can participate in athletics. Parallel Success is a platform<br />

detailing information on how disabled people can participate in athletics. For<br />

more information visit: www.academy.uka.org.uk/parallel-success/get-involved/<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 29


Athletic games only really started in Britain in the 19th century, despite contests<br />

in running, throwing and lifting, which had taken place across the UK since<br />

Roman times. The year 1864 saw the first official competition between<br />

Cambridge and Oxford. Since then there have been many athletic sport<br />

clubs who have made it to the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Harold<br />

Abrahams and Sir Roger Bannister, who carried the colours of their universities.<br />

Athletics is increasingly finding its place in the life of the nation, from the<br />

internationally acclaimed London Marathon and its stars such as Paula Radcliffe<br />

to the Commonwealth Games, both of which rival the Olympic Games in<br />

popularity. How many of us regularly wear out our trainers? Today, should you<br />

wish to find a club near you or take part in a competition, simply visit<br />

www.britishathletics.org.uk.<br />

The famous BBC children’s<br />

programme Blue Peter, headed<br />

by British track star Jessica Ennis-<br />

Hill, launched a mascot design<br />

competition in mid-January <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

Children between the ages of six<br />

and 15 were invited to submit<br />

drawings for two mascots. The<br />

winner and two runners-up<br />

received a VIP tour of the stadium<br />

and have been invited to attend the<br />

events.<br />

come, first-served basis through the official<br />

website www.tickets.london<strong>2017</strong>athletics.com.<br />

Some may now also be found on<br />

other traditional ticket sale and resale<br />

platforms.<br />

In line with the increasing success of the<br />

Paralympic competitions and the Olympic<br />

Games in Rio (4,316 athletes, 528 medals,<br />

2.15 million spectators) and the 147<br />

medals brought back home by British<br />

para-athletes, the authorities launched a<br />

ticket offer scheme for school children in<br />

Greater London in mid-January <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

Tickets were sold at £3 per child with free<br />

access for an accompanying adult and free<br />

transportation for children. The <strong>May</strong>or of<br />

London viewed those 250,000 tickets sold<br />

to schools as an opportunity to support<br />

disabled athletes and provide children<br />

with an incentive to reach their goals,<br />

whatever limits they may encounter in life.<br />

The organisers have made sure to promote<br />

the 11 British competitors and a<br />

timetable of their event appearances can<br />

be found at<br />

www.london<strong>2017</strong>athletics.com/worldparaathleticschampionships/bestofbritish<br />

Should you not be fortunate enough to<br />

have a ticket, or have already planned to<br />

be away from London in July and August,<br />

you can still stay well-informed by downloading<br />

the IAAF app. This will allow you<br />

to follow the news and results live, as well<br />

as view photos and videos posted as the<br />

events take place.<br />

So, there is no excuse not to support<br />

those athletes who once again will show<br />

endurance and passion and give us that<br />

boost to later tie up our laces and pull on<br />

those leggings<br />

Cécile Faure is the founder and CEO of Emois Gourmands Ltd in London, a company sourcing and importing French<br />

boutique wines and gourmet food, dedicated to the promotion of artisan products and advocate for sustainability. She<br />

may be reached at mscecilefaure@gmail.com and through www.emoisgourmands.com<br />

30 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


MY FAVOURITE THINGS<br />

My favourite things<br />

Madhubala Chaubey moved to the UK from India a year ago because of her<br />

husband’s job. She has also lived in Kampala, Uganda. Madhu is fluent in<br />

English, Hindi, Tamil and has a degree in Hotel Management and<br />

Education. She is a foodie who thinks that Indian cuisine has variety and<br />

balance but also loves Greek and Italian cuisine. Madhu is fascinated by<br />

nature, historical monuments and museums.<br />

Best advice to new arrivals<br />

Join an organisation like <strong>FOCUS</strong> to meet people<br />

and motivate yourself. take some tours to<br />

discover the city.<br />

Preferred pub<br />

the Old thameside Inn at Southwark –<br />

an amazing location blending old and<br />

new London.<br />

The ultimate boutique<br />

Harrods for the brands and the display.<br />

Favourite place to shop<br />

for home:<br />

Ikea.<br />

Your first memory of arriving<br />

in the UK<br />

Brilliant clear blue skies with sunshine and<br />

rain along with cold, chilling winds.<br />

Preferred<br />

mode of<br />

transport<br />

I like the tube<br />

especially the Metropolitan line.<br />

Most fabulous hair salon<br />

Gina Conway at<br />

Westbourne Park –<br />

nice ambience<br />

and great<br />

service.<br />

Favourite<br />

restaurant<br />

‘the Real Greek’ in<br />

Westfield and ‘Hazev’ for<br />

vegetarian options and<br />

ambience.<br />

The best place to<br />

take the kids on a<br />

rainy day<br />

Either the Natural<br />

History Museum or the<br />

British Library.<br />

My favourite museum<br />

the British Museum.<br />

The best spot to people watch<br />

Most places have squares or the walkway along the<br />

thames from London Bridge is a good place to watch<br />

people go by.<br />

London’s best-kept secret<br />

the amount of history and art<br />

that there is in every corner.<br />

The best<br />

children’s shop<br />

Hamleys toy shop caters to all ages.<br />

Best thing about<br />

London in Spring<br />

the flowers everywhere and longer days.<br />

Most watched British TV shows<br />

Sherlock Holmes, British Sewing Bee, and the Great<br />

British Menu.<br />

What fascinates me about<br />

Londoners<br />

their polite manners and ability to stand in a queue,<br />

their soft speech and satirical comments.<br />

What astounds me<br />

the city’s planning and connectivity. Most places are<br />

near to tube stations or a short walk from the bus<br />

stop.<br />

What confuses me<br />

the usage of the same names<br />

with a slight difference, which<br />

all refer to different areas e.g.<br />

Roxborough Road,<br />

Roxborough Lane, Roxborough<br />

Avenue etc.<br />

What makes London special<br />

All the shows that cater for people of different<br />

ages, the Royal Albert Hall for music, and the<br />

theatres for children and adults.<br />

What makes Londoners different<br />

For me it’s their ability and willingness to work for<br />

society by volunteering. I also like the pride they take<br />

in their history and culture.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 31


APPS<br />

apps<br />

FOR YOUR<br />

ENTERTAINMENT<br />

•<br />

Time Out (Free): Discover the best things<br />

to do, free events, gigs and art exhibitions in<br />

London and even book your theatre tickets.<br />

Discover and explore new places to eat and<br />

drink with curated lists of restaurants,<br />

events, bars and things to do at the weekend.<br />

Yplan (Free): This app is about making it as<br />

simple as possible to discover and book<br />

things to do in your city that evening. Film,<br />

theatre, music, food and drink, performances,<br />

comedy, culture, nightlife and sports. Browse<br />

through a curated shortlist of the best<br />

events near you and book in just two taps.<br />

There is no need to print anything; everything<br />

is 100% mobile.<br />

DOJO (Free): Dojo helps you find the<br />

coolest places to eat, drink and visit in<br />

London. Just enter some simple preferences<br />

and start getting recommendations tailored<br />

to you. Every day the app’s staff finds the<br />

best things to do in the city, focusing on independent,<br />

quirky, hidden gems that you will<br />

love, but probably don’t know about.<br />

Integrates with Uber and Citymapper.<br />

Foursquare (Free): Find the best places to<br />

eat, drink, shop, or visit in any city in the<br />

world. Save them so that Foursquare learns<br />

what you like and leads you to places you’ll<br />

love.<br />

32 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


APPS<br />

Fever (Free): Selects events you want to see,<br />

based on your interests including: Food and<br />

drink (bars, wine and beer tasting, brunch<br />

spots, etc.) Nightlife (clubs, guest lists, access<br />

to private shows, etc.) Performance (music<br />

festivals, concerts, theatres, comedy shows,<br />

etc.) Film (cinema tickets, pop-up movie<br />

screenings, themed film nights) Art (museums,<br />

galleries, exhibitions, artists’ openings, etc.)<br />

Fashion (pop-up stores, runway shows, launch<br />

parties, etc.) Charity (galas, fundraising events,<br />

volunteer initiatives, etc.)<br />

KweekWeek (Free): KweekWeek is an<br />

events marketplace that connects organisers<br />

and consumers in a single space and offers<br />

promotions, ticketing, updates and recommendations.<br />

You can browse by either date<br />

or category: art and culture, charity, classes<br />

and workshops, conferences and exhibitions,<br />

festivals, food and drinks, health and wellbeing,<br />

kids and family, networking, nightlife,<br />

shows, sports, students and technology.<br />

Hype (Free): This app focuses on art, parties,<br />

food, architecture and outdoor activities.<br />

Hype is based on influencer networks, a<br />

group of people from different backgrounds<br />

who are passionate about the cities in which<br />

they live. Each curator has a different focus<br />

and neighbourhood. They keep an eye on<br />

what’s cool, trending, and happening right<br />

now.<br />

Stagedoor (Free): For the London theatrelover.<br />

Find out what’s on where and when.<br />

Follow directors, casts and venue; find out first<br />

about any London show and get notifications<br />

when shows are closing so you don’t miss<br />

out; leave reviews and let your friends know<br />

what you’ve seen.<br />

Frugl (Free): Daily offers and events in<br />

London at a price to suit your pocket. Find<br />

out free or discounted events around<br />

London.<br />

DesignMyNight (Free): Discover and book<br />

your perfect night out. Browse and book into<br />

London’s top bars, restaurants, pubs and<br />

clubs, as well as buy tickets to the hand-picked<br />

selection of London’s best events. These include<br />

anything from pop-up bars to rooftop<br />

cinema, secret supper clubs to immersive theatre<br />

events, offers, hot tickets, best restaurants,<br />

quirky events, sports, fun birthday ideas<br />

and much more.<br />

InList (Free): InList makes booking nightlife<br />

and special events easier than ever. The app<br />

grants you reservations when you want<br />

them, with a nightlife expert in the palm of<br />

your hand. It’s like being treated as a local<br />

VIP 24/7 in the most exciting destinations in<br />

the world, including London. Purchase tickets<br />

to concerts, sporting events and film festivals<br />

such as Wimbledon and the Super Bowl to<br />

the Cannes International Film Festival and<br />

MTV Video Music Awards.<br />

SocialNightlife (Free): This app offers an<br />

easy, fun, and social way to experience the<br />

best nightlife. Explore thousands of venues<br />

and events in more than 100 cities across<br />

the world, connect with other attendees<br />

wherever you go, and earn rewards for<br />

going out.<br />

Yule Nightlife (Free): Connect with friends<br />

and find real-time information for bars,<br />

nightclubs, events, breweries, and bowling alleys<br />

wherever you are. With Yule, you can<br />

quickly link to reliable social content from<br />

Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You<br />

can post photos, videos, and text to share<br />

your nightlife experiences with others<br />

nearby, or even post anonymously! You can<br />

also Follow your favourite venues and<br />

events to instantly access their profiles.<br />

In our next issue be sure to look for our roundup of the best children’s apps.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 33


EVENTS & SEMINARS<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> Events & Seminars<br />

C A R E E R<br />

CULTURAL<br />

LONDON<br />

Life begins just<br />

outside your<br />

comfort zone –<br />

How to grow your confidence<br />

Thursday, 11th <strong>May</strong> 10.30 – 12.30.<br />

Free for members, £25 for non-members<br />

at <strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

Every new challenge requires one thing: the<br />

confidence to take the first step. Yet most of us<br />

battle with self-doubt from time to time – holding<br />

us back and keeping us from achieving our goals.<br />

In this interactive workshop, executive leadership<br />

and career coach Karin Mueller will provide an<br />

insight into the nature of such self-doubt and will<br />

introduce participants to tools and techniques to<br />

overcome it and grow their self-confidence.<br />

Spaces are limited, so book early to avoid<br />

disappointment.<br />

Career networking evening<br />

Thursday, 18th <strong>May</strong> 18.30 – 20.30.<br />

Free for members and non-members<br />

We invite current and former Career Workshop<br />

participants as well as those members looking for<br />

work in the UK to join us for a networking evening<br />

at <strong>FOCUS</strong>. this will be a great opportunity to meet<br />

or catch up with former workshop graduates as<br />

well as a few of <strong>FOCUS</strong> Career Coaches. Don’t<br />

miss the chance to hear what jobs other members<br />

have landed – their successes are very inspiring!<br />

Guided tour of the Lord’s<br />

Cricket Ground<br />

Saturday, 13th <strong>May</strong> 16.00–17.00. £20 per adult,<br />

£12 per child (5-15 years old and students with a<br />

valid student ID) at St John's Wood Rd NW8 8QN<br />

Join us for an exclusive opportunity to see one of<br />

the most iconic sights in British sport: Lord’s. What is<br />

the history of cricket and that of this fabulous playing<br />

ground? Why is it called Lord’s? Join us behind the<br />

scenes to explore the secrets of the “Home of<br />

Cricket” and learn about its fascinating story!<br />

Middlesex versus Surrey at Lord's<br />

Cricket ground<br />

Check out our website for a complete listing of upcoming events & seminars. www.focus-info.org<br />

34 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org


EVENTS & SEMINARS<br />

YOU IN THE UK<br />

CHILDREN<br />

IN THE UK<br />

Breakfast at <strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

Wednesday, 3rd <strong>May</strong> 10.00 – 12.00.<br />

Free for members and non-members<br />

Join us for an informal social gathering at our office.<br />

take this opportunity to meet other <strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

members and our energetic team and to learn<br />

more about our programmes and upcoming events.<br />

You are welcome to bring along a guest.<br />

The parent factor: the role of a parent in<br />

their child’s education<br />

Monday, 8th <strong>May</strong> 10.30 – 12.30.<br />

Free for members, £25 for non-members at <strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

We are delighted to welcome back at <strong>FOCUS</strong> Ed<br />

Richardson, Director of Education at Keystone, for a<br />

presentation that will help you understand better the<br />

role parents can play in their children’s learning. Ed’s<br />

talk will encourage parents to think critically about<br />

different approaches to learning, to challenge a few<br />

basic assumptions about the school-student-parent<br />

paradigm and to consider the parental role in a child’s<br />

education. With exam-time approaching, Ed will also<br />

give some tips on how to help children deal with<br />

homework and make the revision process more<br />

effective. the talk is suitable for parents with children<br />

of all ages but will be particularly applicable for<br />

primary school age children.<br />

www.focus-info.org<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> 35


SPONSORS<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong> Sponsors<br />

<strong>FOCUS</strong><br />

welcomes Beacon<br />

Financial Education<br />

as our Platinum<br />

Sponsor<br />

We are grateful for the invaluable support of our sponsors including<br />

those not listed below, see www.focus-info.org for further details.<br />

P L At I N U M<br />

Barclays<br />

www.barclays.com<br />

We move, lend, invest and<br />

protect money worldwide<br />

Beacon Financial Education<br />

www.beaconglobalgroup.com<br />

Educating expats for<br />

global financial health<br />

Goldman Sachs<br />

www.gs.com<br />

Investment banking<br />

Knight Frank LLP<br />

www.knightfrank.co.uk<br />

the local estate agent with a<br />

global network<br />

Morgan Stanley<br />

www.morganstanley.com<br />

Global financial<br />

services firm<br />

SA Law<br />

www.salaw.com<br />

Expert immigration<br />

and legal advice<br />

G O L D<br />

ACS International Schools<br />

www.acs-schools.com<br />

International and American<br />

education<br />

CHRISTIE'S<br />

www.christies.com<br />

the World’s Leading Art<br />

Business<br />

Expat Academy<br />

www.expat-academy.com<br />

Where Global Mobility<br />

Professionals learn, connect<br />

and share<br />

HCA Hospitals<br />

www.hcahospitals.co.uk<br />

London’s number one private<br />

hospital group<br />

J.P. Morgan<br />

www.jpmorgan.com<br />

A leader in financial services<br />

Shell International Ltd<br />

www.shell.com<br />

Major oil, gas and chemical<br />

company<br />

UBS<br />

www.ubs.com<br />

Global financial services firm<br />

S I LV E R<br />

The American School<br />

in London<br />

Independent, co-educational<br />

day school<br />

Aviva<br />

Providing insurance, savings and<br />

investment products worldwide<br />

British American Tobacco<br />

World’s most international<br />

tobacco group<br />

Buzzacott<br />

Providing bespoke tax advice<br />

and compliance services to<br />

protect your wealth<br />

Dwight School London<br />

Igniting the spark of genius<br />

in every child<br />

eni<br />

A major integrated<br />

energy company<br />

European Bank for<br />

Reconstruction and<br />

Development<br />

Investing in countries from<br />

Central Europe and<br />

Central Asia<br />

Greycoat Lumleys<br />

For the recruitment of<br />

professional domestic staff<br />

Jaffe & Co/American Tax<br />

International<br />

US and UK tax services<br />

Marymount<br />

International School<br />

Educating young women to<br />

become future global leaders<br />

State Street Bank<br />

& Trust Company<br />

Signature financial group<br />

TASIS The American School<br />

in England<br />

American curriculum<br />

and IB diploma<br />

Withers LLP<br />

A leading international<br />

law firm advising individuals<br />

and businesses<br />

B R O N Z E<br />

The Association<br />

of Relocation<br />

Professionals (ARP)<br />

Professional UK body of the<br />

relocation industry<br />

AstraZeneca<br />

A global<br />

biopharmaceutical<br />

company<br />

PIMCO Europe Ltd<br />

Global investment<br />

management services<br />

PricewaterhouseCoopers<br />

tax and advisory<br />

services for public and<br />

private clients<br />

36 <strong>FOCUS</strong> The <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />

www.focus-info.org

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