J'AIME April 2021
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A P R I L 2 0 2 1<br />
J’AIME<br />
Y O U R L O C A L L U X U R Y L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E<br />
Between<br />
the lines:<br />
SPRING’S MOST<br />
STYLISH PRINT<br />
J O I N O U R<br />
#LOVE<br />
LOCAL<br />
C A M PA I G N<br />
SERENE SPA<br />
VIBES FOR YOUR<br />
BATHROOM<br />
MASTERCHEF’S BART<br />
VAN DER LEE COOKS UP<br />
A STORM IN LICHFIELD
P R E P<br />
All our parents have one thing in common – they do not want their children to grow up too fast.<br />
Childhood is the precious time when imagination knows no bounds.<br />
Repton Prep is set in 55 acres of Derbyshire countryside. It is a magical place where children can<br />
be children and yet learn at the same time. A den in the woods and an English lesson, a picnic in the<br />
bluebells and a Science class – at Repton Prep, all of these experiences are learning opportunities.<br />
Our co-ed community of 440 happy pupils welcomes full and flexi-boarders from age 7-13 and day<br />
children from age 3-13.<br />
“ WE WANT OUR<br />
CHILDREN TO<br />
STAY CHILDREN<br />
FOR LONGER.”<br />
reptonprep.org.uk<br />
<br />
To arrange your personal virtual tour for you and your child please<br />
call us on 01283 707112 or email registrar@repton.org.uk
Welcome to J’AIME<br />
<strong>April</strong> has all the makings of a month to remember. It’s set<br />
to be the month when we can finally get a haircut, enjoy<br />
lunch outside a cafe or shop in person for things that aren’t<br />
just the absolute essentials.<br />
Here at J’AIME we couldn’t be more excited about<br />
getting some of our freedoms back and seeing some of<br />
our favourite local businesses opening their doors once<br />
again. That’s why we have chosen this month to launch<br />
#LoveLocal, a campaign to highlight some of the<br />
amazing independents based right across our patch.<br />
Over the next six months we will be celebrating local<br />
businesses as they reopen and life starts to return to<br />
something a little more like normal. In this month’s<br />
#LoveLocal coverage you can read about pubs investing<br />
in their outdoor spaces, read about the plans of three<br />
local food and drink businesses, hear more from a hair<br />
salon owner about her reopening plans and read about<br />
three Lichfield businesses. Keep an eye out for more<br />
#LoveLocal content next month.<br />
You’ll see the address of our website across the bottom<br />
of each page in this magazine and that’s because we’ve<br />
given www.jaimemagazine.com a wonderful revamp.<br />
You can visit the website to read everything you see in the<br />
magazine plus much, much more. The website is updated<br />
each day and includes positive, uplifting lifestyle articles<br />
from right across the Midlands.<br />
As well as being delivered to homes in selected postcodes<br />
J’AIME is now available to pick up free of charge in major<br />
supermarkets around the Midlands. You can also read a<br />
digital, flick-through version of the magazine free of charge<br />
at www.jaimemagazine.com<br />
Within the <strong>April</strong> magazine you can read our interview with<br />
MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Bart van der Lee<br />
and read about an award-winning artist who paints mobile<br />
phones into his masterpieces.<br />
Add to that our usual mix of interiors, property, fashion,<br />
beauty, travel, fitness and food and we hope we have<br />
something for everyone.<br />
We hope our upbeat, positive content will bring a little<br />
added cheer to your life.<br />
Please don’t forget to support your local independent<br />
businesses. When you buy from a small business you’re<br />
supporting your community and helping to keep people in<br />
jobs.<br />
From everyone at J’AIME, may we wish you a happy, sunny,<br />
cheerful <strong>April</strong>.<br />
EDITOR: AMY NORBURY<br />
EDITOR@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
ADVERTISING: JAN ASHLEY<br />
ADVERTISING@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
07388 335 931<br />
DESIGN: DESIGN@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
CONTRIBUTORS: JENNY AMPHLETT, NATHAN<br />
COLLINS, DEBORAH MITCHELL, RAUL ROMERO<br />
J’AIME IS PUBLISHED BY ASHBURY<br />
PUBLICATIONS LIMITED AND PRINTED BY KEP<br />
LIMITED, TAMWORTH.<br />
Check us out online at:<br />
WWW.JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Find us on<br />
/JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
@JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
@JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
SPONSORED BY<br />
3
CONTENTS<br />
InsideJ’aime this month...<br />
6 Feature - MasterChef: The Professionals<br />
finalist Bart van der Lee<br />
8 Feature - Meet the award-winning artist who<br />
paints mobile phones into his masterpieces<br />
10 Property - Could this be the home of your<br />
dreams?<br />
12 Interiors - Go green<br />
18 Interiors - Bathroom inspiration<br />
22 #LoveLocal - Lichfield independent businesses<br />
24 #LoveLocal - Hospitality businesses prepare to<br />
reopen<br />
26 Food and drink - The new rum made using<br />
Staffordshire honey<br />
28 Travel - Exciting new destinations and<br />
itineraries to look forward to<br />
32 Fashion - Stripy style<br />
34 #LoveLocal - Hair and beauty businesses<br />
prepare to reopen<br />
36 Beauty - Finding the right moisturiser for you<br />
38 Fitness - Squat hard or go home<br />
40 Health - The health benefits of owning a<br />
dog<br />
42 In the news - Anniversary celebrations for a<br />
community group<br />
SPONSORED BY<br />
4
FEATURE<br />
A work of Bart<br />
TV CHEF BART VAN DER LEE HAS BEEN COOKING UP A STORM IN<br />
LICHFIELD, SO J’AIME SENT JENNY AMPHLETT TO MEET HIM<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BECKY TRANTER<br />
MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Bart van<br />
der Lee usually spends his days working as the<br />
private chef for a wealthy family in Chelsea,<br />
creating healthy daily meals and catering for<br />
the glittering parties they held pre-coronavirus.<br />
But the 33-year-old runner-up in the 2020<br />
series of the TV show took a week out from<br />
cycling around the capital in search of the<br />
best quality seafood to cook for people in the<br />
Midlands instead.<br />
Bart, who is originally from the Netherlands<br />
and runs his own recipe website, spent a week<br />
in Lichfield creating exclusive dine at home<br />
boxes with Sauce Supper Club.<br />
The three course meals were based on the recipes he<br />
cooked in the final of MasterChef: The Professionals,<br />
including a starter of scallops and a beef sirloin<br />
main.<br />
“The dine at home boxes were a real hit and they<br />
all sold out very quickly,” he says. “I was cooking for<br />
around 250 people, so very different to my day to<br />
day life when I’m mostly cooking for one family and<br />
their private parties.”<br />
Bart found himself faced with no less than 45 kilos of<br />
sirloin steak and 35 kilos of oxtails.<br />
“I looked at all those oxtails and thought how<br />
on earth am I going to pull it all off the bones.<br />
Thankfully I had a couple of great guys working with<br />
me in the kitchen.”<br />
It was the first time Bart has visited Lichfield or<br />
even the Midlands, and he says he enjoyed a bit<br />
of sightseeing as he cycled between his hotel and<br />
Thyme Kitchen, where Sauce Supper Club is based.<br />
“It’s been lovely to cycle past the cathedral and the<br />
pools, to get to know the area a little bit,” he says.<br />
“I’m usually down in Chelsea making breakfasts,<br />
lunches and dinners for one family. It’s incredibly<br />
personalised; I’ve known the family for more than<br />
10 years so I have a very good idea of what they<br />
do and don’t like to eat. Before that I’ve worked in<br />
restaurants and been a private chef on a yacht.<br />
“When you’re a private chef you know all about<br />
every individual dietary requirement but also need to<br />
be able to create big dinners for parties.<br />
“The last year hasn’t involved any parties though,<br />
just mainly lots of very healthy seafood and fish.<br />
“So I usually spend my days cycling around West<br />
6 www.jaimemagazine.com
London going to markets to buy the best produce<br />
and then preparing a delicious lunch.<br />
“The family never tell me what I have to cook so<br />
I’m completely free to be creative and use the best<br />
ingredients I can find.”<br />
Bart says the opportunities he’s been given as a result<br />
of appearing on MasterChef: The Professionals have<br />
been ‘amazing’.<br />
“I’ve been given the chance to do things I could<br />
never have imagined,” he says. “I was a simple and<br />
humble chef and I still try to be that, but people<br />
want to celebrate and have offered me the chance to<br />
do all sorts of new things.”<br />
Bart has a recipe website and an online shop and is<br />
currently working on ideas for a television series.<br />
“I have an idea for me and my family to go on a<br />
culinary world tour, traveling to different countries<br />
and trying different cuisines,” he says. “I’m trying to<br />
get it televised.<br />
“I had no idea quite how exciting life would become<br />
after appearing in MasterChef: The Professionals.”<br />
To find out more about Sauce Supper Club and<br />
Dine at Home visit www.saucesupperclub.co.uk<br />
www.jaimemagazine.com<br />
7
FEATURE<br />
Art for the smartphone generation<br />
AWARD-WINNING ARTIST PETER DAVIS LIKES TO CAPTURE HIS PORTRAIT SUBJECTS<br />
USING THEIR ELECTRONIC DEVICES. JENNY AMPHLETT MET HIM TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
Like a Renaissance painter capturing women with<br />
flowing locks and enigmatic smiles or a pop artist<br />
depicting tins of soup, Peter Davis is representing<br />
a moment in time when he has his portrait subjects<br />
pose with their mobile phone in their hand.<br />
Peter, who was born and raised in Birmingham,<br />
is keen to stress that he isn’t passing judgment on<br />
people for using devices, merely including devices as<br />
they are now as integral a part of a person’s being<br />
as the clothes they wear or the style they choose for<br />
their hair.<br />
“Most of my work has a person on their phone<br />
or using a technological device of some kind. It’s<br />
something that we stop seeing when we look at other<br />
people, it’s just become so normal, but when we see<br />
it depicted in art we do see it because it’s unexpected<br />
in art. The role of an artist is to put a mirror up to<br />
society. I’m enjoying doing that.<br />
“If you went back 20 years and said everyone was<br />
going to have this thing they’d be glued to and<br />
that they’d be living a digital life we wouldn’t have<br />
thought that would happen.<br />
“The rate at which society has changed is fascinating,<br />
but I don’t see it as a negative. I see it as a moment in<br />
time and it’s lovely to document it.”<br />
The 50-something has just had his work selected<br />
for the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition at the<br />
Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the equivalent of<br />
receiving an Oscar nomination in the art world.<br />
It’s the UK’s most celebrated and well-known<br />
painting competition, with past winners including<br />
Patrick Heron, David Hockney, Euan Uglow and<br />
Peter Doig.<br />
“I’m thrilled to have been selected,” he says. “There<br />
were more than 3,000 entries this year and only 67<br />
paintings were selected for the show.<br />
8<br />
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“It’s an honour to participate as it showcases the<br />
best of what British contemporary painters are<br />
doing.”<br />
The selected painting, Wetin Dey, is a portrait<br />
of Solomon Onaolapo, a music producer<br />
and co-founder of Rising Stars North West, a<br />
community project that provides support for<br />
aspiring young musicians who are disadvantaged<br />
and unable to afford a rehearsal and recording<br />
space themselves. Wetin dey is a Nigerian<br />
greeting meaning “Hey, what’s going on?”<br />
It isn’t Peter’s first experience of art awards.<br />
He won first prize in the Three Counties<br />
Open Exhibition in 2017 with Golden Girl, his<br />
portrait of Joyce Richards from Walsall. The<br />
same painting won a prize at the RBSA Gallery<br />
in Birmingham in 2018.<br />
Peter studied at Manchester Polytechnic School<br />
of Art before a career as an art director in the<br />
advertising industry.<br />
“As time went on, more and more of the work<br />
I was doing in advertising was aimed at people<br />
accessing it on their devices and on phones, by<br />
using technology,” he says.<br />
“As I migrated into becoming a fulltime professional<br />
artist the idea of people using technology became<br />
a fascination for me. 10 to 15 years ago there was a<br />
seismic shift with technology.”<br />
A contemporary portrait painter, Peter’s work<br />
became more difficult when the pandemic prevented<br />
him from having sittings with his subjects.<br />
So instead he started to develop a new series<br />
capturing urban landscapes, including in Life is<br />
Too Short to be Unhappy, which features a brightly<br />
coloured panel on a derelict building in Hanley,<br />
North Staffordshire.<br />
“I walked past one day and saw this wonderfully<br />
uplifting statement and Mondrian-style pattern<br />
and just felt compelled to capture it in a<br />
painting.” he says.<br />
“My urban landscapes look at our communities,<br />
towns and cities. They also usually have<br />
somebody in there on their device.<br />
“They’re very ordinary scenes that people might<br />
look at and say ‘that’s just life’, but for me it’s<br />
like looking at amazing photographs from the<br />
1950s and 60s. I’m documenting it because I<br />
think it’s amazing.<br />
“As an artist it’s up to me to look at these things<br />
with a fresh set of eyes. I’m looking at modern<br />
life and documenting it.”<br />
You can visit the John Moores Painting Prize<br />
exhibition virtually at<br />
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/jmpp/<br />
john-moores-painting-prize<br />
Peter is represented by Barewall Gallery and<br />
you can see more of his work at<br />
www.barewall.co.uk<br />
9
PROPERTY<br />
Property of the Month<br />
EACH MONTH WE SHOWCASE ONE OF THE MOST LUXURIOUS PROPERTIES<br />
CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET IN THE MIDLANDS. THIS HOUSE IS IN ONE OF<br />
THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER SPOTS IN THE REGION<br />
Cherrywood Way, Little Aston. £1,995,000.<br />
On the market with Aston Knowles: 0121 362 7878.<br />
THE AGENT SAYS: This beautiful modern family home<br />
is located off a privately gated road and features extensive<br />
living and entertainment accommodation. The block-paved<br />
driveway leads up to the porch entrance and front door and<br />
into the welcoming reception hallway with stunning walnut<br />
hardwood flooring that comes back throughout the ground<br />
floor. Double doors lead off to the right to the drawing room<br />
and to the left to the games room. A guest cloakroom is<br />
located further along the hallway. A spacious and carpeted<br />
study is also located off the hallway with rear aspect bay<br />
window overlooking the sizeable garden and offering a perfect<br />
space for working from home. This space could alternatively<br />
be used as a playroom. The drawing room with bay window<br />
to the front offers great scope for relaxing and entertaining,<br />
with an amazing feature Stovax log burner set in an exposed<br />
brick surround. Double French doors lead out to the garden.<br />
The games room is located on the opposite end of the<br />
hallway and is a truly breathtaking entertainment space with<br />
wooden flooring and a feature bespoke walnut cabinetry with<br />
lighting and two built-in wine fridges. Double French doors<br />
lead out to the garden, offering the opportunity to open the<br />
space up in summer and a door to the side leads into the<br />
laundry room. The laundry is finished to a beautiful standard<br />
with bespoke cabinetry, sink, and further work and storage<br />
space as well as a washing machine, space for a tumble dryer,<br />
and access to both the garage and the garden.<br />
W E L O V E :<br />
THE HUGE GAMES ROOM WITH ITS<br />
BUILT-IN WINE FRIDGES.<br />
10 www.jaimemagazine.com
FOUR OAKS<br />
FOUR OAKS<br />
SOLD IN<br />
<strong>2021</strong><br />
GUIDE PRICE £2,500,000 GUIDE PRICE £1,325,000<br />
ONE OF A KIND<br />
ASTON KNOWLES<br />
Here at Aston Knowles, we are committed to providing the best service possible to our clients.<br />
This means treating every client individually and tailoring our approach<br />
to meet your specific needs.<br />
Our focus is on client care and communication. This, together with our skill at combining the<br />
right people with the right property, positions us perfectly to achieve the best results<br />
over and over again.<br />
The property market in Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas is currently experiencing an<br />
imbalance in supply and demand, with a strong interest in premium property from proceedable<br />
purchasers. If you are considering selling your home, now is the ideal time to book<br />
a no-obligation market appraisal.<br />
GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR TEAM | Book your FREE Sales/Lettings Appraisal today!<br />
ALDRIDGE<br />
SUTTON<br />
COLDFIELD<br />
GUIDE PRICE £1,050,000 GUIDE PRICE £1,050,000<br />
HAMMERWICH<br />
DRAYTON<br />
BASSETT<br />
GUIDE PRICE £795,000<br />
GUIDE PRICE £550,000<br />
0121 362 7878<br />
enquiries@astonknowles.com<br />
www.astonknowles.com<br />
@astonknowles
INTERIORS<br />
Sage<br />
advice<br />
AS we head into spring proper, it should come as no<br />
surprise that we’re taking more and more inspiration<br />
from nature and the outside world when it comes to our<br />
interiors.<br />
Greens are considered to be calming, peaceful hues so<br />
after such a tumultuous year it seems only right that<br />
they’re coming to the fore.<br />
Moving away from the deep dark forest hues of autumn<br />
and super-sweet pastel shades, the greens of choice for<br />
spring are a sophisticated bunch. Muted midtones of sage<br />
and the slightly deeper and richer olive work perfectly in<br />
any room and with a plethora of design schemes, from<br />
pared-back freshness when mixed with whites and pale<br />
woods, to beautifully bold when teamed with darker hues<br />
and warm metallics.<br />
For a spring style statement, sage is fast becoming one of<br />
the hottest colours for kitchens; opt for the same shade for<br />
both cabinetry and walls for a seamless transition which<br />
makes the most of the hue.<br />
BRINDLE SMALL SIDEBOARD, £479.99, OAK<br />
FURNITURELAND. WWW.OAKFURNITURELAND.COM<br />
ORIGINAL BTC TITAN SIZE 5 PENDANT,<br />
OLIVE GREEN WITH VISOR.<br />
WWW.ORIGINALBTC.COM<br />
£79<br />
£38<br />
£439<br />
BALTIMORE LOW STOOL IN SAGE GREEN<br />
VELVET, CULT FURNITURE.<br />
WWW.CULTFURNITURE.COM<br />
£36<br />
OLIVE GREEN CERAMIC VASE SET,<br />
MARQUIS AND DAWE.<br />
WWW.MARQUISANDDAWE.CO.UK<br />
SAGE GREEN LUCY VASE, ELLA JAMES.<br />
WWW.ELLAJAMES.CO.UK<br />
12 www.jaimemagazine.com
£89.99 £79<br />
£750<br />
GEORGETTE ROUND FOOTSTOOL<br />
IN OLIVE PURE COTTON MATT VELVET,<br />
WWW.SOFA.COM<br />
ICON INDOOR OUTDOOR BEANBAG<br />
ARMCHAIR, BAZAAR GROUP.<br />
WWW.BEANBAGBAZAAR.CO.UK<br />
STELLA BAR STOOL IN SAGE<br />
GREEN VELVET, CULT FURNITURE.<br />
WWW.CULTFURNITURE.COM<br />
SELKY BEDSPREAD,<br />
WWW.MADE.COM<br />
£59<br />
£720<br />
PIRO PENDANT, SWOON EDITIONS.<br />
WWW.SWOONEDITIONS.COM<br />
£49.99<br />
SAGE ADVICE EMULSION AND EGGSHELL<br />
PAINT, DOWSING & REYNOLDS.<br />
WWW.DOWSINGANDREYNOLDS.COM<br />
£1,395<br />
£99<br />
MARGAUX BAR STOOL IN OLIVE,<br />
WWW.SOFA.COM<br />
SLIM JIM SOFA IN CLEAN GREEN BRUSHED<br />
COTTON FABRIC, LOAF. WWW.LOAF.COM<br />
PUDDING SOFA IN THYME GREEN VINTAGE<br />
LINEN, £1,395, LOAF. WWW.LOAF.COM<br />
14 www.jaimemagazine.com
BAYLISS<br />
creating bathroom envy since 1929...<br />
Visit our extensive prestigious bathroom and tile showroom....<br />
regarded as one of the finest in the Country!<br />
Bayliss Limited, 23 Gate Lane, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield B73 5TR<br />
T: 0121 362 1800 www.baylisslimited.co.uk<br />
Refreshingly Different<br />
A new door for the new decade<br />
Visit our Stylish Showroom<br />
11 Belwell Lane, Sutton Coldfield, B74 4AA - Tel: 0800 996 1241<br />
Visit our fantastic website www.jmiwindows.co.uk - enquiries@jmiwindows.co.uk<br />
Windows | Doors | Bi-Fold Doors | Garage Doors | Conservatories | Orangeries | Secondary Glazing | Window Repairs
HAZE FREESTANDING BATH IN TRANQUIL DAWN,<br />
£2,495, ELEMENTS COLLECTION, WATERS BATHS<br />
OF ASHBOURNE, AVAILABLE FROM BATHART,<br />
MITCHELLS CENTRE, SUTTON COLDFIELD.<br />
WWW.BATHART.CO.UK<br />
EGYPTIAN COTTON TOWELS IN FOREST<br />
AND SAGE GREEN, FROM £5, DUNELM.<br />
WWW.DUNELM.COM<br />
SANTINO ACCENT CHAIR IN SAGE GREEN,<br />
£679, SOFOLOGY. WWW.SOFOLOGY.CO.UK<br />
SCINTILLA OLIVE GREEN STAR PATTERN<br />
TILES, £24.95/SQM, WALLS AND FLOORS.<br />
WWW.WALLSANDFLOORS.CO.UK<br />
16
For safe, professional care at<br />
home, contact Givecare on<br />
0182763560<br />
Because there is nothing<br />
like home.<br />
Find out more about our<br />
services by visiting<br />
givecare.co.uk<br />
Part of Bosworth Homecare.<br />
ANGLIA RANGE IN BLANCO<br />
CALIBRATED TO 20MM<br />
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PER M 2 PLUS VAT(£9.49 PER TILE)<br />
EUROPA WAY, LICHFIELD, WS14 9TZ<br />
01543 440000 TIPPERS.COM<br />
MON-FRI<br />
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SATURDAY<br />
8:00AM - 2:00PM
INTERIORS<br />
Small space,<br />
big impact<br />
WHEN it comes to interior makeovers, it is one of the<br />
smallest rooms which can have the biggest impact. That’s<br />
right; the bathroom can make or break a property.<br />
We want our bathrooms to be smart, luxurious and, above<br />
all, rooms we can retreat to - a miniature haven where we<br />
can relax and unwind from the stresses of the day.<br />
After the chaos that was 2020, it’s unsurprising that<br />
bathroom trends for <strong>2021</strong> centre around the trend for<br />
creating a home spa; a cocooning space which offers a<br />
sense of quiet luxury. From mood lighting to oversized<br />
baths, massage showers to luxurious fittings, bathrooms<br />
today are so much more than purely functional rooms.<br />
Moving away from clinical white and polished ceramics<br />
with their clean, contemporary - and, dare we say it,<br />
boring - feel, bathrooms are becoming more and more a<br />
space where we can be bold and expressive, playing with<br />
colour and texture to create a seamlessly blended space.<br />
When it comes to styling, vintage meets modern with<br />
Victorian rolltop baths pairing perfectly with modern tech<br />
for a fabulous fusion.<br />
BREEZE FREESTANDING BATH, £2,495, WATERS BATHS OF<br />
ASHBOURNE. AVAILABLE FROM BATHART, MITCHELL CENTRE,<br />
SUTTON COLDFIELD. WWW.BATHART.CO.UK<br />
£65<br />
£89<br />
VASILO BATHROOM 3 LIGHT CEILING<br />
LAMP, WWW.MADE.COM<br />
£325<br />
FABULOUS FEATHER MIRROR, JOE BROWNS.<br />
WWW.JOEBROWNS.CO.UK<br />
WYE VALLEY BATHROOM PENDANT<br />
LIGHT, FRITZ FRYER LIGHTING.<br />
WWW.FRITZFRYER.CO.UK<br />
£75<br />
NOBLE ISLE FIRESIDE GLOW 3 WICK CANDLE,<br />
AMARA. WWW.AMARA.COM<br />
18<br />
www.jaimemagazine.com
£45<br />
£870<br />
£400<br />
LUXE MARBLE LOOK VANITY TRAY AND<br />
BATHROOM ACCESSORIES, AMARA.<br />
WWW.AMARA.COM<br />
MENU NIMBUS MIRROR BRONZED BRASS,<br />
AMARA. WWW.AMARA.COM<br />
£120<br />
MENU MARBLE SHOWER TRAY, AMARA.<br />
WWW.AMARA.COM<br />
MENU TOWEL LADDER, NEST.<br />
WWW.NEST.CO.UK<br />
STRAIT BATH IN MINT GREEN, WATERS BATHS OF<br />
ASHBOURNE. AVAILABLE FROM BATHART, MITCHELL<br />
CENTRE. SUTTON COLDFIELD. WWW.BATHART.CO.UK<br />
QUARTZITE GREY MATT TILES, £17.49, TILE MOUNTAIN.<br />
WWW.TILEMOUNTAIN.CO.UK
MILANO BARQ WET ROOM SHOWER ENCLOSURE,<br />
FROM £309.99. BIG BATHROOM SHOP.<br />
WWW.BIGBATHROOMSHOP.CO.UK<br />
DRIFT FREESTANDING BATH, £1,895 - WATERS BATHS<br />
OF ASHBOURNE. AVAILABLE FROM BATHART, MITCHELL<br />
CENTRE, SUTTON COLDFIELD. WWW.BATHART.CO.UK<br />
ADELPHI CABINET, £265, ADELPHI MIRROR, £75, AND<br />
ADELPHI TOWEL LADDER, £90, GARDEN TRADING.<br />
WWW.GARDENTRADING.CO.UK<br />
MILANO DALTON DOUBLE BASIN WITH BLACK<br />
WASHSTAND, £299.99, BIG BATHROOM SHOP.<br />
WWW.BIGBATHROOMSHOP.CO.UK<br />
LINEAR GEO TOWELS, FROM £8, NEXT.<br />
WWW.NEXT.CO.UK<br />
LAYERED BATHROOM LIGHTING WITH LUCCA<br />
UPLIGHTS, OSLO FLOOR WASHERS AND POLESPRING<br />
DOWNLIGHTS, FROM A SELECTION AT JOHN CULLEN<br />
LIGHTING. WWW.JOHNCULLENLIGHTING.COM
Advanced technology<br />
for superior hearing<br />
Offering the latest in hearing technology, award winning local audiologists<br />
Steven Hale Hearing are one of the very few hearing specialists qualified<br />
to fit Lyric, the world’s only 100% invisible hearing aid.<br />
MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW AND<br />
FIND OUT HOW LYRIC WILL TRANSFORM<br />
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#LOVELOCAL<br />
J’AIME<br />
#LoveLocal Lichfield<br />
OVER THE COMING MONTHS WE WILL BE CELEBRATING SOME OF THE BRILLIANT INDEPENDENT<br />
BUSINESSES FROM ACROSS OUR PATCH. HERE ARE THREE FROM THE LICHFIELD AREA<br />
ALLEN BROWN<br />
These gorgeous 18ct white gold earrings with 0.24ct multi coloured<br />
sapphires are priced at £1,420 and available online from Allen<br />
Brown Jewellery at www.allenbrownjewellery.co.uk<br />
Formed in 1986, Allen Brown Jewellery is renowned for its<br />
contemporary classic designs that draw on Allen’s love of coloured<br />
diamonds, gems, platinum and other precious metals. Timeless<br />
favourites, his collections are both beautiful and practical.<br />
The business is based within Heart of the Country Shopping Village,<br />
Swinfen, Lichfield but has been trading online during the lockdown.<br />
ROSEMARY LODGE<br />
A residential care home for elderly ladies and gentlemen, Rosemary<br />
Lodge aims to provide levels of care, community and comfort that<br />
are second to none.<br />
Based in Walsall Road, Lichfield, Rosemary Lodge is open to new<br />
residents and remains COVID-19 free.<br />
It is situated just a short distance from the bustling centre of Lichfield<br />
and is set in landscaped gardens. The care home offers respite care,<br />
holiday stay and limited day care in addition to residential care.<br />
Visit www.rosemarylodgecarehome.co.uk to find out more.<br />
RIPPLE HR<br />
Run in Lichfield by Jane Galvez, Ripple HR has been operating<br />
throughout the pandemic to help businesses navigate human<br />
resources issues.<br />
Jane set up and ran a successful e-Learning business and moved into<br />
HR within that business. After several years she then worked in a<br />
variety of SMEs, always taking responsibility for HR. She became<br />
Head of HR in an international automotive business, then set up<br />
Ripple HR.<br />
Visit www.ripple-hr.co.uk to find out more.<br />
22 www.jaimemagazine.com
アパート<br />
夀 䔀 䄀 刀 匀 伀 䘀<br />
O N L I N E S H O P<br />
N O W O P E N<br />
䈀 䔀 匀 倀 伀 䬀 䔀 䘀 䤀 一 䔀 䨀 䔀 圀 䔀 䰀 䰀 䔀 刀 夀 ꀀ<br />
伀 渀 攀 漀 昀 琀 栀 攀 氀 愀 爀 最 攀 猀 琀 挀 漀 氀 氀 攀 挀 琀 椀 漀 渀 猀 漀 昀<br />
挀 漀 渀 琀 攀 洀 瀀 漀 爀 愀 爀 礀 ǻ 渀 攀 樀 攀 眀 攀 氀 氀 攀 爀 礀 椀 渀 琀 栀 攀 唀 䬀<br />
Specialists in designing<br />
and making, remodelling<br />
and refurbishing<br />
匀 瀀 攀 挀 椀 愀 氀 椀 猀 琀 猀 椀 渀 搀 攀 猀 椀 最 渀 椀 渀 最 愀 渀 搀 洀 愀 欀 椀 渀 最 Ⰰ<br />
爀 攀 洀 漀 搀 攀 氀 氀 椀 渀 最 愀 渀 搀 爀 攀 昀 甀 爀 戀 椀 猀 栀 椀 渀 最 昀 漀 爀 アパート 礀 攀 愀 爀 猀<br />
ALLEN 䄀 䰀 䰀 䔀 一 䈀 BROWN 刀 伀 圀 一 䨀 JEWELLERY<br />
䔀 圀 䔀 䰀 䰀 䔀 刀 夀<br />
䠀 Heart 攀 愀 爀 琀 漀 of 昀 吀 The 栀 攀 䌀 Country 漀 甀 渀 琀 爀 礀 匀 Shopping 栀 漀 瀀 瀀 椀 渀 最 Village 嘀 椀 氀 氀 愀 最 攀<br />
匀 Swinfen, 眀 椀 渀 昀 攀 渀 Ⰰ Lichfield, 䰀 椀 挀 栀 ǻ 攀 氀 搀 Ⰰ<br />
匀 Staffordshire 琀 愀 昀 昀 漀 爀 搀 猀 栀 椀 爀 攀 WS14 圀 匀 㐀 9QR 㤀 儀 刀<br />
01543 㔀 㐀 アパート 㐀 481948 㠀 㤀 㐀 㠀<br />
眀 www.allenbrownjewellery.co.uk<br />
眀 眀 ⸀ 愀 氀 氀 攀 渀 戀 爀 漀 眀 渀 樀 攀 眀 攀 氀 氀 攀 爀 礀 ⸀ 挀 漀 ⸀ 甀 欀<br />
昀 椀 琀<br />
We make it happen<br />
Moving House<br />
Family Matters<br />
Wills<br />
Cannock<br />
01543 466 660<br />
Lichfield<br />
01543 263 456<br />
Halesowen<br />
0121 550 0010<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
0121 716 3716
#LOVELOCAL<br />
J’AIME<br />
#LoveLocal<br />
Hospitality<br />
STAFFORDSHIRE-BASED INDEPENDENT PUB OPERATOR PUNCH PUBS HAS SPENT<br />
£1 MILLION PREPARING ITS VENUES FOR OUTDOOR REOPENING THIS MONTH<br />
Outdoor spaces such as beer gardens, patios and<br />
courtyards have never been so important in the world<br />
of pubs.<br />
Punch Pubs, based in Burton upon Trent, has<br />
invested in a million-pound Inside|Outside<br />
programme to help publicans make the most of<br />
trading safely outside while also complying with<br />
Government guidance.<br />
The success of the scheme will allow many pubs to<br />
open outdoors on <strong>April</strong> 12, including plenty that<br />
previously would have not had the capacity.<br />
This means 662 (72%) Punch pubs in England are<br />
now set to welcome guests back to their local this<br />
month.<br />
Andy Spencer, managing director of Punch Pubs,<br />
says: “Working together with hundreds of our<br />
publicans, we have breathed new life into many of<br />
our pub gardens and outdoor spaces. Creating safe,<br />
warm, and welcome environments to give our guests<br />
fantastic experiences when we reopen and for the<br />
future.<br />
“Like all of our publicans able to reopen, we are<br />
excited to welcome our customers back in <strong>April</strong>.<br />
However, it remains vitally important to remember<br />
that pubs will be operating at a significantly reduced<br />
capacity.<br />
“We need restrictions to continue to be relaxed<br />
during the reopening period to ensure the long-term<br />
survival of the Great British pub.”<br />
Punch and their publicans have been working in<br />
tandem to create solutions from new furniture to<br />
stretch tents, festoon lighting, cosy huts, and allimportant<br />
outdoor heating.<br />
The scheme has already seen hundreds of projects<br />
completed across the country.<br />
24 www.jaimemagazine.com
#LOVELOCAL<br />
J’AIME<br />
AS PART OF OUR #LOVELOCAL CAMPAIGN, OVER THE COMING MONTHS WE WILL CELEBRATE<br />
SOME OF THE BRILLIANT HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES ACROSS OUR PATCH AS THE WORLD<br />
GRADUALLY OPENS UP ONCE MORE<br />
THYME KITCHEN<br />
Waffles with crispy bacon, fried eggs and maple syrup is just one of<br />
the recipes chef Susie Mandleberg is trying out ahead of the planned<br />
official reopening of Thyme Kitchen on May 18.<br />
The head chef of the breakfast, brunch and lunch venue, at<br />
Curborough Countryside Centre, Lichfield, is currently developing a<br />
new menu ahead of the reopening.<br />
Thyme Kitchen is also the base for Sauce Supper Club and its Dine<br />
at Home boxes.<br />
Sauce Supper Club events are set to resume on May 29 with a six<br />
course dinner prepared by chef Tom Shepherd.<br />
To find out more about Thyme Kitchen visit<br />
www.thymekitchen.co.uk<br />
MOOR HALL<br />
The terrace at Moor Hall Hotel and Spa, in Four Oaks, Sutton<br />
Coldfield, will reopen for outside dining on <strong>April</strong> 12.<br />
Afternoon teas, graze and laze boxes and pizzas are just some of<br />
the options that will be available between 8am and 8pm each day.<br />
There will be screens, blankets, parasols and heaters to help keep<br />
things cosy and people are invited to take along their own picnic<br />
blankets if they wish.<br />
Tables should be booked in advance and diners are asked to<br />
mention when they book if they would like to order afternoon tea.<br />
For more information visit www.moorhallhotel.co.uk<br />
THE GEORGE HOTEL<br />
The George Hotel’s city centre courtyard will be the perfect place to<br />
enjoy outdoor dining in Lichfield when it reopens on <strong>April</strong> 12.<br />
Food will be served between 8am and 8pm every day and there is<br />
no need to book in advance, but diners are asked to pre-book if they<br />
would like to order afternoon tea.<br />
Heated canopies mean that guests will be able to enjoy their alfresco<br />
dining experience whatever the good old British weather decides to<br />
throw at them.<br />
The menu will include lunches, evening meals, light bites and hot<br />
drinks.<br />
For more information visit www.thegeorgelichfield.co.uk<br />
www.jaimemagazine.com<br />
25
F O O D & D R I N K<br />
Gin Rummy<br />
A STAFFORDSHIRE FAMILY WHO LAUNCHED THEIR OWN GIN AFTER COVID-19<br />
STOPPED THEIR BUSINESS FROM OPERATING HAVE NOW CREATED A BRAND<br />
OF RUM AND STARTED A PROJECT TO HELP BEES<br />
When Alex and Natalie Conti’s arts and travel<br />
business was grounded by coronavirus the Lichfield<br />
couple were determined not to waste their newfound<br />
free time.<br />
The keen beekeepers installed a vast new apiary as<br />
a lockdown project then, when faced with kilos of<br />
surplus honey, masterminded a new brand of honey<br />
gin.<br />
Just a few months later they have two varieties of gin,<br />
a newly launched honey rum and have brought an<br />
historic beekeeping site back to life with an adopt a<br />
hive scheme.<br />
“We wanted to install more hives to produce more<br />
honey so we found a beautiful spot,” says Alex.<br />
“We’d already chosen it when we discovered that<br />
it actually used to be an apiary around 150 to 200<br />
years ago.<br />
“Staffordshire County Council and our local<br />
councillor have been incredibly helpful and we have<br />
all kinds of plans on the go including planting huge<br />
swathes of wild flowers to go alongside new hives<br />
we’ve commissioned.”<br />
Alex is making 12 hives available for<br />
adoption by people who love the idea of<br />
safeguarding the future of honeybees,<br />
having a regular supply of locally-produced<br />
honey from their own colony and helping a<br />
small, independent business along the way.<br />
Adopting a hive for one year for £250<br />
buys people the chance to visit and handle<br />
their own bees during the summer, regular<br />
updates, a welcome pack with honey plus<br />
honey gin or honey rum and then 10 pots of<br />
honey from their very own bees.<br />
It’s an innovative project which Alex<br />
believes may be one of the first of its kind.<br />
“It’s very exciting and just the start of<br />
lots of ideas we have for the future,” he<br />
says. “We’re very much looking forward<br />
to welcoming people to the site once<br />
coronavirus restrictions have lifted so that<br />
we can share our enthusiasm for bees and<br />
honey.”<br />
The honey rum was a natural progression for the<br />
business.<br />
“We’d always been thinking of other spirit types in<br />
the background,” says Alex. “Spiced honey rum is<br />
already a thing but we couldn’t find a honey rum on<br />
the market in the UK that interested us.<br />
“My wife used to live in Cuba, where honey rum is<br />
very popular, and I’ve travelled to Cuba a lot over the<br />
years so this is exciting for us both.<br />
“Our honey rum is Cuban in spirit but it’s entirely<br />
made in the UK, right down to the base spirit, and<br />
uses our own Staffordshire honey.<br />
“We realised very quickly that our own honey was<br />
never going to be plentiful enough for us to keep<br />
pushing the Apiarist brand forward, which is why we<br />
had to think about extending the apiary.<br />
“Being able to bring an historic apiary back to life<br />
along the way has been a wonderful byproduct of<br />
that.”<br />
Apiarist products are available from<br />
www.theapiaristgin.com<br />
24
Experience informal outside dining with<br />
fantastic views at Moor Hall Hotel & Spa<br />
in Sutton Coldfield this Spring!<br />
Our Terrace reopens on 12th <strong>April</strong><br />
for outside dining every day between<br />
8am and 8pm.<br />
AFTERNOON TEA*<br />
NEW GRAZE & LAZE BOXES* FOR PICNICS<br />
COFFEE REPUBLIC HOT DRINKS<br />
FULL DRINKS MENU<br />
BRUNCH | SANDWICHES | SALADS<br />
PIZZAS | MAIN MEALS<br />
* Please pre-book<br />
Our Lichfield city centre courtyard is the<br />
perfect spot for a hot drink, light bite,<br />
lunch or evening meal this spring!<br />
Our courtyard reopens on 12th <strong>April</strong> for<br />
outside dining every day between<br />
8am and 8pm.<br />
AFTERNOON TEA* | SOUPS & SANDWICHES<br />
JACKET POTATOES | MAIN COURSES<br />
HOT DRINKS<br />
* Please pre-book Afternoon Tea<br />
Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield B75 6LN<br />
0121 308 3751 www.moorhallhotel.co.uk<br />
Visit our website for menus and to pre-book your table<br />
Bird Street, Lichfield, WS13 6PR<br />
01543 414822 www.thegeorgelichfield.co.uk<br />
Visit our website for menus and to book your table<br />
DINE AT HOME | APRIL<br />
AS NEW SHOOTS START TO CREEP<br />
THROUGH, iT’S TiME TO SWAP<br />
THOSE HEARTY ROOT VEGETABLES<br />
FOR SPRiNG iNGREDiENTS!<br />
LiGHTER, CRiSPER & DELiCiOUS!<br />
DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR<br />
PREPPED & READY TO REHEAT,<br />
PLATE AND ENJOY!<br />
SEE WEBSITE FOR ALL APRIL MENUS AND TO<br />
BOOK YOUR DINE AT HOME EXPERIENCE!<br />
#staysafe #dineathome<br />
T 01543 264050<br />
E hello@saucesupperclub.co.uk<br />
www.saucesupperclub.co.uk
T R AV E L<br />
Holiday hot list<br />
WE’RE GETTING EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF FINALLY HEADING OFF ON HOLIDAY<br />
AGAIN. NATHAN COLLINS, JOINT MD OF LICHFIELD-BASED RB COLLECTION, LOOKS AT SOME<br />
OF THE EXCITING NEW DESTINATIONS AND HOLIDAY OPTIONS WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.<br />
Despite significantly fewer<br />
holidays taking place over the<br />
past 12 months many hoteliers,<br />
destinations and cruise lines<br />
continued to work on exciting<br />
new properties, itineraries and<br />
experiences in the background.<br />
This means there are a lot of fresh<br />
opportunities ready and waiting<br />
for you.<br />
Exciting new hotels<br />
The Ikos brand has made a name<br />
for itself in Greece, offering a fresh<br />
approach to the all-inclusive model<br />
in Kos, Halkidiki and Corfu. I<br />
stayed at their Halkidiki resort a<br />
couple of years ago with my wife<br />
and two boys and was really impressed. Opening<br />
this year will be their first resort outside of Greece in<br />
Andalucía, Spain.<br />
Their chic and stylish family-friendly resorts<br />
effortlessly combine five-star service with the ease<br />
and comfort of luxury all-inclusive. You won’t find<br />
any wristbands or long queues at buffets here. The<br />
quality of the food and beverages offered is superb<br />
and it was certainly a cut above many other allinclusives<br />
I have stayed at.<br />
New hotels like these in familiar areas such as<br />
the Marbella area don’t happen very often. It is<br />
refreshing to see Ikos take on the challenge in such<br />
a popular and vibrant resort. Just one hour from<br />
Malaga airport, it will no doubt be popular with<br />
British tourists who are already familiar with the area<br />
but seek somewhere new to try.<br />
Over in the Balearic Islands, Ibiza welcomes two<br />
new luxury hotels this year. Famous for its nightlife<br />
and party weekends, the island also has a more<br />
sophisticated side with popular up-market beach<br />
clubs, sunset bars and now more luxury hotels on<br />
offer too. There are plenty of flights from the UK<br />
but its popularity and small size does mean we<br />
recommend booking early.<br />
Six Senses are known for their resorts in Thailand,<br />
Oman and the Maldives but recently expanded into<br />
Cambodia, Portugal and China. This year the group<br />
plans to open in Ibiza and Israel. Their hotels always<br />
have dramatic locations and a real wow factor.<br />
Their Ibiza hotel is located in the north east of the<br />
island above the crystalline waters of Cala Xarraca<br />
Bay. Like all their properties, the hotel is designed to<br />
reflect its surroundings seamlessly. Design elements<br />
are earthy and natural whilst comfort, wellness and<br />
relaxation play an important role. The hotel will be<br />
a unique sanctuary, away from the crazy wild side of<br />
the island. As a small island however, everything is<br />
within easy reach if you need a party fix.<br />
Due to open this July, Six Senses Ibiza will be the<br />
talk of the town and we are really looking forward to<br />
visiting and showcasing it to our clients. We’ve stayed<br />
at some of their Thailand properties and they are<br />
really special indeed as they offer a unique take on<br />
modern luxury.<br />
Staying with the laidback luxury theme is the new<br />
Oku Ibiza, just outside Sant Antoni. If you want to<br />
be closer to the action this will be a great option. The<br />
hotel continues the current luxury trend for moving<br />
28 www.jaimemagazine.com
away from gold taps and marble bathrooms, instead<br />
opting for earthy tones, inspired by Japanese design<br />
like their original hotel on the Greek Island of Kos.<br />
Oku Ibiza has one of the largest pools on the island<br />
and 200 rooms which includes an ocean view<br />
penthouse and private four-bedroom villa. This is<br />
another unique new hotel for Ibiza. Combined with<br />
Six Senses and the Kempinski 7Pines which opened<br />
in 2018, we are reminded that Ibiza is one of the<br />
most aspirational luxury places to stay in the world.<br />
Staying in the Mediterranean, we are excited to hear<br />
about the new Four Seasons San Domenico Palace<br />
in Taormina, Sicily. This iconic hotel dates back to<br />
1896 and was really popular with our clients as well<br />
as famous names such as Oscar Wilde, King Edward<br />
VIII, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia<br />
Loren. Four Seasons has totally refurbished this 14th<br />
century monastery. It’s close proximity to the town,<br />
stunning infinity pool and Four Seasons luxurious<br />
style and standards mean this hotel will no doubt<br />
attract a lot of attention this summer.<br />
The chic Greek island of Mykonos welcomes an<br />
extraordinary ensemble of boutique villas that<br />
overlook the turquoise Aegean Sea. The Myconian<br />
Panoptis Escape has an exclusive, hilltop position,<br />
surrounded by the wild, natural sun-caressed beauty<br />
of Mykonos. This island sanctuary promises serenity<br />
in every sense. Think soft breezes, soul-affirming<br />
views, mesmerising sunsets and exceptional service.<br />
Bound by imaginative contemporary architecture,<br />
minimalist styling and artisan craftsmanship,<br />
everything about Panoptis Escape is the definition of<br />
less is more. I hope to visit Mykonos in June for my<br />
wedding anniversary and look forward to comparing<br />
it to our visit to the quieter Santorini a few years<br />
back.<br />
New Rail Route<br />
Over the Atlantic, the famous Rocky Mountaineer<br />
Railroad with its domed viewing cars has expanded<br />
from Canada south into the USA. The new scenic<br />
route from Colorado to Utah is a really exciting<br />
development for the company and we expect this to<br />
be popular. Many clients have already enjoyed the<br />
stunning journey through the Canadian Rockies<br />
and now have the opportunity to enjoy a different<br />
view and country with the same level of service and<br />
experiences.<br />
The new itinerary is called Journey through the Red<br />
Rocks and offers two days of varying landscapes<br />
through Moab, Utah and Denver, Colorado. You<br />
will witness vast canyons, inspiring deserts, natural<br />
archways and enchanting hoodoos, the famous rock<br />
formations the area is well known for.<br />
Many highlights best seen by train include Ruby<br />
Canyon, Mount Logan and crossing the Continental<br />
Divide. You can also add on pre and post extensions<br />
with options to start or end your journey in Las<br />
Vegas or Salt Lake City.<br />
New Flights and Airline Innovations<br />
Airlines have understandably been forced to reassess<br />
their schedules following the pandemic. This has<br />
resulted in a number of new routes too. Many of<br />
these are in anticipation to holiday demand this<br />
summer including Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, the<br />
latter of which has a number of new flights later into<br />
the autumn as holiday companies look to extend the<br />
summer season.<br />
Birmingham welcomes a new direct service to<br />
Gibraltar as well as Athens which will be good news<br />
to cruise lovers as many Mediterranean cruises<br />
depart from the Greek capital. To fulfil demand<br />
to the West Country, there is a new Manchester<br />
to Newquay flight too. Long haul, Boston will be<br />
connected to Heathrow with a new service from<br />
United Airlines.<br />
Emirates have responded to demand to allow<br />
passengers to purchase empty seats around them<br />
to have more free space if they wish. They are also<br />
in the process of rolling out their new Premium<br />
Economy cabin on select A380 services. Services<br />
from Birmingham are due to continue as they prove<br />
popular to connect holidaymakers to the Arabian<br />
29
Peninsula and onwards to Asia and Australasia.<br />
Additional flights are also being laid on from<br />
Birmingham to Majorca from a number of airlines<br />
including Eurowings who launch their first holiday<br />
routes to the UK.<br />
Finally, Aer Lingus are moving into the long-haul<br />
market from Manchester with a direct service to<br />
Orlando, Boston and New York.<br />
Cruise holidays<br />
Pre-pandemic, the cruise industry was literally<br />
riding a wave of huge popularity. Despite the pause<br />
in operations and some changes in fleets there<br />
are still many new ships, itineraries and product<br />
enhancements in the pipeline.<br />
There are so many different types of cruise holidays<br />
now on offer, from large ships with endless things<br />
to do, to luxury liners offering more space per<br />
passenger, luxury yacht cruises that can access<br />
smaller ports and coastal routes to popular river<br />
cruises which can book up very early (especially on<br />
the Douro in Portugal).<br />
The ultra-luxurious cruise line Regent Seven Seas<br />
recently announced they will position one of their<br />
ships in Barbados this winter instead of Miami.<br />
This move will certainly be attractive to UK cruises<br />
as they will be able to fly direct from the UK to the<br />
Caribbean island, bypassing the USA where their<br />
cruises usually depart from. I toured one of Regent’s<br />
ships last year and was struck by the vast amount<br />
of space onboard. The ships take around 700<br />
passengers so a lot less than some of the larger lines.<br />
Celebrity Cruises have adapted their board basis to<br />
be all-inclusive as a minimum. They offer additional<br />
packages to upgrade to, but all cruisers can now<br />
relax knowing their drinks, WIFI and gratuities are<br />
all included.<br />
For those looking for a more adventurous cruise,<br />
destinations such as the Galapagos and Antarctica<br />
are seeing new ships and itineraries go on sale right<br />
up to 2023.<br />
These smaller vessels and unique<br />
expert-led itineraries are always<br />
popular and following a year of<br />
paused operations it is no surprise<br />
they are on sale so far in advance to<br />
fulfil pent up demand. My fellow MD<br />
Oliver visited the Galapagos so can<br />
offer his take on the variety of ships<br />
and itineraries.<br />
One of these purpose-built<br />
expedition ships is the Seabourn<br />
Venture. The first of the line’s two<br />
new Polar class vessels has only<br />
132 suites with two custom-built<br />
submarines, kayaks and 24 Zodiac boats.<br />
Smaller still, luxury yachts allow you to cruise<br />
smaller ports and coasts. In recent years these have<br />
been popular in Croatia and Montenegro as well as<br />
around the Greek Islands.<br />
Emerald are well known for river cruises and are now<br />
offering itineraries on their new purpose built, 110<br />
metre long, 5* luxury yacht. You’ll be one of only<br />
100 guests onboard with plenty of space and a really<br />
personalised and intimate experience. Itineraries<br />
commence in 2022 and will explore the Adriatic<br />
Coast, Eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea, Western<br />
Mediterranean and in 2023 the Black Sea.<br />
Closer to home and more imminent (pending<br />
government permission), a number of the large<br />
cruise brands such as P&O, Princess, Hurtigruten,<br />
Cunard and Fred Olsen have all announced plans for<br />
UK cruises this summer. This is another example of<br />
how the industry is adapting to consumer demand to<br />
stay closer to home for now.<br />
Other new ships on the horizon include Virgin<br />
Voyages three new vessels: Scarlet Lady, Valiant<br />
Lady and Resilient Lady. Due to launch just before<br />
the pandemic, Virgin aims to disrupt the cruise<br />
industry offering their own take on the large cruise<br />
experience. Their uniquely designed ships offer a<br />
younger vibe.<br />
As you can see, there are lots of developments in<br />
the world of travel and we are all gearing up for<br />
an exciting time ahead. The pent-up demand will<br />
no doubt mean many of the new offerings will be<br />
popular and book up early. My advice is to secure<br />
your places as far in advance as possible and at<br />
the time check the flexibility and conditions when<br />
booking which should now be much more favourable<br />
than before the pandemic.<br />
To discuss your next special holiday give<br />
me a call on 01543 258631 or email<br />
vip@rbcollection.com. Remember to<br />
mention J’aime magazine when you call.<br />
30 www.jaimemagazine.com
OPEN<br />
FOR NEW<br />
RESIDENTS<br />
WE<br />
REMAIN<br />
COVID<br />
FREE<br />
We are a trusted, local family, dedicated to providing<br />
a truly personal service for those who need us<br />
Burials, Horse-drawn Funerals, Bespoke<br />
Funeral and pre-payment Funeral Plans available<br />
The perfect ‘Home from Home’<br />
at Rosemary Lodge in Lichfield<br />
Rosemary Lodge Care Home for<br />
elderly ladies and gentlemen offers a<br />
level of care, community and comfort<br />
that is second to none. Situated a short<br />
way from the bustling City Centre of<br />
Lichfield and set in landscaped gardens,<br />
Rosemary Lodge is light, spacious and<br />
beautifully decorated, offering residents<br />
just the right combination of interest,<br />
activity and relaxation. It is a place that<br />
encourages residents to retain their<br />
independence and individuality whilst<br />
being fully supported to live a fulfilled<br />
and enjoyable life.<br />
Rosemary Lodge Care Home is a family<br />
run concern, and has been a highlyregarded<br />
part of the community for<br />
almost 30 years. Offering 24 hour care,<br />
our fully trained staff work together to<br />
communicate with residents and ensure<br />
personal care needs are met in a fully<br />
person-centred approach, thus building<br />
an important relationship of trust and<br />
friendship.<br />
Our two qualified chefs offer a<br />
nutritionally balanced and varied<br />
menu, (catering for any special dietary<br />
requirements) using fresh, locally<br />
sourced produce and served in a<br />
spacious dining room that offers views<br />
out towards the Orangery and to the<br />
gardens and fountain. The Orangery also<br />
creates a perfect space for residents,<br />
family and friends to meet up, chat,<br />
enjoy coffee and snacks and take<br />
advantage of the sunshine, no matter<br />
the season! The on-site hair and beauty<br />
salon also ensures that little bit of<br />
pampering is always available.<br />
All rooms are en-suite, and are<br />
designed to comfortably accommodate<br />
individuals and couples. There is full<br />
WiFi connectivity throughout to allow<br />
residents the opportunity of keeping in<br />
touch with family and friends through<br />
video link or FaceTime.<br />
Regular activities and entertainment<br />
such as movement-to music, musical<br />
theatre groups, pet therapy, pub lunches<br />
and visits to local events are regularly<br />
organised, but privacy and peace-andquiet<br />
is also ensured in this beautiful<br />
‘home from home’. Our close proximity<br />
to Lichfield also means that shopping<br />
trips and community activities are just<br />
on the doorstep.<br />
Our commitment to offering just the<br />
right amount of care and support<br />
has led to an excellent reputation<br />
in the community and with the care<br />
professionals who work with us. We<br />
value our staff highly, and recognise that<br />
their care and commitment are a great<br />
part of our success.<br />
We also offer respite care, holiday<br />
stay and limited day care. To arrange a<br />
visit or to learn a little bit more about<br />
us, call Jane Evans, Registered Care<br />
Manager or Shirley Kent Administration<br />
Manager, please see contact details<br />
below.<br />
All-inclusive Funeral Packages for<br />
Cremation with no hidden costs<br />
Including Crematorium, Doctor and<br />
Religious/Non-religious Celebrant<br />
Simple - £2,300<br />
Traditional - £2,650<br />
(includes family car, service sheets and floral tribute)<br />
16 - 20 North Street, Cannock, WS11 0BA<br />
01543 529813 (Anytime)<br />
Visit our web and Facebook sites to see our reviews<br />
www.omalleyfunerals.co.uk • www.facebook.com/omalleyfunerals<br />
CQC RATING GOOD<br />
Rosemary Lodge Residential Home<br />
191 Walsall Road, Lichfield. Staffs.<br />
WS13 8AQ.<br />
For more information please contact<br />
Jane Evans (Registered Care Manager) or<br />
Shirley Kent (Administration Manager).<br />
01543 415223 - Email: roselodgehome@aol.com<br />
www.rosemarylodgecarehome.co.uk
FA S H I O N<br />
Between the lines<br />
IT’S TIME TO EARN YOUR FASHION STRIPES IN THE MOST<br />
VERSATILE PRINT FOR SPRING, SAYS AMY NORBURY<br />
HORIZONTAL or vertical, diagonal or zig-zag;<br />
when it comes to prints, there’s one particular<br />
standout as we head into the warmer months.<br />
Fashion’s love affair with stripes is welldocumented,<br />
with this perennial favourite<br />
popping up in multiple guises from season to<br />
season. From the preppiness of the ultra-classic<br />
Breton stripe to the playful rainbows which make<br />
up fashion giant Missoni’s signature look, it’s a<br />
look which we’ve turned to time and time again.<br />
And perhaps that’s part of the message behind<br />
some of the trends which have emerged for<br />
spring and summer; in times of uncertainty,<br />
there’s comfort to be found in sticking to what<br />
you know and making the most of what you<br />
have. After all, most of us will have some stripey<br />
numbers lurking in our wardrobes which can be<br />
resurrected and refreshed for <strong>2021</strong>.<br />
So, how to wear your stripes this season? Well,<br />
the bigger, the bolder, the better was the message<br />
from the SS21 catwalks, where everyone from<br />
Burberry to Bottega Veneta was toeing the line<br />
with stripes galore.<br />
The freshest way to incorporate stripes was a<br />
case of ‘more is more’, with head-to-toe and<br />
rainbow brights emerging as the most impactive<br />
iterations.<br />
Elsewhere, monochrome magic came into<br />
its own as the pared-back palette offered an<br />
elegantly wearable take on the trend.<br />
Team a classic Breton striped top with widelegged<br />
trousers for instant casual chic, opt for a<br />
striped blazer as your spring outerwear of choice<br />
or feel spring fresh with a striped midi dress,<br />
perfect for dressing up or down as the occasion<br />
demands.<br />
For a bolder touch, look to animal prints; zebra<br />
and tiger stripes offer a playful take on the trend,<br />
or add a stripey splash with striped detailing on<br />
block colour.<br />
STRIPED MIDI DRESS IN LINEN BLEND, £70, MONSOON.<br />
WWW.MONSOON.CO.UK<br />
32 www.jaimemagazine.com
£45<br />
£39<br />
£235<br />
£65<br />
STRIPED KNITTED TOP, KHOST<br />
CLOTHING AT M&CO.<br />
WWW.MANDCO.COM<br />
STRIPED STRETCH MIDI SKIRT, VICTORIA,<br />
VICTORIA BECKHAM AT HARVEY NICHOLS.<br />
WWW.HARVEYNICHOLS.COM<br />
LINEN MIDI DRESS, KHOST CLOTHING<br />
AT M&CO. WWW.MANDCO.COM<br />
STRIPE SHIRT DRESS, MONSOON.<br />
WWW.MONSOON.COM<br />
£280 £45<br />
STRIPED PURE VIRGIN WOOL YARN<br />
JUMPER, MAX MARA AT HARVEY NICHOLS.<br />
WWW.HARVEYNICHOLS.COM<br />
SIDE STRIPE GREY JUMPER, OLIVER BONAS.<br />
WWW.OLIVERBONAS.COM<br />
CANPAR CANDY STRIPED DRESS, £179,<br />
TED BAKER. WWW.TEDBAKER.COM<br />
PINK AND RED SWAT TOP, £39.50, AND<br />
JOGGERS, £45, OLIVER BONAS.<br />
WWW.OLIVERBONAS.COM<br />
33
#LOVELOCAL<br />
J’AIME<br />
#LoveLocal Hair and Beauty<br />
AS HAIR AND BEAUTY BUSINESSES PREPARE TO REOPEN THIS MONTH, WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE<br />
OWNER OF AN INDEPENDENT SALON IN STAFFORDSHIRE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER PLANS<br />
If you can’t wait to head back to the hairdressers to<br />
have your unruly mop sorted out then just imagine<br />
how frustrating it must feel for stylists who have been<br />
waiting months to pick up their scissors once again.<br />
Fringe, in Upper Brook Street, Rugeley, is one of<br />
so many salons around the UK eagerly awaiting<br />
reopening day on <strong>April</strong> 12.<br />
“There are so many of us in this boat,” says business<br />
owner Anna Waterworth. “We have four stylists,<br />
three helpers and a beautician and we’re selfemployed.<br />
“We’ve been doing this for a long time and all have<br />
our own regular clients, who we can’t wait to see<br />
again.”<br />
For Anna, the stop and start nature of trying to trade<br />
around three national lockdowns has been difficult<br />
but she says she was pleasantly surprised when it was<br />
announced salons would be amongst the first wave of<br />
businesses to reopen.<br />
“Hairdressers were amongst the last to reopen after<br />
the first lockdown, but it worked out pretty good<br />
for us this time. At this stage the opening date is still<br />
provisional, but we’re going to carry on making plans<br />
to reopen until we’re told otherwise.<br />
Anna, who has owned the business for five years, has<br />
put in place a number of safety measures including<br />
dividing screens between customers. Staff will wear<br />
both a mask and a visor, a plastic apron plus gloves<br />
wherever possible.<br />
“We have to ask clients to wait outside until it’s their<br />
turn, rather than in an indoor waiting area, but<br />
everyone has been very good about that,” she says.<br />
Anna says she and the team are genuinely excited<br />
about getting back to a job that they all love.<br />
“Our job is so sociable, it’s a happy job,” she says.<br />
“We all love what we do, we all love coming to work.<br />
“Over the years our clients have become our friends,<br />
in fact sometimes we end up seeing them more than<br />
we see members of our own family.<br />
“We’ve been getting lots of texts from people saying<br />
they can’t wait to be back in the chair and having a<br />
pamper session.<br />
“Going to a salon is a treat for a lot of women. It’s<br />
time out, something for them and they can’t wait to<br />
get back to that.”<br />
Fringe will reopen its phone line for bookings from<br />
<strong>April</strong> 1 and Anna is expecting an initial surge of<br />
interest.<br />
She adds: “Like all salons, the pandemic has<br />
definitely put us in a difficult financial situation, but<br />
we just can’t wait to welcome people back.”<br />
Fringe, Upper Brook Street, Rugeley,<br />
www.fringe-hairsalon.co.uk<br />
34 www.jaimemagazine.com
eyond the horizon<br />
Let’s create something to look forward to<br />
Nothing can beat personal advice when you’re looking to put<br />
the last few months behind you and make plans to look<br />
forward, whether that’s a last-minute getaway or you’re<br />
planning ahead to next year.<br />
You will always have the support of a real person,<br />
be it face-to-face, by video, phone or email -<br />
whenever you need me.<br />
Charlotte Mitchell<br />
Travel Counsellor<br />
0121 314 6650 or 07860 944207<br />
charlotte.mitchell@travelcounsellors.com<br />
www.travelcounsellors.com/charlotte.mitchell<br />
www.facebook.com/CharlotteMitchellTC<br />
Spring is in the air...<br />
is there a spring in your step?<br />
Or are you concerned about your<br />
profit because your people are not<br />
performing well or just don’t ‘get it’?<br />
Ripple HR can help with HR ISO9001 processes<br />
which support your business through tough<br />
times and good times.<br />
Call us to talk about how Positive HR<br />
can ripple through your business.<br />
07771 780 146<br />
jane.galvez@ripple-hr.co.uk<br />
ripple-hr.co.uk<br />
Jean Lamb Wealth Consultancy<br />
My offices are situated in the historic city of Lichfield and I have been providing personal<br />
wealth management advice to my clients for more<br />
than 25 years.<br />
I specialise in the following key areas<br />
and welcome your enquiry:<br />
• Investment Planning<br />
• InheritanceTax and Estate Planning<br />
• Pre and Post-Retirement Planning<br />
• Care Fees Planning and Funding for Care<br />
Telephone: 01543 417342<br />
Website: www.jeanlamb.co.uk<br />
Email: jean.lamb@sjpp.co.uk<br />
Office: 6A Market Street, Lichfield, WS13 6LH<br />
Jean Lamb Wealth Consultancy is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management Plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority)<br />
for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products.
B E AU T Y<br />
Why you need a moisturiser<br />
WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AFTER YOUR SKIN A MOISTURISER IS INVALUABLE, BUT<br />
WHICH ONE IS BEST FOR YOU? WE ASKED CELEBRITY FACIALIST AND FOUNDER OF HEAVEN<br />
SKINCARE DEBORAH MITCHELL TO TAKE US BACK TO THE BASICS<br />
Put simply a moisturiser is used to protect,<br />
hydrate and lubricate the complexion.<br />
Because the skin on your face is thinner<br />
than anywhere else on your body it can<br />
become dehydrated; by not keeping skin<br />
moisturised it quickly shows early signs of<br />
ageing.<br />
Think about it, you wouldn’t go a day<br />
without drinking water, right? So don’t<br />
go a day without hydrating your skin; the<br />
benefits of using the correct moisturiser<br />
will be visible years into the future.<br />
HOW TO MOISTURISE<br />
Apply a small amount of moisturiser onto<br />
your face and gently massage with your<br />
fingertips, not forgetting to cover the allimportant<br />
neck area. Choose a product<br />
that is designed for your skin type – for example, a<br />
gentle formula for more sensitive skin – and opt for a<br />
specific cream for your delicate eye area.<br />
Some people make the mistake of only applying<br />
moisturiser when their skin feels dry but you should<br />
be applying it every day, morning and night. After<br />
cleansing, exfoliating and toning your skin you<br />
should then apply the correct moisturiser for your<br />
skin type.<br />
FOR DRY OR DAMAGED SKIN:<br />
My signature Silver Bee Venom Mask works to<br />
control facial muscles by tightening, firming and<br />
lifting and at the same time penetrates fine lines for<br />
an immediate anti-ageing effect. Apply after your<br />
cleansing routine and combine with a serum for<br />
long-term results.<br />
FOR MATURE SKIN:<br />
My Divine Cream contains organic mandarin and<br />
orange, both natural sources of Vitamin C which<br />
help boost collagen and elastin while working to<br />
reduce pigmentation, acne scarring and blemishes.<br />
It’s light on the skin, making it the perfect all-day<br />
cream.<br />
FOR NIGHT TIME:<br />
Thanks to its vitamin B content, Heaven’s Overnight<br />
Success Cream releases oxygen to detoxify and<br />
replenish your complexion. Perfect for dull or<br />
damaged skin, it can also be used during the day –<br />
especially in the summer – and also helps keep acne<br />
at bay and controls rosacea.<br />
FOR EVERY DAY:<br />
My Youthful Moisturiser is designed to bring all<br />
skin types – even the most sensitive – back to a state<br />
of equilibrium. It may feel light in the skin but its<br />
innovative formula means it long-lasting too. It’s<br />
great if you suffer from blackheads and enlarged<br />
pores.<br />
FOR YOUR EYE AREA:<br />
My vegan Nettle Venom Eyes is designed to ease<br />
puffiness and dark circles while relaxing fine lines<br />
and wrinkles. It’s light enough so that it doesn’t<br />
weigh down the area yet effective enough to really<br />
make the eyes glow.<br />
You can shop the complete range of moisturisers<br />
exclusively online at heavenskincare.com<br />
36 www.jaimemagazine.com
PUT YOUR HANDS IN OUR HANDS<br />
DO YOU FEEL SYMPTOMS OF PAIN, CLICKING,<br />
NUMBNESS OR TINGLING IN YOUR HANDS?<br />
HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY SIGNS OF HAND LUMPS,<br />
SWELLINGS OR MUSCLE WASTING?<br />
If you answered yes - see below for some common hand conditions.<br />
Carpal Tunnel – Common symptoms include pins and needles, numbness<br />
and tingling in the fingers waking you from sleep.<br />
Trigger Finger – Signs of finger locking and clicking in the fingers and<br />
thumb.<br />
Dupuytren’s Contracture - A thickening of skin in the palm and fingers<br />
are experienced, along with a fixed bending of the fingers meaning hands<br />
cannot be placed comfortably flat on a table.<br />
Arthritis of the Thumb – Signs include a general dull ache around the<br />
thumb base, which may mean sufferers struggle to open tight jars. The<br />
thumb position may change.<br />
If you detect any signs or symptoms of a hand condition, let the Midland<br />
Hand Clinic help you to reach the correct diagnosis and receive the right<br />
treatment.<br />
More and more people are choosing to pay for their treatment and find<br />
costs are often less than they had anticipated.<br />
Online consultations are available as well as face to face appointments, if<br />
you would like to be seen but would prefer not to attend a hospital setting.<br />
For more information visit www.midlandhandclinic.com<br />
Midland Hand Clinic lead by Mr G Shyamalan FRCS<br />
NHS consultant hand surgeon.<br />
All patients welcome whether you have private medical<br />
insurance or you are self-paying.<br />
Hand Clinic PA: Pam Dziubany<br />
Email: pdziubany@hotmail.com<br />
Call: 07815 460786 - 01827 892952<br />
www.midlandhandclinic.com
H E A LT H<br />
Squat hard or go home<br />
LICHFIELD PERSONAL TRAINER RAÚL ROMERO TALKS SQUATS<br />
AND JUST HOW TRANSFORMATIONAL THEY CAN BE<br />
For years, squats have been a firm favourite of<br />
trainers to work out the lower body. They can<br />
have a whole array of benefits that can truly<br />
be transformational if performed correctly and<br />
consistently. So what exactly are those benefits?<br />
Strengthening and toning the muscles<br />
Squats predominantly work our lower bodies,<br />
specifically the quadriceps and glutes. The position<br />
of the knees in particular, when bent to a 90 degree<br />
angle or lower, helps activate these muscle groups<br />
effectively. They also work the abductors, adductors,<br />
hamstrings and calves. To top it off, they engage our<br />
core muscles with stabilising the body during the<br />
movement. They really are a win win in terms of<br />
versatility in engaging so many muscles.<br />
Burning calories and losing weight.<br />
This is probably one of the most common goals I<br />
hear from my clients and squats are a great way to<br />
help make this happen. Squats, used as a strength<br />
exercise, can be an important part of any successful<br />
weight loss plan. Regular strength training helps<br />
increase our metabolism and can decrease body fat.<br />
The great thing is that squats work so many muscles<br />
simultaneously. This ensures an extra boost of<br />
calorie burning and increase of anabolic hormone<br />
production, which is one of the main hormones<br />
that help lose fat and build muscle.<br />
Reduced risk of injury.<br />
Squat movements strengthen the<br />
tendons, bones and ligaments around<br />
the leg muscles, and can help take<br />
some of the load off our knees and<br />
ankles, thus helping to reduce the<br />
risk of injury. Of course, once we<br />
lose weight (which again can be<br />
accelerated by incorporating squats<br />
into our workouts), there is a lower<br />
load on our joints which in turn also<br />
helps to reduce the risk of injury.<br />
To reap all of these benefits, how can<br />
we perform the perfect squat?<br />
38 www.jaimemagazine.com
• Stand up straight with your feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart and your chest facing forward.<br />
• Bend the knees and hips, sticking your bottom<br />
out as if you’re sitting down on a chair.<br />
• Squat down until your thighs are parallel to<br />
the floor. Then squat a bit lower so your hips<br />
are below parallel. Your knees from above<br />
should be behind your toes.<br />
• Pause for a second. Your back should be<br />
straight, not curved at all.<br />
• Press into your heels and straighten your legs<br />
to return to the upright, standing position.<br />
For more detailed instructions and to check your<br />
technique it’s always best to contact a qualified<br />
personal trainer in order to avoid injury from<br />
incorrect technique.<br />
Variations<br />
Variety is the spice of life. There are a whole<br />
range of different types of squats that can be<br />
incorporated into workouts to help keep them<br />
fun and varied. It’s so easy to get bored of<br />
always performing the same old exercises so<br />
adding variety to our workouts will really help<br />
with maintaining motivation and not getting<br />
bored and giving up. Different squats also<br />
target the muscles slightly differently, for<br />
example squatting with the legs further apart<br />
works the inner thighs and glutes a little more<br />
than the quads.<br />
If a squat variation includes an upper-body<br />
movement, like an overhead press, our upper<br />
bodies will then also be worked (in this case<br />
some shoulder and arm work).<br />
Squat variations that include plyometrics,<br />
like a jump, can increase our heart rate<br />
quickly, making them great for combining<br />
cardio training as well as lower body strength<br />
training.<br />
Equipment can be used to vary squat<br />
workouts, such as dumbbells, kettlebells,<br />
barbells and resistance bands.<br />
My clients’ firm squat favourites are: sumo<br />
squats, single leg squats, prisoner squats, front<br />
squats, squat pulses, squat jumps, narrow<br />
squats and overhead squats. There are many<br />
more to choose from and enjoy in your<br />
workouts.<br />
For more information on squats, squat<br />
techniques or anything else fitness related,<br />
contact Raul at raul@ambitionpt.co.uk<br />
or via social media. Happy squatting!<br />
39
H E A LT H<br />
Your health’s best friend<br />
THEY’RE MAN’S BEST FRIEND, BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT DOGS CAN ALSO HELP IMPROVE OUR<br />
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH? JENNY AMPHLETT HAS BEEN FINDING OUT MORE<br />
When Cheryl Beaumont’s husband was<br />
left disabled after an accident their GP<br />
made a surprising recommendation to<br />
improve family life - getting a pet dog.<br />
Cheryl, who was in her mid-20s at the<br />
time, had recently lost her mum and was<br />
in the midst of grief as well as dealing<br />
with her husband’s health issues.<br />
“Our doctor recognised that we both<br />
needed something else to focus on,” says<br />
Cheryl.<br />
“My husband suffered a back injury<br />
and still has a lot of pain from that. The<br />
advice was that a dog would give him<br />
something else to focus on, that it would<br />
get him out of the house and help to<br />
keep him active.<br />
“I needed something else to focus on too,<br />
something that would bring a little bit of<br />
happiness and joy back into my life.”<br />
Fast forward nearly two decades and<br />
Cheryl, now 43, and husband Simon, 49,<br />
are devoted dog owners.<br />
They have two dogs, a patterjack called<br />
Ozzy and a jackapoo called Star. Cheryl<br />
says she and Simon both feel the mental<br />
and physical health benefits of being dog<br />
owners.<br />
“My husband is able to work full time but<br />
he still suffers with a lot of pain and his<br />
condition is progressive. Having the dogs<br />
gets him out of the house to walk them.<br />
When you have dogs you don’t really<br />
have a choice in the matter.”<br />
Cheryl’s job involves delivering health<br />
and social care training at care homes across the East<br />
Midlands.<br />
She was furloughed for four weeks at the beginning<br />
of lockdown while key worker Simon left the house<br />
each day to work in mental health. Cheryl says the<br />
dogs helped to get her through that difficult time.<br />
“Having dogs gives you a focus and a reason to get<br />
up and get dressed in the morning, because the dogs<br />
need a walk.<br />
“Having dogs forces you to get out and about, to get<br />
exercise and to see people.<br />
“Then there’s the unconditional love you receive<br />
from dogs. They’re always happy to see you - you<br />
can’t be in a bad mood when you come home and<br />
see your dogs.<br />
40 www.jaimemagazine.com
“You could be gone for five minutes but to them it’s<br />
as if you’ve been gone for hours. There’s so much<br />
affection from them.”<br />
Cheryl’s job has also given her an insight into<br />
the role animals can play in a care environment,<br />
particularly with elderly patients or patients with<br />
Alzheimers.<br />
“I’ve observed a pet activity, where a carer brought<br />
in her cat from home for elderly residents in a care<br />
home to spend time with. People could touch and<br />
stroke the cat and have it sitting on their knee.<br />
“It worked fantastically. The residents who took<br />
part thoroughly enjoyed it and got a lot out of the<br />
experience.<br />
“I think for some of them it brought back memories<br />
of their own pets. Being able to play with an animal,<br />
to touch and cuddle it, meant such a lot to them. It’s<br />
an activity that would work particularly well with<br />
patients with dementia.”<br />
For Cheryl, the many benefits of dog ownership far<br />
outweigh the financial costs involved.<br />
“Dogs aren’t very expensive really, not when you<br />
think of the happiness they bring to your life.<br />
“They give you a purpose - you’ve got to walk, clean,<br />
bath and feed them. They also give you so much love<br />
and can do wonders for your wellbeing.”<br />
Dog ownership has soared during<br />
lockdown, with extra time at home<br />
prompting many families to consider taking<br />
on a pet.<br />
According to research by Ipsos MORI, nearly<br />
half of families who already owned a dog<br />
introduced at least one new animal to their<br />
family during lockdown.<br />
Around 80% of dog owners credit their pets<br />
with helping them to stay fit and active and<br />
around 40% say they are now taking their<br />
dogs for longer and more frequent walks.<br />
Around 37% of people who worked from<br />
home during lockdown say they feel they<br />
now have a stronger relationship with their<br />
animals than they did before the pandemic.<br />
According to the RSPCA the physical<br />
benefits of dog ownership include improved<br />
cardiovascular health, increased physical<br />
activity, fewer visits to the doctor and<br />
reduced risk of allergies for children.<br />
Mental health benefits can include a more<br />
structured life, enforced exercise and fresh<br />
air, stress relief, reduced loneliness and<br />
unconditional love.<br />
www.jaimemagazine.com<br />
41
F E AT U R E<br />
A supportive start<br />
A LOCAL ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP HAS BECOME AN INVALUABLE SOURCE OF ADVICE,<br />
COMFORT AND LISTENING FOR NEW PARENTS STRUGGLING THROUGH AN UNPRECEDENTED<br />
START TO THEIR PARENTHOOD JOURNEYS. AMY NORBURY DISCOVERS MORE<br />
When mum-of-two Helen Campbell spotted a<br />
Facebook post on a Lichfield community group by a<br />
new mum, it got her thinking about just how much<br />
the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown restrictions<br />
were affecting pregnant women and new parents at<br />
one of the most incredible - and yet daunting - times<br />
of their lives.<br />
With women facing scans and hospital appointments<br />
alone and new parents left with limited contact from<br />
health professionals, new rules meaning extended<br />
families were unable to meet new additions, and<br />
the closure of face-to-face baby groups which many<br />
parents rely on in those early days, the journey into<br />
new parenthood had suddenly become a lonely one.<br />
“When my first, Toby was born I depended upon a<br />
support network, new friends, old friends, meeting<br />
mummy friends, so much to get you through those<br />
first few months that is the amazing whirlwind of<br />
having a newborn,” says Helen.<br />
“At the point of the first lockdown being announced,<br />
I couldn’t stop thinking about all those poor new<br />
parents, this whole section of the community, who<br />
were going to be completely without that support<br />
network.<br />
“Then I saw a post from a new mum on the<br />
Facebook Lichfield community group looking for a<br />
takeaway recommendation because she had a daysold<br />
baby and wanted somewhere that was going to<br />
be safe to collect from. I remember those early days<br />
when you just need food bundles being delivered to<br />
your house by your friends and family, so I contacted<br />
her and asked if I could take some food around to<br />
her.<br />
“Later I messaged her to ask that if I set up a<br />
Facebook group to put pregnant ladies and new<br />
parents in touch with each other, would that be<br />
helpful, and she said yes. So I did.”<br />
Now, a year later, the Lichfield 2020 Babies and<br />
Beyond Facebook group is celebrating its first<br />
anniversary with some 1,100 members, having<br />
become a lifeline for local parents and parents-to-be<br />
THE LICHFIELD 2020 BABIES AND BEYOND FACEBOOK<br />
GROUP HAS BEEN AN INVALUABLE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL<br />
PARENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC<br />
at a time when many traditional forms of support<br />
have been unavailable.<br />
“I’m immensely proud how everyone within the<br />
group has made it into such an amazing community,”<br />
says Helen. “Everyone is so genuine and so kind. I’m<br />
overwhelmed with how much support, love, care and<br />
thoughtfulness there is in the group, with people who<br />
haven’t even met each other.<br />
“When you’re a new parent and you’re flustered<br />
by everything, having other mums and dads come<br />
forward to help out is just the best thing.”<br />
The group has also attracted the attention of local<br />
healthcare professionals, with many health visitors<br />
joining so they can be on hand to share their wisdom<br />
and offer advice directly.<br />
Local businesses offering everything from baby<br />
classes to buggy refurbishment to breastfeeding<br />
support have also joined, able to offer their services<br />
straight to the people who need them.<br />
“Going forward, there are so many ideas as to what<br />
we can do,” says Helen. “It’s great that we can help<br />
local businesses as well as local mums and dads who<br />
are desperate for these services.”<br />
And between lockdowns, the group has spilled over<br />
from online friendships to real-life support, with<br />
buggy walks, meet-ups and baby groups arranged.<br />
“Just knowing that we, as a group, have helped<br />
people through this time is amazing,” says Helen.<br />
“Hearing that people have made friends for life,<br />
or met people that, in that moment of need, have<br />
helped them, feels really special. I’m so proud of<br />
what this group has become.”<br />
42 www.jaimemagazine.com
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44 www.jaimemagazine.com