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Recipes / Quiz & Puzzles / Health / Gardening / Pets / Tech / Sport / Entertainment<br />
At the heart of our community<br />
Get your wardrobe<br />
Summer Ready<br />
<strong>July</strong>/<strong>Aug</strong> 2021<br />
NORTH END/HILSEA<br />
BACK WITH A BANG!<br />
The reinvention of<br />
FIELD GUN Racing<br />
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Editorial<br />
What’s inside....<br />
Hello and a very warm welcome to<br />
the <strong>July</strong>/<strong>Aug</strong>ust edition of <strong>Pompey</strong><br />
<strong>Mag</strong>. This month, we bring to<br />
you a bumper issue, packed with<br />
what I hope are interesting and<br />
relevant features. I hope that you<br />
enjoy reading it half as much as I have enjoyed<br />
putting it together.<br />
Inside you will find lots of ideas for ways you<br />
and your family can get involved within your<br />
local community. Whether that is getting fit and<br />
doing good with The Good Gym, helping our<br />
wildlife to thrive within the city, making and<br />
meeting new friends through Spark charity and<br />
even helping others to feel safe and secure with<br />
Portsmouth City of Sanctuary. Don’t forget too,<br />
your nearest neighbours and local community<br />
heroes. If you would like to nominate someone,<br />
please do get in touch.<br />
But most of all, sit back, enjoy the summertime,<br />
keep safe, and I will see you in September!<br />
Debbie Payne<br />
Get in Touch<br />
Tel: 07877 943 787<br />
Email: info@pompeymag.co.uk<br />
Website: www.pompeymag.co.uk<br />
Or follow us on Facebook<br />
Editor<br />
Cover Story -<br />
Field Gun Racing<br />
relaunch<br />
pg 45<br />
The Young<br />
Doctors<br />
pg 5<br />
The Geriatric<br />
Gardener- it’s<br />
sowing season<br />
pg 13<br />
Get your<br />
wardrobe<br />
Summer ready<br />
pg 19<br />
Our popular Pub<br />
Quiz<br />
pg 40<br />
AND MUCH<br />
MORE!<br />
NEXT MAG<br />
DEADLINE<br />
14/07/2021<br />
DISCLAIMER. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that data in this publication is accurate, neither<br />
the publisher nor it’s editorial contributors can accept any liability to any party for loss or damage caused<br />
by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. The <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> does not<br />
officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. No part of this publication may<br />
be reproduced, stored in any retrieval systems or transmitted in any form without prior permission of the<br />
publisher.<br />
2
COMMUNITY<br />
SEARCH FOR<br />
A HERO<br />
WINNERS FOR JUNE/JULY<br />
This month winners, Kari and Dan (left)<br />
were nominated by Copnor resident<br />
Yvonne (below)<br />
♪ Neighbours, everybody needs good<br />
neighbours... ♪ and I certainly know<br />
that Yvonne, who nominated this<br />
month’s winner would agree with<br />
these lyrics!<br />
Yvonne, from Copnor wrote in to tell us<br />
about her amazing Neighbours Kari, Dan<br />
and family.<br />
‘I would like to nominate my next door<br />
neighbours as heroes. Kari and Dan and<br />
their children, are a busy working family<br />
but they are always on hand to help<br />
neighbours with shopping, in times of<br />
sickness, etc. If they hear any loud bumps<br />
from my house they come in to make sure<br />
I am in one piece. They walk my dog when<br />
they see I am struggling.<br />
Another neighbour’s wife was taken into<br />
a care home at Christmas and he was<br />
looking to spend Christmas day on his own.<br />
Despite the lockdown Kari and Dan made<br />
sure he had a Christmas dinner. I too, have<br />
lost count of the number of times a Sunday<br />
roast is forthcoming from them.<br />
Dan is always on hand and will do jobs<br />
around the house for me. During lockdown<br />
last year a middle portion of the<br />
garden fence was taken down and every<br />
3<br />
Saturday, on either side of the fence,<br />
tables were dressed and we collaborated<br />
each week on the provision of a dinner.<br />
Throughout the whole pandemic, the family<br />
has ensured I am never lonely with lovely<br />
chats over the garden fence.’<br />
Yvonne went on to explain that helping<br />
their neighbours is a family affair and<br />
Kari and Dan’s children are also willing<br />
volunteers to lend a hand by taking<br />
Yvonne’s dog for his evening stroll and<br />
baking delicious cakes.<br />
Just before Christmas, Yvonne took<br />
seriously ill and had to call on Kari and<br />
Dan for help. ‘They stayed with me and<br />
comforted me until the ambulance arrived.<br />
It was a relief knowing that if I had to go<br />
into hospital, my lovely neighbours would<br />
ensure that my dog and my house are both<br />
well cared for.<br />
I am lucky to have such neighbours, which<br />
is a view shared by many of the residents of<br />
our street. I would like to thank them from<br />
the bottom of my heart for all the little,<br />
many and varied things they do to help.’<br />
Get in touch with <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> if you<br />
too, would like to nominate your local<br />
community heroes.
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recently stopped?<br />
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We can help you with General<br />
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ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Louise Howitt, who played Nurse<br />
Deborah Kendall in the popular<br />
Aussie soap talks to Darren Gray<br />
for <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong>, about her time on<br />
the much-loved show and a<br />
cherished visit to Portsmouth.<br />
Over the past few decades the cast, crew<br />
and fans of the classic Australian soap<br />
opera, The Young Doctors, have been<br />
campaigning to get the show released on<br />
DVD. That perseverance has finally paid off<br />
and the first 250 episodes of the serial are being<br />
released on DVD on the 16th June.<br />
The Young Doctors followed the lives and loves<br />
of the patients and staff of the Albert Memorial<br />
Hospital where kiosk lady Ada Simmonds<br />
(Gwen Plumb) kept the gossip flowing, and<br />
where romance was the order of the day.<br />
The <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> from her home in Australia<br />
Louise said, “I had been wanting to visit<br />
Portsmouth for some time and when the<br />
chance came up I grabbed the opportunity. I<br />
loved Portsmouth and found the people to be<br />
very friendly and welcoming. I relished visiting<br />
HMS Victory and then the Mary Rose, and<br />
spent hours in awe at the Historic Dockyard. It<br />
was such an eye-opener to see so much history<br />
and another highlight was going to the Isle of<br />
Wight to visit Osborne House, where I got to<br />
learn more about Queen Victoria, Prince Albert<br />
and their family life.”<br />
The series became the longest-running<br />
commercial television drama in Australian<br />
television history, a record which is now held<br />
by Neighbours, and it was a ratings winner<br />
for both ITV and Sky One on this side of the<br />
world. The show was particularly popular in<br />
our ITV viewing region and in the days before<br />
the internet The Young Doctors Appreciation<br />
Society was based in Portsmouth boasting<br />
more than 8000 members worldwide.<br />
Louise Howitt played the spoilt nurse Deborah<br />
Kendall in the series and when she visited<br />
Portsmouth in 2016 she was delighted to be<br />
able to appear on the local television station,<br />
That’s Solent, to reminisce about her time at<br />
the Albert Memorial Hospital. Speaking to<br />
5<br />
“I loved Portsmouth and<br />
found the people to be very<br />
friendly and welcoming.”<br />
Louise starred with John Inman in an<br />
Australian tour of the comedy Pyjama Tops,<br />
and has appeared in a raft of Australian<br />
television programmes which we’ve enjoyed<br />
in the UK including Young Ramsay, The<br />
Henderson Kids, A Country Practice, E Street,<br />
Skyways, Prime Time and Cop Shop, but<br />
she’ll probably be best known to British<br />
television viewers for her work on The Young<br />
Doctors.<br />
Louise said, “We are all very excited that The<br />
Young Doctors is finally coming to DVD and<br />
cannot wait to view our past efforts. I actually<br />
haven’t seen many episodes that I was in as the<br />
workload at the time was immense. So, this<br />
is an opportunity to see ourselves as young,<br />
vibrant actors enjoying working together.<br />
At the time we were breaking new ground in<br />
Australian television and it was an honour to be<br />
part of such a long-running show.”
Louise continued, “I have such wonderful<br />
memories of working on The Young Doctors<br />
and met and worked with so many friends who<br />
are still in my life. The cast and crew were very<br />
special and we had so much fun. One of my<br />
favourite memories is the scene where Sister<br />
Scott was castigating my character for being an<br />
extremely irresponsible nurse. My character<br />
was furious, as she was a very spoilt, rich girl<br />
and resented mopping the hospital floors. I<br />
had a super time picking up the bucket full of<br />
water and tossing it over Sister Scott … a scene<br />
to remember. One take was all we had and we<br />
got it right!”<br />
In this first DVD box set Deborah Kendall<br />
is pushed into becoming a nurse in order to<br />
claim her inheritance, and the fierce Sister<br />
Grace Scott (played by Cornelia Frances of<br />
Home & Away fame) is jilted at the alter on her<br />
wedding day. Medical superintendent Dr Brian<br />
Denham (Michael Beecher) is shocked to learn<br />
that his wife Laura (Joanna Moore-Smith)<br />
has been having an affair, and their son Toby<br />
(Rodney Bell) ends up on the critical list after a<br />
hit and run incident.<br />
Several members of the hospital staff find<br />
themselves on the suspect list when a wealthy<br />
patient is murdered, and good time girl Nurse<br />
Jo Jo Adams (Delvene Delaney) starts playing<br />
with fire when she begins an affair with a much<br />
older married man. Elsewhere orderly Dennis<br />
Jamison (Chris King) develops a serious<br />
gambling habit, and there is heartache for the<br />
prickly Dr Graham Steele (Tim Page) when he<br />
falls for the charms of a terminally ill nightclub<br />
singer.<br />
Familiar faces appearing in these episodes<br />
include movie star Russell Crowe and the<br />
British born comedian Ugly Dave Gray who<br />
stars as Bunny Howard, the proprietor of the<br />
local watering hole Bunny’s Place.<br />
UK based fans of The Young Doctors can order<br />
the first DVD box set of the series directly from<br />
the website of Via Vision Entertainment.<br />
https://viavision.com.au/shop/theyoung-doctors-collection-one/<br />
We offer hassle-free web<br />
design service that will take<br />
care of all your website<br />
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richard.search@itseeze.com<br />
itseeze-portsmouth.co.uk<br />
Watch our video here
SPECIAL<br />
Have you heard of GoodGym?<br />
We are a community of runners, walkers<br />
and cyclists who get fit by doing good. We<br />
will use our runs, walks and cycles to get us<br />
to community projects and organisations<br />
where we will help out with practical tasks.<br />
GoodGym was originally set up in London<br />
in 2009 and arrived in Portsmouth in early<br />
May 2018. We have now completed over<br />
4000 good deeds as a group! These have<br />
included many litter picks in parks and<br />
on our beaches; planting trees; painting<br />
walls and picnic tables; clearing school<br />
playgrounds; digging over planting areas<br />
and allotments; sorting food parcels and<br />
even helping out at the vaccination clinics.<br />
the red t-shirt but you don’t have to be a<br />
member to take part.<br />
Would you like our help?<br />
If you are reading this and you work for a<br />
charity, school, voluntary or not for profit<br />
organisation or group, then please let us<br />
know if you would like our help!<br />
You can request us via the<br />
website: www.goodgym.org/<br />
areas/portsmouth/request-a-task<br />
or email Katie who looks after<br />
the Portsmouth area: katie.cr@<br />
goodgym.org<br />
Come and join us!<br />
If you are interested in getting involved,<br />
you don’t need to be a super fit athlete<br />
(although athletes are welcome too!), you<br />
just need to be willing to get involved. As<br />
restrictions ease, we plan to go back to<br />
doing good deeds in bigger groups so there<br />
will be plenty of lovely people to meet and<br />
chat to while you volunteer. You must<br />
sign up on our website to attend any of the<br />
sessions. www.goodgym.org We would<br />
love you to become a member and wear<br />
7<br />
NB. Images taken pre-covid restrictions
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HEALTH<br />
What does Hypnotherapy actually do<br />
for us? It’s all about mindset…<br />
So, here’s the thing, hypnotherapy specialists,<br />
specialise in the language of the mind.<br />
Our minds are so clever, wonderful and so<br />
powerful. What we believe is true, is true. No<br />
matter if anyone tells us different. So, if we<br />
hold on to negative thoughts and emotions,<br />
those will become the normal mindset for us,<br />
whether we “claim” we want them or not.<br />
Fears and phobias, habits and<br />
addictions<br />
Because of these negative thoughts and<br />
emotions, we can find ourselves with<br />
unwanted fears or phobias, habits and even<br />
addictions. We can be led to believe that we<br />
connect flying with fear, or we HAVE to have<br />
at least 4 chocolate biscuits to make us happy<br />
– 3 just won’t do…. It sneaks up on us. Think<br />
about it; we weren’t born afraid to fly or<br />
hankering after that whole packet of chocolate<br />
digestives… we have to learn to do this – we<br />
have to repeat this behaviour in order to learn<br />
it…. We are actually more in control than we<br />
give ourselves credit for.<br />
Bad stuff does happen, even to positive<br />
people<br />
Sometimes, things happen and of course, we<br />
9<br />
have every right to NOT feel great about that<br />
thing. That’s cool. But what if that one thing<br />
stays with us, for a long time, for a very long<br />
time… forever?<br />
Now, know this, some people love this –<br />
they enjoy being in a certain situation and<br />
they don’t want to change it. I have a few<br />
people in my own circle who are like this.<br />
They have access to me – they have access to<br />
make changes, but they choose not to… why?<br />
Because they are not unhappy where they<br />
are! I might look at them and wonder why<br />
on earth they would decide to live unhappily,<br />
but some people don’t know another way. Or<br />
just don’t want another way. Sometimes this<br />
becomes a part of someone’s identity and<br />
it won’t ever change. If they decide later in<br />
their lives to do something differently, this<br />
will be when they are ready and they will find<br />
a solution.<br />
Getting back to<br />
where you want<br />
to be<br />
However, the people<br />
that do reach out,<br />
demand change<br />
from me and that’s<br />
what they get.<br />
Lasting changes.<br />
Massive mindset<br />
By Claire Butcher
shifts. Considerable changes in attitudes and<br />
happiness levels.<br />
The number of times after a session, my<br />
clients describe feeling “lighter”, “as if a<br />
weight has been lifted”, “feel so different”…<br />
the list goes on.<br />
So, if a mindset shift; a lasting mindset shift<br />
is something that is of interest to you, or<br />
perhaps someone you know – let them know,<br />
Hypnotherapy is a lasting mindset solution!<br />
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10
FIONA HEATH,<br />
Explains the<br />
difference between a<br />
Registrar and a<br />
Celebrant, to help<br />
make your special<br />
day as unique as<br />
you are.<br />
If Church weddings aren’t for you then<br />
consider a Celebrant led ceremony. Just<br />
as Celebrants can’t issue death certificates,<br />
they can’t issue marriage certificates either –<br />
you need to do this on the day at your chosen<br />
venue, as long as it is licenced and there is a<br />
government official, commonly known as<br />
the Registrar present, or beforehand at your<br />
local Registry Office.<br />
The day should be all about you and your<br />
partner, your interests, your story, that’s<br />
not to say you can’t have traditional vows<br />
or wording for your ceremony, but you also<br />
can write your own and involve friends<br />
and family. Readings can be from favourite<br />
poems, or books, or simply a close friend<br />
telling everyone why you and your partner<br />
should spend the rest of your life together.<br />
Religious text and prayers can be included.<br />
The choice of music is endless and is very<br />
personal, this can be recorded music, a live<br />
band or a singer.<br />
The Celebrant led ceremony can be a long<br />
or short as you like, and can include a<br />
procession, introduction, exchange of vows<br />
and rings, perhaps a unity ritual such as<br />
lighting a candle, pouring sand, tying hands<br />
with a ribbon or jumping the broom. Then<br />
follows the declaration of marriage and<br />
the kiss.<br />
Your choice of venue reflects your interests or<br />
love of the outdoors – the seaside, countryside<br />
or your own garden. In Portsmouth the more<br />
unusual licenced venues are the City Museum,<br />
Groundlings Theatre, Guildhall or HMS<br />
Warrior to name a few. But if you marry<br />
before in a Registry Office you can hold your<br />
ceremony anywhere, given the landowners<br />
permission, if applicable!<br />
The time you and your partner spend with<br />
your Celebrant, with all parties getting to<br />
know each other, will enable the creation of<br />
a unique wedding ceremony and beautiful<br />
memories that will last a lifetime.<br />
11
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12
Ramblings<br />
of a Geriatric<br />
Gardener<br />
By B.E. Norman<br />
The heady days of summer - this is the<br />
time of year for relaxation and, if you<br />
are still slaving away for a living, for<br />
holidays. Not a lot to do in the garden<br />
except the ever present weeding and<br />
also sowing vegetables for succession.<br />
On the subject of weeding, the onions are now<br />
in the stage of bulbing-up. At this time they<br />
do not need any further nitrogen, so leave the<br />
annual weeds in the onion bed to mop up any<br />
excess nitrogen. Mind you, it is a good idea to<br />
remove any pernicious annual weeds such as<br />
oxalis, pearl wort, hairy bittercress, etc., also to<br />
remove the flower stems of such as shepherds<br />
purse, chickweed and grounsel.<br />
One of the seed catalogues that regularly drops<br />
onto my doormat made its appearance earlier<br />
this year and had in it a pull-out section to<br />
assist you in planning your veg garden and<br />
recording the results. I found this rather odd as<br />
I have been doing this for years and assumed<br />
that everyone did it - apparently not. I have a<br />
four-ring binder in which I have detailed plans<br />
of rose garden, shrubs and roses on fences and<br />
trellis, the details of fruit trees and bushes and<br />
an eight year rotation plan for the vegetable<br />
garden ( I have eight raised beds).These are<br />
all at the back of the book. The contents at the<br />
front build up each year into a record of what<br />
went where and when, when it germinated,<br />
flowered and cropped. I use A4 card (more<br />
durable) and each year the first entry is a<br />
double facing page plan of the vegetable beds<br />
with (lightly in pencil) what group is going<br />
in each bed, e.g. early potatoes, beans, peas,<br />
13<br />
winter greens etc. During the year this plan<br />
is updated with the details of what actually<br />
happened – for example, in the bed for summer<br />
veg last year there were 6 sections, one of<br />
which was: 4x courgettes Defender 06-05-20 –<br />
through 12-05-20. The pea bed had one entry:<br />
pea Hurst Greenshaft own seed -10 rows<br />
planted 14-03-20 – through 27-03 - first flower<br />
27-05 - first pick 22-06 - last pick 07-07 - total<br />
crop 25lb 10oz.<br />
Immediately following the plan is a record (in<br />
pencil) of every significant event that actually<br />
happened. For example, a couple of random<br />
items from this year’s record: pea Hurst<br />
Greenshaft own seed 13 rows of 65 peas sown<br />
usual method -09-03-21: shallot Red Sun,<br />
feed of onion fertiliser hoed in 24-03-21: plum<br />
Blaisdon Red, first blossom 01-04-21:potato<br />
Cara showing through – dressed potato<br />
fertiliser hoed in then final earth up 13-04-21.<br />
The notes last year ran to 6 pages.<br />
We have a full set of solar panels (PV) fitted<br />
to the roof and each day I record the reading<br />
on the input meter which gives an indication<br />
of how much sun we have had. I also record<br />
whether it was cloudy or raining, and the<br />
max and min temperatures. So I have a fairly<br />
comprehensive record of what has happened<br />
in the garden and what the weather was like at<br />
any time.<br />
Now that the weather is turning sunny and<br />
(dare I say it HOT??) there is a possibility<br />
of the compost heaps drying out. The late
Brian Kidd who wrote a weekly column in the<br />
Evening News had the perfect solution – in<br />
more ways than one!! He always recommended<br />
a solution of one part urine to seven parts<br />
water, sprinkled on. It always puzzled me how<br />
he got the urine!! What a lovely chap Brian<br />
was. As Secretary and Show Secretary of a local<br />
Horticultural Society I had the pleasure of<br />
hearing him lecture (always most interesting<br />
and amusing – his fund of anecdotes seemed<br />
inexhaustible) and also to steward him<br />
and then entertain him to lunch when he<br />
occasionally judged the horticultural produce<br />
at our village show.<br />
Do you find it difficult to fill a watering can<br />
from an outside tap? I used to get wet trousers<br />
and splashed shoes every time, from a tap<br />
that insisted in giving its water in a wide cone,<br />
almost a spray!! The answer, I found by trial<br />
and error, was to attach a short length of hose<br />
to a spare hose-to-tap coupler. When attached<br />
to the tap, the end of the hose was an inch or so<br />
above the neck of the can. Result – a stream of<br />
water rather than a spray, going straight into<br />
the can - perfect .<br />
This might a be a little bit late, but is worth<br />
saying. When your winter brassicas (Brussels<br />
sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, spring<br />
greens etc) have given of their best and you are<br />
not cropping them any more, if you can spare<br />
the space, leave them in the ground and remove<br />
any netting you might have used against<br />
cabbage white butterflies or pigeons. As they go<br />
to seed, they produce masses of single yellow<br />
flowers that are loved by bees (solitary, bumble<br />
and honey) and hover flies, all of which are<br />
beneficial in the garden, especially now your<br />
February/March sown broad beans and peas<br />
are in flower.<br />
14
LASH<br />
WHIP<br />
(28)<br />
HEALTH<br />
fractured left<br />
Scaphoid<br />
(11)<br />
WHOLE<br />
PERSON<br />
HEALTH<br />
By Claire Odd of Restoring Balance<br />
Your health is more than just where<br />
you feel pain, it’s a story. Your body’s story<br />
is rich; with many dimensions, including<br />
your personal experience, relationships,<br />
family history, feelings and emotions, culture,<br />
gender, spirituality, personal trauma, and<br />
much more. All of this comes together to form<br />
the person in front of me in clinic.<br />
Traditional Western medicine treats the<br />
symptoms and not the cause; in the world<br />
of whole-person health, or person-centered<br />
care, it’s about understanding the cause and<br />
effects of the symptoms that you have and<br />
the complex interplay that happens between<br />
them. This means accounting for your own<br />
body story, which is yours and yours alone.<br />
Even if you have the same health condition as<br />
one of your friends, you will both have<br />
separate, personal experiences of it. Using a<br />
whole-person approach, the work that we<br />
undertake together in clinic will be different to<br />
that of your friend with the same condition.<br />
How does this change what happens in clinic?<br />
Here in clinic, I bring together a unique mix of<br />
therapeutic disciplines to use as appropriate,<br />
which respect and safely challenge the<br />
interplay between them.<br />
Understanding & Mindset – being able to<br />
meet you where you’re at on your journey,<br />
understanding what your goals and drivers<br />
are.<br />
Emotional Health – being able to<br />
understand how your thoughts, feelings and<br />
15<br />
experiences shape how you respond to events;<br />
nearly all of our physical trauma and injuries<br />
have an emotional component to them.<br />
Nutrition – the food that we eat plays<br />
a significant role in influencing our bio<br />
chemistry and hormones. In simple terms the<br />
foods that we eat can make our body feel<br />
nourished and nurtured or they can deplete<br />
and drain us. The foods that deplete and<br />
drain us contribute towards inflammation in<br />
the body. Longer term inflammation can<br />
lead to ill health and pain.<br />
Lifestyle Choices – helping you understand<br />
how your lifestyles choices can impact<br />
your health e.g. stress, endotoxins and<br />
contraception.<br />
Movement Rehabilitation - this is the<br />
classic bodywork practice that you’ll be largely<br />
familiar with if we’ve worked together before.<br />
Why is this approach important?<br />
By working with this approach it’s possible to<br />
make positive changes to your health, rather<br />
than chasing endless symptoms, we actually<br />
get to the root cause<br />
of what is happening<br />
for you.<br />
The body is clever, it<br />
always wants to be<br />
in a state of balance,<br />
this means that it<br />
will make crazy short<br />
cuts and cheats in<br />
how we move, think
for the weekend?<br />
"Plans<br />
Let me think.....<br />
Mine?<br />
ironing, mopping,<br />
Laundry,<br />
and tidying.<br />
dusting<br />
Debbie at THE HOUSEWIFE WAY FOR<br />
CALL<br />
INFORMATION<br />
MORE<br />
and feel in order to preserve that balance –<br />
another term that you may have heard used is<br />
‘compensations’. It is resisting certain<br />
movements or using additional muscles to<br />
make sure you feel safe and remain balanced<br />
and prevent further harm or injury. It’s not just<br />
restricted to movements and muscles, but the<br />
same applies for our thoughts and feelings and<br />
the inner narrative that we tell ourselves.<br />
Want to feel<br />
great again?<br />
A refreshingly different approach to health,<br />
Using the whole-person approach it’s possible<br />
to find the first cheat the body put in place as<br />
a protective mechanism and start to re-write<br />
the instructions. We can show the body that<br />
there is an alternative approach that is more<br />
efficient. Commonly, we can show that the<br />
negative belief we’ve always held or associated<br />
with an event can be changed, so that you<br />
can move on from the pattern that has been<br />
holding you back.<br />
combination of movement, nutrition & mind to<br />
help you<br />
Relieve Pain<br />
Increase mobility<br />
Change your relationship with your scar<br />
Improve balance & stability<br />
Improve co-ordination<br />
Calm your stress & anxiety<br />
Improve your digestive health<br />
Balance your hormones<br />
Change your mind set<br />
Emotional health coaching<br />
wellbeing & rehabilitation using a unique<br />
If you’ve got a long-standing issue that’s being<br />
hanging around for a while, maybe it’s time to<br />
take a whole person approach?<br />
www.restoring-balance.co.uk<br />
restoringbalancetm<br />
www.restoring-balance.co.uk restoringbalancetm<br />
Functional Kinesiology | Cranial Sacral Therapy<br />
Neuromuscular Testing | ScarWork<br />
Booook Heeree<br />
Domestic Cleaning Services<br />
What's yours?"<br />
Moving out and want your deposit back?<br />
Just finished decorating?<br />
Fancy a Spring clean but hate housework?<br />
Want more time to yourself?<br />
Let us make more time for you.<br />
504 88 72<br />
0752<br />
info@thehousewifeway.co.uk<br />
CLEANERS<br />
WANTED!<br />
www.thehousewifeway.co.uk<br />
16
TECH<br />
BY R.S.<br />
How the revolution in battery technology<br />
is changing our lives.<br />
The humble battery has been with us for<br />
220 years since Allesandro Volta first<br />
invented his “voltaic pile”, but battery<br />
technology didn’t advance significantly<br />
until Sony commercialised the lithium-ion<br />
(Li-ion) battery in 1991 and just 6 years later<br />
lithium polymer batteries (Li-po) were released<br />
which are now found in most smartphones.<br />
Li-ion and Li-po batteries have been key to<br />
the development of smartphones and electric<br />
cars, as well as wireless power and garden<br />
tools, drones, and robotic home devices such as<br />
lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners.<br />
Climate Change concerns have now<br />
turbocharged the focus on resolving the<br />
limitations of existing Li-ion batteries, and in<br />
the UK, with the ban on the sale of petrol and<br />
diesel cars in just 9 years, it is looking like we<br />
are on the cusp of radical societal change.<br />
As technology advances in Solar Panels and<br />
they reduce in price, the long pay back times to<br />
make them a good investment are beginning to<br />
shorten. “Powerwalls” (basically big batteries)<br />
are now being installed to take advantage of<br />
Solar and off peak cheap grid electricity by<br />
storing either daytime sunshine for evening use<br />
or night time cheap rate electricity to use the<br />
following day.<br />
Imagine a world of batteries which lasted ages,<br />
and charged at lightning speed, where laptops<br />
17<br />
and smartphones would be back to 100% in<br />
less than a minute! No more hunting for the<br />
charging lead in a panic when you are on 2%.<br />
Let’s take a look at the near future:<br />
Drones – Amazon and Takeaway deliveries<br />
can now arrive much more quickly as they<br />
travel “as the crow flies”. Search and Rescue<br />
missions are now locating people in remote<br />
locations, using multiple drones which can<br />
scour the area for long periods using onboard<br />
cameras and deliver supplies.<br />
Transport – electric cars can be refuelled as<br />
quickly as a petrol vehicle, and can get you to<br />
Scotland on a single charge, resulting in full<br />
adoption by drivers. Noise and fumes have<br />
reduced, and pollution related illnesses are<br />
rapidly in decline. Property prices of houses<br />
and flats located on main roads go up. Drone<br />
taxis become viable, and electric short haul<br />
flights will be widespread and enable fast<br />
transport to more local areas as noise pollution<br />
disappears – every town has a short runway.<br />
Outside Events – your visit to a Camping<br />
site, a Music Festival or a Country Fair now<br />
has site batteries providing refrigeration, TV’s<br />
(via a projector) cooking and heating - noisy,<br />
heavy, diesel powered generators have gone.<br />
Battery packs linked to portable solar panels<br />
have become smaller, lighter and much more<br />
powerful enabling home comforts on the go.<br />
Living “off grid” – no longer the domain<br />
of the slightly bonkers tree-hugging brigade,<br />
who shunned modern day conveniences. You
can now live in more remote locations, with<br />
water pumped, purified and heated by electric<br />
battery – post-Covid this is now very attractive<br />
to people looking for a more rural life. 5G/6G<br />
is enabling remote working anywhere.<br />
Exo-skeletons – people can now lift big<br />
weights that they could not previously, without<br />
the risk of injury. Wheelchair users can “walk”<br />
for long periods, entering old buildings and<br />
exploring the wilderness.<br />
Robots –Boston Dynamics human and dog<br />
sized robots have become commonplace,<br />
which mimic the movements of both. They are<br />
set to mundane tasks carrying out duties which<br />
are now less popular for people, are dangerous<br />
or are uneconomic, such as fruit and vegetable<br />
picking.<br />
Meanwhile for the environment, longer<br />
lasting batteries mean far less recycling, and<br />
if Lithium is replaced, less mining of this rare<br />
mineral. As we become more reliant on electric<br />
power, the drive for solar, wind and wave<br />
TECH<br />
energy will be given further impetus.<br />
So is this years away? Perhaps not. By pushing<br />
existing battery technology, Tesla, VW,<br />
Renault, Kia and Vauxhall cars already have<br />
ranges of 250-350 miles, electric commercial<br />
flights have started and exo-skeletons are used<br />
now. Intensive Research and Development<br />
in battery tech is yielding some exciting<br />
results. The Israeli company StoreDot has<br />
demonstrated a “5 minute charge” car battery<br />
known as XFC, and shown smartphones fully<br />
charging in just 30 seconds. Companies are<br />
working on Graphene Aluminium-ion batteries<br />
to replace Lithium, with one Australian firm<br />
(GMG) claiming that their battery cells show<br />
promise of 60 times quicker charging, that<br />
are safer and last 3 times longer than Li-ion<br />
equivalents.<br />
I wonder what Senor Volta would have made<br />
of all this? I’m certain that our wonderful<br />
<strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> distributors are looking forward<br />
to receiving their battery powered trolleys some<br />
day!<br />
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18
at your wardrobe. What do you have<br />
look<br />
you are going to wear over the next<br />
that<br />
„tyllliisst<br />
Wiith<br />
Jooooonneeeeess<br />
Jeeeeennnniiffeeeeer<br />
SPECIAL<br />
Asss ttthhhheeeee sssuuummmmeeeeerr faasssttt aapppprroooaacchhhheeeeesss aannnd iiiittt’’sss llliiiikkeeeeellly ttthhhhaattt weeeee’’llllll beeeee mmuuucchhhh mmooorreeeee sssooocciiiiaalll aasss weeeee ccooommeeeee<br />
ooouuuttt ooof COVID-19 rreeeeessstttrriiiicctttiiiiooonnnsss, yooouuu mmiiiighhhhttt beeeee ppaannniiiicckkiiiinnng ttthhhhaattt yooouuurr waarrdrrooobeeeee juuusssttt iiiisssnnn’’ttt rreeeeeaady<br />
Feeeeeaarr nnnooottt... ttthhhhaattt’’sss whhhheeeeerreeeee I ccooommeeeee iiiinnn Asss yooouuurr }eeeeerrsssooonnnaalll „tttyllliiiisssttt, I’’mm hhhheeeeerreeeee tttooo hhhheeeeelllpp yooouuu geeeeettt yooouuurr<br />
waarrdrrooobeeeee rreeeeeaady fooorr eeeeeveeeeerryttthhhhiiiinnng ttthhhhaattt ttthhhhiiiisss sssuuummmmeeeeerr wiiiillllll brriiiinnng.<br />
My jooob iiiisssnnn’’ttt juuusssttt tttooo mmaakkeeeee sssuuurreeeee yooouuu lllooooookk aammaaziiiinnng, iiiittt’’sss aalllsssooo kkeeeeey ttthhhhaattt I eeeeennnsssuuurreeeee yooouuu ooonnnllly iiiinnnveeeeesssttt<br />
iiiinnn ttthhhheeeee ppiiiieeeeecceeeeesss ooof cclllooottthhhhiiiinnng ttthhhhaattt wooorrkk fooorr yooouuu aannnd yooouuurr llliiiifeeeeessstttyllleeeee. „ooo whhhheeeeennn yooouuu’’rreeeee geeeeettttttiiiinnng<br />
rreeeeeaady fooorr ttthhhheeeee ssseeeeeaasssooonnnsss aahhhheeeeeaad, hhhheeeeerreeeee’’sss juuusssttt fiiiiveeeee sssttteeeeeppsss yooouuu ccaannn fooollllllooow ttthhhhaattt wiiiillllll tttaakkeeeee yooouuu frrooomm<br />
feeeeeeeeeellliiiinnng ssstttrreeeeesssssseeeeed aannnd oooveeeeerrwhhhheeeeelllmmeeeeed tttooo beeeeeiiiinnng pprreeeeeppaarreeeeed aannnd ccooonnnfiiiideeeeennnttt ttthhhhaattt eeeeeveeeeerryttthhhhiiiinnng iiiinnn<br />
yooouuurr waarrdrrooobeeeee iiiisss goooiiiinnng tttooo ssseeeeerrveeeee yooouuu...<br />
2. Build a shopping list - write down every<br />
item of clothing that you need. Consider<br />
what plans you’ve made for the summer,<br />
i.e. friend’s bbq or a summer holiday.<br />
the list is down on paper (or in your<br />
Once<br />
you’ll have a plan in place of what<br />
phone)<br />
you need to get when you go shopping,<br />
will help ensure you only buy what’s<br />
which<br />
Treat it like you would a food<br />
needed.<br />
shopping list!<br />
1. Spot the gaps - take just one hour to<br />
to six months? What are you<br />
three<br />
Take out anything you cannot<br />
missing?<br />
wear in the summer months and put them<br />
away, whether that’s in the loft or in<br />
another storage area in your home.<br />
19
tricky to do but try to stay focused<br />
more<br />
your list and be picky. Only buy what<br />
with<br />
yooooou’’vvvveeeee ffooooollllllooooowwweeeeed theeeeesseeeee ffiivvvveeeee ssteeeeepss tooooo<br />
Affteeeeer<br />
yooooour wwwardrooooobeeeee reeeeeady ffooooor theeeee ssummeeeeer<br />
geeeeet<br />
lllooooovvvveeeee tooooo knnooooowww hooooowww yooooou gooooot ooooonn„eeeeennd meeeee<br />
I’’d<br />
eeeeemaiilll vvvviia iinnffooooo@jeeeeennnniiffeeeeerjooooonneeeeesstyllliinng.cooooom<br />
ann<br />
take the plunge and book a<br />
prepared,<br />
out in your diary to take some real<br />
day<br />
in the time to get your wardrobe<br />
planning<br />
can make all the difference. And<br />
ready<br />
don’t forget to stick to your list (as much<br />
5. Double check everything - so you’ve<br />
every item, ask yourself the<br />
For<br />
does this go with two or more<br />
question...<br />
yooooou’’d llliikeeeee my heeeeelllp tooooo reeeeevvvvamp yooooour sstyllleeeee thiiss ssummeeeeer pllleeeeeasseeeee geeeeet iinn tooooouch vvvviia my<br />
Iff<br />
at wwwwwwwww.jeeeeennnniiffeeeeerjooooonneeeeesssstyllliinng.cooooom.<br />
wwweeeeebssiiteeeee<br />
3. Go shopping - now you’re fully<br />
time and get everything that you<br />
me<br />
Of course you can do this <strong>online</strong><br />
need.<br />
but it’s likely that it will take you longer as<br />
trust me, you’ll get distracted. Just<br />
as possible!)<br />
4. Only buy what works - this is a little bit<br />
makes you feel amazing. If something isn’t<br />
right for you - it’s not the best colour for<br />
your skin tone or the right silhouette for<br />
your body shape, walk on by. Trust me,<br />
this way of shopping will change your life!<br />
up the best colours for your skin<br />
picked<br />
the styles that make you feel good<br />
tone,<br />
they’re the right items from your list.<br />
and<br />
do they work with the rest of your<br />
But<br />
current wardrobe and other purchases?<br />
things I’ve already bought or plan to<br />
buy? If the answer is no, question<br />
whether you need it.
ADVERTISING FEATURE<br />
INVESTING FOR<br />
CHANGE<br />
How the investment<br />
community can help<br />
advance the<br />
environmental gains that<br />
have come out of COVID-19<br />
The consequences of the coronavirus<br />
pandemic will clearly be profound,<br />
wide-ranging and long-lasting.<br />
So, it’s no surprise that any sources of<br />
optimism to be found as the crisis unfolds<br />
are quickly seized upon. Perhaps the most<br />
significant so far has come in the form of<br />
the immediate effects on the environment.<br />
Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen, while<br />
data from NASA suggests that air quality has<br />
improved dramatically as countries around<br />
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Indeed, this could be an opportunity for<br />
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Our<br />
Financial<br />
Planning<br />
Expert,<br />
Andrew<br />
Leppard<br />
is here to<br />
help with<br />
any<br />
questions.<br />
21<br />
– and question whether they need to return<br />
to a form of normality in which, for example,<br />
employees are flown to meetings that could<br />
otherwise be held using video conferencing<br />
facilities.<br />
A more realistic rate of change<br />
Unfortunately, however, the environmental<br />
positives are likely to be temporary.<br />
Indeed, there is now a risk of efforts to<br />
address climate change becoming a lesser<br />
priority as governments focus on dealing with<br />
the economic implications of the crisis.<br />
This is why the investment industry has an<br />
important role to play in maintaining the<br />
momentum that has gathered in recent weeks<br />
and months.<br />
The biggest crisis now is clearly COVID-19,<br />
but the biggest crisis of the 2020’s is still<br />
climate change, and we need to ensure<br />
that once we’re on the other side of the<br />
coronavirus pandemic that governments<br />
keep focusing on that.<br />
The environmental gains from the pandemic<br />
have clearly been made alongside painful<br />
social, economic and health consequences.<br />
In other words, the current rate of<br />
improvement is unsustainable.<br />
If we’re taking climate change seriously, we<br />
would rather see a smooth transition at a<br />
rate less dramatic than we’re seeing at the
moment. We don’t want to be in a position<br />
of having to bring a halt to everything, as we<br />
are now, in order to have that environmental<br />
impact.<br />
ADVERTISING FEATURE<br />
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Responsible investing isn’t just about the<br />
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If they are going to be successful, they need<br />
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Companies that have put measures in place<br />
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Investors increasingly seek information about<br />
sustainability and responsible investing, with<br />
growing awareness of the broader long-term<br />
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Anyone who wants to explore their<br />
responsible investing options should speak<br />
with a financial adviser.<br />
The value of an investment with St<br />
Jame’s Place will be directly linked to the<br />
performance of the funds you select and the<br />
value can therefore go down as well as up.<br />
You may get back less than you invested.<br />
A financial adviser can help with your own financial planning.<br />
To receive a complimentary guide covering wealth management, retirement<br />
planning or Inheritance Tax planning, contact Portsdown Wealth Management<br />
on 01227 206 213 or email andrew.leppard@sjpp.co.uk.<br />
22
PUZZLE<br />
CROSSWORD<br />
ACROSS<br />
1 Exhibit hall, studio (7)<br />
5 An aqualung (5)<br />
9 Uproariously funny (5-8)<br />
10 Sweaters and cardigans (8)<br />
11 Conform, comply (4)<br />
12 Advertising (9)<br />
16 Butt, remnant (4)<br />
17 Crashed (8)<br />
19 A pirate might bury one! (8,5)<br />
21 Brownish green (5)<br />
22 Pursuing (7)<br />
DOWN<br />
2 In pain, hurting (6)<br />
3 Source of illumination (5,4)<br />
4 Cider With _____, novel by<br />
Laurie Lee (5)<br />
6 Casual hat (3)<br />
7 Slang for sausage (6)<br />
8 Cloth, textile (6)<br />
11 Large flightless birds (9)<br />
13 Imprison (4,2)<br />
14 Complex carbohydrate (6)<br />
15 English naval hero (6)<br />
18 Blood-sucking worm (5)<br />
20 Biblical ship built by Noah (3)<br />
SOLUTION ON PAGE 49<br />
23
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PUZZLE<br />
SOLUTION ON PAGE 49<br />
26
HOBBIES<br />
I think if you want to achieve<br />
immortality, you can if you write a<br />
book. Books never really disappear.<br />
Especially today with digital versions.<br />
But how do you do it? Where do you start?<br />
How do you publish? The task seems just<br />
massive<br />
although, judging by many adverts on social<br />
media the answers and help is available…if<br />
you’re prepared to part with a fair amount of<br />
cash for an answer that you still have to create<br />
and offers no guarantee.<br />
I just want to say that I am no expert in writing<br />
or book publishing but I have written and selfpublished<br />
two novels which have received a<br />
reasonable number of sales and am working<br />
on my third. So what I am going to say here is<br />
purely from my personal experience. It is what<br />
worked for me and I don’t think there is any<br />
reason why it shouldn’t work for you.<br />
I had been interested in writing a novel<br />
for quite a while. It was never a lifetime<br />
ambition and, to be honest, I am not what<br />
some might call a book or reading addict. It<br />
is just something I felt inspired to do. Many<br />
publications and experts etc. would suggest<br />
having a daily writing plan and special writing<br />
room and all the rest. I didn’t and don’t. Quite<br />
simply my approach was I had an idea. It was a<br />
character I liked the idea of and wanted to<br />
explore him. He was a rough, almost down<br />
and out looking ex-military man of middle age<br />
who I thought was the type of<br />
person that everyone ignores<br />
and would make an excellent<br />
person for security surveillance.<br />
27<br />
Local Author, Michael<br />
Birchmore, has some<br />
tips to get you started.<br />
He could sit on a bench in a shopping centre<br />
and watch people and nobody would notice. In<br />
actuality this turns out to be a technique used<br />
by professionals. But what setting could I put<br />
him in? What story line could I develop?<br />
One thing that often put me off writing was<br />
not knowing how the story would end. The<br />
author Stephen King said that his secret to<br />
successful writing was “read a lot, write a lot”.<br />
Like I said, I’m not the world’s biggest reader<br />
but I do think I’m observant. At the time I<br />
was pondering this there was a recruiting<br />
drive for the Royal Marines and a particular<br />
scene where a bunch of Marines had covertly<br />
crept up on an individual at night and capture<br />
him. That inspired my ending. It also gave<br />
me a background for Dogger in Marsh Water<br />
Murders.<br />
Some fictional private investigators have<br />
ex-military backgrounds. Strike by Robert<br />
Galbraith for example. One thing I have read a<br />
lot of is books by ex-servicemen about their in<br />
service lives. This, and watching documentaries<br />
and <strong>online</strong> research helped me create what I<br />
hope is an authentic character. But what of the<br />
storyline? It needed to be a crime. A murder.<br />
To catch the reader’s attention I devised a<br />
scenario that was quite extreme. A body hung<br />
in a church. I have to say that after this I didn’t<br />
know how the story was going to progress<br />
until the end that I had planned. So I thought<br />
I would just start and see where it took me.<br />
That is the basis of my whole<br />
writing technique.<br />
Writing to me is very much<br />
like painting a picture. You
have a rough idea of how you want it to look<br />
but as you go along you add bits here and take<br />
some bits away. You shape it as you go and<br />
that is what I did. Again to add authenticity I<br />
did include several events and scenarios<br />
that I had experienced in real life. What those<br />
were is my secret.<br />
Eventually the writing became a habit. I’d<br />
wake up in the morning with an idea for a<br />
new chapter and be eager to get it written<br />
before I forgot it. A good minimum word limit<br />
is about 80,000 words which is a lot. But<br />
persistence, enthusiasm and a regular writing<br />
habit got me there. Yes, there were days when<br />
I wasn’t inspired or able to write but I didn’t<br />
beat myself up over that. I just watched and<br />
waited.<br />
Eventually I came to a scenario that led me<br />
perfectly to the end and wow, what an ending<br />
it was. But what next? What do I do with it?<br />
Did I want to spend goodness knows how<br />
long trying to attract a publisher and deal<br />
with rejections? No. I was not concerned with<br />
selling masses. My sole intent was to write<br />
and publish a book. A novel. Fortunately I<br />
have two good friends of whom one was able<br />
to proof read and edit the book and another<br />
could design the cover, format it and get<br />
copies printed. Their fees were pretty much all<br />
I spent on it and their work was invaluable.<br />
Then with more research I found out how to<br />
publish my book as a paperback and Kindle<br />
version on Amazon. With just a few minor<br />
hiccups I eventually achieved my goal. “The<br />
Marsh Water Murders” was published.<br />
Still feeling the buzz of writing I quickly<br />
formulated an idea for a sequel which I<br />
started on pretty much immediately. That<br />
one, the “Red Fox”, was soon to follow. I had<br />
written and self-published two novels in one<br />
year! Both available in paperback and Kindle<br />
versions on Amazon. No, they’re not literary<br />
greats. But I still love reading them as much<br />
as I liked writing them and they look great<br />
on my bookshelf next to works by McNab,<br />
Galbraith, Doyle and more.<br />
Do I have a secret to successful writing? No,<br />
you just have to write. Give it a try.<br />
CHARITY<br />
We started the<br />
charity because<br />
of my story.<br />
Eight years<br />
ago I had<br />
emergency<br />
brain<br />
surgery<br />
which<br />
meant I went<br />
from working<br />
full time to not<br />
being able to go<br />
back to my job. By Becki Simmons<br />
During my<br />
recovery, I had a good network of help but<br />
some people don’t have that. We want to be<br />
that network.<br />
Before I started the charity I worked in the<br />
travel industry as a company secretary. I loved<br />
every moment. I was also a business mentor for<br />
a charity going into schools to inspire children<br />
to start their own business. After surgery, my<br />
life changed completely as I couldn’t go back<br />
to work and the normal life I once had. But<br />
eight years on I’m learning that it’s okay to be<br />
different and to be happy with the new person I<br />
am. Although I still get frustrated, it’s still okay.<br />
I just have to concentrate on things I can do<br />
and not the cards I have been dealt.<br />
At present, we are funding for our first-ever<br />
space in Portsmouth. We ran as a pilot scheme<br />
for nearly a year and it was a great success<br />
helping people who are lonely, those that have<br />
PTSD, mental health issues, or depression.<br />
We want to create a place for people to come<br />
and find community, a piece of cake and a<br />
chat. It’s amazing how many lonely people or<br />
socially-isolated people feel disconnected from<br />
the world. Spark is a place where people, at<br />
their own pace, can come and find the help and<br />
support they need. Spark support group have<br />
found a temporary home, meeting at Sherlocks<br />
Bar in Southsea. If you feel left out, left behind,<br />
lonely or just need a chat, pop down and find<br />
community. We meet every Tuesday and<br />
Wedsnesday between 11am and 2pm. For more<br />
information go to -<br />
www.sparkcommunityspace.co.uk<br />
28
NATURE<br />
By Andy Ames<br />
Wilder Portsmouth is a partnership<br />
project between Hampshire & Isle of<br />
Wight Wildlife Trust and Southern<br />
Co-op. The focus of this jointly funded<br />
initiative is to encourage people to take<br />
action to create and enhance the wild<br />
spaces where they live.<br />
We have a great opportunity in Portsmouth<br />
to help create wild spaces that are not only<br />
attractive to wildlife but an asset to our<br />
communities. Several green areas around<br />
Portsmouth’s streets, housing, flats, and<br />
apartments have been poorly designed and<br />
managed which means that both people and<br />
wildlife cannot enjoy them as much as they<br />
should be. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife<br />
Trust is working in partnership with Southern<br />
Co-op to make Portsmouth a wilder city.<br />
Wilder Portsmouth has worked with<br />
individuals, schools, and groups to adopt<br />
unloved spaces in the city and transform<br />
them into brighter, greener, and wilder areas<br />
for the whole community to enjoy and for<br />
wildlife to thrive in. Pupils from Brambles<br />
Infant School & Nursery planted wildflowers<br />
in abandoned planters in the streets outside<br />
the school and we’ve worked with Friends<br />
of the Earth volunteers to brighten up and<br />
replant flowerbeds in Derby Road, <strong>North</strong> <strong>End</strong>.<br />
We also provide individuals with resources<br />
and ideas to make their gardens more<br />
wildlife friendly, give grounds advice for<br />
schools, and work in collaboration with other<br />
environmental groups to spread our message.<br />
29<br />
Plus, we’ve been engaging people through<br />
other channels including working with artists<br />
on exhibitions and murals throughout the<br />
city.<br />
Join Wilder Portsmouth<br />
You can be a part of a Wilder Portsmouth by<br />
making your life and home a littler wilder.<br />
There are lots of ways you can create colourful<br />
wild spaces that are buzzing with life, no<br />
matter how small your space is. You can<br />
attach bird feeders to your windows, place<br />
plant pots on your doorsteps, or hang window<br />
boxes.<br />
You are not alone in your wilder<br />
journey.<br />
Our resources at hiwwt.org.uk/teamwilder-resources-and-toolkits<br />
can help<br />
you with ideas on how to get started and there<br />
are also over 700 people across Hampshire<br />
and the Isle of Wight who are making space<br />
for nature and sharing their wilder journeys<br />
with one another. You can have a look at all<br />
that they’re doing here: hiwwt.org.uk/jointeam-wilder<br />
Wilder is so much more than<br />
gardening<br />
Wilder is all about connections. Just as<br />
important as joining up the small spaces for<br />
wildlife, is coming together with other people<br />
to create positive changes in your area. We
now have three streets in Portsmouth where<br />
neighbours are working together to create<br />
stepping stones of green spaces for wildlife to<br />
pass through the city. If you don’t know your<br />
neighbours already, this is a great way and<br />
reason to reach out to them and get to know<br />
them a little better.<br />
NATURE<br />
making space for nature on their grounds<br />
and are connecting their congregation with<br />
nature. Among them are Trinity Church and<br />
All Saints. We also have a Wilder Schools<br />
programme where we give schools advice and<br />
support them to incorporate nature into their<br />
curricula. We train teachers as Wilder School<br />
leaders, outdoor learning tutors, and forest<br />
school leaders.<br />
We believe that everyone can do something for<br />
nature; it’s just a matter of finding what you’re<br />
passionate about, what skills you could share<br />
and how we can work towards common goals.<br />
Take your actions off the ground<br />
Current nature-loving Portsmouth residents<br />
on Tamworth Road and Francis Avenue have<br />
built bin shelters with green roofs, set up<br />
‘nature swap’ stalls for neighbours to share<br />
plants and seeds, created communal tubs for<br />
planting and growing, and are collaborating<br />
with the city council to reclaim small areas of<br />
abandoned scrub land.<br />
Wilder community spaces<br />
We work in other public spaces as well<br />
as residential ones. We’re working with a<br />
couple of churches in Portsmouth who are<br />
As well as practical actions on the ground,<br />
you could join forces with the community and<br />
call for your local council or others to play<br />
their part and help towards nature’s recovery.<br />
Portsmouth City Council plans to develop<br />
one of the last wild corners of Portsmouth<br />
Harbour in to a ‘super-peninsula’ by draining<br />
and concreting over a protected intertidal<br />
habitat. They want to build 3,500 new houses<br />
and a new 1million sq ft marine hub on the<br />
reclaimed coastal floodplain. However, this<br />
special area is protected as a Site of Special<br />
Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection<br />
Area (SPA) and a Ramsar Site in recognition<br />
of the value for wildlife.<br />
We need your help to stop this scheme from<br />
going any further. (hiwwt.org.uk/tipner)<br />
Be a part of #TeamWilder #WilderPortsmouth<br />
If you’ve been inspired to do something for<br />
nature today and want to find out more, please<br />
go to:<br />
hiwwt.org.uk/wilder-portsmouth or<br />
email wilder@hiwwt.org.uk.<br />
30
BREEDING &<br />
BOWLEY<br />
SERVICES<br />
FERTILITY<br />
Litter Whelping & Initial Raising.<br />
Insemination.<br />
Continued Support.<br />
Breeding.<br />
PETS<br />
Our very own dog expert,<br />
Kellie-Ann of Bowley Breeding<br />
with advice about keeping your<br />
dogs safe during the hot<br />
summer weather<br />
Well guys, looks like the summer is<br />
finally here!!....bikinis, shorts and<br />
flip flops but can you imagine 28<br />
degrees in a fur coat??!!, this is the<br />
dilemma faced by our dogs. Of course they<br />
can enjoy the sun just as we do, but with<br />
practical and sensible measures put in<br />
place.<br />
ALL dogs regardless of age, breed or fitness<br />
can develop heatstroke but some are even<br />
more susceptible, for example the older,<br />
younger, overweight and brachycephalic<br />
(flat faced) breeds.<br />
SIGNS OF HEATSTROKE:<br />
Glazed eyes, excessive thirst and dribbling,<br />
heavy/fast breathing, increased heart/<br />
pulse rate, dark gums, staggering<br />
and weakness, seizures, fitting and<br />
unconsciousness.<br />
WAYS TO AVOID HEATSTROKE:<br />
Fresh drinking water, shade in the garden,<br />
paddling pool, wet towels to lay on or<br />
cooling mats (readily available at pet shops<br />
or <strong>online</strong>), home made ice lollies, keeping<br />
your house nice and cool, bringing them<br />
indoors when it is hottest and lastly, only<br />
walk (if at all) very early or late in the day.<br />
No dog ever died from missing a walk!<br />
IMPORTANT FACT:<br />
IF YOU CAN’T LEAVE YOUR HANDS<br />
COMFORTABLY ON THE GROUND FOR<br />
ATLEAST 10 SECONDS IT CAN RESULT<br />
IN NASTY, PAINFUL BURNS ON YOUR<br />
DOGS PAWS.<br />
Also, in hot weather, never leave your<br />
dog in the car, not even with the windows<br />
down. HEATSTROKE KILLS, if you<br />
believe your dog is affected take them<br />
IMMEDIATELY to the vets. Please<br />
remember though that dogs will pant<br />
excessively when they are hot as this is<br />
their way of cooling down, but if you know<br />
your fur-babies, you will recognise the<br />
difference.<br />
As I said in the beginning, dogs can enjoy<br />
the nicer climate but extreme weathers<br />
can be completely detrimental to their<br />
health so just be responsible and you<br />
can not only achieve a Benidorm worthy<br />
‘Madges Mahogany’ tan but your hot-dogs<br />
will be cool, happy and safe too!!<br />
Kellie-Ann Bowley<br />
YOUR MOBILE K9 PROFESSIONAL<br />
Registered. Microchipping. Ultrasound<br />
Council<br />
Cytology. Semen Analysis. Artificial<br />
Scanning.<br />
07368 497998<br />
kellieannbowley@hotmail.com<br />
32
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Welcome to my latest “encounters of<br />
the televisual kind”. I am writing during<br />
this strange “emerging from lockdown”<br />
phase where we are all hoping to be able<br />
to do many things that we haven’t done<br />
for months, such as putting on a shirt, or<br />
making conversation with strangers.<br />
I had my first proper pint in months with<br />
a friend outdoors and I’ve got to say it was<br />
amazing – bottled or canned beer is not the<br />
same. Being deprived of something for so long<br />
that you took for granted, just makes it so<br />
special!<br />
I wonder if telly watching will be like that. Of<br />
course you are rarely completely deprived of<br />
access to a TV, even in a hotel you have one,<br />
and these days you can watch on your portable<br />
devices and phones, provided you’ve got<br />
decent wireless or 4/5G signal. Maybe, with a<br />
bit less telly watching as we start eating and<br />
drinking out, playing football and doing more<br />
recreational shopping, we might appreciate it<br />
a bit more. We shall see. Sometimes there are<br />
great telly events which transcend the normal,<br />
such as the recently ended Line of Duty – what<br />
did you make of that ending? Much like Game<br />
of Thrones, there was a mixed reaction, but you<br />
know what, it is impossible to please everyone<br />
where a long running series has a big cult<br />
following. Let me know your thoughts on the<br />
“big reveal” of H (see Page 2 for details).<br />
I’m waffling again - let’s take a look at some of<br />
the better watches of the last few weeks.<br />
33<br />
Carry on Glamping (Channel 4, 2021, 4<br />
episodes, 47 mins each)<br />
What with things being a bit gloomy for<br />
the last few months, I was really pleased to<br />
discover this mini-series, as it did my mood<br />
no end of good. I am one of those people who<br />
don’t tend to seek out “feel good” movies or<br />
series, but what I have occasionally done is<br />
bumped into them (as was the case here)<br />
having seen trailers which peaked my interest,<br />
since I am one of those people that dreams of<br />
owning a Motorhome or Campervan.<br />
This is the amazing story of how the comedian<br />
Johnny Vegas decided (pre-Covid) that he<br />
wanted to create a unique glamping site made<br />
up of unusual and vintage vehicles. It starts<br />
with the incredulity of his entourage, who it<br />
seems are used to hearing from Johnny about<br />
his mad-cap ideas, which never happen. In the<br />
group is his long suffering PA, Bev, who is to<br />
become a key player in the dramas to come.<br />
The first vehicle acquired proves to be by some<br />
distance the most troublesome – a Maltese<br />
bus, bought <strong>online</strong>, then needing shipping to<br />
the UK. You simply could not make up the<br />
journey that the bus took - Johnny ends up<br />
naming the bus after his mum, Patricia, which<br />
adds considerably to the story.<br />
There are several other really interesting and<br />
varied vehicles (the fire engine being one of<br />
my personal favourites), most of which need<br />
restoring at great expense of time and money,<br />
and the episodes relate the love/hate
elationship which the restoration team have<br />
with the vehicles and Johnny, who has never<br />
done anything like this before and so has totally<br />
unrealistic expectations!<br />
There were some sad and poignant moments in<br />
the story, and it was interesting how desperate<br />
Johnny was to achieve something that was not<br />
related to his comedy career – of course there<br />
are lots of funny moments and one-liners too<br />
in his dry <strong>North</strong>ern manner. It is rare to find<br />
a series which has humour, drama, human<br />
interest and nostalgia, all very successfully<br />
rolled into one. The final episode is astonishing<br />
when “Patricia” finally arrives at the site, I’ll<br />
just leave it there, you need to see this!<br />
*****<br />
Dark Waters, (2019, Prime, 126 mins)<br />
Possibly the antidote to Carry on Glamping,<br />
but nonetheless worthy of recommendation. I<br />
often find gems from dramatised “true” stories<br />
- very belatedly I finally got round to watching<br />
Bohemian Rhapsody the other week and<br />
wasn’t surprised at all just how brilliantly the<br />
story of Freddie Mercury was told. Dark Waters<br />
is a “legal thriller” about a lawyers fight against<br />
a big US corporation (DuPont) on behalf of a<br />
community who are allegedly suffering serious<br />
medical conditions including birth defects and<br />
cancer, as a result of large scale dumping of<br />
toxic chemicals.<br />
Robert Bilott (played by Mark Ruffalo) is the<br />
lawyer who is sought out by a farming family<br />
(the Tennants) who are convinced that<br />
something is seriously amiss with their animals<br />
as a result of contamination of the nearby land,<br />
resulting in 190 deaths of his cows, many with<br />
strange symptoms. As might be expected, the<br />
idea that a single family and their lawyer could<br />
fight a huge corporation with their financial<br />
and legal might, give us an overriding feeling<br />
throughout that they can never win. If the<br />
outcome were as might be expected (and<br />
probably usually happens), you’d get a very<br />
short film, but at just over 2 hours, there are<br />
plenty of twists and turns in this case. Often,<br />
when individuals sue large local employers,<br />
the very many residents who rely on it for their<br />
jobs will turn against that neighbour, creating a<br />
huge moral dilemma for all involved.<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
The terrible human tragedy of the Tennants,<br />
and of many other residents of the West<br />
Virginia town of Parkersburg, is told in a<br />
fitting manner, and the portrayal of Bilott<br />
is powerfully done, showing the great cost<br />
to himself and his own family of pursuing<br />
the case. Downright scary at times, and a<br />
real lesson (if one were needed) in why big<br />
corporations need regulating.<br />
****<br />
The Terror (2018, aired in 2021, BBC<br />
iPlayer, 10 episodes, 45 mins each)<br />
granted, this was a marathon watch (I did it 2<br />
episodes at a time), but I was always left at the<br />
closing credits wanting to see more and find<br />
out what was going to happen next. Things<br />
are pretty tense much of the time. I hadn’t<br />
actually realised that it was 10 episodes straight<br />
away, but by the time I did, I was hooked and<br />
delighted to see how long it was - perhaps I<br />
might have been a bit wary of the time<br />
commitment if I’d known from the outset?<br />
What clinched it for me was seeing Ridley<br />
Scott’s name attached as Executive Producer<br />
(he of Alien fame).<br />
If you like period dramas, disaster movies or a<br />
bit of horror, this should suit you just fine.<br />
Based on the book of the same name by Dan<br />
Simmons, the said Terror is actually one of two<br />
ships on an expedition looking for the <strong>North</strong><br />
West Passage in the 19 th Century, but it is a<br />
fine play on words for what then happens to the<br />
crew...(cue spooky music). The episodes cover<br />
human conflicts and friendships, naval<br />
discipline, ambition and redemption, survival,<br />
superstition, and (very) dangerous wildlife.<br />
The story is based upon real events when 2<br />
ships, The Terror and The Erebus, advanced<br />
vessels for their time, went missing with 120<br />
crew in 1845. Amazingly, these 2 ships were<br />
recently found, in 2014 and 2016.<br />
One minor criticism is that using period<br />
language makes it sometimes hard to follow<br />
some of the dialogue, but this didn’t spoil it or<br />
stop me understanding what was happening.<br />
Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it 94% and<br />
viewers 87%, and I’d say they got it right.<br />
****<br />
34
MAGNETIC MARIAN OF<br />
BY<br />
CHANGING ENERGIES<br />
LIFE<br />
SPECIAL<br />
A whole new meaning to the phrase<br />
“You’re grounded”<br />
Grounding is both a timeless practice and<br />
modern discovery… It simply means living in<br />
contact with the earth’s natural surface charge<br />
– being grounded.<br />
We all live and function electrically on an<br />
electrical planet. We are each of us a collection<br />
of dynamic electrical circuits in which trillions<br />
of cells constantly transmit and receive energy<br />
in the course of their programmed biochemical<br />
reactions. Your heart, brain, nervous system,<br />
muscles and immune system are prime<br />
examples of electrical subsystems operating<br />
within your bioelectrical body. The fact is, all<br />
of your movements, behaviours and actions<br />
are energized by electricity.<br />
Most people are totally unaware of their<br />
bioelectrical nature or the energetic<br />
connection between their bodies and the<br />
earth’s surface. Many of us don’t even realize<br />
that we’re disconnected from Mother Nature.<br />
Our feet and the rest of our bodies rarely touch<br />
real ground. We keep insulated with layers<br />
of clothing, rubber/plastic soles, mattresses,<br />
any assortment of chairs and accessories. We<br />
spend 23 hours indoors when we exercise<br />
outside for an hour a day. We probably touch<br />
our mobile phone more often than we touch a<br />
leaf, a tree or the earth with our bare feet.<br />
Science informs us that the Earth’s<br />
electrons contain a natural, negative charge.<br />
Maintaining contact with the ground allows<br />
our bodies to naturally receive and become<br />
35<br />
charged with these electrons. When we<br />
are “grounded,” we absorb these beneficial<br />
electrons that “reduce electrical imbalances in<br />
the body.” Since our bodies are composed of<br />
mostly water and minerals – just like the Earth<br />
– we are mutually electrically conductive.<br />
When you are electrically grounded, you can<br />
It's not all doom and gloom. Here are my<br />
top tips to keep you grounded<br />
1. Get outside in the morning light to stop the<br />
production of melatonin and wake yourself up.<br />
Take your coffee with you and stand barefoot on<br />
the grass where possible.<br />
2. Set a routine for screen curfew before bedtime,<br />
melatonin levels start rising around 8pm and<br />
leave your phone downstairs where possible. If<br />
you do use it as an alarm, put it on flight mode.<br />
The less electromagnetic frequencies around you,<br />
the more your body will feel rested.<br />
3. Spend as much time outdoors dressed<br />
appropriately for the weather and encourage<br />
your children to do so too. Barefoot where safe to<br />
do so.<br />
4. Invest in a grounding mat or sheet to sleep on<br />
and use when sitting at your laptop indoors all<br />
day.<br />
5. Sit near a window to get as much light as possible<br />
during your working day.<br />
6. The most effective way to ground yourself is to<br />
feel the soles of your feet connecting to the earth<br />
by standing barefoot on soil, sand, grass or even<br />
the sea bed.
feel more centered, strong, balanced, less tense<br />
and less stressed. This is one of the reasons<br />
why it feels so luxurious to kick off our shoes<br />
and feel the grass or sand beneath our feet.<br />
Grounding or earthing reduces cortisol levels<br />
(cortisol is a stress related hormone). It also<br />
improves sleep (think sleeping on the forest<br />
floor as in ancient times). It stabilizes blood<br />
sugar levels, reduces pain, and can help reduce<br />
and neutralize unwanted positive charges and<br />
help shield against Electromagnetic fields<br />
(EMFs), which we build up in our daily lives –<br />
restoring a healthful natural balance.<br />
Modern living in our well insulated homes and<br />
offices (remember those days), surrounded<br />
by a sea of electrical gadgets disconnects us<br />
further. Strong fluorescent indoor lights and<br />
blue light from screens all suppress melatonin<br />
levels (the sleep hormone) so no wonder so<br />
many of us struggle with sleep and mood.<br />
If you want to know more, please contact me:<br />
marian@lifechanging energies.com<br />
GROUNDING MAT<br />
£109.20 Including delivery<br />
Sleep better, feel better, live better with<br />
<strong>Mag</strong>netic Marian<br />
www.lifechangingenergies.com<br />
Marian@lifechangingenergies.com<br />
07872 626457<br />
Ros Thompson<br />
Bach Flower Practitioner<br />
These amazing natural remedies<br />
can help with<br />
Anxiety Grief<br />
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BUSINESS<br />
<strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> is pleased to welcome Nicky<br />
Child of Boss Properties as our newest,<br />
regular columnist. Each issue she will<br />
discuss various aspects of the property<br />
market. This month, Nicky focuses on what<br />
you need to know to become a first time<br />
property investor.<br />
Now I have been in and out of the<br />
property market for the last 2 decades<br />
and I will still have questions for my<br />
team of experts at least once a day! So,<br />
lets keep it simple and we’ll kick it off<br />
from the beginning…<br />
It usually starts with a dream, right?!<br />
Potentially this this is your biggest investment<br />
so you’ve probably been back and forth in your<br />
own mind with a ‘yeah, you only live once’<br />
voice and another screaming ‘are you mad!?<br />
You don’t know what you’re doing!’. For so<br />
long you have thought about making a profit<br />
from property, but maybe you’re a little<br />
unsure how. Who do you even you ask!<br />
You see yourself enjoying life somewhere hot<br />
and sunny, but can you be sure that an<br />
investment like this will actually make you<br />
a profit? Or it might be that you are just fed<br />
up of working every week, but the gamble<br />
is too great and you just don’t know enough<br />
about the property game! You keep hearing<br />
about law changes, section 21’s or 13’s (what<br />
even are those?!) and Jim next door told you<br />
that his third cousin’s friend’s brother had<br />
a terrible time with a tenant! Oh no. No, no.<br />
Its out of the question…., but time to yourself<br />
would be sooooo nice! And it HAS been a<br />
tough year, why not? Whats the harm in just<br />
finding out what your options are?<br />
So, you have a property with equity, maybe<br />
some inheritance, a little savings or you’ve<br />
won the lottery! Whatever your source of<br />
investment, you CAN do this! Its now time.<br />
You’ve been thinking about this for far too<br />
long now!<br />
Hmm, post Covid, and you’ve heard that the<br />
Buy to Let market is pretty buoyant, especially<br />
37<br />
in the South East.<br />
Let’s look at the facts:<br />
At the time of writing,<br />
Rightmove has 945<br />
properties available.<br />
Student housing being<br />
the largest proportion<br />
at 745. But are there<br />
tenants looking? Well, lets see what the<br />
demand is: 486 have been ‘let agreed’, which<br />
means references are in place! ‘Hot Cakes’<br />
comes to my mind!<br />
Need another one?<br />
According to ARLA, 60% of existing landlords<br />
have increased their rent in March 2021, That<br />
tells me there is good demand.<br />
Figures and stats are out there if you look in<br />
the right places and ask the right people, so<br />
my advice to anyone thinking of becoming<br />
a landlord is to dig a little deeper! Talk to<br />
agents, meet with mortgage advisors, and<br />
search the websites to get all your information<br />
for you. You will always hear the horror<br />
stories, but listen out for success stories too,<br />
you could have your own if you really want to!<br />
Research can be pretty time consuming and<br />
there are experienced “package deal” experts<br />
that will do all the leg work for you if you don’t<br />
have the luxury of time. It depends on how<br />
much time you are willing to invest before<br />
investing!<br />
Do you know your figures? If you are<br />
remortgaging to raise funds, what is your<br />
property worth and is there enough equity to<br />
play with? Will you need a BTL mortgage?<br />
What about new builds? Are you buying<br />
leasehold or freehold? Auction or agent?<br />
Location? Students, HMO or family let?
What is the best option in the long run? Oh, so<br />
many questions, where do YOU start? Don’t<br />
worry! Just like me, start at the beginning.<br />
You can still do this, the first hurdle is always<br />
the hardest but once that momentum is going,<br />
your profits and goals are really not hard to<br />
reach. Step by step, that’s the key. Preparation<br />
and education.<br />
RECIPE<br />
So, what are you waiting for? Take step one!<br />
Go figure out your funds and research your<br />
possibilities!<br />
Know your numbers! My suggestion is always<br />
work with 3. For example, 3 agents in to value<br />
your property, contact 3 mortgage advisors to<br />
see what you can borrow, or get 3 quotes from<br />
experts - you get the idea.<br />
ETON MESS<br />
The simplest of desserts but possibly the best way to use succulent strawberries.<br />
Preparation time: 30 mins<br />
Cooking time: No cooking time!<br />
Serves: 6<br />
www.boss-properties.co.uk<br />
Ingredients<br />
Good quality shop-bought meringue<br />
nests<br />
500g ripe strawberries<br />
50g caster sugar<br />
450ml double cream<br />
1 tbsp icing sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla paste<br />
Mint for garnish<br />
Method<br />
To prepare the strawberries: wash and hull the<br />
fruit, and slice into half or quarters. Aim for<br />
bite-size pieces. Place the strawberries in a<br />
bowl, sprinkle with the caster sugar, making<br />
sure all the strawberries are coated. Place in<br />
the fridge for 30 mins until the fruit goes<br />
squidgy and leaks juice.<br />
Set a third of the strawberry mixture on one<br />
side for later. Using a potato masher lightly<br />
crush the rest into a chunky puree. Pour the<br />
double cream into a big bowl (it's best if the<br />
bowl is cold). Sift in the icing sugar and<br />
the teaspoon of vanilla paste and whip<br />
to soft peaks<br />
Roughly squash and break six of the<br />
meringues. Fold the pieces and the<br />
crushed strawberries into the whipped<br />
cream. Don't mix too thoroughly. The<br />
red and white should be clearly distinct.<br />
Serve the Mess in pretty tall glasses,<br />
Alternating between the creamy,<br />
strawberry mess and the remaining third<br />
of the strawberries set aside. Top with a<br />
sprig of mint.<br />
38
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51
SUMMER<br />
QUIZ<br />
1. Name the comedy TV programme that follows the lives of 3 Priests living on<br />
Craggy Island?<br />
2. Wrestler Shirley Crabtree Jr. was better known by his nickname. What was it?<br />
3. The Queen celebrates her official birthday in June, but what is the name of the<br />
military pageant which has marked the Sovereign’s official birthday for over<br />
260 years?<br />
4. Gordon Sumner is the real name of what famous British musician?<br />
5. What’s longer, a nautical mile or a land mile?<br />
6. What element is denoted by the chemical symbol Sn in the periodic table?<br />
7. Who is awarded the Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon each year?<br />
8. What is the real name of the Governess in ITV’s popular quiz The Chase?<br />
9. What is the collective noun for a group of cats?<br />
10. Where is the British Grand Prix F1 race held?<br />
11. What is the official name of the tower Big Ben is housed in?<br />
12. In which area of Birmingham is the hit show Peaky Blinders set?<br />
13. <strong>Aug</strong>ust sees the Portsmouth kite festival, which country first invented the Kite?<br />
14. Who invented the world wide web?<br />
15. What is the art of cutting shrubs into ornamental shapes called?<br />
16. Which TV duo would you associate with the song ‘Bring Me Sunshine’?<br />
17. Which football club plays its home games at Loftus Road?<br />
18. Actress, Ursula Andress famously walked out of the sea wearing a white bikini<br />
in the James Bond flick Dr No. What was the name of her character?<br />
19. What is the Chinese New Year animal for 2021?<br />
20. How many balls are bowled in a normal cricket over?<br />
21. Which Saints day falls on <strong>July</strong> 15 every year?<br />
22. Which two colours on a flag mean that lifeguards are on patrol and you should<br />
only swim in the area between the flags?<br />
23. Bondi Beach is a popular beach in a suburb of which Australian city?<br />
24. Which uk resort is known for its surf beaches and seafront Tate gallery?<br />
25. It’s in Paris, and it grows by six inches during the summer. What?<br />
26. What is used as the filling of a summer pudding?<br />
27. Which island group includes Ibiza, Menorca and Majorca?<br />
28. Food and Drink. What does IPA stand for?<br />
29. What’s a baby rabbit called?<br />
30. Whose advertising was based around the catchphrase It Does Exactly What it<br />
Says on the Tin?<br />
ANSWERS ON PAGE 49
NATURE<br />
WASPS<br />
FRIEND OR<br />
FOE?<br />
By LWB<br />
Wasps, our perennial summer foe.<br />
Best known for ruining alfresco dining,<br />
taking a bath in your cider and mugging<br />
children for a lick of their ice cream!<br />
But are they really the angry, aggressive,<br />
stripy hooligans just out to spoil our<br />
summer fun? Perhaps it is time for a rethink,<br />
could it be that wasps are actually<br />
our friends?<br />
Wasps have been around for some 240 million<br />
years and are the ancestors of all the bees and<br />
ants we know today. Ants could be thought of<br />
as wasps who have lost their wings and bees<br />
as wasps who went vegan! There are over<br />
150,000 known species world-wide. About<br />
7,000 species call the UK their home. Wasps<br />
can be divided into 2 main categories. There<br />
are the solitary parasitoidal wasps, who lay<br />
their eggs in live insects and are responsible for<br />
a huge amount of pest control. The other group<br />
are the Social wasps, who form large colonies.<br />
It is from this group that a select few species<br />
have become our summertime nemesis, such<br />
as the ‘yellow jackets’ (made up of the Common<br />
wasp - Vespula vulgaris and the German wasp -<br />
Vespula germanica) and Hornets.<br />
Both sub-groups of wasps do an incredible<br />
amount of good for our environment. They<br />
help to clear rotten wood, control pests such as<br />
Aphids and Caterpillars (sorry Colin) and are<br />
also excellent pollinators. Over the summer<br />
months it is estimated that in the UK, wasps<br />
capture around 14 million kilos of insects. A<br />
single wasp colony is thought to remove around<br />
41<br />
a quarter of a million Aphids each season. In<br />
some countries, experiments are underway,<br />
moving colonies of wasps into crop fields, to act<br />
as pest control agents and reduce the reliance<br />
on insecticides.<br />
Adult wasps feed entirely on sugar, which they<br />
can obtain from the flower pollen. Unlike bees,<br />
wasps are not fussy as to which flowers they<br />
visit and this makes them vital, if accidental,<br />
pollinators. Wasps are truly the gardener’s<br />
friend.<br />
I know what you are thinking, that whilst<br />
wasps might make great garden buddies they<br />
are a complete menace to picnickers! And I<br />
can’t argue with that. With their sometimes<br />
lary attitudes, their nasty stings and their lax<br />
approach to social distancing, I have to admit<br />
to being one of the first people around a table<br />
who will jump up shrieking when pestered by a<br />
little yellow thug.<br />
For me, like many, the fear of being stung is<br />
almost worse than the sting itself. For the<br />
vast majority of us wasps are a harmless,<br />
if sometimes painful, annoyance. For an<br />
unlucky few, though, the stings can be deadly.<br />
On average, each year 10 people are killed<br />
in Britain due to a severe allergic reaction to<br />
wasp or bee stings. So why is it that wasps<br />
are so keen to get upfront and personal with<br />
us? To understand why, we need to dig a little<br />
deeper into the lifestyle choices of the social<br />
wasps.
Just like bees, at the heart of each colony is<br />
a Queen wasp, however, unlike their cute,<br />
honey making cousins, only the newly fertile<br />
Queens survive the winter, sheltering in<br />
animal burrows or hiding in your Christmas<br />
decorations.<br />
In early spring these Queens emerge to build<br />
a colony. Most of the eggs she lays grow up to<br />
be worker wasps and it is these, yellow perils<br />
that we know so well. The worker wasps are<br />
responsible for hunting insect prey which they<br />
take back to the larvae to feed on. It is only in<br />
the larvae stage that wasps feed on protein. In<br />
return the larvae produce a sugary substance<br />
which helps fuel the workers.<br />
During the later Spring and early Summer<br />
as the colony grows, worker wasps are busy<br />
feeding their infants and have a ready supply<br />
of sugary snacks obtained from their larvae<br />
and flower pollen. At this time of year, wasps<br />
hardly bother with us at all. When they do,<br />
they are often just circling around you. This<br />
is because wasps use tall objects like trees to<br />
navigate by. So if a wasp does fly rings around<br />
you - don’t worry, he is just lost and asking for<br />
directions!<br />
It is later towards the end of Summer and<br />
early Autumn, when the Queen is winding<br />
down her supply of eggs and there are fewer<br />
and fewer larvae, that the workers turn their<br />
eyes towards our sweet delights. No longer<br />
able to feed from the carb-packed substance<br />
produced by their larvae the workers become<br />
jobless, homeless and hungry. Add feeding off<br />
of fallen fermented fruits into the mix and it<br />
isn’t any wonder that they revert to such loutish<br />
behaviour.<br />
So maybe in late Summer, when the wasps are<br />
desperate and dying we should remember the<br />
good services they have carried out for us and<br />
forgive them for their last hurrah.<br />
Wasps, friend or foe? You decide!<br />
Many thanks to the Natural History Museum<br />
and to the BBC’s podcast ‘The Curious Cases<br />
of Rutherford and Fry’ for much of the<br />
information used in writing this piece.<br />
"Paul has done a fantastic job helping to promote my business.<br />
He of course, produced for me some incredible and engaging<br />
videos, but the real magic was in how he has managed to get<br />
them on to the first page of both Google and You Tube."<br />
Debbie Payne<br />
Editor of <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong>
SPACES<br />
SANCTUARY<br />
MENTAL HEALTH<br />
F<br />
A new initiative called the Spaces of Sanctuary<br />
is offering people a safe space to retreat to<br />
when needed. The project is the brain child of<br />
Portsmouth City of Sanctuary and builds<br />
O<br />
on<br />
the City’s proud history of offering shelter to<br />
anyone fleeing violence and persecution, or<br />
who is isolated and seeking safety.<br />
Spaces of Sanctuary works so that anyone<br />
feeling vulnerable at any time can reach out<br />
and ask for shelter from any of the locations<br />
taking part in the project and who are<br />
displaying the SoS symbol.<br />
Portsmouth City of Sanctuary is part of the<br />
national City of Sanctuary movement, and is<br />
partnering with two other local organisations<br />
to deliver the Spaces of Sanctuary initiative:<br />
<strong>Pompey</strong> Safe Spaces Scheme and Portsmouth<br />
Dignity Network.<br />
Malcolm Little, Chair of Portsmouth City<br />
of Sanctuary said, ‘The idea is a simple one<br />
that seizes on the widely felt appreciation<br />
that Portsmouth is unique in its sense of<br />
community. It aims to offer anyone, whether<br />
they are being verbally or physically abused<br />
or intimated, whether they feel suddenly<br />
frightened or panicky, for whatever reason<br />
at all, a place where they will find a welcome<br />
and a friendly face with no judgement or<br />
repercussion.’<br />
Businesses, faith groups, educational<br />
establishments and others are being offered<br />
43<br />
training so that they can support people in<br />
the simplest way -to offer them a place to be<br />
where they can take as long as it takes to catch<br />
their breath and feel calm again. If needed the<br />
volunteers can access a network of support<br />
agencies that they can contact in agreement<br />
with the person that has come to them for<br />
refuge, but this may not always be necessary.<br />
Spaces of Sanctuary looks to consolidate the<br />
tangible goodwill in the City by engaging with<br />
both the private and public sectors in support<br />
of the City’s most vulnerable people. Initial<br />
surveys carried out in 2020 by Portsmouth City<br />
of Sanctuary identified that whilst the majority<br />
of people are willing and wanting to offer<br />
support to fellow residents, they are conscious<br />
that they might end up making a bad situation<br />
worse by doing the wrong thing. The SoS<br />
initiative will address that by training people<br />
and empowering them to take right steps.<br />
Harriet Evens, the force behind <strong>Pompey</strong><br />
Safe Spaces Scheme said: ‘The <strong>Pompey</strong> Safe<br />
Space Scheme works to establish a network<br />
of city-wide safe spaces for victims of sexual<br />
assault, sexual violence and domestic abuse,<br />
and so a collaboration with Spaces of Sanctuary<br />
makes so much sense. We want to ensure that<br />
whoever you are, if you find yourself vulnerable<br />
and in need of a safe space, one is available for<br />
you. It’s about helping all residents to feel safer<br />
in this City and about guiding people towards<br />
the best support available.’
Portsmouth Dignity Network provides<br />
‘Protecting Dignity Training’, and they will be<br />
working with Portsmouth City of Sanctuary<br />
this summer to provide free training to any<br />
businesses or organisations wishing to take<br />
part in the SoS initiative.<br />
Anna Flynn, Managing Director and founder<br />
of Portsmouth Dignity Network with over<br />
20 years experience of working with the<br />
community, said: ‘I truly believe that<br />
delivering services that put people at the<br />
centre is essential to effectively achieve the<br />
outcomes of all involved. Identifying agencies<br />
with aligned values who seek to serve the same<br />
needs of the community, is vital for meaningful<br />
impact and creating change.<br />
I am so pleased to have found this perspective<br />
within the fold of Portsmouth City of<br />
Sanctuary, and very much look forward to<br />
contributing to the joint vision, for setting a<br />
standard of excellence, and ultimately to<br />
support Portsmouth to be an even kinder<br />
community.’<br />
In addition to developing the Spaces of<br />
Sanctuary initiative, Portsmouth City of<br />
Sanctuary is working to bring key stakeholders<br />
together from across Portsmouth, including<br />
the Lord Mayor. Acting on the shared values of<br />
inclusion, respect, dignity and participation, it<br />
is working with doctors’ surgeries to establish<br />
safe spaces, developing refugee care-leaver<br />
projects and sourcing social work/ law student<br />
placements. Portsmouth City of Sanctuary<br />
volunteers run the ‘Welcome Box’ initiative<br />
that greets asylum seekers dispersed to the<br />
City, conversation clubs, English language<br />
learning facilities and various other support<br />
that helps people engage with their new<br />
surroundings.<br />
Building on the idea that integration is<br />
key, Portsmouth City of Sanctuary has<br />
developed with partners a local resident and<br />
refugee gardening initiative. One of the key<br />
achievements of 2021 is the setting up of a<br />
women-only, drop-in service that will, for the<br />
moment, only cater to women at high risk, but<br />
over time plans to extend the service to provide<br />
a much-needed space for all women.<br />
Portsmouth City of Sanctuary has been<br />
instrumental in bringing the City together<br />
around its compassionate values, and the<br />
Spaces of Sanctuary project is an extension<br />
of that, reaching out to local businesses,<br />
public offices and the entire community of<br />
Portsmouth as a whole, casting the support<br />
network city-wide.<br />
Can you and your colleagues offer kind<br />
words, a glass of water and friendly face?<br />
If you own a local business or organisation<br />
and think that you might be able to operate<br />
as a venue offering a safe space for someone<br />
in need, please get in touch. Email Shaun at<br />
portsmouthcityofsanctuary@gmail.com<br />
02392 483 372<br />
07751 795 762<br />
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SPORT<br />
Field Gun Sports, one of the oldest new<br />
Sports, born in <strong>Pompey</strong>.<br />
<strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> recently met up with Alex<br />
Howard to hear about his plans to reinvent<br />
an old tradition into an exciting new<br />
international sport.<br />
Many of you will be at least vaguely familiar<br />
with Field Gun racing, some of you more so<br />
if you are ex-Navy or have Naval family. If<br />
nothing else, readers over 40 will recall the<br />
annual Royal Tournament where Command<br />
Field Gun, the more rigorous and spectacular<br />
form where a chasm and wall needs to be<br />
negotiated, prior to firing the gun, provided<br />
an exciting spectacle on TV. Alas, this<br />
tradition ended in 1999.<br />
Now, after a long hiatus, a Sandhurst Officer<br />
Graduate based in <strong>Pompey</strong> is planning<br />
to not only revive Command Field Gun<br />
(Command) as a Civilian sport, but also to<br />
take it International, and <strong>Pompey</strong> <strong>Mag</strong> will be<br />
following his progress with keen interest. Alex<br />
has served as a Sapper in the Army for 30<br />
years, and saw tours of duty in the Balkans,<br />
Iraq (twice) and Afghanistan, and he knows<br />
a great deal about Command. Amongst Alex’s<br />
many goals is for Portsmouth to win back the<br />
world record time which they previously held,<br />
and was narrowly snatched by Devonport<br />
45<br />
back in 1999.<br />
The history of Command is almost a separate<br />
article in itself (so maybe we’ll save that for<br />
another time) but in essence it dates back to<br />
an incident in the Second Boer War in 1899<br />
during the Siege of Ladysmith, when the<br />
Navy hauled guns ashore, moved them over<br />
difficult terrain and brought them into action<br />
to support the army.<br />
If you’ve not seen Command before, do<br />
check it out on YouTube, it is fast paced,<br />
exciting and with a hint of danger (drop a<br />
field gun barrel on your foot and you are<br />
in big trouble!). Races typically last under<br />
3 minutes, and comprise 3 stages, the Run<br />
Out, the Run Back and the Run Home – it is<br />
exhausting just to watch, so you can imagine<br />
how demanding it must be for the teams. It<br />
has been known as the toughest team sport<br />
in the world and lately the sport for which<br />
high intensity interval training (HIIT) was<br />
invented.<br />
His concept is to create new teams, complete<br />
with interesting team names and branded<br />
teamwear, comprising professional athletes<br />
who will need to train hard and full-time<br />
for the particular rigours of a sport which<br />
requires strength, explosive power and<br />
technique to enable lifting, carrying and
and Commercial Premises<br />
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hauling the heavy weights involved, always<br />
with split second perfect team action.<br />
It could perhaps be visualised as a cross<br />
between the teamwork of a Formula One pit<br />
crew, the fitness and impact of pro rugby<br />
with the commitment of a world title boxing<br />
contender.<br />
Alex sees this as an inclusive sport, with<br />
women’s teams, who will compete in a similar<br />
format but with necessary safety adaptations.<br />
Junior teams already exist carrying plywood<br />
replica guns!<br />
The historic format is likely to be preserved as<br />
much as is possible, since this is a sport with<br />
a long tradition, but where variations would<br />
make for even greater excitement or interest<br />
in the future, then these might be added. For<br />
example, a “best of 3 legs” format, and longer<br />
or changed courses, provided always that the<br />
safety and physical demands on athletes are<br />
sensibly managed. Much like athletics, there<br />
could be sprints, middle-distance or marathon<br />
runs? We shall see, but the shorter nature of<br />
the current format is likely to be retained, as<br />
the trend in modern sport (as with cricket) is<br />
increasingly more bite-sized content.<br />
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As a potential spectator sport, it has all the<br />
ingredients needed to engage the fans, whether<br />
for live events or on TV. Multiple camera<br />
angles and drone footage will provide detail on<br />
technique and maybe capture the occasional<br />
mistake, or brilliant manoeuvre. A penalty<br />
system will be in force, as with all sports, for<br />
rule infringements which no doubt will spark<br />
debate, and pundits will discuss performances,<br />
personal and team form and errors made,<br />
before, during and after fixtures. Tactics will be<br />
discussed, and team strengths and weaknesses<br />
shown. A points and league system will<br />
structure the season, whilst creating rivalry and<br />
excitement for the fixtures, as with most pro<br />
sports.<br />
I am hooked already, and the crews have not<br />
started training yet! My <strong>Pompey</strong> Command<br />
replica shirt is on advance order. So as the<br />
crews would say once the starting firecracker<br />
was alight….Burning, 2,3,4,5…..Standby.<br />
Cleaning<br />
Commercial<br />
Services<br />
mission is to create surroundings that inspire<br />
Our<br />
and support businesses to be more<br />
happiness,<br />
We do this by ensuring your premises<br />
productive.<br />
not just clean and tidy, but safe too, allowing<br />
is<br />
you and your staff to fully focus.<br />
0752 504 88 72<br />
info@thehousewifeway.co.uk<br />
www.thehousewifeway.co.uk<br />
CLEANERS<br />
WANTED!
COMPETITION<br />
At Bella Italia we truly believe that<br />
the best moments in life are those<br />
spent with loved ones, sharing food,<br />
friendship, laughter, and embracing the<br />
joy of the Italian table.<br />
Join us at our newly refurbished restaurant<br />
at Gunwharf Quays, where our little piece<br />
of Italy sits in one of the best positions on<br />
the waterfront - we have over 300 covers<br />
available, including a 2 storey outdoor terrace<br />
offering fantastic views out over the sea, and<br />
right next to the Spinnaker Tower.<br />
It’s the perfect place to enjoy time to talk,<br />
laugh, eat (and drink!) and just be together!<br />
Our new menu provides those moments for a<br />
visit to Bella to be ‘always special’ – whatever<br />
the reason is for deciding to visit us. Choose<br />
from our new range of ‘cicchetti’ – small<br />
plate starters perfect for sharing – including<br />
Calzonetti ‘Nduja; mini calzones filled with<br />
spicy ‘Nduja sausage, tomato and mozzarella<br />
with a smoky red pepper dip, or delicious<br />
Calamari Fritti; salt and pepper deep fried<br />
squid served with lemon & cracked pepper<br />
mayonnaise.<br />
Our mains include several new pasta dishes,<br />
including Ox Cheek Ragu; slow cooked pulled<br />
ox cheek in a tomato and red wine ragù served<br />
with pappardelle pasta and topped with a<br />
beef dripping pangrattato crumb and Zucca<br />
Dolcelatte; hand folded fresh tortelloni filled<br />
with pumpkin and blue cheese, served in a<br />
melting nutmeg butter and sprinkled with<br />
toasted pumpkin seeds – plus traditional<br />
favourites like Lasagne, as well as a fantastic<br />
range of pizzas. There is definitely something<br />
for all the family – our kids menu comes<br />
in 2 sizes, perfect for the smaller or bigger<br />
appetites.<br />
With a great range of desserts, and a wide<br />
selection of drinks to choose from, you’re sure<br />
to leave our new look Bella Italia with a smile!<br />
47
WIN<br />
COMPETITION<br />
a £50 Restaurant<br />
Voucher from<br />
Gunwharf Quays<br />
To celebrate the opening<br />
of their newly refurbished<br />
restaurant at Gunwharf<br />
Quays, the lovely people<br />
from Bella Italia have kindly<br />
donated this month’s prize.<br />
One lucky entrant will recieve<br />
a £50 restaurant voucher to<br />
spend at Bella Italia, Gunwharf<br />
and sample for themselves<br />
the delights of the new menu<br />
or enjoy classic favourites in<br />
wonderful, relaxing surroundings.<br />
So whether you want an indulgent lunch<br />
whilst shopping with friends, a family pizza<br />
treat or a romantic meal for two, there is<br />
something for everyone at Bella Italia.<br />
In keeping with the Italian theme, we have<br />
hidden 6 objects associated with Italy<br />
within the adverts. Can you spot them all?<br />
Free to enter, one prize to be won.<br />
TO ENTER<br />
Simply jot down the 6 names of the adverts<br />
that contain the Italian themed objects and<br />
email your answers to us for a chance of<br />
winning. Send your entry to<br />
info@pompeymag.co.uk.<br />
All correct answers will be placed into a<br />
draw and one lucky reader will be randomly<br />
picked out to win the prize. Closing date<br />
30th <strong>July</strong> 2021.<br />
TERMS AND CONDITIONS<br />
• This voucher may be used towards<br />
purchase of food and drink at Bella<br />
Italia Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays<br />
only. Booking advisable.<br />
• No change can be issued.<br />
• The voucher cannot be exchanged for<br />
cash, and is valid for one single use<br />
only.<br />
• The voucher cannot be replaced if lost<br />
or damaged.<br />
• The voucher is valid until 30th<br />
September 2021.<br />
• Simply hand the voucher to the server<br />
when asking for the bill.<br />
Bella Italia – Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays<br />
Unit R10, Waterfront<br />
Portsmouth<br />
PO1 3TA<br />
www.bellaitalia.co.uk/italian-restaurant/portsmouth/gunwharf-quays<br />
Tel 02394 318 950<br />
48
SOLUTIONS<br />
QUIZ ANSWERS<br />
1. Father Ted.<br />
2. Big Daddy.<br />
3. Trooping the Colour.<br />
4. Sting.<br />
5. A nautical mile (1.15 land miles).<br />
6. Tin.<br />
7. Ladies Singles Champion.<br />
8. Ann Hegerty.<br />
9. A Clowder of cats.<br />
10. Silverstone.<br />
11. The Elizabeth Tower.<br />
12. Small Heath.<br />
13. China.<br />
14. Tim Berners-Lee.<br />
15. Topiary.<br />
16. Morecambe and Wise.<br />
17. Queens Park Rangers.<br />
18. Honey Ryder.<br />
19. Ox.<br />
20. 6.<br />
21. St Swithuns.<br />
22. Red and Yellow.<br />
23. Sydney.<br />
24. St Ives.<br />
25. Eiffel Tower.<br />
26. Red berries - Soft fruits.<br />
27. The Balearics.<br />
28. India Pale Ale.<br />
29. Kit or Kitten.<br />
30. Ronseal.<br />
49
COPNOR CLEANERS<br />
DRY CLEANERS<br />
& LAUNDRY<br />
EST 1950<br />
COPNOR CLEANERS<br />
DRY CLEANERS<br />
& LAUNDRY<br />
EST 1950<br />
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF<br />
THE SUMMER<br />
WEATHER TO GIVE<br />
YOUR DUVET<br />
A FRESHEN UP<br />
DUVET CLEANING<br />
Pop in and see us we are always happy to help!<br />
Your local, friendly, family run business<br />
BEST PRICES - BEST SERVICE - BEST QUALITY<br />
309 COPNOR ROAD,<br />
PORTSMOUTH, HANTS,<br />
PO3 5EG<br />
FIND A LOWER PRICE<br />
PRICE MATCH<br />
023 92 644 464<br />
WE WILL<br />
OFF STREET PARKING AVAILABLE<br />
IT!<br />
BEAT
COPNOR CLEANERS<br />
DRY CLEANERS<br />
& LAUNDRY<br />
EST 1950<br />
COPNOR CLEANERS<br />
DRY CLEANERS<br />
& LAUNDRY<br />
EST 1950<br />
SERVICE WASHES<br />
DUVET CLEANING<br />
IRONING SERVICE<br />
DRY CLEANING<br />
LAUNDERETTE<br />
ALTERATIONS & REPAIRS<br />
7 DAYS A WEEK EARLY TO LATE<br />
Pop in and see us we are always happy to help!<br />
Your local, friendly, family run business<br />
BEST PRICES - BEST SERVICE - BEST QUALITY<br />
309 COPNOR ROAD,<br />
PORTSMOUTH, HANTS,<br />
PO3 5EG<br />
023 92 644 464<br />
FIND A LOWER PRICE<br />
PRICE MATCH<br />
WE WILL<br />
OFF STREET PARKING AVAILABLE<br />
IT!<br />
BEAT