Guildford Living Aug - Sep 2022

Two 

weeks 

free* 

Rated June 2019 

9.7 

West Hall care home 

review score 

carehome.co.uk 

Who cares if Jayne wants to 

help in the garden? We do. 

West Hall luxury care home 

O Parvis Road, West Byeet, Surrey KT14 6EY 

Call 01932 800 772 | Visit www.WestHall.org.uk 

*T&C’s apply. Please see website for details 

**carehome.co.uk scores are based on independent reviews with a maximum score of 10. 

Rating correct as at 11/07/2022.

C O N T E N T S 

A NOTE 

from the editor 

25 

FIRE UP THE BBQ 

04 

COMPETITIONS 

If you read last edition, you 

may remember me remarking 

that we work in a former 

chicken shed (cue jokes 

about scrambled brains and 

headless chickens...) and 

whilst our setting is nothing 

short of bucolic - a tin roof 

really isn’t the one in a 

heatwave. 

So I write this particular 

editor’s note whilst 

simultaneously trying to 

prevent the contents of my 

desk from flying away in the 

path of my fan and sipping 

an iced coffee instead of 

my usual tea. I hope you’ve 

got something equally thirstquenching 

to enjoy with 

this issue with - a G&T is 

preferable, but tends to be 

frowned upon in an office 

setting... 

In this edition we are 

encouraging you to fire up 

that grill with some tasty and 

super easy recipes to shake 

up the usual BBQ routine. 

NISHA KATONA 

24 

Editor Katie Thomson 

e katie@minervapublications.co.uk 

Assistant Editor Kate Norris 

Publisher Sally Thomson 

Pre Press Manager Rebecca Rose 

Contributors 

Matthew Biggs, Angela Cave, 

Louise Thomson, Pete Lawrence 

FOR ADVERTISING 

Account Manager Andy Bruce 

e andy.bruce@minervapublications.co.uk 

t 01225 984503 

Cover image courtesy of Lipsy at Next 

HOME & GARDEN 

28 

MINERVA PUBLICATIONS 

Unit 21c, Paxcroft Farm, 

Hilperton BA14 6JB 

t 01225 984 550 

www.minervamagazines.co.uk 

Printed on sustainably sourced paper. 

Please recycle this copy or pass it along 

when you are finished for someone else 

to enjoy. 

Disclaimer: The publishers shall not be 

held liable for any loss occasioned by 

failure of an advertisement to appear, or 

any damage or inconvenience caused by 

errors, omissions and misprints. No part of 

this publication may be reproduced without 

prior permission from the publishers. 

The opinions expressed within are not 

necessarily those of the publishers. 

On the home front we 

have a real life bathroom 

transformation where a 

20+ year old suite has 

been transformed into a 

contemporary sanctuary - 

we hope it inspires you if 

you’re planning your own 

renovation. 

We are also shining our 

shoes and sewing name tags 

into uniforms in anticipation 

of the new school year - look 

out for our local education 

guide. 

We hope you enjoy this 

edition - we will next be 

with you in October - and 

full warning...there will be 

mention of Christmas! 

Katie 

www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 3

COMPETITION 

To enter any (or all!) of our competitions, head to 

www.minervamagazines.co.uk/competitions. 

Find the competition and enter on that post, 

using the appropriate keyword. 

T&C’s apply and no cash alternatives available. Winners chosen at 

random - entries made after closing date will not be accepted. 

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TWO! 

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With 17 gorgeous spa hotels across the UK, 

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Family run, online blinds 

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Reliable classic brand Henry has brought out 

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We have one of each of these amazing vacuum cleaners to give 

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Closes 15/09/2022 - Competition keyword: 

‘HENRY PET or HENRY ALLERGY’ 

4 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk

oject2_Layout Project2_Layout 1 08/03/2022 1 08/03/2022 19:23 Page 19:231 

Page 1 

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ADVERTISING FEATURE 

Photo © Sarah Hogan 

Get up-close, go onboard and discover 

the amazing history of Brooklands 

Museum this summer 

Head down to Brooklands Museum for an incredible day out for the whole 

family. Throughout August, the Museum is open every day with a host of fun 

family activities including treasure trails, traditional lawn games, Motor- 

Event days and so much more. 

As well as all the fun of the fete, NEW for 

2022, Brooklands will be brought to life 

by the new team of costumed characters. 

Meet the legends and pioneers of 

Brooklands past and experience what a day 

at the track would have felt like in the early 

1900s. 

There are 32 acres of space to explore; 

whether you’re walking around the historic 

banked race circuit or beneath the wings of 

the giant aeroplanes in the aircraft park or 

relaxing on the Paddock lawn with an ice 

cream, you’re guaranteed a great time. 

Get interactive in the award-winning 

Brooklands Aircraft Factory and have a go 

at making and designing your own aircraft or 

drive a bus around the streets of London in 

the new Bus Driver Training Simulator. 

Don’t forget to visit the McLaren: Driven 

by design exhibition which features the 

McLaren Senna concept and prototype cars 

alongside a life-size LEGO McLaren Spyder 

720S. Discover what it takes to design a 

supercar and build your own race car at the 

LEGO building station, and then head to the 

Grand Prix Exhibition to drive around the 

Brooklands track in a Formula 1 simulator. 

Every year, Brooklands Museum hosts 

special event days dedicated to particular 

marques, and this summer, they’ll be 

celebrating the centenary of Aston Martin 

Lagonda with the Aston Martin Heritage 

Festival (14th August), where hundreds 

of James Bond-style cars will gather for 

displays and parades, topped off with a 

choice of pop-up food and drink stalls and 

live entertainment. 

For the first time ever, Brooklands will 

be welcoming the Vintage Japanese 

Motorcycle Club, joined by classic 

Japanese car clubs in a display of Mazda, 

Subaru, Honda, Toyota and other marques. 

Take a drive down route 66, as American 

Car Day (4th September) makes its return. 

Think Chevrolets, Cadillacs, Mustangs, 

trucks, stars and stripes, and a lot more. 

And a day that every child (and adult) 

love, is the Emergency Services Day (11th 

September). Say thank you to some of the 

heroes of our country and get up close to 

traditional and modern-day fire engines, 

police cars, ambulances. And don’t miss 

the chance to meet some furry heroes, as 

PAW Patrol pups Chase, Marshall and Skye 

join the activities for the day. Blue Light card 

holders get a discount for this event. 

If you’re looking for somewhere to go 

this summer that guarantees lots to keep 

everyone entertained whilst exploring both 

inside and outdoors, then Brooklands 

Museum is a must-do. 

The Museum is easily accessible by car or 

train, parking is free and there’s a café and 

plenty of picnic space available. The great 

value family tickets start at £29.60 or enjoy 

Brooklands Museum for the entire year with 

family membership starting from just £60.00 

for unlimited admission. 

Save 10% on gate admission by booking 

advance price tickets online at 

www.brooklandsmuseum.com. If you 

would like to take part in any of the event 

days and enter your classic vehicle into the 

displays, visit the website for more details. 


Great days out to the theatre! 

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SAT 22 & SUN 23 OCT 

The Very 

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STYLISH 

stays 

THE ATLANTIC HOTEL 

Jersey, UK 

These days, travelling abroad has largely 

returned back to normal. There is no 

requirement to test or isolate, however 

if like me, you still feel a slight hesitancy 

in jumping on a 5+ hour flight to the med 

this summer, then you might find that 

Jersey makes a wonderful alternative. 

Flights with Blue Island (servicing the 

Channel Islands since 2006) are available 

from many airports across the UK, and in 

our case, traveling from Bristol to Jersey 

meant a flight time of less than an hour. 

No sooner were we in the air was there the 

announcement from the pilot that we were 

landing shortly. Amazing. 

A mere six minute taxi journey took us 

to our destination; The Atlantic Hotel. 

Situated in the parish of St Brelade on 

the west coast of Jersey, the hotel is 

surrounded by breathtaking coastal views 

as far as the eye can see. Our ocean 

view room gifted us scopes of the golden 

sands of St Ouen’s Bay and the Atlantic 

ocean. With the sun beaming, who needs 

the med we thought! 

There is a timeless elegance to the feel 

of The Atlantic Hotel. Being situated right 

along the bay, every room you step into 

is bathed in light, and this continues right 

out into the Ocean Restaurant. I must 

admit, I was extremely eager to sample 

the menu. Since 2017 Chef Will Holland 

has been putting together menus at The 

Atlantic Hotel that celebrate the very best 

that the land and the sea have to offer, so 

we knew we were in for a treat. And he 

didn’t disappoint. Each course had us in 

a state of wonder. Every element on the 

plate was so well thought out, so well 

pared, and so beautifully presented. With 

one Michelin Star under his belt before the 

age of 30, it certainly won’t be long before 

Will Holland earns his next one under the 

The Atlantic Hotel. Watch this space. 

The breakfast menu continues the superb 

culinary offerings at The Atlantic Hotel, 

with a wide selection of cooked breakfast 

options, as well as a full continental spread 

available. If the weather is good you 

are able to take your dining experience 

outside beside the pool, which I would 

fully recommend as a gorgeous way to 

start your day. 

Ditch your passport (you don’t need one 

to fly to Jersey from the UK!), and book 

yourself in to The Altantic Hotel this 

Summer. You won’t regret it. 

Ocean View rooms available from 

£320 per night 

www.theatlantichotel.com 

LOU CASTEOU FITNESS RETREATS 

Côte d’Azur, France 

Lou Casteou’s fitness retreats in the South 

of France were created for those looking 

to have fun, feel great and get fit. The 

magnificent chateau in the Cote d’Azur’s 

Esterel National Park, provides an idyllic 

backdrop for the luxury breaks. 

Body Tonic delivers a programme of 

energetic and immensely varied workouts 

and relaxation. Designed to accommodate 

all ages and fitness levels, activities are 

led by a team of skilled personal trainers, 

keen to help improve stamina, build 

strength and boost confidence. Sessions 

are challenging yet enjoyable – a variety 

of intense stretching, cardio classes, Latin 

dance, swimming, yoga, boxing, TRX 

training, tennis workshops and coastal 

treks. Classes make the most of the 

chateau’s scenic location and surrounding 

woodlands. 

Lou Casteou’s ‘Let’s Salsa’ and Afro 

dance retreats offer guests a chance to 

try out the different dance disciplines of 

Salsa, Bachata, Cuban Salsa, Kizomba, 

Cha Cha and the party dance, Merengue 

and Regaetton. The retreat caters for 

beginners, improvers and advanced 

dancers, wishing to improve their footwork 

skills and dance fitness. 

The chateau’s regular Tennis Academies 

offer six hours of daily professional 

coaching, strategy sessions and 

tournaments, along with trips to 

surrounding areas of interest and social 

events. 

Meals at all retreats are enjoyed in 

Lou Casteou’s stunning period dining 

rooms or gardens, which boast views 

to the sea. The cuisine is always 

nutritionally balanced, our talented 

chefs curate mouth-watering gourmet 

dishes, designed to fuel the exercise 

programmes and promote general wellbeing 

and enjoyment and we have an 

excellent open bar serving fabulous 

Provençal wines. 

Perched on a hillside, the grand, 200 

year old venue boasts 12 luxury en-suite 

rooms and can comfortably sleep up to 32 

guests. The property is also able to cater 

for up to 100 guests for conferences, 

formal events, launches, weddings and 

parties. 

For more information about the retreats 

or hiring Lou Casteou please visit 

loucasteou.com or contact 

morag@loucasteou.com.

DISCOVER CHÂTEAU LOU CASTEOU 

Set in the beautiful French Cote d’Azur countryside, minutes from the sea. These Luxurious Retreats provides the perfect balance of gourmet 

meals, pampered luxury, energetic fitness classes, Latin dance sessions and outdoor activities including coastal treks, tennis, boxercise, 

aqua-gym, circuit training, yoga, sea kayaking and beach workouts, to help guests improve their fitness level or kick start a regime. 

Retreats include 5 days of luxury accommodation in the chateau in en-suite bedrooms with sea or mountain views. 

Meals are fabulous, nutritious and elegant 3 course dinners, quality open bar and evening parties and entertainment. 

Please contact Morag@Loucasteou.com with questions and for reservations. www.loucasteou.com 

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HOW DOES ST 

CATHERINE’S 

GET SPORT TO 

‘STICK’ AS AN 

INTEGRAL PART 

O F Y O U N G 

WOMEN’S 

LIVES? 

By Nancy Moore, 

Director of Sports, 

St Catherine’s 

School, Bramley... 

At St Catherine’s sport is an integral 

part of school life. The girls take pride 

in representing their school across all 

sports and in all abilities. Over 80% of 

each year group are involved in sport and 

this engagement continues into the Sixth 

Form, either in team sports or individual 

endeavours. We are proud to coach five 

senior lacrosse teams and three U18 

netball teams and offer over 18 different 

sports to girls across the School. 

So how do we achieve such high 

participation in sport? Our ethos is to 

ensure that we provide a positive and 

engaging environment which allows for 

all girls to develop a love of sport; not 

only whilst at School, but throughout 

their lives, whether through recreational 

activities and fitness, or within a more 

competitive sporting 

environment. 

We believe that sport should be fully 

inclusive and to encourage this every 

girl is welcome to attend regular training 

sessions across all sports. We work to 

provide inter-school fixtures from A to G 

teams throughout the season, depending 

on the sport, and believe it is important 

that every girl has the opportunity to 

experience competitive sport, regardless 

of their ability. 

We find sport ‘sticks’ because our girls 

are very supportive of each other. Sport 

provides great camaraderie helping to 

support, encourage and improve those 

who are less naturally athletic. The girls 

feel a loyalty and accountability to one 

another and revel in the team spirit 

created so ‘stick’ with their friends and 

their sport! This becomes particularly 

evident during House sports where the 

teams are fully inclusive, supporting those 

who wish to take part and encouraging 

teamwork, leadership and creating great 

friendships. 

Sticking with a sport often depends on 

one’s personal motivation. Some girls 

naturally find the strategy and tactics of a 

team game more engaging; others like to 

focus on their own individual performance 

striving for their personal best. We help 

girls to find ‘their’ place in sport whether 

it be mainstream sports like netball 

or lacrosse, joining the gymnastic or 

equestrian team, or just having fun in 

more recreational sports, such as ultimate 

frisbee and badminton. Our extensive 

extra-curricular programme allows the 

girls every opportunity to participate in all 

our main sports to suit their timetables 

alongside their Sports curriculum-based 

lessons. This combination provides 

several hours of sporting or physical 

activity every week. 

Role models are also very helpful in 

illustrating to all girls the long-term 

opportunities and fulfilment of sport. We 

currently have five lacrosse specialists, 

four netball specialists, two swimming 

specialists, two gymnastics specialists 

and a tennis coach – all of whom inspire 

our girls. We are proud that several 

of these represent their country on a 

National basis, as do many St Catherine’s 

alumnae. The Games Captains and 

individual Sports Captains at School 

are admired by both their peers and 

the younger girls and they lead with 

great passion. They exemplify what is 

possible beyond ability alone – through 

their leadership, commitment, motivation, 

strength of character and team loyalty. 

Over the last season our girls have 

achieved some excellent results and we 

are proud of the way they handle both 

success and disappointment, playing 

with courtesy. 



• The senior lacrosse team 

completed the triple – being the 

Surrey County, South East Schools 

and Challenge Cup Champions as 

well as achieving 3rd place ranking 

at Nationals Lacrosse. 

• The Senior Netball Team qualified 

for the Regional Netball Finals. 

• The Senior Cross-Country Team 

came 2nd at ESAA National 

Finals. 

• The National Lacrosse 2nd Team 

became champions for the 5th 

consecutive year - we are the only 

school in the country to take 5 

senior teams to the Nationals. 

• The U13 Lacrosse Team are 

National Champions and our other 

A teams were placed in the top 

eight teams. 

• In netball all age groups qualified 

for the Surrey Finals. 

• The Inter and Junior cross country 

and athletics teams competed in 

ESAA Regional Finals. 

• We had great success at the 

Surrey Schools Swimming 

Champions with both our teams 

and individual swimmers. 

Along with the sporting successes that 

the girls achieve in School, we are also 

very keen to support and celebrate 

girls’ achievements in sports outside 

of School whether this be the team of 

riders bringing home regular places at 

Regional, National and International 

equestrian events or Emily who gained 

4th place in the British Indoor Sky Diving 

Championships maintaining her ranking 

of No. 1 U18 in the UK. 

We are equally proud of our alumnae 

including the recent success of Emily 

Mueller (Year of 2021) who won the Youth 

Sailing World Championship in Oman in 

the women’s 29er class. 

Our girls understand ‘sticking’ to 

sport whilst balancing their academic 

commitments reaps great personal and 

team rewards. The School’s success in 

sports involves a huge team effort, and 

we pride ourselves on the staff and girls’ 

commitment that goes into every day, 

every lesson and every fixture. We wear 

our blue and gold St Catherine’s colours 

with great pride. 

St Catherine’s, Bramley 

GSA Day & Boarding School since 1885 | 4 - 18 years 

Guildford GU5 0DF | admissions@stcatherines.info 

You want your daughter to achieve academically 

but you want her to be intelligent in other ways too 

– to be confident socially, to have a strong moral 

compass, to shape the world around her, to believe 

in herself. 

At St Catherine’s we support your daughter in 

building the intellect and character that will help 

her develop as a bright, confident, compassionate 

and vibrant individual. At the heart of this is 

developing her sense of self-belief, that she can 

achieve whatever she is driven to do in life. 

Tuesday 27 th September 2022 

Thursday 20 th October 2022 

Wednesday 30 th November 2022

IAPS GOES from strength 

to strength 

By Christopher King, IAPS CEO... 

The independent school sector continues 

to ride on its roller coaster. At the time 

of writing, in advance of a new school 

year, it does look as if there are plenty 

of negative factors lining up to puncture 

any post Covid optimism which might 

have occurred. Alarming increases in 

fuel and heating costs, high inflation not 

seen for more than 30 years, a squeeze 

on parental incomes and a gloomy 

mood in general, given the political and 

international landscape, do not combine 

to give much reason for thinking the next 

academic year will be any kind of bed of 

roses. All that having been said, there are 

some lessons learnt from the experience 

of the time of the pandemic which give 

good cause to stop one throwing in the 

proverbial towel. 

We learnt from the time of maximum 

impact of Covid-19 that parents of 

children at IAPS schools were remarkably 

loyal and supportive of the schools their 

children attended. We also found the 

total number of children on roll in our 

schools went up, not by many, but set 

against dire predictions of impending 

collapse of the sector this was a 

remarkable achievement. 

In short, the independent sector has 

demonstrated considerable resilience 

and positive energy can be drawn from 

the experiences of the last few years. The 

fundamental strengths of our schools 

remains unchanged. A holistic education, 

alert to the changing expectations of the 

wider society but tied to tradition when 

it makes sense to do so because of the 

stability this offers, lies at the heart of 

IAPS schools. Small class sizes, a sense 

that every child is known and valued, 

and a determination to offer excellence 

as standard. In combination, all these 

features offer a compelling model which 

continues to draw families into the 

independent school fold. 

There are changes which have been 

gathering pace in the prep school world. 

Much of this change involves new 

ownership and governance for schools. 

There are some investors in our sector 

with a motivation which is opaque and 

where their vales do not appear to align 

with the expectations we have for IAPS 

membership. However, the investment 

some of the so called ‘groups’ have 

brought to the schools is welcomed 

for the statement of confidence in the 

school’s future that this brings. The 

gathering into a larger foundation by 

some senior school governing bodies 

has been eyed with some suspicion 

in a few corners of the independent 

school sector. The drivers for such a 

move, where assimilation in this way 

has taken place, has been called into 

question. In reality, where senior school 

governing bodies have moved to draw 

prep schools into their fold, this has 

grown confidence amongst the majority 

of the current and prospective parental 

body, even if the leadership and staff 

might feel destabilised, at least for some 

time. Change brings such responses 

but time can heal this and it does seem 

that where new alignments are taking 

place confidence can return quickly as 

commitments on the school’s future 

start to be followed through on. The 

history of the prep school sector shows 

that there have regularly been well 

documented changes in ownership. 

The difference at this time would seem 

to be the aggregation of the schools 

into ‘groups’ but if they are well funded 

and can achieve economies of scale 

to suppress some costs which would 

otherwise have to be reflected in higher 

fees for parents then this can certainly be 

welcomed. The change of ownership and 

governance shows no sign of stopping 

and the parental body need not be 

concerned if they can see the values of 

the school aligning with their’s and that 

fundamentally children are happy and 

well cared for whist attending the school. 


To register for a tour or Open Day please visit 

our website or contact Admissions on 

T: 01483 893225 

E: admissions@longacreschool.co.uk 

www.longacreschool.co.uk 

Hullbrook Lane 

Shamley Green 

Guildford, Surrey 

GU5 0NQ 

OPEN MORNING 

23 rd SEPTEMBER 

9.30 – 12.00 

Watch our video 

#ReadyForTheNextAdventure 

OPEN MORNING 

THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 

9.30am - Midday 

Register here: 

www.pennthorpe.com 

Day school for girls & boys, aged 2-13 

Horsham, Sussex 



Reigate Grammar School 

summer News Round Up 

Headmaster's 

Welcome 

This has been another incredible 

year for Reigatians – growing in 

their sense of moral purpose, 

learning about themselves and 

the world, becoming ever more, 

the best version of themselves. 

It has been super to be able 

to focus on pastoral care and 

personal development with ever 

reducing Covid restrictions. I think my favourite philosopher Aristotle 

may have been a Reigatian as he wrote: “education of the mind 

without education of the heart is no education at all”. 

RGS together 

Launched during the summer term and a major priority for the 

year ahead, the first ever RGS Diversity week saw a wide range of 

activities from visiting speakers to traditional dress and from cultural 

art to young people giving testimony to their peers about their 

heritage backgrounds. Our student leadership committee on Diversity 

together with Miss Morris made it a great success. This term we 

also marked Pride Month with assemblies, poster campaigns and 

awareness raising events and I was pleased to lead an assembly 

about one of my heroes, Alan Turing. 

Forming good people through sport 

Sport across the school has been so successful this year. We want 

students to be good sports not just to win at sport and that personal 

growth and character development is at the heart of the sporting 

story at RGS. Helping teammates become best mates, helping young 

people learn lessons for life on the sports field. It has been such a 

strong growth year for sport and, for example, we now have MCC 

matches for girls and for boys; we have more international sports 

stars than in living RGS memory both on the staff body and amongst 

the students – and the children are loving their sport. 

National Awards Finalists 2022 

No award matters more than the 

positive daily experience at RGS 

of each child in our care. This term 

we were once again announced as 

national finalists for School of the 

Year in the TES School Awards – 

having been nominated more than 

any other school in the country 

over the last four years. When that 

is added to RGS already having 

been awarded School of the Year 

in the SOMO awards a few months 

ago, it has been a great year! 

Congratulations to staff, students 

and parents for helping to form a 

caring community where all may 

be and do their best. 

Furthermore, we have been 

announced as national finalists for: 

• Goldsmith Awards School of 

the Year for Community 

Engagement 2022 

• Admissions, Marketing and 

Communications in Independent 

Schools (AMCIS) IMPACT Awards 

for 2022 (These awards celebrate 

campaigns which have made a 

significant impact on a school and 

its community.) 

We have also recently been 

shortlisted for multiple awards 

across the 2022 Independent 

School Parent magazine awards. 

The Arts grow the humanity in us all 

Our end of term Art and Design Technology Exhibition has been an 

exceptional showcase of creativity across all age group and media – 

well done to all exhibitors. Music students have treated us on average 

to a music concert every week, from central London to Hartswood, 

from the Recital Room to Dorking Halls, demonstrating incredible 

variety and exceptional quality. It has been a delight to see the 

Music Partnership Programme go from strength to strength, with the 

combined choir made up of three local primary schools at Cadogan 

Hall being a particular highlight. The Drama highlights of Oliver, 

Monstrous Tales and Hansel & Gretel have been the professional 

standards we have come to expect – wow! This has been a year 

when the Arts have truly been the heartbeat of the school. The future 

seems to be so exciting with, for example, the Music department 

planning a tour to Vietnam and the Drama department looking to 

create performance opportunities at festivals and in famous venues. 

RGS Hartsfest was a wonderful final celebration as 166 musicians 

from the Form to Upper Sixth Forms gathered for the second year 

running and played or sang to a 600-strong audience. The flags and 

bunting added to the festival atmosphere and there are far too many 

highlights to mention here but will certainly feature in the next edition 

of The Pilgrim Review. 

And so, as one year ends we have the excitement of a new year 

about to begin – a year of new opportunity to learn and grow, to 

plant seed that will grow into life chances. At RGS we have the best 

young people of their generation, such supportive families, a talented 

and hardworking staff – simply a wonderful Reigatian community. I 

consider myself blessed to have the best job in the world. 

Shaun Fenton 

MA (Oxon) M Ed (Oxon) FCCT OBE

Top Tips 

when considering an 

independent school 

By Julie Robinson, chief executive, 

Independent Schools Council... 

The Independent Schools Council brings 

together seven associations and four 

affiliate associations to represent almost 

1,400 independent schools. These 

schools educate more than half-a-million 

children. Around half of UK independent 

schools are ISC schools, educating 

around 80 per cent of all independent 

schoolchildren. Despite the disruption 

caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, pupil 

numbers stand at their highest level since 

ISC records began in 1974 – so it’s clear 

that an independent education remains a 

popular choice for families. 

To help ease the process, here are some 

top tips for parents considering an 

independent school for their child: 

NARROW DOWN YOUR CHOICES 

If you live in an area with a number of 

good schools nearby, create a shortlist 

based on the key characteristics you 

are looking for in your child’s school. 

For parents with a limited choice of local 

schools, the ‘Find a School’ tool on the 

isc.co.uk website is especially useful, as 

it enables you to refine your search by 

distance, day and boarding, age range, 

fee assistance options and more! 

THINK ABOUT THE SCHOOL’S 

SPECIALISM OR FOCUS 

All independent schools are different, and 

it’s important to choose an environment 

best suited to your child’s needs. The 

independent sector encompasses day 

and boarding schools, single-sex and 

co-educational schools, and schools with 

specialisms such as in the arts or sport. 

Ask yourself what type of school would 

best enable your child to develop their 

skills and provide them with the kind of 

learning opportunities through which they 

would thrive! 

ATTEND OPEN DAYS 

Open days give families the opportunity 

to see first-hand whether a particular 

school is the right fit. Some schools 

continue to run virtual open days in the 

aftermath of the pandemic, making it 

possible for families to explore what 

a school has to offer from the comfort 

of their own home – this is particularly 

helpful for those considering a school 

which is further afield. 

During your visits, ask teachers 

everything you want to know; it is 

always best to speak up if you have 

any queries or concerns! Important 

areas you might ask about include class 

sizes, the subjects on offer, methods of 

assessment, extracurricular activities and 

pastoral support. If you are considering 

a boarding school for your child, find out 

more about the on-site accommodation, 

flexi-boarding options and what activities 

take place over the weekends. 

Chat to pupils as well as staff and 

ask them about their experiences 

at the school. Much can be learned 

from their behaviour – do they seem 

happy, confident and at ease in their 

environment, are they engaged with their 

lessons and wider activities? 

MAKE A FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT 

If a particular school stands out to you, 

book a follow-up appointment. This 

will give you the opportunity to speak 

more personally with the headteacher 

or registrar and enable you to ask any 

further questions or raise concerns you 

might have. 

The independent sector is diverse, with a 

huge range of schools and approaches to 

education on offer. Give yourself plenty of 

time to conduct your research, and use 

your experiences on open days to guide 

you as you choose the right school for 

your child.

DISCOVER YOUR TALENT 

AT CRANLEIGH 

WEEKLY BOARDING WITH EXCELLENT ACADEMICS SUPPORTED BY 

A FULL PROGRAMME OF MUSIC, SPORT, ART, DESIGN AND DRAMA. 

REGISTERING NOW FOR 2025 AND 2026. 

ADMISSIONS@CRANLEIGH.ORG OR 

WWW.CRANLEIGH.ORG | 01438 276377 

S3191_CS_HL 171x246mm v1 .indd 1 04/07/2022 14:05

Kindess, Honesty, Fun 

Wednesday 21 September - Freemen’s Fun 

Book at www.freemens.org/openevents 

Come along to Freemen’s Fun - an activity afternoon that will give children a flavour 

of what it is like at our School, designed for children in Year 2, looking to join 

Freemen’s in Year 3 in September 2023. 

Known for academic excellence, Freemen’s is a co-educational day and boarding 

school for children aged 7-18, set in 57 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside with 

transport available. 

WWW.FREEMENS.ORG 

ADMISSIONS@FREEMENS.ORG 

CALL US ON 01372 822 423

A vibrant and nurturing co-educational setting 

from Nursery to GCSE 

To book a tour of the school, 

please visit our website or contact us on 01483 277313 

Duke of Kent School, Peaslake Road, Ewhurst, Surrey, GU6 7NS 

www.dukeofkentschool.org.uk 

@dukeofkentschool 

@DoKSchool 

Duke of Kent School

From 

Barrister 

to Chef: 

Nisha 

Katona 


Barrister turned 

entrepreneur Nisha Katona, 

talks about her rise to 

success, her inspirational 

recipes and how she has 

partnered up with Haier the 

No.1 Global Major Appliance 

Brand to launch their new 

built-in cooking range. 

Here, we sit down with 

Nisha and get invaluable 

advice about launching a 

business, writing a book, her 

motivations and her biggest 

inspiration. 

How did you career in cooking begin 

and what advice would you give to 

someone who is looking to launch 

a cookery book or start their own 

restaurant business? 

Well, what a lot of people don’t know 

is that I started my career as a Child 

Protection Barrister and have always had 

a passion for cooking. I think it’s very true 

that anyone born into an immigrant culture 

is very passionate about their food. It’s one 

of the few things that you can keep alive, 

so from when you’re born the smells, the 

aroma of your culture is something that’s 

so unique and precious to you. 

Food has always been a big part of my life 

and even though I was a Barrister for 20 

years, all the while I taught Indian cookery 

and wanted to teach and keep these 

ancient Indian recipes alive. I just thought 

to myself if I’m so addicted to my food, 

there must be something in it, I wanted to 

give something to the British public, cuisine 

that wasn’t seen on British highstreets and 

only seen really within Indian homes at 

mealtimes when the curtains were drawn, 

and that was really the start of my cooking 

journey and that was seven years ago, and 

we are now building our 18th restaurant. 

24 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk 

I would say if you want to be in the 

restaurant business really love what you’re 

going to be doing and think of what will set 

you apart from others in the industry. The 

same goes with launching a cookery book, 

how will your cookery book be different to 

other cookery books out there, what is it 

that makes your recipes that little bit more 

diverse or interesting. 

What do you love about the Haier built-in 

cooking range and hOn App? 

Not only is the Haier built-in cooking 

range intuitive and beautiful, but it’s 

also ergonomically pleasing. They have 

mechanisms that allow you to set the right 

temperature for your specific dish and your 

food is cooked evenly with wonderful quality. 

It also makes things easier when you have a 

feature like the Haier hOn app that supports 

your cooking journey every step of the 

way. The dedicated App allows cooking 

enthusiasts to sit back and relax and spend 

more time with family and friends, whilst it 

sets the temperature, cooks the food and 

alerts you when it’s finished cooking your 

food. And with over 200 recipes, you have a 

lot of dishes to experiment with. 

What motivates you when you get up in 

the morning, how do you start your day? 

I’ve lived a long time and I realise that the 

most satisfying way to live is to wake up in 

the morning and wonder how you can make 

the lives of those around you better. I built 

my restaurant so that we could enrich lives 

in the cities we go to. Every morning I think 

about how through my food I can do that. 

Do you feel the kitchen plays the most 

important role in a house and why is it so 

important in using the right appliances 

when cooking? 

Absolutely, it’s so critically important to love 

your kitchen and the appliances around 

you. When you go into your kitchen, it is a 

real collaboration between you and your 

hob or you and your oven. So, it’s important 

that when you go into your kitchen, you 

look forward to opening that oven and 

look forward to interacting with that hob. It 

sounds mad, but as a chef you need instant 

heat, you need an oven that cooks your dish 

evenly, otherwise all your preparation goes 

to waste. 

The kitchen plays an integral part in the 

home, it’s where you gather as a family or 

a couple or even solo if you’re wanting to 

enjoy a nice peaceful meal on your own. 

It’s the place where you also entertain and 

host parties or gatherings. Your appliances 

should make your entertainment and 

cooking journey easy. 

Where do you get inspiration from for the 

recipes you cook? 

My inspiration, I would say came from my 

grandmother, my earliest memory is a small 

kitchen space, with an open-door policy. 

We came to England at a time when the 

only bridge between us was food. To make 

friends we would cook food for people and 

our kitchen was always open. Those recipes 

were ancient recipes that only our family 

cooked, generations after generations. One 

of the food memories I remember is going 

to the fish market at 5am and smelling 

that lovely, sweet smell of pink fish freshly 

caught, and choosing vegetables from 

the pavement, touching it. We felt food as 

children, honoring the food is so important. 

For more about Haier and its products 

across cooking, laundry, cooling and 

cleaning, click here Haier Europe or go to 

www.haier-europe.com

It’s time to char the grills and 

turn up the gas to celebrate BBQ 

season. Wilson, inhouse Chef 

at Robert Welch has crafted and 

collated three recipes to set your 

BBQ dining experience off with 

spark! 

BBQ Lamb 

BURGERS 

Created by Catherine Frawley, 

www.borrowed-light.com 

Serves 4 

Hands on time 10 mins + 30 mins chill time 

Cook time 10 mins 

INGREDIENTS 

500g Organic Lamb mince 

1 small handful fresh mint, finely chopped 

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard 

1 egg 

1 garlic clove crushed 

1 small shallot, finely chopped 

handful of breadcrumbs 

Sea salt & pepper to taste 

1 tbsp olive oil 

FOR THE 

Grill 

To serve and garnish 

4 seeded brioche buns, halved and toasted 

Mayonnaise 

Rocket, watercress and spinach leaves 

2 slices per burger of halloumi, grilled 

1-2 pickles, thinly sliced 

Tomato relish 

METHOD 

Prepare your BBQ for direct cooking and 

preheat your barbecue to high! 

The BBQ grill should be brushed and oiled 

before it gets too hot to do this. 

Once high heat is achieved, place the 

burgers on the grill and arrange them with 

room for licking flames to catch the sides. 

BBQ for approx. 3 minutes, or until the 

bottoms are well coloured (you’re looking 

for some carbonisation as that’s all flavour). 

Using a spatula, gently flip the lamb burgers 

over. Tip: Never press the burgers with the 

spatula—you’ll force out the succulent 

juices and dripping fat onto hot coals or 

flame will cause too much fire and a smoky 

burnt taste. 

Cook the lamb burgers until cooked 

to taste. Approx. 5 minutes in total for rare, 

7 minutes for medium-rare and 

8 to 10 minutes for medium. 

Tip: To ensure thorough cooking, use a 

digital thermometer, do not rely on divine 

sense. The core should be 52°C for rare, 

56°C for medium rare, 60°C for medium, 

and 70°C to be considered well done. 

SERVES 

4 

PREP 

10 

COOK 

10 


CORN ON 

THE COB 

with Olive Oil, 

Parmesan & Lemon 

Created by Wilson, inhouse 

Chef at Robert Welch 

Serves 4 

Hands on time 10 mins 

Cook time 10 mins 

INGREDIENTS 

4 fresh corn on the cob 

2 tbsp good quality Olive oil 

1 lemon (juiced) 

25g Parmesan (finely grated) 


METHOD 

Using your pestle & mortar grind the 

Parmesan and olive oil to a paste and add 

lemon juice. 

Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

To cook your corn - wrap each corn cob in 

a double layer of aluminium foil. BBQ for 

approx. 30-35mins turning regularly until 

tender and slightly charred. If you like me 

love the blackened bits, simply unwrap 

them and throw directly on the barbecue 

for a few more mins. 

Drizzle your prepared dressing over 

cooked corn. Enjoy! 

SERVES 

4 

PREP 

10 

COOK 

10 


SALSA VERDE 

( great with steak) 

Created by Wilson, inhouse 

Chef at Robert Welch 

Makes approximately 200ml 

Hands on time 10 mins 

TIP: Usually made in a food processor, but I 

find a pestle & mortar keeps it fresher! 

INGREDIENTS 

One salt-packed whole anchovy * (or 

alternatively 2 anchovy fillets in oil) *spines 

removed (see below) 

2 tablespoons salted capers 

A clove of garlic 

Approximately 100g or 1 bunch flat-leaf 

parsley 

10 basil leaves 

70ml Extra-Virgin Olive oil 

1 lemon (juiced) 


Tip: If you can get Salted caper rather than 

capers in brine, go for it! 

When using salt preserved products, rinse 

them first to remove excess salt and the soak 

in fresh water for 15mins, draining them on 

kitchen towel. 

If needed: To remove anchovy spines from 

whole fish, start at the tail end and split the 

anchovy lengthwise, slowly pulling out the 

spine. You will be left with 2 fillets. 

METHOD 

Place the anchovy fillets, salted capers, and 

garlic in the pestle & mortar and grind until 

you have a smooth paste. 

Add the herbs and continue to grind and 

smash until resembles a paste, similar to 

pesto. 

Add Extra-Virgin Olive oil and mix. 

Season with lemon juice, salt & pepper to 

taste. 

Splash over steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, 

potatoes, literally anything. 

All recipes can be found on robertwelch.com 

PREP 

10 


A BATHROOM TO 

Inspire 

Thinking of remodelling your 

bathroom? It can feel a little 

daunting knowing where to 

begin. We catch up with two 

home owners and newbie 

renovators to find out about 

their project…. 

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE 

OBSTACLES YOU FACED WITH 

THIS PROJECT? 

Our main objective with this project was to 

refresh and update the room. The bathroom 

was 20+ years old and in need of both a 

practical and an aesthetic overhaul. We were 

quite happy with the layout of the room, so in 

that sense we weren’t looking to reconfigure 

the space, it was more a case of refreshing 

and redesigning the existing layout. This was 

certainly of some comfort to us as we were 

very much newbies to renovations of any kind! 

One literal object we were hoping to conquer 

was a column, originally positioned between 

the sink and the toilet. Fully tiled, it was 

difficult to know what exactly might be behind 

it, although the plumber suspected it was the 

waste pipe. He informed us that it should be 

possible to get rid of it, cut the pipe down to 

a more discreet level and hide it within a new 

sink/toilet unit. But it was a risk, as he couldn’t 

be certain what was lurking within the column. 

Luckily his guess was spot on as it was indeed 

the waste pipe. 

Another issue we faced once work began 

was that once the tiles came up, the floor was 

unfortunately almost completely rotten. So the 

timber needed replacing, which we had to just 

put down to being one of those things! 

DID YOU HAVE A CERTAIN 

DESIGN OR LOOK IN MIND? 

In some sense yes. I knew the type of look I 

was hoping to find in terms of the tiles. And 

luckily Tile Choice had such a wide range that 

we were able to find something that we loved 

very quickly. We wanted to fully tile the room 

as we intended for the space to be a practical 

family bathroom, and therefore we needed 

it to be easy to clean! So we were after a tile 

that was practical but stylish for both floors 

and walls. I was seeking a beige porcelain tile 

that had a sort of rustic natural stone look to 

it, while also bringing a warm tone to the room 

and so the Naples Beige range of wall and 

floor tiles ticked every box for us! They sent 

us a full sized tile sample which was great 

for us to get a feel as to whether it worked 

Taps: Nuie Bathrooms, 

Windon Mono Basin Mixer 


for the room, and there was even a feature on 

the website where you could upload a photo 

of your room, and then preview how the tile 

visualises, which was handy for us to do before 

we committed. 

I was keen for there to be a monochrome theme 

in terms of some of the bathroom features. We 

are lucky with the amount of light that comes 

into the bathroom. Despite the room being 

north-facing, the windows are so large they’re 

almost their own feature wall. So we knew we 

could afford to be a little bold and include a 

few splashes of black and grey in the room. I 

had fallen in love with a shower set in the Nuie 

Bathrooms brochure that was available in matt 

black, and so we decided to continue the matt 

black theme and pair it with matching matt 

black taps, vanity unit handles, shower screen 

finishes and flush button, as well as a anthracite 

coloured heated towel rail and vanity unit. We 

felt that, combined, they tied together very 

nicely, and when combined with the Naples 

Beige tiles, created the right amount of warmth 

and ambience. 

Shower system: Nuie Bathrooms, 

Complete Shower Set, Square 

Heated Towel Rail: Nuie Bathrooms, 

Piazza Flat Panel Heated Towel Rail 

Tiles: Tile Choice, Naples Beige 

Porcelain Floor & Wall Tiles 

We knew that we wanted a vanity unit to 

stretch across the area where the existing sink 

and toilet lay. All being well, with the column 

removed, this unit could sit comfortably in the 

space, and therefore encapsulate the cistern of 

the toilet. So we just needed to find a design 

that suited us. Nuie Bathrooms had us covered. 

They had a range of bathroom furniture that 

really fitted with our vision. But something 

we found incredibly useful was their online 

interactive 3D design tool. It was invaluable 

during the design process and was so easy to 

use! All that was required of us was to input 

our room dimensions, and then we were free to 

browse their entire catalogue of products and 

styles. It really brought the project to life for us 

and quite quickly we found a vanity unit that 

worked both in terms of size but also style. 

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS 

THE BIGGEST FOCUS AREA 

FOR YOU WHEN IT CAME TO 

REMODELLING? 

We of course wanted to completely refresh the 

room, but if I had to choose, then I would say 

the bath was the main focus. We are looking 

to start a family in the not so distant future, 

and with this room being the only bathroom 

in the house, a new fully functioning bathtub 

was extremely important to us. Our previous 

bath was a crescent shaped jacuzzi-style tub. 

The air jets had never worked since moving 

into the house, and they were always a pain to 

clean. We found that no matter how much you 

doused them in bleach, you never got rid of all 

the grime within them, and as such whenever 

you drew a bath you would notice all sorts of 

dirt seep out. That and the fact that there was 

barely any enamel left meant that we pretty 

much had never taken a bath since moving into 

the property! 

Vanity unit: Nuie Bathrooms, 

Hudson Reed Fusion Vanity Unit 

We knew we wanted a bathtub that stretched 

the entire width of the room, but we also 

decided (while using the 3D design tool), that an 

‘L-shaped’ bath suited the layout of the room 

best. Our bathroom is not the largest of rooms, 


and this shape of tub would utilise the space, while the shower screen 

would help create the illusion of a larger room. Plus, having the bathtub 

spanning the full width of the room meant optimum space for a relaxing 

soak at the end of a hectic day. 

WHAT STORAGE SOLUTIONS DOES THE NEW 

BATHROOM OFFER? 

We wanted to go for a clean look with the new design, maximizing the 

feeling of space as much as possible. Therefore it was important that 

the vanity unit offered a decent amount of storage. The Nuie Hudson 

Reed Fusion unit ticked a lot of boxes for us in this sense, as visually it 

offered a sleek, stylish and modern look, while also featuring two sets 

of cupboards for all our toiletries. Since it has been installed, we have 

actually found ourselves looking for bits and pieces to fill the space 

(even with the waste pipe hidden within it)! This ample amount of space 

has meant that we don’t need to clutter the windowsill and bathtub 

with toiletries, giving the room and all its gorgeous features a chance 

to shine. 

THE OVERHEAD SHOWER SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE A 

BIT OF A FEATURE IN ITSELF! 

It’s beautiful isn’t it? We were really keen to purchase an overhead 

shower, but I also wanted one that had a rinser kit arm also, to allow for 

those days when you aren’t washing your hair. I have always dreamed 

of owning one of those showers! And with it being available in matt 

black, it really has established itself as a feature of the room, as well as 

tying in beautifully with the matching monochrome taps below it. 

Our main goal with the refit was to create a bathroom that felt like 

an escape, and to ensure that clutter was kept to a minimum. And I 

think we have managed to achieve this through smart choices that are 

both practical, yet provide a sense of clean, chic style. We couldn’t be 

happier. 

NUIE BATHROOM 

DESIGN TOOL 

This was the dream tool when it came to 

mapping out our bathroom design. 

We were able to browse through all of 

Nuie’s products and styles, enter your room 

dimensions and plan our space in 3D to see 

our bathroom come to life. 

STOCKIST 

INFORMATION 

Before 

For bathroom furniture, ceramics, bath, 

shower, screen, heated towel rail and taps: 

Nuie Bathrooms 

www.nuiebathrooms.com 

For floor and wall tiles: Tile Choice 

www.tilechoice.co.uk 

For heated mirror: Pebble Grey 

www.pebblegrey.co.uk 

After 

Bathroom fitted and installed by 

JD Kitchen and Bathroom Installations 

f @jdkitchenandbathrooms 


BLEND ON THE GO 

This compact and powerful Cuisinart 

Cordless On The Go Power Blender, 

is ideal for an on the go breakfast 

smoothie, a post workout protein 

shake or to puree baby food when 

you’re out and about. 

It’s also perfectly sized to use at 

home for blitzing breadcrumbs, dips, 

dressings, sauces, cocktails and 

much more. Being cordless, it will 

sit neatly on your kitchen worktop 

or shelf. 

Cuisinart Cordless On The Go 

Power Blender, £100, 

www.cuisinart.co.uk 

FAMILY POWERHOUSE 

Suitable for homes with both carpets and hard 

floors thanks to new VersaClean Technology, the 

VAX ONEPWR Edge Dual Pet & Car is perfect for 

families and owners of busy homes with pets and 

cars. Its cordless design means it can be easily 

carried upstairs or outdoors to clean the car, and 

the additional tools for above the floor cleaning 

make it easy to reach awkward areas such as 

stairs, ceiling corners and car boots. With a run 

time of 100 minutes, it has all the power of a conventional 

upright vacuum, with the convenience of 

wireless technology. 

VAX ONEPWR Edge Dual Pet & Car £399.99 (plus 

free toolkit worth over £50), www.vax.co.uk 

GO GO 

Gadget 

They say a man is only as good as his tools 

- perhaps it’s time to upgrade your gadgets 

around the home...here are our top picks 

SWEEP, MOP & DRY IN ONE 

If you have hard floors and have always wished you 

could sweep and mop in one easy stroke - enter 

the Hizero hard floor cleaner. It automatically 

compartmentalises solid and liquid waste, 

separating both into no-spill containers that 

can be easily removed for cleaning. Plus, it’s 

self-cleaning roller ensures that dirty water 

doesn’t come into contact with your clean 

floors. 

The battery life is excellent (up to 60 

minutes on a single charge) and the 

cleaner hugely economical - it uses 

just 1 litre of water, 0.01kWh of 

electricity, and 8 minutes to clean 

up 100 square metres of floor 

area. It leaves floors much drier 

than conventional mopping too. 

The Hizero is great for allergy 

sufferers, thanks to its bionic 

tech instead of cyclonic 

cleaning. 

IN THE FRAME 

From phone to frame, you can now 

share all your memories with ease with 

unlimited photo and video storage, 

perfected with state of the art displays 

eliminating screen fatigue and ensuring 

your photos look like the real deal. 

Users can upload photos along with a 

digital message that will appear on the 

frame. Aura recently launched a new 

feature that will allow users to easily 

scan memories directly to their frames 

- perfect for the mountains of art the 

kids come home with from nursery. 

Mason Digital Photo Frame, £189, 

auraframes.co.uk 

GET UP CLOSE 

A great, cordless mirror which will help you with your makeup 

and skincare regime. With touch-adjustable light from 100- 

800 lux, view makeup in true daylight or natural candlelight 

tones. Flip between three different views – on one side 5x 

magnification for a great overall view, on the other side 1x is 

ideal to check your look at true size with a 10x window for 

close-up work. 

Sensor Mirror Trio, £299, www.simplehuman.co.uk 

Hizero, £499, 

hizero.co.uk 


caffelattehome.com 

Sixties 

Print from £3, 

abstracthouse.com 

Jozef Chierowski 366 Easy 

Chair, £650, roseandgrey.co.uk 

L.Ercolani Chair, 

lercolani.com 

Sputnik Light, £349, 

houseof.com 

Set of Vases, £34.99, 

auburnfox.co.uk 

Pendant Lamp, £175, 

beaumonde.co.uk 

INTERIOR 

Little lifts to your home to 

wake up your spaces 

espresso 

Pampas & Bloom Wreath, 

£70, iamfy.co 

Double Hammock, 

btfy.com 

Bamboo Shelf, £94.95, 

cuckooland.com 

Perth Dressing Table, £619, 

sweetpeaandwillow.com 

Kaia Jute Circles Rug, 

£150, cultfurniture.com 

Boho 

Mudcloth Style Lumbar, 

£75, hauslife.co.uk 

dunelm.com 


leafenvy.co.uk 

‘Sage Advice’ Paint, 

dowsingandreynolds.com 

White Garden Poster, 

desenio.com 

Biophilia 

‘Home Grown’ Paint, 

coatpaints.com 

dobbies.com 

Lambert Accent Chair, 

£349, cultfurniture.com 

Plant & Pot 

Subscription, £35, 

leafenvy.co.uk 

Rattan Breakfast 

Trays, Natural £125, 

rebeccaudall.com 

Tilos Chaise Corner Set, 

£1750, coxandcox.co.uk 

Cicely Preserved Flowers, 

£39, shida.florist 

Al Fresco 

Natural Rattan 

Side Table, 

£145, iamfy.co 

Fringed Deck Chair, £250, 

coxandcox.co.uk 

lights4fun.co.uk 

Moroccan Leather 

Pouffe, £95, 

hauslife.co.uk 


FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR A 

HAPPY RETIREMENT 

The secret to a successful retirement is to 

slowly and surely build up your retirement 

pot. Exactly how you do that will depend 

on your situation – but there are lots of 

things you can do. Here we have advice 

from Money Helper (moneyhelper.org.uk) 

which is a government advice service. 

As with any financial planning matter, it is 

important that your unique circumstances 

are considered and you seek the advice 

of a certified professional. 

REVIEW PENSIONS 

REGULARLY 

It’s important to review your pensions 

regularly. If they’re not on track to give 

you the income you want in retirement, 

you need to look at how to boost them. 

If they’re broadly on track, you can make 

a clearer plan so that your pensions will 

be able to give you the income you want 

when you retire. 

REVIEW THE WAY 

YOUR PENSION POT IS 

INVESTED 

If you have a defined contribution 

personal or workplace pension, you 

get to choose how your pension pot is 

invested. Typically, this involves choosing 

from a range of funds offered by your 

pension provider. 

These funds will be weighted differently 

between various types of assets, which 

offer different levels of risk and potential 

return. Generally, you can afford to take 

more risk when you’re young, and less as 

you get older. 

The longer your money will be invested, 

the more scope you’ll have to deal with 

investment performance going up and 

down over time. So if you are some way 

from retirement and your pension savings 

are invested conservatively, you might 

want to consider moving at least some of 

your fund into potentially higher-growth 

assets, for example, company shares. 

But bear in mind that there’s no 

guarantee that higher growth will be 

achieved. 

Transferring a personal pension into a 

self-invested personal pension (SIPP) 

can give you a wider range of investment 

options to choose from. 

But this brings higher risks if you’re not 

an experienced investor. And you might 

face higher charges. 

Unless you understand how the different 

pension investments work, you might 

want to consider getting regulated 

financial advice before making any 

changes to your pension investment. 

REVIEW THE CHARGES 

DEDUCTED FROM YOUR 

SAVINGS 

All pension providers will charge for 

managing your pot and investing your 

money. In defined contribution personal 

and workplace schemes, these charges 

are often called an annual management 

charge or ongoing charge figure and are 

automatically deducted from your pot. 

An annual charge of 1.5% a year could 

have eaten away a quarter of your 

pension pot after 35 years. An annual 

charge of 0.5% would have reduced your 

pension pot by only 1/10th over the same 

period. You don’t need to worry about 

this if you’re in a defined benefit scheme. 

But if you have a defined contribution 

scheme, charges reduce the value of your 

pension pot. Workplace pensions often 

have lower charges but that isn’t always 

the case. 

HOW MUCH MONEY WILL 

YOU NEED IN YOUR 

TOTAL PENSION POT? 

It’s important to think about your pension 

income in building blocks - first with the 

state pension, then with your private or 

workplace pension savings, and then with 

any other additional income you might 

get, from investments or property. 

How much extra income you need to 

generate from your private pension 

savings will depend on the type of private 

pension you have. 

Defined benefit and final salary pensions 

pay you a regular monthly income - how 

much you get is based on your earnings 

while you were working. 

If you have one or more of these, you 

should receive annual updates telling you 

how much you can expect to get. 

Adding that to your state pension 

(which you can find out by getting a 

state pension forecast) will help you 

understand how much you’ve got to play 

with in retirement. 

If you have any confusion surrounding 

multiple pension pots, investments or 

other pension queries, it is worthwhile 

seeking the advice from an IFA. 


SLOW DOWN THE 

AGEING PROCESS 

With some simple lifestyle changes, you could 

dramatically slow the ageing process... 

1. Diet: Eat an Anti-inflammatory Diet 

A diet high in inflammatory foods speeds up the aging process 

by affecting telomere length. Telomeres are structures found 

at the end of chromosomes and provide protection during 

cell division. The telomere acts like a clock – the shorter the 

telomere, the older the cell. An inflammatory diet prematurely 

shortens telomeres, which contributes to early aging. 

Foods that reduce inflammation 

• Fresh fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, and oranges 

• Leafy green vegetables, like spinach and kale 

• Olive oil 

• Fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids, like mackerel, 

salmon, and tuna 

• Nuts, like almonds and walnuts 

Foods that increase inflammation 

• Added sugar, particularly high-fructose corn syrup that is 

commonly found in beverages, pastries, and desserts 

• Trans fats in fried food, processed snack foods, donuts, 

and margarine 

• Processed meats, like sausage, bacon, salami etc 

• Refined carbohydrates, like white rice, white potatoes, 

many types of cereals, and breads and crackers made 

from white flour 

• Excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids in mayonnaise, 

many salad dressings, and vegetable oils, like corn, 

safflower, and soy 

2. Get your heartrate up and use your muscles 

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes 

of vigorous aerobic activity each week. Strength training by 

lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises improves bone 

health and reduces the risk of weak, thin bones (osteoporosis) – 

a significant factor in aging. 

3. Sleep: ZZZ’s Help You Stay Young 

Sleep helps the body recharge and repair. Not getting enough 

sleep doesn’t just mean feeling groggy the next day – it can 

have serious health consequences. Long-term insufficient 

sleep is associated with increased risk for depression, obesity, 

infections, heart disease, and an early death. 

4. Stress: Relax for Better Health 

Stress is a part of life. But constant, long-term stress can 

contribute to serious health issues that lead to an early death. 

Conditions linked to chronic stress include heart attack, stroke, 

diabetes, depression, immune disorders, migraines, and 

heartburn, nausea and many other gut issues. 

Your home is where you feel the most 

comfortable. Why would you move away from 

the place that makes you feel safe? If you’re in 

need of extra help and support, but want to stay 

living at home, Home Instead can help.

Guildford Living Aug - Sep 2022

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