Jackie Oates & John Spiers will perform Lace – A Musical Celebration of at 7pm on 5th July at All Saints Church as part of Marlow Museum’s exhibition of local lacemaking
Multi award-winning folk legends Jackie Oates and John Spiers will weave the magical story of 400 years of lacemaking in Marlow, with fellow Melodeon player Roger Watson.
The concert will explore how the craft shaped communities; from the hardships of the dextrous child lace maker through to entrepreneurial merchants and aristocratic fashion.
The show is the highlight of Marlow Museum’s summer programme to accompany the free exhibition Lace: from William Borlase to Pamela Nottingham, which runs until 7th September. This display focuses on the story of renowned Marlow-born lacemaker, and long-time supporter of the museum, Pamela, who was instrumental in reviving the art of lacemaking in the UK.
Jackie and John’s work as a duo began when the pair first started playing together for fun during guest spots at a local folk club in Henley. Recognising the potential, they began working together on material from their native county of Oxfordshire. Following their first performances in 2016, they went on to tour and perform at festivals in the UK, releasing their first full-length studio album, Needle Pin, Needle Pin in 2020. Find out more about both titans at jackieoates.co.uk & johnspiers.co.uk
Concert tickets £15pp/£6pp u16s. For further info about the show and the museum’s events including free demos please visit marlowmuseum.org/events-news
Josh Mustard, 17, tells us about his pet treats business – Mustard’s Miracle Services – and what he most loves about life in Cookham
Teenagers often get a bad rap. However Josh Mustard is proof that hard work and bright ideas can pay off, especially if you’re “keen as mustard” to help out.
Josh launched Mustard’s Miracle Services in the summer of 2019 when he was 11, offering plant watering and other odd jobs around his area. Just after lockdown started, in April 2020, he decided to branch out and began making delicious dog treats, hand-delivering them on his bike around the Cookham, Maidenhead and Marlow area during the school holidays.
“I love the community spirit in Cookham and people’s kindness towards each other, which was particularly noticeable during the pandemic,” he tells us.
Josh lives with his mum, dad, younger brother and cocker spaniel Daisy Dot (pictured)who was one of the inspirations behind the business. “We’re big fans of the Metre Market in Cookham Dean. All the business owners are so welcoming and have amazing stories; Moneyrow Beans, Agosti Gelato, Grape & Nectar & the rest. We live on the High Road and couldn’t wish for better neighbours! My favourite restaurant is Malik’s, but it is difficult to choose in Cookham because there are so many great places – we are very lucky here.”
Since starting Mustard’s Miracle Services, Josh has regularly supported Foodshare Maidenhead. In the early days, he also made donations to Many Tears Animal Rescue and The Captain Tom Foundation. In 2020, he won a Marlow FM Hidden Heroes Award & CSR Accreditation. “In 2021, I was awarded an RBWM Youth Voice Youth Choice grant, half of which I invested into my business. I wanted to help other local, aspiring young entrepreneurs so decided to offer them the chance to receive a small grant of their own, from the remainder.”
Josh and his family moved to Cookham from London when he was three and he went to Holy Trinity School in Cookham. “I had the best time,” he says. “I made some great friends there.” A member of Cookham Dog Walkers’ Facebook group, he is currently studying for his A-levels at Sir William Borlase’s and loves the school. “All of the staff are brilliant and put in maximum effort to give us the best opportunities, which I am so grateful for.”
Josh adds: “I deliver my canine treats to customers in the local area and I also sell them at the Metre Market. I charge £3 for a bag of 20 biscuits. Round & About readers can feel free to email me on mustardsmiracleservices@gmail.com if they’d like to place an order.
“I love to make my customers happy (both the two-legged and four-legged kind!) and also enjoy giving back. I wish there could be less conflict in the world and more tolerance and understanding – we should celebrate our differences. We need more kindness…”
Kindness in Bucks, the community initiative founded by local mums Alison & Hannah has officially become a registered Community Interest Company (CIC)
What began as a simple act of kindness – donating baby baskets filled with essentials to local midwives and healthcare workers — has grown into a movement across the county.
To date, Kindness in Bucks has donated more than 700 baby baskets to local families in need. Recognising the growing need for community connection, the team expanded beyond donations.
Led over the past eight months by Amanda, Kindness in Bucks has delivered free social events for all ages, from baby playgroups and coffee mornings to community walks and wellbeing activities for older people. More than 3,000 residents have attended these events, helping to tackle isolation and build stronger, lasting relationships within the community.
Kindness in Bucks has supported hundreds of businesses, promoting their services and partnering with them to give free haircuts, beauty treats & more. Seasonal campaigns, such as Easter egg donations and Christmas gift drives, have brought smiles to families across Bucks.
Alison, Hannah and Amanda run Kindness in Bucks with two part-time helpers. Together, continue to create opportunities for kindness to flourish. “We’re proud of what the community has built together,” they say. “We believe kindness is contagious and by supporting each other, we’ve made a difference.”
Visit kindnessinbucks.com or email hello@kindnessinbucks.com
Longwick artist Mia Babb tells us about her journey, including recovery from a major health incident, ahead of a group show at Holy Trinity Church in Penn Street, 7th June to 15th June
I‘ve always been creative. I loved doing an art foundation course at the (then) Wycombe College. However, I took a year out to earn a salary, and never returned to do my Fine Art degree, instead earning an Art History degree via the Open University. A work promotion and then having a family meant that art took a back seat.
That all changed suddenly when surgery to remove a brain tumour caused a stroke. Three weeks in the ICU was followed by a year of recovery and then, the week I was due to return to work, Covid hit and I had to homeschool my two young sons! After 18 months I was made redundant.
I had begun to do detailed pen & ink drawings to retrain my hand which had been temporarily paralysed by the stroke. I entered a local art show and was lucky enough to sell a couple of pieces – I was hooked! I wanted to have limited editions to sell and, after failing to find a suitable local printer, I had the idea to start my own printing company, Babbabing, Fine Art Printing. I do giclée printing using images provided by the artist or I offer a service where I photograph and colour match the artwork.
I also do greeting cards and have started gift printing on mugs, coasters etc. As an artist I find it is good to have lower-cost items for people who love your art but who can’t afford an original or don’t have much wall space. It is a good way of making the most of the art you’ve put so much care and attention into.
I love trying different media, learning new processes but I always return to my favourite: pen & ink, usually finished with gold leaf. I like to capture the fine detail; normally of animals but currently buildings have caught my attention, especially churches. I occasionally draw skulls, human or animal, because the structure fascinates me. One of my earlier skull paintings is called Be Happy (above) because my experience has taught me you never know what may be around the corner, so make the most of it! I also do commissions in pastel or watercolour of pets – I love trying to capture an animal’s personality but find it nerve-wracking showing the result to the owner!
I’ve lived in Longwick for over 20 years and consider it my forever home. We have lovely neighbours and my children went to the local primary which I’m still connected with. I’m part of the wonderful team who organise the Longwick Art Show, the show I first displayed in, which raises money for the school. We’re lucky to have some good shops in Princes Risborough including Cymbaline and Kado for gifts, K&B the butchers and Godwins the bakery plus Dukes Wine Bar. I also have to mention Sally Evans who runs Artist & Makers Fairs which I exhibit at several times a year – always a good mix of mediums and styles.
I can’t wait to be part of the fantastic art display at Trinity Church, organised by Jules and Caroline of Where Inspiration Blooms!
Tony Christie and Ranagri will perform songs from their two collaborations of The Great Irish Songbook at Harwell Village Hall on 18th July
Thanks to Big Ginger Tom Music, Harwell Village Hall is one of the four venues in the UK where you will be able to see Tony Christie and Ranagri performing songs from their two collaborations of The Great Irish Songbook.
The tour, which also visits Sheffield, Barnard Castle and Inverness will see the Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 singer celebrating his Irish roots in a collaboration with Ranagri, who have been hailed as “a match made in heaven” by The Irish Post.
Duncan Chappell of Big Ginger Tom Music tells us: “There are some, albeit ‘misguided’ souls, who think Tony Christie appeared out of nowhere in 2005, to grace our TV screens and ask the way to Amarillo. Nothing could be further from the truth!
“Those who know better, who appreciate his wonderful voice and his ability to get inside a song, can tell you that over the last 50 years he has recorded a string of exceptional records.”
So: Is This the Way to Amarillo? No! Some 54 years after the release of his million-selling hit, Tony Christie takes a nostalgic journey through his family’s Irish roots, revisiting the music of his grandparents who played in ceilidh bands and sang the songs of their homeland in County Mayo, Ireland.
“Once again joining forces with award-winning folk band Ranagri, they will wind their way through the music of their childhoods, the stories that crafted the musicians they are today, and the inspirations that have brought them together. Entering his 83rd year, this collaboration brings to light emotional, introspective aspects of Tony which many won’t expect. With exquisite arrangements from Ranagri – guitars, percussion, flutes, dulcimer, harps – amid haunting melodies and lush harmonies, many of the old traditional songs shine with new brilliance.”
Melded with musical influences from all over the world, their new album The Great Irish Songbook Volume II will be released later this year. Expect to sing out loud, laugh and cry! Join these exclusive performances for an uplifting evening to remember for many years to come.Ranagri have performed in Canada, Portugal, Ibiza, Italy, Germany, France and all across Ireland and will be touring throughout the UK this coming autumn.
Watch this space for our interview with Tony!
Book tickets at wegottickets.com/event/649 455. Also check out the Folkin’ Around show on Oxford’s Hospital Radio Station; radiocherwell.com/our-programmes/listen-againrammes/listen-again
To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, Tom Murfitt, clinical director & founder of Oxford CBT, explains why celebrating those whose brains work differently is so important
You’re probably hearing a great deal about neurodiversity at the moment. It may feel like everyone you know is talking about it or has a friend or family member who’s been diagnosed – or is in the process of being assessed. And with growing awareness, that’s not surprising.
More and more people are recognising that we all experience the world in different ways. Neurodivergence – whether that’s autism, ADHD, or another condition – describes a brain that works differently, not wrongly. Rather than seeing these differences as deficits, many now look at them through a more compassionate lens: recognising both the strengths and challenges they can bring.
For example, someone with ADHD might be full of creative ideas and spontaneous energy but struggle with focus or forgetfulness. An autistic person may have a brilliant memory or deep specialist interests yet find social settings exhausting or confusing. Understanding these patterns can be life-changing. It’s estimated that between 15% & 20% of people in the UK meet the criteria for ADHD or autism, although many remain undiagnosed.
Why is it helpful to know?
There are many reasons why someone might want to explore whether they’re neurodivergent. It could be a young person struggling with learning, or an adult wondering why social relationships feel harder than they do for others. At work, noise or distractions might make it difficult to focus, and small changes could make a big difference. Sometimes people just want to understand themselves better, to make sense of lifelong patterns.
At our service, we insist on a screening appointment before any assessments are booked. This is because ADHD, autism, anxiety, and low mood can share similar features, and we don’t want anyone wasting time or money going down the wrong path. The screening includes a face-to-face meeting and a series of structured questionnaires to help identify signs of ADHD, autism, anxiety, and depression. It’s designed to offer clarity and make sure the right type of assessment or support is offered from the start. Being first and foremost a therapy service, we not only offer assessments but also provide tailored therapeutic support. If someone is experiencing difficulties, whether that’s anxiety, low self-esteem, or overwhelm, we can offer custom therapy sessions designed around their needs.
Ultimately, recognising neurodivergence is not about labelling people, it’s about understanding and supporting them. With the right awareness and care, individuals and their families can move forward with confidence, knowing they’re not alone and that help is available.
Youngsters’ favourite Shake Shack has a new pesto parm menu until 22nd May so we popped in for a pit stop!
My teenager is smitten with Shake Shack… so much so that I often answer the door to a surprise delivery! So I was glad to check into Shake Shack Oxford to try the new spring dishes and find out what all the fuss is about!
Shake Shack has won a loyal following, serving elevated versions of American classics using decent ingredients. And, to mark the arrival of spring (hurray!) there’s a new pesto parm menu, offering fresh, herby and cheesy flavours, for a limited time.
We delighted with the quality of the Chicken Pesto Parm, a crispy chicken breast over rocket, topped with Parmesan and pesto mayo. The crinkle-cut fries are pleasingly retro and the new menu features these topped with Parmesan and pesto mayo.
Springtime calls for a refreshing drinks and you can also enjoy a refreshing apricot & mint lemonade. But the real winner on the new menu is the pistachio shake. Made with frozen pistachio custard blended with crispy wafers and honey, topped with whipped cream, crispy wafers and crushed pistachio.
Absolutely moreish & sweet, this is the shake of kings!
On 8th June, after a two-year hiatus, enjoy a dozen gardens in three lovely villages (Alton Barnes, Alton Priors & Honeystreet) nestling in the Vale of Pewsey, writes Louise Golden
Overlooked by the C19th white horse, cut into the side of the Marlborough Downs, there will be lots to see and do, from a manor garden with a long herbaceous border to inspirational cut flower gardens, and delightful cottage gardens.
Discover hidden gems along our garden trail. Refreshments include teas and coffees with homemade cakes, to ploughman’s lunches and even a hands-on “create your own pizza” experience. Treat yourself to delicious ice creams from Wiltshire-based enterprise, Lacock Dairies.
Enjoy two flower-filled churches St Mary’s Saxon Church in Alton Barnes & All Saints in the meadows between the Altons. Follow historic cobblestone footpaths to wonderful recitals by Music for Awhile in All Saints in the afternoon (sponsored by the Cecil King Foundation).
Buy home-grown plants, fresh bouquets, interesting gardenalia and lots more. The owners all share a passion for gardening and a sense of community. All proceeds will go towards the cost of replacing All Saints’ lead roof (sadly stolen in 2015), the Coronation Hall & Prospect Hospice in memory of one of our much-loved residents who regularly welcomed visitors into her chocolate-box cottage garden and championed the Neolithic springs at the heart of our village.
Tickets £7pp (accompanied u16s free) at 3vevents.org.uk or on the day at Coronation Hall. Well behaved dogs on leads allowed, at the discretion of each garden owner.
Former private chef turned food columnist, bestselling cookbook author, real food activist and sustainability champion Melissa Hemsley chats to us ahead of Blenheim Palace Food Festival, 24th to 26th May
Q. Hello Melissa! What’s your first food memory? “Sitting in my nappy with bare legs on a scratchy carpet in the living room of our army accommodation (Dad was in the Army) with my mum peeling prawns that she’d simply boiled. She was dipping them in vinegar and then using her fingers, grabbing a bit of hot white rice and then hand-feeding me these perfect bite-sized mouthfuls of prawn and rice. I also remember vividly going to a little farm with some little friends and eating fish paste sandwiches and then banana sandwiches for pudding!”
Q. What’s the one first step you think families can take to “unprocessing” their diet? “One of my tips that I find helpful (and other people tell me they in turn found useful) is, when you’re at the shops or doing an online shop, challenge yourself to take one ultra-processed food out of the shopping basket and instead add one more real food or whole food. For example, a bag of frozen green beans, a tin of lentils, a jar of dried herbs or spices… so by the end of the year, you’ve bought 52 less ultra-processed food and have 52 more whole foods to eat! Find loads more tips and hacks in my Sunday Times bestselling cookbook Real Healthy.”
Q. Congratulations on becoming a mum! What are the most surprising & rewarding lessons so far?
“Thank you! Our little girl Summer turns two just after the food festival. She loved eating everything at first. Now at mealtimes she really wants to run around so mealtimes are definitely a little bit more challenging! One thing she loves is we have fridge magnets of lots and lots of types of fruit and veg and she can name them all which she loves doing. So I think that really helps her get new things when we put food down on the table. I’m in awe of all parents and caregivers and I think I was aware how tricky it was going to be to work and parent at the same time but the reality is, it’s even harder than I expected! I really struggle – I know similar for lots of families – to find the time to work as much as I’d like to and I think now she’s almost two, I have realised that I have to sadly say ‘no thank you’ to a lot more things than I’d like, so I’m not running ragged and to protect my mental health and physical health. I struggle with that but, as we all know, there are never enough hours in the day.”
Q. How do you take good care of your mental health? “I love walking and I can’t drive so both factors get me walking a lot! Summer and I like to walk as much as possible to activities in the playground and friends houses and i walk as much as i can to work appointments but I also try and have a 45-minute walk by myself every day which is my ideal type of meditation. My mantra is ‘if in doubt, walk it out’ and I really feel the difference if I haven’t had a chance to have a big walk a day. Eating well really supports my mental health especially when I’m busy. I count on meal prepping and batch cooking brackets which I’m sure we’ll talk about at my demo at the festival! I really count on the freezer and I think cooking yourself an extra batch of something you love that’s a comfort food and having it in the freezer is such a lovely gift to yourself for those times when you know you’re gonna be really busy or if as often happens you get run-down and then you need something nourishing and uplifting and home-cooked.”
Q. Who was your foodie hero growing up? “I loved watching Ready Steady Cook after school and my mum is definitely a food hero for me. She has always had this knack – born out of resourcefulness – for being able to create a delicious meal out of very little and quickly too. I think being able to flexibly come up with a meal is key which I think is the most important part of learning to cook, rather than strictly following a recipe. And I think Ready Steady Cook on the BBC was so good at that it made cooking fun and unintimidating. I would love to see more shows like that where it’s less competitive and more celebratory, showing quick thrifty cooking tips that busy people need.”
Q. We’re all doing our best to make ends meet. What is your top tip for stretching the budget? “Even though I love writing cookbooks I don’t know if the world needs more and more cookbooks! I think we need more and more recipe templates and throw together ideas and meals plans and emergency pull together bases (which I love sharing) and what I like to do each week is to make three things – a soup, a frittata, and a fruit bowl cake. The soup is brilliant because you can take it in a flask if you’re on the move – it’s a fab way of using up every day odds and ends; half an onion, the last stick of celery, any less-than-fresh herbs and herb stems any salad items that are a little bit wilty like half a bag of rocket and then for satisfaction (as soups need to be satisfying) I cook all that down and then blitz it up with a tin of cooked white beans which makes it all creamy and hearty and we all know beans are really good for us. Sometimes I blitz in some frozen peas for sweetness too and then have it with croutons or sprinkle some feta cheese then for a frittata… A frittata is an amazing way of using up both cooked veg and raw veg, using up Sunday leftover roasted veg or I use a 50% mix of whisked eggs and 50% equal volume of uncooked veg like grated carrots, grated courgettes and some grated cheese. Then you can either put the batter into muffin trays for breakfast muffins or often snack frittata on the go or make one big tray and slice up wedges and have that for a quick dinner or Saturday lunch. Frittatas are also great cold the next day – they make an amazing sandwich filling too. And finally a fruit bowl bake is as good for a Sunday afternoon treat as it is for Monday morning breakfast. Lots of us end up having bananas or apples rolling around in the bottom of school bags or gym bags simply getting lost at the bottom of the fruit bowl. So the Fruit Bowl Bake was born out of me always having a bruised bananas or less-than-crunchy apples that no one wanted to eat so I mix them all together with porridge oats and a couple of eggs, some lovely cinnamon and a little bit of sweetness from maple syrup or honey and then you bake it up. So good!”
Q. Is there any surprising food stuff you don’t eat? “I seem to have developed an allergy to crab which I’m devastated by because one of my favourite things is a crab sandwich sitting on a beach! I’m about to start the second year of my naturopathic nutrition degree and it’s fascinating and inspiring me even more to keep sharing real food recipes especially with the dominance of ultra processed foods in our diets these days! And it has truly hammered home to me (in the best way possible) how much importance there is in taking care of ourselves with food, stress levels and sleep quality!”
Q. And anything you’re borderline obsessed with/ guilty pleasure? “I don’t think there’s anything I’m particularly obsessed by but in terms of a snack, rather than buy snacks on the go or the very much ‘health halo’ packaged expensive snacks, I always have some dark chocolate and a little old jar, normally an old mustard jar, and fill it with mixed nuts like Brazil nuts, walnuts and some dark chocolate squares. And they’re my dream snack and I have to replenish my jar often as whenever I get my jar out, I end up sharing them with everyone!”
Q. What’s your favourite foodstuff to grow? “In my old garden in East London with very much my mom’s help, we were growing quite a few things well. Sadly, since parenthood, I’ve taken my eye off the ball but my herbs are still surviving. We just had a street party and I had 15 minutes to make my contribution so relied on foods from the cupboard plus my herbs. I made a massive bowl of chickpeas with crumble feta, olives, roasted red peppers and then tossed it all together with lots of olive oil and lemon juice and then big handfuls of chives and basil and parsley from my herb pots, which made the salad tasty and fresh and brought it to life.”
Q. What’s your best meal ever? “My best meal at the moment anyway is my one-pan lazy lasagne with a huge avocado, basil, butter lettuce salad and then smashed dates with drizzled dark chocolate and pistachios and hazelnuts and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.”
Q. What’s your essential bit of kitchen kit? “A box grater. I love being able to easily add grated carrots and courgettes into frittatas or bolognese or chillis or stews and grated cabbage and beetroot into salads or slaws or to grate sweet potatoes or squash into a spiced fritter to serve with a garlic dipping sauce. Easiest way to up the veg content each day and delicious too.”
Q. What are your favourite restaurants? “I love restaurants that welcome kids and dogs and so so appreciate that! I love Bingham Riverhouse in Richmond and Petersham Nurseries.“
Q. What’s your favourite summer produce to cook with & enjoy? “All the lettuces and salads, tomatoes fennel – love a raw fennel salad. Summer berries and stone fruits. Love being able to picnic with the above and some good cheese and olives and soak up outside time as much as possible.”
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s free plant and cake sale will offer you a warm welcome on Saturday, 10th May, at the charity’s southern training centre in Saunderton near Princes Risborough
Delicious homemade cakes and preserves, along with home-grown flowers and plants, will be just some of the attractions at this highlight, 10am-4pm.
This year’s event will also feature a fun dog show, with a prize for the waggiest tail!
The now-legendary sales, which are organised and run by the charity’s Buckinghamshire Fundraising Branch, led by Fiona and Rob Daniels, have grown from very humble beginnings into one of the most popular fixtures in the Hearing Dogs calendar. In fact, since they began in 2020, the team has raised over £100,000.
Fiona and fellow volunteer Wendy Baldwin bake most of the cakes themselves, Fiona and Rob grow the plants and also make chutneys from their own garden produce. Another branch member, Peter Shepperd, will be making his famous Cornish pasties and chilli sauces.
Anyone visiting with their own dogs will be welcome to take part in a fun dog show, with categories such as “the waggiest tail”, “musical sits” and “best catch”, among others.
For those who have worked up an appetite after the other activities, there will be mouth-watering treats on offer, including cakes, savouries and delicious South African-inspired street food from award-winning local caterers Bokkie.
Head to the grounds of the Hearing Dogs southern training centre, The Grange, in Haw Lane, HP27 9NS. NB: dogs should be kept on a lead and please clean up after them.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity that trains dogs that help deaf people leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. The dogs do this through constant companionship and emotional support, giving deaf people the confidence to reconnect with their family, friends and community around them.
Just as importantly, they help by alerting deaf people to important and life-saving sounds such as the smoke alarm, alarm clock and oven timers. Their burgundy coats also signal to the public that their partner is deaf. This combination of practical assistance and lifelong friendship can be life-changing.
