Magic for Maggie’s

Round & About

Maggie’s cancer charity invites everyone from the local community to enjoy its pop-up Christmas events here in Fulham.

Maggie’s West London centre is a haven of peace and support based on the grounds of Charing Cross Hospital on Fulham Palace Road, offering a wide variety of activities and support groups for anyone living with, or affected by, cancer.

This Christmas the Maggie’s team are holding two exciting festive events in Fulham, encouraging local residents to get involved with supporting their Maggie’s Centre. On Thursday 29th November at Fulham Library, an exciting “pop-up” fair will offer visitors an enticing range of crafts, gifts and artisan products, perfect for present ideas and stocking fillers. From 11am – 2pm the hall will be transformed into an arts and crafts haven, featuring Etsy suppliers and local London crafters, with donations to Maggie’s, and even mulled wine on offer!

Shortly after, on Monday 10th December, the charity is holding its second Carols by Candlelight concert at All Saints Church, from 6.45pm. This wonderful evening concert features not only The London Chorus, conducted by Ronald Corp, OBE, but also the wonderful Francis Holland School Choir – performing all of your festive favourites, as well as some more modern interpretation of Christmas classics.

Both events are generously sponsored by TWM Solicitors, and you can buy tickets for the concert at www.maggiescentres.org/westlondon (‘fundraising and events’). For more information call 020 7386 1750.

Self-care: granny knows best

Round & About

How do dadimas aka grandmothers self-care?

Can you remember the last conversation you had with a grandmother? What was their attitude towards stress, mental health and self-care? As part of my dadima’s (translated as grandmother’s) project, I’ve interviewed Indian grandmothers for my memoir cookbook, where ‘ordinary’ women (‘extraordinary’ in my view) share their culinary stories and life wisdom, along with some of the challenges they’ve faced. Over several cups of masala chai, and wholesome home-cooking, we talked about everything under the sun. Here are five of their inexpensive wellness tips, that I’ve found helpful in my life.

1. Frame your ‘problems’ through talking and listening
Grandparents can shed light to a ‘problem’, through simply sharing their life experiences. Inter-generational conversations have helped me to put my ‘problems’ into perspective, as the grandmothers had the benefit and wisdom of hindsight, even if their younger lives were very different. Talking and listening are free therapy.

2. Keep your mind calm by thinking good thoughts
Easier said than done, but the grandmothers stressed this. Even if someone had wronged them, they would wish them well, and see the experience as a valuable life lesson for the future. Several grandmothers shared stories of things ‘going wrong’ in life, and the effect of those on their mental and physical health. For example, their stories of migration from India to the UK.

3. Make time for gratitude, meditation, and stilling the mind. Whilst mindfulness, meditation, yoga and gratitude, have now become ‘trendy’ concepts, the grandmothers that I spoke to have practiced it for years. They were either religious or spiritual, and their faith gave them a sense of stillness. They focus on what they have, rather than the culture of ‘I want…’.

4. DIY beauty & wellness remedies
Ayurveda is said to be the world’s oldest, holistic healing system which originates from India. In recent years, it’s become trendy in the UK, in a culinary and wellbeing context (for example, with the popularity of turmeric). The Indian grandmothers I interviewed, are like walking encyclopaedias of wellness remedies, including face and hair masks, and cleansing drinks – tricks that I have grown up with, at a fraction of the cost of commercial products.

5. Make home-cooking a lifestyle
Cooked from scratch, using the best ingredients you can afford. They made the most from the ingredients they had, and made them go far – for example, a big pot of nutritious daal.
For them, home-cooking was a part of their lives. They are no Michelin-star chefs, but their cooking speaks from the heart and is real soul food. See my instagram page and cookbook, for delicious, heritage recipes and time-saving tips.

Anneeka Ludhra is the founder of dadima’s heritage food & lifestyle brand, and author of the dadima’s cookbook. Dadima’s celebrates culinary and life wisdom from elders – particularly grandmothers. Anneeka is looking to interview more grandmothers (and any interested grandfathers) for her 2019 dadima’s project.

Please contact [email protected] if you are a grandmother or grandfather who would like to get involved.
Instagram: @_dadimas
Facebook: dadima’s
Website: www.dadimas.co.uk

Allelujah all! Christmas concert in Bracknell

Round & About

Music-lovers can enjoy the dulcet tones of Thames Voyces at their annual visit to St Joseph’s Church in the centre of Bracknell at 7.30pm on Saturday, 15th December

Thames Voyces will sing a selection of seasonal choral music and audiences can also enjoy readings, and carols (some with audience participation) from 7.30pm. Some seasonal refreshments will also be served in the interval if your singing comes up to scratch! The choir will be under the baton of musical director, Nick Austin, and accompanied by Ben Giddens.

The choir will present Christmas music from across the centuries, from cradle songs such as the Coventry Carol and Away in a Manger, to more celebratory music such as Deck the Halls and perhaps the fastest one-horse open sleigh in Berkshire! What better way to start your Christmas with one of Berkshire’s top chamber choirs?

Thames Voyces rehearse in the splendid surroundings of the Recital Room in South Hill Park on Tuesday evenings. They continually strive to give high quality concerts in the Bracknell area, regularly performing concerts in Binfield and Crowthorne, as well as what is becoming their annual carol concert at St Joseph’s.

The choir are grateful for St Joseph’s for kindly hosting the concert and, following the concert, there will be a retiring collection to assist the work that St Joseph’s undertakes, in association with other Bracknell churches, to assist the homeless and those in need this festive season.

For further information on this concert and others in Crowthorne and Binfield next year, please visit www.thamesvoyces.org.uk  

Fountain of folk: music in Marlborough

Round & About

St Agnes Fountain are about to embark on their 18th sell-out Christmas tour and tell us why you should catch them in Marlborough on Friday, 14th December.

“Marlborough is and always has been a firm favourite with the band,” Chris While of the band tells us.

“We haven’t missed it in the 18 years we’ve been touring and although we’ve played at lots of venues in and around the town, the audiences are always lovely. Andrew Bumphrey, the promoter is a dear friend of the band and such a brilliant supporter of live music so the warm welcome is felt both on and off the stage.”

Since the group’s first recording of the eponymous St Agnes Fountain album in 2001, founder member David Hughes, Fairport Convention’s Chris Leslie and BBC Folk Awards Best Duo 2009, Chris While and Julie Matthews, have brought musical invention and laughter to the season.

They have now released 12 treasured albums; eight studio albums and two live CDs as well as a couple of Best Of albums, but it is, without question their magical live performances that have endeared them to an ever-growing audience – tickets were actually being sold for this year’s tour as the curtains fell last year.

This December, the band will bring you more of their sparkling musicianship, humour and heartfelt renditions of your favourite Christmas tunes both original and familiar. Chris Leslie is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter based in Oxfordshire, primarily known for the past 19 years for his work with Fairport Convention. He has toured and recorded with, among others, Steve Ashley, the Albion Band, Jez Lowe, Ian Anderson, Chris While and Julie Matthews, Whippersnapper, Alan Stivell and Feast of Fiddles.

David Hughes is an acoustic guitarist, songwriter, author and playwright. His six albums include Active in the Parish which, in 1997 was named by Q magazine as one of their albums of the year. Chris While (vocals, guitar, bodhran, darbuka and percussion) and Julie Matthews (vocals, piano, guitar, acordion and gazouki) have been nominated ten times in the BBC Radio 2 Folk music awards in the “best song, best duo, best live act” categories and winning best duo in 2009.

Next year St Agnes Fountain will celebrate 25 years together. Last year saw them perform at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards alongside Boo Hewerdine, John McCusker and Kris Drever and many others. They are performing songs from the Ballads Of Child Migration across the UK.

To book your tickets for the December show call 01672 512465 or visit www.stagnesfountain.com

Shining example: Twyford Christmas Tree Festival

Round & About

Between Thursday, 6th and Sunday, 9th December everyone’s invited to the Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary’s Church in Twyford.

This is the fifth biannual event of its kind with trees provided and decorated by local organisations, voluntary groups and businesses.

The festival opens on Thursday, 6th December, and runs daily until Sunday, 9th with St Mary’s doors open 10am-4.30pm. On Friday, 7th the church will stay open until 9pm to accommodate visitors to the always popular Twyford Street Fayre. Admission is free at all times. Refreshments are available throughout the festival with a special Christmas tea and entertainment on Sunday 9th until 4pm.

On Friday evening the entertainment includes Reading Accordion Group, Twyford Handbell Ringers and the Work in Progress barbershop quartet.

At 2pm on Saturday, 8th December, Berkshire Recorder Consort will entertain, followed by the Avenue Acapella Group until 4pm. One of the festival highlights will be a Taste of Christmas concert on Saturday 8th at 7.30pm. On Sunday 9th, by popular request, Bonnie The Bubble Lady will return followed by Twyford Glee Club at 2pm. The climax on Sunday is a carol service at 4.30pm.

Concert tickets £10 for adults, £5 children from the Floor Store in the High Street on 0118 934 3328.

Broadway beauty: Guys & Dolls

Round & About

The Mill at Sonning’s Christmas musical this year could almost be described as a Fairytale of New York, writes Peter Anderson.

Guys & Dolls is a Frank Loesser musical based on the characters of Damon Runyan who themselves were based on real New Yorkers.

Meet gamblers, petty crooks, nightclub singers, as well as strait-laced missionaries, who will delight and beguile you.

Joseph Pitcher returns once again to the Mill as director, and he tells me he has quite the background for musicals. “I was drawn to theatre from a very young age and gained experience as a performer in local amateur and youth theatre productions,” he says. “At the age of 18 I moved to London to train as a dancer. After graduating I spent several years appearing West End musicals before retraining on a straight acting course at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which led me to work at the national, the RSC and in several of the UK’s leading regional theatres, including the Mill at Sonning where I now regularly direct.

“Alongside performing I had always directed and choreographed in a ‘let’s do the show right here, right now’ type way.”

I wondered what Joseph’s early memories of seeing plays and musicals were. “I have very clear memories of my mum taking me to an amateur version of Grease when I was about seven or eight. I was mesmerised! But the first West End show I saw was Joseph & the Technicolour Dream Coat at the Palladium. And the first show that had a real impact on me in terms of wanting to become a director one day was Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. It was directed by Matthew Warchus, who many years later was my boss at Matilda!”

So, what can we expect from Guys & Dolls, and does performing in more of an amphitheatre make a difference? Joseph says: “We’re hoping to bring a little bit of Broadway to Sonning! An exciting reimagining of a classic musical, vibrant characterisations by West End performers and beautifully orchestrated arrangements of some wonderful songs.” Each performance space presents different challenges, but along with those challenges come opportunities. I wouldn’t say I really have a preference. Working in the semi-round is great in terms of how immersed the audience are in the action but you have to have a constant eye on making sure everyone feels involved.”

Guys & Dolls has it all – glamour, fun, romance, dazzling dance numbers, stunning costumes and some of the greatest show tunes ever including Luck be a Lady and Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat. For your chance to see the show, which runs until February 23rd, please go to www.millatsonning.com

Green Belt: film focus on Culham

Round & About

Caroline Baird explains more about a new short film showing the impact of major development on the rural community of Culham.

Save Culham Green Belt, in conjunction with the Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE Oxon), have produced a four-minute film highlighting why it is essential to protect the Green Belt for future generations.

Culham is an historic village, of just 450 inhabitants. The local authority’s plan to remove 315 hectares from the Oxford Green Belt and build 3,500 houses, would result in a population increase of 8,750 –10,500 – a new town larger than Wallingford (7,542 at 2011 census). Such a development would be to the detriment of pristine Green Belt land while engulfing the homes of the Culham community.

The film endeavours to show that the “exceptional circumstances” required by Central Government for changing Green Belt boundaries do not exist; that the area lacks the capacity to provide roads and services for such a huge development, and that Culham railway station, cited as a chief reason for strategic development, is subject to huge physical restrictions and is no more than a rural halt. Local employment opportunities have also been exaggerated and are uncertain at this time.

Council officers are currently reassessing 15 potential development sites and will announce an updated Local Plan this month, with public consultation on this final phase taking place in January.  Save Culham Green Belt continue to campaign against erosion of the Green Belt and unsustainable development.

Santa by train!

Round & About

Why not enjoy a magical journey on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway through the south Oxfordshire countryside and visit Santa in his grotto?

A dedicated group of steam-powered volunteers are ready and waiting to take you on a heritage train ride on this rural branch line, first opened in 1866.

Known locally as “The Bunk”, its passenger services ceased in 1959. Having secured the line in 1981, the CWR Preservation Society now aims to enhance the facilities that the railway offers and to improve the Wallingford site.

Running through the beautiful countryside, the line links the historic riverside town of Wallingford with GWR trains at Cholsey. You can travel on the 1950s coaches, hauled by one of the diesel locomotives or by a visiting steam engine.

On your journey, look out for Cholsey Church, where Agatha Christie is buried, and perhaps spot the magnificent red kites soaring above. If you want to make a day of it as a family, a 10-minute walk away you will find castle ruins, the museum and shops, restaurants and pubs. Trains run on selected weekends and bank holidays throughout the year and, where available, are steam hauled.

Enjoy Santa specials on the train on 8th & 9th, 15th & 16th and 22nd & 23rd December.

Pre-booked tickets cost £10 for adults and £7 for children (aged between two and 15), under-twos £5. Every child gets a gift from Santa and there’s a mince pie and hot fruit drink for all adults.

Winters tale: folk music in Oxford

Round & About

Make a date to see contemporary folk singer-songwriter Emily Mae Winters perform on Saturday, 8th December, with Holywell Music & Folk.

Hailed as having a voice that will stop you in your tracks, Emily Mae’s songs are quickly permeating the folk and song writing scene.

A poetic singer songwriter, influenced by the likes of Gillian Welch, Carole King, Alison Krauss, Sarah Jarosz and Kate Rusby, her music splits the difference between the gentle seas of folk and country. In 2016, Emily teamed up with BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner Ben Walker to produce her first commercial EP release Foreign Waters.

Her self-penned track Anchor from the release won the folk category in the Guardian Songwriting Competition. The tracks have received extensive national and international folk and Americana radio play including support from the BBC Radio 2 Good Morning Sunday with Clare Balding and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe.

After spending last year touring doing supports, she has just released her debut album Siren Serenade, co-produced by Ben Walker and Lauren Deakin Davies (Laura Marling). Emily Mae tells us: “I’m so excited for my first ever headline show in Oxford. Hopefully it will be the beginning of the festive season so we must make this show particularly special!”

www.emilymaewinters.com

Doors open @at 7pm for the show at 7.20pm and support comes from Three Pressed Men. Tickets £12.50 from WeGotTickets + £1.25 booking fee or£15 on the door and also in person from Truck Store including £1 handling fee (cash only please). A Winter Union will perform on Friday, 14th December, with support from Steph West. Visit www.holywellmusicandfolk.co.uk

Story lines: Anton du Beke

Round & About

Anton du Beke chats to Peter Anderson about writing his new novel One Enchanted Evening ahead of another UK-wide dance tour with Erin Boag in January.

London, 1936. Inside the spectacular ballroom of the exclusive Buckingham Hotel the rich and powerful, politicians, film stars, even royalty, rub shoulders with Raymond de Guise and his troupe of talented dancers from all around the world, who must enchant them… captivate them… and sweep away their cares. However, accustomed to waltzing with the highest of society, Raymond knows a secret from his past could threaten all he holds dear.

Nancy Nettleton, new chambermaid at the Buckingham, finds hotel life a struggle after leaving her small home town. She dreams of joining the dancers on the grand ballroom floor as she watches, unseen, from behind plush curtains and discreet doors. She soon discovers everyone at the Buckingham – guests and staff alike – has something to hide…

“I have to hope for that elusive line of tens!”

Book Mock-WEB

Throughout his career, Anton du Beke who lives in Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire, has loved a good story, but up until now he has told it through dance or more recently song. Now, with One Enchanted Evening, his debut novel, Anton has put them into words. So, did all those years of characterisation in dances (and who hasn’t loved some of his creations on Strictly!?) help him with the characters in the novel? He says: “The novel’s characters are based on people I’ve met or stories I’ve heard throughout my career. There are plenty of stories – whether it is of the dance bands and those who loved them – or tales of evenings down the pub, where after the pints had flowed, it tended to be fists that started flying.”

I find it interesting that Anton’s novel harks back to the halcyon days of the 1920s when Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin represented a more avant-garde scene. He laughs. “That’s a connection I hadn’t made. But I loved stories that were based at a definitive period in history.” One of his favourite current writers is Berkshire-based writer Robert Harris whose novels once again are set during World War II.

I ask Anton whether he hopes to continue writing. “Well,” he replies, “there are certainly plenty of tales and adventures I still have in my head for the hero, and there is a second book in the pipeline. But just like my success – or lack of it in Strictly – how many books the publishers are keen on printing depends on the audience vote – and I just have to hope for that elusive line of tens!”

• One Enchanted Evening is published by Bonnier Zaffre in hardback, paperback and e-book and available from all good booksellers and online.

Look out for our January competitions online and in your local Round & About for your chance to win tickets to Erin & Anton’s show at a theatre near you!