Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region
One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number
or your entry will not be accepted
We are offering five Round & About readers the chance to join a free taster class with Vayu Yoga in Guildford
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2023.
Enjoy the magic of Christmas with friends and family this December in Bordon
Visit The Shed this December for a Shed load of festive fun! Bring your friends and family and enjoy the magic of Christmas and embrace the holiday spirit with our enchanting festivities. From seasonal arts and crafts to live music, a dazzling Christmas market, and cosy drive-in cinema screenings, The Shed has got it all!
Christmas markets
From Friday 15th to Sunday 17th December, The Shed’s seasonal Christmas Market is back for its third year, and this year it’s even bigger than ever. With traders opening for the Friday afternoon and across the weekend, there’ll be hot food and drinks as well as local crafts and gifts available for everyone.
Music will be from local choirs, entertainment from the Phoenix Players and Shed favourite Stephanie Belle, plus much more.
Friday 15th, 4 to 8pm – It’s a chilled evening with lots of grown up things to delight.
Saturday 16th, 12 to 8pm – A family-orientated day with loads of fun, a nativity farm with real animals including special donkey story-time sessions throughout the day.
Sunday 17th, 10 to 2pm – An ideal day out for all the family with lots of great stalls and festive music.
On Saturday 16th don’t miss the chance to ride the reindeer bucking bronco, don your Christmas hat, put down the mulled wine and see how long you can hold on for!
Festive films
‘Tis the Season for Magical Movie Nights at Ticket Cinema. Get ready to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with a heart-warming selection of Christmas classics including How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, Polar Express and Home Alone 2 under the starry night sky. Join them throughout December for a cinematic celebration of the Christmas spirit, with screenings twice a day on the 20th, 21st and 22nd you’ll have lots of opportunities to catch your favourite holiday films. Don’t miss out on this chance to make enduring traditions and create unforgettable moments with the family.
Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company is looking forward to welcoming you to these Christmas events this December, as well as providing a central community hub where people of all ages can meet up to enjoy activities across the festive period.
1st December 7-9pm: Christmas Wreath Workshop
15th December 4-8pm: Christmas Market
16th December 12-8pm: Christmas Market
17th December 10am-2pm: Christmas Market
20th December 3:30-5:30pm: How the Grinch Stole Christmas @ Ticket Cinema
20th December 7-9pm: Elf @ Ticket Cinema
21st December 3:30-5:30pm: Home Alone 2 @ Ticket Cinema
21st December 7-9pm: Last Christmas @ Ticket Cinema
22nd December 3:30-5:30pm: The Polar Express @ Ticket Cinema
22nd December 7-9pm: The Holiday @ Ticket Cinema
All donations to the Trust’s campaign to support conservation grazing will be matched by The Big Give from 28th November to 5th December
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s fundraising appeal to help its team of four-footed conservation heroes preserve and protect precious habitats has received a big boost as match funding platform The Big Give has promised to match any donations received from members of the public – effectively doubling the impact your money can have on local wildlife.
All donations made between 28th November and 5th December will be matched by The Big Give as part of its Christmas Challenge, and the campaign has received backing of £9,800 thanks to Kia UK and a further £5,000 from The Reed Foundation.
SWT is urgently asking for donations to help maintain and extend conservation grazing using herds of Belted Galloway cows and specially-bred cross breed sheep in the county. This is an effective way to keep chalk grasslands and heathlands buzzing with life as the climate and nature crisis bites, and supports a huge number of species including Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Silver-studded Blue butterflies, Sand Lizards and a multitude of pollinating bees and beetles as well as plant life including orchid species and Cut-leaved Germander.
But the Trust is being hit by increasing costs for overwintering, feed and veterinary care. Additional funding is urgently needed to recruit more volunteers to help look after the herd.
SWT also wants to increase the use of ‘no fence’ grazing, which uses specialized GPS collars, controlled using an app. This makes costly fencing unnecessary and enables herds to be moved to new grazing territory safely, quickly and easily.
Surrey Wildlife Trust’s farm and livestock manager James Stoyles says: “Our unique landscapes bring huge benefits to thousands of visitors and residents, but they need sensitive management to stay in good shape for people and nature. Our conservation grazers are the best possible team for the job – but they need help to keep carrying out their vital mission.
“Thanks to the wonderful generosity of our supporters, we’re already 30 per cent of the way towards meeting out overall fundraising target of £50,000. It’s great that The Big Give has offered us this opportunity, but to get over the line we’ll need help from everyone who can afford to make a donation, however small. Every penny we raise will contribute to a healthier, more biodiverse and more beautiful Surrey.”
The fundraising campaign has four main aims:
Expanding ‘no fence’ grazing in Surrey. Equipping more conservation grazing cattle with GPS collars will reduce the need for physical fences (thus reducing the costs of installation and maintenance) and allow more targeted grazing.
Increasing awareness of conservation grazing and engage with local communities to ensure that people, dogs and grazing animals can safely enjoy local reserves.
Increasing the Trust’s conservation grazing team capacity by recruiting and training more volunteer ‘lookerers’. To ensure the day-to-day welfare of the grazing herds, SWT aims to have 15-20 weekend volunteer lookerers.
Breeding a flock of cross-breed sheep (combining traditional Wiltshire Horn and Boreray breeds) with wool-shedding qualities, resulting in improved welfare and low cost. These animals could be a vital resource for land managers and conservationists across the county and beyond.
If you are able to support the appeal, please donate through https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002RXpaHAAT to maximise your impact.
In his first column, author and journalist Michael Smith reveals how much truth there is to 007 James Bond and the inspiration for the legendary secret agent
James Bond is undoubtedly the world’s most famous spy. The 14 Bond books, written by Ian Fleming between 1953 and his death in 1964 ‒ and an astonishing 27 films ‒ have created a lasting legend.
MI6 always insists that 007 is nothing like a real secret agent, or more precisely an “intelligence officer”, the official job title for our spies. There are no “Double O” agents here, they say. No-one with a “licence to kill”. But they do admit that Bond “created a powerful brand for MI6”. Sir Alex Younger, a former C, the real-life equivalent of Fleming’s “M”, has admitted that many of the British secret service’s global counterparts “envy the sheer global recognition of our acronym”.
Despite the denials, a remarkable new biography of Fleming himself demonstrates that an awful lot of the stuff that 007 gets up to did happen during the period that inspired the Bond books and Fleming was better placed than most to know how MI6 operated.
Academics have long been a bit sniffy about Fleming’s wartime career in naval intelligence, but as more and more files have emerged from the archives it has become very clear how central he was. As the key lieutenant to Admiral John Godfrey, the director of naval intelligence, Fleming was his main liaison with MI6, in frequent contact with the then “C”, Stewart Menzies, with the codebreakers at Bletchley Park and with the Special Operations Executive, which operated behind enemy lines and was very much “licensed to kill”.
As someone who has written extensively on both MI6 and Bletchley Park, one of the closest links between Fleming’s wartime work and Bond’s adventures comes in From Russia With Love when Bond is tasked to track down a Russian Spektor cipher machine. His frequent trips to Bletchley Park during the war, where Alan Turing was initially struggling to break the German naval Enigma machine, led Fleming to devise a daring plan to seize one from on board a German warship in the Channel. Operation Ruthless was to be led by a ‘tough bachelor, able to swim’, with Fleming writing his own name alongside that role.
The many fascinating examples of storylines in the Bond books based on Fleming’s personal experience working with MI6 are far too numerous to fit into a small article like this. It would take an entire book to do them justice. Fortunately, we now have one. Ian Fleming: The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare is a fascinating book and a pretty good last-minute Christmas present.
Michael Smith’s latest book The Real Special Relationship: The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work Together is out now in paperback.
Almost 1.5 million people feel more lonely at Christmas than any other time, do what you can to make this one full of love and joy
Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration but for many, especially the elderly, it can be an unwelcome time bringing sadness and loneliness.
It’s important to stay connected with any older friends or relatives, invite them to family get togethers and events, how about an uplifting carol concert or a trip to the panto? A simple outing to a garden centre for example with a seasonal display may make all the difference. Some may be content to enjoy just staying in the warmth and comfort of their own home so always make sure your attentions are welcome, they may not want to join in the excesses of the season.
If there isn’t time to pop round in person, pick up the phone, a tech savvy elderly person may benefit from a video call, just seeing a friendly face can make all the difference. Perhaps set up a rota among yourselves to vary the calls and keep in touch.
Help with the shopping, many grandparents will love the opportunity to spoil their young relations at this time of year, they may need help to seek out suitable gifts. Offer to go shopping with them, many will enjoy having some company on their visit to the supermarket, involve them in your shopping visit, if they’re coming to you for the festive season ask them what they would like to eat too.
Consider their mobility too, icy surfaces and wet conditions can make getting out and about tricky and make elderly people more susceptible to falls. Check their home and access to it is safe to walk on, make sure they have any extra walking aids if necessary and if you’re not able to get them out and about, try a ‘dial-a-ride’ service or other community transport scheme.
You may need some extra support at this hectic time of year. There are plenty of companies and agencies who can provide a helping hand. Perhaps you just need someone to pay your relative a visit, as little or as often can be arranged? A live-in carer will help in the home, offering round-the-clock care for them and peace of mind for you. Respite care offers short-term support. Christmas has many demands on time and if you’re going away this may be an option.
Help make this Christmas a little more joyful for an older person.
Our wine columnist raises a glass to top tipples for the big day
Hello! Christmas is said to be the most wonderful time of the year and for wine lovers, I’d say that was definitely the case. It’s that time when you can pull a cork at 11am without people raising eyebrows (or organising an intervention!) and when everyday wines are replaced by fine ones. So, to give you some festive inspiration here are the six Christmas crackers I’ll be pulling out this year.
First up, a fizz. I’m convinced it’s no coincidence that traditional Christmas breakfast fare perfectly partners sparkling wine. Whether you’re having smoked salmon or eggs Benedict, a glass of fizz is a must. This year I’ll be toasting my smoked salmon on toast with a glass of Balfour 1503 (Majestic £21.99). This English sparkler is delightfully fresh, with plenty of green apples and citrus fruit offset by a pinch of pepper and a twist of thyme before the creamy, yeasty finish.
Suitably restored after my daughter’s excited 5.30am alarm bellow, It’s time to cook. For this I need a sip and run wine that will pique my appetite and year after year I turn to Tio Pepe (£12 Amazon). Quite the most civilised sherry I know, with its arresting, Sauvignon-like crispness, generous pear and melon fruit and creamy hit of yeast, it’s the perfect aperitif and goes brilliantly with all types of canapé and Christmas nibbles.
“There’s no point putting wine with Christmas pudding.”
Giles Luckett
Prep done, it’s time to take a well-earned break and share a glass with the family. This calls for Champagne and I’ll be serving Adnams’ 2012 Vintage Champagne (Adnams £41.99). 2012 was a fantastic year in Champagne, and the extended bottle age this has received has imparted a lovely softness that makes it a real crowd-pleaser. From its inviting nose of dried apples, honey, and lemon to its broad, generous, weighty palate of red apples, melon, peaches and digestive biscuits, this is a class act.
The turkey’s resting (no idea why, it’s me that’s done all the work) so it’s time to open the wines for the main event. I like to have a white and a red on the table, the latter being perfect for brown meat lovers, and this year I’ll have the Organist Chardonnay 2022 (£26 Ocado) and the Miguel Torres Vigno Carignan (Waitrose £13.99).
The Organist cleverly balances intense, bold, fruit tones of baked apple, peach, and grapefruit with a luscious, buttery vanilla imparted by the oak ageing. This allows it to balance the breast’s natural dryness while bringing out the flavour without overpowering it. The Vigno on the other hand is a dark, juicy wine whose ample blackberry and loganberry character cuts through leg and wing’s gaminess while its dried herb tones add another dimension to it.
And to finish. There’s no point putting wine with Christmas pudding. Trust me, I’ve tried everything from Sauternes to Madeira and all get lost like the one of the kid’s presents by Boxing Day. After the pud’s done, however, I’m going to settle myself down with a glass of the Ned Noble Sauvignon Blanc (Ocado £14). I tried this little sweetie earlier this year and I was hugely impressed. Opulently rich with flavours of barley sugar, pineapple, caramel, and dried pears, it has a cleansing gooseberry and lime acidity that stops it being cloying. Try this with full-flavoured cheeses – if you can find the room!
Well, here’s to a merry Christmas and a fantastic 2024.
Cheers! Giles
Churches in Abingdon have a variety of services in Advent and Christmastide for you to attend
Well, the Christmas season is officially upon us. You may (or may not) have noticed the decorations already up in the shops by now. Personally, when I think of Christmas, I tend to remember my younger years and those exciting times of waiting until Christmas morning to open presents under the tree. Looking back, when I was a seven-year-old boy the Advent season and countdown to Christmas seemed to take forever.
But, what does Christmas mean to me now? For me, Christmas means far more than just physical gifts under a tree, but that the king of heaven and earth had left heaven to be with his people. The good news of Christmas is that Jesus came to save you and me.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV
Let us remember this holiday season that the baby born in a manger is so much more than any ordinary baby. That baby born in a manger is God himself who came to be with his people. The king had come and through his coming, his life, his death and his resurrection, we too can find hope and peace not just during Christmas, but in and out of every season.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Pastor Michael Ivey
Abingdon Community Church
Churches in Abingdon: Services in Advent and Christmastide 2023
Abingdon Baptist Church (OX14 5AG)
17 December 2023, 6 pm – Carol service followed by mince pies and mulled wine
24 December 2023
10.30 am – Interactive nativity service for All-Ages
11.30 pm – Midnight Communion
25 December 2023, 10 am – Christmas morning celebration
Abingdon Community Church (Thameside Primary School, OX14 5NL)
24 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christingle service
Abingdon Vineyard Church (Preston Road Community Centre, OX14 5NR)
17 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christmas café with family Christmas craft activities
24 December 2023, 10.30 am – Family Christmas celebration with Carols and nativity
25 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christmas Day celebration
All Saints (OX14 2AQ)
3 December 2023, 10.30 am – Advent Communion
10 December 2023,3.30 pm – Family Carols
16 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christmas tree festival
17 December 2023, 3 pm – Carol service
24 December 2023, 10.30 am – Morning worship
25 December 2023, 10 am – Christmas Day service
Christ Church
17 December 2023 (Northcourt Road, OX14 1PL)
4 pm – Carol service
7 pm – Carol service
24 December 2023
3 pm – Christingle service (Northcourt Road)
4 pm – Christingle service (Long Furlong, OX14 1XP)
4.30 pm – Christingle service (Northcourt Road)
11 pm – Midnight Communion (Northcourt Road)
25 December 2023
8 am – BCP Christmas Communion (Northcourt Road)
10 am – Christmas Day services at Long Furlong and Northcourt Road
Parish of Our Lady and St Edmund (OX14 3PL)
24 December 2023
8.45 am – Mass
10.15 am – Mass
6.30 pm – First Mass of Christmas
8.30 pm – Christmas vigil with Carols
9 pm – Mass
25 December 2023
8 am – Mass
9.30 am – Mass
11.30 am – Mass
2 pm – Polish Mass
26 December 2023 – Feast of St Stephen
10 am – Mass
2 pm – Polish Mass
Peachcroft Christian Centre (OX14 2RT)
17 December 2023
10 am – Nativity service
7 pm – Carol service
24 December 2023
10 am – Christmas worship
3 pm – Christingle service
5 pm – Christingle service
25 December 2023, 10 am – Christmas celebration
Salvation Army (OX14 5BL)
10 December 2023, 10.30 am– Toy service
17 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christingle service
20 December 2023, 11 am – Community Carol service
24 December 2023, 4 pm – Candle-lit Carol service
25 December 2023, 10.30 am – Christmas morning service
St Helen’s Church (OX14 5BS)
3 December 5.30 pm – Music and readings for Advent
22 December 6.30 pm – Lessons and Carols for Christmas
24 December 4.30 pm – Christingle 11 pm – First Eucharist of Christmas
25 December 2023
8 am – Holy Communion (1662)
10.30 am – Family service with address
St Michael’s Church (OX14 1DB)
17 December 2023, 9.30 am – Sung Mass
24 December 2023
9.30 am – Sung Mass
3 pm – Crib service
6.30 pm – Carols and readings
25 December 2023, 10 am – Sung Mass
St Nicolas’ Church (OX14 3NZ)
10 December 2023
11.15 am – Holy Communion
5.30 pm – Patronal Evensong
17 December 2023
11.15 am – Third Sunday service
5.30 pm – Carol service
24 December 2023
11.15 am – Holy Communion
4 pm – Crib service
25 December 2023, 10 am – Holy Communion
Trinity Church (OX14 1DB)
3 December 2023, 10.30 am – Gift service and Baptism
10 December 2023, 10.30 am – Civic service
17 December 2023
10.30 am – Advent Communion
4 pm – Carol service
24 December 2023, 4 pm – Christingle service
25 December 2023, 10 am – Christmas Day service
Details of all the churches can be found on the Church in Abingdon website:
www.church-in-abingdon.org.uk
Catch Santa around Twyford and the surrounding area from December 1st to 17th
Once again, Santa and his enchanting sleigh, brought to you by the Twyford and District Round Table, will be spreading joy throughout the Twyford, Hurst, Wargrave and Ruscombe communities this holiday season.
Our cherished annual tradition of Santa’s sleigh gracing your streets, accompanied by festive tunes, opportunities to wave at Santa himself, and special treats for well-behaved kids, is set to continue between December 1st and 17th. We’ll be kicking-off Santa’s tour at the annual Twyford Together Christmas Fayre on the 1st.
If you can spare some change to drop into our collection buckets when we visit, your generosity will be deeply appreciated. The Twyford and District Round Table relies on contributions from beloved community events like this one, which are then channelled to support local charities such as Daisy’s Dream, Age Concern, Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, Understanding Dementia, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, and many others.
Stay tuned for updates closer to the event by visiting our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing routes and updates during the period.
We are always looking for volunteers to join us, if you are interested in getting involved just drop us a message on FB.
Taddies, a parent and child group at The Children’s Trust in Surrey , provides a community where families can feel accepted. This is why children like Matthew and his mum Kelly need people like you.
Matthew was born with a missing chromosome and a condition called Angelman Syndrome.
Matthew’s mum Kelly shares their story.
My gorgeous four-year-old son, Matthew, has had seizures since he was tiny and was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. Matthew has also got the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. He’d wrap you around his little finger if you met him. He does that with everyone! But still there have been plenty of times when, just because Matthew sometimes struggles in social situations, the two of us have been made to feel very alone.
I’ve been to parent and child groups where I felt everyone was looking at us, even judging us, because Matthew doesn’t like loud noises and doesn’t really play with toys. The one place where I finally felt like we belonged was Taddies – The Children’s Trust’s parent and child group. It showed me what a magical place The Children’s Trust can be for children with neurodisability and for their families.
The staff can’t do enough for you. There are all these activities. Messy play, music, soft play, puzzles, cooking. Everything is carefully set up to help children learn and develop – and Matthew really did come out of himself at those sessions.
There are very few places where I know Matthew is completely happy, other than at home. But he loved being at Taddies so much. I think he just felt safe there. Taddies is just one of the many services The Children’s Trust provides that helps children and families feeling alone become part of a supportive community where they can thrive. But they can only run their services thanks to donations.
You can help more families come to Taddies and The Children’s Trust nursery, Tadworth Tots, and finally feel accepted.
The sense of community is clearer than ever at Christmas. Did you know that each year the charity arranges a pantomime to be performed onsite for all the children? Or that they take children from Taddies, Tadworth Tots and The Children’s Trust School for days out, like going to see the Glow lights at RHS Wisley Gardens?
Please help more children and families experience special treats like pantos and magical trips this Christmas by donating today. What better Christmas gift could there be than the chance to bring joy to children and families and stop them feeling alone?
Please gift a donation this Christmas: (https://bit.ly/3SGt9lW)
Each year the garden centres are brightened up by beautiful houseplants and bulbs to cheer us up as gardening becomes less appealing! Cathie Welch takes a look at one of her favourites, the Christmas Cactus.
In fact this is not a cactus at all but instead an epiphytic succulent which in it’s true habitat grows on trees as do some orchids do. It’s not hardy in this country so is grown as a houseplant. There are two main types grown commercially Schlumbergera truncate and S. x buckleyi which is a species cross. Sometimes you see them named as Zygocactus which is an old name and the one I learnt as a child. If you look carefully you will notice that the leaves vary and they come in an array of beautiful colours now
Caring for your ‘Christmas Cactus’
The reason it is so called is due to the fact that it is stimulated into flower by shorter days and lower temperatures so often naturally in flower at this time of the year. Don’t be surprised it flowers again in the spring when the day lengths are the same again. Then they are sold as Easter cacti.
One of the most important things to know is that they form their buds in the autumn and these can drop off due to changes in temperature such as buying your plant and bringing it home. This can be very annoying but it will adapt to its new environment. After flowering allow it to rest and it can even go outside in the summer. Ideally pot up into cactus compost of a mixture of potting compost with horticultural grit/sand. They need light but not scorching sun as they can shrivel and burn. Remember in the wild they are amongst trees so dappled sunlight best.
Propagation
If you are successful with your plant it will reward you by growing bigger and producing may flowers each year. If the plant becomes congested you can prune out old branches and propagate from the young shoots. Make sure you cut to include full leaves and allow to dry. Pot into free draining compost and place on a light windowsill or in a greenhouse. These should root in a few weeks and then you have Christmas gifts for all your friends and relatives!
CGS Courses
Christmas gift vouchers available for consultancies and workshops.
The course running from January through to Easter is pruning in your gardens and mine but we also do some plant identification on wet days.
Please do come and meet me to discuss courses, volunteering and anything else garden related!
Website www.cathiesgardeningschool.co.uk