Against Breast Cancer

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Join Against Breast Cancer (ABC) for a full or half marathon or a 10km sponsored walk alongside the beautiful River Thames on Sunday, 5th May.

Breast Walk Ever Berkshire is suitable for all and dogs are welcome too. So why not sign up and help the ABC team in their mission to prevent secondary spread, the main cause of breast-cancer related deaths.

In joining the team of Breast Walkers you will be provided with a training plan and fundraising support as well as the promise of a free post walk massage! Alison Bone – a volunteer for Against Breast Cancer – is doing just that having helped with marshalling Breast Walk Ever in 2018. Ali, like so many has her personal reason to walk having been affected by breast cancer.

Ali discovered a lump in her left breast in early 2000 and was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer. This came as a complete shock to Ali as there was no history of breast cancer in her family.

Ali has two children who were aged just 11 and nine at the time and she speaks of the heartbreak in telling them and her father. Ali was thankfully able to participate in a trial to see if her cancer had spread instead of removing all her lymph nodes. As a keen tennis player, Ali was very relieved in not having to have her lymph nodes removed. She had already asked her son’s tennis coach to teach her to play right handed which was fortunately now not necessary!

Ali had six rounds of a combination of two chemotherapy drugs three weeks apart and after her fifth round she required a blood transfusion. In July that year Ali had three more weeks of daily radiotherapy and regular checks concluded that Ali was now clear of cancer.

It was however during a routine mammogram 12 years later that a lump was found, this time in Ali’s right breast and the cancer was ER Positive. It was then that Ali decided to seek clarity as to whether there was a genetic link. In August 2012 Ali had another lumpectomy, and a further six rounds of chemotherapy and four weeks of daily radiotherapy. In March 2013 Ali received confirmation that she had the BRCA2 gene mutation.

By 2014, Ali’s daughter was tested. Ali and her daughter were both so very delighted and relieved to find that there was no genetic risk.

After seeking advice from a number of sources, Ali herself had a double mastectomy two years after learning of the BRCA2 gene mutation and is now participating in a study to try and understand why the mutation tends to occur often in those with a family history.

Ali is planning to walk the Breast Walk Ever Berks alongside her team of friends this year. “I have found walking a great way to get my fitness back after surgery. Walking as part of a group is a great way to help motivate each other”.

Why not join Alison with your own team on May 5th safe in the knowledge that you are helping to bring a vaccine Against Breast Cancer ever closer.

Entry to Breast Walk Ever Berks ranges from £10-£26 depending on distance and Concessions are available for senior citizens and students. We ask all participants to try and raise £50 towards our research.

We look forward to welcoming you to the banks of the Thames this Spring.

Visit the Against Breast Cancer website

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Local giving for local need

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The Community Foundation for Surrey is making a difference through its family of donors.

Local people who want to give back to their local community and make a difference. That’s the simple premise behind the Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation for Surrey is dedicated to enabling local philanthropy across the county, connecting people with charitable projects.

Foundation donors are individuals, families, businesses and charitable trusts which support the community by awarding grants to meet identified local needs.

The Community Foundation model was first established in the USA in 1914 and is now a global movement operating in more than 1,800 communities worldwide, with 46 in the UK. Since setting up in the UK, Community Foundations have collectively awarded more than £1billion in grants to support local charities and voluntary organisations in need.

You may be surprised to discover that there is such a need right here in Surrey which is consistently rated as among the best places to live in the UK. However, even here there are pockets of deprivation and people who face multiple challenges, from mental health to domestic abuse.

The foundation’s research, Surrey Uncovered, has exposed the real need that exists in the county, the needs which motivate the foundation to raise awareness of the importance of philanthropy and encourage local people to be part of the solution.

Last year the Community Foundation for Surrey awarded more than £1.4million in grants, the highest amount awarded in a single year since the charity was set up in 2005.

The foundation’s work to inspire philanthropy in Surrey has generated a total of £23million for causes in the community, helping them both on a day-to-day basis and in perpetuity.

Laura Thurlow, chief executive of the foundation, said: “While we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved, there is still much more work to be done. Sadly, last year, we were unable to support over £1.5million of requests from community groups working to make our county a better place.

“Our aim is to encourage and inspire more local people to join our growing family of donors. We offer a range of giving options and enable donors to give to the areas of importance to them and causes close to their heart.

“Whether you’re a local group looking for funding, or someone wanting to support the local community, we would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch!”

Top photo: CFS Staff Team – Rebecca Clay, Nicola Bartlett, Victoria Kear, Joe Crome, Laura Thurlow, Kate Peters, Louise Wickham, Deepa Craig

Did you know...

some 22,640 children live in poverty in Surrey

10,600 of Surrey children aged five to15 have a mental health disorder

24,000 girls and women in Surrey aged between 16 and 59 have been the victim of domestic abuse

30,000 carers are over the age of 65

  For more information about the foundation, please visit www.cfsurrey.org.uk

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Green party: April recipes

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Watercress & cheese scones

Ahead of Alresford Watercress Festival on Sunday, 19th May, The Watercress Company has teamed up with chef Keri Astill Frew. Watercress, which grows in the flowing spring waters of Hampshire and Dorset, is one of the healthiest plants known to man and has been revered since ancient times. It contains more than 50 vital vitamins and minerals and, gram for gram, even contains more calcium than milk, more folate than banana, more vitamin C than oranges and more vitamin E than broccoli. Watercress has been scientifically proven to help prevent cancer and other diseases.

(Prep: 10 mins – Cooking: 15-20 mins – Makes: 9)

Ingredients:

• 100g watercress
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder (optional)
• A pinch of salt
• 50g butter, cubed
• 75g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 200ml buttermilk plus a little for brushing the tops
• A pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Method:

A tangy alternative to the traditional sweet scone, these are delicious with butter or perhaps topped with a cream cheese.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas mark 7.

Reserve a few small sprigs of watercress (to decorate the tops) and finely chop the rest.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and mustard into a large bowl. Add the salt and butter; rub into dry ingredients with your fingers. Stir in watercress and two thirds of the cheese, mix well.

3. Make a well in the centre, add buttermilk and mix with a round bladed knife into soft dough.

4. Very lightly knead on a floured surface, then use a floured rolling pin to roll dough to a thickness of 2.5cm. Use a 6cm plain round cutter to press out circles of the dough, rerolling lightly, as necessary. The mix should make nine scones.

5. Place the scones on an oiled large baking sheet. Brush each with a little buttermilk (or milk), top with a sprig of watercress, then scatter the remaining cheese on. Dust with a pinch of cayenne if liked, then bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 mins or until golden on top. Leave to cool for five mins before serving warm.

Chocolate, orange & watercress brownies

…with chocolate ganache topping

Chocolate, orange and watercress may not seem the most obvious combination but by golly, it works! The sharp pepper of the watercress contrasts deliciously with the citrus flavours and bitterness of the chocolate to make a truly mouth-watering treat.

(Prep: 40 mins, Cooking: 40 mins, Makes: 16 squares)

Ingredients:

• 300g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 200g unsalted butter
• Zest of one orange
• 350g caster sugar
• Four large eggs
• 100g plain flour, sieved
• 50g cocoa powder, sieved
• 50g watercress, finely chopped

For the topping:

• 250g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 250ml double cream
• 1 tbsp Cointreau (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C and line a square tin with greaseproof paper. Place 200g chocolate, all the butter and orange zest in a heatproof bowl and microwave, full power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring and repeating. Be careful the chocolate doesn’t get too hot and burn.

2. Use an electric whisk, or stand mixer with whisk attachment, to beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Leave the chocolate mix to cool for at least five minutes before stirring in, then mix in the flour and cocoa. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate and watercress, then pour into the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, using a skewer or knife to test it’s cooked. Remove and cool completely.

3. Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan, being careful it doesn’t boil over. Remove from heat, then stir in the chocolate, stirring until melted and mixed. Finally, stir in the Cointreau if using.

4. Allow the ganache to cool a bit, then pour on the brownies in the tin. Smooth using a palette knife or spatula, then leave for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

5. The brownies can be kept for three-to-five days in an airtight tin or frozen (up to three months).

• Visit www.thewatercresscompany.com for more recipes. For details about Alresford Watercress Festival visit www.watercressfestival.org

 Click here for more of our recipes

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Woking Lit Fest

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Book lovers’ paradise at the third Woking Literary Festival  

This year’s Woking Literary Festival has something for the entire family with author talks, pop–up bookshops and a masterclass for aspiring authors, literary lovers are in for a treat. 

The festival returns for a third year to The Lightbox gallery and museum with all events supporting the Art and Wellbeing programme at The Lightbox charity which provides creative workshops for those who would otherwise not have access to the arts and heritage services. 

The event runs from 18th to 29th April with something for younger family members to start with, the charming tale of The Bear and the Piano by David Lichfield, the book is complete with real piano sounds played by the bear. 

Among other highlights of the festival are poetry day on the 27th when spoken word performers and poets will take part in an open mic event featuring comic and published performance poet Robert Garnham. Children’s poet Joseph Coelho will deliver his fun interactive poetry experience. 

April 23rd is celebrating World Book Night and William Shakespeare’s birthday with a lunch-time talk by author Marie Phillips on her new book Oh, I Do Like To Be… a silly, modern update of A Comedy of Errors. The evening brings with mystery and drama at the Bestselling Women of Crime Panel featuring authors Amanda Robson, C L Taylor, Mel Sherratt and Katerina Diamond sharing the secrets behind their successes. 

Local history will be in the spotlight on the 24th with author and local historian Richard Langtree who has spent 15 years researching the life story of Woking’s benefactor William Hamilton.  

The Lightbox Thursday Late Opening returns on the 25th with a Joke in the Box Special while the following night it will be all about raising funds to boost the Art and Wellbeing programme  with the Lost in Literature quiz night – show off your literary knowledge, raise money for a good cause and the winning team gets to take home signed books from the featured authors. 

Recent best-selling writer A J Pearce will be talking about her debut novel Dear Mrs Bird and the complex research that went into it and revealing news on upcoming adventures in the forthcoming sequel. 

Historical fiction author Alison Weir is back for the third year in a row with the latest instalment of her Six Tudor Queens series, Anne of Kleve: Queen of Secrets and Alison will be happy to sign copies bought in The Lightbox shop. 

The festival will close with a Guardian Masterclass from publisher Scott Pack who will offer no-nonsense advice for budding writers to help get their work noticed by publishers, write an engaging synopsis and what to include in the all-important cover letter. 

  For more information about the Woking LIterary Festival and to book for any of the events visit www.thelightbox.org.uk or call 01483 737837. 

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Street parties

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Don’t miss out on your chance to party in Reading

If you want to get your friends and neighbours together this summer for a street party you only have a week left to get your application in to Reading Borough Council. 

Communities are being invited to hold a get together without paying the usual road closure fees but must complete and return a form by Monday, 22nd April.

There are three weekends in June and July when residents are being invited to hold street parties for the Big Lunch on the weekend of Saturday 1st/Sunday 2nd June, The Great Get Together on Saturday 22nd/Sunday 23rd June and  Reading Summer Street Party Weekend on Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th July.

The Great Get Together is a chance for communities up and down the country to get together to celebrate kindness, respect and all we have in common, and was inspired by MP Jo Cox who was killed in June 2016.

The  Reading  Summer Street Party Weekend is an extra opportunity for local communities and neighbours to spend some time together.
Councillor Tony Page,  Reading’s lead  councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport, said: “It is important to recognise the many things we all have in common and to come together to celebrate our communities.

“We often only catch a glimpse of our neighbours as we go about our every-day business so this is an opportunity to stop and get to know the people living in our street.

“As in previous years, the  council  is keen to help enable these street parties by waiving the usual road closure fees and I would encourage residents to get their applications in as soon as possible.”

Anyone who wishes to apply to hold a street party on any of the specified weekends should complete the form available at www.reading.gov.uk/streetparties  and send it to: Street Parties, Communications Department,  Reading  Borough  Council, Civic Offices, Bridge Street,  Reading, RG1 2LU.

Permission will normally be given, without the usual road-closure fees, subject to it not affecting a main through-route or public transport route.

The deadline for applications is 22nd April 2019. 

  Helpful tips, advice and support for organising a successful event can be found on the Street Party website  and The Big Lunch website 

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Abingdon events

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Cycling, MG cars, rowing and WWII commemoration all part of an unmissable day in Abingdon

Abingdon is the place to be this Sunday – there’s so much going on you’ll be spoilt for choice!

Start the day on your bike with the Abingdon Cycle Festival which runs from 9am to 4pm with free rides and cycling activities for all ages and abilities.

The event, which offers more than 20 rides for road and mountain bikes and anything else with two wheels, aims to encourage as many as possible to get on their bikes, with rides starting from the Market Square from 9am.

Live music, food and bike displays add to the atmosphere and make for a great family day.

For more on this visit the Freewheeling site

 

If four wheels are more your thing then Abingdon MG car club is holding a rally leaving from Miele at 10am. The classic cars are always a great attraction for watching crowds.

For more details on this see the MG Car Club Abingdon site.

 

From the roads to the river with the Abingdon Spring Head of the River Rowing Festival – more than 360 boats from across the country will race on the Thames watched by spectators at Rye Farm Meadow and along the course past the Marina and along to Culham weir.

There’s a BBQ, local beer, tea and cakes, Morris dancing and much more to enjoy too.

The racing starts around 10am, for more on this visit Abingdon Rowing Centre

 

And if you’re still hungry for more then step back in time with The Thames at War, 1940s Day at Abingdon lock commemorating the water-borne Home Guard during the Second World War, the Upper Thames Patrol.

The day (10am to 4pm) will be full of fun with Home Guard displays, exhibitions, talks, re-enactors, military vehicles and vintage boats, including Dunkirk little ships.

Find out more at the Thames at War website

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Seesaw record

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Seesaw record bid promises more ups and downs than Brexit 

If you’re in the Twyford area – and even if you’re not – you won’t want to miss this! 

Beginning on Saturday, 13th April, a record attempt is taking place for the amount of time spent going up and down on a seesaw. The event is set to last until Tuesday, 16th April. 

‘Bouncers’ will be attempting to recreate the efforts, 50 years ago, of Twyford Youth Club members David Turner and David Sutch, who remained on the same seesaw for an impressive 80 hours, bouncing 57,810 times. 

Now David T is masterminding an attempt to equal if not better that. But it’s not for the faint-hearted, he says: “It really does mean at least 80 hours continuously. Participants will sleep, eat and deal with calls of nature without getting off the seesaw.” 

He has built a giant-sized seesaw, complete with seats from his car and designed it for the users’ comfort. 

It’s all in aid of a newly-established charity Twyford Community Hub, a plan which aims to turn the former Polehampton Boys School, where the challenge will be attempted, into a library and central venue for local organisations. 

David has yet to name the two people who will attempt the bouncing and helpers are always welcome, but as David says the key to success for him is to raise the money to refurbish the former school building. 

He says: “For that I need people to sponsor the attempt, make donations, or meet some of the inevitable expenses. 

“This is one event where we can guarantee that will be ups and downs along the way but just imagine the kudos for a business sponsor who can say ‘We are world record breakers’. “ 

Check out the facebook event

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Easter Passion Play

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Join the community event in the Abbey Grounds and witness the Passion Play

The Big Easter Event in Abingdon on Saturday, 6th April, is set to be great fun for the whole community with the highlight being the Passion Play.

It tells of the dramatic final days of Jesus’s life. The rollercoaster from adoration by the crowds through plotting, cynical power politics, suffering and betrayal to the end…but what end?

The aim of putting on the Passion Play is not to project any particular interpretation of the events of those days, but to encourage people to think about the events in their own way…what do they mean? Should they mean something? So what happened and why did it happen?

This will be the third time that the Passion Play attempts to answer these questions, after 2013 and 2016, but this time with a difference. The 2019 staging will be a completely new production featuring a small team of professional actors from LAMPS  Collective, an Abingdon based theatre company. These will be supported by a large ensemble of amateur actors and singers who will have the exciting opportunity of performing alongside them – many local people who been attending auditions and rehearsals over the past few weeks. It builds on the experience of the successful creative team which staged previous productions and will once again be directed by Sam Pullen-Campbell.

The Passion Play will be re-inacted from 2pm to 3pm in the Abbey Grounds, where beforehand the Big Easter Event which starts at 12.30pm will entertain with live music from local choirs and musicians, food including lots of chocolate, spring crafts and games and stalls.

For more to do at Easter, check out our Easter egg-stravaganza

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Full steam ahead

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Step back in time as Didcot Railway Centre launches Lady of Legend

The Great Western Society will see 15 years of hard work, sweat and tears realised when Lady of Legend is officially launched at Didcot Railway Centre.

Since 2004, the society has been working to recreate an example of the iconic ‘Saint’ class locomotive and now work is complete it will be unveiled by culinary queen Prue Leith, a former member of the British Railways Board, on Friday, 5th April at 11.15am.

The GWR ‘Saint’ class locomotives, introduced by G J Churchward in 1902, represented one of the most important steps forward in railway traction of the 20th century. The class incorporated many revolutionary advances in design and the ‘Saints’ are now acknowledged to have had a huge influence on almost every aspect of steam locomotive development.

The final engine, the Saint David, was withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1953, ending the work of the service – until now.

Lady of Legend will be on display over the weekend to visitors to the railway centre as will another well-known local lady, baking icon Christine Wallace, who will be familiar to many from Bake Off.

She will be found in a marquee at the centre cooking up Edwardian dishes from the era and dressed as Downton Abbey cook, Mrs Patmore. Edwardian cookery was quite lavish so visitors will be in for an extra treat with tastings available.

Also on show will be several other engines, coaches and wagons and you can enjoy a ride in coaches from the 1930s.

For more information and to book tickets, visit Didcot Railway Centre

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Wind in the Willows

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Help save Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad and create a wilder future

Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad are starring in a new campaign from The Wildlife Trust calling for a wilder future.

A Wind in the Willows trailer (below) featuring in cinemas this weekend shows the threats the much-loved characters are facing and what can be done to help our wildlife before it’s too late.

And it’s received backing from Sir David Attenborough as well as the stars who provide the characters’ voices – Stephen Fry as Badger, Catherine Tate as Ratty, Alison Steadman as Mole and Asim Chaudhry as Toad.

The trailer mirrors the reality of creatures such as the badger, water vole, mole and toad with disruption to their lives by roads, river pollution and intensive agriculture.

Kenneth Grahame wrote Wind in the Willows more than 100 years ago and in the time since it was published in 1908 many of the UK’s wild places and its wildlife have been destroyed.

Ratty, the water vole, is the UK’s most declining mammal and despite work to identify the number in Surrey it is unclear if any still exist in the county. It is presumed extinct.

Almost 70 per cent of toads have been lost over the last 30 years too.

The main problems wildlife face in this country are:

• Loss of habitat from intensive farming and places broken up by roads

• Climate change which disrupts breeding patterns, threatens life cycles and creates food shortages

CEO of Surrey Wildlife Trust, Sarah Jane Chimbwandira said: “People move to Surrey because they love the convenience of commuting to work and living within a beautiful county, with leafy neighbourhoods, iconic woodland views form the Surrey Hills and peaceful riverside walks.”

The decline in UK habitats since Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful tale is truly shocking

She added the county’s wildlife is in great decline and in for it to recover it is essential “to create a mass movement of people calling for change”.

Sarah Jane said: “The Wildlife Trust film is a sad version of The Wind in the Willows – showing how Ratty and Toad have hit the buffers – but it’s not too late to save them in Surrey. We can create strong laws to establish a Nature Recovery Network, which will enable a wider future and help nature make a comeback.”

The aim of the film is to inspire people to help by: contacting politicians to ask for stronger environmental laws; walking in the paw prints of others and imagine what wildlife needs to survive where you live and create a wilder future where you are by playing a part in making changes.

Alison Steadman who plays Mole said: “The decline in UK habitats since Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful tale is truly shocking. Millions of people in this country profess a love of wildlife and we need everyone to be taking it back action to bring about nature’s recovery.

“I wanted to take part in this film to help inspire people to get involved and bring our nature back.”

Sir David gave his support to The Wildlife Trust’s campaign saying: “What we create may not look exactly like the countryside that Kenneth Grahame drew such inspiration from, but our wildlife won’t mind just so long as it has the places it needs to live and thrive.”

Find out what you can do to get involved at www.surreywildlifetrust.org.uk and if you’re going to the cinema this weekend don’t forget to look out for the trailer.

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