Great expectations

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Youngsters – of all ages, from tots to teens – can enjoy a taste of wildlife and the countryside thanks to volunteers helping with events in Windsor Great Park, writes Peter Anderson

There are lots of super-natural events in Windsor Great Park’s educational centre.

Windsor Great Park Environmental Centre is an exciting five-year partnership project between the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and The Crown Estate. From the Nature Tots to the Young and Teen Ranger meetings, there are monthly sessions where children can get real hands-on experience of life in the countryside, and the flora and fauna you can find here, with guidance from skilled supervisors.

Nature Tots is a parent-and-toddler group with a difference. You can head along with your pre-school little one and introduce them to the great outdoors. The 90-minute sessions spend about the first 15 minutes outside before coming indoors and there are a wide-range of activities to spark their curiosity and have fun in natural surroundings. Each session will include seasonal nature discovery, games, crafts and lots of fun! Story-time and drinks also included. Children must be accompanied by a supervising adult, and younger brothers and sisters are welcome.

Young Rangers is a monthly wildlife group which meets in the early evening for children aged between eight and 12. Here they can become nature detectives and find all about the birds, bats, deer, mini-beasts and more, which live in the park and forest. Activities include pond-dipping, bug hunts, animal tracking, shelter building and bushcraft. Drinks will also be provided during the sessions, and they will require a signed consent form from an adult. There are two sessions per month, but the second one is a repeat to allow for any children who cannot make the first session.

Teen Rangers is a monthly group of budding naturalists aged between 12 and 16 who meet in the early evening. Here you can spend time in the forest discovering who and what lives there, but it may not be them you spot first! You may need to use your tracking skills, but you will have skilled volunteers and trainers from BBOWT to help you with that, as well as shelter-building and bushcraft, as you learn all about the flora and fauna in this marvellous location.

For further information on dates, times and suggested donations, please visit www.bbowt.org.uk. The website also has information on other events organised by the trust and how you can donate to help the valuable work BBOWT does to protect and preserve natural surroundings around the three counties.

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Have you tried a TFKC?

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Malaysian, Portuguese and a sprinkling of London sophistication is what inspires the cusine created by husband and wife team Test Kitchen Food, writes Rachel Wakefield

The Test Kitchen van has been seducing late night drinkers, near the Windsor and Eton Brewery, for more than a year now. It’s also been turning heads every Saturday morning near the Loading Bay Cafe, with its tasty, cooked-to-order food.

It’s easy to understand why – just talking to owner, Milly O’Connor about what she serves is beyond distracting. Take for example, the popular Super Bon Bon: marinated pork loin, in paprika, garlic and thyme, grilled and served with melted cheese, fried mushrooms and a garlic aioli sauce, in a ciabatta roll. Or, the TKFC: deboned chicken thighs, marinated in mirin sauce, soy sauce, garlic and ginger, then covered in sweet potato flour, deep fried and finished with a maple syrup and soy glaze, with a spiracha dip. In my mouth!

Milly and her husband John, who is the chef, met through a mutual love of food. She was managing the Kensington restaurant and nightclub, Dirty Bones, he was a cook at Fulham’s Malthouse. They both have interesting foodie heritages, he’s from Portugal and her mother is Malaysian.

“I was nine months pregnant when we bought the food truck,” recalls Milly. We had just moved back to my home town of Windsor, as we had made a decision to bring up our son Salvador here. “We had this idea to bring the London, foodie sophistication in the neighbourhood.”

It has not taken John long to establish good relationships, with his main supplier being the Royal Windsor Farm Shop. “Our menu is based on good, local, seasonal produce and Tony, the butcher always delivers from there,” says Milly.

“We called the business Test Kitchen Food, because we wanted to be flexible in the food we offered. Not sticking to one style of cuisine.”

The adventurous pair will be curating a foodie event on Friday, 25th May, called Hawkers Bazaar. This event is inspired by the vibrant night markets and hawker centres of Malaysia. It will take place at the Loading Bay Cafe, Vansittart Estate, Windsor SL4 1SE. It will be a showcase of local talent including an experimental cocktail truck, an exotic ice cream roll trader, lots of authentic hawker style food plus local musicians performing late into the night. Tickets available to book online, visit: www.eventbrite.co.uk

To keep up-to-date with what’s cooking in the kitchen, take a look on the Facebook page @testkitchenfood.

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Free Spirit

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Her Majesty chose The Free Spirit Horse Memorial Project as a partner for this year’s Royal Windsor Horse Show, writes Rachel Wakefield

The Free Spirit Horse Memorial Project, is a charity which acknowledges the horse’s unfaltering service to mankind throughout history, through war, sport, industry, therapy and recreation. This charity has been announced as the official partner of Royal Windsor Horse Show, taking place from Wednesday, 9th to Sunday, 13th May, in the private grounds of Windsor Castle.

The project has been created to raise funds for a memorial, named The Free Spirit Horse Memorial, which will be located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and will be unveiled, this year, to coincide with the centenary anniversary of the end of the First World War.

The memorial will be accessible to able bodied and disabled people, providing a tactile as well as a visual experience, with seating for reflection and contemplation, information plaques in braille for those who are visually impaired, Makaton symbols and dyslexia approved font to aid communication. This accessibility was of paramount importance to the project organisers as it mirrors the horse, who does not judge but treats and respects each person as an individual, bringing together all members of the community without prejudice.

As part of its charitable aims, the Free Spirit project also provides education around the role of the horse through art, music and history to ensure that the significance of the horse is taught to future generations.

The project has released a charity single to help raise funds which is downloadable through Spotify and I-Tunes. The song brings together young people from a variety of backgrounds and is an expression of their thoughts and feelings in regards to the horse now, and in the future.

Ambassador of the project, Sarah Clegg says the song is: “Sensitively written and beautifully performed, the Free Spirit Song represents the very best of young creativity in honouring the horse.”

Horse Show director, Simon Brooks-Ward says: “We are delighted to be supporting The Free Spirit Horse Memorial Project. Royal Windsor Horse Show is an annual celebration of top equestrian sport and entertainment, so this partnership is a natural fit, commemorating the role of horses in society, past and present.”

Further information on events that pay tribute to this honourable and emotive creatureå can be found at www.freespiritmemorial.co.uk

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Mend your ways

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The South Downs Way needs urgent fixing for future generations and you can help with a new initiative, writes Rachel Wakefield

It was my playground as a child, proudly states Andy Gattiker, about the South Downs Way (SDW). Now, he works as a SDW trail officer, for the National Trails, managing this natural asset, stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne through 160km of wild beauty – it is no easy task.

“Fifteen thousand pairs of boots, 10,000 bicycle tyres and 800 hooves travelling the length of the trail each year cause a lot of wear and tear! Our existing funding allows us to make most repairs but there are a number of projects which are too expensive to tackle using existing funds. Each year, as the erosion and mud gets worse, they get more damaged and much harder to fix.”

SDW is asking everyone who loves the trail to help raise £120,000 to mend broken sections of the trail. The ‘Mend Our Way’ campaign is being run by the South Downs National Park Trust, an independent charity working with the National Trails and British Mountaineering Council. Find out more  www.mendmountains.thebmc.co.uk.

—Old Winchester Hill is a scheduled ancient monument with an Iron Age Hill Fort, a Bronze Age cemetery and is also a National Nature Reserve. It’s one of the most iconic hills in the National Park. But the route up to it becomes a slippery kilometre of boot-churned mud every winter. Being inaccessible to machinery and vehicles makes it a great place to be (when it’s dry) but almost impossible to reach to fix. What is needed is £50,000 to scrape away the mud and replace the surface with stones.

Millpond Bottom, between Beacon Hill and Penn Hill, has some impressive scaring. Successive feet, wheels and hooves have more than doubled the width of the chalk track – putting nearby sensitive Scheduled Ancient Monuments at risk. What is needed is £15,000 to safely transport materials to the site, mend the trail and keep walkers on the straight and narrow.

— Hyden Lane near Butser Hill sits on top of the chalk ridge but suffers from a lack of drainage. As large puddles get trapped on the busy track. It will take £35,000 to fix 1.6km of the track and create a camber to help it drain.

Andy adds: “If we want people to care about our environment and feel some ownership and responsibility for it, then they need to fully experience it. It needs to be easy for people to get out and explore our fantastic National Park. That’s what the ‘Mend Our Way’ is really all about.”

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Hardeep and meaningful

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Peter Anderson catches up with Hardeep Singh Kohli ahead of his Alternative, Fact stand-up show which lands at Bordon’s Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre

Q: Which came first for you; comedy or journalism..? And how did you discover satire?
“I grew up in the VCR generation which meant we recorded and rewatched comedy over and over again. I never dreamt that I’d one day be working in comedy. Comedy was my passion but journalism was going to be my job. Then I ended up going to law school and joining the BBC. I never ‘discovered’ satire because I don’t remember a time before it. Not The Nine O’Clock News, Yes Minister, Bill Hicks, The News Quiz, The New Statesman – satire was everywhere. And I was at school with Armando Iannuci…”

Q. Who were/are your inspirations?
“I would be nothing without Billy Connolly; I think there’s a generation or two of comics that feel the same. From the age of six I was listening to his records and singing his songs. The brilliant linguaphilia of The Two Ronnies, the sheer joyous nonsense of Eric Morecambe, the multi-talented wordsmithery of Victoria Wood… I continue to be inspired by comics such as Tez Ilyas who is both hugely warm and very funny. Katherine Ryan amazes me with her ability to be crushingly funny yet remain utterly adorable. I never tire of Kevin Bridges’ effortless excellence and I love the darkness of Romesh Ranganathan.”

Q. Do you prefer stand-up where you can get a response or satirical journalism where the response can be a little slower?
“Very good question. When I write I have the ability to delete, rewrite and change. I can go and make a cup of tea and reflect upon a thought. On stage you have one chance, one moment. You have to be able to read the room and feel the energy of the crowd. There is nothing that sharpens focus quite like that! Plus, you never see a reader throw down the paper in disagreement; you definitely see them get up and go!”

Q. Is there somewhere you would really love to perform your show?
“I’d love to play universities and colleges and tap into the energy of the next generation of thinkers and activists.”

Q. How do you relax?
“I love to cook and to eat. I find both – with the inclusion of excellent craft beer – the best way to be.”

Q. What is your writing method; can you discipline yourself to write for so long each day, or do you write as and when The Muse descends?
“I’m a paid writer; I have two deadlines a week so I have to be able to write on demand. The Muse will descend from time to time; I need to make more space for her in my life.”

Q. If you were stranded on a desert island, with two or three others – living, fictional or historical – who would you pick?
“Rosa Parks, My paternal grandfather who died before I was born and my daughter.”

Hardeep’s politically charged show Alternative, Fact is at The Phoenix Theatre & Arts Centre on Friday, 27th April. Tickets £12 – visit www.phoenixarts.co.uk to book.

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Barn beauty

Liz Nicholls

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This month, enjoy The Secret Garden at Cirencester’s newest community asset: the 200-seat Barn Theatre and professional producing house

The Barn Theatre is the centrepiece of ongoing development at Cirencester’s grade II listed Ingleside House. The unsubsidised, not-for-profit theatre will pursue a reputation as a major producing house, attracting the best of UK theatre talent to the area. A large purpose-built education suite, now nearing completion, will host a theatre and musical education projects year-round.

The Barn Theatre’s completion will represent the culmination of two years of hard work. The theatre building itself which was formerly a WWII Nissen Hut housing community and youth theatre has undergone a complete transformation and is now equipped with a 200-seat air-conditioned auditorium space, a new stage and orchestra pit beneath, and the latest in lighting, sound and projection technology. A newly built atrium joins the theatre to the adjacent Ingleside House, providing a contemporary theatre bar and foyer, and through access for audiences and visitors to the beautiful Ingleside House and gardens.

The venue now also includes a stunning, new stand-alone restaurant and piano bar (Teatro) with talented young chefs offering excellent food in amazing surroundings. Pre-theatre dining and a varied programme of live music at the 50-seat restaurant mean Teatro is ideal for a full evening’s entertainment, on theatre nights, or at any time.

The Barn Theatre officially opens on Monday, 19th March, with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden, based on the 1911 book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The script and lyrics are by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman with a score by Lucy Simon. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1991 going on to win three Tony Awards. Dominic Shaw, who has worked on several West End Shows including Beautiful – The Carole King Musical; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde and currently, Kinky Boots will direct the show.

To book tickets (£14 – £28) for The Secret Garden please visit www.barntheatre.org.uk or call 01285 648255.

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New heights

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As we fly into a new year, why not volunteer for your local air ambulance charity and make a difference locally?

A new year… have you made any resolutions? Well if yours included spending some time helping as a volunteer, then your local air ambulance would love to hear from you – and will give you some training as well.

Volunteers provide invaluable support to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) throughout the year, fulfilling many important and rewarding roles. From giving talks to local groups, to distributing donation pots, attending fundraising events and presenting two highly successful educational programmes, volunteers play a key role in the day to day activities of the charity.

HIOWAA is seeking to recruit a wide range of volunteers from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and is keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering, regardless of how much time they can give. They also recently launched a popular Volunteer Training Programme, offering volunteers training in areas including public speaking, first aid, health and safety, compliance and inter-personal skills.

In particular, HIOWAA is looking for volunteers to help present LifeLines, the charity’s newly launched educational programme for young people aged between 11 and 18. The volunteer role would suit anyone with teaching experience, or anyone comfortable presenting to groups of youngsters.

“Our volunteers playing a vital role in helping to keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives, says charity manager Sherie Williams Ellen. “They provide an essential link to our local communities and we simply could not manage without them. Our volunteers have busy lives and often have to fit volunteering around several other commitments. We are keen to hear from those who want to volunteer on a regular basis as well as those who can help out once or twice a year. Volunteering provides the perfect opportunity to support our life saving service and is also a great way to learn new skills and be a lot of fun.”

To find out more information on how you can help your local air ambulance, please visit www.hiowaa.org

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