Big Balloon Build raises over £10,000

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Local charities’ funds inflated by colourful display of more than 125,000 balloons with the help of Surrey’s Peanut Balloons

Surrey balloon artist Amy Brown has raised more than £10,000 for charity with her Big Balloon Build, an incredible festive display of creativity in December.

More than 1,000 people visited the Big Balloon Build created out of 125,000+ balloons and built in just under four days.

“I’ve seen such wonderful achievements from all the artists involved and incredible possibilities of what can be created out of the humble latex balloon on my journey with the Big Balloon Build,” said Amy, who owns and runs Peanut Balloons in Thursley. “Since my first build in 2017, I have wanted to bring this impressive world to the people in my area, so by bringing it home, I have not only been able to do this, but also help local charities within the community too.”

As a certified balloon artist, Amy has more than 15 years of balloon industry experience and loves the new challenges that balloon decorating brings. This was her sixth Big Balloon Build.

Seventy five of the best balloon artists were selected from around the world to come to the UK and transform the Charterhouse Club at Charterhouse School into a unique, walk-through balloon world, filling the 12,500 square foot Sports Hall.

The impressive display was created in just three and a half days although Amy worked for months behind the scenes with designers and organizers from the Big Balloon Build to bring this incredible event to Surrey.

Visitors were taken on a journey from London to the North Pole made entirely out of biodegradable, natural latex balloons and saw Big Ben, shops, enchanting elf villages, a ski slope with a skiing bunny, life-size reindeer ushering Santa’s sleigh across the winter sky and so much more. Paddington was certainly very popular.

One of those which benefitted was Meath Epilepsy Charity., Lucy Miguda, head of fundraising said: “This was incredible, it totally blew my mind!”

A VIP launch party was held with more than 80 guests including The Mayor of Waverley Cllr Penny Rivers, The Mayor of Godalming Cllr Adam Druce and The Mayor of Guildford Cllr Masuk Miah. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, and his family joined in on the fun stopping by for a look when the build opened to the public Friday 15th to Sunday, 17th December.

“We had a lovely time at the balloon event, we have never seen anything like it and had to go around twice,” said Kimberley Burmingham, an associate at Phyllis Tuckwell.

“We are so very happy to receive this wonderful donation, which we will use to provide vital play and leisure opportunities to local disabled young people across the South East, so they can have fun and enjoy new activities with their friends,” said Becky Cox from Disability Challengers.

All profits from ticket sales have been donated in an equal split between the five charity partners: Disability Challengers, Action for Children, The Meath Epilepsy Charity, Phyllis Tuckwell and Farnham Youth Choir. The five charities will split the $10,000 raised to help children in the greater Surrey area.

“The funds raised from the Big Balloon Build could support up to 380 children by paying for soft furnishings for a young person moving into care, helping them to make their room feel like their own,” said Sam Jones, regional manager at Action for Children.

Generous sponsorships were also given from Brewers Decorator Centres and Dominos Pizza Guildford-Stoughton branch who provided a group trip for the delegates to Wisley Glow and evening pizzas for them too. “We are extremely grateful as without the delegates, these fundraising events don’t happen!” said Brown.

Gemar Balloons, a leading manufacturer of 100% bio-based rubber balloons, donated all 125,000+ balloons to the cause and PremiumConwin, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality balloon  inflators and ecofriendly balloon accessories, provided all equipment to inflate the Christmas Wonderland.

Worth The Weight

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Share some love for preloved clothes on Saturday, 27th January at Oxford Town Hall at Worth The Weight’s Oxford Kilo Sale.

Sheffield based Worth The Weight was founded in 2018 as a way of fighting fast fashion. Experts predict 2024 will see the trend of shopping second hand increase dramatically – with the cost of living going up and worries about climate change, shoppers are keen to not only to save the environment, but save a few pounds by ditching fast fashion and opting for a preloved approach.
 
Events like Worth The Weight’s Oxford Kilo Sale offer a chance for shoppers to rethink their shopping habits and become part of the shopping revolution. The event will feature nine tonnes of handpicked vintage and pre-owned stock to have a rummage through, it’s a great way to start the new year with a clear conscience this January.
 
It can also be a tough time that’s why they are continuing to cap heavier items at £20. Even if it weighs over a kilo, you’ll never pay more than £20 for 1 item! Just be sure to point out heavy items to your server at the till to redeem the discount.
 
Chris Davies, Worth The Weight Organiser, said: “We’re noticing a change in shopper demographic during the events, Oxford has seen families of all ages coming together to help support the sustainable clothing industry.”
 
Worth The Weight will return to The Oxford Town Hall on Saturday, 27th January from 11am until 5pm. Entry is £3 for early bird and £2 after.
 
For more details about Worth The Weight and future events visit Worth The Weight Vintage

Social post – Rethink your shopping habits and share some love for the planet and your pocket at Worth The Weight’s Oxford Kilo Sale at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday, 27th January, 11am-5pm

Behind the scenes with Thame Players

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On Saturday 27th January Thame Players are throwing the doors wide open to welcome everyone who’d like to see how it’s all done to come and look round the theatre

If you’ve ever wondered how a theatrical production is staged and what goes on behind the scenes, this is the time to find out!

You’ll be able to see how the theatre in Nelson Street OX9 2DP works from front of house to backstage, meet the (often highly skilled) volunteers who are behind every show put on, find out how to get involved yourself, and get some hands-on training, whether you’re interested in treading the boards, using your tech or DIY skills, helping with costumes and props, or greeting audiences at front of house.

You’ll be able to talk to members of our friendly team about any of these subjects:

Acting and directing – If you want to have a go at performing, this is your chance to grab a mic and recite or sing on the stage! You’ll receive advice and coaching by Thame Players’ actors, and music and play texts will be provided.

Sound and lighting – Members of the theatre’s tech team will show you round the impressive sound and lighting equipment, and you can have a go at pressing the buttons. If you’d like to improve your skills and you’re curious to see what’s involved, this is a great opportunity.

Backstage – You can see for yourself what the backstage crew get up to, so that things happen on cue and shows run smoothly. Members of the backstage team will be pleased to show you what’s involved and how it all comes together.

Set-building – If you’re handy with the screwdriver, you like woodwork or DIY or maybe  using a paintbrush, these skills are vital. You’ll be able to talk to members of the team, and try out a few effects yourself.

Costumes and make-up – Sourcing, making or adapting costumes is quite an art. Make-up is equally skilled. If you’re artistic, you like sewing or you’re handy with a powder brush, you can try some of Thame Players’ costumes, experiment with make-up effects and watch hands-on demos.

Front of house – If you’re good at socialising with people and can also pour the drinks, the front of house team are the friendly faces audiences meet when they arrive to see a show and gather in the foyer. To see how you could use your people skills, you can chat to members of the theatre’s front of house team.

Wayne Gibson, Open Day coordinator at Thame Players, said: “The theatre is made up of a community of people with different skills who make the magic happen. We’re looking forward to welcoming anyone and everyone from Thame and the local area on Saturday 27th, when there’ll be opportunities to find out what’s involved in putting on a show and how the theatre ticks. You’ll see what we do and how we do it, from acting and directing to set building, sound & lighting, and much more. So please come and see us at the Players Theatre on our Open Day – you’ll learn a lot and have a fun experience too!”

Hard & Fast

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We’re sharing a taste of The Fast 800 Keto recipe book, as seen on Channel 4’s Lose A Stone In 21 days by Dr Clare Bailey who is on tour with her husband Dr Michael Mosely this month

Creamy broccoli, ginger and coriander soup

A light soup with the warming qualities of coconut, ginger and coriander running through it. The recipe makes enough for four but it keeps well in the fridge or freezer.

Serves 4, Prep 5-7 minutes, Cook 15-20 minutes.

Ingredients

1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped, 40g fresh root ginger, roughly chopped (no need to peel)

1 and half tbsp oil

1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped

1x 400ml tin coconut milk

Vegetable stock cube

15g fresh coriander

40g flaked almonds, toasted, to garnish

Cook’s tip:

Add a protein top-up if you like. Fried diced bacon or feta cheese would go well

1. Place the onion, ginger and olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and saute for three or four minutes until softened

2. Add the broccoli, coconut milk, stock cube and 800ml water (simply refill the empty tin twice). Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat, add the coriander and blitz with a stick blender until completely smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve, topped with flaked almonds.

Persian love cake



Loosely based on a Persian Love Cake, this enchantingly exotic concoction lives up to its name. not sure I do it justice, but it certainly goes down well, with its tangy, orange-flavoured topping, and rich, nutty base. High in protein and nutrients, it has no added sugar, is low-carb and feels like a real treat… Enjoy

Serves 8, Prep 30 minutes, Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients

100g dried figs, finely chopped

60g coconut oil or butter

Two medium free range eggs

60g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Two medium oranges, zested and juiced

100g almonds

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tbsp free-dried raspberries

1 tbsp cider vinegar

For the icing

60g cream cheese

1tsp honey

1tsp lemon zest

Cook’s tip:

This freezes well (so you don’t need to eat it all at once, as Michael is frequently tempted to do). You could use a loaf tin liner if you have one.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C/ gas 4. Line the base of a 20cm x 10cm loaf tin with parchment paper.

2. Place the figs, coconut oil and eggs in a bowl and blitz with a stick blender for about a minute, until creamy but retaining some texture.

3. Stir in 40g of the pistachios, the orange juice, half the orange zest, the ground almonds, cinnamon, cardamom, bicarbonate of soda, half the dried raspberries and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well, then add the cider vinegar and mix again.

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for about 30 minutes until cooked through and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

5. To make the Topping, mix the remaining orange zest with the cream cheese, honey and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread it on to the cooled cake, then sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios and dried raspberries on top.

Dom Joly star Q&A

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Dom Joly discusses The Conspiracy Tour, based on his latest book, which visits Maidenhead, Farnham, Basingstoke, Winchester & more this month and next…

Q. Hello Dom. Your new tour, The Conspiracy Tour kicks off in February. What can we expect?

“It’s a companion to my latest travel book, The Conspiracy Tourist in which I travelled the globe again looking into the strange world of the Conspiracy Theorist. I will take the audience through a range of some of the wackiest conspiracy theories out there and what I think of them. I am pretty much a sceptic and so, for balance, I will be joined by an eminent conspiracy theorist, Dr Julian Northcote (author of the book COWS! Britain’s Secret Killers). Expect fireworks.”

Q. What sort of conspiracy theories did you look at?

“I took my long-suffering wife to Finland for a holiday to prove that it exists. There is a theory that it doesn’t. I also went on a massive road trip across America popping into Denver International Airport, rumoured to be the assembly point for the Illuminati come the Rapture. I investigated UFOs with a visit to Roswell, New Mexico. I looked into the JFK assassination in Dallas, Texas. I chased Alex Jones, the Info Wars grifter around Austin Texas. I also took a Flat Earther to one of the four corners of the square flat earth- an island called Fogo, off Newfoundland. It didn’t go well…”

Conspiracies used to be fun… Nowadays they have gone bats*** insane..”

Q. Why the interest in conspiracy theories?

“Conspiracies used to be fun. Did we land on the moon, Bigfoot, Was Paul McCartney cloned? Nowadays they have gone bats*** insane. They have infected the body politic, with the actual President of the United States supporting Q Anon and urging people to inject themselves with bleach. It’s dangerous and being used by a series of grifters to terrify gullible people and fleece them for money. It makes me angry…but it is also often very funny.”

Q. This isn’t your first travel book?

“No, it’s my fifth travel book. Over the last 15 years or so I have travelled to more than 100 countries and written about some pretty strange stuff. I went on a coach trip around North Korea, an assassination vacation across America, skiing in Iran, walking the length of Lebanon, monster hunting in the Congo, joining an illegal crossing of the US/Mexican border…I even spent a night in Swindon. I seem to be attracted to dark destinations.”

Q. You grew up in Lebanon – is this why you like this sort of travel?

“Possibly. I grew up in the middle of a vicious civil war and yet, I had an unusual but wonderful childhood. Lebanon is an exciting, beautiful place and I always try to find the same in other places that maybe have a bad public image. My favourite fact about growing up in Lebanon was that I went to school with Osama Bin Laden for a year. I was six, he was 18 and so we were not friends but I long to get a school photo. The weirdest part is that it was a Quaker school…Quakers being famous for pacifism.” 

Q. You first shot to fame in Trigger Happy TV- how did that happen?

“I did my life the wrong way round… most people do silly stuff when they are young and then knuckle down. I did the opposite. I was a diplomat in Prague and a producer for ITN in Parliament. Then, I started making satirical comedy but fell into just trying to be as funny as possible when Channel 4 spotted my stuff and asked me to make Trigger Happy TV. I am immensely proud of it. I put blood sweat and tears into every episode and we sold the show to 80 countries and it opened so many doors for me.”

Q. What were your favourite moments making Trigger Happy TV?

“Often, they were the behind the scenes, private jokes. We used to work next to the office where Tony Blackburn worked and we got his autograph every morning, at exactly the same time for seven months and he never noticed. I also, dressed as a traffic warden, once gave a fire engine a ticket while they were putting out a small fire, only to find that I had lost my cameraman and nobody was filming. My favourite Trigger Happy sketch was probably the large snail crossing the road because only in Britain would the traffic stop and wait so patiently as I crawled across excruciatingly slowly.”

Q. What makes you laugh?

“If I had to sum it up, it would be ‘travel vast distances and make an enormous effort to do something totally pointless’. My favourite sketch of all time was actually in a sequel to Trigger Happy TV called World Shut Your Mouth in which we flew all the way to Northern Canada to ‘frighten an Eskimo’ by sneaking up behind him and crashing a large pair of cymbals together before running away and flying back home in triumph.”

Q. What makes you happy?

“My dogs… all dogs actually… except for little ones. No dog should be smaller than a cat.”

Q. What makes you angry?

“How much time do you have? Jacob Rees Mogg, trains, bigotry, bullies, injustice, poor grammar, Boris Johnson, tax dodgers, people failing upwards, grifters, Covid deniers, bureaucracy, traffic wardens, people who stand up the moment the plane lands, people who say eXpresso, automated customer services, Elon Musk, religious zealots, scammers, Q&As, Swindon…”

Q. What have been the highlights of your career so far?

“Learning to fly a hot air balloon. Getting the BBC to pay for me to visit all Seven Wonders of the World in one trip just to stand in front of each one and say “That… is sh*t…” Making a show called Dom Joly’s Happy Hour for Sky One in which I travelled the world getting drunk with my best friend. The Sky lawyers got nervous and asked me not to say that I was ‘getting drunk’ would I mind saying that I was ‘investigating cultural attitudes towards alcohol’ instead. Surviving for three weeks on The Island with Bear Grylls. I lost three stone and nearly my leg. Getting my Alexa to turn all the lights in my sitting room on when I tell it to.”

Q. What do your family think about your life?

“A strange mix of pride, confusion and disappointment. My wife, Stacey is Canadian and much nicer than me and is often very embarrassed by my behaviour. My daughter, Parker just graduated from Oxford Uni and is now working at the university looking into a cure for Alzheimer’s. My son Jackson has just started at Durham and has exceptional music taste which I like to think that I had a part in. We are a very argumentative family. We once drove across the Canadian Rockies in a motor home. If we had recorded the trip, I am convinced that we would have had the best reality show in history…except for Below Deck.”

Q. What does the future hold?

“Who bloody knows? I am developing a Trigger Happy Movie. I am working on a TV series of The Conspiracy Tourist for the US. I’ve only just really discovered radio and it’s something that I really want to explore further. I also have a list of places I have yet to go to. Algeria is currently top of my list. I am obsessed with the place. My son and I want to go storm chasing in America. I want to walk the Cotswold Way with my dogs.”

Dom Joly The Conspiracy Tour lands at theatres around the UK from 21st February, including Farnham Maltings on 29th, Oxford Playhouse on 18th March, details and ticket information at domjoly.tv/dom-joly-tour/

Dom Joly’s The Conspiracy Tourist: Travels Through a Strange World is out now (£22, Robinson).

Ring the changes with your wedding

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Celebrate your big day, your way, your wedding day should reflect who you are and with these trends for 2024 it shows you can ‘rip up the rule book’ and surprise your guests

Congratulations! You’ve celebrated your engagement and now’s where the fun / hard work starts. Planning a wedding is exciting and sometimes overwhelming. Why not take some inspiration from the trends for 2024 to kick start those plans for your ‘big day’…

Sustainability is a key consideration for many brides and grooms this year with couples becoming increasingly aware of the impact on the environment of ‘throw away’ items. Many will opt for biodegradable, recycled and upcycled decorations with ‘pre-loved’ dresses ticking both the eco and cost boxes. Charity shops are a great source of beautiful bargain dresses and Oxfam has a website dedicated to them, onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/bridal

Hiring is growing in popularity too for all the reasons above, older readers will remember fondly popping into high street stores for tails and top hats. Searches for ‘wedding dress hire’ have increased with specialist shops offering the opportunity to rent designer or vintage dresses. It’s only worn for one day and if you’re on a budget or are trying not to splash too much cash on one item, it gives you funds to use elsewhere. One of the key dress trends for this year is colour, expect blush or champagne hues, bold brides may even try blue or peach.

Alongside alternative colours and styles are a move towards alternative venues allowing couples to be more creative and often offering a more personal choice – beaches, barns, vineyards and even industrial spaces are becoming increasingly popular as are outdoor options. During the pandemic many couples wishing to continue with their nuptials had no alternative but to say “I do” in the open air and this is continuing especially with brides and grooms wishing to get up close to nature and celebrate in the great outdoors.

Ideally positioned within the heart of the charming historic village of Crondall, Crondall Village Hall offers a perfect setting for your magical day. Opening onto the village green and able to seat 150 guests comfortably, offering a further smaller room which can act as a bar, buffet space or a further entertaining area, a large well-equipped kitchen, parking and competitive packages, making it suitable for all requirements. Please contact [email protected]

Hand in hand with the venue will go the choice of food and again, there is an increasing trend towards less formal fare with couples reflecting their personalities with sharing platters and grazing menus. Both provide a great way for guests to mingle and break the ice, chatting over the charcuterie and cheese, wandering among warm bread and olives. Dessert bars are an original alternative to the traditional cake, choose a variety of mini options that are sure to please even the pickiest of guests, bear in mind you’ll need to cater for different diets but the possibilities are endless.

After the day-long celebration comes that precious time for the two of you to be together and reflect but don’t despair if that bucket-list once-in-a-lifetime trip isn’t possible right now, opt for a minimoon instead. Choose a nearby location and enjoy just recharging and relaxing after the hectic past few months, perhaps extend your stay at your wedding venue and enjoy what that has to offer.

Explore a delightful array of wedding gifts at Culinary Concepts, crafted to capture the hearts of the newlyweds and be treasured for years to come. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or a stunning centerpiece, from beautiful barware to charming token gifts, our collection has you covered. Visit culinaryconcepts.co.uk for ideas.

A home from home

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Birtley House Nursing Home is unique and unlike other care homes

At a time when new care homes are opening across the South-East on a weekly basis, Birtley House offers its residents a very different proposition. It takes years to build a true home, a bank of trusted staff and an excellent reputation, as we have done. 

Established in 1932, and a fourth-generation family-run business, the owners of Birtley House live on-site and our history and experience in care means we truly understand what it takes to create a genuinely homely environment whilst offering the highest quality service not just in care but with quality of life for the resident at the heart of it.

We pride ourselves on creating the ultimate home-from-home stay that exudes a vibrant, friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We encourage our residents to feel at home by bringing their own furniture and personal belongings, so they have familiar home comforts available to them. Birtley House prides itself on no specific visiting times, and with ample parking on site, family and friends can visit whenever they wish.

Birtley House provides specialist care services for both long and short-term stays including respite, and convalescent care, palliative care, or end-of-life support. Boasting a strong care team, Birtley House has on-site well-being staff such as physiotherapists, and an in-house chef creating delicious and nutritious food throughout the day, much of it sourced from our own large kitchen garden.

We offer potential residents a variety of accommodation options including nursing home rooms and our unique West Wing apartments, both of which have 24-hour nursing care on call. We also have an over-65’s retirement development of two-bedroomed supported-living flats, designed to provide a calm and worry-free life for those who are looking for more independence and flexibility, and who don’t require care just yet.

We always say that the best way to decide if Birtley House is right for you is with a visit. When you enter any care home, you will get an immediate feel as to whether the atmosphere and environment suit you, and what you are looking for. We are here every step of the way to guide you with impartial advice, and help you make an educated choice that is right for you.

For an insight into life at Birtley House, please take a moment to look at our social media accounts. Additionally, there is an independent website which publishes verified reviews from both residents past and present and their relatives, and our entry can be found here. We are very proud of our 9.9 out of 10 review score on carehome.co.uk.

Find out more at www.BirtleyHouse.co.uk, call 01483 892 055 and email [email protected]

Art & soul

Liz Nicholls

Genre

John Vardon raises a toast to Arts’ Society Farnham Evening who have been meeting for 20 years this month

Venice was the subject of the inaugural lecture given by Douglas Skeggs to the Cobbett’s Wey Decorative and Fine Arts Society on 14th January 2004. 

Eight months earlier, in April 2003, a group of like-minded ladies got together with a view to setting up a Decorative and Fine Arts Society (DFAS) that would meet in the evening, complementing the existing society meeting in the daytime, and giving an opportunity for working Farnham people to attend lectures.  There was much to do, from finding a suitable venue, through procuring audio visual equipment, creating a programme of lectures, finding a name for the nascent society, drafting a constitution and preparing publicity material to establishing a membership.  In the intervening period, the steering committee worked hard and with success; the society was born.

From the beginning, refreshments were served before the lectures, allowing members and their guests to socialise and the society’s meetings rapidly gained a reputation as friendly as well as informative events.  In the beginning, nine lectures were presented each year but, after only two years, this was increased to ten. The range of lectures has been extremely wide; topics covered have been as diverse as gardens, silver, furniture, tromp l’oeil, architecture, music, bricks and much else.

The society also arranges visits and study days for members, often related to a the subject of a lecture. Members have also been active participants as Church Recorders and Heritage volunteers. Church Recorders ensure that the contents of a church are meticulously described and fully recorded whilst Heritage Volunteers work to conserve artefacts in museums, archives, gardens and historic houses.  Another aspect of the society’s activities was the Young Arts Bursary designed to assist promising young students in their studies to support artists of the future; more recently, the Society has provided financial support to the Woodlarks Centre, specifically in support of the on-site Activity Centre.

In 2017, the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies rebranded as The Arts Society so, as an affiliated organisation, Cobbett’s Wey DFAS became The Arts’ Society, Farnham Evening (ASFE) but it still retained its reputation as a welcoming and friendly society offering an excellent series of lectures.  The COVID pandemic presented further challenges to the Society which went on-line enabling its programme of lectures to continue with only minor interruptions.  However, it was a real joy for Members to reconvene to socialise over a drink and listen to excellent lectures. Over the years, a hard working and cohesive committee supported by enthusiastic volunteers has ensured the success of the Society.  And so at the end of 2023, the Society celebrates the completion of twenty years with the return of Douglas Skeggs, speaking this time on the topic of James Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

New members are most welcome or come to a talk as a visitor. Free parking and a glass of wine are included! For further information visit theartssocietyfarnhamevening.org.uk

Moving mountains

Liz Nicholls

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Angelina Messenger tells us about her role as a mountain leader and her love for life in the Chilterns

When it comes to aspirations and living life to the full, it’s fair to say that Angelina Messenger sets high standards for herself.

The 47-year-old mum of twin boys who lives in Lane End has a degree in archaeology from Reading University (becoming a member of Mensa many years later), sails regularly at Maidenhead Sailing Club and is an experienced and qualified mountain leader and National Navigation Award Scheme provider.

“As a family, we all climb together at indoor walls and outside on the crags when we can get to them,” she says of her husband and boys, who have just started secondary school in Marlow. “My job and personal hobbies definitely merge into what would be considered mountaineering, but nothing on as grand a scale as Everest, yet…”

Angelina began walking and camping in the hills and mountains as a child growing up in Surrey and has felt the urge to explore ever since. “I later took up mountain biking and adventure racing, kayaking and climbing; I seem to have a never-ending need to try new things. I remember poring over maps, atlases and all things geography as a teenager.

“I love being outside in our beautiful countryside and mountains, and I’m passionate about improving wellbeing through that connection with the natural world.

“I also love sharing my experience and helping other people to achieve new skills and have amazing adventures.”

However adventure starts close to home and Angelina loves where she lives, especially the area around Maidensgrove for some wide open space on the common and its quaint villages… “I’d also pick St Mary the Virgin Church in Radnage,” she adds. “Built far back in the 12th century by the Knights Templar, the inside is always open and tranquil, and it has some fascinating wall paintings that span 600 years. And the views from the hills as you approach it are so picturesque.

“I often use Coffee on the Green in Stokenchurch to meet groups for navigation courses because it’s so well positioned for access from the motorway and the bus service, as well as offering great service and cake! I love the Chilterns’ rolling chalk hills with the special and unique species of plants and animals, the extensive walking network and the conservation work going on to protect our precious natural landscapes.”

This year Angelina is increasing the number of walks and courses she’s running locally, and is looking forward to welcoming people and local groups to gain skills and experience that lead them on to adventures beyond in other beautiful and remote upland areas of the UK.

Please visit angelinamountainleader.com

Tastes of the town

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Marlow Tastes, the town’s excusive safari supper, is now open for bookings to allow hundreds more diners to sample gourmet food while helping charities that support families in need of help.

The three-course mystery tour of some of the town’s finest restaurants was introduced on a limited scale last April and was a resounding success. Places were sold out within a few weeks and the evening raised £8,000 for charity.

This year Marlow Tastes plans to double in size to enable around 400 food-lovers to sample the culinary delights of eight of Marlow’s top restaurants. But the mystery is, they won’t know which three restaurants they will be eating in until they arrive for each course.

A choice of menus will be offered a few weeks before the supper to include dietary needs and preferences. Then the adventure begins with a drinks and canape reception at All Saints Church in Marlow on Tuesday, April 30.

The event is being hosted by Marlow Thames Rotary Club and the website for bookings opens on New Years Day.

The club’s president, Julian Rhodes, explained: “This progressive supper is unique to Marlow, a town gifted with fine restaurants. It’s an opportunity to try out some of our best fare at new venues.

“Rotary is at the heart of its communities but is also quick to respond to worldwide demands. This year our Marlow Tastes adventure will support two leading charities: Marlow United Charities which supports struggling local families, and Parkinsons UK. Further funds will be distributed to other charities supported by Rotary.

Restaurants welcome Marlow Tastes because it enables them to showcase their offerings. Taking part are the Compleat Angler Riverside restaurant, La Cantina del Vino, Cote Brasserie, The Ivy Marlow Garden, , Lavvin, The Marlow Bar and Grill, The Oarsman and Suum Kitchen.

The cost of the reception and the three courses is £65 and much of this amount will be shared by the charities.

Bookings open on Monday, 1st January on the website Marlowtastes.menu and close on March 25 ahead of the event on Tuesday April 30. Bookings can be made for groups of up to six people, in even numbers. Every effort will be made to place known groups together.

The selected restaurants for all groups will not be announced until arrival following the reception and are always within ten minutes’ walk.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised by Marlow’s three Rotary clubs in a variety of ways and the most familiar – and the biggest contributor – is the Santas Fun Run.

Beneficiaries include One Can Trust, Marlow United Charities, Horizon Sports Club, Marlow Opportunity Playgroup, Rivertime Accessible Boating, Wycombe Homeless Connection, various refugee support groups (including Ukraine), Thames Valley Air Ambulance, JAM Theatre, Bucks Young Carers, South Bucks Hospice, South Bucks Headway, Thames Valley Hospice, Alexander Devine Hospice, Thames Valley Adventure Playground, Bucks MIND, Aquabox, Shelter Box and many more.