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The Trainspotter's Grotto ( Part Two)

12/19/2020

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Last week, Mason Moore gave us part one of his great festive tale, The Trainspotter's Grotto.

Mason is a 20-year-old student journalist who covers the town of Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Hinckley Free Press, a student-led news website which he co-founded.

One of Mason’s many original headlines was picked up by regional and national newspapers in England, and even made it over to The Daily Telegraph in Australia.

In the past, he has served as a magazine writer and columnist and worked alongside local newspapers in submitting original photographs and tips for regional journalists.

Here's the concluding part, but, if you want to catch up on Part One first... 
Read Part One by clicking here
by Mason Moore
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With just hours to spare before it turned 9 o'clock, Edward called the Council boss and explained that Lord Farley wanted to move Santa's Grotto to the train station to the steam locomotive passing through the tracks.


Council Boss, Tom Williams, said: "We'd be silly to say no! He's Mr. Moneybags and it would prove more popular with the children than ever before - I'll send the organisers to post a notice on the door right now, and we'll be in early in the morning to box up all of the decorations."

Edward couldn't even get a word in, he just thanked him, and jotted every little breath and word down with his teeline shorthand which he had used to graduate with his Journalism degree.

Edward called back Lord Farley and explained that the plans were indeed going ahead, he said "All is looking up. Consider it a done deal, now we've got to let Santa know, although we'll need to 'enroll the help of Santa's elves' to get our decorations on your train. You're working with the North Pole!"

"Why thank you for letting me know. Ha! Yes, if only Santa's elves could box things up and help us, what lifesavers they would be for us, I'd be forever grateful. See you tomorrow, then!", he proceeded to hang up.

He made the jape but it slipped his mind that Santa's head elf did actually call the newspaper editor himself earlier as he was so shocked that the North Pole wanted to work with him.

Edward had made all of his calls from home that evening, when he was even meant to be off-duty, but who'd say no to helping spread some Christmas cheer? He headed to bed, and called Santa Claus at half six in the morning.

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! went the noise of the vibrations before the ringtone chimed in for the North Pole phone: "Jingle Bells" played until Jasper the Elf working his early morning shift picked up the phone.

"Hello! I do hate to be your personal 'alarm clock', but today is the day! Give Santa an hour and then let him be on his way, for the railway owner millionaire boss is meeting Santa Claus and is hosting the Grotto on the loco'. The Council know, too!"

"Bye bye for now!", he hung up quickly and prepared himself for the day.

Coming off the over end of the phone in Lapland, Jasper ran on over to the big man himself, who was fast asleep in bed wearing his Christmas-themed pyjamas covered which were covered top to bottom in cartoon candy canes and gingerbread men. He was wearing his red night cap with the white bobble on top.

"Santa, Santa, get up, get up! You've got to go...now!"

"The Grotto is being hosted on the locomotive! The big businessman, Farley, wants to meet you!"

"Golly gosh! Oh wow! It's a Christmas miracle. The children will be delighted!" Santa exclaimed. Santa spent the morning practicing his best belly laughs - "Ho, ho, ho; ho, ho, ho!" ready to greet the children with.

He spent the morning eating his mince pie and cornflakes with a cup of tea before setting off, and he even packed himself a glass bottle of Coca-Cola ready for his trip over, whilst his head elves working the early morning shift awoke his reindeer for him as he got changed and donned his famous red uniform.

He took to the sky at seven o'clock ready to arrive for eight o’clock, just before it turned light at half eight.

He flew over whilst it was still dark in the morning and the early morning dog walkers, joggers and outdoor gym-goers had noticed a small spec in the sky.

Now, it wasn't a shooting star, shining star, or helicopter, it was making a rather loud noise and chiming with the sound of bells.

He arrived at 7:59 am, just in time for eight o'clock and parked the Sleigh on a historic piece of land, a private garden in a former stationmaster's house which was once used back in the 1800's, which is protected from the general public so it was the safest place to leave it, and Farley's company owns the land in the modern day.

Santa Claus had an hour to spare until he had to meet the children of Hinckley and got his head elf and practically his publicist at this point, Jasper, to send a press release explaining that the Grotto had moved in one big broadcast email to all of the townspeople.

He casually walked on through Castle Street and oh golly you could hear his big boots stomping from a mile away - thump, thump, thump.

He popped into a nearby red-coloured coffee chain branch and as soon as he worked through the doors, baristas were chattering about how much he 'looked like' Santa.. his deep voice boomed over the counter!

"Ho ho! One gingerbread cinnamon-topped latte, please! Oh, and I heard you back from the entrance because of my good ears...I 'look like' Santa because I AM Santa!"

He pulled out his official credentials, was about to pay for his coffee, but the fee was very generously waived because he was so notable and brings so much joy to the town.


Santa walked what would have a ten minute walk down the empty streets, but stopped himself in his steps where he sneaks a glance of where the Grotto was going to be in the cafe - the boxes had been moved - the elves off the back off the sleigh had been in, located where the loco was overnight and had decorated the inside as they can slip through the tiniest cracks, nooks, and crannies.

An Uber came screeching down the high-street a road away from him, the window rolled on down "I'd recognise you from anywhere...Hop in, Santa Claus! It'll be your first car share, it’s not a sleigh ride for once!"

It was Farley from London, who had taken a two-hour car ride that morning to meet up with Santa. Santa jumped in - they had got to the station and they were greeted by Edward with his notepad and pen.

Crowds started forming to their confusion once they arrived...they had checked - everyone had read the email broadcast, families were waking up, but more importantly, there was only ten minutes to go before the loco' came through to stop on the tracks! The time had flown on by...

With the ten minutes to spare, Edward pulled out his notepad and pen, interviewed Farley and Father Christmas using his shorthand abilities as well as his journalistic instinct, and interviewing techniques.

"Smile!", exclaimed Edward as the duo had their photograph taken on the railway station platform bridge.

They smiled for a photo together, made their way down the bridge and sure enough, a big cloud of steam came out the top of a locomotive with a big festive snowflake on the front of the circular badge.

The trio waited for the steam loco to stop and that it did - it stopped in its tracks and stayed on the line! "Wooo!" "Yaaay!" "Whoopie!", were just a few of the many cheers exclaimed by the young children and adults together in unison at the site of the Christmas loco passing through.

The doors opened - Santa was in shock, his jaw dropped - it was decorated with lifesize nutcrackers in each carriage, blankets of snow, plenty of presents all around for the young children to enjoy and have not just one present but two each, and, the elves had even set up their very own photo booth for selfies!


Santa boarded first and sat on down in his chair and complimentary cups of hot chocolate, and yummy treats like mince pies and yule logs were offered to the youngsters by Santa's elves were on offer. 

Edward was taking photographs for the Tin Hat Journal and Farley was greeting the townspeople who were thanking him for the opportunity to board the exclusive and historic loco with Father Christmas.

Santa had met more people this year than those who visited just to see the loco pass through last year - he met a whopping total of over 500 people in the full hour and a half he was there early in the morning, and all of the children gave him a copy of their Christmas lists, so he was able to keep track of what to deliver to them the next night.

It had came to half 10 for the time that Santa Claus had to leave, he said "Goodbye!" and made sure that he would receive a copy of the Tin Hat Journal when he delivered presents to the Hinckleyans in the town on the night.

He waved goodbye to Edward, Farley and the Council Leader and the townspeople before boarding his sleigh.

Santa Claus headed home and made sure that he had his day off rest off before heading back out to the town where he had his numbered lists to deliver the correct presents to the right children in every household.

When he headed back over the next night in the middle of the night, Santa was surprised by his mince pies, brandy snaps, yule logs, cherry bakewells, biscuits, pints of beer, brandy and milk - it was an awful lot of food but he wasn't
complaining!

As for the children, everybody received exactly what they had asked for on the list when they met Santa Claus - the Council Leader even received a 'thank you' letter from the big bearded man in red himself, Edward, a snowflake-covered designed pen and notepad, and Farley, a toy train and signed photograph of himself of Santa...

Edward did successfully manage to get all of his columns and exclusive front page for the Tin Hat Journal for Santa Claus - it was the best-selling issue. He had left Santa Claus a copy out for night-time when he visited, alongside a pint of real ale.


The End

Merry Christmas

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The Trainspotter's Grotto

12/14/2020

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Welcome to this wonderful seasonal story, written by Mason Moore. a 20-year-old student journalist who covers the town of Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Hinckley Free Press, a student-led news website which he co-founded.

One of Mason’s many original headlines was picked up by regional and national newspapers in England, and even made it over to The Daily Telegraph in Australia.

In the past, Mason has served as a magazine writer and columnist and worked alongside local newspapers in submitting original photographs and tips for regional journalists.

Here's Part One of his Christmas fictional tale, The Trainspotter's Grotto, which will conclude here on Saturday, December 19th.   


Picture
by Mason Moore

​IT WAS the week of Santa Claus' visit to the town of Hinckley and he was preparing for his annual visit to his Amazing Grotto in the town centre.

Santa loved paying a visiting over to the ever-busy town centre as the Christmas cheer really shown in Hinckley like no-other town nearby as Hinckleyans made their best efforts to spread as much festive fun as possible.

Independent coffee shops and cafes would make their own Christmassy hot drinks and mince pies, the tops of the town's shopfronts would be covered in tinsel and whilst the high street was entirely pitch black, the town centre was lit up by the ever-festive Christmas lights which were the only light sources keeping the town bright and alight at night time!

The Christmas tree never failed to impress, decorated with individually handcrafted and homemade ornaments from local children with their parents and nearby schools and youth groups - it was a rather exciting atmosphere for all Hinckleyans and visitors.

Santa Claus looked forward to paying a visit to Hinckley more than any other Leicestershire town centre as the children were ever-so appreciative of all of their presents where he'd meet them inside his Grotto.

The children would meet him in their Christmas jumpers and Santa hats as he inspired them all with his positive attitude and ever-contagious belly laugh as he exclaims "Ho, ho, ho!" and rewards the youngsters for their good manners and being well-behaved by giving them presents every time that he pays a visit.

With it being the weekend with only two days to go before he visited in his Grotto and then two more days before he came down the families' chimneys, he asked the children to work on a list of their most wanted toys so that he knew what to get them this year so that he could grab them from the Grotto and drop it back off to the elves over in the North Pole workshop.

He done this by emailing the local schools, youth groups, and parents. His email read: "Dear all of the boys and girls of Hinckley, I'll be visiting you in just two days in my Grotto where I'll be able to tell you which list you are on - naughty, or nice, although I feel most of you will be on my nice list!

"Please do make a Christmas wishlist of all the toys that you would like this year so that I do know and then give it to me on the day of my visit when I next see you. Ho ho ho!"

The town's youngsters were ecstatic with the news that Santa had emailed them all and wanted to know what they were after this festive season, and from then on, they were glued to television screens and paying trips to the department stores where their lists were getting longer and longer!

An entire day had passed, and the children had their Christmas lists at the ready and there was just one day to go until they met Santa Claus himself.

They had got their sleep and couldn't contain their excitement - you could walk down a street and hear Christmas music playing from miles away! Meanwhile, back at the North Pole, Santa Claus was preparing for his trip over to the town which was just a day away.

All of his reindeer were looking forward to leaving and Mrs. Claus was staying behind with the elves to make sure that the workshop was in tip-top shape so that they could concentrate on making toys all day round.

Now, all Santa Claus had to do was sort out with the big Council bosses whereabouts the Grotto was this year and where his reindeer would be looked after nearby whilst he was handing out his gifts.

He decides to open up the internet and read through a digital copy of the town's newspaper, as he can't pick up the physical copies all the way over from the North Pole, but to his surprise, a nearby railway company had decided that the day that his Grotto would be on they would send their steam locomotive passing through, which only happens once a year.

This wouldn't have proven to be a problem if it was a niche activity, except, it wasn't...it was very, very, very popular and racked up audiences of well over 100 people, in fact when it passed through the year prior in early January, over 350+ attended as Hinckley had the best view for trainspotting in the entirety of Leicestershire.

On the other hand, the head organisers at the railway station had no idea that Santa would be coming through as they were part of a rather large publicly traded London-based firm who even had their own stocks and shares on the London Stock Exchange, and they hadn't clicked with the fact that this would interfere, but Santa had seen what he had seen and was rather shocked by their decision to want to pass through on the day they had chosen and sadly taken it personally.

"Well, well, Mrs. Claus, what have I done wrong? I don't think I have if anything! I reward well-behaved children each year, and they're trying to win the families over instead of letting them see me this year.. Drat. Drat and bother!"

Mrs. Claus replied: "Well, Santa, surely there must have been a mix-up! I'm sure they meant nothing by it to upset you personally, why don't we get the Chief Elf to call the newspaper for the railway bosses phone number?"

"Okay, okay, it's worth a shot, I suppose", Santa exclaimed adamantly. He sat on down with a hot chocolate and mince pie and opened his laptop back up to the virtual newspaper where he whacked in the search bar "EDITOR", and sure enough, the editor's phone number popped up - this would be Santa's best lead to find and locate a contact for this...Out of interest, he even Googled the company, and surprise, surprise, it was the main lead advertisement on their website.

Following Santa's instructions, Head Elf for the Leicestershire area, Jasper, called the Editor of the Tin Hat Journal. "Hello there! I'm Head Elf at the North Pole, I'm calling on behalf of Santa Claus to find out where I could locate a contact number for the railway company."

The Editor, Edward Stockwell, was in shock! He had never heard directly from Santa Claus' team himself as he was a newspaper editor and not a member of Santa's town and events team so this was a pleasant surprise - "Well, I most definitely believe you, but can you please put Santa Claus on the line so I can have definitive confirmation?"

"Speaking! Ho ho ho, in fact, I know exactly where you are, you're on Holliers Walk in a little office and publishing house - I've been past there on my sleigh many a time, you know!"

Mr. Stockwell said: "Well yes, Santa!, oh I do now know it IS you! Please put your head elf on the line again."

Santa proceeded to do so.

Adding further, Edward the Editor asks: "So, may I help? I don't know if I can, but anything for Santa Claus!"

Jasper, Santa's Elf, explained: "Well, only if you'd really like to I suppose, we noticed that in your newspaper that the railway firm are sending their biggest and best steam locomotive through the town's railway station tomorrow, but we've been penned in with the Council for the young Hinckleyans to meet up with Santa Claus in his Grotto - it's even the main advertisement on their website!

"Have you a way of contacting them for us and finding out why they would do such a thing to us during this busy time for us?"

Edward replied: "Well, one would assume no malicious intent was made by them and this just happens to be a mere coincidence - they're not even advertising the fact it is passing through as a Christmas steam or anything of the likes, so I do really just think the timing matches up rather unfortunately.

“But, what I will do is arrange for their head boss to call me - I'll email them now and let them know what's going on, and hopefully we'll be able to resolve this situation.

"I am really sorry that you have taken this to heart though, and anyway, tomorrow evening at 6pm our newspaper gets printed ready to make its way to the shop shelves...I can interview Santa Claus when he come on over - how about that?"

Jasper explains to Santa Claus, who has since calmed down over his hot drink and agreed to do so.

"Ah, brilliant! I'll let you know of any updates first thing tomorrow morning! Just meet me at that Grotto, and I'll sort myself a press pass to get early access to find out exactly what is going on.

"Goodbye for now and have a good evening!"

Back in Hinckley, Edward done some social media research in the local community groups, and the children could not wait to give Santa Claus their lists and meet him tomorrow.

Luckily for Santa Claus, the residents hadn't even noticed that the dates had clashed and the newspaper hadn't even mentioned it explicitly, they had just mentioned that the event happened to be happening on the same day.

Sticking true to his word, Edward placed an email to the head boss of the railway company, Lord Farley, asking for a phone call - half an hour later he had successfully heard back from Farley, and had agreed to do so - he was a rather upper-class man and was granted the title of 'Lord' as he was given that title for his works in the city of London, where his company mainly operated, despite sending freights, commuters, and loco' trains out to town stations.

Edward picked up the phone and dialled in the number from the email: "Hello? I'm a newspaper editor in Hinckley with the Tin Hat Journal - I've just got off a phone call with the North Pole.

"There's been a bit of a miscommunication at North Pole HQ over Santa Claus' trip to the town of Hinckley tomorrow, you see."

"Oh! Hello! How so?", chimed in Farley, happy, but rather confused.

"Well, do you happen to oversee your company's localised steam loco town trips at all, or work with the town in any way?", asked Edward, looking to get to the source of the dilemma.

"Why no, we just selected the few free dates on the calendar we could do so when passenger and commuter trains weren't passing through as commonly, I've little to no involvement on that front. Please may you care to explain further upon the problem in question? I do hope I can help you!", the big railway
businessman and boss replied, and was happy to try and help out.

"What has happened is your company have booked on the same day that Santa will be coming to his Grotto, but luckily, nobody has noticed this.

“Now, it'd be unfair to ask either party to cancel, and we wouldn't want the townspeople and youngsters not to meet Father Christmas would we?

“Can we settle on a deal here to try and fix this?", the newspaper editor asked hoping he would be positive.

Farley said: "Oh absolutely! Yes, yes, anything for Father Christmas of course. In fact, where is the Grotto set to be?"

Edward replied: "Well, erm, in an old cafe that was going to be renovated, it sounds like it is starting to be decorated..."

"Fear not - you just make sure them decorations can come on down, and I'll make sure that the loco' stops on the tracks for an hour and a half, I'm looking at the calendar, and you will not believe me if I tell you, but the schedule has freed up as a few passenger trains can't pass through as Narborough and Leicester are closing their passenger services for Christmas!

"That way, you can have your front page, although I must be interviewed to show people I helped Santa Claus, and then we're happy by staying on the railway lines - can you call me back in half an hour to see if this is something you want to take up?"

Edward replied: "Most certainly, I'll call the event organisers and Santa Claus now. Tata for now."

"Jolly well, tata for now then!", the phone hung up and Edward has secured himself a new front page story for tomorrow's edition, with not just Santa Claus, but a head transport boss.
​

  • Mason Moore's Christmas tale, The Trainspotter's Grotto, concludes here on Saturday, December 19th 
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The Tangled Tuna

12/4/2020

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I'll hand straight over to today's guest blogger...children's writer Richard Shore
by Richard Shore
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It’s worth mentioning how I first met Stewart. Back in 2002, I started a brief contract at an advertising agency in Leicestershire for two weeks, which actually turned into two years, but that’s another story.
 
Anyway, guess who had an office next to mine? Yes, Stewart did! We used to talk about PR projects, share ideas, but most importantly, crack daily jokes! It was a great time and good to work with someone with so much media background.
 
Roll on 17 years and I was scrolling through my Twitter feed one day, only to see a name blasting from the past – Stewart. So, we’ve been in contact again ever since – which leads to this guest post and my journey in writing.

Biography:
I grew up in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, and have been in marketing since I was 16, starting at a PR company. Since then, I’ve enjoyed marketing management roles that have seen me climb tower cranes to get the best PR story (wasn’t scared, honest), train with the UK’s top Yo-Yo champions (you should see my ‘walk the dog’ trick), and even launched an achingly beautiful hotel with a member of the British Royal Family.
 
And in all that time, my writing skills have been stretched, honed, developed, and honed even more to help my clients. But it wasn’t until 2009 that I thought about writing fiction – and it was for my children.
 
In that year, I moved with my family to Co. Waterford in Ireland for lifestyle reasons. And one day a light bulb went off in my head – I thought about writing unique, personal bedtime stories for my children.
  
Reading a story before going to sleep was always a special time - it makes them happy, and a perfect end to a day.
 
So I wrote two, short adventure series. For my daughter, Hurrahtum Adventures! It features Lucy, a girl living by the sea, who has amazing adventures when she says a magic word – “Hurrahtum!” 
 
The word magically makes a cove and boat appear, which she has many exciting adventures with. They range from helping a surfer in trouble, creating a birthday present for a friend, and returning a lost seal to its family.
 
My son’s series is Will’s Wild Adventures - based on a boy who lives in an amazing wilderness – surrounded by a crystal clear flowing river, tall forest, and snow-capped mountains. And when he’s on an adventure, he can get help from a special shed, with every tool you can think of.
 
So far, Will has helped a beaver family in trouble after a storm. He also discovers a dinosaur after an earthquake, and his latest book sees Will solve a spooky mystery at a mine, and gets an unexpected surprise.
 
Once I’d developed the series, I set about writing the books on computer. I printed out the pages, hand drew illustrations to bring the books to life, and then created a cover and bound them. My children now have three books in each series, carefully tucked away in their bedside cabinets.
 
They loved them and I also received other positive reviews. So I decided to publish as eBooks, to be available online through e-readers.
 
Inspiration for both series comes from as passion for being outside. Whether it’s walking on the beach, rock-pooling, wildlife, woodland walks, survival techniques, or a great love I have - surfing.
 
Aimed at 3 – 7 year olds, the books are ideal for those who love a heart-warming, adventurous bedtime story. Because they are a series, young children embrace the characters, and quickly relish how Lucy or Will tackles their next adventure.

​Hurrahtum Adventures! The Tangled Tuna:
By now, you’ll know I love being outside, particularly at the beach and enjoying the sea.
 
And for years, I’ve always tried to make a difference when it came to reusing things, recycling materials or repairing broken items. And a visit to the beach was no different when looking after our environment. Seeing rubbish and plastic shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century, so I’d try to fill my car boot with as much as I could.
 
And through reading articles, I discovered another ocean plastic polluter, but one that was unknown to most – ghost gear. This is lost and abandoned fishing gear that remains in the ocean, continuing to catch fish and other animals, known as ghost fishing.
 
Ghost gear can remain in the oceans for up to 600 years, before breaking down into microplastics. Approximately 640,000 tonnes enter the world’s oceans every year, making up at least 10 per cent of all marine pollution.
 
With all this knowledge, I thought it would be not only a great adventure, but also an inspirational one for Lucy’s next book.

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​And so in November 2020 I launched the fourth title in the Hurrahtum Adventures! series – The Tangled Tuna, where Lucy rescues tuna caught in a discarded fishing net.
 
I’m delighted to say too that I’m proudly supporting Plastic Oceans UK with the book - a non-profit organisation that has a mission to stop plastic reaching the oceans within a generation.
 
For every The Tangled Tuna sold, I’ll donate 50 per cent profits to the charity.
 
Hopefully with this book, it will highlight what’s happening in our world’s oceans, and inspire people to do what they can.
 
The eBook is vibrantly illustrated and is available to purchase worldwide, priced at £4.99 (or country equivalent), via this link:  The Tangled Tuna.
 
For further information on Plastic Oceans UK: https://plasticoceans.uk/
 
For further information on all Richard Shore’s books: https://richardshorebooks.wixsite.com/website
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Five Ways to Help Your Child Enjoy Reading

12/2/2020

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​​Reading is an incredibly important skill. It will not only support your child academically and professionally, but they can also use reading for entertainment and relaxation.

To encourage your child to pick up more books, an independent school in Surrey has put together five ways to help your child enjoy reading…
1.  Reading activities

Where possible, try to include reading into your everyday activities. For example, you could ask your child to read your shopping list and then help you to find these items at the supermarket by reading the overhead signs. The trick is to try and make reading feel more fun, instead of a chore.

2.  Make a reading den
Creating an area within your home which is dedicated to books is a great way to encourage reading. You could make a cozy den with a box full of books, or a reading corner with posters on the wall. Perhaps you could include your child’s favourite theme, like pirates or space to make reading time even more appealing.

3  Creative writing

Regular reading will also help your child when it comes to creative writing exercises at school.
If your child enjoys reading a particular book, you could set them a challenge to create their own ending to the story. Think of what parts of the storyline could be changed in order to achieve a different outcome.

4.  Reading for relaxation

If your child struggles with stress or has trouble sleeping, encourage them to start reading. By focusing on a good story, your child will be able to forget about their worries and begin to relax. Teach your child that they can always use a book and the power of their imagination to take them away to somewhere new.

5.  Reading apps

​
Finally, use technology to help your child enjoy reading. Smart phones and tablets are ideal for downloading fun and interactive reading apps. These apps provide safe spaces for reading without parents worrying about unsafe content online. You can choose what your child can access within these apps; use timer features and monitor your child’s reading progress.
 
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Escape to Ivy Hatch this Christmas

11/18/2020

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My guest today is fellow author, Elizabeth Holland, who, as well as being a romance writer, is also a mental health blogger, and - Elizabeth's own words here: a fussy gluen-intolerant, vegetarian!

Here, Elizabeth tells us about her Christmas novella, "Christmas at the Vintage Bookshop of Memories."


by  Elizabeth Holland

For many, reading is a wonderful escape from everyday life. From a very young age, I’ve loved the escapism that both reading and writing can bring. I fell in love with writing in my teens. Back then, I was unaware that writing was my escapism.
People like to escape for several reasons. For me, I like to take a break from my mental health struggles.
My struggles with my mental health begun during my early teens. During this difficult time, writing and reading was my solace - I have shelves filled with vampire romances that can attest to this. Over the years, I’ve realised how much writing has helped me through difficult times. It’s so lovely to create a world inside my head and to disappear into it. With this in mind, I started writing stories for others.
 
Christmas at the Vintage Bookshop of Memories is a real feel-good escape. With all the joy of the festive season, a budding romance, an admirable friendship and a Christmas Day wedding, there’s something to put a smile on everyone’s face. It is designed to be read as either a stand-alone or a sequel to The Vintage Bookshop of Memories. The story is set in an idyllic English village where life feels much simpler. It’s set during modern day and yet there’s an old-fashioned feeling to it. The old-fashioned theme is emphasised by the use of fashion throughout the story.
 
For me, Christmas is a time of happiness, indulgence and giving. This was something that I wanted to be reflected within the story. As we follow Katie Wooster over the festive season we watch as she pieces her life back together and grows in confidence. This is all achieved with the support of her best friend, Prue Clemonte. Friendship, love, and strength are all themes that run throughout this Christmas novella.

MAGICAL ATMOSPHERE
The scene setting in Christmas at the Vintage Bookshop of Memories was particularly important as I wanted the world to jump off of the pages and pull the reader in. The first description of the bookshop is a particular favourite of mine;
 
‘The atmosphere within the bookshop was magical; every inch exuded Christmas spirit.

Sat on the central round table was a small, real Christmas tree, and the pine scent wafting from it was permeating the air. Red and golden ornaments adorned the tree, which glimmered in the light from the chandelier above. Underneath the tree sat an assortment of Christmas themed goodies from gingerbread men to miniature chocolate yule logs. In front of the treats sat a sign informing customers that they were free to enjoy. With a smile on her face, the red-head picked up a gingerbread man and began nibbling at it as her eyes were drawn to the new bunting hanging from the balcony.

Hand-stitched Christmas scenes adorned each little triangle. It was beautiful. Even the ladder to the upper floor had ivy wound around it. Towards the back of the shop the children’s section housed an array of vintage teddy bears, each wearing a hand-knitted Christmas jumper. The atmosphere within the shop was contagious.’

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The bookshop is a cosy place that has an almost-magical atmosphere to it. Within the bookshop walls, anything is possible. I hope readers will enjoy falling into the world of the Vintage Bookshop of Memories and that they’ll finish the book with a smile on their face.
 
Merry Christmas!

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Emails - Angels or Demons?

11/14/2020

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Email. Businesses couldn't survive without them. Neither could you. They're an absolutely vital part of our working life, everyday life, and family life. 

I use them daily to communicate effectively and efficiently. But I'm careful to ensure that every email I send is completely justified. Because unnecessary emails - like unnecessary meetings, whether they be face-to-face, or more likely nowadays, via Teams or Zoom - drive me absolutely bananas.

And did you know that emails are actually harming the planet?

The average spam email has a footprint equivalent to 0.3g of Carbon Dioxide emissions (CO2e), while a normal email has a footprint of 4g. These figures are arrived at by taking into account the power that data centres and computers use sending, filtering and reading messages. An email with a large attachment can have a carbon footprint of 50g CO2e. 

It's estimated that a typical year of incoming email adds 136kg of emissions to a person's carbon footprint. That's the equivalent of driving 200 miles in an average car. According to research, more than 64 million "unnecessary emails" are sent every day in the UK, contributing to 23,475 tons of carbon a year to its footprint.

Emails have been around a lot longer than many people realise. They're not a product of the internet, either. The first example of what could legitimately be called a piece of electronic mail can be found on computers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in a program called "MAILBOX," in 1965.

Users left messages with that program on other computers at the university, and the recipient would see them when they next logged on.

Three years later the US Department of Defense implemented a network called ARPANET, connecting a number of its computers, enabling them to communicate with each other, and the first message was sent on 29 October 1969.

In 1971 Ray Tomlinson invented email as we know it today, by creating a full system on ARPANET's network. As the growing internal networks meant protocols for sending messages were becoming increasingly more complex, one important question arose: how to show where the message was intended to go?

His answer: @. Indicating a destination for a message became as simple as addressing it "username@name of computer," which is how we've been addressing emails ever since.

The next step was to develop how email could communicate beyond ARPANET's network, between separate organisations, which, I suppose we could say, was the birth of the fledgling Internet itself.

By the 1980s, in the infancy of the Internet, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had begun connecting people across the world, and email "hosting" sites were becoming popular.

I didn't start using email, either for business or at a personal level, until 2001, so I guess you could say that was the start of my email space odyssey.

To conclude: now, in 2020, it's forecast by statistics specialists Statista, that more than 306-billion emails will be sent globally EVERY DAY this year. Each one chipping away at the safety of our environment. And many of them will be overkill, information overload, and just downright unnecessary. 

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Top Tips for Teaching Your Child to Read

9/25/2020

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Reading is a crucial skill that we tend to take for granted. The ability to read can help us succeed in life, and can also be a fantastic form of entertainment.

Most people don’t really give a second thought to the process involved when learning to read. It’s only when you have to start teaching someone, like your own son or daughter, that you start to understand how complex it is. It’s not just a natural part of growing up; a child will have to be taught by someone with an awareness of phonics and other skills and strategies.

A primary school near Chorleywood explores this further, below.

 
If you’re trying to teach your child to read, you’ll need to be patient and start off simple. The first thing you should do is learn what skills are involved in teaching someone to read. Not everyone is naturally a good teacher; you have to know what you’re doing if you want to do it correctly. 
 
Perhaps sing some songs and nursery rhymes and clap to the beat to help your child with their phonemic awareness, which is essentially the ability to concentrate on and handle individual sounds within different words. Make or buy some simple word cards with basic, 3-letter nouns and adjectives and sound them out slowly with your little one, one letter at a time, until they become used to it. Of course, you will eventually be able to move onto harder words but take your time and don’t rush your youngster!
 
Technology has some downsides, but when it comes to helping our children with their education and general development it can be great. You’ll be able to find some fantastic resources online, such as YouTube videos or online lessons, that can teach your child to read in an engaging way. This is a good option for those days when you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or frustrated and don’t know how to help your child.  
 
Try and make the experience as fun as possible and remember that every child moves at their own pace. Little and often is probably the best approach, as well as mixing up your strategies so that it doesn’t get boring. You should even let your youngster pick out their own books once in a while, to help instil an early love of reading in them. 

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Exploring Creative Writing with Your Child

9/17/2020

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Helping your child with creative writing projects may seem like a waste of time and you may prefer them to focus on their maths or science studies. However, creative writing is actually extremely beneficial for children as it helps them develop such a huge range of skills that they can transfer across all school subjects, and even throughout their personal life.
 
Creative writing helps young people think outside the box and explore their imagination. It improves their spelling and grammar skills and teaches them various new vocabulary. This will help them to become a better communicator, whether written or verbal. Whenever a child learns a new skill, they get a little self-esteem boost, which will help them overcome challenges throughout life.
 
With all this in mind, even if your child doesn’t intend on becoming the next JK Rowling, it’s worth exploring creative writing activities with them in your free time. If you are wondering where to start, take a look below at some tips from an international school in London.
 
Of course, you can’t expect your youngster to write their very own best-selling novel. Start with some simpler tasks, such as encouraging them to re-write the final chapter of their favourite novel. This shouldn’t be too challenging as the characters and storyline have already been fully developed, so it will just be a case of making a few tweaks here and there. Discuss how such small changes to a scenario can lead to completely different end-results.
 
If your child does insist on writing their own story, it might help them if you suggest a problem that their characters have to solve. Often, the most challenging part of writing a story is the very beginning, so you could write the opening sentence for your child and let them progress from there.
 
Another thoughtful activity you could suggest is that your child writes a book review after they’ve finished reading a novel, pretending to be a reporter or a blogger. Encourage them to use lots of adjectives to describe the story and ask them to think about how it made them feel; did they laugh, cry or feel frightened at any point during the story?
 
Before beginning any of these projects, your child should always prepare a plan. Mind-maps are great for this because they encourage you to delve a little deeper and think about all of the words and phrases that would work nicely in a particular genre. If you’d like some more inspiration, don’t be hesitant to contact your child’s school as the teachers will likely be more than happy to help. 
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Why Reading is so Important for Young People

9/5/2020

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​Literature opens the reader up to a whole host of different historical and cultural matters and is often overlooked as an important element of the school curriculum. Actually, reading is a crucial aspect of a child’s educational journey; it’s a way for them to learn, while also being a form of entertainment and relaxation.

It’s one of the first things they learn how to do when they start pre-school and goes on to play an important role in every single school subject, not just English. There are undeniably a variety of benefits to reading and it’s certainly better for children than hours on their digital devices (although in moderation, this can be beneficial, too). A private school in Somerset explores the importance of reading for children in further detail below.

One of the primary benefits of reading for young people is that it can boost their general knowledge. As mentioned above, books allow the reader to explore a multitude of both real-life and imaginary events, famous landmarks and cultural traditions. They can learn about different genres and writing styles and start to develop critical thinking skills.

What’s more, reading will help boost your child’s vocabulary, as well as their spelling and grammar skills. As a result, they will become better communicators, both written and verbal. Enhanced general knowledge and communication skills will contribute to improved academic performance across all subjects, so essentially, children who are keen readers will likely perform better in school. In addition, they will be equipped with the necessary skills to successfully apply to universities and jobs when they’re older. 

Reading also improves a child’s ability to concentrate on something for long periods of time, which is another valuable skill that can be transferred across other areas of life. If your child doesn’t seem to be showing an interest in reading, perhaps they haven’t found a genre they like yet.

Encourage them to try various different types of books by heading to the library or ordering online. Let them choose a novel themselves, as forcing them to read something just because you like the book won’t get you anywhere. Most schools try to encourage their pupils to read, so if you’re lacking inspiration, be sure to contact your child’s teacher. They will be able to give you some age-appropriate recommendations to get you started. 
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"This Is About Life" - Youngsters Look To Save The Planet

4/28/2020

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My guest blogger today is 14-year-old Grace Maddrell,  a climate activist and writer from England.

She / her (although she is not fussed about pronouns), is part of several groups, but in general, works with Fridays For Future, Polluters Out, Extinction Rebellion and the #SaveCongoRainforest campaign. She strikes every day for the rainforest and every week for FFF.

Grace is one of the co-founders of Solo But Not Alone, a group which aims to empower solo strikers and uplift their voices. You can find them on Twitter @solo_not_alone twitter.com/solo_not_alone

Working a lot around climate justice and with African activists, an Amazonian FFF group once called her 'the most active person in the global North, for the global South.'


by Grace Maddrell
Picture the scene. 20th or 27th of September, whichever you choose. An ordinary street, in an ordinary city.  Montreal, Canada. Kampala, Uganda. Turin, Italy. Mumbai, India. Sydney, Australia. Santiago, Chile. Wherever you go, the same story. The streets full of youth, supported by older adults. But this isn't just any gathering. It's a crucial stage in one of the most important journeys humankind will ever take.

This journey isn't new. Some peoples have been fighting for the climate for centuries. But it has fundamentally changed in the last two years.

The journey to those streets being packed, not with traffic, but with youth, did, in fact, start less than two years ago. On the streets outside the Swedish Parliament.

Of course, Greta Thunberg went a long way to get there. As did the climate movement as a whole. But the road to those youth flooding the streets began when an autistic fifteen-year-old sat on the pavement and sent a clear message to the world that she'd had enough.

This isn't about Greta. That much, we've been clear on since the start. This is about the IPCC report which came out on 1st January 2018. This is about the cyclones in Mozambique, the floods in Sudan, the water shortages in India and Pakistan. This is about the ice melting in Greenland, the fires in the Amazon and the heatwaves across the world.

This is about the mental health crisis that is hitting so many young people, because, whether consciously or not, they know something is very wrong. This is about the fact that we cannot live without stable temperatures, reasonable sea levels, and biodiversity. This is about the centuries of injustice and oppression of Indigenous communities, communities of colour, low-income communities, basically anyone and everyone who doesn't belong in the world that the people in power want us to live in.

Certain people, places, and communities are getting the very worst of it, being denied basic human rights for the comfort of somebody privileged.

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This is about us. Not us, the striking youth, or us, the humans. It's about this global, interconnected web of life and beauty. Diversity and colour. It's about the beautiful, amazing, different, unique phenomenon that is Planet Earth, and everything on it.

And about the fact that it's dying.

To be clear, the planet is not itself dying, exactly. I mean, the Earth will continue on for millions of years. But this, it's about a choice. It's about whether we go on as we are, and let Earth become a barren rock, or stop, and let it stay a green-and-blue gem, a jewel cradled in the blackness of the universe. A jewel that, as a place where life can thrive, is one in... more than million.

Because, really, Earth isn't alive without its lungs, the forests. Without its veins, the rivers. Without everything that makes it different to all the other spheres of rock or gas that are orbiting this sun with us.

And at the core of it, this movement is about life. Because people, animals, and plants are dying. Because the children in privileged countries are currently facing a bleak future, whilst those in less privileged ones don't have the luxury of facing it, fearing it, and wondering what it will be like. It's hitting them, now.

As my friend Vanessa Nakate, an activist from Uganda, Africa, which in the last year has suffered devastating floods and landslides, says, ''It isn't [just] Fridays For Future, it's Fridays for Now.''

This crisis is in the present for many people, and those of us who have the luxury of living relatively unaffected MUST recognise that we aren't the ones who should be taking the foreground in this fight.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't fight (peacefully, obviously), or give speeches, or anything. It means that we have to know that we need to pass the mic, figuratively, and sometimes literally, speaking.

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Of course, the youth of today, whether suffering the effects badly or not, will face much worse if we don't turn this around.

I know some people say it's hopeless. But no, I don't believe that. Because I have seen the hope. I have seen it in the faces of the young people when they show their anger, when they realise their power. I have seen it in the figures that say how small a percentage of the population we need to get onside to achieve system change.

Although this figure varies, it's under 10%, often said to be under 5%. In some ways, that's a massive amount. But on the other hand, it isn't really that many of us at all, compared to the global population. I have seen hope in the fierce, emotional words of Greta Thunberg, of Hilda Nakabuye, of Vanessa Nakate and Licypriya Kangujam and all the people who rise up. I have seen hope in my friends who fight day after day. I have seen hope in the fact that around six to seven MILLION marched on September 20th and 27th combined. That is one of the biggest demonstrations in history. I see hope every day, in the people.

But, a word on hope. You can't just sit there and wait for it to come to you. You have to, quote, unquote, ''be the change you want to see in the world.'' You have to know what you hope for, and then do what you can to make it happen. And, like Greta says, you have to earn it.

You don't deserve hope if you're continuing to make decisions that you know are disastrous for the planet, for Indigenous communities, for animals. And you don't deserve hope if you're leaving it to the youth to give it to you. Hope isn't lies. Hope isn't saying it'll be okay when it won't.

Hope is action. Hope is the fact that we still have time.

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A word on time. No, we don't have any more time for business as usual. We ran out of time for that years and years ago.

No, we don't have any more time for excuses or lies, for empty words, or greenwashing. No, this isn't an excuse to keep pumping out oil, to keep cutting down forests or mass-producing plastic.

What I mean when I say we still have time is that we still have time, in most scientists' views, until the tipping point that will take us beyond a point of no return.

And if we act, not in a year, not in a month, not even in an hour, right NOW, then we still have a chance (a 66% to 67% chance, in a nutshell, with the current Co2 budget and so on) of turning this around.

Even now, we still have a chance to live. We still have a chance to thrive.

But also to make amends. To say sorry. Not just to say it, to show it. Show that we're sorry by making a better world. A world of equality. A world where diversity is accepted as not only a fact of life, but as what makes life beautiful. A world where people can be themselves. A world of acceptance. A world of harmony with the natural world.

We have the solutions, in many ways. And even where we don't, we have a solution for that. The solution to not knowing the solutions is to LISTEN to those who do. And if no-one does, to find them. Together.

So step forward. You have a place in creating this sustainable, accepting, world. Step forward and join hands. You are powerful. I hear you. I see you. Don't ever underestimate what you can do. Because anyone can change the world for the better.

Right now, we have to focus on the climate. But this doesn't mean other issues will be neglected. Because if we acknowledge what caused this crisis – oppression, colonialism, capitalism, imperialism, a sense of superiority to the rest of nature, separation from nature, and a lack of acceptance – then we can use the solutions to make a society of peace and acceptance.

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Because without an equal place for everyone and everything in it, without a global realisation that ALL LIVES MATTER, what kind of world are we saving?

So stand up. Speak up. Rise up. And do it with love. Because love, more than anything, has the power to build a bridge to a better world. 

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Superb Customer Service From Glenmorangie

3/14/2020

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Woe was me a few days ago.

Anticipation was at its extreme.

I'd decided the time was finally upon me to open my bottle of Glenmorangie 15-year-old Single Highland Rare Malt Scotch Whisky.

So I lovingly drew the bottle out of its box. And lovingly drew the cork. And that's when disaster struck!

The cork broke!

​What!! 


It was stuck steadfastly to the neck of the bottle, and the centre came away with the top as I pulled it.
​There then followed an emergency operation to ease as much of the remnants out, without too much dropping into that precious gold nectar.

I then filtered it twice, which removed all but the tiniest pieces of cork. And the bottle has been resealed with a professional wine stopper.


Thinking that Glenmorangie should know what had happened, I messaged them while out for my afternoon stroll the next day.
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​Glenmorangie has long been my favourite brand of single malt whisky because of its wonderful aroma, taste and texture. And it's good to know that their customer service team are out of the top drawer, too.

Responding within minutes of me messaging them, they instantly offered me a replacement bottle to make amends.

They explained that as cork is a natural product this type of defect can happen at any time, and advised that bottles should be rotated every couple of weeks to ensure the cork does not stick to the side.

Apparently my bottle was produced more than ten years ago - which makes the whisky at least 25 years old. And that prolonged maturity has definitely added an extra something! It is absolutely delicious!

They said the replacement could take up to 28 days to arrive. It came within four days. This was customer service at its very best.

​Thank you Glenmorangie Quality and Twitter teams - you have a customer for life.
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The Emotive Doctor Who Music of Murray Gold

12/31/2019

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As Doctor Who returns to our television screens, what better time than to look back on the incredible music from the Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat eras, composed by Murray Gold.

My guest blogger today, who delves into this here, is my Twitter friend, @thedrewseph.  
Between the years 2005 to 2017 'Doctor Who' fans were graced with the musical inspirations of the amazingly talented music composer Murray Gold.

Just like the composer John Williams is known for his signature work on 'Star Wars', Gold's musical direction has been seen as a huge staple to the success of the popular British science fiction series since it's return in '05. Having worked previously with Russell T Davies on several other projects (before 'Doctor Who'), he seemed like the perfect fit for the series return. Ever since then, fans of the show have always been able to look forward to the series music as a sort of added companion along for the ride with them.

He's lent his talents to creating some of the most iconic pieces of music from the show's recent history.

Gold is responsible for creating multiple themes associated with a ride range of elements of the show, such as themes for The Doctor ("The Doctor's Theme", "The Doctor Forever", "I Am The Doctor" and "A Madman With A Box"), Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, River Song, Clara Oswald, Gallifrey, The Master, the Silurians, the Daleks, and the Cybermen. Not only that, but he was even lucky enough to do the respective themes on both the 'Doctor Who' spin-offs 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and 'Torchwood'.
Gold has also created, arranged and orchestrated three special live concert events for the music from 'Doctor Who'.

The first, "Doctor Who: A Celebration", was performed at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff in 2006; the second, the 2008 Doctor Who Prom, at the Royal Albert Hall in London; the third, the 2010 Doctor Who Prom, at the Royal Albert Hall again. 

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​In March of 2010, his 'Doctor Who' soundtrack entered the UK radio station Classic FM's Hall of Fame as that year's second highest new entry. In 2011 however, it remained in the Hall of Fame, but this time at a lower ranking. It's been a refreshing dose of intrumental music that has come to inspire generations of fans to come. Not only just fans of the popular series, but future generations of television music production as well.
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A story can be just a story sometimes, but music can invoke such feelings and emotion that one would never have been able to have if not for the music composition surrounding the story. That's why the music of 'Doctor Who' has really become an added character along for the ride on every journey we have taken with The Doctor and his companions.

Murray Gold has made us all feel a wide range of emotions over the course of his time on the BBC series, but none were more felt as he made his departure as the series music director before the start of Series Eleven this past year. While many discussions have been had over what makes a show so great, it's abundantly clear that with the legacy of Doctor Who must live on the scores and soundtracks we've all loved so much.

​The series music has always resonated a lot with people, and it's surely brought us all together from many different walks of life. Something I know The Doctor would be proud to know after all these years. Music can be uplifting, inspiring, sad, happy, or even heroic. There's a song out there for everyone, you just need to listen long enough to find it.
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Murray Gold's thought provoking pieces can heard through out space and time, and has been collected for people to enjoy through soundtracks.

Silva Screen released several compilations of music from the first and second series, entitled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 3, Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 4, and Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 5.

Funnily enough, he has also made a brief cameo in the show itself (wearing a fake moustache) in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". 

Additional music from the 2008–2010 specials was released, titled Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack – Series 4: The Specials.

  • Editor's note: "We mustn't forget my all-time favourite, The Shepherd's Boy.
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Why The Greens are Near the Top of a Blind Taste Test

11/25/2019

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Ahead of the UK General Election on December 12, the four candidates hoping to become the new MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, have each written an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We've had Conservative Dr Luke Evans: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Labour's Rick Middleton: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few  


Lib Dems' Michael Mullaney: 
stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Today, it's the turn of The Green Party candidate, Mick Gregg.
by Mick Gregg
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Hi, my name is Mick Gregg and I am definitely not going to be your next MP.

My 52nd birthday is fast approaching. I live in Desford with my wife and 8-year-old son, who enjoys going to Desford Primary school.

We’ve been in the village for 2 years, and before that we were in Kirkby Mallory for 12. I have been a social worker in various Midlands councils since 1991, working in children’s safeguarding, mental health, courts and have now been employed with Leicestershire County Council for the last two years as a senior in a team for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, and I like my job.

As a hobby I like walking down canals that are no longer there.

As I say, I am definitely not going to be your next MP.

The truth is that most MP’s in our parliament are sitting on jobs that are pretty near as safe as any job you can get in the public sector.  I think it’s bad for our democracy; it means that new voters, or even older voters, can wonder why they vote, when the outcome in most constituencies is a pretty near certainty. And it’s also bad for our democracy because it means that many of our representatives don’t really, deep down, have to worry too much about what the people they represent really want or need.

As long as they keep in with the local party members (the ones who chose the candidate) they can be pretty sure where they’ll be after the election.  Now I am not saying, at all, that the other candidates in the election in Bosworth would take this attitude. On the contrary my fellow candidates seem to me to be decent people who want to work for our area.  I am not picking a fight with them about how they’d perform if they were our MP; in fact, as a Green candidate we purposely choose to be polite and respectful to other candidates.   And I think this Green Party principle of good manners shows when Caroline Lucas speaks out, and what you can expect when more Greens get elected.

In Bosworth, and everywhere else, we would change the voting system to one where you can show preferences for the parties and candidates. We’d give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote; we trust young people.  How exciting would it be to feel that your vote choices really mattered even if you lived in a safe seat? and even (although I’d really rather you didn’t) if you wanted to vote for the Brexit Party!  

So, if I know I’m not going to win then why do you stand?” The answer is because I want you to know us, and not the cliched stereotype that you might think of as Greens.  I want to tell you of the Green solutions, and I most of all I want you to have the opportunity if you share our vision and values to be able to vote Green in Bosworth. My Party took the step to see where, if we stood back, a LibDem might be able to win; and they did the same with us. Bosworth was a long way off being on that list.

What I want to do with this time you have given me in reading this is to encourage you to look at what we stand for and what we want to do. When people are asked to rate various policies in a kind of ‘blind taste test’, the Green policies always come out near the top of people’s choices.
Try: 
https://voteforpolicies.org.uk

We have the solutions to all things in our lives and future, way beyond just the climate crisis.  

I wanted to spend the next paragraph or two to tell you what distinguishes the Green Party from all the others; what it is that makes us different.
 
1.  We are driven by a basic undeniable logic. Simply put, we know cannot keep taking things from the earth, and expect to grow every year on year, on year; eventually the things we take run out.  What we ask is simply, “will this still be here as a way to do things for the next generation?” Even our ideas in detail are called “Policies for a Sustainable Society”!
You’ll find them at:  https://policy.greenparty.org.uk/core-values.html

2. We take a global view of how to solve the world’s problems, but we are not naïve as to how difficult this is.  However, anything other than this view of all people working together and you end up with divisions and blaming other countries and people.  We embrace diversity and difference whether it’s in Hinckley or in the World.  We believe, if we don’t view the world this way, we will see more wars for oil, wars for water, wars for land as these things get scarcer.  We are citizens of one world. If this sounds naïve then it might be a good point to mention that we are not an overtly pacifist party, we would indeed avoid killing people and use every alternative method to change corrupt governments, and manage conflict, but a Green Government would still have our armed services. What makes us different is that we would take our place within strategies agreed through the United Nations.  We would not start wars on our own or at the bequest of America. There is no ‘macho crusade’ in the Green Party.  We would cancel Trident and in doing so find something like a £100 billion down the back of the sofa; (we’re also going to scrap HS2, and there’s another odd £100 billion).
   
We have some people in the world who would presumably do me harm for holding my values of tolerance and respect, whether they be Islamic extremists or fascists in our, or other, countries.  But to have fought wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Libya has really solved what exactly? We do have an alternative international way forward, which doesn’t destroy countries, and in doing so create a new generation of bitter and angry people.

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3. We recognise that there is real imbalance in the world between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. We simply want to help the people in difficult circumstances because we believe that to help people makes them more likely to be our friends, and less our enemies.  When things are not in balance, they fall over. Without balance our world, or our country, will never really be safe, and at the moment we see the balance between those who have, and those who have not, becoming worse and worse.

4. It is this belief in ‘one world’ that leads, in part, to our stance on the EU referendum.  We are very democratic in our Green hearts! I believe that the EU referendum was not fought with anything like accurate information and because of this was not democratic in the real sense.  The ‘remain’ side never really believed that we vote to leave (and frankly neither did Boris Johnson).
 
Let’s say I go to have an operation I can only give my consent knowing all the facts, and all the risks; if I am sold PPI without then giving me all the details I get my money back.  Where in the referendum was ‘this is going to really mess up Ireland?” or “we’ll be paying the EU at least £39 billion just to leave?”……...The reason we support an immediate new referendum - and were involved at the start of a People’s Vote campaign -  is because now we really do know what it would mean to vote ‘leave’ or ‘remain’.  This new vote will be taken with our collective eyes fully opened, and if it’s to ‘leave’ then we will leave.  At our core, the Green Party believes in democracy, we believe people will do the right thing in the right circumstances with the right information - essentially, we believe in people!

4. Another big difference between Greens and the rest, is that we want you to work less, we want everyone to have more time to spend with family, finally learn to play that guitar (ok, that might be just me)  or whatever; have access to green spaces and time to go there; feel less anxiety and angry. Our collective improving emotional wellbeing would reduce the cost of health services and everything that goes with it for families and communities. We are not simply here to work; we are here to live!

5. For this reason, and many others, we want to promote a Universal Basic Income - £92 per week paid into every citizens’ bank account. As we earn more this basic payment is reclaimed in tax. The idea that this would somehow result in people giving up work has no basis in reality or evidence from where it’s been tried in practice, we would still work as we’d want more for ourselves, there would still be people with much more money than others, Amazon would still be delivering your Christmas presents (but paying tax)  It isn’t impossible, think about how many families get Child Benefit every month into their accounts.  Think about how it could remove the whole benefits system, student loans, old age pensions and give people security.  

6. Locally, or course, is where we believe decisions should be made, and the best decisions for our communities are made. We would create Citizens Assemblies and the right of constituents to call for a sitting MP to be removed, making it easier to get rid of corruption and self-interest. What is needed is more control for the people who use the services and not leaving to an MP to try to create change.  

The Green Party would provide free public transport across the constituency, monitor air pollution, pay to reopen the Ivanhoe railway line that runs through Desford to passengers, and provide a safe cycle path alongside it.
   

We would spend the money, raised through specific taxation to restore, and provide parity of, the funding to Leicestershire County Council with other councils in England, and our local NHS Trusts necessary to ensure that services are local and accessible.  We would make it illegal to profit from an NHS service. Provide enough money to reopen Surestart centres, and build quality local housing with a strategy that only small estates could be built, attached to existing villages and towns, that are relevant and affordable to local people, with a clear answer to ensuring that schools, transport and doctor surgeries have capacity to absorb the new families.

Your local candidates make promises, but be careful to consider what candidates tell you they can do about health, transport, creating jobs or other important issues for our local towns and our villages: remember to ask them “how?”
 
                                              
Now, I thank you for reading this and considering the ideas, and you’ll see that I hardly mentioned climate breakdown (I presume you already know where we stand on that - and how dangerous our situation is if we don’t do something big and do it now. All I’ll say is that as far as ‘Green New Deals’ go; the original is always the better than the copy. Who do you believe will do what is necessary without distractions?

https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto

                    
    IF THESE PRINCIPLES SEEM TO BE ALONGSIDE YOUR OWN, A VOTE FOR GREEN IS THE BEST WAY TO  LET THE OTHER PARTIES AND THE GOVERNMENT KNOW
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Campaigning to Save Local Services

11/20/2019

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Ahead of the UK General Election on December 12, the four candidates hoping to become the new MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, have each written an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We've had Conservative Dr Luke Evans: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Labour's Rick Middleton: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few  

For the Green Party: Mick Gregg:
https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

And today it's the turn of Lib Dem Michael Mullaney

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Michael Mullaney was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bosworth in 2010,2015 and 2017 each time getting the highest Liberal Democrat vote in the East Midlands.

Michael has been a Councillor for Hinckley since 2011 having been elected four times a councillor.

He lives in Hinckley with his family.



Campaigning to Save Local Services
I'm the candidate for Hinckley and Bosworth who has the track record of campaigning for our area over the years.

I have been involved in a series of campaigns to save vital local services.
In 2012/2013 I helped lead the campaign which save Hinckley ambulance station when it was faced with closure and succeeded in keeping it open.

In 2015/16 I campaigned to stop plans that would have seen Hinckley's second fire engine axed.

I've been involved in campaigns to save vital local services in villages in our borough such as bus services and sure start Children's Centres in places like Barwell when they were threatened with closure.  

More recently following the removal of X-ray facilities from Hinckley Hospital I campaigned to get xray services back in Hinckley and am delighted that the health authority has agreed to return them to the town.


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I've a record of action before being elected Bosworth's MP. If given the chance to be the MP with the platform that gives you I can achieve so much more for our area.

Hinckley and Bosworth has been let down by the Tories. We have among the worst funded schools in the country. This leads to us having one of the worst levels of social mobility in the country. Someone born poor in our area is more likely to stay there throughout their lives than they are in most other places.

This urgently needs changing. Young people in Hinckley and Bosworth deserve a fair chance in life and that means properly funded schools. Our NHS is underfunded we need a new facility for our large and growing population like a Walk-in Centre or Minor Injuries Unit, instead we've had to fight to save basic local services like X-rays in Hinckley.

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Our police are not properly funded people rarely see a police officer locally. We urgently need more police.

As Hinckley and Bosworth's MP I would bang the drum and speak up in Parliament for the extra resources for health education and police we need locally. Every seat in Leicestershire County voted Tory last time. The Tories take our area for granted and think we will continue to vote for them while they fail to give our vital local services the funds they need.

We need a change  in Hinckley and Bosworth and we can get a change here. In May Liberal Democrats gained the council from the Conservatives. For the first time ever we won the popular vote with Lib Dems getting 42% Tories 36% and Labour just 15%. In the European elections Lib Dem's got more votes than the Tories and Labour here.

There's a real chance for change here in Bosworth this time. We can elect a new Lib Dem MP who lives locally and who has a track record of campaigning for years for our vital local services health, education and other key services.

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For The Many, Not The Few

11/18/2019

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With the UK General Election coming on December 12, the four candidates hopeful of becoming the MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, are each writing an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We have Conservative, Dr Luke Evans; Labour, Rick Middleton;  Lib Dem, Michael Mullaney; and Green Party, Mick Gregg.

We have Dr Luke Evans - you can read his post here:

https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/dr-luke-evans-conservative-parliamentary-candidate

Michael Mullaney, for the Lib Dems:  stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Mick Gregg, for the Green Party: 
https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

Today, it's the turn of Labour's Rick Middleton.
Rick Middleton, the Labour candidate for Bosworth is a father-of-one, lives in Hinckley and runs his own web consultancy business. He is also the chair of Bosworth Constituency Labour Party.

After studying IT & communications at North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, he took an apprenticeship in IT, working as a knitwear designer at a factory in Earl Shilton which later moved to Barwell.

Whilst later working at a web design agency, he also studied part time for foundation degree in Graphic design and E-media at Leicester college, graduating in 2014.

Here, he tells us why he feels he should be Bosworth's next MP.
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by Rick Middleton
Local, Positive, Credible
Being an MP requires many qualities but these are a good three to start with.

Local

Don't get me wrong, I believe a candidate can move to an area, become an MP and make it their own over time but growing up here, going to the local schools here and knowing the local community gives me a huge advantage over some of the other candidates.

Whilst I grew up in Hinckley and that's where I live now, I spent 4 years living in the village of Barlestone which helped me to understand how village life differs from living in the town.

People in villages face different challenges from those in towns. Whilst many in towns are concerned about traffic and parking, the concerns of villages are often with a lack of employment in the area, especially when new developments take place without the sufficient infrastructure that will create jobs.

Whilst good quality, reliable public transport is very important to those in towns, to those in villages it's a necessity. Recently bus services have been cut across the borough in our villages with some of the smaller villages having had their bus services slashed entirely.

This is unfortunately what happens when private companies operate public services in the interest of profit over the needs of our local communities, something a Labour government will end by bringing transport networks back into public ownership.

Positive

Positivity is what being an MP should be all about. Anyone elected into the House of Commons should always be thinking about how they can make a positive difference to their local community.

Whatever I do in life, whether it be at work or in politics, I always look towards a positive outcome. I'm always looking at how I can influence change rather than concerning myself with anything that's outside of my control.
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Right now, I'm focused on becoming the next MP for Bosworth. I'm taking action by campaigning across the constituency. Labour finished second to the Tories in Bosworth here at the last election and I believe we can do better. I'll be doing everything I can to win as many votes as possible to make that a reality.
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Credible

Unfortunately, we live in a time where people's trust in politicians is at an all-time low. 

This is evidenced by the hundreds of spoilt ballots in this year's local election, something that politicians need to reflect on.

During the EU referendum in 2016 a whole host of promises were made, many of which were not compatible with leaving the European Union. Voters were promised that if they voted leave things would change, and that they would change quickly. They have not.

David Cameron spent £9million of tax payers money in an attempt to convince the public to remain. The morning after the result was declared, he stepped down.

Theresa May promised the country she would get a good deal, she failed to do so and stepped down.

Boris Johnson said he'd “… rather die in a ditch” than fail in his mission to take Britain out of the EU on the 31st October. He failed and cost the tax payer an estimated £100million on advertising the deadline. To build bridges with those who have lost faith in politics we need credible policies. 

Boris Johnson's slogan “Get Brexit Done” might be a great sound bite, but the truth is that it's not credible. It's “Get Brexit done” no matter what the cost, to our country, to jobs, to our economy. A position that even some of the most loyal, well-respected and long serving Conservative MP's didn't support in parliament, a position which cost them their party membership.

The reality is that even if a withdrawal agreement with the EU was reached, and was voted through parliament, this would not be the end. Brexit would not be done; this would be just the start of the process. We would be negotiating our future relationship with the EU for years to come.

This makes this slogan very misleading to those who want to get beyond Brexit.

How to get Britain beyond Brexit

Many people ask me on the doorstep how I voted in the EU referendum.
The answer is simple - I voted to remain. But I am also a democrat. After the result of the referendum in 2016, I refused to sign a petition calling for another referendum on the basis that we should respect the result of the first vote even if it wasn't the outcome I'd campaigned for.

I supported Labour's commitment to negotiate a Brexit deal that would keep our close trading relationship with the EU through a customs union and a single market deal.

By doing this we could avoid the disastrous no deal Brexit Theresa May put on the table as part of her negotiation strategy.

Three and a half years since the result of the referendum so much of parliament’s time has been dedicated to Brexit, with a lot of resources going on preparations for no-deal outcome. We have now reached a point where the only way to solve the Brexit crisis is to go back to the people with a deal on the table.

This would not be a re-run of the referendum because the choice would be between remain and a credible Brexit deal, this time offering an outcome rather than a promise for those voters who still want to leave.

This would not be reversing the 2016 result but updating it to reflect the will of the people in 2020, the year the referendum would be held, and when the decision would be implemented.

If we take action on Brexit in 2020 without going back to the people, this in itself would be undemocratic. We would be ignoring the views of thousands of voters recently turning 21 who did not get a say in 2016 and therefore will not have a say on their own future.
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Giving the people the final say is how we get beyond Brexit.
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Why I'm a socialist
Socialism is the reason that thanks to our wonderful NHS, when a child gets sick in this country, we all pay towards the care of that child through our contributions. We all value the lives and well-being of our fellow citizens and value their contributions that pay for our healthcare when we’re in our hour of need.

Socialism is not an economic system of its own, socialism is a set of principles that can be applied to an economic system to ensure power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few. The Labour Party believe that the market should work for everyone, not just those who have capital.

I come from a working-class household, I didn’t do well at school, I didn’t go to university. I worked as an apprentice in a knitwear factory and when I left home at 20, I had no capital.

Thankfully there were opportunities for me to study and further my skills. I studied a part time degree which was funded by a student maintenance grant, something that was scrapped by George Osborne in 2016. The same course today now costs students £6,000 in fees.

By learning new skills, I was able to start my own web consultancy business from home. I had to work two jobs as many have to today, I did this for several months until my business became self-sufficient.

Unfortunately, many don't get the same opportunities as I did. Over the last 9 years those from working class backgrounds have really suffered at the hands of Tory austerity. Many are too concerned with where their next meal is going to come from and how they are going to pay their rent to think about entrepreneurship or self-improvement.

Labour have always provided a platform for every man, woman and child in this country to reach their full potential.

From the 1945 Labour government that created the NHS, with the last Labour government that founded Sure Start children's centres, to the next Labour government that will create a National Education Service to give everyone the opportunity to learn at any stage in their life, no matter their background or financial situation.
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I joined the Labour Party to play a part in improving people’s lives for the better. Labour governments have always achieved that.
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Dr Luke Evans - Conservative Parliamentary Candidate

11/17/2019

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With the UK General Election coming on December 12, the four candidates hopeful of becoming the MP for my local constituency, Hinckley and Bosworth, are each writing an exclusive guest post for my blog.

We have Conservative, Dr Luke Evans; Labour, Rick Middleton; Lib Dem, Michael Mullaney, and Green Party, Mick Gregg.

Labour's Rick Middleton:  stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/for-the-many-not-the-few

Lib Dem Michael Mullaney: stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/campaigning-to-save-local-services

Green Party's Mick Gregg: 
https://stewartbintauthor.weebly.com/stewart-bints-blog/why-the-greens-are-near-the-top-of-a-blind-taste-test

This is Dr Luke Evans's post

by Conservative candidate Dr Luke Evans
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​I am a GP. I believe there are a lot of similarities between a good local MP and a good GP. You must communicate clearly and effectively. You must be able to deal with complex information and make decisions. You have to problem solve. But above all, you must care about the people you look after and work hard to earn their respect.
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I come from a medical background. My father is a GP and my mother a retired nurse. I am the eldest of three brothers, all of whom have chosen a profession in medicine. I guess public service is in our blood!
I have spent over 15 years in the Midlands, starting my medical training in 2002, at The University of Birmingham Medical School.

Having successfully completed my medical degree in 2007, I worked in in Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Heartlands NHS hospitals.

After completing my 2 years as a junior doctor, I returned to The University of Birmingham to teach anatomy to first- and second-year medical students. I completed my GP training in 2013, proceeding to work across the Midlands including: Leicester, Loughborough, Birmingham, Rugby, Coventry and Leamington Spa. My wife is also a GP, and in 2018 we moved to Oxford for her to join a practice. The opportunity to come back to the Midlands was something we both relished.

For me, the chance to return to an area that has been so good to me over the years is a privilege. For my wife, to come back to the region she grew up in and to have family close by as we continue to build our life here. Living here, we share all the challenges you and your family face: buying a house, getting to work, maternity services, educating children, caring for family and supporting a community to live a fulfilled life.

​This is my life. This is our life, our future.
Dr Luke’s Priorities:

1) Get Brexit done - End the Uncertainty

I voted LEAVE.
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The country voted democratically to leave, and I want to see that decision upheld. Whether you voted leave or remain, as a nation we must end the deadlock to allow us to move on to concentrate on the domestic agenda like Schools, the NHS and Policing.
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2) Our Schools

The Conservatives are investing £14 billion into our schools, increasing funding by an average of 4.6% per pupil in Leicestershire, with local schools here in Hinckley & Bosworth receiving and average of 5% per pupil.

I have been a school governor twice in the past and will continue to fight for fairer funding and better education for our children.
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3) Crime in our area
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Tackling crime here in our area is very important to me:

Rurally: fly tipping, hare coursing, machinery theft and speeding

Urban: antisocial behaviour, knife crime and drug use.

I will fight to make sure funding is not sucked towards Leicester.

4) Our NHS

I have spent my professional life in the NHS. The Conservatives have just delivered a £450 Million package to Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as £8 Million for Hinckley hospital. Some of this money will fund the new X-ray department in Hinckley.

More needs to be done to keep up with demand and the announcement of 50 million new GP appointments will go some way to helping ease pressure. 
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I will use my professional knowledge to continue to improve our local health services.
5) Our Local Development

Families and businesses want to settle here for the opportunities on offer. Development in the area needs to be managed, appropriate and sustainable, with proper scrutiny of amenities provided like schools and doctors’ places, otherwise we simply won’t cope.
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I want to see congestion and HGVs on our roads tackled, including getting the A5 improved. We must have effective road infrastructure to support our community.

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Faulty Roots - A Film About Teenage Depression

11/7/2019

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My latest guest blogger is Ella Greenwood, an 18-year old Londoner, and the writer and producer of a short film,  Faulty Roots, about teenage depression, friendship and dreams.
by Ella Greenwood
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Having joined youth theatres and productions from a young age, I trained in both stage and screen. I made my screen debut as lead character Lina in New York Director Adam Llamas' horror 'In Front of You' and my stage debut at local theatres as well as the West End. I trained with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.

I’m also a voice-over actor, having narrated books for Audible/Amazon and having voiced a key character in a new American series. I have recently been called a 'Rising Young Acting Talent' by David Duprey of That Moment In and 'one of those "up-and-comers" to watch circumspectly' by Entertainment Writer Ruth Hill. Faulty Roots is the first time that I am going to work as a producer on a film, and I’d love to get to help share many more stories in the future.

I wanted to make a film on depression in teens and to raise awareness for mental health problems. This is because they affect so many teens and there is a lot more that can be done to help with this.


I've personally faced mental health problems and I think it’s rare that as teens we won’t have already faced them, be currently facing them or won’t do in the future.  A lot of people still find it difficult to reach out and ask for help with any problems that they might be facing and so I wanted to demonstrate with the film what this may be like and to represent some of the struggles faced. This is why I decided to write the script, so that it would come from a teenager’s perspective.

I have worked as an actor for many years and wanted to help portray the story which is why I will be taking on the character of Lola.

 The story follows Lola, a young girl with depression, and the friendship that she is forced to form with Zack. The two teens each have genetic conditions which affect their lives in different ways. The film will focus on the relationship built and the struggles faced, as well as how important is to talk to others.

To take on the character of Zack, we have the brilliant young actor Sani Thabo. I first saw Sani in the short film ‘Third Wheeling’ where he gave an amazing performance. From his audition, I knew that he could bring the same comedic talent and brightness that I had seen to the film. Sani has performed at the Brighton fringe festival and the New Theatre Royal. He has been in the short films Third Wheeling, Transteen and Listen.

Zack and Lola’s friendship is an important feature in the film. It demonstrates the importance of sharing pain and hurt as well as joy and happiness.

I also wanted to demonstrate the affect that a mental illness can have on the relationship between a parent and their teen and so this is why the character of Susan, Lola’s mother, is so important to the story. Susan will be played by the wonderful actress Sarah Eastwood.

I first worked with Sarah on the film In Front of You where she played my mother. We immediately got on and I learnt so much from her. Sarah has worked on over 40 projects, all predominately film & TV, including ITV, SKY & Amazon Prime productions. She starred in the award winning film ‘A Pinprick of Light’ that screened at Cannes Film Festival.

Sarah is also the founder of Visutap which offers Guided Audio Meditations.

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She is passionate about helping others on their inner journey and I know from experience how helpful meditation can be to overcome such things as stress and anxiety.

We have an extremely talented Director of Photography on board, Ash Lang Wen Li.  Ash grew up in Hong Kong, before pursuing a Film and Politics double major at Wesleyan University (Connecticut, USA), where she received the Freeman Asian Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship that covered 4 years of undergraduate tuition. She has a strong narrative background, and has worked with cinematographers whose work has been recognized by the Oscars, the Emmys and the BAFTAs. I absolutely love Ash's work and I know that she is the right DoP to bring my vision to life.

I’m hoping that the film will help to represent what it is like to suffer from depression as a teen and that it will raise awareness of the issue. I want it to both inform and entertain people. I’m going to submit it to as many film festivals as I can to try and share the story with as wide an audience as possible.

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We have launched an Indiegogo campaign for the film and I’m hoping to raise as much money as possible to get the story told and to get it told well.

So many people have already helped to support the film and I am so thankful for that. We also have the wonderful Ruth DesRoches on board as an Associate Producer and Brent N. Hunter on board as a co-producer. I would love for more people to get involved with the film and I’d be happy for people to contact me if they would like to know more about Faulty Roots or ways that they can help.

Rehearsals for the film start this month and then we begin shooting it during the start of December. The film will be completed by spring next year where we will be having a screening of it and will be submitting it to film festivals.

I am so excited to start the production of the film and to begin working with the cast and crew.

You can follow our progress on Instagram and Twitter using the links below:
www.instagram.com/faultyroots

www.twitter.com/faultyroots

Please also check out the crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/faulty-roots-film#/
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Help Fight Mental Health Issues With Physical Fitness

9/23/2019

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My guest blogger today is mental health campaigner Jordan Langley. Jordan uses his experience as a personal trainer to help people fight mental health issues. This is his story.  
by Jordan Langley

​Back before I started my personal fitness journey, I used to really struggle with my own health battles; I had just being diagnosed with irritable bowel disease (IBD).

As a result of that, I felt weak! I was rapidly losing weight as I couldn’t eat anything with making repeated trips to the toilet. It got so bad that I didn’t even have the energy to get out of bed and I was rushed to hospital, where I spent the next five  days. 
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​Fast forward five years and I’m now four major operations on my core down and my colon removed with an ostomy bag fitted (feel free to ask what one is).

When health issues exist in your life, it pours over and takes control of other areas of your life as well, it’s like an overdose of negativity that can destroy your life.

It got to a point where I literally wasn't me anymore, I didn’t feel like myself and I had to do something about it. Not only was I fighting this illness I was going through my own mental health battle, thinking what the point in being here anymore is and came close to doing something stupid.

As I fell deeper into depression and wondering why me, my wife at the time decided to be unfaithful instead of supporting me which lead to me going through a divorce, which pushed me lower the low, now I had to deal with the possibility of being forever alone and this sent me to absolute rock bottom.

This went on for a good 12 months in which I became a house hermit, did nothing but cry and question why bother, but that’s when I reignited my love for sport so I started to work out for 15-30 mins for a few weeks to build strength and make a conscious note of what I was eating, as I was still learning what my triggers were.

The results I got at first were relatively slow as my focus was just on getting started and making it habit, rather than focusing on the quality of the routine.

But once I took it seriously, I started cardio training, as After all the time spent in bed after the ops it’s the one thing I needed back, as well as gaining core strength again and once I figured out my trigger foods then I implemented my own diet plan to help keep me energized. EVERYTHING changed, dramatically.

Once I saw my previous figure re appear and I felt physically stronger like I can lift the whole world again. My strength came back almost instantly and for my mindset this was more than a confidence boost this was confirmation it was my time to shine, no matter the battles I face.

To even think about what I was like before scares the hell out of me, which is why it's my mission to not let anyone else go down the same road, it’s one of the reasons I became a coach in the first place.

If my story sounds familiar to yours and you want to change it just like we did, I can help you. So if you are ready to make a difference to your world and lose weight/tone up no matter what battles you will face then please get in touch with me through Twitter, or my Personal Trainer Facebook page.

Let's see if I can help you like I helped myself reclaim my life back and become a better stronger version of myself.

My biggest love now comes from the inspiration I get of others and knowing I inspire them, I am using my experience as a personal trainer to help combat mental health issues! As it has saved me and set me on the right path so now I’m guiding others through my story.

If you wish to join my support network to help others or gain support yourself then contact me on Facebook or Twitter. Remember...your mind matters. 
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Keep That Blood Flowing - Avoid A Pulmonary Embolism

9/8/2019

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There's a silent killer out there. And I don't mean of the Hannibal Lecter variety.

Ever since I had that pesky blood clot in my lung last year I've taken a keen interest in the subject, and discovered that one in four deaths worldwide is thrombosis-related.
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition in which a blood clot forms - usually in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm (known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) caused by being sedentary. It travels in blood circulation, lodging in the lungs and causing a potentially fatal  pulmonary embolism (PE).

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I came into contact with an organisation called RBR Active™, which runs an awareness campaign of the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, and has developed a medical device to drastically reduce the possibility of suffering a DVT. It works by significantly increasing blood flow to the legs.

Known as the RBR
Legflow™, it's effective anywhere during long periods of unavoidable inactivity, such as air travel, working in an office, being in hospital, online gaming, recovering from an operation, or just when you spend prolonged periods of time sitting.
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For almost 20 years, the medical profession has been aware that restricted blood flow in sedentary people was a key contributor to developing a deep vein thrombosis.

In fact, in the late 1990’s clinical research was being undertaken at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago, Wellington School of Medicine, which proved that individuals who led sedentary lives were 95% more at risk.
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However, finding a way to address this issue – especially for those who found mobility a problem – has been a slow process.

Hospitals use compression stockings, airlines recommend foot exercises and there have been plenty of unresearched items designed at improving blood flow which have hit supermarket shelves. 

But until the RBR Legflow™, there has not been a clinically-trialled and medically-approved product proven to reduce the risk of DVT.

It's undergone extensive clinical research, and has been independently clinically trialled. The results show an 11-fold increase in blood flow, by carrying out three simple foot exercises with it, each for one minute, while sitting...as I'm demonstrating in this picture. These exercises are shown in detail at the end of the article. 
The Managing Director of RBR Active™ is Paul Westerman.

Paramedics brought him back from the dead after a clot the size of a man’s thumb, had travelled from his leg, passing through his heart and blocking both pulmonary arteries with coagulated blood. The clot had then moved on to fill the blood vessels of his lungs, so only a trace of oxygenated blood could flow.

Since that happened in 2011, Paul has built relationships with other survivors and their families, along with the bereaved. He has also offered his personal experience to inform changes in medical policy.
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In 2013, he became a trustee of Thrombosis UK and the following year was appointed as a committee member of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its examination of thromboembolic diseases.
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And in 2018 he joined a pulmonary embolism study (initiated by the NCEPOD), working to identify avoidable and remediable factors in the management of patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.

The RBR Legflow™ is the result of his collaboration with of some of the most eminent medical professionals in the field of thrombosis: Professor Richard Beasley, Peter Haythornwaite, Dr Shaun Holt and Dr Rodney Hughes.

While many VTE cases are preventable, most people don't survive a massive pulmonary embolism which, unfortunately, can easiy result from them. So, seek HELP immediately if you experience the main signs of its forerunner - a DVT - in the lower leg: Heat, Excessive redness, Localised swelling, Pain. 

The RBR LegflowTM Exercises
Toe Point. Contraction of the calf muscle pump. 
​Place the  RBR Legflow™ under the ball of the foot, point the toes downward, and hold for three to four seconds. Raise the toes and stretch upwards, hold for three or four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.
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Arch Press. Compression of the plantar reservoir.

Place the RBR Legflow™ under the base of your foot. Arch the foot forward, and hold for three to four seconds. Arch the foot backwards and hold for three to four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.
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Toe Raise. Muscle relaxation for inflow to reservoir. 

Place the RBR Legflow™ under the heel of the foot. Raise toes upwards, stretch, and hold for three to four seconds. Point toes downwards and hold for three to four seconds. Repeat this exercise for one minute.
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​RBR Active™ website:   https://www.rbractive.com/
​RBR Active™ Twitter:    ​https://twitter.com/rbractive
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Superb Debut Fantasy Chiller From Teen Author

9/8/2019

2 Comments

 
My 5* book review of Helena Brady's The Secrets Of The Forest.
This fine debut novel from teenaged author Helena Brady may be aimed at  young adults, but let me tell you, it's perfect for any fantasy lover, whatever your age.
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I'm 63...and I loved it.


Helena began writing the book when she was 14, submitted it to a publisher at 15, and signed her publishing contract on her 16th birthday. Why is this relevant, you ask? Surely an author's age doesn't matter? Generally, no it doesn't. But I make reference to it because if you didn't know, you'd think it was written by an experienced, much older novelist.

This un-put-downable novel (I finished it in three sessions), displays maturity far beyond the author's years, skilfully developing the characters with depth and purpose, making them instantly likeable. 
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Many debut novels feature a good story, but badly written. Not this one. The high quality of the writing shines through from start to finish, as the moving (and sometimes gory) tale unfolds through a fine and balanced blend of dialogue and description. We're shown everything...not told. As soon as we turn the cover we almost become the main character, 16-year-old Sarah-Rose, seeing everything through her eyes, and feeling the tremendous mental pain and sadness she's experiencing. 
    
When we take our first steps deep into the forest, we quickly met angels and ghosts, and see hints that reinforce the forest's dark and dangerous reputation.

In a way, it could be said to be a rites-of-passage story, as it revolves around  Sarah-Rose's "turning," to reach "maturity." But this is no ordinary maturity...this is the maturity dictated by the forest.
There are some startling twists, and a completely unexpected climax.
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The Secrets Of the Forest is probably the best book I've read this year, and Helena Brady is definitely an author to watch. In my opinion, she's got a long and highly successful career as a novelist ahead of her.  

My rating of The Secrets Of The Forest:   *****

For more information about The Secrets Of The Forest, and buying links, CLICK HERE. 
And to read Helena's guest post on my blog, telling how this amazing book came about, CLICK HERE.
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    Stewart Bint supports the UK Sepsis Trust.

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    Author

    Stewart Bint is a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer. 

    He lives with his wife, Sue, in Leicestershire in the UK, and has two children, Christopher and Charlotte, and a budgie called Bertie.

    Usually goes barefoot.

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