Cheltenham Standard 19th March 2015

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19 MARCH 2015 ISSUE 35

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VICKERY’SVIEW Phil Vickery MBE

shares his thoughts onthe 2015 RBS Six Nations

PAGE21

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Airport isplanning to invest £6 million invarious projects over the next tenyears sources have revealed.This will mean more .ights,

more hangars and potentiallymore pro-ts for the Staverton-based operation.It’s a bold vision and one that

the new business plan forGloucestershire Airport will nodoubt outline in the near future.The airport is looking to invest

£6 million over the next decadeas part of its ambition to deliverthis level of expansion.They also want to continue to

support the local economywhiledelivering -nancial returns fortheir two shareholders, Glouces-ter City Council and Chel-tenham Borough Council.

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WIN DINNER FOR TWOPLUS WINE AT SPICE LODGE

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2 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 19 MARCH 2015

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THURSDAY 19th MarchMin 3ºC Max 8ºC

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THREE people had to beevacuated from a house lastThursday night after a carploughed into it.Police at the time said no

life-changing injuries weresuffered in the accidentwhich happened on thecorner of Swindon Road andTownsend Street.OfDcers were called to

the road at around 8.35pm,where they discoveredthe maroon Renault Cliohatchback. One personwas still inside the vehicle,who sustained minor in-juries.Three people have been ar-

rested on suspicion of thetheft of the car.It had caused serious

damage to a Eat-roof exten-sion on the rear and side ofthe property.Gloucestershire Fire and

Rescue Service said they sent10 DreDghters to the crashscene at about 8.50pm.“The vehicle had crashed

into the bathroom of theproperty which had suffereda partial collapse,” thespokesman said.“Crews quickly stabilised

the building and made the

area safe. The occupants ofthe house were uninjured inthe accident.“The appliances were kept

at the incident for one hour25 minutes.”Anyone with information

is urged to call police on 101quoting incident 511 ofMarch 12.

The business plan will see £6 millioninvested in the airport between 2015and 2025.The investment will be funded

through on airport activities like fueland landing fees, together with rentingand development of the ‘on-airport’business properties.The airport has indicated it hopes to

be in a position to return a dividend tothe two councils in 2015/16.The new business plan was due to be

discussed by decision-makers at Chel-tenham Borough Council on Tuesdayevening of this week before the share-holders meet to discuss it on Friday 20thMarch.

Swindon Road car crash horror

Airport investmentCONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

LOCAL traders and some of thegeneral public expressed theirshock after a man was found deadoutside a Ladbrokes betting shopover the weekend.Police ofDcers were called to Lad-

brokes in Rotunda Terrace, Mont-pellier at approximately 7.45amlast Saturday morning.A man in his 40s was found de-

ceased at the scene. It is not yetclear how he had died.Paramedics from South West

Ambulance Service arrived at thescene within minutes. An ofDcerconDrmed the man had died.Police were trying to get in

contact with the next of kin overthe weekend.A spokesman for Gloucestershire

Police commented, “Paramedicswere in attendance and a male inhis forties was deceased. The deathis not being treated as suspiciousbut is currently unexplained.’’

Race week death inMontpellier Street

WITH less than 50 days to go until the GeneralElection, the battle to become the next MP forCheltenham is hotting up.Last week saw the Conservative Member of

Parliament for Stockton South, JamesWharton, unexpectedly waded into a debatebetween two of Cheltenham’s general electionhopefuls.The Stockton MP’s intervention followed a

debate hosted by the Federation of Small Busi-nesses between Cheltenham’s six election can-didates, at the Reddings Community Centre.The event saw the candidates spar on anumber of issues, including Boots Corner, theeconomy and immigration.But it was on the issue of Europe that the

two leading contenders to be the town's nextMP, the Lib Dem Martin Horwood and ToryAlex Chalk, crossed swords.Mr Chalk claimed that the Liberal Democrat

MP had tried to ‘stymie’ James Wharton MP’sattempts to force an in-out referendum on EUmembership by December 2017. Mr Horwooddenied the claim.

But now the man whose Bill was under dis-cussion has waded into the argument, statingon Twitter that Mr Horwood "tried desperatelyto scupper my EU bill, if he denies it he is notbeing truthful.’’Commenting on his Tory colleague's inter-

vention, Mr Chalk said: “I am 100% in favourof a referendum. It’s high time the people ofCheltenham were given a say on Britain’smembership of the EU. If I had been Chel-tenham’s MP I would have wholeheartedlysupported James Wharton’s Bill.’’

Chalk and Horwoodangrily cross swords

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James Wharton MP

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Winston’s Wish announces a new charity patron –RANDOLPH CHURCHILLWINSTON’SWish, the leading childhoodbereavement support charity in the UK,based in the town has announced the ap-pointment of Randolph Churchill, greatgrandson of Sir Winston Churchill, as apatron for the charity.Randolph Churchill is a Trustee of the

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust whichwas established when Sir WinstonChurchill died in 1965. The Trust carriesforward his legacy by funding British cit-izens from all backgrounds to travel over-seas in pursuit of new and better ways oftackling a wide range of the currentchallenges facing the UK. Successfulapplicants are known as Churchill

Fellows for life.Paul Winter, Chair of Trustees of

Winston’s Wish, commented on the ap-pointment: “We are delighted and hon-oured to have Randolph Churchill as apatron and to be announcing his ap-pointment in the year of the 50th an-niversary of Sir Winston’s Churchill’sdeath. It’s a Dtting way for us to celebrateboth the historical connection and theheritage of our charity.“Randolph Churchill’s support will be

key in helping us to raise awareness of thevital work we do with bereaved familiesacross the UK and we look forward toworking closely with him.”

TOMORROW Friday 20th March, the townwill be cast in shadow as the Drst solar eclipsein 16 years hits the UK.The eclipse will block out up to 90 percent

of the sunlight across parts of the UK between8.25am and 10.45am and will maximise at ap-proximately 9:30am for two minutes.However, the temptation to witness the

spectacular phenomenon with the naked eye

can cause damage to sight and even temporaryor permanent blindness. So make sure youhave your eyes protected properly.Essilor, the world leader in corrective lenses,

is currently running a campaign to let peopleknow the dangers of looking at the eclipse withthe naked eye and are using eye mascots, TheProtectors, to spread this message.The giant eye mascots were in Imperial

Gardens in Montpellier offering advice to thepeople of Cheltenham on how to look aftertheir eyes during the eclipse. And they werejoined by a host of visiting Japanese school

children to learn how to avoid the dangers.They were in fact looking away from theSun’s direction on their short tutorial fromthe Essilor Mascots.The rule of thumb is to always resist the

temptation to look directly at the sunwithout complete eye protection. Looking forjust a few seconds could cause serious irre-versible damage – this damage is often pain-less, so people don’t realise what they’redoing to their vision.For expert advice on protecting your eyes

from UV rays all year round, visitwww.essilor.co.uk to Dnd your nearest inde-pendent optician.

SOLAR ECLIPSE ON WAY

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AS a national television advertisingcampaign is launched to encouragevoter registration ahead of theGeneral Election, CheltenhamBorough Council is encouraginglocal people to visitwww.gov.uk/register-to-voteOnMay 7th 2015 voters will go to

the polls to elect a Member of Par-liament for Cheltenham.

The Elec-toral Commis-sion this weeklaunched itsnational voterregistration

campaign to remind people to reg-ister by April 20th 2015.Kim Smith, election and registra-

tion manager said: “Time is nowrunning short to make sure you cantake part in the elections, so I’d en-courage everyone in Cheltenham totake action now if they aren’t regis-tered to vote.Our message is simple: you can’t

vote, if you aren’t registered by 20thApril. It’s easy to do and only takesa few minutes online. If you’re notsure, please double check.’’Residents can register to vote

online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. Residents can check whetherthey’re registered to vote by calling01242 264132.

Your vote counts

Randolph Churchhill


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URBAN gulls cause nuisanceto residents and businessesin parts of Cheltenhamduring the spring andsummer, with the noise theymake in the early hours,swooping, faeces on bal-conies and cars, and nestingmaterials blocking guttering.

Here are some ways inwhich you can helpkeep the gull populationunder control:• Bird proof your propertybefore the nesting seasonstarts. This should be doneas soon as possible, by mid-April, and will prevent gullsfrom landing and nesting,which is beneBcial as theyare at their noisiest whenthey are supporting hatch-lings.• Fit long spikes to chimneystacks or short spikes todormer roofs. This will stopbirds from nesting and netsor wires will also stop birdsfrom landing.

• Nests on residents’ roofscan be reported to thecouncil’s environmentalhealth team on 01242264135, email [email protected] so that ofBcers canvisit during the egg replace-ment programme whichtakes place in early May.Finally residents can help byreducing food sources thatare available to the gulls.Using the weekly food wastecollection scheme ratherthan putting food in generalwaste, will reduce theamount of food that ends upin landBll. LandBll sites area major food source for gulls.The council coordinates anUrban Gulls Focus Group,which is open to interestedresidents.Contact Helen Down on01242 774960 if you wouldlike to attend.Sarah Clark, public and

environmental health teamleader, said: “Gulls become

increasingly troublesome inthe build up to the breedingseason in May, and birdprooBng is a very good wayto deter them in a sustain-able way.”Cllr Andrew McKinlay,

cabinet member for develop-ment and safety, added: “Weare keen to get our residentson board in our ongoingwork to manage our urbangull population. We are

pleased to have an addi-tional £8,616 this year tostart using dummy eggs inthe nests.’’

GET TO GRIPSWITH GULLS

SANDFORD Parks Lido wants to expandthe number of evening events it runsthroughout the year.

The treasured Cheltenham open air poolhas written to neighbours to let themknow it wants to run events more regularlyuntil 10.30pm.It wants to run outdoor theatre and

cinema nights, as well as live and recordedmusic nights, all events which have previ-ously been held there and applied forunder a Temporary Event Notice.In its letter to neighbours it said: “While

our normal hours of operation are 6amuntil 8.30pm, our lease entitles us tooperate the lido until 10.30pm throughoutthe year.”

Lido to expand evening events


BBC Radio Gloucestershire starClaire Carter last Friday foundherself up to her armpits in batterthanks to Simpsons Fish andChips.The Cheltenham chippy

plunged the radio DJ into a bath ofbatter in aid of Comic Relief. Simp-sons staged the fundraiser outsidethe restaurant on Priors Road. Staffdressed as jockeys wearing rednoses and encouraged customers to

make donations to Red Nose Day.Claire Carter said, “It was cer-

tainly something I never thought Iwould say: ‘I got battered forComic Relief!’ But, actually therewas something quite soothingabout it. All the staff at Simpsonswere a great laugh & hats off tothem for organising it. I know afew of their staff continued to sit inthe tub through the night shift –top work for charity so well done.

If anyone now has tips on howto get batter out of clothing, that’dbe great.”James Richie, Co-founder of

Simpsons Fish and Chips, said:“Claire was such a great sport.Sitting in a bath of batter is a bit ofan experience. We raised in excessof £250 through this which isgreat. I would like to say a bigthank you to all our customers andstaff for their generosity.”

Battered for Comic Relief

FOLLOWING a sold-out launchdinner, the popular Gloucestershire’sFinest series returns to Gloucester-shire College’s CheltenhamCampuson Monday 23rd March with TheFeathered Nest at Food Central.Situated just over the county

border, The Feathered Nest CountryInn is headed up by three AA Rosetteaward-winning chef, KubaWinkowski, and is renowned for itsmodern menu of Gne British food,

made using locally-sourced and sea-sonal produce.Kuba will be bringing his brigade

of skilled chefs to the county‘s topchef’s training school at Gloucester-shire College, to work with its stu-dents – the future stars of theindustry – and give them an invalu-able experience of working in a pro-fessional kitchen, serving realcustomers.During the formal evening, 40 dis-

cerning diners will be served a Gve-course menu carefully crafted byKuba and co, with the help of theCollege students.On the menu are a selection of

mouth-watering canapés; Carrot andCoconut to start; Scallop withseranno ham escabeche, paprika,black olive and rocket; Chickenwithfoie gras, morel mushroom, smokedpotato, leek and wild garlic; Hazel-nut with Pedro Ximénez, parfait,praline and chocolate; and PetitFours.Costing just £30 per person, each

course will be perfectly paired withan alcoholic beverage too.Gareth Crwys-Williams, Head of

School for Catering and Hospitality,said: “After the success of Chel-tenham’s Champions, we are verymuch looking forward towelcoming

Kuba and his chefs from The Feath-ered Nest to Food Central Chel-tenham Restaurant.There are a limited number of

tickets remaining for The FeatheredNest at Food Central and advancebooking is highly recommended.Call 07717 156767 to book or [email protected]. Theevening will start from 6pm.If you’re a local chef or

restaurant owner looking toshowcase your cuisine in a new andexciting way, contact GarethCrwys-Williams on 01242532105 or email [email protected]

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College catering students towork with award-winning chef


WHAT a depressing week ofnews we’ve had in Cheltenham.A local police ofIcer has beencharged with exposing himselfon duty, three teen yobs stole acar and smashed it into a ter-raced house in town and a poorchap was found dead on thestreets of Montpellier.Let’s tackle these three stories

in reverse order.Firstly it goes without saying

that my deepest condolences goout to the family of the manwho died in Cheltenham lastSaturday.His body was found outside

Ladbrokes at 7:45am and emer-gency services declared the gen-tleman dead at the scene. Itcertainly was a very sombre noteto end Cheltenham’s race weekon and I do wonder if the(presently) unidentiIedmanwasin our town for this reason?The only vague information

we have on theman so far is thathe was in his 40s. Whatever thecause of death, he certainly wastoo young to be leaving this

world and it’s a very chilling re-minder to us all how precioushuman life is.I do think it’s important to

mention that at least his lastmoments were spent in one ofthe Inest areas of our town andthat is the one solitary aspect wecan be thankful for in this verytragic story.Moving on, three kids decided

to rob the keys to a Renault Clioand ram it into a house offSwindon Road.You see - I can understand this

from the kids’ point of view.They probably had a party to getto, whichwould’ve undoubtedlyinvolved under-age drinking? Sothey might’ve been a bit tipsyalready? Pre-drinking is a greatway to save some money andturn up in a party mood.The do-gooders will try and

tell me they should’ve gota taxi then. But c’monpeople itwas RaceWeek! Youtry booking a taxi

in Race Week!! Also have youpaid a taxi fare recently? It’s asmall fortune! I can barelyafford the cost to the nearestoff license, let alone somespotty 14-year old.I certainly wouldn’t advocate

them taking a bus, I wouldn’teven wish that on my worstenemy, which left them withtheir only option of stealing acar; perfectly understandable ifyou ask me. They get browniepoints for being considerate andstealing the keys to a RenaultClio. The owner won’t be toosentimental over that thing. Ifthe kids were selIsh theywould’ve taken off in a brandnew Beemer.

I guess they lose thebrownie points I justawarded them whenthey smashed the carinto some poor

person’s house. Itwa sn ’ ttheirInest

hour and

at least two of them Jed thescene; either out of embarrass-ment or because they were nowrunning extremely late to theaforementioned party.Alas the kids have all been ar-

rested now after what must’vebeen a disappointing night forthem. I just hope they get bailonce the police realise it was aCheltenham Borough Councilowned property they rammed;highlighting once again howthoughtful these kids were notto target a tax payer ontheir joyride.I’m now running out of space

to write about the Inal topic ofthe Jashing police ofIcer. Notmuch to say anyway really. Bithorrendous, probably a goodthing he doesn’t serve usanymore, hopefully other ofI-cers don’t do it. Here’s hoping fora cheerier set of news in Chel-tenham next week.

Get more of Tom’s insightsby following him onTwitter @thurlow

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these articlesare theirs alone, and do not necessarily re�ect the views, opinions or positions of The Cheltenham Standard

Venting spleen Local man about town, Tom Thurlow lets loose

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FROM the 9th – 13thMarch students and staffat All Saints’ Academywere running activities toraise money for ComicRelief.£466 was raised by All

Saints’ Academy, with thegovernment doublingwhat schools made, thatmeant £932 raised!Each day of the week

saw a cake sale at breaktime run by the four dif-ferent houses and theSixth Form. There were gamessuch as ‘Guess the baby’,which featured 21 staff/teach-ers. Other activities included apenalty shoot-out and guessthe howmany red noses in thejar. Three Sixth Form studentschose to take part in a spon-sored silence.Their Inal event was a Staff

Stars in Their Eyes on Friday13th at the end of the day.Tickets had been sold through-out the week for £1. Therewere Ive acts similar to theoriginal Stars in Their Eyes

format. Assistant PrincipalStuart Clarkson & Scienceteacher Mr. Neeley trans-formed into the Blues Broth-ers, Kerri Skelding & EmilySmith became Elsa and Annafrom the hit Ilm Frozen, ITTeacher Emma Wellingtonbecame Vanilla Ice, Head ofMusic Naomi Austin took aturn as Adele and RE teacherMatthew Pinless crooned asGary Barlow. Hair and Beautyteacher Claire Cox was onhand to help make-up theteachers along with some of

her beauty students. Instead ofHarry Hill or Matthew Kellywe had Head of Media KeithWright take the reins ofthe show.The audience of students

and staff were kept entertainedby Mr. Wright as the acts wentthrough the ‘non smokeydoors’ to be transformed. Atthe end of the show the actsall came out and did the SClub 7 number ‘Reach’. Theshow was a tremendoussuccess and £107 was raisedfor Comic Relief.

Comic Relief at All Saints Academy

POLICE have reported a multi-vehicle crashon the A417 Nettleton Bottom between theAir Balloon Roundabout and Cirencester.Up to eight vehicles were involved, police

believe.The collision happened at 8.50am.There were no injuries and the vehicles

have been cleared from the carriageway,however the road is closed while policeappeal to the Highways Agency to clean upJuid on the road.

A417 strikes again To advertise in theCheltenham Standard

call 01242 257019

Editor’sDESK


BUSINESS

IN 2005, Stephen Harper establishedAttivo Group Limited.In 2006 he launched MYSIPP. And

then in 2012 Attivo Investment Man-agement was born. It’s been a verymeasured path of growth and acquisi-tions that have brought the Attivostory to where it is today.Stephen Harper has created a Lnan-

cial services business that is totally

transparent and built on long-termclient relationships, rather than thehistoric transactional model employedby many in the Lnancial servicessector. He leads a team of specialist in-dependent pensions, tax and invest-ment advisers, who are well known fortheir technical excellence and innova-tive approach.Most of the Attivo business is done

in the South West and South East. It’sa wide enough net that generatesupwards of £2BN being managed atany one time.

L ast week’s scribes by our socialcommentator Tom Thurlowwere bang on the money for

me. It is right not to give the beggarsmoney. Give them food or help to getoff the street. Hope the BoroughCouncil are reading this?It’s all very well that we have these

poor unfortunates on the street butone point that were are also missing

in this social comment is the street buskers.Now, the sight of the homeless and the beggars might be

offensive to the eyes and rightly tug at the conscience as itshould, but what about the offence to the ears?In London they have some of the most talented people

busking in the tube system, here we have a bunch of un-tal-ented ‘wannabes’ trying their luck with our wallets andour hearing. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind poppingthem a bob or two but at least let’s have something decentto listen to.One of our readers this week, Mr Richard Woolley, quite

rightly points out that although some of them are just aboutbearable, there’s one particular individual who foists his lackof talent with the trumpet on us, who should be removed forthe sake of both his ego, our poor eardrums… and the lookof the town.I happen to have heard this chap playing outside

Cavendish House and it’s quite appalling. Harry James he isnot. Just walk past his doleful attempts at slow, hauntingmelodies and if you’re in anyway depressed or feeling down,you’ll be reaching for the Valium or self-harming withintwenty paces.He delivers mournful fog horn tunes that are way down

the melodic scale in terms of cheeriness and talent. NoTrumpet Voluntary from this bloke. It’s easier to play slowmoaning music rather than quick cheery tunes. It’s calledtalent and he doesn’t have any. Simon Cowell would slaugh-ter him.If I trumped up to someone’s front door and blared an ‘out

of tune’ song at them they’d slam the front door. It’s the samething. It’s unwanted.Perhaps the town council could look to regulate this lot for

the sake of our ears and the look of the town centre?In London buskers have to pass an audition to perform in

the tube systems. Quite right too as they can earn very goodmoney.Let’s get rid of these street buskers here in favour of either

silence or talent.

Eric Barton, Editor

Cheltenham Standard is published weekly by Cheltenham Standard Ltd isregistered at Suite 104, Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, GL501TA. Reproduction of any material, in whole or in part, is strictly forbiddenwithout the prior written consent of the publishers. All material is sent atthe owner’s risk and whilst every care is taken, heltenham Standard Ltd willnot accept liability for loss or damage. Dates, information and pricesquoted are believed to be correct at time of going to press but are subjectto change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions.Neither the editor nor publisher accepts responsibility for any materialsubmitted, whether photographic or otherwise. All rights reserved. ISSNno. 2055-2092. Terms and conditions at www.cheltenhamstandard.co.uk

Got a comment?Please contact us at

[email protected]

A NEW free business guide and direc-tory for Cheltenham has beenlaunched this week in both abrochure format and an online guide.The directory provides an invalu-

able networking tool for companiesalready based in the borough and alsohighlights the beneLts of working inthe borough to businesses who maybe considering making Cheltenhamtheir new home.Hard copies are available from the

Municipal OfLces’ reception, Chel-tenham Library, the Chamber of

Commerce and the Growth Hub; andthe online directory can be found onthe borough council’s website:www.cheltenham.gov.uk\businessdi-rectoryCllr Steve Jordan, council leader,

said: “It is vital that Cheltenhamremains an attractive place for in-vestors, developers and local busi-nesses alike. We hope that thedirectory will be of great beneLt tobusinesses already based in Chel-tenham, whilst also helping to attractnew companies to our borough.”

Kevan Blackadder, manager ofCheltenham Business Partnership,said: “The new online guide is a greatway to Lnd Cheltenham businesseswith a simple click. Hopefully it willalso encourage local companies andtraders to do more business with eachother.“You can use the website to trace

thousands of businesses through abusiness name, a type of company oran address. If you run a business andaren't included in the guide, it is alsoeasy to add your details.”

New business guide and directory

Outsauce partners withcounty community projectsCHELTENHAM-BASED,contractor and stafLngsector Lnancial supportspecialist Outsauce isthrilled to announce itis partnering withCounty CommunityProjects (CCP)throughout 2015.Based at Cheltenham

House, Outsauce has astrong track record forraising charity funds.The partnership was conLrmed fol-lowing a company wide vote.The money the Outsauce team

raises will help CCP to engage andwork with people experiencing mul-tiple complex problems includinghomelessness, family stability issuesand physical and mental wellbeing.Miles Lloyd, CEO, Outsauce said:

“As a proud Cheltenham business,we are delighted to be supportingCCP which provides crisis and pre-ventative services to improve thelives of children, young people, fam-ilies and vulnerable adults acrossGloucestershire and Worcestershire.The charity works closely with otheragencies to offer care and support toenable vulnerable people to realisetheir aspirations and reach their fullpotential.

“The Outsauceteam will beholding fundraisingevents to raise asmuch money aspossible for CCP sowe are lookingforward to workingclosely with theteam and arethrilled to an-nounce the partner-ship.”

Chris Knight, CCP’s Corporate andEvent Fundraiser, said: “We are de-lighted to have been selected as oneof the Charities of the Year for Out-sauce, being supported by a localbusiness is invaluable for our organi-sation. It gives us a really great op-portunity to raise the proLle of thework we do locally at the same timeas raising much needed income,which will enable us to provide vitalservices for our customers. I’m reallylooking forward to working with thestaff team at Outsauce during 2015on some really great fundraising ini-tiatives.”Outsauce provides a range of com-

pliant accountancy and paymentservices to contractors and supportsUK recruitment Lrms with sector spe-cialist accountancy and Lnancing.

YESTERDAY morning (17th March)The Racecourse hosted a networkingbreakfast attended by over 90 localbusiness people in the Panoramicrestaurant. This month’s speaker was aformer Gold Cup winning owner,

Dido Harding,who is the CEO ofTalkTalk. Shespoke of herpassion for beingthe underdog inbusiness whichhas given her thestrength and deter-mination to builda successful career.

Dido was appointed CEO of TalkTalkGroup in March 2010. Prior to joiningTalkTalk, Dido was Sainsbury's con-venience director. She joined Sains-bury's from Tesco PLC where she helda variety of senior roles both in the UKand international businesses. She wasappointed as a non-executive directorof The British Land Company PLC inJanuary 2010.The next business breakfast will be

held in June with guest speaker TVcelebrity physician Dr Dawn Harper.Visit www.facebook.com/Cotswold-

StyleMagazine to see Dido talk aboutbroadband strategy for rural areas.

CEO of TalkTalkat Racecoursebusiness breakfast

Measured growth for Attivo Group

Dido Harding

COUNTRYTASTIC returns to theThreeCounties Showground,Malvern onThursday April 9th.Visitors can expect an action packed day

full of fun, food and farming with plenty ofoutdoor and indoor activities.Tickets arepriced at just £6 with free entrance forunder 3s making it the perfect Easterholiday outing.Doreen Smillie-Gray, Countrytastic Show

Manager said: “Countrytastic is one of ourfavourite shows. Just for kids it’s alwayspacked with fantastic activities frombottle-feeding lambs, to tractor rides andegg decorating.We’re really lookingforward to it.”This year’s theme is Birds &Their

Habitats. Children can learn everythingabout both domestic and wild birds fromidentiIcation to bird song and nestbuilding, their natural habitats and theimportance of their conservation.Thepoultry display also includes a hatchingdemonstration so children will be able tohandle chicks and learn.TheTractor andTrailer rides transport

children on a showground safari taking inall the sights and activities.Special guest Adam Henson from BBC

CountryIle and the Cotswold Farm Parkwill be exploring throughout the day andvisitors will get the chance to hear hiscountrytastic tales about his own farmanimals in the Livestock Ring.

Other highlights includeXtreme Falconry, the SheepShow,WildlifeWay, the BarnOwl display and theinteractive Livestock Parade.Countrytastic takes place onThursday April 9 from 10-5.Tickets are priced at £6 perperson, under 3s are free.Book tickets early for entryinto a prize draw to win thechance of a picnic withAdam Henson. For moreinformation please call01684 230128 or visitwww.threecounties.co.uk/countrytastic


IT’S Reputed that men thinkabout sex every seven seconds.I’ve no idea if this is true,although it deInitely appears thecase with Chris Hill’s centralcharacter, RobertThompson, in‘The Pick-Up Artist’.Unlucky in love,Thompson, a

young and successful adexecutive at a newspaper, resortsto ‘Pick-UpArtists’, a webcommunity that supplies itsmembers with psychologicaltechniques designed to attractthe opposite sex.Thompson test-drives various methods that, to be

fair, include fostering romance,but only as a means to ‘target’women, also known as ‘the mark,’in a bid to get laid. Hmmm.Described on the book jacket as

a ‘lad-lit rom com’, I immediatelyhad visions of ‘Men BehavingBadly’ coupled with ‘TheWorstWeek of My Life’, non-P.C. jokes,blokes getting wasted, andreferences to breasts, sex,Isticuffs and footie. As it turnedout I was on the money. Theaverage feminist would have abad dose of ‘red mist’ after lessthan a dozen pages. Me? I wasbrought up from an early age inan all-male household, so I’mschooled in ‘lad-chat’. For what Iwasn’t prepared: the portrayal ofugly ladette culture. When onecharacter,Alice, curses: ‘Stuck-up

bitch...What she needs is a goodseeing to,’ followed, chapterslater, with her stated opinion thatany woman who was ‘bothered’about abortion was ‘lying,’ Ialmost Jung the book across theroom.Be in no doubt, Hill captures

the occasional cruelty of ‘thefairer sex’ in a way guaranteed tomakeThompson and the readersquirm. Psychosexual politics inaction, you might argue, but whyresort to smut and cheap laughs?There’s a scene, in which Rob

strolls haplessly through a Ieldwith a female companion. A herdof cows take more than a passinginterest. His companion’s angryreaction is so Inely observedthat I genuinely chuckled, butthere just wasn’t enough of this

kind of wit and insight.What is undeniable, Hill is an

accomplished writer with an easystyle, a snappy line in dialogueand an original turn of phrase.It’s a real pity that he doesn’t turntalent for dark comedy to writinga story that is engaging andappealing and for a wideraudience. And with my grammarcop hat on, the whole novel couldhave done with a darn good copy-edit.Numerous references to

Cheltenhammight broaden thenovel’s appeal to local readers.Perhaps males of a certain agewould Ind the story entertaining.But I wouldn’t recommend theyhand the book to their girlfriends.The Pick-Up Artist by Chris Hill

is published by Magic Oxygen.

Eve Seymour is a freelance writingcoach and the author of seven crime1ction novels. Beautiful Losers willbe published by US publisherMidnight Ink early 2016. To see moredetails of her work visitwww.evseymour.co.uk

By EVE SEYMOUR

BookREVIEW

THE PICK-UP ARTIST BY CHRIS HILL

CULTURECOUNTDOWNTOCOUNTRYTASTIC 2015Three Counties Showground, Malvern,Thursday 9 April 2015, 10am - 5pm

30th March, 11.30am & 2.30pmLOUIS Pearl, the Amazing Bubble Man,embarks on a tour of the UK with hisunique show that has been delightingaudiences of all ages around the worldfor thirty years.The world'sleading ‘Bubbleologist’ isback by popular demandhaving sold out at theEdinburgh’s Festival Fringefor the past eight years.Pearl has been thrilling

schools and familyaudiences around the worldwith the art, magic, scienceand fun of bubble since 1983. Heexplores the breathtaking dynamics ofbubbles, combining comedy andartistry with audience participation andenough spellbinding bubble tricks tokeep everyone mesmerized.PLUS LIVE MUSIC ON STAGE: During

his show Louis is accompanied by Jet

Black Pearl whose wild and wonderfullive accordion playing brings and extralayer of fun and artistry to theperformances. See the trailer here: TheAmazing Bubble Man accompanied by

JET BLACK PEARLThe Amazing Bubble

Man has been bubblingprofessionally since1980, when he startedtheTangent ToyCompany in SanFrancisco. Pearlestimates, that in his 30year career he has

created over three million bubbles! Hehas written two books about bubbles,made a Ilm called “Lights, Camera,Bubbles!”, has appeared on Blue Peterand Sunday Brunch and has so farproduced 21 fantastic bubbleinventions including the Mega Bubbles,a patented huge bubble maker.

BUBBLEMAN AT TOWN HALL

ROBERTS & John Productions aredelighted to announce their inauguraltouring production of AmandaWhittington’s Satin ‘n’ Steel.Theproduction, directed by GarethTudorPrice, will tour throughout the UKbetween March and July 2015.Set against a world of one night gigs in

sleazy northern clubs, this gritty comedyreveals the highs and lows of performingin the shady, dark cabaret circuit in thenorth of England.

A sensational mix of classic pop songsDaydream Believer,TheWind BeneathMyWings, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,TimeAfterTime, IWill Survive andJohnny B Goode helpTeena’s andVince’stenuous relationship unfold.A great show not to missed!

1st & 2nd AprilEveryman Studio TheatreTickets: 01242 572573www.everymantheatre.org.uk£10.50 (£9 concs)

Satin ‘n’ Steel by Amanda WhittingtonComing to Everyman Studio Theatre


CRYPTICCrossword

CoffeeBreak

1 2 3 4 5

6 7

8

9 10

11

12 13

14

15

16

17 18 19

20

21 22

LOVE

WEDS

RING

CAKE

WordLadderConvert the word at the topof the ladder into the wordat the bottom of it, usingonly the four steps inbetween. Every word mustbe a valid four letter word.

Last week’s solutions (12th March 2015): Across: 7 Oceanographer; 8 Hustlers; 9 Dame;10 Send-up; 12 Duress; 14 Strata; 16 Shadow; 18 Bolt; 20 Turncoat; 22 Rule Britannia.Down: 1 Schubert; 2Wanted; 3Tome; 4 Crusades; 5 Spider; 6Term; 11 Plasters; 13 Sporadic;15 Anthem; 17 Accent; 19 Opus; 21 Ruth.

7 5 4 3 83 7 6

5 9 31 5 9 44 6 5 2

8 7 13 7 8 4 5

6 77 2 3 1

StandOKU!Dif:culty rating: Moderate

TARGET

S A TE CB R P

E

Make as manywords of four lettersor more as you can.Each word mustcontain the centerletter and eachletter must onlybe used once.

Target:25 words good;35 very good;40+ excellent.

ACROSS

6. Go on - escape! (3,4)

7. Jeer from stupid person (5)

9. Observe 20 present (3)

10. Allaying suspicions whenremoving weapons? (9)

12. Public body showing evidenceof over-eating (11)

15. Impish behaviour in thetheatre? (11)

17.Whatever may happen duringwhatever trial (2,3,4)

19. Dance like a machine (3)

21. Begin to wince (5)

22. Copes as the male gets older(7)

DOWN

1. Revolt of bighead in dance (5)

2. Inexperienced climber Cghting(3)

3. Herbalist’s holiday island (4)

4. Most dig at disturbed personexpressing opinions arrogantly (9)

5. Leave a group playing (7)

8. Producing nothing again infarm building (6)

11. Having several husbands onplay production - dull! (9)

13. Use Csts about a middle-agespread? (6)

14. Set out on scheme to showheavenly bodies (7)

16. Sacked if up to Communist (5)

18. Friends’ turn to hit (4)

20. Capital after 2 (3)

ARIES (March 20 – April 18):How many bridges did youburn recently? Probablymore than you wanted to.An apology is the Crst stepto rebuilding them.

TAURUS (April 19 – May 19):Venus in Taurus will makeyou feel centered,grounded, and at peacewith yourself. It will alsolead you to revisit acertain romantic decisionmade in haste.

GEMINI (May 20 – June 20):Accept that offer on thetable. It’s not everythingyou wanted but Cndingways to improve on itgets the creative juicesDowing.

CANCER (June 21 – July 21):After weeks of feelingunder the gun,Venus’schange of sign brings a rayof hope. It only gets betterfrom here.

LEO (July 22 – Aug 21):No matter how difCcultthings get, there’s alwayssomeone around to helpout in a pinch. Look for a

friend to resurface aftera long absence.

VIRGO (Aug 22 – Sept 21):Your love life gets moreloving withVenus inTaurus. It’s been abattle of the sexes sinceFeb 21.You’re ready tomake love, not war.

LIBRA (Sept 22 – Oct 22):The emotionalrollercoaster comes to acomplete stop today. 3weeks of loop de loops wasall you could take. Feel freeto kiss the ground.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21):Could a loved one havebeen right all along? It’sbeginning to look that way.It’s good for you to bewrong once in a while. Itbuilds trust.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov 22 – Dec 20): You’ve beenat loggerheads for a whileand little has come of it.The other side is just asexasperated. It’s theperfect time to extend theolive branch.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21 – Jan 18):Thank heavensVenusmoves into proCt-makingTaurus.This brings goodnews regarding Cnances.This makes you pleasantto live with again.

AQUARIUS (Jan 19 – Feb 17):Thinking of renovating orremodeling? Now’s thetime to do it.The money’sthere for the asking aslong as you invest it inyour home.

PISCES (Feb 18 – March 19):A rival becomes an allywhen you both want thesame thing. Put asidedifferences and worktogether.You’ll be happywith the outcome.

YourWeekly HOROSCOPESMORE than 100 substancesincluding ecstasy and ketaminehave effectively been legalised inIreland - but not for long.The country's parliament sat

late on Tuesday and passedemergency drug control laws after a rulingin the Court of Appeal found a section ofthe country's current drug legislation wasunconstitutional.The emergency legislation was passed by

the lower house of the parliament, butmustbe rati@ed by the Senate and then signedinto law by the President MichaelD. Higgins.That is expected to be completed within

24 hours, but would onlycome into force frommidnight on Thursday,meaning the drugs areeffectively legal for aperiod of more than 36

hours between the court ruling and theemergency laws taking effect.Many other drugs, including heroin,

cocaine and cannabis are banned underseparate laws and not affected by the ruling.The ruling came during the prosecution

of a man for possession ofmethylethcathinone, which was among anumber of substances added to thecontrolled drugs list in 2010.

QuirkyNews...LEGAL DRUGS BY ACCIDENT

NOMINATIONS are now open for theannual Shed of the Year contest in whichBritons each year show their eccentricaffection for their garden refuges.Early contenders this year include amini-

pub shed called The Ballroom (pictured) atKeyworth in Nottinghamshire.Rivals include the VW-themed Pear Tree

Wedding HQ in Northamptonshire, abunker-like Biker's Shed near Chichesterand a Pirate Retreat in Croydon.To coincide with the launch of the 2015

competition, sponsors Cuprinol havepublished its annual 'Shed'onomic' reporton the nation's garden shed habits.It reveals some of the bizarre items that

Brits horde in their sheds including ex-husbands' possessions, retro cassette tapesand SecondWorld War gas masks.

The report alsoreveals that thegarden shed industryis now worth over£8billion to theBritish economy,

with more than 21 million people in theUK now owning a shed.The report also found that 'Sheddies' will

spend nearly a year in their sheds duringtheir life, but that nearly a third admit theirshed is so messy they can barely getthrough the door.Cuprinol is urging Sheddies to clear out

the junk and transform their sheds into agarden sanctuary and enter it in the Shedof the Year competition.Last year's winner was Joel Bird from

London for his eco-friendly Allotment RoofShed which he built from scratch usingrecycled materials and used to grow anarray of vegetables.

SHED HEADS

SPORTING ICONS DINNERWEDNESDAY 20th MAY 2015

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Join our sporting icons for a night of banter, laughter and fun encouraged by our MC and former Bath & England rugby legend David Flatman

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sport magazine columnist and TV pundit.

MATT LE TISSIERAn exceptionally technical

attacking midfi elder who is best known for over 400 appearances

playing for Southampton.

MICHAEL VAUGHAN OBEOnce ranked as one of the

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and retaining them in 2005.

AP MCCOY OBERecord breaking 19 time champion

jockey with over 4,315 winners, who recently announced his

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Your essential guide to buying and selling property

PropertyBuyerincorporating lettings

SANDFORD PARK PLACE £250,000A bright and airy two bedroom second floor apartment which forms part of a select development withinwalking distance of the town centre and with access onto the picturesque Sandford Park. Theaccommodation is in very good decorative order and comprises in brief an entrance hall, a modern fittedkitchen with integrated appliances, a living/dining room with a southerly facing balcony, a family bathroom,two bedrooms and an en-suite shower room. Additional benefits of this modern apartment includedouble glazing, gas fired central heating, allocated parking and a garage. EPC: C

PITTVILLE £300,000A stylish and beautifully presented four bedroom town house offered in very good decorative order andlocated in this central location within walking distance of the town centre, bars, restaurants and PittvillePark. Recently refurbished its accommodation is arranged over three floors and comprises in brief anelegant entrance hall, a through living/dining room opening to a fitted kitchen, four bedrooms, an en-suitebathroom, and a family bathroom. Additional benefits of this fine period property include gas centralheating, double glazing, a courtyard garden and the option of residents permit parking. EPC: D

QUEENS ROAD £525,000A marvellous five bedroom semi-detached family house with character features and a very large reargarden. Its well proportioned accommodation on the ground floor comprises in brief an entrance hall, adining room with a log burner set into the fireplace, a living room overlooking the rear garden, a modernfitted kitchen opening into the breakfast room, a utility room and a shower room with a sauna. The firstfloor offers four bedrooms and a family bathroom. Above the roof conversion provides a large fifthbedroom. Further benefits include gas fired central heating, double glazing, off road parking for numerousvehicles and wonderfully landscaped gardens with lawns, patio areas and a vegetable patch. EPC: D

GOTHERINGTON £575,000A five bedroom detached family house, adjoining fields, in a delightfully tucked away spot with splendidgardens and far reaching views. Its well-proportioned accommodation comprises a porch, hall, a downstairscloakroom, a quite remarkable open plan kitchen/breakfast room with sitting and dining areas, a utility, aliving room with a feature fireplace, a large family room, five bedrooms, the master with an en-suiteshower room, a 'Jack and Jill' en-suite shower room serving two further bedrooms and a bathroom.Further benefits of this fine property, found within walking distance of a good local school and shop,include gas fired central heating, double glazing, a large landscaped garden and parking. EPC: C

LECKHAMPTON HILL £950,000Located in a wonderfully elevated spot with delightful grounds in the region of 2.3 acres including a former paddock is this five bedroom detached family house with a wealth of character features. Its accommodationcomprises an entrance porch, a generous hall, downstairs cloakroom, living room with an impressive stone fireplace, sun room, dining room, family room, a kitchen/breakfast room, utility, walk-in pantry, five bedrooms,an en-suite bathroom and a family bathroom. The views from this fine property are a joy to behold and other benefits include great potential provided by the large boarded attic space with windows, a wonderful mix ofoutside space with enchanting wooded areas and cultivated landscaped gardens, garaging and parking for numerous vehicles. EPC: E

ELDERSFIELD £600,000Occupying a truly delightful rural location is this spacious four bedroom barn conversion with a southerly facing aspect overlooking its landscapedgardens and paddock, in all about 2.1 acres. Its beautifully presented accommodation offers a wealth of character features and comprises a hall, aspacious living room with wood burner, fitted kitchen/breakfast room, utility/boot room, four bedrooms with the master sharing a Jack and Jillbathroom with bedroom two, an en-suite shower room and a bathroom. Private driveway with access via electronically operated gate, parking forseveral vehicles, a summerhouse, a low maintenance mature courtyard garden leading to a lawned garden and a fenced enclosure with a two bayopen equestrian shelter with power, water and lighting leading to the paddock. EPC: D

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A modern four bedroom home situatedin the Balcarras School Catchmentarea. Open plan living on the ground+oor takes you upstairs to four doublebedrooms, two bathrooms and en-suite.

Lye-eld Court,Chartlon KingsGL53 8EN

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A modern two double bedroomedapartment in Charlton Kings. With itsown entrance, open plan living anden-suite, this would make an idealinvestment or *rst home.

Rosehill Street,CheltenhamGL52 6SJ

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An extended two bedrooomed midterrace house located close to the towncentre.

Planets Lane,Up HatherleyGL51 6GR

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A very tidy detached family homeoffering four beds and a spaciouskitchen / diner, perfect for a family.

Prestbury Road,CheltenhamGL52 3DD

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An imposing *ve bedroom detachedGeorgian home in the popularCheltenham village of Prestbury. Thehouse is spread over three +oors andretains lots of period charm.

Deep Street,PrestburyCheltenham

£875 pcm

A Two Bedroom Barn Conversion withVaulted Beams in the Living Room andSmall Patio Garden.

PropertyBuyerincorporating lettings

INSPIRED by spring blossoms,designers have opened the backdoor to >nd garden life is a richsource when it comes tobrightening the home.

With an endless variety ofdecorative details on offer –botanical prints, birds, bees,butter?ies and bugs - there’s nobetter time to start accessorisingthe home than with the >rst signsof spring.

“Nature in all its forms is alwayspopular in interiors - they areuniversal symbols - everyone lovesthe butter?y for its incrediblefragility and beauty,” says LiamButler, brand director for luxurylifestyle store Achica.

“This spring, the butter?y will beadorning cushions, rugs and otherfabrics for the home, combiningpattern with the >nest texture.”

According to ceramicist HannahTurner, who features fairy taletoadstools among her tablewarecollection, garden-inspired greenand copper tones are bang ontrend for 2015.

“Leaf, ?oral and insect prints are

making an appearance oneverything from ceramics tosofas,” she says. “Nature gives usthe best in terms of colour andpattern in birds, bugs and bees. Ineed to look no further than thenatural world for my spring trendtheme.”

If you want to refresh a roombut your existing scheme is neutralor monochrome, plenty ofdesigners have pencilled blackinsects onto a white background,to make it easy to include the bugtrend, without going crazy withcolour.

Sharon Jervis, founder of bee-friendly homewares companyBeefayre, says she’s not surprisedby the popularity of bee motifs ininteriors. “During recent years,when money has been tight,people have spent much moretime at home and become moreaware of their home and gardenenvironments,” she says.

“Bee and bug interior designssay... ‘I am aware and I care’! Britsand bees go together like sconesand strawberry jam.”

Interiors <

Like scones and strawberry jam

GETTHE NATURAL HISTORY LOOKPot Mitt £3,Tea Cosy £5, Double Glove £5.50, Gauntlet £5, Cotton Apron £7,all from the UlsterWeavers Butter:y Collection,Achica (www.achica.com)

Large Butter:yDouble SidedFrame, £49,Joanna Wood(www.joannawood.co.uk)

IT could be argued that we’re all artists,snapping away with our mobiles andgenerally enjoying a more visualworld, but all too often our ‘work’ endsup unseen.

Photographs of family, friends andholidays are commonly left lingeringon laptops and phones, despite the riskof accidental deletion or a systemcrash, instead of being out on display.

Google’s vice president, Vint Cerfhas even warned internet users to printout photographs or risk losing them inthe future as technology advances.

Heeding his advice could not onlysave the heartache of losing a treasuretrove of memories, but also provide abrilliant source of decoration for thehome. What could be easier thandressing your walls with personalphotos and artwork for an instantinjection of personality?

“Even a single piece of art,beautifully framed, in the middle of ablank wall can have an enormousimpact, especially if the piece isparticularly small or particularly large,”says Luci Noel, director of theAffordable Art Fair. Now in its 16thyear, the AAF has has held 111 events

across 11 countries and prides itself onmaking art accessible for everyone.

“Art creates a real focal point for aroom, and symmetry of furniture orfurnishings around the piece can alsohelp to draw the eye to it. Conversely,a cluster - known as a ‘salon hang’ -can vary from a few pieces up toan entire wall >lled with a collection.Be as creative as you want tobe, even hanging objects or mirrorswithin the cluster to >ll a space,”Noel says.

If you’re bewildered by the vast arrayof art on offer, or struggle to identifywhich photos to include in your home‘gallery’, she advises hanging withheart.

“It’s all about browsing at art fairs,visiting galleries to discover whatresonates with you. Maybe print off aselection of your photo prints, so overtime you can narrow down yourchoice,” she says.

“Art should be an emotionalexperience - buy only what you loveand what you want to live with andwill enjoy every day. It’s all aboutpersonalising your space and making itunique to you.”

ART FOR ART’S SAKE… BUT IN THE HOME


TELEVISIONYour one-stop guide to the besttv over the four-day ‘weekend’



Six Nations 2015 ROUNDUP SPORT

AFTER last weekend, three sides gointo the =nal weekend with thechanceofwinningtheRBSSixNationsand you can't really ask formore thanthat. It should be a fantastic =nale,they are three hugematches.Followingtheirdisappointingdefeatin Ireland, England had to makeamends against Scotland and theydidproduce a good performance.However, itwasalsoan incredibly frus-trating display. England created somanyopportunities,particularly inthe=rst half, and failed to take advantageof them. If England had managed toconvert some of those opportunities,they could have been out of sight andput down a real statement to Walesand Ireland ahead of this weekend.Scotland deserve credit for the waythey came back into the game andkept trying to play their natural game,and managed to put England under

somepressure at times.Itwasahugewin forWalesagainstIreland,anda lotof thatwasdowntothe way they started. They set thepace and the tone of the game, liketheydidagainstEngland,buton thisoccasion they kept that going for theentire game. Irelandworked theirwayback into the game and will be frus-trated about the outcome, but Waleswere just slightly better.A lot of Ireland's frustration was di-rected towards the referee WayneBarnes, but I thought he had a goodgameactually.Hewasconsistent inhisdecisions with both teams and that'sall you can ask for. It was a ferociousgame, therewas somehugehits goingin.When I get asked if I miss playing,I look at some of the hits that weregoing in during that game and thinkthat I'm much better off where I amnow!

Wales' win has set them up with abig opportunity against Italy. Afterforcing theirway back into reckoningwithwins away at France andbeatingIreland, I can't see theywill let Italydoa job on them. The Italians do seemto play better when there is no pres-sure on them, no-one expected themto go to Scotland to win, but I thinkWales will beat them and fairly com-fortably too. Everyone talks aboutpoint difference being crucial, but the=rst and most important thing iswinning the game.Irelandwill facea toughtest atMur-ray=eld. I thinkScotlandwill takea lotof heart from their performance

against England and will fancy theirchances against Ireland. They justneed to=ndabitmore consistency intheir play. Scotland's front =ve willneed to be at their best against theIrishpack,whohaveprobablyhad thebest set piece in the tournament. Ican't see Ireland not winning, I thinkthey'll squeak the gameby a score. It'sprobably the game I'm most lookingforward to over the weekend.England versus France are alwaysbig games, and England will still behurting from their defeat in Paris lastyear when they really should havewon. Francegot awin lastweekend inItaly, but it was a pretty average per-formance fromboth teams. The greatthing about these games are that theform book always goes out of thewindow.There's no love lost between the

two sides and France were physicallyimpressive against Italy in theirdefence, even if they didn't createmuch.Theyare strongandpacey, andwe know France can always producewhen no-one expects them to.England still need to improve, I don'tthink we've seen the best of them sofar. It's only been glimpses so far, ifthey can put in a 60-70 minute per-formance against France they shouldwin, andwinwell.It's going to be incredibly close butI think England will win the RBS SixNations, they just need to make surethey perform from the very start, getat France and put some points on theboard early on.

England World Cup winning hero Phil VickeryMBE shares his thoughts on the 2015 RBSSix Nations, only in the Cheltenham Standard

VICKERY’S VIEW

In association with

Results: WALES 23 IRELAND 16; ENGLAND 25 SCOTLAND 13; ITALY 0 FRANCE 29Fixtures: Sat, March 21: Italy v Wales (1.30pm); Scotland v Ireland (2.30pm); England v France (5pm)

Annie Power was an unlucky loser in theMares Hurdle but as anticipated PollyPeachum ran a race of real promise just tobe touched off and on good ground shouldeasily pick up a Listed contest in the Springor Summer.

Thomas Crapper ran well in the =nalrace on Tuesday and should start to ful=l hispotential on a sound surface if kept goingfor the rest of the season.Wednesday saw good performances fromWindsor Park,Don Poli andDodging Bulletsin the Neptune,RSA, and Champion Chaserespectively and all three will win moregood races. Manywere impressed with DonPoli in particular but arguably there was nostand out performance on that day after‘tremendous’ Tuesday.Thursday again showed the strength ofthe Mullins camp with a brilliant perform-ance by Vautour in the opening JLT chaseand this horse at only six years old has agreat future and must be followed.The Pertemps Final waswonwith a takingperformance by Call The Cops travellingwell throughout the race then quickeningand staying on strongly up the hill.Good ground at Aintree in April couldeasily see a repeat performance and NickyHenderson his trainer is sure to =nd theright race for him.The World Hurdle was won nicelyby Cole Harden but he does look grounddependant and it may be dif=cult for

him to follow up on softer ground.Later in the card a good performancefromMonetaire showed there are races tobe won by this horse under the care ofDavid Pipe and is one to watch.Friday saw Peace andCowin the Triumphfrom stable companions Top Notch andHargam but possibly if the rain had notcome to soften the ground both Top Notchand Hargammight have edged it.Over twomiles four furlongs TopNotch isworth following going forward. MartelloTower won the Albert Bartlett nicely but therace of the day was of course the Gold Cup.A tremendously gutsy win by the noviceConeygree and great runs by Djakadam,Road to Riches and Holywell. All four arebound to win good races over the next fewseasons but Djakadam is de=nitely the horseto take out of the race.As a six-year-old he ran a screamer gettingpast Road to Riches on the run in but unableto peg back Coneygree in the last 75 yards.This year’s Festival was the best for manyyears. It augurs well for National Huntracing for years to come. After such equinesplendour however can you wait that long?

Faugheen

Festival Stars Shine


SPORT LocalSport

CHELTENHAMCivil Service remaintop of the Gloucestershire CountyLeague on goal difference after beingheld to a 0-0 draw at RockleazeRangers.Rangers had much more of the

ball in the Hrst 45 minutes andhad several shots on target butnothing to trouble Tim GrifHths.At the other end Rangers keeper

Sam Burgess did not have a shot todeal with in the Hrst 45minutes andthe only chance created by the visi-tors came a minute before the breakwhen Mark Jones' shot from theedge of the box slipped past the post.At the start of the second half Paul

Holmes hit the target with a Herce

shot but it went straight to Burgess.Leading goalscorer Jack Sklenar,

who has been carrying an injury,was introduced 17 minutes into thesecond half to try and pep up thevisitors game.He was involved with their best

chance in the 73rd minute when hefound himself in front of goal andwould normally have shot but laidthe ball off for Holmes but over hithis pass and the Hnal shot went wellwide.Rangers almost snatched the

points on 87minutes whenAlex Foxhad a clear shot on goal, but Grif-Hths got down well to save.Service, who have Hve games in

hand on nearest rivals ChippingSodbury Town, visit King's Stanleyon Saturday.Second from bottom Bishop's

Cleeve Reserves, who did not have agame last weekend, travel to Thorn-bury Town.

COUNTY LEAGUE FOOTBALL

To advertise in theCheltenham Standard

call one of oursales team on

01242 257019

MORE than£2,000 has beendonated to the Chel-tenham and DistrictSports Association forthe Disabled by theCheltenham Association Foot-ball League.They provided two brand new

chairs to enable groupmembersto move safely and with easeinto the Leisure @ Cheltenhamswimming pool during theirweekly swimming sessions.Ian Hamilton, Cheltenham

League general secretary, said:“It is a pleasure to be involvedwith such a worthy charity pro-viding such a vital service to thedisabled group.”Tim Sizer, Cheltenham and

District Sports Association forthe Disabled chairman, thankedthe League and its clubs for thistremendous donation. He said:“It makes a huge difference ingetting group members in andout of the pool.”It was the generosity of their

main sponsors, Bristol StreetMotors Cheltenham Ford andtheir Charity Cup sponsor, theGMB Union, which made thisgreat contribution to theLeague’s annual charity collec-tion possible.

Cheltenham League’scommunity spirit

Service held bybattling Rangers

COACHES from the Glouces-tershire Cricket Board aretravelling around the countyarmed with a state-of-the-artspeed gun to uncover thequickest pacemen outsideprofessional ranks.Masoor Khan and Pete

Lamb have already visited sixclubs as part of the Top Guncompetition.Players who take part will

have their speeds displayedon the GCB and Gloucester-shire CCC websites, with thetop three bowling off againsteach other during the intervalof the county’s Hrst NatWestT20 Blast match at home toMiddlesex on May 15.The fastest bowler on the

day will win a T20 member-ship package for the rest ofthe season.GCB community coach

Masoor Khan said: “We hopeclubs will get on board andsee this as a fun way to add abit of extra competition totheir pre-season training."How fast people bowl is

always a talking point amongcricketers and now we will beable to deHnitively prove whothe quickest bowlers in thecounty really are.”The GCB coaches hope to

get around as many clubs aspossible and are planning tohold a series of events whereplayers from nearby clubs

visit one ground in their areato test their skills.It is still early days in the

competition but early fron-trunners include Michael Ley(72mph) from BohemiansCC, Glos Under-17 andBristol CC’s Tommy Probert(71mph) and Babar Malik(69mph) from Bristol Asians.To see the full list go towww.gloucestershirecricket-board.comThe GCB is also using the

Top Gun competition as away of talking to playersabout the inaugural StreetCricket “World Cup” whichgets underway on March 22.Open to players aged 16-30

the six-a-side tournament seesteams compete against eachother in a fast-paced formof the game using a tapedtennis ball.The competition is free to

enter and each will team havethe chance to compete for arange of prizes. Club sides are

welcome to enteror teams can bemade up ofgroups of cricket-mad friends.Each team willbe allocated aWorld Cupcountry to repre-sent with a kit tomatch.Masoor said:

“Street cricket isa great way to

sharpen up your skills aheadof the season and this is a niceway to draw attention to thecurrent ICC World Cup."The game is all-action and

moves at such a fast pace thatyou are involved the wholetime. It suits players of all abil-ities so whether you are an ex-perienced cricketer, haven’tplayed for a while or are newto the game you are guaran-teed to enjoy yourself.”The “World Cup” gets un-

derway on Sunday March 22at 3pm at City Academy,Bristol. Matches will then takeplace between 5.30pm and7.30pm on Thursdays (fromMarch 19) and 3pmand 5pm on Saturdays (fromMarch 21).For more information on

the World Cup or to book avisit from the GCB TopGun team please [email protected] ring him on 07958271415.

Search is on to Hnd fastest club bowler in county

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CHELTENHAM Swimming and WaterPolo Club extended their lead at the topof group B in the British Water PoloChampionships.The town's Hrst team were away to

ShefHeld and secured their fourth straightvictory, a win which brings their currentrun to 11 wins.After a long drive Cheltenham made a

slow start and exchanged goals withShefHeld throughoutthe Hrst quarter which ended3-2 to Cheltenham.The second quarter saw more of the

same and the town side were only 6-5 upgoing into the break.The second half saw CSWPC increase

their tempo, and just three minutes intothe third quarter was the Hnal timeShefHeld scored. Cheltenhamdidn't let upon their pace and scored eight goals in thesecond half, to Hnish the game 14-6.Cheltenham's boys Under-19 side were

also in action over the weekend, despiteloses to the top three sides in their qualiH-cation group the boys managed to securea top four place and progression onto theNational Age Groups Hnals.

LocalFootball


SPORT

WHADDONUnited’s bid for theDi-vision One title of the CheltenhamLeague, sponsored by Bristol StreetMotors Cheltenham Ford received aboost last weekend without themkicking a ball.FC Lakeside, who have pushed

United all season, were held to a 0-0draw by bottom club Kings AFCleaving a severe dent in their owntitle aspirations.The point for Kings leaves them

within one point of fellow strugglersBishops Cleeve III and is a majorboost in their hopes of surviving thedrop.Whaddon now lead the table by

four points and have a game in handon Lakeside. They return to actionthis week against AC Olympia whileLakeside host fourth placed RSG.Kings will be hoping their good

run continues when the face thirdplaced Churchdown Panthers. Pan-thers go into the game off the backof 2-0 win at Newton FC last Satur-day.In Division Two Cheltenham

Civil Service Reserves showed theyshould still be considered as serioustitle contenders following their 1-0win over Staunton and Corse, cour-tesy of a Neil Wheeler goal.Thewin took them a point clear of

FC Barometrics and opened up aseven point lead over their oppo-nents.Service have played a game more

than Baros and four more thanCorse so they remain an outside bet

but one that should not be dis-counted, especially consideringCorse’s recent poor run of results.At the bottom, a 5-1 loss against

Andoversford leaves Northleachadrift at the foot of the table. Theytrail Shurdington Rovers by nineteenpoints andwith just thirty points leftto play for their fate is nearly sealed.Leckhampton Rovers hopes of

pushing Welland all the way in Di-vision Three took a blow lastweekendwhen theywere beaten 3-1by Dowty Dynamos.Dowty came out the blocks Brst

with striker Pat McCaffrey testingthe Rover’s keeper with a low drive.Shortly after striker Gary Robinsonlinked upwell withwinger Gino Stri-nati who fed Robinson but his effortfound the side netting.Leckhampton created their Brst

chance shortly after, a strong runfrom Joe Lawrence, who cut in fromthe right, ended with a shot goingjust wide of the post.Both teams continued to play

some good possession football but itwas Dowty’s who broke the dead-lock. Left back Josh Ellin whipped ina cross which fell to Robinson whodispatched a shot into the topcorner.Leckhampton picked up the pace

of the game and leading goal scorerTim Rylatt beat the offside trap onlyto Bre his shot just wide of the post.Jeffries and Strinati again caused a

threat down the right Cank thread-ing a ball through to Adam Rymanwho Cicked the ball up and volleyedpast the diving keeper to take Dowty2-0 up into the break.Leckhampton came out in the

second half Bred up and within 10minutes put themselves back in thegame after Lawrencewent on amazyand crossed for Rylatt to tap in fromclose range.When another goal came it was

Dowty’s who got it. Lee Surmanbroke up play in the centre of thepitch before Bnding Connor Harmerwho’s low cross was handled by the

defender who slid in to intercept it.The penalty was conBdently Bn-ished by Adam Ryman for hissecond of the game.Both Welland and Leckhampton

are in action next weekend andwithtwo games in hand a four point leadthe title is the leaders to lose.After an impressive win against

Apperley in their last game, Chel-tenham Civil Service III werebrought down to earth with a bumpwhen they were beaten 4-0 by Leck-hampton Rovers Reserves.The loss opened the door for

Northway whose emphatic 7-1 winat Southside Reserves took them tothe top of the table on goal differ-ence.Northway have a game in hand

on second placed Apperley andwithboth teams on twenty eight pointsthey remain in pole position for thetitle.With the top two facing teams in

the bottom three on Saturday thetitle race should continue to run fora few more weeks.After setting the pace for much of

the season Cheltenham Athletic’stitle hopes look to be over after theywere beaten 4-0 by Kingshill Sportsin Division Five.With both Cheltenham Civil

Service IV and FC Lakeside Reserveswinning, Athletic dropped down tothird.Lakeside took top spot following

their 6-0 win at Staunton and Corsewhile Service dismantled bottomclub Sherborne Harriers 12-2 tomove level on points with Athletic.

Athletic will look to get back towinning ways next week when theyface Sherborne however they willnot overtake Lakeside, even if theleaders are beaten by Hatherley FC,due to their inferior goal difference.Fintan Reserves maintained their

place at the top ofDivision Six aftera 7-0 win at Charlton Rovers III lastSaturday.Playing their game in hand over

second placed Cheltenham United,Fintan opened up a three point leadat the top.Malvern Vale kept up their pres-

sure on the leaders with a 4-1 win atRegency Town. Vale are seven pointsadrift of Fintan but have two gamesin hand.With the top two not in league

action on Saturday, Vale can closethe gap if they beat Prestbury RoversReserves on Saturday.At the bottom of the table Chel-

tenham Saracens III claimed a pointsfollowing their 3-3 draw with Prest-bury Rovers Reserves. It was notenough to go past Charlton Roversbut they have moved within onepoint of their nearest rivals.

CHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Cheltenham League round-up

This week’s featured player isLeeWebb of CheltenhamAth-letic in Division Five.After 4nishing fourth in Di-

vision Six last season, their in-augural year,Athletic werepromoted and have made animpressive start to life in thehigher level.After topping the table for

much of the season they havesurrendered top spot the FCLakeside although theyremain in the hunt for thetitle with four league matchesremaining.

Name: LeeWebbNick name:WebbyPosition: Left mid4eld

Previous clubs: RegencyTown,Hardwicke Rangers,Gloucester CountyMost memorable game:When Hardwicke playedagainst a team on our tour andI played in goal then and welost 5-0 but somehow Imanaged to still get man ofthe match.A strange game!Worst game: Probably has tobe this season against a teamthat was in the bottom half ofthe league and not doing sowell and we were 5ying highat the top of the table and wewent in to the game thinkingwe would win with ease andwere 3-2 up at half-time, butmanaged to lose 6-3!

Toughest opponents: Eventhough we beat them I have togo with Lakeside as theyclearly are a well organisedteam and very physical.Wewon by the skin of our teeth.Best club player: I’d have to gowith Sanches, a great footballplayer and an eye for goal.Even though he is a striker hegets back and defends whichis unusual and unheard of fora striker.Team supported: Coventry CityFavourite player: John Fleck.Plays for Coventry and doesn’tscore many goals but he runsand runs and gives everythingevery game. Football needsmore players like that!

Cheltenham Football League, sponsored by Bristol Street Motors Ford Cheltenham

PLAYERPROFILE OFTHEWEEK

Dowty's Lee Surman, chased by Leckhamptons' Joe Wylie

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All Sunday Premier Cup:Coney Hill Wanderers vFrampton CC, at TufCeyRovers FC, April 26, 10.30am.Sunday Intermediate Cup:Alderton v AFC Cheltenham,at Bishop's Cleeve FC, April19, 10.30amSunday Minor Cup: CoopersEdge Javelins v Blackbridge, atStonehouse Freeway FC, April12, 10.30amSenior Amateur Cup: Brock-worth Albion v Broadwell Am-ateurs/Harrow Hill, atSlimbridge FC, April 22,7.30pmJunior Cup: Upton StLeonards v Longlevens Re-serves, at Slimbridge FC, April30, 7.30pmIntermediate Cup: EllwoodReserves v St Nicholas OldBoys, details TBCMinor Cup: Northway vWickwar Wanderers, atBishop's Cleeve FC, April 7,7pmPrimary Cup: CHQ Reservesv Siddington Sports Vets, atTufCey Rovers FC, April 28,7.30pm

County Cup �nals


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Faugheen’sa jolly goodfellow!James Daly looksat Festival horses tofollow for the future...

ACRACKINGCheltenhamFes-tival last week saw a myriad ofhorses with a very excitingfuture ahead of them and atreat for the national hunt en-thusiast for years to come.Tuesday saw Willie Mullins’

horses simply do what it sayson the tin and win theSupreme, the Arkle and theChampion Hurdle withDouvan, Un De Sceaux andFaugheen all in very impressivestyle.The ride given by Ruby

Walsh on Faugheenwas poetryin motion as McCoy stalkedhim all the way round on Jezkibut was simply burnt off whenWalsh quickened up round theGnal bend to win nicely fromArctic Fire.Of the three Faugheen is the

one to take forward as it couldbe argued neither the Supremenor the Arkle were vintage re-newals. Having said that bothDouvan and Un De Sceauxwill win good races and couldeasily do so if,for instance, sentto Aintree or Punchestown inApril.

TURN TO PAGE 21 >

SPORT with JON PALMER, SPORTS [email protected]

RUSSELL Milton says Chel-tenham Town must beatExeter City at home on Sat-urday to make their 2-2draw at Portsmouth aneven better result.Goals from Eliot Richards

and Will Packwood put theRobins 2-1 ahead at FrattonPark on Tuesday after theyhad fallen behind, beforePompey hit back beforehalf-time.With Tranmere Rovers

winning at Cambridge,Cheltenham slipped backinto the bottom two ongoal difference and theirbattle to survive looks set torun until the Gnal day ofthe season.“It was an excellent point

for us on Tuesday and tocome back from a goaldown and go ahead was a

fantastic effort, it’s just ashame we gave a free-kickaway before half-time andconceded,” Milton said.“If we’d got in at half-

time we could have Gredthem up, but I asked for dis-cipline and effort in thesecond half and I got that.“It was a great Gnish from

Eliot for the Grst and I amsure Pompey will be disap-pointed with our secondfrom a free-kick, but theirsecond was similar.“Portsmouth have been

going well so we have to bepleased, but we also have toget the best result possibleagainst Exeter now to makethis an even better point.”Milton's men fell behind

to Matt Tubbs' 17th minutestrike, with the poachertapping in from almost on

the line after Gne work fromAndy Barcham on thePompey right.But less than a minute

later, they were back onlevel terms. Matt Richardsfound Shaun Harrad, whoteed up Eliot Richards forhis Grst Robins goal. It washis Grst since he struck forTranmere Rovers against hiscurrent club last August.Cheltenham took the

lead in the 23rd minutewhen Matt Richards' free-kick was nodded in by loandefender Packwood, whocelebrated the Grst goal ofhis senior career.Pompey hit back two

minutes before half-timewhenMatt Richards trippedDanny Hollands and the re-sulting free-kick from DanButler was headed past ex-

Portsmouth goalkeeperTrevor Carson by RyanTaylor, who was a constantaerial threat.Carsonmade an excellent

save less than aminute afterhalf-time to deny Tubbs asecond and Portsmouthwere on top for much of thesecond period, but Chel-tenham defended well tosecure a share of the spoils.Troy Brown picked up his

10th yellow card of theseason and now faces a twomatch ban, while Pack-wood was forced off in the78th minute after taking aknock, but Milton ishopeful he will be Gt to faceExeter.Club captain Matt Taylor

is likely to come back intothe side in place of Brown,who will also miss the

home match against Ply-mouth Argyle a week onSaturday.

Portsmouth (3-5-2): Jones;Webster (Fodgen 68),Devera, Whatmough;Barcham (East 46), Dunne(McCallum 86), Wallace,Hollands, Butler; Tubbs, RTaylor. Subs not used:Cornell (GK), Ertl, Atan-gana, Chaplin.Cheltenham Town (4-5-1):Carson; Berry, Packwood (MTaylor 78), Brown, Braham-Barrett; E Richards (Wynter89), Mills, Sparrow, MRichards, Haynes (Kotwica60); Harrad. Subs not used:Gould (GK), Vaughan,Hanks, Manset.Referee: DWhitestone.Attendance: 13,558(156 away).

VICKERY’SVIEWPhil VickeryMBE shareshis thoughtson the2015RBS SixNations

EXCLUSIVE

PAGE 21

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Cheltenham Standard 19th March 2015