1

September 2015 | Issue 9 | £1.50 where sold

See our new wedding feature on pages 6-7

Your special day

3

september issue 2015

HOUSE AND GARDENS

16 Plant of the monthOne of our favourites, we take a look at the prettylittle Aster.

21 Planning MattersCheck out this months round up of planningapplications in and around Stubbington.

24 Grass RootsSally Tierney discusses the benefits of spendingtime outside, in your garden.

MOTORING

10 Ford MustangTim Barnes Clay appears to be pretty hooked onthis new machine. Are you?

COMMUNITY

6 Your special dayCheck out this new feature on Weddings. Whetheryou’re looking to tie the knot yourself, or knowsomeone who is planning their special day thentake a look at our special piece this month onpages 6-7.

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL

28 Childcare costs

Martin Lewis covers this minefield of complexity inhis easy to read style.

THIS MONTH..

6

24

10

24

SmSmalal ltalkltalk

15

Pearl Publishing

01329 630630

Joint Editors

Coralie Todd & Sean Middletoneditor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Advertising Sales

sales@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

Distribution

This Big Voice Bigazine is deliveredto residents and businesses inStubbington & Hill Head. For

distribution enquiries please giveus a call and speak to Sean.Six other editions are also

published in Alverstoke, Gosport,Lee on Solent, Locks Heath,Warsash & Sarisbury Green,Whiteley, Titchfield Park &

Burridge.

Whilst Big Voice Directories aim to provide aquality publication for local reference, it cannotbe held responsible for the services, reputation orcost of any of the advertisers, and content ofadverts or editorial herein. Readers must maketheir own enquiries to establish the credentials ofeach entry. Reproduction in whole or in part isstrictly prohibited without prior writtenpermission from the Publishers. The magazinesare produced on paper sourced from FSCapproved paper mills and printed using vegetablebased inks. They love being recycled but pleasepass to a friend first!

Magazine, adverts, design, layout and content© Copyright Pearl Publishing.

Follow us on Twitter@BVDirectories

Visit our Facebook pageBig Voice Directories

Visit our websitewww.bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

ONTH..

“Instead of wondering where your next vacation is,maybe you should set a life you don’t need to escapefrom” said Seth Godin.

I rather like Seth Godin’s musings on life and business as hethoughtfully provokes what you believed to be set in concrete touncover ideas that suddenly ring true like church bells in your head.

This quote is one of my favourites and resonates well especially at thistime of the year. I sat watching my facebook feed this morning lookingat several postings from families doing a countdown to their annualsummer holiday. Some were going to Greece, some were going muchfurther afield and of course they were all preceded with cries of“yippee, only 4 days to go”.

With 2 businesses to run and 4 children to amuse over the next 6weeks I had an initial pang of envy. The thought of a blissful,uninterrupted vacation, somewhere in the sun (remember that?!)seemed alluring and indulgent.

I allowed my thoughts to continue in this vein until I pulled myself backto my reality with a rather pleasant pop. After all, who has created thelife that I’m living? Who is responsible for the actions that I take andthe choices that I make each day? Well of course the answer to thatlies totally between my ears so if I don’t like what I’m doing then I jollywell need to change things. And you know what? I rather love what Ihave. I can choose to start work at 6am so that I can leap up everynow and then to cut up magazines for the girls to turn into a craftproject, or hang out the next load of washing that keeps magicallyappearing for me. I can choose to stop late afternoon to enjoy a cup oftea and colouring with the children.

And best of all we’re workinghard towards a lifestyle where Ivery much hope that instead ofuninterrupted weeks, we’llhave some uninterruptedmonths off to enjoy the world.

Much love until next monthCoralie and Sean x

Advertise with us!

Reliably delivered by our local teams, reaching over 35000 homeseach issue, SEVEN editions of Big Voice provide exceptionalmonthly coverage of our area every single month. Call our friendlyteam now on 01329 630630, jump on our website and have a chator link up with us on Facebook.

6

The saying ‘It’s not what you know butwho you know’ rings in my ears as Ihave been brought up with, and I canusually find a ‘who’ for most inquiriesthan come in to our businesses. Wehave been discussing the fine linebetween whether the ability to planyour wedding budget, down to the lastpenny, with a contingency too boot,or, the adrenalin rush / anxietyassociated with scrabbling for the lastfew pounds to pay the balance off foryour venue in the last few weeks is thebest course of action when planningyour big day yourself. We both agreedthat knowing well in advance what youneeded to spend you money on, whatyou could have bespoke or off theshelf and the associated costs of bothare essential to not letting your

bridezilla side get way out of control.

We could never cover a full list here ofevery item you would need to add toyour wedding plan as we are all vastlydifferent, and want to follow differingtraditions, or, in our caseseccentricities, but good planning andorganisation is definitely key. Come fora consultation, hear what we have tosay, but have your budget andtimeframe firmly in mind when youdo, that way if you love a service orproduct you can at least work outwhat you will need to spend less on,like cutting out knives and forks!

Charlie suggests;Using a dream board to collate yourideal wedding day in pictures, what

colours, theme or feelings do you wishto invoke?

Sit down and realistically work outyour budget Is it a grand figure or doyou need to work out what you canafford per month for the next year ortwo?

Look at venues that can be suited toyour theme. Our venue decor servicecan turn the look of most venues,using props, drapes and lighting so dokeep an open mind when viewing, butbe realistic do you want somewhere todance? for example, or is it all aboutthe food?

Look for an event coordinator (like us!)or separate suppliers (also like us!) to

Planning the big day yourself

7

organise your venue decor,entertainment, catering, finishingtouches, bridalwear, transport etc.

Please remember; that a good price isnot always the cheapest option, askpotential suppliers for recommendations,pictures of their work (portfolio) andensure they are happy to supply theirinsurance details if you enter into acontract with them. It can be costly tohave to source another supplier at thelast minute, or mortifying to not get theservice you expected.

If you have your heart set on thatsomething special, handmade orbespoke, factor this in when looking attheming your centrepieces & other decoroptions, to enhance and not work againstyour beautiful item.

Lastly, if you are unable to pay for yourservices in a lump sum, consider makinga payment arrangement with yoursuppliers, ensuring that all of your littledetails are paid for well in advance of therun up to your big day, when you aresupposed to be glowing with anticipationand not wiping sweat from your brow!Having regular contact with yoursuppliers keeps you linked in to them,they can advise on your planning and the

inevitable lists well in advance, everyonegets to the week before and wonderswhat they have forgotten a goodcoordinator or group of trusted supplierswill have already checked your list twice!

Janet Mist has some great ideas.DIY weddings are massive, brought aboutby Pinterest gorgeous photographs,Bridal Blogs, wedding magazines andBridal Boot Fairs popping up all over thecountry.

Alot of themes are inspired by all thingsmix and match vintage, and a stand up tothe modern throwaway society, to savemoney and recycle.

Here are my tips to pull off a DIYwedding:

Decide on a colour or theme to pull it alltogether, like starting from a focal pieceon an interior design scheme.

Put a Pinterest page together, orscrapbook with pictures with ideas tobase it from. Do your homework and berealistic, do you really want thehandmade look? Are you able to create,afford and make the bits you need? Is itreally going to save you money? If theanswer is no!! then do your homework

and seek bits needed within your budget,or adjust accordingly.

Set a budget for everything and don’twaste money on impulse spends on ebayand carboots if your not going to usethem, you will regret it later. Make listsfor each category and decide what is themost important, and spend accordingly.

Remember a good wedding planner canactually save you money, so it is alwaysgood to seek advise 1st before you wastelots of money thinking you can do it allyourself, trust me...you cant.

At the end of the day its all about havingthe best day with your new husband andnot stressing over the little details. Justbe honest and set realistic goals.

And enjoy every single minute x

8

9

10

I love this car. Don’t get mewrong; it is always a delightdriving press cars, but this is amotor I’ve yearned for since I wasa kid.

My toy Mustang just doesn’t do itfor me anymore – and with a price-tag of just £28k(ish) upwards, themighty motor is affordable formany people. But, money-aside,the big difference - no, thecolossal difference, is that the2015 Mustang is now obtainablein right hand drive.

The Ford Mustang – on sale inEurope for the first time in its fiftyyear history – is presented with a5.0-litre V8 block, or a fuel-efficient 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine.The 5.0-litre fastback with six-speed manual transmission doesthe zero to 62mph sprint in 4.8sec– quicker than any Ford coupé inEurope since the limited Ford GT

supercar came out tenyears ago. The FordMustang 2.3-litre EcoBoostfastback manual does the 0-62mph time in 5.8sec.You can enhance theMustang’s performance tosuit your frame of mindusing selectable drivemodes. And, away from thepublic highway, you can useTrack Apps to keep an eyeon driving performance.These can be controlled viathe steering wheel andseen in the instrumentpanel. They includeaccelerometer, accelerationtimer and brakeperformance, which assessbraking time and distancefrom a set speed.

But what’s really out of theordinary is the Launch Controlsystem, offered on the 5.0-litremanual model. It keeps the engineat a pre-set value between3,000rpm and 4,500rpm with theaccelerator pressed into thecarpet. When the clutch isreleased, torque delivery to therear wheels is harnessed forgreatest traction and unfailingstanding starts. The V8 Mustang iswicked off the line. Its musclewelds the back of your head toyour headrest, and it’s allcomplemented with a tremendousmusical engine note.

Equally exhilarating, is theelectronic Line Lock system, alsoavailable for the 5.0-litre V8. Itapplies only the front brakes,permitting you to ‘heat up’ therear tyres. In other words, if youwant to burn rubber quickly – thisgadgetry is for you. I tried it on

test in Germany and felt a bit of alout leaving smoke and blackmarks on the beautiful Bavarianbitumen. That said; it was anincredible experience!

But the Ford isn’t just rapid in astraight line; the ride and handlingare a revelation. A decent chassisand advanced technology helpoptimise driving dynamics todeliver the kind of sporty eventyou’d expect to have behind thewheel of a Mustang.

The new Ford Mustang is availablein fastback and convertiblebodystyles with six-speed manualand automatic transmissions, andfeatures classic design elementsincluding three-dimensional, tri-bar taillamps, signaturetrapezoidal grille and shark-bitefront fascia.

Ford will start right-hand driveproduction of the first Europeanspecification Ford Mustangs inMichigan, U.S., in 10 exteriorcolours and equipped as standardwith 19-inch wheels, automaticxenon headlamps, dual-zoneclimate control, LED tail lamps,and a rear diffuser.

The first 2015 Ford Mustangs areset to reach dealerships in Britainfrom October. I’m already startingto save up and tidy my garage. Ineed one – and it has to be theFastback 5.0 litre V8.

FAST FACTS

Max speed: 155mph

0-62 mph: 4.8 secs

Combined mpg: 20.9

Engine: 4951cc 8 cylinder 32valve turbo diesel

Max. power (bhp): 416

Max. torque (Nm): 391

CO2: 299 g/km

Price: £32,995

PROS ‘N’ CONSLooks √

Power √

Fun √

Cost √

Auto biographies

11

Ford Mustang 2015

By Tim Barnes-Clay www.carwriteups.co.uk @carwriteups

12

13

14

15

16

Looking a lot like a giant daisy, an aster springs forth with a starry shaped head providing colour in late summer andautumn when many of the other blooms may have already faded away.

These plants can grow up to 8ft in height depending on the variety chosen so they’re a great choice for many gardensgiven their flexibility. Make sure that you don’t plant the annual varieties in the same place each year in order to

prevent plant disease such as Aster wilt.Nature lovers take note – these flowers attract butterflies so you’ll be able to enjoy watching new wildlife too.

Aster

17

18

19

Advertorial

20

01329 559474

21

FAREHAM COUNCIL

REF LOCATION PROPOSAL STATUS

P/15/0766/FP

16 Grasmere Way Stubbington Single storey front extension with w/c Undecided

P/15/0732/FP

5 Halletts Close FarehamHampshire PO14 2JS

Erect a conservatory Undecided

P/15/0764/FP

21 Victory Road FarehamHampshire PO14 2SG

Two storey and single storey side extension Undecided

P/15/0720/RM

122 Mays Lane FarehamHampshire PO14 2ED

Erection of detached dwelling & garage (reserved matters applicationto p/12/0965/oa for appearance, landscaping, layout & scale)

Undecided

P/15/0677/FP

46 Puffin Crescent FarehamHampshire

Single storey side/rear extension APPROVE

P/15/0650/CU

31c Stubbington Green FarehamHampshire PO14 2LE

Change of use from tattoo studio (sui generis) to beauty parlour (suigeneris)

Undecided

P/15/0753/FP

3 Seamead Hill Head FarehamPO14 2NG

Conservatory to side Undecided

P/15/0688/FP

6 Midways Fareham HampshirePO14 2DA

Proposed single storey rear and side extension to form new living room Undecided

P/15/0649/VC

7 Hill Head Road FarehamHampshire PO14 3JH

Variation of condition 7 of p/05/0366/fp to allow use of garage asancillary residential accommodation

Undecided

P/15/0664/FP

Beach Hut 103 Cliff Road HillHead PO14 3JS

Retention of replacement beach hut APPROVE

P/15/0642/FP

4a Knights Bank Road FarehamHampshire PO14 3JZ

Install 6 velux windows within the southern roof slope of the existinggarage roof facing haven crescent

Undecided

P lanning MattersA monthly round up of planning applications submitted since 1 July 2015

22

23

24

Grass RootsI’m not a doctor and my contact withthe medical profession is as brief as Ican make it, so any comments in thisarticle are my musings and observa-tions but I’ll bet that you alreadyagree with me, without any sup-porting research.

Now, of course I’m not saying thatthere is no need for research intothings that can improve our healthbut do you not think that it is justplain old common sense to say thatwe all feel better as a result of beingoutside? I appreciate that not every-one is as lucky as me in that when I’mnot designing gardens in the office,I’m outside planting them, so I spenda lot of time outside but whatevertime you manage to spend outdoors,however little, you surely feel betterfor being there?

There are all sorts of well-documented benefits to our bodies,depending on what you do, whetherit is walking, playing sports, garden-ing or just enjoying the wild life andthe natural elements but the realadvantage to being outdoors, I think,comes from the boost it gives to ourmental health.

For all that my company, YorkshireGarden Designer, design gardens that

bring great joy to their owners, I stillhave all the usual stresses and strainsin my life to deal with, like everyoneelse. So to go out into the garden ofan evening, with or without a coldglass of white wine, is a real delight. Inow have something else to thinkabout, something that knows not norcares about the things that I considerto be stressful or about my worries.Apart from the fact that the eveninglight eventually fades, time is not afactor either. If you could ask a treewhat time it is, it would reply ‘It isnow’.

What a great answer! Those 3 wordspop into my head every time I look atthe damson tree in my garden and itserves as a beautiful reminder toactually enjoy what is around merather than worry about all the otherstuff.

I’ve noticed that experiencing thefluctuations of natural light at differ-ent parts of the day, seems to play animportant part in helping me sleep,eat normally and generally functionin something approaching a regularway and if I’m getting enough sleep,the world seems to be so much easi-er to make sense of.

I think that there is also something

very grounding about being in touchwith the elements. If you listen tothe radio, many of the presentersberate the presence of rain, yet apartfrom it being essential to the growthof food and keeping us in drinkingwater, it also acts as a foil to the sun-ny days which, in a funny kind of way,makes those rainy days enjoyabletoo.

If you know what I’m talking about,then I’m speaking to the convertedbut if not, before the winter monthsbring us low light levels, get out thereinto the brightness and colours ofautumn and see for yourself. Younever know, there might be some-thing in it – and it’s free!

For more info about this sort of thing,download the first chapter, FREE, ofmy forthcoming book ‘The GardenEquation. How to have a garden youlove that fits beautifully into yourlifestyle’ atwww.yorkshiregardendesigner.co.uk

Feeling good outside?By Sally Tierney

25

26

27

28

This is an important warning foranyone who pays for childcare. Thereare major changes due to take place tothe system this year – and you need todecide rather soon how they affectyou. If you leave it too late, you couldmiss out on thousands of pounds.

Are you eligible for childcare taxcredits?

The most important start point is tocheck if you’re entitled to what’stechnically called the ‘ChildcareElement of Working Tax Credit’ – this isNOT the same as Child Tax Credit. Youcan usually claim it for children up toage 15, provided you pay for approved(Ofsted or equivalent) childcare.

Sadly the eligibility criteria are verycomplex. So I’ve tried to distil it in asimple rule of thumb: ‘if you’re a singleparent working 16+ hours a week, or acouple BOTH working 16+ hours aweek, and your total household incomeis under £46,000, you should definitelycheck out if you’re entitled.’

Please read this carefully – I’m not

saying you are entitled, just that it isworth checking, as this is big money.The average pay out is around £60/week. That’s over £3,000/year.

If you’re not entitled to tax credits,decide now which other scheme worksfor you

This is where everything is changing. Ifyou’re eligible for tax credits, you’relikely to be better off getting that. Ifnot, there are other schemes to lookat.

This autumn, the new ‘tax-freechildcare’ scheme launches and thecurrent childcare vouchers scheme thatlets many pay for childcare from theirpre-tax income will close for newapplicants. So if you're eligible forvouchers, but won't be for the newscheme, get in quick.

- New tax-free childcare scheme: Ifyou're a single parent who works, or acouple where BOTH work, and youeach earn under £150,000, for every80p you put in a new childcare account,the government will add 20p on top

which can be used to pay for Ofstedapproved (or equivalent) childcare forunder-12s. The maximum theGovernment will contribute is £2,000per child per year.

Most childminders, after-school clubsare Ofsted approved, as are manynannies.

- Current childcare voucher scheme.Here you usually trade in your pre-taxsalary for vouchers. For example, abasic-rate taxpayer can swap £1,000 ofsalary, which after tax and NationalInsurance is only £700ish in your paypacket, for £1,000 in childcarevouchers. So you're up £300 per£1,000.

The maximum you can get is £55/weekper year per parent, which would be again of £930 for a basic-rate taxpayer.Any parent can do this, even if theirpartner doesn't work, provided youremployer offers it (many do, but manydon't). Yet if you’re not signed up tothis by the time the new scheme starts,you can’t do it after. So if it’s right foryou – sort it soon.

Childcare

@MoneySavingExpertMartin Lewis

29

- Tax-free childcare vs childcarevouchers. If you're a couple where onlyone works, the vouchers win handsdown, as you won’t be eligible for thenew scheme. Plus, if your childcarecosts are low, it's likely vouchers windue to the tax and National Insurancesavings.

Yet for the self-employed, those whosefirms don’t offer the vouchers, or thosewith more than one child and highchildcare costs, the new schemewins. This is just the tip of the iceberg –full analysis of which wins at mse.me/childcare.

What about free childcare for threeand four year-olds?

The Government have announced plansto give working parents with three andfour-year-olds 30 hours of freechildcare per week. If made law, pilotschemes will start in Sep 2016, thoughthere's scepticism about whether it'sdeliverable.

Yet already for at least 38 weeks a year(each week of the school year), ifyou’ve a three or four-year-old, you’reentitled to 15 hours a week of freechildcare. Families with a low incomemay also get free early education fortwo-year-olds.Contact your local council to check ifyour child qualifies at (a good place tostart is gov.uk/find-free-early-education). If they do, go tofinder.familyandchildcaretrust.org forinfo on which childcare providers youcan use under thescheme. You thenliaise directly with theprovider to get thefree childcare.

Is there help forpaying for summerschools?

If you’ve got olderchildren and work,check whether thereare any summer

schools in your area that they can go to.Some schools, community centres andyouth groups have their own schemes.

Most are Ofsted (or equivalent)registered, so if you pay for them, youqualify for childcare tax credit or youcan use childcare vouchers to pay forthem.

30

31

32