LK issue 7 Dec 09

Issue 7 12/2009

NEW, tell a friend you can now log ontowww.localknowledgedoncaster.co.uk to view their own

copy of Local Knowledge.

Delivered to 15,000 A/B properties in Doncaster.

Your premiermonthly magazine

promoting theDoncaster area

Page 8

FREEplease take one

Featuring aselection of thebest businesspeople in andaroundDoncaster

““

FREE competitions inside

We wish you a merry Christmas ...... and that you get the right

people in your life

””MARK

WHITEHAND

FREE competitions inside

We wish you a merry Christmas ...... and that you get the right

people in your life

MARKWHITEHAND

2 To support ‘Local Knowledge’ please call 01302 237137

Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

Our aim when first creating Local Knowledgewas to put customers in touch with the ‘right’people. Even in the depths of an economicrecession there are still plenty of dodgybusinesses trading in and around Doncaster. Toenable you, the customer, to get in touch withthe right people and to enable you to know moreabout the people behind the businesses westarted to introduce various ‘experts’.

Q. What is an expert?

A. Most of the experts featured are people whohave many years of experience andqualifications in their chosen field. They alsohave a desire to help people EVEN if they willnot necessarily benefit from it. We have alsoworked with many of the experts previously sowe can vouch for them and their business.

Q. Where do experts come from?

A. Experts are selected from many differentfields. Business, pleasure, or even personalissues are covered within Local Knowledge. Anysubject that can be considered of interest orcould help people can be included.

Q. How can I become an expert?

A. Providing we have no other experts currentlyfeatured within Local Knowledge in the samecategory AND you are able to demonstrate thatyou have ‘expert’ potential you are more thanwelcome to join the team! You must have agenuine desire to help people by providinghonest advice and support for the readers ofLocal Knowledge.

Now for the Christmassy part. We would like togive a special Christmas thanks to all theexperts and all the people and businesses whohave supported us since the beginning. We arestill astounded that there are good peoplearound, they just take a bit of finding! Have agood Chistmas and I hope Santa puts a copy ofLocal Knowledge in your stocking.............

If you have any questions or queries pleaseemail us at the normal address.

Dave Burns, Editor

Next issue out from 11th Jan 2010.

Deadline for articles and adverts is 20th December 2009.

Welcome to ‘Local Knowledge’ the Christmas issue.

Question “Please can you tell me more about your experts”

Local Knowledge

Welcome


Issue 7 12/2009

Michael Green entered theSpot the Differencecompetition from issue 4.

Little did he know that despiteLocal Knowledge receivingquite literally hundreds ofcorrect entries he was thewinner! He chose the round ofgolf for two at Doncaster GolfClub. After a couple of failedattempts at getting together toplay we finally decided on adate. Unfortunately it was aslightly cold, cloudy and rainyThursday in November!

Being real men we braved theweather and set off for anexciting knock around what islocally known as ‘BessacarrGolf Club’. Luckily on the firsttee we all managed to get itaway without too much hassle.Michael (and myself) played adecent shot down the middleand although Graham’s was apowerful shot it ended up inthe trees on the right.

Awwwww. At least we couldhold our heads up high.

Battling through the wind,slight drizzle (the kind that wetsyou through) and leavescovering our balls, we had agood time. A quick stop off atthe coffee machine just beforethe 10th (although there wasno Bovril) we were off again.Michael was getting a bit tired

by this point but Graham‘Dobbo’ Dobson was justgetting into his stride. His ballswere flying high and true, andhe even got his putter working!

Thanks to Michael for being agood sport and thanks to EricShelton for donating the prizeeach month. Note to Eric, I paid for the lunch!

Winner of a round of golf at Doncaster Golf Club sets out to prove he’s

king of the swingers

Local Feature


Issue 7 12/2009

CONTENTSGENERAL5 Welcome63 Customer comments

CHARITY17 Higher Rhythm Foundation34 RSPCA

HERO11 This month’s hero (Jean Gravette)

EVENTS40 Local Events

EXPERTS8 Personal fitness 12 Holidays14 Law20 NLP25 Accountant26 IT29 Health & nutrition36 Financial42 Sustainable energy48 History52 Gardening54 Styling57 Internet marketing58 Divorce

COMPETITIONS21 Find the crown46 Spot the difference56 Word search

FEATURES6 King of the swingers19 The Webster22 Random acts of kindness30 Success Doncaster exhibition45 My first car (Stewart Piper)51 Success Doncaster61 Allan and Barbara Pease

Local Knowledge (Doncaster) LtdPO Box 1097, Doncaster DN11 0WETel: 01302 237137

Competition and nomination entries email:[email protected] competition entries must be received no laterthan 19th December.

Editorial and artwork email:[email protected] correspondence must contain your full nameand address details with postcode (emailaddress if applicable) and a daytime telephonenumber to be valid.

If you can’t afford to repay all your debts youmay qualify for a little known and almostunbelievable solution. If you qualify you willonly have to repay what you can comfortablyafford, meaning that a portion of your debtsare written off, along with the interest.If you have debts over £13,500 and a regular householdincome you may qualify to take advantage of thisgovernment legislation to clear your debts. One shortphone call to a local company could change your life.We offer a personal service, if you prefer a home visitplease let us know.

Call now forFREE advice

Proof read by Erika Mason.


Issue 7 12/2009

Welcome to the first of many Health and Fitnessarticles in Local Knowledge Doncaster that arepurely dedicated to helping you with your healthand fitness questions, conundrums, aims,objectives and goals whatever they may be.

My name is Mark Whitehand and I am a timeserved - 15 years - fully certified personal trainercurrently working in and around Doncaster andalso with Nuffield Health Club, Doncaster. I amalso the official Fitness Consultant on local radiostation SINE FM.

You can catch my health and fitness slot everyWednesday around 9.30am on the All ImportantBigger Breakfast Show sponsored by LocalKnowledge.

My primary aim each month is to provide you witha no nonsense, easy to understand, layman’sterms article relating to facts about health andfitness and to help you cut out and avoid anyconfusion related to health and fitness. Hopefullythis will result in helping you achieve your healthand fitness objectives and goals.

Each month we will be covering a different topic.The topics will be varied and will include goalsetting, motivation, measuring your success,exercise, fitness, nutrition, weight loss andweight gain and common fitness myths to namebut a few.

You might be asking: How will this be differentfrom all the other information I see and hearrelating to health and fitness?

Great question, the answer is easy! I don’t know!However, I do know this, it will be coming fromsomeone who has worked at the ‘coal face’ ofhealth and fitness for 15 years with literallythousands of clients. I have pretty much beenthere and done it through hard work, study andtrial and error.

There are literally dozens of fantastic books,magazines and websites based on the subjects Ihave just mentioned but far too many of them are cluttered with technical details and scientificmumbo jumbo that are either too difficult tounderstand or simply too boring, zzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Health and Fitness - Confused?

Not anymore!

Local Expert

As I look back on my week I ask myself how many people did I meetthis week that are confused about their health and fitness? The answeris always the same...a lot! Then I ask myself how many people did I helpto overcome this confusion? The answer is, yes you guessed it...a lot!So, what is my point? - you may be asking yourself or maybe not. Here is my point...


Issue 7 12/2009

Many of these sources leave you with morequestions than answers. You begin readingconfused and when you finish reading you are even more confused.

It never ceases to amaze me how the simpleconcept of health and fitness can be made tosound like some kind of bizarre mystical andcomplex subject that appears to be a milliontimes more confusing than it really is. A lot of thejargon used in these sources can only bedeciphered by scientists and academics.

They would rather write “Mr Wilkinson propelledthe prolate spheroid” instead of “Johnny passedthe rugby ball.” Perhaps they do it unintentionally,perhaps not. Perhaps they do it on purpose sothat you always need their ‘guru’ help forever,perhaps not.

Prepare to become empowered with theknowledge that you need to improve yourhealth, fitness and general well being, and doremember this... “It’s not enough simply knowingwhat to do, you must take action!”

Next month I want to start with the topic ‘TheImportance of Goal Setting for Health andFitness’.If you have a health and fitness goal and needsome help from a personal trainer please feelfree to get in touch. I can be contacted on the following:

[email protected]

Mobile 07812 131974

Nuffield Health Club Doncaster 01302 365588

321...GO! Mark Whitehand - Personal Trainer.

Local Expert

Mark


Issue 7 12/2009

Monthly Hero

Local Hero

Every now and then you stumble acrosssomeone who is just a good person. They have that indefinable, indescribable‘something’ that just makes them stand outfrom the crowd.

Whether it’s your local milkman, school crossingpatrol lady/man, community worker, localvolunteer, the lady in the local chip shop, orindeed your next door neighbour, it’s about timewe reward, but more importantly recognise, theirservices to either a business or to theircommunity (or both).

If you would like to nominate your Local Heroplease ring, write or email. The more informationyou can provide us with, the more it will help. We will consider all nominations and will featurethe next ‘Local Hero’ in the January issue.Please supply all information by 19th December.

[email protected]

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Issue 7 12/2009Local Hero

Want to make a child in need dance for joy, likethe boy in the photo below? It’s simple. Wrap,pack and send a shoebox overseas withOperation Christmas Child.

Last year, through Operation Christmas Child,over 1.2 million shoeboxes packed full of giftsand goodies were wrapped, packed and sent tochildren in disadvantaged situations by childrenand adults in the UK.

Your family, neighbourhood, school, church orcommunity group can be part of this Christmasmiracle in 2009 - discovering the power of asimple gift and reminding a child in need thatGod loves them and they have not beenforgotten.

Get started today by ordering your FREEresources from our new, easy-to-use resourceswebsite.

How does it work?

Operation Christmas Child is the UK’s largestchildren’s Christmas appeal and has beenrunning for over 19 years. Thanks to a hugearmy of volunteers who give their time to helpmake this Christmas ‘miracle’ come to life, weare able to deliver gift-filled shoeboxes tochildren in Africa, Eastern Europe and CentralAsia.

We work with local churches and charitiesoverseas to ensure that your shoebox getsdelivered by hand to children who need it most.Our approach is to give shoeboxes to children inneed, regardless of their background or beliefs.

Operation Christmas Child is a great way to getchurches, schools, workplaces and communitygroups doing something special together in therun-up to Christmas. Browse through ourwebsite for ideas on how to make the most ofyour involvement.

www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk

This month’s Local HeroThis month’s Local Hero is Jean Gravette. Jean is travelling to theUkraine in January to help deliver shoeboxes for the lesser offpeople in the country.

If you would likeany information

about OperationChristmas Childthen please call

Jean Gravetteon: 01302

856859

“ We are extremely grateful tothe people of Doncaster who

have donated 3,864 shoeboxes full of gifts for our

cause so far”


Issue 7 12/2009

A personal passion of mine is skiing and just like last winter,premier neige (first snowfall) this year fell in late October,suggesting another fabulous season of perfect snow conditions.Whether you are considering your first winter-sports holiday andsee yourself as a complete beginner or you are a seasonedcampaigner, looking for difficult black runs and mogul fields, thereis something for everyone.

I would advise beginners to search for resorts where the nurseryslopes (blue runs) are at high altitude. Many resorts nursery slopesare at the foot of the ski area and unfortunately this is where snowcan be limited and at times become patchy and slushy, makingconditions difficult. I would also recommend to avoid earlyJanuary as this is usually the coldest time of the season and theslopes can be icy. It is more difficult to ski in these conditions. In my opinion a beginner does not need a large ski circuit withendless kilometres of piste, so consider lesser known resortswhere it can be more affordable. Bulgaria and Slovenia forexample are ideal for those looking to experience winter-sports ona budget.

The more experienced skier will be looking for plenty ofkilometres, challenging runs, off piste opportunities and powderlike conditions. My personal challenging experiences have seenme ski the Vallee Blanche in Chamonix which is famed for itsmany crevasses. I have dabbled in extreme skiing in the gullies ofArgentiere with kick turns and big air time! I have skied throughthe Eye of a Needle in Tignes, The Wall in Avoriaz and theinternational downhill runs of Voss in Norway, Val d’Isere in Franceand the famous Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Skiing has something for everyone on the slopes and off it too!Apres-ski is wonderful. For me there is little more satisfying than a well deserved beer or gluwein in front of a log fire after a day ofaction packed activity on the slopes. It is a great time to re-livethe day’s adventure, discussing the falls and achievements.Apres-ski does not end there. Head out for dinner, where you mayexperience specialities such as fondue or raclette, you can oftenexperience lively bars and clubs until the early hours beforegetting up for an early breakfast and be the first on the slopes todo it all over again and believe me there will not be one day thesame.

Remember I am available to answer your questions [email protected] or become my friend on Travels Network www.travelsnetwork.co.ukHave a fantastic Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Paul Hope, Director01302 710 550 / 07813 770 [email protected] www.travelsnetwork.co.uk“Join our travel social network today!”

Holidaying at Christmas andNew Year is more popular thanever before. Make no questionabout it, it is not the cheapest

time of year to go overseas butit is a time to share with family

and friends and more andmore of us holiday during the

festive period looking for achange of scenery and to

make Christmas and/or NewYear a special memorable

experience. Some of us searchfor a warmer climate whileothers like to experience a

winter fairytale such as visitingLapland or hitting the slopes

for winter-sport adrenalin.

It is not too late for you toholiday this festive season withproduct still available for most

destinations such as thepopular Canary Islands, idyllic

Caribbean, visits to Santa or toski resorts in Europe and NorthAmerica. Ask your travel agent

for more information, availabilityand prices.

Local Expert

Paul


Issue 7 12/2009

www.travelsnetwork.co.uk


Issue 7 12/2009

Why make a Will? In simpleterms, the need to make a Willis that it gives you control todecide what happens uponyour death, it is the onlycertain way to ensure that yourspouse, children, relatives,friends or charities benefitupon your death.

At present if you die without aWill, the law does notrecognise co-habitees and noprovision would be made foryour partner. Your partner mayeven have to make a claimagainst your estate and theCourts would decide what, ifany, benefit would be given tothem. This may be particularlyproblematic if you have minorchildren.

There are a number of ways ofhaving a Will written and most

importantly is the need for youto ensure that your Will will beeffective on your death.

Often solicitors receiveinstructions to clarify Wills or tocontest them when the Willshave been badly drawn orwhen the legal terms havebeen misunderstood. Somesolicitors now make moremoney dealing with familydisputes over badly writtenWills than they do by actuallydrafting Wills in the first place!

One option is to have your Willdrawn up by a Will writer.Anyone can set up as a Willwriter and charge money forthis service. At present the LawSociety are calling for urgentregulations in respect of Willwriters because there is no

industry-wide regulation andthere is no requirement forminimum training. That is notto say that all Will writers donot offer a good service andindeed there are many wellestablished and reputablecompanies that can assist.

Another option, and usually themost popular, is to use asolicitor. All solicitors arestringently supervised by theLaw Society carrying liabilityinsurance. In addition todrafting the Will it is oftennecessary to carry out otherassociated work likeConveyancing to ensure thatthe house is owned in a properway for the terms of the Will tobe effective. At present Willwriters cannot carry out andcharge for Conveyancing work.

Often solicitors receive instructions to

clarify Wills or to contestthem when the Wills havebeen badly drawn or whenthe legal terms have been

misunderstood.

“

”

HSR LAW SOLICITORS

Andrew W Best - Solicitor

01302 347800

Local Expert

WILLS


Issue 7 12/2009

Just as importantly as making a Will is the needto review it on a regular basis and to ensure thatit continues to meet with your requirements.There can be changes in the value of yourassets, family fall-outs or family reconciliations.It has been widely reported in the Press of arecent case involving the contesting of a Willbenefiting the RSPCA where the daughter of thedeceased contested the Will. In that case theWill was made in 1993 and had it been reviewedand updated the case may not have proceededall the way to the High Court.

Most importantly, bearing in mind that over 60%of the adult population have not made a Will, isto take those first steps to decide what you wishto happen and to start making plans to preparea Will.

If you have any queries relating to the above orfor more Wills related advice, contact MatthewWhite Probate/Conveyancing Executive at HSRLaw, Solicitors at Epworth on 01427 872206.

Local Expert

Andrew

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Issue 7 12/2009

Domestic Cleaning

Regular, Weekly,Monthly & One Off Cleans

Pre Tenancy & PostTenancy Cleans

Commercial Cleans

Builders Cleans

Telephone:

Linda Henderson

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email: [email protected]

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Issue 7 12/2009

Many of us have relied on these organisationsin the past.

They all rely heavily on us for donations andsupporting fundraising activities.

So let’s give something back!!

In each issue we are going to provide a

feature for that charity, to enable them tobenefit from free publicity to raise their profilewithin Doncaster.

So if you want to help in any way, or want tosay thanks to a particular charity, pleasecontact us and see what we can achievetogether.

As part of our philosophy of giving back to the community, we are supporting charitableorganisations that have provided us with services that money can’t buy.

Local Charity

Each month Local Knowledge will support a charitynominated by one of our advertisers or readers.

Imagine a city the size of Londonbeing under water… but alsoimagine if this was one of the mostdensely populated cities in theworld, full of some of the poorestpeople on the planet…This is not something you wouldneed to imagine if you lived inManila, capital city of thePhilippines.

On the 26th of September, a sunnyday across most of the UK, theresidents of this vibrant city werehit by the most devastating floodthe city has ever seen.

In a city where many people live inpoverty with poor accommodation,an estimated additional 400,000additional people have now beenmade homeless and have been leftwith nothing, their homes,businesses, possessions and evenmore tragically, in some cases, theirown family members taken away ina torrent of unclean water runningat 30 miles per hour and reaching10 foot high in some central citydistricts.

370 people are now reported deadin Manila alone, but this flooding,as a result of typhoon Ketsana(Ondoy), has hit lots of otherprovinces so the death toll is stillrising daily. This is even before thelack of clean water, food, shelter,electricity and resulting mosquitoboom start to have their long termimpact on people’s health and lives.

Curiously enough, there has beenminimal coverage through the UKmainstream media despite thisdisaster being on such a scale andcentred in one of the largest citiesin the world…

No matter how much aid is sent byagencies, we all know that it willnever be enough… which is wherewe all come in.

We have all seen floods in our owncountry and all know someone whohas been affected by ourcomparably much smaller floods inthe UK, so even though we can’trepair the damage experienced byevery single one of the millions ofpeople who will be affected by theflood in Manila, we can do our partto try to help a small number ofthese people.

We want to raise money to buyrice, clean water and cookingutensils for people in Pasig City, aparticularly hard hit suburb of thecity. Filipino’s are warm, friendlyand welcoming people, and wouldgladly go hungry themselves tofeed a stranger simply to behospitable.

This is our opportunity to all help inour small way and show ourgenerosity. Even though we aregoing through tough financial timesourselves, compared to losingeverything in a country where thegovernment doesn’t have the

money to repair the damage orcompensate people in any way, wecannot imagine the devastation topeoples’ lives in the Philippines.Please help these people anddonate as little… or as much, aspossible through the Higher RhythmFoundation. Make your mark on theworld today.

The Higher Rhythm Foundation isan initiative of Higher Rhythm Ltd,a not for profit UK company reg.number 627 4005/VAT number 9324333 37.

Please visit our other websites forbackground of our work:www.sinefm.com – communityradio station and media serviceswww.higherrhythm.co.uk – not forprofit creative company andtraining provider. Please email –[email protected] more info.


Issue 7 12/2009

Manufacturers of QualityTimber Garden Buildings

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FOR YOUR LOCAL STOCKIST

T: +44 (0)1709 820004F: +44 (0)1709 820021E: [email protected]

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Issue 7 12/2009Local Feature

Life, the Universe andEverythingIf you would like to feelreassured by having theanswers to questions aboutlife, the universe and well,everything, then visit thealternative onlineencyclopaedia known as theHitchhiker’s Guide to theGalaxy.

It is full of informative andentertaining articles oneverything from Cockneyrhyming slang to Smith’s Salt‘n’ Shake crisps. In fact give ita go. Search on Smith’s crispsand learn the three officialways to apply the little bluebag of salt to the eponymoussnack:http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/

Mum’s (or Dad’s) the WordNetmums offers advice andinformation to local mums (anddads) of young children,provided by other mums inyour local area. It works on thebelief that only other localmothers can truly access andprovide such information.Central to the site is the CoffeeHouse which provides a placefor members to chat andobtain support and advice onparenting, from little gripes tobig issues.

Learn about everything fromwhat’s on for kids at thetheatre to how to reduce salt inyour family’s diet:Http://www.netmums.com

Santa Claus Joins the 21stCentury! This year children will be ableto track Santa as they canfollow his progress on GoogleEarth.

He will begin his epic journeyat 11am GMT on ChristmasEve. He will pass 24 SantaCams all around the world,providing live video feeds ofhis progress.

From 1st December childrencan email Santa via thewebsite and even follow himon Twitter (usernamenoradsanta)

Don’t miss this one!www.noradsanta.org

Some say that during the festive season he dresses up as FatherChristmas and helps to deliver presents to lucky children allaround Doncaster.......some say he drinks that much Bailey’sCoffee on Christmas Day that he falls asleep infront of his PCbefore the Queen’s Speech..... All we know is that he’s called the Webster!

The Webster

Webster


Issue 7 12/2009

Our perspective is the position from which weview everything in our lives. Where we place ourperspective is affected by the many experienceswe have had and the knowledge we have gainedover the years. We can look back to our pastsuccesses and forward to those things we wantto achieve in the future; we can enjoy themoment we are in right now – we choose theperspective we take.

Have you ever realised that the things you do,you had to learn to do? How did it help you toachieve your goals or reach those things thatyou value, when you last exercised an unwantedbehaviour?

It could be a bad habit such as smoking orchocolate or one too many glasses of Chardonnay;it could be giving in to the negative messagesthat you allow your inner voice to give you; itcould be allowing yourself to re-access all theunresolved anger in your life and giving vent to itat your spouse, employees, the kids, or thatdriver who cut you up the other day.

Wouldn’t you rather be able to choose whether,or not, you exhibited this behaviour?

Here is an exercise that will help you to makethat choice.

Sit in a quiet room, away from the distractions ofeveryday life. Breathe deeply and slowly for afew minutes.

When you have fully relaxed, ask yourself, whendid you decide to adopt the attitude that gaveyou the ability to act in ways that you would

rather not act in? Think back to that time andbecome aware of that decision being made.

Consider the decision and ask yourself whatbenefit you can gain today by assessing thelearnings that you gained then, that will enableyou to make better choices now.

Once you understand that the decision youmade was made for a positive purpose, to helpyou in your future, think about how you couldhave used that learning better in events thathave happened since then, all the way up tonow.

I think that you will smile after completing thisexercise because you will have started torecognise how the development of yourbehaviour has all been for your positive benefit,and how even the bad habits you have learntcan be unlearnt quickly and easily.

Having this new knowledge, where are yougoing to take it tomorrow?

For further assistance and advice about thistechnique or to learn about more useful ways tocontrol your perspective you can contact Dean,the Man with Two Heads at:

www.headsforliving.co.uk,0844 351 1308 or 0844 351 1473www.headsforbusiness.co.uk,

Because Two Heads are Better Than One!

Ask the Man with Two Heads

Local Expert

Have you ever realised

that the things you do,

you had to learn to do?“

”

Dean


Issue 7 12/2009Local Competition

Everyone loves finding the crown within LocalKnowledge. We have competition entries fromfar and wide.

We have lots of correct entries but we also havea fair amount of entries that we are only able todescribe as bizarre! It seems like our readerscan seemingly ‘see’ the crown anywhere!

Local Knowledge is all about finding the bestbusinesses and the best people in and aroundDoncaster. We tirelessly scour the streets in aconstant pursuit of ‘Local Knowledge’.

Now is your chance to find the ‘LocalKnowledge’ crown in this magazine. This monthwe are hiding the ‘Local Knowledge’ Chrismascrown.

The ‘Local Knowledge’ Christmas crown hasbeen hidden somewhere within this issue.

Please tell us where you have spotted the ‘LocalKnowledge’ Christmas crown to be entered intoour prize draw.

Please send your entries by post or email.Entries are to be received by 19th January 2010.Correct entries will be placed in a large hat andpicked out at random.

All entries must contain your full name and validpostal address to be considered.

Make your choice of prize fromthe list on page 46.

‘This is a sample of what itlooks like but it will be smaller!’

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Issue 7 12/2009 Local Feature

Having just recently re-visited Danny’sbook ‘Random Acts of Kindness – 365ways to make the world a nicer place’.It’s a book about doing nice things.Some are funny, some are clever andsome are just so right. So it got methinking again…….

Since featuring Danny’s Random Acts ofKindness in issue 6 we have been suitablyimpressed that people have taken action andtried in their small way to spread the good word.

So here’s 10 more with a Christmassy theme:

• Wear the sweater that your Great Aunt

bought for you all day (yes ALL DAY)

Christmas Day, even if it is hideous or

doesn’t really fit you.

• Take the dog out for a walk at Christmas. If

you haven’t got a dog, take someone else’s

dog out (but ask them first or they will think

their dog has been stolen!).

• Buy a present and give it to the local

Hospital or care home.

• Be nice to your Mother-in-law.

• Smile at the poor lady or gentleman who has

taken the time to cook and serve you your

Christmas dinner (and say thank you).

• Buy a box of Ferrero Roche for your

postman, milkman, window cleaner or

gardener. If you have to buy for all four

people then buy smaller boxes (or you are

probably exceedingly rich and have enough

money anyway).

• Offer to pick one of your friends or family up

after a Christmas party. They will not need to

risk driving and using the laws of Karma will

be more willing to return the favour.

• Put some fat balls (or a peanut bag) out for

your birds. That sounds a bit rude but we

mean the feathered variety!

• Listen to someone at

Christmas.

• Sit next to the relative

no-one else sits next to.

For more information about Danny Wallace please log onto www.dannywallace.com

Danny Wallace -Random Acts of Kindness

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Issue 7 12/2009Local Feature

A Random Act of KindnessFollowing on from our RandomActs of Kindness feature inissue 6, we thought we wouldlead by example and featuresome ‘real life’ examples ofRandom Acts!

Although we should be nice toeveryone all year round,Christmas is considered to bethe time for peace and goodwillto all men (and women).

After reading the Random Actsof Kindness page in issue 6 ofLocal Knowledge, CouncillorJonathan Wood actually foughthis instincts and took part in astreet survey in Doncaster. So,we threw down the gauntlet toCouncillor Jonathan Wood,who is the Cabinet member forBusiness, Development,Planning, Regeneration andNew Enterprise to join ourLocal Knowledge Karma Army.

We asked him to be nice to acivil enforcement officer (trafficwarden).

It was a very wet, miserable Thursday afternoon in December.Extra cold and extra miserable. An ideal time to be extra nice to acivil enforcement officer. They do get a bad press. Some have beenover zealous in the past (to put it mildly) but the good ladies andgentlemen of Doncaster are just doing their job. They keep theroads safe and free from vehicles parked in inappropriate locations,help with the movement of traffic and any anti-social behaviouraround the town centre. Although they are never considered to beheroes, I think most people would agree that without civilenforcement officers it would be chaos! They do not just deal withtraffic. They are walking information points. They are able to be theeyes and ears in Doncaster. So, the next time you see a civilenforcement officer you do not need to buy them a cake butplease make time to give them a smile :)

Councillor Wood added, “I wanted to show a little kindness to civilenforcement officers. It can be a very difficult job but I wanted tohighlight that they are undertaking an important service for thepeople of Doncaster.”

Cllr. Ransome & Cllr. Wood presenting a civil enforcement officer with a slice of Christmas cake.


Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

Unless the Chancellor has a late change of mindin the Pre-Budget report, the standard rate ofVAT will return to 17.5% on 1 January 2010.Nick Skelton, partner at Doncaster-basedCrozier Jones, Chartered CertifiedAccountants, considers some of theopportunities this may present.

There are some exceptions but normally theapplicable VAT rate is based on when acustomer receives goods or services. Sobusinesses selling to those who cannot reclaimthe VAT charged (such as the general public orcharities) can achieve a cash flow advantage forthemselves and a VAT saving for their customersif the sale can be made in December 2009rather than January 2010. Even if the goods orservices are supplied after 31 December it maystill be possible to charge 15% VAT if advanceinvoices are raised or payment is received inDecember. Obviously the customer will have tobe in agreement and the business will have tomake sure it is not caught by special legislationdesigned to prevent abuse of this VAT rule.

There is some good news. A special concessionmeans that pubs, clubs, restaurants and otherretail businesses remaining open past midnighton New Year’s Eve will be allowed to continuecharging VAT at 15% on their sales until theyclose or until 6am on 1 January 2010, whicheveris the earlier. Similar arrangements will apply totelecommunications companies in respect ofcalls and texts made up to 6am on 1 January.So you will be able to carry on partying like it’s2009 for at least six hours longer.

If you are in any doubt about your individualposition you should contact your accountant forguidance.

Anybody who would like to talk to me or one ofmy partners can email me at:

[email protected] or telephone(01302) 738382.

Local Expert

Nick

VAT going back up!

www.crozierjones.co.uk


Issue 7 12/2009

It’s that time of year againand many people havebeen endeavouring toextend the useful lives oftheir old computers (whichis often achievable quitecost effectively by addingmore memory), inevitablymany people will also feelthe need (or be coerced byfamily members) to investin a new computer thisChristmas.

So, the festive morning comesaround and it’s time to unwrapyour shiny new machine.Naturally you want to set it upand get online as quickly aspossible. But stop, look andlisten.....!

Sorry, I lapsed into a former lifeof a green cross code man fora moment there. Here is acheck list of things you oughtto consider before you gobrowsing the Net for hangovercures and January sales.

Secure Your WirelessBroadband. If you are connecting wirelesslyto your broadband router,make sure it’s configuredsecurely. Many users installrouters with WEP passwordspreconfigured by themanufacturers. This is notgood. WEP passwords may besimple to install but in the caseof security, simplest isdefinitely not best. WEPpasswords are notoriouslyeasy to eavesdrop on from aneighbouring property or evenfrom the street outside.

Protect Against Viruses.Before you browse foranything online, make sureyou have anti-virus protectionrunning and make sure it is upto date with the latest virussignatures.

Often when you buy a newcomputer it will come with ananti-virus package installed (atan additional cost). Justremember you don’t have togo with what the manufactureror store recommends –cheaper alternatives areavailable. In fact, there areseveral free products which willdo the job just as well (andoften better) as long as theyare sourced, installed andconfigured correctly.

Update Microsoft Windows.Make sure the first place youvisit online is the MicrosoftWindows Updates website. I know it’s boring (and youwould rather just check out thelatest half price sofa deals) butbelieve me it’s worth the small

investment in time at this earlystage. Updating Windows willensure your computer has thelatest hardware drivers andmost importantly, the latestsecurity updates to helpprotect it from Internet basedthreats. Not having theseupdates is like leaving yourback door ajar for intruders totake advantage of.

You may think because yourcomputer is new it does notneed updating. But Microsoftissue important updatesregularly (sometimes daily) andyou have no way of knowingfor how many months yourcomputer sat on a warehouseshelf before you gave it ahome. I have seen newcomputers which have beensix months behind onMicrosoft updates, fresh out ofthe box.

If you have any problems withsetting up your new pride andjoy, just call Mat and Mouse ITServices. We are specialists indata security and can quicklyand cost effectively configureyour security for you. This goesfor small business computerusers too.

Safe Yuletide surfing,Ian

For further information call Mat & Mouse on: 01302 534449 or 07867 984740.

Christmas Computer Crackers

Local Expert


Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

www.lighterlife.com/viviennestewart


Issue 7 12/2009

Many medical studies have shown that beingoverweight can lead to high blood pressurewhich in turn is linked to increased risk ofstrokes and heart attacks. Approximately 70,000people each year are affected by these andaround half are fatal. There are close links withlast months information on diabetes, as theexcess weight induces a high secretion of insulinwhich was covered last month.

This can then be responsible for many othermodifications in the body. The blood vesselsbecome thicker and more rigid which in turnincreases the blood pressure. Cardiac outputincreases because of increased adrenalin. Theblood volume tends to increase due to waterand salt reabsorption by the kidney, alsoincreasing blood pressure.

Obesity is also responsible for an over sensitivereaction to sodium, which is known to increasethe rigidity of the peripheral arteries. Over timethe bodies natural resistance to insulin leads toa greater need for more insulin and the result isan even higher blood pressure. Many overweightpeople have to resort to medication to help tocontrol the situation.

So what can we do to reduce thesehealth risks?

Losing weight is one solution. I find that many ofmy clients at LighterLife have reduced bloodpressure as the weight consistently comes downeach week. For those on the Total programme areading is taken by their GP or practice nurse at

the start of the weight loss programme, then anurse at the centre takes a four weekly readingfor each client, unless that person is takingblood pressure medication. They have to go totheir own medical centre for their check ups, asthe medication often needs to be reduced andeven stopped as the blood pressure gets backto normal with the weight loss.

A diet too high in salt can add to the problemsof high blood pressure.

How can we reduce our saltconsumption?

Stop adding salt to food, especially for babiesand children (so they don’t develop a taste for it)

Use varieties of herbs, spices and ground blackpepper to flavour home made dishes instead ofsalt.

Go for the reduced salt versions of foods.Use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of tinned.

Avoid too many processed foods, for example,ready meals, tinned soups, takeaways, pizzas,sausages, bacon and savoury snacks.

To find out more The Food Standards AgencySalt information website www.salt.gov.uk

Any other questions please call Vivienne atLighterLife on 01302 760777 or go on-line towww.LighterLife.com

Following on from last months article onDiabetes, Vivienne looks at furtherdamage overeating and carrying excessweight can do to our bodies.

Local Expert

High Blood Pressure andObesity what are the links?

Vivienne


Issue 7 12/2009

ExhibitionThursday 19th November 2009

An early morning formost to set up displays

and stands. Attended byover 100 local

businesses. The hallopened up to the public

from 12.00 noon andwent through until 7.00pm.

The Success Doncaster exhibition is an annual event whichwas held at the Dome this year.

It was an extremely well organised event which went withoutany hitches. Despite the weather the room throughout the daywas lively, with a steady stream of people wandering around.

Smells courtesy of the live chef who was 3 stalls down. We had fun with Steve and Laura who were on the stand nextdoor with their huge Doncaster Chamber ‘pop up stand’. Alsothanks to Steve for guarding our laptop and thanks to Martinfrom Pure Heaven for his sticky treats throughout the day.

Local Feature


Issue 7 12/2009

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Issue 7 12/2009

The Taj cottage situated on Northgate in Tickhillis celebrating its 7th year this Christmas.

So why not celebrate with Sal and his team?Pop along to the Taj to give you and your lovedones a tasty alternative to cold turkeysandwiches this Christmas!

As a regular customer of Taj (you can tell by mystomach!) I recently sat down with Sal, who isthe owner of Taj Cottage and asked him whymany local people enjoy the food and theatmosphere of the Taj and why you should try it.

For those of you old enough to remember, theTaj Cottage was previously called ‘The Cottage’,serving traditional English food, and previous tothat, called ‘Warren Cottage’. Only Graham isold enough to know that!

If you have driven down Northgate in Tickhill andlooked to your left before you reach theButtercross you may have noticed that it’s a veryunusual cottage. It’s an even more unusualsetting for an Indian restaurant. However, thesmells that waft up your nostrils when you enterthe door give the game away.

Sal said “I used to drive past The Cottage and Ithought that one day that would make a greatlocation for an Indian restaurant”.

He previously owned restaurants in Barnsley andSheffield and was on the lookout for newpremises. The Cottage with its quaint anddistinctive exterior seemed to fit the bill. He hadnever been to The Cottage in its old guise, andat that point in time, it wasn’t even up for sale. The powers that be had other ideas and soonenough The Cottage was put up for sale and Salcouldn’t resist the opportunity to buy it in 2002and turn it into the famous ‘Taj Cottage’ as it isnow.

It was several years later, in 2007, that Sal gavethe Taj a makeover. He replaced the dateddécor, furniture, and lighting, transforming it intothe welcoming and atmospheric restaurant weknow today.

But what about the food?

Sal said “We are committed to providing ourcustomers with excellent food in a relaxed andcomfortable environment. Our professionallytrained staff prepare the finest fresh produce inour state of the art kitchen. We have specialitydishes such as Chicken Achari, which iscooked in medium spices with mixed pickle, orChicken Achanak, which is sliced chickentikka, medium spiced garnished with garlic,green chilli with a dressing of fried potatoes”.Sal explains why the Taj is so popular, “We have

Taj CottageRestaurant -


Issue 7 12/2009

regular customers who havebeen enjoying our homecooked food since we movedto Tickhill. Some still comefrom Sheffield and Barnsley tosample the delights we haveto offer. As well as specialitydishes, we cook most of thenormal dishes you wouldexpect from most Indianrestaurants but WE aredifferent. We can also makeyou any dish you would likefrom scratch at little or noextra cost. The menu is justthe guide. We can make ithotter, we can make it spicier.Conversely, we can also domilder versions for the lessadventurous, or children whoare just getting used to Indianfood”.

Sal has also been known onoccasion to don his apron andwhisk himself off into thekitchen to cook up his regularcustomer’s favourite dishes!

The Taj Cottage Restaurant

also prides itself on being ableto offer ‘Apna’ dishes. An Apnadish is really a traditional ormore authentic version of thedishes on the menu. Salexplains “Sometimes I getcustomers asking what I liketo eat so I show them! I askfor their preferred meat orvegetable choice and then Iask them how they would likeit, whether spicy, flavoursomeor hot, and either myself orour chef then cooks up aunique dish just for them”.

This is just one of the reasonsthat despite the difficulteconomic conditions, the Tajcontinues to be successful.

Boasting a generous 75 seatcapacity the Taj is alsoavailable to cater for privateparties or events. They willmake it even more special byclosing the restaurant down forjust you and your guests for adinnertime party or early

afternoon event. All you haveto do is bring at least 20people.

What many people don’t knowis that if you love the food atthe Taj, but it’s a little difficultarranging a babysitter, theyalso do a ‘Taj Takeaway’. Youcan collect the meal from therestaurant and enjoy it in theprivacy of your own front room.

The Taj is open over Christmasand New Year and the only daythey are closed is ChristmasDay. Opening hours are 6pm till11.30pm but open slightly lateron New Years Eve. It’sadvisable to book in advancealthough Sal can alwayssqueeze a couple more in.

The Taj Cottage can becontacted on 01302 745745.

Try a tasty alternative to turkey this Christmas!

If you would like yourrestaurant to be featured withinLocal Knowledge pleasecontact 01302 237137.

“Fantastic service,fabulous people, willcome again definitely”

“The service wasexcellent, the food was excellent”

“Class as always,excellent value”

“Delicious, superb”

“Loved the meal, wish I could live here!”

Sal


Issue 7 12/2009

The South Yorkshire Animal Centre has beenoperational since 1965, and is managed by theRSPCA, Doncaster Rotherham & District Branch.

The Branch is controlled by the elected Trusteeswho are all volunteers, with direction and supportprovided by the RSPCA National Society.

Although the Branch manage and operate theAnimal Centre, adhering strictly to the NationalRSPCA’s standard of animal care, the Branchreceives no financial support from the NationalSociety or from Central or Local Government, as the Doncaster Rotherham & District Branchoperates as an independent and autonomouscharity.

Doncaster Rotherham &District Branch, SouthYorkshire Animal Centre,Bawtry, Doncaster.

Local Charity

A dog is forlife... notjust forChristmasOnce again the kennels are full but we wouldurge the public only to take on a dog if they havethe time, energy and love to cope.

If you are buying a dog for Christmas pleaseremember a dog is for life.

The dogs featured in last month’s LocalKnowledge have been re-homed and the RSPCAhave said that their features in Local Knowledgehave raised public awareness for their cause,increasing the number of visitors which results ina greater number of animals being re-homed.

Please call 01302 719790 if youcan help re-home any of thedogs from the centre.

Photographs courtesy of Rachel Sinclair.


Issue 7 12/2009

All carpets & flooring with ‘Local Knowledge’

Local Knowledge On-line

Rather than flood Doncasterwith a million magazines wehave come up with a simpleway for you to enjoy LocalKnowledge in the privacy

of your office, bedroom, libraryor internet cafe!

You can now get YOUR monthly Local Knowledge by

logging ontolocalknowledgedoncaster.co.uk

or you can also log ontoSinefm.com and click on the

link to Local Knowledge.

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Issue 7 12/2009 Local Expert

The latest National Statistics state that life expectancy in 2008 for males was 77 and females 81years of age. A child born in 2008 is expected to live until 88 for males and 92 for females.Therefore, the need for long-term care will get greater in the years ahead and the pressures on thelocal authorities will result in higher costs. Authorities will be looking to subsidise the cost from theassets of individuals going into care.

When you enter a care home on a permanentbasis, your local authority performs a means testto assess whether you should contributetowards the cost of your care. The localauthority calculates this contribution using yourincome, savings and other capital, includingyour home.

You will be liable to pay the full care homefees if you have savings or assets worth morethan £22,500.

In general the main asset that results inindividuals failing a financial assessment is thevalue of their property. This asset is not includedin the assessment if any of the following peoplestill live in your home:

Your husband, wife or civil partner

A close relative aged over 60

A close relative aged under 16, who you are thelegal guardian for.

So what can you do about it?

If you are assessed as eligible to pay your fullcare home fees because of the value of yourhome, one way to keep your home could bethrough deferred payments.

Under a deferred payment scheme, you only paythe amount towards your care home fees thatyou would have paid if your house were not

counted as capital. The Local Authority will keepa record of the amount that you still owe andthey will only collect it when you die or whenyour home is sold.

The gifting of your home to your children isanother option but this does have somedisadvantages. Potential Capital Gains Tax topay when the property is sold in the future. Ifyour son or daughter gets divorced then half thevalue of the property could be lost. If they weredeclared bankrupt then the house would have tobe sold making the parent/s homeless.

An alternative to gifting your home to yourchildren is to place the property in trust. Themain advantage of this is that the propertywould be outside your estate and therefore notbe part of any of your assets.

Get Advice

Transferring an asset out of your name does notnecessarily mean that it will not be taken intoaccount in a means test. The local authoritywhen assessing a resident’s eligibility forassistance will look for evidence of deliberate orintentional deprivation of capital such asproperty.

If these options are not open to you and thecare fees are in excess of the income receivedthen considering an Immediate Care Plan maywell be the best solution.

Immediate Care Plan (ICP)

Paying for Long-Term Care1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men currently go into care.


Issue 7 12/2009Local ExpertAn immediate care plan is a single premiumimmediate needs annuity for people who alreadyneed long term-care. The immediate care planprovides immediate guaranteed tax-free monthlypayment to your registered care provider(s) tocover the cost of part, or all, of the care servicesthat you receive. Payments continue for life.

Summary

Should you be concerned about paying for long-term care, either now or in the future, foryourself or somebody else then you should seekprofessional advice. The earlier advice is takenthen generally more options are available. Eachperson’s scenario is different and should beassessed individually. It is my job to explainthese options.

Should you have any questions please contactme, Martin Lomax on 07710 019321 or the officenumber.

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Issue 7 12/2009

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We receive quite a lot of comments from

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Thank you. Mr P. Garbutt.

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Since advertising in the Local Knowledgemagazine we receive a steady stream ofenquiries from customers. Unlike most otherlocal magazines, Local Knowledge covers

several areas therefore I can get enquiries fromanywhere within a 15 mile radius.

Thank you. Mr I. Smith.

Mat and Mouse IT Ltd.

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Issue 7 12/2009

www.sinefm.com


Issue 7 12/2009

Southside Jazz BandSaturday 19th December 11am - 3pm Jazz in Doncaster will be holding a specialjazz day in the Market with the SouthsideJazz Band. Brighten up your Christmasshopping to the cheery strains of ‘foottapping’ Trad and swing favourites.

Christmas Choirs Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 DecemberBrodsworth Hall & Gardens, Doncaster,DN5 7XJ 2:30pm - 3:30pm. Experience Brodsworth’s festive spirit witha chance to buy unique gifts. Admission: £7.00 English HeritageMembers £6.00 Pre-booking essential, please contact thesite on 01302 722598 or visitwww.english-heritage.org.uk/brodsworth

Christmas Gift MarketSunday 20th December, 10am - 4pm In the St Sepulchre Gate area of town.

The Association of Pole Lathe Turners20th December, 10am - 3pmCusworth Hall, Museum and Park,Cusworth, Doncaster, DN5 7TUPole Lathe and green woodworking,traditional crafts demonstrations, atCusworth Park outside the old stable (nearthe tea room)

Aurora Christmas Party and AwardsEveningSunday 20th December,The Dome, Doncaster Lakeside, BawtryRoad, Doncaster, DN4 7PD Black tie event. Includes Bucks Fizzreception, 3 course Silver Service dinner &wine. Coffee & chocolates. Awards,Entertainment & Dancing until 12.30am. Tickets £35 per person.For further information on the event pleasetelephone the Aurora admin. office on01302 381302.

Star Wars at Lakeside VillageSunday 20th December, 11am - 4pm Lakeside Village, White Rose Way,Doncaster Come along for some intergalactic actionwhen Star Wars characters pay a visit.Bring the kids along for an experience outof this world! For further information Tel: 01302 366444or visit www.lakeside-village.co.uk

Santa visits the MarketTuesday 22nd December, 10.30am -3.30pm There will be Santa and elf stiltwalkers,street theatre, ‘ice crystal balls’, juggling,music and balloons in the market,accompanied by free rides for children onthe Blackpool donkeys.

Local Events

Local Knowledge has teamed up withDoncaster’s new radio station Sine FM, bringing you a selection of the forthcomingevents happening in and around Doncaster.


Issue 7 12/2009

High School MusicalWednesday 23rd December at 1pm Keepmoat Stadium, This is an extra datethat has been added for the blockbusterpantomime of High School Musical. Therewill be an after show meet and greet togive fans a chance to talk to the talentedcast and experience the glitz and glamourgoing on behind the scenes.Ticket pricesare £8 for adults, £6 for children, and £25for family tickets which include 2 adultsand 2 children. Tickets available from Keepmoat StadiumTicket Office on 01302 762576 or book online at www.keepmoatstadium.com

Antique & Collectors Fair27th &28th December Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster DN2 6BB Dualco Promotions Antiques andCollectors Fair 9.30am - 4.30pm The Antiques and Collectors Fair eventsfeature stalls selling porcelain, glass,pottery, furniture, jewellery, books, militaria,cigarette cards, postcards, stamps, coins,bric-a-brac and much, much more. Withover 300 stalls no matter whether you arean avid collector, dealer or looking for agreat family day out, the fairs offer afantastic shopping experience. Free carparking is available.Admission - Adult -£3.00, Child (12 & over) - £2.50 (Childrenunder 12 -free admission), OAP - £2.50 Telephone: 0161 283 1255Website:http://www.dualco.co.uk/Doncaster Forfurther information please telephone 01302304200 or visit www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk

MB Toyfair31st DecemberDoncaster Racecourse, Leger Way,Doncaster DN2 6BB Don’t get stuck for ideas this Christmas,come along to Yorkshire’s largest Toy Fairwith over 300 tables of amazing Toys tochoose from. The Toy Fair has a wide range of topdealers from the world of toy and modelcollecting. There is a superb selection ofold and new toys, trains, model books andmuch more. With cash machines and food court on siteand FREE parking for over 1,500 carsthere’s no reason not to visit. Opening Time: 10.30am - 3.30pm (EarlyBird from 7.30 am to 10.00am) Admission: Adult - £3.50, Children - £1.00Concessions £2.50 (Early Bird Entry £10) Parking: FREE Dealers Unloading: 7.00am to 9.30am -Table rent £32 Telephone: 01377 240160 for furtherinformation.

For further information please telephone01302 304200 or visit www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk

If you have an event you wish to promotein Local Knowledge then please sent theinformation to the usual email address onpage 7.

Local Events


Issue 7 12/2009

That being said we can still be prudent in ouruse of resources.

If you are buying decorations make sure you getthe low energy version. Not only will you behelping to reduce your impact on theenvironment but you will save money into thebargain and every little helps at this time of year.But looking forward there are a few things to puton the resolution list.

How about conducting your own energy audit? Being aware of what you consume and where,will help you to target possible savings and toidentify energy improvement projects for 2010. It can also help with budgeting your energyspend and ensuring you only pay for what youuse.

Providing your supplier with monthly meterreadings will help get an accurate bill and saveyou from either paying too much up front orbeing landed a huge unexpected bill when themeter reader does come.

Make sure your heating and hot waterequipment is in tip top condition. It’s not too lateto get servicing done and it will save you moneyin the long run. Christmas morning is not thetime to be without heat or hot water.

Remember the tips from last month about usingyour controls properly. (Last months issue is available on line,www.localknowledgedoncaster.co.uk).

As every month I continue to sing the praises ofthe Utility Warehouse. If you haven’t done so yetyou should make it a priority for 2010 to look atthis company.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank allof Waveform’s clients for their custom in 2009. It is much appreciated.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and aprosperous New Year.

Visit www.waveformservices.co.uk for contactdetails.

Contact Waveform Services for any help you might need. 01302 762424.

Hi everyone,Festive Greetings to one and all. This is not a time to be miserly;enjoyment is the name of the game.

Local Expert

John

Issue 7 12/2009


Whether you are moving across the street or across the world,let Pickfords well trained staff help with your move, call today

on 01302 363734 for a free home visit.

Moving Home?Moving Office?

Looking for flexible storage?

If you are moving before the 30th of January 2010 call now on 01302 363734 quoting

“Local Knowledge” at the time of your enquiry to qualify for 10% off your move costs.

www.waveformservices.com


Issue 7 12/2009


Issue 7 12/2009

We are kicking off our new Local Knowledgefeature page with the man who knows moreabout cars than all of us put together!

Stewart Piper, well known (and loved) used cardealer, ex-Dons rugby player and family man.

I also used to look forward to ‘Pipers Plums’ inthe Free Press which if anyone is old enough toremember was an advert featuring a collectionof Stewart’s less desirable motors!

This month Stewart tells us about his firsttime.....

“I was so fond of my first car I once slept inside it.

It was on a trip to the East Coast. I had justbought the Morris Oxford and spent two nightsbedding down on the seats. I was sleeping onmy own of course!

When I came home from my trip I loved the carso much that I parked on my parent’s drive inScawsby and spent a third night in the car.

I was so thrilled with the car that I slept in it forthe first three nights as I didn’t want to get out ofit!

It had a big bench seat at the front and the seatswere all leather so it was quite luxurious, eventhough it was 10 years old at the time.

Its registration was RAT 502 and I called it Ratty.I have still got the receipt for it. It cost £35!

At the time I was working as a mechanic forDoncaster Ford dealer called Moores on YorkRoad.

I have quite literally ‘handled’ thousands of carssince my first one but the Morris Oxford still hasa special place in my heart”.

Since those early days Stewart has gone on torun his own used car business.

Pipers Cars has an established car sales plot inBarnby Dun and Stewart has just recentlyopened another branch of ‘Pipers’ in Tickhill.

Stewart and his team can be contacted on....

Phone: 01302 887001Mobile: 07785 396254

MyFirst carEach month we will be featuring someone

from a local Doncaster business who will be

letting us in on their first car experiences.

If you would like to be featured please

contact us on the usual address (see page 7).

Local Feature


Issue 7 12/2009

Free dog or cat animal pack from Petology. Please contact 01302 714199.

Free standard window and conservatory clean fromMJD Cleaning Services. Please contact 01302 323661.

Free style party for 4 from Tina G. Please contact 07538 675 780.

Free floral table centre from Floristry by Lord Hurst.Please contact 07966 107236.

Free Winter Warmer lunch at Cusworth Hall Tea Rooms.Please contact 01302 390959.

Free round of golf for two, plus lunch courtesy ofDoncaster Golf Club. Please contact 01302 865632.

Free meal for two at Taj Cottage in Tickhill.Please contact 01302 745745.

Free carvery for two at Castle Park Rugby Club. Please contact 01302 831388.

Free £50 voucher to spend with Travel Creators. Please contact 0800 408 44 66.

Free 2 hour garden maintenance session from CountryGardens Residential. Please contact 01302 865075.

Free wireless computer mouse from Mat & Mouse.Please contact 01302 534449.

Free £50 voucher for Rachel Sinclair photography.Please contact 07763 737283.

If you or your business would like to donate a freebie tobe included in next months freebie page please contactus on 01302 237137 or [email protected]

As if finding a 1mm blue crown each month wasn’t enough we have decided to have a spot thedifference compo so you have got to work a little bit. Like find the crown, a magnifying glass couldbe useful!

All you have to do is spot the 10 differences between the two pics opposite. If you don’t want toruin your copy of Local Knowledge by writing big circles all over it then we will accept an emailwith a very brief description of each ‘difference’. Competition details as normal see page 7.Deadline for entries is 19th January.

SPOT the DIFFERENCESPOT the DIFRFENECE

Local Competition

We have had quite a few comments saying that we are not giving enough time to sendoff for competitions (especially when it’s difficult to find the crown!) so we have decidedthat to give you more time we are extending the deadlines for all competition entries untilthe 19th of the following month. This means that we will not be able to give you thedetails of the winners until the month after the following month - if that makes sense!

Winners from issue 6 will be announced in issue 8 due to the issue 6 competition deadline being the19th December.

Please choose one of the following prizesand list it with your entry

Issue 6 WINNERS

This month’s prize choices


Issue 7 12/2009Local Competition

Issue 7 12/2009


I was quite surprised to learn that in the late1940s and for much of the 1950s Balby’s OswinAvenue School held an annual bulb-flowercompetition where large numbers of childrenparticipated. It was so well renowned andrevered that even the BBC covered one of theevents in a kids’ television programme. I heardthis from a former pupil and Plant employeeHugh Parkin who has collected quite animpressive batch of information about thesubject whilst researching the history of theschool.

“It was once hailed as the biggest Bulb-Floweramateur show in the north of England.”

enthused Hugh.

For the record The Balby Modern School knownlocally as the Oswin Avenue School was splitinto two halves one for boys and the other forgirls and has since been demolished.In the mid 1950s one teacher commented:

‘Our first bulb flower shows were modest effortswhich took place in a form room.

Things developed and we spilled over into a longlight corridor. By this time we were beginning to

feel confident, so we permitted parents andpublic to come and see our efforts at any time

during the day and classes of children broke offwork to see the display. We became moreambitious, competition grew keener, and

increased the size of our show.

In one year over 2,000 bulbs were grown and350 children took part. And such was the

interest among the general public that two silvercups and a gold and silver medal were given for

annual competition, while local well wisherssubscribed 100 half crown awards.’

During September lists were placed in each formroom and the teacher in charge entered thechild’s requirements under the appropriateheading.

“The arrival of the packages of bulbs in duecourse started a buzz of excitement throughout

the school,”recalled Hugh.

“And we had little peace until the cases wereopened and the contents distributed.”

The shows were usually held in March and inone of them, in the large school hall, there was astage across one end. On this stage was anattractive set composed of scenery, artistry,novelty and bulb flowers. Another year saw aShakespearean garden which had been used fora play used again with banks of daffodils andtulips at the foot of trees.

Another effort saw a realistic backcloth of aDutch landscape in the Bulb fields. On one sidewas constructed a model of a Dutch windmillwhile in an alcove on the other was a workingfountain with fish pool, the whole scene beingsuitably supplemented with pot grown bulbflowers. Boys and girls who had taken aninterest in the preparation for the show weredressed in Dutch national costume andthoroughly enjoyed showing school children andvisitors round the exhibition.

The Associated Bulb Growers of Holland werealso involved with the school providing diplomasannually. The Association embraced all firms inHolland engaged in growing and marketingbulbs throughout the world. It promotededucational work with reference to bulbs andhad scientific and cultural laboratories.

Local Expert

The Oswin Avenue School’sAnnual Bulb-FlowerCompetition

Issue 7 12/2009


“We all enjoyed taking part inthe BBC Television Programme

Children’s News,”stated Hugh Parkin.

“And it was quite unbelievablewhen the cameras appeared

and the filming started. In onesequence we had to walk alonga corridor carrying the bulbs wehad grown and were instructed

to look down and not at thecamera. Some kids couldn’tresist seeking a moment of

glory and so we had to do onesequence half a dozen times

until it was right.”

No charge was made to viewthe show which was seen bythousands of people during theweek of the event.

One teacher had a finalcomment:

“Success with bulbseither at school or at

home, can lead toexhibition work, whichinvolves classification,

grouping, staging,judging and viewing, allof which are enjoyed to

the full by children takingpart, while the effects ofsuch work on character

building and socialeducation are

tremendous and becomea strong educative forcein the hands of a skilful

parent or teacher.”

Local Expert

Peter

Issue 7 12/2009


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Issue 7 12/2009


Local Feature

After taking redundancy from her previousemployment, Louise Oxtaby decided to look for a new venture and become her own boss. She researched what options were available and what service she would be able to offer toDoncaster residents.

Louise spotted a niche in the market for ovencleaning and started Tip Top, a specialist servicethat will travel to the customer’s home and cleantheir ovens, hobs, extractors, microwaves andbarbecue racks, leaving the client with one lessdirty job to do and a cleaner set of kitchenappliances.

After contacting Success Doncaster forassistance, Louise was referred to NorthDoncaster Development Trust where shereceived advice on business planning andreceived guidance on marketing. She was alsoawarded an enterprise grant. Louise was thenreferred to Doncaster Chamber where shebenefited by taking a business start up course.

For more information on the services that TipTop oven cleaning can offer you, call Louise on01302 531332 or visitwww.tiptopovencleaning.co.uk.

For more information on how SuccessDoncaster can help you, contact one of ourfriendly advisors on 01302 734554 or visitwww.successdoncaster.co.uk.

Success Doncaster is available to provide support andguidance to any resident of Doncaster regardless of theirbackground. Help available ranges from support for new andexisting businesses, guidance on retraining, help with findinga job and advice on financial issues for individuals andbusinesses.

In times of economic difficulty it makes sense for people to work together. We at Local Knowledge are playing ourpart to help by promoting a new business venture eachmonth in conjunction with Success Doncaster.

The service Louise offers is a

complete deep clean that will

remove all traces of grease

and burnt on carbon using

non-caustic and non-toxic

cleaners with no mess.

“Success Doncaster hasprovided an enormous amountof support in helping me start

up my business. Theygenuinely want your businessto be a success and will do

what they can to help.”

Issue 7 12/2009


Winter is upon us and what awonderful time of year to be inthe garden. Winter is the onetime of year when gardenerscan work faster than thegardens grow!

On my travels this month I seegardens almost ready forWinter so I thought I`d coversome questions I am frequentlyasked at this time of year.

Dahlias:

People quite often will say “doI need to dig my Dahlias up forthe Winter, because I remembermy granny digging hers upwhen I was a small child”Dahlia tubers are not hardy.You can leave them in theground but make sure youhave well drained soil andapply a thick compost ormanure mulch.

If you are unsure then dig themup. Cut the plants down toabout 6 inches above theground, dig up, and wash thesoil off, and leave them to dry,if possible in the sun. Storethem in nets or stacking traysno more than one layer deep ina frost free shed with plenty ofair circulation, resist thetemptation to store indoors asthey may become too warm

and start to sprout earlier thanis good for them.

Lawns:

Is there anything I need to doto my lawn through the wintermonths?

There is little work to do on theestablished lawn through thewinter months. If the weather isneither frosty or wet and thesurface is firm then mow (if thegrass looks like it needscutting) once with the bladesset high. You can do nothing tohelp the grass during the oftenbitterly cold weather, but youcan harm it by walking on thewaterlogged or frozen turf.

It is far too late to start sowingseed, but Winter is an idealtime for laying turf if theweather is not too wet and notfrosty. Try and keep the lawnfree of leaves and other debris.This is a good time to haveyour mower overhauled and tomake sure that the other lawntools are ready for use in theSpring.

Don’t forget to reward thosebirds that come in to eat thecabbage worms, grubs andwhiteflies etc during thewarmer months. Fat based

bars are recommended formost birds during the winter.Most birds like to feed in themorning or early afternoon andthis will hopefully keep up theirfat reserves to cope with thecold frosty morningsthroughout the Winter. Don’tforget to put some water out,as well as a bird table, for thebirds to shelter under whilstfeeding in bad weather.

Please contact me on:07889 858767 or 01302 865075.

Merry Christmas to all.

Answers to: [email protected]

Local Expert

CompostCorner

Pete

Welcome to the 4th

edition of Compost

Corner, Local

Knowledge’s monthly

gardening column.


Issue 7 12/2009

FROM LITTLE ACORNS . . .

Office: 01302 865075

Too busy to maintain your garden? Want to free up your precious time?

We provide weekly, fortnightly, or one-off visits to suit you.

A typical garden maintained by Country Gardens Residential.

25%Discount

for Winter

clearances

Issue 7 12/2009


Local Expert

Tina G - ImageConsultant andPersonal Stylist

As we are still in “creditcrunch mode”, now - morethan ever -we need to makesure that we get as muchwear as possible out of ourclothes and this includes theLBD (little black dress).

Every woman should possessone – ok, maybe you have alittle purple dress, or maybeeven a racy little red number,but the reason why black is thefavourite is simply because it isso versatile in terms ofchanging the look.There are a number of waysyou can take a basic dress andturn it into a head turningensemble for evening, simplyby adding a statementnecklace, stylish clutch and

throwing a metallic wrap orlittle shrug over your shoulders.First of all you do need tomake sure that the dressflatters your body shape andmore often than not, this wouldbe some sort of classic shift ortimeless wrap dress to takeyou from day to evening –whatever the occasion.

For example – a basic shiftdress: Lunch with the girls:layer your shift dress with along sleeve t or polo neckunderneath and wear withopaque tights and knee lengthboots. You could also add awaist belt. Add a fitted jacket,funky scarf and statementhobo bag and you are ready togo.

Out shopping:Pop a contrasting t-shirtunderneath, add a patternedscarf and long chunky knittedcardigan (try belting at thewaist with a nice slim blackleather belt). Add some opaquetights and flat pumps or shoeboots and your bag and leathergloves for a stylish shoppingday.

For the office: Why not try aclassic white shirt under yourshift dress, with a contrastingor neutral coloured cardiganover the top. Add a long strandof beads or a neck scarf and a

belt. Again, wear some opaquetights and a simple court shoeto finish off the look.

For after work drinks:Take off the shirt and cardiganand layer up the necklaces,add a cuff or earrings. Keeplegs neutral with a nice pair offlesh coloured tights or go sexywith fishnets if you areplanning to move on for a nighton the town!! Get your highheels or platforms on andcover up with a fake fur wrapor capelet, shrug or wrap. Adda stylish clutch bag.

Remember accessories havethe power to change any outfitand at the moment statementnecklaces, earrings, cuffs andbags are everywhere. However,if the dress is heavilyembellished or has a lot ofdetail then don’t overdo theaccessories, just add a simplepair of earrings. For a daytime or casual look,try adding a bit more colour toa neutral palette with a printedscarf or coloured tights – thiscan also take a more classicaloutfit to a modernlook with minimaleffort.

Take one little black dress

Issue 7 12/2009


Save 5%on all your petrol

and householdshopping!ASK HOW!

Would you like to save money on all your household bills?

Join the Club!Switch to the Utility Warehouse Discount Club and make greatsavings on all your household utilities- with the added convenience ofhaving everything on the samemonthly bill!

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email: [email protected]

Mick Annison

www.savemoney365.co.uk


Issue 7 12/2009 Local Competition

Everybody loves our competitions. Thetrouble is, readers are telling us to putmore in!

Always happy to oblige, here’s ournewest competition.

The rules are simple. Please find the 15 words inthe ‘word search’ matrix. The words may bespelt forwards, backwards, up, down ordiagonally.

Put a ring around the words you find, send yourentry to the normal address (page 7).

Choose a prize option from the prize page (page46) and send it in with your entry.

This months wordsearch is basedaround Riverside Volvo.www.riversidemotors.co.uk

If you would like your business to befeatured in next month’s word search letus know.

Closing date for entries 19th January 2009.

WORD SEARCH

1 VOLVO

2 RIVERSIDE

3 DRIVE

4 GREEN

5 EMISSIONS

6 STARTSTOP

7 WHATCAR

8 COOL

9 INNOVATION

10 TECHNOLOGY

11 MPG

12 CLEVER

13 LIFE

14 FUEL

15 CONSUMPTION

A

BY

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UM

P

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ON

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TN

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AC

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SU

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Issue 7 12/2009


Most consumers will research their purchasebefore buying! So how do I get more visitorsonto my website?

There are only 3 paths to finding your website!

Direct Traffic – This is where people actually typeyour website address in, it’s amazing how manypeople do not advertise their web address. Checkyour business cards, letter heads, adverts, andvehicle signage and email signatures. Make sureyou make the most of all your opportunities!

Via a Search Engine – This is where they havetyped a search term into Google, Bing, and Yahooetc to look for you or your services. If your websitedoes not contain sufficient of these terms in theright places then there is little likelihood that yourwebsite will appear high in the search listings. Call us to find out how much it would cost toresearch what your keywords actually are. Thinkhow much it is costing you in lost orders?

Via a referring link – This is where someoneactually clicks on a link to come through to yoursite. How many links do you have out there on theinternet acting as little sign posts for your business?You cannot have enough, whether these are listings

in directories or articles on a blog, these act likelittle conveyor belts to your site. Indeed the moreyou have, and if they actually use relevant keywordsthe higher your site will rank against yourcompetitors in the search engines thus helping youwith item 2.

For some businesses it is possible to top Googlewith a small concerted effort, for others it is a longhaul of continuous up keep. It really depends onwhat you offer and how much competition youhave.

Beware all offers of getting you on page 1 ofGoogle for a small fee, if it were as easy as thatthen we would all have top websites wouldn’t we?What you really need is to be at the top of thesearch engine for what people are actually lookingfor, not paying a directory service to get their listingof your business to the top of Google for your owncompany name or a search term that is not actuallyused!!

The most successful websites require ongoingupkeep of their keywords and referring links!

You can do this for yourself, find out how at our freeweekly webinars, see website for details. Simply getin touch with IRUN, we are more than happy to sitdown and talk to you about what you want toachieve, large or small, there is an effective andaffordable solution for you all, one that will getvisitors into your website.

For more information contact IRUN on:t: 01226 610042m: 07867 571133e: [email protected]: @NickCable

01226 610042 • [email protected]

Local Expert

Internet marketingproducts and services

Nick

www.irun-barnsley.co.uk

Issue 7 12/2009


Local Expert

Unfortunately that is not so for everyone.Many parents worry if they will get to seetheir children on Christmas Day.

Susan Jubb is a highly respected, successful divorce andfamily lawyer. She gained First Class Honours at Universityand was a scholarship student in her Solicitors Exams.

It is a very worrying statisticthat 38% of all children losecontact with one parentfollowing a divorce. It is usuallythe father who ends up beingthat parent. It is always thechild who loses out. It is achild’s right to have contactwith his father and his mother.The Courts are very quick topoint this out whenever casescome before them.

Why is it that some parents willuse their children as a weaponto hurt the other parent? Ithappens more often than youwould like to imagine. That isbecause it is so easy for wordsto be said in the heat of the

moment which cannot betaken back. It is hurtful to thechild to hear it. No child canavoid being scarred by beingcaught up in the conflictbetween his or her parents.Think twice and then thinkagain before saying or doingsomething which would dothat. That is my strong advice.

Help is at hand however in theform of collaboratively trainedlawyers. There are now 6 inDoncaster and they bringexperience and common senseto the fore when they areinstructed. Better outcomeshappen. Children do not gethurt so often. People live

better lives afterwards. Thewatchword for this Christmasis don’t get mad, don’t hurtyour child, take sensible adviceand your children will thankyou for it. Merry Christmas toyou all.

If you have any queries thenplease e-mail me [email protected] ring me at the office onDoncaster 348490 I will behappy to help.

Christmas is a timefor smiles andhappiness.

ADVERTISERSCODE OF

PRACTICE


During our period of featuring Doncaster GolfClub within Local Knowledge we have noticed asignificant increase in enquiries and have booked6 weddings 3 of which we have already hosted.

Thanks again for all your help, we look forwardto advertising with you in 2010.

Thank you. Mr E. Shelton.

TESTIMONIAL

Susan

DoncasterGolf Club

Issue 7 12/2009


Issue 7 12/2009


If you love it, We can frame it!

Custom made frames for: Pictures • Photographs • Mirrors • Football

Shirts • Coins • Medals • Stitchcraft

Locally Crafted Pottery and Photocopy Service

Formally The Picture Shop established July 2004 in Rossington by Jenny Summers andCharles Clegg, we moved premises to what was previously the Balby Road Post Office in

March 2008 at which time we underwent a change of trading name.

The business logo “If you love it, We can frame it” reflects our desire to oblige customers with a quality framing service at sensible prices to best present a range of items which are important

to them, custom made in our own workshop from a first class range of mouldings.

Tel: 01302 310537

www.barefootgardendesign.co.uk

Issue 7 12/2009


We are regularly asked, “can you fake bodylanguage?”. The general answer to this questionis “no”, because of the lack of congruence thatis likely to occur between the main gestures, thebody’s micro-signals and the spoken words. For example, open palms are associated withhonesty but when the faker holds his palms outand smiles at you as he tells a lie, his micro-gestures give him away. His pupils may contract,one eyebrow may lift or the corner of his mouthmay twitch, and these signals contradict theopen palm gesture and the sincere smile. The result is that the receivers, especiallywomen, tend not to believe what they hear.

How to become a great readerSet aside 15 minutes a day to study the bodylanguage of other people, as well as acquiring a conscious awareness of your own gestures. A good reading ground is anywhere that peoplemeet and interact. An airport is a particularlygood place for observing the entire spectrum ofhuman gestures as people openly expresseagerness, anger, sorrow, happiness, impatienceand many other emotions through bodylanguage. Social functions, business meetingsand parties are also excellent. When youbecome proficient at the art of reading bodylanguage, you can go to a party, sit in a cornerall evening and have an exciting time justwatching other people’s body language rituals.

“Modern humans are worse atreading body signals than theirancestors because we are now

distracted by words”

Television also offers an excellent way oflearning. Turn down the sound and try tounderstand what is happening by first watchingthe picture. By turning the sound up every fewminutes, you will be able to check how accurateyour non-verbal readings are and, before long, it

will be possible to watch an entire programmewithout any sound and understand what ishappening just as deaf people do.

Learning to read body language signals not onlymakes you more acutely aware of how others tryto dominate and manipulate, it brings therealisation that others are also doing the same tous and, most importantly, it teaches us to bemore sensitive to other people’s feelings andemotions.

We have now witnessed the emergence of a newkind of social scientist - the Body LanguageWatcher. Just as the bird watcher loveswatching birds and their behaviour, so the BodyLanguage Watcher delights in watching the non-verbal cues and signals of human beings. Hewatches them at social functions, at beaches, ontelevision, at the office or anywhere that peopleinteract. He (or she) is a student of bahaviourwho wants to learn about the actions of hisfellow humans so that he may ultimately learnmore about himself and how he can improve hisrelationships with others”.

“What’s the difference between an observerand a stalker?

A clipboard and a pen”

That’s Local Knowledge!

Local Feature

Allan and Barbara Pease

Can you fake it?

Issue 7 12/2009


PetologyPet Accessories,

Food and Supplies

contact Heather on:01302 71419907710 458307

Come and see us at:

18 Station Road, BawtryDoncaster DN10 6PT

T: 01302 323661 M: 07957 563731A: 49 St. Mary’s Road, Wheatley, Doncaster DN1 2NRE: [email protected] W: www.mjdcleaning.co.uk

MJDCleaning Services

water fed pole windowcleaning

computer cleaning

conservatory roofs cleaning

commercial cleaning

“everything

looks better

when it

shines”

www.mjdcleaning.co.uk

www.rachelsinclair.co.uk

Issue 7 12/2009


Armthorpe

Auckley

Bawtry

Bessacarr

Blaxton

Branton

Cantley

Dunsville

Edenthorpe

Finningley

Hatfield

Lakeside

Old Cantley

Old Rossington

Sprotbrough

Tickhill

Wadworth

WoodfieldPlantation

“Comments”Received following issue 6. Your comments are much appreciated:

“I really look forward to my copy of Local Knowledge each month” -Cantley

“Local Knowledge does seem to get better each month. Well doneto the team” - Edenthorpe

“I find it interesting to read, it’s not just full of adverts” - Bessacarr

“I used the on-line version to do my competitions!” - Bawtry

“Please make the Find the Crown easier. I had all my family lookingfor it”. - Finningley

“Long Live Local Knowledge!” - Old Rossington

Obviously only modesty and space prevents us from printing morecomments but please KEEP THEM COMING IN!

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LK issue 7 Dec 09