WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? _

WE’LL HELP YOU CHANGE THE HABITS OF A LIFETIME

SHIFT WORK WOES _

HOW TO EAT RIGHT AND KEEP FIT

HOBBIES GALORE! _

GOLFING, WALKING, PHOTOG-RAPHY

AND MUCH MORE...

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? _

WE’LL HELP YOU CHANGE THE HABITS OF A LIFETIME

SHIFT WORK WOES _

HOW TO EAT RIGHT AND KEEP FIT

HOBBIES GALORE! _

GOLFING, WALKING, PHOTOG-RAPHY

AND MUCH MORE...

PLUS: TRAVEL - FASHION - COOKING - GADGETS - WILDLIFE - BOOK REVIEWSPLUS: TRAVEL - FASHION - COOKING - GADGETS - WILDLIFE - BOOK REVIEWS

PCCHRIS FOY

_LAYINGDOWN

THE LAWAN INTERVIEW WITH

SERVING POLICE OFFICER AND PROFESSIONAL

REFEREE CHRIS FOY

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06 Laying down the law…Chris Foy talks about his

career as a police office

and FA referee

12Short breaks...Fancy a short break?

Some ideas for the UK

and Europe

18Give eggs a crack!Celebrity chef Dean Edwards

is on a mission to prove

eggs are more than just

a breakfast staple

22Mind over matter…How to lose weight and keep

it off. Andy Heyes shares

his story

26Get your boots on!Good for the body and soul,

Paul Casey talks about his

passion for the great

outdoors and walking

32A shift in the rightdirectionIs your health suffering due

to shift work? Paul Herbert’s

top fitness tips will help

36Paul Herbert’s food planA programme designed to

keep your body on a regular

pattern each week even if

your shifts change

WelcomeHello and welcometo the very first issueof NiCKED magazine.

If you’re reading this it meansyou’re probably part of thepolicing family and that you’retaking a quick five minutes tohave a read and relax. If this isthe case it means our missionis nearly accomplished.

The next part of the challengeis to put a smile on your face,inspire you to try somethingnew, or offer some advice thatreally can make a differenceto your working week.

The NiCKED team is almostexclusively made up of retired policing staff and theyrecognised the real need for a unified magazine specificallyfor police officers andtheir support staff.

In the most part written byserving or retired officers,in this issue you’ll see a widerange of hobbies rangingfrom golfing to walking, birdwatching to travel; and thenthere’s photography, fitness,business and legal advice.

In short, a whole load for you to get your teeth into, but what we really want is forit to grow into the magazinethat you need and want.

We’d love to hear yourfeedback so please get in touch and let us knowwhat you think.

Christina Evatt EDITOR

CONTENTSNiCKEDis released

Over the past months we havebeen asked why we decided topublish a lifestyle magazinededicated to the police service.

The answer is simple. You deserveone. We’ve worked front line dutiesin a busy force, so we understandthe pressures and demands thatthe service places on ALL of itsstaff. Whether you are warrantedor support staff, front line or officebound, shift work or a regular 9-5,in some way, at some level, youcontribute, you make an effort,you make a difference.

So we thought it only fair to makean effort and provide somethingthat will entertain and inform,while at the same time be a sourceof relaxation and distraction.

In this first issue we have chosenarticles based on commonthemes that people we’ve workedwith have enjoyed as a means ofdistraction or entertainment.

Wherever possible we havesourced articles by current orretired police professionals forthe very obvious reason that ‘they know the job’.

Being ‘lifestyle’ you won’t findanything that is overtly political inour commentary or articles. We allknow the impact the financial cutsare having throughout the service,and we are happy to leave commentand analysis of such matters tothose who are more qualified.

Because the magazine is for YOU we welcome contributionsfor future issues. Do you have a unique pastime or hobby? Have you a skill or experience that you can share with colleaguesto enhance their skill set? Let usknow. We’ll be only too glad helpyou write an article. Enjoy...

Mike Shaw/Paul CaseyLEMON TREE MEDIA LTDThe Malthouse, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk, West Lancashire L39 1QRt. 01695 668630 e. info@nickedmagazine.com www.nickedmagazine.com

VAT No. 167 021 134. Company Registered No. 08546977Copyright © 2013 Lemon Tree MediaISSN 2055-0782

TEAM: Directors Mike Shaw/Paul CaseyEditor Christina EvattPhotography Shannon Shaw/Lesley Cameron Staff writer Brinsley Bailey Graphics Dave Butler Concept www.nectarcreative.com Designer Chris Kniveton

06Laying downthe law

18Cracking eggs

26Get your boots on!

22Mind over matter…

48Family law

66Beauty

38Carving a careerafter policingRetired but with more to give?

Peter Farrington shares his

start-up business advice

42Fore...!Golf has always been popular

pastime in the police service.

Alan Considine tells us why

golf is his perfect recreation

when off duty

46Golf: back to basicsNever played before?

Intersted in taking up the

game? It’s not hard to

get started

48Family lawMary Shaw offers practical

advice on dealing with

divorce and separation

53Urban birdzIt’s not just for the

anorak brigade!

56Vehicle checkNiCKED checks out the new

Seat Leon estate and discovers

it's worth a close look

58GardeningA flood of ways to save

waterlogged plants

62The art of studyFind studying for police exams

difficult? Follow Jim Ferran’s

programme for success. It'll work

for other areas of your life too!

66Beauty: ageing perilsWhether you work the streets

or are part of a busy office,

NICKED delivers some helpful

tips and advice on how to

care for your skin

70The Poisoned Islandbook reviewMystery and intrigue abound

in Lloyd Shepherd’s new book

72Spring trendsRetail therapy is always good,

so now winter’s gone, it’s time

to brighten up your wardrobe

80Life through a lensA new series of articles designed

to help you get the best out of

your pictures without all the

techno-babble... well for now!

84GadgetsTop six portable chargers

72Fashion

62The art of study

PEFC/16-33-775

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This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources

www.pefc.org

38Career afterpolicing

Follow usonline

06

COULD POLICING AND REFEREEING BE THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP? WHEN BRINSLEY BAILEY MET WITH POLICE OFFICER AND PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE CHRIS FOY, HE DISCOVERED THE SYMBIOTIC ATTRIBUTES THAT HELP MAKE HIM A PROFESSIONAL AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME.

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

MAIN FEATURE

The final whistle blew. Ten goals were

conceded. There were no cards issued

and no offsides. The game was

perilously wild. On 12th September

1983 the Winwick Hospital grounds

were the setting of a brutal baptism

into the world of football officiating.

The then 21-year-old Chris Foy began

his day with idealistic expectations but

ended his debut with a sobering dose

of reality. The young builder’s apprentice

from St Helens sat alone in the Referee’s

changing room; silently reflecting on

his performance and his future in the

sport he loved. “At the end of the match

one of the managers came in.

He looked at me and said ‘You were

rubbish. ’He was probably right. My £2.50

expenses ended up on the floor.”

Foy was understandably low.

He yearned for the repartee and sense

of fellowship that he enjoyed amongst

his teammates during the prior years of

weekend football. “When you play football,

you always have someone around you,

that camaraderie. When you’re a referee

you’re on your own. ”At this point in his life,

Foy was accustomed to relying on the

support of his ‘great circle of friends’

but for the first time, he had to navigate

these issues alone.

He describes his thought process like

a defiant veteran who has confidently

conquered the trials of his past.

“As somebody once said ‘Winners never

quit and quitters never win.’ It was time

for me to dig deep. It would have been

easy for me to walk away but I decided

that if I did quit then, I wouldn’t have

achieved anything.”

I have had a fantastic policing career; I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve done and when I leave I’ll be pretty proud of my achievements

Laying downthe law...

08 09WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Like many idealistic youths around the

country, Foy fantasised about becoming a

professional football player. But his dream

was short-lived and he accepted the limits

of his ability, deciding that fun should be

his paramount focus.

“I think I’d be telling a lie if I said I didn’t want

to be a footballer but sometimes you’re

not good enough. Having said that…I really

enjoyed going out at the weekend and playing

football. It wasn’t a high standard but it didn’t

matter because it was enjoyable and that was

the most important thing for me.”

At 16, with minimal qualifications, Foy

found himself in the building trade earning

a modest weekly wage. He had an active

social life and was in a comfortable

position, but he wasn’t satisfied. Change

was on the cards and he looked for a move

away from the 9 to 5 monotony, but was

undecided on the path he should take.

The unsettled Foy decided to confide in

his father, who suggested the prospect

of following in his footsteps. “My Dad asked

me to think about joining the police and

it was something I never ever considered

doing…but I wanted to do something

that was different.”

In previous years, his father did his best

to keep the negative aspects of police

work out of the home and Foy understood

this but was under no illusions of what

joining the police would entail.

“My Dad never really talked about

the darker side (of police life).

Obviously you can’t just deal with the

lovely pink fluffy stuff, you’re dealing with

things that are difficult, sudden deaths

being an example and that was

something he never spoke about.”

Upon joining the police, Foy had found his

calling and enjoyed a level of emotional

fulfilment that he previously lacked.

“The police officers of the early eighties,

helped me tremendously with my training,

education and development and prepared

me for any eventuality I had to deal with…

(being in the police) is something I really

enjoyed”. This new environment also

worked to provide the structure and

diversity the young Foy craved.

“Every day was challenging and you’re

not stuck in a rut. It was really interesting

because you’re dealing with different

pressures that lead to a variety of situations.”

Foy still had the ambition of becoming a

referee but found at this stage in his life

that it was a complicated proposition.

“I just joined the police so I had to try to beg,

steal and borrow time off (to referee).

My probationary stage was really difficult so

the refereeing and football took a back seat.

(Although) I did ref locally in Liverpool so

I didn’t have too far to travel from work.”

As a child, Foy was passionate about sports like his father and it is something he still appreciates to thepresent day. “I’m really thankful to my Dad because he took me to watch football, cricket, rugby league, rugby union and we went everywhere watching sport and I still love sport to this day.”

Like father,like sonSON OF A POLICE OFFICER FATHER AND SCHOOL ASSITANT MOTHER,CHRIS FOY WAS THE OLDEST OF THREE CHILDREN AND THE PROVERBIALADAGE ‘LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON’ APTLY DESCRIBES THE PATERNALRELATIONSHIP VISIBLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD.

MAIN FEATURE

FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

The mergingof career pathsMOST MATCH OFFICIALS AREKEEN TO STAY OUT OF THESPOTLIGHT AND AVOIDBECOMING THE PROTAGONISTOF THE EVENTS THAT TAKEPLACE ON THE PITCH.

Foy was no different, but as a referee

in the most televised football league in

the world, his two career paths began to

inevitably merge. Fortunately, the celebrity

status that was generated served to

help him in his police duties.

“When I go out there in (police) uniform people

see me and say ‘It’s Chris the ref!’ they don’t

always see me as PC Foy. It’s amazing because

they see the guy who’s on TV. In an incident that

demands a police presence…being recognised

has a really calming effect on people.”

As Foy was becoming a more recognised figure

in the game, he was predictably followed by the

ever-present dark cloud of discontent that looms

over all referees at the highest level. Over the

years, the performances of match officials are

highlighted and scrutinised as frequently as the

players and managers. Yet rather than being

bitter about the criticism often directed at

referees, Foy is pragmatic about the decisions

he has made in the past. “If I referee a match

and the decision I make comes under criticism,

I will watch it. If I have made a mistake I will look

at it and say ‘Why have I made it?’ I have to stop

that from happening again. I’ve never met a

person who has never made a mistake and a

lot of stuff in football is opinion based. What

many people don’t understand is that in many

situations the laws of the game actually

state ‘in the opinion of the referee’.

So when you referee a match it’s based on your

opinion… and sometimes people get frustrated,

emotions run high and people react in different

ways. I’m not saying everything we (referees)

do in football is perfect but we are working

bloody hard to improve and it is a constant

strive to do that.”

I’m not saying everythingwe (referees) do infootball is perfectbut we are workingbloody hard toimprove

10 11

No regrets...“As a referee there are some great opportunities for young people now and the career path is amazing. I’ve beenabroad over 40 times and I’ve visited some fantastic places through football. Been to some magnificent stadiums,been involved in some wonderful matches. I’ve been to places I’ve never thought about going to and will probablynever get the chance to go again. Whatever you want to do, go for it. I’ll be able to sit in a chair at 60 and say‘I shouldn’t have done that’ rather than ‘I wish I had done that’.

Foy has endured a frenetic lifestyle over

the past 30 years as he juggled two highly

demanding careers. As he is perched in a

somewhat contemplative state, he reflects

on the volume of his accomplishments.

“(In the police) You walk out wearing the

uniform, you’re dealing with different stuff

everyday, some is challenging, some is

enjoyable and some is not very nice. As a

police officer there is an immense sense

of pride. I could never see myself doing a

9 to 5 job anymore…I have had a fantastic

policing career, I have really enjoyed what

I’ve done and when I leave I will be pretty

proud of what I have achieved.”

During his long illustrious career as a

referee, Foy has officiated in every major

domestic competition and when I asked

what his greatest career moment was,

he answered without hesitation.

“May 15th 2010, when I refereed the FA Cup

Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth

at Wembley. I have refereed over 600

professional matches but to walk out at

the home of English football, the biggest

domestic cup competition in the world, with

all the prestige, was just an amazing feeling.

The match was controversy free and at

the end to walk up the steps, see my family

in the crowd, introduce my team to Prince

William, get a gold medal and look round at

90,000 people…that was the pinnacle ”Foy

felt triumphant and exuded immense pride

at his accomplishment. He stood there for

a moment, gazed at the crowd and absorbed

the electric atmosphere that buzzed

around him. A single thought enters his

mind and he produces a wry smile. “Wow.

I’ve come a long way since I sat alone in that

freezing cold changing room in 1983.”

WHEN I ASKED FOY FOR INSIGHT THAT WOULD GUIDE THOSE WHOCHOOSE TO FOLLOW THE TRAIL HE HAS SET, HE QUIETLY PONDEREDUNTIL A MOMENT OF REALISATION BREACHED THE SURFACE.

Championfor respectDURING HIS REFEREEING CAREER, FOY HAS BEEN EAGER TO WORK HARD OFF THE PITCH TO ENSURE THAT THE BEAUTIFUL GAME ISPORTRAYED IN THE BEST LIGHT.

On 17th December 2013 he travelled to Westminsterwhere he was inducted into the ‘Show Racism theRed Card’ Hall of Fame for his work in schools andwas clearly moved by the gesture.

“It was a fantastic thing for me (to be inducted), I am really proudof it and I was quite emotional to be honest… I don’t care what colour your skin is, I don’t care what religion you are and I don’t care what nationality you are, everyone is the same…I talk tokids about citizenship and show them that racism has no placein football.” Foy is also a major advocate of The FA’s highlypublicised ‘Respect’ campaign and the Premier League’s ‘Get on with the Game’ initiative; both of which aim to improve on and off the pitch behaviour from grassroots to the top-flight.“Respect is massive. Everyone in football has a duty to protectthe image of the game. Whether that is the club chairman,managers, coaches, players, substitutes, referees, assistant referees, everybody has a massive part to play.

Referees can’t do it on their own…it is about making sure thatwhen we play football we do it in the right way, that we play it fairbut firm, and at the end of it we all shake hands” In other sportssuch a Rugby Union, dissent is not tolerated and the protocolwhereby only the captain can speak to the referee usually worksto avoid mass confrontation. I pointed this out and argued thatthere is still a problem in football where players bring the gameinto disrepute by crowding the referee whilst aggressivelydisputing a decision; Foy was quick to quell my claim.

“From 30 matches, I will probably caution no more than five for dissent which is amazing considering how many decisions I’ll makeand that’s because players are becoming more receptive. We sayto club captains now that they need to take responsibility of theirteam and it’s working…In the Premier League we’ve had lessmass confrontations than we’ve ever had before and cautionsfor dissent are down massively. It’s all about education and weare all working together as we know everyone has a part to play.”

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

MAIN FEATURE

Where many people wouldsee this multitasking asproblematic, Foy embracedthe situation he had foundhimself in and recognisedthe prospective benefits ofthe dualistic relationship.

“A lot of stuff that police officers do is very

relevant to refereeing. The two jobs have the

same attributes really. From the beginning

you have a uniform, you have to know the

law, you have to keep yourself physically fit

and you have to be able to manage people.”

Also, you have to be cool and calm under

pressure. When I go out and referee;

I know the law, I’m fit and I’m confident.

But my biggest strength is that I can

manage people. This is more important

than anything and (in both roles)

diffuses difficult situations.”

In 2001 Foy was rewarded for his impressive

performances and became one of the

original 24 referees that operated full time

in the Premier League. Dilemma soon

followed as he realised that he would

potentially have to quit the police in

order to accept the role.

Foy cherished the diversity he experienced

in the police but also had the desire to

reach his potential as a referee. Fortunately

there was compromise on the horizon

and his bosses were accommodating to

his predicament. “I was presented with

some difficulties as I was already a

full time police officer.

However, Merseyside Police were really

receptive to the idea (of me becoming

a full time referee) and I was given the

opportunity to become a ‘part-time cop’.

My remit is junior schools in Liverpool

south and now I have the chance to get

out and speak to young people.”

THOUGH FOCUSED INTENTLY ON HIS

POLICE CAREER OVER THE NEXT DECADE,

FOY SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKED HIS WAY

UP THE REFEREE LADDER AND STEADILY

THROUGH THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

On the pathto refereeing...

As a referee there are some great opportunitiesfor young people and the career path is amazing

TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

12 WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM 13

BERLIN IS AN INCREASINGLYPOPULAR DESTINATIONFOR POLICE AND SUPPORTSTAFF WHO WANT ANENJOYABLE SHORT BREAK.BUT WHY GO TO THEEXPENSE OF A HOTEL?

A friendly apartment should be your topchoice for a weekend break with matesto Berlin, says Sarah Marshall

”If you arrive after 6pm, you'll need to

collect the keys from our bar, Red Rabbit,

in Friedrichshain.“

That's the message I receive from my Berlin

host, Lisa, who has kindly lent her apartment

to myself and four friends for the weekend.

When we finally reach the doorway to the

drinking hole, it's well beyond midnight, but

for the trendy crowd sinking beers and bottles

of Club-Mate, the evening is only just beginning.

A Jiffy envelope is waiting for me behind

the bar, packed with keys and a batch of

tantalising club flyers, and I know my trip

is off to a good start.

Booking an apartment is often the most

comfortable and fun choice for a group

of friends going on holiday, but so many

properties end up being empty shells,

devoid of personality, with only a sprinkling

of flat-pack furniture.

Airbnb, however, pose the appealing

proposition of staying at a (new) friend's

place - while they've (most likely) skipped

out of town for a few days.

And sure enough, when we turn the lock in

Lisa's door, we find the radiators on full blast,

coffee percolator stacked with filters,

and a fruit bowl overflowing with Haribo

gummy bears. It's as if Lisa had just

popped out to the local Wurst stand

only five minutes earlier.

We all have enough fresh towels and

beds that don't masquerade as sofas

- even though on our first night, we

congratulate ourselves on discovering

a ”spare camp bed“ which in fact

turns out to be a ”cot“.

The position of the flat is also excellent;

overlooking the East Side gallery, where

remnants of the Berlin Wall remain,

and close to the squatter-style bars

and creative hubbub of Kreuzberg.

Of course, every flat registered with

Airbnb is different, with more than 34,000

properties to peruse in 192 countries.

And half the fun is choosing the right property

and personality to match your needs.

Owners are often, as in Lisa's case, plugged

into the local social scene and can recommend

the best cafes, bars, galleries and shops

in the area. Lisa even has a giant map in

her hallway, with pins helpfully highlighting

her favourite haunts.

But best of all, this accommodation option

is more comfortable than a hostel and

far cheaper than staying in a hotel.

Our stay works out less than £25 each

per night - and, I'm relieved to say,

not one of us has to sleep in a cot.

Book this apartment from £221 for

minimum two-night stay (sleeps five)

at www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/115345

Let’s face it, working in themodern police service has never

been more taxing. With moreand more people looking for the

opportunity to relax and get awayfrom it all why not plan a short

break with family or friends?

Sarah Marshall, Claire Spreadburyand Tori Mayo round up some

of the best properties in Europe for group getaways

SPRING BREAKS - BERLIN

Spring breaks

TRAVEL

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Image: © Press Association

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TRAVEL

CenterParcs

SPRING BREAKS - CENTER PARCS

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

FANCY A SHORT BREAK IN THE UK?CENTER PARCSHOLIDAYS REMAINPOPULAR WITHFAMILIES OF ALL AGES...

Keeping the kids happy is child's play at Center Parcs, says Claire Spreadbury

It's not often I swing a leg over a bicycle

and go for a pedal, but it's true what

they say: you never forget how to ride.

As I wobble about trying to find my

balance and steady myself, a flash of

green whizzes by. It's my four-year-old,

on her bike, wearing the biggest smile

you've ever seen.

Travelling around on two wheels is pretty

popular at Center Parcs, especially at

Elveden Forest in Suffolk, as nothing's

especially far away and it's all lovely and flat,

so whether you're new to cycling, or just

out of practice, it's fun for all the family.

If you fancy a getaway for a big group

of people, which also includes kids,

Center Parcs is a sure-fire hit. Whether

it's a generational gathering (so nanny

and gramps can babysit while mummy

and daddy hit the delightfully de-stressing

Aqua Sana spa), or a couple of clans

clubbing together to splash out on some

of the higher-end accommodation

(a two-storey treehouse complete with

games den, Physiotherm infrared room

and outdoor hot tub, perhaps?),

there's something to suit everyone

- and at every budget.

Every type of lodge comes with its own

kitchen, so you can cook up a storm for

breakfast, lunch and dinner, or dine out

in one of the many family-friendly

restaurants in the village.

Children (and adults) can join a plethora

of activities, from quad biking or creating

cupcakes, to aerial tree trekking and wildlife

walks. You can even drop in for a family

photoshoot if you fancy. You can literally

be as busy or relaxed as you please.

As I straddle the saddle for one last time

before our long weekend comes to a close,

it doesn't matter that my entire family is

better than me on a bike. I'll be back to

wobble on two wheels again pretty soon.

Lodgings from £229 (sleeps six)

for a mid-week four-night break.

For more information,

visit www.centerparcs.co.uk

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TRAVEL

RomeWhen your base for a long weekend in

Rome is the seriously chic Villa Nocetta,

just 10 minutes from the centre, you may

consider taking up permanent residence.

This beautifully renovated villa has been in

the owners' family for three generations and

sits in landscaped gardens where artichokes

once grew among hazelnut trees.

Original marble floors and a grand piano

bring a sense of classic elegance to the space,

and 17th century heirloom wall coverings

hang alongside portraits of Angelina Jolie

and Al Pacino, taken by celebrated Rome-

based photographer Angela Lopriore.

It's certainly enough to impress my three

generations of relatives, who are here for

a family gathering in grand surroundings.

While my boyfriend and I spend evenings

enjoying sundowners on the tower-top

terrace made for two, other family

members head to the basement gym

or relax by the pool under the shade

of Mediterranean pine trees.

Each of the five guest suites has been

individually styled, featuring classic design

pieces, artworks and fine Italian linens.

Even though a continental buffet breakfast

and shuttle service are provided, as well

as the option of a personal concierge,

Villa Nocetta feels like a luxury home

rather than a hotel.

It would be tempting not to leave our

new abode, but we do make it outdoors

to explore the city.

Ancient city planners clearly had tourists'

schedules at heart, as all the major sights

are within walking distance of each other.

It's quite possible to peer at the Pantheon,

shop in the designer stores along Via

Condotti, walk up and down the Spanish

Steps, or surround yourself with papal pomp

and ceremony in St Peter's Square at the

Vatican - all in a day.

My boyfriend and I even take a tour on

vintage Vespas, riding along the cobbled

streets lined with candy-coloured houses

and cafes, weaving through traffic while

marvelling at ancient sites.

My parents opt for the more leisurely Roman

approach, taking it all in via pit stops in the

piazza for a macchiato or an Aperol spritz.

But we all end up at the Trevi fountain,

where we each throw a coin into the

water and make a wish.

If the legends are true, next year, we'll be back

at Villa Nocetta for more of la dolce vita.

Villa Nocetta

www.villanocetta.com; +39 06 663 7119

Sleeps up to 12 people and is available

from 2,900 euros per night (approx £200

per person per night). Minimum stay of

three nights.

easyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly

from London Gatwick to Rome from

£28.74 per person (one-way).

FOR THOSE OF YOUWHO PREFER THATBIT OF THE MED(AND THE WARMTH)BUT DONT WANTTHE FAMILY SPREADOVER SEVERALHOTEL ROOMS, WHYNOT CHOOSE ROME, THE ETERNAL CITY

A Roman holiday is a grand choicefor big families, says Tori Mayo

SPRING BREAKS - ROME

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19

FOOD

GIVE EGGS A

crack!by Jeananne Craig

Celebrity chef Dean Edwards is on a mission toprove eggs a re more tha n just a breakfast staple.The former digger driver shares his secret for perfectly-cooked eggs,and reveals how his grandmother inspired his passion for food.

Most of us have had somesort of disaster when cookingeggs - too runny, too rubbery,or too difficult to extractfrom the bottom of the pan.But for TV chef Dean Edwards,his egg Armageddon came live on air.

The former MasterChef runner-up got

into a very sticky situation while showing

the nation how to make a tortilla on

ITV's Lorraine show.

"I was panicking a bit, because the

pan that was supplied really wasn't

non-stick," he recalls.

"We had about 10 or 15 seconds

where we went to recap and I had

to plate the food up and make it look

nice and pretty. When it came out,

it looked a bit of a dog's dinner.

It tasted better than it looked!"

The blush-inducing incident hasn't put

Edwards off cooking with eggs. In fact,

he's fronting British Lion eggs' Main

Meals In Minutes campaign to help make

them a focal point of mealtimes.

"People tend to think inside the box a

bit when it comes to eggs - like scrambled

eggs or fried eggs at breakfast - but

there are so many possibilities. They're

affordable, versatile, and a great way

of using up leftovers," he says.

The key to success, according to the

Bristol-based chef, is to avoid overcooking

- and invest in a decent non-stick pan.

"As soon as you think they're ready, pretty

much by the time you've got them out of

the pan, they're overcooked. So the secret

is to take them off the heat just before

they're finally cooked through. That way,

they'll finish their cooking in the pan."

Edwards was a digger driver before

entering the BBC's MasterChef

competition in 2005. He came second

on the show, gave up the day job, and

went on to carve out a successful career

as a celebrity chef. His first cookbook,

Mincespiration, was published last year.

Edwards, who admits he still pinches

himself about his success, credits his

South African grandmother, Judith,

with instilling his love of cooking.

"My nan used to make an egg curry,

it's one of my favourites. We couldn't afford

lots of meat and it was a way of bulking it

out and adding those nutrients and protein

without costing a fortune," he says.

"Food was always a big part of our lives.

Our family parties always involved two

or three big pots of South African stews

and curries, and we were encouraged

to help out at an early age."

Now Edwards, 36, hopes to instil this

passion for food in his four-year-old

daughter, Indie.

"She's got an adventurous palette

and she loves curry, we'll often go out

for an Indian. It's great to get kids to

try new things," he says.

"I let her help me out in the kitchen.

She's more inclined to eat what we cook

than if I plonked it on her plate before her.

"The kitchen's like a bomb site when she

cooks with me, so it's a bit of a trade off!

But it's my great pleasure in life."

Edwards has created a range of egg

recipes for the Main Meals In Minutes

campaign. Here are three of them.

You can f ind more egg recipes atwww.eggrecipes.co.uk/mainmealsinminutes

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20 75

Cheat'skedgeree SERVES 2

- 1 skinless salmon fillet

- 1 onion, finely diced

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- Small piece of ginger, peeled and grated

- 1 tsp garam masala

- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

- 1 250g pack microwave wholegrain rice, cooked

- 3 spring onions, finely sliced

- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

- 2 large eggs

- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

- 1 lemon, quartered to serve

- Salt and pepper

In a large pan, fry the onion, garlic and

ginger in some olive oil for 5 minutes until

soft. Add the spices, mustard seeds and

chilli and cook for a further minute.

Add the rice and stir through, making

sure the rice is well coated. Cook for

three to four minutes, adding a splash

of water if necessary.

Add the salmon, spring onion and coriander

to the rice and stir. Season with salt and

pepper and squeeze over the lemon juice.

In a deep pan, bring water up to a rolling

boil, add the vinegar and crack in the eggs.

Leave to cook for four to five minutes

(four for a runny yolk).

Remove from the water and drain any

excess water on some kitchen paper.

Divide the kedgeree between two warm

plates, top each with the poached egg

and serve with a lemon wedge.

F iery egg& spinachcurry SERVES 4

- 8 large eggs

- 1 large onion, sliced

- 1 500ml carton tomato passata

- 3 fresh tomatoes, quartered

- 200ml chicken or vegetable stock

- 150g baby spinach

- Fresh coriander to garnish

- Salt and pepper

For the curry paste:

- 1 onion, roughly peeled and chopped

- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled

- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled

- 1 red chilli

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp garam masala

- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil and gently add theeggs. Cook at a simmer forseven minutes then place theeggs into a bowl of iced waterto stop the cooking process.When cool enough to handle,peel them and set aside.

Place the curry paste ingredients in

a blender along with a small dash of oil

and blitz into a fine paste.

Fry the onion in some oil for three to four

minutes. Add the curry paste and fry for

a further three minutes. Add the passata,

fresh tomato quarters and stock.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir through the

spinach until wilted. Season to taste

and add in the halved eggs.

Divide between four bowls, garnish with

fresh coriander and serve up with basmati

rice and naan bread.

FOOD

One pan rosti with chorizo & eggs SERVES 2

- 4 large eggs

- 2 medium waxy potatoes,peeled and coarsely grated

- 1 onion, thinly sliced

- 1 tbsp fresh thyme

- 1 tbsp plain flour

- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

- 20g unsalted butter

- 100g cured chorizo sausage, sliced

- Salt and pepper

Fry the chorizo for one to two minutes

until it starts to release its oils. Add the

butter, potato and onion and spread

into a thin layer.

Cook on a medium heat until it starts

to brown, then break up and leave

to brown again. This will take about

8 to 10 minutes.

Make four wells in the potato mixture

and crack in the eggs. Continue cooking

until the whites have just started to set.

Place under a pre-heated grill and cook

until the whites are set.

Garnish with some morefresh thyme, and serve...

Grate the potatoes and dry them a clean tea towel.Try to squeeze out any excess starchy water beforeplacing in a bowl with the onion, thyme, paprikaand flour. Season with salt and pepper.

Add a splash of oil to a non-stick pan and cook the salmon for four to five minutes over a medium to high heat until nearly cooked through. Flake the salmon.

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22

Mind over matter...RETIRED POLICE OFFICER ANDY HEYES

LOST 10 STONE IN SEVEN MONTHS

AFTER DECIDING IT WAS TIME TO MAKE

SOME SERIOUS LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

HERE’S HIS INSPIRATIONAL STORY

OF HOW HE ACHIEVED HIS GOAL.

One sunny morning in August 2013, I walked past an office

block clad with mirrored glass and saw the image of a smartly

dressed man reflected back at me. He walked tall, with confidence

and pride. I smiled at the reflection, before turning away and

continuing my journey. Although the incident lasted just a

few seconds, I have often thought about the experience and

the feelings it generated. Yes, it was my reflection, but the image

was totally unrecognisable from the one that would have been

reflected only seven months earlier - I was 10 stones lighter.

No, it’s not a typographical error and you haven’t misread - I was

140 pounds or 63.5 kilograms lighter than I was in January.

The police service and its extended family has people working

in a variety of demanding roles. Each job presents different

challenges in terms of organisational needs, but also for the

individual and their lifestyle. During your working life you may

stay within the same role or you may choose to move around.

During my police service, for example, I moved from the demands

of working variable shift patterns on operational duties as a PC,

sergeant and custody officer, to more sedentary nine to five

classroom teaching and office duties. It is not difficult when

faced with changes to your role, to focus on the job and

overlook your health and fitness.

Many people have noticed my weight loss, and asked how I

have managed to lose so much so quickly. The brief answer is:

I became a member of Slimming World and I follow its system

of food optimising. However, this only tells part of the story

and, as is often the case; the reality of how I achieved my

goal is a bit more complicated.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get

what you’ve always got.” has been attributed to a number of

people including Henry Ford and Albert Einstein. Regardless of

its origins its message is clear; to achieve any goal things need to

change. But when this involves changing the habits of a lifetime,

making that change is easier said than done.

ANDY HEYESMA(Ed), Dip(Ed), Cert(Ed)

is a Fellow of the Institute for

Learning and a Member of

the Chartered Management

Institute. He is director of Aspire

and Tower Ltd. providing life

coaching for individuals and

bespoke learning solutions

to organisations in the public

and private sector.

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WELLBEING

Time for achangeDID YOU MAKE A NEW YEAR

RESOLUTION THIS YEAR?

IF YOU WERE SUCCESSFUL,

WELL DONE, IF NOT, HOW LONG

DID YOU LAST BEFORE YOU

GAVE UP? ACCORDING TO AN

INTERNET STUDY OF 3,000

ADULTS CONDUCTED IN 2012,

ONLY ONE IN FOUR OF THE

RESOLUTIONS MADE BY

THE RESPONDENTS LASTED

LONGER THAN NINE DAYS.

As New Year resolutions normally fail, in January

2013 I rather smugly didn’t set one. Nine days

later, when statistically most people had already

given up, my wife reminded me, “Didn’t you say

that when you retired from the police and you

finished your studies you would lose weight?”

Yes, I had said that and I had meant it. But making

a resolution or having dreams, aspirations,

or goals, and achieving them are not the same.

Your aspirations will remain just that if you don’t

do anything to achieve them, and as time passes

they may become regrets. So in January, having

overindulged on my December birthday and over

Christmas, and having no other excuses, I told

my wife that I was going to keep my word and get

myself fit. By coincidence about that time I went

to a major supermarket to buy some healthy

and not so healthy food. In the foyer there was

a consultant from Slimming World trying to

encourage people to become members.

The support of others is important in achieving

any goal. I therefore decided that the support

from the group may motivate me and, you never

know, they may have a winning formula that

actually works. So on 9th January I attended my

first session. Rather than paying each week, I paid

upfront for 10 weeks, based on the principle that

if I’ve already paid I will be more likely to attend

and as I wouldn’t want to waste my money I would

be more likely to stick to programme.

23

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RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN

I’m going to keep this simple, so I

apologise in advance to any psychology

or neuroscience experts who may read

this. The brain contains around 100 billion

brain cells (give or take a few billion).

Each brain cell (neuron) is connected to

about 100,000 neighbouring neurons and

to the naked eye they are visible as the

‘grey matter’ of the brain or as Hercule

Poirot would say, “The little grey cells.”

A piece of brain the size of a pinhead

would contain about 60,000 neurons.

When we use our brain, electrical impulses

are sent between connecting neurons

that relate to whatever it is we are doing

or thinking creating a neural pathway.

Imagine for a moment that you are

playing tennis for the first time in your life.

As you hold the racket and hit the ball

your brain creates a new neural pathway

in your brain. The next time you hit the

ball the same connection (or a similar

connection if you hit the ball differently) is

made. It will be no surprise to you that the

more you practice the easier it becomes.

This is because each time you hit the ball

the neural pathway is strengthened. The

playing tennis connection in your brain

becomes stronger and stronger, like

moving from a dirt track to a motorway.

Imagining (or visualising) that you are

hitting the ball makes the same

connections in the brain as doing it for

real. Visualisations are therefore used

by sports psychologists to encourage

sports men and women to imagine

perfection within their sport.

Even just thinking about doing it right

makes the ‘doing it right’ connection in

the brain. Repeatedly visualising positive

actions strengthens the connection until

it becomes an unconscious response.

In other words, you can do it without

thinking about it; it becomes a habit.

BREAK THOSE BAD HABITS

Bad habits work exactly the same way

because they have major motorway

connections in our brain. We have

programmed ourselves to automatically

do whatever the habit is. Someone once

told me that they had given up smoking

and as they were telling me they were

getting a cigarette out of the packet ready

to smoke it. The conscious mind may be

willing, but the major smoking motorway

connection had put the unconscious mind

on automatic pilot. When you try to break

a bad habit, particularly one you have

had most of your life, you are often

fighting a losing battle. This is because

the bad habit has a motorway connection,

whilst the, “I’m going to give up…”

connection is just a dirt track.

By now you may be thinking I may as

well not bother trying and the chances

are I will fail - not so fast! The more you

practice the positive habit and the less you

reinforce the negative habit, the stronger

the positive habit connection in the brain

becomes and the weaker the negative

habit connection becomes. Also

remember the strength of emotions;

emotional responses are hard-wired

into the brain's circuitry. Charles Darwin

talked about survival of the fittest and

we are survival machines.

As we evolved from reptiles, to mammals,

to humans (when I say ‘we’ I mean

humankind, not me and you, although

I have met a few reptiles in my time!),

emotions played a major part in our

survival. Emotions supercharge the neural

pathways. ‘Fear’ developed to stop our

ancestors from doing things that may

result in their extinction. ‘Pleasure’

developed to encourage us to do the

things that will ensure our survival.

Emotions control our motivation,

learning, and decisions and therefore

influence the choices that we make.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES

Humans are creatures of habit. For me,

the habits built up by a lifetime of unhealthy

eating are still residing in my unconscious

mind. Eight months of making the right

food choices are not enough to rid myself

of the unconscious desire to overeat.

There is a six lane superhighway completed

that has taken all the traffic for a lifetime.

I can’t relax until I make the right choices

without even thinking about it. You hear

people talk about ‘yo-yo’ dieting, where

they lose weight only to put it back on when

they stop dieting. The cycle then repeats

itself all over again. Often these people

state that they have not only put the weight

back on, but now weigh more than ever.

This is because many diets restrict what

you eat until you have lost the weight.

You then revert back to old habits.

Weight loss programmes are successful

when they are based on making healthy

eating choices, rather than banning food

types. Those who have achieved their

target and continue their membership as

target members have more chance of

maintaining their weight, than those who

walk away, because the “I like… (chocolate,

pies, sweets, puddings, beer, etc.)”

motorway is strong. Until you can make

the right choices unconsciously there

is a need to remain focussed and be

supported by likeminded people.

I have always known that for me the most

difficult task will be finding the right balance

in what I eat so that I can maintain my

target weight.

Thomas Edison is often quoted as saying,

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000

ways that won't work.” but he also once

remarked, “Many of life's failures are people

who did not realise how close they were to

success when they gave up.” As I find that

right balance I anticipate that there will be

weight gains and losses. After all, those of

you lucky enough to be happy with your

weight still experience minor gains and

losses, which over the days, weeks, months

and years balance out. So if I ‘gain’, I have

found a way that doesn’t work, and

provided over time I balance these gains

and losses, I am close to success and

there’s nothing to worry about.

Not just for weight loss…THE MIND-OVER-MATTER PRINCIPLES ANDY TALKSABOUT NOT ONLY HELP WITH LOSING WEIGHT.

They can also help with:n improving your fitness n improving sporting techniquesn quitting smoking n changing your job or role

The principles described in this article may be relevant to you for a whole host of reasons.

WELLBEING

CHANGING THE HABITSOF A LIFETIME

So how do you change the habits

of a lifetime? Having decided that I was

going to make a lifestyle change, I used the

concepts I had learnt through experience

and academic study of lifelong learning to

enable me to achieve my goal. In essence,

I became my own life coach. It is fair to say

that the ideas and principles I used were

not entirely my own. However, the ideas

presented are my interpretation of other

peoples’ work adapted to my circumstances.

As a police trainer and as a sergeant

I had used the SMART model to

create action plans:

n Specific

n Measurable

n Achievable

n Realistic

n Timed

Although this model is fine for developing

an achievable plan - there is nothing within

it that will ensure it’s achieved. Recent

adaptations of the model include ‘evaluate’

and ‘review’ or ‘re-evaluate’ (were they just

added just so that it would spell SMARTER?),

however, there is still nothing within this

model that encourages an emotional

investment from those involved. Rather than

focussing on plans that may or may not be put

into action I devised a brain-friendly solution.

TheblamegameIsn’t it strange how sometimes we will

defend ourselves and blame everyone or

everything around us rather than face the

truth? Sometimes we become so defensive

that our responses become automatic.

For example, at the Northern Police

Convalescent Home I once overheard a

disgruntled resident who had arrived that

day state, “That’s typical of this place.”

He had never been there before and

therefore had no idea what was or was not

‘typical’; it was probably a phrase that he

used routinely; blaming others was a habit.

Not only do we play the blame game,

sometimes we pretend that things are better

than they are rather than face the truth. In

2003 I made a number of visits to the force

Occupational Health department. On each

occasion I was weighed and my blood

pressure, pulse etc. were checked, and I was

praised by the medical staff as my weight

decreased slightly each month. In reality, the

first time I was weighed I wore relatively heavy

clothing and filled my pockets with lots of

coins and other heavy items, including old

style truncheon and cuffs (which those of

you old enough will recall were secreted in

specially designed trouser pockets so they

didn’t frighten the public!).

As the months went by I emptied my

pockets and wore lighter clothes. Each

month I congratulated myself and felt good

at having lost some weight, but the reality

was that much of the weight loss was due

to carrying less on to the scales.

If you’re going to achieve a goal you need to

invest emotionally in it. If you’re a supervisor

setting targets or introducing new legislation

and processes to your staff, you need to

ensure they believe in what you’re doing.

Both of you need to emotionally ‘buy into’

whatever you’re introducing. Previously,

although I knew I needed to lose weight,

there was no emotional investment.

FOR A LARGE PORTION OF MY 32 YEAR POLICE CAREER MY MAIN PRIORITY AS A TUTOR, COACH, MENTOR, TRAINER,SUPERVISOR, MANAGER, ASSESSOR, AND TRAININGDESIGNER WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHERS; BUT IN JANUARY 2013 I MADE A COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP ME. I used my work and studies as an excuse for my lack of physical activity and blamed my

lifestyle for my eating habits - so it wasn’t my fault that I gained weight. But of course it

was my fault - life is full of choices and I had willingly made the choices that resulted in

me being double the weight I had been when I joined the police in 1979.

Your aspirationswill remain aspirationsif you don’t do anythingto achieve them, andas time passes theymay become regrets

“We have major motorway connections in our brain and if they’re bad habits, they’re tough to break”

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HOBBIES

Get your boots on!

Good for the body and soul, Paul Casey talks about his passion for the great outdoors. If you’re up for a bit of an adventure this articlewill encourage you to get out and about intothe great British countryside.

The Cuillins from Sligachan, Isle of Skye

PAUL CASEYPaul retired as a Patrol Sergeantafter 31 years service in a busymetropolitan force.

Spending his entire serviceon front line duties includingpostings to the Armed ResponseUnit and other specialistcrime departments.

He’s been a keen climber andphotographer since chidlhood.

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A lot of people pass up the opportunity to

start walking and climbing as they consider

‘getting out there’ as something that requires

elaborate planning, the spending of a small

fortune on boots, waterproofs, maps and all

the other paraphernalia you might need.

That’s not always the case because a good

set of boots and a waterproof jacket can

frequently be found at a discount ‘end of

season’ sale at most of the national and

local climbing/walking stores. You just might

have to tolerate being seen afoot wearing

winter 2013 lime green! Yet I‘ve always

found that once you break through that

barrier and discover how easy it is, you will

unlock some realistic and enjoyable options

to spend some time away from the hustle

and bustle of work. After all, how frequently

do you hear mention from colleagues

as to how busy we all are, how we don’t

always have time to unwind and get

some exercise, or just to get away

from the ‘job’ for a bit.

Now let’s assume that you’ve managed

to dismiss all the excuses and doubts

and want to start to explore.

Some of you reading this article may

already be experienced walkers or climbers,

and maybe one or two have anonymously

bumped into the author while traversing

The Cuillins on Skye, wandering through

fog on the Pennine Way, or exchanging

a nod and ‘hello’ while plodding along the

Pembrokeshire Coastal path on a

sweltering summer’s day.

28 29

A wealth of walksWe may inhabit a small group of islands but we havethe good fortune to have access to a rich resource ofopen and beautiful countryside that can take you alongriver valleys, across remote dales and moorland, alonghuge swaths of magnificent coastline, and over highmountains, some with peaks easily achieved, some requiring a degree of experience and expertise.

And that’s just the countryside. Most of the big cities have spent time and money

creating urban pathways, cycle routes and heritage walks, so it doesn’t always

have to be a 6am alarm call to get out to somewhere worthwhile.

HOBBIES

Spring. I’ve always lovedthis time of year.The world is turning green again after the grey of winter, the sun is noticeably warmer on the skinthan it was just a month ago, and at last the daysare beginning to draw out for the long run in tosummer, giving you the opportunity to do extrathings with your free time.

Patios are being scrubbed, garden furniture uncovered,

bedding plants ordered, and pub gardens visited.

For me it’s also time to drag the boots out from

under the stairs, find the flask that’s been sat at

the back of a kitchen cupboard, and slap the dust

off the rucksack that’s been hung in the shed

since November.

Well, unless you love your winter walking and have

spent the last few months avoiding floods, rainstorms,

gales, the occasional tornado, and a blizzard or two

in Snowdonia or Scotland.

As someone who has had a lifelong love of the

outdoors - a factor that probably kept me on front

line duties for my entire service - it would be easy to

write an article about how marvellous it is, drop the

locations of some good pubs to visit after a day’s walk

or climb, print some pretty pictures from a couple

of my greatest adventures and move onto the next

issue. But that would be too easy wouldn’t it.

Personally, I enjoy getting onto the mountains as it’s

a chance to get out of the big city for a day or two to

experience the quiet and the scenery. It’s also the

opportunity to get some exercise (strenuous if it’s a

steep climb to a summit) plus the chance to pursue one

of the other great passions of my life, photography.

But walking isn’t all about mountains…

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Did you know?

- brisk walking helps

reduce body fat, lower

blood pressure, and

increase high-density

lipoprotein.

Given that the

world is about 25,000

miles in circumference

and that the average

walking rate is 3 miles

per hour, it would take a

person walking non-stop

approx 347 days to

walk around

the world.

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Brotherswater, Lake District

30 31

MOTIVATIONWalking is an ideal pastime. It’s somethingyou can do at the drop of a hat; with thefamily; with a friend or group of friends;with the dog. It gets you fit, gets you toplaces you’ve probably never seen before,and if you exceed your expectations andget to the top of a difficult or challengingpeak, or finish that 20-mile trek acrossDartmoor, will leave you with a realsense of achievement.

A lot of forces have their own climbing clubor society that will generally have a sectionthat is dedicated to walking/rambling, but will let you evolve onto climbing if you fancya go. Seek them out and join. Some ofthem already have kit discount agreementswith major outdoor chains.

KITOnce you’ve decided you’re going to giveit a go visit some of your local outdoorpursuit shops and price out some kit. A lot of people nowadays try stuff on for fitand comfort, and if the shop can’t becompetitive in price they go home and source the stuff online from the likesof Amazon or e-bay.

Usually, you will be looking for goodfunctional footwear - it doesn’t always have to be top of the range boots at £299.You can buy decent waterproof boots for £70-£100 that will always doubleup as casual wear.

The same applies to clothing. Always seek out a functional coat, a pair of over-trousers,and a decent set of gloves and a good hat,(preferably woolly) that can be used ininclement weather. Like with boots, most coats nowadays are multifunctional and can be used for day-to-day wear ratherthan an expensive wardrobe filler that’sonly used when out in the countryside.

You may also need a rucksack to storethe inevitable camera, flask, food, map,compass, mobile phone (with spare battery),spare clothing first aid kit, iPod, sun cream,car keys... It doesn’t need to be a 80 litremonster designed to get you across theHimalayas - a good quality 15 litre rucksackis usually fine for most days out.

So how do you get started?

Well, let’s begin with:

MFH (MISSING FROM HOME)To avoid the embarrassment of havingyourself all over the local or national news,and perhaps more seriously to ensure youreally do get from A to B, you need to buyyourself a map and compass and learn how touse them. It’s not rocket science, and can beanother little skill you can take pride in learning.More importantly it can save your life.

We have become a society where thereliability of technology is taken for granted.Even the smallest of mobile phones can nowuse satellite signals to position you down tothe nearest grid reference. This is all well andgood for a stroll along the canal, but when youare out on the hills or deep into the countrysideand the battery in your faithful never-been-unreliable-before phone battery decides togo to sleep - and it will – you’ll need a backup.The modern hand-held GPS systems are forthe aficionado only as they begin at £150 for abasic model. These units are better than yourphone because they are usually quite robustand weather sealed. I have one, but alwayscarry a decent compass, which I bought forless than £5 on Amazon, together with a goodOrdinance Survey map of the area you’replanning to visit for about £10-£12. For alittle extra you can buy laminated mapswhich are ideal for use in wet weather.

If you are ever planning on going anywheredifficult or remote I recommend doing sowith someone else who has some outdoorexperience and knows how to use a mapand compass. Always remember to letsomeone know your route and an estimatedtime of arrival at your destination. Over the years I’ve taken plenty of reports fromanxious relatives reporting missing oroverdue walkers that have usually resolvedthemselves by the local police finding theforgetful ‘misper’ sat in the pub with a lookof mystified innocence on their face.

WALK ALONEOR WITH A GROUP?People go walking for lots of different reasons.Some love the solitude of walking aloneacross hill and dale, while others wouldn’tthink of heading out unless accompanied by a companion. Walking in solitude has lotsof benefits to the individual and is a choicemost people make from time to time, myselfincluded. But sometimes being part of anorganised group has its advantages, notleast of which is that there is generally a mixof experienced and competent walkers fromwhom knowledge and wisdom is dispensed.

The police service has always had peoplewho organise climbing or rambling clubs aspart of the sports and social organisations.Ask around to see who runs one in yourforce area. Apart from my own experiencesduring my service, I know that there are lotsof small groups of walkers including policeofficers, CSOs and support staff who meetup at the police station over a coffee andarrange to meet on a ‘rest day’ and head offinto the mountains, or for an overnighter tothe Lake District or Dartmoor, or whereverit takes their fancy. It’s also a great tool forteambuilding and cementing the trust you have for one another during work time.

ENJOYMENTRemember, if you manage to get yourselfinto the great outdoors, ENJOY IT. Most of the country and its scenery arefree for you to explore and wander over. Go experience it. Breathe some fresh air;get some exercise for the body and some calm for the soul...

Coming up in the next issue...

‘Getting out there’. Over the coming issues we will visit every corner of the British Isles looking for those special walks and places of interest we would love to recommend. Issue #2 features Snowdonia, high and low routes, accommodation and places to eat and stay.

Explore...FIND FANTASTIC WALKSAND TRAILS ONLINE

Walking in Scotland www.visitscotland.com/see-do/activities/walking

Walk Northern Ireland www.walkni.com

Walking holidays in Wales www.visitwales.com/things-to-do/activities/walking-hiking

Walking Britain www.walkingbritain.co.uk

Walk England www.walkengland.org.uk

National Trails www.nationaltrail.co.uk

Do you have a favourite walk or ramble?Know of a unique and special route and want

to share it with other readers? Drop us a line

at NiCKED HQ and you could be the author

of a future article... we may even send our

photographer out with you for the day.

HOBBIES

FITNESSWhat I’ll never do is encourage you put this magazine down, pull on your trainers, leap

into the car and head off into the great unknown to start a 35 mile yomp, or do a three

peak challenge if you’re not up to it. Of course any form of exercise will be good for you,

and no doubt the readership will have varying degrees of fitness that starts you further

up the ladder of exertion than others. As many a mountain rescue team member

will advise: never overextend yourself physically. Build up to it by improving your all

round fitness. It won’t take much and as soon as you’re competent, that fitness will

develop quite quickly allowing you to go further and/or higher.

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Safety

Survival Bag - Available at

any ‘outdoor’ retailer. A survival

bag is simply a strong, lightweight

bag made from a tough plastic

material usually orange in

colour that is designed to reduce

the loss of body heat in an

emergency. It can also act

as a hi-viz distress signal,

and an emergency

shelter.

Snowdon Horseshoe,North Wales

PERSONAL TRAINER, PAUL HERBERT,GIVES US HIS EXPERT GUIDE ON HOWTO DEAL WITH EXERCISE AND NUTRITIONWHILST DOING SHIFT WORK.

We all know being a police officer can be a demanding(albeit rewarding) role, but add shift work into the mix and you’ll have all sorts of extra pressures. There’s the obvious sleep pattern disruption, but what about diet and fitness?

Sometimes coping with actual shift hourscan be as difficult, if not more so, than the job at hand. Health and fitness expert Paul Herbert met with NiCKED magazine’s roaming Deputy EditorBrinsley Bailey and shared some adviceon diet and fitness and how it can helpwith the demands of shift work.

A shift in theright direction

32 33

Q&A

HEALTH & FITNESS

PAUL HERBERTPaul Herbert is a former GB athletewho competed at 800m againstthe likes of Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett and Peter Elliot. At 21 years old, he wasUK champion and 25th fastest inthe world with a time of 1:45. After a successful athletics career,Paul decided health and fitness was the way to go and he created Body Transformations. His company in Abbots Langley,Hertfordshire works with peoplefrom various backgrounds fromsedentary to athlete. Some of hishigh profile clients have includedKym Marsh (Coronation Street),Penny Malory (TV presenter) and Martin Kove (Karate Kid).

Only have a few

minutes to spare?

If you’re looking for a quick workout,

old school bodyweight exercises like

press-ups and wall-sits are always good.

You can challenge yourself by recording your

results and aim to beat the same figure

throughout the week, which in itself

can become a routine.

It’s all about assessing the time you

have - if you can only spare 10 minutes

you can still get a real quality workout and

it can be done on a daily basis.

Even if you can only grab a spare

5 minutes, at least you’re

doing something.

Q:How important is nutrition in day-to-day life?

A:It’s so important because if you’removing around all day you need tosupplement those spent calories byputting the right calories back in. Havinggood balanced nutrition is vital but a lot of people focus on not having too manycarbohydrates. If you’re active, the most important thing is to have thosecarbohydrates. I always advise my clientsto replace the calories they burn otherwiseyour body will go into something calledketosis, which creates a sudden drop ofenergy levels. Making sure nutrition is onpoint is always the most important thing.

Q:When is the best time to exercise?

A:My clients ask me this question a lot and I always recommended that theyshould exercise at the best time for them.There’s no optimum time to exercise -some people prefer to train in the morning,and some people prefer to train in theevening. You have to know what suits YOUbest. If you’ve just done a long shift, do a15-minute blast session depending on thetype of exercise you prefer. For example, ifyou prefer running, start with a walk andgradually build into a run and, if you want to,do some light stretches in the middle. If youprefer bodyweight exercises again startslowly and build the intensity gradually.

Q:What are some common mistakesthat can hinder your exercise?

A:Not having the correct breathingtechnique. In order for the blood to goround your system once, it takes roughly23 seconds and if your breathing goes outof sync this process takes longer. If thisoccurs then you go into oxygen debt,which causes you to get dizzy, as the bloodtakes longer to get back to your brain.Keeping the process in sync through acorrect breathing technique is veryimportant. Also, it’s important when you’reexercising to ‘be in the moment.’ If you’reabout to perform a squat for example, youshould be working on your core musclesthat support the movement and you mustbe 100% focused on making your upperand lower body work together. It’s amazingwhen you walk into a gym and you seepeople who are not focused on what theyare doing. You can tell they’re thinkingabout what’s going to be on TV later ratherthan thinking about the exercise they’redoing. I always tell my clients that if theyget mentally involved in the exercise, theirbody shape will change more quickly.

Q:What type of problems doesshift work produce?

A:Shift work affects your appetite andwhen it comes to exercise, this can meanenergy levels fluctuate. Often this is basedon diet as many people eat the wrong foodson shift work and this has a direct effect ontheir energy levels. Generally, food grabbed‘on the go’ is loaded with carbohydratesand when you eat these foods you becomefull quickly, but you also become emptyreally quickly as well. I often encouragepeople who are on shift work to plan ahead.Preparing nutritious food to take to workmeans you know what you’re going to eatand there’s less chance you’ll make thedecision to eat unhealthy fast food.

With regards to exercise, you need to workout how many times a week you are able to train, what you are going to do in yourworkout and how much time you have.Remember to factor in cool down time anda shower etc. Be realistic and bear in mind,something is better than nothing!

Q:Which foods should shift workers avoid?

A:We all know the foods we should beavoiding… high fat takeaways, and foodsloaded with sugar. I also advise to keepclear of any food high in carbohydrates,and definitely processed foods. Avoidoverloading on bread and chips, anythinglike that will work against you and depleteenergy levels rather than lift them. Mealreplacement can work, for example: if youlike burgers, instead of having a takeaway,plan your meal beforehand and have aQuorn burger with salad on a granary bagelor small wholemeal roll. This way, it’s likehaving a takeaway burger but you’re eatinga healthier version. Sweet potatoes havea low GI (Glycemic Index) and you can usethat to make baked fries which you canreheat at work.

Q:‘Grazing’ is a term often heard in health and fitness circles. What arethe benefits of this technique and can it be applied to shift work?

A:Grazing is when you don’t have yourmain meal but have smaller meals insteadas a snack. This method of eating is basedaround the core meals of breakfast, lunchand dinner and occurs either side of yourlunch. For someone who does shift work,grazing is perfect. If you’re on a shiftpattern that misses breakfast or (other)another key meal, you can graze on fruit,nuts or seeds, which will sustain yourenergy levels. I encourage people to grazebecause it allows you to keep energy levelsup and stops you from losing the caloriesyou need to sustain a full shift of work.However, avoid grazing on sweets becausethese will take your sugar level up andreduce your energy level.

Quick tips

for the gym1

Always warm up/stretch

2Focus on your breathing

3

Be mentally involved

in the exercise

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

34

Q:Energy drinks are often used to helppeople stay alert, particularly on shiftwork. Are there any natural alternativesthat can provide the same boost?

A:The key thing to start with is water -being hydrated helps keep your energy levelsup. There is a misconception about water asyou will often hear people say that you shoulddrink 2 litres per day, but this isn’t necessarilythe case. Recent studies show there are otherthings you drink throughout the day such astea and coffee, which also go towards yourwater intake. Food also contains water whichwill form part of your intake and fruit providesa really good boost to your energy levels.Also, the great thing about fruit is that you’lluse it as part of energy but it won’t take yoursugar level up too quickly. The kind of thingsthat hinder people’s performances the mostare the sugary fizzy drinks and even theenergy ones marketed as being ‘healthy.One of the most popular ‘energy’ drinkshas18 teaspoons of sugar in one bottle – it’s obviously not going to do you muchgood. Your intake also has to be relative towhat type of sport or activity you are doing. If someone’s running a marathon I wouldrecommend an energy drink, however,for someone who works out in the gymand is burning fewer calories, I wouldrecommend water. Or if they need anenergy boost I would suggest a 50/50mix of pure orange juice and water.

Q:Protein shakes are very popularnowadays. Would you recommend them?And if so, what do you take and when?

A:I do promote the use of protein shakesbut it’s important not to over do them asit can mess with your digestive system. I wouldn’t suggest relying on these shakes,as it is best to vary your food. On a short-term basis however they can be used as ameal replacement but if you decide to takeit every morning for example, add oats andnuts so it becomes a better breakfast and amore complete meal. Ideally, take no morethan two shakes maximum per day but againthat depends on how many calories youconsume in a day and your activity levels.

Q:What advice can you give to peoplewho are looking to lose weight throughtraining as well as maintain fitness?

A:Training type is key here. If someonegoes out for a run five or six times a weekwithout any resistance work then they willlose muscle tissue. But if you incorporate aresistance programme, using bodyweightexercises at home such as press-ups andsquats or at the gym using equipment likethe shoulder press, Olympic lifts, deadliftsetc. along with the cardiovascular exercises,you can get the best of both worlds anddrop body fat whilst increasing musclestissue at the same time.

Q:Are there any health supplementsyou would recommend?

A:It all depends on what you’re looking toachieve but I do recommend taking a multi -vitamin per day. However, if you eat a wellbalanced diet you probably won’t need anyextra supplements. If you’re trying to increaseyour weight or burn body-fat, Casein powder(a milk protein) can be taken before you go tobed. This prevents too much protein beinglost whilst sleeping as your body goes withoutfood for several hours. I use the Casein withhealthy peanut butter, just to add to the extraprotein. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA)help the process of building muscles andreplace the loss of amino acids from yoursystem. Essential fatty acids are also importantand are something that can be taken viasupplements or obtained naturally througheating fish. Also, at every meal you should tryand have some fat. There is a stigma towardsfat and people automatically think it’s bad butit’s important to have healthy fats in your diet.

Q:What’s the ‘top-tip’ people shouldtry to remember?

A:As a personal trainer, people always tellme what they eat but I guarantee it’s neveraccurate and only half the story. My top tipis simple. Be honest with yourself, workhard and work safe. If you’re honest withyourself, the results will come.

Want to know more?Email Paul at enquiries@bodytransformations.co.ukor visit www.bodytransformations.co.uk

Key nutrition

Healthy carbohydrates: rice,

sweet potato, quinoa etc.

Quality protein: lean chicken, turkey

and occasionally red meat

Fats: nuts such as almonds

and Brazil nuts

Oily fish: salmon, mackerel,

herring etc.

1

2

4

3

HEALTH & FITNESS

Elaine Watson

Mobile - 07962595855

Email Address - elainejwatson@utilitywarehouse.org.ukWeb Address - www.ShrinkYourBills.org.uk

36 37WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

BREAKFASTMackerel with scrambled eggsand a slice of wholemeal toastor Porridge (water or skimmedmilk) with a scoop of protein (30gWomen/45g Men) with almonds(6-8 Women/ Men 10-12)

GRAZING SNACKProtein Shake (made with water)with Peanut Butter on a sliceof Ryvita

LUNCHQuinoua or Basmati Rice (Low GI)with any lean turkey or chicken

GRAZING SNACKProtein bar or cookie (make sureit has < 8.5g sugar per 100g)or Rye bread with Quark cheese,lean ham, cucumber and lettuce

DINNERAny lean meat with half regularserving of sweet potato (low GI)and a large portion of leafygreen vegetables

DRINKSWater (add half a squeezedlemon and a capful of fruit squashto break the monotony).

KEY TIPS

• Preparation is key. If you don’tprepare, it is very likely thatyou’ll stray.

• Experiment with different herbsand spices (dry powder) withthe lean meat to add varietyto your meals.

THE WORKOUTA maximum of five sets for the circuit but

you should base it on your fitness levels:

Beginners: 2 setsIntermediate: 3 setsAdvanced: 4 sets

Depending on your conditioning,

rest between each exercise for:

Beginners: 60 secondsIntermediate: 30 secondsAdvanced: no rest

WARM-UP: Spend a short time warming

up and stretching off before beginning

any exercise. Fig 1

PRESS-UPS: (16-20 reps) Keep head in line

with the spine and avoid locking your elbows.

Also make sure the stomach is tucked in to

stabilise the core. Fig 2

SQUATS: (16 -20 reps) Make sure that your

knees don’t go over your toes and lean forward

slightly, keeping your back straight while in the

seated position. Breath in when you go down

and out when you go up. If you want to make the

exercise harder you can use dumbbells. Fig 3

SPLIT-SQUATS: (16-20 reps each side)

Keep the feet stationary throughout the

exercise with your front foot flat and back

heel up. Back straight with head in line with

the spine looking forward. The lower yourself

to the floor directly down with your back

knee an inch away from the floor. Fig 4

PIKE PUSH UP: (16-20 reps) Start in regular

press up position and then walk your feet

forward until your body forms a V shape.

Keep your knees slightly bent and avoid

locking your elbows. Fig 5

SINGLE ARM ROW: (16-20 reps each side)

Both knees are bent but back is flat with

a stance similar to cutting a piece of wood

on a bench. Fig 6

WARM-DOWN: After completing any form of

exercise, spend some time cooling down, and

doing some light post exercise stretches. Fig 1REMEMBER: If you are carrying an injury, or it has been a long time since you have done any exercise seek medical advice before attempting these exercises.

Chest stretch, back stretch, calf stretch and quad stretch

Paul HerbertThe food planThis programme is designed to keep your body on a regular pattern each week even if your shifts change. You can eat these foodsat anytime as long as it works with your specific schedule. Don’t feel forcedto follow conventional eating times, simply view food as what it is… food.

All that matters is that your meal has a balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins that can fuel your body.

HEALTH & FITNESS

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THE 30-MINUTE WORKOUTThe workout plan is based on the concept of Peripheral Heart

Action (PHA), which was brought into the fore of the exercise world

by Bob Gajda (Former Mr America & Mr Universe). PHA works

various muscle groups in a single workout. This 30-minute workout

programme focuses on the upper body and lower body alternately

causing your body to work harder overall.

STRETCHESBefore and after the workout it is important to stretch the

upper and lower body; specifically the chest, calf, quads, and back.

Always remember to keep your head in line with your spine by

looking forward. Tense the abdomen to stabilise your core and

have slightly bent knees to take pressure off your joints.

Fig 1

Fig 1

Fig 3

Fig 5

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

Fig 5

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 4

Fig 6

Carving acareer afterpolicing

WHEN PETER FARRINGTON HAD TO TAKE EARLY RETIREMENT FROM THE POLICE SERVICE,HE KNEW HE HAD A LOT MORE TO GIVE. HERE HE OFFERS SOME GREAT ADVICE ON HOW TO BUILD A CAREER AFTER POLICING.

After leaving school in June, by August I found myself joining the police service as a 16-year-old cadet. Being rapidlyassimilated into the institution that is thepolice family, I found almost all my friendswere now employed by the police.

Although I knew from the beginning what I was getting into, the actual reality of a life on shifts, which precluded me from many of the things most people take for granted,began to hit home. Family events; maintainingmy football season ticket; carrying outhobbies and pastimes in mainstream society- all had to take a back seat in my socialpriorities. I was a police officer now, part of that bigger family that often met in themiddle of the night, early on weekendmornings or on sunny midweek afternoons.

Booking annual leave now involved intricateand complex negotiations involving shiftrotas, line managers, and the vagaries of yourcolleagues’ personal circumstances. I didn’teat at ‘normal’ times anymore, and wouldrarely get home on time. Long-standingengagements weren’t honoured because I was ‘dealing’ with something, or someone,else. And mid week lie-ins on my rest dayswere a rarity because an inconvenientlydelivered court warning often beckoned.We’ve all been there… We become ‘dyed in the wool cops’. We knew our life and sawthe years of service stretching away into the distance like some desert highway.

Unfortunately, the flow of your career cansometimes be cut short, and after 23 yearsof enjoyable and fulfilling police service I hadan unexpected and unwelcome exit andwoke one morning to find myself in receipt of a pension following my discharge onhealth grounds. Well OK, I might not havebeen able to carry out the entire portfolio of police work (if I ever was) but I was certainly young enough, and keen enough, to do some sort of fulfilling work – but what?Bills still had to be paid, mortgage paymentsmet, and food for the family bought.

BUSINESS

PETERFARRINGTONPeter Farrington is managing director of Probe Investigations (UK) Ltd, whichwas given the impressive accolade of anISO:9001 award for quality management.The company is proud to be the firstbusiness in the UK to be successfullyassessed at BS102000 level for itsprovision of investigative services.

Peter is also a member of WorldAssociation of Detectives (WAD); Ex Police in Commerce (EPIC) andAssociation of British Investigators (ABI).

Other achievements include:n 2009/10 Vice President, Associationof British Investigatorsn 2010 Probe Investigations (UK) Ltd– awarded Merseyside Crime Stopperof the Yearn 2011 Formation of specialist processserving business www.pdqprocess.co.ukn 2013 Formation of Probe Conciergeand Security Services Ltdwww.probesecurityservices.com

Visit www.probeuk.com or call 0845 520 7777 for more information.

Where to go from here?People usually respond to such circumstances in one of twoways. Not being the type to panic, I started by weighing up what my ‘employable’ attributes and skill sets were.

The police had spent a considerable amount of time, money and effort teaching me to drive cars expertly, investigate crimeefficiently, talk to people with economy; to listen, interpret and act on information boldly and assertively, without fear or favour. I could undertake surveillance without being detected; knew alot about the intricacies of the law, and about the causes andconsequences of criminality, and dishonesty. I was well versed inpolice procedures; reading and writing reports; and had lots offriends and acquaintances; all introduced to me by the policeservice. As a newly ‘retired’ detective it was an obvious careerchoice for me to become a self-employed investigator. However, setting it up as a business was to prove a challenge,both professionally and personally.

Having determined my future lay on the self-employed businessroute, I had a ‘eureka’ moment when it dawned on me that I hadalways calculated things in pounds and pence. How much overtime,how big a pay rise, how much is a bill, what is my net pay? Rule one – forget that altogether. It is an equation you can never balance.The commodity of life outside the police is ‘time’ so I am now a time salesman – I sell my time to different people for differentprices depending on a few obvious but important factors:

n How difficult is the task? n How much do I like or dislike this type of work? n What resources are required? n How long will it take? n How regularly will I be doing this?

Have I lost you yet? In summary – do not use your police salary as a yardstick. It is irrelevant to your new circumstances, and will rarelyachieve an immediate equivalent in your new career. Of courseyour pension helps, but unless you’ve paid off your mortgage itwill never amount to much compared to your police salary.

Here’s a simple fact: in the police you can be the hardest workingofficer from your section, department, or force, but you will be paid (overtime excluded) exactly the same as the least productivecolleague. No matter what happens, your monthly salary will bemuch the same as the last one, and for that matter, the next one.You do one job and get one rate of pay. But now I don’t - I do lots ofdifferent jobs. Imagine your life in the police if you were to be paidpiecemeal. £X for taking a crime report, £Y for dealing with suddendeath and £Z for supervising somebody else to do either X or Y.That is how it is for me nowadays.

38 39WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

40

Top tips for successWHEN I TOOK RETIREMENTAND STARTED MY COMPANYI HAD PLENTY OF COMMONSENSE AND DETERMINATION,BUT ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESSACUMEN WHATSOEVER.

However, apart from the ability to workwith self confidence and self reliance the police service equipped me with thediscipline to work through problemslogically and methodically.

So that’s what I did. I applied myself to thetask at hand and have built a company thatutilises my skills and attributes yet at thesame time rewards me personally andfinancially. I am regularly approached bycolleagues coming up to retirement for adviceabout starting up a business. They don’twant to waste all that training andexperience just because the first earningphase of their life has come to an end.

My advice is always the same and usuallyinvolves most, if not all, of the following: 1. Research and engage a reputable andcost-effective accountant. Your tax affairsare very different now and the accountantwill be your equivalent of the police paydepartment.

2. Set up a business bank account. Most high street banks offer free banking to new businesses and offer all sorts ofhelpful advice to guide you through initialfinancing and setup costs.

3. Consider whether you want to trade as limited company.There are pros and cons to doing so, but overall my preference is to protect mypersonal assets and keep my businessseparate from my private affairs byoperating two limited companies.

4. Obtain professional insurance cover.Whatever business you decide to establish,you are human and therefore liable to makea mistake at some point. ProfessionalIndemnity Insurance is an absolute must. If you have premises that the public visits or an exposure to risk from publicinteraction then you should check outPublic Liability insurance.

5. Advertise. Potential clients or customerswon’t find you unless you position signposts.The internet can frequently be the bestplace for placing advertisements, but alsoconsider entries in business directories,trade exhibitions, networking events ormagazines, where a suitable circulation is present for your target market.

6. Compliance. In your particular business,you might have to comply with specificlaws. For example, I have had to notify The Information Commissioner for DataProtection purposes, and I am required tohold a Consumer Credit Licence and SIALicence for aspects of my work.

7. Communications. You will need to dealwith telephone accounts, domain names,fax numbers and postal services. Socialmedia is an important tool these days andmost businesses operate Twitter, LinkedInand Facebook pages. Consider using a PO Box address or a ‘virtual office’ addressif you’re working from home.

8. Professional memberships. In your new career, you may benefit from joininga professional body. I certainly learnt a tremendous amount by becoming amember of The Association of BritishInvestigators, The World Association of Detectives, and EPIC (Ex Police inCommerce). This is your new ‘Federation’.

9. Contacts. Stay in touch with people.The friends you made during your serviceare very valuable to you socially. It can be alonely environment setting up a business,especially after a career where you weregenerally part of a team. One of thebenefits of the police service is that by and large it’s a very socially orientatedorganisation - a surrogate family. Staying in touch will, apart from the enjoyment of meeting old friends and colleagues,help you stay abreast of changes andassist you in developing new relationshipsfor your business.

10. Branding. You don’t get many goes toget this right, so take the time to plan yourbusiness brand, and the message you aretrying to send out. Find yourself a reputablegraphic designer/printer and ask for examples/reviews of their work, and develop anunderstanding of what YOU want. This isyour business and the designer might notunderstand your business concept, theymight have ideas that are at odds with yoursin terms of your chosen marketplace, yourtarget audience and the image you want toproject. The same can be said of web designers.

11. Finance. If you want to start a businessthen understand that you need to spendmoney on it. The first six months are likelyto be a big drain on your resources. This isnot a rarity, and you will be in good company.

12. VAT. By law, if your turnover is in excessof £77K per annum then you must registerfor VAT. This might seem a big figure to manypolice officers (you’re using your salary as ayardstick again aren’t you?) but in business,it really isn’t. My advice is to register for VATfrom the very start. You won’t then get ina mess trying to deal with retrospectivefinances but you will get your VAT backon your outgoings quite quickly and thatis a big help in the beginning.

13.Keep proper records. Retain everything- every bill, every bank statement, every chequestub. You may be subjected to an inspectionby HMRC at any moment and they will wantyou to produce such records going back sixyears. It’s just like compiling a prosecution file!

14. Grants and relief. Find out about anyGovernment or EU Grants available to yourbusiness and also enquire with the localauthority about Small Business Rate Relief.The local Chamber of Commerce is a good starting point in this respect.

‘Peter and Rex were amazed at the quality of the CCTV’

15. Premises.There is something niceabout the idea of working from home. In some occupations this is fine. In some, it is impossible. I tried it and found that mywork frequently spilled over into my house;family life interrupted my work with theworking day collapsing into a rota ofstop/start. It wasn’t for me. There are plentyof ‘easy in/easy out’ office deals available.Bargain hard with landlords, you’ll besurprised how much movement there iswhen negotiating. Get the price right downand the length of the tenancy as short asyou can to begin with. That said; always keepone eye on expansion as you might quicklyoutgrow your offices. Changing addresscan be a big upheaval for a company so ifyou can stay in the same place but in alarger suite of offices that might suit yourlong-term planning better.

16. Partnerships. Many people begin abusiness in partnership with an old friend.I did too. However, very few partnershipslast the distance (mine included). Under thepressure of running a business, it becomesapparent that different ideas cansometimes conflict and cannot readilybe resolved. If you’re going to become apartnership then draw up a legal contractfrom the very beginning. Set the rules outclearly and unambiguously, and make surethat you have formal minuted meetingson a regular basis. This is now your livelihood,not a recreational activity.

17. Throwing good money after bad. If you have a business that isn’t working don’tlet your pride cause you to waste more time,effort and money on it. Accept that failuresometimes happens and move into anotherarea. Learn from your mistakes.

18. Competitors. Get to know yourcompetitors - you might be surprised to findthey are actually very helpful and supportive.Remember that as a new business you are competing on a well-trodden ground.Some competitors may appear to haveyour business plan ‘sewn up’ already. Don’t be put off by this. My top tip is tonever undercut a rival. This is guaranteed to aggravate them and it won’t impressmost clients either. Customers are mostimpressed by good service, good products,reliability and prompt delivery. Don’tcompromise your business plan and integrity.Once again, don’t use your police salary as yardstick. Concentrate on building areliable clientele who will bring you repeatbusiness or be pleased to refer others to you.

19. Employees. If you employ somebody,then look after them. Your employees arethe people who enable you to enjoy a dayoff, take a holiday, be in places you can’t getto and so much more. They represent yourbusiness. Make sure you have Employers’Liability insurance (it is a legal requirement),and comply with all the various Health andSafety directives.

20. Pensions. Treat yourself to a secondpension. You can maximise your taxefficiency at the same time.

21. Personal insurance. We are all growingolder and in time our health will graduallydecline. With this in mind, I maintain a policyof insurance that covers my business againstcritical illness. If I am out of action throughserious illness then the business needsto continue without me. In my businessan appropriately qualified ‘locum’ can beappointed to deal with the companyduring my enforced absence.

Remember: if itwas easy, everyonewould be doing it!There is far more detail I could provide

and the above list, while not exhaustive,

might seem intimidating.

It did to me at first glance but, as they say,Rome wasn’t built in a day, so there is nothingwrong in methodically exploring which area ofbusiness or trade suits your personal skill set,and fires the desire to build a solid andprofitable business. You may already have skillsand qualifications or a career that you usedto do before joining the service. I know lots offormer electricians, plasterers, builders andplumbers who decided to change career andbecome police officers. Just bear in mind thatthe police service will have given you a fantasticarray of skills - now it’s up to you to capitaliseon them and create a new tailor-made career.

Buy a ready-made businessRather than building up a businessfrom scratch, another option is to buy an existing one.

I have never done this, although I have takenover contracts from other suppliers and hada taste of TUPE law, which for those that don’tknow, means taking on existing employees thatpreviously worked for the first contractor- a bit tricky but manageable.

There are agencies out there that sell businessessuch as Turner Butler for example. It may beworth browsing what is on offer. For those who want to enter the investigation businessfrom scratch, contact The Association ofBritish Investigators (www.TheABI.org.uk) and enquire whether any members mightconsider retirement or are looking to sell up their business.

It’s important to remember that beforeconsidering buying a business, it will be necessaryto carry out due diligence. You don’t want tobuy into somebody’s unpaid VAT bill or theirbad reputation. This is the time to find theappropriate solicitor and accountant to helpyou strike a deal and put a true value on thebusiness and assess its potential for growth.The aim could be to sell it on again, at a profit,further along the line or perhaps bequeathit to the next generation?

Further information…For help and support please contact yourrelevant force Welfare Department. Police officers can contact either the PoliceFederation or the National Association of RetiredPolice Officers (NARPO) - both have excellentsupport resources to assist you should you find yourself approaching retirement, eitheranticipated or unanticipated. Support staff cancall upon their respective unions to provide a comparative level of support and advice.

BUSINESS

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HOBBIES

Having successfully negotiated my policeservice I found myself finishing 30 years ofservice with the appellation of ‘pensioner’while still being under 50 years of age.

Working in a busy force I appreciated the frustrations involved in trying to makea difference, as well as the huge senseof pride and achievement it can bring bysolving the problems others fear to address.I thoroughly enjoyed my service, and asit was mostly operational, I’m not goingto pretend I always considered it theperfect career choice.

You all know that a life dedicated tothe police service is a challenge, usuallyan enjoyable one, but a challenge all thesame. And because of that, you needyour distractions, hobbies and sometimesa chance to exercise.

Well, there are lot of options for your down time. Personally, I always lookedforward to a rest day when I could be out on the course with my friends.

Mark Twain is oft quoted for his observation about golf being “a good walk spoiled...” This is all well and good if your time is spentplotting your next novel but for the rest of us, golf presents anaccessible and enjoyable sport played by ever growing numbersof men, women, boys and girls across the world.

Fore...!GOLF HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN A POPULARSPORT AND SOURCE OF RELAXATION WITHIN THEPOLICE FAMILY, SO IF YOU’RE A SERIOUS GOLF NUT,HAVE THE HABIT UNDER CONTROL, PLAY ONCEOR TWICE A YEAR WITH BORROWED ‘BATS’, ORJUST HAVE AN IDLE CURIOSITY, YOU’LL ENJOYALAN CONSIDINE’S SERIES ON ALL THINGS GOLF.

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Having played golf since a young age, I’ve spent most of the intervening yearsplaying off a single figure handicap. (If youdon’t understand golf handicaps, there is a jargon busting section at the end). I currently play off a 10 handicap, and if you can keep a secret, those extra shots are lovely when you are eager to secure that friendly side bet - the one against your mate, who you love dearly, but couldalso throttle with a five-iron if he beats you on the last.

Of course golf has a language, standard of dress and behaviour, and customs all of its own that can seem foreboding andmysterious to the newcomer, but stick with me. You’ll soon pick up the meanings in future articles.

Because golf has a strong social elementI also dedicated a lot of my spare time tohelping run and organise golf clubs in variousroles, spending over a decade on numerouscommittees, and even enjoying a few yearsas a course manager where I learneda lot about setting up a course fromprofessional greens staff.

I have also had the good fortune tobe invited to help organise marshallingat the British Open Championshipsand had the pleasure, and it IS a pleasure,of playing on courses throughout Europe,particularly Portugal and Spain.Now there’s a life… golf in the sun. But that’s for another issue!

In this series we’ll visit those types ofexperiences, and let you know how to make it happen on your terms, and just as importantly, within your budget.

We will explore, review and advise onmatters such as golfing holidays and breaks,golfing equipment, tips and techniques toimprove your game, and developmentsand gossip from the world of golfing. NiCKED may even weigh in from time to time with a prize competition.

My colleague John Fisher, a PGA TeachingProfessional will provide more in-depthadvice about technique, skill developmentand equipment. As these pages grow welook forward to receiving feedback andsuggestions for future issues, so let us know what you want to read about.

ALAN

CONSIDINE

Alan Considine served

as a police constable

with a North West force

and since retiring is

usually to be found

on, or near, a

golf course!

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HOBBIES

A competitive friendshipI’ll digress for a moment to explainmy relationship with our resident Pro,the predictably titled John ‘Fish’ Fisher,who will be providing an introductionto the finer points of golf over thefollowing pages.

Before I start, I’d like to point out that he’s afriend, but one of those friends you invariablyend up having a squabble and fight with! I recalla recent round when I was robbed of my rightfultwenty pound wager by my club Pro friend lateone evening... I was a few holes up, with notmany holes to play. Life was good, and I waspreparing to be smug and unbearable in themembers’ lounge where I would deprive himof a twenty pound note while buying him a pintand smugly offering false commiserationsand false commiserations.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, it had rained until lunch-time, and we had thus set out latewith the prospect of the daylight dwindling. By thetime we had teed up on the 16th hole, you couldsee perhaps 50 yards, and were in real dangerof doing harm to the wildlife that emergesat dusk. Now, most golfers, like anglers, will drifttoward hyperbole and talk as though they knowwhat they are doing. But in reality, golf is a gameplayed mostly between the ears, even for theamateur, and the control of your swing, andthereby the ball is fleeting and transient.Well the Pro isn’t the Pro for nothing.

While I was taking account of how the tops of trees bend, whether the cows are stood up or lying down, and of course my faith in SeveBallesteros’s assertion that ‘trees are 90 per centnot there’, the Professional trusted in his swing,honed by thousands of grooved practice swings,course management, and yardage markers.

My better qualified opponent and part time friend played the last three holes in Par, Birdie,Par. Which I’m sure is against the natural rules ofjustice. So as I missed a putt on the 18th seekinga win (or at least we think I did, because it was nowdark, and we didn’t find the ball in the hole), it leftthe Pro with a five foot putt to save a game hehad given up on a while back. As his ball droppedin the hole, the previously respectable PGAProfessional leapt in the air while letting out atriumphant screech, which thankfully could notbe observed, or indeed heard in the club house.He had somehow salvaged a draw!

As a result the vision of me collecting my £20winnings went up disappeared quicker than thefading light, much to my friends amusement. Overthe next hours I was, to use a common parlance‘made to have it’, after 'made to have it, as othermembers enquired where we had been, and passedcomment of the new sport of night-golf, as it hadbeen virtually pitch black for around an hour!

So the moral of the story, or at least the oneI am conveniently using, is that golf isn’t supposedto be fair… but it will always be much more than‘a good walk spoiled’. Maybe Mr Twain hadn’theard of the 19th hole.

Golf jargon busterm HandicapA number assigned to each player based on his ability and used to adjusteach player's score to provide equalityamong the players. In simplified terms, a handicap number, based on the slopeof a course, is subtracted from the player'sgross score and gives him a net scoreof par or better half the time.

m BirdieA hole played in one stroke under par.

m EagleA hole played in two strokes under par.

m ParStandard score for a hole (defined by itslength) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars).

m BogeyA hole played in one stroke over par.

m ForeA warning shout given when thereis a chance that the ball may hit otherplayers or spectators.

m Scratch golferA player's whose handicap equals zero.

Giving it a go?So how can you get involved in thegame? Well, I suppose the easiestway to see if you like it is to acquirea golf club and head off to thelocal driving range.

I’ll steer you away from using the local park orfield as you’re likely to attract the attention ofeither the local warden, or more dramatically,an irate householder who will angrily point tothe new ventilation hole in his conservatory roofwhile trying to climb his fence to get to you!

We’ll stick with the driving range as it’s a purpose-built facility and you can usually hire a few clubs if youcan’t lay your hands on any. Most are open all day, andare floodlit for evening use. If you haven’t got a friendor relative who can give you some basic coachingdon’t worry as most will have friendly staff and/or aresident professional, if it’s associated with a golfclub, who will be only too glad to give help and advice.

A session usual costs around £5 for a bucket of 30-70 balls. Just remember to put the basket at the mouth of the ball dispenser before you slip thetoken into the machine. If you don’t you are likelyto attract amused attention from other range usersas the ball dispenser noisily takes delight in rapidlyspewing out balls all over the floor.

After a few trips to the driving range you may findyou’ve an aptitude for it, and have developed a swingthat evolves to the point where the ball is flyingthrough the air for a reasonable distance. Don’t worrythat it’s not always in the direction you were aiming -you can consider yourself ready for the next stage -the golf course. In future editions Johns 'BeginnerArticles' will give advice on clubs, etiquette, golfingjargon, and a host of other essentials, but for nowwe’ll move on to those with a little more experienceand expectations of the game, who fancy testingtheir golfing prowess within the police service.

Golf within the policeSo, you think you can play? Well always remember that most forceshave police teams or societies. Undoubtedly, there will be someonein your home force who takes on the task of the stressed andunappreciated organiser of your force’s golf section.

I can’t speak for every force, but thereis usually someone organising an annualindividual competition locally, a nationalindividual event, as well as the PAAgolf team event.

The latter usually consists of four forcessubmitting a team, and meeting up on acourse chosen by the host force. The dayusually consists of two semi-finals in themorning flowed by the final in the afternoon.The winners will progress to similar events,which will eventually produce four teamswho qualify for the national finals. I’ve beenfortunate to play in one of those events,and had a great time pitting my skills againstcolleagues from around the country.Unfortunately, our team lost in the final toa team of cut throats and vagabonds whohad sold their souls to the Devil. Of course,although you may 'think' it, you mustnever say it out loud.

That would be a unforgivable breach ofgolfing etiquette! If you get involved atthat level of police golf you will discoverthat golf clubs actively encourage visitsby police staff and usually offer verycompetitive packages including lunch or evening meal with your rounds of golf to such competitions.

The national individual trophy is a little bit more exclusive, in that they employ a handicap limit, so only the better golfers get to play in it.

Outside of competitions you may discovera group who like to travel further a fieldand organise a week away playing some of the big Scottish courses, and even go asfar afield as Florida in search of that perfectgolfing holiday. In the next issue of NiCKEDI’ll be discussing the pros and cons ofvisiting a European tour event as a spectator,and many other golf related items.

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GolfingFACTDid you know approximately 4 million people play golf in theUK? About 2 million of those golfers are members of privategolf clubs, with 80% of players being men and 20% women.

There are also a large number of non-registered golfers who play on a ‘green fee’ basis, making the total numberof those who play golf even higher.

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HOBBIES

GolfGOLF PRO JOHN FISHER HAS SOME TIPS ON HOWTO GET READY FOR A NEW SEASON OF GOLF AND GOESBACK TO BASICS ON STANCE, POSTURE AND GRIP...

A BIT ABOUT ME…I started playing golf at the age of 12 at Shaw Hill Golf and Country Club near Chorley,where I also started my professional careerunder the guidance of the professional IanEvans. I then moved to Hurlston Hall Golf Club,Southport in 1994 where I remained until 1997,and was then fortunate to receive sponsorshipfrom Kammac PLC, which enabled me toplay full-time on various mini tours aroundthe UK and overseas until taking up mycurrent position in 2000.

The highlights of my playing career so far havebeen being picked to represent England in theEuropean Club Professionals Championshipin Sardinia. Winning the British Open qualifyingevent held at Ormskirk Golf Club in 2003 andholding various course records including 61at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club. In 2008 I wascaptain of Lancashire Professional Golfers’Association. I am also proud to be in the TMAG(TaylorMade Adidas Golf) staff professionalprogramme, being one of only 55 in Europe.

WHAT’S TO COME?Over the coming publications I will be giving youthe low down on the latest equipment available,teaching tips to help you with your game andeven some strange rules you may come acrossduring time on the fairways. There will also besome pointers to help you start your new seasonon the right foot. Golf can be an intimidatingsport to take up and often thought of as elitistbut this is far from the truth as golfers thesedays come from all walks of life.

Those of you who haven’t played before; a great way to start is a handful of lessons fromyour local PGA professional who can be foundat golf clubs or driving ranges in your local area.Non members are always welcome so don’tworry about not having the right equipment -they will provide it for your lesson. Gettingexpert help right from the start will preventany bad habits forming that would hinder your enjoyment of the game.

GETTING READYFOR THE NEW SEASONAt this time of the year, golfers are starting todust their clubs down for the new season ahead.However, very few realise the importance ofgiving their equipment an MOT.

Here are some things to bear in mind:

n Badly-worn club grips can mean an increase

in grip pressure of 27%, which in turn can

drastically affect performance. Why not ask

your local PGA professional to check/re-grip

your clubs, this service will cost from as little as

£5 per club and can make those 10-year-old

clubs feel like a new set. Most tour pros have

clubs re-gripped every two to three months

n Check if your shoes need re-spiking as

balance and stability are key fundamentals

to your golf swing.

n A quick 30-minute lesson with your local

PGA pro can set you on the right track for new

season ahead. Some simple pointers when

you’re fresh can help you improve your game.

BACK

TO BASICS

Want to know more?If you would like any advice on equipment choice, rules questions, swing guidance or haveany topics you would like me to cover please email me at: johnfisher@myprogolfer.co.uk

JOHN FISHERJohn Fisher is a qualified Class AATPGA Professional. He has been the Head Proessional at Huyton & Prescot Golf Club on Merseysidesince 2000. He is also one of only55 TaylorMade Addidas Golf staffprofessionals in Europe.

"Lessons with a PGA professional reallyhelp you to understandexactly what ishappening, why it ishappening and what you need to do toimprove your game"

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GRIP - for a right-handed golfer the clublies diagonally across your left hand from thebottom joint of your index finger to the calluspad of your little finger (fig 1). Then simplyclose your fingers over the handle placing yourthumb just right of centre which should meanthe V formed between your thumb and handis pointing to your right shoulder (fig 2).

Place your right hand on the handle with theindex finger of your left hand and the littlefinger of your right hand interlocking on theclub being placed at the bottom of the fingersand the index finger of the right hand actinglike a trigger finger (fig 3). The right handcloses over and the thumb of the left handgoes left of centre so the V formed is againpointing to your right shoulder (fig 4/5).

POSTURE/STANCE - stand up tall withthe inside of your heels the same width as yourshoulders and the club parallel to ground atwaist height, (fig 8) pivot from the hips keepingyour back straight until the club reaches thefloor and simply flex the knees to release thetension in your back of your thighs. You shouldnow feel the weight on the balls of your feet,front of your thighs and the front of your bodygiving you the perfect athletic posture (fig 9).

ALIGNMENT/AIM - at address, your body(feet, knees (fig 10), hips, forearms, shouldersand eyes) should be positioned parallel tothe target line. The easiest way to think ofthis is to imagine a railroad track: your ballis the outside track and your body is theinside track (fig 11/12).

Let’s start at the beginning...POSTURE/STANCE

POSTURE/STANCE

GRIP GRIP

GRIPfig 1 fig 2 fig 3

fig 4 fig 5

fig 6 fig 7

fig 8 fig 9 fig 10

GRIP GRIP

ALIGNMENT/AIM

ALIGNMENT/AIM

ALIGNMENT/AIM

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GRIPHOW GRIP SHOULD LOOK

Family

LawFAMILY-FRIENDLY LAWWE ALL KNOW LIFE HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNSESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO RELATIONSHIPS.HERE FAMILY LAWYER MARY SHAW HIGHLIGHTS THE POSITIVE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN GETTHROUGH THE LOWS AND WHAT TO DOIF WE CAN’T…

TESTING TIMESMarriage is a work in progress and this is also true for civil

partnerships and living-together relationships and, if I can

save you ever having to see a family lawyer, then well done me!

(I bet this is challenging your family lawyer stereotype).

The longest and happiest relationships will have had their ups

and downs. Life is like that and relationships are tested by financial

realities, having children, work-related stress, bereavements and

all of the difficulties and challenges that life throws at us. You probably

know that the police divorce rate is high. On average, in the large

departments it’s about 70-80 %. And that’s not surprising when you

consider the sacrifices that have to be made by you and your family

- the long hours and shift patterns, attending court on days off. It's easy

to see why a couple can drift apart. And it can be difficult for a partner to

accept that their spouse isn't going to be around like ‘normal’ people.

MARRIAGES CAN BE REPAIRED…Many years ago I met a client for the first time who was about to

embark on her third divorce. She confided in me that, with hindsight,

she should never have divorced husband number two but that once

she had started consulting a lawyer she didn’t know how to pull back.

She now felt that her second marriage had been fixable and she

regretted her divorce. That was a very salutary lesson for me

personally and professionally, and I have never forgotten it.

I am proud to be a trustee on the board of my local Relate, the charity

which has recently celebrated its 75th birthday and assists people

with all sorts of relationship problems across married, unmarried

and same sex couples and parent/child relationships. Relate has an

excellent website, but there are other good relationship counselling

organisations the length and breadth of the country.

LEGAL ADVICE

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MARY SHAWMary Shaw is a family lawyerwho has practised for almost30 years, firstly in London and subsequently in Newcastlewhere she has headed up the Family Law Departmentat David Gray Solicitorsfor 25 years.

During that time the department hasgrown steadily in size and reputationand has won national awards for thequality of its legal work. David GraySolicitors LLP (www.davidgray.co.uk)is based in the North East, but regularlyadvises people the length andbreadth of the country and is happyto ‘meet’ clients online.

“I am a family lawyer. I can hear acollective snore... But this is a familylaw feature with a difference. Here,there will be practical as well as legalinformation that could help you,or someone you care about, at whatcould be the most difficult time. And,I will help you get advice and guidancein the most cost-effective way.”

Many couples

who feel that their

relationship is

seriously under threat

can repair that

relationship and

improve it for the

long-term

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LEGAL ADVICE

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Top tips

1. Don't bury your head

You may never need a family lawyer

if you can recognise that you need some

help with your relationship and get the

appropriate help. We have no problem

getting our car serviced on a regular

basis, but we are much less inclined

to think that our primary relationship

could do with maintenance.

What I have learnt from my work as

a lawyer and with Relate is that, firstly,

people often wait until their relationship

is in real difficulty before seeking help

and, secondly, there is a common

belief that couples can get to a point of

no return in their relationship difficulties,

making a permanent separation inevitable

- this isn’t necessarily the case.

2. It’s good to talk

Just because you’re feeling desperate

doesn’t mean that your relationship is

fatally damaged. Consider relationship

counselling. Even if ultimately you

do separate permanently, you will at

least both know that you have done

everything you could to prevent it

and made the right decision. Many

couples who feel that their relationship

is seriously under threat can repair

their relationship and improve it

for the long-term.

Now, chaps,here's where

I'm going to talk to you...!

My experience as a family lawyer and

working with clients, tells me that it is

often the man who is resistant to taking

up relationship counselling. Talking

about your feelings can be difficult and

scary. But this is not half as scary as

the feelings you might have standing

in a court corridor waiting for a man

or woman you have never met before

to make decisions about your children,

home and pension

3. Think about a prenup or

a living together agreement

Consider frontloading your family law

advice and insuring yourself against

the risk of future court proceedings by

entering into a prenup. This may sound

backwards, but taking family law advice

at the beginning of your relationship

may save you a great deal of pain and

expense in the long run. It is possible

to enter in to an agreement with your

partner before you get married or

enter in to a civil partnership,

or begin to live together.

You will read in the press about

‘prenups’ - these agreements provide

for what will happen to your assets in

the event of a divorce or separation

and, not surprisingly, they’re not seen

as particularly romantic.

It is quite understandable that a

loved-up couple embarking on a new

life together, which they hope will be

happy ever after, should find it difficult

to contemplate what would be fair in

the event of their relationship not going

the distance. And yet, we are happy

to insure our houses against fire and

ourselves against critical illness.

But, paradoxically, having that conversation

when you are full of love and optimism

is perhaps the best time to have it and

for some couples, a prenup or living

together agreement might give them

the confidence to move in to married life

feeling that they have all bases covered.

Prenups aren't right for all couples and

so early advice early legal advice is a

good idea. Prenups lend themselves

very well to the collaborative law process

– something I will come back to in detail

another time. The collaborative law

process is a round table process where

you each have a lawyer who will take

a constructive and creative approach

to your discussions about the contents

of your prenup agreement. In that

way, the lawyers can’t get ‘in-between

you’, a phrase that I have heard

clients use anxiously.

During my 30 years as a lawyer I have gainedexperience in all facets of family law so here aresome of my top tips to help you avoid having to see a family lawyer altogether or to make theexperience as pain free as possible if you do:

4. The right divorce support will help

Speak to your family lawyer about what kind

of support you might benefit from. Assuming

your marriage or relationship is coming to an

end, it is important that you know how to access

the help and resources you will need to make

what will almost certainly be a painful journey.

Permanent separation and divorce are tough

for just about everyone. I have had many people

sitting in my office telling me they thought

they were going quietly crazy with the grief,

fear and anger they were feeling.

In my experience, this is normal and, rest assured

it will get better and you will recover, but you may

need some help on the way. This is another time

when taking up professional support can be a much

better strategy than leaning on friends and family.

If you don’t have children, you may be able to make

a clean break from each other but many couples

suffer real bereavement about the loss of close

relationships across extended families.

5. Police and their pensions

My time as a family lawyer has taught me that

police pensions can be a really thorny issue. I am

going to cut to the chase and try and save you

time and money here.

The vast majority of family lawyers and family law

judges now understand that a uniformed pension

(be it police, fire service or armed forces) is a

very valuable asset. Pretending otherwise is

likely to delay the financial aspects of your

divorce and is likely to increase your legal fees.

Be prepared for your family lawyer to tell you that

you’ll need to seek expert advice on your pension.

In defence of family lawyers, it might be helpful to

understand that we live in an ever-increasing

compensation culture, and a brief look at a website

called Divorcelifeline will show you that there are

people very happy to advise about whether or

not a pension was wrongly valued for a divorce

settlement. I shall come back to pensions in a

future edition of NiCKED as I know it’s a subject

dear to the hearts of many serving officers.

6. Keep it out of court

Everyone has heard of somebody else's nasty

divorce dragged through the courts at great

expense. In my experience this is usually using

one round table process or another (usually

collaborative law or mediation). I shall come

back to this in a future edition in more detail.

What would you like to read about?

In future editions of NiCKED I’ll focus on the issues that you really want to know about,

so do let me know what you would like to be discussed. If you have any questions that

you would like covered then please email me on: mary.shaw@davidgray.co.uk

Focus on your childrenIF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, THEN THE PLAIN FACT IS THAT YOUWILL REMAIN CONNECTED TO YOUR EX FOR THE REST OFYOUR LIFE AS YOUR CHILDREN’S CO-PARENTS AND QUITEPROBABLY AS GRANDPARENTS.

Your children are very likely to feel some or all of a range of emotions about the changes to their family and, the sooneryou can work with this the better for them.

Make it your business to learn as much

as you can about what your children

may be feeling and what sort of help and

support they may need from you, from

their other parent and from anyone else

in whom they might wish to confide –

check out some helpful websites.

I refer many clients to two great

websites, Resolution and The Parent

Connection, offering support and

information about what to expect

from your children and giving you tips

and advice about how best to help

them. Most importantly, resist the

temptation to criticise or blame the

other parent to your child. They will

be grateful to you in years to come.

www.relate.org.uk

www.theparentconnection.org.uk

www.resolution.org.uk

www.david.gray.co.uk

Resist the temptation to criticise or blame the other parent to your child. They will be grateful in years to come.

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TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

53

NATURE WATCH

Urban birdz

London, along withother cities such as Coventry and Derby, is now home to one of, if not the, fastest animal in the world –the peregrine falcon

IT’S FREE, IT’S COOL (YES REALLY!) AND IT’S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

CHRISTINA EVATT SAYS:

What’s not to like about a bit offeathered-friend spotting evenif you live in an urban area?

Perhaps it’s just me, but if you learn to appreciate the free stuff that’s going on all around you, then life just seems to getthat little bit richer. I can be typing away at my laptop, then out of the corner of my eye there’s a flutter in garden andflurry of yellow, red and gold alights onthe bird feeder outside the window.

It’s my regular 10am visit from

a local charm of goldfinches

(see I am a proper bird geek

now because I know some of

the collective nouns). It’s only

momentary and then they’re off

to pillage someone else’s seed;

however it puts a smile on my

face and a renewed spring in my

step, or maybe that should be

speed in my typing fingers.

My love affair with birds, and I

suppose wildlife and the outdoors

in general, was handed down to

me by my father and grandfather

when I was a young child. I see

it as like being handed a gift

and it’s one that is free and just

keeps giving because wherever

I am, and whatever I’m doing,

there’s always some gem of

wildlife or nature to enjoy.

Police officers are trained to be

observant but most of us aren’t

that great at looking up at the

sky. I know I have walked the

same routes a hundred times

only to look up at an amazing

roof line or a mind-blowing piece

of architecture and wonder how

I’d missed it all those times.

However, my eyes are now

very much aware of what’s

going on around me because

I have a passion for birds and

not necessarily the ones in

remote hedgerows or peaceful

lakesides, but those who

are intertwined with our

day-to-day human bustle.

The proper bird ‘thugs’ who

have decided they can live

quite happily alongside us in

our sometimes inhospitable

urban environment.

54 55

Any time, any placeIF YOU’RE A POLICE OFFICER ON A STAKEOUT THEN YOUR EYES WILL VERY FIRMLY BE ON THE MATTERAT HAND AND YOU’RE NOT GOINGTO LOOK FOR DISTRACTIONS.

However, there may be other occasions in the normal

routine of police work that can lend themselves to observing

our feathered friends even if it’s while on a break, or travelling

between call-outs. But more probably it will be during your

off duty time. The best thing about urban birding is you can

do it almost anywhere, for any amount of time and probably

get quite good at it without spending a fortune.

Even in the densest urban sprawls there is green space,

whether it’s one of the large public parks or a garden a

few feet in length – it will provide a haven for urban birds.

London, along with other cities such as Coventry and

Derby, is now home to one of, if not the, fastest animal in

the world – the peregrine falcon. In-between skyscrapers

and ancient monuments they plunge from the sky after

their prey at speeds of over 300 kph. And if you consider

that pigeons are their main food source, it’s not hard

to see why they can make themselves at home and

flourish in urban areas.

However, it was their liking for carrier pigeons in the

Second World War that brought about their demise

in the first place – luckily email is seen as a much more

effective form of communication now and there’s an

estimated 20 peregrine falcon breeding pairs in London.

Top urbanbirding tipsBe awareNow you know there is birdlife to

be found everywhere, go find it!

Look up to the skies and rooftops

- you’ll also be surprised at where

birds like to make their home. Some

birds like black redstarts like building

sites, and even the smallest urban

garden will attract a friendly robin.

Take the time to just sit and take

everything in – we are so often

guilty of looking but not seeing.

Feed the birdsPutting food out in your for local

birds is a great way to start urban

birding. When I started out, I decided

that I’d like to see some goldfinches

in my garden, so I put out some niger

seed (their favourite) and now it’s

not rare for me to see 15-plus birds

queuing up to get their free snack!

Remember to also put out water for

your visiting birds, especially in dry

conditions or frosty weather.

Get a bird bookI still have the first bird book ever

bought for me by my grandfather

and I used to tick off every bird

I saw. It’s amazing how many truly

rare birds I saw at the age of 10 –

I saw them all – honest! Anyway,

mysterious bird sightings aside,

it’s a useful thing to have and learn

from. Children especially can get

quite a buzz from learning and

knowing what certain birds are.

Buy some binocularsNow you’re getting into proper

birding territory… a pair of binoculars

will take you to the next level of

being able to spot and identify birds.

Of course many urban and garden

birds will be close enough to enjoy

without them, but if you’re out and

about looking for something a bit

more elusive or high-flying then

some good binoculars are a must.

Go technicalThe new generation of urban

birders can also benefit from the

wide range of bird apps out there,

which can be easily downloaded

onto your phone. You can identify

various birds using sight

identification apps, but also even

if you can’t see the bird; it may be

that you can find out what it is by

the sound it’s making… now that

will impress your friends.

NATURE WATCH

RSPBrspb.org.ukThis site lists every birdspecies in the UK,

explains what they look like, as well as when

and where to see them. There are also audio

files so you can listen to each bird's call.

BBC naturewww.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/BirdThe BBC's searchable bird database has

all you need to know about British birds.

There’s also all the latest bird related

news and views.

Birdwatchbirdwatch.co.ukBilled as being operated by birders for

birders, this site is home to handy reviews

of multimedia, equipment and books as

well as being host to interesting features,

good birding walks, and event listings.

Birds of Britain birdsofbritain.co.ukAs well as having all the information you

could need, this site includes a guide to

reserves, featured articles, and bird

watching holiday inspiration.

Bird Guidesbirdguides.comThis site has a great searchable photo library

showcasing birds from around the world.

You’ll also find articles on everything bird-

related from destinations to conservation.

Find out more online...

DID YOU KNOW?Kittiwakes, a seabird normally more at

home on coastal cliffs, nest on Newcastle’s

Tyne Bridge. An impressive 13 miles from

the sea, it’s the most inland colony in the

world. The four lanes of traffic roar past

behind them 24/7 and yet they continue

to flourish in their metal reinforced home...

What’s out there?SO NOW WE KNOW WE’RE NOT JUST ON THE LOOK OUT FOR PIGEONS

(THEY’RE ACTUALLY PRETTY INTELLIGENT CREATURES BUT THAT’S ANOTHER

STORY), WHAT IS THERE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

Well in London it’s not rare to see

flocks of parakeets (how very tropical!)

or the majestic red kite soaring over

the skies of West London. And in most

towns and cities you’ll see hovering

kestrels at the roadside, foraging gulls,

darting swifts, flocks of starlings, and

garden birds such as sparrows, robins,

blackbirds, and the more common

finches and tits. Until you start to

really look out for birds you may not

have even know they’re there – it’s

such a great way to connect with

nature and pass a few moments.

The RSPB has reported increased membership

in the under-30s in recent years and it appears

I’m not alone as a woman enjoying the hobby

as birding is something all genders are enjoying

– it’s no longer the preserve of men in woolly

hats! And it’s not just our country friends

who are enjoying the wildlife around them,

increasingly people in urban environments are

becoming interested in the bird and animal life

around them. What seems like an impenetrable

barrier to us in terms of environment, doesn’t

prove too much of an issue for many types

of wildlife – they just get on with it.

So be inspired, take a moment to enjoy what’s

going on all around you, and in no time you’ll be

tuned in to the world of urban birding. Enjoy!

What’s

your hobby?

OK – if birding hasn’t tickled

your fancy, what would you like

to see in the next issues of NiCKED?

Are you an avid angler, a keen camper

or a rugged rambler? Let us know

what you’d like to read about and

we’ll get on the case…or email

editor@lemontreemedia.com

and you could write about

your hobby.

Photos: All images © Anton Evatt Photography

56 57

FIRST DRIVE:

SEAT LEON STWe love it in five and three-doorforms, but now Seat has introducedan estate version of its Leon.Is anything lost in translation?

One truism of the car world is that if you have a successful model, try and spin as many othermodels off it as you possibly can. Nothing wrong with that of course, particularly when it comes to widening the potential audience.

Seat has done well with this approach before and is doing the same with its excellent Leon. First we had the five door, more recently there was the sportier three-door SC and now there's the eminently practical ST.

Let’s be honest Clarkson & coare all very competent, but theydon’t drive and work with cars inthe way the police service does.And I mean in terms of speed,control and safety!

Could you write a motor review?Do you fancy becoming one of NiCKEDmagazine’s future testers and writers? Give usa call, or drop an e-mail to NiCKED HQ.

We don’t care if you’re serving or retired,warranted or support staff, as long as youcan deliver an honest and balanced reviewof a vehicle and its attributes, from theperspective of the policing community.

MOTOR REVIEW

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Vehicle CheckLooking for a bit more space for the kids, dog or golf clubs?The new Seat Leon estate is worth a closer inspection...

The other important bit is in place too, namely space. With a modest length increaseof 27cm over the five door the Leon ST hasn'tturned into a parallel parking nightmare, but the boot space is usefully larger. With the seatsup there is 587 litres on offer (almost 200 more than the hatch) and with the seats down there's a massive 1,470 litres.

All versions regardless of spec also have a moveable boot floor, giving you a usefulseparated storage area beneath or the onegiant area, plus a 12v power socket and athrough hatch, useful for long loads.

An option is a folding front passenger seat too for serious load carriers. SE models andabove get a handy release in the boot fordropping the rear seats, the kind of detail that makes it so easy to live with.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: It shouldn't be too hard to spot. You'll recognise the handsome nose and sharp creases that have become a key part of the Seat look, only at the rear it now flows into a neatly designed estatetailgate. Some might see the term 'estate' as a byword for unglamorouspracticality but those days are long gone; the Leon ST is slick, sharp and thoroughly modern.

FACTS AT A GLANCESeat Leon ST FR 2.0 TDI 184PS

Engine: 2.0-litre diesel producing 182bhp and 280lb.ft of torque

Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels

Performance: Top speed 142mph, 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds

Economy: 65.7mpg combined

Emissions: 112g/km of CO2

Price: £23,380

DRIVE TIME: You might expectthat the transformation into anestate means compromises in theway the Leon drives, but in realityit's easy to forget you're in theST once behind the wheel.

The same refreshingly simple and well-specifiedcabin greets you as you climb in, and you andyour fellow passengers enjoy as much roomas in other Leon models. The layout is easyto get to grips with, while the finish and thestandard of materials is significantly betterthan the previous model. The Leon is a quality item, regardless of the bodystyle.

The engine choice is usefully broad too. Petrolengines start with a surprisingly flexible 1.2-litreTSI unit, with a 1.4-litre TSI and powerful 1.8-litreversion at the top. Diesel engines include the1.6-litre TDI including in super-frugal Ecomotiveguise (capable of 85.6mpg combined) risingto the full-house 184PS 2.0-litre TDI.

It may be the most expensive choice but thattop diesel engine also gives you the mostimpressive overall package. It's as quick andresponsive as the figures suggest, with moretorque than you could possibly need yet thepossibility of over 65 miles per gallon. It's smoothand powerful, making life very easy for the driver.

THE VERDICT?: The Leon should be on your shopping list anyway, but if you don't think the hatch is quite big enough then the ST solves all your problems. Don't think about buying a compact estate without taking a close look.

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GARDENING

58 59WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

A flood of ways to savewaterlogged

plants

For those of you who love and enjoyyour garden it will probably have beena time of frustration and in somecases desperation as downpourafter downpour floods the garden.

And then there are the gales,but that’s a separate article.

With the rain showing no sign ofabating, Hannah Stephenson asks anexpert how we can protect our plantsfrom the worst of the weather

While the incessant rain may have left gardeners' water buttsoverflowing, it has also inevitablyclaimed its share of casualties.

It won’t have escaped your attention that the past winter has been a little bit on the damp side!

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GARDENING

60 61WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Waterlogged plants,nutrients leached from the soil and pestand disease problemscan all result fromconsistently wetconditions, and thosegardeners with poordrainage systems are likely to be thehardest hit.When soil is waterlogged, plants literallydrown. Water fills all the air spaces between the soil particles and this preventsoxygen from reaching the roots. In turn,this causes the soil to stagnate andprevents root growth.

If plants look a bit sickly after a week or two ofsolid rain the minerals may have been washedaway. Restore the vigour of plants by givingthem a dose of liquid seaweed fertiliser.

"It's absolutely vital that one doesn't walk on the soil when it's this wet because youcompact it and destroy its structure. Don't digit or disturb it but leave it to its own devicesuntil the tide goes out," says Guy Barter, head of RHS advisory service.

Plants likely to be worst affected include those from dry climates such as lavender androsemary, while lawns can also suffer as a resultof excessively wet weather, he notes. Don'tmow the lawn in wet weather or even walk on it, as the pressure can cause structuraldamage, especially to those grown from seed in spring - most established lawns can cope with excessive rainfall.

Barter advises gardeners to shelter pots oflavender and other container plants by a wall,or even put waterlogged pots on their side for a few days to allow them to drain a little.You may need to repot them in the spring,as the compost may be spent.

But the wet weather isn't all doom andgloom for gardeners.

"Paradoxically, lawns will be growing in thesetemperatures," points out Barter.

"While in the vegetable garden vegetableswill still be growing, so leeks will thrive andcabbages will still be swelling slowly throughthis weather. By April many things willhave come good."

Bulbs shouldn't be affected by the continuous rainfall either, he says.

"They are really good at surviving this sort of thing. Snowdrops and daffodils in particularare excellent at adapting. Bulbs are generallyvery tolerant of wet soil.

"We might even get a better show of bulbsbecause in conditions like this they will bephotosynthesising in the increased light as the year progresses."

Herbaceous perennials renew a large part oftheir root system annually, so they can recoverfrom soggy conditions. Perennials also haveshallow root systems so they can flourish insituations with a high water table.

Most, including those such as hardy geraniumsand autumn-flowering asters, that do notnormally live in wet environments can copewell with wet conditions.

Plants with big, lush green leaves thrive in reallywet weather. Rodgersias, rheum (ornamentalrhubarb) and hostas are well-known moisturelovers. Conversely, avoid anything with small,leathery or grey leaves.

Alpines, particularly the succulent ones orthose with hairy leaves such as sedums andsome sempervivums (houseleeks), are vulnerableto wet weather, so if you haven't yet coveredthem with cloches, do so before it's too late.

Don't plant bare-root shrubs such as rosesuntil the soil has dried out a little, Barter advises.

"Gardeners will have rose bushes and treesand fruit bushes and turf ready to go out andthey must keep that protected because it willbe a rush trying to get everything planted whenthe soil finally dries up in February, March oreven April. Gardeners need to keep their newplants in good condition ready for the happyday when they can put them out," he says.

Anyone who has bought a bare-root plantshould make sure the roots don't dry out inthe meantime, he urges.

"Take it out of the packaging and pot it up orwrap it in wet newspaper or straw, put a plasticbag over the roots and leave it in a shed readyto go out in its final position later on."

While fruit trees love the moisture, therelatively warm weather may lead to earlierblossom, not a good thing in our climatebecause of the late frosts we so often suffer.

Gardeners who want to avoid too manycasualties in future years may consider buildingraised beds, improving soil drainage and plantingspecies which are happy in wet weather.

It may be worth thinking about create a boggarden too, which has the added bonus ofattracting wildlife - plant irises, carex, gunnera,primulas, hostas, rheum and rodgersia.

Of course, pests come into their own in wetweather and the number one culprit is the snail.

"A wet, mild winter is slug heaven," says Barter,

"so they will be in poll position to start breedingcome April. At the moment it's too cold forthem, but you often find bulb flowers beingdamaged by slugs and snails. I find puttingdown an old cabbage leaf (held down by astone) next to plants which are being attackedworks well as a trap. Slug pellets don't normallywork at this time of year because the slugsaren't moving enough to find them."

Some diseases such as leaf spots persist onplants which are in leaf during wet weather. Ifyou find outbreaks, prune out infected material.

Lastly, as the rain will have washed many of the nutrients out of the soil, give it a pick-me-up with a fertiliser rich in potassium,such as sulphate of potash or rose fertiliser,and your plants should come through thetorrent of rain with few problems.

Best of the bunch- Snowdrop (Galanthus)They are among the first bulbs of spring to open, their delicate-looking bell-shaped white bloomsappearing with strappy leaves, looking wonderful in woodlandgardens under trees or shrubs.

Snowdrops are also easy to naturalise, so in just a few years you could have a carpet of them.They prefer moist, fertile soil with added organicmatter and are ideally placed in light shade. Growthem with winter aconites whose large yellowbuttercup-like flowers blend beautifully with theelegant galanthus. Good varieties include G.nivalis 'Viridapice', which has green tips on theflowers, or G. 'Magnet', which bears large, shiningwhite flowers on long, arching stems.

Snowdrop bulbs should be planted in earlyautumn in groups of 10 or more, spacing them4cm apart and 6-7cm deep, to leave enoughspace for the bulbs to multiply in subsequentseasons. You will need to plant an awful lot ofbulbs to achieve a naturalised effect quickly.

The art of study

STUDYING FOR DUMMIES

62

What has studying for a promotion or CID exam, painting a wooden staircase or running a marathon got in common?Simple - they all require you to put in a significant amount of planning,preparation and hard work if youwant to get the best results.

“That’s all well and good” you say, “but howhard can it be? I mean, I’ve been doing thejob for xx years and I know the law so it’s easy.” This is the first mistake manypeople make so let’s explain why that is...Without cheating and from memory writedown the definition of Section 1 Theft as outlined in the Theft Act 1968.

A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestlyappropriates property belonging to anotherwith intention to permanently deprive the other of it.

OK, let’s assume you got most of thedefinition correct, now the hard bit and without any cheating define:n Dishonestn Appropriatesn Propertyn Belonging to anothern With the Intention to permanently deprive.

So how was that for you? You probablyknew some of it but when taking an examyou’ll need to be able to instantly recall thedefinition and apply it to the set of specificcircumstances you are faced with. Simply thinking “well it looks like theft so they would be arrested” is not going to get you through the exam.

The ironic thing is that a person with nopolicing experience at all who studied thesyllabus has a better chance of passingthan an experienced serving officer.

Why is that? The biggest hindrance youwill face is your operational interpretationof the Law. I remember when teachingrevised Code A stop search to experiencedcolleagues, they had a fantastic operationalapplication knowledge of the legislation butwhen we looked closely they had a poorgrasp of what the law actually said. This isnot a criticism, rather a fact, which we allhave survived with as operational officers foryears. Think about the last time you went tocourt on a strongly-contested drink drivingcase - you know the accused is guilty ofbecause you arrested him and put himthrough the alcometer process.

Scene: The magistrates court and thedefendant represented by a barrister.n Barrister: “Officer, can you explain

to the court the procedure you askedmy client to carry out.”

n Officer: “Yes, I explained the road-sidebreath test procedure to him/her;I correctly assembled the deviceand carried out the test.”

n Barrister: “Sorry officer, you misunderstoodme, it may be me but what I think thecourt want to hear is and, using the wordsyou used exactly, what did you explainto my client and why.”

n Officer: “…er well I used the wordingas outlined in the manual of guidance…well yeah the manual you know the one?”

n Barrister: “Officer, answer the question.”

I’m not making light of this or mocking (y)ourskills but we have all been, or knew someonewho has, in this exact position. We are nowin the land of ‘court karaoke’ - you know thetune because you sing it all the time but nowon stage with an audience you find out youonly know the first verse, half the chorus,and you lip-synch the rest.

Passing the promotion exam requires youto know the definition, understand theapplication of it and also any underpinningstated cases which are in place.

Remember this simple formula:

Poor preparation + exam karaoke = failure

So to be successful you have to have astructured and achievable plan. Studying is time consuming and requires a willingnesson your part and also on your partner/family/colleagues to both encourage youand understand the pressure you will face.You will need to fully accept that studyingwill consume you and requires time,planning, patience and above all support.

I employ something called the ‘i-FACTOR’ when coaching and mentoring my clients.Unlike its more famous relative the X FACTORthis one does not ask you to make a foolof yourself on TV but it does requireyou to progress through several roundsof intense scrutiny, test your skills andabove all, practice.

IF STUDYING FOR POLICE RELATED EXAMS SENDS YOU INTO

MENTAL FREEFALL, YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY. JIM FERRAN

HAS SOME EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU STUDY EFFECTIVELY

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY MAKE SURE ALL THE INFORMATION

IS STORED AWAY SAFELY IN YOUR MEMORY.

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

{JIM FERRANJim Ferran PGCE CertEd MIfL servedwith distinction within both theMetropolitan and Merseyside forcesand since retiring has established asmall bespoke training consultancy,JRC Training. In a short time thebusiness has accumulated animpressive client portfolio and Jimis recognised by his clients as anexceptional trainer and facilitator.

Designing and developingcontemporary training courses,JRC Training also provides mentoringand coaching for people preparing forassessment centres and interviewsusing very unique and successfulreflective practice techniques. He currently sits on the executivecommittee of Mencap Liverpoolproviding advice and guidance ona voluntary consultancy basis.

Want to know more?Email Jim at jrctraining@hotmail.com

64 65

Informationstorageand recallON A VERY SIMPLISTIC LEVEL YOURBRAIN IS A COMPUTER - A VERY COMPLEXAND POWERFUL ONE BUT NO DIFFERENTTO THE ONE YOU USE EVERY DAY.

The brain is made up of two main hard drives:n The short term memory n The long term memory

Your short term memory is a storage device with a very limited capacity andinformation, if not processed properly, can and does drop from it. Think about a briefing you recently had. How much did you actually remember afterwards and how much did you recall when you read the bullet points you made? It is suggested that information is stored better when it is delivered in a way that suits us.

Think about your school days. What was your favourite subject then ask yourself why?I would suggest the following will apply:n You had an interest for the subject n The teacher was very knowledgeable

But most importantly, I bet the teacher was an exceptional communicator and made it real for you. Reverse the process and I would suggest the teacherand their method of delivering the information was poor, even though theymay have had great knowledge, they did not make it real.

Your long term memory is the main storage area and it is capable of storing a vast amount of information - recall the last time you conducted a victimor witness interview using the techniques you were shown on your PEACEcourse, think how much information we actually store. The long term memoryis where we need to store all our study information.

In a nutshellWHILST PLANNING AND PREPARING ARETHE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS, YOU’RE THE ONLYONE WHO CAN UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL.YOU CAN SUCCEED IF YOU PUT THE TIME AND EFFORT INTO YOUR STUDY PROGRAMMEBUT IT IS IMPERATIVE YOU FULLY UNDERSTANDWHAT IT IS YOU’RE TAKING ON.

We all start projects with goodintentions but unfortunately manyof us fail to complete because weget tired, bored or see a minorsetback as a failure and give up.

Set yourself achievable weekly targetsand recognise your achievements and find a study/work/life balancethat works for you.

Finally, good luck and remember the five Ps:

Prior n Planning n Prevents n Poor n Performance

How to storeinformation e≠ectivelyPsychologists suggest that for information to be movedfrom the short term memory to the long term memoryseveral things need to be considered:

n You must be in the right mind-set to study.When tired etc. your ability to store information decreases.

n Pick a place free from distractions - quiet musicmight work but TV or ACDC’s greatest hits etc. does not, it is a distraction.

n Don’t cram your studying into long intense sessions thisonly works very short term – set short repetitive sessions.

n Create structure or group the areas you are studyingthat are relevant - e.g. do not read the Theft Act and thenread the Road Traffic Act they are not related in any way.

n Use mnemonics as an aid - I still recall several I wastaught at training school in 1982, or create a storyaround the definition.

n Try to visualise the definition as a story - when you’re studying create a mental video of a personcommitting the act.

n Review as bullet points the following morning/eveningwhat you studied the previous day.

Coming soon…IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF NICKED WE WILL ASSUMEYOU’VE PASSED THE EXAM (USING ALL MYHELPFUL TIPS!) AND LOOK AT HOW YOU CANPREPARE FOR ACTING DUTIES.

We’ll look at the successful methods to promoteyour personal skills and attain acting posts, togetherwith the all-important evidence gathering in relationto competency and professional skills, and finally afew tips for the promotion board.

{The I factor

TOP 10

STUDYING FOR DUMMIES

1.Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?”This is very important as if you don’t want to study, or are doing it because someonehas suggested it to you, it may be an issue.You must fully understand the impact it willhave on you and your family/friends.

2.What is it I want to achieve? Obviously I want to pass the exam, but doI have the plan to achieve it? Why do I want

to pass? Am I ready for promotion? Is thismy idea or something that others havesuggested? Am I absolutely committed to this?

3.When was the last time I studiedor read seriously? This is very important as studying law andprocedures requires a lot of concentrationand the ability to store information andretrieve it when required. Reading forpleasure is very different to reading forknowledge. You also need to be able to put into context the information and alsonot allow your operational knowledgeto cloud your judgements.

Your brain, like any other ‘muscle’, requiresexercise and you can’t simply pick up studymaterial and get straight into it. Think ofit as ‘hitting the gym’ after a long absence- would you really expect to be ableto perform at the level you had beenat previously?

4.How much time can I devoteto studying?How much time have you got spare - be honest because if you go overdrawnat the time bank it will cause you stress.Create a chart to see how you can work thestudying into your schedule. Many peoplethink they can study when on Mutual Aid -let’s be honest, how much peace andquiet will you get in a van with the averagecolleague? Supervisors may promise youa bit of study time here and there but again,it rarely happens, and certain shifts are justnot conducive to effective studying.

Operational policing is more intensethan ever, fewer colleagues means you areworking harder and finishing your shiftstired. Starting a course of intense study isa bit like signing up for the gym in the NewYear, how many of us continue after theinitial adrenaline or guilt rush has gone?

5.Who else will be affected?Studying will impact on your family life.You must find a system that allows you awork/life/study balance. If you have childrenor a dependent family member etc theyneed to be involved. How will it fit aroundyour work – you may be in a specialist unitthat sees you constantly changing shirts,or you may be managing a heavy caseload. Plan your pre-exam revision time.If necessary book annual leave in the weekprior to the exam to ensure you a/ have acontrolled study run in, and b/ you aren’tstuck on a crime scene till 0300hrs on themorning of the exam either as the nightdetective, or the uniform logkeeper.

6.Who can I get to help me?Consider setting up a study group withcolleagues. Some people set up a groupwith a diverse skill/experience mix such as aCID officer for crime, traffic colleague for themysteries of roads policing and someonewho can unravel the web of intrigue that isthe Police and Criminal Evidence Act andits associated codes of practice.

7.What study guides will you use?Make sure you are using the most up-to-date material and be mindful that somelegislation has changed and you may nothave been given the training yet. Thedifferent sources are: web-based, IT-based,books, audio and formal classes - there areseverely companies that run very effectiveweekend workshops etc and the trainers aregenerally very knowledgeable and will showyou some fantastic memory techniques.

8.What type of learning style are you?This will impact on the type of guide you use.Contact your local training officer and theycan arrange a basic learning style analysis foryou. You can also download these frommany educational websites and do yourown. It’s important you know because noteveryone will get the most effective learningoutcome simply by reading.I recall that when I was learning road craft onmy advanced course (it had to be wordperfect), I put it onto a Sony Walkman andlistened to it whilst driving or cycling to mycourse - it worked and I got 100%.

9.How will I measure my success?Firstly, you must fully understand yourcurrent knowledge level. How would yourate your knowledge now – did you breezethrough the definition test outlined earlier?Set yourself small bite-sized achievabletargets so you can see the progress asthese will give you a confidence boost andshow that you are actually learning. Always take a moment to congratulateyourself on what you have achieved withyour study. You do a difficult job that takes atoll on your life. You deserve the opportunityto develop yourself in an occupation that,despite recent media attacks, is still oneof the most sought-after occupations.

10.When should I start?Most people wait until the application forthe exam comes out, however, I wouldsuggest that that is too late and you havealready put yourself under pressure.Learning MUST be viewed as an ongoingprocess and cramming is not the answer.Consider reading things such as PACEcodes of practice, RTA definition etc asa warm-up a few months prior to the realintensive study programme as they form thefoundation for a large part of the syllabus.

The i-FACTOR works as it makes youconcentrate on the most importantperson in this equation… you. Studyingdoes have an impact on you, your qualityof life and needs. Like any other activity,it needs to be planned into youralready busy schedule.

Remember, your ultimate goal is to seekpromotion, be it for personal/financialreasons, or the excitement of beinga ‘decision maker’, or both. You arethe motivational part of that process,however, part of your planning shouldinclude encouraging your line managersto support you, either by facilitating yourstudy periods, or by giving you hands-oninsights into the role and responsibilitiesencountered by police management.

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68 WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM 67

Ok, you might never be able to ‘Stop the clock’, but withgood skincare habits you can certainly help slow it down,

Lisa Haynes reveals some surprising ways to slow down the ageing process Anti-ageing isn't just down to gene pools and

preventative potions. Everyday skincare sins could be interferingwith your war against wrinkles without you even knowing.

After grey hair, wrinkles and dark under-eye circles came top in a listof the physical factors that makewomen feel less confident.

Side-step skin pitfallsby avoiding these surprisingageing antagonists.

“ Doing the wrong things can speed up your skin's ageing process, and you might be surprisedat what some of those no-nos are,"says American dermatologist Dr Tess Mauricio.

BEAUTY

Just

16%of women

embrace ageing,

according to a recent

UK Confidence

Index by L'Oreal.

AVOID STRAWS AND CIGARETTESYour dentist may be all for straws to protect your teeth from dark and fizzy drinks but dermatologists aren't.

"Sipping from a straw can cause

fine lines around your mouth,

"Mauricio warns. "Over the long-term,

pursing your lips to sip out of a

straw causes extra wrinkles

around this area."

The same process applies to

cigarettes, which also compromise

your skin's production of collagen

and elastin, making smoking bad

news for your looks as well as

your health.

TOO LATE? Reduce the appearance

of deep and vertical wrinkles with

Vichy LiftActiv Advance Filler, £31

www.boots.com

SLEEP ON YOUR BACKMore than half of British adults sleepin the foetal position, curled up ontheir side with knees tucked in. That'sthe stuff of nightmares for your skin,according to Mauricio.

"Women who tend to sleep on their sides

are most likely to see sleep lines appear

on their chin and cheeks - these are

wrinkles etched on the surface of the

skin that don't disappear when you lift

your head off the pillow."

Train yourself to sleep on your back

so that your skin doesn't lie crumpled

against the pillow.

TOO LATE? Encourage a restful

night on your back with Aromatherapy

Associates Relax Eye Mask, £46

www.aromatherapyassociates.com

BEWARE OF FACEINFECTORSMany of us are permanently attached to mobile phones butchatterboxes can be blighted by regular outbreaks. Andthat doesn’t include thoseof you who are permanentlystuck to an Airwave set for 8-10 hours a day!

"Mobiles get left around on

various surfaces and pick up

bacteria that can cause pimples

around the cheeks and jawline.

It's best to use your phone in

hands-free mode," advises Mauricio.

The same principles apply to glasses

and sunglasses, which can harbour

sweat and germs.

"Bacteria can grow on the frame that

will sit directly on your facial skin for an

extended period of time. Aim to use

anti-bacterial wipes before putting

them on each day."

TOO LATE? Deep clean and prevent

outbreaks with Bioderma Sebium

H20 micellar, £10

www.garden.co.uk

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BEAUTY

68 69

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHTYo-yo dieters, beware. Repeatedly losing and gaining weight can take its toll onyour face's elasticity, leaving behindjowls and sagging.

Mauricio says: "Packing on pounds can make your skin look plumper

on the surface, but carrying excess weight can cause your body's levels

of insulin and cortisol to rise, which can break down collagen.

"You'll see increased sagging from putting on and keeping on as

little as 10-15 extra pounds, and loss of facial fat can cause sagging

and a gaunt, aged appearance."

Maintain a healthy weight with proper diet and exercise, aiming

to keep your weight in the 'normal' range, with a body mass index

(BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.

TOO LATE? Perk up sagging and loose skin with Origins

Plantscription Powerful Lifting Cream, £50

www.origins.co.uk

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BEAUTY BULLETIN Just brows-ingBUY IT NOWTravel in style on spring breaks withOrla K iely's new wash bag range. The printdesigner has created a Sixties stem patternon durable coated canvas with gold zipsand leather trims, from £20 - £32

www.johnlewis.com

Women in the UK spend a whopping £2.3 billiona year perfecting their eyebrows. Almost a fifthof British women (19%) are spending more than£10 a month on brow maintenance, according to a recent survey by QVC to mark the exclusivelaunch of Benefit Gimme Brow Gel.

One in eight (13%) spend upwards of 30 minutesa week perfecting their arches, amounting toover one whole day (26 hours) per year. For browinspiration, almost half of women (42%) look to the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and her dark, defined arches.

SEEK SHADE ON AEROPLANESAh, sunbeams! Cloud gazing is good for the soul but not so uplifting for the face.

"You're much closer to the sun in a plane than on land,

so it stands to reason that solar rays, which can penetrate

windows, are more intense at higher altitudes,

" Mauricio reveals. "Plus, the air up there is notoriously

dry and without moisture, so skin simply shrivels."

If you're sitting next to a window, pull down the shade,

drink plenty of water to hydrate, and avoid salty foods

and alcohol. Mauricio recommends applying a rich

moisturiser with minimum SPF15 half an hour before

boarding, as sunscreen needs time to absorb

before it's effective.

TOO LATE? Even out age spots and stubborn pigmentation

with SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector, £83.50

www.effortlessskin.com

Tried & testedRepair the ravages of winter witha multipurpose balm. Our testerstry three soothing all-rounders:

LUSH ULTRABALM ALL PURPOSE BALMThis generously-sized tin houses

a non-petroleum balm with organic

jojoba oil and rose wax. It feels

quite 'thin' on application and

doesn't taste amazing, so I preferred

using this on areas of tough skin,

my cuticles and for taming eyebrows.

£8.50 for 45g www.lush.co.uk

CRABTREE & EVELYNENGLISH HONEY ANDPEACH BLOSSOM ALL PURPOSE BALM Dinky tin with a buttery-soft

moisturising balm. A little goes

a long way and it felt soothing

on both lips and body niggles

with a subtle honey fragrance.

£9 for 15g www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk

LANOLIPS 101 OINTMENT MULTIPURPOSE BALMA handy little tube that's ideal for bags.

The ultra-pure medical grade lanolin makes

for a luxuriously thick formulation. There's

a natural gloss too, making it perfect

for chapped lips.

£11 for 15g www.boots.com

TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

70 71

ThePoisonedIslandLLOYD SHEPHERD’S THE POISONED ISLANDIS A GLORIOUS MASH UPOF CRIME, EXOTIC ISLANDS,BOTANIC INTRIGUE ANDTHE HISTORIC STORY OFLONDON’S RIVER POLICE.HERE WE FIND OUTMORE IN A Q&A WITHTHE AUTHOR...

An island of intrigue…LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has

dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark

paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives.

Now, decades after the first voyage of

Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London

from the Pacific, crammed with botanical

specimens and laden also, it seems,

with the mysteries of Tahiti.

John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames

River Police, is asked to take a personal interest

in the security of the ship and its cargo.

So when, days after the Solander's arrival,

some of its crew are found dead and their

sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed,

faces frozen into terrible smiles - Harriott

puts constable Charles Horton in charge

of the investigation. But what connects the

crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions

of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks

of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's

new science possibly explain the strangeness

of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew?

Horton must employ his singular methods

to uncover a chain of conspiracy stretching

all the way back to the foot of the great

dead volcano Tahiti Nui, beneath the

hungry eyes of ancient gods.

Lloyd answers some questions forNiCKED about The Poisoned Island:Q:What’s the book about?

A:Ah, the hardest question of them all!Well, first things first: it’s a sequel to my firstbook, The English Monster. It’s set a yearlater, in 1812. But like my first book, it openswith a chapter from a deeper past: in thiscase, with a young Englishman chasing aTahitian princess through the trees in 1769.He catches her, but then she disappears….

Forty-three years later, a ship called theSolander arrives in the Thames estuary.She has sailed from Tahiti, and is carryinghundreds of exotic plants, seedlings andseeds from that mysterious island.

They are intended for the gardens at Kew,under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks ofthe Royal Society. A day later, Charles Hortonof the Wapping River Police Office discoversone of the sailors from the Solander dead inhis rooms, his face carved with a terrible smile.

Horton and his magistrate John Harriottopen an investigation, while upriver atKew the strange plants from Tahiti revealthemselves to be a good deal weirderthan even Sir Joseph had realised.

Q:So it’s historical fiction, then?

A:Well, if you read The English Monster, you’llknow I’m not in the business of writing straighthistorical fiction here. What I did in that first book,and what I do again here, is set real historicalevents and characters against an imaginedcanvas in which unusual – perhaps even magical – things can happen.

I’ve had to dance around this a fair bit, becauseto have talked about it too much would have beena heck of a plot-spoiler for The English Monster.But those expecting a straightforward historicaltale will be in for a bit of a surprise; whether apleasant or an unpleasant one will depend onthe reader. But if you’ve got an appetite for thefantastical, this might be a meal you’ll enjoy sittingdown to. There’s a murder mystery to be solved.There’s history to be described. But there’soddness and unexpectedness too.

Put it this way. I’ve found The English Monsterfiled in bookshops under Crime, under History,under General Fiction, under Fantasy and underHorror. Seriously. My favourite description of thegenre has come from Shelley Harris, the lovelyauthor of the lovely book Jubilee. She describedThe English Monster as ‘Regency X-Files.’ Takingthat theme, I’d describe The Poisoned Islandas ‘Regency Lost.’ But genre is a slippery thing,is it not? What it gives with one hand it takesaway with the other.

Q:Why write about this period in history?

A:Because it’s such a fascinating conjunctionbetween two worlds. This period falls squarelybetween the questioning of the Enlightenmentand the technology of the Victorians. The world has only recently begun to be reasonablymeasured; in the previous hundred years,two thousand years of wrongheadedknowledge has been set right.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the field of botany, on which much of The PoisonedIsland is based. In the thirty years before mybook is set, botanists had figured out plantreproduction and respiration. They’d begun toestablish a robust platform for plant taxonomy.They’d begun to substitute superstition forscience (even though that word hadn’t beeninvented). But there was still so much to do,so much that was mysterious and unknown.There were still white spaces on maps,but they were almost all metaphorical ones,gaps in human knowledge in which wonderscould still manifest themselves.

To put it another way: the early 19th centuryis the most recent time that still feels like deep history. The Victorians feel adjacentto us: photography means we can see them.We can even hear them. The Georgiansare still unavailable to us in those forms. They remain intriguing.

Q:In most crime books the lead detectiveis slightly flawed. What are Charles Horton’sstrengths and weaknesses?

A:I think the best fictional detectives aredoomed because it's their flaws that make themeffective. They're too committed, too suspicious,too ready to see the bad in people. Horton's a bitlike that: his slightly monomaniacal nature comesfrom his separation from ordinary people, andthat separation stems from the guilt of his past.He betrayed his shipmates in the Nore mutiny inorder to secure a release, and that infects all hisrelationships. So he wants to perfect the worldand repay his debt, and that makes himextraordinarily committed, but it also makeshim a bit odd. And of course his love for his wifegives him personal strength, but also makeshim vulnerable to those who would be preparedto attack him via his wife.

Q:What are the themes you’re trying to cover?

A:The English Monster dealt with exploitation ofa particularly chilling kind: the exploitation of humansthrough slavery. The Poisoned Island deals witha different kind of exploitation: that of naturalresources. In 1812, the natural world was somethingto be harnessed to the needs of nations. The most obvious example of this relates toTahiti. When Lt. Bligh commanded the Bounty hismission was to take breadfruit from that islandand transplant it to Jamaica and the other WestIndies. It was thought to be an ideal, starchyfoodstuff for the slaves working on the plantationsin those islands (and they were still slaves; theslave trade might have been abolished in 1808,but slavery as an institution was not abolishedin the Empire until 1833, and in effect not for afew years after that). At the centre of both theseexamples was Sir Joseph Banks, who plays a bigrole in The Poisoned Island, as does his librarian,the botanist Robert Brown.

Q:Harking back also to The English Monster,where did you go to research the Thames River Police?

A:First stop was, of course, the River PoliceOffice itself. There's a fabulous museum there,and I was grateful to retired river police officerRob Jeffries for showing me around. Then I spenta lot of time in Wapping itself to get a feel foritself. The final source was the memoir of JohnHarriott, the first stipendiary magistrate of theRiver Police, and an amazing bulldog of a man.

Q:It has been said the Ratcliffe Murders(discussed in The English Monster) ultimatelylead to a reform of policing. Do you think thatin The Poisoned Island Horton has honed hisskills and tackles his investigation differently?

A:I don't think Horton's quite aware of his 'skills'.He applies common sense and intelligence tocrimes but does it in a way that hasn't been seenbefore. Most importantly, he recognises theimportance of motive and opportunity, andunderstands how evidence can lead to solutions.He is better at this in The Poisoned Island,and of course it was a different situation, as the press and the nation weren't as obsessedwith the story - because it didn't happen!

Q:We reckon most of our NICKED readershave a story or two up their sleeves. Whatwould your advice be to aspiring crime writersor those who have great story to tell?

A:Get it down on paper (or stick it in acomputer), and get someone else to read it.It'll be their response which tells them whetheryou've got something or not.

Q:Who’s your favourite fictional cop and why?

A:Probably James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux.A hero, a poet, a fighter and a drunk. He'd have yourback in a fight, but one drink and he'd let you down.

The English Monster and The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd (Simon & Schuster)are available now in paperback.

Find more about Lloyd Shepherd here:www.LloydShepherd.com or follow him on Twitter: @lloydshep

BOOK REVIEW

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

LLOYD SHEPHERDLloyd Shepherd is a former journalistand digital producer who has workedfor the Guardian, Channel 4, the BBCand Yahoo. He lives in South Londonwith his family. He is the author ofThe English Monster, inspired by thereal-life Ratcliffe Highway murdersand its sequel, The Poisoned Island.

FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

pastel punchRefreshing sorbet shadesof mint, lavender, peachand powdery pinks andblues are an instant palettecleanser for spring.

The freshest way to wear them is

top-to-toe in one hue. Balance out the

girliness with an androgynous silhouette

- a tailored suit will look pale and

interesting paired with a white shirt.

Texture is all-important. Look to fabrics

like lace and leather to add an edge to

pretty pastels. You'll even find traditional

black biker jackets in pastel leather

colourways for a spring staple.

Wear your pastels now by teaming a

skirt or trousers with a grey crew-neck

sweater to tone down the colour.

Sarah jacket, £179

Perry top, £89

Emily trousers, £110

Selma sandals, £129

www.hobbs.co.uk

0845 313 3130

73

FASHION

Lisa Haynes reviews the trends to put a spring back in your step.

With the rainiest Winter on recordbehind us, your wardrobe deservesan injection of spring cheer.

Luckily, this season delivers, withmouthwatering pastels, bold printsand fierce florals for an instant closet pick-me-up.

The catwalk message is clear forspring/summer 14: go bold or gohome. Dark and dainty pieces are fewand far between, so be courageouswith your trend shopping.

Just a few high-fashion statementpieces are enough to revive yourcurrent spring staples. For goodchiconomics, invest now and you'll get an entire season's wear.

After a miserable winter its timeto lighten up your wardrobe withthis season's fresh new looks.

Say hello to your new season gloom-fighters...

pick your spring statement

SpringTrends...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * *

George at Asda

pastel trench coat, £25

www.george.com*

*

Casual ivory spot shirt, £39

Cashmere crew neck jumper, £99

Chino shorts, £39

Palma sandals, £59

www.boden.co.uk

TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

74

FASHION

squaredance

Checks were big for winter but they've gone wholesome for spring with girly gingham.

Any colourway goes in these country-inspired checks.

Pastels will make your gingham look uber-pretty, red or

blue brights make a statement, while traditional black

and white are more accessible.

Floaty dresses and smocks are the feminine way to work

this trend, but for a more contemporary look, opt for

structured shapes, like scuba-style T-shirts or pencil skirts.

Gingham may be a playful print but it can work for the

office too, in the form of sharp, tailored trousers. Dress

down with flat loafers or pointed pumps, and just add

heels for business-like glamour.

* * * * *

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Martina contrast jumper, £80

Harriet checked peplum skirt, £120

www.fennwrightmanson.com

Casual ivory spot shirt, £39

Bistro crop trousers, £59

navy spot slingbacks, £69

www.boden.co.uk

Matalan gingham full skirt, £16

www.matalan.co.uk

boldbotanicalsDelicate petals are out,gargantuan blooms are in.Impactful prints are thisseason's floral reincarnation.

In the form of hothouse and tropical blooms,

often as one statement bud, florals have

been supersized for spring.

Wear as one bright piece or double up your

petal power with matching two-piece sets.

There are plenty of floral dresses out there,

but you'll also discover standout separates

and accessories.

To bridge the gap between winter and

spring, pick out bouquet prints with navy

or black backdrops.

* * * * * *

Ted Baker Timliaa tangled floral print dress, £179

www.tedbaker.com

McQ embroidered sweater, £195

Untold floral prom dress, £115

Dickins & Jones bird print scarf, £30

www.houseoffraser.co.uk

Helsinki printed skirt, £115

Jermima knit, £55

Jasmine shoes, £80

Bag, £55

www.coast-stores.com

76

FASHION

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

trueblueEvery season introduces a new 'It' shade and 2014 has got theblues; specifically cobalt.

Wear the cool hue as an accent or top-to-toe

statement. For a true blue takeover, mix things up

using contrasting textures, like a leather skirt and

silk shirt, or cotton dress and fluffy overcoat.

Team with grey or black now and freshen up with

stark white once the weather turns brighter.

Cobalt blue can be worn right now without

looking like you're being too spring premature

- this is a hue that works equally as well with

opaque tights as bare legs.

* * * * *

Marisota blue mesh insert top, £35

www.marisota.co.uk

Ossie Clark London

- Iconic blue jumpsuit, £149

www.ossieclarklondon.co.uk

Long Tall Sally - Square neck

full skirt dress, £75

www.longtallsally.com

Police Healthcare Scheme Limited registered in England & Wales, No. 3018474. Registered office: Guardians House, 2111 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, B26 3EA. Call 0800 652 9329 (Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5.30pm) or visit policemutual.co.uk/healthcare. For your security, all telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored.

HEALTH00025 0114

Join our

Healthcare Scheme

for less than

£1.50 per day *

*based on 2014 prices for single mem

bership for ages 30-34Healthcare with you in mind

We’ll get you back on your feet quickly

To find out more or apply call 0800 652 9329 visit policemutual.co.uk/healthcare

78 79

Get the lighting rightWhen starting out, the best piece of shooting advice is always choose the best light over the better location.

Obviously no one wants a photo of their children

stood by the bins, but when you’re in a gorgeous location

there’s little point in choosing that stunning view if your

subjects are squinting into the camera or it’s too dark

to see their faces. Consider the light that is available to

you, and how high the sun is in the sky. Like in the police

service, photographers use the term ‘Golden Hour’.

In photography if refers to a certain time of day when

the light is considered exceptional for the best outdoor

photography. For those of you who work shifts it can

fit in quite well when coming off duty at odd hours

of the day, mainly because the Golden Hour occurs

near to sunrise and sunset. It’s that first (or last)

beautiful hour in the day where the light is ideally

golden and the sun is low.

If you’re lucky enough to holiday in the sun, take

advantage of the Golden Hour and plan a stroll along

the beach watching the sun go down (then, if you’re

anything like me, ignore your poor loved one whilst you

get some amazing images or better still ‘force’ them to

pose in them!). However, you are more likely to be stuck

at home in the UK with its unpredictable weather, and

have to make the most of your time while trying to take

series of nice family shots. try a local Woodland. Make

sure you find one with a balance of trees and meadow –

it’s surprising how dark the shadows cast by trees can be.

If it's a bright day try putting your subjects at the edge

of the available shade. Don’t start too far in and then

move them back from where the shade starts about a

foot at a time – keep going until the light on their face is

equal (the same light on both sides of the face) but not

so far that it’s too dark. Depending on the height of the

sun this is usually two to three feet into the shade.

If you want to get creative don't be afraid to shoot

into the light, the trick here is to move yourself more

than your subject. If the sun is low you should be able to

position yourself well enough that either your subject or

some nearby foliage is carefully placed to block out the

worst of the glare from the sun. You should then be able

to experiment, positioning yourself left, right and centre

to see what effects you can take advantage of. If the

light is right you should be able to get a lovely halo effect

to their silhouette. It’s an old fashioned rule that the

sun should always be behind the camera.

I think the best thing about digital photography

is that whatever type of camera you have it gives

you the opportunity to keep experimenting

until you’re happy. You can even use your mobile

phone to gain these effects so get practising.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Life througha lens

The most frequently askedquestion by my clients is:

"Why don't my imageslook like yours?" The honest answer, other than this is my

lifework and career, is that it’s usually about

how ‘depth of field’ and lighting are used.

Modern articles tell us digital cameras

and editing software can capture virtually

anything, make it look special and take

all the hard work out of photography.

This is simply not true.

Although a spontaneous happy snap can

end up becoming a family favourite, there

is no substitute for good lighting, and that’s

a principle that hasn't changed since the

invention of film. Of course ‘composing’

the photograph is important but light is

still the medium you will paint your picture

with. You can have a beautifully framed

picture in your viewfinder, but it you don’t

use the light properly it can be ruined.

Getting to know how your camera functions

while developing your photography skills

are far more beneficial than standing in a

camera shop buying yet another piece

of kit. When I run workshops for starter

photography businesses the most common

mistake people make is that they buy far

too much equipment. My advice would be,

learn to use what you have, and when

you have exhausted that equipment and

can learn no more, then consider trading

it in for the next level up.

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80 81

1. LIGHTING: Choose lighting

over location every time

2. FAMILY PORTRAITS: Arrange

separate days for photographing the

family. Decide whether the objective

is to fill the album with happy snaps

(for example a day out at the zoo),

or to choreograph a more formal

family portrait.

3. SUNLIGHT: When you’re driving

home or out walking/cycling and

you notice a low golden sun, make

a mental note of where the sunlight

is falling at that time of year. These

can be used later when setting

up a photoshoot.

4. THINK ABOUT COLOUR:

Colour affects the mood of an image

not just how it is appreciated. Putting

your daughter in a pastel pink or bold

purple dress in the middle of a field

yellow canola oil-seed field could look

like a soft romantic image, but putting

your son in a blue, white and red outfit

in the same location would make quite

a startling and contrasting image.

5. CAUTION DISTRACTIONS:

Have you ever seen someone in a

vertically striped outfit on the TV and

the screen displays a weird distortion

effect that makes your eyes blink? It’s

the same effect when photographing

similar objects. Narrow stripes can

blend together in images because

of the curve of the lens try to avoid

photographing objects that involve

thin stripes. So try to avoid taking

portraits of people in character

clothing as it leads the eye directly to

the source of the distraction rather

than to the person or people who

are the subject of your image.

6. CONSIDER THE TIME OF DAY:

The sun is at its highest at midday

and in the height of summer it is

worth avoiding as the light can be

quite harsh and unflattering. Remember

– as a general rule - the lower the sun,

the more flattering the light.

7. FOREGROUND, MIDDLE

GROUND AND BACKGROUND:

As you look at your image either

in portrait or landscape format,

take a breath and look at your

framing. Try separating the image

into three horizontal sections. The

area to the bottom of the image is

generally your foreground, the central

area is the middle ground, usually

where the subject of the photograph

sits, and the top of the frame being

the background (or horizon).

To develop your skills experiment

by moving your framing up and down

slightly see which proportions work

best with your image. It only takes

a few moments yet will enhance

your picture immeasurably. As a rule

portraits with little foreground can

look a little odd.

8. CROPPING PORTRAITS:

There is a rule of thumb when

framing a portrait that if you are

looking at the framing, try to keep

the cropping point near a limb joint if

you don’t want the whole arm or leg

in the image. If you crop it mid-calf

or forearm for example the result

can appear unbalanced.

9. EYE LEVEL: Using children as

an example, a large majority of people

photograph children by angling the

camera downward. This gives a

distorted perspective of the subject

(and usually misses out on lots of

character). If you are taller than your

subject try to lower yourself to the

level of your subject’s eyes as this

will dramatically change the way

your photos, especially of your

children will appear in print.

10. TAKE IT ALL WITH YOU:

Keep a notebook. Don’t expect to

remember everything you want to try

out. You can easily make short notes

on a piece of paper and stick it in your

pocket (I used to write crib notes on

the inside of my hands) or type/write

out prompt cards, or do little drawings

of stick people to use as reminders

for poses or setups..

Nicola’s top 10 basic tips

Top tips for buyingsmaller camerasIf you decide you just want a functional point and shoot

camera that costs less than £300, and you don’t intend

blowing the images up too large, I would seriously

consider a good camera phone.

Controversial to some, however, you would always have it

with you and there have been some amazing leaps in phone

technology - you can adjust your ISO, change your white balance

and sometimes your shutter speeds. If you look for good lighting

and apply some basic framing principles you can get some

great images and there’s always Instagram to add a little flare!

If you do decide to buy a small camera, rather than looking

too closely at the amount of pixels available on the sensor

(although try to avoid anything below 10), look at its

capabilities with regards to:

• SHUTTER SPEED - how fast the shutter opens and

closes. You need a good range of both slower, say 100,

and faster these go up into 1000s.

• APERTURE - how wide the shutter opens.

You will need a lower aperture.

• ISO - its capabilities in low light. The higher the ISO

the better it will be in low light.

As with all pastimes and hobbies it’s important to have fun.Be creative and enjoy yourself. Don’t be disheartened by getting things wrong at

first, I certainly used to, and don’t think you can’t learn something from a lower level

camera. One of the most common demands asked by professional photographers

is for natural, low light coaching – in other words, how to get a better image in

low light without flash. I learnt how to shoot in low light because I couldn’t afford a

better camera. I’ve shot weddings with a Canon 40D but it was a semi professional

camera with very limited ISO capabilities. But with perseverance I successfully

photographed weddings with that camera for over two years. I learnt how to

improvise, and move slightly and change my position to obtain a far better image.

Always embrace what you have to hand rather than fretting for what you haven’t.

Over time I acquired a camera that had better attributes and capabilities, and

my low light images became more creative. Remember, you paint with light.

Next time I’ll be giving you some tips on framing, leading lines and

depth of field, and how a little experimentation and anticipation can change

a mundane picture into an outstanding picture.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Which camera is best?In addition to the “Why don’t my images look

like yours?” question, the most commonly asked

question via email is: "What camera should I buy?"

This is a difficult question as it depends on

your available budget and what you are most

likely to need it for.

Most people are occasional photographers and

with either use their mobile phone, or a low budget

compact camera. Some dedicated amateur

photographers will buy more specialised equipment

that gives them a greater flexibility. Some of this

equipment is of a very high standard and can be used

by professionals. I shoot with Canon as I love their

prime lenses (this means the lens range is fixed and

doesn't zoom in or out and I have to move either

myself, or the camera).

This isn't to say I dislike Nikon - quite simply it’s

a matter of preference and there are no rights or

wrongs. My first digital SLR was a Pentax and I loved

that camera with my heart and soul, so it really is

a personal opinion. As a professional I love using

prime lenses because there are by and large of

exceptional quality. However, they offer less

flexibility than a zoom lens. Mainly because when

using a prime lens YOU have to move the camera

or the subject, whereas with a zoom lens the

photographer can generally remain static and

adjust the lens to frame the picture.

However, if you want to delve deeper into photography,

it’s worth knowing that the two biggest international

brands are Canon and Nikon and they have the

most options in terms of cameras and lenses. This

is mainly because most of their professional lenses

are compatible with the lower priced ‘entry level’

camera bodies, and vice versa. So you would be

able to upgrade or buy additional lenses when the

time called for it and if you ever decided to upgrade

the body of your camera there would be no need

for new lenses. The only downside is that Nikon and

Canon lenses are not interchangeable between

brands. So Nikon won’t fit Canon and vice versa.

If you’re looking to keep costs down there is a

vast range of other camera manufacturers such as

Sony, who produce cameras to a very high standard.

There is also the option to purchase from second-

hand dealers that you can be found online or in

the Classifieds section at the back of photography

magazines. Make sure you do your research on the

camera model and the company first. Entry-level

Digital SLRs start from under £300 with an

inexpensive kit lens and if you have a budget for a

simple family camera I would always say to someone

asking to opt for the entry level digital SLR over

a smaller ‘compact’ non SLR camera.

These days most are designed specifically to

be small and lightweight for the convenience of travel

etc, if that is all you want, but if you decide to take

it further and turn your camera into a larger hobby

you will have the ability to buy additional lenses

and learn the photography basics as well.

Most DSLRS can be controlled manually as well

as automatically, which again gives you scope to

take the hobby to the next level.

NicolaJohnson

Nicola Johnson is a self-taught

professional fine art, lifestyle

photographer. She has a passion for

teaching photography at all levels and

developing the skills of professionals.

You can find out more about her

work and her workshops at:

www.nicolajohnsonphotographer.com

www.facebook.com/

NicolaJohnsonPhotographer

WWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM TWITTER.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINE

82 83

FACEBOOK.COM/NICKEDMAGAZINEWWW.NICKEDMAGAZINE.COM

Top six portable

chargers

GADGETS

SMOOTH OPERATORJoosa Charger - £29.99 from firebox.comThe latest arrival on the portable chargerscene is this highly tactile, well-finishedpiece of kit, laying down the standardfor the next generation.

Power yours up from the mains and it'llcharge your mobile up to eight times beforeit needs attention itself. As you only plugin your USB cable, it's also compatiblewith almost everything.

YES YOU CANFuel - £24.99 from firebox.comNot much bulkier than a box of matches,it'll come as no surprise that the diminutivenature of this re-juicer means it mustcompromise on power reserves. But sayingthat, it can still give you a much needed20 minutes of extra chat time.

It also looks like a jerry can, so it's up to you if you want to make the glug-glugsounds as you fill up your phone.

JUST IN CASETurboCharger 7000 World Pack- £59.95 from proporta.co.ukA very nifty idea this one - well, if you're aniPhone 5 owner, anyway. This slim outer caseboth doubles the life of your mobile, andprotects it from the inevitable meetingswith solid surfaces.

Put it on, flick the switch and off it goes,doing its work without any work from you.Clever...

STONE MEPebble Verto - from £21.49 at dabs.comThis compact range of portable chargerscomes complete with a range of powerpins for various devices, and manages tostore enough power inside for about twofull refills of your smartphone.

Not as revolutionary as others, but neat and efficient - which is actually all you need.

POWER STICKPebble Smartstick- £14.99 from mobilefun.co.ukAvailable in a few different hues, this dinkycharger is about the size of a lippy, idealfor carrying in - and probably losing downthe dark recesses of - your handbag.

Once located though, it'll offer a fullrecharge for that vital extra talktime.HAPPY

CAMPERBiolite camper stove

- £149.99 from firebox.com

This contraption is not one for every day

occasions, but you'll certainly look forward

to using it on those non-every day

occasions (camping, hiking and showing

off at your friend’s barbeque!).

Using flammable natural materials like

twigs and leaves, it cooks for you, keeps

you warm, and - crucially - powers

up an internal fan to send juice

to your gadgets.

Been kept on duty?

Going out of force

on mutual aid?Or maybe your mobile is just getting a

lot of use. Then there’s the ubiquitous

tablet and e-book readers.

Whatever you’re doing, the chances are that

you won’t have your charger handy, and unless

you have a battery to actually make it work,

it's all a bit pointless, isn't it?

Thankfully, portable power stations have

the answer, so we asked Peter Jenkinson

to take a look at some gadgets that will

help keep your mobile and other

devices running.

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