Sight for Surrey announces Dame Judi Dench as Patron for Centenary Year!
Sight for Surrey has announced that acting legend, star of the screen and Surrey resident, Dame Judi Dench, CH, DBE, has agreed to become a Patron of the charity for its Centenary year, 2022.
Sight for Surrey supports and enables people in Surrey who are blind, vision impaired, deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind to lead full and independent lives, a mission that Dame Judi Dench holds close to her heart, as in 2012, she was diagnosed with macular degeneration.
Dame Judi said, “Sight for Surrey is a charity that I respect and support. I live with an eye condition and know first-hand how losing your sight can make even the most simplest tasks, like reading the newspaper, post or emails or a list of ingredients, a challenge! The work that this charity does in getting people set up and adjusted to life with a vision impairment is amazing and I am honoured to be their Patron in their Centenary year”.
Bob Hughes, Chief Executive at Sight for Surrey said, “we are delighted that Dame Judi has agreed to be our Patron during an exciting and eventful year for the charity. We have been supporting people in Surrey with a sensory loss for 100 years and look forward to many more. We hope that Surrey residents will be spurred into fundraising action this year and set themselves a fundraising challenge that will test their boundaries and highlight the challenges that people with a sensory loss face every day.”
Sight for Surrey supports over 8,000 people in Surrey who are blind, vision impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind. The charity was established in 1922 when we first started assisting vision impaired soldiers returning from war and we have continued to help people in Surrey with a sight and/or hearing loss.
Mandira’s Kitchen Loves a Valentine’s Day Special
Evenings are still dark and there is nothing more romantic than a cosy night in! What is unromantic is spending all your time in the kitchen, so Mandira’s Kitchen are determined to keep romance alive and spicy – without time out in preparation.
Mandira’s Kitchen have put together a romantic Valentine’s Day Special Indian meal for two that can be delivered frozen to any UK Mainland address. It can be heated from frozen in just 4 minutes so there is no need to waste ages in the kitchen.
Bringing some spice to Valentine’s Day, Mandira’s Kitchen have prepared a set menu which includes: Starter platter with Vegetable and Lamb samosas and Cauliflower Tikkis, all served with MK Pineapple Chutney; a main course of Gulabi Pulao (fragrant basmati rice cooked with beetroot to give it a delicate pink hue), Gondhoraj Chicken/Paneer (delicate boneless chicken or paneer cooked with a very fragrant lemon, yoghurt and cashew sauce), Mushroom and Corn Bonanza (sweet corn and mushrooms cooked in a delicious fresh spinach sauce), Shah Jehani Dal (from the dining table of Emperor Shah Jehan, a mix of lentils cooked with spices and coconut milk) accompanied by fluffy Naan bread. The Sweet Endings come with Gujar Halwa (a mouthwatering carrot pudding) Masala Chai, Chilli Chocolates and spiced chocolate samosas.
Every meal includes two free gin and tonic cans, a Bollywood playlist, a Kama Sutra quiz and a movie suggestion. Mandira’s Kitchen has also teamed up with Albury Organic Vineyard and Silent Pool Distillers to give you the option of adding wine or gin to your order.
Mandira Sarkar, owner and founder of Mandira’s Kitchen is very keen to spread a little love at this special time of year with her delicious food and says: “You cannot love well if you have not dined well goes the old saying. So, our Valentine day menu woos your eyes and your tastebuds. Clearly all designed to recreate the perfect romantic meal at home.”
All items can be ordered online from www.mandiraskitchen.com and either collected from Mandira’s Kitchen at The Silent Pool Guildford or delivered to any UK Mainland address. Special allergy and dietary requirements can be catered for by telephoning 01483 940798.
Become part of Guildford City’s new academy!
The newly launched Guildford City FC Academy is now looking for students for September 2022!
Once on the programme, new players will be given the opportunity to train on a regular basis, whilst also studying from a Department of Education approved curriculum. All match days will be taking place on the first team pitch at the Spectrum Stadium, with the squad taking part in the FA Youth Alliance League.
Students attend the Academy daily to train and to undertake a 2 year BTEC Level 3 certificate in sports. The course covers a range of sports related units including: anatomy and physiology; assessing risk in sport; fitness testing for sport and exercise; sports nutrition and leadership.
You can call Guildford City FC’s academy manager Adam Clarke on 07922 421 777 or you can email: info@guildfordcityfc.co.uk
Inspiring Women Concert
The Inspiring Women Concert, organised by Hennessey Brown Music & Guildford Cathedral, is the weekend following International Women’s Day and will celebrate women in music as composers, conductors and performers.
Inspiring Women includes performances from Amies Freedom Choir who are an ensemble including female survivors of human trafficking who sing together. In 2020 this choir was awarded the prestigious Women of the Year Community Spirit Award.
The concert will also include the girls from Guildford Cathedral singing works by Cecilia MacDowall and Imogen Holst. There will be an instrumental interlude with Harriet Mackenzie, two London Conservatoire and a professional cellist performing ‘Riff for Strings and Snare’ by Hennessey Brown Music composer Dominique Le Gendre.
The climax of the concert will be a performance of Cecilia Macdowall’s ‘Everyday Wonders; The Girl From Aleppo.’ The music of this work depicts the incredible journey undertaken by Nujeen Mustafa in a wheelchair from Syria to Germany. The solo violin part will be played by Hennessey Brown Music violinist Harriet Mackenzie and sung by the Guildford Cathedral Girls Choir, performed by the Conservatoire Concerts string orchestra and conducted by Katherine Dienes-Williams, organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral.
The aim of the concert is to showcase inspiring women in music. Tickets are available from the Guildford Cathedral Box office: www.guildford-cathedral.org/events/boxoffice/534 for more information.
Smile for the camera please
Over Christmas and New Year we’ve all probably had to pose for a few photographs, especially now that almost everyone has a smart phone with a camera in their back pocket.
Images portrayed in the movies or on social media put unreasonable pressure on us to continually look our best for the camera.
Along with the impact of the indulgences over the festive period, likely to be consisting of some of the foods and drinks that can discolour teeth, some of us may well be less willing to smile for the camera.
But what can we do, or rather what should we do to keep our smiles as healthy as possible?
We spoke to dentist Mitul Patel, Clinical Director & Principal Dental Surgeon at Waterden Dental Practice in Guildford to see what advice he could give us.
Back in National Smile Month (May-June) the organisers carried out a nationwide poll that found most of us regularly feel self-conscious about the appearance of our teeth.
More than half of British adults (51%) say they are often made to feel anxious about how their smile looks and less than a third (29%) are likely to pose for a photograph with an open-mouth smile. Discoloured teeth are the biggest reason we are not smiling for the camera (33%).
This got us thinking…
What makes a beautiful smile? Is it a Hollywood smile of straight, white, perfectly uniform teeth? Or is it a healthy smile with all its quirks and imperfections? Or maybe one that’s full of gaps?
The answer, of course, is whatever you feel comfortable with and one that you are proud to show off.
Dentists all agree that a healthy mouth is what’s essential, not for aesthetic reasons but for health.
Healthy mouths reflect a healthy body – they have pink gums and are pain-free. Red gums or gums that bleed when you brush your teeth indicate that something is not right and the main culprit is gum disease.
The 3 key messages being promoted during National Smile Month were:
- Brush last thing at night and at least one other time with fluoride toothpaste.
- Cut down on how much and how often you have sugary food and drink.
- Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.
Ultimately, the aim is to help us achieve good physical and mental wellbeing by improving our oral health.
Smile niggles
However, if you don’t feel happy to show off your smile, then ask your dentist for advice. There are lots of ways they can help.
Dentists all agree that a healthy mouth is what’s essential, not for aesthetic reasons but for health.
If discoloured teeth are causing you concern, the first and best place to start is with a hygiene visit – not only will your teeth look better, they will be healthier too.
Be selfish with your toothbrush!
Despite it being bad news for our health, one in four of us are happy to share our toothbrush with others.
A new study has found that more than a quarter of the UK population admit they would share their toothbrush with family, friends, a partner, neighbour or celebrity.
Men are significantly more likely, at 32%, than women (20%). Younger adults are nearly twice as willing at 55%, compared to their parents (30%), and around four times more open to do so than their grandparents (13%).
Dr Ben Atkins, dentist and trustee of the Oral Health Foundation, says: “Although it may seem like a kind gesture to share your toothbrush, it really is not a very good idea. Sharing a toothbrush leaves you susceptible to all sorts of oral and general health problems.
“This is because brushing sometimes causes the gums to bleed, which exposes everyone you share your toothbrush with to bloodstream diseases. This means that by sharing a toothbrush, you could also be sharing blood, which is a lot riskier than just swapping saliva.”
There are many hundreds of different bacteria and viruses in our mouths and people sharing a toothbrush could be passing these on to others. This could include common colds, cold sores or even Hepatitis B.
Keeping your teeth clean & healthy
Airflow is an advanced and predictable
hygiene procedure for effectively removing stains and plaque from your teeth, implants or restorations. It uses a mixture of air, water and a very fine powder to thoroughly polish and clean your teeth.
Spotlight:
Opening bottles, nail biting & tag tearing
Do you use your teeth to open bottles, tear clothing tags or bite your nails?
If so, you are not alone but the advice from dentists is to stop!
Most of us are putting our oral health at risk by using our teeth as tools for jobs they weren’t intended for.
Joint research by the Oral Health Foundation and Philips has found that 65% of us frequently use our teeth for tasks other than eating and drinking.
The most common misuse for our teeth is tearing sticky tape with 41% of us admitting to doing this regularly. More than a quarter of us bite our nails while over a fifth use our teeth to carry things when our hands are full.
Other popular uses include taking tags out of clothing (20%), chewing pens and pencils (16%), opening bottles (9%) and doing up zips (4%).
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation. says that while it may seem trivial, using our teeth as tools poses a considerable risk to our oral health: “Anything from opening bottles to chewing foreign objects can damage existing dental work or cause our teeth to crack.”
The most common misuse for our teeth is tearing sticky tape with 41% of us admitting to doing this regularly.
“There are also examples of teeth shifting out of place, chipping, and in some cases breaking, due to the pressure and strain. Accidents are also more likely to happen which could result in invasive and expensive emergency dental work.”
Young adults are the biggest culprits when it comes to using teeth in improper ways with 85% of 18-35-year-olds admitting to abusing their teeth by performing unusual tasks with them. This is significantly higher than 35-54-year-olds (70%) and the over-55s (54%).
Restoring teeth
However, if you have cracked or chipped a tooth, don’t worry help and advice is available and there are a raft of solutions at dentists’ fingertips, from dental veneers or crowns, to composite bonding.
Composite bonding can transform the appearance of one or more teeth in a single visit. Tooth-coloured composite resin (like a white filling) straightens uneven or chipped edges, or closes gaps between our teeth. This fast, affordable and impressive treatment requires minimal tooth preparation and is completed in less than one hour per tooth often without the need for any anaesthetic.
How do you deal with loss?
How do you deal with disappointment or loss? All of us are different and there are many different various approaches we can take.
here’s the ‘let it all hang out’ grieving version – we’ve all met someone like that. You know exactly how hard they are finding every second. And of course the pyschologists tell us that it is great to let our emotions out… but it can be a little too much for the poor unfortunate souls around us! Perhaps you lean towards the letting it all hang out method? Maybe we are tempted to wallow in our grief and somehow perversely not be prepared to leave the misery?
Or perhaps you are more the British stiff upper lip type? Don’t let anyone around you know how much you are crying inside and just carry on as normal. This was probably the approach of choice for many from earlier generations. I guess the ‘Keep calm and carry on’ movement stems from this approach. There’s a lot to be said for it, especially if you’re in a war – but the science now tells us that not dealing with grief and trying to stuff it in or pretend it isn’t there, isn’t actually very healthy and can cause us physical problems in the long run.
It’s not a subject that children’s films usually tackle, but those who saw the movie Up, may agree with me that it was a brilliant, if emotional, study in grief and loss. It’s not often you need tissues in the first 10 minutes of a Disney Pixar film – but this one was brilliant! (Do check it out if you haven’t seen it, it really does work for all ages!)
Grief is like the bear hunt – you can’t go over it, you can’t go round it, you have to go through it.
After the extraordinary last couple of years, many of us have experienced loss and grief in unexpected ways. There have been funerals that only a few people could attend. Elderly relatives in care homes whom we couldn’t visit. School proms, end of year celebrations – normal human connections and experiences that were lost for ever. I wonder if we recognise the depth of the trauma we as individuals and as a nation have been through over the last few years. Perhaps these are first world problems – we have not experienced anything like the devastation of Syria or the suffering of Afghanistan. But we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t allow ourselves space and time to acknowledge and grieve people and situations. Grief is like the bear hunt – you can’t go over it, you can’t go round it, you have to go through it. I wonder what that will look like for you? This March we have an opportunity for those who’d like to pause and remember those they have lost with others. On Sunday 6th March we have a Bereavement Service, 3.00pm at St Luke’s Church. Maybe it will be a helpful way for you to go through your grief whether your loss was recent or a long time ago.
And as Easter approaches it is good to remember that the Christian faith is very real about pain and suffering. The Christian God is one who enters into our pain and walks our path. He is ready to hear our questions and hold our hurt. He can deal with our questions, our frustrations and our anger. Why not come and explore some of those things on the Unanswered Prayer Course that we are running in conjunction with 3 other local churches. You never know – maybe this will be the place that you need to go to move on from that place of grief that traps you. Whatever your way to deal with loss – can I encourage you to face it – as the saying goes, we can run but
we can’t hide!
With every blessing
Rev’d James & Jo Levasier
james@burphamchurch.org.uk
jo@burphamchurch.org.uk
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
Back to school – back to you!
Christine Sciberras, Founder and Head Coach at Melita Fitness
By the time you read this, you’ll hopefully have finished buying and labelling shirts and PE kit, spent a fortune in WHSmith on ‘essentials’. And another fortune at the uniform shop! September is a bit like January: you leave behind the hangover of too much holiday food and booze. The juggling of child-care and work. The never-ending requests for snacks!
But many of us will also be thinking: I’ll finally get into a routine. I’ll claw some time back.
And while you do this, I want you to acknowledge that you have (probably) spent the best part of the last few weeks putting other people’s needs first. So it makes sense to use some of that time to think about your needs. And maybe those needs include prioritising your health and fitness.
So if this sounds like you, read on!
Do ONE thing
It’s an easy trap to fall into – we decide that everything has to change. So we resolve to drink more water, eat less toast, exercise 5 times per week, eat lots of vegetables, eat less meat, no biscuits, drink less wine, sleep more, and on and on!
But it’s easy to become overwhelmed with such an extensive list. So my advice is to Do One Thing… Choose one small, specific goal, make it THE thing and really go for it.
Focus on behaviours (I will eat vegetables) rather than outcomes (I will lose 2 pounds). You can directly influence your behaviours, but outcomes can be a little trickier. You’ll feel great when you accomplish each little goal. And each success will help bolster your resolve and guess what, yield more results!
Something is better than nothing
Are you guilty of ‘all or nothing’ thinking? It’s super common! We think,
“I blew my diet last night, so I’ll just restart it next Monday.”
“I can’t fit in my regular workout, so I won’t do any exercise.”
But the difference between doing something rather than doing nothing is huge. Any effort towards your goal is better than no effort.
Have patience
Realise that progress is never linear. Some people will see rapid gains only to hit resistance later. For others, initial progress may be slow but then they suddenly achieve rapid breakthroughs. The bottom line though is that making lasting changes takes time and consistency.
Get accountability and support
Whether it’s by working out with a friend or roping the whole family into healthy eating, you are more likely to be successful if you have a support structure in place.
Or join a group like ours, where myself and other like-minded women will encourage you to show up and to do your best. All while having a good time!
Start now!
Use the newly freed up time wisely. Allocate it to your needs and don’t let it get frittered away with endless chores. It’s OK to put yourself first, to be a little selfish. Because we can’t be our best if we’re not taking care of ourselves.
If you need any support in achieving your health and fitness goals, please get in touch.
The Power of Silence
Silence – how do you see it? A positive thing or a negative thing? We live in a very noisy world: some of it immensely positive – the words of a loved one encouraging us, the sound of the birds singing in the trees, beautiful music lifting the heart, the words of an actor stirring our emotions, the challenge of a teacher engaging our mind.
Noise can be a wonderful thing. I doubt any of us would like to live without any sound, and those of us struggling with deteriorating hearing know how frustrating it can be when we can’t hear properly.
And yet you can have too much of a good thing! Many of us recognise that there is often too much noise in our lives; different things competing for our attention: the phone, the TV, social media, friends, children, parents.
Sometimes it can feel like everyone, and everything is speaking at the same time, and we just need to switch everything off, hide away and have some quiet. This of course can be easier said than done, especially if you have young children, a demanding family or crazy job. But perhaps that makes it all the more important?
Perhaps silence isn’t just a luxury but a necessity?
Across the centuries, Christians have discovered the power of silence, for there many would testify that we meet God. Ruth Haley Barton writes in the book Invitation to Solitude and Silence, “We are starved for quiet, to hear the sound of sheer silence that is the presence of God himself.” Now there is an invitation if ever I heard one!
Over the last few months, I have been on a bit of a journey to try and intentionally put regular times of silence into my life. Now for me, the noise isn’t just on the outside – sometimes I can switch everything off and my brain is just as noisy on the inside. That’s the real challenge, learning how to stop talking on the inside, but I am trying to keep going and persevere.
Ifiwritethissentencewithoutanyspacesbetweenthewordsitisreallyhardtoread. (If I write this sentence without any spaces between the words it is really hard to read!) I wonder if your life has space and silence in it, or does it all run together with no place to breathe. Maybe this summer you might like to join me on my adventure into silence. I have a feeling that there might just be some hidden riches we might discover that bless not just us, but those around us too.
With every blessing
Rev’d Jo Levasier
jo@burphamchurch.org.uk
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
Who is an inspiration to you today?
I wonder who is an inspiration to you today? Who or what are you most tightly linked to? Is there someone who leads you on and encourages you, whatever life may bring?
When I was a teenager, we had a corgi dog called Taffy. Unlike most corgis he was quite lean and tough and although he was quite a little dog, to be honest, I think he thought he was an Alsatian! He definitely had delusions of grandeur. Although, one summer we holidayed in Scotland, visiting Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the Queen; and I can’t tell you how many people stopped and asked me if my dog was one of the Queen’s corgis! Obviously not all corgis belong to the Queen – but for many people the two things are very tightly linked. Perhaps Taffy was right to have a high impression of himself!
Our choice of a corgi was not actually influenced by the Queen – but as we approach the Queen’s Platinum anniversary celebrations, it is a good moment to reflect on the influence our Queen has had on this country over the last 70 years. Irrespective of our views on monarchy, we can’t fail to be inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s selfless devotion and commitment to do the best she can for the people of the UK and the wider Commonwealth.
And although the Queen is tightly linked to both her dogs and horses, she is clear that it is Jesus who has been the biggest influencer in her life, enabling her to be the person she is. As she said in her Christmas message 2014: “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, [whose birth we celebrate today], is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.”
I wonder who is an inspiration to you today? Who or what are you most tightly linked to? Is there someone who leads you on and encourages you, whatever life may bring? As we approach the Jubilee celebrations, is it a good moment to reflect on what and who influences us the most? If you are interested in discovering more about the person of Jesus Christ who has been such an influence in our Queen’s life, do get in contact (jo@burphamchurch.org.uk) and we can invite you along to the course we will be running in May and June. You never know, you might just meet the biggest influencer the world has ever known!
With every blessing
Rev’d James & Jo Levasier
james@burphamchurch.org.uk
jo@burphamchurch.org.uk
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
How peaceful are you feeling?
As I write this, yet again, COVID rates are shooting up and restrictions are being reimposed to try and control the latest variant’s spread.
Perhaps not the Happy New Year we were hoping for (again!) and I wonder how these more recent developments have left you feeling as we move into 2022? Concerned? Fed-up? Anxious? Frustrated? These are the kinds of feelings we might naturally be wrestling with our world continues to wrestle with how to best respond to this ongoing health pandemic.
In our Christmas celebrations at Burpham Church we remembered that the baby in the manger whose birthday we were celebrating was the Prince of Peace, promised centuries earlier. This might have sounded like a nice idea back in December with all the fun of Christmas celebrations still to look forward to, but as we leave behind the lights and presents, what happens to that promised peace? Is the peace that the angels promised to the world, just a nice holiday encounter or can we really experience it in the cold and greyness of January and February?
The testimony of millions across the ages is that this promised peace, is not a pipe dream nor a holiday experience but a present reality. Jesus said to his friends,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
(John 14v27)
What an amazing promise! And as we continue to struggle with knowing how best to tackle these COVID-times, can I encourage you to test it out for yourself. One of the best ways to discover Jesus’ peace in our own lives is not to try and eliminate all the stress from it (nice idea, but clearly unrealistic for most of us!) but talk to him about the stress and let him take you through it. Christians call this prayer. Maybe a different way to tackle the present anxiety? Why not try it and see if Jesus’ promise still stands in 2022.
With every blessing
Rev’d James & Jo Levasier
james@burphamchurch.org.uk
jo@burphamchurch.org.uk
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk