If questions like these are on your mind and you want to know more about Alternative Solutions for Health and Spiritual practices, then come to our event in the Heatons which will endeavour to give you the answers. You will have the opportunity to meet Therapists, Healers, Tarot and Angel Readings, Crystals and Gifts.

The event will be above the KRO Bar on Heaton Moor Road on Sunday 25th March, 11.00 to 5.00 It’s free entry, so pop in and see us.

Loaded Dice

By Hannah Donelon

 This Indie-Blues band, winners of ‘UK Live & Unsigned’, are clearly benefitting from living in Manchester’s vibrant music scene; its contribution and recognition towards the importance of art offers the opportunity to develop artistically and that’s exactly what ‘The Loaded Dice’ have done. Through performing in chic venues like our very own ‘Blue Cat’, they boast a sound already described by NME as “Big hearted, sky-gazing epic indie’’ and it’s knocking on your door!

Although they are refreshingly distinctive for reliving successful rock of yesterday, (building a reputation as hard-gigging ‘old school’) their self-proclaimed ‘cheese induced dreams’ are bringing song writing to a new level; inspired by personal experiences, their music sings truth which is so rarely heard today.

Depicted by their manager as a ‘tight unit’, each of the band and management have the words ‘Alea Iacta Est’ tattooed somewhere on their body. This Latin phrase, meaning something inevitable will happen, efficiently summarises their fruitful promise for the future.

They have just released ‘Hindsight of a Brand New Soul: Halo of Fireflies‘ (available to download from iTunes) and with a sixth album in the pipeline, they show no signs of letting up.

THINK: ‘Pearl Jam’ mixed with ‘Kings of Leon’ and a sprinkle of ‘Ocean Colour Scene’.

www.theloadeddice.co.uk

Southern Ocean Day 5

If this is the year that you decide to do something amazing, you could do worse than to take your inspiration from 25 year old Rachel Chapman from Heaton Chapel who is taking part in the 2011-2012 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it was established by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to give everyone, regardless of sailing expe

rience, the opportunity to experience the exhilaration of ocean racing. The overall race is divided into individual stages and points are accumulated in a Formula 1-style scoring system. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the Clipper Trophy.

Leaving Capetown

Clipper 11-12 started last July from Southampton.  The route will take the crews of the ten identical, 68-foot yachts, via Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, (where Rachel joined the race in October), Western Australia, New Zealand, Australia’s Gold Coast, Singapore, Qingdao in China, California, Panama, New York, Nova Scotia, Londonderry, The Netherlands and finally back to Southampton after 40,000 miles of ocean racing – the world’s longest ocean race. As we go to print, Rachel will be on the stretch from Singapore to China as a member of New York, (the boat sponsored by that famous city), where she’ll remain part of the crew until the finish of the race in July.

Rachel, who went to North Heaton Primary and Priestnall High, has always had a sense of adventure. She was a Flight Sergeant in the Air Training Corps, has worked as a

Sports Counsellor in America, has done voluntary work (sports coaching) in the townships in South Africa and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kinabalu. She now works for Robin Wood, an adventure training centre in West Yorkshire, (visited by some of our own Heatons’ schools).

Leaving Geraldtown in November

Rachel has contributed £10,000 of her own money towards the cost of the trip, and her employer Robin Wood has very generously sponsored her for the rest. Her trip is raising funds for various charities including Charnwood Nursery in Heaton Moor (which Rachel attended as a pre-schooler) and Stockport’s St Ann’s Hospice as well as Help for Heroes, Calderdale Mountain Rescue and The Stroke Association.

clutter bauble necklace

As with most things in life, the golden rule of accessorising is ‘less is more’ so don’t be tempted to gild the lily! Let’s look at just scarves & jewellery to get started. For both, the same rules apply: for maximum impact you need to get the proportions right and mix colours/materials. This will help to emphasise your best features and disguise your worst. Too much safe ‘matching’ is boring and can lead to overkill, so don’t be afraid to mix gold and silver jewellery – as long as the lines are similar it will look funky and fresh.

Very heavy neck jewellery can make a big bosom look even bigger, but a bold statement piece, correctly placed, will draw the eye away from the danger area. Chokers can be very sexy, but work best on ‘swan-like’ necks:  if you’re not so blessed, use a longer necklace to create a ‘V’ shape which will draw the eye away from your neck. Long necklaces are also very slimming as they elongate your shape. Again, if you’re big-busted make sure the necklace finishes mid tummy for the most flattering effect. If you’re very slim, beware of thin chains which can serve to make you look even thinner. A better option would be a very detailed piece, or chunky beads which will add a little heaviness.

Scarves can have a similar effect: tied short around the neck is great for those lucky ladies with ballerina-like necks. For the rest of us, tied loosely and hanging down the front instantly creates a longer (i.e. slimmer) silhouette.

So, take heed of the rules but don’t be afraid to ‘mix-it-up’ a little to have some fun.

Cheap Monday Dress, £59.95

By Maria Telford, Eternal Envy

So, it’s that time of the year again for independent boutique owners, when we are finalising our buying for this season and forward ordering for next season (Autumn/Winter 12). People are surprised at how far we order in advance and often ask us “how can you know what the trends are going to be so far ahead?”  The answer is that there is far less guess work than you would imagine. Nearly all the designers sign up to trend forecasting website WGSN (membership goes into the thousands) and then base their collections on the information they find there, such as colours, shapes, etc. whilst applying their own signature style. This is one explanation as to why we see repetition in collections; the other of course is downright plagiarism.

For example by the time this edition of Moor Magazine comes out, Spring/Summer 12 collections will be starting to appear in the shops and you should start seeing spots about (note that we’re not using the word ‘dots’ this season – that’s so like two seasons ago darlink!). Or more specifically, spots on lace, which were included in one of the first collections we viewed for SS12, and we adored it. There are also micro trends that appear (i.e. the ones the likes of WGSN didn’t see coming) and these usually appear in injection collections which are the small capsule collections that fall between the two main seasons.

The cleverest way of working trends in my opinion, is to take a leaf out the of the designers’ book:  be aware of them, but employ your own twist.

Opened in early December, The Yeti’s Retreat (cleverly named by Moor Magazine readers) is all set to relight the flame of culinary passion for Heaton Mersey folk.  Run by family members Steve, KC, Sunita and Saraj, (all of whom have years of experience in other local Nepalese restaurants), this brand new restaurant is fresh and exciting and very welcome.

Delicious Mo Mo starter

Chef and food manager Steve welcomed us with a Gurkha beer, which was a lovely accompaniment to the variety of starters he’d prepared for us. First up was the cool and refreshing Chana Sandeko (spicy chickpea salad), presented in a pretty masala poppadom basket. Then we sampled the ‘momo’, which is a kind of dim sum type dumpling, but light as a feather on the outside with a delicious and exotic buffalo filling, which was dense, highly flavoursome and deliciously meaty. For veggies there’s a fragrant, vegetable option too.  These steamed or fried vegetable and meat dumplings are hugely popular in Kathmandu, making up about 80% of the total lunch and snacks served there. But our favourites of these delights were the ‘Nimki.  These are little, puffy fried crackers, surprisingly flavoured with lovage (a Mediterranean herb), and topped with moist and saucy chicken or a tasty concoction of sweet vegetables.  The fiery dip (Hmur) that is served with these little treats is not for the faint-hearted, but give it a go: it’s wonderful! Throughout, front of house manager KC talked us through every dish with charm and enthusiasm. Like Steve and chef Saroj, he’s incredibly keen that diners have a great experience and is passionate about sharing his love of Nepalese cuisine. If we were unfamiliar with anything he was delighted to enlighten us. What a gentleman!

The awesome Lamb ‘Masobhaat’

After a brief respite we were looking forward to our main course. I’m happy to report that pretty much everything is cooked fresh and to order, which gave us time to savour the next liquid lubrication recommended by Steve……. Banana bread beer! It’s not something we’d have chosen ourselves, but it was great fun and really did taste like bananas! The trick is of course that the sweet and ‘banoffee-like’ aromas work perfectly with the spicy Nepalese cuisine. Our lamb ‘Masobhaat’, an individual shank in a spicy sauce, served on a bed of rice, vermicelli noodles and coconut flavoured vegetables was a triumph: tender, sweet, spicy and creamy all at once. It was gorgeous – and deservedly popular already.  The overall style of cooking is based on the Newa (the indigenous people and creators of the historical civilization of the Kathmandu Valley) cuisine – they’re considered the food connoisseurs in Nepal, and in The Yeti’s Retreat it really shows.

Heaton Mersey Train Station

Like Heaton Chapel station, the now disappeared Heaton Mersey train station stood as a symbol of wealth and progress for Victorian Heatonians. Idyllic in style, its station cottage, awnings and platform waiting rooms rose above function, speaking of the awe local residents felt for this new addition to local life.

After all, the birth of rail signalled a new freedom; freedom brought by industry, with rail at its pivot, transporting goods with a speed and efficiency that sent profits soaring. The first major British railway line in Britain opened in 1830 between Manchester and Liverpool. In his book “Transport and Industry in Greater Manchester” Author PH Abell describes how the introduction of rail in the area confirmed Manchester as the “cradle of the industrial revolution”. The Stockport viaduct, which linked Manchester to valley-nestled Stockport and London, stands as a visualisation of the sense of growth and grandeur felt at the time.

But rail travel provided a more literal freedom too, allowing people to roam the country with an exciting new ease and speed. Significantly, passenger trains were open to rich and poor alike, meaning travel was no longer the preserve of wealthy horse and carriage owners.

Heaton Mersey station opened in 1880, becoming part of the intricate network of stations which aimed to ensure no British community was without access to passenger rail. It served a growing population of merchants and factory-workers alike, many working in local businesses such as the main employer ‘Melland and Coward’s Bleachworks’, a cotton bleaching and weaving factory. The station became a community focal point, with the nearby pub, which had previously been the ‘The Bleachers Arms’ being renamed ‘The Railway’ in its honour (now ‘The Frog and Railway’).

The 20^th Century saw a change in fortune for Britain’s railways though. By the 1950’s the rail system found itself in insurmountable debt. The rise of the motor car is often blamed for its demise, but other theories point to a system in which the management and financial structure was deeply flawed. The British government perceived that radical action was needed, and in 1963 the infamous British Transport Chairman, Doctor Beeching, published a report which recommended that hundreds of rural and lesser used stations be closed, including Heaton Mersey station.

Initially the station closed to passengers but remained open for freight, offering a lifeline of coal to the Bleachworks. But when the site switched to electricity in 1968, the station and line were deemed obsolete and finally closed.

Despite significant protest, Beeching’s report resulted in the closure of more than 2,000 British railway stations, and left Britain with only 12,000 of its accumulated 20,000 miles of railway. Nearly 70,000 jobs were lost as a result. Opinion remains divided as to whether his drastic cuts were necessary, and sadly, like many of Britain’s lost stations, its namesake pub and nearby ‘Station Road’ are the only markers of Heaton Mersey station’s former glory.

Linda sailing in the Rolex Fastnet last August

Linda Johnson, BAcC registered Acupuncturist based in Heaton Moor for the last 6 years, is leaving the area and taking a break from practising acupuncture. Linda has recently developed a passion for sailing and in August took part in the Rolex Fastnet, a very demanding yacht race, as part of the only all-woman crew participating in the 2011 race. Now she is taking a break from work to hone her sailing skills so she can eventually buy and sail her own boat. Linda says ‘Sailing is great! When you’re out on the water, you don’t think about your own problems or even the world’s problems. It’s a great way to relax as well as to get plenty of exercise. I can now understand why people ‘ran away to sea’ to start a new chapter in their lives.’ She continued ‘I’m 60 next year and feel this may be my last chance to do something different and it’s great I’ve recently found something I love doing.’

When asked if she will miss Heaton Moor and her acupuncture practice Linda said ‘I have really enjoyed being part of the Heaton Moor community and I’ve met some really fine people whilst I’ve been working here. I would like to thank all of them who have come to me for treatment over the years. It’s always a real privilege to work closely with people, to see them develop and change and then move on, able to get on with their own lives.’

Linda’s acupuncture practice closed in November 2011. Anyone looking for an acupuncturist after this date is recommended to go to the British Acupuncture Council website and click on ‘Find an Acupuncturist’.

SLH is not just about events though. The group provides information on a wide range of subjects   related to energy saving, reducing your energy bills, reducing your carbon footprint and making a difference to your community. There are trips planned for 2012: visits to an Eco house, Eco Parks and to Todmorden to find out more about the famous food growing project,  the ‘incredible edibles’.

If you would like to get involved, join us for a chat or receive updates ,please contact slheatons@hotmail.co.uk or tel Lauren Liles on 07801 951040.

In addition to the visits mentioned here, we’ve also got planned for 2012:  Another energy event, BBQ and bike ride, and the Swap Shop (Jan 28th at St Thomas Church, Heaton Chapel)

Old labels are replaced by new energy labels from Dec 2011

The new label contains other useful information, including the appliance’s noise level, drying efficiency and storage capacity. It’s designed to be easy to understand, using minimal language. The label’s new A+ ratings and discontinuation of the ratings E, F and G reflect how appliance performance has improved since the introduction of the original label in the mid-1990s. And unlike the old label, retailers will no longer have a choice whether to display the new label.  Under EU law new products cannot be sold without the new label.

It is important that you have sufficient information to make informed decisions when buying new domestic appliances and products with the energy label. Top tips are:

1. Always look for the most efficient product by ensuring the label’s colour band is the darkest green
2. An A++ class product costs around 50% less to run than an A rated appliance
3. If you’re buying a new appliance, the retailer is obliged by law to either accept your old appliance in store free of charge or tell you where it can be recycled for free
4. Many retailers can collect your old appliance from your home, although they are not obliged to do this

Severn Wye Energy Agency, a not-for-profit independent charity, is working on a pan-European project called Come on Labels. This EU funded project is reviewing retail and manufacturing compliance on the new label, and raising awareness of the importance of labelling domestic appliances.

To learn more about the EU energy label, you can download a leaflet by visiting www.swea.co.uk/energylabels  For more information on labelling, visit www.direct.gov.uk/energylabel

The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.