Local councillor sky dives for charity

Always keen for a new challenge, Somerset Councillor, Linda Vijeh, is planning to sky dive with the Red Devils at Old Sarum, near Salisbury on Sunday 15th April.

Said Linda 'I always like to push the boundaries, and a visit to see WW2 veterans sky dive last summer (see photo below) gave me the idea. After all, if at over 90 years of age they can do it, then I should be able to. It is not something I have ever considered doing before, but my sister did a charity sky dive over 20 years ago, and married the Red Devil she was paired up with! 

I support so many charities it was really difficult to decide which one to raise funds for, so I picked a name out of a hate and settled for local charity, the Jemima Layzell Trust. I am aiming to raise at least £500 so I do hope that people will support me.'

The objectives of the charity are:

To help fund the provision of treatment and care for young people (under 18’s) suffering because of brain injury.

To raise awareness and educate the public (especially young people) about the risk and impact of brain injury.

To encourage people to sign up to the NHS organ donor register.

WHAT WE DO

From hospital equipment, to dark rooms and iPads we're proud of how much we've raised the last few years so that we've been able to help children with brain injury.

Our first big donation was an EEG machine to Bristol Children's Hospital (BCH). This amazing equipment is helping to save time so that consultants are alerted to any changes in their patients brain activity, even when not physically at the hospital, and really saves lives.

Since then we have also donated two specialist seats, (a MYGO Modular Mobility Seating for children and teens with special needs, and the BEE seating system for 3 month olds to 5 years), as requested by nurses on BCH Neuro-Rehab Ward.

These chairs are brilliantly designed to not only aid posture and motor skills, but ensure that bed-ridden children can be included in activities, and therefore help stimulate their social interaction, a vital part of recovery from brain injury.

We have also donated sensory equipment: tablets, bubble lamps, dark dens, play mats and bath toys, plus unique therapy from the British Institute for Brain Injured Children, and access to the Joansen IAS auditory stimulation programme. This programme involves listening to music, specifically designed to stimulate the nerve pathways into and within the brain - in particular the areas dealing with language.

All our children are referred by either their occupational therapist, nurses and doctors on the neuro-rehab ward at Bristol Children's hospital. Or other charities like Marthacare (now part of the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal) Child Brain Injury Trust and the British Institute for Brain Injured Children.

We are always keen to hear from new lead professionals from all over the country so we can widen our geographic reach.

MyDonate fundraising page for jemima Layzell Trust

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/lindavijehskydive

Valentine's Day

Whatever your views, the very mention of St. Valentine's Day can conjure up a sense of fear and trepidation in even the most ardent admirer.
Whilst many of us may now consider it a purely commercial exercise created by business opportunists, rather than the opportunity to show one’s loved one just how much they mean to you, the tradition of Valentine’s Day, initially a Christian festival, does in fact have a long and complicated history, going back as far as the middle ages.
Gift buying and giving, along with romantic dinners, has always been something of a minefield.
Flowers, chocolate, perfume, lingerie, jewels, or wine, the sky’s the limit, but you’d be hard pushed to go far wrong with a hearts and flowers theme.

There is also the delicate balance between hope and expectation, or disappointment.
Many a proposal is made on this most romantic day of the year, although personally I’d prefer any invitation to marriage to be on another day. Will suitable candidates please join the queue.
The well established link between the scent of wine and arousal means that for me the choice of champagne as a romantic initiator is a given. There can be few more romantic gifts than Perrier Jouët Fleur de Champagne, at around £100, but better still, plump for the rosé if you can, at £130.
This is bubbly with class, an excellent cuvée with a soft approachable style and a delicate richness on the palate. The graceful Japanese anemones designed by artist Emile Gallé add to the celebratory festive feel, making the bottle alone a desirable keepsake.

The more budget conscious amongst us can make a passable Cava or Prosecco, available at around £10 a bottle, into something a little more special than the standard kir, by the addition of just a teaspoonful or rose or violet syrup, or a wild hibiscus flower in syrup, which opens up beautifully in the glass. All are available from good supermarkets.

For those not enthralled by bubbly, or if buying for the man in your life, there are reputable still wines to be had without resorting to the fake ‘Valentine’ theme.
A consistently reliable and affordable choice would be the sexy Beaujolais, "Saint-Amour". As romantic in style as its name suggests, Georges Duboeuf enhances his offering with flowers on the bottle, whilst reputable names to look out for are Jadot and Drouhin. A powerful wine with the big, red and black fruit flavours of Gamay, it goes well with any grilled meat. Around £12 a bottle.

For something a little more exotic seek out Amarula Liqueur at £12.50 a bottle.
The fruit of this tree from Africa cannot be cultivated and must be harvested in the wild.
Much favoured by elephants for its sweetness, they ram the trees to obtain the fruit. It quickly ferments once on the ground, and when elephants eat too much of it they behave as if drunk. The tree is also known as “The Marriage Tree,” as the fruit is said to have special aphrodisiac properties. Many marriage ceremonies are still held under the marula tree, so this liqueur is very appropriate for Valentine’s Day.

Whatever your choice, do remember, it is the thought that counts.
I well recall being informed not so long ago of someone receiving the gift of a Porsche.
My response, 'Did she actually want one?'
Personally, I'd rather have kindness and consideration any day of the week.

Keeping with the heart theme, Riedel, the Rolls Royce of drinking glasses, have available their 'Heart to Heart' collection, each with different bowl shapes designed to ensure that a given wine can be enjoyed to its maximum. Personally, I'd steer away from the creepy heart shaped decanters from Etienne Meneau, too much like being in a laboratory. 


Linda Piggott-Vijeh has been advising the hospitality industry on food and wine for almost three decades and has a 100% pass rating for WSET exam courses.

Wine and aphrodisiacs - the pefect pairing - As Seen in Society Magazine. Feb 2016

Alastair Sawday - Ilminster Literary Festival Speaker

As a professional Hotel & Restaurant inspector, and judge for Taste of the West I am especially delighted that, in addition to other notable authors, we have been able to secure Alastair Sawday as one of our speakers for the Ilminster Literary Festival, held this year from 30th May to 8th June.

Over the last 25 years Alastair has gained an enviable reputation for hunting out those quirky, interesting places to stay, breaking away from the norm of corporate standardisation that seems to dominate the hospitality market.

I stay away from home a great deal and always welcome somewhere that is different, whether it is for eating or sleeping. Over several decades of sleeping around the places that most readily spring to mind are those that have that indefinable 'something', which of course may not be everybody's cup of tea. We all want something different and the knack of a good hotel or B&B is to identify that and respond.

I can well recall a totally over the top 'pink' B&B in Bovey Tracy, the amazing attention to detail in Dulverton, the splendid bathroom in the Cathedral Suite at The Swan at Wells, and the waiter standing at the end of the jetty on our arrival at St. Martin's on the Isle of Scilly, with a glass of Champagne.... these places are not always the ones that gain five stars, multiple AA rosettes or Michelin stars, but you know that as a guest they have put their heart and soul into making your stay a memorable one.

The team at Ilminster Literary Festival are really looking forward to hearing Alastair talk about his experiences, and perhaps reveal a secret or two?

His mantra is .... Celebrate quirkiness and difference; Follow head and heart; Do important things, brilliantly; Bring positive energy

To this I would add my own philosophy, 'Attitude is Everything'.

In the hospitality industry not everything goes to plan all of the time; it is how you deal with the situation that counts.

Linda Piggott-Vijeh - Service Matters