tuffley link december 2012

Please mention The Tuffley-Link when responding to adverts

Delivered FREE to the residents in and around the Tuffley area

December 2012

Tuffleys Leading Local Directory linking local businesses with the local community

Often imitated, never equalled

The Tuffley-Link Part of The Link Directories (Gloucester) Ltd

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To advertise call 01452 617040

www.saintbridgesportscentre.co.uk

Tel: 01452 303768

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The Link Directories (Gloucester) Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions

or endorse companies, products or services that appear in this magazine.

Printed by: The Color Company Tel: 01242 226332 www.thecolorco.co.uk

A bit about “The TuffleyThe TuffleyThe TuffleyThe Tuffley----LinkLinkLinkLink”

Dear Neighbours,

Welcome to your December edition of your Tuffley-Link.

With the countdown now well under way to the festive period, our thoughts are turning towards

Christmas and the planning and preparation that’s involved!

Flowers can be a great present at Christmas time to say thank you to somebody, so why not visit

Plantation Florist. With their range of gifts, late night opening and discount offer with this maga-

zine, see the front cover for when they are open.

If you have Christmas parties to attend to this December and fancy a spray tan before the event,

check out Fantastic Tan on page 14, they offer ultra fast spray tans in the comfort of your own

home.

Before you go off to purchase your Christmas Tree this

year, give our article from Garden Delight a read on

page 21, where they offer hints and tips on buying your

Christmas Tree and Christmas houseplants.

Please also remember to keep an eye out for your elderly

neighbours over this festive period, with the weather

getting colder and the nights a lot darker, they will

appreciate knowing there is someone who cares. Take

some time to read an article provided by Vicky Hall,

manager of Broomfield Care, a local home care agency,

it’s full of useful and helpful tips to help those who may be

less fortunate than yourself. You can find it on page 9.

Remember we can be found on our Face book page;

www.facebook.com/TheLinkDirectories or on twitter;

www.twitter.com/@Sarah_Gerken we would love to

connect with you.

Congratulations to Carol Tarbox for winning last months

Sudoku competition, tickets to Cineworld Gloucester will

be on their way to you. Please feel free to email me your

Sudoku entries if you so wish: [email protected]

May I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Sarah.

Its easy to be in The Link Directories (Gloucester) Ltd:

Abbey-Link / Tuffley-Link

Hucclecote Link And it’s incredible value too Most importantly it works

Quarter Page from £21 Half Page from £35 Full Page from £60 (Rates subject to VAT)

For more information give me a call on

01452 617040 or e-mail

[email protected] Or visit www.thelinkdirectories.co.uk

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SMALL PRACTISE FOR SMALL CLIENTS = SMALL FEES CHARGED BY US

SELF ASSESSMENT TAX RETURNS

IMMEDIATE SERVICE AVAILABLE *

Fixed priced Accountancy/Taxation services. Accounts.

Self Assessment. Tax Returns. PAYE. VAT. Bookkeeping etc.

Self Assessment tax returns completion from £50

*Self Assessment tax returns, Accounts problems

*Free accountancy/Taxation Surgery. *Home visits to suit you

ACCOUNTANCY AND TAXATION CENTREACCOUNTANCY AND TAXATION CENTREACCOUNTANCY AND TAXATION CENTREACCOUNTANCY AND TAXATION CENTRE Accountants for the Tuffley and District AreaAccountants for the Tuffley and District AreaAccountants for the Tuffley and District AreaAccountants for the Tuffley and District Area

Annual Sales £ Annual Fee

Less Than 15,000 50—100

15,000 100

30,000 150

40,000 180

60,000 210

75,000 230

90,000 240

Over 100,000 By Negotiation

* Limited Company Accounts

* Limited Company Formation

* Partnership Accounts

* Self Employed Accounts

* Management Accounts

* Business Start Ups

Ring Mike Jefferies MAAT ICPA FCPA

01452 863304

Design and prepare architectural drawings for extensions, conversions, alterations and improvements to your home

We also carry out custom designs for new homes with your needs in mind.

All plans are prepared and submitted on your behalf for Local Authority

Building Control and Planning Approvals.

For a prompt, private and professional service call:

01452 723439 or 07973 621078

and speak to Graham or Angela for a free

quote and friendly, helpful advice.

D2B designs

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Outdoor DecorationsOutdoor DecorationsOutdoor DecorationsOutdoor Decorations More of us are decorating the garden at Christmas.

This month we discuss how to bring yuletide to the outside.

When I was a child just one family in our village strung a single strand of multi-coloured Christmas lights from a large fir tree in their front garden. Every year the whole village turned out to see Mr. Doherty's illuminations, as we grandly called them. Mrs. Doherty would make all the onlookers cocoa and we’d count down to the grand switch-on.

How times change! Now, everyone is at it and there are decorations to suit every pocket. But what if you’re a garden decoration virgin? How do you make it look good? It’s tricky when a lot of what’s on offer is so tacky.

I would suggest that you start with a theme. My suggested themes for novices would be natural, classy or toytown.

Natural

Gather lots of greenery: evergreen clippings from your garden, ivy or Christmas tree cuttings. Wire them onto lengths of rope and add colour with ribbons, sprayed pine cones and berries (you can buy artificial ones if the birds have been busy). Drape them over porches and hedges and around fences.

Candles look great providing they’re sheltered in jam jars, which can be left plain or painted with glass paint from a craft shop. Tin cans also make nice candle holders. Fill them with water, freeze them, then punch a pattern of holes in the side with a hammer and different sized nails.

Classy

Neither too much nor too little. Keep it simple with twinkling white lights strung around the front of the house and any garden trees, front and back. A simple but huge holly wreath on the door adds the finishing touch.

Toytown

This does not have to be tacky. The trick is to buy one huge, really good quality, decoration for your front or back garden; perhaps Santa’s sleigh and a reindeer. Then use strings of multi coloured lights around the house and trees

to set it off. A wreath of sweets and candy canes on the front door would complete the effect.

...And if you haven’t got a garden?

Even window boxes and balconies can be dressed in a festive manner. Simply use the suggested themes but scale them down. Red and gold baubles look great wired into green garlands. Or perhaps you could invest in an outdoor tree and sparkly lights for your balcony. The advantage of a flat is that any decorations are unlikely to be stolen if they’re three floors up! Finally...remember most neighbours are grateful for the less is more approach to front garden decorations. However if you have the time, money and understanding people next door then by all means go for it! Just make sure they’re all down by the 6th January. Nothing says ‘naff’ quite like fairy lights still flickering in February!

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Fantastic Tan

The Ultra Fast Spray Tan in the comfort of your home

Sun Kissed & Sexy the healthy way

Simply have one for a special Occasion Weddings,

Christening, Balls/Prom, Holidays.

Or just to make you feel brighter

Call Jackie

to make an appointment 0796 790 8396

Discounts for parties Gift Vouchers available

Christmas Gift

vouchers available

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December 2012 Release’s Tuesday 11th

December

GREMLINS (1984) - One Day Special Exclusive to Cineworld Cinemas Miniature green monsters tear through the small town of Kingston Falls in the 1984 clas-sic. Hijinks ensue as a mild-mannered bank teller releases these hideous loony’s after gaining a new pet and violating two of three simple rules: No water (violated), no food after midnight (violated), and no bright light. Hilarious mayhem and destruction in a town straight out of Norman Rockwell. So, when your washing machine blows up or your TV goes on the fritz, before you call the repair man, turn on all the lights and look under all the beds. 'Cause you never can tell, there just might be a gremlin in your house.

Friday 14th

December

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that sur-prise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unex-pected and useful qualities ...

TINKERBELL & THE SECRET OF THE WINGS Tinker Bell meets Periwinkle and ventures into the winter woods with her and Tinker Bell's other friends to find the secret of fairy wings.

Friday 21st

December

LIFE OF PI Based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, is a magical adventure story centring on Pi Patel, the precocious son of a zoo keeper. Dwellers in Pondicherry, India, the family decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a huge freighter. After a shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a 26-foot lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orang-utan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all fighting for survival.

Wednesday 26th

December

JACK REACHER In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But the accused man claims he's innocent and says "Get Jack Reacher." Reacher (Tom Cruise) himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defence is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bar-gained for.

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Sudoku - Complete the puzzle by 20th December 2012

and return, with your name and address, to The Tuffley-Link,

30 Dancers Hill, Abbeymead, Gloucester, GL4 5TY to be in with a

chance of winning 2 cinema tickets

How to Play

Fill in the grid so that eve-

ry row, every column, and

every 3x3 box contains

the digits 1 through 9,

with no repetition!

That's all there is to it.

You solve the puzzle with

reasoning and logic -

there’s no maths involved

and no adding up.

It's fun. It's challenging.

It's addictive!

Nippers, Babies & Toddlers Group

St Barnabas Church Hall - Stroud Road On

Wednesday Mornings 9.30 am - 11.30am - Term Time Only

£1.50 for 1st Child

and 50p additional children Children get a healthy snack and a drink

Adults get tea/coffee and a piece of unhealthy cake!

We have a weekly craft, lots of toys and activities

Starts Weds 11th September

Just turn up or contact Karen 01452 556112 or 07974 409969

Rachel 01452 413201 For more information

3 6 7

8 1 2

9 8 2

8 2 3 5

5 1 3

6 9 4 8

6 4 8

2 7 5

4 5 9

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YOUR FREE I.T. CLUB AT TUFFLEY LIBRARY

DO YOU WANT TO KEEP ABREAST OF I.T. TECHNOLOGY, THEN COME ALONG TO THE FREE...TUFFLEY LIBRARY I.T. CLUB, ON THURSDAY'S FROM 11 AM - 1 PM

OUR TEAM'S COLLECTIVE I.T. KNOWLEDGE BASE, IS FREE & DESIGNED TO HELP SORT YOUR PC,LAPTOP,COMPUTER ISSUES? (SAVE YOURSELF £.£’s), OUR TEAM OF VOLUNTARY EXPERTS

OFFER THIS SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY & IT IS FREE ! Firstly it is pleasing to note that due to the support of the Link local advertising for our community, that this is now our 3rd Monthly newsletter to be published in the Tuffly Link Magazine, since the word has got out we have had a variety and steady flow of interested individuals attending the I.T club, all with varying degrees of Computer I.T. issues for us to successfully resolve. Whilst It's hard to believe, it has actually now been a whole 12 months (since October 2011) when our group of volunteers got together and commenced offering a FREE I.T. Club at Tuffley Library, running on every Thursday between 11 am - 1 pm. The current feed back to date has been very good, for between the group we have managed to suc-cessfully resolve numerous individual I.T. problems. We hope the encouragement continues to spread as we continue to offer our FREE I.T. support and guidance to all within the community who wish to pop along. As always we look forward to seeing you soon, your friendly, FREE I.T. Club at the Tuffley Library.

Remember & Please Note; A complete Tune Up of your equipment is available, but you must ensure your Battery is fully charged on your equipment, before a Tune Up can be carried out..

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Gardening Tips for December from Garden Delight...Gardening Tips for December from Garden Delight...Gardening Tips for December from Garden Delight...Gardening Tips for December from Garden Delight... Here are a few tips on buying your Christmas tree and Christmas houseplants.Here are a few tips on buying your Christmas tree and Christmas houseplants.Here are a few tips on buying your Christmas tree and Christmas houseplants.Here are a few tips on buying your Christmas tree and Christmas houseplants. Christmas Trees The Christmas tree in Britain is a fairly modern custom dating back to the 1840’s when Prince Albert brought the custom to Britain from his native Germany. Trees were traditionally decorated with candles, sweets small presents and paper chains. An angel on the top completed the festive picture. The Norway spruce was the original choice for most households but these days there a few more types to choose.

Norway Spruce The traditional tree, a light green colour and by far the most affordable. This type does not hold its needles well and will need lots of watering and plenty of patience when you come to remove the tree after Christmas!

Nordmann Fir The most popular ‘no needle drop’ tree. Typically cone shaped, usually very bushy. The nee-dles soft and glossy dark green with a white stripe on the underside

Noble Fir Very similar and often confused with the Nordman, it’s more upright and has short stiff well spaced branches which make it good for hanging decorations. It has great needle holding qualities and releases a lovely fragrance into the room. Other types you occasionally see for sale – Scots Pine – bushy shape good needle retention a lovely fragrance.

Fraser Fir – dense and upright, holds needles well. Serbian Spruce a nice narrow tree which occasionally has cones but poor needle retention.

Choosing and caring for your cut tree. Buy from a reputable grower or retailer, always ask to see the tree unwrapped and never buy a tree that’s been stored inside. Don’t be fooled by signs that say ‘fresh trees daily’ it often doesn’t mean they have been cut that day just delivered that day... Most trees will be cut a while before they are delivered to the stores ideally after the first frost as this can ‘set’ the needles in the tree and help prevent needle drop. Trees used to be sold by the foot but metric measurements and pricing policies make this difficult to do. Basically trees are measured from the base to the top of the last set of branches as they are folded to the top tip. Once you get your tree home cut an inch off the bottom of the stem and put it in a bucket of water, when you are ready to bring it inside make sure you use a stand which holds water and top this up frequently; its not unusual for trees to go through lots of wa-ter, keeping them topped up will mean the tree will stay fresher and hold its needles longer.

Potted Trees A lot of people are tempted to buy potted trees and plant them out after Christmas. It’s a great money saving idea but here are a few tips. Notice the difference between container grown and containerised... If they are grown in the container they stand a much better chance of surviving but be realistic... You are taking a tree from minus temperatures into a well heated house for two weeks and then back outside into the cold... Don’t be too surprised if they don’t cope with this!

Christmas Houseplants It’s quite common to buy a Christmas houseplant either for yourself or as a gift. Here are a few tips to help choose and get the most from your purchase.

Poinsettia – best for warm draft free rooms, water from the top with tepid water and make sure the plant is kept out of chills on its journey home. Choose plants with tight flower buds (these are the yellow buds in the middle of the red leaves; they stay fresher and last longer.

Cyclamen- best for a cool room, water only from the bottom, standing in a saucer of water for a couple of hours then remove and allow to drain. Over watering and high temperatures cause the leaves to wilt. When buying hold the plant up to the light and check how many new flower buds are hidden in the leaves, a healthy plant should stand up side down on its own leaves in the palm of your hand.

Azalea – Best for a room where the temperature is a constant 10-15 degrees. Water by submerging the whole pot in water and wait until the air bubbles stop, let it drain and don’t let it stand in water. Ideally use rain water as these plants are acid lovers. A happy plant will have a centimeter of dark brown stem just out of the soil this shows its ideally watered and when this ‘lightens’ in colour its time to water again.

Plant of the month – Hamamelis Mollis – Chinese witch Hazel. Spectacular plant which starts to flower in December, bright spider like flowers appear on leaf less branches. Heavily scented you can cut a few stems for indoor decoration. Not a small plant and not cheap but defiantly worth the space and expense, its easy to grow and undemanding in the garden. Be sure to get the ‘mollis’ variety as this have the most flowers and most scent.

Check out our web site www.gardendelight.co.uk for a full listing of the services offered Disclaimer – these tips are the result of many years experience in gardening however no guarantees can be given. Remember there are principles to successful gardening but no formulas.

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Index of advertisers Your quick guide to everyone and everything in your Directory…

Contact The Tuffley-Link 30 Dancers Hill, Abbeymead, Gloucester, GL4 5TY Tel: 01452 617040 Email:[email protected]

VISIT: www.thelinkdirectories-co.uk FOLLOW: @Sarah_Gerken LIKE: TheLinkDirectories

ACCOUNTANT Accountancy & Taxation

Centre 4

ADVERTISING The Best Of Gloucester 23

AIR CONDITIONING Charmont 18

ARCHITECT ASW Design 19

D2B Design 4

BLINDS Linda’s Blinds 6

CARAVAN SERVICING GL Caravan Care 6

CARE AGENCY Broomfield Care 9

CARPENTER Richleigh Carpentry 5

CHILD CARE Childminder 17

CHILDRENS PARTIES Bohemian Beads 10

CHIROPRACTICE Chiropractic Wellness

Centre 14

COMMUNITY CENTRE Saintbridge Sports Centre 2

COMPUTER

MAINTENANCE Cotswold Computer Medic 5

CONSERVATORY CARE Taylors Conservatory Care 10

ELECTRICIAN Bright Sparks 10

Cleevely Electrical 6

Hammond Electrics 11

JB Electrical 18

FLOORING Kingfisher Flooring 24

FLORIST Plantation Florist 1

GARDENING Garden Delight 21

MASSAGE THERAPIST Remedial Sports Therapy 14

Sports Massage Therapy 14

PET CARE Abbey Pet Care 7

Animals at Home 7

Nails and Tails 7

PLANT HIRE Ermin Plant Hire 12

PLUMBING & HEATING Charmont 18

T J Robins 11

PROPERTY LETTINGS Chosen Lettings 19

SECURITY Glevum Security 13

SOCIAL CLUB Robinswood Hill Social Club 15

SPRAY TAN Fantastic Tan 14

WINDOW REPAIRS Cloudy 2 Clear 11

Glass Fix Glazing 11

Longlevens Window Repair 6

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