< Previous20 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYHOMES - FINISHING TOUCHESThosefinishingtouchesWhen you’ve finally finished renovating or decorating, what you place in that room canreally tie the room together. Why not invest in some tasteful finishing touches thatreflect your personality as well as giving your home that classy, lived-in look. Luzelle van der Westhuizen printThis A2 print shows a lonely little sail boat at sea being overwhelmed by graphicbright turquoise waves. It is a silkscreen-printed original drawing made with love inthe artist’s studio using traditional silkscreen methods on 300gsm white Snowdonpaper. Each print is individual, with a whole range available to choose from.Price: £60 www.mengsel.comNewgate Camden Market Clockfrom Leekes This tasteful and weathered-looking clock is finished inantique cream and is astylish addition to anyhome it should synch inwith any theme you mayhave chosen with itsunderstated elegance. Price: £75 www.leekes.co.ukRoberts Revival DABRadio inDuck Egg Blue No kitchen is complete without somemusic to do the dishes to and whatbetter option than to go for somethingstylish that can pick up a whole hostof different genres through a digitalsignal? The colour is neutral and softenough to fit in with any colourscheme.Price: £149 www.leekes.co.uk20-21:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:21 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY21HOMES - FINISHING TOUCHESShaker Style White Distressed Vintage Heart Cupboard This is a beautiful vintage inspired, distressed white cupboard with vintage brass hooks and shelf.Hand carved by local artisans from sustainable mango wood, they are individually distressed byhand to give a unique and vintage finish. A perfect addition to the country home. Price: £65.95 www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.comRowntree 9 Bottle Wine RackThis swirly metal wine rack is made in cast aluminium andcomes with an appealing textured surface. The curly branchesloop to store your favourite wines, giving the impression of anabstract tree sculpture rather than just a funky metal wine rack. Price: £204 www.artisanti.comHousekeeping CupboardA perfect addition if you need a quick storage solution, thisstunning wooden Housekeeping Cupboard with distressedpaintwork finish is made to look like an old and well-lovedpiece of furniture. Painted in a fifties shade of green and creamwith vintage paper to the rear, the cupboard can be wall-mounted or left to stand free and comes with an inner shelf. Price: £150 www.berryred.co.ukFor all your finishing touchesNow Onlinewww.follie.co.uk83 Bailgate, Lincoln, LN1 3ARTel: 01522 57940020-21:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:21 Page 222 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYGARDENSKaren and Bob Ward moved toWillow Cottage in 1996. After morethan twenty years of running asuccessful business in Skegness, theywere looking for a lifestyle change.They certainly found that here - alovely converted farm building locatedin a fantastically rural location, with agarden that has true potential.The garden surrounding the cottagewas originally just under an acre, butwhen a neighbouring field came upfor sale, the couple were quick to makethe purchase and they now have fouracres of beautiful gardens, woodedareas, a stream and ponds – an everevolving natural oasis, which couldquite easily be a scene from a fairytale!Since moving here, Karen and Bobhave become keen gardeners, workinghard to transform their outdoor spaceinto a garden of peace and tranquillity.Karen tells us that Bob’s mum sharedher passion for horticulture with themand it was her influence that reallyinspired Karen to appreciate differentplants and shrubs and experimentwith new ideas. Karen also volunteered as a gardenerat nearby Gunby Hall for two yearsand it was there that she met a smallgroup of fellow volunteers who sharedtheir own tips and advice, in particularStephanie Lee from Marigold Cottagein Sutton-on-Sea, whose own garden isopen to visitors on Sunday 2ndSeptember and by appointment.Stephanie introduced Karen to theNational Gardens Scheme and, twoyears ago, Karen and Bob beganopening their garden to visitors andraising money for the NGS and othercharitable causes.Over the past fifteen years, theWards garden has continued to evolveand develop. Planting is in the‘cottage garden’ style. In addition,three natural ponds, surrounded bymajestic mature trees, create a naturalhabitat for local wildlife and the mostwonderful garden vista.At one with natureThis location was previously used asa gravel pit and a drainage system wasstill in place. A straight drain wasrunning right through the centre ofthe garden at Willow Cottage. Bob andKaren have since transformed thisnatural water course into a beautifulmeandering stream which flowsdirectly into one of the ponds andcontinues through to theneighbouring farmland.Structural elements of the gardenhave been added by Bob, including awonderful bridge over the stream,made using reclaimed groins from thebeach. For the past six years, the couplehave been assisted by fellow gardener,Alan Smith, who has become a keyfigure in helping to maintain thegarden throughout the year.Karen is very much the creativeThe enchanted gardenAt a truly enchanted garden at Willow Cottage, Burgh le Marsh, wediscover how our reader’s are mixing a unique and picturesque setting. It’sa garden full of variety and interestThe enchanted garden22-25:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:50 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY23GARDENSgardener and she loves to experiment with newshrubs and plants, introducing new varieties tocreate year round interest.The striking feature about this garden is just hownatural it looks. With the Lincolnshire landscape asa backdrop, this enchanted hidden garden is everevolving and cleverly combines cottage garden styleplanting with a less formal natural oasis.Karen explains, “When trees fall, we often leavebranches and trunks in situ. This adds a wildelement to the space and provides an excellentframework for us to plant around.”Near to the cottage, Karen has created a morecontrolled cottage garden, with shrub borders andfloral blooms, including tulips, fritillaria andhellebores. This leads down to the stream, the jettyand the ponds in the wilder part of the garden.“When we first moved here, the ponds had to bedredged and we removed tonnes of silt,” explainsKaren. “We then created banks, using logs to createa terraced effect, leading down to the water andadded plants which would grow well in this dampenvironment.” Karen’s friend Jean Pooke, who lives in Bratoft,was very much involved in this stage of thegarden’s development and she shared with Karenmany ideas for planting the most appropriatespecies.Self sufficientMore recently, Karen and Bob have added themost beautiful Victorian greenhouse in a locationcloser to the house. Here, Karen is cultivatingprimroses and has many varieties of seed andvegetables in pots, ready to transfer to the vegetablepatch when the weather improves. The couple arealso very keen on composting and have an organicleaf mould rotation system in place. The lawned area of the garden is surrounded bypretty borders, full of forget-me-nots, aconites,delphiniums, foxgloves, lilies and fritillaria. On theterrace next to the cottage, a pergola has beenerected and this is the perfect spot for visitors toadmire the garden and enjoy tea and homemadecake!From here, we can also see the owl box up on thetree, which attracts tawny owls to nest each year.Originally making their home in the nearby willow25 Karen andBob Ward,with AlanSmith andhis grandson22-25:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:50 Page 224 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFor all your landscaping needs...Belton RoadSandtoftDoncasterDN8 5SX(Next to the Trolley Bus Museum)T. 01724 712 349Display CentreNOW OPENMon to Fri - 7.30 until 17.00Sat - 8.30 until 12.30Landscaping products to suit any budgetCome and see our exclusive range of Fired Earth natural stone flagstones and block paving...Contact us for a new 2012 brochure22-25:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:50 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY25GARDENStree, a specialist visited to erect the box and ring the owls, sothat the birds can now be tracked – a truly amazing sight tosee the tawny owls return year after year.As we continue our tour of the garden, we soon arrive atthe aptly named Sunset Breeze House – a summer housewhich the couple erected in the top corner of the garden,with amazing views of the Gunby Estate and the countrysidebeyond - the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine and watchthe sunset in the evenings.The wooded area around the ponds can easily be viewedfrom here and as we entered this section of the garden, it feltlike a real ‘Tom Sawyer’ adventure! Fallen trees, wooden pathsalongside the ponds and bridges made of reclaimed beachgroins, nooks and crannies to explore and flora and fauna allaround – this aspect of the garden is full of interest and alovely peaceful setting.To the other side of this area is a large field which thecouple now open to visitors who want to stay in their touringcaravans – the site is also Caravan Club approved. Visitorseven have their own champagne bar – a lovely open-plansummer house above the pond, where they can relax with aglass or two and enjoy the views.Karen tells us that the garden is constantly evolving and,more often than not, the couple let it flourish organically.She explains, “Plants have a life span and, when that comesto an end, we see it as an opportunity to try something new.This is our own piece of paradise and we look forward toseeing the garden come to life as the year progresses.” The garden at Willow Cottage is truly magical and wellworth a visit. This year, the NGS open day is on Saturday28th April from 1pm to 7pm. Visitors and gardening groupsare welcome by appointment. The garden will also be openon Saturday 26th May to raise money for Macmillan, with asimilar event last year successfully raising over £600.For further information, call 01754 811450 or visitwww.willowcottage.webs.comThe countyʼs largest stockists of Stihl machinesEstablished over 45 yearsSALES - SERVICE - PARTSCall us today on01526 388281or visit ourwebsitewww.charles-h-hill.co.ukMoor Lane, Horsington, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, LN10 5HHSTIHL Cordless Power SystemMobile. Silent. Powerful. Typical STIHL.They have arrived! Cordless powerhouses from STIHL designed to operate innoise-sensive areas as well as around the house and garden. The new 36 Vcordless machines combine innovave motor and baery technology withfirst-class machine engineering to produce a brushless, electronically controlled electric motor (EC). The power fromthe lithium-ion baery packs is opmised toachieve a high degree of efficiency and enhancethe performance of the machine. The powerfullithium-ion baery pack is compable with allother STIHL cordless machines.22-25:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:50 Page 426 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYRENEWABLE ENERGYWith energy bills continuing toskyrocket, it’s not surprising that moreand more people are looking to moreeffective and efficient forms ofgenerating energy. You can’t fail tohave noticed the increasing numbersof wind turbines and solar panels thatare springing up around the region.Indeed, our part of the UK iscertainly taking the lead when itcomes to this increasingly importantsector. Many find wind turbines inLincolnshire’s wide open spaces lessthan pleasant to look at, but theoffshore turbines are making adifference and our region is benefittingfrom a host of companies wishing touse the area as a place to build andmaintain turbines.Happily too there are other methodsof renewable energy that may wellmake a major contribution that requireless obtrusive methods. For example,the Humber estuary has perfect depthand tidal flow to generate electricitythrough marine methods.Save energyand save cashOur region is leading the world in renewable energy – in all shapes and sizesMarine energy is certainly a sector inwhich the UK is making the earlyrunning – indeed, its waters are hometo seven of the world’s eight full-scaleprototype devices installed, and thegovernment suggests that up to 20% ofthe UK’s capacity could be provided bymarine energy by 2050. That does,however, depend on the cost which atthe moment is largely prohibitive andit’s estimated that it won’t be until2020 that the sector will be able tomake a major contribution.Nevertheless, our part of the world iswell-placed to benefit from theincreased interest in this sector, andThe Deep in Hull is among thebuildings now receiving a sizeablepercentage of its power from thesemethods.On the domestic scale, solar andwind energy remain at the top of theagenda. There has been muchdiscussion in recent months regardingthe size of the grants homeowners canreceive, which have been reduced bythe government. However the mainpoint of the reduction was to avoid ahuge chunk of the funding for grantsgoing to big companies who aregenerating large amounts of energy,leaving little for homes and smallbusinesses.Even though there has been areduction, though, it certainly doesn’tmean it’s not worth your while. AsDavid Street of renewable energyexperts RapidServ points out, “If yourmotivation for installing panels islargely to cut your existing costsrelating to electricity, then my view isdon’t panic. Energy costs are likely tocontinue to rise and fitting solarpanels and using the electricitygenerated will not only save youmoney immediately, but – as theseprices keep increasing – ultimately youwill be saving more money every timeother customers see an increase intheir costs.”The current Feed-in Tariff scheme,which comes into force on April 1st,The Neptune Proteus is towedto its destination in theHumber Estuary where it willprovide valuable powerPHOTO: COURTESY SHIP SUPPORT LTDSave energyand save cash26-28:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:22 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY27RENEWABLE ENERGYoffers a payment of 21p/kwh for domesticinstallations – guaranteed for 25 years, indexlinked and tax free. This means that, if youinvest in a solar energy system for yourhome, it can easily pay for itself within abouta decade or so – and that’s not including themoney you’ll then also save on your energybills and the cash raised by selling surpluselectricity back to the energy companySolar panels on an average family homecan save more than two tonnes of carbondioxide per year. A typical home in the UKcreates six tonnes of CO2 so solar panels canreduce your carbon footprint by a third. At atime, too, when people are looking to givetheir homes a vital competitive advantage onthe housing market, installing solar energyequipment can prove particularly attractiveto potential buyers. As homes now need toacquire an Energy Performance Certificatewhen they’re sold, it’s well worth consideringthe use of renewable energy as a majorselling point.In addition to solar energy, biomass is28 Although the Feed-In Tariff hasbeen reduced, homes can stillbenefit from a decent return26-28:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:22 Page 228 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYRENEWABLE ENERGYScenergy leadsthe wayWhen setting up Scenergy in 2010, long-established Louth-based electrical engineers Seymour & Castle led the way by beingthe first large electrical contractor in Lincolnshire to expand theirbusiness in to the renewable technologies sector.Scenergy has full MCS accreditation and REAL membership forSolar PV system design and installation, enabling clients to takeadvantage of the Government backed Feed-in Tariff scheme. Thishas recently been reviewed by the DECC to a level of 21p/kwh fordomestic installations. These payments are guaranteed for 25years, index linked and tax free. The return on investing in a SolarPV system can be as high as 8%.Businesses, farms and so on can also still benefit from goodreturns as daytime usage is effectively discounted by the FIT rateproducing similar returns in many cases – a considerableimprovement on what most banks are currently offering! Scenergy is developing its business into other cost effectiveenergy saving technologies such as Voltage Optimisation, whichcan cut up to 10% from your electricity bill. LED lighting systemsare also becoming more economically viable and thereforeincreasingly popular.For more information regarding Solar PV systems, call01507 607800 or visit www.scenergy.co.ukbecoming an increasingly popular source of energy andhouseholds who invest in this will also soon be able tobenefit from government support. Biomass technology burnsfuels that are from renewable sources or waste products and,therefore, will not cause an increase in carbon dioxide. Thenew Renewable Heat Incentive offers payment to those whoinstall renewable heat systems such as solar thermal panels,heat pumps or a biomass boiler. It’s estimated that theaverage household, which uses around 15,000kWh of heat ayear, should receive about £1400 a year.The launch of the Incentive was delayed slightly until theend of last year so its application to homes isn’t likely to be fora while longer yet. In the meantime it is becoming introducedinto businesses and two installations in Yorkshire – amanufacturing company in Penistone and holiday cottages inBeverley – were the first to benefit from the new scheme.Biomass energy is attracting more and more interest. InCaistor, for example, Caistor Energy Partnership andGroundwork Lincolnshire have won funding from thegovernment to look into constructing a biogas plant. Theplant will turn waste into heat, electricity and fertiliser and,it’s hoped, will provide a substantial amount of power forCaistor’s industrial estate. Indeed, many people acrossLincolnshire may well be getting most, if not all, of theirenergy from renewable sources sooner rather than laterOn a far larger scale, the grandly-titled Humber RenewableEnergy Super Cluster Enterprise Zone is likely to play a majorrole in the future prosperity of the North of the county. TheGovernment’s approval of the special status for the area willposition the region as a leading home for the operation andmaintenance of offshore wind farms. The Marine Energy Parkon the South Bank of the Humber is a great example of thepotential for this region to be in at the ground floor in thegreat renewable energy boom, and it’s been suggested thatrenewables could be as important, and as lucrative, to thispart of the world as North Sea oil was to the highlands ofScotland in the past.Renewable energy is clearly beginning to make a difference,both on the large scale we see in the Humber estuary to thesmall scale systems a growing number of people are installingat home. Not only are these helping to save the planet,they’re also saving cash – and Lincolnshire is well-placed toreap the rewards.The Humber estuary has realbenefits for marine energyTaershall Way, Fairfield Industrial Estate, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 0YZTel: 01507 607800Fax:01507 607717E-mail:info@scenergy.co.uk www.scenergy.co.uk Solar PV Design & InstallationSolar PV Design & Installation26-28:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:22 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY29SOCIAL SCENEPHOTOS BY RICHARD PICKSLEYGuest of honour of the latest meeting of the LincolnSportsman’s Club at the Bentley Hotel was rugby legend BillBeaumont CBE. Although the pinnacle of Bill’s career was his34 appearances for England, 21 of them as Captain, and hisseven appearances for the British and Irish Lions, a generationwill probably know him best as a regular on A Question ofSport for over a decade. The good humour exhibited by Bill onTV was illustrated again as he entertained the audience withnumerous anecdotes and funny stories.As ever there was also time to present a cheque to anothertalented local sports star. Promising badminton player TomWoodcock received cash to help support his training.For more information about the Sportsman’s Club and theirupcoming events, visit www.lincolnsportsmans.com.Richard and Matt BallardKeith Saunders, Neil Brewer and Dean WatsonPeter Carr, Roy Froggatt, Patrick Sullivan, Bernard RossEric Gledhill, Paul Couldron, Phil Grundy, John CopseyJim Sturton, Brian Lamb, Steve Church, Trevor Mason, John DixonJimmy Carol, BillBeaumont, TomWoodcock, John Kelly,Ian Woottan, RoyFroggatt, Neil Goddard,Casper Boyles, DaveCooper, George Gilbert,Rod TaylorA questionof sport inLincolnKelly Bloom’s party29:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:23 Page 1Next >