< Previous80 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYDAYS OUT - SKEGNESSrenowned international beer writer, Roger Protz. This could well be seen as amecca for the ale drinker and could be the perfect place to relax after a day onstomach-churning rollercoasters!Although the SO Festival runs at the end of June, July still holds its fair share ofevents, the International Meccano Model Show comes to the Embassy Theatre onJuly 6th, so children and big kids alike can marvel at this nostalgic andcaptivating toy. Skegness really is the place to go in the county for that charming, fun timeaway, with plenty to do, great places to eat and unbeatable fish and chips. Ifyou’ve not paid Skegness a visit in a while, make it your aim to return this year,you won’t be disappointed.What we love aboutSkegnessThe sea. Always on the move, alwayschanging its mood. Not as romantic as theIndian Ocean or as fierce as the SouthernOcean, but the sea nevertheless, whichdefines our island nation.Fish and Chips. You’ve just got to, haven’tyou? Seaview Fisheries on Sea View Road isa good place to be, and get some goodreviews.People watching. All human life is here, andwatching the crowds ebb and flow is like asoap opera – but with better characters.Ice cream. The whippy kind, for preference.Can I have a flake in mine, please?Natureland Seal Sanctuary. Educational aswell as fun.Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve. People aren’tthe only animals that love the coast, and weought to remember the others as well!Skegness has corners which hark backto the way the seaside used to beSue Kitchen | Managing Partner23 Algitha Road, Skegness Lincolnshire PE25 2AGTel: 01754 766 991 |Fax: 01754 769 318skegness@hwca.com |www.hwca.com/skegnessWe provide high quality financial advice to local businesses and individuals. Being part of Haines Watts places us in a unique position - allowing us to offer our national range of services without losing the local personal attention to detail. Being in Skegness we are always close by to pop in and have a chat and help and advise you.We specialise in Accountancy, Book Keeping, Tax Planning, VAT and Financial Services.Corporate Finance Taxaon VAT I.T & Accountancy soware support Expenses Asset Finance078-080:Layout 1 14/6/12 16:17 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY81The Presenter’s HandbookNot everyone can hold the floor with a tight grip. Calling on over sixtyyears of combined experience, Phillip Adcock and Ian Callow showcase avast range of methods to completely transform theway individuals speak in public.Kiddiwalks in LincolnshireCatherine W Smith presents twenty circular walksbetween one and a half and three and a half miles inlength. Each walk has suggestions of thingsto see and do and suggestions for family-friendly pubs and cafes.The Women’s Institute Vintage TeatimeCompiled from the historic WI archive, enjoy a host of authenticrecipes from WI members from all over the UK, from well-knownfavourites to regional and historic gems that have stood the test oftime.TheReviewAlistair Griffin – ‘Albion Sky’Alistair is best known for JustDrive, “the sound of Formula 1”,which is taken from his newalbum, a record that isunderpinned by intricatemelodies, soaring choruses anda direct lyrical approach. Alistairhas had tracks recorded andperformed by artists as diverse as Robin Gibb andCascada.Luke White – ‘Outside In’Luke White’s debut album is amature, melodic record from anincredibly gifted and talentedsinger, songwriter, musician andproducer. Luke’s debut EP wasreleased in 2011, drawing greatpraise, and writing andperforming on both guitar andkeys, Luke has crafted the entirealbum to flow as a smoothly conceived whole.Dixon of Dock GreenThis hugely popular series ran on the BBC for 21 yearsand this British institution finally comes to DVD. In thesefirst available colour episodes, the Dock Green police mustdeal with cases as diverse as a vanished policeman, a mysterious assailantof young women and a charming crook with friends in the right places.Britain’s Lost Routes with GriffRhys JonesJoin Griff Rhys Jones as he sets out on an epicadventure to uncover the lost routes across Britain thathave shaped our landscape and our history. Britainwas once a difficult country to travel, yet for pleasure,profit and piety our ancestors travelled along a vastnetwork of routes spread throughout the nation.Mystery Science Theater 3000:The MovieFrom the makers of the highly successful cult classicTV series comes one of the most outrageous, irreverentand hilarious big screen spoofs ever. Mad scientist DrClayton Forrester has concocted a diabolical schemefor world domination, to subject the human race to theworst movies ever made.musicbooksdvdsDo Not DisturbScreen legend Doris Day stars in thehumorous and wonderfully entertainingrom-com which comes to DVD for thefirst time. American couple Mike andJanet Harper must relocate to London,but when Mike starts at the new officehe has his head turned by a newsecretary and Janet, is taken in by thecharms of an amorous antiques dealer,with hilarious consequences.Pickof the Month081:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:34 Page 1Ballistic warfare82LINCOLNSHIRETODAYactive lincolnshireAs regular readers will know, we’vebeen challenged to take part in a weirdor wacky activity each month, and toshow you how much interesting stuffis going on in our local area. Thismonth I go to meet with Geoff fromRevenge Paintball, who claims he hasa very interesting day set up for me…Now I’ve mentioned before thatpaintballing hasn’t always been mything in the past. My complaints werethat the guns were always wildlyinaccurate, the games were incrediblyshort, and it really hurts! Well I’m happy to announce thatthe policy at Revenge may have totallyturned me around on this issue. I havebeen to other paintballing sites and allof them seem to subscribe to thewildly inaccurate school of thought,perhaps it’s knowing that if a guncan’t hit the broad side of a barn, thecustomer has to buy more paintballs. Not so here, Geoff explains thatthey regularly take apart and performmaintenance on the guns, and theyeven reduce the speed at which theyfire compared to other places. Havinga more controlled speed means thepaintball follows a cleaner trajectory,and also hurts less at the other end. Safety is of course paramount, andwe begin the day with a detailed safetybrief. There’s a large number of nettedareas to protect people, and marshalswatch the entrances to ensure no oneaccidentally takes a gun through. Withthe safety brief done we all piled outinto the woods to get the party rolling!Our first game is Saddam’s secretand involves an attacking teamstorming a weapons plant and hittinga button, which then activates somesafe pyrotechnics to simulate anexplosion. Once again I’m no strangerto paintball and storylines being madeup, but here at Revenge they really gothe extra mile. The battlefieldconsisted of a two-storey silo complex,and there are a number of containerswith biohazard signs on. Colouredsmoke grenades pump yellow smokefrom the top, while what sounds andfeels like a real explosion finished it alloff. Even the simple fact that we get topunch a massive red button makes itfeel real. Our next game involved rescuingsome information from a downedGerman aeroplane and taking it backto base, and once again there is anactual aeroplane downed in themiddle of the forest, fake smokebillowing from inside it. Feeling highon our last two victories I was first toreach the downed plane and rippedopen the door to look inside, catchinga waft of smoke in my face and twopaintballs to the chest for my efforts!They don’t want the games to end tooquickly at Revenge though, and inmost games you have more than onelife. So a short walk back to base toremove my arm band, signifying a lostlife, and I was back in the action,though more cautious than before! Our final game of the day waspossibly the most enjoyable. We re-enacted a Vietnam style battle, whereattacking forces would use the thickcover of jungle-like terrain to sneakclose to and attack a fortified towerwith bunkers. Our objective was totake the base and lower the Americanactive lincolnshireJoin Michael fromLincolnshire Today as heteams up with RevengePaintball to show you there’smore going on in our countythan you realise.Ballistic warfare082-083:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:36 Page 1YOUNGGUNSRevenge Paintball runs a young guns academy forchildren between the ages of 11 and 17. This takes parton the first Sunday of each month, and it’s just £20 totake part. For that you also get four hundred paintballs,and each hundred after that is just £5. Brave parentsare also allowed to take part, if they dare. But the realgoal is to give a safe and fun environment for theyounger players to interact with one another. LINCOLNSHIRETODAY83flag flying atop the tower. Working together,we planned our attack from three differentangles at once, and by sending a delayed groupround the back we managed to completely takethe enemy by surprise. Victory was ours!Cooling off in the safe zone after andswapping stories with allies and enemies alikeGeoff takes me aside to show me the secondpart of his plan for me – zorbing. Zorbing is asport that could only have been invented by aperson with a hamster, because it’s basicallytwo people strapped into a huge inflatableball, and rolled down a steep hill. You’ve got to roll with it…Now I’m the kind of person who can getsick driving in a car for over an hour, and Ican’t go on roller coasters without needing tosit down afterwards. Obviously high off myimpressive performance in paintballing Iconfidently (foolishly) stepped up to thechallenge and was happy to be strapped intomy hamster ball. The hill didn’t even seem allthat steep when climbing up it.It felt a lot steeper going down it! Over andover, round and round. The zorb bouncesdown the track and the two people strappedinside are frantically spun about inside theball. Being fully inflated, there’s no pain ordiscomfort, in fact you can feel the ballbouncing as you roll down the track. Beingstrapped tightly in also prevents any injuriesfrom occurring, though it also means you haveto suffer through the entire ride. I only spentfive minutes lying on my back trying to makethe sky stay still. Incredible fun, but I darednot do it twice in a row! active lincolnshireactive lincolnshireYOUNGGUNSRevenge Paintball runs a young guns academy forchildren between the ages of 11 and 17. This takes parton the first Sunday of each month, and it’s just £20 totake part. For that you also get four hundred paintballs,and each hundred after that is just £5. Brave parentsare also allowed to take part, if they dare. But the realgoal is to give a safe and fun environment for theyounger players to interact with one another. PAINTBALLCorporate Paintball Game Days l TeamBuilding, Leadership l Pares & more!www.revengepaintball.co.ukBrigg Road l Hibaldstow l Brigg l N lincs l DN20 9PDCall for more informaon on 01652 650629082-083:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:36 Page 284 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYSOCIAL SCENEPeter Jay and theShowgirlsVegas showgirls withorganiser Vikki AllenPHOTOS BY ALAN LONGOnly girls allowed!Only girls allowed!St Barnabas Spalding Hospice recently held its Ladies Only Ball at the South HollandCentre. The Lipstick and Champagne event saw 180 ladies dressed in their finery toenjoy a Vegas-themed evening, starting off with showgirls serving pink champagne onarrival. The showgirls took to the stage later, while Peter Jay also kept guests entertainedby recalling the Rat Pack.The ladies helped raise over £2000 for the Hospice by taking part in a champagne drawand luscious lips prize draw. Fundraiser Vikki Allen says, “The Ladies Ball was a greatsuccess and has become an annual event on our fundraising calendar. The money raisedon the night stays within the community ensuring we can continue to provide our freeservices to all our patients and our families.“The Ball is just one of the ways we raise funds. Our next event is our MoonlightSleepwalk which takes place on Saturday 14th July in Market Deeping – a new venue wehope will attract more participants. Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk to find out more.”084:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:38 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY85COUNTY MOTORINGTALKING THE TORQUEhatchbacks for businessHatchbacks - the best-selling cars in Great Britain. They’re made to meet the needs of the vast majorityof motorists, and competition is therefore fierce. This is good news for us - hatchbacks have to beoutstanding or they just won’t sell. That means this type of car is reliable - a great plus point for anybusiness. Here are three of the most engaging, yet affordable, hatchbacks on the marketSkoda Octavia vRSHatch 2.0 TFSI Skoda Octavia vRSHatch 2.0 TFSI Skoda became a wholly ownedsubsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in2000 and since then the marque hasgone from strength to strength. Itstotal global sales reached 879,200 in2011 compared with 435,403 at theturn of the new century.The vRS is particularly specialbecause it’s the hottest Skoda in theline-up. In fact, if you’ve seen a blackone, the chances are it’s an unmarkedpolice car. We know the model isappreciated by the boys in blue for acouple of key reasons - it’s good valuefor money and fast.A brand new Octavia vRS Hatch 2.0TFSI costs just over £20,000 and will do150 mph. Powering the petrol variantof the car is a turbocharged 1984 cc,197 bhp engine, mated to a six speedmanual gearbox. It propels the Skodafrom 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds and candeliver an average mpg of 37.7. The sporty Octavia’s leathersteering wheel is chunky, theswitchgear is nicely damped and thecabin is well appointed with lots ofpadding on the dash. Hit the gas andthe car darts to the legal limit beforeyou know it. It’s entertaining gettingthere too. Second gear is particularlypleasurable to hang on to. Yet, oncein sixth gear, the car is a pleasingmotorway glider. It’s comfortable,smooth and the cruise control keepsyou the right side of the law. The Octavia hatchback is practicaltoo. It has an enormous load area withplenty of pegs and netted areas tokeep your luggage secure. The frontpassenger area provides lots oflegroom and the rear seats are good fortwo adults. FAST FACTS * Max speed: 150 mph* 0-62 mph: 7.2 secs* Combined mpg: 37.7* Engine: 1984 cc 4 cylinder 16 valve turbo(petrol)* Max. power (bhp): 197 at 5100-6000 rpm* Max. torque (lb/ft): 206 at 1700-5000 * CO2: 175 g/km* Price: £20,440 on the road085-086:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:39 Page 1SEAT Leon FR+VW Golf Match 2.0 TDI 14086 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYCOUNTY MOTORINGSEAT Leon FR+The Leon FR+ is big enough for anaverage family, yet it’s small enough tofeel seriously sporty. The 2.0 DSI FR+DSG auto harnesses 208 horses,provides a top speed of 145 mph andoffers a 0-62 dash of 6.9 seconds. Throw the FR+ around corners – andit sticks to the road; dab theaccelerator on the straights and youare pushed back in your seat as the cargets down on its haunches for agratifying sprint. But drive the carsensibly and it behaves like anynormal hatchback. Inside, the driver’s seat is supportiveand the steering wheel adjusts for asatisfying grip. The dials are clear andswitchgear is logically set out. Visibilityand front legroom is also good. The SEAT is equipped with tractioncontrol gadgetry to help keep it on theroad and anti-lock brakes to ensure itscrubs off speed safely. The FR+ has225/40 tyres on big 18 inch alloys, Bi-xenon headlights to help you see justthat bit better and it has useful frontparking sensors too. The SEAT Leon FR+ with the 6-speedDSG auto gearbox will set you back£23,100 on the road. Not the cheapestmodel, but nearly £3000 less than thetop-of-the-range 155 mph Cupra R –and almost as exciting to drive.FAST FACTS * Max speed: 145 mph* 0-62 mph: 6.9 secs* Combined mpg: 37.7* Engine: 1984 cc 4 cylinder 16v petrol* Max. power (bhp): 208 at 5000 rpm* Max. torque (Ib/ft): 207 at 1700 rpm* CO2: 174 g/km* Price: £23,100 on the road VW Golf Match2.0 TDI 140The VW Golf Match 2.0 TDI modelhas bags of grunt, and with 138 bhpovertaking is safe, quick and fun. Thegear changes are slick and the car’sroad holding is magnificent. Equipment levels are good on theMatch variant of the Golf -specification includes anti-lock braking,an electronic stability programme,seven airbags, air conditioning, cruisecontrol and connectivity for an MP3player. There are also 16-inch alloywheels, a multifunction steering wheel,a Bluetooth system, parking sensorsand a touch-screen stereo with six-discCD auto-changer. If towing is something you mightwant to do for business or pleasure,then the VW Golf 2.0 TDI will handlethis too. The Volkswagen has amaximum braked towing weight of1500 kg, which means it could pull,say, an 850 kg trailer plus horse - or adecent sized caravan. FAST FACTS * Max speed: 130 mph* 0-62 mph: 9.3 secs* Combined mpg: 58.9* Engine: 1968 cc 4 cylinder 16 valve turbodiesel * Max. power (bhp): 138 at 4200 rpm* Max. torque (lb/ft): 236 at 1750-2500 * CO2: 126 g/km* Price: £21,105 on the road085-086:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:39 Page 2087:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:40 Page 1088:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:41 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY89COUNTY MOTORINGJoining the MINI Hatch, MINI Convertible and MINIClubman, in September 2010 we saw the addition of the firstever 4-door MINI, the MINI Countryman. Aimed at the familymarket the car has proven very popular for those wanting tostill keep their sense of fun whilst needing the practicality offour doors and a larger boot. MINI also revealed their fourwheel drive option the ALL4 giving customers every reason tosay yes.The MINI Coupe then arrived making it a five car line up inOctober 2011, and soon followed by the MINI Roadster inFebruary 2012. MINI had delivered their most glamorousmodels yet. Better yet BMW Group invested £500m into PlantOxford to ensure long term manufacturing of the MINI Coupeand MINI Roadster from the UK, this proved to be a real boostfor Britain’s job market and economy.They are expecting!The family of elite athletes in the MINI ranks is soon towelcome another new member in the shape of the MINI JohnCooper Works Countryman. The five-door model is fitted with a particularly powerfulvariant of the new-generation engine. Here are the stats; Its160 kW/218 hp is channelled through an all-wheel-drivesystem to deliver a new take on outstanding performance thatcan be enjoyed not only on the road but also over roughterrain. Peak torque of 280 Newton metres (207 lb-ft) isavailable between 1,900 and 5,600 rpm, and the MINI JohnCooper Works Countryman dashes from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 7.0 seconds – regardless of whether the powerflows through the standard six-speed manual gearbox or theoptional six-speed automatic. Top speed is 225 km/h / 140mph (automatic: 223 km/h / 139 mph). Equally impressive isaverage fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of 7.4 litres per100 kilometres / 38.2 mpg (automatic: 7.9 l/100 km / 35.8mpg) and CO2emissions of 172 grams (184 g) per kilometre. Watch out for MINI Countryman JCW’s landing inshowrooms this summer.Later this year MINI also introduces the practical brother tothe family, the MINI Clubvan. Stand-out-from-the-crowd stylewill also be amazingly practical – and surprisingly attractive. The Clubvan Concept pulls off the trick of blendingenhanced practicality and a well-judged lifestyle focus withnatural ease. This ability is based on the impressiveadaptability that goes to the heart of the MINI brand’sheritage. With two seats and five doors the MINI Clubvan hasendless usage potential.Limiting the car to two seats creates the capacity its ownerswill need on a day-to-day basis, as well as opening up a wholenew world of customisation potential. The load compartmentof the MINI Clubvan Concept embodies the car’s fresh andrigorous interpretation of the principle used in the classicMini – of providing the maximum amount of interior spaceon the smallest possible footprint. The load area reaches fromthe split rear doors right up to the partition grill behind thetwo seats. The totally level floor makes full use of theinterior’s depth, and that allows the concept car’s loadcapacity to exceed the maximum achieved by the MINIClubman.What more can MINI be thinking of? How about the returnof the MINI GP – After a six year break MINI is coming backwith the MINI GP2, the fastest MINI ever built. But that’s asmuch as we know. For more info get to your local MINI dealer.Meet the family With the introduction of the MINI Coupe and now the MINI Roadster, the MINI family has grown to suitmost customers (and soon to be all!). 089:Layout 1 15/6/12 10:43 Page 1Next >