Tag Archives: Jan Speedie

The Wellington: Margaret Graham’s Local in The Heart of London

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pic a exterior

OK, so it’s the middle of winter, the wind is hurtling along the Thames, and you’re crossing Waterloo Bridge, head down, unaware that the bridge was rebuilt in the 2nd World War, and the workforce included women. The only thought in your head is food and shelter.

 

Such was the situation a couple of years ago as Penny Deacon and I (writers and organisers of Words for the Wounded) reached the Strand, and there it was; this beacon in a sea of misery, the fantastic, fantabulous Wellington on the Strand. Straight across the road we powered, and hit the stairs to the restaurant at a run, resembling nothing as much as drowned rats.

pic 1 Wellie interior

That was the start of our Wellie adventure: within a few months it was the Graham’s London ‘local’. Penny lives in the West Country so looks on enviously, but I’m in High Wycombe, which is just a hop skip and jump from town. Often I meet Jan Speedie (besties since we were nine and she is also an organiser of Words for the Wounded). We spend an inordinate amount of time in the National or Portrait Galleries, in St Martin’s in the Fields poking about, or at the theatre, or exploring the City. Where do we eat? The Wellie of course.

pic2 Wellie porkSticky slow-braised pork belly.

 

But why? Isn’t one pub much like another? I think, quite frankly, that whoever said that, needs to go and wash out her/his mouth with soap, as my mother would say.

pic 3 wellie

The Wellington has the knack of becoming special to everyone we’ve brought along; the ‘grands’ love it, our friends too. It dates from 1903 and its neo-gothic exterior is a bit of a landmark. It is named after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington whose historic victory over Napoleon in 1815 ended the Napoleonic Wars. (If you haven’t been to Apsley House, home of the first Duke of Wellington and his descendants, you should. It stands right in the heart of London at Hyde Park Corner.)

pic4 wellie pie

The Wellingon sits next to Covent Garden, a name derived from the Convent Garden, which belonged to Westminster Abbey. It was to Covent Garden that I went to buy a gift for my granddaughter with money presented by Jose on behalf of the staff, as she was having a serious operation that day.

pic 5 Wellie staff

The staff are gorgeous. There’s the manager, Ruth, from Australia, Jose the team leader, (Spanish) who wins the rosette for character. There’s Michal, assistant manager, who grows a moustache for charity from time to time and who has read Maeve’s Afternoon Delight, so has a big tick from me. There’s our lovely pal Eszter from Budapest who we love because of her great kindness, and Thomas from Krakow who I’m trying to get to write a feature with me about Krakow for Frost Magazine.

pic 6 Art Nouveau

The ambiance is smart as a button, especially after its recent makeover but so many of the original features are still there that it’s hard to go wrong. One of the highlights for me is the Art Nouveau windows.

 

So, now we come to the food, of course. My favourite is the belly pork, Dick seldom strays from the sausage and mash, but Jan plumps for the fish fillets or seafood pie. We invariably add a large glass of Pino Grigio each. It’s always the right temperature, always rather too nice.

pic 7 wellie fishfillets

Let’s not forget the bar… The Wellington boasts a gorgeous long bar, and that brings me to the ales, which Dick and his bestie, Tim Norman, swear by.

pic 8 wellie bar

 

The ales change seasonally so the Wellie rotates between 18 seasonal ales 4 times per year and also rotates between 19 National favourite ales. Nicholsons Pale Ale is always stocked – it is a classic English-style Pale Ale and brewed exclusively for Nicholson’s by St Austell Brewery. It is brewed with the finest Cornish Maris Otter barley.

 

pic9 wellie ales

 

If you’re after a super friendly attractive venue, with great food and drink, you don’t need to be freezing. Just head to the Wellie (The Wellington on the Strand, 351 Strand. London) www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thewellingtonstrandlondon

 

 

 

November in Salema, Portugal – a Good Idea? By Jan Speedie

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I was invited to visit friends who live in Salema in the Algarve, Portugal, in November . It seemed like a great idea, but what’s a girl to pack? Is it cold, hot, or what?  And would it be a modern complex miles from anywhere or something that dreams are made of?

Dreams won out, and ‘warm’ was the order of the week. Salema is a fishing village situated on the coast of the western Algarve. As you drive/walk down the steep hill to the cobbled square in the centre of the village you pass doorways hung with bougainvillea, making a brilliant splash of colour.

pic bougainvillea

Once there, the day must start with a coffee and a pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart) while you take in your surroundings, and people watch.  The fishing boats still go out daily to supply the local restaurants with fresh fish.  The narrow cobbled street Rue de Pescadores winds up through the old part of Salema.   A great many villa and apartments have been built but most are empty and unfinished waiting for new owner when the European economy revives.

Now that the long hot summer is over and the holiday makers have returned home, the village settles down for a period of rest and recuperation after the long exhausting season.

November brings moments of much needed rain that softens the sun parched ground and nature comes to life again. It actually feels ‘spring like’ with the almond trees in blossom.

almondblossom

The gardens of the houses and villas are coming to life again. The long sandy beach has lost its sun loungers and umbrellas but the Atlantic waves roll in for the waiting surfers to enjoy, clad in their wet suits.

surfers

November is when the Medronho berries ripen. Medronho trees grow wild on the poor soil of the Algarve and the berries are collected by farmers to process by hand into a drink known as ‘firewater’ because of the hot sensation felt in the throat when drunk. Aquardent de Medronhos (firewater) is very popular with farmers and fishermen and often drunk for breakfast to ‘waken the spirits’.  I’ll stick with a coffee, please.

medronho

Salema is situated on the edge of the Parque Natural which extends down to Cape St Vincent. This nature reserve is designed to protect the outstanding beauty of the coastline, the wildlife and the region’s unique flora and fauna. The whole area is rich in history with remnants of Roman and Phoenician settlements.

If after a few days at a gentle pace of life you feel the need to see modern life again the large town of Lagos is only 20 minutes drive away with its shops, bars, restaurants and marina.

sunset

Yes, Salema is indeed the place of, and for, dreams.

 

 

Times Have Changed, But The Need Remains By Jan Speedie

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As one of the tiny team of grannies who run Words for the Wounded (well, tiny in number, if not in shape – we do like our cakes) I thought it apt to take along a grandchild to explore the ARMY MEDICAL SERVICES MUSEUM set within Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Aldershot. GU12 5 RO. It is after all the commemorative year of the start of the 1st World War and very much in many of our minds. janpic The young are always up for some leeches, a bit of gore, and history brought to life, and this museum very much ticked the box.  It is a small museum but beautifully formed and tells the story of the Army’s medical services from the Civil War to present day, not just for humans but their animals as well. Once inside the Museum we were faced with a tableau showing a scene from the civil war and some of the crude instruments used – it really makes you appreciate our modern NHS. As you walk through the well laid out displays we realised how medical practices have had to change to cope with modern warfare. From long impractical uniforms, to fit for purpose ‘ no messing’ togs. No more lethal looking knives, dirty bandages or leeches just well equipped medics and field hospitals. Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. (QARANC) When we think of army nurses you probably think of Florence Nightingale going out to the Crimea to superintend the running of Scutari; her work is still remembered today.  On display are the uniforms the nurses wore with their starched aprons and cap no ‘scrubs’ for them. Margaret Graham, our WforW founder, was telling me of her mother’s exploits as an army nurse in WW2  after she was posted to India. It was after that war that the Army Medical Services underwent reorganisation.  In 1949 the QARANC was formed but the culture remained the same, a selfless sense of duty as they care for the sick and wounded troops worldwide The final displays bring you right up to the present day and the troops serving in Afghanistan.

Royal Army Veterinary Corp. (RAVC) Due to the growing mechanisation of the army the RAVC is one of the smallest Corps but one which   provides an invaluable service for animals in their care. It was sad to discover the terrible treatment injured horses, mules and dogs received especially during the Crimea and Boer Wars.  Slowly it was realised a proper veterinary service was needed for these valued animals and by the end of WW1 things were very different.  A tableau also shows the heroic work of tracker dogs sniffing out insurgents, explosives and injured personnel. So, today, there are no leeches, but instead high-tech kind efficient care, recuperation and rehabilitation. If you’re in the area of Aldershot, do check the Army Medical Services Museum. www.ams-museum.org.uk/museum/ Rehabilitation and recovery is where Words for the Wounded comes in, along with many other hard working charities, especially as our troops return from Afghanistan and the work of charities such as ours is needed more than ever. www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk WforW raises money through writing prizes, so that, as well as raising money for our wounded service personnel, we create opportunities for aspiring writers. This year we have our usual short competition of up to 400 words of fiction/poetry/memoir with cash prizes for the top three, and publication in Writers’ Forum Magazine.  www.writers-forum.com In addition we are launching the Independent Author Book Award for self-published fiction or memoir. The top prize is a professional press release from Palamedes PR www.palamedes.co.uk palamedes And a review in the fabulous Frost Magazine. 2nd and 3rd place have the opportunity of a discounted press release and Frost Magazine will also review their books. logo We open for entries from 11 November 2014 to 11th March 2015 and you can find all the information on www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk and more news and chat on www.wordsforthewounded.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by Margaret Graham

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Yesterday, on a brilliant clear October morning two of the granny administrators of Words for the Wounded, Jan Speedie and Margaret Graham, arrived at the Tower of London to view the art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.

margaretgraham

The art installation commemorates Britain’s involvement in the First World War, a war to which so many marched in the early days, certain that it would ‘be over by Christmas’.  It was not to be, of course. The war ended four years later at 11.00 am on the 11 day of the 11 month of 1918.

thisrepresentsonlysomeofourfallen

One of those who went early to war, was a Derbyshire man who died in Flanders. He wrote in his will, knowing that everyone was dead and he was surrounded by blood, The Blood Swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread. It is these words that inspired ceramic artist Paul Cummins’s design.

cascadefromawindownorth

In those trenches, classes mixed for the first time, barriers were broken, lives were destroyed. ((888,246 British and Colonial dead) many many others were injured, mentally and physically . It was a defining moment in our history, if you could call such relentless effort and sacrifice a moment.

cascadeoverlookingriver

The setting was designed by stage designer Tom Piper. In total, 888,246 ceramic poppies will progressively fill the iconic Tower’s moat over the summer. One for every single man who was lost. Volunteers fix the stems and plant out the poppies, for sale for £25. In due course, the poppies will be packaged and posted to the purchasers, again by the volunteers.  Bravo the volunteers.

volunteersfixingstemsandplanting

By yesterday the tide of poppies had extended in some areas to the edge of the moat, and in others, were lapping towards the walls,  but there is room and time for more, just as there was, sadly, time for more in that First World War.

It is a heart stopping vision, one that promotes a moment of deep reflection, of commemoration, and for the grannies a determination to continue with our voluntary work – raising funds for the recovery of injured troops, so on with the mail shots for our fundraising writing competitions opening on 11th November.

I believe the last poppy will be planted on the cusp of 11 November.

thestartofanewwave

The Tower of London website says ‘We are hoping to sell all of the poppies that make up the installation and, in doing so, raise millions of pounds which will be shared equally amongst six service charities.’

I would love to know exactly how much is distributed as our servicemen, and ex-servicemen are still sorely in need.

Pictures courtesy of Susan Atkins and Margaret Graham

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk 

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Words for the Wounded Skydiving Fundraiser

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skydive

The three grannies who run Words for the Wounded, which raises money to help the recovery of wounded troops, have taken it upon themselves to tandem skydive with the fantastic skydiveLondon in Wiltshire to raise funds. They have been joined by a mere child of a bloke at 42, Rob Percy. The grannies insist that being strapped to fit young men has absolutely nothing to do with their decision. Ho hum!

 

If you would like to donate to Margaret Graham, Penny Deacon, Jan Speedie and Rob Percy’s skydive team ‘3 grannies and a man’ (100% of your donation will go to the troops)  please go to www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk where you will find a link or make a cheque payable  to Words for the Wounded, and send it to 12 Woodcote Green, Downley, High Wycombe HP13 5UN

 

Words For The Wounded Writing Prize

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walking wounded competitionFrost Magazine has came across a very worthy charity thanks to Jane Cable: Words For The Wounded was launched by Margaret Graham, an author at Random House.

Margaret said; “I launched the charity Words for the Wounded  last year and we raise money via writing competitions and donations to help in the recovery of our wounded service personnel. This year we are supporting the Creative Arts Unit at Tedworth House Recovery Centre. Every penny from the entry fees and donations goes to the wounded. We raise money for the prizes in other ways. My son and son-in-law have been noble and done various Ironman marathons and Triathlons for us but this year my colleague and old school friend, Jan Speedie, and I are giving them a break and doing a tandem sky dive. Yes, I know. My grandchildren say the same, ‘You’re mad.’ But needs must.  My agent despairs of the lengths to which I will go to be strapped to a handsome young man.

Words for the Wounded has a 1st prize of £250, 2nd £100 and 3rd £50, and publication in Writers’ Forum magazine. Entry fee is £4.50. We ask for poetry, non-fiction or fiction up to a maximum of 400 words on the subject of The Journey. It can be physical, emotional or both. The closing date is 11 March.”

Margaret also has a W4W blog which includes writing tips www.wordsforthewounded.blogspot.co.uk. 

Margaret went on to say that “the majority of those injured are under 25. These are life changing injuries and they will need help to recover their self-confidence and independence to get the best from their long lives.”

I am sure you will agree this is a great charity and an equally great competition. Enter now and spread the word.