27Apr/12
Education Logo

Is there any value in Religious Education in schools?

Religious Education (RE) in the 21st Century is a far cry from RE in the 1950s and even the 1980s in this country. With the introduction of what is known as a ‘phenomenological approach’ to RE in the 1980s, a system which presumes an objective approach (by both teacher and pupils) towards the studied subject, RE changed from purely Christian education to an academic study of worldviews.
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25Apr/12
Networking logo

Is networking for me?

If you are considering starting up a business, or if you have one already you might find yourself thinking about networking with others. Networking might not be something you considered before or know much about. ‘Berkshire Woman’ spoke to one of the biggest Women’s Networks in the UK’ The Athena Network’. We wanted to know what all the fuss is about and why anyone would consider meeting with others, especially when time can be quite a luxury for anyone running their own business. So, I went to interview Juliette Smith – Athena’s Regional Director for Reading.
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25Apr/12
Children's show

Getting in on the ACT

With the resurgence of the TV Talent Show, children will often tell you that their ambition is to be famous. With part time theatre schools offering dance, singing and drama classes to pupils as young as 3 years old the question to be asked is ‘How is performing arts training going to benefit my child?’. Continue reading

22Apr/12

Yolanda Brown Interview

Berkshire Woman spoke to Yolanda Brown,a saxophonist and a double MOBO winner from London about her latest tour, and her new album “April showers, May flowers”.

B.W. – Yolanda, I love the idea of a female saxophonist. When I looked at your biography I realised the saxophone (among others) is the only instrument you taught yourself to play?

Y.B. – Well, I sort of learned it along the way, really.
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22Apr/12
For Your Man

Buying a TV for the family

Just as starting family life meant you had to change your car, here are some tips for what to look out for when replacing your TV.

Do buy a brand. You might try to kid yourself into thinking that the marginally cheaper supermarket-own brand is just as good as a Japanese or Korean brand but it rarely is. The big brands have added layers of design and quality control they need to protect their brand name, even if they are now buying-in their cheaper products from the same factories. These are hoops which the cheaper supermarket brands don’t need to jump through and it shows in the final product. Did you know that Japanese safety standards are the strictest in the world, even more so than the EU standards?

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20Apr/12
Charlotte Vohtz photo

Charlotte Vøhtz Interview

I always wanted to interview Charlotte Vøhtz, the founder of “Green People”. For me she is the original Ms Organic. She agreed to speak to “Berkshire Woman” and share her wisdom with our readers.

B.W. – Charlotte, it’s well known that you came to the idea for the business through your daughter’s problems with eczema. How did you manage to make that transition from “mum with a problem she needs to solve” into a business woman? Did you already have links with the industry or was this completely out of the blue?

C.V.– I did not have links with the industry but gained invaluable knowledge from my many years in the Pharmaceutical industry as well as four years of Business Studies. As you say, my motivation for creating an organic beauty company came from wanting to help treat the eczema and allergies that my daughter Sandra suffered from as a small child. After much personal research, it became clear that focusing on a more natural and holistic way of treating children’s allergies and skin problems was the best approach…and Green People was born! It was not a hard transition as I was on a mission to find a solution to a problem many people suffer with and my passion kept me going through the early days.

B.W. – At which point did you realise this was going to be a very successful business?
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20Apr/12
Bridge finish

Bikini fit workout

Summer is just around the corner and the thought of revealing those wobbly bits can be very daunting for most women. But fear not! If you want to look good on the beach then follow the following exercises for 8 weeks, 4 times a week.

The workout is designed to help with losing weight and getting fit. It will help build lean muscle meaning you will look more toned, and it will increase your metabolism so you will burn more calories. Targeted areas are legs/bum, tummy, arms, shoulders and ‘bingo wings’.

I’ve also designed it so you don’t need any equipment – perfect for busy mums on the go who don’t have time to get to the gym.

Perform 1 set of each exercise one after the other, with brief rests between exercises. This will ensure you burn more calories (and it will be over sooner). Repeat the entire workout 3 times.

Warm up: 5 -10 min brisk walk (or marching/jogging on the spot if you can’t leave the house)

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