Lovers of historical murder mysteries will enjoy this exquisitely researched tale of dark goings-on set in Victorian Dorset and told in the vernacular of the time. Author Andy Charman explains the story behind Crow Court.
The paperback edition of Crow Court, a novel set in 19th century Wimborne Minster, is published by Unbound on February 3rd. Crow Court is my first novel and I was proud to see it long-listed for the Desmond Elliot prize 2021. Set in Dorset and centred on Wimborne Minster, it tells the story of several townspeople who are drawn into a mystery surrounding the drowning of a choirboy and the disappearance of the choirmaster.
Rather than telling this story with a single narrative, I used Crow Court to explore the lives of as many different characters as possible, so the tale unfolds through fourteen episodes, each telling different aspects of the story. The narrative is passed from the vicar, to a cordwainer, to a wine-merchant, a farm-hand, a sailor, and a well-to-do composer of parlour music – among others. While the events are entirely fictional, I was determined to make the characters and their lives as realistic as possible. It took a great deal of detailed research, to the level that, for example, every name and profession is drawn from census data. Most importantly, the voices needed to sound right, and rural labourers of the 1800s spoke in Dorset dialect. Fortunately, William Barnes (1801-1886) left us fabulously detailed records of both the vocabulary and grammar of the time. Using this, I was able to attempt a recreation of fulsome Dorset expressiveness. ‘Proper trimmen crop o’ rushes here,’ says Bill Brown in the opening chapter. ‘You joinin’ us a-labourin’?’ asks his more mischievous friend, John Street.
After a lot of practice, I attempted a few sections as if narrated entirely by a farmhand. I kept the spelling modern for clarity, and aimed at as good a re-creation of Dorset dialect as I could manage; the jokes are predictably earthy. Anyone who knows Wimborne Minster will find the setting of this novel familiar and it ranges out to Sturminster, Swanage and Lyme Regis. With such a broad survey, I hope that Crow Court captures the warmth, good-humour and quick-witted nature of the Dorset character.
Sometimes selling wine feels like a dating service, says Sadie Wilkins
Wine is not just a drink; it’s a talking point, it’s a social tool, a thank you, a sign of gratitude, a celebration, an overdue catch up… the list goes on. Quite simply, we connect through wine, and the bottles we crack open bookmark our lives.
So, every time we recommend a bottle to a customer, whether it be a midweek pause to punctuate a long day or an occasion to mark something special, we see it as a privilege to be trusted with all those small and large moments in people’s lives. In short, we better make sure the wine sings the right tune from the glass, which is a real skill when faced with a library of wine made up of 1500 plus bottles!
Equally, every bottle on our shelves tells a story – from the terroir to the winemaker and everything in between. We follow every wine we source from grape to glass, meeting winemakers along the way, before sharing its story with the good folk who come into our wine shop. So, there’s a lot to consider when making a recommendation – we’re like a dating service for wine drinkers, and we want to make sure that we get a second date.
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For us, shopping in an independent should mean finding not only great examples of the grape varieties, but also interesting interpretations of grapes and wines that hail from regions not so mainstream – the ‘weird and wonderful’ grapes. We sample everything we source for the shelves, and we carry it out blind too, without knowing the price – just the varieties and region. It’s something we are slightly obsessive about as we like to have zero pre- conceptions and let the wine do the talking. When you put this altogether, it means we know and love our wines for what they are, and feel passionate about sharing them with others.
We’ve got you
So, let’s put our skills to the test and find your perfect match this Valentine’s Day. Can we be so bold to guess your brief?
You want something ‘nice’ to go with a tasty meal that’s more special than your usual but doesn’t break the bank, right? Well, here’s my thoughts, and I’m going to go with a red and a white that never disappoint! Though for a personalised recommendation, we’d love to see you in person, at the shop, where we can take on the challenge of your brief – whatever it may be!
Sadie’s suggestions: For a red – steak is a Valentine’s staple, and most people choose a Malbec, but here is a little twist. Morande Reserva Carmenere is simply divine. Think green bell pepper meets hedgerow fruit, with a firm backbone but without a huge tannin hit. This wine over delivers and every time I enjoy a glass it seems to give me another level of complexity. £12 per bottle.
For a white – Karim Mussi was inspired by his favourite poets to create this wine: William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Jorge Luis Borges and Walt Whitman.
Los Poetas Semillon is a fantastic wine from Argentina that is bursting with white flowers and peach aromas that lead onto citrus and tropical fruit flavour. Fantastic with white meats, salads, flavoursome fish dishes and even a goat’s cheese tart. £13 per bottle.
Buyers are starting to look for young horses with promise rather than current winners, says Carl Evans for Great British Racing International.
Energumene (Tommie O’Brien) has work to do as he sets off up the run-in on his pointing debut at Larkhill, but he soon reeled in the leader, Ain’t No Limits. Image Carl Evans
An exciting new development within the sport of point-to- pointing involves the buying and selling of young horses.
Many yards across Britain now house horses who have been bought as ‘stores’, generally at the age of three, who are then raced in point-to-points at the age of four or five as a way of advertising their ability before they are offered at public auction.This follows a pattern which has become established in Ireland.
In the past, such horses, especially those destined for point-to-pointing, were often left unbroken until they were five or six. A spin off from this youthful policy of running younger horses in points – and then selling them to continue their careers in hurdle race and steeplechases – has been a steady rise in the number of ex-British point-to- pointers winning races under Rules at mainstream racecourses. Among British winners at last season’s Cheltenham Festival was Sky Pirate, trained in Gloucestershire by Jonjo O’Neill. Sky Pirate, who had been bought for €34,000 as an unbroken three-year-old, made his racing debut in a point-to-point at Larkhill near Salisbury and was then sold to O’Neill for €150,000. Two of the best chasers on either side of the Irish Sea began their careers in British point-to-points. Ahoy Senor won a point- to-point at Kimble in Buckinghamshire in November 2020 for Shropshire trainer Mel Rowley, and was then bought by Scottish Borders’ trainer Lucinda Russell for £50,000. She trained him to win a Grade One novices’ hurdle at last year’s Aintree Grand National meeting and he is a leading contender for novice chase honours at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
‘This should not be missed’
Meanwhile, in a real show of confidence in British point-to- point form, the brilliant two-mile chaser Energumene was bought by Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins after the horse had won a point at Larkhill aged four. Energumene was recently involved in one of the great clashes of recent times, when he took on and was narrowly beaten by the mighty Shishkin at Ascot (to see it, play the ‘Shishkin vs Energumene | A Clash for the Ages’ video, above – it’sjust over twominutes long,and incredibly exciting).
Their hoped-for rematch in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is one that should not be missed. Another Cheltenham Festival horse to watch out for is Third Time Lucki, who finished second in a point-to-point for Warwickshire trainer Fran Poste, and has since become a star for Dan Skelton.
A new way
In 2006 four-year- old horses were allowed to run in British point-to- points, and while their numbers fluctuated over the next ten years, a Herefordshire point-to-point trainer called Tom Lacey emerged with a game- changing plan. Copying a form of trading popular in Ireland, Lacey began sourcing well-bred three-year- olds, breaking them in and educating them to jump with aplomb, and then selling them after they had run in one or two point-to-points. One reason this form of trading was proving successful was a growth in specialist sales of young point-to-pointers held at several venues, but particularly at Cheltenham racecourse. These sales drew in well-heeled owners keen to buy horses who could run at big race meetings. Lacey, who trained Sky Pirate and Energumene to win point-to-points, worked out that leading ‘professional’ trainers wanted to buy once-raced four-year-olds who had shown ability, and had physical presence and a solid pedigree, rather than older horses who had won a string of point-to- points, but whose form and pedigree was of limited appeal.
Ahoy Senor (Alex Edwards) leads on his way to a win at Kimble, Bucks, in November 2020 Image Carl Evans
Lacey paved the way
Other trainers around Britain, often younger members of the trade hoping to build a career, took note of Lacey’s lead. Chris Barber, who trains near Seaborough on the Dorset/Somerset border, is a grandson of the late Richard Barber, a giant among trainers of point-to- pointers.
Like his grandfather, Chris handles older point-to- pointers – but he also trains youngsters who are for sale. He says: “I became involved through following my grandfather around at the sales – he had a great eye for a young horse and firmly believed that point-to-pointing was a good grounding for a horse to go on and race over hurdles and fences. “If a young horse has shown it can race for two and a half miles and jump 16 fences a lot of the early work has been done.
“Tom Lacey paved the way for buying and selling British pointers (on a commercial scale). He was successful, and that side of the sport provides another string to our bow.
There’s not a lot of money in just training pointers, but if you can buy an unfurnished horse at a sale, and later sell it for a profit, that’s another strand of income.
“We use the same training methods, but whereas an older pointer more or less knows the job and just needs to be made fit enough to race, a younger horse needs educating. Good riders who can give them that education are important – a bad football coach won’t get the best out of young players, and it’s the same in our job. “I don’t believe this commercial side of pointing is bad for the sport, especially since races for four- year-olds only, and four- and five-year-olds, are now becoming established. There are races for older horses, so they are not missing out, and the commercial, younger horses are encouraging new faces into the sport.
The current champion point-to-point trainer, Tom Ellis (who is based in Warwickshire), has a big string of horses, but they include horses of all ages, so it cannot be said the sport is becoming exclusively about youngsters. “There’s room for all, and while we are all delighted when someone sells a British pointer for a good price at auction, we are also just as pleased to join them for a drink at the back of the car if they train an older horse to win an open race.”
This month we feature Halstock Village Shop. As you step towards the shop door, there’s an overwhelming sense of community spirit. I’m not sure why that is – and then I met the team, says Rachael Rowe.
When Halstock village shop first opened in 1991, the idea of community-run shops relying on volunteers was at that time visionary.
Tony Woodroffe is the Director of the community shop, Bardy Griffiths is the Chair of the Community Shop Committee, and Barry Dennis is the shop manager. Halstock is also one of the best-stocked village shops I have seen (like a Tardis). There’s a constant trail of people stocking up on local goods. I talk to Tony and Bardy in the large community room at the back of the shop.
Tony Woodroffe (left) is the Director of the community shop, Bardy Griffiths is the Chair of the Community Shop Committee
What’s the story of theshop?
We’ve been going since 1991 and we were one of the very first community shops. When the previous owners retired in 1990, a group of people in the village got together to see what they could do to keep a shop. Funds were raised, and the (recently deceased) Betty Harris drove to Yeovil with £200 to buy stocks to get things going. We got funding and support from the Plunkett Foundation. Two of our funders, Derek Smith and Richard Fry, were instrumental in getting the shop up and running and they advised other community shops around the country.
As the business grew, we raised funds to purchase land, enabling us to get the current building and community room in 2013. Two flats above the shop bring in rent. We would have struggled without that community room in the pandemic because of all the deliveries. The shop is run under the Halstock Village Trust, and profits are ploughed straight back into the village. I’ll never forget the first day. We took £200, and I didn’t have a card machine! And then we found Barry, our manager. I don’t know what we’d do without him. He is marvellous.
How big is the team?
We have 20 volunteers and three paid staff, including a manager and the assistant manager.
Is there a shop pet?
“Pets? Pets? No pets are allowed in this shop. We don’t have any mice either!”
What’s flying off the shelves at themoment?
Barry smiles. “It’s strange for this time of year, but cakes and biscuits are still popular. People are still after their post-Christmas treats! We have always done well with dairy, and our cheeses are popular.”
Tell us about your local suppliers.
We have pretty much everything here. It starts with someone asking Barry if we can get something, and it ends up being supplied. First, there’s bread from Mortimers and Liberty Farm Milk. Then, we get sausages from Sam’s Pigs in Halstock.
What has been your biggestchallenge?
To begin with, setting up the post office. The Plunkett Foundation helped us a lot. But we had to make daily phone calls to the post office to get the service, and then I had to have an interview to see if I was a suitable person. And then someone had to be designated as the responsible person… We were fortunate because a local resident who worked in the Yeovil post office could step in for a month, so we didn’t lose the service altogether.
What is your absolute favouritepart of the shop?
Well, I don’t know. I do all my shopping here? What’s so amazing is the number of things you can get without having to go to a supermarket. If someone wants something, they just talk to Barry. The window displays are popular and a real talking point. They are organised by volunteers. Note: A striking Birdwatch display was in the window when I visited – image below.
What are you most proud of?
The profits! By that I mean they all go back into Halstock Village Trust, so it is directly ploughed into the whole village. It sends a signal as to how successful this shop is to people. We don’t have a pub in Halstock, so the village shop is the community hub. This is where you can learn people’s news or if someone’s struggling or lonely. Not in a gossipy way but proactively, to support one another. We even have visitors stocking up on local food they can’t buy in their area.
So what’s next?
Extending the shop is our aspiration. We want to build an extension to stock even more things for the local community. But that’s a 5-10 year project.
A complicated foaling left the newborn orphaned, but with medicines and good husbandry we found a foster mare, says Lucy Procter.
The orphaned foal was bottle fed coloustrum every hour until a foster mare could be found image – Lucy Procter
January is a significant month in stud life – with the turn of the year all the horses get a year older, the previous year’s foals head off to the sales and we eagerly prepare for the early foals. Tuesday 25th January was D-Day for our 2021 foals. We took 10 foals and an in-foal broodmare to the GoffsUK January sale in Doncaster. The process started on the Saturday, when Doug and I each drove a lorry load to the sales ground and we repeated the trip with a second load on Sunday. Doug then stayed on to run our draft at the sales and I came home to watch expectant mares.
With the vet in attendance, the mare’s sweat was wiped over the foal to help the foal smell like the dam and improve the chance of her accepting the foal. The foal was brought into the stable, into a feeding position alongside the mare, encouraging the foal to find the mare’s teats. image – Lucy Procter
On the Tuesday, we sold seven of the ten foals and the broodmare, but overall it was a disappointing sale with prices down on previous years and an overall clearance rate of 64% – at least we beat that – so we wish the new owners the best of luck with their purchases and move on to the arrival of this year’s foals.
In anticipation of sitting up watching the stable cameras overnight, it was straight to bed once home on Sunday afternoon, only to be woken up at 10pm by one of our sons who had been watching the cameras, to say that one of the mares had started to foal. Unfortunately, the foaling was not straightforward and, although we got the foal out alive and well, an internal rupture during foaling meant that sadly the mare didn’t make it.
We were able to take a quantity of the mare’s first milk, called colostrum, to feed to the foal, and supplemented this from our store of frozen colostrum collected last year.
It is very important to get 2-4 litres of good quality colostrum into a foal in the first few hours after birth. The colostrum contains important immunoglobulin proteins from the mare which help provide the foal with maternal immunity during the first 6-12 weeks, until the foal’s own immune system is functioning.
After a complicated delivery, this foal’s mother sadly didn’t make it. However she’s now thriving thanks to round the clock care and swift action of the Glanville’s team in tracking down a foster mare who has adopted her image – Courtenay Hitchcock
An orphan foal
We made up powdered foal milk to feed the foal every hour using a lamb bottle, and started the hunt for a foster mare. Eventually we were offered a mare that was due to be weaned from her own foal, so was still producing milk, and the owners were confident that the mare was a good mother.
If the foal wanders too far away, there is a low whickering from the mare and the foal quickly moves back to her new mum. Image by Courtenay Hitchcock
Once the mare had settled in a large stable at the stud, our vet attended and injected the mare with Prostaglandin (PG), commonly used in foal fostering to help induce maternal behaviour and increase the chance of the mare accepting the foal. A side effect of PG is to induce sweating and we wiped the mare’s sweat over the foal to help the foal smell like the dam and improve the chance of her accepting the foal. The vet also gave her Oxytocin to let her milk down.
Image by Courtenay Hitchcock
We then brought the foal into the stable and into a feeding position alongside the mare, encouraging the foal to find the mare’s teats. The mare quickly accepted the foal suckling and gradually we moved away and within 11⁄2 hrs of starting the process, we had left the mare alone with the foal, just keeping watch on the cameras. As the mare wasn’t producing quite enough milk, we started her on Domperidone – a drug that helps build up milk production – and we increased the quality and quantity of her feed.
Image by Courtenay Hitchcock
While her milk increases, we are still supplementing the foal with a few bottle feeds, but the foal much prefers drinking from mum and her bottle feeds are reducing. A week later and the mare and foal are happy together. If the foal wanders too far away, there is a low whickering from the mare and the foal quickly responds and moves back to her new mum. It is a pleasure to watch them together and marvel at the natural maternal instinct.
“At the time of writing Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and as an alternative to chocolate or flowers I’m recommending Natasha Lunn interviewing some of our must enduring authors for their thoughts on love and relationships. Or if you were simply in the mood for a satisfying read then the excellent Francis Spufford is a great choice for a winter’s night” – Wayne
“This book might just change your life.” Sunday Times
After years of feeling that love was always out of reach, journalist Natasha Lunn set out to understand it. She turned to authors and experts to learn about their experiences, asking: How do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it? In Conversations on Love she began to find the answers: Philippa Perry on falling in love slowly, Dolly Alderton on vulnerability, Stephen Grosz on accepting change, Diana Evans on parenthood, Emily Nagoski on the science of sex, Alain de Botton on the psychology of being alone, Esther Perel on unrealistic expectations and many more…
“I underlined passages on almost every page of this wide- ranging, tender-hearted book” Evening Standard
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021. November 1944. A German rocket strikes London, and five young lives are atomised in an instant. That rocket never lands. A single second in time is altered, and five young lives go on – to experience all the unimaginable changes of the twentieth century. Because maybe there are always other futures. Other chances. From the best-selling, prize-winning author of Golden Hill, Light Perpetual is a story of the everyday, the miraculous and the everlasting. Ingenious and profound, full of warmth and beauty, it is a sweeping and intimate celebration of the gift of life. “My god he can write. One of the best opening chapters and closing chapters you’ll ever read.”Richard Osman
In 2022 Winstone’s celebrates 10 years as Sherborne’s Independent Bookseller. Winstone’s has won the ‘British Book Awards South West Bookseller of the Year’ four times and was winner of the ‘Independent Bookseller of the Year’ national award in 2016. Owner Wayne Winstone was previously one of the three judges for the Costa Prize for Fiction. This year Wayne was selected as one of the top 100 people in the Book Trade’s Most Influential Figures listing.
I love this recipe – its simple to make, oh-so-dreamy and rich, and it’s gluten free too. I first experimented using gluten free flour to accommodate a dietary requirement but I never went back to plain flour; for some reason it just really works in this recipe! (NB.if you are making this for a coeliac, then do make sure that your chocolate is gluten free too, as not all are). These recipes make the perfect puddings too – I often serve with fresh raspberries and cream. If you wanted something a little ‘extra’ then you can bake half a Creme Egg into the top (see image left): just cut the eggs in half and add them to the top after the first 30 minutes baking time and return the tray to the oven). If you are looking for a pancake recipe for Pancake Day on Tuesday 1st March then check out my recipe from the February 2021 BV magazine here… Heather x
Ingredients
100g butter
150g caster sugar
100g soft brown sugar
50g golden syrup
4 eggs
70g gluten free plain flour (standard plain flour works too)
75g dark chocolate (broken into pieces) – ensure it is gluten free if necessary
Dreamy GF brownies image: Heather Brown
Method
Pre heat the oven to 170o fan/gas 5. •
Line an 8” (20cm) square cake pan with baking parchment.
In a saucepan, heat together the butter, caster sugar, soft brown sugar and golden syrup on a medium heat. Make sure to keep stirring so the mixture doesn’t catch and burn.
When the butter has melted and all the ingredients have combined, pour in the chocolate pieces and stir the mixture as they melt.
When the chocolate has completely melted, take the saucepan off the heat.
Add in all 4 eggs and stir them into the mixture until completely combined.
Then tip in the flour and mix slowly until well combined.
Pour the chocolatey batter into the tin and pop into the oven.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check your brownies and turn the pan 180º so it bakes evenly (most ovens don’t bake evenly so its worth doing this step despite the momentary lowering of the oven temperature).
Bake for another 10 minutes. The top should now have cracks right across the middle (not just around the edge) and not ‘jiggle’ in the centre when the pan is gently wobbled. If it is still quite jiggly or it isn’t cracked across the middle, then bake for a further 5 minutes.
Leave to cool in the pan on a wire rack. To cut the brownies cleanly, leave to cool then pop the whole pan into the fridge for a couple of hours. They will then cut with a sharp knife.
Embrace your sweet tooth with these indulgent Creme Egg brownie variations image: Heather Brown
Heather Brown is on the committee of the Guild of Food Writers; a home economist with a passion for Dorset’s brilliant foodie scene. Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed, championing Dorset’s food and drink businesses, as well as working with her food industry clients.
There is a whole new social world to be enjoyed with carriage riding – and you don’t need to own a horse, says Clare Turner.
The Turner family on a pony carriage and Jon Turner running.
Where was the original boot or dashboard? What was the original rally car? The answers lie in carriages and the sport of carriage driving.
Please pardon the pun, but there are many routes in to driving. Often people start by ‘breaking in’ an outgrown riding pony (with expert help – available via British Driving Society or British Carriage Driving) Those that don’t have access to a horse or pony of their own may enjoy helping at local events, becoming grooms or ‘backsteppers’ to a local driver – social media is always a good place to make contact with local driving groups to find drivers needing an extra pair of hands. It’s also possible to book carriages and drivers for all sorts of occasions – a driving lesson, a picnic drive for a birthday, a prom night, weddings and funerals. One of the local companies for this is Highsteppers at Pallington.
Portman Pony Club Members on their ponies
Make new friends
The social aspect means that there are always two people on the carriage, more if you have a bigger carriage – so there’s always conversation to be had and people to meet as you drive.
Inclusive sport
Carriage driving is a diverse and accessible sport, catering for all ages, and to both able bodied and disabled the benefits of time spent with animals and out in the fresh air speak for themselves and carriages provide access for everyone equally. There is also the historical aspect of driving. Many vehicles and the harnesses that you may find in the show ring at county shows are antiques, fully functional and beautifully presented for the event. ‘Mr Private Driving’ is a marvellous source of education, particularly for those interested in showing, and he is endlessly entertaining for armchair supporters of the sport.
The Highsteppers Driving Team
Join the community
It is absolutely the best way to travel, you can’t beat bowling along with a friend and a lovely horse or pony trotting along in front and maybe a carriage dog at your wheel!
In short the driving community are a group of like-minded people who enjoy the sport and want to have fun with their animals.
There are all sorts of carriage driving activities from rallies, sports driving, scurry driving, showing, fun days, carriage dogs, fancy dress, long reining – most involve picnics and all include friendly faces – maybe something to consider for 2022.
by Clare Turner, Skylands Coaching & Training Centre
Dorothy Brown, an experienced insolvency practitioner, shares the most common signs which may be causing you distress in your business.
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1 – Cash Flow
The first sign things are going wrong is a constant lack of cash. The old adage that cash is king exists for a reason. All businesses suffer periodic dips where cash is tight. But if cash flow is continually a problem, the business is in trouble. If a business is continually spending more than it earns, unless it is deliberate and well-funded (as with some tech businesses at launch) it will lead to problems.
2 – Defaulting on bills
Everyone misses a payment or forgets a bill, but if the frequency with which it occurs increases, it suggests a business can’t pay its way. This is a sign it is underfunded, isn’t chasing debts hard enough or is heading to liquidation. Defaults on HMRC or on other formal arrangements can be particularly damaging. It can also be bad for your reputation and that of your business.
3 – Extended debtor or creditor days
Another sign of possible trouble is a rise in either debtor or creditor days. If your business has to delay payments to creditors, this can force some suppliers to cut off the supply of vital components or ingredients. Likewise, if you are unable to effectively chase payment it may cause future cash flow problems. Either way, sudden changes in these numbers should be investigated to see whether they are signs of something more serious.
4 – Falling margins
Ask any experienced entrepreneur and they will tell you that for long-term survival what matters are profits, not sales. As the old saying goes, turnover is vanity, profit is sanity. Falling margins suggest that costs are too high, and prices or income is too low. This is not a sustainable position.
5 – Unhappiness
It may sound simple, but businesses in distress are rarely happy. Owners and managers, who can sense something is wrong (but may not be sure what) get stressed and pass it on. They start cutting at random to make savings or deploy sudden switches in strategy to try and revive things. Lots of senior people may leave in a short time. These are all signs that the business might be heading down the decline curve and that action is needed urgently to pull things back.
What to do?
The main thing is to talk to someone. There are many organisations you can contact to help out, which does include your bank and HMRC.
You can also talk to an Insolvency Practitioner, such as myself.
