It’s harvest time in the countryside, as the Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK takes place in the south of England. Over 38,000 participants from more than 100 countries will attend to promote a sense of peace in society and eradicate all forms of Islamophobia.

Eminent speakers discuss a range of religious topics and their relevance to contemporary society. Parliamentarians, civic leaders and diplomats from different countries will also address the gathering and underline the conventions objective of enhancing unity, understanding and mutual respect.

 A special feature of this convention is that it is blessed by the presence of His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He addresses the convention over each of the three days, providing an invaluable insight into religious teachings and how they are a source of guidance for the world today.

Those attending (including approximately 1000 from Africa) are converting a Hampshire farm into a 3 day mini village. The event has a real festive feel to it with its on-site Bazar, exhibitions (including one on the Turin Shroud!) Britain’s largest kitchen and a roti making factory. Sounds a bit akin to Glastonbury.

Interestingly a unique copy of the Quran will be showcased for the first time at this convention. The Al-Qalam (The Pen) project, founded by calligrapher and Islamic art collector Razwan Baig invited members of the public from all walks of life and with no prior experience of calligraphy to hand-write a single verse of the Quran in Arabic. This ‘crowdsourced’ Quran, has taken over five years to complete and the project, run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, illustrates the importance of the Quran for the more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

Razwan Baig says:

“The Quran is a treasure of wisdom and knowledge for all. This is the message which resonates in the heart of the calligrapher while they are penning the sacred text, thus it is truly special for each one of us.

“This is the first copy of the Holy Quran in 1400 years which has been compiled by more than 6000 contributors – both Muslims and non-Muslims – who penned each verse and this will be preserved in history. Most important in the entire journey of the Al-Qalam Project was the contribution of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Caliph and the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who penned the opening chapter, Surah Al-Fatihah.”

There will also be a special exhibition hosted by The Review of Religions in collaboration with Razwan Baig, focusing on Islamic calligraphy and art by award-winning sculptor, Adam Williamson, creator of the HM The Queen Mother Memorial, who will be working on a new piece over the three days of the convention. Razwan Baig, one of the largest private collectors of Islamic artefacts in the UK, will also be displaying a selection of rare antiquities from his personal collection.

The Review of Religions, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s official English magazine, have managed the running of the Al-Qalam project worldwide.

The Al-qamal-project

www.pressahmadiyya.com/jalsauk/

Images courtesy of Noor Hadi

Having seen some amazing transformations in the media (take Ru Paul’s Drag Race – my favourite programme), I am a firm believer that, with the right expertise, we can all look amazing. So, when I road-tested some products at the recent Christmas In July press exhibition, I was delighted to find that I looked (temporarily) fabulous.

As I had just struggled through the London heat wave, I arrived at the exhibition looking like the cookie monster on a bad hair day. Thanks to the lovely staff on the Revamp Professional stand and their professional hair styling products I was soon looking like Jennifer Aniston once again – yes I am due for an eye check. Whilst the lovely hairdresser was working her magic, I learned about the secret of Revamp products. Whether you use their straighteners, curling tongs, or their various air stylers, they all automatically infuse Progloss oils as they style your hair – how neat is that? Progloss oils contain keratin, argon and coconut, and leave your hair smooth and shiny, in fact, as if you have just left the hairdresser’s. I think the before and after photos illustrate the point.

The lady who was educating me on Revamp products must have noticed my Louis Vuitton-sized eye bags, because she slipped me a Homedics Eye Revive.  This neat little wand delivers light therapy, sonic massage and heat to relieve tired eyes and apparently it also enhances the effects of moisture creams and serums. I must admit it was pleasant to use, and I fancy my eyes are looking a little better.  Homedics specialise in beauty products to use at home, including beauty, aromatherapy, massage and hair removal. I must say, it’s nice to have all the benefits of spa-type treatments without leaving your house and their products are excellent. The Gel Shiatsu Back Massager with heat and remote control (see picture) looks particularly tempting.

On the same theme – if you like the idea of treatments at home but would rather someone did it for you, you may want to try Secret Spa, who’ll send a therapist to you to sort out your face, hair, eyelashes or nails, or give you a fabulous spray tan.

So now, you’ve worked on your body, Beauty Crush, sold by H&A, has a great range of makeup products. I particularly like their blending sponges and their eye tool collection (eye shadow brushes, tweezers and lash curlers in a cute bag). The right tools really make such a difference and these were finalists in the Beauty Global Awards 2019.

So spoil yourself – why not?

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Having recently been ill, I am enjoying relaxing, guilt-free, in this lovely sunny weather. But how do you bottle this sunshine and make it last all year round? Well Opies literally do this (OK, not literally sunshine, but their bottled products are as good as).

Opies is an old family business, based in Kent since the 1920s, and the local fruit and nut trees have influenced their passion for making amazing preserves over the years.

For those with a sweet tooth I can highly recommend their fruits preserved in syrup and various alcohols. They are delicious in various recipes which are available on their website, or if you are feeling lazy and decadent, just put a generous dollop of their Apricots with Jim Beam on some some vanilla ice-cream – perfect.

However my favourite is the pickled walnuts. When Len Goodman used to threaten to pickle his, I had no idea about this scrumptious delicacy. Opies have enlightened me. They take the green walnuts, whilst the shell is still soft and prepare them by hand for pickling. The result is an earthy flavour, with a distinctive tangy after-taste. Absolutely delicious as a slice on top of biscuits and cheese, or adding a couple to a stew will provide depth and interest.

But don’t take my word for it – try any of their products. They also make lovely gifts.

Photos provided by Splat Marketing

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

We seem to have reached that point in the year that I call ‘Peak Summer.’ It’s that time where the summer feels as though it will go on forever. A time for planning picnics and eating in the garden, of languidly turning the pages of that holiday novel whilst sipping a long cool summer drink or laying in the shade close to a swimming pool.

And whilst there are a number of drinks that I can turn to, I am always on the lookout for something new, so, imagine my delight to discover this wonderful Puerto de Indias,

Strawberry Gin.

Light fresh and with the unmistakable taste of fresh strawberries what could be more  perfect? Puerto de Indias Strawberry Gin is crafted with fresh distilled strawberries grown locally in Seville.

On the nose, the gin has subtle hints of strawberry and a touch of juniper and aniseed. This gin begs to be teamed with good tonic water, plenty of ice and of course a few chopped strawberries.

The sweetness of the strawberries is offset by the gin making this perfect summer drink. Fruity and sweet, you can enjoy this Gin over ice as an aperitif, with tonic or in cocktails.

So, with a timely nod to the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament they have invented the ‘Perfect Serve’

The Perfect Serve

50ml Puerto de Indias Strawberry Gin

200ml premium tonic water

Fresh strawberries & lime wedge

Method

Build the cocktail in a Copa glass over ice, garnish with fresh strawberry slices and a wedge of lime, stir and serve.

Alternatively, you could try the Strawberry Mule,

Strawberry Mule

50ml Puerto de Indias Strawberry Gin

200ml premium ginger beer

Juice of ½ lime

Mint leaves & lime slice

Method

 Build the cocktail in a branded Copa glass, stir and serve.

Or you could experiment and devise your own cocktail which would be quite appropriate

given that like many a great discovery, this unique strawberry gin was born from a mistake,

when a master distiller was attempting to make a strawberry liqueur; he took his fresh

mashed strawberries and added them to a new recipe gin he was working on, and the rest is

history!

Puerto de Indias has an ABV of 37.5% per 70cl bottle, available at RRP of £27 from Amazon, Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange and the Drinks Supermarket.