This is Rammy

News, Information and an award winning Podcast right from the heart of Ramsbottom

Did you know that the Fisherman’s Retreat have their own whisky?

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The Fisherman’s Retreat first stocked only a few single malt whiskies back in 1992 but went on to purchasing their first cask in 1995.

There are a couple of things I like to think I know a little bit about, one is generally “stuff” about Ramsbottom, the other is whisky, I’m no buff, but I know what I like.

Well, I was a little surprised when I found out that not only does The Fisherman’s Retreat (in Ramsbottom, thing 1) create their own whisky (thing 2), but they’ve just released their fourth and fifth editions. Granted, I knew that they’re big on whisky, but I didn’t realise they actually had their own.

Now it might seem hard to believe, but The Fisherman’s Retreat is now in its 27th year and they now stock over 500 different Scottish single malt whiskies. Not only that but they recently launched their online shop which showcases some of their more fine and rare whiskies. This is some way from where they started back in 1992 when an overheard fisherman’s chat about where to go for lunch helped start it all.

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Tour of Britain Visits Ramsbottom

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Britain’s biggest professional cycle race will return to Greater Manchester for the first time in 15 years this September as all 10 of the city’s boroughs feature in the final stage on Saturday 14 September.

Source: OVO Energy Tour of Britain | Stage Eight

Don’t miss this cycle race tearing up Ramsbottoms Rake on the 14th of September. There are more than a few cycle enthusiasts who will no doubt be out checking this out.

If you don’t know about “The Rake” in Ramsbottom, it’s the steepest hill in Ramsbottom connecting between Ramsbottom and Holcombe.

Each year there is a race up The Rake organised by Lancashire Road Club every Autumn.

I spoke to Lancashire Road Club press officer Ian McKinley back in 2016

No doubt there will be a real buzz around the town on the day, hoping for some great weather too! 😎 🚴‍♀️ 🔔

Is it time Ramsbottom had a book shop?

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Ramsbottom Waterstones Mock-up
If Ramsbottom had a Waterstones

I’ve interviewed many people for the podcast in the past and one of my questions used to be “if Ramsbottom is missing anything, what is it?”.

More than one person in the past had said that Ramsbottom is missing “a bookshop”.

The business person in me has always told myself that a bookshop in this day and age is not viable with the competition of online and the decline in usage and funding of our local libraries.

Possibly I was wrong?

I just read an article on Positive News that states independent book shops opening has grown for the second year after being in decline for 20 years.

What do you think? Do you think a bookshop in Ramsbottom could not only survive, but thrive amongst our cafés, restaurants and coffee shops?

I did list a number of places you can find books in Ramsbottom, but outside of the library, none of them are dedicated to books.

9 surprising places to buy books in Ramsbottom

Helen Wilson of A Star Tuition Group – Episode 138

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:16 — 32.3MB)

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Did you know that a survey found that one in four secondary school students have used a private tutor, and this grows to almost half (41%) in London?

On the podcast this week I interview local private tutor Helen Wilson who owns and runs A Star Tuition Group based out of Ramsbottom. A Star Tuition Group have been running for over ten years with Helen working full time at it for over the past three.

Helen has been seeing fantastic results from her students, including all of her students that took a grammar school exam last year passing it.

It’s not just families looking to send their children to grammar school though, Helen and A Star Tuition provide for a wide range of needs.

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Coffee lovers of Ramsbottom, we’re doing it all wrong!

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Ramsbottom has several great places to get coffee, from cafés and restaurants to dedicated coffee establishments such as Grind and Tamp.

This would suggest that we’re a town that loves our coffee, right?

That’s great, because according to a meta-analysis of 127 studies, drinking coffee:

  • reduces your risk of cancer up to 20 percent;
  • reduces your risk of heart disease by 5 percent;
  • reduces your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 30 percent; and
  • reduces your risk of Parkinson’s disease by 30 percent.

Well, this week I was a little surprised to learn that after years of using caffeine to kick start my day, apparently I was doing it all wrong, and you might be too.

For those inquisitive types, essentially there’s a part of your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This is in charge releasing cortisol (the stress hormone).

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