The Swanage Oracle - March 2017

The Swanage The independent directory of local businesses serving the residents of Swanage, Studland Worth Matravers, Langton Matravers & Ulwell

Delivered FREE by Royal Mail to all homes & businesses in BH19

Oracle March 2017

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE ALL THE AVAILABLE SPACE IN YOUR HOME?

BESPOKE FITTED FURNITURE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES Custom Creations is a family run business with over 40 years experience

CALL US NOW ON

01202 823231

TO ARRANGE YOUR FREE, NO OBLIGATION DESIGN CONSULTATION

www.customcreations.furniture

Unit 1, Enterprise Park, Blackmoor Road, Ebblake Industrial Estate, Verwood, BH31 6YS

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 

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

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Upton Farm, Upton, Ringstead, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8NE Heatcare UK LTD are OFTEC and Gas safe qualified and registered. We are able to cater for all of your oil heating needs including commercial, on top of providing our expert knowledge and services in both mains gas and LPG.

• Service checks available • No call out charge • Fast response • All work guaranteed • Increased warranties on Worcester products • Heating • Plumbing • Leadwork To book your service or work contact us on

01305 853970 or 07557 990715 or email us at heatcareukltd@aol.com Visit our website:

www.heatcareukltd.com And don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

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Introduction

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The Swanage

Dear Swanage, Studland, Worth Matravers, Langton Matravers and Ulwell!

Edition 100

Spring is on its way! Lighter evenings, warmer weather, and the promise of an array of flowers to brighten up the day.

Most of us love March and April, new beginnings, fresh air and spring cleaning of course. Time to clear out the old, make way for the new, renovate, build a loft conversion, fit a new carpet, revamp the kitchen, feed the lawn, plant those bulbs and generally make the environment around us a better place to live in. Maybe there is someone inside our little magazine who could help give you more time for yourself? Then you can go for a walk, read a good book or plan your summer holiday, leaving all the work to the experts. Sounds good to me. The local trades people here would love to hear from you so please give them a call.

Oracle

Published by:

Stephen & Debbie Corney at Purbeck Publications

Telephone: 01929 408080 Email: info@swanageoracle.co.uk

Copy deadline for the April 2017 edition: 13th March 2017

Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that data in this publication is accurate, the publisher cannot accept any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

The Swanage Oracle does not officially endorse any advertising material included within the publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval systems or transmitted in any form, without prior permission of the publisher.

Proud members of

Nellie is back on the road! She enthusiastically took us to “Monkey World” this month and excitedly adopted a 30 year old male orang-utan called Tuan. We had a monkey of a time, despite the very cold weather and were thoroughly entertained for several hours. If you have never visited then Nellie highly recommends it. Your spirits are somehow lifted when you leave. It must be all that playful swinging!

The lucky winner of the wordsearch last month was Charles Hill. Well done and we do hope you enjoy your meal.

Don’t forget that if you have a local club, society or group in the area and would love some free promotion, we are the people to call. If you have a business and would like to be more recognised locally, then we are definitely the people to call. We have excellent reviews and are more than happy to help you.

Wishing you a youthful month of March and may the flowers bloom!

All the Best,

Debbie & Stephen Corney Useful Numbers Local Police Southern Electricity Transco Gas Emergency Swanage Hospital

101 08457 708090 0800 111999 01929 422282

Train Enquires Wilts & Dorset Bus Wessex Water Emerg.

Purbeck Distict Council

08457 484950 01983 827005 0845 600 4600 01929 556561

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

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COMPETITIVE CONSTRUCTION Dorset Ltd

E: compcondorset@gmail.com

Experienced local builder specialising in:      

Listed Building Work Extensions Loft Conversions New Builds Renovations All trades handled

Tel: 07973 400 297

19 St Martins Lane, Wareham, BH20 4HF

Email: info@philiptrimcontractors.com

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Community News

6

Purbeck’s information centre scoops another South West excellence award The Discover Purbeck Information Centre, run by Purbeck District Council, has won Bronze for the second year in a row in the Tourist Information Service of the Year category at the recent South West Tourism Excellence Awards.

Councillor Cherry Brooks, Economy and Infrastructure Portfolio Holder for Purbeck District Council, said: “Achieving the South West Tourism Excellence Award for the second year running is fantastic news!

Tourism plays a huge part in Purbeck’s economy, so I am delighted that the first class service provided by our team to visitors, residents and local businesses continues to be recognised.”

The South West Tourism Excellence Awards ceremony took place on 2 February

at the new Lansdown Suite of Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol. The bronze award was collected on behalf of the Discover Purbeck team by Holly Lagden, Tourism Manager, and Lida Mutton, Centre Manager.

Holly Lagden, Tourism Manager, said “It’s a great achievement for this small, dedicated team to continue to punch above their weight competing with much bigger centres across the whole of the South West.

I’m so proud of them.”

In October 2016, Discover Purbeck, which is based in Wareham Library, won the Gold Award in the Dorset Tourism Awards Tourist Information Service of The Year category.

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

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8

Community News

Visit a Dorset Garden and Do a Good Deed!

Come rain or shine, from the earliest snowdrops to the last autumn leaves, there is hardly weekend anywhere the length and breadth of England or Wales when there won’t be a yellow ‘NGS Garden Open Today’ sign or poster to tempt you with the promise of horticultural treasures, and eighty of those gardens are here in Dorset. Those in the know will recognise the flash of yellow on a lamp-post or in a hedge, but many people may not understand exactly what the NGS does, or how visiting a garden can be such a force for good.

For more ninety years, thanks to the generous spirit of garden owners and hard-working volunteer teams, the NGS has been quietly making a difference to thousands of lives. In the last ten years alone it has given away more than £25million. So how and when did it all begin?

The idea of raising money from the public by charging a shilling a time to visit private gardens was first suggested by the Queen’s Institute for Nursing in 1926. The 609 gardens which took up the challenge and opened the following year, (led by Sandringham, whose royal owner, George V, was keen to support the scheme in memory of his mother Queen Alexandra) read like a roll-call of the great houses and gardens

of Britain. Ninety years later the organisation which became the National Gardens Scheme continues to focus on nursing and caring charities. These include Marie Curie Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, Hospice UK, and The Carer’s Trust. Last year more than 3,800 gardens in England and Wales opened for the NGS, and three quarters of a million visits were made to them, raising a staggering £2.6 million for its good causes, to which Dorset contributed over £100,000. Each county is run entirely by its own team of volunteers, with a small national headquarters near Guildford, and fully 85% of the money raised goes to the various charities, so as you pay your entrance fee, you can be sure that nearly all the money will be going to those in need.

Each NGS garden offers visitors something different. Some are part of large estates, others in small courtyards. They can be in the depths of the countryside, or in the heart of town.

But from the small and quirky to the big and grand, they each wait to be discovered. You can meet the owners and ask questions about planting, design or wildlife, and see what magic they have managed to coax from their soil, before relaxing with a cup of tea and a slice of home-made cake to round off the day! So next time you find a tempting garden in the NGS booklet (available in garden centres, libraries or tourist information offices) or come upon a yellow sign, stop for a while, and enjoy someone else’s hard work and expertise – whilst knowing that every visit makes a difference to the life of someone needing care or support.

Four gardens in Purbeck will be opening for the NGS this year. They are Knitson Old Farmhouse and Puddledock Cottage near Corfe, Heron’s Mead in East Burton and The Hollow in Swanage. (For details of these, and all the other Dorset gardens, pick up a free booklet, visit www.ngs.org.uk or download the NGS app.)

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

9

AB Alpine Bistro

ER FREE COFFEE VOUCH

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Snowtrax | Christchurch | BH23 6AW

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alpine activity centre

M PLUMBING & HEATING Local Gas & Heating Engineers

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Boiler/Fire Ser vicing Landlord Gas Safe Inspections New Boiler Replacements Power Flushing Unvented Hot Water Cylinder Installations • Bathrooms, Shower Rooms, Wet Rooms 180993 • Design &installations

Tel: 01929 550160

M: 07790 056396

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Community News

10

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

11

Why should you use an insurance broker?

When it comes to getting the best insurance policy for you, you’re always better off using an insurance broker. With the television swamped with meerkats and dancing robots advertising price comparison sites, it is not surprising that so many people look to comparison sites for what purports to be the cheapest insurance. But as the name suggests, price comparison sites are often, for legal and practical reasons, one dimensional in the result they give. Consequently, the insurance policies you’ll be shown are often generic and are effectively a one-size-fits-all solution. However, getting the right insurance for you is dependent on your exact individual circumstances, with the devil being in the detail. For this reason alone it is always better to use a broker when getting your insurances.

The Human Touch As we get older, our insurance needs inevitably become more complex. Health and housing insurance becomes more important, motoring policies are open to a greater range of benefits and risks and dependents, such as children, create further complications. A broker can provide you with the quality of cover that you need and make potential savings through their knowledge of the market.

Giving You Advice, Saving You Money Some people think that insurance brokers are just for people with little time or exceptional insurance circumstances. But if you’re thinking of buying an insurance policy for something you don’t know much about or insuring something unusual, an expert in the market such as an insurance broker can often find you better cover at a great price.

John Palmer Unlike comparison sites, a broker’s specialist expertise can give you the right product for your individual needs. For example, insurers won’t always offer you every type of cover when you go direct nor tell you if you’re already covered by any existing policies you may have. It’s not unusual for insurers to offer legal support, home maintenance, and public liability within their policies and if you’re not advised of this you could soon find yourself with three sets of cover and paying for the privilege.

Brokers can also be more flexible on price than comparison sites. If you require specialist insurance, such as income protection or critical illness, then you will undoubtedly need a specialist provider.

These kinds of products are not widely available on comparison sites because they have to be tailored to your specific circumstances and lifestyle. Equally, if you need special insurance cover for something like a high-value antique or a collection of paintings, an insurance broker will know where to go to find you the cover you need.

The Proof of the Cover is in the Claiming There is an old saying in the insurance industry that ‘insurance is only as good as your claims experience,’ and it’s here more than anywhere else that a broker can really add value. In the event of a claim, your broker may speak to loss adjustors and claims departments and do as much as possible for you, so you don’t have the hassle and worry at a time which is often stressful. Now I’d like to see a talking meerkat or a dancing robot do that!

If you have any questions regarding your insurance, whether you have the right cover or could get a better deal, call or email John Palmer:

Tel: 01202 929 141

!

Email: poole@coversure.co.uk www.coversure.co.uk/office/poole

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12

Wildlife News

Talking about Wildlife...

Step into Spring What signals spring has arrived for you?

Seeing a snowdrop perhaps? Or hearing the birds singing during the lighter evenings?

The changing season from winter to spring is perhaps one of the most enjoyable of the year as it brings colour, and sounds and sights we all relish after the long dark, cold days of winter.

We are encouraging all of our supporters this year to get outside and experience wildlife first hand, and spring is a good place to start.

DWT has over 44 nature reserves in Dorset which are teeming with wildlife thanks to proper management of the habitat, so you have a very good chance of seeing a favourite species, or perhaps a new one!

Here’s a list of species we challenge you to spot this spring. You don’t need to go far to see many of them – you may see them in your garden, parks, on a road side or on one of our nature reserves.

1. Bluebells – Perhaps one of our most famous and unmistakable woodland flowers – look for long and narrow, drooping leaf fronds and bending flower stems heavy with the nodding blue bells that give this flower its name. Can be seen in woodland and hedgerows. Visible from April – May.

Male Orange Tip

Photo: Ken Dolbear ���

Bluebells

Photo: Ken Dolbear ���

2. Cuckoo – Arriving in April, the cuckoo can be seen in many different habitats from woodland to heathland and coastal areas.

Their familiar ‘cuck-oo’ call heralds the start of spring. Almost as soon as they have laid their eggs in June or July, they leave for Africa, so there’s a small window to see these birds.

3. Orange tip butterfly – Another sign that spring is arriving is seeing the orange tip butterfly emerges from April until July.

They are found in hedgerows, farmland, gardens and parks. The female does not have the orange colour but can be identified by a ‘mossy grey’ pattern on the underside of her hindwings.

4. Cowslips – A cousin of the primrose, the cowslip is also an early spring flower.

They’re a rarer sight across the UK due to habitat decline, but they can be found in traditional meadows, ancient woodlands and hedgerows in early spring in Dorset, coloured bright yellow with nodding heads!

DWT would love to hear about any of your sightings this spring. Contact us on @Dorsetwildlife or facebook/DorsetWildlife with your photos and stories!

Find out more about our nature reserves in Dorset at www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/ reserves.

Sally Welbourn Communications Officer

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13

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14

Money Saving Tips

Martin

LEWIS 0RUWJDJHV

The biggest single personal financial risk in 2017 is that mortgage rates will rise rapidly. This isn’t primarily about UK base rates, set by the bank of England, it’s far more about the City’s long term prediction of interest rates – which new cheap fixed and long term variable rate deals are set based upon.

Mortgage rates are near all-time historic lows and have been for a couple of years, and we’ve got used to that. Yet there is a plausible chance that 2017 is the year that will change. We’ve already seen some cheap deals such as HSBC’s 0.99% twoyear fix being pulled. The five-year swap rates have increased from 0.35% back in September to 0.9% now – and we’re already seeing longer fixes start to get more expensive on the back of this.

Of course, there’s no certainty here. Yet UK rates are so cheap that even if things reversed and they dropped again, the likely gain to mortgage holders would be limited.

But if they did rise, the cost could be huge.

The savings available right now can be huge, like Kperat’s who emailed: “Fixed at 1.24% for 2 yrs, reduced term to 13 yrs without paying much more a month. Will be saving about £20,000 even after fees.

Thanks.”

So, this is my clarion call for ALL mortgage holders, to check NOW if you’re on the cheapest deal, and, if not sort, it. Here’s what to do to find your cheapest deal.

How much could I save?

If like many people, you’re on your lender’s

standard variable rate (SVR) – the default rate most fixes and trackers revert to when the intro deal ends – then the savings can be huge. Most SVRs are at 4% or higher.

Yet the cheapest two-year fix is just 1.2% (you’ll need a top credit score and it’s got a big fee). Five-year fixes start at around 1.8%. All, of course, depend on how much of your home’s value you’re borrowing. So, someone moving a £150,000 mortgage from 4% SVR to a two-year fix at 1.2% would save £4,000+ over two years, even after fees.

Quickly find what deals are available For an easy benchmark of what’s available in your circumstances, start with a comparison site that includes all deals, including ‘direct only’, which aren’t offered by brokers. Full market comparisons include my own www.MoneySavingExpert.com/ mortgagebestbuys, and www.totallymoney. com’s mortgage tool.

Finding a cheap deal isn’t the end – you need to get accepted The days when lenders would fling out deals to all and sundry are long gone.

Getting accepted is now the challenge.

There are two key elements to this: • Is your credit score good enough?

Your credit history is a huge part of whether you’ll be accepted for any type of credit, including a mortgage. So take precautions. Avoid any applications that leave a footprint on your file – @MoneySavingExpert such as credit cards, contract mobile

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

15 phones or monthly car insurance – in

Martin the few months before applying for

LEWIS

your mortgage. Never withdraw cash on credit cards or take payday loans. For full help on this, join my free Credit Club 0RUWJDJHV www.mse.me/CreditClub, which gives your credit score, affordability score and tells you what needs improving.

• Are the repayments affordable? For the past couple of years, lenders haven’t just checked if you can afford the monthly repayments at the current rate, but they also stress test affordability if rates were 6% or 7%. Crucially, this doesn’t only apply to new mortgages, it’s also for re-mortgages too (which is ridiculous and, on an aside, I am campaigning against this). So, if this is a problem, it’s important to reel in your spending months before applying.

Lenders will want evidence of income, big bills, expenses and even eating out.

Use a mortgage broker to match your situation to a top mortgage.

The information about what different lenders are looking for isn’t available to the general public. But it’s something that most mortgage brokers have - and, of course, their job is to find you the best product.

So, they’re a good way to work out what the best deal available to you is. Yet do ask if the broker will check all deals available to them and not just a panel of lenders.

Also, check how much it will cost and use a qualified one. Some phone-only brokers such as www.LandC.co.uk are fee-free. If you want face-to-face help, ask friends for a local recommendation or find one via www. unbiased.co.uk or www.VouchedFor.com.

Don’t ignore the fees The smaller your mortgage, the bigger the impact of fees. A good way to compare

mortgages is to divide the fee across the discount or fixed period. So, a £1,200 fee on a two-year (i.e., 24-month) deal is £50 a month. Then add that to the monthly repayment.

I designed a “Total Cost” tool that does this automatically for you within the www.MoneySavingExpert.com/ mortgagebestbuys comparison.

Fix or variable rate?

A fix’s advantage is you get price and budgeting certainty that the rate won’t move for a set time, whereas variable deals move with the UK interest rate (and sometimes just on the provider’s whim).

Generally, you pay a little more to fix, but not much. Ask yourself how much you think rates will rise over the period. If safety’s what’s important to you, err on the side of fixing, and fixing for longer. Right now, with fixed deals being outrageously cheap, it’s great time to do it.

Got savings? They could get you a better mortgage For this, you need to find your current loan-to-value (LTV) – the proportion of the value of your home you’re borrowing, so £80k on a £100k property is 80% LTV. At every 5% LTV threshold, from 95% down to 60%, deals tend to get better, so a little extra can have a big impact on your rate.

For example, if you’ve a £150,000 home, and want a £137,000 re-mortgage, that’s a 91% LTV, and the top five-year fix is 3.98%. Yet use £2,000 of savings to reduce the borrowing, and you’d be at 90% LTV – where the top five-year fix is 2.54%, saving c. £1,100/year in payments.

@MoneySavingExpert

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Travel Tips

16

Travel West Bay, Dorset

By Tim Saunders – www.travelwriter.biz

Peace and quiet at night.

Our two main requirements for an enjoyable family holiday. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to meet these criteria. But I am delighted to report that we have four blissful nights of quality sleep on comfortable beds in our static caravan at West Bay Holiday Park on the Dorset coast. The only sound to be heard - and this is in the early morning - is the distant squawk of seagulls.

The park lies on the site of a former shipyard destroyed in the Great Storm of 1836 and is owned by Parkdean Resorts, which operates 73 holiday parks throughout the UK. Therefore, it is well placed to know what families want - that tired parents need a break and their children need entertaining. These two demands are satisfied by friendly and approachable staff such as Seagull Sid and Lizzie the Lizard, who run the entertainments programme between March and November. During our time at the site, activities are run every day at 10am for children accompanied by their parents. Harriett (5) and Heidi (3) go to Garden Tots where they produce a sunflower picture, go on a bug hunt and grow watercress. It’s a great way of introducing children to the wonders of the garden, something educational and fun to be enjoyed on holiday. Yet to our surprise Harriett and Heidi are the only children taking part in this activity.

They thoroughly enjoy it. The following day at the same time Rainbow Tots provides more fun activities for our daughters as does Toy Tots on another occasion. This combined with the onsite swimming pool and park really means that there is no need to venture elsewhere.

If you do venture out, you really only need to walk into West Bay, which really comes into its own when the sun shines.

On the first night, little Henry (7mths) just will not go to sleep so I pop him in his pushchair

and we walk around the harbour and along the seafront. He only finally drifts off at the end of our walk, the sea air eventually sending him off to the land of nod.

At the resort, there is a small and a large swimming pool. Caroline and I have to take it in turns to manage our three children because little Henry still needs feeding at regular intervals so he cannot stay in the pool for any longer than 15 minutes. Harriett and Heidi grow in confidence and Heidi starts to swim unaccompanied.

The static caravan complete with gas cooker and fridge/freezer provides comfortable self-catering accommodation. It is really helpful to find that there is a shower room at either end, which means that our girls can get ready using one while we use the other. They can both operate the shower without our help. And the washing machine is great for drying those wet towels.

We break up the journey home by stopping off in Dorchester to visit the Dinosaur Museum housed in a Victorian property crammed full of interesting exhibits including life-size model dinosaurs such as a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is much information about evolution which always baffles me. And there’s a film in the cinema that details how dinosaurs became extinct. But for me the most interesting aspect of my visit was finding out about Mary Anning (1799 to 1847), an amateur fossil collector from Lyme Regis, who is now considered to be an extremely influential palaeontologist. Her portrait hangs in the Natural History Museum in London.

Tim Saunders is an author, journalist and businessman.

He meets celebrities, goes on holiday and road tests cars.

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

17 @BattensSol

www.battens.co.uk

Specialist Legal Advice and Solutions for whatever life brings - at home or at work Office now open in Wareham - 10% discount available to BH19/BH20 residents for a limited time only - www.battens.co.uk/wareham for more details.

t Wills, Trusts & Estates t Tax Planning t Family Matters t Personal Injury t Matrimonial t Moving Home t Employment t Landlord & Tenant t Agricultural Matters t Debt Recovery t Dispute Resolution t Construction t Planning t Business Services

10 Top Tips When Buying a House There are many hurdles to jump when you’re purchasing a new home. Sarah Ford from Battens Solicitors shares her top tips on buying a house.

1. Know the true costs and set a budget 2. Get an ‘Agreement in Principle’ 3. Consider your options 4. Appoint an experienced lawyer 5. Get first dibs 6. Ask questions 7. Be realistic about timings 8. Commission a full property survey 9. Get insured 10. Draw up a Will

Sarah Ford Associate Solicitor

Sarah Ford of the Battens Residential Property Team offers a bespoke buying service for buyers. Call 01929 768720 to speak to Sarah or email sarah.ford@ battens.co.uk Address: 12 West Street, Wareham, BH20 4JX Tel: 01929 768720 Email: enquiries@battens.co.uk

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18

Food & Drink

7DVWHV VR JRRG Lemon Meringue Pie

A delicious and tangy lemon filled pie topped with crispy, chewy meringue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a perfect after dinner indulgence thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sure to satisfy the sweetest tooth!

Ingredients for 8 servings Pastry 150g plain flour Pinch salt 75g Butter Cold water to mix

Oven: Pre-heat to fan 170C/190C/Gas 5 Prepare the pastry following conventional method and use to

Filling 50g cornflour 300ml cold water 75g caster sugar Zest and juice of 3 lemons 2 medium egg yolks

remaining water, lemon zest and juice, stir in the cornflour

Meringue 2 medium egg whites 100g caster sugar

line a 20cm greased flan dish. Bake blind, remove from oven then reduce the oven temperature to fan 130c, conventional 150c, gas 2. To make the filling, first blend the cornflour with a little water to make a smooth paste. In a small pan, heat the paste and stir until you bring to the boil.

Cook the lemony mixture for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the sugar and egg yolks. When cool, tip into the partly cooked pastry case. Whisk the egg whites until very stiff then gradually add in half of the sugar. Then gently fold the rest of the sugar. Spread the meringue mix over the lemon and swirl and bake for a further 35 minutes to crisp the meringue. Allow to cool before serving.

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19

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Puzzle Corner

20

Crossword

Across 1 Climbing tall hills (14) 10 Furies (5) 11 Acquit (9) 12 Ultimately (7) 13 Punches of sweetened milk and eggs (7) 14 A sloping edge on a cutting tool (5) 16 Nosebleed (9) 19 Bankrupt (9) 20 Hollowed out (5) 22 A rope for a sail (7) 25 Instructions on food preparation (7) 27 Barrier (9) 28 Swampy lake (5) 29 Slides used with o/head projectors (14) Down 2 Coordinates (9) 3 Relating to the nose (5) 4 Welder's fuel (9) 5 Hangman's knot (5) 6 Industrious (9)

18 Plant adapted for limited water (9) 19 Live or dwell (7) 21 A field event (6) 23 Insect stage (5) 24 A literary genre (5) 26 Boxlike (5)

7 A Rocky Mountain state (5) 8 Suppositions (7) 9 Pre-built (6) 15 Bedtime song (9) 17 Interpose (9)

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5

9

7 3

1

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6

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5

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  To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

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    

Boilers installed Full Central Heating Systems Boiler breakdowns and repairs Boiler servicing and maintenance Full breakdown & maintenance work

Need an Entertainer?

(Swanage Based)

Children’s Parties : Family Celebrations : Fetes, Fairs, Festivals

Contact Kevin on 01929 792572 or 07971 250222

www.kevinburke.co.uk

Magician : Circus Performer : Street Entertainer

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Adventures of Nellie

22

The Adventures of Nellie

The Purbeck Publications Camper Van Nellie is back! Having had quite a rest for a couple of months and a new ‘ticker’ (alias alternator) fitted, Nellie was raring to go. In fact she was chattering at the bit and came screeching to a holt when she suddenly had the idea to take us to “Monkey World” near Wool in the Purbecks. We were there many years ago when Hayden was just a baby in the pram. Oh boy that seems a long time ago.

Saturday morning. There were flurries of snow! Really, was Nellie going to take us out in that? Yes, is the short answer.

When Nellie decides on something wild horses would not stop her, certainly not a teeny-weeny drop of snow. She even has a snow mode for emergencies! Ever known anyone like that?

Hayden was none too impressed, but boys of 13 are not always easy to please as we know. Nellie was very persuasive and since I was driving Hayden came along, a ‘little’ reluctantly.

It was freezing! I can’t blame many of the monkeys for hiding in their shelters, but there were some out and about for us to see. The whole complex has expanded so much. I couldn’t believe it. What a

The playful lemurs run around at your feet

Nellie arrives at Monkey World great place to visit, whether young or old.

Nellie would have loved to try the fantastic climbing frames and hang off the ropes that were intended for the children, but we did manage to stop her. Ladies of a ‘certain age’… there is certainly no holding them back at times! Must be seeing those playful monkeys and baby Orang-utans that did it. They are so cute!

One larger chimpanzee got suddenly fed up with something, angrily showed her teeth, picked up some earth and ran off, throwing the soil furiously in the air while screaming loudly. It was very dramatic, a bit like Nellie when she gets overheated (told you about women of a ‘certain age’…) and starts steaming at the bonnet. It was probably a female chimp, or am I being unfair? Men, don’t answer, it is best not to as it could be taken against you. As if we would ever do that!

Monkey World is an ape rescue centre, and does a terrific job in saving and protecting over 250 primates of more than 20 different species. It is in fact the largest rescue centre in the world set in a 65 acre park! And it is right here in the South.

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23 My Gran all the way back in 1950 had wanted to buy a tiny marmoset monkey.

In the local ‘Hull Daily Mail’ one was advertised, so Gran enthusiastically parted with a lot of money. Needless to say is was a hoax and she never saw the monkey. (Even in those days you had to be careful). I remember as a child being disappointed that she never had one.

Monkey World salvages such pets which have been neglected, kept in unnatural conditions and generally mistreated.

All of the primates have had difficult circumstances to endure and are now in a safe haven. How wonderful.

Nellie was very taken with this and decided to adopt a monkey herself! That didn’t mean take one home of course (though we did buy a great toy look-a like that now sits proudly on Nellie’s back seat), but it does mean that the money we gave helps with all that is needed to rescue and rehabilitate the primates. We received our photo of “Tuan The orang-utan” this morning in the post! Nellie was so excited. Tuan is a rather large 30 year old orang-utan and has a love story that rather appealed to Nellie. Tuan was found roaming the streets in Taichung City. He had obviously been brought up with humans and once settled

Tuan, Nellie’s adopted Orangutan

Nellie with her toy “Tuan” lookalike a year and a half later (after all his medical tests were complete) in Monkey World, he was introduced to Amy who was never interested in him. Ahhh I hear you say… but wait… RoRo however had been watching Tuan through the mesh and once the doors were opened, she literally fell into Tuan’s arms and he wouldn’t let go!

‘Somehow’ they now have a wonderful son called Gordon who loved to swing on the ropes and slap his dad on the head when he was young, but these days being older, lives in his own enclosure. RoRo still lives with Tuan, but Tuan in fact has another special lady in his life, Lucky, who totally won his heart. They are inseparable.

Tuan himself is a bit of a character and loves to make people laugh by blowing raspberries and clapping his hands. You can see the appeal.

Nellie highly recommends a visit to Monkey World. Hayden really enjoyed it too! Now Nellie has adopted Tuan, she can visit as often as she likes for a whole year. For £35 we think that is great value for money AND she helped the monkeys! Please visit the website www.monkeyworld.org or call free phone 0800 456600 with any enquiries, and do mention Nellie! Where will she takes us next?

By Debbie Corney

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Community News

24

Opportunity to ask questions about review of Purbeck’s Local Plan A question and answer session is to take place on 16 March on the partial review of the Purbeck Local Plan.

This will be held at the Purbeck School.

Purbeck District Council is currently undertaking further work on the partial review, following a consultation which took place in summer 2016. The consultation sought views on options to deliver around 3,080 extra homes in the district over the next 16 years to 2033, on top of 2,520 homes already identified in the Purbeck Local Plan Part 1.

3,300 responses to the consultation highlighted a number of concerns. Issues raised included significant objection to the overall number of new homes proposed; the location of new housing sites; the need for more affordable homes for local people; and concerns about flooding and loss of Green Belt and AONB land. The Council has recently published a full consultation report which includes a summary of the responses and explains how the Council will be seeking to address the concerns.

As a result of the responses, the Council has made a commitment to undertake a series of additional studies, including relooking at housing numbers; environmental constraints; flooding; AONB; Green Belt; and impacts on the transport network; as well as the effect of second homes. The Council is also relooking at boundaries and smaller developments and will update information in light of new economic data, including the implications of leaving the European Union.

The Council is offering an opportunity for interested parties to ask questions about the Local Plan review at a special session to take place at the Purbeck School, Wareham from 5.00pm until 6.30pm on Thursday 16 March.

Councillor Peter Wharf, Chairman of the Purbeck Partial Review Advisory Group, is encouraging anyone interested in the Local Plan review to attend the question and answer session.

Councillor Wharf said: “People made their views quite clear to us during the consultation and, as promised, we are working with parish councils, individuals and

residents’ groups to develop a revised plan based on solid evidence. This session forms part of our review process and it will enable people get down to areas of considerable detail by putting their questions to us.”

Councillor Wharf reiterated his comments made in late 2016: “A lot of people are clearly passionate about the district and I am pleased we are working together on this review. However, we must remember that doing this additional work delays the whole process, and we could be left without an approved up-to-date Local Plan by the end of this year, by which time the government Inspector said we should have completed this work.

“This would mean that the district would be more vulnerable to development ‘by appeal’ as the council would have less grounds to object to development.”

This means a planning inspector could overrule the council’s decision to turn down a planning application and grant planning permission somewhere that the Council would not want so many houses to be built and which may not provide the necessary infrastructure.

Councillor Wharf continued: “However, as I said before, this is a risk we must take, and it is important we do it correctly.”

Anyone wishing to ask a question about the local plan review and the additional work which the Council is currently undertaking is encouraged to attend the question and answer session.

The Council would be grateful to receive written questions in advance so that responses can be prepared. Questions can be submitted by e-mail to localplan@purbeck-dc.gov.uk. However this does not prevent anyone else from asking questions on the night.

Also at the meeting on the 16th, there will be an opportunity for attendees to receive an update report on the Local Plan review. This will be presented to the Council’s Partial Review Advisory Group, which is meeting at 7.00pm, following the question and answer session. There will then be further opportunities for comments on the plan throughout the year.

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25

The Swanage Oracle

W H O U D I N I D S L X J X L

S T F I G B S N S I G L S J O

S A A Q X P Z U E D C L U A G

C E K E R M E E D E I V M O D

C C K I K S G O I D J K R W G

C D N A R E K E O N O W U N V

E G Y D C J K F F A S F S Q J

Q Z A I X N F I Y N F T Y Z B

T L H P D A A R B B F L E D J

X T G D D M P P F R Z F H I L

S T P A T R I C K S D A Y Y N

M P X N Y A D S R E H T O M N

S H E C A K B V N Q Z E H O J

S Y Q O J Q Y Q A H M B S M V

I R E L A N D G A B R K T M K

PANCAKES DAFFODILS IRELAND EINSTEIN ST PATRICKS DAY HOUDINI DR SEUSS SPRING GIFTS MOTHERS DAY

This month, the prize is a meal for two at the Bull & Boat in Swanage, so please complete this page by 30th March 2017 and send to: March Prize Wordsearch Name: ______________________ The Swanage Oracle, Address: ______________________ 1 Moorlands Rise, ______________________ West Moors, ______________________ Ferndown, BH22 0JR Telephone: ______________________

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Prize Wordsearch

Prize Wordsearch

Gardening Tips

26

On Your Plot Getting the upper hand Spring should really be on its way by the end of this month and there’ll be plenty of jobs to keep you busy on your plot.

There’s nothing quite like sowing seeds and the thrill of watching those first tiny seedlings appearing just a week or two later. Weather permitting the soil should be warm enough to be sowing outdoors in March. Your new seedlings will need all the help that you can give them if they are to flourish so don’t forget the weeding and pest control too!

Jobs for March :-

• Prepare beds for sowing by raking level when the soil is dry enough.

• Get a supply of containers and fill with compost ready for sowing (supermarket plastic trays containers are handy to reuse for this!)

• Make sure you have all the seeds you need and sort them into the order that you’ll sow them in.

• Plant first early potatoes later in the month.

• Keep on top of the weeding and pest control.

• Sow carrots, peas, parsnips, lettuce and radishes

There’s no doubt that the weather during the first part of the year lived up to our expectations of a month of extremes - with mild temperatures and homes and gardens hammered by incredible rainfall. Hopefully March should see the weather settling down and Spring truly starting to emerge.

Most seed packets give you some guidelines as to which month/or months are best to sow in but personally I think that it’d be a lot more helpful if they gave a little information about the temperature required, not to mention just how long germination is likely to take. Soil temperatures of at least 6°C are needed for most seeds - if you don’t want to guess at this you can get a soil thermometer to check. Don’t forget that by using products such as fleece, or cloches, over your beds you can raise the temperature. Some seeds, such as parsnips, are notoriously slow to germinate taking up to 3 weeks for seedlings to appear - a good idea with slow starters like these is to sow quick growing crops such as radishes on either side of the row. This will

help mark the rows out until your parsnips appear and the radishes will quickly be grown and ready to harvest.

Take note also of the depth that the different seeds should be sown at - too shallow and they’ll either blow away or be eaten by the birds, too deep and you may bury them alive! Try to space seeds evenly, though if you sow too many you can thin out the weaker seedlings after they appear. Do remember that with many crops it is better to sow just a few and then sow again in a few weeks time to avoid having too many ready to harvest all at once. Salad crops such as lettuce will bolt if left too long, and other vegetables which may have a short harvesting period can be enjoyed for much longer if you save the seed and sow a few in succession every few weeks.

As the soil warms up for your new crops so it also warms up nicely for the weeds about now! For many people part of the attraction of growing your own is eating chemical free produce and organic methods of pest control will therefore be preferred.

Little and often is best - take a quick walk around the veg patch each morning and hand pick any emerging weeds. Hoeing also works well and if you are careful not to let weeds set seed you’ll avoid a long-term problem. Of course the situation isn’t helped by the fact that your patch is likely to have large amounts of bare soil on it between widely spaced rows at this time of year. Some crops, such as potatoes will obligingly grow to ultimately block out the light and deter weeds, but if you’re really having problems then think about putting down a thick, organic, mulch to cover the bare soil.

Slugs will also emerge to attack your young seedlings - there’s no end of organic ways to do battle from hand picking at night and beer traps to watering in nematodes. Strike early and gain the upper hand!

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27

CAMERAS & BINOCULARS WANTED

By Private Collector ANY Age, Format, Quantity or Quality - Collections Of ANY Size - Lenses Of All Types - Clockwork Cine ALSO Wanted 8mm, 16mm, 35mm - BEST PRICES PAID - WILL COLLECT - ANY DISTANCE CONSIDERED Please Call Keith On

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

    



Household Tips Oven cleaning: To reduce the frequency of oven cleaning, try lining the bottom of your oven with aluminium foil cut to size.

The foil catches drips and grease and can be easily replaced when dirty. Saving you time and effort !

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28

Look back to the cookery shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s and you can see exactly where our kitchen inspiration came from - the anodyne, sleek, chrome-clad kitchens of professional chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal.

All of a sudden the warm, cosy kitchens of our parents, the kind of kitchen which Grand Dame of home cookery Delia Smith would have prepared a roast chicken dinner in - wooden cabinets, tiled floors and floral curtains - were out.

Instead, we were pouring concrete, installing stainless steel ranges and finding new and ingenious ways to open cupboards without using anything as unsightly as handles.

The home kitchen became as close to the galley of a top London restaurant’s backroom as it was possible to get: a functional space in which to create cordon-bleu spagbol and show off our collection

of vintage Burgundies in the sleek built-in wine rack.

But unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few years you can’t have failed to notice a change.

Yes, many of us are still looking to Poggenpohl and Tecnocucina for sleek lines and white, white, white, but even more are putting the heart back in to the kitchen.

It’s been happening for a while.

Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater have been tempting us with spotty egg cups and cutesy 1950s inspired cutlery, Nigella Lawson has been extolling the virtues of her Kitchen Aid mixer as she licks yet another mixing bowl clean and Nigel Slater has made the move from print to television, picking ingredients from his allotment garden to make cosy suppers in his homely TV kitchen which might have the limited colour palette of the 1990s cookery show kitchen but which exudes welcoming warmth with bare wood and earth tones. It’s a fair bet to make that even Heston Blumenthal

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29

might have been swayed to adding a little splash of colour back at his home where nobody can see it.

Once again an Aga is the top of the kitchen wishlist. In every colour going, it’s almost a shame not to buy one in bright red or retro yellow - even Ms Bridgewater has designed one in her trademark country kitchen-esque primary colour spot. A cast iron range is undoubtedly the central feature in any family kitchen worth its salt, but if you can’t afford one (and they are ludicrously expensive) adding heartfelt character to your kitchen is simple. Patterns such

as spots, stripes, hearts and stars are cute and colourful whether on crockery, cutlery or just your tea towels. Attaching a devil-maycare attitude to tidiness is a must too, within reason…open shelving filled with colourful bits and bobs, pretty bottles, cookbooks and retro finds look great while hanging your utensils above the stove or even pans from a ceiling rack has an olde worlde vibe and makes everything easy to find.

There are endless ways to bring your kitchen in to the 2010s but the most important thing is to make it a living space once again.

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30

Index of advertisers

Your quick guide to everyone and everything in your Oracle...

Accountants Ward Goodman.................................................... 31

Health & Fitness West Dorset Mobile Foot Clinic............................ 7

Aerials Repairline............................................................. 13

Insurance Brokers Coversure Insurance............................................. 11

Bars, Pubs & Restaurants Alpine Bistro @ Snowtrax..................................... 9 Bull & Boat........................................................... 19

Kitchens Competitive Construction..................................... 5

Bathrooms C+C Plumbing & Bathrooms................................. 7 Bedrooms Custom Creations................................................. 2 Blinds, Curtains & Shutters Ashley Blinds......................................................... 3 Just Shutters......................................................... 13 Builders Competitive Construction..................................... 5 Purbeck Home Improvements.............................. 1 Cameras Rocky Rock Cameras............................................. 27 Carpenters Total Woodwork - Peter Albin............................... 20 Carpets & Flooring Peter Newman Flooring........................................ 31 Community News Adventures of Nellie............................................. 22 Dorset Wildlife Trust: Step into Spring...................... 12 Kitchens: Heart of the home................................. 28 Martin Lewis: Mortgages..................................... 14 National Garden Scheme in Purbeck.................... 8 On your plot: Now is the time to go undercover.... 26 Purbeckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information centre scoops another South West excellence award............... 6 Purbeck Local Plan: opportunity to ask questions.... 24 Tastes so good: Lemon Meringue Pie................... 18 Travel: West Bay, Dorset....................................... 16

Locksmiths Landmark Locksmiths........................................... 19 Pest Control Terminator Pest.................................................... 7 Plumbers C+C Plumbing....................................................... 7 CM Plumbing & Heating....................................... 9 Gasways Heating.................................................. 21 Heatcare............................................................... 3 Property Maintenance Competitive Construction..................................... 17 Total Woodwork - Peter Albin............................... 20 Puzzles & Competitions Crossword............................................................. 20 Kids Page.............................................................. 10 Prize Wordsearch.................................................. 25 Sudoku.................................................................. 20 Self Storage Purbeck Self Storage............................................. 13 Solicitors Battens................................................................. 17 Taxis DMB Cars.............................................................. 27 Tool & Plant Hire Sydenhams........................................................... 2 Tree Surgeons Apex Tree Surgeons.............................................. 32 Heartwood Tree Management............................. 19

Computer Services AJV Computing..................................................... 27

TV Sales & Repairs Repairline............................................................. 13

Entertainers Kevin Burke........................................................... 21

Waste Services Philip Trim............................................................. 5

Financial Services Ward Goodman.................................................... 9

Windows, Doors & Conservatories Competitive Construction..................................... 5

To advertise in The Swanage Oracle, please call: 01929 408080

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Carpet & Flooring Specialists • Hardwood & Laminate Flooring • Carpet & Carpet Tiles • Wood Sanding & Restoration • Home selection service • Free quotes and advice Come and visit our showroom to see the ranges for yourself 1 Manor Park, 35 Willis Way, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3SZ Open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri

Tel: 01202 672222 Web: www.pnfl.co.uk Email: info@pnfl.co.uk

All successful relationships start with a conversation.

Let’s talk... You deserve to work with a firm that values your long-term success as much as its own.

Many individuals and businesses across Dorset put their trust in us to be their Chartered Accountant or Financial Adviser, so contact us and let’s get the conversation started.

For more information or to discuss your own circumstances

call us on 01929 551 551 or visit www.wardgoodman.co.uk

Please mention The Swanage Oracle when responding to adverts

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The Swanage Oracle

13/02/2017 11:29

1 Moorlands Rise, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0JR