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Extra outdoor seafront dining given go ahead SEAFRONT bar and restaurant SWIM and Mark Hix’s Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis have both been given permission use town council land for extra outdoor seating as they prepare to reopen. The decision will see two-seat tables on Marine Parade below SWIM’s existing terrace, and outdoor tables on the former pitch and putt site in Lister Gardens. REPORT, PAGE 2
Guildhall repair works delayed
Summer events are back!
REPAIR works at the historic Guildhall in Lyme Regis, which will also include reducing an overhanging window to protect it from passing vehicles, has been delayed until later this year as planning permission has still not been granted. REPORT, PAGE 7
■ WITH COVID restrictions set to be lifted over the coming weeks, Lyme Regis can look forward to a bit more normality this summer - and that means a busy calendar of events and festivals. Many event organisers have now announced that they will be going ahead this spring and summer, with one of the first major events to be held being the new eat:Lyme Regis food festival, which will be held in a COVID-secure manner on April 24. Find out more about upcoming events on page 4
Will it be parking chaos?
COVID cases continue to drop across Dorset
DORSET coronavirus case numbers have continued to fall over and are now in line with the South West average, with fewer than three cases in Lyme Regis, Charmouth and the Marshwood Vale. REPORT, PAGE 3
COUNCIL UNSURE IT CAN AFFORD PARK AND RIDE THIS SUMMER CONCERNS have been raised that Lyme Regis could face chaos on the roads if the park and ride facility does not open this summer.
The park and ride in Charmouth Road, operated by Lyme Regis Town Council, did not open last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial effect this would have on running the service. Discussions are now underway about the potential cost, financial and physical risks associ-
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk ated with running the service this year. Deputy town clerk Mark Green told councillors this week that it was a “very complicated” issue that depended on a number of factors outside the council’s control. For example, he said the council needed to consider whether the public would be willing to travel on a packed double-decker bus following the pandemic, even if all social distancing re-
strictions are lifted as planned on June 21, adding: “I suspect not.” In a report to councillors, Mr Green and operations manager Matt Adamson Drage said it was the officers’ view that the park and ride service was “unlikely to be realistic and financially viable in 2021, other than during the school summer holiday”. However, Mr Green said that even during the school summer holiday the service may run at a loss and this would be a loss to the council - not
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Council grants permission Park and ride poses huge for more al fresco dining financial risk to council
PERMISSION has been granted for more al fresco dining on Lyme Regis seafront and in the public gardens this spring. With restaurants allowed to reopen for outdoor service only from April 12, many local businesses are looking at ways they can improve and increase their outside areas. This has been supported by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP, who has urged councils to “do everything possible to help those businesses reopen safely and prosper again” following the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Jenrick’s plans to help businesses get back on their feet include extending the relaxation of pavement licenses for outdoor dining until September 2022. Three local businesses have now made applications to use town council land to extend their outside offering. Seafront restaurant and bar SWIM, which currently has a limited number of outside tables on its verandah, has applied for 10 two-seat tables on Marine Parade below as a temporary measure up until June 21, when all restrictions on social contact are expected to be lifted. Councillors raised concerns this week that this may make social distancing difficult on the busy seafront, and that additional tables may be an obstruction to emergency and waste disposal vehicles which use Marine Parade, especially at the narrower end to the west of the restaurant.
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk However, Cllr Michaela Ellis said that, as a council tenant, they should be supporting the business to ensure it can reopen. “If we say no we could be banging a nail in their coffin,” she added. Some councillors suggested that SWIM should be allowed up to six tables, but they eventually agreed to the request in principle with the details over table numbers and size left to council officers to finalise. A second application from Mark Hix’s Oyster & Fish House in Lister Gardens was approved without concerns. This will see tables and chairs covered with a sail-type structure set up on the former pitch and putt area in Lister Gardens, below the restaurant’s existing terrace. Mr Hix has applied for this initially as a temporary measure until June 21, but would then like to discuss using the area on a more permanent basis to serve snacks and drinks in a more relaxed style of dining. The Red Panda Asian takeaway at Bell Cliff has also applied for two tables and chairs outside its property. Councillors expressed concerns that this may cause problems with social distancing in a small and busy area of the town, and that the tables may encroach on the outside area already let to the Bell Cliff Restaurant. However, it was again decided to agree in principal to the request and leave the details to council officers.
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE the bus operator. The report added: “Even that view could be significantly altered by events entirely beyond the control of this council and subject to sudden and unexpected change. “If a decision is made to run the service at some point, the previously agreed temporary signage can be put in place at relatively short notice. “More problematic is putting in place bus and driver capacity and obtaining the necessary permissions from the Traffic Commissioners. “Landowner consent will also be required to operate some changed arrangement for part-year only.” The officers said they had hoped to bring a more detailed report to this week’s virtual meeting of the Town Management & Highways Committee, but the potential financial implications of any decision would run into the tens of thousands and more time was required to model all of the various options and scenarios. With international travel still restricted, Lyme Regis is expecting a particularly busy summer, and a lack of park and ride facility could lead to more congestion and parking problems. Mr Green said councillors needed to consider whether keeping some cars out of the town centre was a big enough benefit, even if it came at a financial cost to the council.
Cllr Stan Williams said: “I don’t understand why we’re being too concerned about this. I think that Lyme’s going to be very busy this summer and if we don’t have any parking they’re all going to be driving around in circles with nowhere to park. “I would just go for it, it will work this year I am very certain. If we don’t open it, people are going to be appalled.” Cllr Williams expressed concerns that Lyme Regis was going to have “less parking that we’ve ever had” this summer, as he did not believe the field behind St Andrew’s House would be opened. Lyme Regis Football Club will also not be allowing parking on its pitch having carried out recent improvements, but will be taking cars in its enlarged car park. Cllr Williams said the town would be “really short on parking spaces” and suggested that, in the worst case scenario, the park and ride field could be opened as a ‘park and walk’ with no bus. Councillors will be making a final decision on the park and ride at the next Strategy & Finance Committee meeting on March 31. The town council no longer operates a park and ride service from the other side of town in Sidmouth Road, as planning permission for continued use of this site was refused in May 2018.
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COVID-19: The latest on local coronavirus figures and vaccines
COVID case numbers continue to drop across Dorset - now in line with South West average
DORSET coronavirus case numbers have continued to fall over the past week – now in line with the South West average and below the national average. In the seven-day period up until Friday, March 12, there were 126 recorded COVID cases in the Dorset Council area, compared with 194 in the last update on March 5, and 127 in the Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) area, compared to 249. This means the case rate per 100,000 people is now 33.3 in the Dorset Council area, compared to 51.3 the previous week, and 32.1 in the BCP area, compared to 63.0. There are currently 33 COVID-19 patients in hospital beds in Dorset, compared to 68 on March 5. Up until March 7, 337,363 doses of the COVID vaccinations had been administered to people in Dorset. Everyone over the age of 55 can now book their vaccination online via the national booking system or by calling 119. A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “We have seen COVID case rates, hospitalisations and deaths continue to decrease across the county over the last week. “Case rates for Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council are both around the South West average and below the England average. We would like to thank residents for playing their part in this by following the lockdown rules. “This week we saw the return to school and college for all pupils in Dorset. Many school pupils, staff and their families are now taking
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francesca@lyme-online.co.uk
part in lateral flow testing to identify and isolate any asymptomatic cases and their contacts to help break chains of transmission. We continue to work closely with schools to support them with this. “The government has been clear that the roadmap for reopening will be based on data, so we must keep working together to prevent cases rising again in Dorset.” You can find out more about the government’s roadmap out of lockdown here. COVID-19 cases numbers in Lyme Regis, Charmouth and the Marshwood Vale have remained consistently low in recent weeks, with fewer than three cases recorded across the whole area in the seven-day period up until March 11. In small areas where there are fewer three cases, full data is not given as to protect the identity of individuals. In neighbouring Uplyme, Kilmington & Colyton, there were seven cases recorded in the seven-day period up until March 11, an increase of five on the previous week. To the west, Axminster had five cases, an increase of two; and Seaton had four, also an increase of two. To the east of Lyme Regis, Burton Bradstock & Chideock had fewer than three cases, as did Bridport North, Bridport South & West Bay, and Beaminster, Maiden Newton & Halstock. The Sidbury, Offwell & Beer area saw a con-
cerning spike this month, with case numbers peaking in the mid-40s following an outbreak at a care home, but figures have now dropped back down to nine. The outbreak at the Holmesley care home in Sidford has resulted in five deaths of residents, with post-mortems carried out on three. All five of the residents who have passed away since Sunday, March 6 tested positive for COVID-19. Ten further residents are being treated for the coronavirus at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, and one member of staff is in hospital with COVID. The outbreak is currently being investigated by the police, with officers officers speaking to staff and having conducted a search of the home. Chief Superintendent Dan Evans, said: “I’ve no doubt there will be concern in the community regarding this incident and we are doing everything possible to help those bereaved families, while also working with partners to communicate to those with relatives remaining within the home. “This is a complex investigation involving ourselves and multi-agency partners, with safeguarding of residents at its core. “There is significant work underway to understand the current situation and progress the investigation as quickly as possible, while maintaining the safety of care home residents, staff, police officers and partner agency staff.” You can find out more details on COVID
case numbers in your local area at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ Bridport Medical Centre has now started inviting those over the age of 80 for their second COVID vaccinations. They will also be running clinics for some of those in cohorts six and seven for their first vaccination, with patients coming from across Bridport, Beaminster, Charmouth and Lyme Regis. Those attending vaccination appointments are asked to refer to the medical centre’s website for important information on what to expect on the day, including important vaccine-specific information, you should read beforehand. A spokesman for Bridport Medical Centre (BMC) said: “Please do ensure you are prepared for the visit, particularly regarding parking at the BMC site. We have volunteer marshals throughout the site to ensure patients are looked after from start to finish. “We ask those driving our more elderly patients to please drop off and pick up half an hour later as we have even less parking available due to the large marquee. “We will try all we can to minimise queues spilling to outside but please do come dressed for all weather. “Patients in the earlier cohorts may call the COVID booking team on 01308 808714 to book, or may await further contact.”
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It’s set to be another summer of fun in Lyme Regis! WITH COVID restrictions set to be lifted over the coming weeks, Lyme Regis can look forward to a little more normality this summer - and that means a busy programme of major events and festivals. Many event organisers have announced that they are planning to go ahead this spring and summer, including Lyme’s two biggest events of the year - Lifeboat Week and Regatta & Carnival Week. A provisional programme for Lifeboat Week – one of the most popular events in the local calendar – is being discussed by members of the town’s Lifeboat Supporters Group, set to run from Saturday, July 24 to Saturday, July 31. Chairman of the supporters group Ken Lavery said: “We feel we have to be optimistic and hope that restrictions will be lifted by late July. “We are making plans to stage as many events as possible during the week, including old favourites and new activities subject to any COVID-19 restrictions which might still be in place.” Updates will be provided in the run-up to the event on the Lifeboat Week Facebook page and the website www.lymeregislifeboatweek.co.uk Lifeboat Week has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the RNLI’s life-saving charity since the 1970s. In 2019 the week raised a record £40,000. The lifeboat crew is also planning on hosting its annual Blessing of the Boats service this year, but on August 1 rather than the usual date of Rogation Sunday in May. The inter-denominational service, to which all are welcome, will start at 2pm outside the lifeboat station on the Cobb, and will be conducted by the Reverend Chris Martin, team rector of the Golden Cap Benefice. Music will be provided by Lyme Regis Town Band and shanty singing group the Lyme Bay Moonrakers. Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival Committee are actively planning Regatta & Carnival Week – another of the town’s biggest events of the year – between August 7 and 14 in compliance with
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk the government’s COVID advice at that time, after it was called off last year. The committee has, however, had to call off the annual Easter Bonnet Parade for the second year running, but will once again be holding a virtual version of the event. The committee said it was with “a great deal of sadness” that the decision was made to cancel the physical parade for the second year running, adding: “We know that many people will be disappointed as this is a very popular event in the Lyme Regis calendar.” However, the committee is encouraging children and adults to make their own Easter bonnets at home and send in photos for a virtual parade, as happened in 2020. You can watch last year’s virtual parade here. Would-be participants have until 4pm on Saturday, April 3 to send in their photo entries, either by emailing easter@lymeregiscarnival.co.uk or messaging the Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival Facebook page. Entrants should remember to include the name and age (if under 18) of the person in the photo, plus where the entrant is from. A photo featuring the entrant wearing the bonnet and a close up of the bonnet would be ideal. You could also send a short video of the entrant parading with their bonnet. The virtual parade will take place at 3pm on Easter Sunday (April 4) on the Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival Facebook page with a video featuring all the entrants. The video will also appear on YouTube. Find out more at lymeregiscarnival.co.uk and facebook.com/lymeregiscarnival A new food and drink market will be added to Lyme Regis’ calendar of major events and festivals this spring. eat:Lyme Regis, to be held on Saturday, April 24, is a one-day celebration of local and regional food and drink, organised by multi-award winning eat:Festivals.
eat:Festivals are led by Bev and Sarah Milner Simonds – two women on a mission to reconnect residents with the productive landscape that surrounds them. The social enterprise started in 2012 in their hometown of Burnham-on-Sea and has grown steadily, now hosting 23 events in Somerset, Devon, South Gloucestershire and Dorset each year. Bev and Sarah said: “We know that weekend shindigs, days out and socialising have all been turned on their heads over the past year with plans disrupted and many regular events cancelled. In 2021 we are hoping for the best, but ensuring our plans include a worst-case scenario.
Lyme Regis the ‘perfect backdrop’ for events
“We managed to deliver six socially distanced and COVID-secure events between lockdowns in 2020 and we are thrilled with the support from local council officers and support services in planning a fresh series of adapted markets in 2021 – including this new one in Lyme Regis. “The seafront at Lyme Regis is magnificent and is the perfect backdrop to showcase the micro and small producers from across the region – many of whom have not been to a live market for over a year. “COVID restrictions meant many event organisers weren’t able to adapt their model to enable them to continue trading and this cut off a vital revenue stream for these family businesses. We have changed how we work and are thrilled to be creating a new event for Lyme Regis on April 24.” This is a free one-day event with approximately 60 regional food and drink producers wellspaced out along the seafront, with some socially-distanced entertainment. The whole market is in the open air and it will have measures in place to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Organisers are asking visitors to keep local, plan their visit and abide by the latest government advice.
Bev and Sarah added: “New towns, like Lyme Regis, are really important to our aims. We focus on producers who are based within 30 miles of our host towns, so when we see applications coming in from small businesses based outside our area, we want to create routes to market for them close to where they are. “Traders who had only just started out when the pandemic restrictions hit were some of the hardest hit by the lack of events, so we are launching a new support initiative, Start Out Strong (SOS), to help them.” Other events that have been confirmed to go ahead this year include Jazz Jurassica, which has already announced its programme of live music to be held over the Bank Holiday weekend of Friday, May 28 to Monday, May 31. Guitars On the Beach is hoping to go ahead with a COVID-safe version of the event on June 19 – just two days before the government’s target date of lifting all social distancing guidelines – and Lyme Regis Football Club has this week confirmed it will be going ahead with its popular Sausage & Cider Festival on Saturday, July 3. Organisers of Uplyme Village Fete, which was set to be held on June 12, have cancelled this year’s event. However, the Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Society is busy planning its 2021 Summer Flower and Produce Fair to be held on Saturday, July 10. The event will be held from 1pm to 5pm at the King George V playing field in Uplyme and, as usual, the show will feature a wide range of flower, fruit and vegetable classes with some classes for children and crafts. There will also be charity, commercial and demonstration stands for people to enjoy and a fun dog show. In addition, the society will be organising a plant stall as it is unable to hold its regular plant sale in May. You can also find out more information at https://ulrhs.wordpress.com/
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‘Ammonite’ nominated for costume design BAFTA THE film ‘Ammonite’, partially filmed in Lyme Regis and based on the town’s famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, has been nominated for a BAFTA award. Having initially been long-listed in nine categories last month, the shortlist released last week revealed that ‘Ammonite’ is in with a chance of winning an award for the Best Costume Design. ‘Ammonite’, directed by Francis Lee, will face competition from ‘The Dig’, ‘Emma’, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and ‘Mank’. The film was initially also longlisted for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Make-up & Hair, Original Score and Production Design. Kate Winslet, who played the 19th century fossil hunter Mary Anning, was also long-listed for Best Actress, and Saoirse Ronan as Supporting Actress for her part as Charlotte Murchison – but neither have received a nomination. The nominations have been praised as the most diverse ever, with 16 of the 24 acting nominees this year coming from ethnic minority groups. The winners will be announced at a ceremony without a live audience on April 11. You can view all the nominees at www.bafta.org/film/awards/2021nominations-winners A screening of ‘Ammonite’ is set to be one of highlights of Bridport’s From Page to Screen festival next month. Organisers have announced the films set to be screened during the online version of the three-day festival, which will be held from April 22 to 24.
NEWS FROM CITIZENS ADVICE MORE than one in six people are struggling to afford their broadband during the third lockdown, Citizens Advice has found. This comes at a time when people are more reliant on broadband to work, teach their children and order essentials. Citizens Advice found during first lockdown that certain groups were struggling with their broadband bill including people with children, disabled people, people from ethnic minorities, those who were shielding and young people. It also found broadband customers in receipt of low-income benefits such as Universal Credit were almost twice as likely to struggle to pay their bill as other customers. Towards the end of last year, an estimated 2.3 million people had fallen behind on their broadband bill. In December, regulator Ofcom “strongly urged” all providers to consider offering cheaper tariffs for those on a low income or who are struggling financially. Citizens Advice is calling on the government and Ofcom to fast-track these plans by making it compulsory for all providers to offer affordable tariffs to people on low-income benefits. Only three of the largest 13 firms currently offer these tariffs. “I can’t afford broadband, so when my mobile data runs out I can’t see my grandkids. Do you know how heartbreaking that is?” Maxine, who lives alone, had to claim Universal Credit in March when her work in the hospitality industry stopped. She said: “Throughout the lockdown the only way I've been able to see my elderly parents, and most of my grandkids is on video calls. I don't have broadband as I can't afford it, so when my mobile data has gone I can't see them anymore. “It's really isolating being alone. There were times where if I ran out of data it would be weeks until I saw another person.” Previously she would go to a friend’s house to use the internet. She added: “I’m literally being penalised for not having access to the internet. Most things nowa-
days are online: food shopping when I was isolating, applications, checking my Universal Credit account, getting the best deal for gas and so forth. “When you don't have access to the internet you lose out as they put all the best deals and information online.” Ned Dukes, advice worker at Citizens Advice, said: "Broadband allows people to be part of society. Without access to the internet, people are effectively locked out of key services and everything they need to live a full and proper life. "But for people on welfare benefits, every single decision about how they spend £1 can make a difference. Broadband can be incredibly expensive." Alistair Cromwell, acting chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “The pandemic has cemented the fact that broadband is an essential utility. It is not a luxury for those who can afford it. “Without broadband we struggle to teach our children, order food and medicines, work or search for a job. “While the government has provided free laptops and mobile data to help children study at home, these are ultimately just a sticking plaster. To tackle the digital divide, it must take urgent action to ensure everyone can afford their broadband, no matter which provider they are with.’’ If you need help using the internet or computer, Dorset Council can provide technical support through its Digital Champions scheme. Phone 01305 221048 Monday to Friday from 10am to 12noon, or leave a message outside these times. See more information on Dorset Council website Dorset Digital Hotline (dorsetcouncil.gov.uk). For further assistance, contact Bridport & District Citizens Advice. Telephone Freephone 0800 144 8848, send an email using the contact form at www.bridportca.org.uk or leave a message on 01308 456594.
‘Ammonite’ will be one of the highlights of the events and will be available to view from Saturday, April 24 at 7.30pm. ‘The Father’, starring Anthony Hopkins in a poignant tale of ageing defiantly, will be available from 7.30pm on Friday, April 23. ‘The Mauritanian’, starring Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch, is the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned for years without charge in Guantánamo Bay. After the film join From Page to Screen curator Edith Bowman in conversation with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, author of the memoir, ‘Guantanamo Diary’, upon which ‘The Mauritanian’ is based, and also the film’s director Kevin Macdonald. This will be available from 7.30pm on Thursday, April 22. Other films to be shown include ‘Beats’ and ‘Oliver Sacks’. Details of the full line-up of films can be found at the event’s online brochure. You can buy a £20 festival pass, which gives access to all festival screenings. For more information, visit frompagetoscreen.info. To mark the UK release of ‘Ammonite’ on April 16, Lyme Regis Media Ltd, which publishes LymeOnline, will be releasing a special souvenir book in April called ‘The Making of Ammonite’. The book will feature many of award-winning photographer Richard Austin’s shots taken during filming in Lyme Regis. We’ll be releasing more details, including where you can buy a copy of the book, in the coming weeks.
Friday, March 19 2021 5
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM CONTINUING our series commemorating the anniversaries of the deaths of all Lyme Regis those who gave their lives in the Second World War, this week we remember James Sidney Henderson. With thanks to Vernon Rattenbury of the Royal British Legion for the research.
JAMES SIDNEY HENDERSON
Aircraftman 1st Class, Royal Air Force Service No. 575141 Born February 15 1923 in Edinburgh and died March 28 1941 in Middle Wallop, Hampshire James Henderson lived at Belhaven in Yawl and is remembered as being very academic and a keen sportsman. James, known as Sid, joined the Royal Air Force at RAF Halton straight from school in 1939 and qualified as a Wireless Mechanic. He lost his life while on duty at Middle Wallop in a cycling accident due to a hit and run on 28 March 1941 which was believed to involve a military vehicle. He was killed less than five weeks after his eighteenth birthday. The son of Andrew Henderson and Maria Henderson, of Lyme Regis, he is buried in Over Wallop Churchyard, Hampshire, row A, Grave 3, and is commemorated on the Uplyme war memorial.
6 Friday,March 19 2021
LYME MATTERS with Philip Evans Essential reading for all those with Lyme at heart
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Welcome help for al fresco dining L
YME Regis Town Council has had a fractious relationship with the hospitality trade in Lyme Regis for many years. Long-standing disputes over land issues and al fresco dining areas has soured discussions for too long.
So it was good to see council members at Wednesday’s meeting of the Town Management Committee ease the restrictions they have maintained to keep Lyme’s recreational
HIX Oyster & Fish House - asking for more tables in Lister Gardens next to the table tennis
areas as free as possible from commercial expansion. Not that they had much hope of refusing applications from three outlets to expand their outside dining, as the government has urged all councils to “do everything possible to help businesses to reopen again and prosper”. Had these been normal times, with no interference from Whitehall, it might well have been a different matter. Councilors knew there was no point putting up any resistance. Top chef Mark Hix asked for permission to extend his outside eating facilities at his popular Oyster & Fish House in Lister Gardens by utilising adjacent land below the restaurant’s terrace with additional tables under a sailtype structure. Mr Hix asked for temporary permission until June when he can open his restaurant fully, but would like to discuss using the area on a more permanent nature in the future. SWIM restaurant and bar on the seafront also has an outside dining area on its raised verandah but asked for permission for ten
Jack and Sally’s card from Her Maj THIS was going to be a very special year for my good friends Jack and Sally Caddy. As well as Jack celebrating his 87th birthday, the big occasion for their family would be Jack and Sal’s diamond wedding anniversary. The couple’s two sons, Lee and Russell, have been keeping a close eye on their parents through lockdown, ensuring they were coping well, but they will have been disappointed that they were not able to celebrate such an important milestone - 60 years of marriage - surrounded by family and friends. So it was doubly pleasing to see that Jack and Sal received a congratulations card from Her Majesty the Queen. Had there been a party and I was invited, I would have told the story of how I thought Jack had seriously injured a thug from Chard who tried to gatecrash a disco the Regatta and Carnival Committee held in a marquee on top of the Marine Parade shelters in the 1970s. Jack was assistant secretary of the regatta committee and looked after all the security issues that came to light when we were given permission to hold events in the marquee because the Marine Theatre was unavailable. On this occasion, when DJ ‘Diddy’ David Hamilton was appearing at the disco before crowning Miss Lyme Regis the following day, we were warned by police that a gang of bikers were on the way to Lyme to cause mayhem at the disco. In those days the old Marine Parade shelters and the new construction which houses the Amusement Arcade were linked by a narrow walkway. Jack decided there was no way they would be admitted a stood at the entrance to the walkway with a baseball bat conveniently available. In the ensuing struggle the gang leader ‘slipped’ off the walkway, falling a good 20 feet onto Marine Parade. For what seemed an age, the lad was motionless and I was thinking about calling an ambulance when he suddenly sprung to his feet and sprinted away. Amazingly, his mates turned tail and disappeared very quickly and we never saw anything of them
again. We had in excess of 500 revellers inside the marquee that night when David Hamilton arrived. He said he was a little anxious about walking through the crowd to the stage area, fearing he would get mocked. “Not to worry,” said Jack. And the two of us picked him under the arms and frogmarched him to the front with his the girlfriend, Page Three Girl and judge’s daughter Kathy McKinnon, who, as you can imagine, was very popular with the local boys. Happy days Jack.
extra tables for two to be placed on Marine Parade, backing onto the frontage of their premises. The third application came from the Red Panda Asian takeaway on Bell Cliff, for two tables and chairs outside their property. Mr Hix’s temporary permission was granted by the council and following concerns about the number of tables and social distancing on Marine Parade and Bell Cliff, council officers were instructed to work out final details with approval in principal from councillors. It is only right the town council should be doing all it can to support local businesses at this time which will help to protect jobs, many of which have been lost in the last year. The only councillor to vote against these proposals was veteran Stan Williams, who throughout his 60 years in local government has fought tooth and nail to try and keep Lyme’s seafront and garden areas free from commercialisation. It will take more than government advice to get him to change his view.
SWIM - asking for more tables on Marine Parade below its existing terrace
RED PANDA - asking for two tables and chairs on Bell Cliff
Ready and waiting for my first summertime grandad duties I CAN’T wait for the summer months. That time when grandparents play host to their offspring’s children and you see them struggling along the seafront at the end of a hot day, laden with bucket and spades, sunbeds-et all and with that harassed look, anxious to get them home fed and settled down with a bedtime story before opening that bottle of merlot! I’ve been waiting for being that harassed granddad for several years and, hopefully, our two granddaughters from London will be staying with us (the first time without mum and dad) during Regatta and Carnival week. I was talking to a friend of mind about how much I was looking forward to playing the granddad role and he said: “You’ll never cope. You will be shattered after two days.” Due to my unhealthy ambition to make a name for myself in the world of newspapers, and to my eternal discredit, I missed a great deal of my chilldren’s growing up. There’s not a day that passes that I don’t regret not being more a part of their lives during
those formative years and I swore that I would make sure I saw more of my grandkids when the time came. Alas, it didn’t quite work out that way. That ambitious streak never really went away and my grandchildren are growing up in London where my son and his partner have big jobs and a busy lives. When life was normal we would see them two or three times a year in Lyme with a couple of weekend visits to London and always marvelled at how much they had grown. Lockdown has been particularly difficult for all grandparents, but we have kept in touch every week thanks to the marvels of technology with a FaceTime call every Sunday. And how delighted we were when, on a recent call, the kids – Ella, 6, and Freya, 4, were excited to tell us they were coming to stay with us without mummy and daddy. It was the best news for me. I write regularly to my eldest granddaughter who is already a voracious reader in the hope she will keep the letters and will have some fond happy memo-
ries of me when she is older. I immediately wrote to Ella listing the things that I thought we could do on their visit and suggested Regatta Week because there is so much to do for families. As I write this I am expecting a reply any day. Having organised the Regatta and Carnival for ten years in the 1970s, I am a big fan of the annual family-fun-fest and I am hoping we can create some memories that will resonate and bring them back to Lyme throughout their lives. I still meet people during the summer who say they remember me when I ran the regatta events all those years ago when they were children, and now they are bringing their own grandchildren to Lyme during regatta week every year. Being a grandparent has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life. I know people joke about the best thing about being a grandparent is being able to give the kids back at the end of the day. My problem will be that I will want to keep them!
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Guildhall window work delayed until autumn
REPAIR works to the historic Guildhall in Lyme Regis, which will include altering an overhanging window to protect it from passing traffic, have been delayed. A planning application to reduce the overhanging oriel window at the Grade II listed Guildhall – as well as for works to the entrance porch and keystone, and repairs to the windows and mullions to the mayor’s parlour – was submitted by the town council last year. The over-hanging window has been regularly struck in recent years by heavy goods vehicles attempting to navigate the narrow bend of Church Street/Bridge Street. According to council records, the window has been hit at least 12 times since 2017, all of which warranted repair work which required the road to be closed. Dorset Council was expected to grant planning permission in January and the work was set to take place this month, with a road closure in place for work to the window. However, planning permission has still not been granted, meaning the work – expected to cost a total of £39,770 plus VAT – will not get underway until May. It was intended for all the work to be carried out at the same time, but the contractors who priced for the oriel
window have subsequently advised the council that they have won other contracts which means they can no longer carry out the work until May or June, when Dorset Council will not support a road closure. It is now planned to carry out all the other works which do not require a road closure in the first half of May and June. It is not possible to carry out the work in the second half of May as the Guildhall has already been booked for several weddings and events. These works will involve significant scaffolding and will take at least four weeks to complete. It may be that the works will be split, with work to the mayor’s parlour taking place in the first half of May and work to the porch area during June. The changes to the oriel window will now have to wait until the autumn, probably immediately after the school half term break. In order to maximise the benefit of the likely month-long road closure, the council is also planning to carry out roadside repairs to its office building at the same time. There are known issues with several of the roadside windows to the office building, and the frontage guttering and the flat roof area above the town clerk’s office also require attention. These works will all require plan-
ning permissions, Listed Building Consent and building regulations approval, and quotes will need to be obtained. Given the length of time it has already taken to seek planning permission for works to the Guildhall, the council is expected to start preparing plans for the office works almost immediately. Reed Holland Architects of Taunton were chosen for the previously planned refurbishment works to the offices and it is intended to continue with their support for these roadside works. An indicative sum of up to £100,000 has been allocated for the office repairs. However, the council has agreed that expenditure on future objectives must be subject to the council’s reserves exceeding £850,000 or 50 per cent of its turnover. This means expenditure on office repairs, although considered a high priority, may need to be spread over two financial years. Dorset Council had also intended to make use of the road closure initially planned for March to carry out a major upgrading of the traffic light system in Church Street and Bridge Street but this will now take place in the autumn to coincide with work to the Guildhall window and council offices.
Now lifeboat artist Maria joins the crew A PROFESSIONAL artist currently painting portraits of Lyme Regis lifeboat crew has decided she wants to see even more of them… by becoming a crew member herself. Maria Barbashina, 38, was officially enrolled as a member of the shore crew at this week’s training session, when she was presented with her RNLI pager. Maria, who has been working on more than 20 portraits of the volunteer crew members (pictured below), said: “Everyone at the lifeboat station has been very welcoming and I am looking forward to my volunteer role. “I believe the RNLI is very important, and I like adventure and I enjoy being part of a team.” Maria’s ambition is to be a sea-going crew member after her spell of shore duties. When she lived in Russia she sailed six-metre racing boats and helped to crew replica vessels, including tall ships, in her home town where shipbuilding was a major industry. Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat operations manager Nick Marks said “We are very pleased to welcome Maria as part of the lifeboat crew. “She joins at a time when we are starting to rebuild our full life-saving capability after many months of reduced training due to COVID restrictions. “The fact that she lives and works within a few minutes of the lifeboat station is ideal and means she can respond quickly when her new RNLI pager goes off.”
Harbour dredging and beach re-profiling to be held during Easter holiday
ANNUAL harbour dredging and beach reprofiling work in both Lyme Regis and West Bay will be held over the fortnight commencing April 6 - clashing with the Easter holidays and outside opening of bars and restaurants. The Easter holidays in Dorset and Somerset will run from April 2 to 16 and local restaurants will be opening outside areas from April 12. Sections of the main sandy beach and Cobb Gate shingle beach are now likely to be closed during this period while Dorset Council carries out the essential works, which will see the shingle and sand beaches levelled out again. Lyme Regis Town Council said the timing of the works was “not ideal” but appears to be fixed.
Harbourmaster’s new store delayed until at least July
COMPLETION of a new harbourmaster’s store at Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis is expected to be delayed until at least July. Planning permission has been granted for an industrial-style building to provide storage for the harbourmaster and local fishermen, which will be sited between the public toilets and traders’ car parking area at Monmouth Beach, just off Ozone Terrace. The harbourmaster is currently using a town council-owned building at Monmouth Beach under the terms of a held-over lease. Councillors have indicated they would like to take back this property for use by the town council. Officers said they will continue to liaise with the harbourmaster and Dorset Council and ensure that vacation of the town council’s building takes place as soon as practicably possible after the completion of the new store building.
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Bids open for Rotary Club’s online auction ONLINE bids for a charity auction hosted by the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis have opened today. More than 100 lots are up for grabs, many donated by local businesses, including £250 vouchers for Lyme Bay Holidays properties, tickets to attractions such as Seaton Tramway and the Marine Aquarium in Lyme Regis, a three-course dinner at The Pilot Boat and a ‘Hix at Home’ fish box plus a live cook-along with Mark Hix. Money raised from the online auction will be split between Lyme Regis Foodbank, Dorsetbased children’s hospice Julia’s House, the Weldmar Hospice in Dorchester, and the Alzheimer’s Society. All four causes have been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic over the past year. Bids for the online auction opened today (Friday) at 12noon and will close at 9pm on Sunday, March 28. To place a bid, visit the website www.jumblebee.co.uk/lymeregisrotaryclubsilentauction, click on the item and press ‘Bid Now’. At the end of the auction, the winning bidders will, once payment is received, be contacted by email and provided with an address in Lyme Regis from which their lot may be collected. Alternatively, if preferred, the Rotary Club can arrange free delivery up to 10 miles from Lyme Regis, beyond which carriage and risk to be at buyers expense.
Butchers raising funds for two local causes LYME Regis Butchers – this week marking National Butchers’ Week – is doing its best to support two local causes which have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Every month, the butchers in Broad Street will be running a prize draw in aid of the Lyme Regis Cancer Research UK, with a £200 hamper up for grabs at the end of this March. The hamper will include a selection of meats, cheeses and other food products, with tickets costing just 50 pence each and available in store and at the butchers’ stands at local markets. A new prize draw will then be launched at the start of each month. Andrew Bolton, who owns Lyme Regis Butchers, is a keen supporter of Cancer Research UK and has been helping the Lyme Regis branch to boost its funds over the past year as fundraising events have had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. At the same time, Mr Bolton and his staff are helping to raise funds for Lyme Regis Football Club. Throughout March and April, the butchers will be donating 10 per cent of all online orders to the football club, which has also seen its finances seriously hit with the clubhouse closed for months. You can order the butchers’ great-value meat packs, award-winning sausages and more at www.lymeregisbutchers.co.uk
LymeForward to host virtual AGM LymeForward will host a virtual annual general meeting on Wednesday, March 31 at 2pm. The meeting will be held via video conferencing app Zoom. In addition to reviewing the minutes of last meeting and dealing with any matters arising, the business will include acceptance of the annual report and accounts and the election and re-election of directors. The agenda will be sent to interested parties by Monday, March 25 which will include a link to join the meeting. Please note, only LymeForward members will be able to vote. For more details contact chair Susan Davies on suedavies.lymeforward@gmail.com
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Essential restoration project at Catholic church nears completion WORK to restore the exterior of the St Michael & St George Roman Catholic Church in Lyme Regis is nearing completion. The Grade II* listed building in Silver Street was build in 1835 and the £250,000 restoration project has been carried out through winter, due to be completed at the end of March. The work is being carried out by Daedalus Conservation, under the supervision of historic buildings consultants Philip Hughes & Associates, and includes specialised repairs to the roof, the pinnacles and stonework, rainwater goods and the rendering to the walls. The historic church – part of the Parish of The Most Holy Trinity comprising Axminster, Lyme Regis and Seaton – requires constant maintenance and reached the stage where considerable repair work was necessary. The pinnacle on the north east corner of the church had an enormous crack; some areas of the
main walls were unstable and needed to be re-enforced; a couple of the finials on the apexes of the pinnacles were in a very dangerous condition and liable to fall at any time; the windows in the roof of the tower were in extensive need of joinery work; and areas of rendering needed attention. The £250,000 cost of the restoration has been greatly assisted through grants of £140,800 from the Historic England Culture Recovery Fund, £10,000 from Dorset Churches Trust, £1,000 from Lyme Regis Town Council, £1,038.96 from the Charlotte Marshall Trust and £500 from Axe Vale Show Committee. The remaining balance has been raised through donations from parishioners, fundraising and parish funds. The parish priest, Father Anthony Cockram, has expressed his thanks to all those organisations and individuals who have
contributed. He said: “I am delighted that the restoration work on the exterior of this beautiful church has at last commenced after more than three years of planning and fundraising, notwithstanding the restrictions which have been imposed on us all by the COVID virus.
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“I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those organisations, Trusts and individuals who have helped us financially despite difficult times.” Anyone interested in the history of the church or more details on the restoration project can visit the website https://thecatholictpn.org
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Kennel Club opposes dog restrictions on beach AN open letter to Dorset Council: We are writing to raise our concerns regarding access restrictions for dog owners at the front town beach in Lyme Regis, which came into force on January 1 2021. As the leading national organisation on dog access, The Kennel Club regularly engages with local authorities on Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) to ensure that restrictions are both proportionate and evidence-based. We believe that any dog controls introduced by local authorities should be the least restrictive possible to achieve a defined and measurable outcome, a principle which is also pursued by Natural England. Having reviewed Dorset Council’s PSPO, we are concerned with the restrictions now in place at the front town beach in Lyme Regis. Dog owners are required to provide their dogs with appropriate daily exercise, including regular opportunities to walk and run, as laid out in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Af-
fairs’ Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. In most cases, this means off-lead while still under control. Beaches across Dorset have provide to be an important local resource for dog owners to ensure that their dogs get their required daily off-lead exercise. As such, we believe that the new dogs-on-lead measure is neither appropriate not proportionate; we have heard from a number of concerned local residents who are unhappy that their dogs are no longer able to run, walk and explore the front town beach whilst off-lead. We are disappointed that the council has, thus far, not provided those who live locally and those who travel into the area to use this important local resource an equal opportunity to have their concerns listened to, particularly given that the council’s consultation found 49.2 per cent of respondents are opposed to a dogs-on-lead measure. With regard to the restriction excluding dogs
■ EVERY March, Cancer Research UK encourages people to either walk 10,000 steps a day or Cycle 300 miles. Well, I don’t have a bike and I can’t cycle anyway, and walking is nothing unusual during lockdown, so I have decided to do something slightly different as my own challenge. Sixty years ago I started dance classes and I fell in love with tap dancing so I will do at least 300 times steps every day for a month. Although this doesn’t sound very much those 300 times steps will actually be 2,400 steps. All the music that I have chosen will be of different lengths so I will have to repeat some pieces of music several times to achieve my 300 times steps. In fact, in the first five days of my challenge I ended up doing 350 times steps one day and 360 on another.
Not only that, I do not have the same energy levels that I had 60 years ago so physically this is a harder challenge for me than just doing long walks. I have set up a fundraising page on Facebook for donations that will go direct to Cancer Research UK, which you can access by visiting www.facebook.com/donate/3779145402180687/ I am hoping that you will help me achieve my target by sponsoring my efforts for this good cause. I’m raising money for Cancer Research UK and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate £5 or £50. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support.
Tap stepping through March
Anita Routley Treasurer Lyme Regis Branch of Cancer Research UK
from the beach between May 1 and September 30, feedback and anecdotal evidence that we have received suggested that many beaches are empty in both the early mornings and late evenings, a prime time for many owners to exercise their dogs. The Kennel Club strongly believes that dog owners should be able to enjoy continued access to this beach during times of the day when the beach is little used, even in the busy season. For example, Cornwall Council has successfully introduced measures which restrict dog access in the busy season between 10am and 6pm, including on a number of Blue Badge beaches and Seaside Award beaches, but allow dog walkers access outside of these hours. We would strongly welcome a similar approach by Dorset Council, which would enable dog owners to continue to use front town beach in Lyme Regis throughout the year at little inconvenience to other beach users. As well as this, following conversations with local residents, we know that dog owners are often playing an important role within the community. For example, we are aware that a number of dog owners regularly pick up litter left by other beach users when walking along the beach with their dogs. The Kennel Club educates and encourages dog owners to act responsibly and we believe that the vast majority of those accessing local beaches with their dogs are acting responsibly - such as by picking up litter - and should not be punished for the irresponsible behaviour of an inconsiderate few. As such, we believe the council should instead pursue proactive measures to promote responsible dog ownership throughout the local area. This could include increasing the number of bins available for dog owners to use, running responsible dog ownership and training events, or using poster campaigns to encourage good behaviour, including picking up after their dog. Dr Edward Hayes The Kennel Club
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Local charity hosting tree awareness week LYME Regis based reforestation charity The Word Forest Organisation will be hosting its first tree awareness week from March 15 to 21. The ‘Trees Are The Key’ Awareness Week will raise awareness of the many health benefits of trees, as well how planting more trees – especially in the tropics where they grown quickly – can help to tackle climate change. Tracey West, CEO of The Word Forest, said: “Last year was full of uncertainty, loss and hardship for many. Our mental health was tested to the very limit regularly without the anticipation of joy to dissipate it. “We truly believe that trees are the key to improving our mental and physical health. Science has proven that spending time in and around trees can help boost our immune system, lower our blood pressure, reduce stress and accelerate our recovery from illness amongst many other benefits. “This is why we are dedicating a week to the awareness of woodlands and the benefit of trees on our mental and physical health. “We’re encouraging you to spend time in your nearest space with trees to reap the benefits for your health after a punishing year.” The tree awareness week will commence on Monday, March 15 and will culminate on Sunday, March 21 to tie in with International Day of Forests. During the week, The Word Forest Organisation will provide lots of ideas to encourage you to spend time at your local park, woodland or forest. Wherever there are trees – there are health benefits.
As part of its first ‘Trees Are The Key’ Awareness Week, The Word Forest is launching a photography competition that’s all about trees – the charity wants to see your best images of trees, big small, many or few! Do you have a favourite tree? A local woodland or forest that you love visiting? Take a quick snap on your phone or set up your camera and tripod to frame it perfectly and enter the competition. The Word Forest will dedicate the planting of 10 trees to the winning photographer, as well publishing a feature on its website. The competition closes on March 20 and the winners will be announced at the end of the Awareness Week on March 21. The Word Forest Organisation will be sharing information on the many physical and mental health benefits of trees on its website and social media throughout the tree awareness week. Tracey commented: “We’ll be unlocking the secrets and the science, showing you how to slow down and green up as you connect with the trees in your neighbourhood and favourite places.” ● Spending time around trees and nature can: ● Reduce stress levels ● Improve your mood ● Lower blood pressure ● Raise energy levels ● Increase focus ● Enhance recovery from illness ● Boost immune system ● Improve sleep quality During its tree awareness week, The Word Forest Organisation is asking supporters to share
how trees can help mental health and physical wellbeing. You can do this by sharing the charity’s video poem, available on their website, on your own blog, website or social media channels, as well as the link to its website wordforest.org/week, where you can find out more about the Awareness Week and benefits of trees. Supporters can also hold their own fundraiser for The Word Forest Organisation, which will help to plant more trees in the tropics of Kenya. The charity can create a bespoke web page to
help you raise funds, so that way every single penny goes directly to supporting its work. You can also support the charity by purchasing ethical clothes and products from its online shop at www.wordforest.org/products/ Tracey commented: “Any amount raised will enable us to continue to mitigate climate chaos through tree planting in the tropics.” You can find out more information about The Word Forest Organisation and the Trees Are The Key Awareness Week at wordforest.org/week
LYME Regis residents, businesses and organisations are being asked for their views on establishing a community-led electric car club via a short online survey. The survey is being promoted by the One Planet Working Group and the Lyme Regis Development Trust with support of Lyme Regis Town Council. The Lyme Regis Car Club would give affordable access to electric cars for everyone whilst also supporting the shift to zero carbon transport. Since the announcement of the government’s 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, interest in electric cars has surged by 500 per cent. However, they remain too expensive for many people and one third of households cannot charge a car at home. An electric car club would address these challenges by locating cars across the district, bookable from as little as half an hour for one all-inclusive price. This would give members access to electric cars without having to own one. Furthermore, by switching to using an electric car club and getting rid of little-used personal vehicles, members could save money whilst also helping to reduce the area’s congestion, parking and pollution problems. The online survey also asks if respondents would be interested in an electric bike share scheme. Because they are electrically assisted, the bikes are a great alternative to the car for many shorter trips, including commuting, everyday errands and leisure trips. Lyme Regis town councillor and Green Party member Belinda Bawden said: “Lyme Regis Town Council, Dorset Council and the UK government have all recognised that we are facing a climate and ecological crisis and have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by converting to cleaner, renewable and more sustain-
able methods of transport by 2030. “A car club and electric bike rental hubs here in Lyme could start to change how we get around and begin to reduce the number of cars clogging up our streets while encouraging more people to try electric modes of travel in an affordable way. “The ‘Future Town’ community engagement project with the Royal College of Art demonstrates our residents’ desire for ‘a chance to reform our transport links, removing the mass summer traffic that flows through town… to develop an affordable and aspirational public transport network’. “I hope the Lyme Regis Car Club trial will prove a success for residents, businesses and visitors alike and that the survey shows an appetite to try electric bike rental as we develop our options towards a low carbon future.” The survey is available online at http://bit.ly/LymeRegisEV and is open until Tuesday, April 6. The results of the survey will not only help establish the viability of the project but will also be shared with the Lyme Regis Town Council and the development trust to assist their planning. The survey is being run in partnership with Co Cars car club, a social enterprise that has an established network of low and zero emission cars across the South West. The company also runs the Co Bikes electric bike sharing scheme. Mark Hodgson, Managing Director of Co Cars, said: “Over the last 12 months, we have seen a huge surge of interest in our shared, electric cars and bikes from communities across the region. “We’re really excited to see if we can bring them to Lyme Regis as they would give people access to the latest technology at an affordable price, helping them save money and hassle when compared to owning a car.” For more information, visit www.co-cars.co.uk and www.co-bikes.co.uk
Cleaner bathing waters for Residents asked for views on electric car club and bike rental schemes Lyme Regis and the UK? YOU may have read previous articles here about the terrible state of our bathing waters in Lyme (and the UK generally), caused by routine dumping of millions of tonnes of raw sewage into our seas and rivers by the water companies, whose primary objective should be to clean up and process our sewage! We asked you to email your local MP to tell them this was unacceptable. Some of you have been emailing MPs through the Safer Seas Service app that alerts you to when bathing waters near you are compromised by sewage discharges. Well good news! The government has formed the Storm Overflow Taskforce – catchy title, I know! The storm water outflows allow water companies to dump sewage untreated and without any obligation to report it happening. Recently, the taskforce announced their goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows and set out their first steps on this journey. There are some big wins for ocean lovers and water users which incredibly are only now invoked. These include: 1) Water companies will make real-time data on sewage discharges available at bathing sites all year round. 2) Water companies will have to publish on their website how many times they have dumped raw sewage into the sea or rivers each year. We will be able to more easily hold water companies to account for the damage they are causing to our environment and track their progress in improving.
It’s a great first step, in the right direction, but in terms of what is required to protect our rivers and seas, it’s just a tiny drop. Pressure must continue to be put on the government and water companies to improve protection to us and our environment. The Environment Bill has been postponed yet again, which was launched in 2018! This has an enormous impact as the delay will make it harder for the government to hit targets to improve water, air, reduce waste and protect wildlife. ● We want an Environment Bill that exceeds existing EU water quality standards. ● We need sewage legislation that sets ambitious and legally binding targets to end all untreated sewage discharges in all bathing waters and rivers by 2030. ● We need investment from water companies in their infrastructure to reflect the increased population of the UK & its greater popularity as a holiday destination. The chief executive of South West Water earned just under £2.2million in 2019/20, and the finance officer £1.67million. They made £174million profit before tax. Perhaps if they invested in what they are paid by their customers to do, they wouldn’t have lost 84 million litres of drinking water per day and admitted to 297 ‘pollution incidences’. Please help us hold them to account and stop dumping sewage, continue to write to your MP, your local water company and the Environment Agency. Grenville Barr Chair, Plastic-Free Lyme
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Lyme resident pays tribute to ‘truly magical place of kindness’ following husband’s death LYME Regis boatbuilder Simon Olszowski died on March 3 following a battle with cancer. Simon, a shipbroker who ran his own marine recruitment business, moved to Lyme Regis with wife Sophie to take a course at the Boat Building Academy. He later went into business with three of his classmates and launched The Beautiful Boat Company, relocating to Lyme permanently. Simon’s wife Sophia has written the following tribute to the town and those who supported her and her husband during his illness. Bless you Lyme Regis Following the first lockdown, during which my husband Simon and I walked 500 miles around the hills of what he grimacingly called ‘Climb Regis’ he was diagnosed with cancer. This rapidly spiralled into many other serious health issues endured over seven awful months. He died on March 3. We are not Lyme locals, having come here in 2017 for Simon to study at the Boat Building Academy. We fell in love with the place and its people, and made it our home. As relative newcomers, it would have been easy to have felt isolated in our recent circumstances, but this is a truly magical place of kindness beyond measure, and I want to say thank you. From the compassion and kindness of the oncology and stroke teams at DCH and the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne, we were then delivered into the extraordinarily tender care of the community team from Weldmar Hospice, district nurses, and doctors and admin support at the medical centre. Nothing was ever too much, and urgent things were always done quickly. The staff at Lloyds and Boots were unstintingly helpful and kind. Since Christmas Day, when we received a lavish lunch, I have wanted to thank Cheryl Reynolds, her volunteers, and Dom’s Table.
Simon was bowled over by the deliciousness, which was quite a feat, once every single element of lunch had been pureed and sieved. For such a lover of good food, restricted eating was sad, but the imaginative help of Pete and Lou from Poco Pizza (declared by Simon the best restaurant in Lyme) made recent Friday nights cause for celebration; pizza toppings, ready to puree, and tiramisu, ditto. Just along the seafront at Kiosk, which Simon managed to revisit once after he came home, Melanie and her team made him smile, having done a pretty good job of fattening him up in the early days of his illness, even delivering a box of cakes to our door. Sarah and Jeremy at Town Mill Bakery performed a similar act of generous kindness with a breakfast box of Simon’s usual smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. In the last week of his life, Laura from The Courtyard Café delivered a wonderful chocolate cake to our door, which made its way to us at the Weldmar in Dorchester. Simon was beyond eating it, but it gave him such joy to hear about ‘Simon’s cake’ being enjoyed by the staff. I have no doubt they would have treated both Simon and myself with extraordinary care under any circumstances, but we liked to think that ‘Simon’s cake’ enhanced the goodwill just a little. Forgive me if I have forgotten you in this roll call of thanks, and of course there have been countless acts of kindness from personal friends throughout Simon’s illness. I also want to mention Terry O’Grady, Andy Crockett and Nigel Emmett who were doing major work to the outside of our building at the start of Simon’s illness, and showed us such understanding. Simon’s wonderful colleagues, Sam and Jamie,
at The Beautiful Boat Company made it possible for him to come home with large amounts of medical equipment, and just as quickly reversed this process, making it possible for me to return to a home not a hospital. It is such early days since I lost the love of my life, and we will have to say formal farewells at a horribly COVID-restricted funeral, but again, Chris Legg at A.J. Wakely is somehow making this feel possible. As a good Catholic Pole with recently acquired boatbuilding skills, Simon would love the coincidence, that his funeral today (March 19), falls on the feast day of St Joseph the carpenter. Sophie Olzsowski
Friday, March 19 2021 11
Driver will face no further police action following fatal crash in Charmouth A MAN arrested in connection with a fatal crash in Charmouth will face no further police action. Dorset Police were called at 7.11pm on Thursday, January 23 2020, to reports of a crash involving a pedestrian and a car at the junction of The Street and Lower Sea Lane. The pedestrian – named by his family as 90-year-old Peter Bide – died at the scene. A local man aged in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report an accident. Following enquiries, officers have confirmed that he has now been released from under investigation and will face no further police action. Officers will continue to support HM Coroner as the matter now proceeds to an inquest. Police Sergeant Nikki Burt, of the traffic unit, said: “We have carried out a thorough investigation into this collision and compiled detailed evidence, which was considered by the Crown Prosecution Service. “Following a review of all the evidence in this case, it was confirmed that the driver involved would face no charges in relation to this matter. “Our thoughts remain with the family of Mr Bide at this very difficult time for them.”
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axminsternews Yarty Party to return this summer!
12 Friday, March 19 2021
New life for former Axminster skatepark
OVER the next few months the former skatepark at Cloakham Lawns will see a muchneeded facelift, as Axminster business The Cornerhouse Bakery opens ‘The Scone Shack’ on the site. Led by Lee Taylor and Cindy Furse, the bakery has exciting plans to encourage walkers and cyclists, providing them with a tasty treat along the way. The pair are well-known for their homemade freshly-baked goods and will be serving their cream and savoury tea menus, taking the traditional Devon cream tea and giving it a twist with flavoured scones and fresh toppings. As well as providing food and hot and cold drinks, Lee and Cindy will focus on making the area a "safe haven" along the cycle path for all to enjoy. They will provide picnic seating for the general public, without having to purchase from The Shack, and as an information point for walkers and cyclists looking for new routes to explore. They also plan to form a volunteer cycle-path maintenance group, giving the whole area "a bit of TLC throughout the year". Chairman of Axminster Skatepark Ian Hall said: “This is an idea that the whole committee endorsed right from the start and is literally a win, win, win for the community just as we are coming out of the most collectively difficult period since the First and Second World Wars. "Getting people out and about walking and socialising again is key to getting much needed fun back on the menu and as this fantastic venture organically grows, it will make donations to the new skatepark that our town so richly deserves."
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AXMINSTER’S Yarty Party music festival will return this summer having been called off last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Residents and visitors to Axminster can look forward to a three-day programme of live music and entertainment for the whole family. The event will be held over the weekend of Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18 at Axminster Showground on Trafalgar Way. Having first been staged in 2017, the Yarty Party enjoyed sell-out successes in its first three years before having to be called off in 2020. Organisers say this year’s event will make 2021 "a year to remember", as they strive to change the face of independent festival culture and deliver a unique family-friendly festival. The Yarty Party will be jam-packed with live music, DJs, entertainment and the best food the South West has to offer, along with a fullystocked bar and cocktail bar. The Big Top Wizard Stage will offer a huge selection of different genres of music, including bands, solo artists and other entertainment, while more than 25 DJs from a cross the South West and beyond will appear on The Dave stage. There will also be a programme of amazing acoustic sets at The Busk Stop. And there will be plenty to keep the kids entertained too, with free entry for under fives
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and plenty of free workshops to take part in. Camping is available on the Friday and Saturday night, with campers and caravans welcome. All glamping tents are sold out already, but you can hire a private portaloo! No dogs are allowed on site except guide dogs.
Tickets purchased for last year’s festival will still be valid, meaning there is only a limited number of tickets still available - so don’t delay, book your tickets today at www.yartyparty.co.uk For more information and regular updates, make sure you also follow the Yarty Party Festival Facebook page.
AS many parts of the economy are preparing to reopen after lockdown, the team at Andrewshayes Holiday Park, near Axminster, have received an extra welcome boost. This family-run holiday park, in Dalwood, learnt during an online awards ceremony that they had clinched the top spot in the Devon Tourism Awards, winning gold in the Holiday Park category. The win marks an especially fitting milestone, as the park is also celebrating 85 years in business being run by the same family over four generations. Over the last few years, Andrewshayes has invested in a new development of luxury holiday homes as well as continually improving existing facilities on the park. Other factors that helped the park win the awards were its customer service, environmental actions, online reviews and social media as well as other initiatives the park has implemented. One example is a tree planting scheme working with a charity in Kenya. Director Clare Mackenney said: “This is a huge achievement for the park. We are a small team so everyone’s hard work and loyalty really counts and has contributed our success. "Last year many changes had to be made with extra safety measures in place to ensure our customers could feel relaxed on holiday. "It was certainly a challenge, so to have won this award despite those circum-
stances feels extra special. "Looking ahead to opening after Easter we know that people are desperate for a change of scenery. Those of us that already live in the area know how lucky we are to be here. "All precautions will be implemented again and reviewed as we ease out of lockdown. We want to make sure our customers feel confident to book with us and ensure we keep local people safe as well." Holiday providers in the South West have reported that as soon as news of the COVID-19 roadmap dates were announced the bookings started to come in thick and fast. Having visitors return will be a huge boost to so many people whose livelihoods are linked to the tourism industry. Look out for the Visit Britain Good to Go and AA COVIDConfident accreditations when you look for places to book as a sign of having good procedures in place. Clare added: “We are delighted to help put East Devon and our village of Dalwood on the map as we know the region is often overlooked. "The area has such a fantastic variety of places to visit, attractions, artisan crafts and great local food as well as the glorious and varied coastline. This is definitely going to be the year of the staycation.” For more details on Andrewshayes Holiday Park, visit www.andrewshayes.co.uk
Dalwood holiday park wins gold in Devon Tourism Awards
Friday, March 19 2021 13
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East Devon divided amid bullying claims
CALLS FOR DISTRICT COUNCIL LEADERSHIP TO ‘CONSIDER POSITIONS’ AFTER STAFF REVELATIONS OVER BULLYING AND MICRO-MANAGEMENT LEADING members of East Devon District Council were asked to consider their positions last week, during a passionate discussion on claims made by council staff that they were “bullied at work”.
The three-hour debate followed a staff survey carried out in January and February of this year, which raised claims that new councillors and the new political leadership at East Devon was “seriously mistreating officers” and “unnecessarily micro-managing and causing extra workload”. There were also concerns over increased staff absence due to depression, stress and anxiety during the latter months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that six per cent of respondents said they were “sometimes bullied at work”. In a report on the survey results, East Devon’s chief executive Mark Williams said he had already written to councillors highlighting his concern about an “oppressive and menacing” online work environment that some officers had experienced from “certain councillors”. He said the issues facing the council were “very serious”. Giving the background to the survey, Mr Williams stated in his report that EDDC had traditionally been an organisation where staff morale had been high. In January 2020 the council received Platinum Investors In People status, which was the highest level achievable, and a previous staff survey carried out in June 2020 said there was an “optimistic feeling” within the council at the end of the first lockdown. The latest staff survey in January/February 2021 comes after a new political leadership took over EDDC. Independents took control of the council following the election in May 2019, after 45 years of Conservative rule. But the Independent Group, led by Cllr Ben Ingham, were then overthrown by a new Democratic Alliance in May 2020, led by Cllr Paul Arnott and made up of councillors from the East Devon Alliance, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and some independents. Mr Williams – who himself admitted to feeling bullied at work during this week’s Scrutiny Committee meeting – made several references in his report to “new councillors/new political leadership” and “change in political culture”. But Cllr Arnott, who represents Colyton, said he was “certain my Cabinet are innocent of any bullying”. Speaking at this week’s meeting, Independent councillor Geoff Pook (Beer & Branscombe) said “the most upsetting and serious claims” from staff did stem from last year’s change in administration and he posed several questions to Cllr Arnott. “Does the leader accept the outcome of the report and that 18 of our staff state that the new political leadership are seriously mistreating our officers, which is very stressful? This includes seven members who say they feel bullied, intimidated and are being harassed. “Does the leader agree that this is totally unacceptable? Does the leader agree that, as leader, he is totally responsible for the deplorable actions of his administration? “Does the leader agree that those responsible must consider their positions and, as leader, he should address this? And does the leader agree he holds ultimate responsibility for the actions and behaviour of his team and should perhaps consider his own position?” In response, Cllr Arnott said he would offer a “blanket no” to all of Cllr Pook’s questions regarding the political leadership, adding that the phrasing ‘new councillors/new political leadership’ used in the report was “unfortunate”, as new councillors came from all political parties. “There is no proof or indication from where problems are coming,” he added. Cllr Arnott continued: “This has been one of
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk the most challenging times for local government in our history and I could not be more proud of our staff and officers, which I have said repeatedly and publicly.” He added that the leadership had taken concerns over the mental health of staff “extremely seriously”. Cllr Arnott said that there had been issues within the council prior to the new administration, using his own experiences in Exmouth as an example. “Exmouth has been toxic beyond belief for many years before my time,” he said. “I came in and raised it through this very committee and we then set up the Exmouth Queen’s Drive Delivery Group, which I have chaired with patience and courtesy and removed the poison from that. “I have protected officers and I have I think created a peace there where there was not a peace before, and involved the public. I would be astonished if any officers had any criticism of that whatsoever; it was a model of sorting out what had been previous problem.” He continued: “There is another side to this coin and we need to understand the members’ perspective as well and I hope Scrutiny comes forward with a set of policies and engagements, and I would be very pleased to present my own evidence and those of my Cabinet. “I am certain that they are innocent of any of these allegations of bullying, which are not identified in this report as being anything to do with councillors.” Independent East Devon Alliance councillor John Loudoun (Sidmouth Rural) also raised concerns over the use of the phrase ‘new councillors/new political leadership’ in the report, describing it as a “broad phrase” which conflates two sets of members. He pointed out that 24 new councillors across all political groups joined the council after the May 2019 elections. “We should all look at what we’re doing, the implications of what we’re doing and how we need to change. I hope each group leader will be honest, look at their group and say ‘can we do things better?’” he said.
‘Vindictive and poor leadership’
Former council leader Ben Ingham (Woodbury & Lympstone), a former Independent who has joined the Conservative party since losing his position to Cllr Arnott, also called for the new leadership to consider their positions. He said the feeling of optimism shown in the June 2020 survey had gone and had been replaced with stress and depression, with many staff continuing to work from home despite suffering from mental health issues. “What an appalling situation for us to be in – six months of vindictive disorientation and poor leadership,” he commented. “Bullying in the workplace is against the law. The Cabinet and leadership of this council have a lot to answer for and should consider their positions.” Conservative councillor Ian Hall (Axminster) asked chief executive Mark Williams whether he felt bullying was still ongoing and whether he had ever felt personally bullied. Mr Williams replied yes to both questions. Cllr Hall went on to apologise if he had ever added to an officer’s workload during the pandemic, adding that if he was implicated in any harassment or bullying he would “stand aside because we cannot tolerate that sort of behaviour”. Fellow Axminster councillor Andrew Moulding, who is leader of the Conservative group at East Devon, added: “The officers of this council have been exemplary over many years and are now being undermined by the current administration. This cannot continue and we must find
East Devon District Council chief executive Mark Williams (above left) admitted to feeling personally bullied, and council leader Paul Arnott (above right) said he was confident his Cabinet were inncocent. Below left, Cllr Geoff Pook who represents Beer called for Cllr Arnott to consider his position, and Uplyme’s representative Ian Thomas (below right) described the leader’s response as ‘dismissive and disturbing’
a way of addressing the issue.” After three hours of debate, the committee eventually agreed on four proposals put forward by Independent East Devon Alliance councillor Val Ranger (Newton Poppleford & Harpford). These were as follows: 1) To note the report and thank the chief executive. 2) To ask the chief executive to undertake a follow-up staff survey at a suitable future point. 3) Request the chief executive to discuss this survey data with the staff representatives and to feed back to portfolio holder for Council and Corporate Co-ordination the outcome and actions resulting from that engagement to form an action plan. 4) Recommend to the chief executive, members of the SMT and portfolio holder for Council and Co-ordination discuss this survey data and any other relevant information to identify what actions are necessary to address the four key points identified within the report: – Workload, staff shortages, vacancies and management support for staff – Home working and staff isolation – Member conduct with staff – Staff community cations 5) Ask the chief executive to update this committee in light of completion of the above four recommendations. Cllr Ranger had initially proposed the phrase ‘member engagement’ be used instead of ‘member conduct’ under her fourth recommendation, but Mr Williams expressed concerns that this would come across as “tone deaf” to staff members who had been “exceptionally brave” in their responses to the survey, so it was agreed to change this. Earlier in the meeting, Mr Williams warned
councillors: “It doesn’t take a lot of time for a council to appear on the Secretary of State’s watch list as a council of interest. “Traditionally it’s been councils that have got themselves into financial trouble but actually, if you look at the criteria the Secretary of State applies, financial trouble is one of them, dysfunctional relationships, poor corporate governance, and those types of matters particularly affecting the three statutory officers, is an area where the Secretary of State does show an interest.” Trinity ward member and former leader of the council Ian Thomas (Independent) - whose ward covers Uplyme, Rousdon, Trinity Hill and Axmouth - did not speak at the meeting but later took to social media to describe the proceedings as “unacceptable”. He said Cllr Arnott’s response to Cllr Pook’s questions was “dismissive and disturbing” and called for him to review his comments. Cllr Thomas was backed on social media by Cllr Susie Bond (Indendent, Feniton), who said the “complacent” recommendations failed to recognise the seriousness of the situation and the issue should not be “brushed under the carpet”. Her comment was met with a response by the East Devon Alliance Facebook group, in which they criticised Cllr Bond’s political affiliations and described her as a hypocrite as she “lives hundreds of miles from here” but claims to reside in Feniton. The comment, described by Cllr Thomas as an “agressive, vitriolic and personal attack” on Cllr Bond, was later deleted by the East Devon Alliance. The politcal group were also accused of ignoring the issue at hand regarding the staff claims of bullying.
14 Friday, March 19 2021
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Subterranean secrets and subatomic ghosts WHAT LURKS BENEATH THE STREETS OF LYME REGIS? SCIENCE FEATURE by Professor Glenn Patrick
Professor Glenn Patrick is a particle physicist and science communicator who explores the quantum world of sub-atomic particles (including at the Large Hadron Collider) and now lives in Lyme Regis
A
S a young boy I was fascinated by the adventure novels of Jules Verne, especially Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
This interest was resurrected on a recent trip to Iceland where I was reminded that Snaefellsjökull - or snow fell glacier – was the location for the volcanic tube that was supposedly the entrance to a subterranean world going all the way to the centre of the Earth! This ice-capped volcano in west Iceland just adds to the mystery of discovering a secret world lurking beneath our feet complete with caverns full of dinosaurs. This boyish interest was piqued again when I read about attempts to discover coal beneath Lyme Regis. In 1901, against the advice of geologists, local landowners arranged for a drilling rig to bore into the ground to search for coal. This failed to find any coal at the anticipated depth of 600 feet so boring was continued down to 1,200 feet - again without success. With funds getting short, a Mr A.C. Pass of Wootton Fitzpaine stepped in and paid for further boring to try to achieve a definitive result. The boring eventually reached 1,300 feet – but still no coal! As these borings passed through the various strata of the Jurassic Coast, their commercial prospects diminished, but their interest to geologists increased. They had the last laugh as the core samples from this speculative drilling were saved and sent to various museums for their scientific interest – something that otherwise would have been unaffordable. This story set me wondering about what would happen if the Lyme Regis drilling had continued right through the Earth and whereabouts it would emerge. This is the so-called antipode – the place that you would come out on the Earth’s surface if you tunnelled in a straight line from Lyme Regis through the centre of the Earth. It turns out that our antipode is in the Indian Ocean just south of New Zealand. The closest settlement is Portobello with a population of about 1,100, but even this is 721 km away from the antipode. Perhaps, another twinning opportunity for the town? The deepest vertical hole ever bored is only 7.5 miles (or 12.2 km) deep. I say “only” because the Earth has a diameter of about 7,900 miles and there is a long way to go to achieve the tunnel of my boyhood dreams. This is the Kola Superdeep Borehole located deep within the Arctic Circle near the Russian border with Norway. Starting in 1970, it took the Russians almost 20 years to reach this depth. The hole is only nine inches in diameter and was part of a race by the superpowers to drill as deep as possible through the Earth’s crust in the hope of obtaining samples of the mantle – that layer of silicate rock between the thin crust and the molten outer core of our planet. Further drilling beyond the 7.5 miles was stopped because the temperatures reached 180 degrees Celsius – almost twice as high as predicted – deforming and melting the drill bits. As a result, the hole only penetrated a third of the way through the 25-mile-thick crust of the Earth.
IT’S tough work digging tunnels on Lyme Regis beach. Where would we emerge if we kept going? Below, ghostly neutrinos can easily make the journey through the Earth revealing some of its subterranean secrets Today, the Kola borehole is capped and lies abandoned and derelict in the Arctic wilderness. Superstitions are rife with locals swearing that they can hear the screams of tortured souls emerging and newspapers even dubbing it the “well to Hell”. Despite this, our fascination with the deep Earth continues and fact is often stranger than fiction. Rather than screams emerging from the subterranean world, there are, in fact, billions upon billions of ghostly subatomic particles which we call neutrinos! The name neutrino was coined by Enrico Fermi from the Italian for “little neutral one”. It is extremely difficult to detect neutrinos because they interact only via the weak nuclear force (responsible for radioactivity) meaning that they can travel vast distances across the Universe. They can easily pass straight through the Earth - hence their nickname of “ghost particle”. Given their diffidence, it may surprise you to learn that the neutrino is the second most abundant particle (after the photon) in the Universe. It is estimated that there are 339 relic neutrinos left over from the Big Bang in each bit of space the size of a sugar cube! As well as this soup of primordial particles, there are other neutrino sources. One hundred million neutrinos from the Sun also hit each square metre of the Earth every second. In fact, we would not be alive were it not for these neutrinos as they are products of the fusion reactions that take place deep inside the Sun providing us with light and warmth. Nuclear reactors also produce vast numbers
of neutrinos from the decays of fission fragments inside their cores. We even emit around 4,400 neutrinos every second from the decay of radioactive potassium inside our own bodies, but due to their properties they do us no harm. High energy neutrinos also bombard us from sources across the Universe such as supernovae and even black holes beyond our galaxy. There is a detector – with the appropriate name of IceCube – which sits at the South Pole detecting these cosmic neutrinos and working out where they come from. Using hot water hoses, holes were drilled down to a depth of 2.5 km in a cubic kilometre of pure Antarctic ice so that strings of instruments could be lowered to build up this “neutrino telescope” of 5,000 detectors. As well as looking at neutrinos from the cosmos, telescopes like IceCube can also use neutrinos to study processes deep within our own Earth, which we know surprisingly little about. Geologists, for example, have used 30,000 boreholes (those again) around the Earth to estimate that some 44 trillion watts of heat continually flow from the Earth’s interior. But where does it come from? A principal candidate for the source of this heat is the decay of radioactive isotopes such as Uranium 238 and Thorium 232 present inside the Earth. As we have seen, the deepest borehole is only 7.5 miles deep, but it would be great to be able to probe into the deep Earth to test this idea. Well, it turns out that neutrinos emitted during these radioactive decays - so called “geoneutrinos” – make the reverse journey.
The Earth actually shines with geoneutrinos and by capturing some of them in giant detectors like IceCube we can work out what is going on deep within the Earth! There are many challenges, but it has already been shown that at least 50 per cent of the Earth’s heat is generated from radioactive decay. We really do have messengers that can journey from the centre of the Earth and survive to tell us a story of what secrets they have found. Next time you are digging holes in the sand on Lyme Regis beach, think about the effort it took to dig the Kola Superdeep Borehole and how ghostly neutrinos make light of slicing through the Earth.
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Friday, March 19 2021 15
FLASHBACKS with Richard Austin
Tales from behind the lens of our award-winning photographer
Springtime rivalries in the bird world WITH springtime very much upon us it’s that time of year when the bird population goes to war over nesting site defence, as well as rival disputes regarding attracting the females of their species. From tiny Jenny Wrens to large Mute Swans feathers fly as the springtime scuffle gets underway. Sometimes the battles can result in tragedy with some birds not surviving the feathered violence, one bird species is the Coot, pictured above at Abbotsbury Swannery - probably the most bad tempered violent bird on our waterways. They chase each other all over the lakes and waterways, when the two decide to square-up there are no holds barred as they use their feet as a battering ram. Thankfully they mostly survive, but it does make fascinating viewing all the same. Unfortunately, the same couldn;t be said for this kingfisher found in Lyme Regis.
16 Friday, March 19 2021
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ITEMS FOR SALE
CARPET, new, hessian-backed, 1.5m x 4m, beige, still wrapped, £10 - 07789 537 011. BOWLS, two sets of bowling woods, £65 each ONO - 07889 019 587. GREENHOUSE, 6ft x 8ft, free, complete, no damage - 01297 32703 (evenings only). DE-HUMIDIFIER, Meaco DD8L, £100 07840 938 374. HEADBOARD, Antique, pine, solid-wood headboard for double 4’ 6” bed, excellent conditions, £30 ono - 01297 442198. SETTEE, leather, dark green, three-seater, very good condition, £50 - 01297 443419. DVDs, Wildfowling Shooting Adventures by Chris Green, five DVDs, £30 for all - 01297 443419. TENNIS RAQUET, Dunlop Max 27 with cover, £10 - 01297 443930. SQUASH RAQUET, with cover, £10 - 01297 443930. HOSTESS TROLLEY, Ekco ‘Royal’ heated hostess trolley, hardly used, with instruction book, £25 - 01297 443930. SOFA, black faux leather, two seater, raiseable leg rest, good conditions, free 01297 443930.
TOY SCHOOL BUS, Fisher Price 192 with seven people in very good condition, £28 01297 442627. TOY CAMPER VAN, Fisher Price, complete with extras, boat and seven people, very good condition, £30 - 01297 442627. TOY CIRCUS TRAIN, Fisher Price 991, with seven people, three wagons and five animals, very good condition, £35 - 01297 442627
ITEMS TO SELL?
You can advertise items for sale up to £200 free by filling in the form below or emailing francesca@lyme-online.co.uk
Please note this service is only for private sellers, not for commercial items, tradespeople or vehicles. Please include a brief description of your item, the cost and a telephone number where a buyer may contact you. If you wish to advertise an item over £200 your advertisement will cost 10p per word, please email or phone us to arrange payment. Please also include your name and address, although this will not be published.
SINDY dune buggy and caravan, very good condition, £38 - 01297 442627. PORTAPUZZLES, two puzzles, felt surface keeps your puzzles safe, with side panels, one large 43” x 30”, one medium 30” x 21”, £10 - 01297 443963. GOLF BUGGY, Powakaddy Discovery, charger, lithium battery, ramps, £300 - 0297 442134 / 07761 258 115. MAKING CHUTNEY? Cooking apples picked daily, supermarkets charge £2 per kilo, mine are just £1 per kilo, free windfalls 01297 443930. CHEST OF DRAWERS, blonde oak, veneered with three drawers, 33” or 84cm wide x 29” or 72cm height x 20” or 50cm deep, only £25 - 01297 443930.
Email your items for sale to edit@lyme-online.co.uk or post details to LymeOnline, Unit 5 Uplyme Business Centre, Uplyme Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3DB. Free for any item up to £200.
Your name: ....................................................................................................................... Your address: .................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... Telephone number: .........................................................................................................
Send this form to: Items For Sale, LymeOnline, Unit 5, Uplyme Business Centre, Uplyme Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS
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LymeOnline Sport
www.lyme-online.co.uk
Friday, March 5 2021 19
March 19 2021
football
LOCAL FOOTBALL IS BACK ON APRIL 3rd BUT NO SPECTATORS UNTIL MID-MAY
LOCAL footballers will be back in action of Saturday, April 3 - but the Seasiders’ supporters will not ne able to watch them until May 17 – unless they stand on Spittles Lane.
The Devon & Exeter League gave clubs the opportunity to continue fixtures or drop out of their respective divisions with no penalty. After a league management committee meeting on Monday, all clubs have been contacted with the adjusted rules for the remainder of the season. Twenty clubs have stated that they don’t wish to continue, equating to 31 teams, including Beer Albion, Seaton Town and Colyton. There is talk in East Devon of a mini-league to give players some football before next season. Axminster Town Reserves and Lyme Regis 1st and Lyme Reserves will be resuming their season. No spectators will be allowed into grounds until May 17 and outdoor hospitality at clubhouses will not be possible until April 12, with table service only in opera-
PHILIP EVANS
philip@lyme-online.co.uk tion and social distancing strictly observed. The following rules been adopted and sanctioned by the Devon County Football Association and will only be implemented for the rest of this 2020/2021 season: Every team within the league had a choice to continue or not. There is no fine for teams withdrawing at this stage. There will be no promotion or relegation at the end of season, only movement due to withdrawals (depending on the outcome as to whether the league reverts back to non-regional divisions). Teams that request to continue and fail to fulfil a fixture, will be fined £20 and have a point deducted. If they fall foul on three occasions, they will be deemed unable to finish the season and be withdrawn from their division with immediate effect. If both teams fail to fulfil a fixture other than COVID-19 or weather issues, both will be fined £20 and deducted a point.
Games that have been abandoned this season will be recorded as the result when the abandonment took place. Each team must field at least seven players in their starting 11 that were registered with their club before December 31 2020. A team shall not include more than five players who have taken part in five or more senior competition matches during the current season Teams withdrawing will have all their results cancelled from league tables. Five named substitutes will be allowed and used as rolling substitutes, but only one can be used at a time during play (as many as you like at half time with the permission of the referee). If the season is finished, the winners of each division will be presented with a plaque from the D&EFL and their sponsors award (no individual medals). The East and West premier divisions will play off for the Premier Division Trophy and Sponsors Award. All matches shall have duration of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less than 60 minutes) is
mutually arranged by the two clubs in consultation with the referee prior to the commencement of the match, and in any event shall be of equal halves. Two matches involving the same two teams can be played on the same day providing the total playing time is not more than 120 minutes. Two matches can be played on the same day, on the same ground as stated above. Those taking advantage of this must agree with opponents the venue, referee costs as there will be two fees (one and a half fees) and travelling expenses to consider as well as the away team’s travelling expenses. League secretary Neil Anthony said: “Hopefully we can get players playing and enjoying football again. Have an enjoyable kickabout for the rest of this season and let’s hope we can get back to some sort of normality next season.” The South West Peninsular League, in which Axminster Town competes, have called an end to their season and the Perry Street League is expected to do the same.
tennis
Time to get out that rusty old racquet ... SEATON Tennis Club, which has a number of members from the Lyme Regis area, opens its courts again on March 29th in line with the government's roadmap out of lockdown. Club chairman Simon Prior said: "We're expecting a huge surge of interest with the return of existing members, alongside potential new members and visitors who will come down for a game simply because they now can." The club positively allcomers and the Rusty Racquets and Adult Beginners session on Saturdays from 2pm till 5pm is the ideal way to give it a go for anyone who is not sure. You don't need to be a member - just turn up - the club can lend you a racquet if need be and it's only £3 for the afternoon. Junior tennis and coaching will be back on track too and Head Coach Dave Taylor and his team are planning a series of camps on Tuesday and Thursday mornings during the Easter holidays. Find out more at davetaylortennis@yahoo.com For more information on anything Seaton Tennis just Google the club or get in touch at seatontennis@gmail.com
Football Club cider and sausage festival is on LYME Regis Football Club’s most lucrative fundraising event of the year - the annual sausage and cider festival - will be held on Saturday, July 3rd. The festival, held at the Davey Fort football ground, is now firmly established as part of Lyme’s summer fun and attracts several hundred people. The festival will include a cider tent with a number of popular brews, an all-day barbecue serving award-winning sausages from Lyme Regis Butchers, a Pimm’s bar and other refreshments as well as a programme of music featuring Harvey Causley and headliner Dark Matter. Entry is by £2 reusable festival glass. For updates follow Lyme Regis Sausage and Cider Festival on Facebook and Instagram.
cricket
Uplyme prepare for another exciting season UPLYME and Lyme Regis players are preparing for what could well be another exciting season (writes Philip Evans). In last year’s shortened mini-league season due to COVID-19, Uplyme won their tier with a number of sparkling displays including a triple consecutive century from Tyler Wellman.
Their exciting brand of cricket attracted large crowds to the King George V playing field with more than 200 spectators watching one game, unheard of in local cricket. Players are being invited to the cub on Sunday, March 28 from 10am onwards to help prepare the wicket and facilities in
readiness for the coming season. Members and supporters are welcome to join in and all will be served coffee and bacon sandwiches. Nets and training will be the order of the day on Wednesday, March 31 in readiness for the start of the season on Sunday April 18.
This season Uplyme will be competing in the Devon League D Division West with their first league game away to Sidmouth 3rds on Saturday, May 1. The club is also looking forward to competing in the first ever T20 East Devon Bash sponsored jointly by LymeOnline and the Nub News websites.
Follow local sport 24/7 on our website www.lyme-online.co.uk