Guitars On The Beach to rock against climate change MUSIC FESTIVAL GOES GREEN PAGE 16
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Fossil Festival lights up the seafront
LYME Regis Fossil Festival kicked off the town’s busy calendar of major events over the weekend. The festival started on Friday evening with a visually impressive lantern parade along the seafront, and included a programme of lectures, music, fossil walks and hands-on activities led by the science industry’s leading organisations and experts, including the Natural History Museum. See page 12 for full report and more photos. Photo by Richard Austin
Deputy mayor loses seat SIX NEW FACES ON TOWN COUNCIL AFTER LOCAL ELECTION A SURPRISE result following last week’s local election saw Lyme Regis deputy mayor Steve Miller lose his seat on the town council.
In last Thursday’s town council election, in which there were 16 nominations for 14 seats, Mr Miller, who was co-opted onto the council in 2015, only polled 365 votes. He had chaired the council’s most influential committee,
PHILIP EVANS
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Strategy & Finance, and served as deputy mayor for two years. The other councillor to lose his seat was Sean Larcombe, who polled 398 votes. Top of the poll was a fairly new councillor, former lifeboatman and coastguard Graham Turner with 691 votes, beating Cheryl Reynolds by just one vote. Councillor Reynolds also con-
tested the seat for Lyme Regis and Charmouth on the new Dorset Council, which was won by her brother Daryl Turner (see page 2). Current mayor Michaela Ellis came third, polling 611 votes and her daughter Kelsey polled 457 votes and becomes the town’s youngest ever councillor at the age of 19. Kelsey was among six new candidates who all won seats on the town council.
They also included 20-year-old Leon Howe, polling 426 votes on a Labour ticket. Leon is the son of former Lyme councillor Rikey Austin, who stood unsuccessfully in the county election, also standing for Labour. Other new members elected were Belinda Bawden (508 votes); David Ruffle (523 votes); Gillian Stammers (513 votes); and David Sarson (502 votes). CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
GOLFER MEL WINS DORSET COUNTY CUP PA GE 23
Firearms and drugs seized in police raids FIREARMS, cash and suspected drugs were seized by police following a series of raids in Charmouth and Axminster on Tuesday, May 7. A joint operation between forces in Devon and Cornwall and Dorset – involving more than 40 officers and separate firearms teams – saw warrants executed at six addresses. Searches of the premises took place and money, firearms and a large quantity of suspected drugs were seized. A 62-year-old man from Axminster was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of a firearm and has been released under police investigation. Two men, aged 19 and 34, both from Charmouth, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and have been released under police investigation. A 49-year-old man from Axminster was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply and possession of a firearm. He has been bailed until Tuesday, May 28.
Rovers do the double
LYME Regis Rovers crowned a glorious season this week, winning the Perry Street League Division Three with a convincing 5-0 win over Merriott Dynamos. The win came just two weeks after the Rovers lifted the John Fowler Cup in an Easter Monday final. REPORT, PAGE 23
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Published by Lyme Regis Media Limited Hyper-local website and fortnightly newspaper serving the communities of Lyme Regis, Uplyme & Charmouth. Unit 5 Uplyme Business Park, Uplyme Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS www.lyme-online.co.uk edit@lyme-online.co.uk Facebook: facebook.com/LymeOnlineUK Twitter: twitter.com/LymeOnlineUK Instagram: instagram.com/lymeonline Editor: Francesca Evans francesca@lyme-online.co.uk 07810 221 420 Contributors: Philip Evans philip@lyme-online.co.uk Richard Austin edit@lyme-online.co.uk Production: Jackie Evans jackie@lyme-online.co.uk Regular Columnists: Sophia Moseley, Marine Theatre Mark Vandeweyer, Citizens Advice Peter Lacey, Tales of Lyme’s Past
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Daryl wins Lyme and Charmouth Ian Thomas retains Trinity seat on the new Dorset Council seat as independents take EXPERIENCED councillor Daryl Turner beat his sister Cheryl Reynolds in a hotly contested election to win the Lyme Regis and Charmouth seat on the new Dorset Council. The result was announced shortly before 5pm on Friday with Mr Turner polling 756 votes compared with Mrs Reynolds’ 571 in a 44.9 per cent turnout – one of the biggest in Dorset. Green candidate Rob Green polled 317 votes with Labour candidate Rikey Austin, a former Lyme Regis town councillor, receiving 239 votes. Mr Turner, a former Army Officer, served on West Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council with an important chairmanship on each authority and was considered to be one of the most influential councillors in Dorset. Mrs Reynolds, who also serves on Lyme Regis Town Council, was a member of West Dorset District Council. She fought her campaign as an Independent on a “people before politics” slogan. She was one of the 16 candidates standing for the 14 seats on Lyme Regis Town Council and won a place with 690 votes. Conservatives ended up as the first ruling party of the new council with 43 seats, with the Liberal Democrats winning 29, the Greens and Independent having four seats each and Labour winning two. Out of the 82 seats, 25 were taken by new councillors – meaning they were not members of the Shadow
control of East Devon
Dorset Council, set up to oversee the change from district and county councils to unitary – and 57 seats have been taken by members who have previously served as a councillor in Dorset. There are 27 women on the new council and 55 men, meaning women make up 33 per cent of the new council. Following the election, Councillor Spencer Flower was declared new leader of the Conservative group and is therefore expected to be elected first leader of Dorset Council at the annual council meeting on May 16. Cllr Flower, who represents Verwood, said: “I am delighted to have been given the support of colleagues in what will be a very demanding role.” Cllr Peter Wharf, who represents West Purbeck, has been elected deputy group leader.
IAN Thomas has retained his Trinity in 1974, the Tories lost overall conward seat at East Devon District trol of East Devon with indepenCouncil, despite announcing his dents and the East Devon Alliance resignation from the Conservative winning the majority of the 57 seats party just a week before the elec- on offer at the district council. tions. The independents even won both Councillor Thomas received 635 seats in Sidmouth, a bastion of votes against Labour candidate Conservatism for years. Sarah Birnie’s 249. See page 9 for Uplyme Parish His name was listed as ConservaCouncil election results tive on ballot papers, but Councillor Thomas announced he had resigned from the party and was standing as an independent last week. CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE He sent letters to all Other existing councillors to be re-elected electors in the Trinity are John Broom (492 votes); Richard Doney ward – which covers (529 votes); Brian Larcombe (473 votes); Jeff Uplyme, Rousdon, Scowen (549 votes); and Stan Williams (455 Combpyne and Ax- votes). mouth – informing The turnout was 44.56 per cent – one of the them of his position best turnouts for town and parish councils in before last Thursday’s Dorset. election. Attention now turns to who will be the next Councillor Thomas Mayor of Lyme Regis, with a vote scheduled has represented the to take place when the new council meets for Trinity ward since 2009 the first time on Wednesday, May 15. and was elected leader Traditionally, the mayoral chains are passed of East Devon District to the deputy after two years, but with Mr Council in 2018. The turnout for the Miller having lost the election it is unclear Trinity ward election who will take on the role of First Citizen. Councillor Jeff Scowen has publicly said that was 42.42 per cent and there were 46 rejected he hopes to be mayor. It is also rumoured that existing mayor Michaela Ellis may put her papers. After dominating local name forward for a third year, while Councilpolitics since local gov- lor Cheryl Reynolds has proved a popular ernment reorganisation choice with Lyme’s Facebook community.
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Veteran councillor did not stand because of ‘incompetent electoral services’
A VETERAN Lyme Regis councillor has expressed his “bitter” disappointment that he was not able to stand in last week’s local elections because of an issue with his nomination forms. Owen Lovell’s name was missing from ballot papers at Thurday’s election, bringing an end to his 40-year career in local government at town and district level. Mr Lovell, a former Mayor of Lyme Regis, had intended to seek re-election to the town council and had submitted his nomination forms early because he was going abroad for four months over the election period. Explaining his situation at the final meeting of the former town council administration last Wednesday, he said he had sought advice from West Dorset District Council and had been told to download forms from the Electoral Commission’s website and submit them early. However, because the forms were signed and dated in January, he was later told this was “too early” to submit them and his nomination was not accepted. Councillor Lovell said there was no reference to a date restriction on the forms, and he has put the situation down to the “incompetence of electoral services” at West Dorset District Council,
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk which has now become part of the new Dorset Council. He added that “to rub salt in the wounds”, some candidates had missed crucial information off their election statements posted around the town – including their own addresses and details of the printer, as required by law – and the monitoring officer had been “lenient” with them and allowed them to correct this by taking an advert in the local press. “If that could apply to them, why couldn’t it apply to me?” he asked. “I’ve not served 40 years and learnt nothing, I’ve learnt a fair bit. But I do get annoyed when the legalities are being applied to me heavy handed and other people are being allowed to do it another way. I do find that somewhat churlish. “It’s not the West Dorset District Council that I served for 20 years, where the officers were all efficient and if you asked them a question you got the correct answer. “I feel quite bitter about this because I didn’t actually want to finish. I’m going reluctantly but it should have been my choice whether I stood again for this council, not somebody else’s, espe-
cially as I filled out all the forms right except for one date, which the electoral officer took umbrage with.” Councillor Lovell congratulated the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Michaela Ellis, on her two-year term OWEN Lovell was unable to of office. stand in last week’s local He added: “I have election after being told he enjoyed my 40 submitted his nomination payears and I wish pers ‘too early’ you all good luck in the future with the new council.” Speaking later in the meeting, Councillor Lovell offered advice on the recent issues over councillors’ behaviour towards one another. He said that future members of the council should learn to “walk away and not get personal”. He added that he was “fed up of being tarnished with the same brush” and if members had an issue with other councillors, they should not be afraid to name them.
Council criticised over private discussions LYME Regis Town Council was questioned over the amount of business it conducts in private at the annual town meeting. The meeting was held on Friday, April 26 and was only attended by about 30 people. A number of residents raised the issue of the council discussing matters in exempt business, when they exclude the press and public. Talbot Road resident Nigel Ball started the discussion, saying he would like to see exempt business removed from council agendas wherever possible, and he was grateful that recent discussions over the refurbishment of the Henry’s Way play area were taken out of exempt business and held publicly, allowing residents to comment on
the matter. He later commented: “We need to work together as a team. It’s still not quite working but it’s getting there.” Resident Nick Gear also questioned why so much council business was discussed in private, and said that information requested by the public was not always provided by the council. Then Deputy Mayor of Lyme Regis, Steve Miller – who was chairing the meeting in the absence of the mayor – said that the council always tried to conduct business in the “most transparent way possible”, but sometimes it was necessary to go into exempt business to discuss “extremely sensitive” financial or staffing matters.
Town councillor Stan Williams said that the council recently went into exempt business to discuss someone that owed the authority money and argued this should be made public information. Resident Ken Gollop commented: “There’s often items about debtors on the agendas but we never hear who they are. When you write off debt you are giving them money; it’s not your money, it’s our money.” Councillor Jeff Scowen asked: “Will the new council take on board what we have heard about communication and working with the public, get rid of private working groups and reconsider exempt business? We want more transparency.” See full report at lyme-online.co.uk
Four rescued by lifeboat as speedboat breaks down
FOUR people – two men and two women – were rescued by volunteers of Lyme Regis lifeboat crew on Monday night when their speedboat suffered engine failure. The lifeboat was launched at 7.52pm and was on scene, 100 metres south of Golden Cap, seven minutes later. The lifeboat crew towed the speedboat to the safety of West Bay harbour, arriving at 8.22pm, and returned to Lyme Regis at 8.50pm. This was the sixth shout for the Lyme Regis crew so far this year.
Anti-social behaviour on Lyme Regis seafront
POLICE were called to Marine Parade in Lyme Regis at 2.45am on Saturday, May 4 following reports of a large group of youngsters causing anti-social behaviour. The youngsters were said to be shouting and playing loud music in the early hours of the morning. Officers asked them to turn the music down and leave the area. On further investigations, an 18-year-old man was arrested at the scene for a drug related offence.
Cream teas for Christian Aid
LOCAL supporters of Christian Aid will host a cream tea afternoon at The Red House in Sidmouth Road, Lyme Regis, from 2.30pm to 5pm on Saturday, May 18. The event will also include a cake stall and raffle. Tickets cost £5 including a cream tea and cake, and can be booked by calling Ann on 01297 445922 or email Becky on rjelewis@gmail.com
Residents association hosts AGM
LYME Regis Residents Association will hold its annual general meeting at Hallett Court in Queen’s Walk at 7pm on Monday, May 20. All Lyme regis residents are welcome to attend.
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NEWS ONLINE: Catch up with A round-up of the top stories from our website
‘Deepest Dorset’ helps keep lifeboat afloat Fish and chip shop plans at Quality Corner THE joint authors of ‘Deepest Dorset’, a book which looks at what makes Dorset special, have donated £1,000 from sales to a charity they also regard as special – the RNLI in Lyme Regis. Fanny Charles and Gay Pirrie-Weir have already donated some £40,000 to charities, including the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, the Dorset Community Foundation and the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust following sales of the popular book.
NEWSAGENT and sweet shop Quality Corner could become Lyme Regis’ newest fish and chip takeaway, if planning permission is granted. The shop, at the bottom of Broad Street and the Bell Cliff steps, currently sells a range of confectionary items, magazines, newspapers and ice creams. Owner Nick Tarrant has now applied for permission for a fish and chip takeaway outlet in the shop, which
‘Ammonite’ filming comes to an end Free screenings of ‘Our Planet’ DIRECTOR Francis Lee has announced that filming has finished on Mary Anning biopic ‘Ammonite’. Scenes starring Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet as Lyme Regis’ famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, along with co-star Saoirse Ronan, were filmed in Lyme Regis during March and production then continued in London before wrapping up last week.
TURN Lyme Green and Plastic Free Lyme Regis are hosting free film nights to screen broadcaster Sir David Attenborough’s latest natural history series, ‘Our Planet’. Episodes will be screened every Friday at Lyme Regis Baptist Church from 7pm starting tonight (Friday, May 10).
follows the recent closure of Cobb Gate Fish Bar, opposite his business. No changes to the listed building are proposed, other than the installation of a vent within the existing ground floor window in the building’s northern elevation, facing onto Broad Street. Full plans can be viewed online at https://bit.ly/2VoRfoA
First vegan fayre for Lyme charity THE first Vegan Food, Arts, Craft and Holistic Fayre held in Chard raised £1,200 for Lyme Regis-based reforestation charity, The Word Forest Organisation. The charity plants trees, builds classrooms and facilitates education in Kenya and funds from the fayre will help to plant more than 500 trees.
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Town Mill marking National Mills Weekend THE Town Mill in Lyme Regis will be celebrating National Mills Weekend on May 11 and 12. National Mills Weekend takes place across the UK every spring, with more than 300 windmills and watermills opening their doors to the public. This annual festival of our milling heritage is a chance for everyone to explore their local mills, with a range of special events and family-friendly activities. The Town Mill will be hosting a programme of special events and tours - see www.townmill.org.uk for full details.
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the latest from Lyme Regis
FROM LYME’S OW N COMMUNIT Y WEBSITE
Stay up to date at www.lyme-online.co.uk - 24/7 news | sport | community Free screening of a familiar tale
Scouts renew promises for St George’s Day celebrations
THE 1st Lym Valley Scout Group renewed their promises and took part in East Devon Scouts’ first St George’s Day Race as part of a whole day of celebrations to honour the patron saint of England. The Uplymebased troop also went on parade with hosts 1st Sid Vale in Salcombe Regis, and members were presented with awards during a special prizegiving event.
LONG before Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan came to town, Norman Wooland and Sarah Churchill were making Lyme Regis famous with their 1949 classic ‘All Over The Town’. The story follows two crusading reporters as they revive a failing newspaper and take on the local council... sound familiar? I went to see it with Dad a few years back at the Regent Cinema and it only took about five minutes before I declared: “I think this is about you, Dad!” If you’ve never seen the film before, don’t miss the special screening at the Marine Theatre on Sunday, June 16 - part of the venue’s 125th anniversary celebrations (see page 14). It features some great shots of Lyme that many of our older residents will enjoy reminiscing over. Tickets are free and, from what I hear, are already flying out of the door so don’t delay in booking by calling Lyme’s TIC on 01297 442138. Events season is now in full swing in Lyme Regis, with the popular Fossil Festival having been held over the weekend (see page 12). I didn’t get to see it myself as I was camping in Tintern, just across the Welsh border, for the weekend but I heard the illuminated lantern parade, pictured on
our front page, was a great addition to the festival on Friday evening and it’s now hoped it will become an annual event. There’s plenty more festivities lined up over the coming weeks too, with a major event set to take place practically every weekend from now until Mark Hix’s Food Rocks closes the season in September. Don’t miss the annual May Fete this Sunday (see page 7) for some traditional family fun. Jazz Jurassica will bring May to a swinging close (see page 15) and then it will be time for Guitars On The Beach in June, with organisers having announced this week that they will be going green and “rocking against climate change” (see page 16). On the subject of climate change, if you haven’t yet seen David Attenborough’s brilliant new Netflix series ‘Our Planet’, you can catch up with free screenings hosted by Turn Lyme Green and Plastic Free Lyme Regis every Friday night (starting tonight), 7pm at The Driftwood Café in Lyme Regis Baptist Church. Francesca Evans, Editor
NE W LOOK
RAF Association thanks Tesco donates £1,000 landlady for support to Sea School Trust THE Bridport and Lyme Regis branch of the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) recently presented a plaque to Camile Hilton, landlord of the Lord Nelson in Bridport, to thank her for hosting their meetings over the past two years. RAFA is committed to supporting the RAF family, both serving and retired.
LYME Regis Sea School Trust was delighted to receive £ 1,000 from the Tesco’s Bags of Help Scheme, which has enabled the organisation to renew and upgrade its buoyancy aids. The trust teaches young and older people how to sail and will be holding intensive week-long courses this summer.
Winner of Ted Hughes Poetry Award comes to Marine Theatre WITH fans ranging from Emma Watson to Pink and Tim Minchen, Ted Hughes Award winner Hollie McNish is a poet whose readings are not to be missed. She is an Arts Foundation Fellow in Spoken Word, has garnered over ten million YouTube views for her online poetry performances, and was the first poet to record at Abbey Road. Hollie will perform poems from her latest poetry collections at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on Thursday, May 16, with the bar opening at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start. She will be joined by Vanessa Kisuule, the Bristol City Poet for 2018-2020, who was the recipient of The Jerwood Micro Arts Bursary and The Leverhulme Arts Scholarship in 2017. Tickets cost £12 in advance or £15 on the door, with 10 per cent off for Theatre Friends. To book, call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com
LYME RE G I S
Sequence Dancing
New dancers welcome
Fitness that’s ‘Strictly’ Fun
FITSTEPS
Every Sunday evening 8-10pm
Fun, Fab, Dance Based Fitness Join Sarah on Tuesday mornings from 10-11am 1st session free Call 07788 946 427 for more information
Lyme Regis Musical Theatre presents ... Cole Porter’s
ANYTHING GOES Tuesday May 14 Saturday May 18 no matinee
Tickets from Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre or call 01297 442138
Other regular events include Ballet, Yoga, Pilates, Bingo and Short Mat Bowls
To book the Woodmead Halls telephone Michaela Ellis on 07856 630975 Follow us on Twitter @WoodmeadHalls and Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodmeadhalls
6 Friday, May 10 2019
LYME MATTERS with Philip Evans Essential reading for all those with Lyme at heart
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We have a new-look council ...so let’s give them a chance
L
YME Regis people called for change when they went to the polls last week - and change they got with all six new nominations winning a seat. Or did they?
The dynamic of the council has undoubtedly changed with five women now sitting on the authority and two youngsters also elected and that must be viewed as a positive result. The big shock, of course, was that deputy mayor Stephen Miller lost his seat, as did Sean Larcombe, surprisingly. As well as being deputy mayor, Mr Miller was also chairman of the council’s most influential committee, Strategy and Finance, and had to deal with the thorny negotiations with East Devon District Council over the Sidmouth Road park and ride debacle. That did not end well for either party. The new council has already met informally and I understand it did not go quite as well as town clerk John Wright intended. More of that later. The first public meeting of the council will be on Wednesday when a new mayor will be elected. With the current mayor Michaela Ellis having served for the usual two-year term, it was expected that Mr Miller was the favourite to succeed her as our new First Citizen. With Mr Miller loosing his seat, that all changes and we could well see Councillor Ellis continuing to wear the mayoral chains for another year or two. If Councillor Ellis does get elected again, one obvious choice for deputy mayor would be Councillor Cheryl Reynolds, who missed out topping the poll by one vote to Councillor Graham Turner. Councillor Reynolds was also defeated in the four-horse race for Lyme and Charmouth’s first representative on the new Dorset unitary
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council by brother Daryl Turner, but managed to poll well over 500 votes, a considerable achievement for an independent candidate with no party machinery behind her. When the result of the town election was announced, Councillor Reynolds went onto Facebook immediately to say she thought she would now have to offer herself as mayor following Mr Miller’s defeat. After her defeat in the Dorset Council election, Councillor Reynolds’ Facebook supporters urged her to stand for mayor and expressed the forlorn hope that the people of the town could vote her into office. It’s a nice thought that the electorate could choose our mayor, as happens in some metropolitan areas, but I’m sorry to be a Jobe’s Comforter here, but that is just not possible in law. One councillor who has also publicly revealed that he wants to be mayor is Jeff Scowen, the council’s ‘enfant terrible’ who is likely to receive support from some of the new faces. If it’s a two-way battle between Michaela Ellis and Jeff Scowen, the vote could be evenly split, meaning that Michaela would have the casting vote and would be able to choose herself. It has happened before. So back to this week’s informal gathering of the new council. If what I hear is correct, I understand there was bickering between some of the existing councillors, hardly the place to express disagreements before the new councillors, especially the youngsters. The people of Lyme wanted a new council and now they have got one. We should give them a chance to prove themselves and urge those who are used to witnessing the tantrums of recent times in the Guildhall to show an example and act in a respectful manner to their colleagues. To our two new young councillors, Leon Howe and Kelsey Ellis, I applaud your guts in standing. A voice for the young is long overdue in the council chamber and you are now that voice. Don’t get drawn into one faction or the other or be influenced by the clash of personalities which has caused so much angst in recent times.
TAKING TEA: Sixty odd years after they first went to St Michael’s Junior School (from the left): the former misses Joan Fox, Corinne Hopper, Sue Rice, Pat Roberts, Sandra Cable, Pam Warmsley, Lyn Clarke and Sue Dean
School chums meet up after 60 years SCHOOL reunions are fairly common place these days as we realise, as the years roll past and life gets more complicated, that our happiest days really were those spent at school. I’m not sure I subscribe to that view. Although I enjoyed my infant and junior school days, I didn’t really enjoy the six years I spent at Lyme Grammar and then the Woodroffe. I was painfully shy, struggled with exams and only really enjoyed playing football. There is no doubt, however, that the bevy of beauties pictured above look back on their early days of schooling at St Michael’s with great affection. They are now all of a certain age (which I have no intention of revealing) and this week they got together for a sumptuous English tea at the Royal Lion where
they were able to meet up with Joan Fox (now Haughton) who was returning to Lyme after several years for a holiday and who would dearly love to come back to live some day. There to greet her were the former Misses Corinne Hopper, Sue Rice, Pat Roberts, Sandra Cable, Pam Warmsley, Lyne Clarke and Sue Dean. I instantly recognised some of them as we lived fairly close to each other. They first met up at the Junior School in 1954/55 so it’s been more than 60 years since they first got together (oops, that’s given away their ages!). It was great meeting up with them again and seeing some of the old photos of their school days at St Michael’s with so many familiar faces.
More leaks than a Tory cabinet! IF the events of recent days are anything to go by, it would seem that leaks are very much an accepted part of politics today. Barely a day goes by when a Cabinet member is not accused of spilling the beans, especially when it comes to Brexit matters. Gavin ‘Private Pike’ Williamson, the former Defence Secretary, is fighting for his political career after of leaking secret information related to national security. Here in sleepy Lyme Regis ‘leaks’ from the council chamber have been almost a way of life for local journalists for many years. It’s the same in most small towns.
I think it’s fair to say that this past council has been a bit more leaky that ones before, but none of them in recent times have been exactly water tight. The main reason for this has been the move to more working groups to which the press and public have no access. Things got very uppity last week when a number of councillors complained that the first they knew that the £15,000 compensation fee to be paid to the council for disturbance caused by the production company of the ‘Ammonite’ film, was when they read it in this newspaper, after they had been told the amount was to be kept secret as it was a condition of the negotiations.
I was actually told three weeks ago that the fee was £15,000 and this was confirmed by a reliable source close to the Mary Anning Rocks group, trying to raise £175,000 for the statue. Ultimately, councillors were informed in an email that the fee was £15,000 after the story had appeared on our website. The council is yet to confirm publicly the amount and will have to decide what will happen to the money. I understand that the film company would like the money to go to the Mary Anning statue, but that’s a decision the council will have to make. It will not go into council funds.
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Policy over dogs on beach to Don’t miss this weekend’s May Fete! be looked into in September THE town council has said it hopes regulations regarding dogs on the sandy beach in Lyme Regis will be reconsidered in September. Following the introduction of the new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) by the now defunct West Dorset District Council in October 2017, dogs are currently allowed on Lyme’s main sandy beach without a lead between October 1 and May 1. Lyme Regis Town Council objected to the PSPO when it was first introduced, with members arguing that dogs should be kept on leads, and a number of complaints from the public about dogs defecating, urinating and being out of control on the sandy beach have also been received. Following an incident in which a 12-yearold boy was bitten by a dog on the beach in December 2018, further calls for reconsideration have been made, as well as suggestions of a complete ban of dogs from the sandy beach. The issue was raised again at the final meeting of the previous town council administration, held on Wednesday evening ahead of the local elections on Thursday. At the meeting, councillors discussed many achievements from their four years in office, as well as ongoing issues that needed to be dealt with by the new administration. Owen Lovell, who did not seek re-election on Thursday because of an issue with his nomination papers (see page 3), said he hoped the new council would continue to push for regulations to be reconsidered and dogs to be kept on leads. He described the new Dorset Council, which took over from all district and county councils in the area in April, as a “useless load of sharks who changed the laws that were more
FRANCESCA EVANS
francesca@lyme-online.co.uk
efficient for Lyme Regis”. Councillor Lovell questioned whether it was worth the town council continuing to pay two enforcement officers who were “not enforcing anything with regards to dogs” because of a lack of respect from the public and “no support” from Dorset Council. The Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Michaela Ellis, said the enforcement officers were employed to work all over the town and not focus solely on dogs on the beach. Councillor Brian Larcombe said he thought improved signage would help the situation, as the dates during which dogs were banned from the beach were currently advertised in “the tiniest print on a very tiny sign”. Total ban Councillor Stan Williams said New Year’s Day on the beach had been “quite frightening” with the number of children playing while dogs ran around freely. He added: “We have two very good beaches – Monmouth Beach and we now have much more access to the eastern beach – so there’s no reason to have dogs on our front beach. I myself would go for a total ban on the front beach.” Town clerk John Wright said that the PSPO was not originally due to be reconsidered by the new Dorset Council until October 2020, but because of the pressure put on them it would now be looked into in September 2019. He added that the policy was “out of the town council’s hands” but they would continue push for a change to the regulations.
Are new unisex toilets unpopular with women? CONCERNS have been raised about the popularity of the town council’s recently refurbished unisex toilets on Marine Parade in Lyme Regis. The town council spent £82,000 refurbishing the seafront toilets – £37,000 over its initial budget for the project – and converted the separate male and female blocks into unisex cubicles. Concerns have now been raised that the unisex facilities are not popular with women. The issue was raised at last Wednesday’s council meeting – the final meeting of the previous council before Thursday’s local elections – when Councillor Brian Larcombe said there had been long queues for the toilets over the busy Easter Bank Holiday. He suggested that men’s urinals be installed in space next to the existing toilets, currently used for bin storage, to ease pressure on the unisex cubicles. Councillor Stan Williams added: “There’s no doubt, it’s the men’s side of it that’s a problem. They used to be in and out, now everyone has to go into a cubicle.” Councillor Cheryl Reynolds commented: “I have talked to several people and the reason there’s a great, big queue for those toilets is that they’re the only decent ones we have. I think we have to look at that as well, and not just at the case that they’re unisex.” The Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Michaela Ellis, agreed that the queues were because they were “the nicest toilets in the area”.
However, Councillor Jeff Scowen said the facilities were unpopular with women. He commented: “I said at the time that unisex was not the way to go and I’ve had a number of females say to me that they will not use those toilets because they’re unisex. It’s not what we want to do if we refurbish any more toilets in this town. “They’re really not popular with many, many women and it’s pretty obvious why. If I was female I wouldn’t want to use them for a number of reasons. If we can’t convert them, let’s at least make them the only unisex ones in town.” Councillor Ellis replied: “As a female I would use them, and as a mother and grandmother with young children, it is so much easier.” Councillor Larcombe said: “I too have had women residents and holidaymakers say they wouldn’t use them and they would rather find others. The more important point is that if the queues are about capacity, we increase the capacity by installing separate urinals. The cubicles can still be unisex.” Councillor Reynolds replied: “There are three women here; myself, the mayor, and Adrianne [Mullins – administrative officer] and we would all use them. You always get someone saying they don’t like them but most women these days would use unisex toilets, they are all over the place.”
THE May Fete will include more than 60 stalls plus a full programme of entertainment and displays
LYME Regis Regatta & Carnival Committee is looking forward to welcoming residents and visitors to its annual May Fete at the Anning Road playing field this Sunday (May 12). The fete has become a firm favourite on the Lyme Regis events calendar over the years, especially with residents from the surrounding housing estate. Gates will open at 1pm and the event will
include more than 60 stalls from local organisations, craft stalls, hot food, a bouncy castle, attractions and competitions for all the family! Entry is free. Entertainment will be provided by local youth organisations, including a display from Lyme Regis Majorettes, and a steel band will also feature on this year’s programme.
ing nal Park d Additio th R u o rm a at Ch k rk Car Pa
Ma ay a y Fete Fete Sunday 12 1 May 2019 1pm m - 4pm Anning Ro oad Rec Ground, Lyme Re egis, DT7 3EB Gre reat Community F Fa amily ly Aft Afternoon ffeeaturing ng Tudor Da Dancin ngg H Steel Band HL Ly yme Reg eg i s M Ma ajorretttees H T Ta aekwondo Disp spla ay yH 50 Sta tallls! s! H T Tom ombola H Face P o Pa aintin ngg HH Ho ot Food Food H IIce-C ce--Cream H Coffee H Cakes H Ref efre resshments ts H Plants H Crafts afts H Games H BOUNCY CA ASTLE H FREE ENTRY H Please note in accordance with DCC rules Dogs are not permitted on this recreation gr ground
WOULD YOU USE UNISEX LOOS? Email edit@lyme-online.co.uk
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thecharmouthpage
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Restoration work begins at St Andrew’s Church
THE Changing Spaces team and the Parochial Church Council of St Andrew’s Church in Charmouth are pleased to announce that construction work has started to restore the building to its former glory. Those involved in the restoration have described this as “a huge step forward” and the team are busy planning the various phases of the work that will be required. The first phase is to deliver a number of improvements to the north porch and will include undertaking roof and stonework repairs, redecoration, new lighting and drainage. In
addition, new internal glass doors will be installed to enhance the entrance of the church. The ultimate goal of this phase of the project is to make the porch an inviting and accessible point of entry for villagers and visitors to enjoy the services and the regular events that take place at St Andrew’s. During the work, the north porch will not accessible and the temporary entrance will be via the tower door. All efforts have been made to minimise the disruption to services and events. The work is expected to be completed by late spring.
The Parochial Church Council has appointed a respected and experienced team, comprising B2 Architects Ltd and conservation contractor Ellis & Co, to carry out the work. A spokesperson for the project said: “We are all looking forward to this work being completed and helping the church move forward with its future restoration plans.” For more information on the restoration work, email contact info@charmouthchangingspaces.org or visit the Charmouth Changing Spaces website at charmouthchangingspaces.org
Concert series continues to raise funds for church restoration
THE first phase of restoration work at St Andrew’s Church in Charmouth will focus around the north porch
THE Charmouth Changing Spaces team welcomed local resident Richard Fereday (pictured right) for the first of its Lunchtime Concerts 2019 season on April 30. About 70 people enjoyed Richard’s performance of a selection of Cole Porter songs, including many favourites. Richard generously donated his time free of charge in support of the Charmouth Changing Spaces series of events, which raise funds for the benefit of St Andrew’s Church. The next concert will be held on Tuesday, May 28 at 12.30pm when local resident Sarah Smith will give a piano recital. As usual the concert will be preceded by refreshments provided at 12noon, courtesy members of Charmouth Changing Spaces.
Scouts offering subscription subsidy
THE 1st Charmouth Scout Group has announced some great news for parents who may have been put off allowing their child to join the organisation because of financial difficulties. The group has been awarded a grant by The Dorset Community Foundation and Wessex Water Community Fund to ensure there are no barriers to teaching children ‘Skills for Life' - the new slogan adopted by the Scout Association to describe the many benefits derived by its members. Specifically, the grant will allow the Scout Group to subsidise termly subscriptions, provide extra subsidies towards the cost of camps and establish a Uniform Bank that can lend members shirts and jumpers. Current and potential members will be able to
benefit from the grant. Scout group leader Kevin Payne said: "Scouting is already great value but we know the termly subs and cost of the uniform may put some parents off letting their children give it a try. “Luckily, this grant is specially aimed at supporting parents who may be disadvantaged or live in isolated areas. "We appreciate that everyone finds discussing their financial situation a little awkward, but this new grant is there to help ensure none of our potential recruits or current members miss out on the many benefits of Scouting." If cost of the termly subscription or uniform is likely to mean your son or daughter is missing out on developing their 'Skills for Life', contact Kevin on 07976 534 517.
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All parish council members re-elected ALL existing members of Uplyme Parish Council were re-elected last week, with the only new candidate Bill Trundley missing out on a seat. Eleven candidates stood for the 10 available seats on the parish council in last Thursday’s local election. Andrew Turner, a retired Special Constable who volunteered with Devon & Cornwall Police for almost 40 years, topped the polls with 361 votes, followed by Neil Pullinger with 339 and Councillor Turner’s daughter, Becky Turner, with 320. Others to be re-elected were John Duffin (283), Paulene Frost (271), Chris James (276), Barbara Kidson (295), Brian Mason (252), Dave Ostler (257) and Colin Pratt (273). New candidate Bill Trundley missed out having polled 219 votes. The turnout was 42.87 per cent and there were 29 rejected ballot papers. Uplyme held its annual parish meeting on Wednesday (see below), where Chris James and Paulene Frost were re-elected council chairman and vice-chairman respectively.
Pre-school tots visit Uplyme’s bluebells CHILDREN from Uplyme Pre-School enjoyed a walk to Prescott Pinetum, not far from their base at the village hall, to see the impressive carpet of bluebells. Despite some spring showers, the children still enjoyed their walk and were amazed at the sight of the bright blue flowers, even spotting a few whitebells among them. Luckily the rain stopped and they were able to enjoy a picnic among the blooms, and sat quietly and listened to the birds singing before returning to the hall.
Jazz evening to raise funds for Community Sponsorship Scheme A JAZZ evening will be held at Uplyme Church on Saturday, June 1 to raise funds for the village’s Community Sponsorship Scheme, which aims to resettle a Syrian refugee family in the local area. The music will be provided by pianist Philip Clouts and double bassist Ron Phelan, and will be melodic jazz with different flavours of African and Latin American music. Philip (pictured) was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and lived in London from an early age. He was a founder member of worldbeat jazz band Zubop, with whom he composed music and played the piano, touring internationally and releasing five CDs. Performances included Ronnie Scott’s, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and the Womad and Glastonbury Festivals. Acclaim in the press has included The Observer describing their music as “optimistic, unpretentious and hugely accomplished.” Later, Zubop joined forces with the BBC World Music Award-winning riti player, Juldeh Camara, expanding into ZubopGambia. Philip has released a trio CD of his compositions entitled ‘Direction South’, which received the following review in Jazz UK: “An enormously enjoyable set of accessible but distinctive originals. Like the compositions, Clouts’ solos are thoughtful and persuasively structured.” More recently, the Philip Clouts Quartet has been a major focus of his composing and playing. The first quartet album ‘Sennen Cove’ garnered many enthusiastic reviews and was praised in Musician magazine for “consummate
musicianship”. Their second album ‘The Hour of Pearl’ was also very well received, with Jazzwise magazine celebrating its “pulsating groove-orientated music… distinctive… spiritual and soul jazz… strongly melodic themes”. Double bassist Ron studied in Dublin before moving to the UK. He has worked with some of the best musicians and performers in the country touring both nationally and internationally in projects ranging from jazz ensembles to large scale theatrical productions. He currently lives in the South West of England where he divides his time between performing and composing. The duo setting provides an ideal opportunity for these performers to present their work in an intimate context. The music will cover a wide variety of moods, and in addition to Clouts’ original compositions the programme will feature some pieces from the jazz repertoire. The concert will be held from 8pm and tickets start from £5, available by calling Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre on 01297 442138.
Parish council chairman gives review of year at annual meeting WITH all members of Uplyme Parish Council having been re-elected in last week’s local election, chairman Chris James looked back at projects carried out over the past year at Wednesday’s annual meeting. His report in full was as follows: “The flood prevention improvements, have worked successfully so far and along with the work done by the lengthsman and volunteers there have been no major issues in the past year. The parish council will be considering employing a lengthsman for more hours in the coming year. “Sadly, the Hunter’s Lodge junction continues to be an issue but I am unable to see Highways England investing any more money at this juncture. “Many of you will have seen the resurfacing of the parking area and paths within the cemetery. This was at some considerable expense but the income from the cemetery over the last two years has almost covered the cost. “At the same time the three large fir trees in the cemetery were felled. This action did result in some complaint but the reason was that the roots were encroaching onto some of the graves and were also preventing areas of the cemetery being used for burials. “The village has certainly benefitted from the improvements to the River Lim path which also resulted in a proper footway opposite Stanbury, which I note is now being used on a regular basis. “Our thanks must go to the Coastal Community Team and LymeForward for including us in this great example of cross-border co-operation. An excellent side effect is that there is now a bus stop on the new pavement rather than at the dangerous corner of Gore Lane. “The air ambulance landing site has now had the lighting installed. I would wish to thank all those who made generous contributions to enable this work to take place and thank the trustees of the King George V playing field for their co-operation in managing the project and the finances. “We have being trying to improve the visibility and safety on the B3165 through Yawl and beyond by encouraging residents to manage their trees and hedges. Our thanks go to all those who have done so and the road is improved. However, there are still issues with large overhanging tree branches damaging double-decker buses and we
are continuing to put pressure on the county council to address this issue. “A group of volunteers cleared the overhanging tree branches on Trinity Hill with the owners’ permission. We now have a management plan for the Millennium Copse and funding set aside. “The government, county and district are still enforcing cuts, putting ever increasing pressure on the parish council to fulfill its obligations. The parish council’s accounting procedures and finances were again assessed which led to another rise in parish precept but we remain below the average within Devon. Reserves are now restored to a proper level. “My thanks again go to Ricky Neave, the parish clerk who is assiduous in maintaining the account accurately and with due regard to all legal and accounting considerations. The accounts can be made available to anyone who is interested, and are externally audited annually. “We undertook a review of the Neighbourhood Plan, which resulted in no substantive change. “As you will be aware we have just had an election for the parish council, which has resulted in no change of personnel. I would like to congratulate all who were elected and thank Mr Bill Trundley for wishing to become involved in working for benefit of the parish. We could do with more like him! What the election did highlight is the fact that many within the parish do not know what we do and where we have influence or none. It is therefore my intention that we increase our profile on both social media and within local publications to better inform our parishioners. “As for the future, we will continue trying to improve safety on the B3561 and improve the Crogg Lane ‘narrows’. We intend to try and develop affordable housing on the sites identified in the Neighbourhood Plan; this may involve us setting up our own Community Land Trust, which will necessitate buy-in from the whole community. “Finally, as always, I would like to record my thanks to all those who give freely of their time to ensure that the parish remains a wonderful place to live. There are many areas covered by this voluntary work, which involves councillors, local volunteers and other committees responsible for activities and facilities within the parish. “I would also like to thank our county and district councillors for their continued support.”
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LYME REGIS TOWN COUNCIL A new council term begins OUR new council administration started its new five-year team this week. The town took to the polls on May 2 to elect 14 councillors from the pool of 16 candidates, with a turnout of 44.56 per cent. Among those elected are eight existing councillors and six new councillors, creating a good balance between experience and new faces. The 14 councillors took office on 6 May and have already attended a welcome session to get to know each other and learn the basics. They’ll have a busy couple of weeks as they settle in, including training, attending meetings and making some important decisions. The first decision they’ll be asked to make will be choosing the next mayor and deputy mayor, which will take place at the annual meeting of the council on Wednesday 15 May. This will be followed by the traditional mayor-making ceremony on either June 5 or 12 – a date the new mayor will decide on – and the civic service on Sunday, June 16. As part of their induction programme we’ve arranged for West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin to talk to the new members, and we’re also hoping to arrange visits from the police, harbourmaster and leader of Dorset Council. Training will include equality and diversity, finance and the planning system.
Councillors will hit the ground running, with lots of issues still outstanding from the last administration, including Henry’s Way play park, the lighting scheme in the gardens and the traffic and transport study. It’s an exciting time for the council, with many projects underway and others on the horizon, a new group of members to drive us forward, and a new Dorset Council to forge relationships with. But with success comes failure, and the election has meant we lost two sitting councillors – former deputy mayor Steve Miller and Sean Larcombe. There were four other members who didn’t stand for election – Derek Hallett, Pat Hicks, Owen Lovell and Patrick Ridley. We would like to thank them all for their service to the town during their term of office and hope we will see them in the public gallery at meetings and other council events, to which all members of the public are of course encouraged to attend. And so the next term of office begins… Election results were as follows: Belinda Bawden - 508; John Broom - 492; Richard Doney - 529; Kelsey Ellis - 457; Michaela Ellis - 611; Leon Howe - 426; Brian Larcombe - 473; Sean Larcombe 398 (not elected); Steve Miller - 365 (not elected); Cheryl Reynolds - 690; David Ruffle - 523; David Sarson - 502; Jeff Scowen 549; Gillian Stammers - 513; Graham Turner - 691; Stan Williams - 455.
Birds of prey cause media storm THE birds of prey we enlisted on the seafront to try and scare away seagulls created such a media storm that we’re hoping to bring them back. The four birds, which included two bald eagles and a Chilean blue eagle, created quite a spectacle when they were in the town during the Easter holidays. They attracted media interest from all over the world, from places as far afield as South Africa, Norway, Australia and Ireland. The story also featured on the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and the BBC’s One Show were also interested. Seagulls see birds of prey as a threat and the council agreed to a trial from Xtreme Falconry ■ YOU may have glanced at the Millennium Clock recently and thought you were running late. The clock in Cobb Gate car park is running 10 to 15 minutes behind but we’re doing everything we can to right it. A brand-new clock head was installed last year and it was running perfectly at first but has recently had some issues, including power failures, the clock stopping completely, and now running behind time. But the clock isn’t running slow – following a power failure, it has re-set itself at the wrong time and we now have to manually re-set it. ■ THE lighting project in the seafront gardens is expected to be launched at the end of June. The project will involve illuminating key features and pathways in and around the woodland walk with coloured lights. Preparatory works start next week, with over 60 lights to be installed. We’ll announce the switch-on date closer to the time.
to find out if it really works. The birds were certainly successful in driving away the seagulls while they were here, but inevitably they did return, and the feedback from residents and visitors has been largely positive. If nothing else, people were amazed to see these magnificent birds up close and it’s generated a huge amount of publicity for Lyme Regis. We’re now considering inviting Xtreme Falconry back on several occasions in the summer, and this is something the new administration will be asked to think about in its first few weeks.
Cemetery chapel given new lease of life THE interior of the chapel in the town cemetery has been given a new lease of life. The decorative paintings on the walls of the Church of England chapel have been painstakingly restored, and we’re thrilled with the results. After cracks in the lime plaster were filled in, conservation artists had the difficult job of cleaning and repairing the stencils inside the chapel, which was built in the 1850s. The artists described it as an ‘interesting technical challenge, but enjoyable’. The chapel was in need of some attention, and repairs have also been made to the roof, but more extensive work to repair rotten battens and re-tile it will take place next year. The chapel is sometimes used for funerals and in the last couple of years has been open to the public on Heritage Open Days, which take place every September.
New designs commissioned for Henry’s Way play park WE’RE revisiting plans for the Henry’s Way play park following concerns from some local residents. The council considered several designs for the park and had narrowed it down to two, but after listening to residents, new designs have been commissioned. Concerns included overlooking into neighbouring properties from high equipment, the older age group the new equipment might attract, and the safety of children using the park. We have now decided to seek new designs for ‘toddler’ equipment at a much lower cost than the original proposals. As a significant proportion of the funding was coming from the former West Dorset District Council through section 106 funding, it is hoped any remaining funds could be spent on further improving the Anning Road play area.
We’re looking for a gardener to join our team. The head gardener role has been replaced by a gardener post and we’re hoping to fill the vacancy in time for the summer. More details about the role and how to apply are in our advert on page 22
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PLASTIC FREE LYME REGIS
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Harbour Nites & Bites
O
UR 15th season in Lyme Regis has certainly got off to a great start with the glorious weather over Easter bringing the crowds flocking to Lyme and our chefs and kitchen staff pushed to the limit. But, as always, they coped wonderfully with our popular fish sharing platter and fresh Portland crab salad selling out. The May Bank Holiday was a good deal colder but we were still very busy, especially on the Friday and Saturday night, and many commented on how much they liked our new decor and especially Julie’s fabulous paintings. We are completing our refurbishment plans with the erection of a new, bright canopy over the terrace this week and our team of chefs, led by Daryl Moss, are busy coming up with new dishes as summer approaches. Tonight (Friday) we are launching a delicious addition to our menu - Daryl’s line caught bass with pea and mint ravioli and a cucumber and smoked salmon beurre blanc (see advertisement below). Whilst it’s always good to welcome our visitors, we rely heavily on the support of our local customers and we look forward to seeing you all before the season really kicks in.
CONTINUING our series of interviews looking at businesses and organisations around Lyme Regis that are planning to become single-use plastic free, Karen Durham-Diggins of Plastic Free Lyme Regis speaks to Sarah Abel, owner of Persuasion on Marine Parade. WHAT has been the hardest challenges in reducing plastic in your business? The worse thing that we see are the plastic our products are wrapped in and shipped in. From plastic film, polystyrene, bubble wrap – everything comes wrapped in plastic. We can source a good range of products that doesn’t include single use plastic or actually made from too much plastic. ●
● WHAT have you achieved in reducing plastic and any other environmental savings? The benefit of being a small business is that we can influence our use of plastic as much as we can. From the day that we opened we’ve used recycled paper carrier bags and where possible we ask customers if they even want a bag. Increasingly, which is really good, we customers with their own bags, reusable or bags they have recycled themselves. Where possible we’ve gone back to our suppliers and had a conversation with them about reducing or eliminating the plastic in their product packaging. A really good example is a blanket we stock made of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, it used to arrive to us wrapped in a plastic bag! We went back to the supplier and pointed out the irony of that and these blankets now come in just a cupboard box. ● WHAT
Mark Oldfield
Sue Steward
have been the business benefits of reducing plastics? One of the biggest benefits for us now is the increased awareness of the public to reduce plastic. Our customers are coming in looking for products that are reusable or recycled. For example, we can resource reusable coffee cups made from bamboo, being right by the beach we sell flip flops made from recycled tyres. It’s great when customers come in and we can en-
gage them in a conversation about these products and why we are selling them. ● WHAT do you hope to achieve for the future? As a retail business we can’t eliminate plastic entirely from our shop, but we want to make sure we are doing our bit where we can. Certainly in sourcing our products we actively look for products that are recycled or reusable and ensure the suppliers have really good credentials. We’re really pleased to be supporters of Plastic Free Lyme Regis, along with others who have joined the supporter’s scheme and to keep that level of awareness and find ways to improve our environment. It’s not just about plastic products, for example we try to switch our lights off at night and continue to think of ways we can improve for the future.
A video of this interview can be seen at www.plasticfreelyme.uk/case-studies-lyme
Ship Inn hosts Natural History Museum experts THE Ship Inn in Coombe Street played host to a social gathering and quiz for the Natural History Museum for between 40 and 50 of their experts who were attending the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival. The Ship is currently being run on a temporary basis by staff from the Pilot Boat, both owned by Palmers Brewery, and is undergoing refurbishment before a new licensee appointed. From the end of May throughout the summer, the Ship will be opened Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 11pm, and on Sundays, 12noon to 5pm for cash sales only. The Ship will continue to be made available for skittles matches, it now being the only alley in Lyme Regis following the closure of the Rock Point Inn. Following the success of the Natural History Museum gathering, the Ship will also be available for private functions and meetings. Anyone interested in using the Ship facilities should contact Robin Collyns at the Pilot Boat (telephone 01297 443157).
Talk on National Lottery grants LOCAL organisations interested in applying for National Lottery grant funding will benefit from a presentation to be held at Lyme Regis Guildhall on Wednesday, May 22. Organised by LymeForward, Kirsty Main from the National Lottery Fund will be talking about Awards for All - a small grants programme offering funds between £300 to £10,000. The talk will start at 2pm and will provide you with all the information you need about applying for this programme with tips for success. Spaces are limited so book online at https://bit.ly/2VnvhT6
Fish of the week with summer just around the corner ...
New season special line-caught bass with pea and mint ravioli, cucumber and smoked salmon beurre blanc
Family-run business serving home-cooked food using quality local produce Enjoy lunch or dinner in our restaurant, private beach area or veranda overlooking the bay
in Lyme Regis
To book call 01297 442299 - harbourinnlymeregis.co.uk
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Science and art come together for Fossil Festival
FOSSIL Festival treasure hunt winner Tia Bowman posts her completed treasure map
SCIENCE and the arts were brought together as Lyme Regis Fossil Festival kicked off the town’s major events season last weekend. Organised by Lyme Regis Development Trust and hosted in venues across the town, the festival saw leading experts and organisations from the world of science offer a varied programme of lectures and hands-on activities to inspire youngsters. Visiting exhibitors included the Natural History Museum, British Antarctic Society and Palaeontological Society, while Lyme Regis Museum and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre also hosted activities and fossil walks. As well as science-based activities, art was very much a part of this year’s festival, which opened with a visually-impressive lantern parade along the seafront on Friday evening. Local children created the tissue and willow ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs lanterns in workshops leading up to the festival, and they were illuminated for this opening spectacle. Art exhibitions were also held at the Town Mill galleries over the weekend, and young musicians from B Sharp and local schools impressed on Saturday night with their ‘Evolution Rocks’ concert in the Marine Theatre, which included a number of original songs based on evolution. Musical entertainment was also provided over the weekend by the Harbour Voices choir and Uplyme Morris. Jon Doody from Lyme Regis Fossil Festival said: “We are absolutely thrilled to see many happy faces at the Fossil Festival this year. “The passion, enthusiasm and dedication shown by all the wonderful exhibitors and performers over the weekend ensured that children and adults alike were totally enthralled, entertained and educated. “We have no doubt that the festival helps to inspire the next generation of scientists and we’ll be working hard to ensure that next year will be even better!”
AN impressive lantern parade got the festival underway on Friday evening (lantern photos by Richard Austin)
HARBOUR Voices entertain on the seafront and, below, young musicians from B Sharp at their ‘Evolution Rocks’ concert (photo by Maisie Hill)
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MUSIC | THEATRE | WHAT’S ON | COMPETITIONS
What’s on...
Friday, May 10
Music: Kris Drever Marine Theatre, 7pm Concert is from the Scottish folk guitarist from the band Lau, who won Folk Singer of the year 2017 and Best Original Track 2017 at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Tickets £12 in advance, £14.50 on the door. Bar pens 7pm for 8pm start. Friday @ The Pilot The Pilot Boat, 9pm Weekly live music nights at the Pilot Boat, this week with Singer’s Circle.
Saturday, May 11
Plant Sale & Coffee Morning Uplyme Village Hall, 9.30am In aid of Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Society and Devon Air Ambulance Trust. Members donate plants and home produce (cakes, jam, veg) to sell. Entry £1. Music: Robyn Hitchcock Marine Theatre, 7pm Among alternative rock’s father figures, Hitchcock is the closest thing the UK has to Bob Dylan. With support from Jess McAllister. Tickets £16 in advance or £18 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 7pm for 8pm start. Quiz Night Lyme Regis Football Club, 7.30pm General knowledge quiz night. Teams of up to six welcomes, £2 per person. Doors open 7.30pm for 8pm start. Prize for winning team. Live DJs @ SWIM SWIM, 8pm Resident DJs Tom Juno, James Baker & Friends play every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at SWIM on Marine Parade.
Sunday, May 12
Sunday Craft Market The Pilot Boat, 10am A weekly Sunday craft market at the Pilot Boat Inn, Lyme Regis. Call 01297 443157 to book a stall. Croquet Open Day King George V Playing Field, Uplyme, 10am Lym Valley Croquet Club host an open day as part of National Croquet Day. Visitors can try their hand at croquet from 10am to 4pm, with refreshments also available. Live DJs @ SWIM SWIM, 12noon Resident DJs Tom Juno, James Baker & Friends play every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at SWIM on Marine Parade. May Fete Anning Road Playing Field, 1pm Community fete with more than 60 stalls and attractions for all the family, organised by Lyme Regis Regatta & Carnival Committee. Free entry. Sequence Dancing Woodmead Halls, 8pm Lyme Regis Sequence Dancing Club meets every Sunday at 7.45pm for an 8pm start. The friendly, welcoming group enjoys popular sequence dances and visitors are welcome.
Wednesday, May 15
LRTC Annual Meeting Guildhall, 7pm Including election of a new mayor. For agendas see lymeregistowncouncil.gov.uk Wednesday @ The Pilot The Pilot Boat, 8.30pm Weekly live music nights at the Pilot Boat.
Thursday, May 16
Poetry: Hollie McNish Marine Theatre, 6.30pm A show of performance poetry from the Ted Hughes Award winner, with support from Vanessa Kisuule. Tickets £12 in advance or £15 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6.30pm for 7.30pm start. Cinema: ‘Green Book’ St Andrew’s Community Hall, Charmouth, 7pm A night club bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) is hired to drive a world class, black pianist (Mahershala Ali) on a concert tour of the American Deep South in the 1960s. Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £5.50 in advance from Morgans or Charmouth Stores (Nisa) or £6.50 on the door. Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm Bingo night every Thursday at the Woodmead Halls, raising funds for local organisations which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Association. Pilot Boat Quiz Night Pilot Boat, 8pm Weekly quiz night at the Pilot Boat for teams of two or more with cash prize for the winner plus £100 jackpot prize!
Friday, May 17
Cinema: ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ Marine Theatre, 6.30pm Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution. Tickets £6 in advance or £7.50 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6.30pm for 7.30pm start. Friday @ The Pilot The Pilot Boat, 9pm Weekly live music nights at the Pilot Boat, this week with Osk & Lotty.
Saturday, May 18
Live Screening: National Theatre’s ‘All My Sons’ Marine Theatre, 6pm Broadcast live from The Old Vic, Oscarwinner Sally Field and Bill Pullman star in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama centred on the failings of the American Dream. Tickets £11 in advance, £14 on the door or £5 for under 18s – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6pm for 7pm screening.
The Amazing Bubble Man Marine Theatre, 11am & 2.30pm Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences of all ages for over 30 years with the art, magic, and fun of bubbles. Tickets £10 for children and £12 for adults in advance, or £12 for children and £14.50 for adults on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Christian Aid Cream Teas The Red House, Sidmouth Rd, 2.30pm Cream teas, cake stall and raffle for Christian Aid. Tickets cost £5 - call 01297 445922 or email rjelewis@gmail.com Lyme Regis Comedy Club Marine Theatre, 7pm A legend on the UK comedy circuit, this month’s headliner Mike Bubbins has supported Rich Hall on tour. Wayne the Weird, Jon Pearson, and resident MC Tom Glover also perform. Tickets £8 in advance or £10 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 7pm for 8pm start. Live DJs @ SWIM SWIM, 8pm Resident DJs Tom Juno, James Baker & Friends play every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at SWIM on Marine Parade.
Tuesday, May 14 - Saturday, May 18
Sunday, May 19
Tuesday, May 14
Theatre: ‘Anything Goes’ Woodmead Halls, 7.30pm nightly Lyme Regis Musical Theatre present the Cole Porter classic ‘Anything Goes’. Tickets start from £8 - call 01297 442138.
Sunday Craft Market The Pilot Boat, 10am A weekly Sunday craft market at the Pilot Boat Inn, Lyme Regis. Call 01297 443157 to book a stall.
Send your diary dates to francesca@lyme-online.co.uk www.lyme-online.co.uk/events Live DJs @ SWIM SWIM, 12noon Resident DJs Tom Juno, James Baker & Friends play every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at SWIM on Marine Parade. The Sunday Sessions Marine Theatre, 3pm Jinder plays American roots music and Delta blues as the Marine’s series of free, post roast music sessions continues. Local musician Declan Duffy hosts. Free entry, please note this event is upstairs with limited seating. Sequence Dancing Woodmead Halls, 8pm Lyme Regis Sequence Dancing Club meets every Sunday at 7.45pm for an 8pm start. The friendly, welcoming group enjoys popular sequence dances and visitors are welcome.
Special events to celebrate Marine’s 125th anniversary
Monday, May 20
Hooked: Mark Hix in Conversation with Mariella Frostrup, Marine Theatre, 6pm Top chef, restaurateur and Marine Theatre patron Mark Hix celebrates the launch of his new book with an in-conversation fundraiser chaired by Mariella Frostrup, the broadcaster known for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Open Book’. Ticket £6.50 in advance or £8.50 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6pm for 7pm start.
Tuesday, May 21
Cinema: ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ Marine Theatre, 6.30pm James Dean plays Jim, a troublesome teenager at odds with his parents, in yet another new town and school. Tickets £6 in advance or £7.50 on the door – call 01297 442138 or visit marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6.30pm for 7.30pm start.
Wednesday, May 22
Talk: ‘Shady Ladies and Damp Damsels’ Uplyme Village Hall, 7.15pm A talk by Sally Gregson of Mill Cottage Plants on difficult shady spots from dry shade under trees to heavy damp areas, organised by Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Society. Plants will also be for sale and refreshments available. Entry is free for members and £3 for non-members. Wednesday @ The Pilot The Pilot Boat, 8.30pm Weekly live music nights at the Pilot Boat.
Thursday, May 23
Screening: Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ Marine Theatre, 6pm Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece is broadcast to the Marine from Sadler’s Wells with a fresh look for the 21st century. Tickets £12.50 in advance or £14 on the door, or £5 for under 18s – call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com. Bar opens 6pm for 7pm start. Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm Bingo night every Thursday at the Woodmead Halls, raising funds for local organisations which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Association. Pilot Boat Quiz Night Pilot Boat, 8pm Weekly quiz night at the Pilot Boat for teams of two or more with cash prize for the winner plus £100 jackpot prize!
Friday, May 24 - Monday, May 27
Jazz Jurassica Various venues, all weekend Lyme Regis’ annual jazz and blues festival returns with live music events all weekend. See www.jazzjurassica.co.uk for details or see programme on page 15.
SARAH Churchill in ‘All Over The Town’, filmed in Lyme Regis, which will be screened for free as part of the Marine Theatre’s anniversary celebrations in June KATE Winslet and Saoirse Ronan recently spent weeks in Lyme Regis, filming on location for a new movie ‘Ammonite’, about the life of fossil hunter Mary Anning. They are not the first to spot the town’s potential for the big screen. Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons filmed here in the 1980s for ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’, based on John Fowles’ postmodern novel. But you can go even further back to 1949 for the classic ‘All Over the Town’ filmed in Lyme Regis, in which two crusading reporters revive a failing newspaper and expose local corruption, in an engaging romantic comedy. The film is being screened free of charge at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on Sunday, June 16 as part of the arts venue’s 125th anniversary celebrations. The film was written by R.F. Delderfield from Sidmouth, and stars Norman Wooland and Sarah Churchill. Many of the locations can still be easily identified from present-day landmarks. Entry is free but tickets are available in advance by calling 01297 442138. The bar will open at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm screening. Also appearing as part of the Marine’s 125th anniversary celebrations will be time-travelling magicians Morgan & West (pictured). Fresh from their appearance on Netflix’s ‘Penn & Teller: Fool Us’, the CW Network and a run of packed performances in Beijing in summer of 2018, the duo bring their critically acclaimed magic show for kids (and childish grown-ups!) to Lyme Regis.
With a mountain of mysterious magic, a truck full of tricks and good old-fashioned tomfoolery, Morgan & West’s show is for all the family, where magic and silliness abound! Morgan & West have been performing their unique magic shows across the UK and around the world, including sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, Perth Fringe World, Adelaide Fringe where they were nominated for Best Family Show, and Buxton Fringe where they were awarded Best Comedy Show. They have also appeared on ‘The Next Great Magician’ (ITV) and ‘The Slammer’ (CBBC). Their show will be held at the Marine Theatre on Sunday, June 23 with the bar opening at 1pm for a 2pm start. Advance tickets cost £9 for adults, £7 for children or £25 for a family of two adults and two children. On the door, tickets cost £11 for adults, £9 for children or £29 for a family. There will be a 10 per cent discount for Theatre Friends. To book, call 01297 442138 or visit www.marinetheatre.com
The Harbour Inn - celebrating 15 years in Lyme!
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MUSIC | THEATRE | WHAT’S ON | COMPETITIONS
Brass supergroup to kick off jazz festival BRASS supergroup, Kick Ass Brass, which includes some of the country’s top jazz and funk musicians, will open this year’s Jazz Jurassica on Friday, May 24 in Lyme Regis. The growing popularity of contemporary brass bands, playing jazz, soul, funk and even pop material, finally persuaded festival organisers that it was time for West Dorset to get loud, proud and brassy. Kick Ass Brass is one of funk’s best kept secret. You won’t, for example, find them on Google, Facebook or Instagram. That’s because they’re a group of seasoned musicians, with successful solo careers or play in other bands. They rarely get a chance to play with each other. But they’ve come together for this special opening night performance. Festival organiser, Julie Sheppard, said:, “They really are a supergroup as you won’t get another chance to see these
great musicians perform together on one night”. With 10 musicians in the lineup, Kick Ass Brass pumps out a big sound from a large horn section including saxophones, trumpet and trombone, plus pulsating rhythms from piano, guitar, bass and drums. Inspired by the legendary 70s American R&B band, Tower of Power, Kick Ass combine their signature hot horn sound with banging beats and soulful vocals. Band-leader Ian Bateman (pictured right), one of the country’s leading trombone players, is a big Tower of Power fan. He wanted to celebrate the US band’s long recording and touring career with a fitting tribute to their brand of music. Digging deep into that band’s repertoire as well as the soul classics of James Brown, Earth Wind & Fire and Curtis Mayfield, Kick Ass exude excitement, energy and lots of funk. On the night, talented local
FRIDAY 24TH MAY
singer Eleisha May (pictured far right) will join the band adding her soulful vocals to the mix. Eleisha wowed festival audiences two years ago with her sultry renditions of jazz standards and soul classics. Coincidentally, she’s the daughter of Craig Milverton, the award-winning pianist, who also joins the band on the night. Julie added: “You can’t have a jazz festival without brass so we thought we’d go the whole hog. Kick Ass Brass is a big banging funky brass band with pounding soul classics at its heart. “This will be a really special show for our opening night. What a great way to start the weekend!” Jazz Jurassica will be held over the Bank Holiday weekend of Friday, May 24 to Monday, May 27. See programme below or visit the website jazzjurassica.co.uk
SATURDAY 25TH MAY
DOORS OPEN 30 MINS BEFORE PRINTED SHOWTIME
KICK ASS BRASS 8:30pm-10:30pm
MARINE THEATRE TICKETS: £15/£20 on the door
Big, brassy and kick ass bad! Inspired by the soul classics of James Brown and Earth Wind & Fire, Kick Ass Brass let rip. This brassy ten piece kicks off the festival with a funky “let- your-hairDOORS OPEN 8pm down” Friday night party.
PETE CANTER TRIO 8pm | SWiM | FREE
Sax driven groovy swing with a hint of Latin.
SOUND OF BLUE NOTE BBQ 12:30pm-3pm MARINERS HOTEL TICKETS: £18 +B/F INCLUDES BBQ From syncopated swing to spunky boogaloo, Sound of Blue Note deliver a lively, exciting afternoon performance with some of the best BBQ food this side of the Atlantic. DOORS OPEN 12pm
EQUINOR BIG BAND 5pm-6pm
MARINE THEATRE TICKETS: £10/£12 on the door Special Norwegian guests, Equinor, put the swing into spring in their homage to Duke Ellington. Don’t miss the best swing concert you’ll hear in 2019. DOORS OPEN 4.30pm
LAURENCE JONES 8:30pm-11pm MARINE THEATRE TICKETS: £18/£15 | £20/18 on the door Dubbed by many as the new Eric Clapton, guitar wizard Laurence Jones and his new band return to give another electrifying live performance. Support: Adam Sweet Band DOORS OPEN 8pm
TICKETS
Online: www.jazzjurassica.co.uk Ticket Hotline: 01297 442138 In person: Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre
CHARLI & JAKE 5:30pm LYME REGIS BREWERY | FREE The ever popular Bristol based vocal and piano/bass duo. CAPRICORN 1 8pm | SWiM | FREE Fusion fantastic with hefty bass-driven funk. DELTA TANGO 7 9pm | NAGS HEAD | FREE Rock, country and blues from popular local band.
SUNDAY 26TH MAY
MONDAY 27TH MAY
JAZZ BY THE BEACH 12pm-5pm MARINE SHELTERS | FREE 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm
Big Band Swing Louise Parker Something Old Something New La Vie en Rose We are Leif
DOORS OPEN 30 MINS BEFORE PRINTED SHOWTIME
NEIL MAYA’S BRUBECK BRUNCH 12:30pm-2:30pm ROYAL LION HOTEL TICKETS: £25 includes 2-course brunch
MATT CARTER & LEIGH COLEMAN 5pm-6:30pm MARINE THEATRE TICKETS: £10/£12 on the door
DOORS OPEN 4:30pm
Matt and Leigh put Stevie Wonder’s songbook in the spotlight in their new show Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Adding something extra to familiar grooves the sound is foot stomping, finger-clicking good!
BOOKING ESSENTIAL DOORS OPEN 12pm
Saxophonist, Neil Maya, brings together four of the south west’s finest musicians for a special celebration of Dave Brubeck’s effortless cool. Bank Holiday Brunch is held in the Oak Restaurant, Royal Lion Hotel.
ADAM SWEET’S MONDAY BLUES 12pm-5pm MARINE SHELTERS | FREE 12pm Adam Sweet Band 1pm Vince Lee 2pm Joanna Cooke 3pm Ian Briggs 4pm Grace Gillan & Jake Miller (House Band - Ian Jennings, Garry Kroll, Paddy Blight, Sebastian Boleslawski, Nathan Austin)
POWERHOUSE GOSPEL CHOIR
8:30pm-10:30pm MARINE THEATRE TICKETS: £18/£22 on the door Powerhouse Gospel Choir is a red-hot bootyswaying gospel choir who have worked with Quincy Jones, Pharrell Williams and Tom Jones. They’ll raise the roof, rattle the doors and set your spirits soaring. Hallelujah! DOORS OPEN 8pm
WE ARE LEIF 8pm | SWiM | FREE JUNKYARD ANGELS 8pm | NAGS HEAD | FREE
SLINKY MACHINE’S GUESTIVAL 6pm-8pm | SWiM | FREE
Jazz fusion maestros, Slinky Machine, will host the festival’s final fling to round off the perfect weekend.
JAZZ JURASSICA 2020 FRIDAY 22ND - MONDAY 25TH MAY Follow our social media for 2020 updates www.jazzjurassica.co.uk
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MUSIC | THEATRE | WHAT’S ON | COMPETITIONS
Guitars On The Beach to rock against climate change GUITARS On The Beach 2019 is to postpone its annual bid to break the record for the world’s biggest band - in order to rock against climate change instead. The popular Lyme Regis guitar festival - this year to be staged on the beach on Saturday, June 15 and principally sponsored by the UK’s most famous music store, Andertons Music Company - is to throw itself behind the Turn Lyme Green movement, providing a platform for Plastic Free Lyme Regis and other local eco-initiatives. A GOTB spokesperson said: “We’re still asking as many guitarists as possible to come along and play together on the beach, but this year we will all be playing for a far more important aim than setting a world record - saving the planet. “We’re adding our voice and guitars to the calls on the climate change emergency because if we don’t stop global warming it will soon become too hot to even go on a beach.” GOTB has teamed up with Turn Lyme Green and Plastic Free Lyme Regis to join the movement for a reduction in fossil fuels, cutting CO2 emissions, greater recycling, clean seas and an end of single-use plastic. The spokesperson added: “Friends Of The Earth have a slogan, ‘Think Global, Act Local’, so we’re starting locally by backing the drive of Turn Lyme Green. In our case it’s ‘think global, rock local’. “Both Turn Lyme Green and Plastic Free Lyme Regis will have stalls and supporters on hand at Guitars On The Beach, providing advice on how we can all do our bit to make a difference and tackle this climate change crisis. “In particular, we’re asking that everyone at-
tending Guitars On The Beach this year does not buy throwaway bottles of water and that instead they bring their own re-useable containers which can be refilled free at the taps on the seafront and also at one of our main sponsors down on the beach, SWIM.” The guitars event will also showcase the Yawl Spring Water company, which recently launched a scheme to replace plastic bottles in the home with a new rechargeable eco-gadget which dispenses woodland water tapped from an underground spring in Uplyme. The spring water initiative is supported by another of GOTB’s main sponsors, Lyme Bay Holidays, which is keen for the dispenser to be installed in all of its properties. And as climate change campaigners are calling for an urgent reduction in meat consumption to cut greenhouse gases from livestock, former Lyme fishmonger Simon Bennett will be present to promote his new cook book, ‘The Wet Fish Book’, which explains how families can help the
planet by eating more fish. The music at the all-day event, running from 10am to 10pm, will also be spreading the message. For the mass play-along session, traditionally held about 4pm when all the guitarists on the beach perform together, this year the organisers have included in the ‘easy-to-play’ set songs by anti-climate change rock stars Jackson Browne and Neil Young - Browne’s ‘Running On Empty’ and Young’s ‘Rocking In The Free World’. The other songs in the play-along, which forms the highlight of the famous event, created six years ago to encourage guitarists of all ages and abilities, are: ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain?’ (Creedence Clearwater Revival), ‘Life’s Been Good’ (Joe Walsh), ‘Shotgun’ (George Ezra), ‘Place Your Hands’ (Reef), ‘Born To Be Wild’ (Steppenwolf), ‘La Bamba’ (Ritchie Valens), ‘Tulsa Time’ (Sheryl Crow), ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ (Rolling Stones), ‘Love Shack’ (The B-52s), ‘Come Up And See Me’ (Steve Harley) and Cliff Richard’s ‘On The Beach’. And in a tribute to Buddy Holly, 60 years after the death of the guitar pioneer, all guitarists will also be invited to join in on a set of his hits, including ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Not Fade Away’, ‘Oh Boy’ and GOTB’s traditional theme song, ‘Rave On’. One lucky person at the beach party will be going away with a top new guitar – a collectors’ item of which there is only one in the world. Details of how to win the one-off guitar donated by Andertons will be announced shortly. The GOTB spokesman said: “Guitars On The Beach is hugely appreciative of the backing from all of our generous sponsors, who essentially en-
able the event to happen. “This year Andertons are providing all of the amps and drums and backline equipment for the bands performing; we’re very grateful to them and to our regular local sponsors like West Bay’s Snack Shack, SWIM, Lyme Bay Holidays, Lyme Regis Town Council and our other kind supporters.” A full list of all of the sponsors and supporters is on the website www.guitarsonthebeach.com and on the Guitars On The Beach Facebook group, where guitarists can also find chord sheets for all of the play-along songs. For more information on local climate change initiatives, visit www.plasticfreelyme.uk and www.turnlymegreen.co.uk Guitars On The Beach began in 2013 when 2,276 guitarists came together to perform ‘Rave On’ and set a new UK record as Britain’s Biggest Band. A year later GOTB broke its own record when a reported 3,000 guitarists assembled to perform ‘Smoke On The Water’, led by Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan. The world record for the greatest number of guitarists playing together is held by Poland, where 7,411 guitarists gathered in Wroclaw in 2018. Artists performing at this year’s event will include Romeo Romeo, Little Streets, Mark ‘Buster’ McAdam, Harvey Causley, Adam Sweet, Shake Down Ridge, The Funkin’ Skunks, Grace & Jake, Georgia Robson and headliners DeltaTango7.
LYME Regis Musical Theatre cast members rehearsing their dance routines
Don’t miss this Cole Porter classic TWELVE months of planning and rehearsing reaches fruition on Tuesday, May 14 when the curtain goes up on Lyme Regis Musical Theatre’s 99th production of ‘Anything Goes’ featuring the music of Cole Porter. The former operatic society, celebrating its centenary next year, last performed ‘Anything Goes’ to rave reviews at the Marine Theatre in 2005. The society has since switched its shows to the Woodmead Halls, where there is easier access and on-site parking, and the show promises to be another popular
choice for Lyme audiences. Local stage favourite Kelly Apps (nee Street) is swapping her leading lady role to direct the show and she has put together a talented group of young performers and some familiar stage faces to ensure ‘Anything Goes’ is another big hit. With the talented Ian Crew as musical director and the experienced Rachel Worsley as choreographer working alongside Kelly, the show will certainly enhance the society’s reputation of performing all the big blockbuster musicals.
‘Anything Goes’ features some of Cole Porter’s most endearing hits, including ‘You’re The Top’, ‘It’s Delovely’, ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’, ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Take Me Back to Manhattan’. Tickets are just £10 (£8 for under 16s) on the opening night (May 14) and £15 for the other performances (May 15 to 18). Tickets are available from the Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre (telephone 01297 442138) or on the night.
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MARI NE THE EATRE LYME REGIS
THE AMAZING BUB BBLE MAN Saturday 18 May | £10 - £12 advance
LYME REGIS COME EDY CLUB WITH MIKE BUBBINS
MATTHEW W BOURNE’S SWAN L AK KE
Thursday 23 May M | £5 - £12.50 advance
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Wednesday W ednesday 29 May | £5.50 - £16.50 advance
Saturday 18 May | £8 advance ce
HOOKED: MARK HIX AND MARIELL A FROSTR RUP Monday y 20 May y | £6.50 advaance BOOKING FEE MAY APPLY 10% OFF FOR THEATRE FRIENDS
MARINETHEATRE.COM
MIRACLE THEATRE: A PERFECT WORLD
Friday 14 June | £10 / £12 advance
TICKETS MAR RINETHEATRE.COM LYME REGIS S TOURIST INFORMATION 01297 442138 BRIDPORT T TOURIST INFORMATION
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Fire crews join forces for major training exercise
CREWS from Lyme, Charmouth, Axminster and Seaton took part in the exercise at the historic Rock Point Inn. Below, local resident Gavin Fowler played one of the ‘casualties’ with a broken leg and looked delighted as he was finally carried out of the pub by fire crews Photos by Francesca Evans
THERE were a few concerned faces as smoke started to plume out of the currently closed Rock Point Inn in Lyme Regis on Tuesday evening. Luckily there was no fire and the dramatic scenes were all part of a major training exercise, with crews from Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Axminster and Seaton working together. The pub and adjoining kebab takeaway - which were closed last year having been sold to St Austell Brewery and are set for complete refurbishment - were filled with smoke and five fire and rescue appliances were quick
to arrive on the scene, with crews later carrying several ‘casualties’ out of the building to be checked over by the ambulance service, which also took part in the exercise. Dorset & Wiltshire, Devon & Somerset and Hampshire fire and rescue services all now operate from the same control centre, and when a 999 call comes in the nearest appliance will be sent to the incident no matter which county it’s in. Crews from across the counties come together for major joint training exercises, such as the one seen this week in Lyme, about four times a year.
PLUMES of smoke were seen coming out of the pub’s doors and windows
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Tales From Lyme’s Past
Siege of Lyme special by David Ruffle
Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War! Guest writer David Ruffle continues his three part series marking the 375th anniversary of the Siege of Lyme. LYME did not have to wait long for the first attack and test of its defences. On the morning of the 21st, the royal forces concentrated their attention on the western defences of the town. However, the attackers were beaten back, losing some forty of their number. This initial skirmish lasted a few hours and was fought at fairly close quarters. The royalists made good use of the hedges and ditches outside of the town's defensive lines, concealing their musketeers therein. Notwithstanding that, most of the lives lost that day were musketeers who were prone to being picked off, when they could be sighted of course. The besieging troops now fell to organising their forces. These forces comprised the feared Cornish infantry, who were used to things going their way; Lord Poulett's Devon regiment; the Irish, whose fierce reputation was well known; and a contingent of foreign mercenaries, who regardless of their fighting prowess, would certainly be on the lookout for any opportunity for loot and plunder like any other soldiers of fortune. Initially, the Cornish regiments were deployed to the north, the Devon regiments to the west and the Irish and other troops to the east, though there was an element of migration after that initial setting up. Lyme's defence lay chiefly in the hands of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Blake and Colonel Were, who was nominally in command although the kudos after the event went to Blake with good reason. Twenty years later he received a mention in Samuel Pepys' Diary as “the defender and saviour of Lime” (if you have never read ‘The Diary of Samuel Pepys’ then beg, steal or bor-
row ‘The Shorter Pepys’, which is a third of the original and one of the fascinating reads you may possibly ever encounter!) A word too for Thomas Ceeley, nominally the governor of the Lyme garrison, chiefly by dint of being mayor. On the 23rd, the Royalists raised a battery somewhere on the western side of town, possibly near the present West Hill Road, where they could fire on Lyme's western fort. This battery in turn was harassed by fire brought to bear on them by the men in Lyme's eastern fort (Davey's Fort). The following day, it was the town's turn to go on the offensive. Around dawn, a party of just under two hundred men attacked the royalists’ western battery, the surprised gunners were no match for the town's defenders and after losing some of their number, made a mad dash up the hill with Lyme's men chasing. The pursuit only lasted as long as it took the Cornish to enter the fray, who drove the defenders back into the town. The next day, it was the turn of Gaitch's Fort to come under attack. A new royalist battery was set up in the vicinity of Colway Meadow, possibly on the high ground where Bay View Road now meets Manor Avenue. The damage inflicted on the fort was such that two cannons had to be removed although these were then set up on a platform nearby where they proved to be effective in impeding the fire coming from Colway Meadow. The defenders in Gaitch's Fort, far from being disheartened, sallied forth the following day, routed many royalists, capturing not just musketry and useful implements, but also a leg of mutton which may have been the most treasured prize! Meanwhile, petitions were urgently being made to parliament for the relief of the town. These were about to be answered. David Ruffle Local author
■ ON behalf of Uplyme Parish Council I would like to thank all those who took the time and trouble to vote in the recent election, especially at a time when there is much dissatisfaction with national politics. Local democracy is extremely important and often undervalued. I congratulate the successful candidates and would also like to thank Mr Bill Trundley for his desire to join us on the parish council in working for the benefit of the parish. What the election did highlight is the fact that some people do not know what a parish council does and where it has influence or none. It is therefore the intention to increase
the council profile on both social media and within local publications to better inform our parishioners. The parish council meets on the second Wednesday of every month in Uplyme Village Hall and all are welcome to attend. Chris James Chairman, Uplyme Parish Council ■ I WOULD like to thank all the people of Uplyme who voted to re-elect me on to the parish council. Councillor Barbara Kidson, Uplyme
Along Came Polly raises £587 for cancer charity
STAFF at Lyme Regis hair salon Along Came Polly have raised £587 for cancer charity AMMF. The salon hosted a day of fundraising events, offering their clients free wash and blow-drys in return for donations to the charity. AMMF is the only UK charity that funds research into cholangiocarcinoma, a liver cancer that occurs within the bile ducts. Along Came Polly owner Polly Coates was inspired to raise funds for the charity by one
of her clients who had suffered from the disease. AMMF provides information and support to those who need it, campaigns to raise awareness of this devastating disease, and encourages and supports specialised research teams in their work towards better diagnostic techniques and treatments and, ultimately a cure. For more details about the charity, visit https://ammf.org.uk/
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1 Bridge Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA 01297 443157 Open at 8am for breakfast
INTRODUCING OUR NEW SUMMER MENU Vegan and vegetarian options available including ... COURGETTE LEMON AND OLIVE TAGLIATELLE - Courgette, lemon, olives, garlic, rapeseed oil, parsley, dill
Returning by popular demand...
CIOPPINO - Today’s market fish, spicy tomato broth, bread
New and exciting dishes ...
CRAB TAGLIATELLE - Fresh local crab, chilli, ginger, lemon, coriander ROASTED BELLY PORK - Fennel salad, thick cut chips, salsa verde SEAFOOD PLATTER - Shell on prawns, mackerel paté, mixed crab meat, smoked salmon, bread, lemon mayo WEDNESDAYS
LIVE MUSIC 8.30-10.30pm
TWO COCKTAILS FOR £10 8.00 - 10.00pm
THURSDAYS
QUIZ NIGHT 8.00pm
CASH PRIZES + £100 JACKPOT PRIZE
All day dining in our 100-seater, air conditioned restaurant FRIDAYS
FIZZY FRIDAYS 5.00 - 8.00pm
BOTTLE OF PROSECCO £15
LIVE MUSIC
9.00 - 11.00pm
AMERICAN B r e a k f a s t S p e c i a l
£10
Choice of Juice 3 eggs, 3 hash browns, 3 rashers of streaky bacon OR TRADITIONAL stack of pancakes, 2 rashers of streaky bacon, maple syrup BREAKAST MENU ALWAYS AVAILABLE Bottomless tea or coffee
Relax on our spacious terrace 8am - 9pm
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FLASHBACKS with Richard Austin
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Tales from behind the lens of our award-winning photographer
A PHOTO montage image, such as this, before the digital era would have been practically impossible. In the world of press and media photography it’s always best to try and come up with an image that has, as far as you know, not been done before. Cut and paste are two words banded around all aspects of photography and editing, which is exactly what this image is, with birds all coming and going from the same feeder in approximately one hour. Always aiming for perfection and the correct way of creating
such an image, you need to practice to iron out any technical problems before you arrive with an image that has so far sold thousands of greeting cards in the UK alone. There are several vital things that need to fall into place, most vital being a good place to hang a bird feeder and a good selection of birds to be regular visitors. In this image the bullfinches with their brilliant red feathers give warmth to the picture and as always a good selection of blue tits and great tits. A bright but not sunny day, at least 25 meters of empty
space behind the feeder, a camera which shoots at 1/4000 of a second and an expensive telephoto lens, plus, watch for the birds’ body language especially when they fly away from the feeder, trying to guess the take-off means over 1,000 photographs were taken. In this picture the central bullfinch and the birds below were just one photograph, all the other birds were added to give an idea of how popular a bird feeder is when giving away sunflower seeds.
Friday, May 10 2019 21
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local services CLEANING
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Residential Care Home Sidmouth Road Lyme Regis DT7 3ES
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Full-time and part-time positions available Please call Marie Bunao on 01297 442483 for details
To advertise call 01297 442781 PUBLIC NOTICE
Lyme Regis Town Council elections Due to an oversight, addresses of the publisher and printer were left off my election leaflets. After speaking to the Electoral Commission their advice was to publish them in the local newspaper:
Published by David Sarson, 17 Elizabeth Close, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3BN Printed by Advantage Digital Print, The Old Radio Station, Bridport Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9FT
ITEMS FOR SALE DOG CAGE, Ellie-Bo, as new, two door, 30” L x 23.5” H x 21” W, folds flat, £10 - 01297 445451. FOUR MAN TENT, including two double airbeds, from Halfords, used twice, in a wheeled holdall, instructions inside bag, £35 - 01297 443419. WATER CARRIER with tap, 25 litres, £10 - 01297 443419. WIND BREAKER, new, £5 - 01297 443419. BIKE RACK, use on a spare wheel, £20 - 01297 443419 DEMIJOHNS (glass gallon), 4 for £10 and other winemaking equipment, books, etc. - 01297 443930. HIKING BACKPACK CHILD CARRIER, sturdy, £35 - 01297 443930. IPHONE 4, 8GB, white, boxed with cable, unlocked, perfect condition, £38 - 01297 442627. TV MOUNT, Sandstrom Easy Glide, full motion, as new, £35 - 01297 442620. INTEGRATED WASHING MACHINE, AEG, used only once, genuine reason for sale, cost £400 new, selling for £200 01297 20376. BREEZE BLOCKS, 16 in total, new, five and half inches deep, free - 01297 443419. FRIDGE, LG 1515A, height 33”, width 19”, depth 21”, working order, £10 - 01297 443930.
Harbour Inn, Lyme Regis
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Axe Valley Academy Grounds Caretaker
We are looking to appoint a Grounds Caretaker to join our Site Team to maintain the school grounds and sports facilities and provide a first class caretaking service to the school. Full time 37 hours per week all year round Salary: Grade C SCP 4-6 - £18,426-£19,171
Assistant Caretaker
In addition we are seeking an Assistant Caretaker to work as part of the Site Team to assist with the maintenance of the site. Part time 20 hours per week all year round Salary: Grade B SCP 1-3 - £17,364-£18,065 pro rata Further information about the school and to apply please visit our website: www.axevalley.devon.sch.uk/information/vacancies Closing date: 19th May 2019 This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Lyme Regis Town Council has a vacancy for Gardener/Maintenance person An average of 37 hours’ per week, Monday to Friday, with seasonal variations Salary: SCP 4-6 (£18,426 - £19,171) As part of the busy external works’ team, this role involves the care and maintenance of the council’s gardens, open spaces and properties, and use of machinery and equipment. The successful applicant should have reasonable physical fitness, practical common sense, the willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions, and good communication skills. For further information and an application pack, contact: Adrianne Mullins, Lyme Regis Town Council, Guildhall Cottage, Church Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset, DT7 3BS Tel: 01297 445175, email: admin@lymeregistowncouncil.gov.uk Download a pack from www.lymeregistowncouncil.gov.uk/job-vacancies The closing date for applications is noon on Tuesday 28 May 2019 Interviews will be held on Wednesday 5 June 2019
Friday, May 10 2019 23
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LymeOnline Sport
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football
ROVERS DO THE DOUBLE
golf
PHILIP EVANS
philip@lyme-online.co.uk LYME Regis Rovers crowned a glorious season on Wednesday evening, clinching the Perry Street League Division Three title with a convincing 50 win over Merriott Dynamos following on from their victory in the John Fowler Cup final. There was never doubt about the result with the Seasiders’ third string missing a hatful of chances in the first ten minutes with good scoring chances falling to Pete Peac0ck, Joe Bond, Scott Meyers and Niall Davis. In contrast, Merriott, fielding 68year-old Perry Street veteran Ian Manley at full-back, rarely troubled the Lyme keeper, Rob Harp, who had a quiet evening, having to fend off just two shots from the Somerset villagers, the first in the 49th minute and the second in the 84th minute. Lyme’s first goal came in the 12th minute when Scott Meyers rifled the ball home following a long throw-in from Ben Bowditch and good work down the right from Joe Bond. By half-time the Rovers were well in command with a 3-0 lead, both goals coming from Joe Bond who was a constant threat to the Merriott defence. There was only one team in it after the break with the talented Freddie Andrews coming on as a substitute for the hard working Meyers to tantalise the visitors with his clever ball skills. It all got a bit fractious as the game progressed and the Merriott defence found themselves having to deal with a wave of attacks from Lyme’s quick front runners. Pete Peacock picked up a yellow card from Lyme-based referee Lance Turner for making a gesture at the vis-
PICTURED (from the left): Tracy Bryant,County Captain, Melissa McMahon, county champion, and Grace Burke, county president
Mel is ladies’ county champ for a fifth time By Richard Jackman
SEA, SEA SEASIDERS! Joint manager Niall Davis (centre) leads the Lyme Rovers’ celebration in the dressing room after clinching the Perry Street Division Three title with a 5-0 victory over Merriott Dynamos. Dave Holland (far left) provides the celebratory fizz iting keeper after making it 4-0 and Joe Bond was lucky to escape with just a yellow card after an altercation with a Merriott defender and was quickly substituted to avoid a possible red card to be replaced by Ollie Alner. Lyme’s fifth came with just four minutes remaining when Finlay Mclean rifled the ball home from 20 yards after being set up perfectly by Andrews. It is difficult to pick out a man-ofthe-match with all the players contributing in no small measure to such an emphatic victory. It was no more than the Rovers deserved. They have been a pleasure to watch all season with joint managers Niall Davis and Rob Larcombe creating a great team spirit with some su-
perb leadership from the front. As well as bringing on a number of talented young players, including Andrews, Josh Rawlins and Ollie Alner, the Rovers have also nurtured the return to fitness of Dec Ellis after his serious knee injury, and Joe Bond after several months out of the game travelling. This victory put Lyme on top of the table, one point ahead of Winsham who led the field for most of the season. It was good to see a couple of Winsham players in their team tracksuits in the crowd and they were the first onto the pitch after the final whistle to shake the hands of the Lyme players. What a pity no member of the Perry Street League committee could be present to see the Rovers clinch the Division Three title in such a convincing way.
skittles
No Hopers, Rebels and Wobblers finish on top NO Hopers have clinched the top spot in the Men’s Division One of the Lyme Regis Skittles League with 26 points beating Marksmen into second place by four points. They have gone the whole season losing just one of their 14 games. In Men’s Division Two, Rousdon Rebels have emerged as champions, beating British Legion into second place by just two points. Wootton Wobblers have lost just one game to finish top of the Ladies’ Division with a six-point lead over Hot Gossips.
LADIES DIVISION P W 14 13 14 10 14 9 14 8 14 8 14 4 14 3 14 1
W/Wobblers Hot Gossips La Creme Skittso’s Smashers Generations Pin Pals Rollercoasters
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L PtsB/L 1 26 20 4 20 11 5 18 13 6 16 22 6 16 14 10 8 15 11 6 5 13 2 12
MEN’S DIVISION ONE No Hopers 14 13 0 1 26 Marksmen 14 11 0 3 22 Anthill Mob 14 9 0 5 18
18 19 16
Roadrunners Wreckers Flyers Young Guns Trappers
14 13 14 13 14
7 5 4 3 3
0 0 0 0 0
7 8 10 10 11
14 10 8 6 6
15 16 1 4 10 2
MEN’S DIVISION TWO Rousdon Rebels 14 11 0 3 British Legion 14 10 0 4 Clueless 14 9 0 5 Alleytwits 14 8 0 6 Shakers 14 5 0 9 Miscellaneous 14 5 0 9 President’s Men 14 5 0 9 Skittle Me Timbers 14 3 0 11
22 20 18 16 10 10 10 6
6 22 16 16 15 14 14 9
THE Dorset ladies county golf championship was held at Knighton Heath Golf Club, consisting of a 36-hole strokeplay in windy conditions. Melissa McMahon, who is secretary at Lyme Regis Golf Club, just lost out on countback to Harriet Teversham, from Yeovil GC, both with a score of 158. The top 16 qualified for the matchplay knockout where an uninvited lady – storm Hannah – continued to play her part
going into Saturday, with further windy conditions, hailstorms and showers. McMahon won her first three matches in convincing style, winning 7 and 6, 7 and 5 and 7 and 6 to get through to the final against Teversham. This match proved a good test for both players, but McMahon won through with a determined and polished performance to win one up on the last hole, making it the fifth time she has been crowned Dorset Ladies County champion.
Two birdie twos clinches it for Chris THE April Stableford at Lyme Regis Golf Club produced some varying scores, but no one could beat the 40 points scored by Chris Brice who started off superbly scoring 20 points on the first eight holes which included two birdie twos on the third and eighth holes to give him a sound winning platform. Patrick Duke and Philp Rea both scored 38 with Rea playing the front nine brilliantly scoring 23 points. Despite a slight lapse on the last three hole, Duke’s steadier play and 18 points on the back nine meant he came second on countback. The seniors’ Ted Ray Putter stableford competition saw a gritty win for Paul Millard as he worked hard and steadily for his 39-point win, consistently keeping his score ticking over. In this competition Philip Rea took second place on countback as he was more disciplined than the previous day by scoring 18 points on the back nine, just pipping the evergreen Bob Kay into third place, also on 38. David Clifford battled hard for his 38 points to take 1first place in the midweek stableford, winning on countback with a stalwart performance on his back nine of 20 points. Mark Lewis is having a rich
run of form and his 22 points on the front nine sadly meant his 16 on the back nine put him in second place on countback. A poor start to the back nine negated a good front nine performance from Mark Scott but was still good enough to come third with 37 points. The ladies played a challenging medal round and Rosie Jackman took Division One honours with a solid performance with a nett par round of 73, the highlight of which was a gross par on the long sixth hole. Jane Dixon was only a shot behind just falling away by a shot on the 17th but still finished a creditable second, while county champion Melissa McMahon finished in third place on nett 77. Winner of Division Two, and with the best nett score of the day of 71, was Amy Mudford who played two under net par for the front nine and kept her game in tact for the rest of the round to seal the win. Relative newcomers Sarah Kilcoyne (nett 72 and Judith Ellard (nett 74) finished well in second and third and both performances show that their golf can only get better. Julia Kabia won the nine-hole competition for the second week running, this week with 19 points.
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LymeOnline Sport
24 Friday, May 10 2019
May 10 2019
FIFTH IS FINE!
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NOW IN THE DEVON & EXETER PREMIER LEAGUE
All home games are now completed for the 2018-2019 season. Clubhouse open Saturdays
Opening day win for Uplyme cricketers AFTER the troubles of last season when Uplyme & Lyme Regis Cricket Club struggled to field two teams, they have made an excellent start to the new season in the Devon Cricket League with a three wicket victory away to Woodbury. The home team batted first, amassing 172-9 in their allotted overs with Steve Batey finishing with the best bowling figures of 4-26. Uplyme fielded well with three run-outs. In reply, Uplyme hit a winning score of 173-9 with Batey falling just one run short of a half century and Bruce Maltby contributing a belligerent 46 knock off 29 balls. Jed Whittington added a useful 19 to help Uplyme to 19 points. Tomorrow (Saturday) Uplyme are at home to Bradninch (1.30pm start).
Final finale for Uplyme’s 50th anniversary year
THE last game of the season at the Davey Fort saw Spanish signing Jaime Rodriguez say farewell to his team mates. Jaime returns to his homeland after working in the town at the Royal Lion for two summers and playing for the Seasiders but has no plans to return permanently
Seasiders turn it on in last game FEATURED GAME PHILIP EVANS
philip@lyme-online.co.uk LYME Regis 1st team clinched fifth place in the Devon & Exeter League Premier division with a relaxed 3-1 victory over Feniton in their last match of the season at the Davey Fort on Monday.
The Feniton side included former Lyme Regis footballer, Phil Everett, possibly the best home-grown talent to play for the Seasiders, a former Non-League Footballer of the Year who is still playing regularly at the age of 51 and showed that he has lost none of the touches that took him to Wembley finals on two occasions. The first half was a very tame affair, a typical end-of-season stroll, but Lyme got off to a disastrous start just
two minutes into the game when Feniton took the lead after keeper Will Meech failed to gather the ball cleanly and could only watch it bobble into the net. It took Lyme to the 39th minute before they were back on equal terms, courtesy of a penalty from Ben Vine after Cody Bowditch was brought down in the box. It was a very different story in the second half when Lyme really turned it on, playing some delightful football with Mark Bailey and Robbie Fellingham controlling the midfield, providing a service for striker Ben Vine to complete his hat-trick with two excellent goals. Manager Gerard Hitchcock will be well satisfied with a fifth place in the Seasiders’ first season in Premier football, the highest standard they have played in, and will be looking forward to next season. On occasions, especially when Sam Pollard-Jones has not
been available, Lyme have looked a little lack-lustre up front, but with Joe Bond hitting top form and Dec Ellis looking good after his recovery from a serious knee injury, next season could well see the Seasiders challenging for honours. Although they suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Teingmouth 2nds on Saturday, Lyme Reserves will also finish in fifth place in Division Four with their last game of the season being at Pinhoe next Saturday (May 11). ■ MONDAY’S last game of the season for the first team saw Spanish signing Jaime Rodriguez bid farewell to his team mates. Jaime spent last summer working at the Royal Lion alongside another Spanish player who turned out for Lyme, Ruben Rogel, who played for the Seasiders for much of last season. They were both very creative players, much in the Spanish mode, and helped Lyme to win promotion to the
Devon & Exeter Premier division last season. Jaime is planning to return to his homeland following the Seasiders’ annual dinner and presentation night on May 31. So after the Feniton match on Saturday Jaime enjoyed a beer in the dressing room with his fellow players and later wrote on Facebook “Seasiders always in my heart”. Manager Gerard Hitchcock commented: “It has been a pleasure to have Jaime as part of our first team squad. Both he and Ruben are very stylish players and we would always welcome them back.” ■ LYME Rovers crowned a glorious season by beating Merriott Dynamos 5-0 at the Davey Fort on Wednesday to be crowned champions of the Perry Street League Division Three. Full match coverage on page 23
DESPITE losing 2-1 at Waytown Hounds on Saturday, Uplyme, celebrating their 50th anniversary, escaped relegation from Perry Street Division One. But they now have the opportunity of finishing this important milestone season in their history by lifting silverware as the meet Chard Rangers in the final of the Kenny Hodges Cup at Ilminster Town next Saturday (May 11). They won their place in the final after slamming in six goals against Donyatt United. An Uplyme Legends game to celebrate the club’s 50th year, featuring some players from past seasons, ended in a 6-6 draw, followed by a celebration at the Talbot Arms where refreshments were served by Steve and Wendy Gardner. Charmouth have enjoyed an excellent season, finishing as runners-up in the Perry Street league Division Two but suffered the disappointment of losing the Jack Venn Cup final 4-1 on penalties after holding South Petherton Reserves to 1-1 after extratime.
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