LymeOnline Digital Edition - November 11 2022

‘Tackling crime head on’

Published by Lyme Regis Media Limited

Just Stop Oil campaigners from Dorset arrested in London protests

THREE Just Stop Oil campaigners from Dorset were arrested in London last week amid road blockades and increasingly controversial protest acts

They were the latest in a string of campaigners from Dorset to be arrested throughout October and among hundreds of Just Stop Oil supporters who have been detained for blocking traffic in central London, bringing the capital to a stand still for the fifth week running

Just Stop Oil is demanding that the govern ment commits to ending all new oil and gas pro jects in the UK

Supporters from the South West blocked major roads around London with banners, many glu ing themselves to the tarmac, and sprayed or ange paint on four buildings in the capital, including the Home Office, MI5 building, The Bank of England and the headquarters of News Corp at London Bridge

The buildings were chosen to represent the pil lars that support and maintain the power of the fossil fuel economy government, security, fi nance and media

Dr Felicity Rice, 41, a mother of two, former GP, and local councillor from Poole, was one of those arrested last weekend, having already been arrested earlier in October

She said: “It’s fairly simple, the government needs to insulate homes and focus on renewable energy

“What makes tackling climate change and fuel poverty complicated is the fact that current MPs have accepted thousands of pounds in sponsor ship from fossil fuel companies ”

The Reverend Hilary Bond, 57, a Church of England priest from Wareham, added: “I am doing this because we know that the climate cri sis is a reality; and we know that it is caused by human intervention and our use of fossil fuels We also know what to do about it no new fossil

fuel licenses we need to act now

“As a Christian I fol low a God of justice

When we choose to continue with our use of fossil fuels our ac tions directly impact the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet and that is not justice

“Many of the people who are worst affected by climate change are those who struggle to make their voices heard

“As a white, middle class woman, I have the privilege of being able to amplify those voices and stand in solidar ity with those around the world who are already suffering and dying because of the climate crisis And as a Christian I firmly believe that doing this is my duty ”

Recent Just Stop Oil protests have included headline grabbing acts, such as blocking the M25 motorway this week and throwing tomato soup at Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ in the National Gallery

Those taking part in road blockades have often been met with angry drivers, who have shouted abuse, thrown traffic bollards and dragged Just Stop Oil supporters from the roads Since the campaign began on April 1, Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested nearly 2,000 times, with six currently in prison A 30 day pe riod of protests over October resulted in 650 ar rests

The London protests came after the UK gov

ernment announced it plans to license more than 130 new oil and gas

Just Stop Oil say they are peacefully resisting those plans, and what they see as the govern ment’s failure to fulfil its promise to tackle the climate crisis and help people with their sky rocketing energy bills

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “We are not prepared to stand by and watch while everything we love is destroyed, while vulnerable people go hungry and fossil fuel companies and the rich profit from our misery

“The era of fossil fuels should be long gone, but the creeping tentacles of fossil fuel interests con tinue to corrupt our politics, government and the media, as they have for decades

“We are acting to stop new oil and gas because it is the right thing to do As citizens, as parents we have every right under British law to protect ourselves and those we love ”

Leave

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Dorset resident Felicity Rice (third from right) and other Just Stop Oil protestors block Kensington High Street in London

projects

More 20mph zones could be introduced in Dorset

GETTING a 20mph speed zone should become easier to achieve in Dorset al though there is very little money to pay for safety measures and Dorset Police is unlikely to be able to enforce them

Changes are being introduced to improve the process of getting a 20mph speed limit after councillors and officers spent months trying to streamline how applications are dealt with and to offer a consistent policy It comes as Lyme Regis councillors said they would support introducing 20mph zones where possible in the town, and the establish ment of a new Community Speedwatch group, following increased concerns over dangerous driving from residents

Dorchester councillor, Les Fry, a former po lice officer, welcomed the changes at a recent Dorset Council meeting, although he admit ted they were less than perfect Sherborne councillor Jon Andrews also said the process had flaws, including areas want ing to apply having to have a Community Speedwatch group in place for 12 months be fore making an application

Weymouth’s Brian Heatley said he was also disappointed with too much emphasis on cost

TREVOR BEVINS Local Democracy Reporting Ser vice

and enforcement

He told the meeting that Edinburgh had schemes in place since 2016 with very little enforcement and had seen deaths drop by a quarter and serious injuries by one third

Cllr Heatley said the schemes would not be popular with many car owner but a balance had to be struck between them, in their in creasingly larger and faster vehicles, and the needs of pedestrians, horse riders and cy clists

Highways lead councillor Simon Gibson said he hoped the changes would encourage more town and parish councils to make requests for 20mph zones although each would have to be judged against Department of Transport guidelines, affordability and whether the pol icy could be enforced He said that the budget for the schemes was £75,000 a year

The meeting heard that the cost of signs alone, for a typical village scheme, could be £5,000 with a similar sum, depending on cir cumstances, needed to make Traffic Regula tion Orders, before physical changes to the road was costed, if needed

Highways portfolio holder Cllr Ray Bryan told the Cabinet meeting that there was “still some way to go ” to persuade Dorset Police to agree that they could enforce any new limits which are introduced, adding that they are al ready struggling with enforcement in 30 and 40mph zones

He said that as the Cabinet member also re sponsible for climate change mitigation in Dorset, he had personal concerns that lower limits might lead to greater air pollution and has asked for a further report into the issue Cllr Bryan said that, for HGVs in particular, it has been claimed that having to shift down through the gears, especially where there was a hill, would result in higher pollution levels

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed the new policy adopted by Dorset Council after a long road safety campaign to highlight and clamp down on issues and danger hotspots

He said: “I am very pleased to see Dorset Council has adopted this policy, which has the potential to greatly improve the safety of road users and pedestrians as well as the daily lives of residents living in communities affected by these issues ”

Wet weather fails to dampen spirits at successful firework display

A FIREWORKS display, organised by Re gatta & Carnival Committee, went off with a bang on Saturday night with a huge crowd turning out to watch the annual py rotechnic extravaganza over the Cobb Despite the threat of wet and windy weather visitors flocked to Lyme Regis for the display, although the traditional bonfire on the beach to mark Guy Fawkes Night did have to be called off due to high winds The event raised £7,375 via a collection

on the night, online donations, the sale of LED foam batons and support from local businesses

Alan Vian, chairman of Regatta & Carni val, said: “It was another fantastic night in Lyme and great to see so many people en joying themselves We have raised enough to ensure the display will go ahead next year and better still, we have money which will go back into the local community "We are extremely grateful to those who

donated and would like to thank our bril liant volunteers who held collection buck ets We’d also like to thank our primary sponsors Lyme Bay Holidays, SWIM and Alexandra Hotel plus all the other wonder ful business supporters, as without them we would not be able to put on events like this

"The positive feedback received has been amazing, and we look forward to putting on another spectacular display next year ”

Youth groups invited to a pply for Candles funding

THE Rotary Club of Lyme Regis is now inviting applications from youth organisations in Lyme Regis and the surrounding area for a share of the funds collected at the recent Candles on the Cobb event

With support from sponsors SWIM, Lyme Bay Holidays and others, the spectacular Can dles on the Cobb event in August raised in ex cess of £20,000 Fifty per cent of this has been split between Cancer Research UK and the British Red Cross, with the remaining 50 per cent to be given to local youth causes

Youth organisations are asked to send a de tailed application via email to secretary@ly meregisrotary org stating the name of the organisation, its aims and purposes, the amount requested and the purpose for which the funds are required Preference will be given to applications for funds to support cap ital projects The closing date for applications is Wednesday, November 30

Sa ve the Children raise £400

THE Lyme Regis branch of Save the Children raised just over £400 at their recent coffee morning The event was held at the Baptist Church Hall with refreshments, a raffle and stalls Organisers would like to thank all those who supported the event

Correction

IN a report regarding the planning application for the retntion of the decking at The Oyster & Fish House published in LymeOnline on Octo ber 28, we misquoted Heather Britton of the Lyme Regis Society as saying the retention of the decking would create a “haven of food and drink stands and shops” in Langmoor Gar dens

Ms Britton actually said it “would set a dan gerous precedent in leasing or selling off parts of Langmoor Gardens for commercial benefit” We apologise for this error

Resident says

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

“ a living hell” and they have had to consider leaving their homes

Residents called for more action from the police and Magna Housing in tackling the is sues

In his interview with LymeOnline, Mr Sid wick admitted policing in Lyme Regis could be improved and patrols in the town had been stepped up He also said that Magna were “failing in their commitment to the community”

Magna has said it is committed to tackling anti social behaviour and takes every report seriously

MP Chris Loder said he did not believe that Dorset Police had “sufficiently prioritised Lyme Regis” and was putting pressure on the force to tackle the drugs and anti social prob lems

He welcomed recent news that an arrest was made in the Queen’s Walk area following the seizure of drugs, weapons and suspected stolen property However, the 28 year old local man arrested was released with a con ditional caution

Following the summits last Friday, Mr Loder said: “The meetings were a good step forward in addressing these issues in Lyme Regis and I am pleased that productive con versations have taken place following an ear lier arrest

“All organisations see an aligned way for ward and I'm pleased that progress has been made and we will now what further progress is achieved

“Anti social behaviour is not acceptable and residents should not be living with such con cerns about their neighbourhood, which is why I have kept the pressure on to maintain

focus.”

people

Dorset councillor for Lyme Regis and Char mouth, Cllr Belinda Bawden, was instrumen tal in calling the meetings and said it was good to allow residents affected by these is sues to explain their experiences and air their frustrations to the organisations involved

“I’m really pleased that senior representa tives from Magna, the police and Dorset Council agreed to meet our residents and lis ten to their concerns and that Chris Loder and David Sidwick continue to take a keen in terest in ensuring our residents are safe, feel listened to and have the responses they need from the organi sations responsible for their safety and well being,” she said

“The representatives of the organisations all explained their roles and responsibilities and how the partner ship working processes operated

“Residents explained what had happened to them and how distressed they were by their experiences of antisocial behaviour from neighbours and by Magna’s apparent unwill ingness to respond effectively

“The residents were with us for well over an hour, then a more frank discussion took place after they left, admitting some difficulties and errors over the past year

“A set of measures was proposed by Steve Yeoman of Dorset Council’s Community Safety Team, which I understand has now been agreed Both Magna and the police un

suffering

dertook to contact the residents this week to follow up with them ”

Magna Housing was represented by chief executive Selina White, who said she wel comed the opportunity to hear from residents and get to the bottom of some of the local dif ficulties

LymeOnline also asked PCC Mr Sidwick to comment on the outcome of the meeting but he had not responded at the time of going to press

Resident Janette Edmonds, who previously told Lyme Regis Town Council that anti social behaviour on the main residential estate was “destroying lives”, was among those attending one of the meetings

She said: “It was re ally fantastic that Cllr Belinda Bawden man aged to get such key players in the same room, particularly Chris Loder MP, the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner and Selena White, CEO of Magna I was particularly impressed by the humility shown by Police Inspector Ged Want in recognising some early mistakes

“There remains a big gap between what we’d ideally like from Magna and the current reality For example, there is clearly a view amongst a very few tenants that they can be have as they like and breach their tenancy agreement without any consequences

“This means that decent people are suffer ing without any hope of relief But I’m hoping that the meeting was a first good step to wards positive change ”

Sergeant Mike Brown has recently con firmed that police are “increasing visibility” in Lyme Regis, adding: “Regular patrols are now taking place in the area and we have now agreed that the location is a priority location for the Neighbourhood Team

“The team are aware of the reported issues and are focussed on taking positive action where the evidence allows We have devel oped a plan that my team are working to now ”

Dorset Police has recently recruited an extra 113 student police officers as part of the na tional Uplift programme

In 2019, the government announced plans to recruit an extra 20,000 officers over three years and, by the end of September 2022, a total of 15,343 additional officers have been recruited by police forces across England and Wales

In Dorset, the Uplift funding injection

any hope

behaviour

meant that Dorset needed to recruit an addi tional 166 police officers by the end of March 2023, with 113 joining the force in total at the end of September 2022

This recruitment is on top of existing planned recruitment and intakes are already planned for the coming five months to enable the force to meet the target

In 2020, West Dorset’s Neighbourhood In spector Darren Stanton said that the local area would benefit from the national increase in police officers and he promised the com munity they would be stationed in Lyme Regis

But in his recent interview with LymeOn line, Mr Sidwick said he could not say for cer tain where new officers would be based, although police patrols were being stepped up in Lyme Regis

Commenting on the recent recruitment, he said: “Priority two of my Police and Crime Plan is to make policing more ‘visible and connected’ and so I am delighted to see that Dorset have recruited over 100 new student police officers

“I know just how much residents want to see the police out and about in their town, in their village, in their community, and the Up lift programme has already helped and will continue to help achieve that goal

“The Uplift programme is definitely on tar get here in Dorset and I would like to thank all those involved in achieving such impres sive recruitment figures ”

Lyme Regis residents are now being asked how “connected and engaged” they feel with the local police service in a new survey

Mr Sidwick launched the public survey giv ing residents a chance to feedback their views their police service It asks participants to share how they would like to be able to con tact the police and for examples of excellent customer service experiences, which will in fluence Dorset Polices’ future contact and en gagement projects

He said: “I want to know more about how you would prefer to make contact and engage with Dorset Police This is your opportunity to tell us if you want to be able to ‘live chat’ with someone online or if you’d rather have a front desk to go to or whether you would prefer to send an online report or an email ” You can take the Police and Crime Commis sioner’s survey at https://www surveymon key co uk/r/DA pcs22

If you want to find out more about the work of Dorset police in your local area, visit Dorset Police’s website, type in your postcode and find out more about your local Neighbourhood Policing Team

‘decent

are

without

of relief ’ as authorities meet to address anti-social

Anti-social behaviour is not acceptable and residents should not be living with such concerns about their neighbourhood.”

“ W n 2022 CHRISTMAS N LYME | WINTER WALKS | EATING OUT

THE

The

Power of the local press – we’re here to support the community

THEpower of the local press has certainly been proved in recent weeks

A few weeks back, LymeOnline shone a light on the impact that anti social behaviour and drug crime were having on the lives of some Lyme Regis residents

It started with a couple of tweets about the lack of police presence in town, which then resulted in appearances on BBC Radio Devon and the na tional Times Radio station

We then secured an exclusive interview with Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick, who admitted things needed to improve, and published a flurry of distressing letters from res idents, some of whom said their lives had been made hell by the anti social behaviour of their neighbours

After our extensive coverage it was good to see that all local authorities involved were finally able to sit down together last week, to listen to concerns and address the issues “head on ” , as re ported on our front page Let’s now hope it re sults in action being taken to improve the quality of life of our residents

Other examples of how the local press has

helped the community in recent weeks include an article in our last edition calling for more vol unteers at the Town Mill, which saw three people come forward within a just few days

A recruitment driven advertising campaign run by the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis with LymeOn line has resulted in five new members joining And the Seaside Store had one of its busiest mornings since launching after I wrote a per sonal article attempting to remove the stigma often associated with using food aid services admittedly not something to be celebrated, as no one should have to rely on such services, and of course the rising cost of living is contributing to the store’s increasing membership, but I am glad it’s reaching those in need

One local issue I hope that continued press cov erage can help to resolve is the ongoing pollution of the River Lim and our bathing waters

Since publishing an exclusive feature on the shocking levels of E coli found in the River Lim, we have been pushing the issue on social media to try and gain more regional and national atten tion, which hopefully will encourage those re sponsible namely South West Water to sit up and listen

Local campaign groups including the newly es

tablished River Lim Action Group are already making great progress with this and South West Water are finally starting to communicate

I recently joined a couple of volunteers from the action group on for their monthly monitoring of the river water quality While they are unable to test for the kind of faecal bacteria the Environ ment Agency found in the Lim, they explained how they monitor the water for phosphates, am monia, total dissolved solids and turbidity the measure of relative clarity of a liquid which can all indicate whether the water is polluted

On this occasion, the water from the river itself was testing low for such pollutants, but the out flows going into the river, which should have just consisted of run off water from recent rainfall, tested high for several pollutants, indicating there is some kind of misconnection or other issue somewhere along the line

The longer this is pumped into the river, the more polluted the Lim, and our bathing water, will become

The volunteers also showed me some of the tell tale signs of pollution, including foam in the water, furry looking sewage fungus, a large amount of sediment and a lack of wildlife, all of which can be reported to South West Water and

the Environment Agency

Crime, food poverty, pollution it can all feel a bit depressing, especially when reading or watch ing the national news lately Working in the media, I’ve regularly been accused of only being interested in bad news, but that’s simply not true

While council bickering may invite the most local discussion our letters on page 16 proves that a large percentage of LymeOnline s con tent is positive, community news This week we have a double page on donations made to local charities in the last week alone (pages 10 and 11), coverage of a successful fireworks display, sup port for Ukrainian refugees, a trip to Paris for the local Scouts, and a hit show for the Marine Play ers, not to mention extensive coverage on the achievements of all our sports clubs

This weekend we will be out covering Remem brance events across the area and then we’ll be looking ahead to all the wonderful festive events Lyme hosts in the run up to Christmas

Remember, LymeOnline is here to support the community, hold local authorities to account and campaign for the issues important to you

IF you’re registered with the Lyme Bay Medi cal Practice, you’re automatically a member of its Patient Participation Group (PPG) and able to use that membership as you wish For a summary of how the PPG works, visit lymebaymedicalpractice co uk and click on ‘Your PPG’ in the top menu, or see the PPG noticeboards in Lyme Regis Medical Centre and the Charmouth branch

This busy autumn has an important event coming up, and we recently held a public meeting on the equally critical issue of mental health

An open meeting on ‘The Future of GP Ser vices’ with a talk, questions and discussion led by Dr Forbes Watson will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, November 22 at Lyme Regis Football Club on Charmouth Road

This is a vital and controversial topic Changes and challenges that will affect all of us are looming It’s important that the voice of the public, not just of politicians and NHS leaders, is heard so please join us Dr Watson is GP principal for our practice He was chair of the Dorset Clinical Commis sioning Group recently replaced by the Dorset Integrated Care Board, and is now chair of the Dorset GP Alliance representing Dorset gen eral practices to ensure GP representation within that board So who could be better placed to inform us about where primary care is going?

A brief annual general meeting of the PPG will be held at the end of this meeting With every patient of Lyme Bay Medical Practice being part of the PPG, this, too, affects every one

Did you miss it? On October 26 the PPG ar

ranged a well received public meeting in Woodmead Halls on mental health, with a panel of representatives from the key NHS services explaining their work and answering questions, which covered some important and interesting areas

They were backed by several local charities and support groups who brought information about what they do

Local resident, Professor Hilton Davis, chair ing the meeting, emphasised that mental health is as important as physical health, and that services are doing their best with limited funding and staff

“Get referred by your GP, or self refer, for help early,” was the crucial message from the panellists Problems are easiest to deal with if tackled before they grow

For adults, refer first to Steps to Wellbeing www steps2wellbeing co uk / 0300 790 6828 / dhc west admin s2w@nhs net

For under 18s, go to CAMHS www camhs dorset org / 01305 255705 Referral is by GP, school, social worker or other professional Young people aged 16 18 may self refer, using the form on the CAMHS website

For drug and alcohol issues, contact REACH www edp org uk/reach / 0800 043 4656 / info@reach dorset org

We are preparing a broader list of contacts which will eventually be available on the prac tice website There’s also a full list of Dorset HealthCare mental health services at www dorsethealthcare nhs uk/mentalhealth

We now have a new, easier email address: lymebayppg@gmail com Please use this if you wish to contact the secretary or co chairs of the PPG

From Lyme Bay Medical Practice Patient Participation Group

Choose

local butcher this Christmas

Anton and Beaulah Bolton have owned their shop in Colyton since 2020 and stock the very best quality meat from local farms. We have 40 years experience in the trade and are still passionate about it!

sell only the best, and with some of the best producers in the country on our doorstep, why use anybody else?

Lym Valley Scouts enjoy trip to Paris

MEMBERS of the 1st Lym Valley Scout Group and Powder Monkeys Explorer Sea Scout Unit, both based in Uplyme, enjoyed a trip to Paris during half term

The Scouts spent a day in the French capi tal, where they climnbed up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, soaking up the views across the city

They then spent the afternoon on a boat trip on the Siene, seeing the sights of Paris from the river including landmarks such as the Notre Dame cathedral

Back at their accommodation, the Scouts has a go at making traditional French crêpes

The following day the Scouts visited Dis neyland Paris for the day, which proved a highlight for many, including the leaders The group chose to stay late so they could enjoy the fireworks after an action packed day

“We couldn’t wait to get back to France after our last trip there in 2019,” said Scout leader Dave Wareham,

“This trip was a real success and the Scouts got so much out of it My thanks to all the other volunteers for coming along and mak ing the trip happen

“I wish to also thank our funders, The Pain Trust, for supporting us in going I hope we can go abroad again soon ”

Explorer leader Sarah Dean added: “It was great to get the Explorers abroad on our first trip as a unit overseas All the Explorers had a fantastic time

“I think some of our Explorers have already started planning our next adventure!”

The group continues to plan its trips for the year ahead and hopes that the young people will take up further opportunities to go abroad in the future

More than 730 Ukrainian refugees cared for in Dorset

MORE than 130 families who have offered to host Ukrainians arriving in Dorset have yet to be matched with refugees

A Dorset Council report says that 62 refugees have had to be ‘ re matched’ with host families since arriving

Said a report to councillors: “Ar rangements are now being put in place to offer financial support to hosts and to support Ukrainian guests to find alternative accommo dation either through rematching or with support to enter the private rented sector ”

The Dorset scheme has seen 739 Ukraine refugees being cared for in the county, 320 of them children, including many in Lyme Regis

Almost 300 host households are registered with 46 recently ap proved and currently awaiting the arrival of 91 ‘guests’

The report says that 70 per cent of Dorset hosts are happy to continue hosting beyond the initial arrange ment of six months

The People and Health Scrutiny Committee next week will be told that initial problems with the sys tem have now been overcome and the processes are working smoothly with checks on potential hosts being carried out on time

Dorset schools are said to be working hard to accommodate ar riving children with 278 school ap plications received and 242 children on roll although, of these, 23 have made other arrangements, left the area or gone back to Ukraine with 13 yet to confirm their

TREVOR BEVINS Local Democracy Reporting Service

intentions

Dorset Council’s resettlement team has also looked after over a hundred Syrian and Afghan refugees and is currently directly supporting 15 families with another family expected in December

Dorset Council now has 41 unac companied refugee children in its care: nine aged 15 and below, and 32 who are 16 or 17 although more than 80 per cent of them are being cared for out of the county, which has increased the pressure on Dorset social work teams

Said the report: “This has resulted in an overall increase in the num ber of children in care, which oth erwise would have seen a reduction

“It has also become increasingly difficult to secure local placements for these children, with the major ity (83 per cent) being placed out of county, resulting in additional travel for social workers and inde pendent reviewing officers and an increased requirement for the vir tual school to work with other local authority areas to secure school places, which can be challenging in many areas where school places are full ”

The report also notes that there is currently a shortfall between the funding local government receives for its work with refugees and the actual costs of caring for unaccom panied children

Coming up in Lyme...

■ LYME Regis Pantomime Society will be hosting a quiz night tonight (Friday, November 11)

The event will be held from 8pm at the Woodmead Halls, with popular local quizmas ter Neville Causley asking the questions Entry costs £2 50 per person with teams of up to six welcome The bar will be open

■ THE Lyme Regis Society will welcome di rector of the Boat Building Academy, Will Reed, for their next talk ‘Behind the Workshop Doors’

The talk will be held from 2pm at the Wood mead Halls on Tuesday, November 15 Entry is free for society members and £3 for visitors, including refreshments Card payment is avail able

For further information on future talks, visit www lymeregissociety org uk

■ THE Lyme Regis/St George’s Twinning Committee will host a coffee morning on Sat urday, November 19

The event will be held in the Driftwood Cafe at Lyme Regis Baptist Church, where refresh ments will be available alongside a raffle Twinning association members will be on hand to share more detail on Lyme’s twinning links with St George’s in Bermuda

■ CHARMOUTH Heritage Coast Centre will host an art and craft fayre on Saturday, November 11

The fayre will be open from 10am to 4pm, of fering an opportunity to meet staff and volun teers and buy unique Christmas gifts by local artists and makers amid the fascinating dis plays at the family friendly centre

■ LOCAL GP Dr Forbes Watson will be giving a talk on the future of GP services on Tuesday, November 22

The talk will be held at the annual general meeting of Lyme Bay Medical Practice’s Pa tient Participation Group, from 7pm at Lyme Regis Football Club All are welcome See page 14 for full What’s On listings

Donations see local Cancer Research UK branch top £200,000 since being formed

FUNDRAISING for the Lyme Regis branch of Cancer Research UK has topped £200,000 since being formed in 2008

The milestone was reached on Saturday when the Rotar y Club of Lyme Regis presented a cheque for £5,500, representing 25 per cent of the profit from Candles on the Cobb, held in the summer

The cheque was received by the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Michaela Ellis, a member of the Cancer Research UK committee, at a fireworks and curr y night in the Lister Room on Saturday evening.

The cheque was presented by Alan Vian, president of the Rotar y Club, accompanied by Richard Cridge and Peter Fortnam, two members of the Rotar y sub committee which organised Candles on the Cobb

Fifty per cent of the total amount raised at Candles on the Cobb has will be distributed among youth or ganisations in the town with 25 per cent going to both the British Red Cross and to Cancer Research UK

Saturday’s curr y night raised £500 for Cancer Re search and a recent coffee morning and cake stall at the Baptist Church brought in a further £400 At that event Una Quick presented the committee with £773, proceeds from a collection made by her daughter Kelly at her recent 40th birthday party

The Lyme Regis committee are organising two more events before the end of the year Christmas Bingo at the Woodmead Halls on Friday, November 25 and a Gatsby Christmas Ball, also at the Wood mead Halls, on Saturday, December 17 at which tick ets are still available (see page 21)

Philip Evans MBE, chairman of Cancer Research UK Lyme Regis said: “We are very rateful to the Rotary Cub for their fantastic donation It means that for the first time we have topped £15,000 this year and it takes us over the milestone of £200,000 raised since 2008, a wonderful achievement for such a small town We would like to thank all those who have sup ported us down the years ”

The Mayor of Lyme Regis and Cancer Research UK committee member, Cllr Michaela Ellis, accepts a cheque for the charity from Rotarians who organised Candles on the Cobb Below, Cancer Research UK branch chairman Philip Evans MBE and com mittee members Jo Hopkins and Anita Routley accept a donation from Una Quick, raised at the 40th birthday of her daughter Kelly (inset)

THE husband and wife owners of two Lyme Regis businesses have presented almost £1,000 to volunteers from Lyme Regis lifeboat crew

Lyn and Jason Martin, owners of the award winning Dorset House B&B and Poco Pizza, match funded donations made throughout the year by their guests, who were asked to add £1 to their bill for the RNLI

The couple hosted a reception at Poco Pizza last week, with friends, supports, guests and members of the lifeboat crew attending, where they also ran a raffle in aid of the RNLI and pre sented a giant cheque to volun teer water safety officer Nick Marks

Mr Marks said the lifeboat crew had answered 42 calls for help so far this year, and an nounced that much of the do nation would be used to send

six of the newest volunteer crew members on a vital radio training course at the Axe Yacht Club

Lyn and Jason now plan to run a similar fundraising event for the RNLI over the coming year, asking customers at the pizza restaurant to donate £1 for every order of the daily special

Jason

Photos by ROB COOMBE

THE Lyme Regis branch of The Co op has donated more than

to three local good causes The latest handout in the Co op’s Local Community Fund saw cheques totalling £4,128 35 presented by Co op Member Pioneer for Lyme Regis and Axminster, Jacqueline Hughes Those receiving donations included the Coastal Community Cupboard, which runs the Seaside Store at The Hub, providing access to nutritious and affordable food for all; Lyme Regis Sea School, which provides training to young sailors; and Lyme Regis Community Support, which was set up during the pandemic and continues to provide volunteer assistance to the elderly and vulnerable

timeoutinLyme

ARTS | MUSIC | THEATRE | WHAT’S ON | COMPETITIONS

What’s on

Friday, November 11

The Old School House Cafe

The Hub, 9 30am 1 30pm

Community café open at The Hub in Church Street every Thursday and Friday morning, affordable food and drink, free wifi

Armistice Day Service

Lyme Regis War Memorial, 10 45am

A short service to mark Armistice Day, commemorating all those lost in the two World Wars and other conflicts led by the Royal British Legion

Talk: ‘My TV Times’ Woodmead Halls, 11am Eric Harwood will treat the audi ence to an unashamed name dropping journey through 40 years working in British televi sion Organised by Lyme Regis U3A and visitors welcome

Snazzback Marine Theatre, 7pm This band explodes onto stage with an irresistible fusion of Latin, African rhythms and dub step basslines Tickets £16 avail able at marinetheatre com Firelight Trio, Wootton Fitzpaine Village Hall, 7 30pm

A new Scottish band who per form a full broad and colourful sweep of European folk music, from the music of the Balkans to Scandinavian polkas, and irre sistible klezmer Tickets avail able by calling 01297 560948 or artsreach co uk

Saturday, November 12

Remembrance Wreath Laying Lyme Regis Cemeter y & Polish War Memorial, 10am

The Royal British Legion will host short wreath laying services at the HMS Formidable grave in the cemetery and at the Polish War Memorial on Anning Road

Lyme Regis Comedy Club Marine Theatre, 7pm Headliner Josh Pugh was En glish comedian of the year and supported both Joe Lycett and Ricky Gervais He is joined by Joe Wells, James Dowdeswell and resident compere Tom Glover Tickets £12 from marinetheatre com

Live Music Night

The Nag’s Head, 9pm Weekly live band at The Nag’s Head from 9pm

Sunday, November 13

Remembrance Sunday Parade From Pound Street, 10 30am

The annual Remembrance Sun day procession will leave the Pound Street entrance to Lang moor Gardens at 10 30am, heading down Broad Street, along Church Street and to the war memorial in Monmouth Street for a Remembrance ser vice concluding with a two minute silence at 11am

Remembrance Sunday Church Ser vice, St Michael’s Parish Church, 11 15am St Michael’s Parish Church will host a special Remembrance theme service

Remembrance Sunday Concert Ser vice, St Michael’s Parish Church, 4pm Lyme bay Chorale will host a special Remembrance Sunday

Send your diar y dates to francesca@lyme online co uk

Visit: www lyme online co uk/events

concert at the parish church Entry is free but a retiring collec tion will be held for the Royal British Legion

Tuesday, November 15

Talk: Behind the Workshop Doors Woodmead Halls, 2pm

Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy director Will Reed gives a talk for the Lyme Regis Society Entry is free for mem bers and £3 for visitors including refreshments

LRTC Planning Guildhall, 7pm Members of the public are wel come to attend town council meetings and speak for up to three minutes in the public forum For agendas visit ly meregistowncouncil gov uk Wednesday, November 16

LRTC Tourism, Community & Publicity, Guildhall, 7pm Members of the public are wel come to attend town council meetings and speak for up to three minutes in the public forum For agendas visit ly meregistowncouncil gov uk

Thursday, November 17

The Old School House Cafe The Hub 9 30am 1 30pm Community café open at The Hub in Church Street every Thursday and Friday morning, affordable food and drink free wifi

Lyme Regis Carers’ Cafe

Lyme Regis Baptist Church, 11am Stay all morning or just drop in Anyone who looks after a friend relative, partner or neighbour is welcome You do not have to be a registered carer For more de tails visit lymeregiscarerscafe co uk

The Shanty Sessions Marine Theatre, 7 30pm

Local group The Chantry Buoys sing traditional sea shanties and other well known songs in the Marine Theatre bar at this free event

Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm

Bingo night every Thursday rais ing funds for local organisations which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Associ ation Doors open 7 30pm eyes down 8pm

Friday, November 18

The Old School House Cafe The Hub, 9 30am 1 30pm

Community café open at The Hub in Church Street every Thursday and Friday morning, affordable food and drink, free wifi

Saturday, November 19

Twinning Association Coffee Morning

Lyme Regis Baptist Church, 10am

The Lyme Regis/St George’s Twinning Committee host this event where you can learn more about Lyme’s twinning links in Bermuda Entry £2 50 includes refreshments

Art and Craft Fayre Charmouth Her itage Coast Centre, 10am A great opportunity to meet the staff and volunteers and buy unique Christmas gifts by local artists and makers amid the fas

cinating displays of the family friendly centre

Live Music Night

The Nag’s Head, 9pm Weekly live band at The Nag’s Head from 9pm

Sunday, November 20

Jazz in the Bar Marine Theatre, 7pm Vocalist Annika Skoogh will be appearing with top pianist Philip Clouts to celebrate the leg endary jazz singers who have in spired her over the years Tickets £10 available from marinethe atre com

Tuesday, November 22

Vintage Tea Party Marine Theatre, 2pm Relax and enjoy listening to singer Kate Mullins performing songs of yesteryear at this free event Singing along will be very much encouraged! Enjoy com plimentary refreshments and cake Talk: The Future of GP Services Lyme Regis Football Club, 7pm Lyme Bay Medical Practice Pa tient Participation Group will hold their AGM followed by this talk by local GP Dr Forbes Wat son All welcome

Wednesday, November 23 Talk: Lyme Regis Town Mill Uplyme Village Hall, 7pm Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticul tural Society hold their AGM fol lowed by this talk on the historic local attraction and its restora tion some 20 years ago Entry is free for members and £3 for vis itors, including refreshments LRTC Environment Guildhall, 7pm

Members of the public are wel come to attend town council meetings and speak for up to three minutes in the public forum For agendas visit ly meregistowncouncil gov uk

Thursday, November 24

The Old School House Cafe The Hub, 9 30am 1 30pm Community café open at The Hub in Church Street every Thursday and Friday morning affordable food and drink, free wifi

Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm Bingo night every Thursday rais ing funds for local organisations which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Associ ation Doors open 7 30pm, eyes down 8pm

Friday, November 25

The Old School House Cafe The Hub, 9 30am 1 30pm Community café open at The Hub in Church Street every Thursday and Friday morning, affordable food and drink, free wifi

The Jerseys Marine Theatre, 6 30pm We celebrate the timeless music of Frankie Valli & The Four Sea sons Expect all the hits includ ing Sherry, Walk Like A Man, and Grease Tickets £18 available from marinetheatre com

Panache and pizazz in Marine farce

THE

So

Originally written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, and directed for the Marine Players by Chris Gill, ‘There Goes the Bride’ is set in a 1970s West London apartment, on the frantic morning of the wedding of Judy Westerby, as fa ther of the bride Timothy Westerby descends into a chaotic midlife crisis

Farce must be one of the hardest genres to de liver successfully for amateur dramatic groups and Harry Ford, taking the principal role of Tim othy, led the cast through the fast paced dia logue and madcap physical comedy with confidence and panache His opposite Marine Players newcomer Hayley Michael added a touch of pizazz as 1920s flapper Polly Perkins, a

figment of Timothy’s imagination after a knock on the head

Stalwarts of the group also impressed, with a stand out performance coming from Brian Rat tenbury, who had the audience in hysterics with his Australian accent as the increasingly inpa tient father of the groom, Charles Babcock

CAST: Juliet Henham Ursula Westerby; Claudia Marshall Judy Westerby; Fred Humphrey Gerald; Anne King Daphne; Harry Ford Timothy Westerby; Richard Harvey Bill Shorter; Hayley Michael Polly Perkins; Brian Rattenbury Charles Babcock

CREW: Director Chris Gill; Production Man ager Jane Wakefield; Stage Management David Ruffle, Yvonne Marsh; Prompt Linda Crawford; Sound and Lighting Steve Miller; Set Building & Design John Gooden, Andy Taylor, Fred Humphrey, Chris Gill and other cast mem bers and supporters; Costumes Rose May, Hazel Mostani, Jane Wakefield; Props Elaine Taylor

BACKSTAGE AT THE MARINE THEATRE

LIVING in Lyme Regis is even more delightful since I got involved with the Marine Theatre I directed the community play this year, which is happening again in 2024 I loved getting to know all the characters in the town, so I've decided to start this monthly column to tell everyone about all the other community projects that are happening at the Marine

Forty wonderful children rolling on the floor and singing at the top of their voices that’s what I saw when I popped in to see Lee and Jodie, the two wonderful and talented (but very patient) youth theatre leaders last Satur day

After only a few weeks, the brand new Ma rine Youth Theatre has got off to a flying start, no wonder when you have two brilliant Italia Conti (a very famous London theatre school) trained tutors taking the lead I can’t wait to tell you more about their show planned for Valentines in February, which by the looks of it will be brimming with local talent and enthu siasm

We also have some budding screen talent developing too Every Monday evening the

brilliantly talented Billy Geraghty, leads his second acting to cam era course But that is not all, did anyone go to the tea dance? It was a won derful afternoon of dancing and chatting and the first of 10 events to come from our Senior Moments pro gramme That's free daytime events for older people

The team wants to create a theatre space that is empowering entertaining and engaging for all But let’s not forget what’s gone on be fore and still in the plan

The Marine Players just had a successful run with ‘There Goes the Bride’ a very funny farce that got a standing ovation on the final night The comic timing was amazing So, catch up with me, next month from ‘Backstage’ for exciting news about both the above

Tessa Morton

Marine Players had audience in stitches last week, as they returned to the stage with the farce ‘There Goes The Bride’

successful was the show, that some are said to have returned to see it at the Marine Theatre twice in a week, and the cast were given a stand ing ovation on closing night

Richard Har vey, Juliet Henham, Harr y Ford and Hayley Michael in ‘There Goes The Bride’

Bickering council seems ‘toothless and powerless’

■ HOW can anyone take Lyme Regis council se riously when members behave so appallingly?

The pathetic fudge on the Mark Hix restaurant is baffling According to a report in Lyme Online (October 14), without which we would never know how utterly daft this council is, councillors were more intent on bickering with each other than delivering a firm decision which would help both Hix’s business and the community

Sample from your report:

Councillor Reynolds to Councillor Belinda Bawden: “Forget it, I’m not listening to you Be linda

Councillor Bawden: You never do ”

An important business and local jobs are at stake, for goodness sake

How can just four councillors make such a de cision on behalf of Lyme Regis and still fall out in the process? Only in Lyme, it seems, where unsolvable rivalry and deep lying resentment between the town’s representatives regularly ruins meetings If a couple of this lot met in an old phone box, they’d still fall out

Mark Hix, whom I’ve never met so write with out prejudice, is a benefactor for the town and area His excellent restaurant which we enjoy regularly, both in winter and summer is the benchmark for good food and service He has a high profile, attracts interest in the town and is good for tourism

The decking in question is a well designed ad dition to his restaurant and the gardens itself We were happy to sit outside during Covid re strictions and enjoy the food, the views and con versation Hix offers employment in genial surroundings and always tries to be positive about the area What’s not to like?

People of town should be put before

■ I, LIKE most residents, am appalled at the pathetic behaviour of some of our council members

The front pages are full of the petty bicker ing They need to take notice of all the good that is done in Lyme by organisations such as Lyme Regis Development Trust for the people of the town, as featured in LymeOn line a few months back Shame on the council, I won’t even call it childish as children behave better

Simon

Wheatley (by email)

So why the negative remarks and decision? Ig norance? Jealousy?

Councillor Belinda Bawden is our local repre sentative in Charmouth Maybe she should con sult residents before making such crass, short sighted observations in a planning meet ing

We’ve now passed the final decision to the clod hopping Dorset Council, which has in its short life shown little regard for Lyme Regis and its surrounding villages

We also learn that the town clerk has again reprimanded town councillors for their be haviour in a damning annual report (LymeOn line, October 14)

This council seem toothless and powerless when it comes to any issue which actually mat ters to the community

The River Lim is dangerous and mostly now ‘dead ’ It can cause mayhem to Lyme’s beaches There is insufficient policing in the town The cinema, so beloved by many, was cast aside by councillors when they had chance to take action No approach was made to the British Film Insti tute or a single wealthy producer to see if fund ing could be collated The information centre, so useful to both locals and tourists, was allowed to close without a whimper The shopper’s car park pass, again so useful, has been handed to the cack handed Dorset Council to wreck with an ex pensive and complex scheme

And now Lyme Regis council gift responsibility to Dorset Council for the Mark Hix decking Can’t this bunch make a single decision which is useful to the town and its people?

Garth Pearce Charmouth

■ THERE seems to be a huge amount of rhetoric around the, apparently, consistent poor behaviour of the council members but, certainly from what I read, nothing is ever actually done about said poor behaviour Is there no disciplinary process? Who is ‘in charge’ of the council members? Can they be sanctioned or barred from the chamber?

Once again, Lyme Regis Town Council comes across as unprofessional, incompetent and in capable Is it really fair that these people poten tially have such an influence on a business such as The Oyster & Fish House?

Tony Ash (by email)

LymeOnline Letters

Send your letters to francesca@lyme online.co.uk

Restaurant a huge asset to Lyme Regis

■ MARK Hix and his business have brought em ployment and considerable income to Lyme Regis, as well as helping to maintain the general high standard and reputation of hospitality in the town

The restaurant building fits perfectly into its landscape and if carefully maintained and the only such edifice in the immediate vicinity, the tasteful outdoor extension in no way damages the environment Instead of being so very insular no change

there both Lyme Regis Town Council and Dorset Council should recognise what a huge asset Mark Hix’s restaurant is and be extremely proud of his great commitment to the area They should be very grateful indeed for all the benefits he brings

Instead of fighting one another, Lyme Regis councillors should be fighting to support Mark Hix

Ros Cliffe (by email)

Histor y repeating itself with Hix restaurant

■ HISTORY has a way of repeating itself In the early 20th century, there were objections to ice creams and sweets being sold on the beach Today, we have objections to a decking exten sion to The Oyster and Fish House restaurant The Lyme Regis Society claim that it would set a “dangerous precedent” for similar ventures is asinine As far as I have been able ascertain the membership was not consulted

The seafront is very much a commercial entity with restaurants, takeaways, shops and an ex tensive amusement arcade So I ask the ques tion, why is a restaurant decking (almost out of general view) at the top end of the gardens not acceptable?

The hospitality trade needs all the help it can get The town council should be supporting Mark Hix who has done much for the town Nei ther should they ignore the fact that he would be employing five more local people It also needs to remember that his name attracts many people to the town

What is needed, is common sense approach in the best interest of the town Why is it that such an important decision was made when only four councillors were present and only three voted against the proposal? Hardly democratic Peter Lacey, Fairfield Park, Lyme Regis

Planners should be supporting businesses

■ I JUST read your article about Mark Hix and the council backtracking on its word (LymeOn line, October 28) Do these councillors even guess how bad it’s going to get for businesses? As for the outdoor space on council land, if a fair price to all is agreed then it should go ahead Many people after Covid do not like to sit in enclosed spaces so need the ability to sit outside

The other thing is the news that Heavers Bak ery in Bridport has closed down They wanted

to put solar panels on their roof and they would have stayed open but, no, the council stuck to their guns that its in a Conservation Zone Will anyone look up at the roof (three storeys up) and object? I doubt it So another business lost to the town of Bridport

It’s about time these councillors and officials from Dorset Council woke up to the real world we find ourselves in now

Lynda Willock (by email)

Hix decking ‘a symbol of the pandemic’

■ YOUR October 28 issue with the article about Mark Hix had me perplexed During the pandemic we thanked the restau rateurs who created pop up outside kitchens, who used their ingenuity to keep us fed and sane Food companies who switched from only supplying restaurants, to delivering to pri

Be inspirational and build new attractions for Lyme

■ I CANNOT believe that I am writing this article

I love Lyme Regis, as we all do, and am not keen to hear disparaging words of criticism at anytime Yet here I am, about to do just that Why am I being so disloyal? What has driven me almost to despair?

I am a Bristolian and Lyme was the prettiest place to visit from there back in 1949, when I was six So, starting with a caravan on Monmouth Beach, surrounded by uncles and cousins, our connection began

My sister married a local lad and, later, my par ents moved here, and on their death I bought sorry a holiday home here I do spend at least five months of the year in the house, but it s too far away from our 10 grandchildren for us to move here permanently My sister remains local Not the disgruntled section I need to ask Lyme Regis Town Council, Dorset Council and the coastal agencies why Lyme Regis is being dimin ished to an overcrowded (in the summer and weekends) seaside town with so many vital ingre dients missing these days

No post office, no butcher, no tourist informa tion, no stationers, no cinema for wet days Why can’t we have two weekly film showings at the Ma rine Theatre, like the picnic evenings at the beau

tiful Gateway in Seaton? At least until we get our own cinema back again with the double seats!

Soon there may be restricted bathing in the sea due to pollution coming from the River Lim Community organisations such as the bowling, power boat, sailing and gig clubs may be threat ened and forced to stop all activities All for more public car parking spaces (there will never ben enough in Lyme) using all the rented out spaces these clubs use For these long standing commu nity clubs to exists, they must have their own des ignated parking

These clubs make Lyme a true seaside destina tion, with lots to watch for the tourists, and their existence gives Lyme vibrancy

So what is Lyme able to offer the visitor? We do have fossils, fishing, food and festivals (most weekends) and a very wide slipway, but the sandy beach is so small for the amount of folk who cram onto it in the summer, and there is nothing to do in Lyme if wet

Whereas Seaton has a tram, Sidmouth a cinema, Raymonds Hill an indoor shooting range, and Bridport a wonderful pool and leisure centre, and an indoor skatepark

I so wish Lyme could have all the things it used to have Sure, it’s as popular as ever (until people

go abroad again) but please reinvent a few new ad ditions, particularly a large, indoor attraction for inclement weather, multi purpose and able to be sectioned off for basketball, tennis, badminton, gymnastics, children’s parties, trampolining, ko rfball (a fabulous mixed game for four boys and four girls), Ceroc classes and ballrooms dancing, etc How about on Strawberry Field?

I am sure the local community and folk who have holiday homes here would help pay for this Be in spirational and go for it!

And upstairs, what about a moving chair experi ence watch a special screen and go back to Mary Anning’s time when she was finding marine ani mals, and Gideon, Buckland and Adams were finding land dinosaurs This would really draw in the crowds Like they have in Jersey with The Leg end

I get so upset when yet something else closes that we all love as it’s part of Lyme culture BizleyArt has just closed its doors with his wonderful, imag inative paintings of pre historic flora and fauna, and his wild visionary planetary art So no more dinosaur models in the window to marvel at oh dear What will be next?

Monica Simpson Regular visitor to Lyme Regis

vate accounts as well Mark Hix should keep his decking It is a symbol of the pandemic It was given by plan ning then, how can we slap it all away now? Make it unique, a symbol of what we went through, not to be repeated

Judy Haines (by email)

‘Appalled’ by objection to restaurant extension

■ AMONGST many others I was absolutely appalled at the town council's objection to Mark Hix keeping his restaurant extension, especially as he had apparently been given the nod that it would be approved

These councillors who voted to turn down his application have obviously not got the town's prosperity in mind and are probably not experienced business people

The Oyster and Fish House creates good employment and draws many visitors to the town The place is a valuable asset, espe cially as Mark Hix supports so many local ac tivities The site is superb and it often gets recommendations in the national press

The extension is not an intrusion on the gar dens as it is situated on an unused area and would not, as one suggested, be a precedent for other applications In any case, if there were, they would be subject to planning

I sincerely hope that when this application goes to a higher level it will be passed by more mature and wiser heads

Nigel Fortnam, Lyme Regis

‘petty bickering’

Are there any repercussions for council’s poor behaviour?

NEWS FROM AXMINSTER | SEATON | COLYTON | BEER

axevalleynews

Free warm spaces for winter

FREE warm spaces have been set up in response to the current cost of living crisis, offering at least one free open space each day of the week in the Axminster and Seaton areas

The open spaces promise to be warm, welcoming and offer re freshments, allowing local residents somewhere to go if they are feeling the pinch with the rising cost of heating, food and other bills

The warm spaces will remain open throughout winter until the end of February The current timetable is as follows:

Mondays

● Seaton Library, Queen Street, 9am to 5pm free tea and coffee available

Item Drop Fore Street Seaton 9am to 5pm warm space with board games

● Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, Axminster, 9am to 12pm all ages welcome, free tea, coffee, toast and wifi, and Community Fridge drop in

● No Toy Left Behind at Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, Axminster, 1pm to 4pm families with children only, free tea, coffee, biscuits and wifi

Tuesdays

● Item Drop, Fore Street, Seaton, 9am to 5pm warm space with board games

● Axminster Library, South Street, 10am to 6pm all ages welcome, free wifi

● The Beacon, Kilmington, 10am to 2pm post office services, cof fee morning, soup lunch and free wifi, plus Community Lunch from 12 30pm on November 15

● Nourish at Axminster Guildhall, 10am to 1pm (except November 15) free tea, coffee, toast and wifi

● Seaton Town Council Warm Space, Marshlands Centre, Harbour Road, 1pm to 4pm free tea and coffee cold drinks biscuits toasted snacks children s games and books art and craft materials

Wednesdays

● Seaton Library, Queen Street, 9am to 6pm free tea and coffee available, plus film screenings 'The Last Bus (12) on November 23 and West Side Story (12) on November 30 at 3pm

● Item Drop Fore Street Seaton 9am to 5pm warm space with board games

● Seaton Waffle House, Seaton Hospital, Valley View, 9am to 5pm community cafe with hot/cold drinks and waffles

● Axminster Community Cafe, Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, 9am to 11 30am (November 16 only) free tea, coffee, toast and wifi

● Age UK, 1 Harepath Road, Seaton, 10am to 12noon drop in cof fee morning

● No Toy Left Behind at Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, 1pm to 4pm families with children only, free tea, coffee, biscuits and wifi

Thursdays

● Seaton Library, Queen Street, 9am to 5pm free tea and coffee available

● Item Drop, Fore Street, Seaton, 9am to 5pm warm space with board games

● Seaton Waffle House, Seaton Hospital, Valley View, 9am to 5pm community cafe with hot/cold drinks and waffles

● Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, 9am to 12pm all ages welcome free tea coffee toast and wifi and Axminster Job Club

● Axminster Library South Street 10am to 5pm all ages welcome free wifi

● Crossroad Fellowship, Homer Lane, Seaton, 10am to 12pm free drinks and biscuits

● No Toy Left Behind at Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, 1pm to 4pm families with children only, free tea, coffee, biscuits and wifi

● Age UK, 1 Harepath Road, Seaton, 1 30pm to 3 30pm Knit & Knatter

● The Beacon, Kilmington, 3 30pm to 9pm after school sessions, jacket potatoes, tea, coffee and free wifi

Fridays

● Item Drop, Fore Street, Seaton, 9am to 5pm warm space with board games

● Seaton Waffle House, Seaton Hospital, Valley View, 9am to 5pm community cafe with hot/cold drinks and waffles

● Seaton Library, Queen Street, 9am to 1pm free tea and coffee available

● Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, 9am to 11am Baby Cafe & Little Pips joint session for families with children only, free tea coffee toast fruit snack and wifi

● No Toy Left Behind at Pippins Community Centre Lyme Road from 1pm to 4pm families with children only free tea coffee bis cuits and wifi

Saturdays

● Seaton Waffle House, Seaton Hospital, Valley View, 9am to 5pm community cafe with hot/cold drinks and waffles

● Axminster Library South Street 10am to 1pm all ages welcome free wifi

● No Toy Left Behind at Pippins Community Centre, Lyme Road, from 1pm to 4pm families with children

Liberal Democrats confident they can

PHILIP CHURM Local Democracy Reporting Ser vice

LIBERAL Democrat MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Richard Foord, insists he can hold onto the seat in the next general elec tion by being a community champion

Mr Foord, who won the Devon seat in June in Britain's biggest ever by election swing, made the comments in an interview as he met with Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, during a visit to Honiton last week In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he explained why he felt he had already made an impact in his first few months as an MP:

It's been a furiously busy short time, ac tually On my first day in parliament, I put together an early day motion pressuring the government to offer fuel duty relief for my constituents, for people here in my part of Devon, because what we see is people in rural areas like this one needing to travel far more miles in their cars than is the case for people who live in urban areas

And in part of North Devon, there is a different fuel duty, a lower fuel duty levy, for people who live in very remote areas And I would like to see that extended to all of Devon and other rural areas besides It could be maybe 18 months, maybe even less until the next general elec tion With the kind of majority that you overthrew when you managed to win this seat, how can you con vince the electorate to stay with you?

I think when people vote for a Liberal Democrat MP, what they're doing is they are recognising that they're going to get a community champion And so I'm trying my very best to be that champion of local people here in Devon in the short time that I've got before the next general election, to prove that I can represent them as best as possible in parliament

That's quite a tough task because the previous incumbent [Neil Parish] would say that he was too. He had this good relationship with farmers, with rural communities. So, in the very short time you have, that's a lot of work to do. How confident are you that you can do that?

I've paid tribute before to my predeces sor, Neil Parish who was indeed a very good constituency MP I've learned from the way that he managed to cut about all of the towns and villages in our patch He was very much present in village halls and at community centres, talking to local peo ple and dealing with individuals' casework and I'm really trying to emulate that as best I can and be that community cham pion

What have been your biggest chal lenges, do you think, so far and what do you think are likely to be your biggest challenges in the near fu ture?

Artist to use disused telephone box to help raise funds for local charities

After years of neglect, Seaton Town Council purchased a tra ditional red telephone box at Seaton Hole, with a view to re furbishing and repurposing it Various ideas were discussed by councillors and they subse quently received an approach from local resident Simon Wellington

After a career in teaching, Simon became a full time artist and signwriter and, as the tele phone box was outside his house, he kindly offered, with the help of the town council's staff, to repair and repaint the box so it could be used as a way to raise funds for local charities

This idea was welcomed by Seaton Town Council The preparatory work of stripping back paintwork, cleaning, re placing some of the clear panels and repairing the door will be

done by the town council's staff and Simon will then complete the painting, adding gold leaf to the crown and fitting out the in terior with a display panel and shelving

The telephone box will be come an honesty 'shop', selling Simon's prints, cards and paint ings of local landmarks and all proceeds will be donated to small, local charities who often find it more challenging to raise funds that the larger national and international charities Simon has previously exhib ited in London, Southampton and Wells Cathedral

The Mayor of Seaton, Cllr Amrik Singh, said: "Seaton Town Council is pleased to be working in collaboration with Simon Wellington to deliver this asset for the town, whilst raising money for charity "

I think one of the biggest challenges that I've seen when working with constituents over the last couple of months is this dreadful cost of living crisis that they are experiencing that we ' re all seeing I mean, it wouldn't be the case that people's mort gage rates were skyrocketing or interest rates on loans were going up, so much Or people's pensions were put at risk, were it not for the decisions made by the Truss government over the last couple of months

And so I think trying to help shield our constituents and directing them and sign posting them to some of the things that are on offer is something that I've been trying to do But it's difficult and it's tough be cause of some catastrophic decisions that the government has made in recent months

It's not realistic to assume that the Lib Dems are going to have an over all majority at the next election. So which political parties would you feel comfortable working with?

Well, we ' re simply fighting hard for every single Liberal Democrat MP that we can obtain at the next general election We started this parliament with 11, we ' re now on 14 and we ' ve proved with our momen tum that we are a fighting force in British politics We're definitely on the way back up and in a stronghold that was once the west country

We we ' ve got deep roots and we can re generate some of the activism, the enthu siasm that we ' ve seen before for the Liberal Democrats in our part of the world ■ LIBERAL Democrat leader Ed Davey also says he is convinced his party can win many seats in Devon at the next general election

During his visit last week, he announced his party's policy to guarantee a GP ap pointment within seven days or within 24 hours if urgent

Tiverton & Honiton MP Richard Foord

Paul Johns and Phil Tuckley of Seaton Town Council, with Simon Welling ton pictured outside the Seaton Hole telephone box

axevalleynews

hold Tiverton & Honiton seat at next general election

The visit was part of his national 'Blue Wall' initiative, in which he hopes to convince tradi tional Conservative voters to back the Lib Dems in the next election

He explained why he thought people might want to choose a Lib Dem MP: I think many people are fed up of the chaos of the Conservatives, the economic chaos which has seen their bills go up hugely Energy bills, food bills and now mortgage payments People are really struggling and then they look to ser vices like the NHS and they can't get access to an NHS dentist

The Conservatives have really let people down People feel they're out of touch and they're turn ing to the Liberal Democrats as a possible alter native

You say it's a possible alternative but you've only said what's wrong with the Conservative Party. But you haven't really said what you're offering as that alterna tive.

Let me give you some examples I mean, first of all, we ' re saying and I've said for over a year there should be a proper windfall tax on the oil and gas companies profits to pay for help for people's energy bills a responsible way of doing that Today I'm announcing that we want to give a right to patients to be able to see their GP within a week or emergency within 24 hours And we have a really well thought through, costed plan to be able to deliver the health care that people need

Talking about the windfall tax, that's

something Labour have spoken about as well. So, why shouldn't people vote Labour rather than Lib Dem?

Liberal Democrats thought of it over a year ago Labour eventually got round to it and then the Conservatives did something But unfortu nately it was so badly implemented, so incom petently implemented that Shell, having announced nearly £30 billion of profit, also said that they hadn't paid a single penny in the Con servatives version

So, we have a morally bankrupt and incompe tent Conservative government with Liberal Democrats leading the policy debate, whether it's on windfall tax, whether it's on a cap on peo ple's energy bills, or whether it's proposals to im prove our NHS

In the coalition government you were sec retary for energy and climate change and yet ten years later, not a great deal has happened. So what can you look back on now from your time in that job that you achieved that might have made a differ ence now?

Well, under the Liberal Democrats, we actually trebled no, quadrupled Britain's renewable power with wind and solar and Liberal Democrats made Britain the world leader in off shore wind

What's really sad is, since 2015, the Conserva tives have had a chaotic energy policy We've seen investment in renewables stall not acceler ate We've seen investment in insulating people's homes go off, fall off the cliff

That would have really saved people huge amounts on their heating bills But I'm afraid the Conservatives didn't continue the very good Lib

eral Democrat energy policies

At that time, people may look at you and say there have been 12 years of Conserva tive government. Five years of that time, the Liberal Democrats were propping them up, were supporting them, were helping them People would be right in being a little bit sceptical of you now when you were the ones that were helping to build the foundations of this failed gov ernment.

I think over the last seven years since the 2015 election, it's been Conservatives who made many mistakes Our current economic chaos was caused by the current Conservative government and the fact that mortgage rates are going through the roof and households are paying hundreds of pounds more every month on their mortgage The food bills, the energy bills That's directly because of the Conservative majority government failing And they're failing because they're arguing among themselves

I think people have never known a government that's so incompetent, so chaotic, so divided, and that's all down to the Conservatives Conserva tives are to blame for the chaos in the country at the moment

A general election could be 18 months from now You'll be hoping to win, but re alistically, you're probably not going to get a majority Who else would you work with?

Realistically we will only get rid of the Conser vatives if Liberal Democrats beat many Conser vative MPs across the country, here in the south west, across the blue wall, in places like Greater Manchester and Scotland and so on And if Lib

eral Democrats beat those Conservative MPs, as I believe we can, we can see the back of this awful, chaotic, Conservative government If it was close, would you work with Labour?

Listen, my focus as Liberal Democrat leader has always been to beat Conservative MPs and we ' ve shown we can do it We did it just early this summer here in Tiverton and Honiton in East Devon No one expected us to overturn that record Tory majority, but we did We showed we could beat Conservative MP even in their heart lands, and I'm increasingly convinced that we can win many more seats off the Conservatives in the next election

A ‘divine’ musical comedy set for Guildhall stage

AXMINSTER Musical Theatre returns to the Guildhall stage this month with a production of Sister Act, the story of a police witness taking sanctuary in a 1970s Philadelphia which is likely to be a big hit with local audiences

Sister Act is the feel good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audi ences jumping to their feet, filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing, a 12 piece or chestra and a truly moving story

Axminster Musical Theatre is looking forward to entertaining audiences to the recently refurbished Axminster Guildhall from Wednesday, November 16 to Saturday 19, starting at 7 30pm with a mati

nee on the Saturday at 2 30pm

Directed by NODA president Nick Lawrence with musical direction by Joseph Binmore and choreography by Jodie Glover, the cast includes a number of well known faces, including Harvey Causley (Eddie), Silvey Webber, (Deloris), Sarah Jane Smith (Mother Superior), Tony Glover (Cur tis), Caroline Markham (Sister Mary Lazarus), Carly Poole (Sister Mary Robert), Hannah Mc Gown (Sister Mary Patrick) and Lorraine Knowles (Sister Mary Martin of Tours)

Tickets can be purchased online at www seaty co uk/sisteractaxminster or at Axmin ster Guildhall

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey

FLASHBACKS with Richard Austin

Tales from behind the lens of our award-winning photographer

■ COMING across actors and actresses on press day at the Chelsea Flower Show is more than de lightful, especially when meeting one of our country’s most delightful actresses award win ning thespian Rosamund Pike

A beautiful English rose is how one person de scribed her as he passed by the stand she was supporting for a children’s charity

After graduating from Oxford, Rosamund ap peared on the stage and was offered a role as a Bond girl and MI6 agent assigned to aid James Bond in ‘Die Another Day’ Other projects have included the critically acclaimed ‘Gone Girl’ and she has gone on to win a Golden Globe and Emmy Award, and has been nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA

THE GREAT GATSBY CHRISTMAS BALL

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Abbeyfield (Lyme Regis and District) Society Ltd.

skittles

Flyers and Marksman sharing top spot cribbage

ber 5): Hopes Wrecked beat Trappers (game given); Hot Gos sips 293, Clueless 335; Presi dent’s Men 323, Flyers 364; Pin Pals 315, Alleytwits 363; Woot ton Wobblers 268, British Le gion 265; Rousdon Rebels 352, Skittso’s 296; Marksmen 378, Roadrunners 340; Skittle Me Timbers 286, Anthill Mob 295

High scores: Fred Parsons 84, John Williams 75, Andy Sherer 74, Phil Bearpark 71.

Ly m e O n l i n e S p o r t

Depleted Lyme’s cup win

WITH just 11 players avail able, mainly due to a spate of injuries, and no management team, Lyme Regis 1st X1 trav elled to Upwey and Broadway in the first round of the Dorset Senior Trophy

The Seasiders, in fact, were so short of personnel that they didn’t even have a linesman but a ground hopper visiting the Upwey club took the flag in the end

With all the odds stacked against them, Lyme put in a dogged first half performance with keeper Chris Higgs and a back line of Robbie Fowler, Gary Knight, Dan Beer and Josh Rawlins letting nothing through

There was little between the two sides in the second half with Brad Rowe putting Lyme ahead in the 65th minute after breaking through and slamming the ball home with a sweet strike

Lyme were unfortunately reduced to 10 men when skipper Robbie Fellingham was adjudged to have handled the ball on the line and Upwey equalised from the result ing penalty

Extra time was deadlocked in tough conditions and tired legs be fore Lyme scored all five penalties in a deciding shoot out with Higgs

saving the opposition’s first spot kick

It was a dogged performance from all the Lyme players, especially Ben Turner with his relentless running in midfield, and Sam Pollard Jones hard work up front Lyme have now been drawn against Sturminster Newton United in the second round to be played on December 3rd

■ Lyme Reserves were also down to 11 men for their long trip to fel low strugglers Chagford in the Devon and Exeter League Division Three

The Seasiders’ second string did not get off to the best of starts, going 1 0 down early in the game But they managed to keep things tight as they grew into the game, playing some attractive football on a tricky surface, and were rewarded when Shaun Sellers lobbed the keeper from 35 yards to make it 1 1

Lyme started to create chances with new signing Ethan Matthews, who impressed in his debut for Lyme the previous week, putting in another great performance, win ning a penalty. Jon Davies stepped up to take the spot kick and missed

on his first attempt but made sure with the rebound

The Seasiders had to dig deep in the second half Chagford pushed hard for an equaliser but Lyme held firm and Ben Bowditch increased the lead to 3 1 when he ran onto a deep Rob Harp goal kick to slot the ball home

Chagford worked hard to reduce the arrears but Ethan Matthews

sealed the victory to make it 4 2 Manager Wallace Blackmore was delighted with his side’s work rate He said: “I could not be more proud of them Every player was fantas tic ”

This was the Ressies’ second vic tory of the season and it lifted them out of the bottom two into tenth place in Division Three.

Seasiders look to regain second place

LYME Regis 1st team return to league action tomorrow (Saturday) and will be looking to regain their second place in the Devon and Exeter League Premier Division

The Seasiders travel to Otter y St Mar y who are third from bottom in the table with only one win from their ten games this season

This is a game which the Seasiders should win but the side is ravaged with injuries and nothing can be taken for granted in the Premier di vision

But Lyme will go into the game full of confidence after their fine Dorset Senior Trophy win over Upwey and Broadway which was settled in a penalty shoot out in which all the Lyme spot kicks were converted

Lyme Reserves will also be in buoy ant mood after their impressive win over Chagford last weekend for their home match against Halwill who have won just one of their eight games Kick off is at 2 15pm

Nothing went right for Uplyme 1sts in their 2 1 defeat at Cheriton Fitz paine last Saturday They missed a penalty late in the game and also conceded a goal straight from a dis puted corner

The Swallows, however, keep their fourth place in Division Three Tomor row they are away to Budleigh Salterton 2nds

Uplyme Reser ves ran out 5 2 vic tors in their cup game against Char mouth Reser ves Tomorrow they are at home to Barrington Reser ves in the John Fowler Cup (kick off 2 30pm)

Char mouth 1sts drew 3 3 with Donyatt United in Perr y Street Divi sion One last weekend and tomorrow they are away to South Petherton Re ser ves

is published by Lyme Regis Media Limited Unit 5, Uplyme Business Park, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS

Printed by Newsquest, Weymouth

PHILIP EVANS

In form striker Brad Rowe receives his first team player of the month award from manager Julien Simier, watched by vice chair Francesca Evans

Defender Stuart Broom receives his Reserves player of the month award from manager Wallace Blackmore and vice chair Francesca Evans

New signing Ethan Matthews was chosen as man of the match by sponsor Mark Batey, of Taylors Removals, in Lyme Regis Reserves’ 3 1 defeat by Heavitree United, pictured here with club vice chair Francesca Evans