LymeOnline Digital Edition - October 28 2022

LymeOnline

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

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Hix ‘shocked and dismayed’ at council’s contradictor y view on restaurant decking

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE development for the enjoyment of local resi dents

Town councillors also thought it was out of keeping for the area as made a permanent structure which was only agreed by the town council as a temporary COVID related busi ness support measure

Three of the four councillors voted against the proposal to grant planning permission for the deck and one, Cllr Cheryl Reynolds, ab stained because she felt it was “ pre determi nation”, as the matter had been discussed at a previous council committee meeting and the town clerk had then sent a letter to Mr Hix saying the council was “amenable” to making the deck permanent

In making the decision, deputy town clerk Mark Green warned councillors they had to separate the planning issues from those asso ciated with being the landowner.

The Planning Committee recommendation was approved at Wednesday’s full council meeting without comment with no dissenters Dorset Council will now make a final decision on the future of the deck

In an exclusive interview with LymeOnline, Mr Hix said: “I was shocked and dismayed when I heard that the Lyme Regis Town Council Planning Committee was recom mending refusal of my application to retain the outside decking, especially as I was led to believe the council was supportive and that we had negotiated a rental fee

“My business, along with the rest of the hos pitality sector, is still trying to recoup all the losses suffered since 2020 whilst also incur ring even more challenges and costs

“The response to the new deck from local residents and guests alike was, and still is, in credibly positive Many people stop and chat to the team to say how it has enhanced the area a piece of grass between two bushes that was never used Many parents sit on the deck and keep an eye on their children playing on the mini golf and table tennis

“The deck is a natural extension of the restaurant space and it adjoins the building and brings many benefits to the town It does not encroach on the gardens, it does not cover any walkways or vehicle access and does not instruct any views for anyone in the gardens

“The council should be supporting local businesses in the town, not creating even more challenges for them to survive ”

‘Future of restaurant in jeopardy’

Asked what the impact would be if his appli cation was rejected by Dorset Council plan ners and the deck had to be removed, Mr Hix replied: “It would put the future of the restau rant in jeopardy, resulting in a significant number of job losses, potentially closing the business altogether ”

tion and would clearly not happen”

Dorset Council’s senior conservation and design officer, was consulted on the applica tion and concurred with the concerns raised about the impact that the decking had on the amenity of the pleasure gardens and on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area

She said a compromise solution would be to significantly reduce the area for external seat ing, thereby still ensuring additional space for the restaurant clientele Alternatively, permit ting the development for a time restricted pe riod such and one to two years could also serve to bridge this period of economic uncer tainty and help sustain the existing business

Others have been quick to support Mr Hix’s application on social media and on the Dorset Council planning website

Tony Colston, a former restauranteur and business leader in Lyme Regis, questioned the town council’s decision and asked them to re consider their view

Mr Colston said: “For many years Mark and his team have been huge supporters of Lyme Regis, not only in terms of the number of vis itors his restaurant attracts but also the vari ous events that he has organised or been involved in ”

LymeOnline and the Environment

LymeOnline recognises climate change and en vironmental concerns as one of the most impor tant current issues faced by our local community and across the globe

We are committed to continued, fair and accu rate reporting of environmental news and events, as well as taking action to reduce our own im pact on the environment

Print and paper is used by news media pub lishers to produce their print titles Newsprint is uncoated paper, made out of mechanical pulp or waste paper, which is used to produce news papers

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Newsprint is an environmentally sound, renew able resource which comes from managed soft wood coniferous forests mainly in North America and Europe For every tree cut down, two or three more are planted Between 2005 and 2015 European forests grew by 44,160 sqkm

The newspaper industry has a voluntary agree ment with the government on the recycled con tent of UK newspapers, which is supported by our printers Newsquest, which is committed to purchasing newsprint responsibly to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve re sources

In 1991, the UK publishers set a target of achieving 40 per cent recycled content in news papers by the year 2000 The industry met this target four years ahead of schedule

In 2018, the recycled paper content of UK newspapers was 69 2 per cent

Re-use or recycle your copy of LymeOnline when you have finished reading it!

“I don’t understand how the council can ne gotiate a fee for the deck on one hand and say they were ‘amenable’ to the proposal, and then recommend refusal Not one councillor has made any effort to come and see me to discuss the situation

“Since I opened The Oyster and Fish House there must have been at least 10 new restau rants opened in Lyme We all get on well and support each other And we bring tens of thousands of people to the town and addi tional revenue for the council

Mr Hix, who was awarded the MBE for ser vices to hospitality, said that his high profile brought thousands of visitors to the area who supported other businesses in the town, and his weekly column in The Daily Telegraph was good publicity for the town and also encour aged many people to visit Lyme

Mr Hix also drew attention to the success of events he had organised including the highly successful Food Rocks which had raised sig nificant funds for the RNLI and Fishermen’s Mission, and more recently an oyster festival

An objection from the Lyme Regis Society that if the deck remained the whole Langmoor Gardens and Lister Gardens would become a “haven of food and drink stands and shops” was dismissed by Mr Hix as “ a ridiculous no

Addressing his remarks to councillors, he continued: “If any of you had run your own business you will realise just how challenging it is to continue to operate in the hospitality industry in the current climate As local coun cillors it must be in your gift to show support and find a mutually beneficial to make this work ”

Another supporter, James Boodt, said: “At a time when cost pressures are exerting an in credible force on business, it is vital the Oys ter and Fish House is able to maximise its dining capacity in order to survive ”

He added that the deck was in keeping with the area and over time he had no doubt it would become “ a loved fixture within the town”

Local MP meets with troops on Russian border

WEST Dorset MP Chris Loder met with troops serving in The Rifles Regiment the successor to the former Dorset Regiment at the NATO front line in Estonia last week, as part of a visit from MPs to see the work that our armed forces are doing to ensure the security of Europe

On Thursday, October 13, Mr Loder vis ited the garrison posted at Estonia’s border with Russia and the focus of serious mili tary tension over the course of the war in Ukraine

Mr Loder said: “It was really informative and a real pleasure to visit soldiers in The Rifles, the successor regiment to the Dorset regiment, in Estonia on the Russian border, playing a vital part with NATO pro tection

“I also valued meeting soldiers from other regiments and of NATO allies A great hon our to be with them and to be able to thank them for their service for their nation ”

Mr Loder also met with elected represen tatives at the Parliament of Estonia last week to discuss ongoing European secu rity issues

He added: “It was great to meet with peo ple at the Estonian Parliament to under stand their experiences of life at the front line of this conflict, and to advance the dis cussions on how to bolster European se curity ”

West Dorset MP Chris Loder pictured centre with troops serving in The Rifles Regiment on the Russian border Below, pictured second from left at the Estonian Parliament

RNLI volunteers pull out of Charmouth Christmas swim

RNLI volunteers have decided they can no longer organise the traditional Christmas Day fancy dress dip in the sea at Charmouth, due to the additional requirements needed to en sure the event can run safely

Members of the Lyme Regis and Charmouth Lifeboat Supporters reluctantly reached their decision after being informed of new rules for such events introduced by the RNLI

The event has been held in Charmouth for some 50 years, originally organised by resi dents The RNLI volunteers have been organ ising the event, raising funds for the life saving charity, for the past ten years

Chairman of the lifeboat supporters group, Ken Lavery, said: “It is with much sadness that we feel we cannot continue to play the major role in organising the event

“We understand this will be disappointing for many, and the decision was not an easy one to make The annual dip has been a part of Charmouth Christmas tradition for many years, and as many of the charity’s volunteers are local to Charmouth and the surrounding area, it has been a huge part of their Christ mas long before the RNLI became involved

“As a lifesaving organisation, the safety of participants is paramount and the procedures required by the charity for an event to be safely managed and properly insured include producing a risk assessment, safety plans, and a formal registration system

“The RNLI is not alone in requiring these safety procedures to be in place for its organ ised mass participation events, but unfortu nately for the small group of volunteers

involved with the Lyme Regis and Charmouth Lifeboat Supporters, the amount of work needed to meet these requirements has be come too great, both in the run up to, but es pecially on, Christmas Day itself

An RNLI spokesperson said: “We appreciate that people will be disappointed by the deci sion, but the safety of participants is essential and it is not felt the organisation can offer the level of safety required We would also like to give our dedicated volunteers the opportu nity to enjoy Christmas Day with their fami lies ”

Mr Lavery added: “The supporters group are sad that their fundraising association with this long running event has come to an end

However, our members felt they had no choice

“We wish to give as much notice as possible to everyone as we know how popular the Charmouth dip was and how disappointed many spectators and participants will be ” The swim is the second RNLI event to fall foul of health and safety this year, with the an nual yard of ale competition scrapped from the Lifeboat Week programme in summer

In recent years, the Charmouth dip regularly raised donations in the region of £2,000 It is likely that Charmouth residents will continue to go ahead with their Christmas tra dition, despite the lack of involvement of lifeboat volunteers

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

CONTINUING our series commemorating the anniversaries of the deaths of all Lyme Regis those who gave their lives in the Second World War, this week we remem ber William James Hay With thanks to Ver non Rattenbury of the Royal British Legion for the research

WILLIAM JAMES HAY

Flying Officer, No. 1529 Beam Approach Training Flight, Royal Air Force, Service No. 47798

Born December 1917 in Jarrow and died October 28 1942 at RAF Collyweston, Northamptonshire

William Hay joined the Royal Air Force Vol unteer Service rising to the rank of Sergeant before being commissioned Pilot Officer on December 12 1941

He was promoted to Flying Officer on Oc tober 1 1942 He was stationed at the begin ning of the war with the Marine Rescue Unit in Lyme Regis where he married Monica Blanchard on Boxing Day 1941

William was killed while serving as an in structor with No 1529 Beam Approach Training Flight, when his Miles Master air craft (AZ803) crashed into trees in thick fog at RAF Collyweston

His student, Flying Officer Wilkinson Barnes, was thrown clear and survived

The husband of Mrs Monica Hay (nee Blanchard) of Norman House, Coombe Street, Lyme Regis, and son of Mr William James Hay and Mary E Hay (nee Cruick shank), of Jarrow, he is buried in Lyme Regis cemetery, section D, grave 47 A

FROMSUNRISE

The Charmouth Christmas Day swim has been held for some

years

Photo by RICHARD AUSTIN

Proposal to scra p council tax precept thro wn out

A PROPOSAL to scrap the town council tax precept in Lyme Regis, to help residents with the rising cost of living, has been thrown out for the second year running

The total council tax bill charged to residents is made up of pots for Dorset Council, Lyme Regis Town Council, the police and fire author ities

The town council precept its portion of the total council tax bill currently stands at £132,779, or the equivalent of £64 41 a year for the average Band D property

This is significantly lower than neighbouring parishes of Charmouth (£126 27), Bridport (£249 81) and Weymouth (£176 41)

Most authorities tend to increase their precept each year, but Lyme Regis Town Council has only raised its charge once in the past 12 years

This is because other councils largely rely on the precept for their income, where as Lyme Regis has other assets such as car parks, beach huts and chalets which bring in the majority of the town council s £1 2million a year income

Due to Lyme Regis’ unique position of not fi nancially relying on the precept, Cllr Richard Doney suggested scrapping it for the 2023/24 financial year, to help residents with the rising cost of living

It was the second consecutive year that Cllr Doney had made the suggestion, and he was backed by the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Michaela Ellis, who said: “It would be a great thing for this town to do We should be doing something for the people of this town rather than taking money What a name we would make for ourselves if we did this ”

But others raised concerns that scrapping the precept would make it difficult to reintroduce the charge the following year, which they said may come as a shock to residents

Cllr Doney’s proposal to scrap the precept failed with four votes against three, and it was instead agreed to keep it at the current level for 2023/24

NEWS FROM COUNTY HALL

with Belinda Bawden, Dorset councillor for Lyme Regis & Charmouth

Is Democracy in Crisis?

POLITICAL events nationally seem to be moving so fast and in such apparently un controllable ways, that it’s not only hard to keep up but can feel immensely dispiriting It can be much easier to look away

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the United Nations has published its Emissions Gap Report 2022 on October 27 with this stark warning: “As growing climate change im pacts are experienced across the globe, the message that greenhouse gas emissions must fall is unambiguous ”

Yet the Emissions Gap Report 2022: ‘The Closing Window Climate crisis calls for rapid transformation of societies’ finds that the international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1 5°C in place

The report finds that only an urgent sys tem wide transformation can deliver the enormous cuts needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2030: 45 per cent com pared with projections based on policies currently in place to get on track to 1 5°C and 30 per cent for 2°C Forty five per cent less than our current policies how on earth do we do that?

As we approach COP27, the very notion of Net Zero or reducing our impact on our nat ural world seems under political threat in spite of record breaking heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods, globally and here in the UK

Locally, both Dorset Council and Lyme Regis Town Council tend to take the view that they should focus initially on decarbon ising their own operations only whilst not re

Halloween celebrations at Welcome Cafe

■ LYME Regis De velopment Trust’s Welcome Café, which helps to tackle social isola tion, took on a Hal loween theme last week, and there was a double celebration for those attending Volunteers and reg ulars at the monthly get together marked Lyme Regis resident Audrey Hector's birthday and Peter and Pat Bruton's 50th wedding an niversary (pictured)

As well as the usual afternoon tea there was a celebration cake and flowers presented The vol unteers would like to thank The Hub for hosting the Hal loween theme after noon, with volunteers donning spooky costumes

The November Wel come Café with a fireworks theme will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, Novem ber 16 back in the usual venue of Lyme Regis Football Club All are welcome

ally, in my opinion, showing the proactive leadership in their wider communities that is needed if the remaining 99 per cent emis sions in our respective areas are to be re duced quickly

Charmouth Parish Council, on the other hand, hosted an Environment Day on Satur day, October 1, which showed how the parish council’s Environment Group was working closely with active community groups to improve the local area, engage more people in volunteering in projects to plant trees, monitor and clean up the river and work together to enhance the look and feel of the village with their community re sponse to the Britain in Bloom competition

Dorset Council is definitely moving in the right direction and has appointed a Corpo rate Director for Climate and Ecological Sus tainability

A members’ briefing will held on November 3 so we’ll hear about the mechanism to as sess the impact of proposals through a De cision Wheel which considers a range of social, economic, ecological and carbon im pacts, ensuring no one is disadvantaged The point is that climate and ecological ac tion is good for us!

Where local democracy seems not to be responding fast enough, communities can respond by holding their elected representa tives to account Individuals can send in questions or attend meetings in person, or in Dorset Council’s case, virtually Community groups can organise to gather evidence then put a case forward for coun cils to consider Working together is the way to develop the resilience we will need to

adapt to our changing climate but also to re duce emissions in ways that benefit our health and well being Town and parish councils can be the key to doing this suc cessfully

My recent article ‘No Excuses’ in West Country Voices shows the various toolkits and trackers that are available to enable councils and communities to take action, even if our national and local governments are being influenced by loud voices and cli mate change deniers

Dorset Council and wider issues

These are the issues I am currently working on so do please contact me to volunteer if you are interested in joining in

● Anti social behaviour

● Sewage in our rivers and beaches, flooding & drains

● Housing ● Speedwatch groups

● Accessibility & Mobility Review

● Transport / Traffic / Parking / Speeding / Accessibility issues as an holistic plan pos sibly at a wider Dorset level and liaising with Devon County Council

● The Lyme Area 2030 Vision Net Zero plan further community engagement

● NALC #MakeAChange campaign to attract candidates for local councils

● Carbon Literacy next phase of learning

● Code of Conduct improvements

Belinda Bawden

Green Party Dorset Councillor for Lyme Regis and Charmouth 01305 216511

cllrbelinda bawden@dorsetcouncil gov uk

Town Mill looking for new volunteers

THE historic Town Mill in Lyme Regis is looking for new volunteers to help with everything from front of house to milling flour and leading tours Dating back to at least 1340, the Town Mill is tucked away in ‘Old Lyme’ and is often described as a “hidden gem ”

A ten year restoration project, led by local vol unteers during the 1990s, saved it from derelic tion and it now continues to mill flour everyday using a traditional water wheel, as well as acting as a hub for independent, artisan businesses

The mill is run largely by volunteers coming from all walks of life and backgrounds, and more are always welcome to join the friendly team

Steve Frear, a former biochemist, started vol unteering as a miller and tour guide six years ago after moving close to the Town Mill because of his interest in social history

He said volunteering had helped him to feel part of the local community, and he had enjoyed interacting with the public, meeting people from all over the world and learning from them

Janet Moyes welcomes visitors in the mill shop while husband Mike is also a volunteer miller

She said: “The best part of working front of house is you have to a lot of time socialising with the customers and helping them to make choices

“Volunteering a few hours a week not only helps the mill evolve, it is a pleasant, up and coming, vibrant area to work in, with friendly, like minded people ”

Volunteers have backgrounds in everything from retail, to the arts, to engineering, bringing a mix of life experience and skills to the mill

There are jobs available to suit all interests, with Mike saying volunteers all “muck in” to help where they can

Volunteers do not require any experience and do not have to work set hours just as much as you like For more information or to volunteer, contact Jacky Birch on 01297 444042, email jackytownmill@gmail com or visit townmill org uk

Volunteer Mike Moyes and Steve Frear mill flour and, below, Janet Moyes in the Town Mill shop

villagenews

Overwhelming support at meeting on affordable housing plans for Uplyme

A PROPOSAL for six new affordable homes to rent in Uplyme was met with near unanimous support at a public meeting last week

The meeting was held last Wednesday at Up lyme Village Hall to consider the proposal being put forward by Lyme Regis Community Land Trust (CLT) with the support of Uplyme Parish Council

Lyme Regis CLT last year changed its articles of association to include Uplyme parish in its remit enabling it to respond to an invitation to facilitate a small development of rented, af fordable homes for the Uplyme community

Previously, the CLT’s remit was limited to the parish of Lyme Regis, having previously delivered the Garmans Field development off Timber Hill, but now it includes the neigh bouring parish of Uplyme, across the county border in East Devon This also means that anyone with a significant connection to Up lyme is now eligible to join the CLT

Preliminary planning work had already been carried out by the landowner of an exception site on the edge of the village, near Venlake Cross and Cannington Lane, and a previous plan for four houses on this site had received full planning consent from East Devon District Council

With the CLT facilitating the proposal, a new revised plan for six affordable homes to rent is now being put forward Alongside the afford able homes, to be built by a housing associa tion yet to be agreed, two houses for sale on the open market are also proposed to be built

by the landowner

The meeting was called by the CLT, in collab oration with Uplyme Parish Council, to seek a mandate from the community that would sup port the involvement of the CLT in pursuing the development of the affordable homes

It is still early days, but with unanimous sup port from the parish council, and what cer tainly looked like unanimous support from those attending the public meeting, the CLT is now confident it can now proceed to the next stages

Even residents who had voiced some con cerns over the plans raised their hands in as sent, recognising the need for affordable housing for local people

The meeting was chaired by Cllr Chris James, chairman of Uplyme Parish Council, and an opening speech was given by Cllr Ian Hall, chair of Devon County Council, who has had much involvement with housing matters

Jay Lambe from Middlemarch Community Led Housing CIC explained to the audience how Community Land Trusts operate, and how Middlemarch supports CLTs in their en deavours

Following this, Brian Rattenbury and Rob McLaughlin gave a presentation outlining the history of Lyme Regis CLT, and the successful delivery of 15 affordable homes for rent at the Garmans Field site in Lyme Regis

They explained how the CLT’s articles of as sociation now covers Uplyme, and invited the audience to become members to help support

Jon Smith from the CLT then presented the new proposal for Uplyme This is to build six affordable homes for rent for those with a local connection, near Venlake Cross and Canning ton Lane

It was stressed that these are early days, and although there was a preliminary drawing showing a proposed layout, much work was still to be done regarding the actual layout Some aspects, such as whether to have a com munity orchard or allotments, were still to be decided and there would be opportunities for more public involvement when the time came for formal planning applications

Charmouth wins silver in South West in Bloom Village hosts

CHARMOUTH entered the South West in Bloom competition run by the Royal Horticul tural Society over summer

The presentation night was held on Thursday, October 13 and the village was awarded a silver gilt prize

This is the second highest category, after gold, which Charmouth Parish Council’s Envi ronment Group said was a pleasing result for an entry submitted at short notice”

The competition assesses communities based on their horticultural quality, environmen tal sustainability credentials and involvement of the community so it is a fairly holistic approach

Seven village organisations contributed di rectly to the entry and it is hoped that many more, as well as individuals, will do so in 2023 Details of the portfolio prepared and the judges’ comments are available to view on the parish council’s website at www charmouth p a r i

group meeting notes

Buoyed by this success, planning has already started for a 2023 entry, with a first meeting of interested parties held on October 18

Some of the ideas generated are due to be discussed by relevant committees of the parish council this week In particular, an opportunity to enhance and add to the information plaques around the village was recognised

It was suggested that residents and visitors could also be encouraged to use the iNaturalist app and website, which is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists and biologists built

on the concept of mapping and sharing obser vations of biodiversity across the globe While this is global, specific sightings of plants and animals in Charmouth (and other localities) can be viewed

More tree planting will be encouraged, includ ing the possibility of an orchard and using more planters Incorporating edible plants into dis plays might also be a theme for the year

After the drought of 2022, introduction of more water butts will be an aim, with the possi bility of using seaweed as a mulch to be ex plored

The scope to distribute tree and wildflower seed through the village traders will be investi gated while improvements to footpath signage will continue to be pursued

The competition has an ‘It’s Your Neighbour hood’ category designed to encourage individ ual streets, or even parts of streets, to enter and use this as a stimulus to co operate on some visual enhancement which gives everyone a lift

Communication about the activities being planned in the village will be conveyed through the council’s website and local publications, as well as through the channels of each organisa tion and by email to volunteers engaged with the parish council’s Environment Group

The group commented: “We hope that every one will want to add a bit more colour to Char mouth in 2023 ”

AS part of the Friends of The Earth s Big Green Week, Charmouth Parish Council’s Environment Group held its first environment event

The event was well attended with about 40 people attending It is now hoped that future events will eb even more inclusive perhaps stall based, to enable attendees to pop in to gather information happening locally and to include all the local organisations working towards helping nature, recycling, reducing bills, etc Cllr Andrew Lightfoot opened the day, stressing the important role local action plays in protection of the environment

The first speaker was Dr Chris Lockyear, chair of Sidmouth Town Council, who gave a presen tation on carbon foot printing His talk explained how lifestyle decisions can reduce carbon gen erated with one of the biggest changes we can make being to buy local, in season food

As part of supporting residents with reducing energy bills, the town council has a thermal imag ing camera which can be used to detect warm and cold spots inside and outside houses to identify sources of heat loss It was demon strated how this can help residents to prioritise where to improve insulation Heather Salmon gave a summary of the gov ernment’s Shoreline Management Plan for the Charmouth area a large and complex docu ment dealing with the strategy for planning for potential coastal changes Cllr Lightfoot summarised information on Char mouth Parish Council’s Environment Group pro jects completed to date, which include an entry

Following a break for refreshments and an informal discussion, there was a question and answer session There were many sentiments of support expressed, and organisers said they hoped any concerns were adequately an swered to give reassurance

When Cllr James asked for a show of hands to support the involvement of the CLT in this project, it appeared to be unanimous and a number of people took application forms to join the CLT

A presentation given by the speakers is now available to download as a PDF file on the CLT website at https://lrclt chessck co uk

Environment Day

into the South West in Bloom (see left), trees planted in the playing field and cemetery as part of the Queens Green canopy, the new hedging at the foreshore, and the crocus planting funded by the Rotary Club

Projects being proposed for discussion include a community garden/orchard, a tree trail and clearer tree protection information, information plaques explaining more about Charmouth’s na ture, a tree seeds gift and tree nursery, more sus tainable planting and differential mowing of public areas

Julie Leah then gave a talk on Dorset Climate Action Network’s Great Big Dorset hedge project which aims to increase understanding of the vital importance of hedgerows

Andrew Carey spoke about the River Char community project run by neighbouring Char Val ley Parish Council in conjunction with Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Area of Outstanding Natu ral Beauty This was followed by Julie talking about the Lower Char community project, set up by five Charmouth residents to tackle the issues of sewage pollution and improving the health of the Char

Cllr Lightfoot referred to Jane Godhall’s ‘Book of Hope’ It explains that we all need to have hope to be able to take action

A spokesperson for the Environment Group said: “We hope that by presenting just a few of the local projects this will give Charmouth resi dents some information that will help them con tribute in their own way and increase their hope that we can make a difference ”

A proposal has been put forward to build six affordable homes to rent and two houses for sale on land near Venlake Cross and Cannington lane in Uplyme its work

Tales From Lyme’s Past

Lyme’s Lepers’ Well Myth and the Site of the Leper Hospital, Part I

have the Victori ans to thank for the Lepers’ Well myth

The so called

Lynch

in

Coombe Street/Mill Green and the Town Mill, is in fact a

Until circa 1850s it was in what was known as Fountain Garden, originally part of the Great House Mary Russell Mitford, the author and playwright, lived in the Great House (now Boots) and in 1796 she described it as, “a grotto, over arching a cool sparkling spring” A description of what we see today, except the water is a mere trickle No mention of lepers Roberts, in his ‘His tory of Lyme Regis 1834’ refers to a leper hospital but not to a lepers’ well Roberts was head master of the Gram mar School at the top of Broad Street It was a short dis tance from the grotto and, had it been a lepers’ well, he would have included it in his history

John Fowles regarded the lepers’ well as “a recent romantic invention” Calling the grotto the Lepers’ Well was an act of tourist spin by the Victorians, at about the same time as the Town Hall became the Guild Hall Historic England cites “the boundary walls to the Lepers’ Well as being the remains of the leprosy hospital” As proof they state “the walls have fragments of splayed window jambs and cills” Such fragments could well be recycled material, much of Lyme had to be rebuilt after the siege during the Civil War of 1644

The Great House had a tower like extended porch this has been confused with the bell tower of The Hospital of Saint Mary and the Holy Spirit The first of only two archival refer ences regarding the hospital is that of 1336 which gives permission “to collect alms for the repair of the fabric and the bell tower” It is this reference to a bell tower that has mistak enly linked the leper hospital to the Great House

Leper Hospitals were also known as Lep rosaria, they came into being soon after the Norman Conquest The term hospital is some what misleading, hostel being more appropri ate They were mainly a place of refuge (albeit following a monastic model) with little in the way of treatment

By the 14th century some 320 leprosaria were built, 85 per cent being in urban areas If Lyme’s was in need of repair in 1336 it may have been built in the 12th century or even earlier

Leper Houses, because of the fear of conta gion, were for the most part situated on the outskirts of towns The Lyme site, my research has identified, is land entered by way of what was Spittles Lane Now an unmarked track, it can be found just above the town’s football pitch

Historically, lanes indicated the place they led to, and it is therefore logical that Spittles Lane was the way to the ‘hospital’ The clue is in the word ‘Spittal’, along with variations in spelling Definitions include; (a) ‘the site of a hospital’, (b) a house or place of refuge for the sick es pecially those with contagious diseases’, (c) ‘land whose revenues support a hospital’ The word ‘Spital, Spityll, Spitel, Spytell and Spetell was used in various English towns to denote a leper hospital/house

The English Place Name Society entry for Lyme’s Spittles reads, “possibly land once be longing to the lost hospital of Saint Mary and the Holy Spirit”

A map of 1819 shows the Spittles as being between the Turnpike Road (now Charmouth Road) and the Old Charmouth Road which closed in 1927 due to extensive landslips The area designated Spittles was some 85 acres of farmland and should not be compared to the National Trust land of today

The site would have been ideal for a lep rosaria, being on the outskirts of the town, but near enough for the lepers to enter the town and beg for alms as was normally permitted They would have had land to farm, giving them a degree of self sufficiency and possibly an income

While there are no records for Lyme we know that the Bridport (Allington) leper hospi tal of Saint Mary Magdalen farmed 50 acres of arable land along with pasture for cows oxen and sheep It is therefore reasonable to consider that Lyme’s leprosaria was similar

Copies of Peter Lacey’s novel ‘Touching the Past’ are now available at Herringbone in Charmouth

& Badger at The

Up

Beach & Badger will be at The

in

Come in for a

Three-course

in November,

November 5th.

12noon

menu

Bookings also taken for private

10pm.

Peter Lacey Local author and historian

Pictured top, the so called Lepers Well in the Lynch, and above, the misleading Vic torian plaque stating a hospital once stood on the site

The Seaside Store: ‘A ser vice we should not have to rely on, but one I am ver y grateful for’

THErising cost of living means many of us will be making cut backs this winter, but one local initiative is helping to ensure everyone in Lyme Regis has access to good quality, nutritious food

The Seaside Store was launched by Coastal Com munity Cupboard, under the umbrella of Lyme Regis Development Trust last year, providing food at incredibly affordable prices to all those feeling the pinch

It is based on the ‘Social Supermarket’ model, becoming increasingly popular across the country in recent months, removing the stigma some at tach to services such as traditional food banks, and utilising supermarket food surpluses which would otherwise end up in landfill

Unlike food banks, the Seaside Store requires no referral to use its services, and allows individuals and families to top up their weekly shop with a wide variety of items, ranging from fresh fruit, vegetables and bakery items to tinned or packaged foods and toiletries

Members pay a small fee of £3 50 and can choose up to 10 items a week, plus bread, eggs and fresh fruit and vegetables which are free House holds with three or more people in them have the option to pay £5 for 15 items

Anyone can become a member with no questions asked The Seaside Store, which has been backed by local chef and restaurateur Mark Hix, is there to help all those with limited disposable income; you do not have to be unemployed, claiming ben efits or have a referral to join

I have used the service myself on a few occa sions; in particular, I find it useful towards the end of the month when things can get a little tight

The store is open every Tuesday morning at The Hub in Church Street and is described as an “in clusive process ” , giving people a choice and in volvement, helping to make it feel more like a

SPECIAL FEATURE

By Francesca Evans

I was surprised to see the FareShare stock often includes produce from supermarkets’ top quality ranges, such as Tesco Finest products all avail able at bargain prices

Additional donations and purchases from local food retail outlets, residents, gardeners and allot ment holders help to keep the store cupboards full, and in particular have helped keep the Sea side Store stocked up amid the rising cost of food The store is completely not for profit, and any surplus funds are put straight back into the com pletely volunteer led initiative, used to keep the cupboards, fridge and freezer full

On my latest visit I was able to stock up with cheddar cheese, pouring cream, garlic flatbread and rolled shortcrust pastry from the fridge, frozen chicken breast fillets, and from the store cupoboard I purchased penne pasta, tomato pasta sauce, sugar and biscuits all for my £3 50

In addition, I was allowed free organic eggs and a selection of fruit and vegetables, from which I took leeks, potatoes and Brussel sprouts

etables (garlic, red onion, red pepper and cour gette) and served it alongside the garlic flatbread, making four dinner portions Cheese and leek quiche

I used the pre rolled shortcrust pastry, cheddar cheese, leeks, eggs, a splash of the cream and added shop bought milk and seasoning to make this quiche, which fed me for four lunches Strawberry jam tarts

I even had some trimmings of shortcrust pastry leftover, which I used to make a few quick jam tarts with strawberry jam that needed using up in my fridge (although jam is usually available at the Seaside Store)

Bubble and squeak with fried eggs

What to do with Brussel sprouts? I shredded them and used my potatoes to make mash, adding left over leek and a little shop bough milk and butter, making two portions to serve with my last two eggs If you can afford an extra treat, I’d recom mend topping with delicious crispy chilli from Red Panda

Strawberries and cream for desserts

normal shopping experience rather than a hand out

I have certainly found that when using the Sea side Store On my first visit, I felt a little nervous, thinking ‘should I be here?’ and ‘will I be judged?’

But those concerns quickly dissipated as I was warmly welcomed by Lisa Charleton, Mary Ward and their team of volunteers

They completely put me at ease as I filled in a quick form and was presented with my member ship card and shopping basket, and was then shown around the store and told how it all works

The majority of the stock is purchased from en vironmental charity FareShare, which takes good quality, surplus food from supermarkets and other outlets that would otherwise be wasted So not only does the Seaside Store help to feed the com munity, it has environmental benefits too

It’s a bit like a puzzle, being pre sented with a random selection of produce and having to consider the best buys and what you could make from it

As a single person household, my £3 50 can go really far and pretty much feeds me for the last week of the month if I use the in gredients wisely with a few shop bought extras This week I made the following from my chosen items:

Cheesy chicken pasta bake and garlic bread

For this I used the chicken breast fillets, penne pasta, tomato pasta sauce and cheddar cheese, adding some shop bought veg

I had two portions of strawber ries and still some cream leftover Plus a packet of biscuits and sugar for coffee breaks at work!

As we head into a challenging winter, the Seaside Store is gear ing up to help more and more residents It is a service we should not have to rely on, but one I and many others are very grateful for

It is open every Tuesday from 9 30am to 11 30am at The Hub, Church Street For more details visit lrdt co uk/copy of coastal community cupboard or follow Coastal Community Cupboard on Facebook for updates on the food available each week

Ensuring your legacy stays in the family

VIDA Estate Planning Ltd is a local, family run business, based near Crewkerne We specialise in Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney

We felt that it was better to focus on a few key areas of business instead of trying to encom pass lots of legal and financial services This en sures that we have the knowledge and training to make sure that client’s estates are protected now, and for future generations

The director of the company, Jamie Jones, has lived in the South West all his life and un derstands the area and the people that live here

Born on the south coast, near Lymington, he has spent many years within the financial sector and estate planning Initially starting out as an IFA, Jamie moved into mortgage advice and then developed those skills to focus on planning estates This is a passion for Jamie as he felt the industry lacks clear advice and does not always alert people to the dangers of incorrect Wills and life planning

Whilst we all have a knowledge of Wills, and what they do, many Wills do not cover the es tate adequately and can leave behind issues with protecting wealth in the family bloodline There is often a lot of funds passed down on our deaths, and this can be attacked in various ways such as your children divorcing later in life re marriage after death and future genera tions paying inheritance tax on the funds we leave behind

One of the other key areas that concerns us all, is the amount of capital at risk should we end up having to be cared for later in life On av erage, it costs approximately £1,200 per week to pay for care fees If we own property and as sets, these will be used to pay for the care and eat away at the inheritance we leave for our beneficiaries

Another area of concern is who looks after our estate, and us, if we should lose our physical or mental capacity Unfortunately, if we cannot

look after ourselves someone must do it, and if there is no Power of Attorney in place, the local authority will decide on your health and wellbe ing

This can be extremely stressful for us and our family members With a Power of Attorney the decisions on your health and financial affairs, can be left to a trusted person that you would want This ensures the smooth running of your estate and gets the best outcome for you

At Vida Estate Planning, we can ensure that these areas are protected and that should the worse happen, you’ll have peace of mind know ing that your estate and care is being looked after Contact us today for a free initial consul tation

Jamie is our preferred partner for organising Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney He first started out as a financial advisor over 20 years ago, initially focusing on mortgages and life in surance products He then developed these skills further to have a thorough skill set to in clude knowledge of investments, savings and pensions He moved into the estate planning arena as the advice given in this area was very limited Understanding the risks of an estate, your own wealth, and the problems we can leave behind was a large motivation

Jamie’s company Vida Estate Planning Ltd was established to ensure clients get clear ad vice, focusing on the individuals needs and wants This also ensures that clients understand the risks involved and how the distribution of wealth can benefit those that were not intended

Backed by Countrywide Tax and Trust corpo ration, Vida Estate Planning has the required tools and experience to ensure that when you die, your loved ones will receive the benefits in the most efficient way

Vida offer an online and telephone service, en suring that you can make your arrangements wherever you are in the world

Cheesy chicken pasta bake, made largely from ingredients bought at the Seasider Store

ARMS

ARMSCOBB ARMS

Christmas at the Cobb

LYME REGIS TOWN COUNCIL

Delivering on the things residents want

THANK you to the 366 people who took part in our consultation and helped us decide what kinds of projects we should be focusing on for the next few years

We held our consultation exercise over seven weeks and almost 10 per cent of the town’s pop ulation responded, so this has given us a good steer in our thinking

You also offered lots of brilliant ideas and we’ll be taking forward some of the most popu lar ones

These included a multi use games area to in clude a basketball court, a children’s play area and splash area in the seafront gardens, mon key bars in the play park, a beach volleyball court, and more water ‘Refill’ stations in the gardens and Anning Road playing field

The great thing is that all these suggestions came from the pupils at St Michael’s Primary School and the Woodroffe School, and lots of others who responded had the same ideas

We also had some suggestions of our own and asked the public to tell us what they thought of them

The highest priority was to explore the options for a post office service in the town, with 96 per cent of respondents supporting this proposal, so £30,000 has been allocated in our budget to help achieve this

However, we understand the former post of

fice building has been bought and the new owner intends to run a post office and shop, so the council’s input might not be needed after all

Improving the town bus service was the sec ond most important priority for respondents, with some people asking for a weekend service, others asking for the service to be extended to neigbouring towns and villages, and some ask ing for the route to be extended

We have already set up a working group of councillors to discuss the options with the bus operator Damory and benefit as many passen gers as possible

Using the seafront gardens for outdoor enter tainment, particularly the flat roof area, was the third most popular idea, with an open air cin ema being mentioned many times

We’ve been talking to the Marine Theatre about how we could work in partnership to bring some exciting live music, theatre and other entertainment to this area so watch this space!

Deciding on future uses for Strawberry Fields was also important to those who responded and ideas for its use included allotments, tennis courts, a swimming pool, football pitches and nature areas

We agree we need to get on and decide what to do with this land so we ’ re employing a con

sultant to tell us what the possibilities are We will then carry out a further public consultation to help us make a final decision

The idea of a repairs’ café was well supported, with a view to reducing waste, improving sus tainability, bringing the community together and helping with the cost of living crisis

This isn’t something the council would run but we would look to work with other organisa tions locally to support this initiative

We asked if we should reduce or remove the precept the proportion of council tax which pays for services delivered by the town council and this had a mixed response

We debated this in the council chamber and agreed we would continue to charge the precept so we could deliver projects and services for the benefit of the community, but we will not be in creasing it in 2023 24

Less popular was the idea of introducing cov ered eating areas to help protect people against seagulls so we will not be pursuing this project

Respondents were also unsure about us host ing annual event aimed primarily at local resi dents and businesses to say thank you for sharing the town with visitors, so this is unlikely to be progressed, although we are planning some kind of event in 2023 for the Coronation of King Charles

The principle of installing free to use gym

equipment in the town was popular but people didn’t think the seafront gardens were the right place for it and there were strong concerns about vandalism

We’re going to talk to other towns that have installed this kind of equipment to get some ideas about the best locations and find out if vandalism has been an issue before considering it again

We have lots of other tasks and operational re quirements which we’ll be getting on with over the next couple of years, including installing solar panels on council buildings, improving CCTV, enhancing the ‘welcome to Lyme Regis’ signs and replacing our ageing tractor

Another project we ’ re particularly keen to pursue is family bursaries and we have set aside £20,000 in our budget next year

We recognise some local families are strug gling to make ends meet and paying member ship fees for things like football, drama club, the majorettes, rugby, ballet or taekwondo might be seen as a ‘luxury’

We feel strongly that children in Lyme Regis shouldn’t have to miss out on these important experiences so by setting up a bursary scheme, we hope to help local children continue to do the things they love

To wn band sharpens skills with council grant

Council staff ha ve fun a t annual mini golf tournament

THE council

Each

Operations

MEMBERS of Lyme Regis Town Band have been improving their skills with the help of a grant from the town council

The band has been awarded £500 to hold a brass band workshop led by three professional musicians from the Bournemouth Symphony Or chestra

The workshop, which took place on Sunday, culminated in a short concert when the musicians showcased the pieces of music and techniques they had learned during the day

The mayor Cllr Michaela Ellis was delighted to be among the audience and said the performance was spectacular

Ellis Holt, chairman of Lyme Regis Town Band, said: “We welcomed over 50 players from 10 brass bands across four counties to take part in our Massed Band Workshop with three profes sional brass tutors from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

“We practiced and learnt six pieces throughout the day and performed these at an informal con cert to a crowd of over 30 people Most impor tantly, we got to ask lots of questions about our playing and technique to help us all improve ” Ellis thanked the council for our support and sponsorship of the event

Time to apply for residents’ parking permits

LYME

park for free at Monmouth Beach, Ca banya and Woodmead car parks at various times in the year

The current permits will expire on 31 October 2022 and need to be renewed for another year, which can be done quickly and conveniently on our website

Residents can apply for a permit on our website

at lymeregistowncouncil gov uk/permits and must be able to upload a copy of the vehicle s V5 reg istration document and a Dorset Council tax bill as proof of Lyme Regis residency

Permits can only be issued to full time residents so the vehicle must be registered to a Lyme Regis address

Please note the clock permits we introduced this year, which give residents two hours’ free parking in any of our car parks at any time of year, do not need to be renewed

The Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Michaela Ellis, pictured with members of Lyme Regis Town Band and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Tickets go on sale for Over 70s Christmas Lunch

TICKETS for the annual Over 70s Christmas Lunch in Lyme Regis will be distributed at Hal lett Court on Wednesday, November 9 from 10am

The lunch will be held at the Woodmead Halls on Saturday, December 10 and all Lyme regis residents over the age of 7 are welcome to at tend Tickets cost £5, including a traditional Christmas lunch, gift and entertainment

Anyone who is unable to attend Hallett Court to purchase their tickets can contact Michaela Ellis on 01297 443942 to book a place

St Michael’s to host open day

AN open morning and afternoon will be held at St Michael’s Primary School in Lyme Regis in November

Potential students and parents are welcome to visit from 2 30pm on Monday, November 14 and from 9 30am on Tuesday, November 15 to find out what the school has to offer Those unable to attend but interested in visit ing the school should call 01297 442623 to make alternative arrangements

Talk on museum fossil collection

LYME Regis Museum geologist Dr Paul Davis will give a talk on how the museum’s fossil col lection has been used to make new discoveries and how the acquisition of new specimens will keep the attraction at the forefront of scientific research

The talk, entitled ‘Life in the Lias Seas: new Discoveries using the Museum Collection’, will be hosted by the Friends of Lyme Regis Mu seum on Thursday November 3 from 2 30pm in the Woodmead Halls

Fundraiser for Save the Children

THE Lyme Regis branch of Save the Children will host a coffee morning on Friday, November 4 from 10am to 12noon at the Baptist Church Hall, with refreshments, a raffle and stalls

CONTENT

Mark Hix launches new smoked fish range with Chesil Smoker y

LYME Regis chef and restaurateur Mark Hix MBE has teamed up with the award winning Chesil Smokery to create his own range of smoked fish

Responsibly sourced, cured and smoked in Dorset, Hix Smokin’ House has been a natural progression for the chef who started smoking fish for his restaurants in his back garden 14 years ago

Mark said: “When I opened my first solo restaurant in 2008 I wanted to have a signature dish that was exclusive to my restaurant

“I was fortunate to be given a Bradley smoker so I spoke to some of my friends with smokeries for advice on the best cure and wood chips to use

“I used to smoke the salmon in my back garden for all of my restaurants and deliver it on the back of my scooter every day

“Fast forward 14 years and with one restaurant in Lyme Regis I am still smoking it in my garden in Charmouth for The Oyster & Fish House ”

Mark sold his own smoked salmon from HIX Oyster & Fish Truck which operated from Mor combelake during the lockdowns Due to the popularity of his own smoked fish he decided to start up a product range that could be bought lo cally or online for home delivery

He added: “Chesil Smokery is a great local smokery with their own trout farm I have known Mark, the owner, for many years and have always enjoyed eating their products, so it seemed a natural fit to start my smoked fish range with him and his team ”

All of the fish sent to the smokery is caught off the South West coast, apart from responsibly sourced Scottish salmon, and sent straight from the fishing boat to the smokery, just 20 minutes inland

Mark Firth, owner of Chesil Smokery, said:“We are delighted to be working with Mark on his

own range of smoked fish We use Mark’s origi nal recipe, curing the fish in salt and brown sugar and smoking it slowly over oak and apple chips

“Chesil Smokery is all about wholesome, good, sustainable food, free from additives and nasty chemicals We smoke the finest produce in the time honoured way, suspending our meat and fish over slow smouldering wood shavings ”

The Hix Smokin’ House range will include an chovies, sardines, salmon, haddock and hot smoked mackerel Serving suggestions, recipes and videos will be available to view on The Oys ter & Fish House website (also see right) Christmas hampers will also be available to purchase online including local wines from Devon vineyard Castlewood The range will be developing over the course of the year using the best of seasonal fish landed local to the smokery on the South West coast

The product range will be available to buy on line from today (October 28) at theoysterand fishhouse co uk/hix smokin house or chesilsmokery co uk, and will also be available in local delis and farm shops Customers will re ceive 10 per cent of their order during the launch week of October 28 to November 3

HIX SMOKIN’ HOUSE RECIPE

Beetroot salad with smoked anchovies and horseradish

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pack of smoked anchovies

300 400g fresh beetroot

Cornish sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil

Freshly grated horseradish to serve

Method

Boil the beetroot (in its skin) in salted water until just tender Peel them whilst they are warm then leave to cool

Thinly slice the beetroot with a sharp knife or mandolin and arrange them on plates or a serving dish overlapping

Cut the anchovies in half lengthways and lay on the beetroot Season then spoon the vinegar and oil over and grate the horseradish on top

Find more

at

ready for Christmas

timeoutinLyme

What’s on

Friday, October 28

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

Cancer Research Coffee Morning

Lyme Regis Baptist Church, 10am A coffee morning and cake stall in aid of the Lyme Regis branch of Cancer Research UK

U3A Meet a Group Leader

Uplyme Village Hall, 10am

Lyme Regis U3A host an oppor tunity to meet with leaders of several of its groups which cover a wide range of subjects and interests Open to members and non members, refreshments will be available

There Goes the Bride

Marine Theatre, 6 30pm

The Marine Players stage their 1920s theme Ray Cooney farce Tickets £12 available at marinetheatre com (also on Sat urday October 29)

Slipped Disco

The Nag’s Head, 8 30pm Monthly disco night on the last Friday of the month at the Nag’s Head

Saturday, October 29

Lyme Morris Workshop

Lyme Regis Baptist Church, 2pm Lyme Morris are recruiting both male and female dancers and musicians try it out at this free, fun workshop

Halloween Competition

Marine Parade, 5 30pm

Children up to 11 years are asked to draw a spooky pumpkin and join the mayor and deputy mayor for the chance to win a real pumpkin Lots of fun to be had, cake and hot chocolate available ‘There Goes the Bride’ Marine Theatre, 6 30pm

The Marine Players stage their 1920s theme Ray Cooney farce Tickets £12 available at marinetheatre com

Live Music Night

The Nag s Head, 9pm Weekly live band at The Nag s Head this week Halloween theme party with the band Ghosts, etc

Sunday, October 30

CHECK YOUR CLOCKS

Clocks will go back one hour at 2am on Sunday morning

Halloween Junior parkrun

Gun Cliff Walk, 8 50am

This weekly run for 4 14 year olds takes on a spooky theme Meet at 8 50am for briefing and warm up, come in fancy dress is you wish, spooky makeup avail able too!

Exeter Male Voice Praise

Uplyme Village Hall, 4pm Exeter Male Voice Praise will perform a concert of praise fol lowed by a full Sunday tea This event has been organised by Bethany Chapel and there is no admission charge and no collec tion

Live Music Afternoon

The Nag’s Head, 4pm An afternoon of live music from Big Tree Swamp

Monday, October 31

Free Health MOTs

WHAT’S ON

Send your diar y dates to francesca@lyme online co uk Visit: www lyme online co uk/events

Head from 9pm Sunday, November 6

Lyme Regis Library, 10am 1pm Live Well Dorset are offering free health MOTs in the form of con fidential one to one chats with the offer of a personalised well being plan Appointments will be 20 minutes each bookings not necessary

Wednesday, November 2

LRTC Human Resources 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 3

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

Talk: ‘Life in the Lias Seas: New Dis coveries Using the Museum Collec tion’, Woodmead Halls, 2 30pm

Lyme Regis Museum geologist Dr Paul Davies gives a talk on how the museum’s fossil collec tion has been used to make new discoveries and how the acquisi tion of new specimens will keep the attraction at the forefront of scientific research Entry £3 for Friends of Lyme Regis Museum and £3 for visitors National Theatre Live: The Seagull Marine Theatre, 6pm Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) makes her West End debut in this 21st century retelling of Anton Chekhov’s tale of love and loneliness Tickets £14 available at marinetheatre com 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 4

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

Save the Children Coffee Morning Lyme Regis Baptist Church, 10am A coffee morning with stalls in aid of the Lyme Regis branch of Save the Children

Saturday, November 5

Bonfire & Fireworks Night

Lyme Regis beach, 6 30pm A Guy Fawkes’ Night firework display off the Cobb at 6 30pm followed by the lighting of the bonfire on the beach

Los Pacaminos Marine Theatre, 7pm Eighties star Paul Young brings his Tex Mex band of supergroup musicians for a foot stomping session Tickets £22 available at marinetheatre com

Live Music Night

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

The Sunday Sessions Marine Theatre, 2 30pm This regular free entry event is the Marine’s dedicated time to promote quality live music Enjoy local drinks and the best musi cians If you’d like to play, just turn up!

Monday, November 7

Football Club Bingo

Lyme Regis Football Club, 7 30pm Monthly bingo on the first Mon day of the month with cash prizes

Wednesday, November 9

LRTC Town Management & Highways, 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 10

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 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 dubstep basslines Tickets £16 available 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 available by calling 01297 560948 or art sreach co uk

Lyme Bay Chorale to give Remembrance concert

LYME Bay Chorale will sing Duruflé’s beautiful Requiem on Remembrance Sunday, November 13, in a concert starting at 4pm at St Michael’s Parish Church in Lyme Regis

The choir has established something of a tradi tion of giving a fundraising concert on this spe cial day in the town’s calendar, with money raised going to the Royal British Legion

They sang Fauré’s Requiem last year and in 2018, to mark the centenary of the 1918 Armistice, and held ‘ come and sing’ events in cluding a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in the years before this

The choir also put on an extra fundraiser this February, including excerpts from Duruflé’s Re quiem, and in November listeners will have a chance to hear the whole work

Musical director Alex Davies will play the organ and Nicholas Brown will conduct the choir Most of the work will be performed by the whole choir, although local musician David Fouracre will sing a baritone solo

“The work is a masterpiece and deserves to be just as well known as Fauré’s Requiem,” said Alex

“It’s luscious and rich and somehow sounds very French; it’s also perfect for Remembrance Sunday as it has a reflective, meditative quality

“We’re looking forward to performing this won

derful music on such a meaningful occasion ” Admission is free with a retiring collection in aid of the Royal British Legion

This will be Lyme Bay Chorale’s third concert this year and follows their well supported fundraiser in February and spring concert in April

They will round off the year on Sunday, Decem ber 11 at 4pm with a ticketed performance in cluding Haydn’s Nelson Mass and music by Purcell and Handel

Lyme Bay Chorale is an SATB choir of about 25 singers, based in Lyme Regis It usually gives two concerts of classical and modern choral music each year (spring and Advent) in St Michael’s Parish Church, plus at least one fundraising con cert

The choir has been performing for more than 20 years and has developed a fine reputation that attracts large audiences

Musical director Alex Davies is also the organist at St Michael’s He trained at Trinity College of Music and worked at various London churches with professional choirs and was a cathedral organ scholar before moving back to his home town

More details about the choir and its Young Singers Bursary Scheme are available online at www lymebaychorale co uk

Art exhibition in aid of cancer charity

AN art exhibition is being held in Uplyme Village Hall in support of Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support in November

Nine local artists will be exhibiting their work with the opportunity to purchase pieces from Anne Townsend, Alban Connell, Alison Boskill, Liz Biles, Jools Woodhouse, Christine Allison, Jeanne Coates and Maggie Stead Work of the late Dot Wood, a former art teacher who recently lost her battle with leukaemia will also be display by kind permission of her husband

The exhibition starts on the evening of Friday November 11 with a private viewing by invitation only, followed by open viewing on Saturday, November 12 from 10am to 12noon Light refresh

ments will be available

“We are thrilled to bring to you a mix of talented artists across a range of different forms and mate rials, with unique styles who are contributing their works to support our charity,” said Mary Kahn, founder of the charity

We would like to thank all the artists who sub mitted their works and contributed to making this art show possible, as well as the volunteers making this event possible ”

“We support anyone affected by any cancer in our area and this will help us to continue to provide needed help and care to many in our community”

For more details on the charity visit www axmin sterandlymecancersupport co uk

Lyme Bay Chorale will give a Remembrance Sunday concert

Photo by MAISIE HILL

Time to sing along at The Gateway Theatre

THE Gateway Theatre in Seaton is going to have you laughing out loud with the spoof screening of Agatha Christie’s, ‘See How They Run’

This is the funniest whodunnit comedy of the cen tury from screenwriter Mark Chappell, starring Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan who take us into the glamorous world of theatre in 1950s London

It’s 1953 and ‘The Mouse Trap’ is just 100 shows old, when a pivotal member of the crew, brash Hol lywood director Leo Kopernick, is murdered It’s up to Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker to work out who did it

There is even a young Richard Attenborough who actually was the inspector in the original run, bril liantly portrayed by Harris Dickinson

This is going to be one of The Gateway s famous Friday Film Picnic Nights, so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment

See How They Run Friday, November 11, Doors 6 30pm, tickets £7

When Riviera Dogs fills The Gateway stage, you know you are in for the best night of music and dance in the South West

This five piece band will play the hits you know and some you don’t, from the 80s and 90s, but every one of them is guaranteed to get you on the dance floor

Riviera Dogs have played at festivals, venues and gigs, performing for Heart FM and the Royal Navy They have all performed in some of the most popu lar and longest running bands in the area, and never cease to get their audience up and dancing to all the greatest music of that era

So pull on your best dancing self and get ready to have the best night of the year so far

Riviera Dogs Saturday, November 12

Doors 7 30pm, tickets £20

From the loudest and best of the disco days, to something a bit more gentle, The Gateway are de lighted to welcome the Lyme Bay Moonrakers to the stage for the first time

Performing their new live show, and first album, Songs for the Wellerman , this Lyme Regis based band will be bringing their seafaring celebration of original arrangements of songs, both new and old, sea shanties, ballads and other seafaring songs from around the British Isles and beyond

Join us on a musical voyage across oceans and seas with soaring vocal harmonies and heart warming melodies that will transport you to the gentler days of times gone by

Lyme Bay Moonrakers Friday, November 18 Doors 7pm, tickets £12

Enjoy some of the finest French couture, see the sites and imagine strolling along the Champs El ysees when Mrs Harris Goes to Paris The Gate way are taking you back to the 1950s again, this time it has the glamour of Dior and the Paris fash ion houses where sumptuousness is a given

This is about having a dream and making it hap pen, and not letting the people who think they know better, from stopping her get what she really wants

There are two screenings for this film, a Friday Film Picnic Night and a Thursday matinee when you can bring your lunch along if you want It’s so good, you may want to see it twice!

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Friday, November 25, doors 6 30pm and matinee Thursday, December 1, doors 1 30pm, tickets for both £7

BACKSTAGE AT THE GATEWAY THEATRE

LIFE is full of disappointments Johnson, Truss, Sunak, and Brad Pitt

very let down by Brad last month for not

us a visit, and I dropped plenty of hints to George Clooney too with our ‘Ticket to Paradise’ film Either I’m not being clear enough or maybe it’s the social media algorithm that’s ignoring me Isn’t social media great? You can find all man ner of helpful advice, and everyone’s an expert giving their expert opinions, even if they re not Ali is constantly putting up posts about our the atre programme, but Meta has decided who gets to see what and it’s unlikely to be what you want to see

Anyway, did you see the George and Julia film last week? If you did, you ll know the scene I m talking about when Julia Roberts is being pro posed to by the airline pilot, and she gets head butted The entire theatre literally jumped in their seats with a loud ‘aghh’ I like it when our audi ences are so engrossed with what they are watching, escaping all the nonsense that is going on in the outside world Bad news about the Seaton Christmas light switch on isn’t it? Seems the bright city lights of Exeter have lured our performers over to their grand event, and I have it on good authority it is going to be twice the normal size this year, sprawled across the whole city, so they needed lots of extra oompah to draw in the crowds We had organised our first Christmas fair since pre Covid so along with the lights switch on and late night shopping, it was all looking to be a jolly festive occasion on November 26 Not to be thwarted by such challenges, we are

going ahead with the fair, just a bit earlier in the day, and our plan is to tie up with all the local businesses to create a jolly good start to your Christmas shopping experience

So even if you are plan ning to go over to the less than dark side of Exeter in the evening, just make sure you spend the day and your money in Seaton first Seaton’s lights will then finally be switched on at the later date of December 10

Have you met Justine, our new duty manager? Being a DM is just the best way to get to see pretty much every aspect of theatre front of house life It’s been a gradual process for her, meeting the wonderful full of life lot who help make the Gateway what it is I still dip in now and then when needed, as was the case with The Darkside of Pink Floyd I’ll save that story for an other day

You will have seen Seaton’s answer to the Giles cartoonist I’m not sure how Kevin Rye chooses his subjects, and it s all done in the best possible taste, but I was thinking we could maybe join forces

I could mention someone in my column, and he could draw one of his caricatures Between the two of us, we could encapsulate what is going on at no10, have everyone wondering who will be next

Sophia Moseley

THEGATEWAYTHEATRE

THEY

RIVIERA DOGS

LYME BAY MOONRAKERS

Local family business nominated for national award

THE Dorset and Devon based, family run busi ness, B! Health & Fitness, has been shortlisted in the National Fitness Awards

The company, which has gyms in Lyme Regis and Honiton, has been named as a finalist in three separate categories Customer Service, Member Achievement and South West Gym of the Year

The National Fitness Awards is an annual event which recognises excellence and achieve ment in the fitness Industry throughout the country

With more than 7,200 fitness clubs, gyms, stu dios and leisure centres in the UK, reaching the last seven in three separate categories is consid ered an amazing achievement in itself Owner and CEO Craig Bernhardt said: “I am extremely proud of my team and to be recog nised at such a prestigious event is a great achievement for our small family business ”

All finalists will now go through to the last stage of the judging process, with trophies then being handed out at a glittering awards cere mony on Friday, November 18 at The Athena in Leicester National Fitness Awards event organiser, Do minic Musgrave, said: “All our shortlisted facil ities should be really proud of their achievements in being chosen as a finalist as the

Firework night to light up Lyme

THE skies above Lyme Regis seafront are set to be illuminated with a spectacular fireworks display on Guy Fawkes’ Night Saturday, November 5

Watch from Langmoor and Lister Gardens or anywhere along the seafront near the sandy beach The fireworks start at 6 30pm followed by the lighting of the bonfire on the sandy beach

The display is free of charge with a collection made to fund future displays, so please do nate in an official collecting bucket on the night You can also donate online at lymereg iscarnival co uk/donateonline

calibre of entries has been amazing " 2022 has been quite the year for B! Health & Fitness, which has also been on a major fundraising quest throughout the year, finishing in September with a select team of staff and members undertaking a huge physical challenge

Sarah, Craig and Charlotte Bernhardt, Kim Harvey, Joshua Armytage, Duncan Sheridan Shaw and Clare Connor all completed the chal lenge of a 26 mile coastal trek raising money for the Alzheimer’s’ Society

Starting in Brixham, they took 11 hours and 51 minutes to complete the marathon with a total combined elevation of 1,355 meters, which ac cording to the British Walking Federation is al most entering the category of ‘extreme’!

Despite the heat, they all had a fantastic day supporting and encouraging one another to complete the demanding route with many laughs along the way

This was particularly rewarding for Clare and Duncan Just a few years ago, an event of this size would never have been something they would have imagined possible However, becom ing members of B! Health & Fitness helped them achieve a new fitter, healthier lifestyle that has seen them reduce weight and increase their car diovascular fitness and be able to take part in such a rewarding challenge

It was also particularly important for the team at B! to complete this challenge with members by their side, reiterating their ethos of being an inclusive ‘family’ gym

The gym has been continuously raising funds for The Alzheimer’s Society throughout 2022 Other events have included pub quizzes, cake sales, spin a thons in Honiton Tesco foyer and a charity party and auction in Stockland Victory Hall

Craig commented: “Everyone has been so amazingly generous to date and we now stand at almost £9,000 raised for this amazing charity ”

B! Health & Fitness’ fundraising page for The Alzheimer’s Society is still open at www justgiv ing com/team/GoTeamB

NEWS FROM CITIZENS ADVICE

CITIZENS Advice warns that almost half a mil lion additional households could be forced to use expensive pay as you go meters by the end of 2022 because they’ve fallen into debt That is on top of the millions of people already using prepayment meters to pay their energy bills

Citizens Advice analysed historical Ofgem data on the number of customers moved to prepay ment meters due to debt to make its predic tions for this year

Under current rules, energy companies can push people onto a pay as you go prepayment meter when they can’t pay their bills These households have to ‘top up’ in advance to keep the lights and heating on The number of people coming to Citizens Ad vice because they ve been forced onto a pre payment meter has shot up 138 per cent in the last two years It’s now significantly higher than it was before the pandemic Millions will be left out in the cold Citizens Advice predicts households that pay as they go could spend £258 more on their en ergy this winter than someone paying by direct debit With 4 million households expected to be on prepayment meters this winter, these cus tomers will spend £1bn more on energy com pared to consumers using the same amount of energy and paying by direct debit

People who pay as they go for their energy are at particular risk in the winter months be cause they can t spread the cost across the year, like direct debit customers

Energy providers won’t disconnect customers and cut off energy supplies to those who can’t afford to pay their bills when they are worried about their safety But by pushing people onto prepayment meters, they’re putting these cus tomers at risk of effectively disconnecting themselves

Citizens Advice is calling on the government to stop energy suppliers shifting people onto prepayment meters in winter and to bring in fur

ther targeted support to help the most vulnera ble

Fay’s stor y ‘It’s getting cold and I have no gas becaus I can’t afford to top up’

Fay is one of many people Citi zens Advice is supporting who cannot keep up with the costs of a prepayment meter She lives alone and has found it difficult to find work due to a health condition With costs rising, she’s struggling to manage on her Universal Credit payment

Fay is having to limit the gas and electric she uses at home She said: It s getting cold now and I have to cut right back on energy because I can’t afford to top up my meter

“So I’m turning everything off and I rarely have money to buy food from the shop It’s got to the stage where I’m not having hot showers, I’m just washing with water from the kettle

“Living like this is really stressful There are days when I just sit and cry my eyes out and think ‘why am I here?’”

Dame Clare Moriarty chief executive of Citi zens Advice, said: “Energy companies have a duty to protect customers, but forcibly moving people in debt onto prepayment meters is dis connection by the backdoor

“Even with the bill freeze in place, the cost of energy will still be at a record high If people can’t afford to top up, they’re at real risk of the heating going off and the lights going out

“The government must bring in a winter ban to stop energy companies forcing people al ready struggling onto prepayment meters It should also bring in targeted support to help people on the lowest incomes pay their bills ”

Citizens Advice in Lyme Regis is open on Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm at the Lyme Regis Town Council offices, Church Street, DT7 3BS Alternatively, telephone Freephone 0800 144 8848 or send an email using the contact form on the website www bridportca org uk

The team from B! Health & Fitness after completing their recent 26 mile trek for The Alzheimer’s Society

W H AT I S ROTA RY?

WE CONNECT PEOPLE 1.4 mil lion members in 46,000 clubs world wide

WE HELP OUR COMMUNITIES

Approximately 47 million volunteer hours given each year

WE FUND SUSTAINABLE PRO JECTS Over £300 million awarded for global service initiatives

WE WORK FOR AND WITHIN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

LOCAL ROTARY EVENTS:

The Lyme Regis Rotary Club will be

hosting our very popular Christmas Event Carols Around The Christmas Tree, now in its 61st year

CAROLS ROUND THE CHRIST MAS TREE ON FRIDAY 23rd DE CEMBER AT 7pm IN BROAD STREET, LYME REGIS

The Lyme Regis Town band will be playing traditional Christmas carols for

us all to sing along to. Our very own Town Crier (and President of the Ro tary Club), Alan Vian, will be in atten dance as well as the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Michaela Ellis

All are welcome A street collection will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of December in Lyme Regis and on the 24th in Charmouth on behalf of local charity Lyme Heartbeat and other Ro tary Charities.

'THE ROTARY LYME LUNGE JANUARY 1st NEW YEAR’S DAY AT 1pm on the main sandy beach One of the largest events of its kind in the West Country.

“Take the Plunge at the Lunge" to start the New Year off with a splash Fancy dress optional. A collection will be made for charity

INTERNATIONAL ROTARY OCTOBER EVENT

THE ERADICATION OF POLIO

October 24th was WORLD POLIO DAY Rotary has been at the centre of the worldwide effort to eradicate polio for over three decades

The Rotary Polio Plus Campaign started in 1985 when there were over 350,000 cases across 125 countries This has now been reduced by 99 9 per cent, saving more than 20 million peo ple from paralysis Rotary has helped immunize nearly three billion children against polio, contributed US$2 6 billion to global eradication efforts and helped secure US$10 billion from donors and govern ments

The Bill and Melinda Gates Founda tion contribute 2 x anything that Ro tary raises Polio is now only present in a small number of cases in only two countries

This is just one of the many Rotary In ternational projects all supported by local clubs like ours

BE PART OF IT

ALL ARE WELCOME TO COME ALONG AND VISIT OUR LOCAL ROTARY CLUB AND TO SEE FIRST HAND WHAT WE ARE ABOUT. WE ARE A FRIENDLY LOT AND WE NEED NEW MEM BERS TO KEEP OUR SMALL CLUB GOING, WHICH DOES SO MUCH FOR THE LOCAL AND IN TERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

ON the 1st OF DECEMBER WE HAVE A SOCIAL NIGHT. COME ALONG WITH YOUR PARTNER OR FRIEND FOR AN INFORMAL CHAT. YOU WOULD BE MOST WELCOME.

■ Please advise our secretary if you are able to come. All en quiries to: Secretary John Berry email : secretary@lymeregisro tary.org or visit www.lymeregis rotary.org for more information

CAROLS ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE One of Lyme’s best loved events being held on Friday, December 23, organised by the Lyme Regis Rotar y Club

axevalleynews

LED to move g ym to Cloakham La wn

LED Community Leisure (LED) is delighted to announce the gym and group exercise programme at Axminster Leisure Centre is moving to Cloakham Lawn Sports Club

The charitable leisure trust, which runs fa cilities across East Devon, said it was "ex cited to take our affordable membership and inspiring Health & Wellbeing team who support customers of all ages and fitness levels to improve their health, lifestyle, and well being to a bigger and more accessible facility"

Refurbishment work to ensure a safe and inclusive environment have already begun with the new facility at Cloakham Lawn due to open in January 2023

LED customers can expect a large, open gym floor space packed with a range of market leading equipment

LED's Health & Wellbeing team will con tinue to offer LED's gym journey, nutrition consultations, personal training and health referral schemes

Axminster's new Fitness Hub will also fea ture a bespoke cycling studio along with a large studio for group exercise classes ranging from circuits to yoga, along with vir tual classes to complement our compre hensive live programme

Customers will benefit from free parking and unrestricted access during opening hours

LED's sports hall and 3G football pitch ac tivities and bookings will continue unaf fected by the move of the fitness programme

Peter Gilpin, chief executive officer for LED Community Leisure, said: "Axminster is a growing town and we have been aware for some time that our limited gym offer at Axe Valley Academy has been struggling to meet the demands and expectations of our members and the local community

"The new partnership with Cloakham Lawn Sports Club will provide a significantly improved fitness offer, which we both hope over time to see evolve into a comprehen sive sports, health and wellbeing commu nity hub "

Simon Flint, chairman of Cloakham Lawn Sports Club, said: "All of our trustees are fully behind the project and are looking for ward to Cloakham Lawn & Sports Club being used by the community again We are also looking forward to working with LED "

LED would like to thank its existing Axmin ster Leisure Centre customers for their on going support and assure them that existing membership will be valid at the new Cloakham Lawn facility

Axminster Leisure Centre will remain open on evenings, weekends and during school holidays for indoor sports and 3G pitch bookings as normal

A spokesperson added: "We are really ex cited to share this move to a bigger and better facility with you and cannot wait to open a new fitness and wellness Hub that Axminster can be proud of To follow our progress and for more information on our exclusive membership offer please follow our Facebook page ”

Long-a waited skatepark officially opened

FRANCESCA EVANS francesca@lyme

AXMINSTER’S long awaited skatepark was of ficially opened in front of large crowds on Sun day, October 16

After the old skatepark was closed down having been deemed no longer safe, skaters and sup porters campaigned for years for a new facility to be built

Finally, work got underway in two stages ear lier this year, with the second phase of the new poured concrete skatepark, designed by Maver ick Industries, at Cloakham Lawn having re cently been completed

The new park has already proved a huge hit with keen skaters and bikers, and was officially opened at a well attended event on Sunday

The ribbon was cut by the Mayor of Axminster, Cllr Jill Farrow, and guests were welcomed by members of the skatepark committee, including secretary Eve Chubb, who thanked all those who had contributed towards the project

In an emotional moment, a plaque in memory of Eve's son Tom Chubb, who inspired her con tinued campaigning for a new skatepark, was unveiled

The plaque read: "Tom made friends with ev eryone he met Please do the same and make this park a happy place for all "

While Axminster Town Council and East Devon District Council supported the cost of building the skatepark, the facility is being inde pendently run as a charity, meaning it has to

cover all its own costs going forward, including maintenance, waste disposal and the main ex pense of insurance at about £2,000 a year

Among those attending the opening event were representatives from Tesco in Axminster, who presented a cheque for £400 towards the ongo ing running costs

The skatepark committee has outlined its plans for the future, saying it wants the skatepark to become a "community hub"

They hope to install new fencing that could fea ture advertising boards, create seating areas

with one specifically for parents and young chil dren, a catering pitch, art wall, events area and merchandise to sell

They are also developing a new service called 'ASK', with a QR code to be displayed at the skatepark which young people will be able to scan for help and advice

The service will ask the user questions about their concerns and then direct them to helpful websites offering professional advice, helping them with things such as mental health and bul lying

Train sta tion staff win a ward for their dedica tion

STAFF at Axminster Railway Station have been recognised with an award for their dedication

Axminster Town Council sponsored Axminster Railway Station in the 'Stations in Bloom' awards, where Axminster competed against other stations across the South Western Railway network, from Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Hamp shire and Wiltshire

Judging was co ordinated by Caroline Rowland of the Blackmore Vale Community Rail Partner ship and awards were presented last week by Claire Mann, managing director of South West ern Railway, at a ceremony held in Sherborne

Based on the guiding principles of community involvement, sustainability, and horticultural prowess, the event was culmination of a summer of judging which considered floral displays, the range of activities by volunteers, positive envi ronmental impact, community engagement with schools and other local groups, and coordination with onward transport links

The awards also recognised the hard work and

dedication of station staff and volunteers from across the rail network to make each station a welcoming place and promote rail travel and each of the settlements along the rail line

Axminster Town Council were delighted to pro vide colourful bunting, which decorated most of the station and its platforms throughout the summer

The staff at Axminster station also gave it a spruce up with a lick of paint and some upcycled planters They hope to add more planters in the coming months in collaboration with our com munity

The staff were rewarded with a silver award for "fantastic and dedicated effort by railway staff"

Leanne Watterson and Alexander Spry, station managers, collected the award

A spokesperson for Axminster Town Council said: "Anyone who travels by train regularly from Axminster will know how helpful and friendly the team are We are sure you will agree the award is well deserved "

Golden token for Nourish!

AXMINSTER charity Nourish, which provides food for vulnerable residents, was the lucky winner of one of Tesco's £10,000 Golden Grants’

Tesco pledged to give £100million more to community organisations across the country through its Com munity Grants scheme

This usually sees customers vote for their preferred charities and or ganisations in store using blue to kens, but gold tokens were made available in 100 Tesco stores to give participating organisations an incredible £10,000 boost Tesco in Axminster was chosen to take part in the golden token

scheme after community champion Emma Cole won an award for her work supporting residents and or ganisations in Axminster

A lucky dip was held in store with one customer picking out the golden token and choosing Nourish as their preferred charity

Karen Taylor, founder of Nourish, said she was "overwhelmed" by the grant and expressed her thanks to Tesco and the shopper who se lected Nourish as the winner

She said they had not yet decided how best to spend the money, but it would be most useful in continu ing to support the Axminster com munity amid the cost of living crisis

The Mayor of Axminster, Cllr Jill Farrow, cuts the ribbon at the new skatepark, watched by members of Axminster Skatepark Committee

Leanne Watterson and Alexander Spr y, station man agers at Axminster railway station, with their certificate

Army veteran presented with medals 75 years on

WHENGeoff Collingbine joined us at Dove Court, in Seaton, I had the conversation that I al ways have with new residents about their life before coming to the care home

During the course of the conversation, Geoff mentioned that he had been in the Army and, being a history nerd, I asked a few additional questions about that time

It transpired that Geoff had joined up in De cember 1944 as an 18 year old conscript He had originally been meant to join the RAF, but with the vagaries that often characterise the military, Geoff ended up in the Middlesex Regiment instead

Before Geoff could deploy, Germany was de feated so his regiment was preparing for the invasion of Japan However, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan abruptly ended the war in the East and probably saved Geoff's life, as an opposed invasion of Japan would have been a terrible affair for the infantry Instead, the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regi ment deployed to the Middle East and Geoff spent the next two years serving in Egypt and

SPECIAL FEATURE

By Doveleigh Care Senior Activity Coordinator Philip Adams

what was then still Palestine, where he was in volved in a campaign that saw the British Army stuck in the middle of a conflict be tween the Palestinians and the Jews that would eventually lead to the creation of Israel in 1948

During that almost forgotten campaign, 750 British military personnel and police were killed in action or during incidents including the infamous King David Hotel bombing in 1946

Having reached the rank of corporal, Geoff was demobbed on his return to the UK, mar ried and started a family and worked for British Rail before becoming a Master Printer and manager of a company

During our conversation, Geoff told me that he had never received, or even applied for, any medals for which he might have qualified for because he didn't feel that he had done anything special A bit of simple research very

quickly confirmed what I had originally thought; Geoff was entitled to two medals

I contacted the Min istry of Defence Medal Office at Insworth and sent off the application form Very soon af terwards, two medals duly arrived; the War Medal 1939 45 for Geoff's service be tween 1944 and 1945, and the General Ser vice Medal with the clasp for Palestine 1945 48

Regulations for the military today state that medals should be properly presented to the recipient either on parade or in a pri vate setting We opted for the private setting, as a military band would not fit in our conser vatory!

Geoff did not want the medals mounted so as to be worn but we did, however, ask Doveleigh Care Ltd's managing director,

Play raises more than £2,200 for Hospice a t Home

THE first time local author Chrissy Evans heard about the Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends funding palliative care service Hospice at Home was when her closest friend, diag nosed with cancer, was reaching the end of her life and needed care at home

"That was the first time I heard about it," said Chrissy "What's more, I was astonished to learn that the service is entirely funded by vol unteers the Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends who have to raise more than £300,000 each year to keep the service afloat "I asked myself what I could do to support them and, as I'm not fit enough to climb moun tains or ride around the country on a bike for sponsorship, I wrote a play "

'SOS Does Shakespeare', about the hapless Seaton on Sea am dram group, was the resul tant play, recently staged at Colyton Town Hall Chrissy had hoped to raise £1,000 for the Seaton Hospice at Home Service, but over the two night run she more than doubled this target and made a total of £2,257

So many people came together to help Chrissy turn her idea into reality A friend, Chris tine Newton acted as producer and Steve Miller, technical manager at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, agreed to be director

Local people from the community some of whom had never acted before formed the cast, and even Seaton's Mayor, Cllr Amrik Singh, made a guest appearance

Local businesses in Colyton, Colyford, Beer and Seaton set up box offices to sell tickets, and local theatres and am dram groups in Axminster, Colyton and Seaton gave valuable help, advice and supplied the costumes

A cheque for the Seaton Hospice at Home ser vice was presented to Dr Mark Welland, chair of the League of Friends, last week

Lycia Moore, manager of Seaton and District Hospital League of Friends, said: On behalf of the League of Friends, I would like to thank Chrissy, Christine, Steve and the team for all their hard work, enthusiasm and for raising an amazing £2,257 for Seaton Hospice at Home ”

Play cast members with Christine Newton, Steve Miller, Chrissy Evans, League of Friends chairman Dr Mark Welland and Mary Bowles, League trustee (photo by Lycia Moore)

Keith Mills, himself a veteran Royal Marines Officer and recipient of the Distinguished Ser vice Cross for his defence of South Georgia at the start of the Falklands War, to present the medals on one of our regular Thursday music afternoons

Ar my veteran Geoffrey Collingbine finally receives his medals from Keith Mills, Doveleigh Care Ltd managing director, veteran Royal Marines Officer and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross

classifieds&jobs

DINING CHAIRS six brown leather and light oak roll back chairs, £60 07484 781 137

SOFA, 3 seater, burgundy leather with ma hogany carvings embedded at ends, cost £600, selling for £100, photos available on request, beautiful furniture as new 07789 537 011

CEILING FAN/LIGHT, white with gold coach work (Tennesse style), three speeds, switch and two pull cords, photos available on request, £40 07789 537 011

JIGSAW PUZZLES 500 1000 pieces good quality, House of Puzzles, Gibsons, Falcon, etc, various subjects, from £2 each with all profits to Devon Air Ambulance 0748 751 6791

LOUNGE RUG, patterned, terracotta, cream and grey, 152cm x 122cm, £20 01297 444193

CURTAINS, three pairs of lined, plain terracotta curtains, £20 a pair, and one pair of line, plain terracotta curtains for patio door, £20 01297 444193

ROLLER BLIND fawn 188cm wide £15 01297 444193

WRITING SLOPE, Victorian, rosewood, secret drawers, fair condition, £75 07527 538 863

STAMP ALBUMS, three available, £40 07527 538 863

YUCCA ELEPHANTIPE TREE, two/stems, 90cm from pot rim, £12 01297 678602

STAGHORN SUMAC TREE, 70cm from pot rim, £8 01297 678602

TELEVISION, 37” Panasonic Veira with free view/freesat, HD, good working order and con dition, £25 Also free Humax Foxsat HDR TV recorder 01297 443695

ITEMS FOR SALE

MEETING ROOM CHAIR, metal frame with arms, seat and back in red, £25 07780 023

OFFICE SWIVEL

07780

37 5 worn once (wedding) includes dust bag £20 07900 657 475

LADIES SHOES, Hotter, silver cross over style, size 4, hardly used, excellent condition, £10 07900 657 475

LADIES SHOES, Josef Seibel, black sandals, three cross over straps, size 36 , hardly worn, excellent condition, £15 07900 657 475

BARBECUE, Cadoc Global gas barbecue, good condition complete with carry bag, stand, burner, BBQ tools, gas hose and regulator, lid with adjustment and outdoor cover New similar model Carri chef is over £200, selling for £45, photos available on request 07971 991 012

BEDSIDE RUGS, almost new pair from Dunelm, duck egg, slightly fluffy £20 01297 691497

ROMAN BLINDS with valance, new, sand stone, 6ft

6ft, light filtering, £35 07780 023

SHELVEING AND FIXTURES

a range of slat wall brackets and panels, and pine shelves in various lengths from 2 85m to 1 15m, removed from workshop for details and prices call 07780 023 319

WALKING FRAME, Rollator, 4 wheels, seat, bag, brakes, foldable for car boot, as new, £39 07971 991 012

WHEELCHAIR ‘Days’ lightweight excellent condition £50 07812 937 662

DOUBLE OVEN Hotpoint brand new £145 can deliver 07710 199 499

CERAMIC HOB, Ignis, slim, little used, £55, can deliver 07710 199 499

PLATE DRAINER, Baumatic, brand new, £30, can deliver 07710 199 499

LADIES SHOES, Reiss, beige leather, 3 5 inch heels, size 5, fun fur (short) fronts in beige/brown/cream, never worn, includes dust bag, £15 07900 657 475

LADIES SHOES, Russell and Bromley, elegant burgundy suede court shoes, 3 inch heels, size

WATERPOOF LADIES JACKET Paramo walk ing jacket, size medium, excellent condition, no tears or holes, £40 07900 657 475

MEN’S WAISTCOAST, black leather, size XL, never worn as wrong size ordered, excellent condition 07475 504 831

ORGANIC APPLES, sweet eating and cookers, 50p per lb 01297 443930

PLANTS, hydrangeas, buddleias, foxgloves, ajugas, hypericons 01297 443930

TABLE & 4 CHAIRS, FREE 01297 24745

GARAGES FOR RENT, three garages for rent for £150 per month each in Uplyme, suitable for storage or small cars size 6m x 2 6m 07890 455 790

FRIDGE, under counter, freezer compartment, good and clean condition, £20, buyer collects 01297 561439

PRESSURE WASHER, Parkside PHD150, good conditio, £30 01297 20261

SENATOR STAMP ALBUM, USA, £60 07527 538 863

STAMP ALBUMS, Stanley Gibbons A Z, new, no stamps, £5, and 10 blank page albums, £1 each 07527 538 863

HOUSE MOVING SALE

THIS WEEKEND

October 29th & 30th, 11am 2pm

1 Charmouth Close, Lyme Regis

Items for sale include new condition 4ft chest freezer, handmade grandmother clock and matching wall clock, and lots of other household items in good condition

Great bargains!

Call 01297 445651 for details

Send your items for sale up to the value of £200 to LymeOnline, Unit 5 Uplyme Business Park, Uplyme Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS or email listings to edit@lyme-online.co.uk

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

SEASIDERS PUSHING FOR THE TOP PREMIER SPOT

LYME Regis First Team’s impressive form continued on Saturday with a 3 2 vic tory over previously un beaten Elmore 2nds, narrowing the gap with Devon and Exeter Premier leaders Alphington to five points but with a game in hand

Elmore are the only side to beat the league leaders, a feat which the Seasiders hope to repeat tomorrow (Saturday) when they travel to the Exeter side

It was one of those games where no quarter was given by either side and the referee was kept busy throughout the 90 minutes, finally calling both captains together because of the number of incidents taking place off the ball

Lyme started strongly with Brad Rowe shooting wide in the first minute But it was El more who opened the scoring with a well taken free kick into the top corner in the tenth

minute The Seasiders were back on term with a spectacu lar strike, 35 yards out on the left flank from Mark Bailey, his 151st goal for the club and cer tainly one of his finest Lyme took the lead in the 19th minute when the industrious Ben Turner fed a perfect through ball for top scorer Fred Parsons to slot home

Later in the half the two com bined well again but on this oc casion it was Turner who shot just wide Strong running Brad Rowe was causing the Elmore back line all sorts of problems with his strong run ning up front and he was un lucky not to have increased Lyme’s lead when, sliding in, he failed to get hold of a perfect Parsons’ cross

Rowe also went close when his volley from an another inci sive Parsons’ cross screamed over the bar At the other end

Uplyme move into fourth place in Division Four

UPLYME 1sts welcomed neigh bours Colyton 2nds to Venlake on Saturday and ran out comfort able 3 0 victors.

Connor Tate started the scoring midway through the first half, with a drive from the edge of the box from a pinpoint Oli Alner cor ner.

Colyton worked hard with early long balls down the flanks, but the Swallows’ back four were or ganised effectively by Rikky Toyer and Todd Lowe was largely unchallenged in goal

Although the home team were struggling to find their range with passing, the second goal scored by Marcus Symonds early in the second half gave Uplyme the cushion and deflated any idea of

an equaliser from Colyton His long range drive caught the keeper in no man’s land and the home team then started to move the ball much better Connor Tate scored again to put the game beyond doubt and Uplyme move to fourth in the very competitive division.

“An attritional performance,” commented manager Steve Gillan “We struggled to find a rhythm in the first half due to a couple of hardworking veterans in the opposition midfield and some good, young players willing to do those hard yards

“We always had the collective dominance, but just needed a bit of patience

“Nate Gillan was outstanding at

left back and Rikky Toyer brings a super, cohesive attitude to our defence A fourth clean sheet for Todd is a great start. The lads are working so hard We lost three excellent players from our mid field at the start of this season and any team losing a core like that could crumple but our prin ciples have remained and we continue to work hard for each other ”

Tomorrow (Saturday) Uplyme Firsts are at home to sixth placed Budleigh Salterton (kick off 3pm) Uplyme Reserves are away to Chard United A, who are in sec ond place in Perry Street Division Three

keeper Will Meech brought off a number of brave saves to keep Elmore at bay

The Tiverton side came out strong after the break and dominated proceedings until Lyme grabbed a third goal when a cross from Rowe was slotted home by Parsons But in a sloppy piece of de fending Lyme conceded a sec ond straight from the re start to set up an entertaining last 20 minutes which saw the Seasiders hang on to their lead in dogged fashion Elmore are one of the better football sides in the league and may well have thought they de served a point from this bruis ing encounter, but this was a typical Seasiders’ victory, win ning battles all over the park Manager Julien Simier was delighted with the perfor mance of his side, praising the midfield trio of Cally Garrett, Ben Turner and Fred Parsons for their work rate. There were many contenders for man of the match but in the end Simier gave the acco lade to Brad Rowe for leading the front with such commit ment

So Lyme go to their toughest opponents tomorrow (Satur day) with the confidence that they came out on top against Elmore and are capable of doing likewise at Alphington Squad: Will Meech, Alex Rowe, Dan Beer, Robbie Fowler, Josh Rawlins; Robbie Fellingham; Cally Garrett, Ben Turner, Fred Parsons; Mark Bailey, Brad Rowe Substi tutes: Fred Thomson, Hadyn Lewis

Lyme Regis Reserves were away to AFC Exe and lost 5 1 Tomorrow they are at home to Heavitree United 1sts, third in Division Four. Kick off 3pm

Flyers and Marksmen share lead

FLYERS and Marksmen share the lead in the refor med Lyme Regis Skittles League

After three games they share the leadership with six points each. Results (week ending October 22): Anthill Mob beat Trappers (game given); Hot Gossips 331, Skittso’s 306; President’s Men 359, Roadrunners 382; Pin Pals 299, Hopes Wrecked 353; Wootton Wobblers 279, Skittle Me Timbers 299; Marksmen 348, British Le gion 324; Rousdon Revels 333, Al leytwits 329; Clueless 368, Flyers 388

High scores: Fred Parsons 84, Kieran Bearpark 81, Lloyd Dare 78, Paul Moffitt 78, Kevin Trott 74

Volly top of both tables

VOLUNTEER Lyme Regis top both ta bles in the Lyme Regis Winter Crib bage League

After week eight the Volly top the match table with a two point lead over Axminster Con Club, who have a game in hand

The Volley also top the Beer Leg but the Gerard Arms Colyton are hot on their tail, trailing by two points but with two games in hand

Fixtures for Monday, October 31: Gerrard Arms v Volly Rejects; Barrel of Beer B bye; Lamb Swans v New Inn Kilmington; Barrel of Beer A v The Castle Axminster; Volunteer Lyme Regis v The Hind Musbury; Axminster Con Club bye

LymeOnline

5, Uplyme Business Park, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS

by Newsquest, Weymouth

In

striker Brad Rowe who won the man of the match accolade in Lyme’s 3 2 victor y over El