LymeOnline Digital Edition - September 30 2022

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DORSET Council has secured £2.5mil lion in funding from the Environment Agency to stabilise, protect and repair the historic Cobb in Lyme Regis

This will be the fifth and final phase of their long term Environmental Improvement Strategy in the seaside town.

The strategy started with the new sewage treatment works and Gun Cliff Walk, opened in the early 1990s, and has also included sta bilisation of Langmoor and Lister Gardens,

reprofiling of the town’s main beach and an extension of the Cart Road, and the stabilisa tion of East Cliff and construction of the new Church Cliff Walk promenade

Attention now turns to protecting the future of Lyme Regis’ most famous landmark, the Grade I listed Cobb harbour The overall cost of the project is expected to

be about £3million, with the Environment Agency offering the majority of this and the rest provided by Dorset Council

The famous harbour and breakwater protect the Lyme Bay area from coastal erosion and flooding However, structural investigations have shown significant signs of sea floor ero sion, which is gradually destabilising the Cobb

The erosion is so significant that, without in

New chief takes over at lifeboat station

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■ BARONESS Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb, one of only two peers representing the Green Party in the House of Lords, made a visit to Lyme Regis last week to meet Green councillor Belinda Bawden and volunteers who are campaigning to improve the water quality of the River Lim and bathing waters See pages 10 and 11 for our special feature

Photo by MAX REDWOOD

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LYME Regis residents have shared their ex periences of joining the miles long queue to see the Queen Lying in State at Westminster Hall Ian Marshall, vice president of the Lyme Regis branch of the Royal British Legion, and his wife Annemarie, and Joshua Yelland, leader of the 1st Lym Valley Scout Group, were among those to pay their respects in London REPORT, PAGE 12

LONG SERVING lifeboat volunteer Mark Col ley has taken on the most senior volunteer role at Lyme Regis lifeboat station Mark, a 58 year old carpenter, who was at the helm of the town’s lifeboat for 14 years is the new lifeboat operations manager REPORT, PAGE 15

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Funding secured to protect Cobb

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE tervention, the Cobb would no longer work as a breakwater by 2044 This would put over 100 properties at risk of flooding and coastal erosion

Phase 1 4 of the Lyme Regis Environmental Improvement Strategy started in 1995 with the construction of sea walls and rock armour (Phase 1), followed by foreshore and land sta bilisation works to the main town beach and public gardens, completed in 2007 (Phases 2 & 3)

Phase 4, completed in 2014, included fore shore and land stabilisation works to the Church Cliff and East Cliff areas of the town, along with a concrete sea wall in front of the existing sea wall, which was in poor condition

Phase 5, which could start in summer 2024 and expected to finish the following year, in cludes proposals for the construction of a sheet pile and concrete toe wall, and a tension pile to anchor the harbour walls

The proposed summer start is to try and iso late the outer wall works in periods when the sea and climate is generally calmer, with an aim to minimise public and business disrup tion

Plans will also include the resurfacing of part of the Cobb’s walkway and fish landing quay,

which is seen to be in poor condition and can restrict access for the less abled, along with improved utility services

Dorset Council will work closely with His toric England and other heritage groups to en sure plans are sensitive to the inherent historical and cultural quality of the Cobb

Additionally, Dorset Coast Forum, an inde pendent strategic coastal partnership, will lead on the wider public, community and commer cial engagement to ensure that the views and concerns of local users and the wider commu nity are heard

This will mitigate any adverse impacts or re duced access to the commercial harbour, which hosts a variety of business users

Councillor Ray Bryan, portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, at Dorset Council said: “Lyme Regis’s Cobb is a vital structure that protects the town from coastal erosion and flooding, it is also a beautiful, his toric, and iconic structure and we need to do what we can to protect it and the town “ I fully support the plans to stabilise the Cobb and provide improved access for the public along with an improved working areas for the businesses that rely on the Cobb for their livelihoods ”

Helping Lyme stay warm this winter

LYME Regis Development Trust is putting in place special measures to help people stay warm this winter, opening the Community Café at The Hub, Church Street, for much longer hours as a Warm Café from November 1

CEO David Tucker said: “Our charity is abso lutely committed to supporting local people through the cost of living crisis We’ll be provid ing a Warm Cafe on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons

“We’ll be providing local people with hot drinks and biscuits in a warm and welcoming environment Our café has free wi fi and we ll be playing Lyme Bay Radio in the background People will be able to chat with friends, play board games or just read”

More volunteers are needed to help operate the Warm Café, who enjoy chatting Volunteers will refill the hot water flasks, clear up spillages, but most importantly be a welcoming face They will not need to handle money or use a card machine

Volunteers will work in teams of two, and there will always be staff and other volunteers in the building By volunteering you’ll be making a sig nificant contribution to the health of your neigh bours this winter Those interested should contact David on ceo@lrdt co uk or Krizim on opsmanager@lrdt co uk or call 01297445021

DEATH NOTICE

SUSAN ANN PUDDICOMBE

At home on Saturday 10th September 2022 aged 72 years.

A much loved wife to David and mum to Matthew and Joanne. A grandmum to Sam, Rosie and William.

Private funeral. Family flowers only but donations if desired to Cancer Research UK c/o AJ Wakely & Sons, 7a Silver Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 3HR.

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

Newspapers are not responsible for rainforest depletion; the hardwoods from tropical rain forests are simply not suitable for newsprint pro duction

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

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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!

The Grade I listed Cobb is Lyme Regis’ most famous landmark and an important breakwater protecting the harbour and many homes and businesses

Photo by RICHARD AUSTIN

Man arrested as police ‘continue crackdown on drugs’

A LYME Regis man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug after two war rants were executed by police last week

At approximately 9am on Wednesday, September 21, officers executed the warrants at an address in the South Street area of Brid port and in the Queen’s Walk area of Lyme Regis

The warrants form part of the police force’s Operation Viper initiative proactively target ing and disrupting the activities of those be lieved to be drug dealing in the community

During searches of both addresses, officers seized suspected class A drugs, as well as sus pected stolen property

A 28 year old man from Lyme Regis was ar rested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug and was issued with a conditional cau tion.

Police Sergeant Mike Brown, of West Dorset Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These warrants were carried out following informa tion from the public in relation to reported drug related activity

“The action involved joint working by multi ple teams across the Force, including the local neighbourhood policing team, the Neighbour hood Enforcement Team (NET) and officers from the Force Support Group (FSG)

“We are committed to tackling issues in the local area that we know cause concern for res idents and will continue to relentlessly target those believed to be supplying drugs in our county ”

Dorset Police has said it is continuing its crackdown on drugs, drug gangs, and county lines

Over the summer months, the force has been ramping up its assault on illegal drugs and those who profit from them

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “Drug crime brings misery to our communities and our officers have been relentless in dealing with drug related crime across the county,

FRANCESCA EVANS

francesca@lyme online co uk

protecting our communities and safeguarding vulnerable people ”

During August Dorset Police officers have: Carried out 46 disruptions active county lines have been disrupted and police continue to investigate information passed on by the public

Carried out 33 safe and well checks ensur ing vulnerable people especially children and young people are kept safe within their own homes

Safeguarded 19 people providing longer term protection to vulnerable people (includ ing children) who have been impacted by county lines activity

Made 12 arrests a number of people were arrested in relation the supply of Class A and Class B drugs, including one which related to coercing children into committing drug re lated assaults

In addition, following extensive investigation work and a successful prosecution, two men have been convicted of supplying Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and are cur rently awaiting sentence

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell of Dorset Police, said: “We continue to disrupt county lines to protect young people and safe guard those at risk.

“We work in collaboration with other forces and our partner agencies to disrupt the efforts of those suspected of being involved in county lines drugs operations and will relentlessly pursue all reports of criminality

“I would encourage any members of the community to report their concerns to Dorset Police so we can investigate and take action ”

Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sid wick added: “One of the key priorities of my Police and Crime Plan is to deal with fighting violent crime and high harm and that, of

course, includes drugs, particularly the county lines gangs who bring heroin, crack cocaine and other substances from the big cities into our small towns and villages

“I am delighted to witness county lines being tackled so robustly by our police force in Dorset criminals should have no doubt that law enforcement agencies across the country are working together to drive them out of our community ”

Operation Viper sees a dedicated team of po lice officers working alongside local neigh bourhood policing teams to use intelligence and enforcement to tackle suspected county lines and dangerous drugs gangs and make the region a hostile place for those intent on deal ing drugs and bringing misery to Dorset com munities

The initiative aims to provide visibility, proactive enforcement and community en gagement, as well as a dedicated County Lines Task Force, to disrupt incoming suspected drug networks It also feeds into the regional intelligence picture to prevent harm and drugs coming into the county from around the coun try

The so called ‘crackdown’ comes as an in creasing number of residents in Lyme Regis have made complaints about how anti social behaviour and drug related crimes are affect ing their lives, particularly in the main resi dential estate of the town, where they have said police and Magna Housing are not doing enough to tackle the issues

To report suspected drug dealing in your community, contact Dorset Police via the web site www dorset police uk/contact, or by emailing email 101@dorset pnn police uk or call 101 If a crime is in progress, dial 999

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers uk org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111

Rotar y raises funds after Pakistan floods

THE Rotary Club of Lyme Regis recently or ganised a street collection to help with the devastation and floods in Pakistan

Through collections in Lyme Regis and Charmouth, the club raised £400 and mem bers would like to thank all those who do nated

The money collected will be donated to the Rotary Disaster Recovery Trust, which makes grants to Rotary projects to help the communities in Pakistan get back on their feet

A spokesperson for Rotary said: “The floods in Pakistan have been devastating with many people killed and many not just losing their possessions, but their entire homes, livestock, crops, tools, everything, so their is a great deal of rebuilding to be undertaken to which Rotary intends to con tribute

“Our thanks from the Rotary Club to ev eryone!”

Morris side looking for new male and female members

LYME Morris is now recruiting both male and female dancers and musicians

The morris side is hosting two free recruit ment afternoons and workshops on Octo ber 22 and 29 at Lyme Regis Baptist Church, both starting at 2pm, ahead of next year’s busy season of events

No experience is required to dance, all you need is a pair of comfortable shoes Musi cians interested in playing lively folk music can bring along their instruments

To book or for further information, contact Lyme Morris squire Peter Morton on pete morton56@googlemail com or call 07917 748 087

DORSET NEWS

Work gets started at County Hall to set budget amid rising costs

WORK has begun at Dorset Council on set ting the budget for next financial year, 2023 24

A report to be considered at the Cabinet meeting on October 4 shows that Dorset Council is currently facing a £29million bud get gap in the next financial year

All councils are required by law to set a bal anced budget with expenditure balanced by income, so work will take place over the com ing months to close this gap

There are three main variables which are af fecting the council’s finances, and over which the council has little to no control:

1) Inflation: Dorset Council, like many households and businesses, is facing the chal lenge of inflation

Costs are increasing at an unprecedented rate, affecting many services the council pro vides For example, rising fuel costs are im pacting on transport services, while capital costs for road works and new buildings are af fected by infrastructure price rises

2) Employee pay awards: The nationally agreed pay offer for next year alone is antici pated to cost the council an extra £6million

3) Adult social care: Demand continues to grow due to the aging population, and new government reforms coming in over the next year will cost significant sums to implement

Dorset Council has already written a letter to new Prime Minister Liz Truss calling for more support in this sector

The Cabinet report explains that Dorset Council faces a high level of uncertainty over its budget position at this point in the year.

It is not known what will happen with infla tion over the coming months so budget set ting has to be based on sensible forecasts And the government’s financial settlement to councils will not be announced until the end of the year

Cllr Gary Suttle, portfolio holder for Fi nance, Commercial and Capital Strategy, said: “Once again, we face a challenging bud get situation, as do nearly all councils across the country Dorset Council continues to be under funded by Government, but this is now exacerbated by inflation

“As councillors, we must work hard over the coming months to set a balanced budget This may require some difficult decisions

“I’m acutely aware this comes at a time when people are increasingly struggling to make ends meet

“Support for people who need it most will be prioritised and we ’ re continuing to press our MPs and the new government for a better deal for our taxpayers ”

More than 20 new vehicle charging points being installed across county

DORSET Council’s plans to increase the num ber of public charge points for electric vehicles (EVs) in the county are now underway, with the first new charging unit installed in Sher borne this month

This expansion to the existing charging net work will see a combination of fast (22kW), rapid (50kW) and ultra fast (150kW) charging units installed across Dorset; the latter allow ing users to charge 100 miles in just ten min utes

Increasing the number of EV charging points available to Dorset’s residents and visitors is a key action in the council’s ambitious Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy and will be essential if Dorset hopes to meet the govern ment target of becoming a carbon neutral county by 2050

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “In rural counties like Dorset, car owner ship is amongst the highest in the country

“By increasing the provision of electric vehi cle charging points, we hope to provide the es sential infrastructure needed to encourage more car owners in Dorset to choose electric vehicles over petrol and diesel equivalents

“Travel is one of the biggest contributors to our county’s carbon footprint, so, as part of our response to the climate and ecological emer gency, it’s vital we make the changes needed to help tackle this ”

The new charging points, which are being in stalled by Joju Charging, are planned for the 23 locations across Dorset, including at Holm bush car park in Lyme Regis, Lower Sea Lane car park in Charmouth, South Street and Ropes Walk car parks in Bridport and several others

Funding to install and manage the new charge points is coming from a mixture of

sources, with the main bulk of the cost (77 per cent) being met by Joju and their funding part ners Mer

The remaining costs are being funded by the council through a mixture of developer funding and the Department of Transport’s On Street Residential Charging Scheme

Chas Warlow, head of sales for Joju Charg ing, added: “Joju is delighted to be working with Dorset Council once again, following the success of our partnership with the council and Mer Charging UK on the first phase of the council’s roll out of EV charging infrastruc ture ”

Once this phase of installations is complete, Dorset Council will have more than 80 charg ing units in its sponsored network, helping to keep Dorset in the top 20 per cent of charge point numbers in the country

To view the locations of all Dorset’s charge points, visit www zap map com

Christopher Whitehouse, Dorset Council’s transport projects officer, said of the newest in stallation at Old Market car park in Sherborne: “As project manager, it’s really exciting to see the first charge point of this year ’ s ambitious installation programme go live

“We hope this will encourage householders without space for their own charge point to consider making the switch to an electric car ”

Plans to extend Dorset’s charging network further are already taking shape, with the council announcing last month it had success fully secured funding to improve charging in frastructure in more rural parts of the county

This next phase of work is expected to begin in the new year

For more information on electric vehicle charge points in Dorset, including where you can find them, how to use them, and how much they cost, visit the Dorset Council website

The la test news from across the county

www lyme online co uk for more

Dorset to stage Festival of Future

A FIVE day festival will be staged at loca tions across Dorset next month to show case the county’s exciting digital future

Dorset Council’s Festival of the Future is back for the third year running and it will be a hybrid event where people can attend in person or take part virtually Held from October 10 to 14, #Fu tureFest22 will come to Bridport, Dorch ester, Fer ndown, Weymouth and Winfrith to highlight how innovation and technol ogy could transform the county Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Cor porate Development and Transformation, Cllr Jill Haynes, said: “Our festival will be a fully fledged hybrid experience where we will be live with a local audience and avail able online for people to view as a live broadcast

“It promises to be a lot of fun, very excit ing and enlightening as we look into the possibilities our future might hold and best of all it is completely free to attend ”

This year’s festival will feature ground breaking digital innovation in farming, ed ucation, tourism, health and the climate

A spotlight will be thrown on the breadth of careers in digital and the support avail able to help small businesses innovate

The festival will also highlight the impor tance of making sure everyone is included in the county’s digital future and that Dorset has the right skills for a digital

economy

Young people will have their input, with school children taking part in Dorset’s first ever Coding Day and college students ex amining how Augmented Reality and Vir tual Reality can transform a tourist attraction

Guest speakers and experts will share the latest thinking and their ideas about the possibilities of a digital future

And exploring the lessons lear ned from the ground breaking 5G RuralDorset pro ject, the festival will demonstrate what a digital town might look, using Weymouth as the setting

Dorset Council’s chief executive, Matt Prosser, said: “We’ll be exploring very im portant issues and relevant topics but in a relaxed, fun packed way full of festival at mosphere

“We won't necessarily be able to deliver all solutions and some of these imagina tive ideas generated might never take off from the concept board

“But we want to make people excited about the opportunities that exist for digi tal innovation and investment that could make Dorset an even better place to live, work and visit ”

To find out what is happening on each day of the festival, and to book free tickets, go to www dorsetcouncil gov uk/festival of the future 2022

Dorset Greener Homes to help you sa ve on bills

WITH fuel prices soaring, this promises to be a hard winter for people struggling to pay their bills

There is a wealth of advice on offer from vol unteers inviting visitors as part of the Dorset Greener Homes weekends They will be focus ing on how to save energy in the home, from switching lightbulbs to LEDs to unplugging devices which draw electricity on standby

Over two weekends at the beginning of Oc tober, 60 homes across Dorset including three in Lyme Regis and many more in West Dorset will be open to visitors to give practi cal help on how you can use less energy and resources

Colin Tracy, one of the organisers of Dorset Greener Homes, said: “Much of the available advice on insulating your home comes from people who are trying to sell you their own

product

“By visiting private homes where the owner has installed insulation or heat pumps, visitors can learn from their experience in an unbiased way ”

The homes range from new build eco homes with heat pumps and ventilation sys tems to simpler and cheaper approaches to making a home greener In one of the homes the owner has installed internal insulation on the walls using natural materials such as sheep’s wool to ensure that the home is not only warm but avoids problems of damp

The homes are spread over all of Dorset and open at different times Some require booking in advance

More details of the homes, opening times and how to book can be found on the website dorset greenopenhomes net

ALL OVER THE TOWN with LymeOnline

A little rest and relaxation, plus plenty of food!

SOmuch for the ‘back to school’ routine this autumn After a busy summer covering events, I was planning to get back to the normal nine to five, but September has been anything but routine.

The whole country, of course, came to a standstill following the death of Her Majesty the Queen and, having suffered two bouts of Covid in two months, I haven’t been feeling 100 per cent, so last week I decided to take some time out of the office to relax I did, however, still tune in via Zoom to the ‘crisis meeting’ called to discuss the future of the Flamingo Pool in Axminster.

As reported on page 26, the pool is at risk of closure in three years ’ time due to sky rocket ing energy costs Trustees are now hoping to raise £250,000 for the installation of renew able and sustainable energy sources, which will help cut down on running costs in the long term

The pool is a wonderful facility, not just for Axminster, but for many in Lyme Regis and across the local area, in particular the hy drotherapy pool is of great importance to those recovering from illness and injury.

In my efforts to get back to full health and fit ness, I have recently taken up swimming again at the Flamingo, and agree with Axminster councillor Jeremy Walden that it would be a “sad tragedy” to see the pool close, especially after the huge local fundraising effort to build it in the 1990s

After last week’s swim, I stopped by River Cottage on the way home as I have been meaning to try out the new River Cottage Kitchen for some time I had a delicious brunch of bubble and squeak with a poached egg and cheese sauce while enjoying excep tional views across the Axe Valley country side I’d definitely recommend

In fact, a lot of my week off like all my time off, to be honest was spent indulging in good food On Friday, I caught the train to Bristol to visit my oldest friend and we caught up over lunch at the trendy Wapping Wharf, where old shipping containers have been transformed into a complex of mini restaurants serving cui sine from all over the globe

It seems a popular choice, as I was watching Mary Berry’s new ‘Cook & Share’ series on the BBC this week, and saw she was eating in the exact same place!

I tuned in as I knew the Jurassic Coast would be featured in the cooking series and won dered if Lyme Regis might make an appear ance The town was shown in all its glory in episode four, with stunning backdrops of the

Cobb, Marine Parade and beaches although it wasn’t actually mentioned by name! Char mouth did, however, get a namedrop for its abundance of fossils

It seems that Lyme Regis and the surround ing area is truly the star of the small screen at the moment Earlier this month, brave volun teers from our lifeboat crew featured for the third time on the hugely popular BBC series ‘Saving Lives at Sea’, following them on a dra matic rescue off Axmouth And Burrow Farm Gardens, just across the East Devon border in Dalwood, featured on ‘Gardeners’ World’ last week

You can still catch up on all these pro grammes on BBC iPlayer

My foodie week was finished by helping out at the Cancer Research UK soup and sweet lunch on Saturday, where we raised more than £500 a big thank you to all our sup

editor Francesca Evans

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

porters You can find out more on our upcom ing Cancer Research events on page 11

After the lunch I headed off to Colyford Goose Fayre a high spirited village event that I have always enjoyed covering, and great to see it back for the first time since 2019 See our coverage on page 27 with more photos on the Seaton Nub News website

Finally it was back to Lyme for my final foodie task to help run the barbecue at Lyme Reis Football Club’s double header A hugely successful day for the Seasiders, which saw our First Team win 6 1 (see report on

page 32) and celebrations continued into the small hours at our monthly live music night with lots of former players and familiar faces returning to the Davey Fort

There was even a bit of drama as the air am bulance landed on the pitch just as the game finished The club sends its best wishes to the diver that was being treated

Having had the week off, I wasn’t really sure what I would write about in this column, but looking back at all that, perhaps it wasn’t such a restful week after all!

Remember to shop local this autumn

WITH the summer crowds dispersing, local businesses will no doubt be feeling appre hensive about what could be a difficult sea son to come amid the rising cost of living

When you’re doing your weekly shop (or dare I say it, Christmas shopping), this au tumn, spare a thought for the little man Supporting a small, independent business means your money stays within the local economy and makes a true difference to local traders, rather than disappearing into large national corporations

Next month, local councillor Belinda Baw den will once again be leading the Totally Locally Fiver Fest campaign, and is now asking local businesses to sign up and offer a special £5 deal for customers between October 8 and 22, with the aim of boosting

footfall on the local high street and support for independent businesses

Several have already signed up, with some Charmouth businesses also taking part in this month’s campaign Look out for full de tails on the £5 deals in future issues of Ly meOnline and on our website

Totally Locally has really taken off in neigh bouring town Axminster, which has even managed to relaunch its Chamber of Com merce in recent months

In October, they will be launching the ‘Big Deal for Axminster’ initiative, fighting back against the various pressures facing the town's businesses, while introducing deals that will help the community cope with the cost of living crisis See page 26 for full de tails

■ THERE’S a definite nip in the air and the night’s are drawing in It’s always sad to see summer slip away but autumn in Lyme Regis can be equally beautiful (and quieter!), bringing with it some stunning light in the early evening and amazing sunsets This photo was taken from the end of the Cobb looking back over the pontoon as the fishing boats returned from another day’s work Send your photos of the Lyme Regis area to edit@lyme online co uk and they could be featured on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, or in this column!

Delicious food and stunning views the new River Cot tage Kitchen at Park Farm, Trinity Hill

Police appeal for information after Lyme Regis jeweller y theft

OFFICERS investi gating a report of a burglary at a jew ellery store in Lyme Regis are appealing for information as they release images of some of the stolen items

It was reported that between around 1.40am and 2.45am on Tuesday, Septem ber 13 a break in oc curred at Jewellery by Lucy Campbell at the Town Mill, in Mill Lane, and a large number of handmade jewellery items were stolen

Following enquiries, a 59 year old man of no fixed abode was arrested on suspicion of burglary and re leased on police bail as officers continue with their investiga tion

Police Constable Anthony Elswood, of West Dorset police, said: “We are carrying out a number of enquiries into this matter and have obtained images of some of the items of jewellery that were re portedly stolen

“I would ask anyone who comes across these or similar items being offered for sale online or locally in unusual circumstances to please contact us

“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in

the area during the early hours of Tuesday 13 September 2022, or anybody else with infor mation that might assist our investigation ”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www dorset police uk/con tact or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220149883

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers uk org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111

Your mental health ma tters!

MENTAL health problems are on the in crease across the country; nationally, one in four of us now have some mental health problem

Services are under growing pressure So how can we best make use of the available provision for ourselves, those for whom we care, and our friends and neighbours?

A panel of those who know will explain what help and support is currently avail able and answer questions at a public forum to be held at the Woodmead Halls in Lyme Regis on Wednesday, October 26

The panel will include senior representa tives of the following services:

Dorset Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), which supports children and young people who are coping with significant mental health difficulties, and their families and carers

Steps to Wellbeing, which provides ther apies, support, and courses for people with mild to moderate anxiety and depres sion based problems

The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), providing care, advice and infor mation for people aged 18 and over with significant mental health problems

REACH Drug and Alcohol Service, which offers support to those over 18 who wish to address their drug and alcohol use, with a service also for under 18s

The Family Counselling Trust, which runs

low cost counselling services for children & young people aged 4 18 and their fami lies, taking referrals from GPs, schools & other professionals working with children, as well as from parents, carers and fami lies

The event will be chaired by local resident Hilton Davis, Professor of Child Health Psychology at King’s College, London, and formerly head of the Centre for Parent and Child Support at Guy’s Hospital, London

All are welcome to this free, public event arranged by the Patient Participation Group for Lyme Bay Medical Practice

You can send them any issues and ques tions in advance of the evening, as this may help panel members to focus on what’s important to you This will not pre vent questions and contributions on the night

Questions can be sent to DOCCG Pa tientParticipation lymebay@nhs net, or drop a note into the red ‘Messages for the PPG’ box inside the entrance to the Lyme Regis Medical Centre or Charmouth Med ical Practice

Gathering this range of mental health ex perts together in public is a rare event, so do grab the chance to come along and spread the word among your family, friends and neighbours and don’t forget to send in your questions for the panel The event will start at 7pm

Lyme Regis to say goodbye to unique art galler y after 20 years

LYME Regis will soon be saying goodbye to long running local business, the unique Bi zleyArt gallery in Coombe Street, which is closing in October after 20 years

Owner Richard Bizley said: “In 2002 we had the good fortune to be able to purchase a gallery from our friends, who were mov ing away The gallery, though rather small, was ideally situated for me, in the lovely old part of Lyme It was away from the hus tle and bustle of the main shopping street, so not too busy, which would have been difficult in view of my deafness

“Initially it was a challenge, as during that time I was running my own model making business, creating 1/200 scale die cast models of modern military aircraft, as well as running the gallery Within a few months, I gave up on the model making business and focused solely on my art and the gallery

“It was a steep learning curve, not only running the gallery, but as a self taught artist I had to learn a new set of skills, such as painting professionally, creating quality prints, framing, mounting, and so on

“It was a difficult balancing act to create paintings that appealed to the general pub lic, and also to do some more obscure or specialised subjects within the astronomi cal and prehistoric realms that I so love That said, I did more of the latter because publishers are always wanting scientific images

“Looking back over the past 20 odd years, it has been very hard work, and frus trating at times, such as during the quiet off season times, and sometimes lonely due to my deafness, plus of course the very specialised subjects that I often paint, which don’t appeal to everyone

“However, art has always been my pas

sion, and having my own space where I could paint for a living, and share my work with the general public, has been im mensely fulfilling

“I’ve had some delightful customers Some would come annually, and they be came a sort of extended family

“One thing I’ve especially enjoyed over the years is the chance to inspire the younger generation It’s so good to see par ents engaging with their children in the gallery, talking about science and art, and letting the children take their time to look around and ask questions It’s so impor tant to pass on a sense of wonder to young people

“A lady came in only the other day and said to me that it’s a shame I can’t hear what people are saying when they look at my gallery outside (I have the door open) She could hear them saying complimen tary things about my paintings I thought to myself, ‘Gosh, that’s 20 years of missed compliments!’

“When the gallery closes I will miss the interaction with the public, and being able to connect with people through my art But I feel very lucky to have had 20 years of doing this In my younger days I would never have dreamed that one day I’d own a gallery

:I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to live and work in this lovely town Do come and visit me before I close the door for the final time on October 29

“I will be continuing my painting journey from home, and will hopefully have many new opportunities, so I’ll think of the fu ture as the start of a new chapter ”

Bizley Art is currently holding a closing down sale with everything reduced and 20 per cent off prints and models

Richard Bizley pictured in his Coombe Street galler y

CONTENT

Shoreline Sauna here to stay for winter

SHORELINE Sauna in Lyme Regis will con tinue to welcome customers through the au tumn and winter season, and to celebrate is launching a new sauna session package, giv ing users nearly 50 per cent off the standard pay per session price

The mobile, wood fired sauna, located next to the lifeboat station at Lyme Regis’ famous Cobb, has proved a hit over summer and is here to stay for the remainder of the year

To welcome even more local sauna users and sea swimmers, Shoreline Sauna is launching a new package, which gives you five 45 minute ‘ open ’ sauna sessions for just £8 each (£40 in total) that’s a saving of £7 on the usual pay per session price

You can find this package on the booking page shorelinesauna co uk/book

It’s perfect for those wanting to continue to reap the benefits of sauna through the colder months, especially in conjunction with cold water swimming

Customers can enjoy 10 15 minutes heating up in the sauna, which sits at a toasty 60 80°C before taking a revitalising dip Shoreline Sauna also has a cold water bath and shower for anyone not wanting to brave the waves.

Co founder Nikki has thanked customers for supporting Shoreline Sauna through the sum mer and explained: “My business partner Janie and I developed the idea of a sauna for Lyme Regis after a winter of sea swimming to gether

“We think of this time of year as ‘ sauna sea son ’ and can’t wait to welcome more locals into the sauna, that’s why we ’ ve launched a package making it more affordable for regular users

“We think it’s a match made in heaven!”

Sauna use is the perfect way to level up your cold water swimming practice through au tumn and winter, providing a huge endor phins kick that serves as a mood booster through the colder, darker months

October 10 2022 marks World Mental Health Day, so what better time to make sure you ’ re taking care of your own well being?

As well as a great way to relax and unwind (with friends or strangers!), away from the hustle and bustle of life, evidence suggests that regular sauna use can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, soothe aches and pains, and boost your immune system

Shoreline Sauna is open Thursday to Sunday through autumn and winter Early sessions are available on Friday for those wanting to kick off the day with a pre work sauna and

swim (alternative days/times are also avail able on request)

In addition to the new package, the sauna is also available to book for private one hour sessions for £60 (seating six to eight) or pay per ‘ open ’ sauna sessions at £15 for 45 min utes

Booking online is essential as the sauna takes over an hour to heat up Bookings for festive events, such as the Lyme Lunge, will be open online from mid October

For further information, or if you’d like to

pay Shoreline Sauna a visit, visit the website shorelinesauna co uk, contact Nikki on 07875 204 410 or email hello@shorelinesauna co uk

You’ll find Shoreline Sauna just beyond the lifeboat station and harbourmaster’s office The ‘What3Words’ location is disco.magic.welfare.

You can also follow Shoreline Sauna on In stagram at instagram com/shorelinesauna or on Facebook at facebook com/Shoreline Sauna

Local good causes invited to a pply for carnival funding

LYME Regis Regatta and Carnival Commit tee is inviting local groups and organisa tions to come forward and claim their share of £20,000 raised through this year’s carni val week and other events, including the May Fete and jubilee torchlight procession

Alan Vian, chairman of Lyme Regis Re gatta and Carnival Committee, said: “We are so pleased to announce that after an in credibly successful carnival week we have a significant amount of money to distribute by way of grants to local groups and volun tary organisations

"We are extremely grateful to our primary sponsors Lyme Bay Holidays and Toad Hall Cottages, all our wonderful local business supporters and all those who took part in an event or donated, helping us raise such a brilliant amount

"Being able to support the local commu nity and help make a real difference to some wonderful organisations makes the hard work and effort put in by the commit tee and our volunteers really worthwhile "

Local groups and organisations are invited to send an application via email to apply@lymeregiscarnival co uk stating the organisation name, general aims or purpose of the organisation, the amount desired and describing the purpose for which funds are required, being as detailed as possible

Since 2004, more than £167,000 has been distributed to local good causes from the proceeds of the town’s carnival week

The closing date for funding applications is Sunday, October 23

NEWS

with Belinda Bawden, Dorset councillor for Lyme Regis & Charmouth

Community Engagement

Plenty of public engagement has been hap pening with the town council survey and town councillors listening to our school stu dents and community groups to shape council priorities alongside the wider area’s 2030 Vision project’s online map gathering ideas for a Net Zero future Keep your sug gestions coming in!

Dorset Council’s Library Strategy consul tation is starting its second phase which will run for 12 weeks to December 22, available at www dorsetcouncil gov uk/lets talk li braries consultation

The current proposals show the Lyme Regis library is designated as providing core library services with Bridport Library operating as the Library Hub for the western area of Dorset

Charmouth’s Community Library is a val ued part of Dorset’s overall strategy but the consultation focuses on the 23 Dorset Council run libraries Share your thoughts

Busy September

I attended the Dorset Civic Service in Sher borne Abbey on behalf of Lyme Regis and Charmouth to commemorate the life, achievements and legacy of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II

Green Party peer, Baroness Jenny Jones paid a surprise visit to Lyme Regis to learn about the citizen science groups monitoring our local rivers watch Max Redwood’s video of Jenny’s visit to see how our work has helped us to liaise effectively with the water companies and the Environment Agency to reduce the shocking levels of

sewage discharge into our rivers and sea available on the LymeOnline website See pages 10 and 11 for full report

Community Speedwatch groups

I have invited the Community Speedwatch Officer for Dorset Police, to explain how Speedwatch groups operate, to the town council’s Town Management and Highways Committee at the rescheduled meeting next Tuesday, October 4 at 7pm in the Guildhall Come along to find out more!

Volunteers are needed to form Speed watch groups as residents have expressed concerns about speeding in several areas Please contact me if you’d like to join in

Accessibility and Mobility Review

Some Lyme Regis residents have asked me how to request dropped pavements and other measures to improve mobility and ac cessibility across the town

If you would like to be involved in mapping your suggested improvements so we can ask Dorset Council to consider them, please get in touch

Cost of Living Crisis

Dorset Council is responding to residents’ need for advice, information and support as the cost of living crisis unfolds check the new webpage Cost of Living Help for specific guidance and options for grant support

Dorset Citizens Advice is available in Lyme Regis on Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm in the town council offices for advice or call 0800 144 8848 or email advice@brid

port cab org uk See the Citizens Advice column on page 18 for more details

The Lyme Regis Development Trust plans to open the Community Café in The Hub for warmth, board games, snacks and good, friendly company

Dorset councillor surgery dates in October Monday, October 31 in the Charmouth Community Library from 2pm to 4pm this seems a long way off, so look out for an earlier date, possibly at the Cake and Cuppa event in the village hall

I’ll be in the Community Café in The Hub in Church Street, Lyme Regis, on Thursday, October 13 and Thursday, October 27 from 10am to 12pm

Alternatively, contact me on 01305 216511 or email me on cllrbelinda baw den@dorsetcouncil gov uk

Last but not least, Fiver Fest is back!

Totally Locally’s Fiver Fest runs from Octo ber 9 to 22

Several of Lyme Regis’ independent busi nesses have already pledged their £5 offers and Charmouth will join in the fun this time Look out for cream teas, lunch deals, gift offers and end of summer bargains!

Early offers are 10 Lyme Regis postcards, including the new Mary Anning statue card, for £5 at Pug and Puffin, or cute educational and sustainable animal craft toys from Pri mary Colours (normally £8 50)

221

Belinda Bawden

Green Party Dorset Councillor for Lyme Regis and Charmouth

Green Party Baroness gives backing to

BARONESS

Jenny Jones, one of two peers representing the Green Party in the House of Lords, visited Lyme Regis on this month environmentalists and hear about the volunteer effort to combat sewage discharges affecting rivers and beaches in Lyme Regis and Charmouth

The Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb met with recently elected Green Party Dorset councillor, Belinda Bawden, who com mented: “Jenny saw Lyme Regis at its best Arriving by bus, she found a not too busy sea side town on a beautiful early autumn day, the sea speckled with swimmers and paddlers and children playing happily on the beach

“But despite appearances her visit coincided with bacterial contamination at the bathing beach with the Environment Agency’s weekly monitoring revealing a surge in the Intestinal Enterococci bacteria ” This is one of two pollutants that the Environment Agency looks for It’s important because, as the agency says: “The presence of the bacteria indicates that human or animal faeces may be present in bathing water alongside other po tentially harmful organisms that could cause illness ”

Baroness Jones has been campaigning for some time against the discharge of untreated sewage by water companies into our rivers and seas

Her visit to Lyme Regis was an opportunity to meet local ‘citizen scientists' from the River Char Community Project, the River Lim Mon itors and the Lower Char Community Project They explained how regular, year round river monitoring allows pollution problems to be identified and how river groups, liaising with water companies, the Environment Agency and local politicians are campaigning for improvements to protect our rivers, our health and our local economy

All three projects are developing wider in terest in their communities as the public be come increasingly aware of our national sewage crisis

Overlooking Church Cliff beach, Cllr Baw den explained to Baroness Jones how unac ceptable the sewage discharges in the River Lim were for Lyme Regis and how local resi dents and visitors alike were affected by the smells, the illnesses and the lack of confi dence that our waters are actually safe

The River Lim monitoring group of local campaign group, Turn Lyme Green, was working closely with South West Water (SWW) and the Environment Agency (EA) to investigate where sewage problems were re ported, as the beaches were also badly af fected, as well as the river. The group is campaigning to have Church Cliff Beach re designated as a bathing beach so it will once again be regularly monitored and tested for pollution by the Environment Agency

Cllr Bawden said that the River Lim ‘citizen scientists’ represented a genuine community effort, since the testing kits provided by the West Country Rivers Trust were paid for by the town council and that ‘Clean Rivers and Beaches’ had proved the most important issue for people taking part in the Lyme 2030 Vision community consultation

Baroness Jones also spoke to Andrew Carey, from Charmouth, a Char Valley parish coun cillor who explained that the problems were very different in upper and lower parts of their River Char

Up the river, septic tanks and agricultural management methods are the main prob lems, whereas lower down it is the sewage discharges by Wessex Water

Green Party Dorset councillor Belinda Bawden (far left) and Baroness Jenny Jones (third left) with environmental campaigners at the Mary Anning statue in Lyme Regis, near to the mouth of the River Lim

Photos by MAX REDWOOD

local campaign to clean up River Lim

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Andrew highlighted that one of the main problems was plastic biobeads which are used at the Uplyme sewage treatment plant He re lated how members of the monitoring groups had found the same biobeads scattered all over the ground on a recent visit, which SWW ini tially denied

At the meeting, Dana Assinder of the Lower Char Community Project confirmed that they were identical to the biobeads found at the mouth of the River Char and emphasised the hazards of these toxic plastic pellets entering the marine food chain

The river monitors are now pushing for SWW to clean up their treatment works and fund re moval of the washed up beads from Charmouth beach.

Wessex Water, which is responsible for the River Char catchment, does not use biobeads in its sewage treatment plants on the south coast

When the group walked up the River Lim, Baroness Jones asked Dana whether local rivers were as clean as they look

Dana explained the importance of chemical and biological testing She said the Lower Char Community Project currently tests for phos phates and nitrates and soon hopes to measure E coli, which is a serious hazard and a likely cause of some of the illnesses that swimmers have been reporting

She explained about the environmental health warning sign at Charmouth telling people not to splash river water near their face and to wash their hands afterwards

She also described how the community pro ject was working with Wessex Water to find ways to reduce the number of times that un treated sewage is released into the River Char and into the sea at Charmouth Beach every year

Turn Lyme Green’s River Lim monitoring group was represented by Liz Davis, who ex plained to Baroness Jones that some of the volunteers had recently visited the Uplyme Sewage Treatment Works with a set of ques tions

South West Water and the Environment Agency conducted a tour, explained the pro cesses and walked the River Lim with the group so the monitors could point out the stretches worst affected by algal bloom and raw sewage

Liz said that following this meeting and re peated reports by the group of sewage dis charges at Woodmead Road bridge, South West Water appeared to have investigated and identified one source of the problem

Liz explained that a local ecologist had mea sured the life in the River Lim and found it to be essentially dead below the sewage treat ment plant, with very little wildlife except the odd fish and a few dippers

Baroness Jones expressed shock that the whole ecology of plants and micro organisms had gone

Local retired freshwater ecologist, Graham Roberts, was unable to join the meeting but commented in advance: "The main issue we want to determine in my view is simply why the River is particularly polluted below the known discharge points linked with SW Water sewerage works

“There is no doubt something bad is hap pening and this will be impacting upon the water quality for swimmers using Lyme Regis beaches ”

Liz also impressed upon Baroness Jones the need for new planning and building regula tions to ensure that storm water and sewage are separated at source, and that the drainage infrastructure can support extra housing as

well as additional summer visitors The hope is that as the pollution recedes, life will begin to return to the River Lim

Baroness Jones ex pressed her support and admiration for their successful grass roots action and said she will carry on cam paigning on the issue of sewage pollution of rivers and beaches

She said that many in the House of Lords were disturbed by the problem and tried to put a timetable and a plan for the water companies, but it was rejected

As the group gathered on the main town beach at the end of Baroness Jones’ visit, Sonia Rai, representing the Lyme Regis Bluetit Swimmers, joined the group, along side Green Party town councillor Rob Smith

Sonia emphasised the great enthusiasm for and benefits of sea swimming throughout the year She repeated that the quality of the river and sea water must be safeguarded and con tinuous monitoring, with alerts when sewage has been discharged, are a public health ne cessity

The local swimmers were grateful for the river monitoring group ’ s efforts and would welcome year round water monitoring at the beach also.

Sonia mentioned that many local families were either on or in the water throughout the

year, via the sailing club and gig rowing club, and of course by year round swimming that has exploded in the bay since the COVID 19 lockdowns

Everyone agreed with Baroness Jones’ re sounding call to “clean up our rivers and our beaches”, which can only have a positive effect on our community’s health and wellbeing

Campaigners believe that, in a holiday area, the impacts on the economy of a regenerated and thriving environment, teeming with life in all its diversity, are particularly enticing, adding: “It is surely a win, win ”

You can view further video interviews with the river monitors on the LymeOnline website at lyme online co uk/category/multimedia news

Sonia Rai explains the swimmers’ perspectives on the sewage in the sea to Jenny Jones, local Green Party councillors and the river monitors on the beach Photo by Dana Assinder

Lyme residents queue for the Queen

MOREthan 250,000 people queued for hours to pay their final respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she laid in state at Westminster Hall, in London, in the days ahead of her state funeral.

At its longest, the queue was 11 miles as mourners snaked their way around the capi tal, some waiting for more than 24 hours at the busiest periods

Among those to join the line was vice presi dent of the Lyme Regis branch of the Royal British Legion, Ian Marshall, and his wife An nemarie, who both come from military back grounds, Ian having reached the rank of Major in the British Army He is also a volun teer for the RNLI, of which the Queen was pa tron during her reign

Mr Marshall wrote: “It was going to happen eventually After all, at 96, Her late Majesty was nearing her journey’s end and a lifetime of selfless dedication to her nation and peo ple

“On September 7 we all heard the news we had all been dreading that her late Majesty had finally left us It was a day of suspense with the announcement from the Queen’s medical team, the frantic journeying of key members of the Royal Family travelling to Balmoral to be at her side However, the Duchess of Wessex’s sad face told the world that the inevitable had occurred well in ad vance of those simple words notifying the world of the Queen’s death being posted on Buckingham Palace gates

“Annemarie and I, having travelled up to London in 2002 to attend the late Queen Mother’s Lying in State, vowed that we would, of course, do the same for Our Queen

“On Thursday, September 15 we took the train to London, checked into the Premier Inn at Tower Bridge and rose at 2am on Friday morning to join the queue at Southwark Park

“However, this time, we decided we would represent unofficially all the inhabitants of Lyme Regis who were unable to pay their re spects in person, and the two local charities close to our hearts, the Royal British Legion (RBL) and the Royal National Lifeboat Insti tution (RNLI)

“I chose to proudly wear my RNLI Guernsey uniform, my medal, Veteran’s Badge and my dad’s miniature medals, one of which is the General Service Medal with Malaya Clasp which was issued during the Queens reign in 1957

“Annemarie wore her Dad’s medals as a mark of respect in addition to her Police Pin to represent our family members currently serving in Dorset Constabulary

“It brought back all those memories and emotions from 2002 but, somehow, this time it was the end of the new Elizabethan era

“Our queue mates were fascinating people:

from a young French lady who had been in the UK for 12 years and working for DEFRA as a fish scientist, to a mother and her 14 year old daughter who flew in from Los Angeles a few hours earlier and joined our queue just to pay their respects to a respected world statesper son absolutely amazing!

“Ten hours later we made it to Westminster Park, with the prospect of a further three hours of queuing until we were able to enter Westminster Hall to walk past the Queen’s coffin, resplendently draped in the Royal Standard, the crown, orb, sceptre and the beautiful floral wreath

“Prior to this point all the queue banter had gone and the realisation that this would be our personal goodbye to a monarch whom we always felt was a personal family friend

“Whilst we had never met the Queen, we have been in close proximity to her; once in 1967 when she visited my school in Newbury, and again during her last state visit to Belize in 1994, and we also had the honour of at tending a Buckingham Palace garden party in 2008

“So, on your behalf, Annemarie made a very tidy courtesy and I proudly saluted my late Commander in Chief and patron of our char ities

“On reflection, I first served her late Majesty when I joined the Air Training Corps in 1962 at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and continued to do so for 33 years She was my Colonel in Chief of The Royal Army Ordnance Corps, patron of RBL and RNLI, so overall she had been my boss for 60 years!

“What followed, of course, was the fascinat ing seamless transfer of the monarchy to King Charles III and culminating with that unfor gettable state funeral on Monday, September 19 I am sure you will agree that ‘her boys and girls’ did her proud

“From the RAF taking their late sovereign from Edinburgh Airport on their C 17 Globe master to RAF Northolt, the Senior Service hauling the naval gun carriage, all the pall bearers, The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Ar tillery with their gun salutes and not forget ting the colour bearer carrying the Queen’s Colour all the way up the Long Walk to Wind sor Castle

“What now? The world is in a period of un certainly and probably at the most dangerous period in recent history King Charles has had a very extended handover period from his mother and, hopefully, will be able to con tinue to project the stability and calm on the world stage which our late Queen was able to command God Bless Queen Elizabeth and God Save the King ”

Also in the queue was Lyme Regis resident Joshua Yelland, group leader of the 1st Lym Valley Scouts, based in Uplyme

Joshua decided to queue throughout the night while working in London to pay his re spects to Her Majesty, after he was made a Queen’s Scout the highest honour in Scouting in 2021

Telling LymeOnline of the “profound ex perience”, Joshua said: “I was up in London for work meetings I had thought about it in the preceding days, whether or not to go and see Her Majesty lying in state

“In the end my mind was made up

“I whacked on a jumper, a jacket, just any layers I could find for the night ahead, and I took with me my Scout scarf; that was my connection to the Queen She was patron of The Scout Association and I was a Queen’s Scout, the highest award you can get in Scout ing. Indeed, on my desk I have certificate from her which ends with, ‘I wish you every success through life; may it prove a joyous ad venture Elizabeth R’

“Like many I would meet in the queue, I had never met her, but I felt that as part of my promise and as someone who had lived through the second Elizabethan era, I had to pay my respects

“I hopped on the tube, made my way to Bermondsey and joined the queue at 9pm I knew I would be there all night, but that would seem insignificant when compared to celebrating the life of someone who had given 70 years of service

“There was an almost festival atmosphere to the queue; pubs and bars were open, por taloos were readily available, there were even ice cream vans to keep you going throughout the 11 mile journey However, the word that was heard repeatedly in the queue was that this was a ‘pilgrimage’ a journey to a place that we all understood would leave a pro found impact

“I got to the chicane at the Palace of West minster at around 6am, having trundled along the South Bank all night You really felt as if you were in the middle of something; as the sun began to rise, the breakfast TV crews began to swing into action as they continued the wall to wall coverage of the queue we all saw on the television.

“People were asked only about what it was like to be in the queue, the reporters having forgotten that we hadn’t seen the coffin yet, and that was the main reason for us coming It was clear then that the queue had, bizarrely, become an institution in its own right

“Having spent two hours in the chicane, we then went through security at 8am The mood suddenly changed as it dawned on everyone what they were about to witness We went up a set of stairs into Westminster Hall, turned

left and there it was the Queen’s coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, with the orb, sceptre and crown sat on top, surrounded by those carrying out the watch

“The thing that hit you first was the silence of the place; you could hear a pin drop The second thing that hit you was that everyone ’ s eyes were fixed on the coffin, it was all con suming There was no weeping or sobbing, just tears on a significant number of people’s faces

“I walked down the steps, turned and bowed I was five meters from the coffin, and I had five seconds with it to pay my respects It was one of the most profound experiences of my life As I moved on, I couldn’t help but turn back a couple of times and have one final look

“Amongst those who I had become good friends with in the queue, there was only si lence afterwards, the whole experience was overwhelming and something I know is un likely to be repeated for some time to come

“I managed to make it back to my desk at 9am, but I could only just sit there and reflect Yes, I was exhausted having pulled an all nighter, but I was left with sense of closure and a sense of being part of history

“Of course, you can read all about what it was like in the queue (and my own experi ences), but nothing can fully explain what it was like to be there and see it for yourself ”

See page 14 for Lyme’s own tributes to the Queen

Former Army Major, Royal British Legion and RNLI vol unteer Ian Marshall in the Queen’s queue with Tower lifeboat station on the River Thames as the backdrop Right, 1st Lym Valley Scout Group leader Joshua Yelland, who received the Queen’s Scout Award in 20221 when I realised I could pull an all nighter, see the coffin, and get back to my desk in time for work

The queue to see the Queen Lying in State snaked all across central London, here along the Embankment, near Lambeth

Photo by Ian Marshall

COBB ARMSCOBB ARMSCOBB ARMS THE LYME REGIS

The Cobb Arms is pleased to introduce our new head chef George Marsh

With this we are also welcoming our brand new autumnal menu, which shall be featuring new and improved pub classics, and a selection of locally sourced ish specials.

Looking for a light bite? Why not try one of our open sandwiches?

Hot smoked salmon tartar, anchovy mayo & pickled cucumber

Feeling more peckish?

Why not try some of our new main courses?

Hand picked Portland crab linguine served with chilli, coriander, lemon & olive oil

Or hand dived Lyme Bay scallops, plus many more!

Coming very soon... Keep your eyes irmly peeled for the arrival of our Sunday roast platter, and our weekly date night taster menu! We look forward to seeing you soon

Marine Parade, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3JF • 01297 443242 • cobbarms.co.uk

Gardener has poem published

LYME Regis horticulturist Nigel Ball recently had a poem published in the National Vegetable Soci ety Magazine

The poem was about a pesky mole living in the garden of a Major, as shared below:

The Major and the Mole

Heaps of soil adorn Major’s lawn, Look out from the window frosted glass, We would love to be that animal warm

As the tunnels worn touch his grass

Why touch the root hairs on your nose, Very sensitive I suppose Twitching bump into a mate, Major s dinner party, do not be late

People eating, drinking, ok ya, I will keep going munching, burrowing,

Why have you got so many heaps, you ask?

Well, the catchers on holiday at last

Major not happy, spade at the ready, Marching about yard stick handy

Measure all and record heaps, Catcher home tomorrow til he reaps

Well I am off to fields afar

For a rest, before teatime feast, The catchers won’t catch me or my friends, Major carries on moaning at least

Lyme says goodbye to the Queen

WHILE those in London were queuing to see the Queen Lying in State and to see her state funeral processionn, Lyme Regis was paying its own tribute to Her Majesty

Organised by the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis, candles were lit in the seafront shelters and a minute’s silence was observed on the evening before her funeral (pictured right)

The first candles were lit by the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Michaela Ellis, and deputy mayor Cllr Cheryl Reynolds

After watching the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, residents of Talbot Road came to gether for a tea party hosted by Nigel and Karen Ball

The event was a celebration of the Queen’s life with more than 40 residents popping in for tea and cake with ages ranging from just five weeks to 91 years old

Pictured below right, Nigel and Karen Ball with their floral display in memory of the Queen

The funeral had earlier been screened in venues across the town, including the Volun teer Inn, Nag’s Head and Peek Chapel next to the Alexandra Hotel

Tales From Lyme’s Past

A glimpse of our history with Peter Lacey

Recollections on Lyme in Days Long Past, Part III ELANOR Waring s pen portraits in her Memo ries of the Past’ identify several Lyme charac ters

She remembers and describes “Mrs Lucas the Washerwoman, with her white cap with a large frill and her bare arms all shrivelled up with always being in soap suds” Evidently she lived beside the River Lym at Jordan “close to a clacking old mill”

Then there was Mrs Hoare the Poultry Woman, who travelled twice a week from Mus bury with her donkey and panniers to sell chickens, ducks, eggs and vegetables”

Surprisingly Lyme had a “Postwoman with a basket on her arm to carry the letters”

Elanor’s list also included Old Robinson the Boatman, Robert the Fisherman, Gage the Lobsterman and Danger the Coachman

She recalls: I often traversed the 30 miles to Taunton under his care when the whole road was a sheet of ice and icicles hung at his eye eyebrows ”

In complete contrast was Mrs Bennett the Straw Bonnet Maker Twice a year the fashion able ladies were invited to her shop in Church Street to view the latest creations from London

It seems that it was the custom to promenade upon the Cobb after Morning Service Elanor amused herself by counting the bonnets She writes of “Mrs Cannicott the Toy Shop Woman whose love of children increased with the in crease of our large (eleven children) family”

She watched lace being made in Cockmoile Square, “there in my day, girls sat at the doors with pillows on their knees and busily clicked the bobbins”

On the beach at Charmouth there was skele ton of a whale and she recalls paying a penny to “play and dance within its ribs”

Life was not all fun; 1848 was the time of the French Revolution and the possible threat of an invasion Elanor writes: “I used my telescope during that anxious time! Every strange vessel was cause for speculation ”

A memorable event was the launching of the barque Lyme Regis, the first large vessel to be built here for a great number of years”

Christmas in Lyme had a special place in Elanor’s memory and she tells of how the Mummers came and acted out the traditional folk play in their kitchen

The male only costumed performers were all ‘Lymeites’, dressed in homemade costumes representing Saint George, a Turkish Knight and a dragon, there was sword play and fights to the death Elanor informs us that, when it was over “the actors were given supper and a few pence”

Another Christmas tradition was the church choir, led by a lantern bearer and accompanied by a fiddler, going from house to house carol singing on Christmas Eve It left her feeling that “these simple friends had bought us Peace and

Goodwill” Among her memories was “the first Christmas tree being introduced into Lyme, no tree ever seemed so beautiful!” The idea was a result of her father travelling in Germany Elanor was only five when Lyme was devas tated by fire in May 1844 and had but faint memories of the old town, the market place and other buildings prior to the conflagration

A relic that she remembered was a huge whale blade bone that had survived and it being “on display outside the Old Curiosity Shop’” Her memories makes no mention of the town’s Re gatta Day, which was a major festive occasion, however it is an event that can be read about in my blog of April 26 2018 on the LymeOnline website via the link lyme online co uk/cate gory/blogs/tales from lymes past/ Elanor’s manuscript provides readers with a chance ‘To Reach Out and Touch Days Long Past She became Sister Emma in 1868 joining the Anglican Community of Saint John the Baptist and devoted much of her life working with problem boys She died in April 2018

Peter Lacey

Local author and historian

Signed copies of Peter Lacey’s novel ‘Touching the Past’ are now on sale in Lyme Regis Mu seum shop priced at £5 99

Town mourns popular stage performer

WELL known local stage performer Jerry Smith has died at the age of 69

For many years, Jerry was very much part of the Lyme Regis theatrical community who staged a string of amateur productions at the Marine Theatre

Jerry was a leading member of the cast in an eclectic mix of productions, staged by Lyme Regis Amateur Dramatics Society, Lyme Regis Operatic Society and others that de lighted all who saw them

In particular, Jerry was a leading cast mem ber of the Community Players who for more than ten years, from 2000, mounted annually a famous musical, under the direction of Rose Wigmore and Jenny Wild, which included ‘Matchgirls’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘South Pa cific’, ‘Oliver’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, ‘Crippen’ and ‘Lady In The Van’

Jerry was born in Upminster in 1953 and was the only son of Ray and Terry Smith He became an accomplished photographer and skilled at developing film, working for distin guished professional photographers including Lord Snowden

Jerry also shared his parents’ love of rally driving and crashed their treasured Lotus Cortina into a tree while competing in the Welsh mountains

Throughout his life, Jerry was very close to his parents and the three of them moved to Lyme Regis in 1995 and quickly became very much part of the local community

For a number of years Jerry worked for

Lyme Bay Holidays He had a great sense of humour and many friends in Lyme who will also remember him as an accomplished singer and musician

After leaving Lyme and a short sojourn in Shropshire, Jerry moved into a flat in Seaton with Ray and Terry, who he looked after for many years

More recently Ray and Terry moved into re tirement homes in Lyme Regis and Seaton

Jerry passed away on September 14 and will be sadly missed by his friends Details of Jerry’s funeral arrangements have yet to be announced

The old fossil shop in the 1870s, on the southern side of Bridge Street, was demolished in 1913 to widen the road

Diver thanks lifeboat crew for rescue

New chief at lifeboat station

LONG SERVING lifeboat volunteer Mark Colley has taken on the most senior volunteer role at Lyme Regis lifeboat station

Mark, a 58 year old carpenter, who was at the helm of the town’s lifeboat for 14 years, is the new lifeboat operations manager, taking over from Nick Marks, 69, who held the posi tion for seven years and has retired in line with the RNLI’s age policy

Mr Marks officially handed over his role at one of the lifeboat crew ’ s latest training ses sions

Mr Colley retired from his seagoing role as a lifeboat helm at the age of 55, and became a deputy launching authority in February last year He has been a crew member for 23 years

He said: “It’s a new challenge and one that I relish It’s the pinnacle role at the lifeboat sta tion and I am delighted to have reached it

“I have a hard act to follow Nick Marks has been running a very successful station for seven years, and I have inherited a great team I know they will all help me settle into this vital role ”

Mr Marks added: “Whilst I am sorry that I now have to retire from an operational role with the Lyme Regis lifeboat, I am delighted that the RNLI has appointed Mark Colley as my successor.

“Mark has a wealth of experience gained from more than 20 years on the crew

“I am not retiring from the RNLI completely and will continue to volunteer as the water safety officer for the Lyme Regis area

“In this role I will be leading our team of water safety volunteers to give advice to chil dren and adults on the inherent dangers of the sea and help them enjoy their coastal ac tivities in the safest possible manner ”

A DIVER rescued by Lyme Regis lifeboat crew returned to the station this week to join a training session and present a cheque for £500 for the RNLI

Dave Telling, 64, from Bournemouth, joined the volunteer crew for their Tuesday evening training session, showing crew members some diving equipment and explaining the best practise for dealing with divers a use ful and different training session

Mr Telling also presented the crew with a cheque for £500 as a thank you for their ef forts in rescuing him and four others when their boat suffered engine failure Dave ad vised that this had been down to a fuel pump issue that had now been resolved

Five people aboard a broken down boat were rescued on August 29; the dive boat was a 7 5m rib which was roughly one and a half miles from Lyme Regis

The Poole and Bournemouth Dive Club have been visiting West Bay and Lyme Regis on annual trips for nearly 20 years

Diver Dave Telling presents the lifeboat crew with a cheque for £500 and, below, shows them some diving equipment during a training session Photo credit: RNLI, Lyme Regis

Mark Colley (left) takes over as lifeboat operations manager from Nick Marks

Photo credit: RNLI, Lyme Regis

Government’s lack of support for housing associations won’t help with anti-social behaviour

In the case of MHA, this has led them to adver tise properties on Rightmove in order to fill va cancies fast and retain revenue

LymeOnline Letters

‘Bewildering’ park and ride ser vice putting off visitors

I have worked in public housing, lived in a town some 70 times that of Lyme and on an es tate the size of Sidmouth, and never experienced the issues outlined most accurately in your arti cle

Magna Housing Association (MHA) told a dis abled neighbour of ours that is was easier to move them, than tackle disablist hate from a Na tional Housing Association resident, despite this being the second disabled person who felt forced out of the same accommodation

MHA tenancies state a zero tolerance to drugs and yet, if drug use is reported, staff say this if it is for their own use in a home, they are not in terested, this despite one resident reporting that cannabis was detected during a routine blood test

MHA have a system of probationary tenancies in place, but never use their powers to end such after a year in a property, thus, it becomes more difficult to act thereafter, when a tenancy is then deemed as ‘ secure ’

In MHA's defence, however, the government support to housing associations has been deci mated in the past few years, leaving them to act almost solely a business

Category C has been eliminated from the local government housing allocations lists, in order to make record housing waiting lists disappear overnight This was the group of people who ex pressed an interest in moving to an area, leaving only those with a local connection to be illegible for housing in any given administrative location

In respect to nuisance neighbours, it may seem strange to us, to move a victim, rather than deal with an offender, but even in the most severest of cases, it can take up to two years to obtain an eviction order, which would then leave MHA continuing to put a person at further risk of abuse or nuisance

I do know that our regular Police Community Support Officer is on secondment to Weymouth for three months, which surely can't help with continuity of intelligence, but may be necessary for the officer s continued development I guess?

I've always found this individual to be most proactive over issues of concern, however, their job is demand led and can lead to much intended follow up and prevention sliding in time

It would be most appropriate to quiz MHA leadership over:

● A lack of imposition in applying the right to terminate probationary tenancies without justi fication?

● Why they don't react to multiple incidents of nuisance for discrimination?

● Why staff tell people to phone 999 is they smell or witness drug abuse, without follow up by MHA, despite the zero tolerance of drug abuse stated in the tenancy agreement?

● Why staff state that personal drug use is not an issue of concern to staff, when it is both illegal and against the terms of tenancies?

Name and address supplied

■ I JUST wanted the local shops and restaurants who are trying to recover from COVID lockdowns and profit losses to be aware what the experience was like in our visit to the park and ride at Lyme Regis

Four of us visited from Bristol, we met an Amer ican family and a Swiss couple at the park and ride site, as well as numerous other people, all trying to read the timetable but it was very unclear and difficult

I told everyone who appeared to please do the same, much to the surprise of about 40 to 50 peo ple who eventually arrived

Eventually, after so many people were waiting, and the timetable was so bewildering (especially to non locals), half of the queue at least seemed to disperse and felt a bit sad to do so

I’m sure, like us, they drove away and found somewhere else on the way home

My point of this little story is, I find it a real shame that so much money never ended up being

A thank you to family and friends

■ THROUGH the LymeOnline newspaper, I would like to say a very big thank you to my wonderful family for all they arranged for me for my 90th birthday party surprise, surprise! It was just wonderful

Thank you for all my lovely flowers, presents and cards all 77 of them! And in my bucket for Cancer Research UK I had £114 in dona tions Thank you to all friends and kind neigh bour, you know who you are so a big thank you Pam Kaxe, Lyme Regis

spent in this beautiful seaside town because of public transport frequency and confusion over timetables Initially I thought it was just me who couldn t really understand the bus timetables, but then I witnessed everyone else’s struggle too

As the support during the summer months is paramount for these towns, I just wanted to make it clear what seems to be happening

If it was just our car full of people I would under stand it might have been just us, but I saw 25 peo ple drive away It’s such a shame

I hope the people of Lyme Regis raise a concern with perhaps an extra bus and better timetable, for a town that relies on tourism it seems quite impor tant It was a lovely sunny day too

I ll be back one day to put some money in the tills If I can get in!

Adam Restall (by email)

Send your letters to Lyme Online, Unit 5 Uplyme Business Park, Uplyme Road, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3LS or email edit@lye online co uk

Please note, the view expressed in letters are those of the author and not necessarily of this newspaper

Letters may be edited slightly to remove defamatory statements, or to correct spelling and grammatical errors

NEWS FROM CITIZENS ADVICE

RURAL communities are hit much harder by the cost of living crisis than those in urban areas, according to a new report by the Rural Services Network

The South West is particularly affected as the research shows residents in this region have the lowest average income in England

Despite low wages, people in the countryside pay much more for essentials like heating trans port and rent, which means that rural communi ties are disadvantaged in many different ways; this illustrates the need for more rural/urban and regional levelling up

On average, homes in country areas cost a lot more to heat so fuel poverty is an increasing problem Houses tend to be less well insulated and homes may not be connected to the gas grid so people are reliant on oil or Calor gas

Despite the recent bills freeze, many families in the countryside will continue to struggle with high energy costs and damp homes The report shows they need more than £500 to take them out of fuel poverty compared to an England av erage of £223

There are many infrastructure and communi cation problems in rural areas which also con tribute to ever increasing costs

According to the Campaign for Better Trans port, more than 3,000 country bus routes have been cut or reduced in the last ten years which means people are more dependent on cars and vulnerable to fuel increases

According to the Rural Services Network re port, rural households on average spend 50 per cent more per week than those in urban areas on transport due to inadequate infrastructure

Poor broadband connectivity is also an ongo ing structural problem in the countryside due to poor planning and lack of investment which lim its flexible working and employment opportuni ties for many

With housing the countryside faces a more critical emergency than urban areas Since the pandemic, demand has outstripped supply, es pecially in rural hamlets villages and in coastal areas like Lyme Regis, where rocketing house prices have risen at three times the national rate

Rural renters face sim ilar pricing battles, with prices rising by 11 per cent since the pandemic compared to just two per cent in urban areas

This particularly affects come households, who now spend 47 per cent of their earnings on rent compared to 43 per cent for people on low income in urban areas

Shockingly, there has there has been a 61 per cent drop in the availability of rental accommo dation in rural areas since the pandemic

Spiralling housing and rental costs, combined with increased demand for properties led to a 115 per cent increase in rural homelessness be tween 2017 2020, almost double the national in crease, a trend which continues to climb

Rovarn Wickremasinghe, chief officer at Brid port and District Citizens Advice said: “The lat est Rural Service Network report clearly demonstrates the higher costs that rural areas face

In our area we have seen significant increases this year in the number of crisis support en quiries around food bank referrals discretionary help and charitable support, in addition to greater numbers of people threatened with or facing homelessness

“Unsurprisingly, we are also dealing with more enquiries about rising energy costs and manag ing bills

“We welcome the recent government support including Cost of Living Payments, Household Support Fund and the cap on energy Addition ally, the £2 cap on single adult bus fares through January to March next year will provide some direct help but more needs to be done to ad dress the issues raised in the report ”

For help with the cost of living crisis, Citizens Advice in Lyme Regis is open on Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm at the town council offices Church Street, DT7 3BS Alternatively, tele phone Freephone 0800 144 8848 or send an email using the contact form on the website www bridportca org uk

■ THANK you so much for running these letters [‘The never ending life of hell’] in today’s paper [LymeOnline, September 16]

CONTENT

LYME REGIS TOWN COUNCIL

Children share ideas to make Lyme Regis a better place

AN underground elevator system, a zip line into the sea, water gun battles on the beach, an underwater tunnel and bumper karts on the beach

These were just some of the crazy and won derful ideas that local schoolchildren had to make Lyme Regis a better place to live

We have been speaking to year 6 pupils at St Michael’s Primary School as part of our widespread community consultation exercise to help guide our thinking on future projects

We’re hoping to speak to as many people in the local community about our ideas and we also want to hear the public’s suggestions.

The consultation has been running since early August and today (Friday) is the final day to comment

We have an online survey and paper copies are also available at the council offices, so be

quick if you want to have your say

Our visit to St Michael’s Primary School was just one of the focused consultation ex ercises we ’ ve carried out we ’ ve also visited the Talking Café at Hallett Court, the Seaside Store, the Community Café and talked to prefects at Woodroffe School

We had a very insightful morning with the children at St Michael’s, who certainly knew what they wanted and offered no less than 75 ideas for us to think over

And while there were some radical and wacky ideas put forward, they had a very good sense of what was important and what they felt was really needed in the community

They wanted to see cleaner public toilets, they felt more should be done to tackle anti social behaviour at Anning Road play park and clean up the graffiti on the play equip

ment, they said there needed to be a pre school in the town, and they wanted there to be more support in the community for the el derly

Support and a shelter for homeless people was also important to them, they asked for a cancer research support centre, they wanted to join clean up crews for the river, beach and North Wall, and they wanted to be able to share their good luck with others during ‘Luck Week’

One message that came through very clearly is that they wanted more things to do in Lyme Regis, with ideas including an as sault course at Anning Road play park, out door gym equipment, a proper basketball court, a rugby pitch, a splash zone, an inflat able obstacle course, a cinema, a high ropes course in the trees, horse riding facilities, a

swimming pool, a bike pump track, and a multi sports facility

They were also very aware that times might be hard for some people at the moment and felt the town would benefit from a recycling or repair shop, that there needed to be more affordable food outlets, more affordable parking for local people, and they suggested a ‘bargain day’ when all local businesses were half price.

It was an enjoyable and interesting morn ing with the children we listened and will carefully consider everything they have said, along with all the other suggestions and feed back we have received via the consultation

Please take part in the consultation now at https://www surveymonkey co uk/r/YXMX DT8

It’s time to book your beach hut

IT’S that time of year again when we release the beach hut dates for the forthcoming year

The office has been inundated with enquiries from people eager to book a beach hut for this winter and 2023 and we have now released further details about the booking process

We will still be giving priority to Lyme Regis residents to be able to book one of our annual, summer or winter packages, before they are released to the wider public the following day

If you are a Lyme Regis resident, you will have priority book ing on Tuesday, October 11

To qualify for priority booking day, you will need to have a Gateway Card and a DT7 postcode

To make your booking for packages only you must telephone 01297 445175 between 10am and 4 30pm

The beach huts will be released for hire to the general public at 10am on Wednesday, October 12

Anyone can book a package over the phone and all other daily and weekly hire is to be booked via our website We will not be able to take these bookings over the telephone

We would encourage everyone to use the online booking system, if possible, as it’s the quickest and easiest way to check availability, book and pay

All the information you need about beach hut bookings for winter 2022 and 2023 is available on our website at https://www lymeregistowncouncil gov uk/book a beach hut

Battle against seagull thieves continues!

DURING the summer we trialled drone flying as a seagull de terrent as they aren’t too keen on the noise and see it as a threat

Local drone pilot Max Redwood carried out 10 flights during August, at various times of day, taking off from several loca tions and during some major events such as Regatta and Car nival Week and Candles on the Cobb

R y g homes were given the opportunity to sign the book of condolence in memory of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

We opened a book of condo lence at the Guildhall the day after the Queen’s death and made it available for the public to sign until the day after the State fu neral

But we were aware there may be some residents living in care homes in Lyme Regis who would like to pay their respects by sign ing the book but would be unable to get there

So we paid them a visit instead

The mayor, Cllr Michaela Ellis, and deputy mayor, Cllr Cheryl

y , y ,

Fairfield House, Lyme Regis Nurs ing Home and Shire House and spoke to the residents about their memories of the Queen

They included a retired Mer chant Navy telegraphist, now 86 and living at Shire House, who spoke of the two occasions he met the Queen while serving

There will be one last opportu nity for elderly residents to sign the book at the Talking Café at Hallett Court on Wednesday, Oc tober 5 Anyone is welcome to go along for a coffee and to sign the book between 9 45am and 11 15am

The aim was to lure the birds out to sea and away from the beach and seafront but not to endanger them in any way

Max found that his drones did attract the seagulls’ attention and they tended to move inland while the aircraft was flying, but the benefit was short lived As soon as the drone was gone, they returned

So maybe it’s something we can consider as a way of con trolling seagulls for a one off event, but it’s certainly not a long term solution

We’re now considering whether to install new signs on the seafront that warn people of seagulls stealing food We already have signs telling people not to feed them, but seagull thieves seem to be a much bigger issue

Other suggestions include flags on the seafront as seagulls don’t like things that flap, reflect, sparkle or the colour red, and water pistols as seagulls don’t like being blasted with jets of water!

The seagulls seem to be getting shrewder in the way they operate so maybe it’s time we think smarter too!

Photos by MAX REDWOOD

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Shute Festival brings top speakers to Lyme

THE Shute Literary Festival, which has taken place in the East Devon village of Shute since 2016, will be mov ing to the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis for its October 2022 festival

The festival, which has hosted a number of interna tionally renowned authors over the years, will be bring ing a star studded line up to the Marine Theatre from October 1 to 11

A new discounted £30 pass will be available for all of events at the Marine Theatre over the weekend of Octo ber 8 and 9

This weekend pass will allow full access to a dozen talks by a range of well known authors, and also two evening concerts

Best selling authors speaking at this year ’ s festival will include international lawyer Philippe Sands, who will be speaking about his newly released book ‘The Last Colony’ on the struggle of the Chagos islanders to return to their home; former Lyme girl turned actress, come dian and writer, Maddy Anholt, on ‘How to Leave Your Psychopath ; and Helen Rappaport on her new book, In Search Of Mary Seacole: The Making Of A Cultural Icon’

Nino Strachey will also present her book on ‘Young Bloomsbury’ the generation that reimagined love, freedom and self expression with lashings of lust and society larks” (Daily Mail)

The festival will offer a diverse programme of events on ideas and places near and far Sir Ghillean Prance, the world renowned botanist and Amazonian explorer, will be discussing his latest book on the Amazonian For est and its People’

The campaigner Dan Gretton will introduce his book ‘I You We Them’ a Spectator and Washington Post book of the year on the ‘desk killers’ who have ordered and directed some of the worst atrocities of the modern

era, from the capitals of empire to the offices of Nazi Germany, to the boardrooms of oil corporations today

Jo Seaman, the former British Council Director, will discuss Love and Revolution in Georgia a country, like Ukraine, under the shadow of a Russian threat

Debut authors Jendella Benson and T Orr Monro will be speaking on their new novels ‘Hope and Glory’ a family drama set in Peckham and ‘Breakneck Point’ a CSI crime thriller set in North Devon

Louisa Adjoa Parker, another local author, and Davina Quinlivan, will speak on their experience of diversity in rural Britain Other South West authors include Nicholas Jubber (winner of the Dolman Travel Book Award) and Lisa Schneidau, discussing their new books on the history of Folk Tales, and Graham Harvey, agricultural editor for BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, will be in conversation with Western Morning News columnist Martin Hesp about real farming, ecological agriculture, and what needs to be done to transform our food production

The festival will also present three concerts The renowned Afghan music specialists John Baily and Veronica Doubleday will offer a concert of music from Afghanistan Merlin and Polina Shepherd will be leading a work shop and concert of Yiddish and Klezmer Music, while local band The South Country will be presenting a con cert exploring English Folk Tunes

Shute Festival co director Samantha Knights said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, a beautiful and historic venue on the Jurassic coast, and it will be a great home for our au tumn festival

Full details of all events and speakers can be found at www shutefest org uk

International lawyer Philippe Sands (photo credit: Antonio Olmos) Below, Helen Rappaport will speak on her new book, ‘In Search Of Mar y Sea cole: The Making Of A Cultural Icon’ (photo credit Lucy Davies) Inset, for mer Lyme Regis girl turned actress, writer and comedian, Maddy Anholt

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Time to sing along at The Gateway Theatre

IT’S a scientific fact that singing makes you happy, and according to a study carried out by the Univer sity of East Anglia, singing in groups makes you even happier!

The Gateway Theatre is going to make you ex tremely happy during October, because it has two live sing alongs in the shape of ‘The Greatest Show man ’ and ‘Grease’

With free interactive prop bags, containing a glow stick, hand clapper, an invitation/ticket, tissue, and party popper, your host will teach you a unique set of dance moves Wear your favourite fancy dress and enjoy singing as loud as you want and dancing to these smash hit musicals that will be screened along with the lyrics for you to follow

Sing along to Hugh Jackman’s ‘Greatest Show’ and ‘A Million Dreams’, or how about Keala Settle’s ‘This is Me’? Or you could duet with your best friend or neighbour ‘From Now On’

In the evening, ‘Grease’ truly is the word if you want to find out what it’s like to be a T Bird or Pink Lady It starts with a voice warm up to get you in the mood, then ‘You’re The One That I Want’

The Greatest Showman Saturday October 22, doors 1 30pm, starts 2pm, £16 50/£13

Grease Saturday, October 22, doors 6 30pm, starts 7pm, £16 50/£13

Your invitation to the Hot Rock Productions’ Hal loween Party is awaiting you on the afternoon of Thursday, October 27 This party is going to be full of Halloween characters, so dress up in your favourite costume, prizes for the best one!

It will be a live show with music, dance and party games, so plenty of spooky things for you to enjoy

Halloween Party Thursday, October 27, doors 1 30pm, party starts 2pm, £8/£5

The Darkside of Pink Floyd is coming to The Gate

way with their faithful reproduction of Pink Floyd’s classic music and a fantastic light show Regulars at the world’s biggest and Best Tribute Festival, the band continue to get rave reviews, they were the first band to play a live public performance inside the prehistoric caves of the world famous Kents Cavern

Be prepared to be blown away by this fantastic performance

The Darkside of Pink Floyd Saturday, October 8, doors 7 30pm, show starts 8pm, £20/£22 50 otd

The famous Gateway Film Picnic Nights are prov ing to be more and more popular with table seats selling out quickly Coming up is a double bill of Fisherman’s Friends: One and All’ with an evening film on Friday, October 7 and a matinee on Thurs day, October 13

On Saturday, October 15, immerse yourself in the ultimate cinematic experience ‘Moonage Day dream’ is an audio visual space odyssey that illumi nates the enigmatic legacy of David Bowie, and features many of his greatest tracks, as well as pre viously unseen concert footage

If you ’ re looking for a nice rom com, then ‘Ticket to Paradise’ is for you Starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, this is all about the sweet surprise of second chances, and is showing on Friday, October 21

The Gateway is going to be running another one of their hugely popular town trails on Saturday, Oc tober 29 in the afternoon This time round it’s going to have a spooky twist, and is for youngsters and older families alike Then to round off your Half Term fun, they will be showing a ghoulish family film in the afternoon

No matter what you ’ re looking for, you will find it at the Gateway this October!

IT was my anniversary on September 18 A year to the day that I was introduced to the Jurassic Coast’s entertainment hub that is The Gateway Theatre

On that particular evening, it was Mad Dog Mcrea performing, and there was quite a lot of whooping and hollering going on Not from the band, but from the theatre volunteers and staff who were excited to be back in the bosom of their most favourite place

And the excitement hasn’t stopped In fact, I was so excited the other day I rushed down to the au ditorium where two of our volunteers Dennis and his utterly adorable wife Ailisha were setting up and showed them my phone

They couldn t believe it either I was only being followed by Brad Pitt on Instagram! It had the blue tick and everything Life couldn’t get much better It subsequently transpired it was a promo account for his Bullet Train film that we are showing today, but all the same, I shall hold on to that fleeting mo ment of being found and followed by Brad Steve Knightley is another performer who cap tivates his audience He decided to perform on the flat rather than up on the stage so he was in amongst the audience, and his quips and anec dotes kept everyone laughing, and his music was phenomenal, with a standing ovation at the end of the evening

Did you know The Gateway stage is the biggest in East Devon? Probably just as well given the size and number of props brought in by Le Navet Bete for their performance of Dracula: The Bloody Truth The trailer they brought with them that had

all the equipment had to be unhooked from the van and manhandled along Marsh Road

Is that allowed? To use the word ‘manhandled’? Who knows?

How many hats do you wear at work? I have many and I added a new one to my collection this month that of plumber Or to be more precise lo cator of plumbing problem so probably the plumber’s mate

Not having the gift of being the most practical person on the planet, it took me a while to work out how to remove false panels to reach the stop cock, but I was highly chuffed when I did Though I won t need to worry about that any more, because we have recently gained a new volunteer who is a plumber A week too late for my needs but nevertheless a welcome addition to our growing team All I need now is a sparky and we’re pretty much sorted

Did you put money into the Red Cross collection tin that has been sitting on the bar for the last few weeks? If you did, a very big thank you We raised £139 81 for the Ukraine appeal

Did you mark the Autumn Equinox? I cannot deny autumn is my favourite month, with its rich colours and harvest I have another celebration coming up in October I won’t be whooping much but I’ll make sure I keep the day clear just in case Brad gives me a call

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN SING-ALONG

Wear your favourite fancy dress and enjoy free, interactive prop bags, as you sing along to Hugh Jackman’s ‘Greatest Show’ and ‘A Million Dreams’, or Keala Settle’s

‘This is Me’ at The Gateway’s afternoon screening of favourite musical ‘The Greatest Showman’.

October 22 | Doors 1.30pm | Tickets £16.50/£13

Sophia Moseley

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Jazz Jurassica launches supper club in Seaton

JAZZ Jurassica and The Gateway Theatre in Seaton will launch a new jazz supper club on Saturday, November 19 with award winning jazz singer pianist, Liane Carroll

Jazz Jurassica and The Gateway have joined forces to paint the town red with a night com bining world class jazz, a relaxed ambience and delicious food

Julie Sheppard of Jazz Jurassica said: "The idea of a jazz supper club isn't new Places like The Cotton Club in Harlem and Ronnie Scott's in Soho became famous for combining jazz with food so customers could indulge both pleasures simultaneously "

Jazz Jurassica has a reputation for staging top quality music events, including a success ful jazz supper club several years ago in Lyme Regis

Julie added: "We know from experience

there's an appetite for a night out with a dif ference And it's great to work with new part ners The Gateway Theatre and Le Pisani, Seaton's well regarded Mediterranean restau rant for a delicious supper And for this very special evening, we ' re setting the bar sky high "I can't think of anyone better than Liane Carroll, the queen of British jazz, to help launch the club ”

Liane Carroll (pictured left) is multi award winning jazz singer with an international rep utation With her stunning vocals, magnificent piano playing, and witty banter, she's a con summate entertainer

"Liane is a musical force of nature and quite simply world class," said Julie "She doesn't perform very often in our area so it's a great opportunity to see her at her best, sitting at her piano singing her heart out "

Tickets for the launch event cost £35 and in clude a two course supper and be available on line from Jazz Jurassica or in person from The Gateway Booking is essential as there'll be no walk ups on the night. Tickets are limited so organ isers advise booking early to avoid disappointment

Julie added: "We'll be seating customers on cabaret style tables for eight which means you can sit with friends and also make new ones We want to create an intimate and friendly at mosphere where everyone feels included and

Top tribute acts coming to Lyme

TWO top tribute acts coming to the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis will brighten up the winter season

The Jerseys taking on the hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as featured in the West End hit musical ‘Jersey Boys’ will be entertaining audiences on Friday, November 25

With incredible falsettos and beautiful acapellas, The Jerseys bring you the authen ticity of the sublime harmonies of the 60s and 70s, with a huge repertoire including ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘My Eyes Adored You’, ‘Grease’, ‘Rag Doll’, ‘Stay’, ‘Lets Hang On’ and ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, before finishing off with headline hit ‘Oh What A Night’

The Jerseys have performed in various prestigious venues, visiting the length and breadth of the UK Some notable shows in clude a performance for Her Majesty The Queen on The Long Walk at Windsor Castle for her 90th birthday celebrations, and inter nationally including The Paris Casino in Las Vegas

Along with their live four piece band of in ternationally renowned musicians, this all singing all dancing show features hit after hit, comedy and more the complete night out which will have you dancing in the aisles of the theatre and leave you ‘beggin’ for more!

Tickets are now available for £18 in advance from marinetheatre com

Just a few nights later, the Marine will be sticking with the 60s vibe but with a different genre of music as it welcomes The Upbeat Beatles on Thursday, December 1

This celebration of The Beatles is second to

none with the show taking you along the Fab Four’s long and winding road, from the early Cavern days through Sergeant Pepper to Abbey Road, with a full visual experience fea turing some of the finest musicians on the scene

Powerhouse vocals, precision harmonies and tight musicianship that’s the Upbeat Beatles There isn’t a band to touch them eight bars of ‘Twist and Shout’ and you will know why!

Tickets are now available for £23 in advance at marinetheatre com

welcome, whether you come with a crowd or you ' re on your own

"It'll be a relaxed and enjoyable evening a night to remember We're a long way from

What’s on

Friday, September 30

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

Oktoberfest

Lyme Regis Brewery, 5pm

Celebrate Oktoberfest with live music and DJs til late German beers and food from The Mill side Also open on Saturday October 1

Talk: Charmouth Street in Time Charmouth Village Hall, 7pm Neil Mattingly gives a talk on the history of The Street in Char mouth, tying in with Charmouth Local History Society s AGM

Lyme Regis Comedy Club

Marine Theatre, 7pm September’s headliner Nick Page was English Comedian of the Year Support comes from Jane Hill and Eva Bindeman while Tom Glover is resident compere Tickets £12 from marinetheatre com

Talk: Charmouth Street in Time Charmouth Village Hall, 7pm

Neil Mattingly gives a talk on the history of The Street in Char mouth, tying in with Charmouth Local History Society s AGM

Saturday, October 1

Shute Festival Marine Theatre Shute Festival was established in 2016 to bring inspirational and stimulating speakers to a stun ning corner of the West Country This year’s festival events will be based at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, running until Octo ber 11 with full details available at shutefest org uk

Charmouth Environment Day Events all day across the village Contributing to the national Great Big Green Week, Char mouth Parish Council will be staging its own Environment Day including a range of talks and workshops for people to at tend from tree planting and fos sil hunting, to river projects and carbon footprint audits

Oktoberfest

Lyme Regis Brewery, 3pm

Celebrate Oktoberfest with live music and DJs til late, German beers and food from The Mill side Also open on Saturday, October 1

Live Music Night

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

Tuesday, October 4

Paines Plough: Reasons You Shouldn’t Love Me

Harlem, but a piece of Soho has finally arrived in Seaton ”

More information and tickets from are avail able from www jazzjurassica co uk

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

Visit: www lyme online co uk/events

Marine Theatre, 6 30pm

The acclaimed theatre company Paines Plough brings its latest production to Lyme Regis Ma rine Theatre for ‘A performance of mesmerising intensity Tick ets available at www marinethe atre com

Thursday, October 6

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

Talk: ‘The Climate Emergency Can Geology Save Us?’ Woodmead Halls, 2 30pm

Hosted by the Friends of Lyme Regis Museum, Jonathan Evans and Chris Sladen give an intro duction to the role of Geo science in the transition from a fossil fuel based energy system to a lower carbon energy sys tem, consistent with mitigating the impacts of climate change Entry £2 for members and £3 for visitors

National Theatre Live: Jack Absolute Flies Again Marine Theatre, 6pm

From the writer of One Man, Two Guvnors comes a hilarious new play, set in 1940s British summertime, screened live from the West End Tickets available at marinetheatre com

Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm

Bingo night every Thursday, raising funds for local organisa tions which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Association Doors open 7 30pm, eyes down 8pm

Friday, October 7

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

My Dear Old Things

An Evening with Henry Blofeld Marine Theatre, 6 30pm

Cricket legend Blowers recalls his days as a young England hopeful, how an Eton bus knocked him off his stride and his bike recoiling from a career in the City to work as a cricket journalist before finding his way into the TMS box Tickets avail able at marinetheatre com

Saturday, October 8

Uplyme & Lyme Regis Autumn Show

Uplyme Village Hall, 10am Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticul tural Society’s fun informal show

has moved to a Saturday morn ing Celebrate the autumn har vest with classes for produce flowers preserves and baking

The event will take place at Up lyme Village Hall Click here to find out more: www ulrhs word press com

Live Music Night

The Nag’s Head, 9pm

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

Thursday, October 13

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

KOG Live Marine Theatre, 6pm

Led by Kweku Sackey aka K O G (Kweku of Ghana), a multi dimensional creative force, combining exquisite writing skills with shamanistic live per formance, fierce raps, perfectly on pitch singing across a mas sive vocal range and some ab solutely wicked dance moves

Tickets available at marinethe atre com

Lyme Regis Community Bingo Woodmead Halls, 8pm

Bingo night every Thursday, raising funds for local organisa tions which are members of Lyme Regis Community Bingo Association Doors open 7 30pm eyes down 8pm

Friday, October 14

Exhibition: ‘Harvest’

Town Mill Malthouse

Celebrate harvest with the Town Mill, incorporating its apple day and honey harvest, displays of apple and honey recipes and hive goods along with other veg etables and fruits Open until October 20

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 Comedy Club Marine Theatre, 7pm Twelve pounds and four acts; it’s the best value comedy event in the South West This month’s headliner James Lambert is an “expert, charming stand up”

The Sunday Times Tickets available at www marinethe atre com

ROTA RY M A KES A N I M PAC T

IN a series of articles over the past few months we have given readers an in sight into the family of RO TARY - what ROTARY stands for and what it hopes and strives to achieve.

A Global Organisation with 1 4 million members in almost every country, all of whom are volunteers The largest service organisation in the world

Men and Women of diverse back grounds and views

With a motto “SERVICE ABOVE SELF” which precisely describes our ethos Rotarians strive to MAKE AN

IMPACT at both a local and global level Promote Peace, Protect Environment, Support Education, Youth and Health & Welfare these are all key objectives of our organisation

But who are they, and just how is it that this SERVICE organisation makes such an IMPACT at both a local and global level? Just who are the people who proudly wear the Rotary logo? What do they do when they meet? How do you be

come a member?

“SERVICE” and “IMPACT” starts with our members, people like YOU who take action to create lasting change:

■ Across the globe

■ In our local communities

■ In ourselves

Your local Rotary Club is made up of people from YOUR community, men and women just like you, from diverse backgrounds, with differing skills and knowledge

At club meetings in communities, wher ever they are, they come together to strengthen connections to friends and neighbours we call this ‘FELLOW SHIP’, the keystone of our organisation

They feed off each other’s knowledge and ideas, identify challenges and focus on how Rotary may make a difference.

A member of The Rotary Club of Lyme Regis can attend any Rotary Club any where in the world, so there can be a real mixing of talents and sharing of ideas

Projects run by The Rotary Club of Lyme Regis such as The Lyme Lunge and Carols Round the Christmas Tree, the lat ter having been held annually for over 60 years, have benefits to the community over and above the value of the monies raised:

Bringing together organisations who share with us their own unique services;

Bringing people into the town who use local shops, restaurants and services;

These people then become great ambas sadors for the town, and Rotary

Running such events is great fun Using our collective skills, using the resources

of other local organisations, having the benefits of Rotary Insurance and exper tise and the financial probity that goes with the umbrella organisation all help make these events successful The recent unique CANDLES ON THE COBB event and THE ROTARY LYME LUNGE on New Year’s Day are prime examples

Rotary takes part in many activities in the town, sometimes openly as a contrib utor such as at the May Day Fete in An ning Road or Uplyme Fete, sometimes in the background marshalling traffic, beach cleaning, helping with mass vacci nation clinics, the Great Christmas Pud ding Race, Carnival Parades etc And of course the Skittles League, where “The President’s Men” have been taking part continuously for over 25 years, usually with more failure than success!

These on their own are small things but together they show a Club that is a work ing part of the community it serves and much of the money raised through char ity fund raising projects goes directly to benefit organisations in that community, such as Dictionaries for Year 6 pupils, servicing Defibrillators, supporting RNLI, Weldmar, Majorettes, Football Club, etc.

Fancy joining such an organisation? You can be part of it, enjoy the fun of Fel lowship and SERVICE and the satisfac tion of seeing the IMPACT we can make when we work together Speak to our Public Relations Officer, Peter Fortnam, on 01297 443145 or message him on peterfortnam@hotmail com or contact our club secretary John Berry,

Email: secretar y@lymeregisrotar y org or visit www lymeregisrotar y org for

FLASHBACKS with Richard Austin

Tales from behind the lens of our award-winning photographer

You can view all of award-winning photog rapher Richard Austin’s previous ‘Flashbacks’ columns online at

Dorset Council housing ser vice to keep residents upda ted by new text ser vice

YOUR next text message might be from Dorset Council’s housing service with an important up date, after the introduction of the new way to communicate

The council can now send text (SMS) mes sages to residents who receive services from the housing team

The message will let residents know there is an update which needs attention and to log into the council portal to view it

Residents could be being informed of a suit able property has become available, a query has been answered, an application has been

updated, or requirement to complete a task such as uploading proof of ID

The additional way to contact residents will mitigate issues when emails and voice mes sages get missed

Residents will not be able to have a conver sation with officers with via text, it will only ad vise when to log onto their council account to check their dashboard The dashboard will have the action required or give additional in formation

All new customers to the housing service will be asked for permission to contact them via

text message Existing customers will need to update their preference in their account to re ceive messages this way

The message will be from Dorset Homechoice and will include the resident’s name

The council will not ask for any personal infor mation and particularly bank details via text message and strongly advises people to take care not to share personal information or bank details from unsolicited messages via text mes sage

Councillor Graham Carr Jones, portfolio holder for Housing and Community Safety,

said: “This will be a really good way to keep up to date with your account and act quickly when there is a message

“Just remember the message will only direct you to your account on the housing portal where all the information and any actions which need attention will be ”

For more information visit www dorsetcoun cilhomechoice org uk

There is more information about how to avoid being scammed, from Dorset Police at www service police uk/advice/advice and in formation/fa/fraud/personal fraud

■ NEVER the twain shall meet lions and tigers might be the most fearsome creatures on earth, and bumping into one another would not happen because they live thousands of miles away from each other This pair, just a few months old, were being hand reared in the West Country and were waiting around for their first photo call with yours truly The tiger cub was a Siberian tiger cub, the largest species of tigers in the world He might well have been the most ferocious but he got a right ear bashing for the would be lion king

NEWS FROM AXMINSTER | SEATON | COLYTON | BEER

axevalleynews

Spending locally is a ‘Big Deal’ for Axminster

AXMINSTER Chamber of Commerce is set to launch an autumn fight back against the var ious pressures facing the town's businesses, while introducing deals that will help the community cope with the cost of living crisis

Through its Totally Locally Axminster off shoot, the Chamber is putting together a plan for a three month 'Big Deal for Axminster' ini tiative, starting on October 8, designed to help traders of all types raise local awareness of all that is on offer and of the long term benefits of putting whatever spend is avail able into the local economy

The Chamber has also launched a new business directory www axminsterbusiness directory co uk as part of its drive to promote local traders of all types Businesses can rake their listing by simply registering on the site

"A lot of businesses in the town centre in particular are telling us that footfall has sub stantially reduced in recent weeks as people have recognised the scale of the challenge facing them through the coming winter," said Chamber chair Jane Rockett

"We very much recognise the fears that ex ists over energy bills in particular and under stand that people are bound to be cautious

"Our hope is that they will appreciate the benefits of the good value deals on offer and recognise that if they are able to source their needs in Axminster while also eating and drinking in the town, it will help to ensure the future of some businesses "

She added: "We have already seen some of our town centre businesses closing over recent months The run to Christmas is now crucial a small change in behaviour really will represent a big deal for Axminster "

The planned closure of the local branch of Lloyds bank the last bank in the town has come as an unwelcome further blow for the town's economy The Chamber is working closely with Axminster Town Council to find ways to at least soften the impact

"Axminster has a lot to offer on all fronts and new businesses are appearing all the time," said Ms Rockett

"Our various councils are working hard be hind the scenes to build a better future If we all get behind them with our strong sense of community then it will remain a great place to live and do business "

The 'Big Deal for Axminster' will be launched on Saturday, October 8 and run through until Christmas The first round of deals on offer will be publicised during the week before and then renewed at intervals to keep the programme fresh

Social and other media will be used to pro mote not just offers but the businesses be hind them

Traders who have previously supported the Totally Locally Axminster 'Fiver Fests' will this time be able to choose whatever price point works for their business and their cus tomers

The key message remains that if every adult spent £5 a week in Axminster that they would otherwise have spent elsewhere (or online) the value to the local economy would be £1 8 million each year

Can the Flamingo Pool be saved?

MORE than 200 people attended a 'crisis meet ing' to discuss the future of the Flamingo Pool in Axminster last week

The Guildhall was packed for the meeting, with more attending via video conferencing app Zoom, after the Flamingo Pool called on the sup port of the community amid rising running costs

They were told that urgent funding needed to be raised or the pool could be closed in three years ' time, the building then reverting to the landlords Devon County Council which trustees said would also struggle to find the funds to run it

The Flamingo Pool, which was built in 1998 following a huge fundraising effort from the local community, has been run as a charity ever since, unlike many other swimming facilities in the area which are council run

As well as a 25 metre swimming pool, it houses the only publicly accessible hydrotherapy pool in the South West, which some have described as a "life line"

The pool has faced a few difficulties over is 24 year history but the energy crisis has seen its gas and electricity bills rise by £100,000 this year

Combined with the ageing boilers, this has prompted the trustees to launch the Jubilee Pro ject, a 15 month fundraising project to tie in with Flamingo's 25th anniversary in 2023

The project is aiming to raise £250,000 through local fundraising and grant applications to enable the installation of renewable and sus tainable energy sources and improvements to the efficiency and existing plant and buildings, so that the pool can be run efficiently, economi cally and with less pollution to the environment

Additional monies will be used to upgrade fa cilities such as changing rooms, but those at tending the meeting said there was currently no point spending money on refurbishments such

FRANCESCA EVANS francesca@lyme online co uk

as these if the pool was to close in three years

At the meeting many people pledged their sup port and suggested fundraising ideas

The issue was further discussed at a meeting of Axminster Town Council this week, where long serving member Jeremy Walden suggested that the council tax precept could be increased in the next financial year and pledged to the Flamingo Pool

The Mayor of Axminster, Cllr Jill Farrow, said: “It’s a magnificent facility, including a hy drotherapy pool which is much loved and much used by many members of this community, so we would very much regret losing that pool

“However, Axminster Town Council does not have £100,000 a year in its back pocket which it can offer to the Flamingo Pool so I don’t think, much as we might love to, we can offer to give it support ”

Cllr Walden said: “I think it’s vital for this town We decided that we wanted to raise the money voluntarily within this town and we did do so largely, with some help from East Devon, and it would be a sad tragedy if we let it go “There are a number of ways we can support it and I would like the town council to look into this ”

He said he did not believe a significant dona tion could be made from the council’s reserves as these were already under “strain” However, he suggested raising the town council tax pre cept specifically for the Flamingo Pool by about £30 a year, with a public consultation to be held beforehand to gauge whether residents were in favour

With this type of support from the town coun cil, he said the pool was more likely to receive grant funding from other organisations

Cllr Sarah Birnie backed the proposal, saying the pool was well used by a wide cross section of the community, from schoolchildren and young people to those recovering from knee or hip re placements, and it was also beneficial for mental health

Cllr Farrow replied: “As I said at the beginning, I am against this Swimming pools are closing all over the country and, having looked at the fig ures, it wasn’t covering its costs even before COVID ”

She suggested the Flamingo Pool should be looking for grant funding from elsewhere

“As much as our hearts want this who would n’t I’m not happy to go to people who are really going to be struggling this winter to heat their homes and afford meals and increase their tax so we can keep a facility like this,” she added

Cllr Elizabeth Paice agreed that a swimming pool was a “luxury” and many could not afford to use it, and were already struggling to pay their bills

Other councillors also raised concerns about the cost of holding a public consultation and questioned what other avenues were being ex plored for grant funding

It was agreed that town clerk Paul Hayward would prepare a briefing paper on the matter for the council meeting in November, including more detailed figures from the Flamingo Pool and what a public consultation and raising the council tax would entail It was also agreed to in vite a member of the pool trustees to attend the meeting to answer any questions

The trustees are currently looking for new and younger volunteers, and in particular those with knowledge of applying for grant funding, legal knowledge, experience in project management, fundraising, publicity and builders and contrac tors Anyone who wishes to volunteer or share ideas can email flamingotrustees@outlook com

J u n i o r p a r k r u n c o m e s t o A x m i n s t e r !

parkrun map with the very first Stopline Way junior parkrun event

The fun, free 2k timed event for four to 14 year olds, and organised entirely by volun teers, will now take place every Sunday at 9am

Sunday's inaugural event attracted 18 junior parkrunners with 20 volunteers, along with friends and families cheering them all on

Event director Sarah Shepley led the warm up for the parkrunners and thanked the fun ders and landowners who have made it possible

She said: It has been a huge team effort to get to this day and I am so excited that we fi nally have a junior parkrun in the town "

Together with the support of Axminster Town

vital start up funds were kindly provided by Axminster Town Council, Axminster United Charities, Devon County Council Locality Fund, Axe Valley Runners via the Grizzly, Run Venture Honiton, N1 Ltd, and WBW Solicitors

The Mayor of Axminster, Cllr Jill Farrow, and Devon County Council chair Ian Hall, who took on the key volunteer role of tail runner for the event, were cheered and thanked for their support by all the participants

In turn, they thanked and congratulated or ganisers, volunteers and runners, and ex pressed their excitement that the new parkrun will motivate young people to take up exer cise, strengthen community spirit, health and wellbeing in Axminster and be huge fun for all participants!

Eli Emmett (08:41) and Harry Austin Pearce (08:42)

The first girls back were Shannon Pearce (11:49), Neriah Smith (14:39) and Poppy Lawrence Westworth (16:59)

Junior parkrunners get credits at every run towards wristbands awarded for completing half marathon, marathon and ultra (50k) dis tances

The Stopline Way Junior parkrun event uses the beautiful and historic course that goes from Axminster Town FC Clubhouse on Tiger Way to the River Axe at Weycroft Bridge Ev eryone is welcome

More details on how to join in as a Junior parkrunner or a volunteer can be found at www parkrun org uk/stoplineway juniors/

axevalleynews

Colyford Goose Fayre returns to delight of villa gers

THE Colyford Medieval Goose Fayre took place on Saturday for the first time in three years

Organisers were delighted with the crowds that lined the village roads for the traditional proces sion of residents in costume

The procession was led by the Exeter Morris Men, the mace bearer and the baldachin, escort ing the mayor and his lady followed by the goose cart and villagers They were led to Springfield on Seaton Road where the fayre was officially opened Colyford Goose Fayre Committee chairman, Vaughan Jelley, said: "The afternoon's entertain ment and stalls held at Springfield were enjoyed by over two thousand people

"Children had a great time with a variety of games including riding the quintain to try their skill with a lance, enjoying a wonderful display by Meredown falconry and an excellent Punch and Judy show "

This year ' s demonstrations included scything, basket making, tradition cider pressing, fighting knights in armour along with a many other crafts

Mr Jelley added: "The organisers are very ap preciative of the support provided by local or ganisations and would like to thank Honiton Air Cadets, Seaton Lions and Seaton & Colyton scouts for their stewarding and help on the day

"The committee would like to pay tribute and grateful thanks to all those from the village who helped with setting up and supporting in the re freshment tent and other areas on the day

"All the funds raised go to support a variety of groups in the local community "

Seaton in Bloom winners announced

The winners of the annual Seaton in Bloom competition have been announced

Seaton Town Council received 22 entries across seven different categories for this year's competition, all brightening up the town with varied displays,

The winners of each category were recently presented with trophies at the Marshlands Cen tre by the Mayor of Seaton, Cllr Amrik Singh

The winners were as follows: Large Front Gar den Mr Anning of Eyewell Green; Medium Front Garden Hilary Lemon of Highwell Road; Small Front Garden Nila Barker of Wychall Park; Best Communal Residential Area was won by Jubilee Lodge & Jubilee Mews; Best Council Allotment Leila & Julian Stride; Best Courtyard winner Bruce Hurson of Eyewell Green; Best Business Display was once again won by Peter & Julie Morris at Pebbles B&B on Sea Hill

Cllr Singh commented: "Congratulations to all the winners of this year's Seaton in Bloom com petition and thank you to all the residents and allotment holders who entered

"The judging was incredibly difficult as the standard was so high, as was the level of hard work and dedication put into the preparation of each entry "

Any green fingered Seaton residents wanting to enter the competition in 2023 should contact Hester Johnson at Seaton Town Council by calling 01297 21388 or send an email to admin@seaton gov uk

Parking charges increase on Seaton seafront

PARKING charges are set to rise on Seaton seafront as of today (Friday) for pay and display spaces run by Devon County Coun cil

They will also go up at Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, and Exmouth, with no variation for summer or winter

This does not affect car parks run by East Devon District Council

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: "New pay and display tariffs in Devon come into effect on 30 September for the majority of the county, and this is the first

review of its kind for more than three years (2019/2020)

"It is normal practice for highway authori ties to periodically review these tariffs to en sure that are consistent with any changes made by our district partners who operate public car parks

"Additionally the changes will help us to ensure that the right parking opportunities are available for the public to use which will in turn help support our communities and town centres "

The Mayor of Colyford officially opens the events by tasting the fayre ale Below, vil lagers process to the fayre ground in Medieval costume

Children had fun riding on the quintain ride and, below Exeter Morris entertain

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sports reports to edit@lyme-online.co.uk

Lyme hosts national sailing event

LYME Regis Sailing Club hosted the Phantom Class National Champi onships over the weekend of September 16 to 18, with 68 boats entered from all across the country.

Some 80 volunteer club members helped to organise the event, 61 of them con cerned with race management ashore and afloat and safety on the water Others or ganised catering and refreshments before and after racing.

Event chair was Dave Guthrie, while club rear commodore Jeremy Wallace hosted the visitors

This was a total club commitment work ing with harbourmaster James Radcliffe to ensure the event was successful, although the wind conditions did make for some tricky racing

Race officer Allan Tyler said: “Winds were from the north which meant that the start line was set up some three plus nau tical miles offshore in an effort to find a stable breeze

“Even at this distance out, the wind was still unpredictably shifty with large varia tions in direction and pressure coming down the course ”

The winner was Andy Davis from Chase water SC, North Birmingham, with Mike Webster (Northampton SC) in second , Simon Hawkes and Nick Orman from Cas

tle Cove SC placed third and fourth re spectively Lyme members showed glimpses of form, posting good results in one or two races but failed to string a series of results

together to threaten the top of the leader board The Lyme Regis race team pro vided a fair but tactically challenging, suc cessful championship, appreciated by the competitors and Phantoms association

indoor rowing bowls

Lyme now established as indoor rowing hub

LAST week Lyme Regis gained 12 newly qualified Indoor Rowing Instructors Within nine months of opening the Indoor Rowing Centre (IRC), based inside the Jubilee Pavilion, has hosted its first indoor rowing Instructor workshop

Delivered by British Rowing master trainer Matt Gleed, the workshop included a mix of practical and theory lessons covering correct British technique, class tuition and equipment maintenance The students came from Lyme Regis Gig Club, the Woodroffe School and IRC members

Chris Farrell, British Rowing Project Manager for Indoor rowing, said: "I am so pleased to be supporting Lyme Regis Gig Club to become an official Go Row Indoor Club and launching classes to make indoor rowing more acces sible to everyone in the local community

“With their highly motivated and newly trained Go Row Indoor instructors, the club has some great rowing pro grammes and motivating indoor activities ready to access, and i believe the club is going to be a huge success

“Indoor rowing is a key discipline of the sport of rowing and nationally we are working with a range of clubs and stakeholders like Lyme Regis Gig Club, to help get more people to get on the machine and give it a go When you row, you will know It is a great introduction into the sport The perfect fun, low impact, total body workout, that’s brilliant for improving core strength and every

stroke uses 85 per cent of your muscles, covering nine major muscle groups so you get a lot of benefit from even just a short workout."

Garry Sutherland, Performance Coach at the Indoor Rowing Centre, commented: “This is an important step on the path to establishing Lyme Regis as regional sea and indoor rowing hub I feel very proud of what we ’ ve achieved in the short time that we ’ ve been open

“As well as regular row for fitness classes, over 70 people have taken part in the GoRow7 challenge leagues which run from October through to summer Participants com pete over a range of time trials from 100m to 10k Uplyme and Lyme Regis Cricket Club used indoor rowing as part of their pre season fitness preparation Cricket Club chair man Steve Batey currently holds four of the league records ”

So, what’s next for Lyme Regis Indoor Rowing Centre?

“We are currently working closely with the Woodroffe school to service and maintain the schools rowing ergs which will be used to select and prepare a team for the British Indoor Rowing Championships at the Olympic velodrome in Lea Valley on December 10 This is where rowers of all abilities compete alongside Olympic and World medallists ”

For further details on how to join the Indoor Rowing Centre email: lymebayrower@gmail.com

The club will be hosting the OK World Championships in June next year with competitors expected from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Germany

Season dra ws to a close

By PAUL MOFFITT

YET another outdoor season has drawn to a close at Lyme Regis Bowling Club Where did that summer go?

The club finished off with a narrow win against Topsham plus a gents’ v ladies and pres ident’s v captain’s matches

For the first time that I can re member, the ladies beat the gents, whilst the president’s team prevailed over the cap tain’s

The final match of the season concluded with a fish and chip supper for 37 members and a speech from retiring president, Alan Nabarro Alan thanked all those members who had helped him over the past three years and presented them with gifts

The club will be holding their usual monthly soup and coffee mornings throughout the win ter months, events that help to keep members in touch during

the down season RESULTS

Lyme 106; Topsham 102 A Allman, M Applegate, B Driscoll, R Gale 25 16; R Hunt, M Haseman, T Young, J Ce serani 21 9; P Moseley, C Haseman, P Knight, P Moffitt 19 23; J Enticott, N Stephens, N Driscoll, B Rattenbury 17 17; S White, J Bishop, J Moseley, S Rowe 11 20; T Allman, T Boyd, J Moffitt, D Meylan 13 17.

Gents v Ladies

Top rink for the gents was: M Applegate, R Hunt & J Moseley and the top rink for the Ladies was: J Moon, M Haseman & N Driscoll

President v Captain Top rink for the President was: R McLennan, N Benson & J Moseley and the top rink for the Captain was: M Applegate, T Allman & S Pomeroy Winter well everyone!

Competitors return to harbour after the last race on Sunday

Photo by ROB JAMES

LymeOnline Sport

Cricketers celebrate ‘fantastic’ season

UPLYME and Lyme Regis Cricket Club celebrated a “fantastic” season with a presentation dinner and awards night at the Talbot Arms

Uplyme were promoted to the C Divi sion East in the Devon Cricket League, the highest standard at which the club had ever played

They led the division for several weeks at the beginning of the season, slumped to seventh place at one time but fought

hack to just miss promotion by finishing in third place despite struggling to field a side during August due to several squad players being unavailable

Uplyme also got to the finals of the Devon League’s T 20 Corinthian Cup fi nals and the final of the East Devon Bash T 20 league, sponsored by LymeOnline and Nub News, in which they were beaten by Upottery

Following an excellent carvery, courtesy

of Steve Gardner, landlord of the Talbot Arms, the presentation ceremony was conducted by the club’s hard working secretary and former player Derek Well man who congratulated the players on a “fantastic season” in their first year in C Division East.

The guests of honour were Philip Evans MBE, a former player and club chairman and his daughter Francesca, editor of Ly meOnline, one of the club’s main spon

sors Mr Evans said the village and town were very proud of Uplyme’s achieve ments in recent seasons He recalled that most of his life long friends were made during his years playing cricket on the King George V playing field He also praised the players’ great spirit on and off the field of play

Also present were another sponsor, Mark Bailey of Sporting Chance, and Cllr Ian Thomas, a former club chairman

ABHISHEK ANAND 1st team player ’s player and most sixes scored, presented by chair man Steve Batey

NABI TEMORI Young Player of The Year, presented by Philip Evans MBE, sponsor and guest of honour

JERRY SIMS Sunday Friendly Cup, presented by 1st X1 captain Sam Farrow

JIBU VARGHESE Most Improved Player, presented by club secretar y Derek Wellman

ANDREW HARRISON special award for taking nine wickets in one match, presented by vice chairman Gar y Rowland

JOE ELSWORTH Captain’s Cup presented by 1st X1 skipper Sam Farrow

TYLER WELLMAN Fielding Cup presented by Richard Hindley, occasional player and supporter

SUE ELSWORTH Club Person of The Year, presented by chairman Steve Batey

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

Seasiders on song!

By PHILIP EVANS

Firsts left kicking their heels again

SPIRITS

were running high at the Davey Fort on Saturday when Lyme Regis hosted their first dou ble header of the season

A crowd of more than 100 watched both the first team and the Reserves in action, fol lowed by a barbecue and a music night in the clubhouse featuring the popular duo Simple Chaos

Earlier in the evening the club relaunched its player of the month awards, the first team award going to the in form Fred Par sons and Toby Fowler picking up the Re serves ’ accolade

The afternoon also witnessed the start of Wally Blackmore’s managerial career A player at Lyme for 23 years, Wally has taken over managing the Reserves from Matt Preece, who has stood down for personal rea sons

The Seasiders’ second string were pitched against Devon and Exeter Division Three leaders Hemyock

Lyme conceded two goals in the first half but they put in a more plucky performance after the break, keeping a clean sheet for the second half

The first team secured their first league win of the season with a 6 1 victory over Premier division basement boys Ottery St Mary 2nds

Lyme gifted the visitors a sloppy goal early in the game but settled down to win comfort ably to climb into a mid table position

The Lyme goals came from Fred Parsons (2), Cam Fowler (2), Brad Rowe and Gary

Knight After the game, manager Julien Simier commented: “We knew that playing late in the af ternoon could be a tricky one and it was

“We were very slow in the first 10 15 minutes, very sleepy on and off the ball, and not competing in the challenges They managed to score a goal during that period But we managed to responded very well and really quickly to give us that wake up call and from then I thought we were superb

“It was one of the best collective performances I have seen so far We worked hard on and off the ball for each other, playing some beautiful foot ball You can see the boys are enjoying their foot ball and it shows the way they play the game. I couldn't be more proud of them

“Our next challenge is to be able to perform the same way from the start and get some continuity in the way we want to play ”

Symonds’ hat-trick highlight of Uplyme’s 7-0 victory

UPLYME 1sts hosted Cheriton Fitz paine in the first home game of the new season in Division Four of the Devon and Exeter League and the re sult was a comprehensive 7 0 victory Marcus Symonds’ hat trick was a brilliant highlight in a great team display, and it in cluded a wonder dribble from inside his own half, past four defenders before slotting coolly into the bottom corner

Connor Tate grabbed two more goals to take his midfield tally to six already this sea son Brad Bowditch and Matt Rowe young players promoted from the Reserves also scored on their full debuts, making it a very satisfying day

The managers Pete Blandamer and Steve Gillan were very happy: “Our first 35 minutes saw us score five goals and it was great foot ball to watch

“The half time talk really showed the mettle of this team They were actually frustrated with the last 10 minutes of the half Players like Rikky Toyer have brought a level of expe rience and communication that we really needed and it showed right through the sec ond half

“Our skipper Fin Mclean was untouchable first half His through ball for Marcus’ second goal would have graced any level of grass roots football The good sized crowd men tioned it was wonderful football to watch

“For us, we were delighted to see debuts for

our young reserve players as well as another clean sheet for new keeper Todd Lowe, in cluding one brilliant save

“A tough day for Cheriton with a bare 11 players, but they kept playing and made it tough to break them down in the second half ”

Uplyme Reserves’ against Crelerne Rangers was called off because the Somerset side could not raise a team, the second week in a row that the Swallows second string were left without a fixture

Tomorrow (Saturday) Uplyme 1sts are away to Cheriton Fitzpaine. The Reserves are at home to Yetminster United Reserves (kick off 2 30pm)

HAVING worked hard in training re sulting in a champion challenging perfor mance against Otter y St Mar y on Saturday, Lyme Regis Firsts were looking forward to travelling to league leaders Credi ton United 2nds tomorrow (Satur day)

As the season moves into Octo ber, the Seasiders have played only one league game

Fixtures were postponed as a sign of respect for the Queen and Dawlish called off the trip to the Davey Fort less than three hours before kick off because allegedly they could not field a side, despite the fact their Reser ves had suffi cient numbers to play Uplyme Tomorrow’s trip to Crediton was called off due to Devon FA moving county cup fixtures with Crediton’s county cup tie taking preference.

No replacement fixture has been offered which means the first team will be left kicking their heals for a third time this season which is only a few weeks old

Lyme Reserves will be looking for their first win in Division Three with a home match against the Univer sity of Exeter 5th X1 This will be the Uni’s first game of the season which could well mean they may field a stronger side than antici pated

In Division One of the Perry Street League Charmouth went down 3 1 at home to South Petherton Re ser ves Tomorrow they travel to Drimpton

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

by Newsquest, Weymouth

FIRST team player of the month Fred Parsons receives his award from manager Julien Simier.

RESERVES’ player of the month Toby Fowler receives his award from new manager Wally Blackmore