Iwas very lucky because I grew up on the edge of one of the big commons in Surrey—Horsell Common, part of Chobham Common. My parents’ house was about 300 meters from the edge of the common, and I used to be out there an awful lot. I think people often say that those who experience such things early in life carry them with them forever, and it certainly stayed with me.
My father was a draftsman designing rubber seals for machinery, and my mother was a stay-at-home mum. At the time they didn’t have any interest in the countryside, so I was very fortunate to have this heathland on my doorstep. I just knew it was somewhere special.
When I went to university, I studied a biology degree. I was interested in biology at school, and I think another very influential factor was a good friend of mine who encouraged me to spend a week volunteering at an RSPB reserve with her. All of these experiences helped shape my desire to be involved in that world.
I think my biggest break was at the end of my degree when my friend Judy suggested I do an MSc in Landscape Ecology, Design, and Maintenance at Wye College, part of the University of London. She was right because it was something that set me
Robin Mills met Jill Butler in Colyton, East Devon
Jill Butler
up in terms of my career in countryside management. Not only did I get a place on that course, but I also got one of the three government grants available at the time, making it an even greater stroke of luck, and it was a fabulous course.
After university, I went travelling to Latin America in the ‘70s with another student who was keen on travelling. That was a great experience too, travelling along the “gringo trail.” It was a wonderful break before starting my first job in Kent working for the Rural Community Council. I buzzed all over the county, talking to village communities, helping them plant trees and manage volunteers.
Then I applied for a job in Wokingham District Council as their Countryside and Country Parks Manager. I managed two country parks: California Country Park, which was an old, heathy common, and Dinton Pastures Country Park, which was much larger and brand new, built on old gravel workings. It was a startup project and quite diverse; we aimed to engage the public with sailing, fishing, and wildlife areas.
Next, I worked at Merrist Wood College near Guildford as their Head of Countryside Department, training young people to become countryside rangers, but I found it quite a challenge. I wasn’t really born to be that sort of teacher.
Then I saw a job working with the Woodland Trust and joined them as a site manager for the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire area. This was truly when I became focused on trees. Very soon, I felt that I was managing the woodlands based on a forestry recipe rather than an approach based in biodiversity. I started to think, “What is the very best way to manage woodlands from the biodiversity point of view?”
I had another huge bit of luck when a good friend, Ted Green, was developing and pushing the Ancient Tree Forum (ATF). I was deeply involved in all of that, even though I didn’t manage many ancient trees as a site manager because they don’t generally occur in closed canopy woodlands— in these settings the old trees will be killed by lack of light from surrounding competition.
Ted happened to bump into two Dutch boys who talked about Frans Vera. Vera’s research, later published in his book Grazing Ecology and Forest History, was a gamechanger. He suggested that Biołowieża (in Poland), a non-intervention site, was not the template for forest management. He put forward the Vera hypothesis: you need large grazing animals to keep big, mega plants in check and provide the balance. This is crucial because many of our most important biodiversity plants, like flowering shrubs, need light to survive, flower, and be available for insects. Ancient trees are evidence in support of this idea.
I was very lucky because the visionary Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust, Mike Townsend, appointed me as an Ancient Tree Specialist. I moved from being a site manager to being their Conservation Advisor for Wood Pasture, Parkland, and Ancient and Veteran Trees, which I did for over 20 years before retiring.
I ended up in Colyton, East Devon, because my parents bought a house here overlooking Woodend Park, one of the top wood pasture ancient tree sites, host to the King John’s Oak. I’m still carrying on with the work, giving advice to people about their trees and policy work for the ATF.
My current philosophy is rooted in the recognition of old growth in the UK—the special wildlife community associated with old trees. This includes plants, invertebrates, lichens, and fungi, a whole suite of specialist species that only exist because of the old trees. This is wood pasture and parkland, a landscape we have been slow to properly recognise compared to most ancient woodland, which is special for its plants and soils but typically has younger trees. Spain and Transylvania have more extensive areas of old trees, but the UK has absolutely astounding areas like the New Forest, Sherwood Forest, and Windsor Great Park—the top site in the world for ancient oaks.
The vision of the Ancient Tree Forum is that all of these trees should be valued in so many ways, not just for biodiversity. They give a great sense of place and have their own identity, living for centuries beyond a forestry felling age. We need to protect them and look after them properly, especially their root systems, which are often shallow and easily damaged. We also must ensure that the values we recognise in these trees are taken forward into the future by safeguarding the next generation.
I’ve also been involved in the wilding movement. Ted Green and I organised a visit for Charlie Burrell (of Knepp Estate) to see the great wilding projects in the Netherlands, which he called one of the most life-changing experiences he’d had. That was destiny—we were looking for someone to do a Dutch-style wilding project in Britain.
I’m now involved in projects like the Forest of Selwood. My focus is on highlighting that the trees we plant should be open-grown. Planting trees close together for straight trunks (like a plantation) creates a closed canopy and loses the 360-degree hemisphere of habitat that an open-grown, mature tree provides. Opengrown trees are biodiversity hubs—20 times the leaves, 20 times the flowers, nectar, and pollen compared to plantation trees. We need a lot more open-grown trees.
I believe that the Ancient Tree Forum has punched very much above its weight. We have really made people aware of ancient and veteran trees. Ancient trees are old for their species (beyond maturity) and have old, decaying wood characteristics; veteran trees are mature trees that have those same characteristics. To be involved in this work, at the cutting edge of something so rewarding and very exciting.
I consider myself extremely lucky because I’ve had a life and a career in countryside management, enjoying wildlife and at the same time, trying to do something to benefit how we look after the countryside and benefit the wildlife that I enjoy. ’
Back in June, writing in his column for BBC Wildlife magazine, Mark Carwardine discussed attitudes towards those concerned about climate change and environmental issues. He pointed out how complacency about conservation was swiftly being replaced by outright hostility, citing comments such as when Nigel Farage once called the, at the time, Prince Charles a ‘stupid eco loony’ and Kemi Badenoch’s description of activists as ‘eco nutters’. Talking with Mark this month, his frustration hasn’t diminished; he believes the biggest threat to the planet these days is politicians. Despite a recent conversation I had with former chief whip Simon Hart, where he highlighted how difficult it is for MPs to achieve their ambitions, sometimes it’s hard to disagree with Mark’s conclusion. Whether it’s myopic remarks like ‘Drill baby drill’ from across the pond or dismissive comments from our own politicians, attitudes expressed for short-term political gain are unhelpful, even for those who voice them. There has been a recent surge in membership and support for the Green Party, and whether this is due to ‘eco populism’, the more dynamic leadership of Zack Polanski, or a more progressive and clear stance on other aspects of governance, the Party’s membership increase is significant. In this issue, Mark Carwardine also points out that conservationists, environmentalists, and others concerned for our planet’s wellbeing need to speak with a united voice. Whether that might be under the banner of one political party is debatable, but the voice for nature does need to be defiant. If not, Michael McCarthy’s appreciation of the Kingston Lacy beech avenue on page 27 could serve as a metaphor for the future: ‘To drive or walk down that avenue as the year turns towards winter is to be astonished at the defiant loveliness of the earth, in the face of the coming cold and dark.’
Fergus Byrne
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EVENTS December
Friday, 28 November
Axminster Flower Club Christmas Demonstration
Magical, Mystical Christmas Floral Demonstration with Angie Blackwell of Cottage Flowers, Ilminster. The Minster Church, Axminster EX13 5AH. 2.30pm. Tickets: £10. Contact: 07742964895.
Kilmington Film Night “The Salt Path” (12) Doors and bar open 6.45 film start 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF. Tickets £6 can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681.
La Vie En Rose Bridport Arts Centre 8pm. The heartfelt wail of the blues; the sultry heat of the campfire; the crazy swirl of the bal musette, all fused together with virtuosity and passion in the melting pot of 1930s Paris: the result was gypsy jazz. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR. Box Office 01308 424204 £18/17/9 http://www.bridport-arts.com.
Film: Good Fortune (15) 97 mins, 7:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8.50. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
My Ballet All adults 18-80 plus Holistic ballet for all adults Supportive & Non - judgemental classical ballet. For posture, flexibility, strength, balance, fitness, friendship. Join the fun and feel good. Complete beginners welcome!Find out about our beginners courses. 10am - 11:15 with experience 11:30 - 12:30 Mixed ability. Jubilee Hall, Church street, Winsham, Chard TA20 4HU. Whatsapp 07866896978. email: myballetuk@gmail.com www.my-ballet.uk
Saturday, 29 November
Stockland Christmas Craft Market Victory Hall, 10am12 noon. Monica.parris@outlook.com. 01404 881535. Advent Carol Service 4.30pm at St Peter’s Church Dorchester, DT1 1XA sung by University Music Bournemouth Chamber Choir. Traditional Advent carols alongside glorious choral settings by composers including Anna Lapwood, Bruckner, Sally Beamish and John Tavener. The service is free to attend and all are welcome. More information at www.musicatstpetersdorchester.org.
Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 6.5 mile walk from Came Wood. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.
WI Christmas Fayre Come along for a warm welcome, tasty lunch, interesting stalls and produce. Free entry! 12noon -3pm at Chideock Village Hall DT6 6JW.
Cantamus presents ‘Magnificat’ a concert of beautiful choral music for Advent. St Mary’s Church, Cerne Abbas, at 7pm. Tickets £12 from the village shop or on the door. Refreshments available. cantamus-dorset.org.
Beginners Sewing Workshop. At the URC church, Chard St, Axminster ( car park opposite) 10 am until 2 pm. Cost £18. Come and learn more about your sewing machine. Make a small project: bag, placemat, fabric box etc. To book a place contact : gina.youens@btinternet.com.
Music: The Skids + Support, 8pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £31. To book electricpalace.org. uk.
Bridport Dance Festival Tango Day ‘Celebrate Tango’ A Day of Argentine Tango, art, poetry & performance. 10am - 12pm Beginners Tango with Barrio de Tango. £16 earlybird/£20 thereafter Tea/coffee included. 3.00 - 5.00 Beginners & all levels with Tango Fandango. £20 Earlybird/£25 thereafter Tea/coffee included. 7:30 - 10:30 Evening Milonga, dancing for everyone, Tango dance, poetry readings & performance woven together. By Leo & Tracey Tango Fandango. £20 Earlybird/£25 thereafter - All day Earlybird £50pp £65 thereafter. Earlybird tickets are limited. Bookings: Bridport TIC Phone: 01308 424901 or arrive at the door on the day - Booking recommended. www.bridportdancefestival.org.uk
Saturday, 29 - 30 November
Mapperton’s Christmas Market 2025 Saturday: 10am–6pm | Sunday: 10am–4pm. Get into the festive spirit at Mapperton’s Christmas Market 2025 – a magical weekend of Christmas cheer in the heart of the Dorset countryside. Your £5 entry includes free parking, access to the beautiful Mapperton Gardens, and helps support Weldmar Hospice. Under-15s go free. Santa’s Grotto: £5 per child. The site is wheelchair-friendly and dogs are welcome in the market and café (gardens excepted). Join us for a weekend filled with festive charm, delicious food, and the warmest of Mapperton welcomes.
Sunday, 30 November
Netherbury Repair Cafe 10:00-12:00 at the Village Hall. Why not bring your broken items and see if one of our lovely team can fix them. And while you are waiting you can sample what the cafe offers: home-made cakes, delicious coffee and a range of Clipper teas. Vegan and vegetarian-friendly. We are always looking for new volunteers and so if you love fixing things, baking or being part of a fun community event then come and join us.
Choral Eucharist 10.30am at St Peter’s Church Dorchester, DT1 1XA, with music by Karenza Briggs, James MacMillan and Grayston Ives. The service is free to attend and all are welcome. More information at www. musicatstpetersdorchester.org.
Singing Bowl Soundbath 2PM Oborne Village Hall, Oborne, nr. Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA £17 Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. Please book 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com.
Music: Wessex Military Band 4pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £10. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
Monday, 1 December
Scottish Dancing in Chardstock. An evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug if possible and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £3.00. For more information contact David on 01460 65981 www. chardscottishcountrydance.co.uk.
Hawkchurch Film Nights, in association with Moviola.org, proudly presents ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’, 100 mins, Cert.12 (moderate strong language). Funny, melancholy yarn of a folk duo (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden) reunited by oddball superfan (Tim Key). Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD. Ticket reservations £6.50 from csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 07753 603219; tickets also available in advance for £6.50 from Hawkchurch Community Shop or on the door for £7.00 (cash only). Subtitles for hearing-impaired patrons provided if available. Festive home-made cake, teas, coffees, soft drinks, wine and other refreshments available.
Tuesday, 2 December
Scottish Country dancing every Tuesday at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR from 7.30 to 9.30 pm with tea break. Only £3.00 per evening per person and everyone is welcome, no partner needed . Please wear flat, soft soled shoes if possible. All very welcome to join us for a fun filled evening. Contact Anita on 01460 929383 , email anitaandjim22@ gmail.com or visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress. com.
Screening: Royal Ballet – Cinderella (12A), 7pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £11.50. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
Wednesday, 3 - 14 December
Bridport United Church Christmas Tree Festival Monday - Frday 10am - 1pm. Friday also 2 - 5pm, Saturdays 10am3pm and Sundays 2 - 4pm.
Wednesday, 3 December
Bridport Christmas Cheer – Late night shopping throughout the town.
Thursday, 4 December
An evening with Brian Jackman. Come along and join Brian for an inspiring talk on how eco-tourism is helping to preserve Africa’s great wildlife and wilderness. Brian is a respected wildlife travel writer whose work spans decades of African safari experience. Through his writing and advocacy he supports the concept of eco-tourism as a tool to help protect wild places and wildlife. His voice has helped shape and promote the idea that safari tourism when done properly, can help “save” wildlife areas, rather than threaten them. Early booking recommended. 7pm Sladers Yard, West Bay. Tickets are available from The Bridport Tourist Information Centre or online from https://bridportandwestbay.co.uk/product/hoptalkshow-eco-tourism-saved-wild-africa-with-brian-jackmanthursday-04-december/
Clapton & Wayford Film Society Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961, US, PG, 115 mins, Director: Blake Edwards) A young New York writer sponsored by a wealthy woman falls in love with the charming, impulsive and eccentric call girl that lives next door. Based on a story by Truman Capote. The winner of 2 Academy Awards including Best Song. Doors 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm start. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall (TA18 8PS). Membership £30, guests £5 per film. For more information/book guest tickets, please email mickpwilson53@btinternet.com or k_everard@live. com. Alternatively, ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Julia Borland on 01460 72769.
Dancing at Combe St Nicholas Village Hall alternate Thursdays from 1930 to 2130 hrs (Postcode TA20 3NY). Admission is £4.00 per person and includes a cuppa and a piece of cake! Group is friendly and inclusive and welcomes everyone who wants to do a bit of dancing and social chat. We have live music and a different caller every fortnight. Jeroka are playing and the caller is Jane Thomas. For further information, please contact Neil Arnold (neil.j.arnold@gmail.com) or 01460 234693.
Community Coffee Morning 9.30 - 11.15 am Free fresh coffee, cakes and bacon butties. All welcome. St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07741457505.
Zumba with Emmaline! Join us for a fun fitness dance session. Everyone welcome! £10 drop in £7 block booking. 9.30am Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme Regis Contact: blissedoutyoga15@gmail.com
Bride Valley Films will be showing The Penguin Lessons ‘a witty and moving film based on a true story’. Set in Argentina during the mid-1970s, the film follows an English teacher who encounters both political unrest in the country and an unexpected aquatic companion. Starring
Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce. Litton Cheney Village Hall – DT2 9AU. Doors open at 7:00 pm with the film starting at 7:30pm. Tickets on the door £6 (to include a glass of wine).
Friday, 5 December
The Jurassic Coast Choir presents Christmas Music with soloists at the Minster, Axminster EX13 5AQ. Doors open at 6.30pm for 7.00 pm start. Tickets include mince pies and mulled wine, cost £15 and are obtainable from Archway Books, Axminster or on the door. Anna Gregory is the Musical Director. All proceeds in aid of the Weldmare Hospicecare Charity.
South Somerset Youth Orchestra & Friends, seasonal concert. £7 includes mince pies & mulled wine/soft drink; please book in advance. (Sold out in previous years). 7pm, at Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. Doors open at 6.45pm. Further information from Mary (01460 74849) or Julia (01460 72769).
The Symondsbury Mummers performing the oldest & most complete mumming play in England. Festive fun for all the family. Symondsbury Christmas Fair 5.00pm.
Film: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (15) 119 mins, 7:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £8.50. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
Saturday, 6 December
Axminster and District Choral Society invite you to Come and Sing, or simply hear, a programme of Messiah choruses. Performance 6.00 pm at Seaton Methodist Church. Details and tickets for guest singers and audience from axminsterchoral.co.uk or 01404 43805.
Christmas Fair for Arthritis UK. Public Hall, Beaminster DT8 3LF. 10 am-1pm. Entry £2. (children under 12 free). Coffee & Cake, Raffle, Bring & Buy Produce, Cakes, Crafts, Clothes, Xmas cards & more.
Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7.5 mile walk from Symondsbury. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.
Wild Words at Symondsbury Estate: Dorset’s New Festival Celebrating Nature, Place & Story. A brand-new literary festival is coming to West Dorset this winter as Symondsbury Estate launches Wild Words, a celebration of nature, place and the art of paying attention to the world around us. Taking place in the beautiful rustic setting of The Old Pottery on Saturday 6th December, Wild Words brings together seven inspiring authors for a day of talks and book signings exploring themes of nature, sustainability, and local life - just in time for Christmas. Line up includes Jeni Bell & Karen Heaney (Authors of 111 Places in Dorset That You Shouldn’t Miss): Hidden Gems of Dorset. Tony Kirkham (Author of Arboretum):
The Secret Life of Trees. Tim Laycock (Author of Dorset Folk Tales): Once Upon a Dorset: Tales, Tunes & Local Legends. John Wright (Author of The Forager’s Handbook): A Forager’s Journey Through the British Countryside and Mark Carwardine, zooligist and conservationist and author of more than 50 books incluuding Last Chance to See with Douglas Adams. Part of Symondsbury’s two days of festive events over 5th and 6th December, this intimate new festival will add a fresh chapter to Bridport’s thriving literary calendar, while reflecting the Estate’s wider ethos of living well, locally, and in tune with the natural world. The Old Pottery, Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, DT6 6HG. Tickets: £9 per talk – available from https://symondsburyestate.co.uk/whats-on. More Info: enquiries@symondsburyestate.co.uk.
Christmas Craft Fayre at Musbury Village Hall - 10.00 am to 12.30 pm. A good variety of local craft stalls including hand made willow items, felt and textile items, bee products, Christmas decorations and lots more, not forgetting the Church cake stall,and raffle. Refreshments including bacon buttys! Proceeds to St Michaels Church Musbury. Enquiries 01297 552440/552711.
The Friends of Weymouth Library (F.O.W.L.) meeting at 10-30a.m. in the Library will have a traditional Christmas feel. Art expert David Brindley will illustrate how the Christmas Story has inspired art more than any other subject. Come along and enjoy a slice of festive fun. Tickets available from the Library at £2 for members and £3 for non-members. Everyone welcome. Contact Library 01305762410 or else 01305832613.
Christmas Coffee Morning at Beaminster Museum. Join us for tea and coffee, homemade cakes and a mince pie or two. 10.00 am to 12.00 pm, entry is £3.00 on the door. Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Road, Beaminster DT8 3NB. www.beaminstermuseum.co.uk
Cantamus presents ‘Magnificat’, a concert of beautiful choral music for Advent. St Mary’s Church, Netherbury, at 3.30pm. Tickets £12 on the door. Refreshments available. cantamus-dorset.org.
The Symondsbury Mummers performing the oldest & most complete mumming play in England. Festive fun for all the family. The White Horse Litton Cheney 5.00pm. Music: Fleetwood Bac, 8:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £24.50. To book electricpalace. org.uk.
Sunday, 7 December
The Ridgeway Singers & Band Christmas Concerts 2025. ‘The Cheerful Choir’. Folksongs, gallery carols, poetry
and dance tunes from Dorset and a bit beyond! 4.00pm St Mary’s Church, South Street, Bridport DT6 3NW. Tickets via www.ridgewaysingersandband.org or call 01305 262159. Adults £12, Under 18s £6.
Lyme Bay Chorale’s Christmas Concert including excerpts from JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio plus carols for choir and audience. Lyme Regis Parish Church at 4pm. Followed by wine/soft drinks and mince pies. Advance tickets £16 from tickettailor.com/events/lymebaychorale or £18 on the door. No charge for young people aged 18 and under. lymebaychorale.co.uk.
Screening: Andre Rieu 2025 Christmas Concert: Merry Christmas (PG) 155 mins 2pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £11.50. To book electricpalace. org.uk.
Monday, 8 December
Scottish Dancing in Chardstock. An evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug if possible and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £3.00. For more information contact David on 01460 65981. www.chardscottishcountrydance.co.uk.
Christmas Band Concert 7.30 - 9.00 pm Christmas Music, Carols and Mince Pies. St. Swithun’s Church, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07741457505
Tuesday, 9 December
Scottish Country Dancing Christmas Social at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR from 7.30 to 9.45 pm. Wear your Christmas hats and jumpers and come and join in the fun. Only £3.00 pay on the door.Christmas refreshments at the interval. For more details contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or check out our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com.
Julia’s House Christmas Carols St. Mary’s Church, Dorchester, DT1 2HL from 7pm (doors open 6.15pm. Tickets cost £10 per adult, £5 per child and U5s go free Carols everyone knows and loves, performed by local choir Encore and the Julia’s House choir. Mince pies and mulled wine included. All proceeds support local children’s hospice, Julia’s House. Event kindly sponsored by Quba Solutions. Book at: www.juliashouse. org/Carols2025.
Singing Bowl Soundbath 9pm Digby Memorial Hall Sherborne DT9 3LN. £17 Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle
body, and detoxing the physical body. Bookings: 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com.
Beaminster Museum Winter Talk: Racing From Beaminster. Brian Earl sharesthe fascinating history of West Dorset’s 19th century racecourse.Tickets are £5 on the door. Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Road,Beaminster DT8 3NB. www.beaminstermuseum. co.uk.
The Marching Band by Emmanuel Corcol - French with English subtitles. Thibaut is an internationally renowned conductor. When he learns he has Leukaemia and needs a bone marrow donor, he discovers that he was adopted and he has a younger brother who plays the trombone in a small marching band. 7.45pm Bridport Arts Centre. Members and Guests (£5) only.
Wednesday, 10 December
West Dorset Community Orchestra present their Christmas concert in St. Swithun’s Church, North Allington, Bridport at 7-30p.m. A varied programme of music with guest appearances. Admission is free with a retiring collection. There will be a raffle and interval refreshments. Contact 01308 456297. www. westdorsetmusic.org.uk.
Kilmington Film Night “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (12A). The Ballad of Wallis Island” is a sublime, adorable comedy. The film bewitches you with its seemingly spontaneous humour, a cadre of original soulful folk tunes, and its adoration of the breath-taking surroundings. Doors and bar open 6.45 film start 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF. Tickets £6 can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681
Thursday, 11 December
The Ridgeway Singers & Band Christmas Concerts 2025. ‘The Cheerful Choir’. Folksongs, gallery carols, poetry and dance tunes from Dorset and a bit beyond! 7.30pm. The Exchange, Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton DT10 1FH. Tickets via www.ridgewaysingersandband.org or call 01305 262159. Adults £12, Under 18s £6. Chard History Group in conjuncture with Chard Museum Present another of the Hidden Histories of Chard. 7.00 for 7.30pm Chard Guildhall upper floor (with lift). Members £2.50. Visitors most welcome £3.50. For further details contact Tessa 07984481634.
The Symondsbury Mummers performing the oldest & most complete mumming play in England. Festive fun for all the family. Shipton Gorge Church 5.00pm. Film: Bugonia (15) 118 mins, 7:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8.50. To book electricpalace. org.uk.
Free food glut stall plus distribution of children’s toys 9.30 - 10.00 am. All welcome. St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07778159826 Wild and Messy Church 3.30 - 5.30pm Children and their
carers are welcome for an afternoon of fun activities and tea. St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07704959426.
Kilmington Film Matinee The Ballad of Wallis Island” (12A) (See 10th December). Matinee, doors open 1.45pm film starts 2pm, cream-teas served during the interval but must be pre-booked with your seats @ £4. see above and www.kilmingtonvillage.com/other-organisations.html for more information.
Bridport History Society will be welcoming Lt Col James Porter who will give a talk titled ‘Napoleon: Soldier and Lover’. The talk will be held at the United Church Hall on East Street, Bridport. Doors open at 2.15pm for a prompt 2.30pm start. All are welcome, members £1pp, visitors £5pp. Bridport History Society meets on the second Thursday of each month (except July and August). Membership is open to all (£12 individual / £18 couple). For more information visit: www.bridporthistorysociety. org.uk.
Zumba with Emmaline! Join us for a fun fitness dance session. Everyone welcome! £10 drop in £7 block booking. 9.30am Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme Regis Contact: blissedoutyoga15@gmail.com.
Friday, 12 December
Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery. Pluto Books (2025). The Bridport Literary Festival will be holding a festival bookend event chaired by David Olusoga at The Bull ballroom at 16.30. The panel will be Dr Paul Lashmar, author of Drax of Drax Hall, in discussion with Alan Smith, First Estates Commissioner of the Church Commissioner, the Church of England and the person behind between the £100m reparations package. Tickets available at the Bridport Tourist Information Office. Ticket booking line : 01308 424 901.
David Olusoga: History’s Missing Chapters, Includes Q&A + Book Signing , 7:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £30. To book electricpalace.org.uk. Beaminster Museum hosts Parnham Voices for an evening of festive music. Tickets, which include drinks and mince pies, are £8 and can be booked via brianearl53@ btinternet.com. 7.30pm, Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Road, Beaminster DT8 3NB. www.beaminstermuseum. co.uk.
Friday, 12 - 14 December
Christmas Tree Festival at St Michael’s Church, Musbury. Daily from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. All welcome to this magical event with 20+ trees decorated in the theme ‘Christmas in Song’. Refreshments available. Donations welcome for St Michael’s Church toilet and servery project. Enquiries to 01297 552440/552711.
Saturday, 13 December
The Dorset Fiddlers, 7.00pm at Eype Centre for the
Arts. Join us in the stunning setting of St Peter’s Church, Eype Centre for the Arts, for an uplifting evening with the Dorset Fiddlers — a dynamic folk fiddle orchestra showcasing the county’s rich musical legacy. Featuring some of Dorset’s most accomplished folk musicians, the ensemble blends archival manuscript sources (Hardy and Ben Rose collections) with fresh compositions to create a captivating programme. Expect an exhilarating journey through elegant minuets, lilting waltzes, and the irresistible energy of jigs and reels — all reimagined in bold, contemporary arrangements. We can’t wait to welcome you! Tickets on the door or via TicketSource: £16.00 Adults/ £8.00 Children. See the Dorset Fiddlers on YouTube: https:// www.youtube.com/@DorsetFiddlers.
Cantamus presents ‘Magnificat’, a concert of beautiful choral music for Advent. St Mary’s Church, South Street, Bridport, at 7pm. Tickets £12 on the door. Refreshments available. cantamus-dorset.org.
Music: Blame It on the Boogie – Annual Xmas Disco, 18+, 7pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £23. To book electricpalace.org.uk. Dalwood Jazz Club presents The Riviera Ramblers with Zoe Lambeth - reeds & vocals, John Whitlock - guitar & banjo, Dale Whitlock - guitar and Joe Gass - double bass. at 3pm Dalwood Village Hall, EX13 7EG (near Axminster) Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and tea/coffee/cake etc. Parking at the Village Hall £12.50p If possible, please book in advance and pay (cash or card) at the door. Thank you! t.mackenney111@btinternet.com.
Sunday, 14 December
Carol Service 3.30 - 5.00 pm 9 lessons and carols with St. Mary and St. Catherine’s Catholic Church Followed by mince pies and hot drinks. All welcome. At St. Swithun’s Church, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07967205302. The Martin Schellenberg Music Trust’s Christmas Concert with Malcolm Archer (organ) Winston Leese (trumpet) and Jan Wyld (festive readings) at 4pm at St Mary’s Church, Beaminster. Tickets £10 at the door (include a glass of mulled wine!). A raffle will be held with excellent prizes! Enquiries: schellenbergmusictrust@gmail.com.
French + Breton Folk Dance, Bal Crewkerne with live house band, in the Speedwell Hall, Abbey Street, Crewkerne, TA18 7HY on Sunday December 14th. Dance workshop for beginners 6-7pm followed by main dance 7-9.30pm. Admission free. Tea and coffee available or bring
your own drinks. Free parking in the town centre car parks. More information on our website:https://balcrew.
Monday, 15 December
Scottish Dancing in Chardstock. An evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug if possible and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £3.00. For more information contact David on 01460 65981 www.chardscottishcountrydance.co.uk.
Monday, 15 - 18 December
Theatre: BYP – Beauty & The Beast, 7:30pm, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £10. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
Tuesday, 16 December
Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR from 7.30 to 9.30 pm with tea break. Only £3.00 per evening , per person and everyone is welcome, no partner needed. Please wear flat, soft soled shoes if possible. All very welcome to join us for a fun filled evening. Contact Anita on 01460 929383, email anitaandjim22@gmail.com or visit our web site at www. ashillscd.wordpress.com.
Bridport U3A Christmas Quiz takes place at. 2.00 pm. Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport, DT6 3LJ. It is a members only quiz with free entry. There are prizes & tea & cakes, mince pies. Solos are welcome as you will be allocated a team on arrival.Teams 4-6 people.
Wednesday, 17 December
Christmas Coffee Morning, including mince pies, scones & savouries, and bacon/egg rolls (made to order), 10.30am – noon; all welcome. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. More details from Julia (01460 72769).
Thursday, 18 December
Dancing at Combe St Nicholas Village Hall alternate Thursdays from 1930 to 2130 hrs (Postcode TA20 3NY). Admission is £4.00 per person and includes a cuppa and a piece of cake! Group is friendly and inclusive and welcomes everyone who wants to do a bit of dancing and social chat. We have live music and a different caller every fortnight. The Blackberrow Band are playing and Mary is the caller. For further information, please contact Neil Arnold (neil.j.arnold@gmail.com) or 01460 234693. The Symondsbury Mummers performing the oldest & most complete mumming play in England. Festive fun for all the family. The White Lion, Broadwindsor 7.00pm. Free food glut stall plus distribution of children’s toys 9.30 - 10.00am All welcome St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU Contact 07778159826. Zumba with Emmaline! Join us for a fun fitness dance session. Everyone welcome! £10 drop in £7 block booking. 9.30am Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme Regis Contact: blissedoutyoga15@gmail.com.
Carols in the Gardens Dorchester Borough Gardens 6.30pm. Join us for some festive singing! Carols in the Borough Gardens is one of our favourite traditions of Christmas in Dorchester. Organised by the Friends of the Borough Gardens and the Town Council with the support of Keep 106, the Carols are for everyone to join in, with music from Dorchester’s own band - the Durnovaria Silver Band, accompanied by the Encore Singers. The music starts at 6.30 and goes on for about an hour - and it’s free! All are welcome to add to the atmosphere by bringing their own home-made lantern. Carol books will be provided. Arrive from 6pm to enjoy a warming beverage and some delicious baked goods from Bees Knees Bakes. Please note that in case of very bad weather the event may be cancelled so keep an eye on the Borough Gardens Facebook page for information.
Friday, 19 December
The Ridgeway Singers & Band Christmas Concerts 2025. ‘The Cheerful Choir’. Folksongs, gallery carols, poetry and dance tunes from Dorset and a bit beyond! 7.30pm. Dorford Centre, 2 Bridport Road, Dorchester DT1 1RR. Tickets via www.ridgewaysingersandband.org or call 01305 262159. Adults £12, Under 18s £6.
Saturday, 20 - 23 December
Theatre: Santa Live! Photo opportunity with Santa post show, Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets from £14. To book electricpalace.org.uk.
Sunday, 21 December
Free Christmas Concert to Bring Festive Cheer to Axminster Guildhall. Axminster Guildhall is set to welcome the festive season in style with a free Christmas Concert on Sunday 21st December at 3:00pm, featuring performances from the Lyme Regis Town Band and the Axe Valley Community Choir. Doors open at 2:30pm, and the afternoon promises to be a joyful celebration of music, community, and Christmas spirit. The concert will open with the ever-popular Lyme Regis Town Band, entertaining audiences from 3:00–4:00pm with their lively mix of brass band favourites, festive tunes, and modern classics. After a short break, the Axe Valley Community Choir will take to the stage from 4:20–4:50pm, before the Town Band returns for their raffle and a special joint finale performance to close the event in true holiday style. To make the afternoon even more enjoyable, the bar will be open throughout the concert, serving mulled wine, mince pies, and other seasonal refreshments. Although admission is free, attendees are asked to book their tickets online in advance to help the Guildhall manage seating and catering numbers. Tickets can be reserved via the website at axminster-guildhall.co.uk.
Tuesday, 23 December
Carols round the Christmas tree at 7PM (19.00). The Rotary Club of Lyme Regis welcome you to a wonderful start to the Christmas activities, ‘Carols round the
EVENTS IN JANUARY
Christmas Tree’ in Broad Street Lyme Regis. The Lyme Regis Town Band will play a selection of Christmas Carols for all to sing along! The Mayor will be in attendance with the Town Crier acting as MC. A great start to the Christmas festivities for all to join in. The collection being made by the Rotary Club will be for the Children’s Hospice South West. Please give generously for this very worthwhile charity! President David Sarson has chosen Children’s Hospice Southwest to be the beneficiary of our traditional Christmas Collection and Carols Round the Christmas Tree. The Charity provides hospice care for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their whole families across the South West. The care offered is wide ranging including hospice stays, emergency care, palliative care and end of life care.
Wednesday, 24 December
1st Mass of Christmas 6.00pm Followed by mince pies and mulled wine, all welcome At St. Swithun’s Church, Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU Contact 07967205302
Sunday, 28 December
Singing Bowl Soundbath 2pm Oborne Village Hall Sherborne DT9 4LA £17 Lie down, relax, and allow the Pure Sounds of a crystal and Tibetan bowl soundbath plus sacred vocal overtoning give you a sonic deep-tissue massage, taking you into the deeper brainwave states of ‘the relaxation response’, while charging and balancing the aura and chakras of the subtle body, and detoxing the physical body. Bookings: 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com
Thursday, 1 January
The Lyme Lunge 1pm Sandy Beach. The iconic Lyme Lunge will return to Lyme Regis beach on New Year’s Day, and a fancy dress dip in the balmy waters of Lyme Bay is just the thing to lift your spirits the morning after. Organised by the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis, the Lunge has raised more than £40.000 for local and national charities over the past 15 years. It is now the most popular way to welcome the New Year in Lyme Regis, and one of the biggest events of its kind in the West Country, with hundreds joining the dash to the sea each year, watched by crowds of thousands.Swimmers will parade their costumes on the beach before a quick dash to the sea at 1pm sharp – and they don’t stay in long, so make sure you get there in plenty of time! This year’s Lunge will be raising funds for The Rainbow Trust and Well Child and Rotary Charities. Hot Soup served for all Lungers (Courtesy of The Harbour inn). Full details and sponsorship forms will be available at www.lymeregisrotary.org , find us on Facebook and Instagram.
The Symondsbury Mummers performing the oldest & most complete mumming play in England. Festive fun for all the family. The Ilchester Arms, Symondsbury 7.00pm.
TNature Studies
By Michael McCarthy
he huge trees on either side of me appear to be on fire. As I drive down the great avenue I glimpse an orange radiance at the heart of them, like the glow of embers, which itself is surrounded by a myriad other hues, bright green, butter yellow, caramel, maroon, russet, bronze, even purple, which flow past me in an endless procession of colour. This is one of the great natural spectacles of Dorset, perhaps even of all of England—the Kingston Lacy beech avenue in autumn.
Beech is our supreme autumn tree. Its intensifying beauty in September, October and November takes you by surprise. It often starts with a single branch whose leaves will slide from green to yellow, but then the yellow turns to old gold, and then the fun starts—the old gold becomes burnt orange, which persists intensely, indeed like fire, while a host of other colours form all about it on the leaves’ journey to their ultimate dark brown, and their falling. You can spot ‘beeches on fire’ from half a mile away.
The season just ended was one of the most beautiful I can remember for autumn foliage. After the record sunshine and warmth of the spring and summer, some of the displays were unforgettable—birches with silver-gilt leaves tumbling down like long hair on a young woman, Norway maples (not native in Britain but widely planted, especially in suburban parks) blooming like giant bunches of golden flowers. The French author Albert Camus put it memorably: “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
But they are flowers in the process of dying. It is a curious phenomenon of the earth that this great annual mortality of the leaves should be a sequence of such beauty, and indeed, I find it triggers emotions—in me, at least—which are subtler than mere delight: feelings which sometimes seem to be just beyond the boundaries of consciousness, but include hints of sadness and regret and a sort of longing which I find
An incomer’s discovery of the natural world in the West Country
difficult to define. How can beauty make you sad? Perhaps that is why autumn is different from the other seasons. But certainly, its beauty is incontestable, and though we can find it in our oaks, our limes, our sweet chestnuts, our poplars, our hazels and many other trees, it is with the beech that it reaches its peak. You can see it best of all in the Chilterns, where it is dominant, and the beechwoods flow endlessly over the chalk hills. I was there at the end of October and driving through them sometimes felt like driving through a glowing orange world.
In Dorset, we are not overprovided with beechwoods. A very handsome one is the wood on the top of Lewesdon Hill west of Beaminster, the highest point in the county at 915 ft; but the Kingston Lacy avenue takes the prize. It runs for more than two miles along the main road from Blandford Forum to Wimborne, and was planted by William John Bankes, the most remarkable member of the family who occupied Kingston Lacy from 1693 to 1982, when the great house and its estate were given to the National Trust. A glamorous, eccentric scholar, politician and explorer, a close friend of Byron and a man who was eventually forced out of Britain for being gay, William John planted the avenue in 1835 as a birthday gift to his mother Frances—365 trees on one side, one for each day of the year, and 366 on the other (for a leap year).
The trees are enormous now, stooping and venerable in their old age, but in autumn, astonishingly vivid in the colours of their foliage. To drive or walk down that avenue as the year turns towards winter is to be astonished at the defiant loveliness of the earth, in the face of the coming cold and dark.
Recently relocated to Dorset, Michael McCarthy is the former Environment Editor of The Independent. His books include Say Goodbye To The Cuckoo and The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy.
Mark Carwardine talks to Fergus Byrne about his life as a zoologist and conservationist and the growing threat that comes from within our own species.
Despite being shot at more times than he can remember, kidnapped by seal hunters, beaten up by chimpanzee traders, and molested on television by an amorous kakapo, Mark Carwardine believes that politicians are probably the greatest threat to the planet at present.
He argues that politicians, particularly in the UK, often lack a science background and fail to understand how essential conservation is to everything from farming and river management to economic development. ‘Politicians don’t have the knowledge,’ he tells me. He describes a ‘fundamental problem’ as the absence in Downing Street of anyone in the ‘inner circle’ of decision makers who has any knowledge or interest in the environment or conservation. ‘There is nobody there calling the shots for the environment!’ he says.
‘Politicians
of those like Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry who have worked with him, he understands better than most the need for strong voices representing conservation. However, he is concerned about the fragmented nature of the conservation movement. He considers the conservation lobby a failure. Unlike powerful, unified lobby groups such as those for farming or fossil fuels, conservation involves ‘lots of different voices.’ He says there is an urgent need for conservation groups to come together—delivering ‘hard-hitting, simple points’ to cut through the noise of other influential interests.
He also emphasises the need for people, especially in government to understand the harsh reality of biodiversity loss in the UK. During his lifetime, the country has lost 70% of all wild animals. Like many of us, his childhood memories of grasshoppers,
in most countries still see conservationists as weird and eccentric’
Speaking to me in advance of a talk at Symondsbury Estate in December, Mark says, ‘Politicians in most countries still see conservationists as weird and eccentric, you know, ponytails, white socks in sandals, hugging trees—an extreme interest’ rather than as an essential component of policy.
Anyone familiar with Mark Carwardine and his career in wildlife conservation, photography, and writing knows he presents a very different character altogether. In magazine articles, he has tackled stories such as the hypocrisy of greenwashing, the government’s laws against peaceful protest, and, most recently, rising hostility towards environmentalists.
Known as ‘the other guy’ because of the fame
clouds of butterflies, and swifts filling the sky are now largely gone.
Born in Luton and raised in Basingstoke, he jokes that his seemingly unlikely starting point actually gave him the travel bug. However, he often claims that his extraordinary life has resulted just as much from luck as anything else. In a David Oakes podcast he recounts how, having recently finished his finals at university, he and some colleagues planned to meet in the insect house at London Zoo before going out to celebrate. He accidentally trod on someone’s foot, who turned out to be from the World Wildlife Fund and later offered him a job. Not long afterwards, he was asked to take some of the trustees back to the
‘Creep up on people with lots of funny bits and adventure... and then hit them with the facts’
Images: Previous page, Sirocco the kakapo tries to mate with Mark’s head, Codfish Island, New Zealand (BBC’s ‘Last Chance to See’).
From above: On an anti-poaching patrol in Siberia; on location with Douglas Adams; with Stephen Fry for the BBC series ‘Last Chance to See’ and on an anti-poaching patrol, Cambodia
station after a meeting. Somehow, he managed to squeeze David Attenborough, David Bellamy, David Shepherd, and Peter Scott into a Hillman Imp, which promptly broke down. He credits the experience as a springboard to their being very supportive of his career, and he has never forgotten the memory of David Bellamy and David Shepherd pushing his car while David Attenborough and Peter Scott advised him on how to work his gears.
His career journey led him to Bristol, home of the BBC Natural History Unit, where he was based for 20 years before moving further south. When asked how he describes himself today, his answer is clear and immediate: zoologist and conservationist.
‘Conservation is what drives me,’ he says. ‘I’m a zoologist by training, and everything I do, whether it’s books or radio or writing or photography, is to do with wildlife.’ He sees his role as that of an interpreter—a vital bridge between the scientific community and those of us without the same degree of scientific knowledge, passing on crucial information about wildlife and conservation.
When I catch up with him at his home in Dorset, he is trying to get through a mound of admin. He has been travelling non-stop for five months and hopes to be home for what he laughingly says is ‘a recordbreaking’ two months.
His prolific output—the books, the TV shows, and the continuous travel—makes me wonder what drives him. ‘I’m lucky in a way, because my passion is my work,’ he explains. When he has time off, he’s bird watching or doing something else connected to wildlife. However, he also admits to a fatal flaw that contributes to his relentless schedule. Laughing, he tells me that he’s a ‘very bad judge of how long things are going to take,’ and might even underestimate a project by years.
Mark’s upcoming talk focuses on the monumental project Last Chance to See. This endeavour began as a journey with his good friend, the author Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. Beginning in 1985 they set out to track endangered species around the globe and meet the people striving to protect them. The result was an extraordinary book called Last Chance to See, where Adams, with his legendary wit and wisdom, described the journey and its many adventures.
Following Adams’ sudden death in 2001, Mark and Stephen Fry got together to produce a follow up. Twenty years after the original book, they embarked on a new, eight-month journey to see how the species and their guardians were faring, resulting in a book and a popular TV series.
Mark reflects on the remarkable similarity between Adams and Fry. Both were exceptionally tall, both
had ‘brains the size of planets,’ and both possessed an unusual way of viewing the world that was invaluable to the project. As a zoologist, Mark would describe the aye-aye lemur they sought in Madagascar, for example, in scientific terms. Douglas Adams, he says, saw it as an animal with ‘a cat’s body, a tail like a squirrel on steroids, long thin middle finger like a twiglet, eyes like ET, ears like a bat and teeth like a rodent.’ In a talk Adams gave not long before his death, he added that it had “Marty Feldman’s eyes.”
Stephen Fry added that it looked like ‘somebody’s tried to turn a cat into a bat.’
‘non-intensive farming, working alongside nature, is entirely possible and beneficial’
The main goal of the Last Chance to See project was to utilise Adams and Fry’s comedic talent and sense of adventure to attract an audience that wouldn’t normally read a book about conservation. They aimed to ‘creep up on people with lots of funny bits and adventure... and then hit them with the facts.’
Douglas Adams fans will recognise the last remark made by dolphins when they chose to leave the planet as it was being demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. “So long, and thanks for all the fish” they said. It became the title of the fourth book Adams wrote in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. In Last Chance to See, Mark and Douglas Adams searched for the Yangtze river dolphin, which was believed to be near extinction at the time. By the time he and Stephen Fry embarked on the follow-up, the dolphin was already extinct.
Mark, who has spent thousands of hours with dolphins talks about their human-like traits. He finds them ‘inquisitive’ and ‘emotional’, with a tangible awareness that affects people in a deep, often emotional way. Dolphins, he says, are ‘good for the soul’.
I ask Mark whether he and Stephen Fry have discussed the idea of doing the project again. He points out that since the world is an even tougher place for wildlife now, there is definitely scope to revisit these issues, although the logistical challenges of coordinating their busy schedules would probably
mean filming individual programmes rather than a continuous series.
In the meantime, many other issues occupy his time and passion. He discusses the debate between farming and rewilding, recognising the deep divisions. But he makes a clear distinction between industrial farming, which has the loudest voice, and many smaller-scale farmers who are not anti-wildlife and are actively rewilding parts of their land. He believes that nonintensive farming, working alongside nature, is entirely possible and beneficial, as a healthy ecosystem is vital for healthy farmland.
The ongoing controversy over badger culling, he says, is a clear example of the problem, where the industrial farming community, despite scientific evidence, continues to advocate for culling, confusing the public and other farmers. Mark believes that the root of such misguided efforts often stems from one thing: maximum short-term profit, not what is right for the environment and the long-term need for sustainability.
Ultimately, the systemic change Mark wants to see is for the government to fully incorporate environmental and conservation concerns into
every decision it makes. He wants it to be part of energy policy, farming policy, and all government policies, not just a side issue.
He mentions how in the past, CEOs and managers of businesses have joined his whale watching trips, returned to their companies, and implemented changes to become more environmentally conscious. He considers whether a conservation-themed trip with top politicians, where they can witness the world’s wildlife firsthand, might foster a deeper understanding of the crisis and inspire them to return home with a fundamental shift in perspective.
As Mark Carwardine faces his mountain of posttravel emails and prepares for his brief respite at home, his work remains a potent, necessary call to action—a continuing mission to interpret the urgency of the wild world for a listening public and a sustainable future.
Mark Carwardine will be speaking at Symondsbury Estate on Saturday December 6th. Tickets are limited. To purchase one visit: https://symondsburyestateshop.co.uk/collections/ all today.
back at historical moments that happened in December, John Davis highlights Minnie Haskins.
‘And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So, I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of the day in the lone East.’
This passage forms the preamble to a poem called God Knows written by a largely unknown poet called Minnie Haskins who grew up in the Warmley area just outside Bristol late in the Victorian era.
It became well-known nationally as it was used at the end of King George VI’s Christmas speech in December 1939—a very appropriate choice as he was speaking to the nation several months after the declaration of the Second World War.
Tradition says that the poem was recommended to her father by Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), aged thirteen, and is said to have remained a favourite of Her Majesty throughout her reign. It is inscribed in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and was used at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002.
King George VI did not name the author of the poem but the following day (Boxing Day), the BBC announced that it had been written by Minnie Haskins.
Haskins, then sixty-four years old, had not known beforehand that the King would quote her words and did not hear the actual broadcast. When interviewed by a journalist from The Daily Telegraph several days later she said modestly, ‘I heard the quotation read in a summary of the speech. I thought the words sounded familiar and suddenly it dawned on me that they were out of my little book of poems.’
Miss Haskins, who never married, was the daughter of a local businessman who started out a shopkeeper but later owned a local pottery, mass producing
clay pipes. A deeply religious woman, she studied informally at the University of Bristol before carrying out social and charity work at first in London and then at Madras in India. There she wrote the small book of poems entitled The Desert which included the poem God Knows with its preamble to raise funds for the cause.
King Charles is reported to write his own
speech without assistance.
Poor health forced her to return to Britain from India in 1915 where she supervised the labour management department (probably known as HR today) in a government run munitions factory. Somehow, she also found time to publish a second volume of poetry, The Potter, in 1918.
At the end of the war, she attended the London School of Economics to study for the Social Science Certificate. After gaining further qualifications, she worked as a tutor at the LSE in the sociology department. In 1921 she co-authored Foundations of Industrial Welfare—a treatise aimed at promoting close co-operation between worker and employer. She also helped to found organisations that were the precursors of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Despite her academic work, Minnie Haskins still wrote two novels Through Beds of Stone (1928) and A Few People (1932) and a further volume of poems, Smoking Flax (1942). She returned to teach at the LSE at the start of the Second World War and finally retired in 1944 at the age of sixty-nine. She died in 1957, aged eighty-one.
The tradition of an annual speech broadcast to the nation and the commonwealth on Christmas Day originated with King Charles’ great-grandfather, King George V in 1932 and has become an integral part of the festive celebrations. Over the years it has acted
as a chronicle of global, national and personal events which have affected the monarch and their audience.
It was the original idea of the founding director-general of the BBC John Reith who approached King George V in 1922 about making a short broadcast on the newly created radio service. The King refused. Ten years later Reith asked again and this time King George was persuaded to deliver the broadcast by his wife, Queen Mary, and the current Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. The first royal Christmas message was written for the King by the poet and author, Rudyard Kipling.
Queen Elizabeth II delivered her first speech in 1952 and only failed to appear on three occasions, in 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting two of her children and in 1969 when it was replaced with a special documentary film Royal Family and only a written message given. The pre-recorded broadcast is usually timed to go ‘on air’ at 3.00 p.m. The idea of using ‘ghost writers’ has long disappeared and King Charles is reported to write his own speech without assistance.
Footnote 1: The verse mentioned at the beginning of the article is often used in conjunction with a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artist William Holman Hunt (18271910) called The Light of the World. It shows a Christ-like figure standing by a doorway. His right hand appears to be opening the door while in the left he holds a candle glowing in a lantern,
Footnote 2: I have to admit a personal interest in writing about Minnie Haskins for the December edition. The clay pottery owned by Minnie Haskins’ father was only several hundred metres from the house in which I was born and the site was an important part of the local industrial landscape when I was growing up. At the secondary school I attended one of the teams for sports matches etc. (we called them houses) was named Haskins after the local family.
Semi-retired and living in Lyme Regis, John Davis started working life as a newspaper journalist before moving on to teach in schools, colleges and as a private tutor. He is a history graduate with Bachelors and Masters degrees from Bristol University with a particular interest in the History of Education and Twentieth Century European History.
The Light of the World - William Holman Hunt (1827 - 1910)
The Art of the Photograph
This month featuring Eddy Pearce
WWHILE many people reevaluated their work-life balance in the aftermath of Covid-19, it was also a time when people looked for new hobbies or took existing interests to another level. Olympic diver Tom Daley, for instance, became obsessed with knitting, actress Florence Pugh expanded her cooking skills, and David Beckham took up beekeeping. While closer to home, film location scout and manager Eddy Pearce developed a newfound passion for something he had been doing for years—photography.
As a location scout, part of his job is to find locations that match a film director’s vision. To do this, he not only has to find locations and view them through the eyes of those he’s working for, but he
also has to photograph them in a way that sparks the imagination of those choosing where to film their latest project. It’s an art form that not only keeps him in demand but, over many years, has given him a platform to develop his own photographic vision. His journey into photography is unique, and as he points out, ‘didn’t start when someone gave me a camera as a present’. That said, he chuckles at the memory of first using his dad’s camera on a family holiday. He enjoyed capturing moments with his family, but on the way back to the car after returning home, he remembers bending down to tie his shoelace. He put the camera down and promptly forgot it. The camera was lost, along with the photographic memories of the holiday.
After studying African and Middle Eastern Geography at university and taking photographs for the student newspaper— ‘without any clue as to what I was doing’— he got a job as a runner in a film studio. He never looked back. And his distinctive journey was shaped by a piece of strategic advice. A friend in the industry told him: ‘If you’re going to shoot your location, shoot it well, because taking good photos is a really powerful way to help sell the location.’ This practical experience taught him to think ‘cinematically,’ developing an eye for composition, symmetry, and ‘dirty frame’ techniques like shooting through foreground objects. This would later influence his personal work.
However, it was during lockdown that Eddy experienced a personal breakthrough in his photography. While shopping and delivering groceries for neighbours, he glimpsed life behind doorways and behind glass, which inspired a project photographing people sometimes through their windows. This became known as the Bridport Lockdown Project and produced iconic images, including one of Reuben Coe, whose life during lockdown was brilliantly documented by his brother Mannie in the book brother. do. you. love. me. This led to Eddy being asked to document
a local vaccination centre—a very real-world setting where he felt compelled to capture what was happening. ‘I realised how much I enjoy doing community projects,’ says Eddy.
This shift culminated in the ‘Bank of Dreams and Nightmares’ project. Inspired by a late-90s project run by a photographer in Hackney Wick, Eddy, along with two other photographers Pete Millson and Dot Forrester, ran workshops for children in a local school. They gave the children point-and-shoot cameras to document their lives for a month. The outcome was deeply satisfying, offering immediate, genuine feedback that contrasted with the often slow-moving commercial world. He experienced profound enjoyment in doing ‘something that’s not about you.’ For the children, the project was empowering, giving them a voice and an ability to share their unique reality.
These projects and their move to portraiture, though initially uneasy, grew into a genuine desire to connect. He realised the camera was more than just a tool for capturing a place; it became a means to foster empathy. ‘It helped give you an appreciation of other people’s lives and how different they are.’ When people ask him about the most remarkable location he’s ever visited, he says, ‘It wasn’t the location, it was the people, or the experience you have when you are there.’
He also found a sense of discovery in the creative process. ‘I got so much pleasure out of going somewhere really dull and coming away with great
shots,’ he says. ‘It makes you realise that the place wasn’t dull at all.’
He vividly recalls an early experience in a university darkroom, losing himself completely in the printing process, only to emerge for a lunch break hours later to find it already evening. This ‘flow state’ is something he still seeks: ‘Sometimes you will just get in that zone where you’re completely lost in it… It’s a really nice thing.’
Photography also has the power to evoke moving effects. One series of photographs he created to explore a traumatic event shows items recovered after a house fire. Three weeks after moving to Dorset with his wife and two daughters, he went to work on a job in London, only to get an urgent phone call from his wife telling him she was sitting in a fire engine watching their house burn down. A chimney fire had ravaged the entire building, and they lost everything. Later, he collected the charred remains of items he managed to recover and, after many years, photographed them. He recalls seeing them as ‘weird’ and yet ‘curious’. They were ‘personal possessions that had melted’. The result is a poignant and somewhat eerie collection of half-burnt children’s toys, books, bathroom paraphernalia, and even a camera.
It was the first time he had approached still-life photography, treating it as an ‘experiment.’ By taking on this creative challenge and transforming painful memories into art, he found a necessary distance and philosophical acceptance: ‘If it’s gone, it’s gone.’
Later, a subsequent meltdown and a panic attack revealed the mental toll of the event.
After learning more about the effects of such a traumatic experience, the integration of his craft with mental health awareness is now central to his work, notably through workshops with the local support group, The Harmony Centre in Bridport. Initially, he aimed to teach mindful walking, but the focus quickly became about human interaction and empowerment. The project with Harmony explored how photography might be used mindfully or to develop connection and community. His work with volunteers and visitors will be explored in a future issue of The Marshwood Vale Magazine.
Looking back on his career to date Eddy says he would ‘really struggle to name any individual influences.’ He is constantly looking out for new ideas and techniques. ‘I think that a lot of my influences in that sense come from cinematographers rather than other photographers. Hence the 16x9 format that I use for a lot of my photos— even for some portraits—which is pretty non-standard and definitely owes more to films than photos.’
To learn more about Eddy Pearce and his photography visit: https://www.eddypearce.com.
Lost. Found. - Lost, January 2010. Found, February 2010. Photo, August 2023
Eddy Pearce
Reach out to your community through these pages. To advertise telephone 01308 423031 or email: info@marshwoodvale.com
Kindness Blooms
Dorchester firm comes to the rescue after rogue trader leaves elderly man with descimated garden
An elderly vulnerable man from Dorchester who was targeted by rogue gardeners in 2022 had a nice surprise this week. In September this year the last 2 members of the rogue trading gang were sent to prison by Bournemouth Crown Court for 3 years and 7 months and 6 years and 7 months. The court heard how the gang had targeted the man in November 2022 offering to cut the hedge in his front garden. When he agreed they quickly gained his trust and found other work they claimed was urgent as his trees were diseased. He ended up paying £36,600 for work that was later valued by Dorset Council’s trading standards service at £3500.
The victim was left with no savings and a garden full of cut tree trunks and other garden rubbish.
The case was widely publicised and a local arborist company, Knighton Countryside Management saw the story and contacted trading standards. They offered to clear the victim’s garden and tidy up other trees free of charge.
Mark Gibbens, Managing Director of Knighton Countryside Management, said: ‘When I read about what had happened, it really hit home. Sadly, this isn’t the first time we’ve come across the aftermath of rogue traders taking advantage of vulnerable people. My team of qualified arborists were more than happy to step in and put things right.
‘We wanted to help restore the gentleman’s garden and his peace of mind before Christmas. I’d urge anyone looking for tree work to always use Arboricultural Association-approved contractors. It’s the best way to make sure you’re dealing with genuine, trained professionals who take pride in their work and care about their clients.’
Rachael Holden, trading standards service manager said ‘we are very grateful for Knighton Countryside’s incredibly generous offer to help the victim of this callous crime. We were successful in bringing 4 people behind the rogue venture to justice, but the victim’s garden was left in a terrible state which was a constant reminder to him of what had happened. I would like to praise his bravery for giving evidence in court against the traders and also thank his neighbours who alerted us to this fraud which enabled us to take robust action.’
The Knighton Countryside team with Managing Director (second from right) and Mike Dennis from Trading Standards (right)
DECEMBER IN THE GARDEN
By Russell Jordan
It’s rather fortunate that Christmas falls at a time of year, in the northern hemisphere at least, when any necessary gardening tasks can probably wait, for a month, if you are too busy preparing festivities. Also, the weather tends to be against us during the winter as it can do more harm than good to trample beds and borders while they are waterlogged or frozen. I’ve mentioned before that I think that compacted soil, soil which has had all the air pockets squeezed out of it, is often the major factor in preventing plants from thriving.
Plants need to be able to access air in their root zone, in order for them to respire, as well as above ground where their leaves and shoots are visible. If you walk on waterlogged soil then the air pockets, that exist between all the particles that constitute the soil, are compressed which forces the air out and, due to the presence of excess water, these spaces are then filled with water rather than air. In order for air to move efficiently from above ground to below ground there needs to be an uninterrupted route from the free atmosphere to the air held in all the soil pockets underground. If the soil becomes waterlogged, with its open structure destroyed by trampling, then this free exchange of gases is halted and any plant roots are at risk of dying.
One of the things, that I reckon can lead to a person being considered ‘green-fingered’, is how gentle they are with compost while they are performing operations like potting on plants or preparing pots of compost when striking cuttings during propagation. I know that, in the past, I had a horrible habit of really firming compost down, by pressing all around the edge of the pot with my thumbs, when potting up plants. This had the same effect that trampling does on garden soil; it squeezed all the air out of the potting compost and this, in turn, had a detrimental effect on the ongoing vigour of the plants that I’d potted up.
It was many years ago now that I had the privilege
of watching a true plant propagator / nurserywoman, Marina Christopher, pricking out, and potting on, seedlings. Seedlings were knocked out their seed trays, with a deft ‘up and out’ movement, in which, somehow, all the contents of the tray were deposited, right way up, on the potting bench where each seedling could then be gently separated and inserted, with minimum handling, into a pot of non-compacted, gritty, compost. Grit is added to compost in order to ‘open it up’. This term describes how the generally large particle size of horticultural grit imparts larger air pockets, in the otherwise fairly finely structured potting compost. Larger air pockets facilitate better gaseous exchange, leading to healthier root development, and therefore a greater degree of success in the resulting new plants.
Similarly, forking in coarse grit, to compacted garden soil, can help to ‘open up’ it’s structure, improve drainage and guard against future compaction and waterlogging. Soils with the finest particle size, generally those containing a lot of clay, are most prone to compaction, waterlogging and therefore poor root growth and plant establishment. Adding organic matter can have a similar, structure improving, effect, in the short term, because the organic matter helps to ‘open up’ the soil structure. Unlike inert materials, like gravel, the organic matter will break down over time and its ameliorating effect will be lost.
This brings me neatly to the application of sterile organic matter as a mulch on top of beds and borders; this is an operation that can be performed in the winter months whenever the conditions are not too wet. I use the term ‘sterile’ because mulches are one of the ways to minimise the prevalence of weeds in cultivated areas, but they will only do this if the applied organic matter is free of weed seeds itself; i.e. ‘sterile’. Bagged mulches, like ‘spent mushroom compost’ or ‘well-rotted horse manure’, have generally been through a composting process
where the temperature reaches a level at which any weed seeds present will be rendered non-viable. This may not be true of mulches made up of garden compost or manures that have come directly from farms or stables. Other ‘sterile’ mulches may be comprised of organic matter which would never have had weed seeds in it to begin with; i.e. something like ‘RocketGro Magic Mulch’. I used a lot of this product, this year, and it has proved to be a very effective weed suppressant.
Whatever organic matter you choose to add to the surface of your soil, it has a beneficial effect on soil structure because its naturally fibrous structure will boost the humus content of the soil. This ‘living’ constituent of the soil not only helps in preventing compaction but also greatly aids water absorption, especially in sandy soils which might otherwise be prone to drought, which in turn reduces plant stress in the kind of hot and dry summer which we’ve just had. The beauty of adding a thick, two or three inches deep, blanket of organic matter in the winter months is that it’s gradually drawn down into the soil by worm action. Encouraging worms is another way of ‘opening up’ the soil as they naturally produce air ‘corridors’ as they burrow and squirm their way throughout the root zone, dragging organic matter down as they go.
I’m sorry that this has turned into an essay about soil structure rather than anything more Christmassy! I think I probably write this every year, the very nature of gardening tasks is that they tend to be on a twelve month cycle, but now, during the leafless months, is the time when you most appreciate evergreens and, especially, those most festive of plants : ‘The Holly and the Ivy’.
Thanks to the balmy spring and hot summer, I’ve had berries on hollies that I don’t think I’ve ever had berries on before. Normally the reason why you don’t have berries on any particular holly is because they are ‘dioecious’; they have separate male and female plants and only the female ones will produce berries. As far as I know, they are not able to choose whether they identify as male or female so it is up to you to ensure, if you are purchasing a holly in order to have winter berries, that you choose a female variety from the start. Just to add to the confusion, something that has always made me chuckle, is that Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’ is most definitely a female variety and Ilex aquifolium ‘Silver Queen’ is defiantly male, grown for its striking variegation and NOT for its berries!
On that shattering ‘bombshell’, I shall just wish you a very merry Christmas and happy gardening in the New Year.
Dorset and Cop 30 in Brazil
Author of Giant Silkmoths, Bee Tiger and many books on moths and butterflys as well as Vicar of the Amazon, Philip Howse describes the background to the ‘Help Our Planet’ talks.
During two weeks in November this year, around 50,000 politicians, economists and scientists met in the Brazilian city of Belêm at the mouth of the Amazon river to debate the future of the human race in the face of climate change and destruction of the environment. The science relating to climate change is unequivocal: we are already on the path to the extinction of all life on the planet. Bob Ward, in the November issue of this magazine has explained the potentially dire consequences for life in Dorset, so what can we do about it?
A new organization, Help Our Planet (HOP), entered the fray several years ago in Bridport and is beginning to influence the thinking of the people at COP meetings.
Stimulated by John Fowles (author of The French Lieutenant’s Woman), HOP was set up in Bridport by a small group of biologists: Prof. Philip Howse, Sir
Ghillean Prance (former Director of Kew Gardens and a leading expert on Amazonian ecology), Clive Farrell (doyen of butterfly experts), Tony Jacques (Othona) and Symondsbury artist Peter Hitchin. Initially, it had the patronage of James Lovelock, at that time a resident of Abbotsbury. Patrons now include George Monbiot, George Mcgavin, Ben Goldsmith, Sir Philip Colfox and Kate Rawles.
During the pandemic, HOP organised monthly talks at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis. The emphasis was on what each of us could do to help. The talks are now organised by Garry Constable, a committee member of the Sustainable Bridport initiative, and are now held at Sladers Yard in West Bay. Local film-maker Rob Jayne has recorded them and made them available online.
Some excellent talks were given on a variety of contemporary issues related to climate change and
protection of the natural environment. Topics included threats to insect life, environmental pollution, rewilding, marine life, citizen science, and global warming.
One of the most inspiring presentations was by Stewart Macpherson of Redfern Natural History Productions. Stewart, supported by Jane Goodall and other philanthropists, has sent many thousands of free boxes of books on natural history to schools in Britain, Australia, Europe, and North America. He spoke about his latest mammoth achievement, which was an expedition tracing Darwin’s voyage to the Galápagos and Australasia.
Protection of the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people became a main cause. Kate Rawles drew attention to this in a talk on her epic journey on a bamboo bicycle down the whole length of the Andes.
The proceeds from these talks along with concerts we have arranged have been donated to environmental and other charities of the speakers’ own choosing.
Writers, artists, and musicians are the voice of the planet, playing a crucial role in shaping our attitudes toward the environmental crisis. My research at Southampton University led to visits to Belém, the host city for COP30, where I spoke with biologists at the Goeldi Museum in the Amazon. Renewing these contacts led to discovering a forgotten genius, entomologist and naturalist Arthur Miles Moss, a relative of Bridport resident Bob Hardwick, who built the first Anglican church in the Amazon in 1912. Researching the biography, Vicar of the Amazon, brought me face-to-face with the environmental changes in the Amazon and into contact with leading experts, including Sir Ghillean Prance, former Director of Kew Gardens and a leading authority on Amazonian ecology. This meeting was the genesis of ‘Help our Planet’.
We have established good links with other organisations in West Dorset, including the Dorset Wildlife Trust, West Dorset Wilding, and Planet Purbeck. The latter, organised by Doug Skinner, is expanding rapidly, with the patronage of the Oscarwinning Actor Sir Mark Rylance, who is a strong supporter of nature conservation. Stewart Macpherson, as already mentioned, has also become closely involved in our publishing and promotional activities.
HOP is addressing the problems of pollution, and the ‘elephant in the room’, which is the misuse of synthetic pesticides resulting in manifold threats to sustainable agriculture and human health.
We are very mindful that we need to get our message across to young people and are delighted to say The Reverend Andrew Rawsden, who is responsible for all the Bride Valley and Chesil churches, is planning to introduce HOP into primary schools, so that young children can be encouraged to explore the wildlife
in their natural environments. He explains, “As the Rector of the Bride Valley and Chesil churches, I’ve been inspired by ‘Help Our Planet’ (HOP) ... to think about what more we can do in our churches and villages and local Church of England primary schools. Lots is already being done by many organisations but we are considering HOP action groups and greater engagement with local schools, which can provide a focus for the protection and flourishing of butterflies, hedgehogs, our River Bride, and all the other amazing nature of our local part of this beautiful planet.”
Thus, Dorset is poised to develop into the epicentre of nature conservation in Britain. HOP is now in need of funds to continue its work and expand. If anyone is interested in helping with any of our activities, please contact HOP at info@ hoptalksdorset.org or speak to me (Philip) or Garry Constable.
Kate Rawles and her Amazon bamboo bicycle with Philip Howse
Sir Ghillean Prance
Fishy Tales for Christmas
Fishy Tales is a beautifully produced 60-page coffee-table book with all 28 illustrations and recipes
Renowned chef and food writer Mark Hix and artist Nettie Wakefield have joined forces again to launch a new book in time for Christmas. They first collaborated in 2019 with Hooked—Adventures in Angling and Eating. Her black and white illustrations, not only of fish, but portraits of Hix and his fishing buddies, featured throughout the book, replacing the usual food photography.
Last year they began work to create a new colourful project, bringing art and food together, with a collection of framed prints to add to your kitchen wall. The prints combine seafood recipes by Mark, accompanied by beautifully detailed illustrations by Nettie; combined to create a series of 28 limited edition artworks, printed in London’s Jealous Print Studio.
The idea was inspired by the Andy Warhol book Wild Raspberries. Due to the success of the prints, which were exhibited in Jealous Gallery in November 2024, Mark and Nettie have now self-published a book which launched in November.
Fishy Tales is a beautifully produced 60-page coffee-table book with all 28 illustrations and recipes and wine pairing suggestions, bringing together Mark and Nettie’s shared love for art and food, combining art, recipes and storytelling to be enjoyed by food lovers and art enthusiasts alike. Only 300 copies have been produced.
‘It’s been playing on my mind for years, so I spoke with Nettie about projects we could work on together, bringing my recipes and her incredible drawings together in one place’ sais Mark.
‘With my passion for fishing and cooking fish and seafood, this seemed like the most creative and obvious thing to work on.’
Nettie says ‘I am delighted to be collaborating with Mark again and so excited to see our prints now published by Bimbo Books, an independent press, based in East London.’
The book is available to purchase from Hix’s website at £90 plus postage and packaging at markhix.co.uk/fishy-tales
The limited edition prints are available to buy online from Jealousgallery.com and are all signed by Mark and Nettie. Price £295 each including VAT. Framing is additional £105. Order online at: www.jealousgallery.com.
Ilaria’s Italian KITCHEN
OF MEDIEVAL and Christmas origins, yet delicious all year-round Panforte is a renowned Italian traditional fruit cake from Siena in Tuscany, a medieval town with UNESCO World Heritage status. Panforte’s traditions originate in making a cake to preserve fruits for all the year round. However, Panforte is eaten throughout the year, at any time of day—as a dessert, with cheese, as part of an antipasto board, or simply with a cup of coffee or tea, or indeed a suitable glass of wine!
Panforte is famous for its addictively dense, chewy qualities, packed full of flavours with dried and candied fruits and nuts (predominantly from Puglia), honey and mixed spices. Subtle spices are key ingredients too, and there are no added sugars as sweetness comes from the fruits and natural fructose. The cakes have a delicate outer sprinkling of icing sugar.
There are a number of varieties of Panforte in Italy and Mercato Italiano currently offers four varieties, all coming from the Sienese producer Fabbrica del Panforte.
Mercato Italiano is a popular destination for authentic pizza, coffee, cocktails, and a great stop for lunch from 12-3pm, Monday to Saturday.
Newl;y launched, Mercato Pronto! now brings Ilaria’s curated selection of rare, regional formaggi, salumi, and pantry essentials to kitchens across the UK.
Visit: www. https://mercatopronto.uk today.
Siena’s iconic fruit cake with roots in medieval Italy
History’s Missing Chapters
David Olusoga comes to Bridport to discuss colonial wealth and reparations and why we forget key parts of Britain’s past.
Paul
WLashmar and Alan Smith at Bayes Business School
hen he introduced Alan Smith, First Church Estates Commissioner for the Church of England, at the Craft Lecture at Bayes Business School in 2024, Paul Lashmar talked about how rarely slavery was mentioned when he was a child growing up in East London. He suggested that the record of Empire should be set straight, “so the new generation does not grow up as misled as mine.” He continued: “If Britain is ever going to re-establish its moral leadership role in the world again as an outward-looking, democratic, and progressive nation, it needs to come to terms with its past.”
In December, in one of two Bridport events featuring historian David Olusoga, Paul Lashmar will revisit his conversation with Alan Smith while discussing his book Drax of Drax Hall—How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery. The event is a late addition to the Bridport Literary Festival programme and will highlight the story of the Dorset-based Drax family, who are unique in that they are the only colonising family to still own a plantation in the West Indies.
As global movements for racial justice continue to challenge the legacies of empire, Drax of Drax Hall offers a vital case study on how Britain’s colonial wealth survives—and thrives—in plain sight. From the violent origins of British colonialism in the Caribbean to the quiet entrenchment of inherited privilege in the English countryside, this history exposes the lasting effects of empire—and
the families that still benefit from them. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Paul Lashmar reveals the deep roots of inequality, the persistence of elite privilege, and the unfinished business of reparations. Drax of Drax Hall tells the full, unflinching story of the ancestors who pioneered the British sugar industry and created the blueprint for slave-based plantation economies. Chaired by David Olusoga, the discussion will take place at The Bull Hotel ballroom, Bridport, at 4.30pm on December 12th. Tickets can be purchased at the Bridport Tourist Information Office or by calling 01308 424 901.
Fresh from his adventures in the Celebrity Traitors’ Scottish castle, David Olusoga will then visit the Electric Palace for his own talk: History’s Missing Chapters at 7.30pm.
Renowned as a public historian, author, broadcaster and newspaper columnist, Olusoga recently interviewed former US President Barack Obama. His current focus is on why and how certain events and individuals are remembered while others are forgotten.
The talk includes examples from the World Wars, the Industrial Revolution and other pivotal moments in global history.
His books include Black & British: A Forgotten History (awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize), The World’s War, Black & British: A Short Essential History, The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism.
Recent television programmes include Union with David Olusoga and and the series on Empire. He also writes and presents the long-running BBC history series A House Through Time
As Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester, he has received numerous awards and is a Fellow of the British Academy, The Royal Society of Literature, The Royal Society of Arts, and the Royal Historical Society.
Tickets for David Olusoga’s talk at the Electric Palace on December 12th can be purchased directly from the Electric Palace, online at www.electricpalace. org.uk, or by calling 01308 424 901.
David Olusoga: Appearing at two events in Bridport in December
The Unvarnished Self
Grayson Perry’s ‘Aspects of Myself’ Comes to Exeter
Exeter City Council’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) is set to host the city’s first-ever exhibition of Sir Grayson Perry’s work. Opening in January 2026, ‘Aspects of Myself’ promises a powerful and intimate exploration of identity by one of Britain’s most vital and influential contemporary artists.
Perry has long been a social critic, chronicler of modern life, and has built a career on confronting the complexities of contradiction in contemporary society.
Born in Chelmsford, Essex, in 1960, he rose to international prominence after winning the 2003 Turner Prize - the first ceramicist to receive this prestigious award. His artistic journey has often been said to be rooted in a troubled childhood marked by his father’s departure and a turbulent home life with an abusive stepfather. This early experience led him to create a rich, imaginative escape world, often centred around his beloved teddy bear, Alan Measles, and an early fascination with crossdressing.
Within traditional craft techniques Perry’s work often depicts unsettling images, sharp social critique, and deeply personal stories. As the artist himself states, this use of traditional media—often historically considered as ‘craft’ or ‘feminine’—is a deliberate choice, a “guerrilla tactic” to smuggle challenging or provocative ideas past the art world’s usual gatekeepers and into the public consciousness.
The RAMM exhibition will explore the concept of self through a diverse range of media. Perry states, “I investigate our slippery sense of who we feel we are… the ongoing process of ‘being ourselves’,” and the works chosen highlight this theme with unflinching honesty. Pieces like the ceramic pot ‘Aspects of Myself’ and the powerful ‘Mad Kid’s Bedroom Wall’ directly incorporate autobiographical elements, reflecting the emotional landscape of his childhood.
Beyond personal history, Perry shifts his focus to the collective self. The work ‘A Map of Days’ explores how the interests, habits and psychological traits that make up a sense of ‘self’ can be mapped onto towns, reflecting an emotional geography of contemporary society.
Other works such as the ceramics ‘Aspects of Myself’ and ‘Mad Kid’s Bedroom Wall’ show how Perry incorporates autobiographical elements that reflect his own childhood experiences.
The exhibition will also feature elements from Perry’s ‘A House for Essex’, a secular chapel dedicated to the fictional Essex woman Julie Cope.
Rarely are all four large tapestries shown together, so this is a unique opportunity to see them without
visiting the house. Through these works and tile moulds from the house’s construction, Perry tells the story of place and belonging.
Councillor Bob Foales, Exeter City Council’s lead councillor for Arts, Culture and Tourism, expressed the city’s excitement: ‘We’re delighted to host this exhibition of Grayson Perry’s work in Exeter. Perry is a much-loved artist across the country, and to have his work on display in our city is a real privilege.’
Grayson Perry: Aspects of Myself opens at RAMM from Saturday, January 24th, to Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. Visitors should be aware that some works in the exhibition depict adult themes.
Pop-Up Vintage. Open every day from 10.00am -4.00pm. Beautifully curated vintage and retro treasures for a truly sustainable Christmas. Sourced, cleaned, repaired and upcycled so that you don’t have to. “Those that know... know.” Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU.
6 - 7 December
Winter Show Prints Liz Somerville, Ceramics Sarah Gee and Katie Shields. North Eggardon Farm, DT6 3ST. Ironwork, Colleen du Pon, Mappercombe Yard, DT6 3SS. 11am - 5pm.
Until 20 December
An exhibition of paintings by Helen Garrett with poetry by Kate Innes. Each of Helen’s paintings is a unique exploration of the ever-transforming contexts in which we find ourselves. Touching the edges of philosophy, archaeology and physics, the work becomes a vehicle for contemplation as we reflect on the human experience. Helen is particularly interested in the link between ancient times and the present through material and place, both in the UK and in the Aegean. Kate’s work in poetry and fiction is inspired by her background working in archaeology and museums. She seeks out the stories held within places and objects – exploring the physical and spiritual lives of our ancestors. 10am-4pm, Tue-Sat. Free (voluntary donation to BAC) Primordial Dance. The Allsop Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport DT6 3NR. Rock Paper Scissors, a group exhibition exploring the subtle negotiations of imagination, play and material transformation that shape human and artistic interaction. Bringing together the works of twelve leading contemporary artists, the exhibition mimics the universal playground game it borrows its name from - distilling decisions into simple
gestures. The artists featured, Kate MccGwire, Ted Rogers, Susanna Bauer, Alice Freeman, Anya Paintsil, Darren Appiagyei, Hana Moazzeni (Previously Shahnavaz), Nicholas Lees, Hew Locke, Dean Coates, Peter Randall-Page, and Amy Stephens work in various forms, spanning sculpture, painting, textile, ceramics and installation. Materials emerge as metaphors associated with endurance, transience, and transformation, inviting viewers to consider how seemingly simple acts of choice and competition can reveal deeper structures of balance, vulnerability, and adaptation. Just as each move in the game both dominates and surrenders, the works in this exhibition also engage in cycles of tension and resolution, celebrating the resourcefulness of creativity and the possibility of creating something almost from nothing. Opening hours Thursday 11-4, Friday 11-4, Saturday 11-3. Or by appointment, please email info@closeltd.com The exhibition will also be open from 8 - 17 January 2026. CLOSE Gallery, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset TA3 6AE. info@closeltd.com. Tel. +44 (0)1823 480 350.
Until 24 December
Present Makers 2025 Exhibition of hand-crafted, contemporary gifts including jewellery, ceramics, textiles, prints, wood and glass as well as unique Christmas cards, and decorations showcasing the work of South West makers. Tuesday to Saturday, 10 to 5. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX. thelmahulbert.com / 01404 45006. Free admission.
Until, 4 January
Quentin Blake: A Christmas Carol This winter, The Sherborne invites visitors into a uniquely magical experience: an intimate, candlelit display of Sir Quentin Blake’s original illustrations for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—
exhibited on the historic site where Dickens himself delivered a celebrated public reading of the story in 1854. The Sherborne, Newland, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3JG. https://thesherborne.uk.
Until 10 January 2026
A Life Outside: Hope Bourne on Exmoor. Exhibition offers a new appraisal of the work and life of Exmoor writer and artist Hope Bourne. Created in partnership with The Exmoor Society which cares for The Hope L. Bourne Collection. This exhibition considers Bourne’s status as one of the West Country’s most significant nature writers, whose work and way of life are especially prescient in this time of advancing environmental crisis. It draws on new research by writer and Guardian Country Diarist Sara Hudston, whose book A Life Outside: Hope Bourne on Exmoor will be published next year. Sara is co-curating the exhibition with Kate Best, for the South West Heritage Trust. Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 5.00 pm. For more information visit SRLM.ORG.UK. Radiance celebrates the variety and wonder of Sladers Yard’s artists, along with a special selection of work by Bridport artist Hugh Dunford Wood. With new work by established painters and printmakers, the gallery is showing rediscovered paintings in the case of Alfred Stockham. Two brilliant ceramic artists new to the gallery, include the intriguing forms of Emily Myers and the delightful figures of Derek Matthews, who join a fabulous selection of ceramics. As Petter Southall’s work becomes more playful and adventurous, there are lamp bases, low tables, console tables and dining tables plus sculpture in wood alongside
his remarkable range of handmade chairs. Richly coloured woven textiles, scarves, throws and cushions, books, cards and posters offer something for every budget. Sladers Yard Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery, Cafe Sladers, West Bay, Bridport Dorset DT6 4EL. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am – 4.30pm. t: 01308 459511 gallery@sladersyard. co.uk sladersyard.co.uk.
24 January - 3 May 2026
Grayson Perry: Aspects of Myself A new exhibition of one of Britain’s most influential contemporary artists. Standard ticket – £7, Book online – £6, NUS cardholders and MA Members – £4, ArtFund – £3, Under 19s and carers free. Some works in the exhibition will depict adult themes. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery is Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RX. 01392 265858.
Prints by Liz Somerville at North Eggardon Farm, DT6 3ST 6 - 7 December
December
When Christian met John VILLAGES
TWO jazz and fusion musical powerhouses get together for a December tour with Artsreach.
Christian Garrick and John Etheridge will present a feast of interplay, improvisation and eclectic repertoire on Wednesday 10th December at Hinton Martell village hall, Thursday 11th at Halstock, Friday 12th at Portesham and Saturday 13th at Shillingstone’s Portman Hall, all starting at 7.30pm.
Garrick (violin) and Etheridge (guitar) are two of Britain’s most virtuosic and versatile performers on their respective instruments. Comfortable with pretty much any style of jazz and contemporary music, from gypsy and Hot Club to jazz rock fusion, this world class duo performs a programme that ranges from Peter Gabriel to Richard Rogders via Dollar Brand and Alison Goldfrapp.
British guitar legend John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Stephane Grappelli, Dizzy Gillespie, John Williams, Nigel Kennedy) and acclaimed violinist Christian Garrick (Van Morrison, Cleo Laine, Budapest Café Orchestra) have played together for many years.
Together the free-wheeling pair use extensive
looping and effects to create exotic tapestries of sound which are almost orchestral at times yet switch seamlessly to a pure acoustic with rollicking renditions of Hot Club swing, evoking the spirit of Reinhardt and Grappelli—simply unmissable!
A magical winter wonderland
DORCHESTER
CHRISTMAS is a magical time for families—but there will be a special sparkle when magician Peter Clifford comes to the stage of Dorchester Corn Exchange on Saturday 13th December, with his festive show, Wonderful Wintery Wizardry
Peter, who is a well-known actor in Bristol, is highly praised by his magician peers—Derren Brown calls him “one of my favourite magicians and one of the loveliest people I know” and David Blaine says: “Peter Clifford’s love of the art resonates throughout the field of magic, bringing life and hope to us all.”
Join Peter at Dorchester for his new Christmas magic show and be entertained by what Bath and Bristol’s Venue magazine calls his “unique and brilliant blend of bamboozlement and banter, ... in a show full of madcap mirth and magical merriment.”
Christian Garrick and John Etheridge tour with Artsreach in December
Sirens and Babes EXETER
MUSIC at Exeter Cathedral in the weeks before Christmas ranges from the songs of Whitney Houston, one of November’s big events, to Devon-based folk duo Sound of the Sirens and the traditional favourites, carols and Handel’s Messiah.
Sound of the Sirens on Friday 5th December is a special homecoming gig for the singersongwriting duo who are based in the city. Abbe Martin and Hannah Wood have been honing their craft over the past decade, earning them critical and audience success as “one of the UK’s finest folk acts”.
The following evening, 6th December, from 7pm, the choral ensemble Mediaeval Baebes comes to Exeter Cathedral as part of their 2025 Christmas tour. Enjoy an evening of carols, old favourites and offerings from their forthcoming album, and expect performances in Latin, Middle English and Old French.
The classical chart-topping choir was created in 1996 by musical director, composer and producer Katharine Blake. The group have since won an Ivor Novella Award for their performance on the BBC drama The Virgin Queen and received two Emmy nominations and a Royal Television Society award as the featured artists alongside composer Martin Phipps for the theme tune of ITV’s Victoria
The cathedral choir, with Devon Baroque, performs Handel’s Messiah on Sunday 7th from 2.30pm, and has several carol concerts and services through to Christmas Eve.
Other ensembles and performers include Exeter Chamber Choir, London Concertante, Exeter Philharmonic Choir and the LaLa Choir, on Friday 12th, celebrating its tenth anniversary and raising money for Children’s Hospice South West.
A medieval Christmas DORCHESTER
OPUS Anglicanum comes to St Mary’s Church, Dorchester, on Thursday 18th December at 7pm with a programme of medieval carols and readings. This concert has become a favourite for the ensemble which has been performing medieval and contemporary music for more than 30 years.
The music varies from simple Gregorian chant to joyous and even raucous Christmas songs, alongside more devotional pieces, some of which are more than 800 years old.
The programme features masterpieces of the period by Guillaume de Machaut, Magister Perotin, Josquin des Prez, Johannes Ockeghem and Jacob Obrecht alongside recognisable early English carols such as Nowell, There is no Rose of such Virtue and Gaudete! Beautiful mediaeval readings delivered by actor Alex Knox are interspersed within the music, creating moments of quiet reflection.
Opus Anglicanum’s repertoire ranges from lighthearted festive offerings to sequences on the First World War, folk music and contemporary—they have commissioned and premiered pieces from composers including Judith Bingham, Sally Beamish, Howard Skempton and Cheryl Frances Hoad.
Classic Christmas film on stage LYME REGIS
EIGHTY years ago, Frank Capra directed James Stewart in a film that was to become a fixture on
Christmas movie programmes around the world—this year It’s A Wonderful Life is on stage in a new play at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, from 19th to 22nd December.
Gilroy Theatre, whose productions are now an eagerly anticipated part of the Marine’s summer and winter seasons, delighted audiences last Christmas with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and this year it is another heart-warming fable. It is set in Bedford Falls, the epitome of small-town America, where George Bailey, a desperately frustrated businessman, is at the end of his tether. He feels that the world would have been a better place if he’d never been born, so an angel is dispatched from heaven to show him exactly what life would have been like for his family, friends and neighbours, had that been the case.
Adapted from the 1946 film, which also starred Clarence Odbody as the Guardian Angel, It’s a Wonderful Life reminds us that “no one is a failure who has friends”—a perfect message for the season of goodwill.
Mother Goose by the sea SIDMOUTH
MANY amateur pantomimes are performed in February—often coinciding with half term— but Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society stays traditionally close to Christmas, staging one of the oldest and best-loved stories, Mother Goose, from Saturday 27th December to Saturday 3rd January. In this version by pantomime maestro Alan P
OPUS Anglicanum comes to St Mary’s Church, Dorchester
Frayn, the “leading lady” is a beautiful goose named Priscilla. There is, of course, a good fairy, as well as two baddies and Mother Goose’s son, the very silly Billy.
The audience is invited to journey with this host of colourful characters to the magical waterfall, to fly with the geese and eventually to see good triumph over evil.
Folk at the Beehive HONITON
FANS of folk music have a double treat in December at Honiton’s Beehive Centre, with gigs by St Agnes Fountain and Seth Lakeman.
On Thursday 11th, St Agnes Fountain—Fairport Convention’s Chris Leslie and multi award winning duo Chris While and Julie Matthews—bring their much-loved and unique musical invention and laughter to Honiton, continuing to keep the Christmas spirit alive, while still remembering founder member David Hughes who left the band in 2020 and sadly passed away in 2023.
Although their albums are the sound-track for thousands of friends and families putting up their Christmas trees and decorations throughout Britain and around the globe, it is their magical live performances that have endeared them to audiences.
St Agnes Fountain will also be playing their Christmas gig on Sunday 14th December at a venue that has hosted them for many years—the David Hall at South Petherton.
Seth Lakeman gives two concerts on Saturday 13th at 2pm and 7.30. He is one of three brothers who continue a folk tradition started by their father, Geoff—Sean performs with his wife Kathryn Roberts and Sam with his wife Cara Dillon.
Seth was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005 for Kitty Jay. Multiple albums, tours and high-profile collaborations later, in February 2025, he released his latest studio album, The Granite Way, on his own label, Honour Oak Records. It’s a collection of songs recorded alongside a group of longtime collaborators, staying true to his roots and referring to ancient stories that inspired early West Country storytelling.
St Agnes Fountain play in Honiton and South Petherton in December
Whatever happened to Tiny Tim? VILLAGES
THIS year, as most Christmasses, there are more Christmas Carols than you can shake the proverbial stick at—but Artsreach is bringing a company to Dorset which has a very different take on the fable of Scrooge. Starting on Wednesday 3rd December at Royal Manor Theatre, Portland, the amusingly named Hah! Bumhug! is performed by Lecoq trained Ethel Darling, of the Lonely Clown Club, with live music by Julian Gaskell.
The four-date tour continues at Winfrith village hall on Thursday 4th at 7.30pm, Friday 5th at the Cecil Memorial Hall at Cranborne and Saturday 6th at Stalbridge hall, both at 7pm.
The show is a joyfully interactive, funny, festive retelling of a Christmas classic. We all know the Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, but did you ever wonder what happened after the ghosts had scarpered? Sure, Scrooge changed his miserly ways, but a certain kid grew up wanting more, more, MORE!
Time makes fools of us all and it’s turned Tim (don’t let him catch you calling him Tiny) into a naughty little boy ... a cunning cat burglar out for his share of Ebenezer’s ill-gotten gains ... not even the Ghost of Christmas Future saw this one coming.
Screen Time
with Nic Jeune
Top Six at the Flix
Bridport Arts Centre
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
A glorious romantic confection unlike any other in movie history. Washington Post. Hal Hinson.
Plaza Cinema Dorchester
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
It’s one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age. Some movies, even good ones, should only be seen once. When we know how they turn out, they’ve surrendered their mystery and appeal. Other movies can be viewed an indefinite number of times. Like great music, they improve with familiarity. It’s a Wonderful Life falls in the second category. Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Ebert.
The Polar Express Pyjama Party
All aboard The Polar Express for a Pyjama Party! Come along to the cinema in your cosiest pyjamas and dressing gowns and enjoy a special screening of The Polar Express December 13th and 14th at The Plaza.
The Rex Cinema Wareham
Blue Moon (2025)
Blue Moon, which plays out on the night of the premiere of Rogers and Hammerstein’s first hit, Oklahoma!, is a romantic, funny, moving, life-affirming chamber piece. Screen Daily. Lee Marshall.
Poole Lighthouse
The Shining (45th Anniversary 4K Restoration). Ostensibly a haunted house story, it manages to traverse a complex world of incipient madness, spectral murder and supernatural visions ... and also makes you jump. Empire. Ian Nathan. 17th December at The Lighthouse.
Weymouth Pavillion
Wicked For Good (2025)
‘Poised to cast another spell on the Oscars as first reactions call it a ‘heartbreakingly tender conclusion’ with ‘jaw-dropping performances’ Variety. Clayton Davis.
Beauty and Santa BRIDPORT
ONE of the best-loved pantomime stories, Beauty and the Beast: The Musical has been chosen by Bridport Young Performers for their Christmas 2015 show, at the Electric Palace from Monday 13th to Thursday 18th December.
Belle sets out to rescue her father Maurice, who has been taken captive by the mysterious Beast in his castle. She offers herself to free her father from imprisonment, and over the ensuing weeks she begins to learn more about the curse that has left the castle inhabitants as objects, waiting for true love to break the spell placed on their master to return them to human form.
From 20th to 23rd December, Darling Productions UK bring Santa Live!, a new festive extravaganza to the Electric Palace.
Disaster strikes in Christmas-town when the Christmas spirit runs out and all the children’s names have mysteriously vanished from Santa’s naughty and nice list.
In this hour-long interactive show, young audience members can join the cheeky elves Tinsel, Snowflake and Candy, as they try to help Santa save Christmas with the power of song and dance.
The Christmas Hearth BRIDPORT
FOR many lovers of folk and traditional music, Christmas and the Mellstock Band go together like turkey and cranberry sauce. This delightful quartet, who recreate the music of Thomas Hardy’s time, come to Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday 13th December at 7.30pm.
The Mellstock Band takes their name from Hardy’s fictional Mellstock, the name he gave in his Wessex novels and tales to the villages of Stanford and Bockhampton where he was born and grew up.
In their festive show, The Christmas Hearth, they invite you to their Christmas fireside with a seasonal mix of jovial songs, stirring dance music and haunting carols.
This is a costumed show with early instruments, song and spoken word, with hearty harmonies, soulful solos and exuberant instrumentals. The band brings to life the sound of a 19th century village band with fiddle, clarinet, concertina and serpent.
The music is linked by readings of work by Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, John Clare and William Barnes, telling the story of Christmas celebrations in 19th-century England.
There is more Victorian Christmas music and merriment with The Cratchits’ Christmas Cracker on Friday 19th December at 7.30pm. A festive feast of seasonal silliness and a merry mixture of Yuletide foolery.
The Cratchit family is having a party and you’re all invited! Join Mrs Cratchit, cousin Edith and Uncle Hugo as they celebrate Christmas with a marvellous mix of festive songs, stories and parlour games.
The show has been created and performed by Mary Woodvine, Craig Johnson and Jenny Beare, who between them have decades of theatrical experience with Kneehigh, Wildworks, the Minack, the RSC, the National Theatre and countless village halls.
Grand opera in small spaces STUDLAND AND YETMINSTER GRAND opera? That’s for grand opera houses—Covent Garden, the Met, Sydney Opera House, La Scala ... but how about Studland village hall on Thursday 4th December at 7.30pm or St Andrew’s Church, Yetminster, on Sunday 14th, at 7pm?
On a short tour with Dorset’s Artsreach rural touring charity, soprano Callie Gaston, tenor Roger Paterson and pianist Elspeth Wilkes, invite you to delve into a heart-breaking and enthralling world of vengeance, love and regret.
Callie Gaston and Roger Paterson work internationally as performers in a variety of touring ensembles, but this new opera gala tour makes it possible to bring the grand drama of opera to life in intimate venues.
The show features well-loved opera arias and duets followed by some musical theatre classics. It’s ideal for a relaxed introduction to the genre. Revel in the romance of Puccini, the passion of Gounod and the heartbreak of Verdi. Each piece is set into context by the performers, so no prior knowledge is necessary.
GPW
The Young Lit Fix
Published by Puffin Books
Paperback £8.99
Reviewed by Nicky Mathewson
“ IN the old days, Santa didn’t have Christmas. All year he made toys at the North Pole, which he loaded up in his sleigh each Christmas Eve, then flew all over the world to place under trees. When he got home, he slept. And when he woke up on Christmas morning, he went back to work. That’s it.”
Santa deserves a special day as much as anyone and the elves decide it’s time they gave Santa a treat. They help him to celebrate the day by decorating the house, finding the perfect tree, preparing a feast, filling stockings with socks, fruit and liquorice, and giving santa some presents just for him. They decorate the tree, light up the North Pole with fairy lights, prepare the food together and tell stories around the fire. It’s a perfect Christmas day and Santa feels loved and cared for. Everyone is happy and after singing some carols Santa declares: “We should do this every year. And now they do.”
This beautiful picture book is a work of art. Mac Barnett is a champion storyteller and Sydney Smith’s soft and colourful illustrations bring enormous warmth and fun to the story. The lighting in each picture is sensational.
This is the perfect Christmas book and I’m so exited to share it with you. Perfect for reading aloud to children age 2 to 6, but equally enjoyable to enjoy reading independently for anyone, any age who loves Christmas.
10% off for Marshwood Vale readers at The Bookshop on South Street, Bridport. 01308 422964 www.dorsetbooks.com
Santa’s First Christmas By Mac Barnett and Sydney Smith
Join The Cratchits’ Christmas Cracker ar Bridport Arts Centre in December
THE FORSYTES
Review by John Davis
The Forsytes adapted from the novels of John Galsworthy by Debbie Horsfield; produced by Mammoth Screen; directed by Meenu Gaur; Channel Five (6 episodes)
One reviewer described this recent presentation as Mills and Boon meets John Galsworthy and as subtle as a migraine but that sounds small minded.
Ardent followers of other similar productions like Downton Abbey and Bridgerton will know what to expect and this will undoubtedly fill the gap until a new season of Bridgerton is released early in 2026. There is The House of Guinness and The Empress, both curtesy of Netflix, among others available in the meantime.
The Forsytes is not without pedigree. The script has been written by Debbie Horsfield, probably best known for her adaptation of the Poldark novels, and the cast includes Francesca Annis, Tuppence Middleton, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Davenport and Danny Griffin.
And there seems to have been no expense spared by the production company with the use of well-chosen locations, lavish costumes, restful pastel-decorated interiors and softly tinted lighting throughout. Even the small back street townhouse in which seamstress Louisa Byrne lives and plies her trade has almost angelic streams of light pulsing through the windows most days. Symbolism perhaps, or am I being cynical?
This is just the latest in a number of adaptations of Galsworthy’s Forsyte ‘saga’ a number of books originally written by the author between 1906 and 1921. The continuing story was to win the novelist the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932. With only six episodes on show this time, and given the overall content, later Channel Five series seem inevitable.
The Forsytes are a large middle-upper class English business family, operating in the financial sector, not unlike the background in which Galsworthy himself grew up. The essential thread of the plot is the way in which cousins Jolyon Junior and Soames vie with each other to become head of the family firm. There is no problem distinguishing between the appearance and characteristics of the two leading protagonists as Jolyon assumes the ‘handsome prince’ role while Soames has a black moustache to help us categorise him.
Woven around these central figures there are numerous sub-plots involving senior members of the family, wives, daughters and servants etc. with plenty of layers of grey in between the black and white of knottier issues to move things along.
Perhaps the point on which the production falls down most, for me, is the way in which some aspects of the storyline do not dovetail comfortably into the overall mores of the Victorian era. For instance, in a period when marriages, arranged according to class, were a feature and wealth and social standing paramount, it would be unusual that a young lady would be given ‘carte blanche’ to ‘pursue her dreams’ when seeking a husband.
Footnote: The first television adaptation of The Forsytes Saga was broadcast by the BBC in 1969, originally on a fledgling BBC2-available only to limited viewers. When it was repeated later on BBC1, it went out at 7.00 p.m. on a Sunday evening. Regular church worshippers were up in arms as Evensong usually started at 6.00 p.m. and often lasted over an hour. With no streaming services or catch-up, viewers were missing the crucial opening scenes of the next episode (and there were twenty-six of them). When clergy all over the country came under intense pressure, many of them wilted and Evensong moved forward to 5.30 p.m. until the series was complete.
Give the gift of Wildlife this Christmas
Dorset Wildlife Trust is inviting everyone to celebrate nature over the festive season by giving a meaningful gift that supports local conservation work.
This year readers are invited to adopt a Dorset seal. Seals are among the most captivating creatures seen along Dorset’s coastline. Sadly, they face increasing threats from pollution, marine litter, and human disturbance. Dorset Wildlife Trust’s brand-new digital seal adoption helps fund essential research and habitat protection, ensuring these charismatic animals continue to thrive. Other digital wildlife adoptions on offer include hedgehog, beaver, red squirrel, seahorse and barn owl. With no physical packaging and minimal carbon footprint, digital adoptions bring the reassurance that all the profits go towards making a real difference to wildlife in need.
Laura McLellan, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Head of Fundraising, says: ‘Choosing a digital wildlife adoption for a friend or loved one this Christmas is more than a thoughtful gesture—it’s a powerful way to support nature. These sustainable, plastic-free gifts help create more space for wildlife, restore vital habitats, and invest in a future where wildlife can thrive. By supporting Dorset Wildlife Trust in this way, you’re joining a community committed to protecting Dorset’s wildlife and wild places. Together, we can tackle the ecological and climate crises—starting with
the choices we make this Christmas.’
Other wild gift options include a Dorset Wildlife Trust gift membership for friends and family or remembering a loved one with a handcrafted bench on one of our nature reserves. Wildlife-themed courses such as fungi foraging or bird identification at Kingcombe Visitor Centre also make unique, thoughtful gifts.
Explore the full range of eco-friendly wild gifts at dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/shop.
Barn owlets at the entrance to the Lorton Meadows nesting box by Paul Williams
Beaver kit at the Dorset Beaver Project site by Steve Oliver
Jurassic Sparks
Laterally
Speaking by
Humphrey Walwyn
(first published in February 2002)
It is great news that our beautiful coastline is now officially recognised as a World Heritage Site, but I reckon that our newly found fossil fame may bring a problem or two. For a start, there’s all the celebratory commercial goodies being frantically manufactured right now in Taiwan or Hong Kong. Be prepared for “I Dig Dorset” baseball caps, 20 foot high bouncy plastic Iguanodon castles (fun for all the family), inflatable baby ichthyosaurs (for that primordial bathtime experience), cuddly ammonite beanie-bags to fondle and overpriced bottles of coloured antediluvian vodka to drink (Jurassic Ooze Booze). Belemnite shaped ice cream cornets and Lyme flavoured seaside fossil rock probably already exist (if not, start making them now!). Then there’s the invasion of the mallet wielding fossil hunters from Brussels, Baden-Baden and Basingstoke who are forecast to flock to our shores. Will the din of chipping from thousands of hammers disturb our migrating swans? Of course, many of them will want to buy my new “Hardy Beginners Fossil Kit” with dinky hammer, chisel, dusting brush, eye glass protectors, colouring book, crash helmet, Evian water bottle and CD Rom—all in a nice wooden box (“Buy now and get your free rucksack!”). The more professional dino-shore excavators might step up to the “Powerstock Portable MiniPneumatic Drill” (for faster fossil extraction) or the “Seaton Self Drive Land Shaper Truckette” (4WD with extending shovel)—all of which will erode our patience let alone our shoreline still further. While it’s no doubt great for local business, can our already shrinking cliffs stand the strain of large swarms of unregulated diggers?
Possibly not. Hopefully the whole thing can be contained by common sense. However, if it gets out of hand, we might see areas of the beaches roped off (Eype on Wednesdays, Charmouth on Thursdays etc) or Devon-Dorset Digging Permits (one per family only to EEC citizens) for sale in local pubs and garden centres. Chesil Beach will then doubtless be renamed Chisel Beach. New cliff falls (a very serious danger but also a veritable magnet for fossil hunters) would be closely controlled. There’s surely no point in letting mere chance dictate a major commercial opportunity. I propose that individual cliff faces (particularly if there’s already a dangerous overhang) would be dynamited every Tuesday afternoon at 3.00 p.m. This event can be widely advertised and become a major attraction. Admission will be charged and all would be fossilers and their families gathered behind a rope to watch. After everyone has signed the obligatory legal papers indemnifying Her Majesty, Senor Blair, the
pet dinasour ‘Joy’ looks forward to an influx of visitors
local authorities, Air-Sea rescue and gift shop owners (not necessarily in that order) from any potential injuries or loss of limbs, the Mayor will light the fuse. Once the dust has cleared from the explosion, a whistle will be blown resulting in a no-holds-barred race to the still smoking pile of virgin rocks. Rights would be sold for live TV broadcast and “Fossil Family Feuds” game shows.
I’m told that many of our overseas digging visitors traditionally come from Northern Europe. Immediately further commercial opportunities beckon… By the summer most of their national currencies will no longer exist, so all our local traders should naturally have Euros in their tills. Order them up now. But why stop there? We need a new celebratory Heritage currency to mark our special status. We will accept both Sterling and Euros, and we’ll give change back in… well, how about Dorchmarks? (At least it’ll help our German visitors part with their cash more readily out of nostalgia for their old currency). The one Dorchmark coin probably has a bronzed ammonite on the front and crossed Chisels on the reverse. (Please email other suggestions to our editor). 100 Dorchmarks are equal to (obviously!) one Golden Cap. The Golden Cap note will feature a picture of itself surrounded by the Latin motto “In Petras Aurum Est ” which translates literally as “Thar’s Gold In Them Thar Cliffs”. So at least it’s an honest ripoff…
Our
In a heartfelt tribute to Humphrey Walwyn at his funeral in October, his son Tom asked a question: how can one encapsulate such an extraordinary life in a single eulogy? Co-written with his brother, George, he proceeded to deliver an in-depth and moving account of Humphrey’s life.
A contributor to the Marshwood Vale Magazine for twenty years, Humphrey Walwyn was born in London, the son of Rear Admiral James and Pamela Walwyn. His childhood was split between prep school, Winchester College, and his parents’ house in Malta, but he was happiest spending time with his grandmother in Wraxall near Dorchester.
Humphrey Walwyn 1948 - 2025
Miami Vice soundtrack, the best-selling Horror Sound Effects LP, and the renowned 1981 radio drama of The Lord of the Rings. Told it would never sell, he delivered 20 box sets to Harrods, which sold out immediately. He received gold discs for Aled Jones’ carols, Enya’s first album, and also for Nick Berry’s Every Loser Wins.
From there, he moved to mainstream pop acts as Executive Director of BMG/RCA/Arista Records and then Stylus Music. He moved to Beverly Hills in California, where he curated jazz albums, working with jazz label Mainstream Music and subsequently selling that business to Sony.
Much of Humphrey’s life, as Tom explained, was driven by his rebellious nature and sometimes wrapped in myth. After a lively time spent at Winchester and threatened with naval college at Dartmouth, Humphrey rejected a life of service and ran away to Canada to become a teacher and then a DJ.
In 1968 he decided to join the Red Cross, via Save the Children. After just two weeks of training in Geneva, he found himself administering aid in Biafra during that terrible conflict. One extraordinary story from that time involves him being shot while fixing a flat tyre. He was only saved from death, he claimed, because the jubilant platoon commander had spent time at Oxford and decided to spare him.
Humphrey’s career was marked by a consistent love for music. In the late 1960s, he played in a rock band called the ‘Black Russians’ and although his main interests were Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple he presented Night Ride on Radio 2, featuring hours of ‘easy listening.’ He later moved to Glasgow to serve as Head of Music and Light Entertainment for BBC Scotland and managed the BBC Scotland Concert Orchestra.
He was then drawn to the BBC World Service, broadcasting Western tunes to 50 million souls weekly. He travelled the world recording live radio shows of the Rolling Stones, Elton John’s first concerts in Moscow, and Led Zeppelin in Luxembourg. His favourite collaboration was with his lifelong friend Tommy Vance. Together, they broadcast rock music across the globe.
In the early 80s, he was asked to run BBC Records, the growing commercial arm of the BBC. During his tenure, many strange and unusual records entered the nation’s collection: thrilling Doctor Who episodes, the
Since his time at the BBC, he had been working on a charity project, the establishment of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (L.I.P.A.) with Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty. He then took a brief hiatus from music to run Linguaphone, shifting its business model from a suitcase of cassettes to an online platform.
As his career in record companies drew to a close he continued to play music, forming the Basement Band with friends to play pub gigs and parties.
Living in Burton Bradstock, Humphrey quickly won people over through his involvement in village life: local projects, performing as the hilarious yet terrifying panto dame ‘Molly Coddle,’ and his longstanding Marshwood Vale Magazine column of absurd observations, ‘Laterally Speaking.’
Tom and George remember their father as an ‘exceptional entertainer’ who loved games, cinema, practical jokes, silliness, and especially fishing.
Whether casting for salmon on the River Shin, bone fishing in Mexico, or patiently searching for trout in the chalk streams of Hampshire, he was never happier than standing in the twilight and launching a fly across moving water.
Apart from 20 years of hilarious columns for this magazine, one of the joyful aspects of Humphrey, as described by Tom and George, was his determination that ‘the daunting prospect of adulthood’ did not have to be constricted by stuffiness and boredom. As Tom put it, ‘We had licence to be fun forever.’
In Humphrey Walwyn’s memory, we will be publishing a selection of his ‘Laterally Speaking’ columns over the coming months, beginning with his first column in February 2002 on the opposite page. To be sure not to miss articles, sign up for our monthly article alert by sending your email address to info@marshwoodvale.com
For articles for sale, where the sale price is under £1000 (Private advertisers only — no trade, motor, animals, firearms etc) simply email the details to info@marshwoodvale.com.
Unfortunately due to space constraints there is no guarantee of inclusion of all free ads. We reserve the right to withhold advertisements. For guaranteed classified advertising please use ‘Classified Ads’ form.
WANTED: Vintage collections, job-lots & estate items. (Antique, wartime, toys, Motoring, advertising, Curio & interesting items) Seeking larger collections (typically £300+ in value). Fair offers & instant cash payments. Friendly approach, no obligation & Free Home Visits. Discrete Local Buyer. Darren 07875 677 89 May 26
WRITING
Budding Authors.
Writing an interesting story, the past achievements of an organisation or a family history for self-publishing and need some advice with style, layout and editing? Contact freelance author and editor John Davis on johndavis77@ btinternet.com.
Classified ads in a box are £1 per word. Email your advert to info@ marshwoodvale.com for a quote.
Vintage & antique textiles, linens, costume buttons etc. always sought by Caroline Bushell. Tel. 01404 45901. Dec 26
RESTORATION
FURNITURE.
Antique restoration and bespoke furniture. Furniture carefully restored and new commissions undertaken. French polishing and modern hand finishes.
Phil Meadley. 01297 560335. phil.meadley@btinternet.com May 26
Secondhand tools. All trades and crafts. Old and modern. G. Dawson. 01297 23826. www.secondhandtools. co.uk.
Mar 25
Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975 Mar 26
Coin & Stamp
Collections Wanted
Discerning collector / investor seeks pre-war collections of stamps and coins. Individual items considered. Tel Rod on 01308 863790 or 07802261339. Mar 26
