Marshwood+ May 2024

Indian Classical Dance in Bridport Page 60

Memoirs of Jah Wobble Page 42

Trewin Rosterick, provoking change Page 10

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Marshwood + THE

© Rachel Rich Photograph by Robin Mills

Linking Environment, Culture and the Arts — No. 302 May 2024

Marshwood+ WELCOME TO

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If you want more Marshwood Vale Magazine then please help us to continue our contribution to the local community AFTER MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS, and now 301 issues of The Marshwood Vale Magazine, we need your help to carry on.

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Over the last twenty-two years of publishing this monthly community magazine, we have launched and run initiatives that included local food awards, writing awards, photographic awards, community awards and of course the hugely popular ‘Marshwood Arts Awards.’

In lockdown we managed to keep the publication going when it was impossible to distribute and most of our advertisers had been forced to temporarily close their doors.

During those harrowing months for everyone we produced two issues a month in an attempt to keep our readers and local residents aware of what was happening with all of their favourite clubs, venues and businesses.

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We will now be publishing the magazine in print four times a year and we will be publishing our online magazine Marshwood+ every month.

‘We will continue linking environment, culture and the arts within our wider local community’ Each issue, online and in print, will still be full of all the usual selection of local profiles, events, gardening, property, local food, arts and entertainment, and most importantly, we will be highlighting initiatives that support sustainability in our local environment. We will continue linking environment, culture and the arts within our wider local community.

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UP FRONT

THIS MONTH i n y o u r M a r s h w o o d Va l e M a g a z i n e

Speaking with environmentalist Trewin Restorick (page 10) this month was particularly thought provoking. His goal has always been to offer clear vision when many other voices within the environmental arena have used negative, downbeat and alienating messaging—often to little effect. The news from the United Nations stating that the environmental crisis is a ‘code red’ for humanity is pretty clear. However, with little progress towards a Net Zero target, it’s also clear that those with a focus on short-term profit will continue to avoid real attempts to contain the damage caused by global warming.

Vested interests tend to have deep pockets.

While recent research from Norway showed that there were as many as 9936 different chemicals in a single plastic product used in food packaging, a Guardian article has highlighted one of the difficulties in dealing with this. At this year’s UN talks to develop a treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution, the number of fossil fuel and petrochemical industry lobbyists has increased by more than a third. It seems any voice for the environment is still facing an army of PR and legal experts on the business payroll.

However, despite that, Trewin Restorick is targeting businesses. He is focussed on working with large corporations to help them to change in ways that are better for the planet and more sustainable for their own futures—especially when they realise that if the planet goes ‘tits up’ they are out of business. His hope is that as the implications of climate change become more apparent ‘through extreme weather events, rising food prices and loss of nature’ our expectations as customers will help drive businesses to change. Trewin believes our focus should be on getting businesses to fill the ‘vacuum’ left by government inaction. Whilst we can lobby governments until the cows come home, it is businesses that need to change, and that can only happen when lobbying from the inside.

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Fergus Byrne

Published Monthly and distributed by Marshwood Vale Ltd Lower Atrim, Bridport Dorset DT6 5PX For all Enquiries Tel: 01308 423031 info@marshwoodvale. com

Cover Story By Robin Mills Inconvenient Messaging By Fergus Byrne Event News News & Views Nature Studies By Michael McCarthy House & Garden Vegetables in May By Ashley Wheeler May in the Garden By Russell Jordan Open Garden Events This Month: In the not too distant past

By John Davis Food & Dining Seaweed Baked Lamb By Mark Hix Arts & Entertainment Jah Wobble By Fergus Byrne Galleries Sneak Peek Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir Screen Time By Nic Jeune Young Lit Fix By Nicky Mathewson Reviews By John Davis Services & Classified

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Nicky Mathewson Robin Mills Gay Pirrie Weir Ashley Wheeler

The views expressed in The Marshwood Vale Magazine and People Magazines are not necessarily those of the editorial team. Unless otherwise stated, Copyright of the entire magazine contents is strictly reserved on behalf of the Marshwood Vale Magazine and the authors.

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of dates, event information and advertisements, events may be cancelled or event dates may be subject to alteration. Neither Marshwood Vale Ltd nor People Magazines Ltd can accept any responsibility for the accuracy of any information or claims made by advertisers included within this publication.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Trades descriptions act 1968. It is a criminal offence for anyone in the course of a trade or business to falsely describe goods they are offering. The Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. The legislation requires that items offered for sale by private vendors must be ‘as described’. Failure to observe this requirement may allow the purchaser to sue for damages.

Road Traffic Act. It is a criminal offence for anyone to sell a motor vehicle for use on the highway which is unroadworthy.

COVER STORY Robin Mills met Rachel Rich at Glanvilles Wootton

© Rachel Rich Photograph by Robin Mills

’I

haven’t moved very far at all so far, having been born and brought up at Goathill, near Milborne Port. That was my family’s farm, my grandfather having moved there from near here. When my mum and dad took over the farm we were dairy, with a few sheep, and we had hens; I spent quite a lot of my younger childhood collecting eggs.

I have two older brothers. Alan, the oldest, took over my family’s farm after my parents retired, and Clive, my younger brother, became a farm accountant, (which we find quite useful now).

I went to Oborne village school for a short while, then Bishops Caudle. I finished school at St Aldhelms in Sherborne. I didn’t enjoy school that much; all I wanted to do was help on the farm. So, every weekend I was joining in with whatever was happening. My dad was an old-school countryman; I loved spending time with him checking the animals, picking nuts from the hedgerows and fruit from the huge garden, and learning about nature, but because I had two older brothers I don’t think he saw me as a successor for the farm. My destiny, from his Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 5

Rachel Rich

rather traditional view, was to be a farmer’s wife, not a farmer.

My parents were very community minded, raising money for charity through open days on the farm, and showing coachloads of kids from inner London schools (many of whom had never seen a cow) round the farm.

It seemed a lot easier to do that kind of thing then, with fewer rules and regulations. We would receive huge piles of thankyou letters from the children afterwards.

I started going to Sherborne Young Farmers when I was 11, the youngest age you could go. I did a lot with them; I’d show my own calf at the calf shows, and joined in with everything I could. Young Farmers is sometimes jokingly called a marriage bureau, but it was there I met Tony, and we started dating when we were about 18.

At the time we got married, in 1993, I was working in IT for Plessy’s. I left school at 16 and had to work my way up to working with computers. I enjoyed the social side of office work, although I would have preferred an outdoor job. I left work just before Alec, our first baby, arrived in 1995, and I didn’t go back. Two years later, Ed, our younger son, arrived.

At that time, here at Round Chimneys Farm the dairy was the main enterprise, typical for a Blackmore Vale, predominantly grassland farm. We also had a lot of pigs then, in buildings dotted around the farm, some surprisingly close to the farmhouse. The farm was being run by Bernard and Jackie, Tony’s parents, with Tony as a partner. They, and Tony, were living in the farmhouse, an historic manor house built by John Clavell in about 1590.

Although much altered over its life, on one of its notable round chimneys, carved into the stone, can be found a date in the 1590’s. Clavell had a colourful life, known as being untrustworthy, and financing his lifestyle as a highwayman. Arrested and sentenced to death, his luck held, and he was freed after an amnesty from Charles 1st. Emigrating to Ireland, he became a reformed and popular citizen, practicing as a doctor and lawyer. In 1630 the house was sold to John Churchill, an ancestor of wartime PM Sir Winston Churchill.

Tony’s parents moved into a newly built farmhouse just before our marriage, and I moved into Round Chimneys with Tony, who had never left the house he was brought up in.

The fortunes of pig farming have always been a

6 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

rollercoaster, and after one downturn, we decided to get out of pig keeping and concentrate on dairying. We were then able to keep all the young stock from the dairy, rearing them and selling at Candlemas sales in early spring every year at Frome market. We had a good contract supplying milk to Waitrose, and as a multigenerational family farm things were working well.

Tony’s parents, Bernard and Jackie, after many years of hard work, were thinking about taking life a bit easier and handing over the reins to Tony and me. The dairy buildings were old and in need of major investment to bring them up to date, and our sons, aged 10 and 12, were too young to decide to dedicate their lives to milking cows. So, as a family we made the very hard decision to sell the dairy. It was everything Tony and his parents had known, and they’d spent most of their lives building it up. We decided to keep all the young stock to rear and sell, and become beef producers, with a small flock of sheep producing fat lambs. After the dairy cows were sold at auction, the farm was for a short while horribly quiet and empty, but we soon began building a herd of beef suckler cows, which now numbers around 100. The cows are mainly British Blues, using Aberdeen Angus bulls as sires.

After the boys were born most of my time was obviously spent looking after them, and for a while I drove the school minibus, and I helped at Buckland Newton School working one-to-one with a special needs child. But at any opportunity I was helping out on the farm. In those days we had a dairyman, so I was only milking occasionally.

Over 20 years ago we split off one end of the farmhouse, which was unused, and formed a holiday cottage. As it was listed it was a challenge to get the necessary permissions for the alterations; there was decorating and curtain making to do, and I did all the changeovers. And then about 5 years ago we converted the old buildings, which used to house pigs, and then calves when I first lived here, into accommodation for Tony and I and the boys. That allowed us to move out of the main part of the farmhouse, which is now another holiday let.

Ed helps me with the changeover days for the holiday lets, which are popular. I think what makes a difference is that I always try to show people round the farm, to show them the pride we have in our farm. We have donkeys and goats, and I let guests help lead them in

© Rachel Rich Photograph by Robin Mills

or out of their sheds where they spend the night, or if there’s calving going on I’ll show them that too. Most people come to stay on a farm because they want to be involved in what’s going on. We lamb the sheep in December and January, when most people are quiet, so our guests can see what we call “Lambing Live”. We are booked up every weekend; many of our guests re-book year after year. The Covid pandemic hit us for a while, particularly for the main house which accommodates larger groups, but mostly the smaller lets kept going.

We’ve always encouraged the boys to choose their own career path, which might not include the farm. Alec went to college, then worked for an e-commerce business in Yeovil. He picked up web design and marketing skills but was always involved with the farm at busy times. It took him a few years to realise that the farming was what he loved, and 4 years ago decided to work here full time.

But we had to find a way to pay him. We looked into

glamping, but in a wet summer, on a wet farm, it didn’t seem that good an idea; nor was there sufficient space to increase the beef herd, so between us, during lockdown, Alec and I came up with the idea of the café. We had always sold some of our own beef to local people who would come to the farm to collect it, and the holiday lets were also attracting people. The farm is fairly isolated, so we felt that a café offering coffee, cake and light lunches would be helped by the fact we were already attracting visitors. People come here for the same reason the holiday makers love it. They come to see a real farm at work, with real animals close up, plus Alec’s brownies and my flapjacks, and baking by Hannah, Alec’s partner.

I enjoy explaining to people about where their food comes from. It takes me back to the coach parties of children coming to my mum and dad’s farm. To the ones that want to know about it I can rabbit on for ages. And I do.

’

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Inconvenient

MESSAGING Founder of three charities creating change for environmental benefit, Trewin Restorick’s latest venture, ‘Sizzle’, is already working on impressive ways to deal with Climate Change. He talked to Fergus Byrne

T

rewin Restorick, despite being a powerful voice in the world of environmental initiatives, has gone against the grain of what people have come to expect of those that agitate for action against climate change. As an environmental campaigner, he decided early on that many of his colleagues in environmental activism were likely doing more damage than good for the cause they were supposed to be supporting. In 2014 he set up the environmental charity ‘Hubbub’ and told me it was largely because ‘I was fairly convinced that environmentalists were terrible at communicating.’ He says quite candidly that ‘their message was quite negative, it was complicated, and it was hard to follow.’ So the whole point of setting up ‘Hubbub’, he explains, was to ‘take a complicated issue and make it compelling, relevant, engaging. So, even if you weren’t an environmentalist, you would still see the point of doing stuff.’

And doing stuff and starting stuff is what Trewin is good at. ‘Hubbub’ began by launching initiatives to create behaviour change that was aimed at reaping environmental benefits. As well as installing community fridges and freezers in public places, to help distribute food that might have gone to landfill, he also tackled the scourge of discarded cigarette butts by coming up with a unique way to assist smokers to place their finished cigarettes into specially designed bins. He created ‘Ballot Bins’ as a customisable voting ashtray, where

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The Ballot Bin that, in this case at least, put Ronaldo ahead

smokers were given an option of two openings in which to discard their cigarette. The first ‘Ballot Bin’ asked the question, ‘Who’s the best player in the world? Ronaldo or Messi’. Smokers discarded their cigarette butt into a bin section based on their choice.

The bins were transparent so every passerby could see how the voting was going. Today the Ballot Bins are in 43 countries around the world, collecting an estimated 15 million cigarette butts a year.

‘Ballot Bins’ were indeed a stroke of genius and engendered a great deal of publicity, but during Covid Trewin saw a dramatic change in attitudes to another environmental problem. Prior to Covid people had been aware of the damage plastic has been doing to our planet and plastic use had been slowly declining.

However, during Covid he says, plastic use just ‘fell off ’ the environmental radar ‘because everybody was concerned about hygiene. And so all that behaviour change stuff basically reversed and ground to a halt.’

He could clearly see that the only way to create long-term change was to make it ‘really easy, cost effective and viable for everybody to take action.’

Trewin’s goal is to make environmental action the default, ‘not something you have to sort of make an effort to do.’ But he knows that’s complicated especially when, as he put it, ‘the government couldn’t give a shit.’

So today, talking about a new initiative called ‘Sizzle’, his goal is to completely change the structure of how things are done. ‘Sizzle’ is described as “a creative space where daring and bold organisations

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can explore fresh solutions that tackle environmental and social challenges.” Trewin’s goal for ‘Sizzle’ is to ‘change the rules of the game, the products available and the information available.’ He wants to rethink the way products and services are delivered in order to radically reduce environmental impact, whilst at the same time being affordable, high quality and financially viable. ‘Sizzle’ is already involved in a number of initiatives such as the ban on using peat in horticulture. ‘We shouldn’t be using peat in horticulture’ he says. ‘It’s been on the environmental agenda for 30 odd years.’ However, he says the message is confusing and up to now there has been no alternative. So ‘Sizzle’ is investing in creating a new product to take the place of peat.

But that’s only one of many initiatives that ‘Sizzle’ is involved in. Behind the scenes at Borough Market, ‘Sizzle’ has also been transforming the way people use packaging. At the same time they are also doing a lot of research on pets. ‘The average dog has a carbon footprint the size of an SUV,’ he tells me. ‘People have a very close emotional attachment to their pets.

You don’t want to destroy that. But you actually want a healthy pet and healthy planet.’ Even within apparently benign areas like pet care and horticulture, ‘Sizzle’ is trying to work with businesses ‘behind the scenes’ to create structures and systems that help our environment which ‘the consumer doesn’t notice.’

Trewin Rosterick’s entry into the world of environmental initiatives came in a roundabout way.

After what he calls a ‘terrible’ degree in History at Southampton he went back to his home town of Plymouth to work at the local council trying to help the many thousands of people made redundant from the dockyard to create new businesses. In some cases those businesses included recycling old materials and making them available locally. At the time, he recalls, many of them would not have been seen as ‘Green’ businesses but today he says they would fit that category.

His next career move was to join ‘Friends of the Earth’ as their recycling campaigner; setting up the first door to door recycling collection and eventually becoming their head of fundraising. He left to set up his first charity ‘Global Action Plan’ which he ran for ‘twenty odd years’ and was trained by Al Gore as a Climate Ambassador. He then started the environmental charity ‘Hubbub’ and another called ‘Recorra’, both of which are now successful environmental change instigators.

Trewin recalls his time at ‘Friends of the Earth’ under Jonathan Porrit as a ‘massive education’ on environment issues. He remembers them as ‘the charity that highlighted global warming as it was called at the time. They highlighted the rainforest destruction, they highlighted air quality in cities.’ He

says he has built on that education ever since and has always followed the science. ‘But science is quite scary, and’ he says ‘continues to get scarier.’

However, it’s because the science has become ever scarier that he believes it’s important to get everybody involved. He says climate and environmental activism has to include everyone. ‘It can’t be an elitist conversation, with people in earnest-looking glasses, talking to each other in a language that nobody else understands and telling everybody else how they should live their lives,’ which he believes it was for some time and ‘largely’ still is. ‘It’s a very narrow demographic group. It hasn’t really hit the mainstream in the sense it should have.’ He describes environmental messaging as ‘a failure to make something really important relevant to people.’

Trewin’s take on government action doesn’t make happy reading. He admits that he may point to failings within the current government but he does also offer some balance. He believes this government sees environmentalism and climate change as an issue that they can ‘differentiate on and politicise’, pointing to ‘ridiculous conversations about 15 minutes cities, the attack on civil rights and the rubbishing of Net Zero.’

Whilst he agrees that governments ‘need to give

space to the innovators to innovate’ he says there are two things that are happening. ‘One is that free marketeers don’t want any government intervention.

It’s an attack on one of their basic beliefs. Then the other issue, which is more contentious, is there are a lot of people making a lot of money out of the current systems and they tend to be conservative, with a small and big C. And they don’t want systems to change.’ He cites the tobacco industry as an example, saying that those most threatened ‘will do whatever they can to cause confusion and delay, and that’s what we’re seeing.’

But on the other side, he says ‘Labour is beholden to the unions. There are certain traditional industries which are going to have to change.’ So he sees that there’s an equally ‘big anchor’ on the other political side that’s saying ‘Oh we can’t destroy this industry, because it’s funding the unions.’ He says you need a ‘just and fair transition, and no government has really, in this country looked at what is a fair transition. How do you safeguard those who are going to lose, and accelerate the speed of the winners?’

And while Trewin’s current focus is to work with large companies to help them institute change within their own systems, he is aware of the barriers that

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make it difficult for them. However, he believes some of the ‘more progressive’ companies are starting to agree that they must ‘positively influence policy.’

I ask him about the concerns many businesses have about the politicisation of their efforts to create change. Many publicly facing businesses are afraid to lift their heads above the parapet for fear of being ridiculed for not doing enough, or even harassed by those with vested interests and their own agenda. It’s a situation known as ‘green hushing’. Trewin says he understands their predicament and doesn’t envy them.

‘But at the end of the day we are facing a ‘global crisis’ around food supplies and water ‘too much or too little’ and companies are realising that if they want to continue to operate they need ‘a stable climate and stable environments to operate within.’ It’s in the interests of large companies to push for change.

And based on the ‘circular economy’ the concept that products should be devised as sustainable or recyclable from the initial design stage, it seems that we aren’t seeing as many innovations for future products as we could be. ‘There needs to be a total change in conceptual thinking about how you deal with products,’ he says. He cites fast fashion as the prime example. ‘Fast fashion, which is getting faster and faster and faster, operates because it makes small margins on huge amounts of product.’ Fashion desperately needs an alternative model, but Trewin admits that that’s easier said than done. He says one of the obvious alternatives is to increase the pricing model so that people don’t discard clothes so quickly.

However, that creates the argument that you are just hitting those that can’t afford expensive clothes.

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But even the current trend towards buying upcycled, recycled and used clothing is not going to change the habits of people buying cheap garments, especially online. Whilst the concept of trying to cut down on waste clothing is laudable, it is a fraction of the industry. Trewin recounts a classic example of someone buying three items online to see which one fits. In one research project the products’ journey was tracked. Three were returned, shipped back across the world and sat in a warehouse in Hong Kong. By the time they came out of the warehouse they were no longer in vogue so were then sent to the north of England where they had the labels removed. They were then tracked as being shipped to Poland where Trewin believes they were eventually incinerated.

One of the answers he says could be ‘super fast fashion’. He mentions research being done in London on whether clothing could be made from products like citrus peel or nettles. ‘So, if you have a material which actually degrades super quickly, that helps deal with the fast fashion.’ The product becomes compostable. Again, it’s a laudable concept but so far not economically viable. ‘And then you’ve got to convince the consumer to buy a pair of nettle jeans,’ he says.

‘Sizzle’ is determined to tackle many of the problems that are contributing to climate change.

Even if they are what might be seen as benign industries such as pets or gardening. He is horrified by how few people grow their own food and the fact that recent figures show that less people now grow their own food than in the past.

‘As more extreme weather hits’ he says ‘people need

to grow different things, they need different skills.’ He says we need to take into account things like drought and flood. ‘The amount of food that we’re growing for free ourselves has gone from 3% down to just 1%.

I mean, that seems completely counterintuitive to the narrative.’

But of course that’s because we have been spoilt by getting cheap food from the supermarkets. I ask him if there is a way to tackle that and his answer is a blast of reality. ‘I think the climate is doing that for us’ he says. ‘This has been a shocking year so far for the basic commodities. They just haven’t either been able to harvest or plant this year.’ And that’s not just in the UK. He cites markers such as India banning the export of certain types of rice last year because of climate pressures. ‘You’ve got prices of olive oil going through the roof, because of the climatic pressures and the diseases in the growing countries. Tomatoes, similarly, being really hit by the drought in Spain.’ He has seen evidence that appears to show that ‘food prices will rise 1-2% per year because of climate.’

‘Sizzle’s’ ambitions are vast and exciting. Where necessary it will bypass government to get industry to work towards its own sustainable future, which in itself may well be an inconvenient message for those tasked with running countries.

Another positive, though for some people possibly contentious, project that Trewin highlights coincidentally has a link to the Westcountry. When training to become one of Al Gore’s first UK Climate Ambassadors, promoting messages from the film An Inconvenient Truth, Trewin was introduced to the idea for a ‘Super Grid’, a system that would connect the

abundance of renewable energy sources in Africa to energy-hungry European countries. Despite the significant benefits, the idea never progressed. At the time the financial model didn’t stack up and the technology wasn’t sufficiently advanced. However, a new UK-based business has pulled together a highquality team and some serious investment as they believe changes to costs and technological advances could make it a viable proposition.

A company called Xlinks, headed up by former CEO of Tesco, Sir David Lewis, plans to run a 2,485 mile long underwater cable connecting the UK with a renewable energy rich region of Morocco. It would be powered entirely by solar and wind and supported by a battery storage facility. The cabling would run underground to the site of an existing substation near Bideford in Devon and the company believes that the project could ultimately supply 8% of the UK’s electricity needs. Crucially the company aims to provide a near constant source of flexible and predictable clean energy, complementing the renewable energy already generated in the UK. According to Tewin only time will tell whether this project might work and whether the vision could turn into reality. Looking back at the initial concept in An Inconvenient Truth he says “I am sure Al Gore would approve.”

Trewin Restorick will be talking at a Wilding Weekend event in Dorset in June. For further information visit www. juliahailes.com.

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May EVENTS

Tuesday, 30 April Scottish Country Dancing at Horton village hall TA19 9QR every Tuesday evening from 7.30 to 9.30 pm with tea / coffee break. £3.00 pay on the door. Every one is welcome whether you are new to dance , an experienced dancer or somewhere in between, you will be assured of a very warm welcome. For more information email Anita at anitaandjim22@gmail.com phone 01460 929383 and check out our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com.

Wednesday, 1 May Garden Open The Old Rectory Litton Cheney, Litton Cheney, Dorchester DT2 9AH. (11-5). Adm £7, chd free.

Home-made teas. Visits also by arrangement 30 Apr to 30 Sept. Location: 9m W of Dorchester. 1m S of A35, 6m E of Bridport. Park in village and follow signs.

10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 11 mile Moderate walk around Uffculme area. Phone 07922-651426 Thursday, 2 May Champagne Taittinger Dinner So excited and a real treat to have the Taittinger UK Director host a very special four course dinner with us in our beautiful Orangery. He will talk us through the specially selected choices for each course and give an insight into this, still family owned, wonderful Champagne house. £110 per person including Champagne reception and specialist pairing for each course Alexandra Hotel, Lyme Regis 01297 442010.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk at Cadbury Hill Fort. Starts at 9.45am. 9 miles.To book and for details contact Chris 07715 760884.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome.

Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

Dance Connection, Block of 6 begins, 7:15pm, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, 07787752201, https://www.joysofdance. co.uk/dance-connection-bridport Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour.

Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Screening -Macbeth (12a) 19:00. Starring Ralph Fiennes & Indira Varma. Filmed live from Dock X a custom built theatre space in London. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6

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3NY. Tickets £16 adv £17 door. Book online- electricpalace. org.uk.

St Swithun’s Community Coffee Morning **CANCELLED** 9.30 - 11.00 am. The hall is being used as a polling station. St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington, Bridport, DT6 5DU. 07741 457505.

Friday, 3 May 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. 5 mile Leisurely Walk.

Upton Pine. Phone 01392-759332.

Craig Milverton & Karen Shaw – Multi-Award Winning Jazz saxophonist Karen Sharp is supported by the Craig Milverton trio, which includes the man himself on piano, plus Ashley John Long on bass and Coach York on drums.

7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £20 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www. ilminsterartscentre.com Karen Sharp and the Craig Milverton Trio Multi-Award Winning Jazz saxophonist Karen Sharp is supported by the Craig Milverton trio, which includes the man himself on piano, plus Ashley John Long on bass and Coach York on drums. A busy and popular musician with an accessible yet distinctive style, Karen has won the tenor saxophone category of the British Jazz Awards on numerous occasions.

Tickets: £20, students £5, free to children 12 and under with a paying adult. Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 0AN. Tel: 01460 54973 / E: info@ilminsterarts.org.uk.

John Law’s Re-Creations 8pm One of Europe’s leading jazz pianists, John Law, presents his quartet playing well known tunes from the world of jazz and pop, (and occasionally classical), featuring Parliamentary Jazz Award winning saxophonist Sam Crockatt. Alongside reinvented classic jazz standards the quartet plays intriguing new arrangements of a wide variety of well known tunes. So Debussy’s Clair de Lune might sit alongside a rhythmic re-imagining of Smoke on the Water; or a boogie-type reshaping of Blowin’ in the Wind rubbing shoulders with a baroque rearrangement of Fly Me to the Moon; some of the best known tunes in the world played really creatively! As well as the melodic invention of saxophonist Sam Crockatt, the quartet features Danish bass player Henrik Jensen and a new young firebrand on the UK jazz drumming scene, Alex Goodyear. “Striking arrangements and great skill and invention in the solos” The JazzMann “One of the UK’s most imaginative and versatile jazz pianists!” International

Piano Magazine. Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR. Box Office 01308 424204. £14/12/5.

2pm & 7.30pm. Swede Caroline (15) (Film and a lunch option) Adults £8, U16’s £7. Lunch + £5.50. In this British Mockumentary, the competitive giant vegetable growing world is rocked by scandal when up-and-coming prospect Caroline has her prized marrow plants stolen. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Saturday, 4 May The Annual General Meeting of Friends of Weymouth Library (F.O.W.L.) will be held at the Bethany Hall at 2-30p.m. Miranda Pender will entertain with her own songs.

Refreshments available.

‘Dune: Part 2’ (12A) Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 7.30pm, doors, 6.30pm, tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Monkton Wyld Court: Community in Crisis. An evening film screening and discussion regarding recent events at Monkton Wyld Court; the role of trustees and the structure of charities. 7pm Wooton Fitzpaine Village Hall, DT6 6ND. Entry by donation on a first come basis.

Plant Sale the Jubilee Hall Winsham. The horticultural society’s annual plant sale will have the usual array of annuals, perennials, shrubs & veg plus a few other garden related items. Doors open at 10.30am (£! entry children go free) refreshments (Tea, Coffee & cake) will also be available. The sale is also the time to renew your society subs. Members not only get reduced entry to our many and varied talks but also 10% of selected purchases at Groves and Combe Dingle nurseries so at £4 for a single & £6 for a family we hope you’ll seek out the membership desk and join us. For more details please contact Liz 01460 30371 Mothers Instinct (15) :19:30 Starring Academy award winners Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, Mothers instinct is an unnerving psychological thriller. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8. Book onlineelectricpalace.org.uk.

Musbury Plant & Craft Sale 9.30am 12noon Musbury Village Hall, Seaton Road.

Varied selection of vegetables, annuals and perennials for sale, plus a variety of craft items.

Refreshments available. Raffle. Parking and free entry. More info: Mary - 01297 553325 Please bring your own bags/boxes.

Mid Wessex Singers Silver Celebration Concert.

Reflecting 25 years of singing, our programme includes Vivaldi’s Gloria, Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine and modern works by Karl Jenkins, Philip Stopford and Matthew Coleridge with professional guests, organist Malcolm Archer and soloists Louise Innes and Eloise Routledge 7.30pm, St Michael’s Church. Somerton TA11 7NB. Advance Tickets £12 from Cobbs Wholefoods Somerton or £15 on the door. Email info@midwessexsingers.co.uk.

Sunday, 5 May Royal Opera House Screening - Carmen : 14:00. Damiano Michieletto’s sizzling new production evokes all the passion and heat of Bizet’s score, which features Carmen’s sultry Habanera and the rousing Toreador song. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £16 adv £17 door. Book onlineelectricpalace.org.uk.

Royal Opera House ‘Carmen’ (12A) Screening- Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 2pm, doors 1.30pm, tickets adults £15, Under 16s £8.

Damiano Michieletto’s sizzling new production evokes all the passion and heat of Bizet’s score, which features Carmen’s sultry Habanera and the rousing Toreador song.

Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 10 mile Moderate walk.

Offwell. Phone 01404-831143

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Monday, 6 May Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.3010.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes.. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www. chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk.

Bridport Community Orchard would like to present….

Mayfest from 12 - 3 pm. Once again, the whole community is invited to celebrate the coming of the apple blossom at our Mayfest in the St Mary’s Church Field orchard, in the heart of Bridport. Alongside the traditional celebrations with the May Queen and Jack-in-the-Green, there will be dancing, storytelling, the Big Foolini magic show and live music throughout the afternoon. As always for families, there will be crafts, a treasure hunt and activities for everyone, with Grub the sheep to set the scene! There will also be a bargain plant stall … a new initiative looking to raise some money for the community allotment The event will begin at midday with Wyld Morris, and end about 3pm when the May Queen and Jack will lead a procession to bless the orchard. You will have plenty of time to enjoy the orchard in blossom. Bring a picnic if you like, and there will be hot and cold drinks and cakes for donations and Dorset Nectar cider for sale ….

Please bring your ‘keep cups’ if you can, to help us minimise the use of disposable items. The orchard is off South Street behind St Mary’s Church. Everyone is welcome!

Hawkchurch Film Nights, in association with Moviola. org, proudly presents ‘The Holdovers’ (133 mins, cert.15 strong language, brief nudity). In this good-natured comedy drama by Alexander Payne (‘Sideways’), set in the 1970s, an unpopular teacher (Paul Giamatti), a rebellious student (Dominic Sessa), and a recently-bereaved school cook (Oscar-winner DaVine Joy Randolph) form an unexpected bond while stuck together over the Christmas break.

Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD. Ticket reservations £5.50 from csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 01297 678176 (socially-distanced seating available if reserved in advance); tickets also available for £5.50 from Hawkchurch Community Shop or £6.00 on the door (cash only). Subtitles for the hard-of-hearing provided. Home-made cake and other tasty refreshments available.

Tuesday, 7 May Scottish Country Dancing at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR every Tuesday from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Only £3.00 per session, pay on the door, including interval break with hot drinks and biscuits. It’s great fun, great music, good company and a fun way to keep fit. For more info contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com and visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com Better still just come along and join in.

“Singing for Fun!” A very warm welcome awaits you at 18 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Singing for Fun!, a Honiton u3a interest group. We meet at 2.00pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at Honiton Family Church, on the High Street, by Lace Walk car park. Do come along for a taster session and benefit from the tonic of singing together even if you are not yet a u3a “learn, laugh, live” member. Please contact honitonu3a@gmail.com. Even more information at u3asites. org.uk/Honiton West Dorset Ramblers Walk Start 10am, 8 miles.

Symondsbury, Colmer’s Hill & Thorncombe –To book and for details contact Carol 07902 988549 Wednesday, 8 May 10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 8 mile Moderate walk.

Broadwindsor. Phone 07862-134175.

Film The Holdovers (15) “A consistently smart, funny movie” Rogerebert.com. Doors open 6.45 film 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF Tickets @ £5 or £5.50 on the door. To book 07803 199712 or wattsjohn307@ gmail.com.

Thursday, 9 May The Shanty Sessions. 7.30 Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis.

Come along to see The Chantry Buoys, East Devons’ best looking boy band, singing traditional sea shanties and other well known songs of the sea. Come and join in with the Buoys and have some fun, entry is free and all proceeds go to local charities. The theatre bar will be open for local beers and soft drinks. The Buoys start at 7.30, doors open at 7pm.

Tel 07761 469676.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome.

Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

Film The Holdovers (15) matinée Doors open 1.45 Film 2pm, advance booking required, cream tea’s served during interval but must be order when booking the seats @ £3.50 see above for booking details.

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour.

Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Bridport History Society will be welcoming Professor Karen Hunt (Keele University) who will give a talk titled ‘Tales from the Outworkers’ Ledger: trying to make a living in the Bridport netting industry in the twentieth century’.

Prof. Hunt says: ‘Each page is a window into a Bridport net worker’s working life; their household and neighbourhood; as well as the town and the industry that dominated it.’

Bridport History Society meets on the second Thursday of each month (except July and August) at the United Church Hall, 2.15 for 2.30pm. Visitors welcome £5pp. Membership is £10 individual / £15 couple. For more information visit:

www.bridporthistorysociety.org.uk.

National Theatre Live -‘Nye’ (12A) Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton - 7pm doors 6.30pm, tickets Adults £15, Under 16s £8. Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state and created the NHS. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton. co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Chard History Group “Chard- I never knew that !”

A compendium of surprising historic trivia By Chris Brewchorn. 7.20 for 7.45. Upstairs Chard Guild Hall.

Members £2.50. Visitors very welcome £3.50. For further details contact Tessa 07984481634 Friday, 10 May 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. 6 mile Leisurely walk.

Teigngrace. Phone 01392-214430.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk 10 miles. Dorset Bumps – circular walk from Beaminster via Lewesden Hill, Laverstock Farm, Pilsden Pen. Starts at 10am.To book and for details contact Heather G 07587 098079.

Saturday, 11 May Kung Fu Panda 4 (PG) - 11:00. Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8(adult) £6 (under16) Book online- electricpalace.org.uk.

Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society plant sale and coffee morning, Uplyme Village Hall 10am-12 noon. Plant and produce donations from 9am. Entry £2 for all, including a drink. www.ulrhs.wordpress.com Cor Meibion Dowlais Male Choir – live choir- Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 8pm doors 7pm, tickets £12. The Choir can trace its roots back to the late 1800s and over the years, they have travelled extensively to many countries.

It has won the National Eisteddfod and represented Wales twice at the International Celtic Festival in Lorient, Brittany. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

The Bee Gees Experience - A 3 piece group re-creating the music of the Bee Gees. The band members perform classic harmonies featuring the unforgettable voice of Nick Lester on lead vocals as Barry Gibb. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £25 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com Climate Cafe, Axminster. A respectful space where you can express your feelings about climate breakdown. A chance to talk safely and informally about what it means for you,

and listen to others’ experiences. 10.30am - 12 noon, at Axminster Health and Wellbeing Centre, Chard Street, Axminster, EX13 5DZ. Contact Fiona Anderson fiona. anderson.01@gmail.com.

Choral Concert – Martinstown St Martin’s Church presents a concert, In Springtime, given by Parnham Voices directed by Stephen Tilton, on Saturday 11th May at 7 pm in the Church, Martinstown. Refreshments will be served.

Donations at the door in aid of Dorset Poverty Action Group and Church funds.

The Bee Gees Experience A 3 piece group recreating the music of the Bee Gees. The band members perform classic harmonies featuring the unforgettable voice of Nick Lester on lead vocals as Barry Gibb.

Tickets: £25, students £5, free to children 12 and under with a paying adult. Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 0AN. Tel: 01460 54973 / E: info@ilminsterarts.org.uk Bridport Choral Society presents Now is the Month of Maying. Featuring works by Mozart, Karl Jenkins and Thomas Morley, traditional English folk songs and a spiritual, contemporary songs and a medley from Mamma Mia. 7.30 p.m. Bridport United Church. Musical Director: James Crawshaw Accompanist: Peter Parshall. Tickets £13, including programme and refreshments, available from Bridport Music Centre, Smith & Smith or on the door

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Yeovil Railway Centre: First day of Model Railway Weekend. For more information call 01935 410420 for a recorded message, visit our website yeovilrailway.freeservers. com, or find us on Facebook.

Saturday, 11 - 12 May Garden Open Knowle Cottage No.1, Shorts Lane, Beaminster DT8 3BD. (12-4). Adm £5, chd free. Visits also by arrangement 1 Apr to 1 July for groups of 5 to 6.

Location: Nr St Mary’s Church. Park in main square or in main town car park, (disabled parking on- site) & walk down Church Lane & R onto single track Shorts Lane. Entry is through blue gates after 1st cottage on L. Flower Festival – Martinstown 11am – 4 pm. A Flower Festival on the theme of Dorset Life is being held in St Martin’s Church and the Churchyard over the weekend of 11th - 12th May. Proceeds will be shared between Dorset Poverty Action Group and Church funds. Refreshments will be served in the Village Hall, where parking is available.

Taste of West Dorset Market at Mapperton House, Gardens & Wildlands, near Beaminster, DT8 3NR. 10am to 4pm. Tickets £5. Discover the culinary treasures of West Dorset at Mappertons’s vibrant Taste of West Dorset Market. The region’s finest food and drink artisans come together to showcase their passion for quality and authenticity. Farm-fresh produce, artisan treats, local wines, spirits and craft beers. Supporting the Prout Bridge Charity, Beaminster. www.mapperton.com.

Sunday, 12 May Salway Ash Village Cream Teas - 2pm - 5pm at Strongate Farm Salway Ash Bridport DT6 5JD. Delicious homemade scones and fabulous variety of homemade cakes. Parking at the venue. Plant stall and raffle. Proceeds in aid of Holy Trinity Church Salway Ash. Contact Tess 07792 609617.

10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 9 mile Moderate walk.

Colyton. Phone 07546-267229 Monday, 13 May Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Evening of Scottish Dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BH 7.30 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £2.00 Contact David on 01460 65981 www. chardscottishdancingclub.co.uk.

Winsham Art Club, 2pm at Jubilee Hall TA20 4HU. The theme this practical session is creating Illustrations

by Lino Cut Prints. It is a 2.5 hr. session led by a tutor.

Small friendly group of mixed abilities. Members £5, non-members £7. Annual membership £15. All welcome.

Contact: Email : suzyna48@gmail.com for further details.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk Around Portland. 8miles.

Starts at 10.00am from Portland Heights Hotel. To book and for details contact Laraine 07889 921435.

‘Time & my Grandfather’: Literary and biographical impressions of J B Priestley, by his granddaughter, Dr 20 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Karen Goaman – Hawkchurch Village Hall at 7.0pm, doors 6.30pm (with refreshments). Dr Karen Goaman - writer, academic and Hawkchurch resident - will be talking about her grandfather, the author J B Priestley - his writing, biography and some of his lesser known connections to the West Country. His best-known and most-performed play, “An Inspector Calls”, was written at the end of the Second World War. Free entry to members, non-members £5 at the door.

Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild at 2 p.m. After a short business meeting Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild will be host to Anna Kent who will be talking of her experiences working as a frontline midwife in a War Zone. Dorchester Community Church, Liscombe Street, Poundbury, Dorchester, DT1 3DF. Visitors will be made very welcome (£3). Tea and coffee available. Enquiries 01305 832857.

Tuesday, 14 May Divine Union Soundbath 8 pm Digby Memorial Hall, (Griffiths Room), Digby Rd, Sherborne DT9 3LN £16 Quieten the mind, calm the emotions, relax and detox the body. Please book in advance via 01935 389655 ahiahel@ live.com.

Scottish Country Dancing at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR every Tuesday from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Only £3.00 per session , pay on the door, including interval break with hot drinks and biscuits. It’s great fun, great music, good company and a fun way to keep fit. For more info contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com and visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com Better still just come along and join in.

Wednesday, 15 May Dementia Awareness Evening at the Bradshaw Room, Axminster Heritage Centre, on Wednesday 15th May at 6.00pm. This will be hosted free of charge by Axminster Care Service and Dementia Friendly Axminster. A talk will be given and will look at the different types of dementia and the importance of early diagnosis. Please email axminstercareservice@gmail.com for further information.

Coffee Morning, including cakes, scones & savouries, and bacon/egg rolls (made to order), 10.30am – noon; all welcome. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. More details from Julia (01460 72769).

Talk by Flt Lt Colin Bell DFC, (aged 103) ‘SOLD OUT’ a Mosquito pilot in Bomber Command, and Flt Lt Desmond Curtis DFC aged 99, a Mosquito Navigator in Coastal Command. This will take place in the Dorford Centre, Dorchester, at 6.30pm. The talk is part of a fundraising initiatiive for the Installation of stained glass window at Holy Trinity Church, Warmwell in memory of the personnel from RAF Warmwell 1937 - 1946. For more information, please contact either David Walsh (07770 343441 or davidpwalsh1802@gmail.com) or Gerry Gerrard (01305 852320 or ggerrard99@gmail.com).

Colyton & District Garden Society ‘Lessons From a Lifetime of Gardening’ by Anne Swithinbank. Local horticulturalist, writer and broadcaster. Venue : Change of venue for May only : St Michaels Chapel of Ease opposite Colyford Memorial Hall, EX24 6QJ , start 7.30 pm. Parking in the hall car park. Members free, guests £3.00. Information : Sue Price 01297 552362 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. 6 mile Leisurely walk.

Brampford Speke. Phone 07465-425031 Thursday, 16 May Wicked Little Letters (15) : 14:00. Matinee screening.

1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark and absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Timothy Spall . Based on a stranger than fiction true story. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets : £7. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour.

Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Dorchester annual town meeting For a chance to meet your local newly elected Dorchester Town Councillors and hear more about the work of the Dorchester Town Council over the previous year, there is an Informal Annual Town Meeting between 11am-1pm at the Corn Exchange, DT1 1HF. Take the opportunity to see how your local democracy is working for you and to tell Councillors what you think should be priorities for the town over the coming year.

Partners from local community organisations will also be attending to showcase some of the brilliant projects they have been carrying out and to give you the chance to find out more about volunteering with them.

South Somerset RSPB Local Group A Wild Garden. An illustrated talk presented by Colin Varndell, a well-known Dorset wildlife photographer. We will learn about the wildlife, including birds, mammals and insects, that can be attracted to a wildlife garden. 7.30pm The Millennium Hall, Seavington St. Mary, Ilminster, TA19 0QH. Entry: Group members £4, non-group members £5, under 25’s Free.

Tea/coffee & biscuits included – Wheelchair access. Further details from Denise Chamings on 01460240740 or www.rspb.org.uk/groups/ southsomerset. Everyone welcome.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome. Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email

petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk ,6.5 miles In & around Symondsbury - Start 10am from c.p. next to Bridport FC To book and for details contact Janet 07947 881635 The Dart Valley Stompers All Saints Church, Martock; TA12 6JN. Performance time: 7:30 pm. Admission fee: Tickets: £10.00 at Guardianstickets@gmail.com /07547 213992/Martock Gallery/ Martock Newsagent (Cash only); £12.00 at door. Website: http://www.dartvalleystompers. co.uk. The Dart Valley Stompers play lively and exciting Traditional & New Orleans jazz and features Award Winning Reed Player Jeremy Huggett on Clarinet, Saxophones & Vocals.

Friday, 17 May The Comedy Store - 19:30 (18+) “Worlds greatest comedy club”. We bring you “The Best In Stand Up” from around the globe, showcasing the brightest names in comedy today.

Bridport Electric Palace , DT6 3NY. Tickets : £18. Book online -electricpalace.org.uk.

Lyme Eats Boutique, an evening street food market atop the sea walls. 4-9pm Gun Cliff Walk (nr Mary Anning Statue), Lyme Regis www.uniqueboutiqueevents.co.uk/ calendar.

Pocket Sinfonia - Pocket Sinfonia recreate the atmosphere of 19th-century living room parties, applying the intimacy of chamber music performance to orchestral-scale pieces.

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Promoted by Concerts in the West. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £18 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com 7.30pm. Sherlock’s Excellent Adventure - Comedy theatre performance. Adult £15, Students £10. Our Star Theatre Company presents a new comedy by James Barry inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Follow Sherlock Holmes and his incomparable sidekick Dr John Watson on this riveting, hitherto unpublished case… The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

The Windermere Children The war is over. For these child holocaust survivors it is a new beginning. A film based on the experience of these child survivors. One summer’s night in 1945, 300 children are in transit from Prague to the Lake District, a remote and picturesque corner of the English countryside. They are child survivors of the Nazi Holocaust that has all but wiped out Europe’s Jews – and for these particular children, their entire families too. They are some of the 1000 children the British government has granted refuge to, giving them a place where they can rehabilitate and grow strong after the devastation of the war. They carry only the clothes they wear and a few meagre possessions, along with the physical and psychological scars of all they have suffered. They do not know what awaits them in Britain and naturally they are fearful: they don’t speak English, and having spent many years living in death camps, have missed out on a proper education. But the children are also excited, for the war is over, and there is always hope that the future will be kinder to them than the past. This moving and ultimately redemptive story follows the children and the remarkable team who were responsible for helping these children rebuild their lives as they forge friendships that will become a lifeline to a better future.

7.30pm Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St Andrew DT11 0JX Doors and bar open 7.00pm. Tickets cost £6, which includes a drink or an ice-cream 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. 6 mile Moderate walk.

Budleigh. Phone 07963-180140.

‘Back to Black’ (15) Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm doors 6.30pm, tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. A celebration of the most iconic - and much missed - homegrown star of the 21st century, Back to Black tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am 1pm.

Friday, 17 - 18 May Philip Clouts (jazz piano) & Ron Phelan (bass) for great jazz. Pianist Philip Clouts and double bassist Ron Phelan will play a programme including music by Django Reinhardt, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, as well as Philip’s compositions of melodic jazz with flavours of African and Latin American music. Pianist Philip Clouts was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and brought up 22 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

in London. Clouts was a founder member of worldbeat jazz band Zubop, with whom he composed music and played the piano, touring internationally and releasing five CDs. Performances included Ronnie Scott’s, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and the Womad and Glastonbury Festivals.

More recently the Philip Clouts Quartet has been a major focus of his composing and playing, and the latest album ‘Umoya,’ is titled from the Zulu word for ‘life force’. It was played on BBC’s Jamie Cullum Show, and Jazz FM has praised it, saying “It has a very infectious feel-good quality about it.” Ron Phelan studied bass in Dublin before moving to the UK. He has worked with some of the best musicians and performers in the country touring both nationally and internationally in projects ranging from jazz ensembles to large scale theatrical productions. He currently lives in the South West of England where he divides his time between performing and composing. The duo setting at Tincleton Gallery provides an ideal opportunity for these performers to present their work in an intimate context, with the music covering a wide variety of moods. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR Opening / performance times: doors open 19:30; concert starts 20:00. Admission fee: £15. Venue contact number: 01305 848 909. Website: http://www.tincletongallery.com.

Friday, 17 - 19 May Women’s Singing Workshop Weekend North Eggardon, nr Bridport. Come and sing! Enjoy a weekend away in the beautiful countryside of West Dorset and share good times (singing, food, walks) with other women in the amazing space of North Eggardon Carthouse. Veronique Sodano, jazz singer, teacher and wonderful woman will be leading us through singing sessions with fun, warmth and inspiration. She’s also an amazing cook and together we will prepare Italian inspired meals. more info at mycupofteacreativeworkshops.com.

Saturday, 18 May Garden Open The Potting Shed, Middlemarsh, Sherborne DT9 5QN. (10-4). Adm £4.50, chd free. Cream teas. Gluten free & vegan scones available, freshly picked herbal teas & home-made jams. Location: 7m S of Sherborne, 11m N of Dorchester on the A352 in Middlemarsh. 300 yrds S of The Hunters Moon pub.

Beginners Sewing Workshop 10 until 2 pm cost £18 at the United Reformed Church, Chard St, Axminster ( car park opposite) Learn some useful tips on how to use your sewing machine. In addition learn how to do a scalloped hem and how to do a hand sewn hem couture style. Or you can work on your own simple project with guidance from the tutor. To book a place contact : gina.youens@btinternet. com ‘Ghostbusters : Frozen Empire’ (12A Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm, Tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50 In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns

to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters. Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Children’s Sunflower Planting, 11.00am to 12.30, at Lyme Regis Library. Turn Lyme Green invite children to plant a sunflower in the Library Garden, and label them with their names. Sunflower plants and slate labels are provided.

All are welcome to this free event and children should be accompanied by an adult. Lyme Library, Silver Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3HR. The Trouble With Jessica (15) - 19:30. Sarah and Tom are in deep financial trouble. Their situation takes a terrifying nosedive with the shocking behavior of uninvited dinner guest, Jessica. Starring Shirley Henderson, Indira Varma and Rufus Sewell. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Book online- electricpalace.org.uk.

Saturday, 18 - 19 May Garden Open Folly Farm Cottage Spyway Road, Uploders, Bridport DT6 4PH. (1-5). Adm £6, chd free.

Home-made teas. Location: On Spyway Road ½m on L from Matravers House, Uploders. ½m on R from The Spyway Inn, Askerswell.

The Dorset Vegan MegaMarket returns this year for the first time in Spring. This amazing vegan outdoor event will again be at the historic Maumbury Rings Roman Amphitheatre in the County town of Dorchester from 10am to 4pm each day. The weekend ‘MegaMarket’ has 50+ stalls each day of 100% vegan products situated at the north end of the rings. With free entryand a lovely outdoor grass venue everyone can come and enjoy this superb event! And with a massive amphitheatre you can bring your own blankets or chairs for relaxing and dining. From 10.00am to 4pm both days at Maumbury Rings, Main Entrance, Weymouth Ave, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1TY. The venue is fully accessible throughout. Well behaved dogs on a lead are welcome. For more info e-mail : wdveganevents@gmail.com Sunday, 19 May Singing Bowl Soundbath 2pm Bridport Unitarians, 49 East St., Bridport, DT6 3JX Still the mind calm the emotions relax and detoxify the body Please book in advance 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com £16.

10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 11 mile Moderate walk. Dulverton. Phone 07771935117.

Dance Connection, Day workshop, 114, Bridport St Mary’s CHH, 07787752201, https://www.joysofdance.co.uk/workshops.

Axe Vale Orchestra “A Spring in your Step”.

Do join the orchestra, 3.30pm at The Minster,

Axminster, for a dance through Europe with Schwanda the Bagpiper (Weinberger), a doll, (Coppelia, Delibes) and a girl from Arles (L’Arlesienne, Bizet) where you will also enjoy waltzing with Village Swallows (Josef Strauss) whilst hearing the Voices of Spring (Johann Strauss ll). The programme concludes with the same composer’s lively Tritsch Tratsch Polka followed by refreshments. Tickets £12, students free, from www.axevaleorchestra.co.uk Archway Bookshop, Axminster or on the door.

Afternoon Teas, including scones, savouries, cakes etc.

2.30pm – 5pm; all welcome. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. More details from Julia (01460 72769); booking advisable.

‘42nd Street – The Musical’ (PG) Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton -. 2pm, doors 1.30pm, tickets Adults £15 Under 16s £8. Starring national treasure Bonnie Langford as Dorothy Brock and featuring iconic songs 42nd Street, We’re In The Money and Lullaby of Broadway, this is pure magic on the big screen. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am 1pm.

Dalwood Jazz Club presents Pete Allen’s Octet ! with Pete Allen - clarinet, Trevor Whiting - clarinet & sax, Jim Newton - drums, Max Brittain - banjo & guitar Roger Marks - trombone, James Clemas - piano, Chris Hodgkins - trumpet and Dave Hanratty - bass. 3pm Dalwood Village Hall, EX13 7EG (near Axminster)

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 23

Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and teas/coffees/cake etc. Parking at the Village Hall £12.50p If possible, please book in advance and pay (cash or card) at the door. t.mackenney111@btinternet.com.

The Occasional Singers 30th Anniversary Concert at 4.00pm. St Mary’s Church, Edward Road, Dorchester DT1 2HL. You are warmly invited to join The Occasional Singers for their 30th Anniversary Afternoon Concert to be held at St Mary’s Church in Dorchester. The programme will be a selection of short part songs dating from 1603 through to the romantic settings of Elgar and Holst, and culminating in some beautiful contemporary pieces. Entrance is free. The retiring collection will be in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare.

Everyone is most welcome. Birthday cake will be served!

Monday, 20 May Dance Connection, for fun, health & wellbeing, 10:30am, Othona, Burton Bradstock, 07787752201, https://www. joysofdance.co.uk/danceclass Tuesday, 21 May Scottish Country Dancing at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR every Tuesday from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Only £3.00 per session, pay on the door, including interval break with hot drinks and biscuits. It’s great fun, great music, good company and a fun way to keep fit. For more info contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com and visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com Better still just come along and join in.

Prior to the talk on Sustainable Fashion, Turn Lyme Green will be holding its AGM at 6.30pm also at the Driftwood Cafe. All Welcome. Refreshments available.

Contact enquiries@turnlyme green.co.uk Turn Lyme Talk on “Sustainable Fashion”.

Lesley Windsor is the creator and leader of Bridport Fashion Revolution. Sustainable Fashion is a hot topic and Lesley will illustrate how we can all become fashion revolutionaries.

7.30pm at the Driftwood Cafe, Baptist Church, top of Broad Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. This is a free Event.

All Welcome. Refreshments available. Contact enquiries@ turnlymegreen.co.uk or 01297 446066.

‘Mamma Mia’ (PG) Nostalgic Cinema – Matinee screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 1.30pm, doors 1pm, tickets £3.50. Anyone who loves nostalgic films is very welcome to join us for an afternoon of fond memories and friendship.

Tickets from 01297 625699, www.thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am - 1pm.

Wednesday, 22 May 10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 7 mile Moderate walk.

Simonsbath. Phone 07885-951863.

Learn to Draw from Nature At the United Reformed Church Chard St, Axminster ( car park opposite) 10am till 12.30. Cost £16 to include materials. Drawing and painting spring flowers. Learn the basics of drawing spring flowers. Learn some tips and tricks for painting flowers in watercolour. This is a step by step approach for beginners and designed to give you confidence. To book a place contact : gina.youens@btinternet.com.

Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society demonstration by Angie Blackwell, Cottage Flowers. ‘Spring into Summer’ features arrangements to make the most of seasonal flowers. Uplyme Village Hall 7.30pm. Doors open at 7pm for refreshments. Members free; non-members £3. www.ulrhs.wordpress.com Thursday, 23 May The Robbie McIntosh Band + support 7.00 pm The Bay Theatre, Weymouth College, Weymouth DT4 7LQ. The Weymouth College Music students will present a complimentary set of cover versions and originals. Tickets are available on the door or in advance from the Bay Theatre Box Office (via the Weymouth College website) or on 01305 208702 (n.b. this event is standing with limited seating, please advise if a seat is required at time of booking).

Admission £15.00, £12.50 concessions, standing only, no refunds. Tickets in advance from the bay theatre box office, phone 01305 208702 Or online from: https://www. ticketsource.co.uk/thebaytheatre.

7pm. Royal Ballet: A Winter’s Tale. Adults £17, Students £11. Shakespeare’s profound story of love and loss, artfully adapted into a contemporary three-act narrative ballet by Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, returns to the Main Stage. The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton. co.uk 01404 384050.

Lyme Voices Community Choir. 19.30 to 21.15. Sing for fun. Learn songs in harmony by ear. Everyone welcome.

Baptist Church (Pine Hall round the back), Silver St., Lyme Regis, DT7 3NY. Phone 07534 116502 or email petelinnett2@hotmail.com.

Seaton Music at Gateway Theatre, Fore St. Ruth Molins, with her collection of flutes, will perform with pianist Alex Wilson a programme mainly by women composers, but including John Rutter and Arthur Butterworth. Concert starts at earlier time of 7pm to include AGM during interval.

Admission is free for everyone.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk, 7 miles. Minterne to Hermitage – Start from Minterne Church at 10.00am. To book and for details contact Heather T 07798 732252 Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin

EVENTS IN JUNE

Live or Online send your event details to info@marshwoodvale.com th

BY MAY 15

24 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour.

Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

The New Arts Group The Girl with the Tutti-Frutti Hat: The Magic of Busby Berkeley. Speaker: John Francis. Cost £10.00. Time 2.00pm (tea/coffee from 1.30) Bridport Town Hall.

Rewilding Tour - Mapperton Gardens Mapperton, Beaminster DT8 3NR. Viscount & Viscountess Hinchingbrooke (office@mapperton.com). Home to Mapperton Wildlands, a limited number of tickets have been made available for a special 1 day rewilding tour, kindly hosted by the owners, Luke and Julia Montagu. On arrival please meet at the Coach House Café, where you will be joined by Ben Padwick, the ranger at Mapperton. Ben will give an introductory talk and will be your guide throughout your visit. The tour will last for 2 ½ hours and covers a distance of 2 miles. Do wear appropriate footwear and bring waterproofs if it is expected to rain. Parts of the tour will take you up steep hills and across uneven ground, which may be challenging for anyone less able and with mobility difficulties. Opening For NGS: Thur 23 May (10-4). Adm £40, chd free. Pre-booking essential, please visit ngs.org. uk for information & booking. Light refreshments in the Coach House Cafe (inc in admission price). For other opening times and information, please phone, email or visit garden website Location: 6m N of Bridport. Off A356/ A3066. 2m SE of Beaminster off B3163.

Friday, 24 May Garden Open Ticketed Event Pipsford Farm, Beaminster DT8 3NT. (2-5). Adm £10, chd free. Prebooking essential, please visit ngs.org.uk for information & booking. Home-made teas in the stable yard. Refreshments included in adm. Location: 2m SE of Beaminster off B3163, 7m N of Bridport. Post code & Sat Nav brings you to the main front drive entrance, clearly signed.

2pm & 7pm. Macbeth: Fiennes & Varma (12A). Adults £16, Student £13. BAFTA award winner Ralph Fiennes & Olivier award winner Indira Varma star in a brandnew production of Macbeth. A couple corrupted by their relentless lust for power have blood on their hands. Witness the gripping tale of greed, murder and deception! The Beehive Honiton www.beehivehoniton.co.uk 01404 384050.

Flying Folk - Jemima Farey presents a wonderful evening of folk music. A mix of traditional folk and original songs.

Includes guest musicians The Farey Family and Arquebus Trio. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £16 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www.ilminsterartscentre.com Axminster Eats Boutique, an evening street food market in the community heart. 4-9pm Minster Green, Axminster, www.uniqueboutiqueevents.co.uk/calendar

Back to Black (cert tbc) - 19:30 The Long awaited biopic of Amy Winehouse. ‘Back to Black’ will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £8 Book online- electricpalace.org.uk.

Friday, 24 - 25 May Misterton Flower Festival in St Leonard’s Church Misterton Titled Around our Town. 10.am until 4 pm Sunday 26 th 12 noon until 4 pm. Tea and Cake available in the Garden next door to the Church. Flower placements done by the Church Flower Guild and The Ile Valley Flower Club. Fund raising for the Refurbishment of the Village Hall.

Saturday, 25 May Crewkerne Gardening Club are holding a Garden Plant Sale, 8 - 12noon. In Falklands Square (next to Crewkerne Library) Crewkerne. Donations welcome, funds raised towards Crewkerne August Flower Show.

25th May ‘Seize Them’ (15) Picnic Night Screening - Gateway Theatre, Seaton – 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm tickets Adults £7.50, Under 16s £6.50. Brimming with warmth, humour and swordfights, Seize Them! is a comedy road movie set in the dark ages Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am 1pm.

Saturday, 25 - 26 May Garden Open Little Benville House, Benville Lane, Corscombe, Dorchester DT2 0NN. (11-5). Adm £8, chd £4.

Home-made teas. Location: 2½m (6mins) from Evershot village on Benville Lane. Benville may be approached from A37, via Evershot village. House is on L ½m after Benville Bridge. Alternatively from A356, Dorchester to Crewkerne road, 1m down on R.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 25

Saturday, 25 - 27 May Flower Festival Displays in Church themed on “The wonder and Beauty of Somerset” 10am - 5pm Daily St Mary Magdalene Church, Cricket Malherbie, Nr Ilminster, TA19 0PW Jane Helliar, Churchwarden 01460 52929, 07850480986 Sunday, 26 May Singing Bowl Soundbath 2pm Oborne Village Hall, DT9 4LA Still the mind calm the emotions relax and detoxify the body Please book in advance 01935 389655 ahiahel@live. com £16.

Horn Park Quarry National Nature Reserve Open Day. Beaminster Museum, Natural England and Jurassic Coast Trust are holding an open day at this internationally renowned site for the fossils it contains from 174 – 168 million years ago between Beaminster and Broadwindsor.

Due to expected demand, timed slots must be booked in advance between 10.00am and 12, 12 and 2.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Tickets are free but donations are welcome on the day. There will be specimens to handle, activities for all ages, and short talks. Average visit would take one hour. For full information, please see Beaminster Museum website beaminstermuseum.co.uk for the link to the ticket site, along with safety information, clothing advice, parking. There are steps onsite and an uneven surface.

Sorry, no hammers.

Jazz by the Sea at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis presents.

‘Take Love Easy’ - the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass.

Fifty years ago, Ella Fitzgerald, the ‘First Lady of Song’, and virtuoso guitarist Joe Pass recorded ‘Take Love Easy’ - beginning a series of legendary duet albums. To celebrate these iconic recordings vocalist Nina Clark and guitarist Sam Dunn bring you an evening of swinging, joyful and tender music from their songbook. Ella Fitzgerald was a much loved jazz singer who applied her impeccable vocal style to many of the tunes which have become known as the ‘Great American Songbook’. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable phrasing and intonation, and a “ saxophone-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her ‘scat’ singing. Joe Pass is esteemed as one of the most notable guitarists of the twentieth century; he recorded with many of the jazz greats including Oscar Peterson and Count Basie. Sam Dunn is a widely respected jazz guitarist, whose swinging and lyrical playing has seen him perform at clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world. He is a regular performer at London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s, and has also recently played at the Royal Albert Hall, the 606 club, the Vortex and many other jazz clubs across the UK and beyond. Sam has toured Australia with Grammy nominated US pianist and singer Judy Carmichael, and recently performed with his trio in Valencia, Spain Nina Clark is a jazz vocalist with a passion for melodic performance, whose recent album was supported by Arts Council England. A respected songwriter, Nina’s vocalese of John Scofield’s “Jeep on 35” was arranged for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and sung 26 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

by Grammy award winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, whose quartet Clark performed with at Chicago’s famed Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. Nina has performed in clubs, festivals and events around the UK, the US, Dubai, Europe and New Zealand. Storied music biographer Lesley Ann Jones wrote of Nina: “she conjures songs both mellifluous and punchy which she delivers with charm and wit”.Following several sell-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Nina and Sam are delighted to bring you this intimate evening of song. “Sam Dunn is a wonderful musician on all levels. He has a wide, interesting repertoire, beautiful sound...equally compelling with ballads and burners.” Judy Carmichael. 8pm. Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis. £14 advance £16 on the door. [Tickets available at www.marinetheatre.com] 26th May The Royal Ballet – ‘The Winter’s Tale’ (12A) Matinee Screening – Gateway Theatre, Seaton - 2pm, doors 1.30pm, tickets Adults £15, Under 16s £8. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, The Winter’s Tale is an award-winning modern ballet classic, packed with emotional turmoil heightened

by Joby Talbot’s compelling score and Bob Crowley’s atmospheric designs. Tickets from 01297 625699, www. thegatewayseaton.co.uk or in person Tue - Thur 10am 1pm.

Divine Union Soundbath 2pm Oborne Village Hall, Oborne, nr. Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA £16 Quieten the mind, calm the emotions, relax and detox the body. Please book in advance via 01935 389655 ahiahel@live.com Royal Ballet Screening - The Winters Tale - 14:00.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, The Winter’s Tale is an award–winning modern ballet classic, packed with emotional turmoil heightened by Joby Talbot’s compelling score and Bob Crowley’s atmospheric designs. Bridport Electric Palace, DT6 3NY. Tickets £16 adv £17 door Book onlineelectricpalace.org.uk Sunday, 26 - 27 May Garden Open The Manor House Beaminster North St, Beaminster DT8 3DZ. (11-5). Adm £7, chd free. Homemade teas in the Coach House garden. Location: 200yds N of town square. Park in the square or public car park, 5 mins walk along North St from the square. Limited disabled parking on site.

Sydling St. Nicholas Open Gardens. Many beautiful gardens plus excellent teas, cakes and locally grown plants on sale. Entry £5, children free. 2 to 6 pm, tickets on sale from 1.30 pm at the Village Hall, DT2 9NX. Sorry no dogs.

Contact 07771 623973.

Sunday, 26 - 29 Hugo Grenville Open Studio Hugo Grenville will be opening his home studio for the first time during Dorset Arts Week. Visitors can view a selection of ‘never seen before’ works from Hugo’s archives as well as some of his latest studio work. There will also be a film about his life and work showing in the barn. 10am - 4pm, Old Granary

Cottage, New Barn Farm, West Milton DT6 3TN. For more information: 07796 415 395.

Tuesday, 28 May Scottish Country Dancing at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR every Tuesday from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Only £3.00 per session, pay on the door, including interval break with hot drinks and biscuits. It’s great fun, great music, good company and a fun way to keep fit. For more info contact Anita on 01460 929383 or email anitaandjim22@gmail.com and visit our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress.com Better still just come along and join in.

Bridport U3A speaker is Alan Jenkins, and the talk is titled My Police Journey - Liverpool to Dorset. Alan had a baptism of fire when he joined Merseyside police in 1981 and was plunged into the Liverpool riots. The talk is at Bridport United Church hall, East Street. DT6 3LJ at 2pm.

Wednesday, 29 May 10.30am. East Devon Ramblers. 11mile Moderate walk around Exmouth. Phone 07895-246909.

Beginners Calligraphy At the United Reformed church hall, Chard St, Axminster. 2pm till 4 pm. Cost £17 to include materials. Learn how to do the Foundation hand.

Demonstrations throughout. Come and learn a new skill and unlock your creativity. Calligraphy is relaxing and has many uses. To book a place contact : gina.youens@btinternet.com West Dorset Ramblers Walk, 10 miles. Lambert’s Castle Circular – via Coney’s Castle, Marshwood Vale, Bettiscombe, Start Lambert’s Castle c.p.at 10.00.. To book and for details contact Heather G 07587 098079.

Thursday, 30 May Screening of Arcadia @ Priority Sheds as part of DAW open studios. Introduction by Adrian Cooper of Common Ground who in 2018 co produced the feature film Arcadia with BAFTA award-winning Scottish director Paul Wright, using archive footage to explore our complex relationship with the land. With film clips from the last 100 years and a grand, expressive score from Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), the film goes on a sensory, visceral journey through the contrasting seasons, exploring the beauty and brutality, magic and madness of our changing relationship with the land and each other. Co-produced by Common Ground, Arcadia was funded by the BFI, Creative Scotland and BBC. Common Ground It’s a very small, grassroots organisation that collaborates openly to reconnect people with nature and inspire communities to become responsible for their local environment, mainly through commissioning artists to respond to place. 7pm. Priority Sheds, Foundry Lane, St Michaels, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3RW for information contact Sophie Molins @ Lost Sheep Productions Tel: +44 7957 462901. priorityshed@gmail. com Friday, 31 May Dave Kelly and Bob Hall with Hilary Blythe - An evening of blues, boogie and song from three of the very best.

Hilary Blythe joins the duo for their reunion on bass and guitar; an emotive singer of classic folk blues in her own right. Expect an evening of great blues including original tunes, funny stories and a little bit of country. 7.30pm at Ilminster Arts Centre, TA19 0AN. Tickets: £20 Students: £5 Children 12 and under: Free 01460 54973 www. ilminsterartscentre.com 10.00am. East Devon Ramblers. 5.5 mile Leisurely walk Chard. Phone 07762-930640.

West Dorset Ramblers Walk, 8 miles. Water Meadows – circular walk via West Stafford, Winterborne Came and Stinsford. Start 10am Kingston Maurward lower c.p. To book and for details contact Ian 07826 150114.

Colyton town history walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm – Guided walk approximately one hour.

Cost £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group bookings by arrangement – Contact 012297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Friday 31 May - 2 June Garden Open Mappercombe Manor Nettlecombe, Bridport DT6 3SS. (1-5). Adm £6, chd free. Home-made teas. Location: 4m NE of Bridport. From A3066 turn E signed W Milton & Powerstock. After 3m leave Powerstock on your L, bear R at Marquis of Lorne pub, entrance drive 150yds ahead.

Saturday, 1 June Big Dorset Apple Cake Day. Milborne St Andrew MSA Village Hall. On the day we will display the cake and have a Grand Cutting Ceremony followed by a cafe where you can buy a slice or a whole cake to be eaten over the days to come (don’t forget to order your clotted cream!). This event will donate all the money raised to Milborne St Andrew Village Hall. For more information visit: https://www. milbornestandrew.org.uk.

Powerstock Hut Barn Dance with music by the Ping Pong Orchestra with caller. Doors open 7pm. £5 entry u16 free.

Proceeds to Weir Sports Ground. Bar. Jumble Sale with refreshments, 2pm. Contributions gratefully received, & may be left at the hall between 10am & mid-day on the Saturday morning. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall. Further information from Jackie (01460 72324) or Mary (01460 74849).

Helen Baggot will be the Friends of Weymouth Library (F.O.W.L.) speaker in Weymouth Library. She has been dubbed as “Postcard Detective” by the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine. Her talk will be about her great-aunt’s travels illustrated with postcards that her great-aunt sent home, showing just how far she travelled and what adventures she had. Tickets are available at the Library (tel.

01305762410) for members @£2 and for non-members @£3. Refreshments provided and everyone welcome. Any enquiries about the talk please telephone 01305 832613.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 27

Celebrating a Century of Bells in Bridport

Working on number 5 bell in St Mary’s bell tower

T

he current church bells in St Mary’s Church, Bridport are 100 years old this year and the local ringers and church are planning a celebration.

The bells were fully recast in 1924, not long after the great war. However, the tower has housed bells for a lot longer than that. An inventory of 1552 noted that Bridport had only three bells. By 1774 this had increased to 5 bells with a clock. A further bell was added in 1843 and the final 2 added in 1887. All 8 bells were recast in 1924 and there has been ringing in Bridport for nearly 500 years.

The ringers and the church will hold a year of celebrations and festivities to thank the 1924 Bridport families who gave this 100 years of church bells, and to thank the 2024 Bridport families who are still such a strong part of the town.

The 8 bells each have very moving dedications to the families in Bridport.

The celebrations will start on Saturday 25th May, the closest to the date the bells were installed, with a tower open day and then a quarter peal. There will then be an evening concert in the Church (with local hand bells and local choirs and local bands).

The ringers and the church will then have further celebrations and open days and information days over the year. These year-long celebrations are now being

28 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

planned, and details will be published shortly.

The bells have rung well in their 100 years. All the 8 bells are very sound. Rung on their own, they sound as good as new, as good as they were when they were re-cast in 1924. However, ringing them together is now more difficult, and a sign of their wear. Some are a bit stiff, and ring a bit slower, some are a bit worn, and ring a bit quicker. Who can blame them, after 100 years.

The work planned is to prepare these bells for the next 100 years. All the main bearings will be checked, and replaced where needed. The bearings of each clapper will also be checked, and replaced where needed. Overall, the work will improve the balance of each bell and its clapper. It will include the replacement of any worn items, and it will more closely balance the timing of each clapper to its bell.

The completed work will improve the peal of the bells, and hopefully their appeal. The work is now needed, and most importantly, work done now will protect the bells as they ring in the future.

It is estimated that it will cost £25,000 to do that full upgrade, and once again, the church and the bell ringers will need the help of the people and families of Bridport.

The project will prepare the 100 year old bells for the next 100 years.

News&Views HINTON ST GEORGE Bells to get a major overhaul After a major fund-raising exercise both from within the community and from grant providers, sufficient funds have been raised to overhaul the six bells of Grade 1-listed St. George’s Church in Hinton St. George. This will involve rehanging the bells with new headstocks, bearings and clappers and generally overhauling the whole installation. The bells will be removed from the tower in early July and should be back in operation well before the end of the year.

SOUTH POORTON Coins sell for £60,000 A couple renovating their cottage in South Poorton near Powerstock made a tidy profit from a hoard of more than 1,000 gold coins found in the basement in 2019.

The coins were found in a pottery bowl that was buried in an earthen floor. When they were returned after analysis and legal work, Robert and Becky Fooks put them up for auction at Duke’s of Dorchester.

The top price coin, a Charles 1 Gold Crown fetched £5,000. The couple hope to use the money towards their mortgage.

EAST DEVON Business grants The final application date for the East Devon District Council’s business grant fund is on May 8th, 2024. Businesses that primarily operate or trade in East Devon (excluding Exmouth) can apply for between £3,000 and £30,000 of capital funding, with a 30% match funding requirement. All applicants must submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) before 8th May 2024. Further information can be found at https:// eastdevon.gov.uk/news.

BRIDPORT Scarf rollout A multicoloured hand-knitted scarf, created to support the Bridport Community Kitchen was rolled out around Bridport streets at the end of April. The community kitchen charity provides support for the homeless and vulnerable and also runs arts and crafts activities. The scarf had been knitted one square at a time by volunteers with one square even coming from Australia. It took more than 30 minutes to unfurl the finished scarf which raised over £2000.

DORCHESTER New patron for hospital appeal Dorset County Hospital Charity has announced Kate Adie CBE DL as Appeal Patron for the charity’s £2.5M Emergency and Critical Care Appeal.

The charity’s appeal will fund major enhancements to the new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit currently under construction at Dorset County Hospital. Kate Adie sais it was ‘a privilege to be involved in this appeal.’

For information see the charity’s website www.dchcharity.org.uk.

Walking Festival Sets a New Challenge

A

s part of this year’s festivities, the Dorchester Walking Festival is introducing an exciting 50km Challenge to celebrate 50 years of the Dorchester Town Council. Participants are invited to join this cumulative challenge, with all proceeds from the Challenge Walks supporting Dorset County Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal.

To complete the 50km Challenge, participants can choose from a selection of longer Challenge walks included in the festival program, such as the Cerne Valley walk and the Hardy Monument Jurassic coast loop. Additionally, two Walks by Train, supported by GWR and South Western Railways, offer longer routes for the more adventurous hiker.

All guided walks featured in the brochure count towards the 50km Challenge.

From Saturday, May 11th to Sunday, May 19th, 2024, during National Walking Month, participants will have the opportunity to choose from over 50 guided and self-guided walks, catering to all abilities and interests.

Entering the 50km Challenge is simple: Book onto walks via www.eventbrite.com/cc/dorchester-walking-festival-2024

Pick up a walking festival program from the Dorchester Town Council Offices at 19 North Street or the Tourist information point at Shire Hall Museum, High West Street and log your progress.

Complete the log after each walk with the walk leader. Once you’ve completed 50km, email your log to dorchtourism@gmail.com.

All qualifying logs will be entered into a draw on Monday, May 20th, to win a one-night stay for two at the Duchess of Cornwall and spa treatments at Monart Spa. For more information about the Dorchester Walking Festival and to view the full programme of events, visit discoverdorchester.co.uk/whats-on/dorchester-walkingfestival.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 29

Nature Studies

By Michael McCarthy

I

’ve been wondering recently why no-one seems to have written a book on the rivers of Dorset, like Freda White did forty years ago for the Tarn, the Garonne and the Dordogne in her famous Three Rivers of France. (If there is one and I’ve missed it, do please let me know). I can think of a couple of reasons why such a book would be worth doing, the first being that the geography of Dorset’s rivers is unusual, and fascinating.

I began to understand it in the round, as it were, the moment I realised a curious fact: the county has two watercourses which spring from the ground just two miles apart, but end up in different seas. One of them is relatively famous—it is the River Cerne, the chalk stream which gives its name to Cerne Abbas, home of the legendary giant carved into the hillside. The other is relatively unknown, apart from by the locals—it is the charmingly-named River Wriggle (sometimes even more charmingly known as the Wriggle River.)

The Cerne has its source above the village of Minterne Magna, under the heights of Dogbury Hill, and flows

30 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

An incomer’s discovery of the natural world in the West Country

down its valley for ten miles or so before, a mile above Dorchester, it enters the River Frome, whose waters end up in the English Channel. The Wriggle, however, which has its source on Gore Hill near the hamlet of Hillfield, just two miles from the Cerne’s beginning, flows for eight miles through Chetnole (where it often floods the village) and then Yetminster, before joining the River Yeo, which itself flows into the River Parrett—and the Parrett ends up in the Bristol Channel. Thus a rubber duck dropped in the Cerne at its source will ultimately end up in the sea on the other side of England, from a rubber duck dropped in the Wriggle at its own source, just two miles away.

The reason is that the two sources, although close, are on opposite sides of a great divide. This is the steep escarpment marking the northern edge of the chalk downs which occupy Dorset’s central heartland; the chalk scarp runs east-west across the county, its highest point being the 899ft high Bulbarrow Hill, where there are staggering views over the flat clay landscape of the Blackmore Vale below and beyond it. And the key fact is this: a stream which rises

north of the scarp, in the clay, flows north, while any which rises south of the scarp, in the chalk, flows south.

Thus the clay rivers rising on the north side such as the Lydden, the Caundle and the Wriggle, are north-flowing; whereas the principal chalk rivers, the Frome and the Piddle, both start off south of the scarp and flow southwards, picking up as they go other southerly-flowing chalk streams such as the Wrackle, the Sydling Water, the Cerne, the Devil’s Brook and the Bere Stream. (The great exception to all this is Dorset’s longest river, the Stour, which rises to the north of the chalk but then flows southwards through it, and then eastwards to the sea at Christchurch Harbour.)

That’s the geography. But there would be a second reason to write a book on Dorset’s rivers: their quality. In March I attended the annual meeting of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s volunteers who monitor riverflies—the aquatic insects which form the base of the food chain and are essential for any river’s health. Graham Roberts, who had a long career as a water quality campaigner in Hampshire, gave the keynote speech in which he stressed the dire threats Britain’s rivers

as a whole are facing, especially from sewage discharges, agricultural pollution and over-abstraction by the water companies. But later I asked him specifically about Dorset’s rivers and he told me something striking. Graham is an expert on otters and last year, as part of a national otter survey, he surveyed 50 river sites in the county: and in every single one he found evidence of otter presence.

Since it was river pollution which led to the disappearance of otters across much of Britain in the 1950s (through poisonous chemicals building up in the bodies of eels, a favourite otter food), such evidence that they may now be universally present in a particular area suggests something remarkable about water quality. Perhaps we are not generally aware of it: the rivers of Dorset are not only fascinating geographically, but in terms of their environmental purity, they are very special. Anyone fancy writing the book?

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.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 31

House&Garden

Vegetables in May

By Ashley Wheeler

M

ay is one of the busiest months as a market gardener, with loads of plantings and plenty of hoeing to get on with, as well as continued successional sowings. There are some early harvests from any protected cropping in polytunnels or glasshouses, and a few bits from outside too—mainly salad leaves and radish.

A lot of the planting for tender annual veg can be done towards the end of the month, but it can also wait until June, and often crops like squash and french beans are better off waiting until June to plant out, when the soil has warmed up and any threat of frost has passed.

Tunnel or glasshouse summer crops should all be planted during May, including tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers and climbing beans (we plant early ones in April). When we plant a lot of these crops they take a little time to establish, so we often plant quicker and lower growing crops beside them to make the most of the bedspace whilst the main summer crops establish. Beneath tomatoes we have grown agretti for years. Agretti (Salsola soda) is a popular vegetable in Italy, and we often put the leaves in the salad mix through Spring and early summer. It grows low to the ground and creates good groundcover beneath the tomato plants. It also doesn’t seem bothered by the shade cast by the tomato plants once they are taller.

We have often planted rows of beetroot along the middle of the beds where the tomatoes are to be planted too. These were planted in March and are ready to harvest in May whilst the tomato plants are still small. Once harvested we then replace these beetroot plants with flowers to fill the beds amongst the tomatoes. This not only encourages beneficial insects into the polytunnels but it also ensures a diversity of roots in the soil, encouraging more root exudates and more soil life, which in turn creates a healthier soil and healthier plants.

Outdoor plantings are mostly still covered with horticultural fleece until the end of May, just to keep the new plantings a bit warmer, and to protect them from winds. The fleece has a big effect on plant growth during April and May, and is well worth the investment.

One thing that we have found is that jackdaws like to rip the fleece to shreds, taking it for nesting material, so we have now started to cover the fleece with mesh to protect it.

32 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Whilst planting is a priority during May, this means that there will also be hoeing to do, especially if there is some rain, which will help weed seed to germinate. It is best to keep on top of weeds from an early stage, with timely hoeing being the most effective method. We tend to hoe crops about a week after planting and then again about one to two weeks after the first hoeing.

With wider spaced crops such as courgettes, squash, kale and other brassicas, we usually do a third hoeing another week or so after the second hoeing, but before we hoe we sow a diverse green manure mix over the crop. This mix will include various clovers—red, white, persian, crimson, yellow trefoil, phacelia, buckwheat, linseed, oats and millet, plus a few annual flowers such as calendula and cornflowers. We then hoe this seed in, and as it germinates it will act as a groundcover, protecting the soil from erosion, but also creating a healthier soil as the roots of these plants give out exudates which feed soil life.

The trick of getting this right is ensuring that there is good seed to soil contact once the seed has been sown, and that there is enough moisture in the soil at the time of sowing Once the crops die back in autumn and winter, the green manure remains in place and continues to protect the soil through the colder months, leaving it in good shape for the following year. The trick of getting this right is ensuring that there is good seed to soil contact once the seed has been sown, and that there is enough moisture in the soil at the time of sowing to ensure a good germination rate and even cover.

I have refrained from going on about the difficult winter and early spring so far, but I couldn’t possibly finish without mentioning it! It has probably been the trickiest for us as growers in terms of the wet, but we have learnt to be patient with these things, and the season isn’t defined by early spring. So, here’s to a good late spring and early summer!

WHAT TO SOW THIS MONTH: kale, forced chicory, carrots, beetroot, chard, successions of lettuce and other salad leaves (not mustards and rocket—these will bolt too quickly now and get flea beetle), autumn cabbage, successions of basil, dill and coriander, early

chicory—palla rossa and treviso types, cucumbers (for second succession), french and runner beans, courgettes, squash and sweetcorn if not already sown.

WHAT TO PLANT THIS MONTH: OUTSIDE: salads, spring onions, beetroot, chard, shallots and onions from seed, courgettes, squash, corn, kale, last direct sown radish early in the month, french and runner beans INSIDE: If not already done—tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, chillies, indoor french beans, basil OTHER IMPORTANT TASKS THIS MONTH: Keep on top of the seed sowing, but don’t sow too much of anything—think about sowing successionally.

Keep on top of hoeing and weeding—ideally hoe when the weeds are just starting to come up on a dry, sunny, breezy day.

For more information about our veg bag delivery scheme go to www.trillfarmgarden.co.uk/boxscheme.html. We also run veg growing courses and offer discounts to those local to us, for more information check www.trillfarmgarden.co.uk/courses

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 33

May in the Garden

By Russell Jordan

W

hen I was writing this last month the ground was still waterlogged and it felt like it was never going to be dry again.

Now it has been dry for long enough for the muddy ruts to dry into mini walls of concrete like hardness, some sort of improvement I suppose. Unusually the winds have been predominantly from the north and have been particularly desiccating. Tender new leaves, freshly emerged from winter dormant buds, have been ‘scorched’ by the dry winds and look like the plants have been droughted despite the underlying soil still being plenty wet enough. The phrase ‘mercurial British weather’ is somewhat overused but there is a good reason for that!

This month the chances of a damagingly low temperature, the elusive ‘last frost’ scenario, have largely passed although, as ever, it’s worth keeping some protective horticultural fleece to hand if the weather forecast suggests overnight temperatures are going to plummet. Towards the end of the month it should be perfectly safe to plant out any tender plants, such as summer bedding and the ubiquitous dahlias, that you’ve been bringing on under glass or have acquired from garden centres or online.

You may be planting annuals and bedding plants where spring bulbs are dying down, they are a good way to fill gaps where spring flowering plants have faded, and it’s worth remembering to feed any spring bulbs while they still have foliage. Large clumps of things like daffodils can be dug up and divided if they have become congested or if you want to spread them around the garden. It’s much easier to do this as soon as the blooms fade than to try and find them once they’ve completely died down later in the year.

Spring flowering perennials, pulmonarias and primulas being chief amongst these, should also be 34 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

divided as the flowers fade as they have a tendency to becoming more and more leafy, and less and less bloomy, if left to their own devices. Even if you don’t divide them, pulmonarias, and also brunneras, benefit from being chopped back to encourage a fresh burst of foliage. Their variously spotted and variegated leaves will persist all summer and are probably an even greater asset than their much shorter lived flowers.

May is, of course, the month in which the ‘Chelsea Flower Show’ takes place and this is no accident; it’s the month when there is an embarrassment of flowers and foliage on show as the garden finally shrugs off any last vestiges of winter dormancy. Correspondingly, pests, diseases and weeds will be emerging, alongside the foliage and flowers, so it is time well spent if you can remove them as soon as they become apparent.

Nipping these things in the bud really is paramount if you are going to maintain the health and vigour of your garden beyond the heady days of May. If you grow lilies then, and I know I go on about this all the time, lily beetles are your number one enemy. The adults are bright red and will be out sunning themselves on warm days as soon as the lily foliage emerges. They need to be manually removed and squished before they get a chance to mate and lay hundreds of eggs. These eggs hatch into nasty little grubs which can strip lily leaves in a matter of weeks and do far more damage than the adults. These grubs cover themselves in their own excrement so appear as foetid blobs, rather than actual grubs, and are therefore easy to overlook when they are small. These need to be rubbed off the foliage, before they get a chance to defoliate your lilies, and you may want to wear rubber gloves for this somewhat unpleasant task.

Other pests and diseases that you spot should be removed just as ruthlessly because warm weather

will see their numbers increase exponentially. A single specimen removed on day one will literally prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of its progeny from existing a matter of weeks down the line - this is especially true of aphids. Of course, nature has mechanisms to balance the prevalence of pests and diseases, parent birds feeding their young on the abundance of grubs and caterpillars for example, but it’s always a good idea to lend it a hand.

Hopefully there will be both sunshine and rain in May but if it does become particularly hot and dry then remember that newly planted areas, plus anything in pots and containers, will need to be watered. Installing plenty of water butts is a good idea and having watering cans, or hose reels, to hand is pretty much essential. Any plants growing in containers, and especially those which need to stay blooming all summer, will benefit from a fertiliser applied via the watering can. It is possible to make your own feeds, comfrey ‘tea’ being one popular recipe, but these will not have the balanced constituent parts that a commercially available product contains. I know it’s very popular to eschew any ‘chemical’, ‘unnatural’, product in your garden but there really is a good reason why, in many cases, science can play a part in improving your horticultural endeavours.

One element of the traditional garden which has come under considerable re-evaluation is the good old lawn. The ‘RHS’ now suggests, on its website, that now is “the time to let the lawn grow long and get a buzz from seeing all the insects that arrive to feed on the flowers”. This is absolute hogwash!!! Lawns are there to provide a green foil to the ornamental plantings that they accompany. The insects are perfectly well served by all the plants that are blooming in May, they don’t require you to allow your lawn to run to weeds.

I completely agree that the ‘bad old days’, of attempting to eradicate everything but grass from the lawn, have gone, but stopping mowing it is just stupid.

If you don’t mow your lawn in May then it will no longer fulfil the role that it is there to play. An unmown lawn is not a meadow, it is an unmown lawn. I have created meadows and they are an absolute haven for wildlife, in a way in which a domestic lawn can never be.

Please don’t stop mowing your lawn. If you think that a lawn is unnatural, and non-friendly to wildlife, then just create a garden that has no lawn. Filling your plot with trees, shrubs and flowering plants, with a simple gravel path through them, is just as valid as having a ‘traditional’ garden with a lawn. It’s your garden to do what you want with—just enjoy it without feeling guilty that you have a lovely mown lawn.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 35

OPEN GARDENS

Book in advance for Special Event Open Gardens

Bettiscombe Manor is open by pre booking only on Thursday June 13th

A

fter one of the most miserable winters in memory it’s a real joy to look forward to some very special Open Gardens Events in June.

Jasper Conran’s Bettiscombe Manor will be opening for a limited number of visitors on Thursday June 13th from 2 - 5pm. There are only 30 tickets available priced at £60 per ticket. Pre booking is essential, please visit ngs.org.uk for information, directions and booking. At 3.30pm there will be afternoon teas in the village hall, to include homemade salmon and cucumber sandwiches, strawberries, homemade cakes, tea and champagne and elderflower presse.

Jasper Conran has given one of England’s loveliest smaller houses, Bettiscombe Manor, a garden to match, with orchards, mellow brick enclosures, and broad beds flanking an unforgettable view of the Marshwood Vale, looking down to the sea. In a quiet corner of rural Dorset, his 17th-century house is surrounded by an informal, flowerfilled garden that reflects the designer’s predilection for constantly evolving and creative planting.

This exclusive special afternoon event will be hosted by Jasper’s Head Gardener, Midori. It includes a talk from Midori on the gardens and how they have evolved to empathetically embrace and work within the surrounding landscape. Midori will also provide a background to how the garden has been created, as well as its ongoing development and provide further detail on what is growing in the garden currently.

36 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

ANOTHER special event in June is the opening of Wyke Farm in Chedington near Beaminster. The home of Alex and Robert Appleby it will be open on Sunday June 23rd from 1 - 5pm. Admission is £25 per person with children free. Pre booking is essential, please visit ngs.org.uk for information, directions and booking. There will be home made teas in the barn by the white courtyard garden.

The Applebys are both fanatical about rewilding, environmental conservation and preservation of the natural habitat. They have lived at Wyke Farm for almost 20 years and in this time have worked hard to empathically restore the land to include a substantial wildflower meadow at the front of the house, and a large lake and woodland area.

A limited number of tickets have been made available for this special one day rewilding event. Meet at the front of the house on the main drive for an introductory talk and guided tour with ecologist, Tom Brereton, who has supported the Applebys on their work at Wyke Farm.

Wyke Farm

Wytherston Farm

THE third special event in June is the opeinig of Wytherston Farm in Powerstock by Johnnie and Sophie Boden.

The garden will be open on Thursday June 27th from 2.30 - 5pm. Admission is £25 per person with children free.

Pre booking is essential, please visit ngs.org.uk for information, directions and booking. After the tour home-made teas will be served in the barn.

The Bodens bought Wytherston in 2005 and since then they and their fantastic team have tried to encourage wild flowers in both their garden and in the meadows surrounding the farm, which makes for a breathtaking display.

They have also maintained the gardens around the house, which include deep herbaceous borders, roses and formal topiary structure interspersed with bright floral colour. A limited number of tickets have been made available for this special event, kindly hosted by Johnnie, who will give a talk and guided tour through the wildflower garden and meadows. Please meet in the Tithe Barn at 2.30pm prompt. Plenty of parking. Dogs are very welcome.

Entries may be subject to change—for directions and latest information please check www.ngs.org.uk

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 37

This Month in the not so distant past

Taking a look back at historical moments that happened in May, John Davis highlights the Pioneers of Flight.

F

rom the moment the wheels touched the ground during the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in December 1903, it was inevitable there would be other aviation records waiting to be broken.

The Frenchman Louis Bleriot got things started with his thirty-six minutes crossing of the English Channel in July 1909 and British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown took sixteen hours to make the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in a Vickers Vimy bi-plane in 1919.

It took another eight years until May 1927 before the American flying ace Charles Lindbergh bridged the watery divide solo when he powered his aircraft, nicknamed The Spirit of St. Louis, the 5800 kilometres between New York and Paris in thirty-three hours.

Charles Lindberg flew from New York to Paris in May 1927

Lindbergh, who had learned his piloting skills with the military and by delivering air-mail, had journeyed considerably further than the British pair but he did benefit from an enclosed cockpit and a lighter, more reliable engine. Navigation aids were much improved and there was accurate meteorological information.

Following the flight, Lindbergh was feted wherever he went. Later he was to fly The Spirit of St. Louis to each of America’s then forty-eight states to demonstrate the reliability of flying machines and to empasise that they would become a growing force in transportation.

38 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Despite his high-ranking celebrity status, the next phase of Lindbergh’s life was to involve tragedy and controversy. In 1932 his eldest son, also named Charles and eighteen months old, was kidnapped from the Lindbergh home one night and, after a ransom had been paid, found murdered nearby several months later. The authorities arrested a German born carpenter named Robert Hauptmann.

He was tried, found guilty and executed, though family members and others still protest his innocence to this day.

The pressure on Lindbergh and his family was relentless so in 1935 he left America for Europe, not returning home until 1939. On his return he became unpopular, often being accused of pro-Nazi sympathies and arguing fervently against America’s intervention in the Second World War. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour and Germany’s declaration of war with the United States not surprisingly brought about a rapid change of opinion and throughout the conflict Lindbergh flew missions with American fighter pilots offering his expertise as a technical advisor.

In later life, Lindbergh, who died at the age of 72 in 1974, became an author, explorer and environmentalist, embracing the movement to open up national parks and protect the nation’s endangered species. He also worked to improve the welfare of indigenous peoples in the Pacific Ocean. His views were summed up in the following quotation: “All the achievements of mankind have value only to the extent that they preserve and improve the quality of life.”

Amelia Earhart, born in Aitchison, Kansas in 1897, was hooked on air travel as soon as she had been taken on a scenic flight over California at the age of thirteen. She learned to fly at an early age and was flying solo in a plane she had bought herself by 1921.

It was a bright yellow Kinner Airster bi-plane that she nicknamed The Canary.

Her first aeronautical record was broken the following year when she flew the Airster to a height of 4300 metres setting a world altitude record for a female pilot.

Amelia Earhart’s history making solo flight finally came to pass in May 1932

Soon afterwards she was put in touch with George Putnam, a New York publisher who was later to become her husband. He was looking for a pilot to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. He knew Earhart was the right person for the task after she told him her maxim was: “Never do things others can do or will do if there are things others cannot do and will not do.”

The chance to take part in a trial run came in 1928 when two pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon flew a three-engine plane between Canada and Burry Port in South Wales. Amelia, who became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air, accompanied them and was tasked with keeping a record of the flight.

The history making solo flight finally came to pass in May 1932, five years to the day after Lindbergh’s epic journey. This time, flying a new bright red Lockheed Vega, Amelia completed the crossing from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland in almost fifteen hours. She was acclaimed universally and crowds flocked to see her whenever she made personal appearances.

Her first attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world ended in disaster when her plane, this time a Lockheed Electra, crashed while trying to take off from Hawaii and had to be sent back to the USA for repairs.

The second attempt came in 1937 with Fred Noonan also in the cockpit acting as navigator. The

aircraft travelled from east to west following roughly the line of the equator with frequent stopping off points. The aircraft had covered about three-quarters of the distance, some 3500 kilometres, when, between Lae in Papua New Guinea and the tiny Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean it disappeared without trace.

There has been endless speculation about what might have happened to the aviators right up to the present day, even though, in order to settle her estate, Earhart was officially declared dead in 1939.

There have been suggestions she was captured by the Japanese, that the pair made it to an uninhabited island and died there and even that Earhart returned to America after changing her name and identity.

The most likely scenario seems to be that the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea while trying to locate Howland Island. This year a salvage vessel claims to have located the wreck of the aircraft in the Pacific Ocean but at a depth greater than that of the Titanic, meaning it could only be reached by highly sophisticated submersibles.

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

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 39

Food&Dining

SEAWEED BAKED LAMB Cooking with seaweed is an old method, almost like the French en papilotte. It keeps the heat in and gives the meat a salty taste, and what’s more you cam eat the seaweed too, it may just need crisping back up after the lamb is cooked.

This method works especially well in Agas where you can lose heat if different things are cooking in the oven and the door is being opened and closed.

You can also use best end or shoulder, which will affect the cooking time. Best end will need only about 2530 minutes, a shoulder about double that.

If you have an outdoor oven then this would make a great showcase dish

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

•

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/390°F/Gas mark 7.

2. Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then heat a little vegetable oil until almost smoking in a heavy frying pan large enough to fit the lamb. Seal the lamb on all sides until nicely browned then remove from the pan.

3. Make 9 or 10 incisions about 1cm deep through the skin of the lamb and insert a slice of garlic and a sprig of rosemary in each. If you are using newseason garlic you will only need to peel the outer skin.

4. Put the lamb into a roasting tray and pack the seaweed around it.

5. Cook in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and turn the oven down to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 and cook for another hour for medium rare.

6. To serve, leave to rest for 15 minutes, remove the seaweed and return to the oven to crisp it up.

• •

MARK HIX

• • •

1 leg of lamb, weighing about 2.53kg A little vegetable oil 1 head of newseason garlic or a few cloves of normal garlic, thinly sliced A few sprigs of rosemary or lavender Salt and freshly ground black pepper A couple of good handfuls of seaweed Serves 10-12

40 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Yeovil Beer & Cider Festival

A

t least 30 different beers and ales plus over 30 ciders will be offered to visitors to this year’s Yeovil Beer & Cider Festival to be held at Westlands Entertainment Venue on May 17th and 18th Sourcing products from across the region organisers promise there will be something for everyone. The event will also feature a Hog Roast plus a food hatch as well as another external catering option to keep everyone fed.

For those who enjoy a little bit of live music with their beer and cider the line up of bands on the Friday night sees the The Disciples on the main stage from 7pm - 8pm, followed by Twisted Vinyl from 8:30pm - 9:30pm and headliners Velvet Thunder from 10pm - 11pm The acoustic stage features Paul Lewis from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, Calim Hayes from 8pm - 9pm and Jack Saunders from 9:30pm - 10:30pm.

On Saturday Ska-Kives are on the main stage from 4:30pm - 5:30pm, Banty Roosters from 6pm - 6:45pm, Bad Uncle from 7pm - 8pm, Frazer Mitchell from 8:30pm - 9:30pm followed by headliners D-State from 10pm 11pm.

The acoustic stage on Saturday features Olly Howard from 3:30pm - 4:30pm, Sophie Joanne from 5pm - 6pm, Daryl Rushby from 6:30pm 7:30pm, Angel Morais from 8pm - 9pm and the Moonshine Hillbillies from 9:30pm - 10:30pm Raising funds for local charities including Yeovil Hospital Charity, Freewheelers, Yeovil opportunity Group and The Foyer Club, organisers say the event promises to be a memorable blend of community spirit, great beverages, and unbeatable vibes. Tickets for Friday Evening (6pm – 11pm) are £10 and Saturday all day (2pm – 11pm) are £15. Tickets and more information from https://www.westlandsyeovil.co.uk/

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 41

Arts&Entertainment

JAH Wobble John Wardle took the name ‘Jah Wobble’ when Sex Pistol, Sid Vicious, proved incapable of pronouncing his name one evening. After launching his bass playing career with ‘Public Image Limited’ his musical output has since been prodigious. He talked to Fergus Byrne about many things.

42 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

‘You’re very aware that you’ve let people down profoundly yet again, and you kind of really feel you’re losing control of your life and your sanity.’

J

ohn Wardle—aka Jah Wobble—apologises for appearing straight from the shower, he is running a tight schedule and has just finished a workout. Smooth headed and stocky with the air of a seasoned street fighter he sits down in a towelling robe looking more like a boxer just out of the ring than a musician about to lay down the bass lines for a jazz epic.

But the feeling that a Vinny Jones character might suddenly speak with his fists soon fades when he starts chatting with an easy, friendly warmth. At 65 years old and looking forward to a pension, John Wardle is well past needing to prove anything.

He presents a confident, self-deprecating and considered presentation of his life and what he may have learned along the way.

John says he’s having a ‘purple patch’ at the moment: going on tour with his band, ‘Invaders of the Heart’, as well as a talking tour about his biography, Memoirs of a Geezer. A book he has just edited and republished—updating it and adding another 25 years to the story. Although he’d like to slow down, as someone who has gone from the upside of the music industry to driving a tube train to feed his family, he knows that when you are on a roll you just have to enjoy it.

He describes his current situation as not unlike being in an unmanned spacecraft where ‘you spin into the gravitational pull of a planet and it chuck’s you further on.’ So he feels like this purple patch is chucking him on for years. ‘But I can’t slag it off ’ he says—his broad East End accent proving that although he now lives up North, he’s still Stepney to the core. ‘What you don’t want to do is turn the work down’ he says. ‘It’s been a long time coming to be fair.’

His career in the music industry as a bass guitarist and producer wasn’t something that he had always dreamed of. In fact at one time he had aspirations to join the merchant marine, but as he says in his book, it turned out the career path he eventually chose was fitting. In that one way or another he was destined to ‘go on the piss in foreign countries.’

But the bass guitar came from something much deeper. He was always ‘fascinated and captivated by low frequencies’ and describes how heavy bass had an essentially ‘visceral’ effect on him, putting him on a ‘pulsating wave’ that took him away from his head and ‘thinking’.

John’s early work in the music industry is well documented and often overshadowed by his association with John Lydon—aka Johnny Rotten. At one point when he and Lydon were studying at the Kingsway College of Further Education he was part of a group of friends that were known as the four Johns: John

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Wardle, John Lydon, John Gray and Simon John Richie (who also went by the name of John Beverley but was nicknamed ‘Sid’, eventually becoming Sid Vicious). Other than John Gray there was obviously a bit of a trend to change names amongst this lot.

John Wardle got the name Jah Wobble one evening when Sid Vicious was so out of it he was unable to pronounce Wardle’s name and simply slurred what sounded like ‘Jah Wobble’.

Wardle and Lydon considered themselves reprobates just biding their time at Kingsway and had an instant attraction through their interest in music.

It helped that they were both fans of Hawkwind.

Wardle saw Lydon as a bit of a big brother figure, and although Sid Vicious made him uncomfortable he tolerated him but tended to avoid him when possible.

When Lydon left the Sex Pistols he asked Wardle to join him in founding Public Image Limited (PiL).

Wardle’s insistent bass lines became one of the signature sounds of the band. After two albums, including the much acclaimed Metal Box, John Wardle, by now Jah Wobble, left the band to embark on what became a prolific and varied career as a recording artist, producer and collaborator.

Despite never being over enthusiastic about most of the punk bands, he admits that without punk, post punk bands like PiL wouldn’t have happened and he probably ‘wouldn’t have gone on to play bass professionally.’ Today, all talk about the Sex Pistols, Pil and the era that created a new musical direction for young British kids seems a very long time ago.

Somewhat inevitably it leads to a conversation about how the industry has changed.

John remembers how back in the early days of his solo career you would spend time schmoosing people, going into town to drop into record labels, making yourself known and trying to ‘get that record deal’. It was all about selling records. Going on the road and playing gigs was just a small part of the musician’s job. Gigging was what John describes as a ‘small part of the pie chart’. He remembers how, for some musicians, the chance to get out on the road was more for a bit of fun and to promote an album.

That’s now changed. ‘Today it’s all about the shows’ he says. ‘That complete reversal now is all about going out on the road. And everything’s very self contained’ He recalls his experience with PiL as bad from a business perspective. It was only when he left that he started making ‘proper money’. He remembers how he would pay up front to have a thousand singles, 12-inches or albums made, collect them on a Friday and start going around record shops trying to sell them. Half of them would be taken by a distribution company and the rest would go to various music outlets including to his mate ‘Lynchy down at the Mega store’ who would take 60 or 70 copies from 46 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

him. ‘And at the end of the day, you would have sold out’ he says. ‘And so you made a bit of money.’

Today ‘it’s a different world’. He has his diary on his iPhone, his agent works through a portal and he has no management. Arranging gigs is much simpler.

‘You don’t have to make four phone calls like you used to’. He says the technologies make life easier in lots of respects. ‘You can make a record now 25 times quicker.’ And it’s also much more forgiving.

‘It’s so quick and easy to make a decent sounding record yourself ’ he says. He recently played an album to a friend who enthusiastically asked where it was recorded and John answered ‘Residential’, muttering ‘in the Cotswolds’. Although it sounded like he was talking about a recording studio ‘residential’ was actually code for ‘made at home’.

But having said that, John is reticent about what advice he would give to budding musicians.

Today, streaming services take the place of selling records and musicians rarely see any return. One of his children is a drummer who plays with him occasionally, and thinking about his son’s future in the music industry he says: ‘I really don’t know what to say, except you don’t give up. You just keep on going. And you keep prodding and probing because that’s what you do. So you keep releasing stuff.’

Despite social media and marketing gurus offering strategic advice about how to promote their music, John doesn’t see the benefit in that. ‘My advice now, certainly wouldn’t be to think tactically’ he explains.

‘You might as well just do what your heart tells you.

Enjoy what you’re doing now.’

All the hard lessons that have been learned in his over 45 years in the industry may help guide his son and also maybe some of those others that aspire to a career in music, but the real life lessons that he can impart may, more importantly, help others to simply survive it. His early days navigating the industry, liberally sampling easily available drugs and alcohol left an indelible mark on his life, and he now proudly states that this year he has been sober for 37 years.

Memoirs of a Geezer details some of the early excesses in his life and career including drugs, alcohol and violence, and reading of his exploits it’s often hard to believe he is still alive. But he does credit his debauched existence to helping him see a way through. ‘I’m glad for every drink and drug I had’ he tells me. ‘It brought me to this point.’ And this point is somewhere that has allowed him to help others.

Along with fellow band member John Klein, formerly of Siouxsie and the Banshees, he has set up an organisation called ‘Tuned In’ whose goal is to help combat some of the issues of loneliness. ‘I remember in those early days of AA, loneliness was talked about a lot’ he says. He describes the ‘aching loneliness’ when you come out of a ‘jagg, as they used

to call it’. He alludes to Ray Milland’s Lost Weekend about a weekend bender that the main character in the book recounts. John remembers ‘This horrible feeling. You’ve been in blackout, you’re not sure what’s happened or what you’ve said to people. You’re very aware that you’ve let people down profoundly yet again, and you kind of really feel you’re losing control of your life and your sanity.’

He describes the feeling as a ‘very lonely place’ and says ‘that loneliness is one of the things that —partly in addition to this feeling of separateness from everything—is one of the things that defines humankind.’ So when he decided he wanted to do something good outside of his music, he first flirted with the idea of helping people with addiction but realised there was much more to addiction than the physical side.

‘Tuned In’ launched in 2019 and is a project which aims to combat some of the issues of loneliness in the London Borough of Merton. The initiative hosts sessions that share and develop musical skills and build knowledge, as well as helping individuals build social connections and friendship groups. They create an environment for people from all walks of life to come together and enjoy mutual support. The project targets men, particularly those in the age group 50+,

where loneliness is at its highest, but it is open and accessible to all.

John plays down the reasoning behind setting up ‘Tuned In’. ‘I think it’s a common thing as you get older. “Let’s just try and do something good.” I think it’s a pretty typical thing.’ He began to see a lot of older men that were starting to be ‘left to one side somehow’. He could see that often they were drinking too much and thinking that life had passed them by. ‘And they’re starting to decline’ he says. But he now enjoys hanging out there as much as anything, He describes it as ‘like a kind of club—which is the antidote to loneliness.’

Working at ‘Tuned In’, touring with long standing band members, talking about his book Memoirs of a Geezer, and playing the music that he enjoys could also be seen as his antidote to the memory of an era that might well have wiped him out—in the same way that it wiped out so many others.

Along with ‘Invaders of the Heart’ Jah Wobble is touring a Dub version of the iconic album Metal Box at the moment with a gig in the Lighthouse in Poole on May 15th, 2024.

For tickets visit: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/

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May

GALLERIES

Until 2 May Perceptions 5 local artists with very different styles and interpretations in 2D and 3D media. Malthouse Gallery, Town Mill, Lyme Regis, DT7 3PU. 10am-4.30pm.

Until 4 May The Future We Make An exploration of cinematic visions of The future using footage, installation and archive material. This stunning installation in the Bridport Arts Centre’s Allsop Gallery by production designers Caroline Greville-Morris and Marcus Wookey, evokes cinematic visions of the future using footage, set-building and archive material. Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR. Until 8 May Dorset – Earth, Sea & Sky in Silver, Glass, Card & Textiles. Four Local Artists, Stephanie Mogg, Caroline Lewis, Jenny Penney and Wendy Hermelin are delighted to exhibit their multi disciplinary collection of art works.

This extraordinary mix of talents makes a stunning display of artistic skills not to be missed. Stephanie Mogg is a jewellery designer creating beautiful pieces from a variety of precious metals and colourful gemstones. She incorporates different textures with a variety of finishes.

Instagram: @stephanie.mogg.designs Caroline Lewis is a painter & fused glass artist based in south Somerset. She creates vessels and framed glass art inspired by the sea, coastal margins and wild nature. www.carolinelewis.co.uk Artist Jenny Penney creates iconic Sculpted Landscapes in Relief by cutting and layering card. She also draws highly detailed landscapes in ink. Everything she produces is inspired by Dorset’s beautiful coast, countryside and its wildlife. www.jennypenneyart.net. Wendy Hermelin is a textile artist who dyes, paints and stitches new and recycled fabrics, to create land and seascapes inspired by

48 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Dorset and beyond. www.wendyhermelin.co.uk There will be daily demonstrations of techniques. To ensure you see the individual artist of your choice, dates can be found on Jenny’s website. Eype Centre for the Arts, Mount Lane, Eype DT6 6AR 10am – 4.30pm. Access for All. Until 12 May David Inshaw ‘Remember’ recent paintings and previously unseen etchings. David Inshaw is acclaimed for his resonant paintings of the English countryside, alive with light effects, trees, birds in flight, bonfires and figures not posing but caught up in their own inner lives.

He has charted his life through poetic pictures that speak urgently to all of us who experience the same emotions and dramas. Now that he is in his eighties he is focused on touch points in the West Country landscape such as Silbury Hill, Stonehenge and the Devil’s Den as well as churchyards and fireworks that haunt his memory and his dreams. As the loss of his memory beckons, he is painting as strongly and poignantly as ever in works that are both intensely personal and universal in their potency. Sladers Yard Gallery, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. All enquiries please telephone 01308 459511 or email: gallery@sladersyard.co.uk.

Under Ancient Skies Louise Balaam NEAC RWA. Louise Balaam is a painter of expressive, gestural landscapes, communicating an intense emotional response to the experience of being in the landscape. For this exhibition she explores ancient sites – standing stones, hill forts – ‘I like the idea of tapping into the sense of reverence and meaning that the whole space around these ancient sites, including the sky, would have held to people in the past, which we have (for the most part) so sadly lost. I’m not generally painting the megaliths or stone circles themselves, but trying to evoke a sense of the

atmosphere of the place.’ Sladers Yard Gallery, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL. All enquiries please telephone 01308 459511 or email: gallery@sladersyard.co.uk.

14 - 23 May “Drawn to the Water” exhibition in Lyme Regis showcases five local artists’ interpretations of the Jurassic Coastline. Alex Boon’s intricate maps blend route descriptions with nature observations, inspired by historic maps. Bryony Lamb’s fused glass pieces reflect the coast’s geological wonders and marine life. Anna Brewster’s vibrant mixed-media works capture the energy of the landscape. Trevor Hunt explores the sea’s beauty and tranquility through colour. Tideline Prints repurposes marine debris into hand-printed accessories, promoting sustainability. The exhibition runs from May 14th to 23rd, highlighting the diverse artistic talents celebrating the Jurassic Coast’s beauty. Malthouse Gallery, The Town Mill, Mill Lane, Lyme Regis, DT7 3PU. 18 May - 8 June Exquisite Cords with artist in residence Lisa Moro.

Step into an immersive world where DNA isn’t just the blueprint of life but the composer of our destiny... The Allsop Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre, South St, Bridport.

Open 10am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday. Entry Free.

Until 23 May 2024 Treasures: Scavenged finds from Black Ven by Christine Allison. Lyme Regis artist Christine Allison likes to scavenge, create stories and give new life to objects that have fallen on Black Ven beach from the collapsing Lyme tip on the cliff above. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat (10am-5pm), Sun (10am-4pm), www.lymeregismuseum. co.uk.

25 May - 20 July Abstracting Lyme’s Past Creating abstract art involves seeing things afresh—extracting the lines, forms, the marks and the meaning. In this exhibition the artists in the Lyme Regis Abstract Art Group take inspiration from the collections in the Lyme Regis Museum in order to produce an intriguing display of original work. Rotunda Gallery, Lyme Regis Museum, Bridge St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QA, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm, www. lymeregismuseum.co.uk.

27 May - 9 June The Dorset Pavillion As a precursor to our Dorset Pavillion in Venice this September and October, Lost sheep productions and Common Ground present work by artists David Appleby, Chris Drury, Jane Fox, Andy Goldsworthy, Ed Hall, Henrietta Hoyer Millar, Sophie Molins, Ella Squirrel, Jacy Wall, Amanda Wallwork, Will White and Flora Wood. The work, marching banners, paintings, ceramics, prints, drawings and photographs are a locus by which to champion the local, the small and the communal and a myriad of political situations. By existing, this pavilion demonstrates that the art world doesn’t

always have to gravitate towards the National and the Urban. This is a Local Pavilion that celebrates the parishsized thinking that is both resurgent and under threat.

There will be a screening of Arcadia on 30th May with an Introduction by Adrian Cooper of Little Toller Books, Beaminster. Open from 11am- 5.00pm Closed Monday 3rd June. Shown at the new studio and exhibition space Priority Sheds in Foundry Lane, St Michaels Bridport.

DT6 3RW Until 7 July Spring 2024 mixed exhibition; by gallery artists & guest artists. This mixed exhibition features over a dozen of gallery artists, plus four guest artists, including a range of sculptures, oils, and prints. Devon-based Mary Gillett will be exhibiting a series of her collagraphs along with the corresponding plate for each work.

Alongside these will be other prints from Dorsetbased Colin Moore and Bristol based Ruth Ander.

Many other artists will also be exhibiting their various sculptures, ceramics, and oils including Johannes von Stumm, Alison Wear, and Phillippa Headley. A new guest artist will be pieces by renowned sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff. Tincleton Gallery, The Old School House, Tincleton, nr Dorchester, DT2 8QR. Opening / performance times: 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday or weekdays by appointment. 01305 848 909. www. tincletongallery.com.

GALLERIES IN JUNE

Live or Online send your gallery details to info@ marshwoodvale.com BY MAY 12th Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 49

Dorset Art Weeks With a shiney new catalogue, 266 venues and more than 500 artists and makers showing their work to the public, Dorset Art Weeks 2024 promises more than ever before for locals and visitors alike.

Artists across the whole county will be unveiling new work and sharing their ideas and inspiration, often in surprising or yet-to-be-discovered places. Visitors can enjoy printmaking, painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, jewellery, wood, metalwork, glass and textiles as well as many other artforms and processes.

The diverse range of artists and makers includes Jane Fox showing figurative paintings, drawings and prints from 37 South Street in Bridport; Boo Mallinson, also from Bridport whose abstract paintings are inspired by memories and observations of the natural world; furniture and metalwork made by Alex Brooks in Wooton Fitzpaine and stained glass from Jude Alderman in North Allington, Bridport.

Liz Somerville and Emily Myers will be showing Liz’s highly illustrative drawings, watercolours and prints as well as Emily’s ceramics in North Eggardon Farm.

While Anne and Flora Roberts will show paintings and wallpaper at Wall Farm outside Broadwindsor.

From Brian Rice and Jacy Wall’s work at Lower Heewood farm to Greta Berlin’s sculpture at Fishpond near Bridport there is an amazingly diverse range of work on show at this year’s Dorset Arts Weeks.

A new exhibition curated by DVA and featuring Dorset artists celebrates the county’s unique biodiversity in a partnership with Durlston Country Park National Nature Reserve. ‘The Instinct of Hope’ (venue 173) examines Dorset’s rich and precious ecology, focussing on the locations and terrain that artists explore which make the county so distinctive.

The Sherborne (venue 1) is Dorset’s major new venue for the arts. The exhibition, ‘Housework’,

50 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

weaves together elements of Sherborne House’s past, and marks the start of a new programme of cultural activity. As well as a specially curated show in the Georgian and medieval parts of the building, there will also be a new sculpture trail with a variety of works in the terraced grounds.

Information about each of the venues can be found in the very popular Dorset Art Weeks Guide.

With 30,000 copies located at cultural outlets across Wessex. Full venue details are also available on the Dorset Art Weeks website, along with an online flipbook of the Guide and events calendar.

The Dorset Art Weeks App can be downloaded (search for Dorset Art Weeks on Google Play and the App Store), and is ideal for navigating to venues, creating a favourites list or finding nearby venues.

Instagram: @dorsetartweeks dorsetartweeks.co.uk dorsetvisualarts.org Liz Somerville Printmaking

Alex Brooks Furniture

Boo Mallinson Painting

Jude Alderman stained glass

Jane Fox Painting

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Leading British Painter to open studio for DAW

Sculpture lectures in Bridport in May and June

David Worthington will be giving two lectures in May and June

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everal years ago, one of Britain’s leading artists, Hugo Grenville, moved from the madding crowd of London to the rolling green hills of West Dorset. He will be opening his home studio for the first time during Dorset Arts Week. Visitors can view a selection of ‘never seen before’ works from Hugo’s archives as well as some of his latest studio work. There will also be the opportunity to own some rarely available prints, small oil paintings and newly created ceramics.

Hugo will also be showing a preview of A Life in Colour a short film about his life and art practice launching at the Fine Art Film Festival in June at the Bridport Arts Centre.

Grenville is regarded as a leader of modern romanticism in art and has been represented for the last 20 years by Findlay Galleries in New York, where he is holding a one-man show in October this year. Over the past 30 years he has held over 20 one-man exhibitions in London, New York, Palm Beach and Hong Kong.

Opening on Saturday 26th May with drinks with the artist from 12-3pm. The home studio will then be open until Tuesday 29th May from 10-4pm.

For more information visit www.hugogrenville.com.

Tickets to the Fine Art Film Festival to see Hugo’s film can be found at www.bridport-arts.com.

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former Marshwood Arts Awards selector, renowned sculptor David Worthington was shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize in 2009. He is also a past Vice President of The Royal British Society of Sculptors and will be giving two lectures on sculpture in May and June.

The first, on May 29th at 7pm in The Bull Hotel, Bridport looks at Public Art. Often a contentious subject it is the most visible art form and therefore an easy target. But how do these works come to appear in our public spaces?

This lecture tracks the development of public art over the last century and looks at various examples to see why some are loved and others loathed.

David also explains the process of procurement from the initial commissioning to the production and installation.

Drawing from his own experience and using case studies, he takes the audience through this process and tries to show why we are all richer with the presence of art in our public spaces.

The second lecture, also at The Bull Hotel, Bridport is on June 5th at 7pm. This time David will discuss Sculpture and Landscape.

Starting in pre-history and ending today, the lecture looks at how sculpture has been positioned in the landscape and why, in the 20th Century, landscape itself became a medium for sculpture.

Normally, sculpture was an urban phenomena in the Classical period, however some were occaionaly placed in the landscape, for instance tombs and mausoleums.

But as societies developed and travel became safer, sculpture began to be situated amongst nature in more remote, wild locations. David goes on to examine why and how the land itself has and continues to inspire sculptors.

The two 50 minute lectures are £10 each and will each be followed by a Q&A. To purchase tickets go to Eventbrite at the following link: David Worthington Lectures.

New sculptures now installed at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

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bbotsbury Subtropical Gardens has welcomed a new sculpture collection with the installation of two pieces by leading contemporary sculptor, Simon Gudgeon.

Visitors to the Subtropical Gardens can now see two of Simon’s most celebrated bronze sculptures, ‘Reflection’ and ‘Geranos’, in situ. Simon Gudgeon has attained worldwide recognition, and Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens joins an impressive line- up of high-profile locations which display his work, including Hyde Park, Kew Gardens and America’s National Museum of Wildlife Art. Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Curator, David Pearce said: ‘We are very excited to be hosting Simon’s sculptures on display in the garden. His unique perception of nature balances perfectly with the design and feel of the Subtropical Gardens, combining art and landscape harmoniously.’

‘Reflection’ and ‘Geranos’ showcase Simon’s signature smooth finish that captures the essence of spirit and nature.

His minimalist, semi-abstract forms depict both movement and emotion and complements the carefully curated floral arrangements of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens.

Simon is also co-founder of Sculpture by the Lakes near Dorchester. For more information about Sculpture by the Lakes visit https://www.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk/

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Sneak Peek A peek at what’s coming up on stage and screen near you Just click on an image to view a trailer

Mungo’s HiFi - Live Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Saturday, 4 May, 8pm. Book at:. https://www.marinetheatre.com/whats-on/

Lady Maisery - Live Bridport Arts Centre, Sunday, 12 May, 7.30pm. https://www.bridport-arts.com/whats-on/

Sarah Gillespie - Live The Lighthouse, Poole, Friday, 3 May, 7.45pm. https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/

The Oysterband - Live The David Hall, South Petherton, Saturday 4 May, 8.00pm. https://www.thedavidhall.com/whats-on/

54 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

John Lydon/John Rotten - Live The Guildhall, Axminster, Wednesday, 15 May, 7:30pm https://www.axminster-guildhall.co.uk/whats-on

Griff Rhys Jones - Live Bridport Electric Palace, Friday, 31 May, 8pm. Book at: https://www.electricpalace.org.uk/whats-on/

Jo Harman - Live Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Saturday, 18 May, 8.00pm.

Book at: https://www.marinetheatre.com/#whats-on

Cara Dillon - Live The David Hall, South Petherton, Saturday, 1 May, 7.30pm. https://www.thedavidhall.com/whats-on/

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May

PREVIEW

Conductors Chloé van Soeterstède and Mark Wigglesworth Photograph by Mark Allan

New chief conductor POOLE, EXETER AND TOURING THE distinguished conductor Mark Wigglesworth has been announced as the new chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He will take up the role at the start of the orchestra’s 202425 season in September, when Kirill Karabits, the BSO’s inspiring chief conductor for the past 15 years, becomes Conductor Laureate and artistic director of the Voices from the East programme.

The orchestra has a packed programme of weekly concerts at its home, Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre, from September to June, with regular concerts at 56 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Exeter, as well as occasional visits to Westlands at Yeovil and Weymouth Pavilion, and recitals by chamber groups through Artsreach, Dorset’s rural touring charity.

Wigglesworth, who has been the BSO’s principal guest conductor since 2021, is one of the world’s leading conductors, recognised for his outstanding musicianship, extraordinary interpretations and breadth of repertoire. He has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, New York Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw orchestras and performed at the world’s most prestigious opera houses. He will be the first British conductor to hold

The Glen Miller Orchestra

the BSO post in more than 60 years. He is expected to conduct five weeks in his first season, with this number increasing to nine weeks from 2025/26.

The new principal guest conductor will be Chloé van Soeterstède. The announcement follows her recent guest appearances, where she has won praise from the BSO’s musicians and audiences alike.

She was appointed the Taki Alsop Fellow 2019-21 by former BSO principal conductor Marin Alsop and was a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its 2021-22 season. She trained as a viola player before launching a career as a conductor, and is a passionate advocate for music education.

BSO chief executive Dougie Scarfe says: “We’re excited to share the truly world-class live performances that both Mark and Chloé will undoubtably bring to people throughout the South West over the coming years. Life-empowering live music is at the core of what we do, and we’re thrilled Mark and Chloé share our vision for how an orchestra can proudly serve communities in and beyond the concert hall.”

Remembering D-Day DORCHESTER THIS year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the beginning of the end of the war in

Europe, as huge numbers of Allied troops gathered along the south and west coast of England, preparing to invade France and free Europe from the curse of the Nazis.

In Dorchester, a group of history students has been researching historical archives, unearthing stories, memories and intriguing facts about D-Day and Dorchester for a unique community theatre project.

Their discoveries will be transformed into seven small (10-minute) performances, to be presented simultaneously around the town in an immersive story trail, in early June.

Meanwhile, you can get in the mood (pun intended) with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, coming for a Dorchester Arts event on Saturday 11th May, at Thomas Hardye School theatre at 7pm. Directed by Ray McVay, the band takes the audience back into the 1940s, with arrangements of all Glenn’s wartime hits, including Moonlight Serenade, American Patrol, Little Brown Jug, Tuxedo Junction—and, of course, In The Mood.

The UK’s only official Glenn Miller tour features the exact line-up devised by Glenn, alongside the harmonies of the Moonlight Serenaders, the featured vocalists and the orchestra’s own swinging jazz band, The Uptown Hall Gang.

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WhatNot Theatre’s Flotsam and Jetsam’s Adventure To The Great Trash Vortex comes to Dorchester

A recycling adventure on the high seas DORCHESTER DORCHESTER Corn Exchange is the venue for a fun show for all the family that has a serious message—WhatNot Theatre’s Flotsam and Jetsam’s Adventure To The Great Trash Vortex is on Wednesday 29th May at 2pm inviting landlubbers to join them for bottle-top treasure, sea shanties and a giant plastic bag squid.

Legendary pirates Flotsam and Jetsam are not the buccaneers of folklore, they are the founding members of the PPPI—Plastic Plundering Pirates Initiative. Aboard the great PolymerPoseidon, the most pliable ship on the high seas, constructed from mere water bottles, Flotty and Jetty are on a quest to boldly go where no pirate has gone before—the Great Pacific Trash Vortex.

The show is an interactive experience about recycling, with the odd movie reference and a pirate twist.

He’s the cat’s pyjamas BRIDPORT THE multi-talented comedian, broadcaster and actor Griff Rhys Jones is back on the road with his muchanticipated new stand-up tour, and will be sharing his funny observations and comic stories with the audience at Bridport’s Electric Palace on Friday 31st May at 8pm.

There is no specific theme—the show varies as Griff rambles through the many topics that swirl

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around us, from the national permacrisis to getting old, from family to fraud, nostalgia to the Tik Tok generation, smuggling crocodiles to dogs, drinks and midnight trains. He takes questions from the audience and lets rip as his associations wander.

Rep season auditions LYME REGIS AUDITIONS are being held at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, on Tuesday 30th April from 5pm and Wednesday 1st May from 1pm, for the theatre’s 2024 summer rep season.

Following last year’s debut Marine Theatre in-house production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, the auditions provide an opportunity for local amateurs to meet the professional team and find out what is proposed.

Audition slots must be booked—www. marinetheatre.com.

Folk star trio BRIDPORT LADY Maisery, one of this country’s finest allfemale folk trios, comes to Bridport Arts Centre at Sunday 12th May at 7.30pm, playing songs from their successful fifth studio album, Tender.

The combined vocal and multi-instrumental talents of Rowan Rheingans, Hazel Askew and Hannah James make up the uniquely captivating band which has been delighting audiences all over the UK and Europe for well over a decade.

Lady Maisery come to Bridport in May

Individually multi award-winning artists, Lady Maisery have a unified voice, carrying stories of sisterhood, human struggle, the joy of living and the vitality of song with the “freshest possible take on traditional music” (Folk Radio UK). Their long-standing collaboration has been described as “adventurous and beautiful” (Mark Radcliffe, Radio 2) “exquisite and thrilling” (The Guardian) with “a generosity of spirit and joie de vivre that seems to emanate from every minute of their recorded output as well as from their exuberant live shows” (Folk Radio UK).

Tender, released at the end of 2022, explores the power in vulnerability, the tenderness of collective wounds and the strength in kindness. It spent a whole year in the Official Folk Chart’s top 40.

This is made possible via various transcriptions by composers of the 19th century, including Hummel and Clementi. Pocket Sinfonia also make their own arrangements, applying spontaneity and vigour to creations that are not merely smaller versions of great pieces, but are new and artistic in their own right.

The group has performed across the UK and Europe including the Brighton Early Music Festival. They have recently recorded their debut CD, the Symphony Reimagined.

The programme for the Concerts in the West series includes Mozart’s overture to The Magic Flute, arranged

by Hummel, CPE Bach’s Flute Quartet in A minor, Haydn (arr. M Clementi) Symphony 102 in B flat major, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major and Mozart (arr. Hummel) Symphony No 41 in C major, K551, Jupiter.

Pocket Sinfonia on tour CONCERTS IN THE WEST THE May series of Concerts in the West brings the quartet Pocket Sinfonia to Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 17th May at 11.30am, Ilminster Arts Centre that evening at 7.30pm and the Dance House at Crewkerne on Saturday 18th at 7.30pm.

Emil Duncumb, piano, Eleanor Corr, violin, Rosie Bowker, flute, and Thomas Isaac, cello, formed Pocket Sinfonia, using both modern and period instruments, to recreate the atmosphere of 19th century living room parties, where the intimacy of chamber music performance could be applied to orchestral-scale pieces.

Electro-jazz fusions BRIDPORT CHUBE, a young fusion band based in Cardiff, comes to Bridport Arts Centre on Thursday 23rd May at 7.30pm, bringing their exciting mix of folk and electro-acoustic music.

The trio is led by Ben Creighton Griffiths (electric harp and keyboards) with Ashley John Long (basses) and Jon Bradford-Jones (drums). They draw their inspiration from a wide variety of artists and genres and write music that pushes the boundaries of their instruments.

Ben uses effects processors to take the harp from its regular, classical sound to a rock guitar through

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 59

Screen Time Top Six at the Flix The Electric Palace, Bridport Wicked Little Letters (2023) “Gleefully sweary script and a competent ensemble of British comedy’s finest” Ellen E Jones, The Guardian.

The Electric Palace Monkey Man (2024) “There’s an undeniable passion here that comes through in a genre that too often feels like it came off an assembly line.” Roger Ebert Disney+ Cruella (2021) “What could have been a mere IP cash-in instead becomes an unexpectedly cinematic crime-and-couture romp, delivered with the sort of style, snarl and eccentricity that Cruella herself would likely applaud. She makes being bad look very good.” Empire Netflix Dark Waters (2019) “a strong and involving, though understated, example of this dying breed of film, resonating with present-day feelings of hopelessness at the brazen corruption on display every day in the United States” Roger Ebert The Plaza, Dorchester The Fall Guy (2024) “The Fall Guy is funny, it’s sexy, and it features the boy toy version of ‘Barbie’ MVP Ryan Gosling — which is to say, this time around, he embodies the ultimate action figure.” Variety Apple TV First Cow (2019) “A picture that’s both tranquil and dazzling, two qualities that should be at odds with one another yet somehow bloom in tandem under Reichardt’s gentle touch.” Stephanie Zacharek of Time Magazine

Indian classical dancer Vibha Selvaratnam comes to Bridport Arts Centre distortion, an ambient synth through delays and phasers, and much more.

Combined with innovative percussion and groovy bass riffs it all goes to creating a totally unique jazz fusion.

Reincarnations in dance BRIDPORT INDIAN classical dancer Vibha Selvaratnam comes to Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 24th May 7.30pm with Dashavatara (Ten reincarnations of Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism).

The story is presented, with English narration, through the Bharatanatyam, a beautiful, ancient, internationally popular Indian classical dance style.

60 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

The Young Lit Fix

Keedie

By Elle McNicoll Illustration by Kay Wilson Published by Knights Of Paperback £7.99 Review by Nicky Mathewson

Sherlock’s Excellent Adventure, a comedy adventure is touring in May Vishnu descends to earth to save the world from its own excesses to restore peace and harmony. As the world becomes more aware of the troubles it faces, due to reckless human actions, the concepts in the show have great relevance to issues facing us all.

Vibha Selvaratnam was awarded a Devon Ignite commission from Exeter Phoenix arts centre for the initial development of this work.

Where there’s a will ...

HONITON, LYME REGIS ARTHUR Conan Doyle’s immortal creation, Sherlock Holmes, tackles another curious case in Sherlock’s Excellent Adventure, a comedy adventure

by James Barry, coming to the Beehive Centre at Honiton on Friday 17th May, the Palace Theatre at Paignton on Wednesday 22nd and the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Thursday 23rd.

Follow Sherlock Holmes and his incomparable sidekick Dr John Watson on this riveting, hitherto unpublished case ... Damsel in distress Lucy Matravers engages Holmes and Watson to resolve a dispute over a family will. Little do they know that this small case brings Holmes straight into the clutches of his arch enemy, James Moriarty.

This riotous spoof is played by four actors, with minimal furnishings and a ton of jolly-good fun! It went down at storm at the Edinburgh Fringe where it was described as “a wacky farcical adventure, which had the audience laughing and delighting in moments of silliness.”

The tour also includes a performance on 8th June at Tiverton Community Arts Theatre.

GPW

ELLE McNicoll has become a really strong voice in children’s publishing and a fierce advocate of neurodivergent people. Being a neurodivergent author, she tells stories with authenticity and passion and it doesn’t get much more passionate than this!

Keedie is trying to navigate her teenage years like a ship through a storm. Almost 14 she is a twin and an older sibling, and she is autistic.

School is a daily challenge of being misunderstood and painted with a brush of being wantonly difficult, uncooperative and disruptive.

What Keedie actually is, is kind, thoughtful, passionate and funny.

She is also very stubborn and it is because of this stubbornness that she finds herself at the centre of an antibullying scheme at school. Riled by the injustice of bullies and the teachers’ blindness to it, she takes it upon herself to stamp it out.

This is a fiery and necessary handbook for all teens and teachers and it’s a superb piece of advocacy for those who are marginalised.

I loved it for its passion and honesty and I know many autistic teens and younger readers will love it too.

A fast paced story suitable for readers aged 11+ 10% off for Marshwood Vale readers at The Bookshop on South Street, Bridport.

01308 422964 www.dorsetbooks.com Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 61

New venue for Dallahan frontman BRIDPORT FOLK quartet Dallahan’s founding member and frontman Jack Badcock releases his first solo album, Cosmography, early in May, and is heading out on a 16-venue UK tour to introduce his many fans to the new songs.

He will be at Bridport’s British Legion Hall on Saturday 18th May, and at Ashburton Arts Centre two days later—the only stops in the south of England.

The gifted guitarist has been lead vocalist of Dallahan (dubbed ‘the flying aces of Celtic folk’), for the past decade. Jack was born in County Kilkenny, raised in Yorkshire and now hails from Glasgow. The former finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year is known for his soulful tenor voice and enigmatic, thought-provoking lyrics. Hear the new songs in Bridport, at the Grade II listed hall in Victoria Grove.

Contemporary folk at the Marine LYME REGIS TWO of the big names of the contemporary folk scene are coming to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis in May—the high-energy Talisk will be appearing on Thursday 16th, and Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band with Raynor Winn follow on Monday 20th.

Talisk, Mohsen Amini (concertina), Benedict Morris (violin) and Charlie Galloway (guitar), are a Scottish trio who have become one of the most talked-about folk bands of the 21st century, tearing up folk stereotypes and redefining the genre for almost a decade. They have played to sell-out crowds across five continents—from Paris to New York, London to Tokyo, Glasgow to Vancouver—alongside headline appearances at global festivals.

Their many awards include five from BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland, as well as two highly coveted BBC Alba Scots Traditional Music Awards.

Saltlines is a folk phenomenon that has its roots deep in the south west. It is a prose and music collaboration, that brings together the bestselling author Raynor Winn and folk-roots supergroup, the Gigspanner Big Band, which features some of the most celebrated names on the British folk scene.

Together they have created an emotional odyssey which explores the beauty, stories and traditions of the region. The Salt Path, Raynor Winn’s best-selling first book, is the chronicle of how she and her husband Moth channelled loss into hope and rediscovery against the backdrop of the South West Coast Path.

Such a well-trodden trail holds many more stories of love, loss and the natural world, told in traditional songs, collected, archived and waiting to be revealed afresh. Saltlines is based on compositions by Raynor artfully wrapped around songs and tunes that were originally gathered, from what would become the South West Coast Path, by the great song collectors Cecil Sharp and Sabine BaringPeter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band with Raynor Winn Gould.

62 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Jack Badcock by Elly Lucas Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 63

Reviews Historical Novels reviewed by John Davis Act Of Oblivion by Robert Harris ROBERT Harris is well known for his impeccably researched novels based on historical events with Fatherland, Munich and V2 among the better known of them.

This time he’s turned his attention to the Restoration period of the seventeenth century and the relentless hunt for the regicides—the fifty-nine men who signed the death warrant that led to the execution of Charles I and, as a result, are deemed guilty of high treason.

Ten years on, those who fought on the ‘wrong side’ in The Civil War have been pardoned by the Act of Oblivion. The regicides though are not exempt and, while some have since died or been executed, those that remain are still being hunted down wherever they have taken refuge.

Hot on their heels is Harris’ own creation, regicide chaser-in-chief Richard Nayler, who is prepared to go to any lengths and travel any distance to bring these fugitives to justice and claim the bounty on their heads.

Naylor’s chief quarry are real life Parliamentarians from the period, General Edward Walley and his son-in-law Colonel William Goffe who are forced to flee to the colonies of the New World as the ‘cat and mouse’ game intensifies.

You don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy the story as Harris is great at adding detail to the narrative. A slight criticism is that, at just over 460 pages, the book is perhaps overlong with the chapters dealing with the protracted pursuit in the New World losing some of the impetus of earlier sections.

First published by Hutchinson Heinemann All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ACCORDING to the author, this book was ten years in the researching, planning and writing and, certainly from the readers point of view, it was all very worthwhile.

To say Doerr has a way with words is an understatement. He can bring a scene to life in a sentence yet he never uses the finer detail with which he fills in his broader brush-strokes just to eke out pages or to hamper the fast-moving plot. It is highly appropriate that another priceless gem, the elusive Sea of Flames diamond, lies at the core of the novel’s action.

Two very disparate characters form the centrepiece of the story, Marie-Laure (pronounced Mari-Lor) LeBlanc, a teenage blind French girl and orphan Werner Pfennig, a talented young German radio engineer, whose joint love of the spoken word over the air-waves set them on an inextricable crossing of paths in bomb ravaged St. Malo at the end of the Second World War. Along the way there are positive interactions from Marie-Laure’s doting father Daniel, one-time principal locksmith at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the reclusive Great-Uncle Etienne and the homely Madame Manec.

Every story needs its villain and here Marie-Laure’s chief protagonist is Sergeant Major Reinhold von Rumpel, a sadistic Nazi officer, who seems oblivious to the rest of the conflict going on around him as he scours much of Europe trying to locate the missing Sea of Flames and the magical power he thinks it has.

Don’t be daunted by the 530 pages in the paper-back version as the action is split into very short easily managed sections—a boon indeed especially for the bed-time reader when faced with the remains of a long chapter as the eye-lids begin to droop.

Published by Harper Collins

64 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Health&Environment Horticulturalist awarded prestigious RHS Victoria Medal of Honour

Neil Lucas has been at Knoll Gardens for 30 years

NEIL LUCAS has been recognised as one of the country’s leading authorities on ornamental grasses and this year marks his 30th Anniversary at Knoll Gardens near Wimborne, where his stunning grasses, grown in the on-site nursery, can be seen planted in drifts in the gardens for all to enjoy.

It is fitting that in this landmark year Neil should be awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Victoria Medal of Honour in recognition of his services to horticulture.

The Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturalists whom the RHS considers deserving of this special lifelong honour. Established in 1897 in perpetual remembrance of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign—only 63 people may hold this medal at any one time. Subsequently, the Victoria Medal of Honour is not awarded every year, making it all the more prestigious, as well as poignant, to be selected.

Keith Weed CBE, President of the Royal Horticultural Society says of Neil’s award: ‘There is no higher horticultural award than the Victoria Medal of Honour. Those who have received this medal are the very best of the best. We at the Royal Horticultural Society are delighted that Neil Lucas VMH has been recognised for all that he has done over so many years.’

Neil Lucas said ‘I am delighted to be awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the RHS. Reflecting on previous and current recipients, who through history have inspired generations of gardeners, it is especially rewarding to have had my contribution to horticulture recognised through this longstanding tradition.’

For more information visit www.knollgardens.co.uk.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 65

Services&Classified FOR SALE

RESTORATION

Raleigh “Array” Cast iron fireguard each. Tel 07398760637. carols etc. £40 lot or will Adult Stepthrough made by Cerne Valley DT6 Bridport. seperate Seaton 07789 FURNITURE Antique restoration Electric Bike, Blue, forge. Width 60cm, Stairlift. Dismantled 537011. and bespoke furniture. hardly used £525 o.n.o. height 64cm £10. Buyer and free for collection. Settee, 3 seater Furniture large and Tel: 01395 516975. collects: Maiden Newton Made by ‘Freecurve’. burgundy red leather small carefully restored Caravan Awning West area. 07984 547980.

Had little use. User with inlaid wood and new commissions Field 350 TX P10 air Table, pine. VGC. 36” manual available. features, faultless undertaken. French frame easy to erect as x 24” H - 30” Chunky Suitable for double condition, photos on polishing, chair repairs new used 3 time caravan round legs £30 01297 or single set of stairs. request. sale £120 will and modern hand sold due to ill health.

442991.

Tel: 01305 608484 deliver 07789 537011. finishes. Phil Meadley many extras breathable Chair, folding, pine £5 (Dorchester).

Ceiling fan light 01297 560335 ground sheet electric 01297 442991.

Selection of Dinky white with gold trim, pump rock pegs etc.

Vintage Evinrude - Corgi boxes 1970s Mississippi style 3 speed 350cm wide 260cm deep outboard engines, 3 collectors items. Just Seaton £15 07789 TUITION 235-250cm high Bargain from the 60’s for sale. A boxes good condition, 537011. £400 Tel Bridport 01308 40hp, 18hp and 15hp? good investment £70.00 Extractor fan 4” Piano, violin, theory 427349 All appear complete ono 07958 106961 diameter bathroom/ tuition at your home.

Garden Bench apart from the 18 which 01935 83828 Evershot. kitchen silent 100 Highly qualified teacher.

Adults and children Wrought Iron new is missing it’s prop and Bowls set Henselite environment. Will welcome. Beginners to galvanized and powder gearbox. £100 each or Classic 11 Deluxe size 5 demionstrate working coated green strong an offer for all three. £40 01308 425592. order, photos on request advanced. Dr Thomas Gold 07917 835781. heavy bench 91cm high Near Stockland. Call Waterproof bowls sell £10. 07789 573011.

100cm wide 40cm deep. 07479474392 leave a jacket with fleece lining Trousers 36w 29 i/l £140.00. May be able message and I will call Emsmorn size XL x10 (x5 new) M&S, FOR SALE to deliver locally Tel you back.

01308 425592.

BHS, George £10 each Bridport 01308 427349. 2 Rag Rugs - not home Stihl hs45 petrol hedge black, fawn others part Men’s suit MS grey blue strip 29” leg 38” waist, Honda HR194 self made - 5’ 3” x 3’ £5 strimmer little used £95. used £5 each black, as new £20. 07905 propelled mower. each Telephone 01297 Husqvarna 232R petrol fawn Seaton 07789 292862.

Expensive mower in its 442991 strimmer with helmet 537011. day, but this one is now Chinese Rug and visor little used £95. Green 3-piece suite, no Ladies shoes Russell probably best for spares Turquoise/pink/ Solo knapsack sprayer fire certificate Free for and Bromley and Barbour, two pairs, or repair. Engine starts, beige, floral 4’ x 2’ £35 07955 556282. collection. Two lartge blade sharp, but clutch £10 Telephone 01297 Elektra Beckum cross blue white ceramic pots never worn, size 5. £50 pair. 07778 190639. and drive need attention. 442991. cut and mitre saw with Spanish origin £15.00 Garden dining set table £50. Call 07479474392 Leather armchair, metal table stand £200. each 01297 678692. and leave a message. oxblood/burgundy Hardly used kgs 300 Hotpoint larder fridge 6 carver chairs needs TLC! £40 pick up from Fire basket. Cast iron, colour leather, electric 01460 929146. 54cm x 56cm used for made by Cerne Valley saddleback style Diecast models for sale 3 weeks only £175ono, Sydling St Nicholas.

Forge. Width 48 cm, with wooden frame, x25 in wall presentation £275 when new. 077576 07778 190639.

50 DVDs good height, 40 cm, depth 35 £40. Tel: 01460 74464. case. Phone for photo/ 43661. condition, 50 CDs good cms with larger curled Brand New, Boxed. model list £170 or will Men’s MS suit worn condition. No longer fire dogs on both sides “Neostar”. 2.2 L seperate. 07789 537011. once, grey blue fine using/playing due to of 71 cms width. This Electric Water-Heater/ Music books (17) & strip, trousers W42“ extends the depth and dispenser. £20. Jumbo sheet music (204) for Leg 31”. Men’s trousers down sizing. 50p & £1 would fit out side the Storage bags. Zipped. sdale. Beatles, film, 38” waist leg 29” assor each. 01460 67455. fire recess. £50 60×60 cms approx. £2 Rogers & hammerseein, colours, 7 prs, £25.

Dec 23

Dec 23

To submit FREE CLASSIFIED ADS email them to: info@marshwoodvale.com 66 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Situations Vacant

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 67

Voluntary trustee opening at Development Trust tenants and advising other trustees on planned maintenance and any substantial repairs.

Some experience or a background in building services, maintenance, construction, or engineering is essential. The trustee will need to be able to think logically, have a good memory of how operating systems work and excellent listening and questioning skills, to interact confidently with people to establish what the problem is and explain the solution required.

The ability to work well in a team, good problemsolving skills with a strong customer focus will also be extremely useful.

BADT Chair Phyllida Culpin said: “We are a tight knit, focused, hands-on, and supportive team and would be delighted to welcome a new member who is equally enthusiastic about actively giving something back to their community.

“The trust will consider any project in and around Bridport that has a regenerative benefit, especially if they are of an economic and/or educational nature, and a top priority for BADT support is sustainability.”

For a role description and a recruitment pack email mail@bridportadt.org.uk or call 07810 708591 for an informal discussion.

A

charity aimed at improving life and resources for the community in Bridport needs someone with knowledge of building maintenance. The Bridport Area Development Trust (BADT) has been responsible for many excellent initiatives in the town—not least the Literary and Scientific Institute (LSI) and the West Bay Discovery Centre. BADT is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee established in 2009, run mainly by eight volunteer trustees. The trust works in partnership to identify, plan, and deliver projects that meet local need and provide long term economic and community benefit to the town and beyond.

The trust employs managing agents to deal with day-to-day maintenance and liaison with tenants, and the new trustee will be responsible for approving higher value works, occasionally liaising with the

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for items under £1,000 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.

68 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

WANTED

FOR SALE

CHIMNEY SWEEP

Stamps & Coins wanted by collector / investor. We are keen to purchase small or large collections at this time.

Tel Rod 01308 863790 or 07802261339. Dec 24 p4 Coins wanted. Part or full collections purchased for cash.

Please phone John on 01460 62109 or 07980 165047.

July 24

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975

Mar24x3

ELECTRICAL

Do you have a shed / garage full of old tools, car bits, unfinished projects etc? I buy job-lots of vintage items. Also enamel signs & slot machines & complete collections, 07875677897 Jan 24

Vintage & antique textiles, linens, costume buttons etc. always sought by Caroline Bushell. Tel. 01404 45901.

Feb 24

Collectables, bygones, vintage, autojumble, Job-lots & collections a specialty. Good prices paid 07875677897

mar 24p x 4

FOR SALE

DISTRIBUTION

Old Tractors and Machinery, Pick-up Vans and Tippers. Best prices paid. Tel. 07971 866364.

Dec 24

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine May 2024 69