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‘Bish-bosh, wish-wash, car crash mishmash’

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Tom Cox talks long sentences with Fanny Charles Page 44

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Derek Sturch© Photograph by Robin Mills

Linking Environment, Culture and the Arts - www.marshwoodvale.com - Issue No. 330 September 2026

COVER STORY Fergus Byrne met Derek Sturch in East Devon

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Derek Sturch © Photograph by Robin Mills

n 1946, my life changed beyond imagining when we moved onto the “Camp” at Millwey Rise in Axminster. This was the name given to the recently vacated buildings of the American 315th Hospital, built in 1943 and quickly built to cater for the expected wounded service personnel from the planned D-Day landings in France. My mother had remarried an Axminster man, Jack Spiller, and we moved down from an all-mod-cons council house in Wellington, Shropshire, to a nomod-cons Nissen hut on the “Camp”. No running water, no electricity, a toilet and shower block over one hundred yards away. Just half-round asbestos sheets set on a low-standing wall, a bare concrete floor, and no room dividers. There were windows and doors set in brick walls at either end. Its saving grace was a large, cast-iron combustion stove right in the middle of the floor, with its chimney disappearing through the roof above—I loved it! After a little while, we moved from the Nissen hut into a single-brick building with an asbestos-sheeted roof that had previously housed the hospital’s administrative block. Later in 1952 we moved into one of the early Cornish units on Bonners Drive, which, together with conventional housing, was replacing the original hospital complex. I lived there with my family until I left home in 1962. The same year we moved into the Cornish unit, I passed my Eleven Plus examination and started at Colyton Grammar Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 3

Derek Sturch

School. I look back on those years with fond memories, but no academic achievements to show for it. There were only two things that interested me—football and cricket—for which I always represented the school’s teams. My ‘O’ levels were a disaster. I sat English Language twice and failed both times. I made up my mind to leave and at 17 felt I was a burden on my parents. There was a hurried shaking of hands on the final day, which I think was a Wednesday. The following Monday morning, I climbed aboard a Southern National double-decker and headed for Chard. There I visited all the factories in the town, looking for jobs. I’d virtually given up hope until I called into Denings. There I met the gateman, Frank Radford, who rang Terry Dolling to enquire on my behalf. Five minutes later I was interviewed; another five minutes and I had a job as a sales assistant to Cecil Collins at £3-16-4d a week. Not bad; I’d left school on Wednesday with no idea of what I wanted to do, and by three o’clock on Monday I had a job! I worked at Denings for two happy years, then at a farm for a while before getting a job with Dorset Farmers at their machinery depot in Broadmayne. I was assistant to the sales manager, Bob Dandy, selling Massey Ferguson tractors and associated machinery. I remember the new MF 35X tractor being introduced, which then cost £425! Shortly after, the revolutionary muck spreader, the ‘Howard Rotaspreader’, became available. Dorset Farmers was then rebranded as South Western Farmers when they absorbed East Devon Farmers and created a machinery depot at Crediton. They offered me the opportunity to become their first machinery rep in East Devon, which I accepted. I spent a couple of years with them before being seduced by Bell & Sons from Huyton, with ten pounds a week plus a ten per cent commission if I sold £100 worth of their animal health products in a week. Their then area manager, Denis Brinicombe, accompanied me for the first few days to show me how easy it was. The following week, when I was set free by myself, I found that we’d called on all the customers who were due to reorder, so I had to begin from scratch. Luckily, I was covering the same area as I had done selling machinery, so I soon opened up a brand-new customer base. The company went through six takeovers during my working life, and I was lucky enough to take advantage of each one, travelling to many countries in the process. My working life came full circle when our last owner, Tate and Lyle, decided it was time to sell us off. By then I was National Sales Manager and was part of the team that made several presentations to sell the company. One day I called into Denis Brinicombe’s offices. Denis, since leaving Bell and Sons, had built a successful company manufacturing and selling animal nutrition products. While we were chatting, I told him about the sale and who to contact. He said he was interested, but only if I would join him for two years to settle the two sales forces in. This meant persuading

representatives to give up both territory and customers. From the experiences that followed, I would advise anyone against attempting it. I did succeed in the end and decided that it would be my swan song. Looking back, the highlight of my 35 years with the company was chatting with Prince Charles at the Duchy Home Farm in Cornwall before he met Princess Diana. The scariest moment was manning the company stand at the Smithfield Show in London during the IRA bombing campaign, hearing the coded warning messages coming over the tannoy. I consider myself very lucky to have visited many countries during my employment. In Finland, I became so inebriated on the boat to the company’s island in the Baltic that I had to be smuggled past the welcoming assembly of Directors and hidden under dense shrubbery to sleep it off until the following morning. A sauna and a dip in the Baltic sort of cured my hangover. We were also there just after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, and we had to be continually tested for radiation poisoning. In Chicago, we took planes like taxis, flying hundreds of miles and coming back the same day. We did once stop over at Nashville, and in the hotel we were booked into, there was a country music festival taking place, and nobody went to bed. If you did, you didn’t sleep. So many stories! I must write a book. Which brings me on to writing. I’ve always enjoyed putting lines together, and after I retired, I released several poetry books, mainly in rhyming and rhythmic forms. I’m not a blank verse writer. The books then became a mixture of poetry, prose, and even cartoons. A Squatter’s Write about the “Camp” at Millwey Rise, and Brexshhit are examples of this. I’ve had my words regularly printed in various newspapers and magazines. In the early months of 2025, I decided I needed to set down the many anecdotes and stories I had heard about our family. The first book of the trilogy, In Golden Cap’s Shadow, could be described as anecdotal fiction and lays the foundation. It portrays the hardships of my stepfather’s family’s early life at Westhay, which lies between the folds of Stonebarrow Hill and Golden Cap, close to the remains of Stanton St. Gabriel. It follows the family’s nomadic travels through West Dorset, especially the beautiful Marshwood Vale, before they eventually settle in Thorncombe. The second novel, Golden Cap’s Glory, has yet to be released and is entirely fiction. It is my own interpretation of what my stepfather could have achieved with the many attributes he had. To me, he was so frustrating; he made a successful career, beginning as a storeman and then rising to become the company’s top-selling representative. The only thing that held him back from progressing any further was that he “knew his place” in life, and he deferred to anyone he believed was of a higher standing than himself. I’ve set that straight; in my novels he certainly makes the most of all his attributes and rarely bows to anyone.

4 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

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UP FRONT

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

While on a short visit to a Balkan country recently, I was told by the agent in charge of my accommodation not to bother recycling my waste. It reminded me of a point Beth Gardiner made when we spoke with her about her book Plastic Inc. on page 40. Despite great efforts by individuals in some developed societies, as well as small sections of the plastics industry, manufacturers see a huge market in developing countries for products that are likely to end up in landfill. The key point that Beth makes is the need for the petrochemical industry to be held to account for driving an industry that floods new markets with unnecessary products while convincing us that waste and unsustainability are solely the fault of users. Beth points out that as the oil industry finds new uses for its output, there is no let-up in the increase in climate upheaval. Michael McCarthy echoes this sentiment when talking about British butterflies and the effect of recent wildfires and extreme heat. Large-scale harm from extreme temperatures has already started, he says, pointing out that after thirty-five years of being warned by scientists that global warming was coming, we can now see the threat all too clearly. Bob Ward also highlights wildfires. In his article on page 28, he suggests that without a reduction in greenhouse gases, wildfires are likely to become more frequent and intense for the next couple of decades. On pollution of a more literary nature, Fanny Charles talks with now locally based author Tom Cox on page 44 about his book Everything Will Swallow You. A passionate believer in nuanced long-form writing, Tom avoids what he calls ‘the surface-level, unoriginal, algorithmic drivel that now, from virtually every digital orifice, attempts to oppress us and ruin our brains.’ A response that Gen Z might call “cooked”. 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

Editorial Director

3 8 10 12 27 28

Cover Story By Fergus Byrne Lisa Loader By Fergus Byrne Come Together for Bridport Arts Centre Events Nature Studies By Michael McCarthy New Normal? By Bob Ward

30 30 32 34 36

House & Garden Sunshine, sweat and hosepipes By Fergus Dowding September in the Garden By Russell Jordan Property Round Up Reflections By John Davis

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Food and Dining Seafood Salad By Mark Hix

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Arts & Entertainment Just a Spoonful of Plastic By Fergus Byrne Literary Autumn Tom Cox and the Power of Friendship By Fanny Charles Galleries Preview By Gay Pirrie Weir Screen Time By Nic Jeune Young Lit Fix By Nicky Mathewson The Box By John Davis

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Services & Classified Health & Environment

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Fergus Byrne

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Fanny Charles John Davis Fergus Dowding Mark Hix Nic Jeune Russell Jordan

Victoria Byrne

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Michael McCarthy Nicky Mathewson Robin Mills Bob Ward Gay Pirrie Weir

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6 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

The views expressed in The Marshwood Vale Magazine, Marshwood+ 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.

CATCH UP ON OUR AUGUST ONLINE COVER STORY Fergus Byrne met Lisa Loader in Bridport

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grew up in Montreal. My dad came from inspiring people, but then I had my two babies a working-class background and was and just wanted to get home to see my girls. determined to make life easier for his family, So, it all changed… We decided to try living by working incredibly hard. He’s diligent and in the country, travelled all around the UK, dedicated to everything he does, including and chose Bridport—there was something being a dad and now a grandfather. My about the vibe, a more progressive, creative mum was a nurse, and is a super committed energy than in the other places we visited. Mum, Grandmother, and homemaker. They We sold our house in London, found a bit of both still live in Montreal. A big part of my land with a falling-down bungalow on it, and childhood was that I was bullied—very badly, built an eco-house. With planning, it took for many years—and I don’t know what I’d about three years. But we were on our last have done without my parents, who showed dime and needed to make a living. me unconditional love. Ever since I was 15 hanging out in Montreal Lisa Loader© Photograph by cafes, I’d thought I’d love to run a cafe. We saw Eventually I found some good friends, Robin Mills a building for lease in Bridport, and it felt right, did a BA at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and then came to Bristol Uni to do a so we went for it and opened Soulshine Cafe. The vision master’s in film and television production. As a kid, I came from Montreal and London- I’m really passionate retreated into film to escape the real world, becoming about design and colour and perhaps I get some of that those characters instead of myself. To this day, I love instinct from my mum. Bridport was ready for that kind stories so much—watching films, then watching them of cool city cafe, so there was no slow learning curve—we again with someone I know will love them. I’ve seen were thrown in at the deep end right away. so many films again through the eyes of my two The name comes from a Michael Franti & Spearhead daughters, Joni and Jessie, and I think mine and their song we listened to all the time. I was talking to friends father’s passion for film has spread to them. on a train once about what to call the cafe—a bit Anyway, I landed in Bristol in 1996—the year loudly, maybe—and when I said Soulshine, the whole Trainspotting came out, which had a big impact on carriage went, “Yeah, yeah!” My little girls liked it too, British film culture. We felt like anything was possible and I always believed in their creative input. I did it for and were determined to make great films. It was there seven years and it was both tough and amazing. We that I met my ex-husband, Chris. We were excited got through Covid, and then these guys walked in and about moving to London, but first we got married at bought the assets, along with my coffee roastery, which Bristol registry office with just two witnesses, and two is now Goose and Badger Coffee. I feel very lucky that years later we got married twice more, once in Canada the right people came. It’s changed a lot but they have and once here. So, we were actually married three times made it a wonderful new Soulshine. to each other. Our second and third weddings were in After that, I followed another dream and retrained as a 1999, and it felt like the whole year was one big rave. Craniosacral Therapist. When I was 26, working in Oxford My first job in the industry was in sales and Circus, I hurt my back. It went on for months; I’d seen distribution. I started at PolyGram as a PA and specialists and tried many things, and nothing worked. eventually worked for United International Pictures. Then someone suggested Craniosacral Therapy. I wasn’t Box office results mattered; there was no Netflix or sure what it was, but two days later I was better—pain free. streaming back then. I got to meet some famous people I thought then that I’d love to learn to do that one day. or at least talk to them on the phone. Hugh Grant About five years ago I trained in Stroud under Paul Vick called me one morning because he knew I’d be first to and Nina Molyneux. Now it’s something I just want to do receive the weekend results, and I spoke to the Coen all the time. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d do it for brothers around the time of The Big Lebowski. They free. That’s how much I love it. really cared; they wanted to know about the global When I was being bullied, I’d get home from school, reach of their films. walk straight through the house, jump in this pool we Then the UK Film Council opened—another revival for had for a while, and float on an inner tube. These days British film industry. The idea was that anybody, without I’m often reminded of those hot Canadian summers. All an agent, could send in a script and have it read and I knew back then was that I’d get home feeling terrible, considered. So, I applied there, took a half-pay cut, and and by the time I got out of the pool I’d be okay again. In went into Development. I loved it and worked with many hindsight, I think when floating in that meditative state,

8 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

I was tapping into a rhythm we work eight or nine artist studios for a collective with in Craniosacral Therapy—a slow of visual artists, with a visual arts rhythm in the body, like a slow-motion community and open space on the wave. We help people drop down into ground floor, and a beautiful garden too. it, and it reminds the body of its vitality She’s asked me to be studio manager. It’s and potential. Who’d have known the an inspiring project, a chance to be part same state that helped me as a kid is of generating creativity, which is such a what I’m connecting to now, to help huge part of a healthy community. others? Maybe I was always meant to I’m constantly amazed by the people come back to it. I’m running a series of Bridport and what they put out of workshops that stem from this there. As soon as I landed in England, experience called Floating light, so keep I started meeting great people, and your eye out for them. that’s continued. A mentor told me, Right now I’m practising in Lisa Loader© Photograph by Robin Mills before I opened Soulshine, that one Bristol once a month and in of the hardest things would be finding Bridport a couple of days a week, good people, and I remember thinking, which leaves room for other work. I love being “That won’t be hard for me.” I hired a bunch of young creative and working to strengthen community. I’m people at Soulshine and watched lasting friendships at Bridport Food Matters (BFM) just over a day a form, and now I see them all, in their varied lives, just week as communications and community engagement being awesome. However hard it was I’m proud of coordinator, and I’m loving it. BFM is about growing, creating a space that brought people together, and I cooking, eating, and sharing—a sustainable path for retain those friendships to this day. good food to be accessible to everyone in Bridport. I guess the thing I’m most happy about in my life is There are so many amazing small producers and somehow bringing into this world my two daughters, who beautiful projects like Edible Bridport, and it’s a joy to are kind, lovely people. I’m really proud of them every day. spread the word and get everyone working together. Now that my girls aren’t home as much, I am looking Just in the past few weeks, I’ve started working with forward to more post graduate Craniosacral courses and Victoria Upton, who’s bought the NatWest bank in really increasing my practice alongside working in my Bridport and is turning it into 22 East Street Studios— community, on bringing people together in great spaces.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 9

Come Together for Bridport Arts Centre

Bridport Arts Centre launches ‘Come Together’ campaign to bring its building into community ownership

he Bridport Arts Centre charity is inviting people across Bridport and beyond to come together to raise £400,000 and secure its historic home for future generations. Bridport Arts Centre (BAC) is calling on audiences, artists, performers, families, local businesses and supporters to come together behind a campaign to buy its historic home and bring it back into community ownership. Nearly everyone has their own BAC story. It might be the first artist they saw perform there, the people they shared a special night with or the night they discovered a band or artist they still love. It might be where their child found their confidence, where a friendship started, or simply somewhere they have always felt welcome.

Together, these stories say far more about Bridport Arts Centre than any list of performances or exhibitions ever could. They show why the building, and everything that happens inside it, matters so much to the town. Claire Tudge, Director of Bridport Arts Centre, said: ‘Since I arrived at Bridport Arts Centre, people have gone out of their way to tell me their BAC story: the first show they saw here, a night they will never forget, or the moment their child stepped onto the stage and discovered what they could do. Those stories are what make this place so special. It brings people together. I am incredibly excited to launch the Come Together campaign and grateful that we have this opportunity to secure the building in community ownership for generations to come.’

10 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

The Come Together campaign aims to raise £400,000 by the end of December to buy the building and fund urgent repairs and renovations. Ownership would give the charity long-term security, allow it to improve access, reduce the building’s environmental impact and protect Bridport Arts Centre for future generations. In 2020, local businessman Alasdair Warren stepped in to help the charity by purchasing the building during a challenging period. He is now supporting its next chapter by agreeing to sell it to Bridport Arts Centre, creating a rare opportunity to bring the building back into community ownership and give the charity a secure home for the future. Founded more than 50 years ago by the community, for the community, Bridport Arts Centre has always been more than a venue. It is home to Bridport’s From Page to Screen Film festival and the internationally renowned Bridport Prize for creative writing. Popular local cafe FEAST opened at the Arts Centre in 2025, and the building is also home to BACstage youth theatre, the West Dorset Film Makers Network and Bridport Film Society. Its stage and gallery bring established artists together with new talent, while young people discover what they can do and audiences of all ages come together through theatre, music, film, comedy and visual art. In recent years, Bridport Arts Centre worked in partnership with PJ Harvey and her team to stage an exclusive concert for the local community at Abbotsbury. Over the coming months, the Arts Centre will be asking audiences, artists, families, businesses, trusts and everyone with their own connection to BAC and to Bridport to support the campaign. Every donation, introduction and shared story will help take the charity closer to its goal. Chris Pike, Chairman of Bridport Arts Centre, said: ‘This is an ambitious campaign and we cannot do it alone. We need everyone who values the Arts Centre to get behind us, whether that means donating, introducing us to someone who may be able to help, putting on their own fundraiser or simply sharing their BAC story.’ This is Bridport’s Arts Centre. Now we have the chance to make sure it always will be. To find out more, donate or support the campaign, visit www.bridport-arts/ cometogether.com.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 11

September EVENTS

Monday, 31 August

Bardfest 2026 Folk Song Walk with Alastair Braidwood, 11am, Meet outside The Crown, 2 hr walk, wear suitable footwear and clothing. Bring water. £10. Discount advance tickets onlly: Gold Weekend Ticket: £50 – entry to all events. Silver Ticket: £25 – entry to 3 events. Bronze Ticket: £10 – entry to 1 event. Paypal: kevanmanwaring@yahoo.co.uk. FFI: See Eventbrite for individual event bookings. 11:30am, Organ Recital, St Michael’s Church, Lyme Regis A fun and sparkling organ recital by Peter Irving. Favourites for all the family including the Finale of Saint Saens’ ‘Organ Symphony’, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and Elgar’s Nimrod. Retiring collection with all funds raised in aid of the new church toilets. First-Ever Symondsbury Summer Dog Fête promises fun for the Whole Family. A fun-filled day of entertainment, activities and community spirit is on the menu at one of Dorset’s most dog-friendly destinations. With free entry, the event will transform Symondsbury Estate into a traditional summer fête with a canine twist, offering a packed programme of attractions for dogs and their owners, while ensuring there’s plenty for visitors without dogs to enjoy too. Visitors can enjoy four dedicated activity zones, including a themed obstacle course, fun scurry ring, agility ring and family games area, alongside a dedicated Puppy Zone for younger pups and new owners. A highlight of the day will be the Symondsbury Dog Show, featuring a variety of fun classes and culminating in the ever-popular Paws Got Talent showcase. There will also be the chance to strike a pose at the Pooch Smooch Booth, browse the Pup-Up Market packed with doggy gifts, treats and accessories from local traders, and enjoy delicious food and drink provided by The Symondsbury Kitchen. Four-legged guests won’t miss out either, with puppaccinos, doggy ice creams and plenty of tasty treats on offer. Known for its warm welcome to dogs, Symondsbury Estate has long been a favourite destination for walkers and their four-legged companions. The Summer Dog Fête is the perfect chance for people to experience the Estate for themselves, whether that’s exploring the scenic trails, getting a culture fix at the art gallery, browsing the independent shops, going on our family Summer Explorer Trail, enjoying great food and drink at The Symondsbury Kitchen, or simply relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere. Symondsbury Estate, Bridport DT6 6HG. 10am – 4pm. Free Entry. Anonymous Festival returns Borough Gardens in Dorchester from 11am to 5pm. This family friendly event, now in its 16th year, is literally bursting to the seams with activities for all ages, from craft and clay to bouncy castles

and bungee trampolines. And not only is the event free to attend, but there is absolutely no charge for any of the activities either! You will have the opportunity to battle your friends at inflatable gladiators, get your hair feathered or a glitter tattoo or have your photo taken in a vintage horsebox. You will even have the chance to do a masterclass in how to create a special effect wound! And to top it all there will be musical entertainment taking place throughout day by way of 2 stages which will feature some of our most talented young performers, as well as the locally loved Vinyl Van who will be spinning discs in the chill out corner. There will be a range of affordable, delicious food on offer, including burgers, sausages and chips, mouth-watering freshly cooked Thai dishes, authentic falafels, and delicious curries. For the sweet of tooth there will also be popcorn, candy floss and ice-cream, and the park kiosk will be open for light snacks and drinks. Feel free to bring your own blanket or deckchair and make a day of it. Borough Gardens in Dorchester, 11am - 5pm.

Thursday, 3 September

War Paint-Women at War (2025, UK, 12,112 mins, Dir:Peter Cattaneo) Margy Kinmonth’s feature documentary shines a light on the trailblazing role of women war artists, on the front lines round the world, championing the female perspective on conflict through art and asking: when it’s life or death, what do women see that men don’t? Traditionally a male domain, war art by women has been largely unrecognised. Until now... Doors 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm start. Clapton & Wayford Village Hall (TA18 8PS). Membership £30, guests £5 per film. For more information/book guest tickets, please email mickpwilson53@btinternet.com or k_ everard@live.com. Alternatively, ring Mick Wilson on 01460 74849 or Julia Borland on 01460 72769. Scottish Country Dancing St Michael’s Scottish Country Dancing Club. 7.30-9.39pm at the Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel BA22 7QX. First two visits free, £2 per session; £1.50 for members. A warm welcome assured and no partner needed. Please bring a mug – tea, coffee, biscuits provided. See website www.stmichaelsscdclub.org or contact secretary: Elspeth 07972125617 elspeth_a_wright@ hotmail.com. Colyton Town History Walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm. Guided walk, approximately one hour, £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group Bookings by arrangement: Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406. Michael The Story of a Global Icon Axminster Guildhall will screen Michael, bringing the highly anticipated biographical

12 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

drama about one of the most influential entertainers of all time to local audiences. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael stars Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of Michael Jackson, in his feature-film debut as his uncle. The film explores Michael Jackson’s extraordinary journey from child star with the Jackson 5 to global solo superstar, charting his meteoric rise, phenomenal success and the personal challenges that accompanied his unprecedented career. Set against the backdrop of some of the defining moments of Jackson’s life and career, Michael offers audiences an opportunity to experience the story of the man behind the music on the big screen. Axminster Guildhall, Axminster, EX13 5NX Tickets: £5. For further information, interviews, images or media enquiries, please contact Axminster Guildhall.

Saturday, 5 September

Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7.5 mile walk from Whitchurch Canonicorum. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/ visitors welcome. The Friends of Weymouth Library (F.O.W.L.) talk at 10-30 a.m. in Weymouth Library, will have speaker Brian Margetson looking at the history of Poole Harbour, then and now how it serves today’s users. The entrance fee is £3 per person. Everyone welcome. Any enquiries: ring 01305 832613. Forde Abbey Autumn Plant and Gardening Fair. A special half price entry of £7.50 to the Plant & Gardening Fair, includes admission to Forde Abbey’s thirty-acre gardens. Parking is free. Last Entry to the gardens at 3:00pm. Tickets can be purchased from www.fordeabbey.co.uk/events Sewing for Beginners Come and learn how to sew and how to use your sewing machine. Learn about seams, stitch length, cutting out etc. Make some useful items for yourself and for the home. 1from 10 am until 2 pm Cost £18 this includes tea and coffee. At The United Reformed Church, Chard St, Axminster EX13 5EB. To book a place contact : gina.youens@btinternet.com.

Sunday, 6 September

Organ Recital A chance to enjoy a performance by the remarkable young organist, Oriel Chapman, taught at St Michael’s church by Richard Godfrey and now Organ Scholar Elect at Downing College, Cambridge. 3:30pm, St Michael’s Church, Lyme Regis.

Tuesday, 8 September

Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday morning 10 am till noon and 7.30 to 9.30 pm at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR, Only £3.00 pay on the door. Classes suitable for beginners and no partner required. For further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 email anitaandjim22@gmail. com and check out our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress. com. see you soon.

Wednesday, 9 September

Armonico Consort’s Great Bike Challenge Charity

Concert. This renowned choir and music charity are cycling from Exeter Cathedral to Wimborne Minster and performing to raise money to establish children’s choirs and dementia choirs. At St Michael’s, Lyme Regis they will be joining pupils from Woodroffe School Choir and the Lyme Bay Chorale to perform from Handel’s Messiah to Zadok the Priest. Tickets cost from £14.50. 6:00pm, St Michael’s Church, Lyme Regis For further details and to book please visit https://www.armonico.org.uk/whats-on/armonicogreat-bike-challenge-charity-concerts. West Dorset Community Orchestra rehearse in the Christian Fellowship hall, East Street car park, Bridport DT6 3QE from 6-30p.m.to 7-45p.m. New members very welcome, particularly violin and viola players . First four rehearsals are free.For more information www. westdorsetcommunityorchestra.co.uk or contact 01308 456297. Kilmington Film Night: My Mothers Wedding (15) Kristin Scott Thomas’s directorial debut and inspired by her own life. Three sisters (Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham) return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother (Kristin Scott Thomas). But the mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colourful group of unexpected wedding guests. “My Mother’s Wedding might not be extraordinary, but it’s no small thing to create a film that makes you want to step into its world and spend time there.” Hollywood Reporter. Doors and bar open 6.45 film start 7.15 at Kilmington Village Hall EX13 7RF. Tickets £6 (Cash Only) can be ordered by contacting: John at wattsjohn307@gmail.com or Tel: 01297 521681.

Thursday, 10 September

Kilmington Film Matinee “My Mothers Wedding (15)” (See 9th Sept) Doors open 1.45pm film starts 2pm. Tickets £6 (Cash Only), cream-teas @ £4. served during the interval but must be pre-booked with your seats see above and www. kilmingtonvillage.com/other-organisations.html for more information. Scottish Country Dancing St Michael’s Scottish Country Dancing Club. 7.30-9.39pm at the Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel BA22 7QX. First two visits free, £2 per session; £1.50 for members. A warm welcome assured and no partner needed. Please bring a mug – tea, coffee, biscuits provided. See website www.stmichaelsscdclub.org or contact secretary: Elspeth 07972125617 elspeth_a_wright@ hotmail.com. Colyton Town History Walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm. Guided walk, approximately one hour, £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group Bookings by arrangement: Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406.

Friday, 11 September

St Mary’s Church, Bridport A Walk Down the Aisle presented by Theresa Weller. Featuring antique clothing and bridal wear from the 1860s to 1970s, modelled live. Wine

14 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

and refreshments available by donation to St Mary’s Church Doors open 6.15pm, start at 7pm. Tickets £15 from Bridport TIC 01308 424901. In aid of the Red Dress Project – coming to Bridport 31 July to 15 August 2027. Cinechard is celebrating 10 years of showing monthly films at Chard Guildhall! We’d love as many of our past or existing customers - and new faces - to join us for this Secret Film chosen specially to celebrate films and communities. Please trust us to have chosen an absolute corker of a film for this special occasion. Each audience member will be welcome to join us in a complimentary glass of fizz and a piece of cake during the interval. Tickets available from Eleos, the PO, the Communitea Waffle and Health & Remedy for £5. £6 on the door. Doors open at the earlier time of 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Netherbury Nature Group Kingfishers by David Boag Netherbury Village Hall, Doors open at 6:30. Cash bar. Everyone is welcome. Entrance fee only £3. The Netherbury Nature Group season of talk begins with Kingfishers. David Boag will be presenting an illustrated talk on the life of this remarkable bird. David is a wildlife photographer and author of 18 books on natural history.

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Saturday, 12 September

Corscombe village hall DT2 ONU. 2pm Jumble Sale £1. in aid of the Hall & Church. All the usual stalls. Plenty of bargains. 07971 689965. Bridport & West Dorset Rambling Club 7 mile walk from Cogden. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. New members/visitors welcome.

Sunday, 13 September

Royal Air Forces Association 2026 Battle of Britain Church Service St Johns West Bay DT6 4EY @3pm All Welcome.

Monday, 14 September

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock An evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BJ. 7.30-10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own mug if possible and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £3.00. For more information contact David on 01460 65981 https://www.chardscottishcountrydance. co.uk. Winsham Art Club, 2pm at Jubilee Hall TA20 4HU. The theme this practical session is Cyanotypes. It is a 2.5 hr. session led by a visiting 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. Singing Bowl Soundbath Digby Memorial Church Hall,

(Griffiths Room) Sherborne DT9 3LN 7.30-9 pm relax reset + detox £20/18 cncs 01935 389655 or email ahiahel@live. com. Hawkchurch Film Nights in association with Moviola. org, proudly presents ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’, 119 mins, Cert.12 (infrequent strong language). 20 years on, the topline cast (Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci) all return, with extra star wattage from Kenneth Branagh, in this sparkling romcom sequel set in the world of fashion and publishing. Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD. Advance ticket reservations £6.50 from csma95@gmail. com or leave a message on 07753 603219 up to 4pm on the day; or in cash on the door for £7.00. Subtitles for hearingimpaired patrons provided if supplied by the distributor. Home-made cake, teas, coffees, soft drinks, wine and other refreshments available. Autumn Art History course Drawing in its many forms and contexts. 2pm-3.30pm in Bridport, and On line, Friday18th September 2pm, for 6 weeks. The course will explore historical drawing, how drawing develops alongside changing philosophical ideas, from the early Renaissance to present day. Throughout the twentieth & twenty first century, artists have been redefining how drawing is experienced. Artists I am including range from historical examples from the early Renaissance to contemporary artists. Uccello, Pierro Della Francesca, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Albrecht Durer,

Hanford: Where Childhood and Reading Flourish

f reading transports us to another place and another time, then it is more than just literature. It is exploration in its most creative form. At Hanford, reading is central to the School’s ethos. Girls can often be found with a book in hand in nooks and crannies across the site; from the cedar tree to the willow dome, and from the walled gardens to the stables. Encouraging reading in all its forms from a young age is crucial in a child’s development. While reading competence is undoubtedly important, the benefits extend far beyond literacy alone. Reading helps children develop confidence, creativity and empathy, while opening doors to new ideas, experiences and perspectives. Since its founding almost 80 years ago, Hanford has placed reading, creativity and equestrianism at its heart. With alumnae such as Santa Montefiore, Amanda Foreman and Sue Bathurst, this comes as no surprise, and the library proudly stocks shelves of books written by former pupils.

A love of reading is actively nurtured throughout the school. One example is the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) initiative, when the entire school pauses to enjoy a book. These shared moments reinforce the message that reading is not simply an academic skill, but a lifelong pleasure. In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, an unhurried childhood is increasingly rare, but this is unapologetically Hanford. This is a school where childhood is filled with joy, discovery, imagination and, of course, plenty of books! If you would like to find out more about this glorious school based in idyllic Dorset countryside, please visit www.hanfordprep. group or contact admissions@ hanfordprep.group (01258 920847) to arrange a visit. We would be delighted to welcome you, and you can discover for yourself the magic of Hanford in our idyllic setting. Sophie Blewitt, Head.

18 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Sofonisba Anguissola, Holbein, Rembrandt, Stubbs, Ingres, Pre Raphaelites. Cezanne, Van Gogh, Klimt, Schiele, Picasso, Degas, Morrisot, Matisse, Klee, David Jones, Eric Ravilious, Tirzah Garwood, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Hockney, Lucien Freud, Lubaina Himid, Maggi Hambling, David Remfry, Claudette Johnson, Sonia Boyce, William Kentridge, Marlene Dumas, Paula Rego, Tracy Emin, Cornelia Parker, Stephen Wiltshire, Charlie Mackesey, Banksy & more. Venue: United church hall, East Street, Bridport. Fee: £70 for 6 wks. Individual ‘drop in’ lectures, £15 per person. On line fee is £65 for 6wks. Re availability, you can attend across in person and on line if needed. To book please email: chris.pamsimpson@btinternet. com Tutor: Pam Simpson MA. Art & Design Historian. Pam taught in the London art colleges for her career, latterly at University of the Arts.

Tuesday, 15 September

Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday morning 10 am till noon and 7.30 to 9.30 pm at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR, Only £3.00 pay on the door. Classes suitable for beginners and no partner required. For further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 email anitaandjim22@ gmail.com and check out our web site at www. ashillscd.wordpress.com. see you soon.

EVENTS IN OCTOBER send your event details to info@marshwoodvale.com BY SEPTEMBER 14th

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Wednesday, 16 September

West Dorset Community Orchestra rehearse in the Christian Fellowship hall, East Street car park, Bridport DT6 3QE from 6-30p.m.to 7-45p.m. New members very welcome, particularly violin and viola players . First four rehearsals are free.For more information www. westdorsetcommunityorchestra.co.uk or contact 01308 456297. Drimpton & District Gardening Club: ‘Easy Orchids’, a practical demonstration from Geoff Hobson on growing and showing orchids. Bring your own orchids in any condition, for advice. 7pm for 7.30pm start, Drimpton Village Hall. Non members also welcome (£1); tea/coffee & biscuits available. More information on 01308 867172. 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). Turn Lyme Green Film ‘People’s Emergency Briefing’ Turn Lyme Green invites you to a film and discussion. Climate change and community. Refreshments. 7pm. Pine Hall, Baptist Church, top of Broad Street, Lyme Regis. Free but booking helpful so we can keep track of numbers attending. enquiries@turnlymegreen.co.uk.

Thursday, 17 September

Scottish Country Dancing St Michael’s Scottish Country Dancing Club. 7.30-9.39pm at the Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel BA22 7QX. First two visits free, £2 per session; £1.50 for members. A warm welcome assured and no partner needed. Please bring a mug – tea, coffee, biscuits provided. See website www.stmichaelsscdclub.org or contact secretary: Elspeth 07972125617 elspeth_a_wright@hotmail.com. Colyton Town History Walk leaving from Colyton Dolphin Car Park at 2 pm. Guided walk, approximately one hour, £5, children under 16 free. No booking required, all weathers. Group Bookings by arrangement: Contact 01297 552514 or 01297 33406. South Somerset RSPB Local Group 47th AGM followed by ‘Outside in On Nature’. An illustrated talk by Mei Cooper, who is the writer and film producer of Pockit Robot, which is an early years nature series created by her family run film studio. at 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 01781473846 or www. rspb.org.uk/groups/southsomerset. Everyone welcome. New Arts Group The Incas and their Predecessors through their Art and Textiles Speaker: Chloe Sayer. Bridport Town Hall 1.30 for 2.00pm. All welcome £10.00

20 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Saturday, 19 September

Bridport We See You ‘through the eyes of Bridport Camera club’ 10-5pm. Bridport Town Hall. Admission free and freshmen’s. Jumble sale, 2pm - 3.30pm; refreshments on sale. Clapton & Wayford Village hall. Donations may be brought to the hall between 2pm and 3.30pm on Friday 18th or between 10am and mid-day on Saturday 19th. Further information from Mary (01460 74849) or Julia (01460 72769).

Sunday, 20 September

Singing Bowl Soundbath The David Hall, Roundwell St. South Petherton, TA13 5AA 2-3.30pm relax reset + detox £20/18 cncs 01935 389655 email ahiahel@live.com.

Monday, 21 September

Tuesday, 22 September

Queenagers Renowned feminist theatre company Scary Little Girls perform their critically acclaimed show Queenagers - a be-sequined celebration of the power of the older woman, offering a riotous, moving and

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liberating look at the positive side of menopause. 7.30pm The Lyric Theatre, 9 Barrack Street, Bridport, DT6 3LX. Bridport U3A at 2.00 pm, Rob Jayne is talking about, Ordnance Survey Map Making. Talk title is ‘The retriangulation of Great Britain.’ Venue; Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport, DT6 3LJ. The talk lasts for 1 hour followed by Q&A then refreshments. Members are free, guests £3.00. Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday morning 10 am till noon and 7.30 to 9.30 pm at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR, Only £3.00 pay on the door. Classes suitable for beginners and no partner required. For further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 email anitaandjim22@gmail. com and check out our web site at www.ashillscd.wordpress. com. see you soon.

Wednesday, 23 September

Thursday, 24 September

Friday, 25 September

Four hands - Four Feet! A rare chance to enjoy a superb afternoon of organ and paino music. The Friends of St Mary’s Church, Beaminster, are proud and delighted to welcome two celebrated musicians, Peter Nardone and Jonathan Delbridge, who promise to give a dynamic and diverse concert of much-loved favourites - incorporating a few surprises along the way! St Mary’s Church, Beaminster, DT8 3BA. 3pm. £10 on the door (under 16’s free). Tea and Cakes.

Saturday 26 - 27 September

Mapperton House and Gardens in Beaminster is hosting an English Civil War Reenactment Weekend 10am to 5pm. A reenactment group will bring the period to life across the estate with a period camp, cooking and sewing

22 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

demonstrations, musket demonstrations, pike drills and drumming on the Croquet Lawn and a full battle across the grounds. There will also be a parade, period games for younger visitors and drums sounding across the estate all day. A brilliant family day out with something for all ages. Adults £10 | Children 5 to 15 £5 | Under 5s free. Book at mapperton.com.

Saturday, 26 September

Anniversary Dance Party in Chardstock An evening of Scottish dancing at Chardstock Village Hall , EX13 7BJ, to celebrate 25 years of Chard Scottish Country Dancing Club. 7.00 - 10.30 pm with live music from Chris and Julie Dewhurst. Tickets £15 For more information contact David on 01460 65981 or https:// chardscottishcountrydance.co.uk. Dorset Police Male Voice Choir Musical Director David Marshall, Accompanist Sue Stein, presents and early Autumn Concert at 7.00 pm in St Mary’s Church, Charminster, DT2 9RD. Tickets at £10.00 per head (to include interval drinks and nibbles) available from - Tel. 01305 213403, 07795 347408, 07818 50801. proceeds towards church funds. Powerstock Hut Barn Dance A fund-raising barn dance for our village hall, music by The Ping Pong Orchestra, caller Angela Laycock. Bar. 7pm start. Powerstock Hut, Powerstock, DT6 3TB. Tickets £5. Children free. Buy on door.

Sunday, 27 September

Singing Bowl Soundbath Oborne Village Hall, OBORNE,

nr. Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA 2-3.30pm relax reset + detox £20/18 cncs 01935 389655 email ahiahel@live.com. Down the Line to Bridport 3.00 to 4.30pm Doors open at 2.30pm. A talk presented by local historian Bruce Upton on what it was like to drive trains on the Bridport branch line from Maiden Newton to West Bay. £5.00 entry, cash or card on the door, with refreshments and a raffle during the interval. St. Swithun’s Church Hall, North Allington, Bridport DT6 5DU. Contact 07741457505. Dalwood Jazz Club presents Derek Nash & The Martin Dale Quartet with Derek Nash (Jools Holland R&B Orchestra) on sax, Martin Dale - sax, Gavin Martin keyboard, Kevin Sanders - d/bass and Dennis Harris - drums. 3pm Dalwood Village Hall, EX13 7EG (near Axminster). Bar for beer/wine/soft drinks and tea/coffee/ cake etc. Parking at the Village Hall £12.50p. If possible, please book in advance and pay (cash or card) at the door. Thank you! t.mackenney111@btinternet.com. Netherbury Repair Cafe 10:00-12:00, Netherbury Village Hall. The July Netherbury Repair Cafe saw us repairing garden parasols and lawn mowers, and sharpening garden tools. After a break in August our volunteer repairers will be back in the village hall on Sunday 27th September. As usual we will have homemade cakes, Clipper teas and quality coffee - come along and see what we do. For more information contact Lisa: lisagracewillis@gmail.com.

Monday, 28 September

Scottish Dancing in Chardstock An evening of Scottish dancing in Chardstock Village Hall EX13 7BJ. 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Tea and coffee provided but please bring your own

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Battle Stations at Mapperton

apperton House & Gardens is hosting its first ever Living History Weekend this September, as an English Civil War reenactment group brings the estate’s grounds to life for a family friendly day out. Taking place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September from 10am to 5pm, the event marks the first time Mapperton has hosted a re-enactment weekend of this kind, opening up the estate for a day of demonstrations, drills and hands on history for all ages. Visitors can explore a period camp set up across the grounds, where reenactors will demonstrate cooking and sewing and give a glimpse of how families lived during the seventeenth century. On the croquet lawn there will be drill and drumming practice, before the day’s battle unfolds on the field beyond. Throughout the day there is a full programme of musket demonstrations, pike drills and a parade, alongside period games for younger visitors. Drums will sound across the grounds all day, creating a lively and immersive atmosphere for the whole family. While battle demonstrations are a highlight, the weekend is designed as a family day out too, with plenty to see and do beyond the field, from the period camp to the games and activities aimed at younger visitors. Operations Manager at Mapperton, Robert Blincow, said: ‘This is a great new event for the area and something Mapperton hasn’t done before. I’ve loved running events like this at other venues over the years and I’m really pleased to bring it here. It’s set to be a great community occasion and a brilliant family day out.’ Book tickets at mapperton.com. Admission Adults: £10 Children (5–15): £5 Under 5s: Free Advance online booking is recommended to guarantee your place across the weekend.

Rare opportunity for workshop upgrade

rare public auction of professional joinery and woodworking equipment that has been built up over years at a workshop near Axminster, is giving local businesses and enthusiasts the chance to acquire serious machinery at openmarket prices. When a joinery and furniture-manufacturing business near Axminster ceased trading earlier this year, it left behind a workshop fitted out with some of the finest woodworking machinery available, including a near-new 2022 Martin sliding table saw, an SCM wide belt sander, and a Weinig four-sided moulder. Rather than see the equipment disappear to trade buyers or be shipped abroad, Hickman Shearer, a RICS-regulated asset advisory firm with offices in Reading, Sheffield and Lyme Regis, has been instructed to offer the entire contents for public auction, with the explicit hope that as much of it as possible finds new homes in the local area. Tim Howard MRICS ASA, managing Director at Hickman Shearer said: ‘Our thoughts are that this is local kit, and ideally, we can sell it to local enthusiasts as well as established businesses. There’s a real opportunity here for someone in the South West who’s been waiting to add to their workshop, or upgrade their equipment, to acquire machines they would never normally be able to afford new.’ The sale, which takes place on line on Tuesday 22nd September 2026, comprises more than 30 lots ranging from large production machines such as a 2022 Martin T75 sliding table saw, SCM SD60 wide belt sander, OAV edgebander and Robland planer-thicknesser, also included are smaller bench tools, dust extractors and workshop ancillaries that would suit a hobbyist or small trade workshop equally well. Woodworking and joinery has deep roots across West Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon, and the sale’s organisers are keen that local makers get first sight of what’s available. The auction will be held online and is open to all, pre-sale viewings can be arranged by appointment ahead of the sale day. ‘This is exactly the kind of equipment that a someone expanding a workshop in this part of the world dreams about,’ said the Hickman Shearer sales team. ‘A lot of it is effectively brand new. It deserves to stay in the region and get used.’ Full lot details, photographs and bidding registration are available at hickman-shearer.co.uk, or by contacting the team directly on 020 3668 0580 or email: expert@ hickman-shearer.co.uk. Website: hickman-shearer. co.uk.

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mug if possible and wear soft soled shoes. No partner required. Cost £3.00. For more information contact David on 01460 65981 https://www.chardscottishcountrydance.co.uk.

Tuesday, 29 September

Hive Beach Free Guided Walk Hive Beach to Cogden - Shifting Shores. 11am-1pm. Explore the beauty of Hive and Cogden beach while discovering how the coastline is evolving over time. A relaxed, guided walk sharing stories of change and what it means for our future. Price: Free event. Booking required. https://www. nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/hive-beach. Scottish Country Dancing every Tuesday morning 10 am till noon and 7.30 to 9.30 pm at Horton Village Hall TA19 9QR, Only £3.00 pay on the door. Classes suitable for beginners and no partner required. For further information contact Anita on 01460 929383 email anitaandjim22@ gmail.com and check out our web site at www. ashillscd.wordpress.com. see you soon. D J Ahmet uplifting coming of age film set in rural Macedonia. First film of Bridport Film Society 2026 – 2027 Season. Bridport Arts Centre, DT6 3NR. Doors and bar open 7:00 pm, 7:45 pm screening. Please show membership cards on arrival. (Membership for new season opens at 12:00 am on Monday August 31st; Membership - £40, Guests - £5 – please email for tickets and collect by 7:30 pm on evening of screening). Email: bridportfilm@gmail.com Website: www. bridportfilmsociety.co.uk

Wednesday, 30 September

Thursday, 1 October

Friends of Lyme Regis Museum Lyme Regis Museum Friends offer an illustrated talk, ‘40 Years of the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre’ by Alison Ferris. At 2.30 pm in the Woodmead Hall, Hill Road, Lyme Regis. Alison is ‘Earth, Marine and Environment Science Manager’ at the Centre. Members £3; visitors £5. All welcome. Enquiries to David Cox, 07800 895351.

26 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

On the way out... small tortoiseshell

Nature Studies By Michael McCarthy

he remarkable summer just ended, with its record heat and drought and its horrific wildfires across Europe, has perhaps for the first time given many people the chilling sense that climate change is gathering pace. After thirty-five years of being warned by scientists that global warming was coming, and perhaps disregarding or even pooh-poohing it, now we can see the threat all too clearly. But it’s more than just a threat. Large-scale harm from extreme temperatures has already started. The summer just gone has very probably done terrible damage to one particularly attractive section of British wildlife, which will not be apparent until next year. And that is British butterflies. Now here’s a paradox: in Dorset, as elsewhere, it was actually a wonderful summer for butterflies, certainly in our village and indeed in our garden. It was helped by the fact that in Britain 2026 was a ‘painted lady year’; we had an enormous influx of those lovely orange-and-black migrants from Africa which annually traverse all of Europe. We had them in the garden day after day. But we also had many other lovely things and on one day I counted nine species: the aforesaid lady, but also red admiral, peacock, comma, small white, large white, meadow brown and gatekeeper, plus a fleeting glimpse of a clouded yellow. The baking sun was perfect for the adult butterflies to bask and feed in. But at the same time, that hot sun it was doing something else: it was withering the grasses and nettles and other plants on which the caterpillars of those adults—the next generation—were meant to be feeding, which may well mean they will not survive to overwinter and emerge next year. We know this because the last time we had a similar summer of long and extreme heat, in 1976, that is exactly what happened. The following year British butterflies suffered a terrible crash: one species, the chequered skipper, went extinct in England (though surviving in Scotland); another, the large blue, was

An incomer’s discovery of the natural world in the West Country reduced to a single site, from which it went extinct a couple of years later; and a whole series of other once-common species, such as the fritillaries and some of the blues, suffered enormous and widespread losses from which to this day they have never really recovered. One of our leading butterfly scientists, Dorset-based Dr Martin Warren, who was previously head of the charity Butterfly Conservation, watched it happen in 1977 and sees it happening again next year. “I’m absolutely sure there will be a big crash in a lot of species,” he said. “I think numbers will go down for at least half of them, if not more than that, depending on their life cycle.” The one he fears for most is the small tortoiseshell, which was once abundant, but is now rapidly disappearing, especially in southern England. “It’s gone from South Dorset,” said Dr Warren, who lives in Corfe Castle. The butterfly is known to be affected by a parasite, but the same parasite also affects the red admiral and the peacock, and they have suffered much less. “It’s the dry conditions the small tortoiseshell can’t tolerate,” he said. With its combination of orange, black, yellow and turquoise (this last in the row of tiny crescents on the bottom of the hindwings) it is a particularly lovely insect; I have loved it since I was a small boy. When we came to the village in August 2021 I was utterly delighted to find it everywhere; but its numbers have got steadily lower, and this year I haven’t seen a single one. The idea that we’re going to lose it completely seems unbearably sad. If you think that summer 2026 was great, and global warming just means more sunshine, think again. It means dreadful damage to the world, at all sorts of levels, and the loss of the small tortoiseshell is just the beginning. 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 September 2026 27

NEW NORMAL?

With 2026 set to be the warmest summer on record, Bob Ward sees emergency crews having to adapt to a changing climate.

orset’s changing climate is increasing the risks of summer wildfires across the county, causing devastating losses to farms and wildlife habitats. The county has been experiencing its warmest summer on record, causing vegetation to dry out more than usual, and combined with very little rainfall, many areas of farmland, grassland and forest are at risk from fire. Thousands of tonnes of hay and crops were lost to fire across Dorset in July when Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service attended 277 grassland, woodland and crop fires. This was the second highest monthly total in the past six years, second only to August 2022. In a media release about the busy month, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Dave Waters, stated: ‘This reflects what is becoming the new normal. Fire and rescue services are adapting to risks that look very

different from those we faced even a decade ago, with prolonged periods of hot, dry weather increasing the frequency and severity of large outdoor fires. What was once considered exceptional is increasingly routine.’ Last year was the worst 12 months for the number of outdoor fires, with more than 1000 incidents recorded by the Service. It included the fire on Holt Heath in August 2025 which burned 72 hectares of the National Nature Reserve. A year on from the fire, Holt Heath is still struggling to recover, partly because of the exceptionally hot and dry conditions this summer. While some level of recovery has been detected across around 30 per cent of the affected area, most is still ‘charred and scarred earth’ the National Trust warns. All six of the UK’s reptile species are found in the Holt Heath National Nature Reserve, including rare

28 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

sand lizards and smooth snakes. The Dartford warbler and stone chat are among the birds that have been most affected by the fire. The National Trust points out that in the most severely hit parts of the heathland ‘the fire burned through the fragile surface layer of soil, leaving extensive areas of exposed sand vulnerable to erosion’. Ellie Egan, Countryside Manager for the National Trust at Holt Heath and the Kingston Lacy Estate, states on the Trust’s website: ‘While some areas are beginning to recover naturally, the damage was far more severe in places than we would typically expect, and parts of the heath still look very much like a “moonscape” and these will require careful, long-term management if they are to recover successfully’. She added: ‘The heatwave and dry conditions we’re experiencing this year are also making the heathland’s recovery even more difficult as new growth will struggle without rain for long periods.’ Dorset’s heathlands are particularly vulnerable to fire, and not just during the summer. Significant heathland fires broke out across the Sandford and Wareham areas at the end of March, requiring a major response from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Unfortunately, wildfire conditions in the county are set to become even worse over the next couple of decades as we suffer the consequences of climate change caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Summer 2026 is likely to have been the warmest on record, overtaking 2025. Daily temperature records were broken in May and June. Last year was the UK’s warmest on record, with the last four years all being among the five warmest years since 1884. The UK’s average annual temperature has been rising by about 0.25 Celsius degrees per decade since the 1980s. However, there has been no detectable change in summer rainfall over this period. Nonetheless, the impacts of the high temperatures have been exacerbated by the exceptionally dry conditions. Dorset recorded an average temperature that was 3.5 degrees Celsius higher than the longterm mean, and just 0.9 millimetres of rain during the whole of July, after below-average 27.3 millimetres in May and 64.9 millimetres in June. Even without drought conditions, the increase in summer temperatures means that vegetation dries out more quickly, and fire can spread more rapidly when it starts. This means rapidly-spreading wildfires are becoming more frequent across Dorset and the rest of the country. The European Forest Fire Information System monitors fires that affect more than 30 hectares, and has recorded a substantial increase in the area burned

across the UK over the past 15 years. The largest area affected occurred in 2025 when 47,879 hectares were burned. As of early August 2026, 22,850 hectares had already been affected by fire this year, the third highest total on record.

‘The increase in wildfire conditions will continue to increase in the UK due to climate change until the UK and the rest of the world reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to net zero.’ The increase in wildfire conditions will continue to increase in the UK due to climate change until the UK and the rest of the world reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to net zero. That means wildfires are likely to become more frequent and intense for the next couple of decades at least, and will require much stronger efforts to prevent and control them. Many wildfires are started accidentally by people. When the vegetation is dry, fire can spread very quickly, particularly if there is a significant wind. The use of barbecues is banned on much of the protected sites and National Trust land across the county. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service provides the following advice to prevent accidental fires: • •

• •

• • • • • •

Avoid having open fires or using barbecues in the countryside. Barbecues and campfires are banned in many country parks, campsites and open spaces. Make sure you check what is and is not allowed where you are, and follow the rules. Extinguish smoking materials properly, and do not throw cigarette ends on the ground or out of car windows – take your litter home. If you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately to the Fire and Rescue Service. Early detection can prevent it from developing into a large wildfire incident. When calling the Fire and Rescue Service: Get to a safe place Note the fire location (What3Words can help if you are not sure) Call 999 Meet the Fire and Rescue Service at the entrance. Do not attempt to tackle fires that cannot be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area as quickly as possible.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 29

House&Garden House&Garden

SUNSHINE, SWEAT, AND HOSEPIPES

Fergus Dowding looks at navigating baked topsoil, thirsty wildlife, and late-season vegetable planting.

The polytunnel with melon Emir, heaviest one so far 2.7kg, productive Golden Sunrise tomatoes and butternut squash beyond. We don’t usually grow squash inside but had spare space. Is it too dry for blight this year? I have’t got any, although much leaf roll after hot days, even so production is magnificent. As each crop finishes we will be planning true spinach and oriental salads, perhaps carrots and in November pea Douce Provence for April harvest.

he sunshine has made the summer crops so productive, my dwarf French beans have cropped heavily three times and our tomatoes started cropping in June, Sungold cherry varieties in late May. For many years we have been asking for traditional sunny summers. Now we’ve had two in a row we are still moaning! We have been endlessly attached to our hosepipe. Despite all the compost mulching my topsoil, it is like concrete below. One wonders if Wessex Water getting 75% of its water from boreholes and springs has anything to do with this. Last year’s autumn rains sent all the vegetables into paroxysms of productivity using energy they had somehow stowed away and we ate well all winter. Starting all seeds in modules gives a perfect start to all vegetables. Sowing carrots direct into the soil has worked well if the watering can pampers them until they germinate. From then on how fast they grow depends on watering, which can backfire on you as wildlife is so keen for moist soil to scratch in for food—there goes your crop. The only crops that don’t need water once established in our

garden are sweetcorn, beetroot and parsnips. Apple and other fruit trees have done well, their established roots and mycelial networks go further than vegetables. But even they are dropping fruit early, quite a lot good to eat already. If it rains what is left on the tree will bulge with delight.

By September outdoor sowings are limited but warm autumns of late make it possible to sow true spinach, coriander and oriental vegetables By September outdoor sowings are limited but warm autumns of late make it possible to sow true spinach, coriander and oriental vegetables. If you’re lucky you get a good crop, if not you get a green manure. In October sow garlic, the bigger the bulb the bigger the clove next year, and if you want to be full of beans next May/June then sow broad bean Aquadulce in November. How does a doctor diagnose a healthy person? He shakes you, if the beans in you rattle you are healthy.

30 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Bennetts Water Garden open for NGS in September

Bennetts Water Gardens in Chickerell, Weymouth

pen in support of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) on the 4th of September, this 8-acre garden at Bennets Water Gardens holds National and International Collections of Water Lilies, with a Monet-style Japanese Bridge as the centrepiece. Some 300 different varieties produce tens of thousands of flowers from late spring through to autumn, creating one of the most outstanding displays of water lilies in Britain.

Grass pathways guide visitors through a series of ponds and lakes surrounded by wetland plants, specimen trees, palms, wild flora, and flowers. The gardens are designated as a ‘Site of Nature Conservation Interest’ and support diverse wildlife. Visitors can relax in scenic spots or enjoy shaded woodland walks. The Tropical House showcases exotic plants, a cactus garden, and a newly added Lotus collection. The museum showcases over 150 years of local history, including Chickerell village (mentioned in the Domesday Book) and Chesil Beach & Fleet Lagoon on Dorset’s UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast. It also features the site’s intriguing history, from the Brickworks and Clay Pits of 1859 to the gardens of today. Bennetts Water Gardens, Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth DT3 4AF. Open for the NGS on Friday 4 Sept (10-4). Adm £10, chd £4. Home-made lunches, cakes and cream teas. For more information and other opening times, telephone 01305 785150, email info@ bennettswatergardens.com or visit www. bennettswatergardens.com.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 31

SEPTEMBER IN THE GARDEN By Russell Jordan

nless we’ve had a good amount of rain by now (still very much in drought conditions as I write) then this month’s major task will be much more difficult than usual; bulb planting. In order to plant bulbs at the correct depth, the rule of thumb being to at least twice the height of the bulb, the soil needs to be relatively moist and not baked solid. Of course, this depends largely on the sort of soil you have; a light, sandy, soil will probably allow for decent planting, even when dry, but if, like me, you have soil containing a good proportion of clay then it bakes solid during a drought. Apparently, ‘Wessex Water’ relies mostly on groundwater extraction to supply our water and this is less affected by low summer rainfall than water derived from reservoirs and above ground sources—hence we don’t have a hosepipe ban at the time of writing. I have an ancient well on my property and, according to the website, this is not governed by a hosepipe ban, if one was imposed. I have invested in a deep well pump, this year, as it seems wrong to be watering anything with precious, treated, mains water even with no ban. Having said that, the well has had the odd wall collapse, over the years, so it’s not as deep as originally dug and the water table is now so low that it will only run for a short time before the pump cuts out. The level will rise again, as groundwater percolates back into it, but the water is over eight metres down which is, I think, the lowest it’s ever been. This is the first year, in over two decades, that I have ever made serious use of well water. Turning on a tap is so much easier than lowering an expensive pump over eight metres down a hole in the ground, running an extension lead to it, with the necessary rope / hose attached, and then running the pump every time I want to fill an irrigation tank! Having checked various websites, it’s interesting to note that there are a lot of exemptions to a hosepipe ban, for many

horticultural uses that are water critical, and also for large sections of our community, such as those with any health issues, or vulnerabilities, which would make lugging watering cans around impossible. Newly purchased plants / trees are allowed to be irrigated and any plants which are grown as part of a business (this applies in relation to plants I raise to use in other people’s gardens) and there are many other scenarios, in addition to these, so it’s worth checking your own particular case before giving up on precious plants in your garden.

‘Turning on a tap is so much easier than lowering an expensive pump over eight metres down a hole in the ground’

Curiously, ponds are allowed to be topped up, using a hosepipe, if any fish are in mortal danger. This is a relief as I totally chose the wrong year to install an entirely unnatural pond, recycling a second hand, fibreglass, pond liner. This was formerly my ‘pot soaking’ reservoir which, obviously, has no natural means of refilling so all the wildlife in it, it’s already full of dragonfly larvae as well as ornamental fish, rely on me to replace water lost due to evaporation—which has been unusually high this summer. September is a good time to tackle

32 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

excessive weed and marginal pond plant growth while the water is still relatively warm, making the task more agreeable, so that it can recover before the onset of winter dormancy. It’s hard to think of anything else while the unusually hot and dry summer is still the major factor dictating what can be undertaken in the garden. In the hope that we have had some rain between August and September there are some tasks which would normally be necessary this month, in addition to the aforementioned bulb planting. Lawncare should be done now, while the soil is still warm, and the brown turf will soon turn green again, starting back into growth, once there’s been a decent amount of rain. It’s

been a stressful summer for lawns so, once the soil is moist again, a timely resowing of bare patches and an autumn ‘feed and weed’ should help to improve the sward before colder nights halt growth. Similarly, hardy annual seeds, for flowering next year, should be sown now so that the seedlings can get established before winter. Beds and borders will require some intervention to remove collapsing foliage and to edit them sufficiently to make the most of the autumn flowering constituents which have survived the drought. Hedges, especially evergreen ones, should not be cut much later than September as they require a little time to recover before they are hit by the first frost.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 33

PROPERTY ROUND-UP

Reset for September

WINSHAM GUIDE £495,000

This detached three-bedroom bungalow was built by the current owners in the late 1960s. It occupies a generous plot in a desirable position in a sought-after village setting, with far-reaching views across the surrounding countryside. There is scope to extend, subject to the necessary consents. Greenslade Taylor Hunt: 01460 238382

WINSHAM GUIDE £795,000

Set in a peaceful, secluded spot near Winsham, this charming former mill is nestled within 1.6 acres with a stream. Beautifully restored house with oak and glass garden room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garden office, guest lodge, and barn with planning for conversion. Gordon Rumsby: 01297 553768

MEMBURY £675,000

A fascinating 4-bedroom Grade II Listed house set in generous gardens with a detached one bedroom bungalow annexe and several stone outbuildings. The house is centrally situated in the lovely village of Membury. Gordon Rumsby: 01297 553768

HAWKCHURCH £700,000

Steeped in history and character, this truly exceptional Grade II Listed period residence offers elegant, beautifully-proportioned interiors, a double garage, and a private garden oasis amidst breath-taking, unspoilt countryside. DOMVS: 01308 805500 34 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

BEAMINSTER GUIDE £600,000

Delightful 3-bedroom cottage offers generously proportioned and beautifully presented accommodation throughout with a bright, contemporary Scandi-inspired finish. Recently renovated. Surrounded by rolling countryside and spectacular elevated views. Goadsby: 01308 420000

UPLYME GUIDE £950,000

Distinctive detached 4-bedroom home occupying a private and elevated position. A landmark home in one of East Devon’s most attractive locations. Remarkable setting, substantial grounds and characterful accommodation. Greenslade Taylor Hunt: 01460 238382

A westcountry story IN a new book, In Golden Cap’s Shadow, recently published by former Axminster resident Derek Sturch, the adventures of the Spiller family unfold amongst the villages and towns of the stunning West Dorset countryside. This month, we are giving away a copy of Derek’s book along with five copies of his previous book, Brexshhit. In Golden Cap’s Shadow, the first of a trilogy sees a family destined for poverty after their father’s death on the battlefield in the early days of the First World War. Lily, his indomitable widow, remarries, but her new husband’s thirst for cider undermines her efforts to secure a permanent home for herself and her three children. After being forced to leave their accommodation and employment in Charmouth, the family is pushed from relation to relation, living on farms and in dwellings within the surrounding beauty of the Marshwood Vale. It is a story as much of what their lives were as of what they might have been. To win a free book send a postcard with your name and address to the Golden Cap Shadow competition, Marshwood Vale Magazine, Lower Atrim, Dorset DT6 5PX. The first 6 names drawn from a hat will receive a book. Entries must reach us by the 25th of September.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 35

REFLECTIONS

EVENTS AND PERSONALITIES FROM RECENT HISTORY John Davis highlights the ‘Hackney Phalanx’ aim to make National Religion the foundation of National Education

National Society school at Axmouth

t is late September 1811 and a small group of High Church Anglican clergymen and philanthropists hold a series of meetings in East London. They are known as the ‘Hackney Phalanx’ and among them are Anglican priests Joshua Watson and Henry Norris and the lawyer and writer John Bowles. Two major concerns formed the crux of their discussions. Firstly, they had an overwhelming philanthropic desire to provide some form of basic education for the working class children of newly industrialised Britain. Secondly, they looked anxiously at the empty pews in many Anglican churches and pondered on how they could make working class families become regular worshippers in the established state church. Within weeks a solution was found. Establish a nationwide network of schools to teach working

class children the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy but make it so immersed in religious doctrine that the young scholars would also be converted into lifelong adherents of the Established Church. Within the month, the group officially formed The National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church in England and Wales. The over-riding aim of the organisation was that ‘the National Religion should be made the foundation of National Education.’ Expansion was prodigious. Six to seven thousand National Schools were built by the early 1830s educating some half a million children. A further resurgence came at the end of that decade with the National Society now boasting some 17,000 schools containing almost a million children. With no State aid, a General Fund was established to pay for the building

36 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

of schools. By 1861, The National Society had spent some £700,000 on school provision. The most important role in local initiatives was usually played by parish priests who were instrumental in establishing schools, financing them, operating them and sustaining them in times of difficulty. The schools built were modest in size catering, particularly in rural parishes, for about 100 children. They were usually built on church land within a stone’s throw of the Parish Church and recognisable by the use of the same local building materials and the ecclesiastical Gothic shape of the windows. In many villages especially, they have long been replaced with more recent school buildings but the original structures are still in use as community centres and village halls or have been converted into private houses. Teaching in National Society schools was to be characterised by three over-arching features-a highly restricted curriculum, an accent on moral and spiritual training and an all-pervading religious atmosphere in everything taught. The chief reading book was to be the Bible. The alphabet was introduced through flash cards but verses were often used to assist with recognition. “A stands for Angel, who praises the Lord; B stands for Bible that teaches God’s word.” From this, pupils would progress to reading short extracts from the Bible. Writing, practised on sand trays and slates, consisted of writing religious texts and verses. Arithmetic or ciphering fared little better. One problem stated: “There were twelve apostles, twelve patriarchs and four evangelists; multiply the patriarchs and the apostles together and divide by the evangelists.” If history was taught it involved a list of the Old Testament kings while in geography pupils studied maps of the Holy Land or the travels of St. Paul. Music was devoted to hymns, psalms and chants. The parish priest and members of his family did much of the teaching. Instruction was delivered through a system of monitors. An older, literate child, the monitor, would be taught the essential elements of a lesson and they would pass it on to groups of younger pupils. It was highly mechanical and allowed little room for questioning, explanation and understanding. In 1851 there came a unique opportunity to assess how successful the work of the National Society had been. The usual decennial population census would be held but there would also be a full survey throughout England and Wales of educational provision and, for the only time ever, a review of church worship. A barrister, Horace Mann, was tasked with collating these surveys. While there were to be anomalies and accusations of

unfair reporting, the figures collected are now accepted as a reliable record of the situation. Mann was able to show considerable growth in educational provision compared to the surveys carried out in 1818 and 1833. Day school pupils had increased by 218 per cent. Large numbers of young children, especially in urban areas, were receiving no day schooling though while others were only in attendance for short periods of time usually in what he termed ‘the infant period’. The National Society had provided just over 80 per cent of the public day schools educating some 76 per cent of the total number of pupils.

Was the National Society’s primary purpose— that of providing education for salvation— realised then or was it merely a chimera? When it came to worship the figures were much less encouraging. On census day (Sunday March 30th), Mann reckoned that 30 per cent of the population were not able to attend church (namely infants, the sick and infirm plus essential workers). This left a possible twelve and a half million persons able to worship at least once. Of these some five and a quarter million had decided to stay away. This represented an attendance rate overall of about 60 per cent. The general trend illustrated that as the size of a centre of population increased, attendance at worship declined. Was the National Society’s primary purpose—that of providing education for salvation—realised then or was it merely a chimera? Mann’s belief was that the working class treated education as utilitarian. They were anxious to acquire skills—the ability to read, write and carry out simple calculations—but were reluctant to waste time and money on aspects they did not consider essential. Many, it was clear, certainly did not relate school-time experience to regular worship in the Anglican Church. As unobtainable as their goal may have been, the National Society, much to its credit, was responsible for greatly improving literacy rates among the working class, keeping the cause of elementary education at the centre of public attention and providing a workable system of schools on which the State could later build. 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 September 2026 37

Food&Dining

SEAFOOD SALAD By Mark Hix

I love the simplicity of those seafood salads you find in the Mediterranean that are clean and fragrant and just contain good seafood like octopus, squid, mussels and prawns etc. They sometimes have peppers and celery and green onions and fragrant herbs like basil and oregano. Good olive oil, a little wine vinegar and a squeeze of citrus add to the freshness of a great seafood salad. If like me you have a good selection of tinned fish in your larder you can easily knock up a seafood salad using all or some of the above in tins. We are lucky to have all of the ingredients for this on our doorstep in lyme Regis including the invasive Mediterranean octopus which has been plaguing our fishermen’s lobster pots for a decade now and growing in numbers. You could well catch the tail end of the samphire season to mix in or scatter on top or even some other form of seashore vegetable like sea purslane, sea aster, sea blithe or small sea beet leaves. You can use shellfish like lobster, crab, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, scallops etc and it doesn’t need to break the bank depending on what ingredients you choose for the salad.

INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

150g cleaned squid or cuttlefish cut into rough 2cm chunks 4-6 fresh scallops with the roe, halved if large 4-6 or more raw large seawater prawns 1 small cooked lobster with the meat removed from the shell 150g cooked octopus 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped 1 stick of celery, peeled if necessary and cut into 1cm dice 1/2 a small long Romero pepper, halved, seeded and cut into rough 1cm dice 1/3 cucumber, halved, seeds scooped out and cut into 1cm dice 1 tbs chopped parsley 1 tbs chopped fennel fronds The juice of a lemon Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS •

•

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Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently cook the onion, celery and pepper for 30 seconds, season and transfer to a bowl, leave to cool and mix in the cucumber. Meanwhile bring a pan of well salted water to the boil, drop in the squid, prawns and scallops then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool drain in a colander over a bowl as you could make a lobster sauce or bisque if using with the shells. Cut the lobster meat and octopus into rough 2cm chunks then mix all of the ingredients together and season to taste adding more olive oil and lemon if you wish.

Gelato Triple BABOO GELATO, the family-run gelato company in Rampisham, Dorset, has won a Great Taste 3-star award for its Hazelnut gelato—the highest rating given by the Guild of Fine Food, awarded to a genuinely small fraction of entries each year. The win makes Hazelnut gelato the fourth Baboo flavour to receive a Great Taste 3-star, following Double Chocolate gelato in 2024, Mint Choc Chip gelato in 2025 and Crystallised Ginger gelato in 2025. More significantly, it means Baboo has won at least one Great Taste 3-star in each of the last three consecutive years: 2024, 2025 and 2026. Winning a Great Taste 3-star even once is rare; winning one in three consecutive years is understood to be almost unheard of. Only three companies across the whole of Great Taste, spanning every category of food and drink, have managed a 3-star win in all of the last three years, and Baboo believes it is the only ice cream or gelato producer among them. ‘It’s really nice to know that it’s not just me that loves this flavour—it’s the young and old, and now apparently the judges of the Great Taste awards,’ said Annie Hanbury, co-founder of Baboo Gelato. Baboo’s hazelnut paste comes from a small producer in the heart of Langhe, in Italy’s Piedmont region—a PDO area for hazelnuts thanks to its altitude and climate. Annie and Sam tasted more than twenty pastes before settling on their current supplier, and the paste is delivered to the lab in Rampisham as fresh as possible. Baboo supplies over 500 trade customers—cafes, restaurants, farm shops and delis—alongside UK-wide home delivery and kiosks across Dorset.

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 39

Arts&Entertainment

Just a Spoonful of Plastic Author Beth Gardiner speaks with Fergus Byrne about corporate spin, un-regulated chemicals, and redirecting public frustration toward the source.

s I write this, I am surrounded by plastic. It’s in the keyboard, the computer screen, the chair I sit on, the lenses in my glasses, and even the clothes I wear. Ubiquitous seems a feeble description of how much it invades our lives. But what I hadn’t really taken into account is the amount of plastic that has invaded our bodies, possibly even our brains. Chatting with Beth Gardiner about her book Plastic Inc., I am more than disconcerted by some of the statistics she highlights. She points to recent studies showing that human brain tissue contains high levels of microplastics and nanoplastics, with a 2024 study published in Nature Medicine finding what researchers describe as an amount roughly equal to the mass of a standard plastic spoon. If an amount of plastic the size of a disposable spoon has been polluting our brains, what will the chemicals in that have done to our cognitive development? When we think about plastic pollution, our mental images are of ocean turtles entangled in plastic rings, rubbish strewn across beaches, and mounds of garbage buried in massive dump sites in faraway countries. It’s never a comfortable thought. Beth Gardiner describes it as ‘an inescapable, physical reminder of a frightening global mess—one we feel complicit in, yet powerless to change.’ However, in Plastic Inc., she reveals a narrative that few have touched on—one that moves beyond individual guilt and exposes single-use plastic as an engineered corporate strategy driven by fossil-fuel and petrochemical giants. She argues that corporations like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco realised early on that ‘pushing ever more plastic into our lives would bring fat profits.’ To maintain continuous demand, the industry invented the lucrative concept of single-use disposability, replacing reusable glass and metal with throwaway packaging. Far from being a book about the frightening statistics on the damage caused by waste plastic products to our planet, the summary of Plastic Inc. is that big oil needs a new profit centre as we wean

ourselves off fossil fuels for transport. Through relentless and thorough research, Beth shows that the industry has been and continues to invest massively in the production of plastics, in the belief that the developing world will become a big market for plastic-based products as it becomes more ‘developed’. Beyond environmental litter, the book addresses the profound Beth Gardiner health consequences of pervasive plastic exposure. Beth details how thousands of additives—plasticisers, flame retardants, and stabilisers—enter our food supply, air, and bodies. With rising incidence rates of neurocognitive conditions and early-onset cancers, Beth believes the lack of regulatory oversight presents an urgent public health crisis. She points to the health impacts on all of us who use plastics holding our food and our drinks: ‘and we’re wearing it, and we’re breathing it in.’ She cites the ‘complete failure of regulation of these chemicals... you’re talking about just thousands and thousands and thousands of chemicals. It’s impossible for the regulators to keep up.’ According to Beth, industry ‘spin’ has long perpetuated a narrative that blames the public for waste rather than overproduction—often of products as useless as a plastic cap to contain ‘drips’ from ice cream cones. The industry boasts about ‘recycling’, yet only 9% of plastic is recycled, and in many cases the claim that items are recyclable is simply not true. A New Jersey native now living in the UK, the day we speak Beth wears drop hoop earrings, distinctive glasses and combines a polished presentation of her subject with an engaging, casual confidence. She recalls reading magazines like Newsweek from an early age and talks about a pivotal moment in her awareness of environmental issues when she saw the scientist Michael Mann testify before Congress about the greenhouse effect. ‘I remember being really concerned about the ozone layer.’ But it’s not the statistics of our limits to recycling or the potential damage to the environment and our health that inspired Beth to work on this book—a project that took her nearly seven years—but rather the realisation that we have all been played by this corporate line.

40 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

For Beth, the initial spark came from reading an article detailing how U.S. plastic production was ramping up in tandem with the natural gas fracking boom. ‘The headline was that these huge fossil fuel companies were putting hundreds of billions of dollars into plans to make more plastic than ever,’ she tells me. She recalls it as ‘such a gut punch.’ She describes herself as ‘one little person’ bringing her sustainable bags to the store and carrying her water bottle in an attempt to be more responsible, while the producers of the products she was trying to avoid were simply ramping up production—it felt like a low blow. This realisation also exposed a fundamental flaw in how we discuss environmental issues. Public discussion heavily emphasises consumer choices, deflecting attention away from the industrial origins of the material. ‘I realised I’ve never thought about actually where this material comes from’, she says. ‘I’m an environmental journalist, and I’ve succumbed to this sort of “personal responsibility” framing around plastic. We need a corporate responsibility and political accountability take on this story because that’s actually what’s driving the problem.’ The futility of her individual efforts in the face of mega-corporate expansion created a visceral reaction: ‘I’m like washing my plastic bags to use them again, and Exxon is putting hundreds of billions of dollars into some new plant that’s going to make God knows how many millions of tons of plastic every year in Texas or whatever.’ One of the central revelations in Plastic Inc. is that society’s reliance on disposable packaging is not an accidental byproduct of modern convenience, but a calculated business strategy developed after World War II. ‘The thing that stayed with me the most and that shocked me the most was the real deliberateness with which the industry has built this model of disposability of single-use over literally decades since basically World War II, because they understood how profitable it would be for them.’ She points to key historical moments, such as industry conferences in the late 1950s and 60s, where leaders explicitly outlined the shift from reusable containers to single-use alternatives. Industry insider Lloyd Stoffer famously delivered this strategy to packaging executives, observing that selling a reusable glass bottle to a client meant making a single sale, whereas convincing them to transition to single-use packaging guaranteed a continuous, recurring revenue stream of billions of units. It may be easy to say there’s nothing to see here, given that we have been warning about the potential damage plastic does to our environment since the 60s. People have advocated for change since the first Earth Day in 1970. There was outrage over the

wandering New York garbage barge of the 1980s, and more recent ‘Attenborough moments’ have highlighted the fragile state of our natural world. So we could be forgiven for thinking these issues are being properly addressed. But the opposite is true. Big businesses pay lip service and greenwash while paying PR companies to paint a picture of an environmentally sound circular economy. Beth Gardiner highlights the proliferation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) across the United States, unlocking vast reserves of cheap ethane. Fracking was sold to the public as a source of energy but fossil fuel companies realised they could turn ethane into lucrative chemical feedstocks—base materials used to create polymers and resins— which has prompted a surge in construction of new petrochemical facilities along the Gulf Coast. Plastic Inc. is not a call to ban plastic. Far from it. Plastic is cheap and incredibly useful, and may even be helpful in making the transition to cleaner energy, with uses in lightweight components for electric vehicles, insulation, wind turbine blades, solar panels and many other products. But while Beth supports personal efforts—such as utilising refill shops or swapping out plastic food containers for glass—she emphasises that meaningful change requires systemic, regulatory action. By pressuring consumer-facing brands (such as major beverage and consumer product giants) and advocating for legislation that promotes a shared responsibility between consumers and manufacturers, people can begin to dismantle the system of enforced disposability. Plastic Inc. serves as both an indictment of corporate negligence and a roadmap for redirecting public frustration away from personal guilt and toward political accountability. The central premise of Beth Gardiner’s Plastic Inc. is that our drowning planet is not the result of individual consumer carelessness, but the output of a deliberate, hyper-profitable strategy engineered by fossil fuel and petrochemical conglomerates. ‘These companies are very powerful, and it’s very hard. Politicians are not doing enough to stand up against them, whether you’re talking about fossil fuels or big tech or big plastic.’

Beth Gardiner will appear at this year’s Bridport Literary Festival. For tickets visit: BridLit.com Plastic Inc. is published by Hachette UK. ISBN-13: 9781800962521

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Literary From Budleigh Salterton to Dorchester and Bridport, autumn literary events offer a feast of ideas.

f you see Dorset as the beating heart of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex and can’t look at the Cobb in Lyme Regis without thinking of John Fowles, or feel the spirit of Dame Hilary Mantel when you walk along the seafront in Budleigh Salterton, you may be suffering from Westcountry Literary Giddiness. It’s a common affliction as the summer ends and the autumn literary festivals roll out their programmes. This is the time of year when book lovers pore over the options to see speakers at the Budleigh Salterton, Dorchester and Bridport Literary Festivals. Over the past few decades, this corner of England has quietly cultivated a rich and welcoming literary festival circuit that draws both readers and writers to the area. It’s a long way from the velvet-rope corporate-melee of high-profile urban book fairs. Westcountry events still have an unhurried, somewhat gentle scale. The boundary between reader and writer may be invisible You might well find a Bookershortlisted novelist queueing with a local dentist for a crab sandwich in Bucky Doo Square in Bridport. Running from the 23rd to the 27th of September the Budleigh Salterton festival has a rich mix of authors from Paul de Zulueta talking about his Personal History Of The du Mauriers and Patrick Gale in conversation with Tim Hubbard to Damien Lewis discussing his latest SAS Great Escapes Five and the recent SAS: The Great Train Raid, bringing to life extraordinary true stories of daring, endurance and ingenuity from the world’s most famous fighting force. Founded in 2009 by the late Susan Ward, whose

aim was to attract critically acclaimed authors, poets and playwrights to Budleigh Salterton, the festival has more than doubled in size over the past ten years and now features more than 65 to 70 talks, workshops and events across five days. For more information visit: https://budlitfest.org. uk. In October, the Dorchester Literary Festival rolls out the well-read carpet for authors such as Julian Fellowes, actress Alison Steadman, Wild Swans author Jung Chang and former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Running from 17th to the 24th of October, the Festival will welcome 35 speakers to Dorset, with a programme that ranges from world history and politics to fiction, memoir, nature, food, adventure and current affairs. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will explore Britain’s economic future in a timely discussion inspired by his new book Can We Be Rich Again? while leading educator Sir Anthony Seldon appears in two thought-provoking events, examining political leadership and a compelling walk to Auschwitz. History lovers are particularly well served this year. Andrew Lownie lifts the lid on Britain’s most controversial royal dynasty in Entitled, while Damien Lewis, Jonathan Fennell and David Lascelles reveal remarkable untold stories from the Second World War. Current affairs remain firmly on the agenda. Journalist Martin Sixsmith investigates Vladimir Putin’s hidden wealth in Suing the Kremlin, while broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed, commentator Simon Jenkins and psychologist Frank

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Autumn Tallis offer fresh perspectives on politics, society and aging well. The festival celebrates the natural world with environmentalist Tony Juniper, explorer Charlie Walker, meteorologist Laura Tobin, travel writer Brian Jackman and geologist Anjana Khatwa. Fictionlovers will enjoy bestselling novelist Victoria Hislop discussing her latest novel inspired by Greece, The Wine Dark Sea and Kathy Lette talking about her hilarious new novel Sisterhood Rules. For more information visit: https:// dorchesterliteraryfestival.com. A highlight of the autumn since its growth under the directorship of the late Tanya Bruce Lockhart, Bridport Literary Festival is a favourite with both locals and visitors alike. Running from the 6th to the 14th of November, this year’s Festival is the first under the creative hand of Adrian Turpin OBE who has taken the reins after running the Wigtown Book Festival in south-west Scotland. This year, the festival brings a varied and exciting programme of events to brighten the dark days of winter. Authors include Oliver Bullough, Mathew Sweet, Mary Berry, Sarah Raven and Jonathan Freedland. At the time of writing, the full programme has not yet been released. Look out for Lib Dem leader Ed Davey talking about Why I Care And Why Care Matters, as well as Steve Crawshaw discussing Prosecuting the Powerful: War Crimes and the Battle for Justice, and Beth Gardiner on Plastic Inc. (see page 34) and Tom Cox on Everything will Swallow You (see page 38). For full information visit: https://www.bridlit.com.

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Tom Cox and the Power of Friendship by Fanny Charles

f you tried to find a link between golf, vintage vinyl, cats, and books that explore a beguiling blend of dark myth, history, landscape, wildlife and strange, inexplicable happenings, you might be forgiven for throwing up your hands in total bafflement. Enter the world of Tom Cox, one of the most interesting writers around—cat-lover, former professional golfing journalist, one-time rock critic for The Guardian, keen walker and a man with an an eye and an ear for the quirky and eccentric, for the undiscovered secrets of old houses and the unheard voices of the landscape. Tom Cox is the antithesis of the short-attentionspan writer. He doesn’t use text speak, trendy abbreviations or any of the life’s-too-short-toactually-read-something scraps of Tik-Tokery or Instagramery that pass for writing these days. Tom writes long sentences. He writes long paragraphs—sometimes very long, but you stick with it because, like Cicero’s audience in the Senate waiting for the final verb to know what the hell he is actually saying, you want to know where he is going. And he writes long books—such as the latest novel, Everything Will Swallow You (albeit not Tolstoy-long). Asked to describe one of Tom’s books, I suggested (sounding a bit pretentious—sorry!) that it was like James Joyce’s Ulysses meets Mrs Dalloway-era Virginia Woolf. When I met him in Bridport to talk about Everything

Will Swallow You, the new short story collection Curious Events Lately Occurring In This Neighbourhood, and his life and writing generally, he seemed quite happy with this description, since he had only recently read any Woolf, and that was Mrs Dalloway, which he enjoyed. Tom has for many years led a peripatetic life, moving between rented homes in Derbyshire, Cornwall, East Devon, Somerset, Dartmoor and Norfolk. While this had many downsides, he says the constant changes and moves did his writing good, enabling him, via Ordnance Survey maps, exploring, talking, long walks and learning about new places, to ‘inject colour’. Now he and his wife Ellie are living in West Bay, in their own home—‘I’m not moving ever again,’ he says. While living in Norfolk during Covid he realised he wanted to be in the West Country. After thinking about Dartmoor, which he loves, they settled on Dorset. Tom sold half his vast record collection and they ‘saved like crazy.’ He loves Bridport, the town, the people, the culture, the welcoming atmosphere. And this autumn, he will be one of the guests at Bridport Literature Festival, talking about Everything Will Swallow You, which is published by Swift Books, and the new collection, which is published in September with Breakthrough Books.

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‘I see it as a protest against the surface-level, unoriginal,

algorithmic drivel that now, from virtually every digital orifice, attempts to oppress us and ruin our brains.’ As well as the frequent moves, Tom has also changed publishers for various reasons, including the collapse of the crowd-funded Unbound, while he was writing a previous novel, 1983. For a while he was on Substack, sending out newsletters and excerpts from his books, but he left it to make full access to his prolific writing more affordable for more people via his website.

The power of long-form writing

It is easy, as you are drawn deeper into the strangelyinvolving world of Eric, Carl and their eccentric friends and acquaintances, to wonder if Eric represents Tom’s old soul, while Carl is his alter ego. Tom says he identifies with every single character, and that Carl is painfully affected by the suffering of animals, (as Tom is), but he is also a keen knitter, perhaps also channelling Ellie, who is ‘an obsessive knitter.’ Eric is more like his father—who will be familiar to readers from several previous books (his talented mother provides the lino-cut illustrations for Everything Will Swallow You, as she has for many of his books). Born in Nottingham, Tom says he didn’t have much of an education (although he was an avid reader) because he was so into sport, particularly golf, which he wrote about for national newspapers and magazines. ‘In 2015 I decided to ban myself entirely from doing that and instead devote my time to books and writing the other stuff I really wanted to write.’ In the era before Substack and writers earning a living from subscription-based newsletters, it must have been a scary move—‘Why on earth would people actually pay to support my writing? But I worked hard at it and I noticed that my work improved (and, most crucially of all, became more enjoyable for me),’ he says. Tom believes passionately in the power and importance of nuanced, long form writing. ‘I see it as a protest against the surface-level, unoriginal, algorithmic drivel that now, from virtually every digital orifice, attempts to oppress us and ruin our brains.’

Humour and humanity

Everything Will Swallow You is a beguiling, involving, stimulating and endlessly fascinating book whose central characters are a middle-aged dealer in vintage vinyl and a semi-aquatic, 24-fingered, dog-that-isn’ta-dog. There are various cats, a crow called Frank and a lot of things happen that might not be real but you want to believe in them. It is frequently funny, sometimes laugh-out-loud, and at times very sad. It is also very wise and it makes you think about so many things—from all the forgotten or hitherto unheard-of bands waiting to be discovered in tubs of vinyl in vintage record shops and car boot sales to the strange histories of ancient manors and farmhouses and the geology of the Jurassic Coast. It is crammed full of memorable characters—people you would be lucky to meet in a pub or on a country walk—and is a beautifully written hymn to the complexity and importance of friendship. What it is not is a page-turner ... or, at least, not THAT sort of page-turner. It’s not one of those books you read to take you from tired-but-still-awake into sleep, so that you have to re-read several pages next night because you can’t remember where you got to or what happened. You definitely do want to know what happens next to Eric and Carl, where their journeys will take them, what happens when Mel tries stand-up or you discover that Penny can levitate. You come away from Everything Will Swallow You richer for its humanity and humour, and rejoicing in the sheer love of words that is Tom Cox’s hallmark. PS If by any chance, you read the review of Everything Will Swallow You in The Guardian, and were put off by the description of “comfy cardigan fiction”, please ignore and forget it. That is as wrong as it would be to describe Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet as “chicklit”. Tom Cox will be at this year’s Bridport Literary Festival. Visit BridLit.com for tickets. To purchase Tom’s books visit: https://www.tom-cox.com/#books

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September

GALLERIES

1 - 30 September

Kit Glaisyer presents an exhibition of his recent Lewesdon Path paintings, a series of four monumental, 2-metre high paintings inspired by the magical West Dorset hill-fort. You can also enjoy his popular Eggardon Hill paintings, life-size Drip Figures and his iconic Café Royal paintings The gallery is open on Saturdays 10am - 5pm and by appointment. Bridport Contemporary, 11 Downes Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3JR. 07983 465789 www.kitglaisyery.com @kitglaisyer.

2 - 30 September

Liz Wright - Landscape Painter Influenced by Renaissance artists, Liz paints in styles that are part realism and what she identifies as a ‘hyper - reality’. Her vibrant landscape paintings are immediately identifiable as her own. She paints local and travelled scenes that have inspired her and that will definitely bring a smile to your face, with delight and even, of amusement at times. Most of her collection of works is housed in Bridgeman Art Library, so this is a great opportunity to see her work. Excellent tea rooms next door. Time: 10 am - 4 pm, Wednesday to Saturday ONLY/ Foc/Access for All/Free parking. Location: Jenny Penney, Local Makers Shop & Gallery, Mangerton Mill, Mangerton, Bridport DT6 3SG.

Until - 5 September

To mark their 20th Anniversary Sladers Yard Gallery is showing work by the painters, ceramic artists, printmakers, sculptors and furniture maker Petter Southall who have all contributed to make it the artistic community that it is. This is a celebratory selling exhibition that brings everyone together from David Inshaw to Philip Sutton and from Richard Batterham to Gabriele Koch. Including collages by Marzia Colonna, paintings by Frances Hatch, Vanessa

Gardiner, Alex Lowery, Tim Nicholson, Janette Kerr, Julian Bailey, Simon Quadrat and many more, prints by Sally McLaren, Martyn Brewster, Merlyn Chesterman and Howard Phipps, sculpture and drawings by Clare Trenchard, ceramics by Yo Thom, Björk Haraldsdóttir, Emily Myers, Lise Herud Braten and more it will be a voyage of discovery and re-discovery. The Georgian flax warehouse, Sladers Yard was converted into an art gallery in 2006 by Petter Southall and Anna Powell who have run it with a great team ever since. The Café opened in 2007 and is now an acclaimed and award-winning seafood restaurant. Sladers Yard Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery, West Bay, Bridport, DT6 4EL. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am – 4.30pm Tel: 01308 459511 Website: sladersyard.co.uk. www.instagram. com/sladersyard.

12 September - 24 October

Rhythm of the Hills Liz Somerville This exhibition is about hills: the trees that grow on them, the water that comes from them and the ground that forms them. West Dorset is a peculiar and particular part of the county; a quieter, slower, folk-lorey sort of place. I have chosen three subjects and worked my way around and into them, hence the inclusion of preliminary drawings. The first, Floating Oaks, are the trees (mostly oaks) that grow around Eggardon near Bridport. The second, Loscombe, centres on Lower Loscombe Farm and its relationship with the hill, Penwell, where the water for the farm used to come from a well on top of it. The final subject are the hills surrounding Loscombe, Hinknowle and Poorton - dictated by geology and weather, these unusual forms are stranger than any imagination. The Art Stable, Child Okeford, Dorset DT11 8HB. kellyross@theartstable.co.uk. 07816 837905.

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12 September - 14 November

At the Still Point of the Turning World David Inshaw, Lise Herud Braten and Petter Southall at laders Yard Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery, West Bay, Bridport, DT6 4EL. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am – 4.30pm Tel: 01308 459511 Website: sladersyard.co.uk. www.instagram.com/sladersyard.

Until 29 September

The Wider Circle The artists’ collective, The Wider Circle, is made up of poet James Sale, multimedia artist Angela Perrett, calligraphy artist Judith Warbey, mixed media artist Linda E Sale, and digital artist Mark Burden. Each of the artists has created work inspired by poet James Sale’s books of poetry, The English Cantos. The work includes vibrant glass art, 3D calligraphy art, contemporary surrealist and pop art, and mixed media works. Mon to Sun, 11am - 5pm. Athelhampton House and Gardens, Athelhampton, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7LG.

GALLERIES IN OCTOBER send your gallery details to info@marshwoodvale.com BY SEPTEMBER 14th

Major Shifts Ahead for Bridport’s Iconic Venues THE exciting performing arts scene in Bridport is in the news this month, as all three of the town’s venues—Bridport Arts Centre, The Electric Palace and the Lyric Theatre—have reached important moments in their evolution. The Lyric, the intimate theatre in Barrack Street that has been restored and revitalised by puppeteer and theatre maker Niki McCretton since she bought the building in 2010, has announced it has reached its fundraising target of £100,000, unlocking further grant funding and allowing vital work on the roof to begin. And at the same time, former international investment banker, the Dorset born and raised Alasdair Warren, owner of both the Electric Palace since 2015 and the Arts Centre since 2020, put the EP on the market and announced that he hoped to sell the Arts Centre back into community ownership. Bridport Arts Centre has now launched Come Together, a campaign to raise £400,000 so that it can buy the historic building (see page 10). The money must be raised by Friday 18th December, and will cover the purchase of the freehold as well as priority repairs and restoration work.

The Arts Centre opened in 1973 in the former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, the Grade II listed building designed by James Wilson and built in 1838. It was used as a place of worship and school until its conversion to Bridport Arts Centre. Alasdair Warren bought the arts centre in 2020, in the depths of COVID, when the survival of the charity was at risk. The Arts Centre not only hosts music, theatre and film, but has an acclaimed gallery space and a popular cafe, all providing a meeting place in the centre of the town. The town is home to the Bridport Literary Festival and the From Page to Screen film festival, as well as the unique Hat Festival every September. Down the road in South Street, the Electric Palace is on sale for “offers from £1.1m” for the auditorium and entrance areas. The two shops at street level and the flats above are offered as separate parcels. For details of how to support the BAC campaign, visit bridport-arts.com/cometogether or call in and talk to the staff and volunteers. Or if you fancy buying the cinematic Art Deco icon that is the Electric Palace, contact Symonds and Sampson. Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 47

Beauty in Black and White

Textures of Nature

THE Dorset Monochrome Collective has its second exhibition in the community room at Dorchester’s Borough Gardens, from 14th to 20th September. Founded in 2018 by Alison Webber, the collective consists of a group of friends who share a passion for monochrome photography, whether that is digital or film. Members include the distinguished portrait and landscape painter Michael Taylor, the maker and photographer Andy Webber, and Cathy Warne, Carol Tritton, John Grindle and Margaret Preuss-Higham. They get together monthly to share their work and talk about their techniques and ideas in an honest but supportive and constructive way. The theme for this second exhibition is Wessex. From moody landscapes to stunning architecture, the images portray Wessex in an eclectic way with each photographer bringing a selection of work based on their own individual interpretation of Wessex. The group has gone from strength to strength since its creation eight years ago, says Alison: ‘We have all learnt a great deal from each other and we are very excited to have another opportunity to show a selection of our work to the public.’ For more information about the exhibition and the photographers taking part visit https://alisonwebber.co.uk/mono.

THIS September Sladers Yard in West Bay presents a full solo show of one of England’s great living painters, alongside two gifted Norwegians who both adopted England as their home many years back. All three work with nature at the forefront, celebrating natural textures, colours and patterns in work that is exquisite in form and execution. David Inshaw’s extraordinary paintings are both intensely personal and universal in their potency, he has traced the hearts and minds of a generation. Lise Herud Braten is a rising star. She had her first ceramics solo show at Sladers Yard in 2024 and has since gone from strength to strength while Petter Southall’s unique furniture designs become more thrilling with every year that passes. Images clockwise from above: Fire Eater by David Inshaw. Lise Herud Braten and Large Rise table by Petter Southall.

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September PREVIEW

Melanie Branton demonstrates The Full English in Bridport in September

The good, the bad ... BRIDPORT ENGLISH is the language of Shakespeare, Austen, Keats and Dickens—but it is also peculiar, illogical and sometimes downright baffling, as comedian and wordsmith Melanie Branton demonstrates in her new show, The Full English, coming to Bridport Arts Centre, on Thursday 24th September at 7.30pm. Have you ever wondered where the word ‘hoo-ha’ comes from? Why there ain’t no party like a double negative party? Why ‘bead’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘bread’, ‘machine’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘nine,’ and don’t get her started on ‘yearly’ and ‘early’? From gangs of gung-ho Anglo-Saxons and smelly Vikings to Covidiots and Instagram influencers, from enormous vowel movements to katsu curries selfisolating in the Twitterverse, this solo show by spoken word artist and linguistics nerd Melanie Branton explores the history of our lovely language through the media of performance poetry, silly hats and dad jokes. You’ll be invited to heckle Vikings and play Simon Says with a bossy bishop, but the show doesn’t shy

away from the more unsavoury chapters of the past, in a celebration of the good, the bad and the downright bizarre in the history of our glorious, multicultural tongue. “It’s a bish-bosh, wish-wash, car crash mishmash!” Music by the sea LYME REGIS THE Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis starts the autumn with an exceptionally busy month of music, beginning with This is the Kit, aka Kate Stables, on Friday 4th September. The folk-rock singer-songwriter will be supported by her band, Rozi Plain, bass, Jamie Whitby-Coles, drums and Neil Smith, guitar. The following evening, Saturday 5th, the mood turns Latin, as the Sambroso All Stars perform the Buena Vista Social Club, celebrating the sounds of Cuba’s golden age. On Friday 11th, the Marine hosts Mark Chadwick, in a special solo gig by the frontman and chief songwriter of the Levellers. The regular Jazz by the Sea series brings Opa Rosa to Lyme, on Sunday 13th. Deeply rooted in Balkan

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Sophie Rosa and Ian Buckle come to Bridport, Ilminster and Crewkerne for Concerts in the West in September

traditions, this energetic band has a line-up of violin, clarinet, accordion, double bass and percussion. The following week has three typically eclectic gigs, Yann Tiersen, playing a solo piano and electronica set on Thursday 17th, featuring work from his new album, Rathlin from a Distance, followed by a live DJ set on Friday 18th by Daddy G. And on Sunday 20th, the clocks go back 50 years (metaphorically) with Martin Turner, a founding member of Wishbone Ash, returning with his band to play classic Wishbone Ash music. The month ends with two more legends of the music scene. On Thursday 24th, there is a gig by John Bramwell, singer with I Am Kloot from 1999 to 2014; and Friday 25th brings Andy Featherweather-Low and the Low Riders. I am Kloot had a Mercury Prize nomination for 2010’s The Sky At Night, and Top 10 chart position for 2013’s Let It All In. Now touring as a solo artist, Bramwell will perform heart-warming songs for his fans. Andy Fairweather-Low was the lead singer of Amen Corner, who had many 1960s hits. He went on to work with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and many more. Nice to see you BRIDPORT THE hugely popular and best-selling children’s author and poet Michael Rosen comes to the Electric Palace at Bridport on Saturday 5th September, with two performances of his show, Nice! at 11.30am and 2.30pm. The event is part of Michael’s 80th birthday celebrations this year. He says: “I’ll be looking back at a lifetime in poetry, performing favourites such as Hot Food, No Breathing and Chocolate Cake, along with never-before-heard poems from my upcoming collection, 80 Years Young.”

And appropriately, Nice! is a show for all ages from very young to young at heart. He has published more than 140 books, and has 800,000 subscribers and 150 million views on his YouTube Channel, Kids Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen. September chanson CONCERTS IN THE WEST THE charity that brings stars of the chamber music scene to the West Country opens the autumn season with three concerts by violin-piano duo Sophie Rosa and Ian Buckle, starting with the regular coffee time recital at Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 18th September at 11.30am, followed by Ilminster Arts Centre that evening at 7.30pm and the Dance House at Crewkerne on Saturday at 7.30pm. The programme for this Concerts in the West series features Elgar’s Salut d’Amour and the Chansons de Matin and de Nuit. The other works are Mendelssohn’s violin sonata in F minor and Grieg’s violin sonata no 1 in F major. Sophie Rosa is in demand as a soloist, director and chamber musician. She has performed at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Bridgewater Hall and has appeared as soloist with several leading orchestras. She is the leader of Sinfonia Viva and appears regularly with the orchestra as soloist and director. She also guest leads orchestras throughout the UK and is a member of Pixels Ensemble. She plays on a Joseph Gagliano violin dated 1795 with a Claude Fonclause bow made available through the generous support of the Stradivari Trust. Ian Buckle has a varied freelance career as solo pianist, chamber musician, orchestral pianist and teacher and is artistic director of Pixels Ensemble, which he formed in 2016. He enjoys longstanding associations with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 51

and the John Wilson Orchestra, and has played concertos with the Royal Philharmonic, Opera North and Sinfonia Viva. Ian teaches at the University of Liverpool and is artistic director of Stapleford Granary Arts Centre in Cambridge Wyrd and wonderful DORCHESTER RIDDLESTICK Theatre comes to Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange on Saturday 19th September with a new musical comedy, Barleycorn, telling tales of folk intrigue, ‘wyrd’ happenings and inebriated villagers. It’s been raining all summer. But that’s not going to stop the residents of Hopley Drew gathering in The Barleycorn Inn for their annual village show and one final knees-up before the pub closes its doors for good. As the villagers show off their soggy crops, share songs and tales of local lore and wait with bated breath for the results of the raffle, a wild storm rages. Some say it’s just typical British weather, but others say it’s something much more sinister ... Can this drenched and disenchanted community band together to overcome whatever lurks outside? Barleycorn is inspired by English lore, folk horror and ‘wyrd’ 1970s telly, and features traditional and original music and dance. Riddlestick Theatre is a troupe of actor-musicians who draw on folk theatre traditions to tell weird and wonderful stories through playful performance and enchanting live music. Graceful delights DORCHESTER A PIANO trio that includes cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, who is married to fellow cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, comes to Dorchester Corn Exchange on Thursday 24th September with a programme of music by Beethoven, Bach, Donizetti, Vivaldi, Ennio Morricone, John Williams and others. The Three Graces are pianist Tamara Konstantin, violinist Barbara Gasior and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, all individually and as a trio renowned for their originality and artistry. The concert will also feature original compositions and arrangements by Tamara Konstantin. All three musicians have achieved significant success in their own right as recording artists and live performers. A 2022 tour with Aled Jones on his hugely successful tour of British cathedrals and abbeys brought the name of The Three Graces to the wider audience they richly deserve. Tamara Konstantin, an International Ambassador Of Georgian Classical Music & Culture, is a leading

figure in Georgian classical music and culture and received a Medal Of Honour from Eduard Shevardnadze, president of Georgia. A classical pianist with a hugely impressive portfolio, Tamara has won an international audience with her mesmerising compositions and has released three critically acclaimed albums, Inflections, Reverie and Resilience. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music and received her Masters Degree at Auckland University in 2001. Now based in the UK, Jiaxin and Julian Lloyd Webber have performed together for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, CNN Global TV and BBC television. Barbara Gasior studied at the Academy of Music in Cracow and as a postgraduate in Warsaw. Her career as a violinist has spanned almost all musical genres, from classical to electric to folk, and has taken her all over the world including performances in the USA, Canada, Scandinavia, Japan, South America and Europe. Friendship and connection YEOVIL ONE of the most popular new musicals of recent years, Dear Evan Hansen will be performed by one of Yeovil’s talented amateur theatre and music groups, Beatnik Theatre Company, at Westlands, from Wednesday 16th to Saturday 19th September. Dear Evan Hansen is a powerful contemporary story that explores the need for connection, honesty and the longing to be seen, following the experiences of Evan, an anxious high school student who struggles to find his place in the world. Featuring an award-winning score and compelling storytelling, (book by Steven Levenson, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), the show has themes of friendship, mental health and the importance of reaching out. Deeply moving and ultimately hopeful, it reminds audiences that even in the most difficult moments, no one is ever truly alone. Because of its themes of anxiety, mental health and discussions around suicide, Dear Evan Hansen is recommended for audiences aged 13 and above. Medicine and misogyny DORCHESTER HISTORY ... her story ... hysteria—there is more to this sequence than mere word play as theatre company Fish in a Dress demonstrates in The City for Incurable Women, a fascinating solo show coming to the Bay Theatre at Weymouth on Tuesday 15th September and Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange, on Thursday 17th. Ladies and gentlemen, are you feeling a little upset? Have you tried hypnosis, psychoanalysis, smelling

52 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Charlotte McBurney performs The City for Incurable Women, at the Bay Theatre at Weymouth

salts ... and it just doesn’t work? Try The City for Incurable Women! Paris, 1880s ... in a psychiatric hospital, female patients performed ‘hysteria’ for the public. The doctors went to extraordinary lengths to prove their theories about the four stages of madness. Today, in the 21st century, storyteller Kae begins to explore this history, tracing the echoes to the present, lingering in the body, but perhaps getting a little too caught in the story. The international theatre collective, Fish in a Dress, follows the thread of the history of hysteria in this critically-acclaimed show, which was given four stars by The Guardian and The Stage, as the audience becomes complicit in an outrageous tale of medical misogyny. The performer is Charlotte McBurney, daughter of Simon McBurney, founder and artistic director of the pioneering and acclaimed Complicite theatre company. The City for Incurable Woman is also at Shaftesbury Arts Centre on Friday 18th September and the Mowlem theatre at Swanage on Sunday 20th.

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Screen Time with Nic Jeune

Top Six at the Flix Bridport Arts Centre It Was Just an Accident (2025) 3rd September @ 7.30pm. Panahi welds scorching social critique to a masterful command of form: a devastating cry for justice, his latest also serves as a superb thriller. It is a towering achievement. The Film Stage. Leonardo Goi. Jaws (1975) 12th September @ 5.00pm. When it comes to this kind of thriller, no movie has been able to top Jaws, although many have tried. And, as the years go by, it seems increasingly unlikely that anything will come close. Reel Views. James Berardinelli. Portrait of a Lady on Fire. (2019) 17th September @ 7.30pm. Razor-sharp and shatteringly romantic ... as perfect a film as any to have premiered this year. IndieWire. David Ehrlich. Bridport Electric Palace The Odyssey (2026) 2nd September @ 2.00 pm & 7.30pm The Odyssey is easily the biggest spectacle you’ll see on-screen all year. The Film Maven. Kristen Lopez. Yeovil Cineworld Practical Magic 2 (2026) 18th September. In early 2025 …for a 2026 release, marking Bullock’s highly anticipated return to acting after a four-year hiatus - and the reunion of the original cast nearly 30 years after the first film. The cast includes three Oscar winners: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and one Oscar nominee: Stockard Channing. Vue Cinema Poole Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (40th Anniversary). 6th September. This is easily the most absurd of the “Star Trek” stories - and yet, oddly enough, it is also the best, the funniest and the most enjoyable in simple human terms. I’m relieved that nothing like restraint or common sense stood in their way. Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Ebert.

Luke looks at his life BRIDPORT PERFORMANCE poet Luke Wright was adopted—a fact he only discovered by accident. In his new show, Later Life Letter, coming to Bridport Arts Centre on Thursday 10th September at 8pm, he tells the story. What is it like to stumble across your birth mother on Facebook? How do you honour the parents who have raised you while satisfying a curiosity about where you came from? Is it telling that you married a social worker? As he examines the life he leads, and the one he might have done, Wright navigates his audience through a warm and honest hour of poems and stand-up with the wit, pathos and silliness that have made him one of the country’s most popular poets. This is a frank account of what it means to be someone’s child told by a performer who really knows what he’s doing. Expect raucous laughter, tear-stained cheeks, and a little smattering of drum n bass. Exploring identity in dance BRIDPORT YORKSHIRE-based artist Akeim Toussaint Buck comes to Bridport Arts Centre on Friday 25th September with his powerful solo show, Windows of Displacement. Drawing on Akeim’s own history, this dance piece reflects on universal ideas of migration, home, border and identity, integrating a richly expressive physicality with spoken word, tender folksong and visual image created in collaboration with crossdisciplinary artist Akeelah Betram. Toussaint is an award-winning interdisciplinary performer and maker, born in Jamaica and raised in England. He began making his own work after graduating from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, launching his own company, Toussaint To Move, in 2016 as a vehicle to create moving, thought-provoking, accessible and free-spirited projects. The aesthetic of Toussaint’s work combines dance and other art forms including creative writing, film, poetry, beat-box, singing and acting. His movement is informed by many different forms of physical expression, including kick-boxing, yoga, capoeira, Caribbean dance, hip hop and contemporary dance. An afternoon of harp and poetry DORCHESTER ACCLAIMED poet and performer Chris Tutton is joined by harpist Tara Minton for a fascinating entertainment, Imaginary Landscapes: Poetry and Harp, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on Sunday 27th September at 2.30pm. Tutton is an acclaimed author, performer and raconteur, who was described by the late Ned Sherrin as “the master of the short poem”. The performance features his words with dazzling, semi-improvised harp by the Australian-born and internationally renowned harpist. Together they have appeared on stages from the Hay Festival to the Royal Albert Hall, delighting audiences at sold-out shows across the UK.

54 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

The Young Lit Fix School Bus Graveyard By RED Published by Penguin Books Paperback £12.99 Recommended reading age 12+ Review by Nicky Mathewson Joanna Cooke comes to Honiton in September

Chris Tutton is the award-winning author of eight collections of poetry. His debut novel, The Failing of Angels, was published in 2020. Tara Minton is a harpist, vocalist and composer. She has worked with Bjork, Eska, Stan Sulzmann, Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, Opera North, the Royal Ballet and the Australian World Orchestra, and appeared at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms. She is professor of jazz harp at London Performing Academy of Music. A modern take on soul HONITON A SINGER whose sound is described as a modern take on the rich traditions of soul, jazz and blues, Joanna Cooke comes to Honiton’s Beehive Centre on Saturday 5th September. With a voice that transcends genres, Joanna is increasingly acclaimed for her soulful, emotionally charged vocals, with airplay on BBC Radio 1 and millions of streams . She was described by Martha Reeves as a “baby girl singing the blues,” with echoes of Aretha Franklin’s early 1970s classics. Channelling the essence of artists like Eva Cassidy and Joss Stone, she crosses musical boundaries. This year she is creating new material for her own releases. Surviving the 21st century LYME REGIS HOW do we defend ourselves against the countless challenges that the 2020s are throwing at us? That’s the question asked (and answered, perhaps) by comedian and novelist Rob Newman in his solo gig at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, on Saturday 26th September. Hot on the heels of his new novel, Intelligence, the “funniest comedian I have ever seen” (The Sunday Times) offers a 21st Century Survival Guide. How can we protect ourselves from oil shocks, chatbots and billionaire tech bros inciting civil war? Or stop AI stealing half our water, and stop water companies poisoning the rest? From retrofitting our towns and cities for the climate of the future to proposing a national maximum wage, Rob Newman explores what clues history offers us for when the rich and powerful go ape. The Scotsman said: “If this world could be saved by a superhero whose superpower was comedy, that hero would be Robert Newman.” GPW

SCHOOL BUS GRAVEYARD is a Webtoon smash hit horror series which has been brought to print by Penguin and boy what a treat is in store for young horror/graphic novel fans! The book opens at what looks like the climax of a very intense and scary dream where Ashlyn and her “friends” are under attack from a shadowy menace on a broken down school bus. It transpires that this nightmare scenario is happening every night and the whole gang are experiencing this and starting to lose their grip on reality. After a strange encounter on a school trip they find themselves haunted in their dreams and have to swallow resentments and differences to come up with a plan to defeat the spectres, or even go back to where this all began, the haunted house in Savannah. But that could be the worst idea ever. What if it’s a trap, and what if they find themselves in even more danger? I absolutely loved this graphic novel. It has kept all the charm of the webtoon, so the pictures are quite sketchy comics at times. The story is really engrossing and gloriously spooky. I can’t wait for volume 2!

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 September 2026 55

From Greece to Dorset

Earth My Earth showcases international collaboration, inspiring change through performance and sustainability.

his September, Bridport’s public spaces become a stage for art, exchange and community when the travelling event Earth My Earth arrives in town on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th of September. Combining different artistic approaches and opening them out to the community, the event is a concept developed over many years by Greek choreographer Angeliki Papadatou and cofounder of Kynourio Soma and co-producer of the project, Helen Noakes. Performing arts is the main artistic medium, with environmental practices embodied through an approach that reaches different facets of the individual, what Angeliki describes as a performative, rather than a conventional performance. Travelling to different locations, inviting local communities, artists and associations to take part in creative activism and experiential workshops, Earth My Earth began its journey in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece, home to Kynourio Soma. It has been brought to Dorset through a collaboration between Fingerprint Dance and the Greek non-profit Kynourio Soma. Earth My Earth works alongside a wide network of local dance, environmental, fashion and care

organisations. Local participants include: Bridport Youth Dance, including dancers from The Weavers; No Limits; Grace + Growl Dance Company; Bridport School of Regenerative Fashion; West Bay Swimmers Action Group; Harbour House residential care home for the elderly; and Bridport Food Matters. Together, they bring dance, young people, regenerative fashion, community action, older residents and food into the project. For its Bridport edition, the project turns to a theme close to home: textile waste. Through creative practice, it explores our relationship with clothes, materials, consumption, memory and reuse, and asks how we value the things we already have. Cleo Evans, the project’s Dorset partner for this edition, brings extensive experience in organising site-specific environmental artistic events and helping to develop the project locally. Across the weekend, the project unfolds along West Bay, Bridport’s seafront—from West Pier to the Salt House & Garden and along the East Beach area—as public space becomes a museum, a stage and a place for gathering and exchanging. The programme includes the collective creation of an installation, interactive performances, experiential workshops and community participation, closing with a shared feast that brings everyone together. Earth my Earth is mainly funded by The National Lottery Community Funding, awarded to Fingerprint Dance. The remainder of the budget is being organised via crowdfunder. The project runs from 3pm to 6pm at West Pier, the Salt House & Garden, and the East Pier / East Beach area in Bridport on Saturday 12th, and from 10am on Sunday 13th of September.

56 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 57

The Box

THE ODYSSEY - Documentaries Review by John Davis

The Odyssey - Channel 5 Documentary written and presented by Dan Snow; executive producer Bill Locke; 90 minutes, MyFive. Richard E. Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey; directed by Paul Bithrey; produced by Rob McCabe; four episodes, Channel Four.

ntil recently the only Homer most adults had heard of was the one encountered when they switched on the television and came face to face with a yellow cartoon donut eating character who is the head of America’s best-known dysfunctional family.* Now thanks to screens, small and/or large, the name has taken on a new meaning as the well-spring

of myths and legends from time immemorial. The Homer of ancient times is enjoying a renaissance thanks to Christopher Nolan’s cinematic epic The Odyssey and several television production companies have taken advantage to cash in. The Odyssey is not standard historical material but a collection of tales of unknown origin that may or may not be based on real characters and locations although we know that places like Troy and Mycenae did exist and Ithaca is certainly a Greek island. In addition, Homer himself may or may not have been a real Greek author/poet. Many classicists believe The Odyssey is a series of culture-laden stories originating first in verse form and then passed down through the ages orally.

58 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

It must have been a ‘no-brainer’ for Dan Snow to take on this particular venture. A week crisscrossing the azure waters of the Ionian Sea must have seemed doubly attractive after previous expeditions involving windswept deliveries to camera atop Hadrian’s Wall, hours spent trudging through muddy fields at Waterloo or in Flanders or roasting beneath Egypt’s pyramids. While visually stunning, this, it has to be said, is a low budget production. Snow does all the heavy lifting with the dialogue; the production crew appears to have been small and there are no special effects or dramatic re-enactments. There is, of course, the hire of the splendid sailing craft Snow uses in his travels and the knowledge of skipper Tom who, we are told, knows these waters like the back of his weatherbeaten hand. Some have likened this documentary to “an open-top bus tour with commentary-on water” but that seems too dismissive for the stimulating content is there albeit more suited to the casual viewer than the history buff. Snow’s intention “to get to the real story behind the legend” is rather an oxymoron since legends are traditional stories regarded as historical but considered lacking in authenticity. The re-telling of the incidents that Odysseus encounters on his return journey to Ithaca lack historical rigour but you cannot but admire Snow’s enthusiastic handson approach which is always indicative of someone really in love with their subject matter. Final gripes. The fact Snow wears the same T-shirt mostly throughout suggests perhaps filming took place in just a few days though it may be for continuity reasons. Why too are several minutes wasted after each commercial break re-capping on the previous part? Viewers memories are not that brief. The Richard E. Grant production includes the words ‘very modern’ in the title which suggests straight-off that this series is more of a travelogue than an historical field-studies expedition. Shades of Wish You Were Here. Sorry that dates me. Grant intersperses the history bits by trying his hand at many skills including cooking, wine tasting, acting (of course) cocktail making and craftwork.

While Snow limits his travels in the Ionian Sea between the generally accepted former location of Troy and Ithaca, Grant uses a much broader brush. His travels encompass Malta, Italy, Sicily, Tunisia, Turkey and Corfu and while the places are fascinating in their own right, links to The Odyssey itself seem rather tenuous. It’s a stretch of the imagination, for example, to relate the story involving Polyphemus, the Cyclops giant and his cave, to the craters at the top of Mount Etna. The use of ‘real’ Sirens, a robed Italian choir singing their beguiling songs, is a clever touch though. Grant is an engaging guide who, like Snow, claims to have read The Odyssey in his youth although, apart from some brief extracts, never digs deeply into the text. Throughout he displays the whole gamut of emotions and is convincing enough to persuade us this is not just an eminent actor savouring a jolly around the Mediterranean at the production company’s expense. In this series the gimmick used to maintain the viewers’ supposed flagging attention span is ‘coming up next’. Grant’s wardrobe too is far more vibrant from leather jacket and scarf to coloured shirts and billowing linen trousers although it would be wrong to say he ever lurches towards becoming ‘Portilloesque’. Both productions and Nolan’s blockbuster have rekindled new interest in Odysseus and classical studies in general. Books on the subject have been flying off the shelves, the tourist office in Ithaca has been inundated with calls but as for the urge to learn a difficult foreign language so that the text can be read in its original tongue, well that’s all Greek to me.

*Footnote: According to Matt Groening the creator of The Simpsons, the name Homer is actually his father’s name although, he maintains they are characteristically different. Marge comes from Marjorie, his mother, and his sisters’ real names are Lisa and Maggie. Bart however is an anagram. Think of the word defined as “an objectionable child.”

Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 59

FOR SALE Greenworks Electric Lawnmower. Selfpropelled. 2 batteries, 48 volts, plus charger. Mulch plug 9 height adjustments. One years old. Excellent condition. £100. 01308 455627. 5” 1960’s sylvac bloodhound dog excellent condition £15 Wade 5”bramble jug hand painted 1950’s £10 call Julia on 07814537404 I am based in Weymouth.

RESTORATION FURNITURE. Antique restoration and bespoke furniture. Furniture carefully restored and new commissions undertaken. French polishing and modern hand finishes. Phil Meadley. 01297 560335. phil. meadley@btinternet. com

May 26

Ex Display sheds. Stables, Fieldshelters, Garages, Summerhouses, Offices, Workshops, Agricultural. 01935 891195 Nov 26

WRITING

Zebra make suitcase 25”16”with wheels never used £12 matching smaller on £6 also old Tupton pointsetta china teddy collectable vgc £8 ring Julia on, 07814537404. I am based in Weymouth. Seventy French clay tiles ‘tuileries de le forest’ Any offer Tel: 01305 265726. Denby “Regatta” series. All items used but

in good condition, no chips or cracks. 6 dinner plates, 26cm: 6 side/ medium plates 22cm: 6 tea/side plates 17cm: 6 fruit/dessert/soup bowls 21cm: 4 cereal bowls 16 cm: Denby “White” 4 pasta bowls 22cm. For sale as a job lot not individually. Price shown is for all these items in total. £275.00. Buyer collects. Chardstock, between Chard and

May 27

Vintage & antique textiles, linens, costume buttons etc. always sought by Caroline Bushell. Tel. 01404 45901. Dec 26

condition £30. Buyer collects. Wooden step ladder 7’6”. 7 steps. Good condition £30. Buyer collects. 01460 220635.

LAND WORK

CHIMNEY SWEEP

WANTED WANTED: Vintage collections, job-lots & estate items. (Antique, wartime, toys, Motoring, advertising, Curio & interesting items) Seeking larger collections (typically £300+ in value). Fair offers & instant cash payments. Friendly approach, no obligation & Free Home Visits. Discrete Local Buyer. Darren 07875 677 897

Axminster. Email address redruth777@ hotmail.com : phone 07957563644. Wooden extending ladder, 18ft, very good

Wanted Old tractors. Any condition 4x4 pick-ups, estates, Peugeot 205D. Complete clearance undertaken. Tel. 07971 866364 Mar 27 Coin & Stamp Collections Wanted. Discerning collector / investor seeks pre-war collections of stamps and coins. Individual items considered. Tel Rod on 07802261339. Sept 26

Dave buys all types of tools 01935 428975 Jan 27

SPECIALIST BUILDING

Budding Authors. Writing an interesting story, the past achievements of an organisation or a family history for self-publishing and need some advice with style, layout and editing? Contact freelance author and editor John Davis on johndavis77@ btinternet.com. 60 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031

DISTRIBUTION

Health&Environment

Supporting Food Matters A THRIVING Bridport antiques and vintage market has donated £1,000 to a local organisation that helps to make the town greener, more productive and more connected. The Bridport Vintage Sunday Market team has presented the donation to Edible Bridport, a Bridport Food Matters’ project, supporting their work to transform underused public spaces into places where the community can grow fresh food. Part of the donation will fund the creation of additional vegetable beds and the renovation of a courtyard at St Michael’s Trading Estate, home of the popular monthly market. The remainder will support the development of community growing spaces across Bridport. Held on the last Sunday of each month from March to October, the Bridport Vintage Sunday Market has become one of West Dorset’s most popular specialist markets.

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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. Tel. 01308 423031 The Marshwood Vale Magazine September 2026 61