Sherborne Times May 2017

MAY 2017 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

BLUEwithSKY THINKING artist Anne-Louise Bellis

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

S

itting here at my desk, windows akimbo, I am typing to a soundtrack of blackbirds and bleating lambs. Plump-bellied wood pigeons with beaks full of twigs and eager sparrows wrestling clumps of moss offer an all-too-easy distraction to a wandering mind. I watch my small, feathered neighbours as, like excitable young newlyweds in a branch of John Lewis, they gleefully pick out their furnishings.

And so to May‌ As one of the fortunate few hundred who were able to squeeze into the recent Paddock Project consultation at Digby Hall, I was privileged to witness an impassioned debate presented in the overwhelming spirit of hope, progress and common sense. It brought to light a collective yearning that I have long suspected. A desire for change, yes, but also the determinedly united belief that we, as a community and society at large, must recognise the importance of art and creative expression. It is this momentum that has inspired much of the content over the coming pages. We meet artists, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, chefs, stylists, an interior designer, architect, gardener, Oscar-winning costume designer and even a singing postman. All in their own way, creative – and our lives the richer for it.

Have a great month.

Glen Cheyne, Editor editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk @sherbornetimes

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard Sub-editor Julia Chadwick Photography Katharine Davies Feature writer Jo Denbury Print Pureprint Distribution team David Elsmore Christine Knott Sarah Morgan Alfie Neville-Jones Maggie Pelly Claire Pilley Geoff Wood Contact 01935 814803 07957 496193 @sherbornetimes editor@sherbornetimes.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk PO Box 9170 Sherborne DT9 9DW Sherborne Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSC® and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Sherborne Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Sherborne Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission from Sherborne Times.

Additional photography: contributor’s own, Shutterstock, iStock, Alamy and Dreamstime 4 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Alex Ballinger @lexBallinger Simon Barber Evolver Magazine @SimonEvolver evolver.org.uk David Birley Mayor of Sherborne Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers @CharterhouseAV charterhouse-auction.com Mike Burks The Gardens Group @TheGardensGroup thegardeneronline.co.uk Marco Cavallaro MRSS DipBSS The London Road Clinic @56londonroad 56londonroad.co.uk Jonathan Cheal Mogers Drewett Solicitors @mogersdrewett md-solicitors.co.uk Ali Cockrean @AliCockrean alicockrean.co.uk Gillian M Constable DWT Sherborne Group @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk David Copp

Peter Henshaw & Mike Riley Riley’s Cycles @rileyscycles rileyscycles.co.uk @DCNSherborne dcn.org.uk Sarah Hitch The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms @SanctuaryDorset thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk Nicky King The Eastbury Hotel & The Three Wishes theeastburyhotel.co.uk thethreewishes.co.uk Colin Lambert colinlambert.co.uk Gemma Loader BVetMed MRCVS Kingston Veterinary Group @TheKingstonVets kingstonvets.co.uk Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant @greensherborne greenrestaurant.co.uk Marcia Moody on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Shannon Miles Oxley Sports Centre @OxleySports oxleysc.com

Jenny Dickinson Dear to Me Studio, Fine Stationery @DearToMeStudio deartome.co.uk

Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership @swanhousevet newtonclarkevet.com

Giles Dick-Read Reads Coffee Roasters @reads_coffee readscoffee.co.uk

Kitty Oakshott Upstairs Downstairs Interiors @updowninteriors updowninteriors.co.uk

Monsignor Robert Draper Sacred Heart and Saint Aldhelm Church

Lisa Osman All Hallows AGA Approved Cookery School @cooksandmakers allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk

Yvonne Fawbert Sherborne Preparatory School @Sherborneprep sherborneprep.org Jimmy Flynn Milborne Port Computers @MPortComputers computing-mp.co.uk Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.)

CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk Andy Foster BSC(Hons) BA(Hons) BArch(Hons) CEng MIStructE RIBA Raise Architects @raisearchitects raisearchitects.com Paul Gammage & Anita Light EweMove Sherborne @ewemoveyeovil ewemove.com Sandie Higham Sherborne Scribblers Mark Greenstock Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com

Lindsay Punch Lindsay Punch Styling @stylistmum lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk Christine Roberts Robin James @RobinJamesAveda robin-james.co.uk Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom Glencairn House Clinic glencairnhouse.co.uk doctortwrobinson.com Loretta Lupi-Lawrence The Sherborne Rooms thesherbornerooms.com Jane Somper Goldhill Organics @GoldhillOrganic goldhillorganics.co.uk Val Stones @valstones bakerval.com Wayne Winstone Winstone’s Books @winstonebooks winstonebooks.co.uk

54 8

What’s On

MAY 2017 48 Antiques

102 Finance

16 Unearthed

50 Gardening

106 Tech

18 Shopping Guide

54 ANNE-LOUISE BELLIS

108 Directory

22 Wild Dorset

62 Food & Drink

112 Folk Tales

28 Family

74 Animal Care

114 Short Story

32 Art

77 On Foot

115 Literature Review

36 Film

78 Cycle Sherborne

116 Crossword

38 Interiors

80 Body & Mind

117 Pause for Thought

44 Architecture

94 Property

118 The Mayor www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

All models £999 deposit and monthly payments from just £199 until 30 June.

Suddenly a new Audi is very affordable.

Yeovil Audi. Look No Further.

Yeovil Audi Houndstone Business Park, Mead Avenue, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8RT 01935 574981 yeovilaudi.co.uk  

6.3% APR Representative At the end of the agreement there are three options: i) retain the vehicle: pay the optional final payment to own the vehicle; ii) return the vehicle; or iii) replace: part exchange the vehicle, finance subject to status.

Offers available when purchased on a Solutions Personal Contract Plan for vehicles ordered between 1st April 2017 and 30th June 2017. Further charges may be payable if vehicle is returned. Offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. Available to 18’s and over. Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Finance subject to status. Accurate at time of publication [April 2017]. Freepost Audi Finance. A1 Hatchback 1.4 TFSI Sport, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £199.00, Customer Deposit £999.00, Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £1512.13, Retail cash price £17,405.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £8,027.50, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £20,100.63, Total amount of credit £14,893.87, Representative APR 5.9%, Rate of interest 5.84% (fixed). A4 Saloon 1.4 TFSI Sport, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £279.00, Customer Deposit £999.00, Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £3,881.04, Retail cash price £28,060.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £11,400.00, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £30,683.04, Total amount of credit £22,178.96, Representative APR 3.9%, Rate of interest 3.85% (fixed). A5 Coupé 2.0 TFSI Sport, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £349.00, Customer Deposit £999.00,

A1 Hatchback 1.4 TFSI Sport £999 deposit £199 a month

A4 Saloon 1.4 TFSI Sport £999 deposit £279 a month

A5 Coupé 2.0 TFSI Sport £999 deposit £349 a month

A6 Saloon 2.0 TDI SE Executive ultra £999 deposit £349 a month

TT Coupé 1.8 TFSI Sport £999 deposit £299 a month

Q3 1.4 TFSI S line Edition £999 deposit £349 a month

When funded through an Audi Solutions Personal Contract Plan.

Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £4,810.87, Retail cash price £32,760.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £15,485.00, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £38,056.87, Total amount of credit £26,950.13, Representative APR 6.2%, Rate of interest 6.22% (fixed). A6 Saloon 2.0 TDI SE Executive ultra, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £349.00, Customer Deposit £999.00, Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £8,421.76, Retail cash price £33,880.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £12,397.50, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £37,581.26, Total amount of credit £25,458.24, Representative APR 4.8%, Rate of interest 4.84% (fixed). Q3 1.4 TFSI S line Edition, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £349.00, Customer Deposit £999.00, Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £2,681.23, Retail cash price £29,850.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £13,808.75, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £34,240.98, Total amount of credit £26,169.77, Representative APR 5.5%, Rate of interest 5.45% (fixed). TT Coupé 1.8 TFSI Sport, Duration 49 months, 48 monthly payments of £299.00, Customer Deposit £999.00, Yeovil Audi Deposit Contribution £4,785.26, Retail cash price £28,150.00, Acceptance fee £0.00, Optional final payment £12,326.25, Option to purchase fee £10.00, Total amount payable £32,472.51, Total amount of credit £22,365.74, Representative APR 6.2%, Rate of interest 6.20% (fixed.

Ocean Automotive Ltd (t/a Yeovil Audi) acts as a credit broker and not a lender.

Images are shown for illustration purposes only. Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the Audi range: Urban 16.1-65.7 (7.5-4.3), Extra Urban 30.4-83.1 (9.3-3.4), Combined 23.0-76.3 (12.3-3.7). CO2 emissions: 287-97g/km. Standard EU Test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Optional wheels may affect emissions and fuel consumption figures.

WHAT'S ON Listings

and Counter-Memorials

____________________________

Digby Hall, Hound St

Sunday 26th April to Wednesday 24th May 7pm-9pm Essential Family History 5 Week Course Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, The Parade, Cheap Street,

Sherborne. Members £30, non-members £35. Download booking form online at sdfhs.org 01935 389611

sherborneartslink.org.uk

____________________________

Angela Findlay is a professional artist

Thursday 11th 7.30pm

murals to prisoners. Her lecture gives a

Assoc. AGM plus talk

War 11 German artists who created

Talk by Dinah Lindon-Critchley,

with experience in teaching art and

Sherborne Gardeners

most unusual slant on the post World

Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne.

memorials and counter-memorials.

Blooming Plants Nursery on Flowers for

New members are welcome. For further information visit: sherborne-dfas.org.uk

Cutting. £2 for visitors, 01935 389375

____________________________

____________________________

Friday 12th 7.30pm

____________________________

Sunday 7th

Evening of Mediumship

Friday 28th April -

Friends of the Yeatman

Tuesday 2nd May

Hospital Car Boot Sale

Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne.

Sherborne Abbey Music Festival

Terrace Playing Fields, Sherborne (£5 per

A packed program of both free and paid entry concerts feat. Emma Johnson, Tenebrae, Nicola Benedetti, Robert

Sharp and more! Tickets from Sherborne

car), Sellers from 8.15am, buyers from 9am (50p per person). We regret dogs

Marcus Burnett and friends. £15 from Sherborne TIC. For more info: 01963 251477 or 07855 175357

are not allowed in car boot field, but are

Saturday 13th - Sunday 21st

welcome in adjacent areas. 07790 863518

weekdays 10am-3pm,

____________________________

weekends 9am-5pm

____________________________

Monday 8th 9.30am-3.30pm

Time & Tide

Tuesdays & Thursdays 10.30am

West Country Embroiderers -

Sherborne Town Walk

Exquisite Miniature Book

The Old Cow Shed Studio, Manor Farm,

1½-2 hrs with Blue Badge Guide Cindy.

Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne

Thursdays cover upper Sherborne and

each month, with an optional workshop,

TIC. sherborneabbeyfestival.org

Tuesdays cover central Sherborne &

Saxon Hound Street. Both walks start from Sherborne TIC, Digby Rd. £5, 01935 815341

We meet monthly on 2nd Monday of

£15 booked in advance. New members

are welcomed. Details: Ann 01963 34696 ____________________________

Glanvilles Wootton, Sherborne, DT9

5PZ. An exhibition of painting, prints

and jewellery by Liz Bath, Anne-Louise

Bellis, Catrina Bruce and Mags Maxwell.

07970 797748 abellis@btinternet.com

theoldcowshedstudio.co.uk Read our AnneLouise Bellis feature on pages 54-61

____________________________

Wednesday 10th

Tuesdays 2nd – 23rd

Auction of Classic and Vintage

Saturday 13th -

May 2.30pm-4pm

Motorcycles

Sunday 14th 11am-5pm

ArtsLink Parkinson’s Dance

Charterhouse Long Street, Sherborne.

Health Wellbeing & Spirit Fayre

in a garage fire when in Australia 80

Workshops & demonstrations throughout

A fun, supportive and therapeutic class with movement specifically designed

for those experiencing the symptoms of Parkinson’s. These sessions, led by fully

trained specialists, are finished with a cup

A 1937 Velocette Works 500, which was

Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne.

years ago, has been totally rebuilt. 01935

the day. Reiki, Massage, Indian Head

812277 charterhouse-auctions.co.uk

____________________________

Massage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy,

Tarot, and more. £1 entry. For more info:

of tea and social time. £3.50 on the door,

Wednesday 10th 7.30pm

01963 251477 / 07855 175357

out more from ArtsLink 01935 815899

Memorial Hall, Digby Rd, Sherborne.

Tuesday 16th 2pm

____________________________

pilot who became a hero after landing

A unique, private tour and talk behind

saving the passengers and crew. £6 from

by knowledgeable and enthusiastic

carers free. New people welcome. Find

ArtsLink Flicks ‘Sully’ (12A)

sherborneartslink.org.uk

The story of Chesley Sullenberger, the

ArtsLink Trip ‘Behind the Scenes’

his damaged plane on the Hudson River

the scenes at Stourhead Gardens led

Wednesday 3rd 2pm and 8pm Sherborne Decorative and Fine Arts Society - German Memorials 8 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Sherborne TIC, pre-film supper £12

____________________________

Stourhead gardener Emily Utgren. £10

MAY 2017 current NT members, £18 non NT

Sherborne Abbey. A rich repertoire

sherborneartslink.org.uk

century, from Downland to Purcell.

members, from ArtsLink 01935 815899 ____________________________

of English music from the 17th

£13.50-£17.50 from Sherborne TIC. shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk

Wednesday 17th 6pm Sherborne Chamber of

____________________________

Trade & Commerce AGM

Wednesday 24th 7.30pm

Digby Hall, Hound Street. We look

Under 5’s free. 01749 814041 sherbornecountryfair.com

Workshops and Classes

An Overview of the Wave and

____________________________

forward to seeing as many of you there as

Tidal Stream Energy Sectors

The Slipped Stitch

possible. Refreshments will be provided.

____________________________

Raleigh Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne.

The Julian, Cheap St, Sherborne.

Saturday 20th 2pm

Lecture by Dr Stephanie Merry, Director of Focus Offshore Ltd info@focus-

theslippedstitch.co.uk

Somerset and Dorset Family History Society - ‘A Freezing

offshore.com focus-offshore.com

Call 01935 508249 or visit us to book

____________________________

Wednesday 3rd - 7pm-9pm

Horror’: the wreck of the

Saturday 27th 9.30am-12pm

Lace knitting

Halsewell, 1786

Friends of the Yeatman Hospital

Saturday 6th

The Parade, Cheap Street, Sherborne.

Plant and Cake Sale

Yarn Shop Day

A talk by Dorset writer, Philip Browne, drawing on his recent book, The

Outside the main building of the

10am-12pm spinning demonstration,

Unfortunate Captain Peirce and the

Yeatman Hospital, car parking adjacent.

Lots of bargains, contributions welcome

flower, 2pm-4pm free knit and natter

Wreck of the Halsewell. He will describe the terrible events that shocked the

nation when a huge East India Company

on the morning of the sale from 8.15am.

For earlier drop-off please email contact@

12pm-2pm drop in and make a crochet session. Raffle in aid of local charities.

Saturday 13th, 10am-3pm

friendsoftheyeatman.org.uk 01935 814985

Learn to spin

More than two centuries later, the story

Bank Holiday Monday

Improvers’ crochet, joining

of the Halsewell still has the power to

29th 10am-6pm

techniques and borders

move us. SDFHS Members: £8. Non-

Sherborne Castle Country Fair

Thursday 18th - 6.30pm-8.30pm

members: £10. 01935 389611 sdfhs.org

Yarn dyeing

____________________________

Sherborne Castle Grounds, DT9 5NR.

Saturday 20th - 10am-4pm

Saturday 20th 7.30pm

A traditional country fair with displays and attractions, trade and craft stands

Needle felted birds

and a rare and native breed animal show.

Saturday 27th 10am-1pm

Tickets on the day cost: adult £12.00,

Get into smocking

children (5-16) £4.00, family* £29.00.

Plus Knit and Natter runs every

ship was wrecked on the Purbeck coast.

Cambridge Renaissance Voices & Concordia: Music for Voices and Viols

Saturday 13th - 10am-12pm

Marty Wilde & The Wildcats Saturday 17th June, 7:30pm.

Tickets £20

Box Office:

01258 475137 Old Market Hill, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 1FH

www.stur-exchange.co.uk

Champions of Rock

Experience one of rock ‘n’ roll’s original pioneers, live on stage.

Friday 23rd June, 7:30pm. Tickets £18/£17

Direct from London’s West End, the ultimate Queen tribute. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

WHAT'S ON

Children In association with sherborneparents.com. Please share your recommendations and contacts via facebook.com/Sherborne-Parents or email mail@sherborneparents.com ____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

Saturday Seals

Second Sunday of

Sherborne Boys School Sports Centre.

every month 3pm-5pm

toddlers, lessons for swimmers from baby

‘Steps’ Community Church, North

during school term time and further

all age church including crafts, song,

Water confidence sessions for babies and

Messy Church

through to adults. Lessons take place

Street, Milborne Port. Relaxed, informal,

information can be found on the FaceBook page: Saturday Seals Swimming Club

food and lots of fun!

____________________________

____________________________

Fridays 1.45pm-3pm

Saturday 13th 10am - 4.30pm

Mondays 10am-12pm

Trent Babies and Toddlers Group

Push The Boat Out 2017

‘First Steps’

Sutton Bingham Sailing Club, Sutton

Baby and Toddler Group

Trent Youngs School, Trent Village.

the joy of sailing! Book for a trial sail

Milborne Port. Great place for parents

Bingham, Yeovil, BA22 9QP. Discover

‘Steps’ Community Church, North Street,

with an experienced club sailor (8 yrs

and carers to meet and for children to

+). For more information please contact ptbo@suttonbinghamsc.net or 07925

make friends, learn and interact together

____________________________

632613 www.suttonbinghamsc.net

Themed creative activities including messy play, time outside, singing and dancing

(wear old clothes!). FREE! Please contact Georgina Howland or Lizzie Watson via the school office for more details: 01935 850496 office@trentyoungs.dorset.sch.uk

____________________________

____________________________

Tuesday and Thursday 10am-12pm.

and make-up colours to complement

____________________________

youthful glow info@lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk

each month 9am-1pm

your natural features, whilst giving you a

Every third Friday in

____________________________

Farmers’ Market

Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road,

Wednesday 24th May 10am-4pm

Cheap Street

tunes by ear, experiment with chords and all instruments. £10 in advance/£12 on

A full day class exploring the theme of

Local artisan market,

rate) from ArtsLink 01935 815899

____________________________

____________________________ Sunday 7th 1.30pm–4.30pm Sherborne Folk Band workshop Sherborne DT9 3NL. Learn to play folk

ArtsLink Watercolour workshop with Jake Winkle

Every fourth Sunday 11am-4pm

arrangements. Suitable for all levels and

Memorial Hall, Digby Rd, Sherborne.

Big Little Market

the door/£25 for 3 consecutive workshops.

summer landscapes. £55 or £45 (Friends

Digby Hall, Hound Street

laurelswift.co.uk Julia: 01935 817905

____________________________ Thursday 11th 7.30pm-10pm Shape & Style Class

sherborneartslink.org.uk

____________________________

Sherborne Venue. Avoid making

Fairs and Markets

best styles to suit your figure, lifestyle

Thursdays and Saturdays

____________________________

The Parade

____________________________

Saturday 13th 10am-4pm Antiques & Fleamarket Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne, DT9 3NL. 1000s of collectables,

expensive mistakes by discovering the

____________________________

and budget info@lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk

Pannier Market

Thursday 18th 7.30pm-10pm

____________________________

Saturday 20th 9.30am-4pm

Colour Analysis Class

Thursday mornings 9.15am-11.15am

Bookfair

Sherborne Venue. Learn how to build a

Country Market

Church Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne

versatile wardrobe with the best clothing

10 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Church Hall, Digby Road

antiques and crafts. An old fashioned fair for everyone. Free entry. 01749 677049 westcountrycraftfairs.co.uk

____________________________

DT9 3NL. New, second-hand and

MAY 2017 Cricket Club

colinbakerbooks@btinternet.com

Sherborne Cricket Club

Saturday 27th 8.30am-3.30pm

Terraces, Gainsborough Hill DT9 5NS

Matches start at 1.30pm

antiquarian books. 01803 613356 ____________________________ Vintage Market Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne.

Dorset League Premier

Compton Park, Over Compton, Sherborne.

Dorset League Division 2

____________________________

Matches start at 1pm

Saturday 6th

____________________________

Marnhull v

Saturday 6th

Compton House

Broadstone v Sherborne

____________________________

____________________________

Saturday 13th

Saturday 13th

Compton House v

____________________________

Sherborne v Dorchester

Sherborne 2nds

Every Tuesday and Thursday

____________________________

____________________________

7.30pm–8.30pm

Saturday 20th

Saturday 20th

Mixed Touch Rugby

Shroton v Sherborne

Stalbridge 2nds v

Sherborne School Floodlit Astroturf, Ottery

____________________________

Compton House

Lane. DT9 6EE. Novices very welcome. £2

Saturday 27th

____________________________

per session, first four sessions free. For more

Sherborne v Poole

Saturday 27th

details go to www.sherbornetouch.org or

____________________________

Compton House v

call Jimmy on 07887 800803

Compton House

Blandford

30+ sellers of quality vintage items.

07809 387594

____________________________

Sport

____________________________

____________________________

DAYS OUT & HOLIDAYS with TAYLORS COACH TRAVEL Day Trips ____________________________ May Drive & Lunch Monday 1st May Adults £29.00, Club £27.00

____________________________ Burrow Farm Gardens Sunday 7th May Adults £20.00, Club £18.00

____________________________ Stewarts Garden Centre

Royal Botanic Gardens

and Ringwood Brewery Tour

and Palace – Kew

2017 Day Trips & Excursions

Sunday 14th May

Sunday 28th May

brochure now available. To join

Adults £24.50, Club £22.50

Adults £35.50, Club £33.50

our mailing list for our 2017

____________________________

brochure call the office now!

Marlow & Henley on Thames

Norfolk Delights

Saturday 20th May

3rd – 7th July

Adults £35.50, Club £33.50

5 Days from £445.00 per person

01935 423177

____________________________

____________________________

www.taylorscoachtravel.co.uk

____________________________ www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

PREVIEW In association with

THE WESSEX ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE

‘Lemons And Narcissus,’ oil on canvas, 92 x 122cm, Ann Armitage

Ann Armitage and Elsa Taylor 13th-31st May, Monday-Saturday, 9.30am-5pm The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LN jerramgallery.com A combination of still lifes and landscapes by two distinguished artists, Ann Armitage and Elsa Taylor, will be on show in a two-man exhibition at The Jerram Gallery this May. Both

artists show a different approach to the subject, making for a colourful, rich and varied experience.

Ann Armitage moved from London down to Cornwall 10

years ago, when she took up painting full time. The visual and

tactile act of painting is a direct response to her environment and

she spends a lot of time simply arranging a still life. Lately, she has introduced more colour into her work and is tending towards an

impression of a flower, rather than being botanically correct. She

never uses paint “straight from the tube.” The paint is applied with palette knives and cloth in layers, which are later scratched into 12 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

to reveal glimpses of the colours underneath. As well as floral, her still life works include fruit, particularly lemons and figs.

Elsa Taylor’s studio is in an old smithy at the edge of the

Cotswolds. Elsa’s landscapes are fairly abstract, but retaining a figurative approach. Though to begin with Elsa works mostly

from nature, the image evolves as she completes the painting in

her studio. Colour is very important and she spends a long time mixing the palette so that all colours are in harmony. The image has to be something that moves her initially – how the light

falls on a single flower, perhaps, or how a building appears on

the landscape, resulting in something a little more mysterious. evolver.org.uk

DORSET LETTINGS ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF AN EXCITING NEW RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SALES DIVISION Over the last 30 years, Dorset

Lettings has established a reputation for Integrity, Expertise and Service Excellence; a company you can trust.

In response to the evolving property market, Dorset Lettings is making some significant changes to its business.

From 1 April, we will be offering a full residential property sales service to the same exacting standards as our core lettings and property management services. To accommodate the new service, Dorset Lettings will change its name to Dorset Property.

NEW NAME, NEW SERVICE, SAME OUTSTANDING COMPANY VALUES The market is changing:  A new property investor market has evolved from the expansion of the Buy-to-Let sector The emergence of internet-only  agents offering a basic property listing service.

Dorset Lettings is evolving to meet the needs of the changing market.

We will offer more choice… a better more flexible service:  • An efficient, competitively priced basic sales service • An added-value full estate agency service offering real value for money.

How will the new service be different?

In short, by applying Dorset Lettings integrity and service standards to the new residential service:  Following industry best practice   Providing honest expert  professional advice. (Less scrupulous agents often over value properties to win business).  Fair competitive pricing to offer  real value  Being pro-active – pursuing all  opportunities, taking prompt action, being attentive to detail and providing regular communication  Always acting with integrity in  the customer’s best interest  By being dedicated to providing  the best service in Dorset  Our priority is to sell your  property not just list it.

Dorset Property will pursue two potential sources of buyer:  Traditional house buyers  Property investors, including  exclusive access to Dorset Lettings database of some 1500 landlords.

EVOLVING TO MEET CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS

Marketing Dorset Property since 1984.

We’re dedicated to being the best at what we do, for you.

UNEARTHED ANNA STERCK, AGED 11 Sherborne Preparatory School

A

nna is a natural artist, who approaches creativity with the true curiosity of a child. In a world where technology provides new ways of manipulating and recording images, she personifies the very essence of exploration, joy and discovery.

Anna has recently spent some time in Lanzarote, where she visited the studio and museum of César Manrique and developed an appreciation of the artist’s exciting compositions with sand, stones and other natural materials. She loves to produce sketches from observation and has collated a poignant record of her interests and imagination at this stage in her creative life. Always involving herself in artistic activities, Anna’s work was part of this year’s SATIPS National Prep Art Exhibition at Cheltenham College, representing Sherborne Preparatory School with a colourful abstract design.

Great artists of the 20th century such as Picasso, Matisse and Chagall have drawn from the artistic expression of children as a source of inspiration. Anna’s own vibrant talent shows enormous promise for the future.

You can see more of Anna’s and her fellow student’s work, at the Sherborne Prep Summer Art Exhibition, opening at 5pm on Friday 23rd June.

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY Portrait, lifestyle, PR and editorial commissions 07808 400083 info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk

16 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

THE SEARCH FOR INCOME

Many of us invest to generate an income.

But in a world of lower investment returns, how do you create the right long-term plan that balances your income needs with the risks you are prepared to take?

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise.You may get back less than you invested.

For more information about investing for income, contact:

PETER HARDING WEALTH MANAGEMENT Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Email: peterhardingwm@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.peterhardingwm.co.uk 40 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8JG 9 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3PU

Tel: 01747 855554 Tel: 01935 315315

The Partner Practice represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The title ‘Partner Practice’ is the marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Peter Harding Wealth Management is a trading name of Peter Harding Practice Ltd. H2SJP25277 03/17

Bar apron and tools, £75 (Circus) Mondovino aperitive crackers, £2.55 (The Pear Tree)

Meri Meri napkins, plates and cocktail stirrers, £4.25 – £6.75 (Circus)

Funkin Pro cocktail purees, £9.99 each (Vineyards)

LSA champagne bowls, £85 For set of 10 (3 shown) (Circus)

Party notecards, £12 (deartomestudio.com)

MIXED DOUBLES Jenny Dickinson, Dear To Me Studio Send out the invites, festoon the patio, and create the perfect playlist, for 13th of May is World Cocktail Day! Chin-chin! deartomestudio.com 18 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Dorset Knob biscuits, £11.95 (The Pear Tree)

Garland lights, £18 (Melbury Gallery)

Serving tray, £16 (Melbury Gallery)

Olive boat, £5.50 (Melbury Gallery)

Decorative paper flowers, £5 each (Melbury Gallery)

Liberty Fields vodka, £9.99 (Vineyards)

Cassis liqueur, £11.99 (The Pear Tree)

Newton House gin £37.95 (Vineyards) www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19

Bespoke Kitchen & Cabinet Makers

Come visit us at the Sherborne Castle Country Fair

May 29th 10am - 6pm Sherborne Castle We will be on our stand all day selling various items including; stools, cutting boards and a large island unit We look forward to meeting you!

J Smith Woodwork Ltd Staffords Green Corton Denham Sherborne Dorset DT9 4LY 01963 220147 | 07773 701812 | jamie@jsmithwoodwork.co.uk jsmithwoodwork.co.uk

Wild Dorset

CHEEP THRILLS Marcia Moody, for Dorset Wildlife Trust

A

t 5.15am on a cold, early-spring morning, the sky is inky with no sign of dawn. Sunrise is another hour and a quarter away, but the birds have already started singing. If my neighbours were to look out of the window, they might wonder what I’m doing bundled up with a cup of tea in the back garden at this hour, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time.

We’re all familiar with the dawn chorus, whether we associate it with the bleary-eyed start of a new day, or – back through the mists of time – with the end of a particularly good night. But that gradual crescendo is something I’ve always wanted to experience as a main event. I’d been online to familiarise myself with some common birdsong and found the onomatopoeic chiffchaff the easiest to identify. The great tit, too, has a simple two-note pattern and the wren’s full-throated trilling is like an outpouring of pure sound. OK, got it! In real life, however, it’s another matter…

Some of the birds are closer and therefore louder. They overlap with each other, which makes them difficult to identify. As the sky begins to lighten around 5.30am, there are so many different trills and peeps coming from everywhere, it reminds me of an orchestra warming up. I refill my mug and enjoy the symphony.

Two weeks later, I joined Paul Morton from The Birds of Poole Harbour (birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk) for a more in-depth outing, when he answered my questions on this incredible natural phenomenon. “Spring is the best time to hear the dawn chorus, as this is when the males sing to stake out their territories and attract females,” he tells me. “Although birds sing throughout the day, around dawn is the best time because the air is still, so the sound carries further.”

As we spot a dunnock on the gorse, he explains that year-rounders such as these – also including robins, blackbirds and blue tits – can be heard in early spring. They are later joined by migrating birds such as blackcaps, cuckoos and nightingales, which fly in from the likes of Spain and subSaharan Africa. The sights and sounds of nature that I have experienced in the past few weeks mean that I head off not only with my newfound knowledge, but a recommendation for a decent pair of beginner’s binoculars too… dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

22 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23

Wild Dorset

SHERBORNE DWT Gillian M. Constable, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Sherborne Committee

T

he Sherborne DWT Group’s May meeting is the last indoor gathering before the summer break and our talk concerns a topic which we have not covered previously – wildlife crime. Sadly this is a nationwide problem. In August 2016 a new Rural Crime Team was launched in Dorset by PCC Martyn Underhill. Rural crime includes wildlife crime and specialist knowledge is required by officers investigating these crimes. What is the law relating to hares, dormice, eels, bats and badgers? How does the examination of a poaching site proceed and is it different for deer and pheasants? What are the laws concerning trade in endangered species?

Our meeting is on Wednesday 17th May at 7.30 and held in Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road. You do not have to be a DWT member to attend and entrance is £2.50 at the door. The speakers are PC Claire Dinsdale, Dorset Rural Crime Team Co-ordinator, and PC Phil Sugrue and their title is ‘Wildlife Crime in Dorset’. I am sure we shall discover something that we can contribute to protect the wonderful wildlife we support.

Our road verges are changing colour every month.

As I write we have beautiful clumps of primroses and the cowslips are starting to lift their delicate clusters of flowers. Soon these will be joined by bluebells and 24 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

red campion. How much we would miss this colourful accompaniment to our journeys about the county. Take a look at DWT’s website and learn something about their ‘Road Side Verges Project’. The key words ‘miniature nature reserves’, ‘wildlife corridors’ and ‘habitat networks’ occur and you might be able to do something to conserve these important refuges.

Orange Tip butterflies are a favourite of mine.

Sadly they are on the wing so briefly – just for two months, roughly mid-April to mid-June. The male has a wonderful bright orange tip to the upper-side of its forewing, the female lacks this colour and has upper-side wings more like a small-white butterfly.

Both genders have a beautiful green mottling to the under-side of their hindwings. Frequently they can be seen flitting over damp meadows where Ladies Smock, Cardamine pratensis, grows. This is one of the plant species on which they lay eggs. Gentle inspection of a flower head can sometimes reveal an egg. Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata, is also used and we scattered some seeds in the garden but within a couple of years we felt overwhelmed by plants so be warned about introducing it to your garden. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST

BRUTON SCHOOL FOR GIRLS ON SUNNY HILL

The top school across Somerset and Dorset for GCSE results* *Attainment 8 Score, DfE Jan 2017

Open Morning Mon 1st May 2017 or call to book a personal visit or taster day SUNNY HILL • BRUTON • SOMERSET

W www.brutonschool.co.uk T 01749 814400 E admissions@brutonschool.co.uk Day and boarding school for girls aged 7-18 Day school for girls and boys aged 3-7 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

Darts Exhibition with

Eric Bristow & John Lowe Friday June 2nd

Play your past Champion on the night Meet, greet, photo and signature opportunity Memorabilia Auction Evening hosted by World Class MC Mr. Paul Booth

Tickets from £10

VIP tables available please ask for details

Entry from 7.30pm George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk

An evening with

Harry Redknapp supported by

MC Paul Booth & Comedian Bob Webb

Saturday June 3rd

Grab your chance to meet the legend.

Photo, signature and meet opportunity VIP/Corporate tables available - ask for details Memorabilia Auction Evening MC - Mr. Paul Booth Two course meal included in the ticket price followed by Harry’s after dinner speech

Tickets from £40 Doors open from 6.30pm Event starts 7.00pm

George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk 26 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

BESPOKE TRAV E L A DV E NTURE S IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Discover Namibia

Zimbabwe Highlights 10-Day Fly-In Safari

Anything is Possible

Arriving in Windhoek you will be met and transferred to your 4x4 vehicle for a full briefing. You will then start out on your adventure through this gentle and barren country, through quiet deserts and over rugged hills, along beach roads, up towards the Etosha Game Park, stopping at wonderful safari lodges & tented camps along the way.

This magical safari begins with 3 days in Victoria Falls followed by 4 days at a luxury tented camp in Hwange National Park, famous for its massive herd of 40000 elephants. It finishes with 5 days on the mighty Zambezi River with an abundance of bird and wildlife. Throughout this journey every detail is taken care of… A truly once in a lifetime experience!

South Africa is such a diverse country from deserts to majestic mountain ranges. It has amazing self drive options down the beautiful Indian Ocean coastline stretching from Northern Natal to Cape Point, with wonderful wine lands not to mention fabulous game parks.

Prices from £1500.00pp*

Prices from £4300.00pp*

12 Day Self Drive Safari

South Africa

Many of our clients like to combine a beach holiday with a safari, keeping the whole family happy.

“From start to finish there wasn’ t a single hiccup or negative.

I never knew there were so many elephants in Zimbabwe!”

Susie & Piers Pisani Sep 2016

Every trip we plan is unique, created with you in mind around your needs and budget www.bentleysbespoketravel.com email: info@bentleysbespoketravel.com * Flights not included

Family

SHAPING MUSICAL MINDS

P

Yvonne Fawbert, Director of Music, Sherborne Preparatory School

lato famously stated, “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.� I wholeheartedly concur!

There is so much that a child can develop through 28 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

music. Listening skills, teamwork, perseverance, independence, organisation skills, connecting with and expressing feelings and emotions, discipline and control, the art and pleasure of performing, interpretation and of course the enrichment and joy that music can bring to

"There is geometry in the humming of the strings."

everyday life.

There is a good reason why universities such as Edinburgh now offer a BSc in mathematics and music – both subjects are about patterns and intervals, or identifying shape. In Pythagoras’s words, “There is geometry in the humming of the strings.”

These are just some of the reasons that I believe so passionately that music must be an integral part of every child’s education.

Every single child is different and I consider that there is an instrument for everyone. Choosing the right one takes time, so at Sherborne Prep we offer trials with our specialist teachers and match the instrument to the child.

The relationship between instrumental teacher and child is crucial and these trials help to establish this relationship quickly. With the right instrument and the right teacher, a child is very unlikely to give up when the going gets a little tough – as it inevitably will from time to time!

As teachers, it is our job to inspire the children to practise. I prefer to use the term ‘music playtime.’

After all, the children should really enjoy playing their instrument. It is important to get children involved in ensembles as soon as possible, as this improves their sight-reading, listening skills and concentration. Singing also plays a vital role in musical development. Everyone can be involved in a choir and choosing the right repertoire to attract the children to sing is imperative – a bit of harmonised Coldplay works wonders with our Year 7 and 8 children! Sherborne Prep now has four choirs, a school orchestra, a jazz ensemble, The Abbey Trio, The Digby Jazz Quartet, a musical theatre group, a guitar ensemble and brass ensemble. Music is also thriving in the pre-prep with its strings ensemble, its choir, Mini Maestros and various recorder and percussion groups.

I am hugely excited by the talent I can already see at the Prep and can’t wait to be more involved in community events over the coming years. If any of the care homes or organisations in Sherborne would like us to come and give a short concert or perform at a community event, then do please contact me. We want to be involved!

Remember, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Friedrich Nietzsche Yvonne can be contacted at yf@sherborneprep.org or via Twitter @ThePrep_Music sherborneprep.org www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 29

challenging young minds

For more information or to arrange a visit please contact the Registrar Aurora Mercer 01935 810911/registrar@sherborneprep.org/www.sherborneprep.org

Riley's Cycles is Sherborne's own bicycle shop. Why go elsewhere for cycles and equipment which Riley's can supply? We pride ourselves on: customer service, a friendly welcome, quality brands, technical knowledge and value for money. Our range of services including repairs and ebikes is too extensive to list. Before you spend more, travel farther or risk disappointment give Riley's a try!

VISIT

TRENDLE STREET

CALL EMAIL

01935 812038

MIKE@RILEYSCYCLES.CO.UK

30 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Family

Children’s Book Review

Wayne Winstone, Winstone’s Books, Independent Bookshop of the Year 2016

Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Walker Books) £12.99 Exclusive Sherborne Times reader price of £10.99 at Winstone’s Books

There are living things everywhere: the more we look, the more we find. There are creatures on the tops of the tallest jungle trees, at the bottom of the coldest oceans, even under the feathers of birds and in boiling volcanic pools. So how many different kinds are there? One, two, three… lots!

This stylish new non-fiction picture book introduces young readers to the wonderful world of ecology and conservation in an exciting and approachable way.

The book directs younger readers to the amazing diversity of life on our earth in all its forms. From giant whales to the tiniest micro-organisms, all are

LOTS

of books for creatures of all ages

presented through rich and colourful illustrations for an experience that is engaging and entertaining. As the title promises, there is lots here to see and discover.

Lots is the kind of book that can awaken every child’s inner scientist. This is hardly surprising, since the author is a zoologist, BBC science writer and award-winning author of many outstanding books for children – including some of my favourites, Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes and A First Book of Nature. Highly recommended for ages four and up. winstonebooks.co.uk

'Independent Bookseller of the Year 2016’ 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128

Art

RULES OF ABSTRACTION Ali Cockrean

M

any people struggle to understand abstract art.

As an expressionist landscape painter myself, I am often asked to talk on the subject to art societies and clubs. The main questions are always, “Why does anyone choose to paint like that?” or “Abstracts make no sense, how do I know if they’re good, bad or indifferent?” or simply, “They leave me cold.” Then there is always the old chestnut, “It’s just throwing paint at canvas, isn’t it?!” In essence, many people find abstract work unfathomable because they have no idea how to relate to it. Many see it as too simplistic and raw and therefore believe it must also be shallow and meaningless.

If you look up the definition of abstraction in the dictionary you will find that it talks about “stripping an idea to its concrete accompaniments” and “creating something visionary.” But what does this really mean?

Essentially abstraction is a form of expression that allows an artist to bare their soul in visual terms. It’s about removing the detail, taking an idea back to its simplest form and exploring what is at the beating heart of it. This requires courage, honesty and determination. It can be uncomfortable and difficult, but always hugely liberating and energising. This helps to explain why art therapy is such a powerful way of dealing with stress and trauma.

True abstract painting is about accessing personal feelings and emotions, then communicating them through colour, texture and shape. Abstract art differs from traditional art because it penetrates the conscious mind to work at a far deeper level. You could say it is more akin to a spiritual experience.

Traditional art generally offers us forms that we can 32 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

more easily interpret, images that we are familiar with and therefore more comfortable with. Our emotional responses also tend to be more easily and logically explained, which appeals to our dominant left-side brains!

Put simply, a traditional painter will look at a landscape and want to replicate it to engage the viewer.

To an abstract artist, it is the feelings generated by looking at the landscape that they paint. The traditional form becomes irrelevant, creating a massive challenge for both artist and viewer. For both parties, it involves reaching into the subconscious or unconscious mind to reawaken memories and activate feelings that we may not even be aware are lurking there.

Abstract art takes us into uncharted, unpredictable territory, challenging both our visual and our emotive responses. For lovers of abstract work, this is precisely what makes it more exciting and interesting than traditional art. Often the image is a puzzle to the viewer, but that is precisely why they like it. People who prefer abstract work don’t enjoy art that gives them all the answers instantly – they like art that makes them work at understanding and interpreting their own personal response.

As the viewer, the more you understand how abstract artists paint, the easier you find it to understand their work. The key ingredient is to be open-minded and uninhibited in the way that you approach the work. Let it sweep over you. Don’t try too hard to interpret it, but absorb it. Concentrate on how it makes you feel. If it doesn’t provoke any feeling, move on. This doesn’t mean you have failed as a viewer, or that you are lacking in any way. It simply means the work doesn’t engage you.

If you were to look at 100 traditional paintings in a gallery, there would probably only be one or two that you really connected with, that really affected you and were truly memorable. The same is true with abstract. You can look at 100 images and maybe only one will capture your imagination. You may not fully understand why it makes an impression, but that’s okay – you can spend a lifetime pondering over that.

Like most things in life, practice makes perfect.

The more time you spend looking, the better you will become at interpreting your own response to particular pieces of work. The less intimidated you will feel, the more you will absorb. You will start to compare new works and find your own criteria for judging how they rate for you as an individual.

As your confidence grows, so will your ability to make decisions and choices about what you do and do not like. Abstract art is a totally personal experience; no two people will see it exactly the same way.

Frequent visits to museums and galleries will allow you to develop your skills at interpretation surprisingly quickly and you will undoubtedly find yourself drawn to particular artists and styles of work. At this stage you will probably find you want to start reading about the background and history of artists, both past and present, whose work intrigues you. Bit by bit your knowledge and curiosity will grow.

I believe passionately that you need to take risks in art to broaden your skills and reawaken your creativity.

Who knows what hidden talents still lie dormant in the head and the heart?

So challenge yourself to try something different. You can only benefit. You may not come out of it wanting to paint abstracts – but you will have shifted further along your own artistic development path and this will inevitably positively influence the art you produce in the future.

Ali Cockrean is a professional expressionist landscape painter and private art tutor. Her work takes her all over the south of England, giving talks and demonstrations, running workshops and classes, writing for the national art press and working with young artists building portfolios for art scholarships, GCSEs and A levels. Her own paintings sell internationally and her career has brought a number of significant commissions, including painting the Royal Diamond Jubilee River Pageant from the Millennium Bridge for the BBC in 2012. www.alicockrean.co.uk

L E W E STO N NURS ERY

Discover.

Nurture. Achieve

New Nursery Building Opening May 2017

Accredited Forest School Launching September 2017

Enchanted Wood, outdoor classroom and 46 acres of stunning grounds in which to learn and explore Specialist teaching in ICT, PE, Swimming, Languages and Music Weekly Parent and Toddler Group and Aquatots To find out more please contact us on: admissions@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

LEWESTON SCHOOL . SHERBORNE www.leweston.co.uk . T: 01963 211 010 Gaudere Et Bene Facere – Rejoice And Do Well www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

The Joinery Works, Alweston Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5HS Tel: 01963 23219 Fax: 01963 23053 Email: info@fcuffandsons.co.uk

www.fcuffandsons.co.uk

DESIGNERS AND MAKERS OF BEAUTIFUL FINE BESPOKE JOINERY SINCE 1897

FAMILY MEDIATION SERVICES Relationship breakdown is inevitably a difficult time for all involved. Choosing a constructive way to resolve any issue arising from a separation can help make the process easier.

With the assistance of a trained specialist, Mediation allows a couple the security and space to have discussions, with the aim of reaching joint decisions that meet your family’s needs.

If you would like more information please contact: VICTORIA STRODE ASSOCIATE SOLICITOR

T 0800 533 5349

Bath: 01225 750000 Sherborne: 01935 813691 Wells: 01749 342323 Email: vstrode@md-solicitors.co.uk

ON YOUR SIDE. AT YOUR SIDE md-solicitors.co.uk

Film

Phyllis Dalton, Los Angeles,1989, with her Oscar for Best Costume Design, Henry V

PHYLLIS DALTON

Doyenne of film costume designers

I

Alexander Ballinger, Film Writer

t’s not often that you have tea with a bonafide legend of 20th-century cinema. But that’s just what I did when I interviewed Phyllis Dalton MBE last week in her bucolic Somerset cottage. Dalton’s career spans the two Henrys Vs – Olivier’s and Branagh’s – bodice-ripping Gainsborough pictures in the 1940s and films with three giants of British cinema: Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean and Carol Reed. She has won two Oscars, a brace of BAFTAs – one a Lifetime Achievement Award – and an Emmy, as well as garnering countless nominations. Our conversation ranged over her five decades in costume design.

In 1955 Dalton designed the costumes for the London section of Hitchcock’s thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much. Stars James Stewart and Doris Day arrived with clothes designed by Hollywood legend Edith Head, 36 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

but Dalton clothed the rest of the cast – inspired by Hitchcock’s “extraordinary, weird tales of the background of these people.” These people being sinister kidnappers, taxidermists, a diplomatic corps and the hundreds of performers in the film’s explosive musical finale.

“Shooting in The Albert Hall was a nightmare,” Dalton recalls, “but I’ve never laughed so much in my life. My wardrobe assistant and I nearly knocked ourselves out with carbon tetrachloride while cleaning up the artistes’ stiff shirts in the orchestra pit!”

Dalton’s work on Lawrence of Arabia began with six months of research at the Imperial War Museum, Istanbul’s Turkish Army HQ and trips to the bustling bazaars of Damascus and Amman. Then followed sixteen months in the 100°C heat of Jordan and southern

Spain. Dalton, one of four women in a 200-man-crew, became a ubiquitous figure in Lean’s band of “dedicated maniacs,” or, as she clarifies, “dedicated, anyway – maybe not so maniacal.” Every one of the hundreds of Arab riders had ten identical tribal costumes designed by Dalton for continuity purposes. “My heart used to break every time they were photographed in the dust,” she laments, “as they all looked the same!”

Dalton ensured that Peter O’Toole’s deliberately ill-fitting army uniform was made by General Allenby’s tailors, Gieves & Hawkes, “who really knew uniforms and knew how to get them wrong.” His silk robe and abaya, which evolved throughout the film from flag-like material to organza to reflect his fluctuating mindset, were embroidered in Damascus.

“The only difficulty was getting six that looked exactly the same, because their makers always had a better idea,” Dalton says. “It’s affected my whole life, because I still get six of everything in case we get stuck!”

She also accommodated O’Toole’s penchant for green socks. “Nobody was going to see them if he was going to wear boots and, if that made him happy…”

In 1964 Dalton teamed up once more with Lean on the Russian epic Dr Zhivago. Here, production designer John Box recreated Moscow’s vast streets in a broiling Madrid suburb.

“It wasn’t much fun for the extras, who had to wait wearing coats, hats, scarves, gloves, padded felt boots and God knows what,” Dalton recalls. Then there was the production’s quest for real snow. “We’d just got the Imperial army all dressed up and the call came, ‘It’s snowing in Soria. Drop everything and come up here!’ But we couldn’t just leave. The soldiers had to be undressed and costumes hung up properly. Then by the time you got there, it had probably stopped snowing!”

Lean was a demanding director who required multiple costume options. “It was like catering for a large party, where you didn’t know what day it was on nor how many were invited.” This was the case especially in the iconic scene where Geraldine Chaplin arrives by train to meet Omar Sharif in Moscow.

“My first design for Geraldine was very pale grey with a black hat,” Dalton recalls. “She’d been in Paris, she’d want to look much older and [more] grown up.” Lean was not convinced it was right, so Dalton fashioned two more costumes. “One [was] in pink and one in off-white – and he loved the pink.” Despite Dalton’s practical reservations about Chaplin arriving in Moscow from Paris “without a speck of dust on her

pale pink outfit and pale grey gloves,” one of the most glorious scenes in modern cinema was born.

First-time director Kenneth Branagh was blessed to have Dalton, now an acknowledged master of period costume design, on hand for Henry V in 1988. “We sat down with the script and we went through it from first to last page and Kenneth was telling me exactly the way he saw all of it. I don’t think we stopped even for a cup of coffee.” Branagh’s brief to Dalton was clear: “He didn’t want the costumes to intrude too much.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, however, did take notice of the acute characterisation of the costumes and awarded Dalton her second Oscar. The film was a lowbudget affair and Dalton describes the fields of Agincourt as being “about as big as a rugby pitch, because they hadn’t got much land at Shepperton.” Dalton still gets emotional when recalling Branagh’s rousing St Crispin’s Day speech.

“That day on the set, I think it was a Saturday morning, the composer Patrick Doyle [who also played the soldier singer] was singing Non Nobis Domine and tears were running down our faces it was so moving.”

Dalton’s last film was Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing and by this stage the director “was much more in command. He was adamant that he didn’t want uniforms that looked as if they belonged to any period, which isn’t easy to do. It’s much easier to look up a few costumes and adjust them accordingly, rather than do something which isn’t particularly anything.” Branagh “loved the idea of leather trousers for all the chaps [including Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves], but I’m afraid in Chianti in the heat of summer, thin leather trousers split – so we did have some slight dramas!”

Dalton sums up the attributes of a good costume designer with typical modesty. “If you’re a bit of a romantic you do imagine people, don’t you? You see it and you observe people. I’m somebody that would rather sit with my back against the wall, watching people rather than taking part. You can observe an awful lot.” As I wave my goodbyes to Phyllis and her charming husband Christopher Barton, I catch her eye – a penetrating gaze that has benefited generations of cinemagoers.

Phyllis Dalton highlights

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956); Carve Her Name With Pride (1958); Our Man in Havana (1959); Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Dr Zhivago (1965); Oliver!

– The Musical (1968); The Hireling (1973); Eagle’s Wing (1978); A Private Function (1984); The Princess Bride (1987); Henry V (1989); Much Ado About Nothing (1993) www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

THE

FABRIC BARN

Interior fabrics with fantastic savings! www.thefabricbarn.co.uk • Call: 01935 851025 Curtains, Blinds, Shutters, Fabrics, Ready-Made Curtains, Fitting Service and more...

Seattle Wooden Shutters

WaggyDogz Country Cushions

Luxaflex Duette Blinds

Forever Spring - Eau de Nil

Dorchester: 01305 250990 19 High West Street, DT1 1UW 38 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Frome: 01373 465678 22 Christchurch St. West, BA11 1EE

www.stevebanefabrics.com

p e o p l e w i l l s t a r e m a k e i t w o r t h t h e i r w h i l e

B O U T I Q U E

OPEN 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM, 33 CHEAP STREET, SHERBORNE DT9 3PU PHONE 01935 816551 www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 39

Interiors

WHEN SMALL STANDS TALL

Kitty Oakshott, Upstairs Downstairs Interiors

40 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

J

ust because something is small, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be noticed. I am constantly on the lookout for things to inspire me and stir up my creative juices. I think the changing of the seasons plays a vital role in this – and certainly the beautiful light on a sunny spring day, merging into long, lavish sun-drenched summer days, goes a long way towards doing that.

I happened to be at a house near the seaside on a gorgeous spring day not so long ago, where the location embraced its natural surroundings and made the most of the glorious light and landscape. The room was delightful.

It used a variety of bright and pastel shades of blue, green and red to blend in with the delicately painted walls, working in harmony with the environment. Whilst this was beautiful, we don’t all have endless seaside scenery to enjoy outside our windows, nor the space in to bounce light off different surfaces by bringing in a variety of textures and colours. This caused me to wonder how best to bring the fun and life into small spaces. I had the answer right in front of me all the time: wallpaper! Fortunately, in my line of work I am privy to many wonderful ways of making a feature out of something you may not ordinarily give a second look.

For me, it started with the small loo downstairs, which was great fun. Given the size, I knew the transformation would take no time at all and would certainly not cost an arm and a leg. The room looks fantastic and, as it is downstairs and used by most of the visitors to my house, it has also become quite an interesting dinner topic.

It can be daunting when you look at a room and wonder what you can do to make it a place you can’t wait to be. My recommendation is to start small, for many reasons. You can try different ideas, it won’t take up all your valuable time and you won’t be breaking the bank to achieve the right look. Once you have successfully created your little dream room, I’m very sure your creative juices will be positively flowing and you’ll be ready for bigger, greater challenges. updowninteriors.co.uk

ANN ARMITAGE ELSA TAYLOR 13th – 31st May

ELSA TAYLOR

PALE FLOWERS

ANN ARMITAGE

ARUM LILIES

www.jerramgallery.com THE JERRAM GALLERY Half Moon Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN 01935 815261 info@jerramgallery.com Monday – Saturday www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

Dodge Interiors For all your interior needs

Special discounts on all flooring during May

28 Cheap Street Sherborne DT9 3QD 01935 818150 | www.dodgeinteriors.com 42 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

raise architects traditional | contemporary | heritage sensitive | simple | sustainable www.raisearchitects.com

Image: Recently completed contemporary artist’s studio within the grounds of a 17th Century Grade II listed cottage

31-33 Cheap Street, Sherborne

01935 815 657

sherborne@raisearchitects.com

Architecture

DESIGN IS A PROCESS:

How to get the best possible solution for your project Andy Foster BSc(Hons) BA(Hons) BArch(Hons) CEng MIStructE RIBA, Director, Raise Architects

S

omething came up recently that caused me to think. I was discussing a new project with a client and they asked an interesting question: If I had one piece of advice to give them at the start of their upcoming project, what would it be?

My immediate response was that they should think of design as a process. It then took most of a decent bottle of wine to explain what I meant. This is the abbreviated – and non-alcohol-induced – version!

Commissioning the design of a building, or the design of anything for that matter, is different from most other purchases you are likely to make. Usually, the thing that you are buying already exists – which means that you can walk around it, touch it, feel it, smell it and, to some extent, try it out.

44 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

In contrast, at the beginning of your design project, all you have are some requirements attached to some aspirations – otherwise known as your brief. It is likely that the design solution will take a while to emerge and the eventual building will not become a reality for many months.

This can be frustrating, but if you try to see the design process as an opportunity to fully explore your particular circumstances, to really interrogate your brief, then you will be more likely to arrive at a solution that is right for you. With your architect as your guide, you can use the process to evaluate different ideas and, in doing so, you will find that your brief develops too.

So, design is an iterative process of idea generation and evaluation in response to a problem and exploring

potential solutions allows you to understand the problem better. But there is more to it than that and there are some important pitfalls that are best avoided.

It will take some time to arrive at the right solution and, during this time, it is important that the process maintains momentum. You don’t want it to run so fast that you don’t have time to process or make decisions.

But, equally, it shouldn’t be so slow that you lose track of what has happened and the whole process stagnates.

You and your architect need to work together to ensure that it is just right.

Recognisable progress is key, but be aware that progress is unlikely to be a linear progression towards the ultimate solution. There will be twists and turns and even dead-ends. When you see design as a process, none of that really matters. You will be more relaxed about asking ‘what if ’ questions and more open to seemingly daft ideas. Daft ideas are often just good ideas put forward out of context – and the context will change as the process unfolds.

Building the right kind of relationship between you and your architect is fundamental to the success of your project. As a client, do you want your architect to give you exactly what you ask for, or do you want them to give you something that hadn’t occurred to you? That question is best answered by finding someone you can work with and by both parties allowing the design process to take its course.

In summary:

"When you see design as a process, you will be more relaxed about asking ‘what if’ questions and more open to seemingly daft ideas"

• Think of design as a process.

• Don’t expect the ultimate solution to emerge straight away.

• Considering a number of potential solutions will help you understand the problem in more depth.

• Keep an open mind and don’t close things down too quickly.

• Ask ‘what if ’ questions and embrace ‘daft’ ideas.

• Find someone that you know you will be able to work with.

• Make sure the process has momentum and is driven to a conclusion.

The design process is the means of arriving at the best possible solution for your project. Having some appreciation of how it works will help your architect to give you the building that you want, even if you didn’t know what that was at the beginning. raisearchitects.com www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

local family local family local family best best possible prices best possible prices possible prices superior quality local family superior quality generous superior quality local family generous local family discounts generous discounts best discounts best possible prices best possible prices 01305 259996 possible prices www.bathroominspirationsdorchester.com 01305 259996 superior quality 01305 259996 www.bathroominspirationsdorchester.com

Mill House | Millers Close | The Grove Trading Estate | Dorchester | DT1 1SS

ACTORY • F R

S

MANUFAC

YEAR

2017

D

RED IN OU TU

We just make things better!

SIGNED AN E D 1977-

WIN £5000

of holiday vouchers for any destination in the world Details at: westcountrywindows.com no purchase necessary..

GOOD LUCK!

Quality Windows, Doors and Conservatories

Ken and Tim are proud to announce that West Country Windows have now been established for 40 years. So to celebrate this achievement West Country Windows are offering up to 40% off selected products.

All products come with a minimum15 year guarantee and are manufactured to the very highest standards.

Up to

40% off selected products

West Country Windows - 36 Goldcroft Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 4DH

www.westcountrywindows.com

T: 0800 378 371

Antiques

STERLING WORK

S

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

ilver – or rather, sterling silver – probably offers the oldest form of consumer protection in this land when the piece carries a set of hallmarks.

The earliest statute concerning silver and gold was in 1228, when the standards of fineness were laid down.

However, the true beginning of hallmarking dates to 1300, when the standard of silver to be sterling was set as 92.5% pure silver.

Sometimes called the sterling mark, the lion passant – in other words, a lion looking ahead – was first introduced in 1544. The mark, which we see on silver today, guarantees the quality of the metal in this country, which is sterling.

However, these are our laws. Other countries have a similar series of hallmarks to identify the quality of their silver.

In addition to the lion passant, in Britain we also have a maker’s mark, an assay mark – that is, the town or city where it was assayed – and a date letter. This enables us, with our little silver hallmarks book, to find out where and when it was made, and by whom. Not too taxing, really, but I must confess to preferring some of the Russian hallmarks, where they simply put the year on!

At Charterhouse, we see a large amount of this precious metal and have regular specialist auctions of silver, jewellery and watches. Our next such specialist sale is part of our two-day auction on the 18th-19th May. Amongst the large quantity of silver tea sets, cutlery, trays, candlesticks and countless other items is a fine-looking silver basket, which caught my eye for several reasons.

Entered into the sale from a client in Blandford, it is quite a large basket, measuring some 33cm wide. It is also in excellent condition – some silver we see has been enthusiastically polished to within an inch of its life, obliterating the decoration and engraving and making any marks indecipherable. So whilst this bowl is clean 48 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

in its appearance, it is also crisp and fresh looking – just what bidders like to see. At the bottom of the bowl there is a monogram beneath a coronet. Personally I do not think this detracts if it is a contemporary to the item, as it forms part of its history.

Speaking of history, when the bowl is turned over it reveals a few more surprises. First up is the worldfamous mark of Tiffany, which confirms the quality of the bowl. This is followed by the words “Sterling Silver,” so we know the standard of the silver, and next is the inscription, “Presented to Miss Goelet by the servants of New York and Newport November tenth 1903.”

This is where my detective work had to start. From the inscription, it is fairly obvious that Miss Goelet lived a comfortable life, with two homes and a number of servants. I considered it was probably a gift to her upon her marriage and decided to dig a little deeper.

A short while later, the wonderful British invention of the World Wide Web produced the answer I was looking for. Miss (Mary) Goelet was the daughter of the New York real-estate millionaire Ogden Goelet and, on 10th November 1903 she married Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke Roxburghe – hence the coronet and initials. At the time of the marriage, Mary was a wealthy American heiress with a dowry of $20,000,000 – yes, $20 million.

It all has the feeling of prequel to Downtown Abbey!

Sadly it is not known how it came into the owner’s family’s possession as it was inherited from her father with no history. What we do know is that this beautiful silver bowl, with its impeccable provenance, is estimated at £700-1,000 when it goes under the Charterhouse hammer on 18th May. charterhouse-auction.com

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers We are now accepting entries for our forthcoming auctions: Classic & Vintage Motorcycles Wednesday 10th May Beswick & Royal Doulton Thursday 18th May Silver, Jewellery & Watches Thursday 18th May Ceramics, Antiques & Interiors Friday 19th May

Herd of Rare Beswick Horses

Contact Richard Bromell for advice or Justine Jackson to arrange a home visit The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne DT9 3BS | 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com

Summer Events at Castle Gardens Friday 2 June Illyria performance of The Emperor’s New Clothes Doors open at 6:30pm for 7:30pm start Tickets available in store Saturday 24 June - Sunday 2 July Art Exhibition by Horizon Painters in the Butterfly House Tuesday 11 July Illyria performance of Lost World Doors open at 6:30pm for 7:30pm start Tickets available in store Wednesday 19 July Wildlife Friendly Gardening Awards Organised by Dorset Wildlife Trust Tickets available in store

Castle Gardens, award-winning garden centre and restaurant Everything you need to enjoy your garden all year round

Sunday 23 July Sherborne Town Band Doors open at 2:30pm and will close at 4:00pm Wednesday 2 August Illyria performance of Mikado Doors open at 6:30pm for 7:30pm start Tickets available in store Thursday 10 August Illyria performance of Comedy of Errors Doors open at 6:30pm for 7:30pm start Tickets available in store

Plus many more to be announced!

Open Monday-Saturday 9.00am-6.00pm & Sunday 10.00am-4.30pm (tills open at 10.30am) Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

Gardening

SCENTS OF SPRING

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

50 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

T

his time of year is filled with springtime bulbs bursting with colour and revealing their splendid scent, marking an end to dark winter days. I love plants that have a scent as well as a bright shade. Not only are they attractive to us but also a wide variety of wildlife, including bees and butterflies. The introduction of these plants to the garden brings tremendous benefits, as they not only bring a wider diversity of life but, in turn, help with pollination and pest control.

There are so many simple ways of creating a wildlifefriendly garden filled with colour and beautiful scents at this time of year. Top of the list are the erysimum or perennial wallflowers. The best known is a variety called ‘bowles’s mauve,’ which will get to the size of a couple of feet, with similar spread. It is easy to grow and will keep on flowering, especially if the old flowers are removed before they go to seed. This will trick the plant into thinking its job of reproducing isn’t over, so more flowers will be produced.

There are also some other wonderful varieties of the erysimum, such as the wonderfully named ‘walberton’s fragrant sunshine,’ with its vibrant yellow flowers and fabulous fragrance. If that is not enough for you, then there is a variegated form called ‘walberton’s fragrant star,’ whose bright flowers and bushy foliage is highly scented.

For those who prefer subtle colours in the garden, the ‘pastel patchwork’ might be the best option. It boasts leaves in deep shades of green and beautiful cream-andsoft-pink flowers, which hold a long-lasting scent.

However, the scent from daphne odora aureomarginata is something special. A slow-growing evergreen with variegated foliage, the pink-and-white flowers really pack a punch, filling the garden with a beautiful aroma. A newer variety that is especially pleasing is the daphne odora rebecca. The dark-green shrubs and lavender-pink flowers enjoy partial shade and a well-prepared soil. Even when the flowers have finished and go to seed, the attractive foliage and fragrance lasts for the rest of the year.

One of my favourite easy-to-care-for bedding plant combinations is to use heliotrope with nemesia vanilla lady in a pot. Often called cherry pie because of the scent from its deep-blue flowers, which is often used in perfumes, it is a compact grower, but large enough for the centrepiece of a container.

The nemesia vanilla lady – also known as lady vanilla

and very similar to Wisley vanilla – smells, according to any child that is asked, like custard. So the two together in a pot are cherry pie and custard – that can’t be bad, can it?

The nemesia will continue to flower, especially if the old flowers are removed. I saved my potful from last year and brought it into a cold greenhouse for the winter. The nemesia is still in flower, though a little straggly now.

Scent in the evening is priceless. Sitting in the garden after a busy day while watching all the wildlife settle down for the night and admiring the beautiful plants is the best feeling. The night scented stock – otherwise known by its Latin name, zaluzianskya – is a lowgrowing plant suitable for a pot or cascading down a rockery or a wall. Interestingly, during the day there is no perfume at all but once the light levels drop, the scent bursts into life. Night scents can be common, but there is nothing that compares to zaluzianskya. We have a display of them in the garden centre, which is quite amazing – and the plants can be found even in the dark.

Scent is also found in the foliage of plants, such as many herbs. I have a fondness for the lemon scented verbena for a number of reasons. Firstly it has two great Latin names – lippia citriodora or aloysia triphylla.

Secondly, I was introduced to the plant by a lady who had lost her sight and who loved growing it in a pot on her doorstep. As she brushed it the scent was emitted – and it is even more lemony than lemon! The same lady told me that it could be used as the base of a Victoria sponge, turning it into a lemon cake – just three leaves are required and it works very nicely.

Just the other day I was listening to BBC Radio 4, where they too were discussing scents. It was said the sense of smell has no filters in the brain and is directly linked with the part that deals with emotions and memory. Smells are long remembered, which is why they can often make you nostalgic. Take the smell of mown grass for example, which often takes you back to childhood. Of course, it could also be that your neighbour has cut their lawn and it might be time you did yours! Scent can quite often be an afterthought, but it is one of the most powerful of the senses. It is able to connect you to memories you thought you had forgotten and brings valuable life to gardens. This summer, I advise everyone to turn their gardens into fragrant paradises. thegardeneronline.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS

Problem with your existing windows or doors? We can fix it.

• Replacement handles, locks and hinges • Misted glass units • Repairs to seals, draughts and leaks Call today for a free estimate

01935 478455 | 07952 094119

We guarantee to beat any like-for-like quote

W.K. WINDOWS & REPAIRS 9 Court Acres, Stoford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9UJ

NEVER MISS A COPY If you enjoy reading the Sherborne Times but live outside our free distribution areas you can now receive your very own copy by post 12 editions delivered to your door for just £30.00 To subscribe, please call 01935 814803 or email subscriptions@sherbornetimes.co.uk

wkwindows@btinternet.com | www.wkwindowsltd.co.uk

With dedicated and experienced staff, specialist equipment and passion, Queen Thorne can develop and maintain gardens for all to enjoy. www.queenthorne.co.uk Tel: 01935 850848

52 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

WINDOWS

&

DOORS

Bill Butters Windows are now installing the UltraRoof 380, a lightweight tiled roof which allows the installation of multiple glass panels or Velux Windows. UltraRoof 380 is ideal for those who want a solid roof but wish to retain an element of light within the room.

UltraRoof380 overcomes the twin issues of your conservatory being too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Moreover, it provides a beautiful vaulted plastered ceiling interior and a stunning lightweight tile finish.

For more information, please get in touch, or visit our showroom and factory where we manufacture all of our windows, doors & conservatories.

For more information visit our website or come down to the showroom.

Unit 1a > South Western Business Pk > Sherborne > Dorset > DT9 3PS billbutterswindows.co.uk 01935 816 168

ANNE-LOUISE BELLIS

W

Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

hen artist Anne-Louise Bellis was a child she spent long, dreamy summers at her grandparents’ farm in Dorset. One of her earliest memories is basking in the sunshine with her sister and “wearing as brooches” the live butterflies that came to settle on their brightly coloured clothes. AnneLouise always vowed that one day she would return to Dorset to bring up her own children.

So it was no surprise that, after 10 years in London, she and her husband decided to look for a place down here. They came upon an old farm in Glanvilles Wootton and set about renovating it themselves – a project that has taken another decade. Last year, however, AnneLouise finally finished converting the cow shed into a new arts venue, which works as her studio and a space for both exhibitions and workshops. Its name? The Old Cow Shed Studio, of course. >

54 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55

56 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Anne-Louise began her career as an artist at Winchester School of Art, where she was studying her foundation. Her initial interest was in theatre design, but her tutor noticed her unusual way of working and remarked that she ought to study fine art. He was right and she was soon on a BA course at Newport School of Art. “I knew I wanted to paint landscapes, so I didn’t want to study in London,” she says. “At Newport we were very lucky, because it was a modern building with huge glass windows that looked out directly over the valley.” It was a stunning view – one that kicked-started her painting.

“My paintings start in the landscape tradition, although I push them to abstraction. My interest is in the natural environment as a starting point and my reaction to it,” she explains. “On the school run – along the top Sherborne road to Dorchester – I often see a fantastic sky or scape where one field stands out in particular.” Her eyes light up. “That will really inspire me.”

Anne-Louise’s work tends to be on large canvasses, with blocks of colour that have been worked towards abstraction. She uses dry acrylics, working in short bursts in order to allow them to dry, then building up layers and texture. The effect is of bold colour and a looseness of style evocative of the artist Ivon Hitchens, whom she cites as an influence alongside Ben Nicholson and the late work of J. M. W. Turner.

One thing she does not do is take pictures to jog her memory. “I can’t really work from photographs – something changes if I do,” she explains. “I would rather just remember and try to capture that feeling I had when I saw the landscape. My paintings are not necessarily straight representations of what I see. Rather, it’s taking that one spark of light that catches my eye and translating it onto the canvas.”

Although Anne-Louise has always painted, it hasn’t always been her career. After graduating she spent a year working for a design company in Australia and another two years as curator for a public gallery in New Zealand. She returned because she missed the “hedges > www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

58 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

60 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

and patchwork fields” of England. Back in London, Anne Louise found work with a number of art dealers while also running her own online art business. While assisting the well-known dealer Thomas Gibson, who deals in 20th-century exhibition-quality art, she had to deliver two Van Gogh paintings to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “I had a seat,” she laughs, “and the paintings had a seat next to me!”

Although the experiences were many and varied, Anne-Louise knew that her life in London was not forever. “Dorset is somewhere very special and I always knew I would come back here,” she says. Throughout it all, she continued to paint and sell her abstracts and, this May, she will be exhibiting her work alongside three other artists in a show she has curated for The Old Cow Shed Studio.

The title of the show, ‘Time & Tide,’ comes, as AnneLouise explains, from the Dorset landscape. “I wanted the theme to be something that can be taken literally and in a more philosophical way. I love painting the sea and the Jurassic coast but also, more philosophically speaking, it is about how time and the landscape are constantly changing.

The sky that you see now is gone in a few moments.”

The artists whom she has brought together for the show are all friends she made while she was working at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, but they too are all also very influenced by the Dorset landscape. Catrina Bruce’s work reflects her interest in wildlife and its habitats and their erosion by man. Liz Bath’s print-making focuses on the sense of place and safety within the landscape.

Meanwhile, Mags Maxwell’s jewellery – all made from reclaimed silver – looks at how natural forms such as pebbles and shells can be translated into design.

Anne-Louise’s own paintings reflect her passion for nature, pared down. The colours are subtle and rich in depth, seeming at times to hover in their space like the glimpse of a passing rain shower or bright yellow rapeseed field. “I like simplicity,” she declares. “I try to break things down into simple shapes and colour, but still capture a fleeting moment. That is the aim for me.”

As ever, her passion for our locality abounds. “Living here is brilliant – step outside your door and you will see something amazing. You don’t have to go far.”

Time & Tide, 13th-21st May 2017, weekdays 10am-3pm, weekends 9am-5pm,The Old Cow Shed Studio, Manor Farm, Glanvilles Wootton, Dorset DT9 5PZ theoldcowshedstudio.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61

From our table to yours

Introducing our tasty new dishes

Fish Pie, Creamy Smoked Haddock & Spinach, Apple Crumble and Chocolate Brownie Pudding

01963 548181 | info@olives-kitchen.co.uk

Order Online at olives-kitchen.co.uk

COFFEE BREAK Kafe Fontana 82 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ @kafefontana kafefontana 01935 812180 kafefontana.co.uk Old School Gallery Boyle’s Old School, High Street, Yetminster, DT9 6LF 01935 872761 yetminstergallery.co.uk Oliver’s Coffee House 19 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3PU @OliversSherbs Olivers-Coffee-House 01935 815005 oliverscoffeehouse.co.uk The Three Wishes 78 Cheap Street, Sherborne, DT9 3BJ 01935 817777 thethreewishes.co.uk

62 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

MAKE GREAT COFFEE AT HOME WITH OUR NEW SPRING RANGE OF MOKA POTS

01935 481010

3 CUP £25 6 CUP £35

www.readscoffee.co.uk

20 YEARS EXPERIENCE SUPPLIERS TO TRADE AND RETAIL

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 63

Food & Drink

A QUICK TRIP

L

Giles Dick Read, Reads Coffee Roasters

ast week, somewhat under pressure, I made a quick road trip to Germany. The destination was Probat, great manufacturer of coffee roasters who justifiably claim that seventy percent of the world’s coffee is made from beans roasted on their machines.

Despite the heritage of the company and the warmth of the welcome, the coffee on the trip remained pretty industrial. Berlin may have a major speciality coffee scene going on, but the chaps building the background equipment keep their caffeine levels up with pragmatic efficiency. Plain filter coffee dominates, served in small cups with those little pots of UHT cream – of which I have to admit being rather fond, as they taste of ‘holiday.’

So there I was in the beating heart of coffee roasting by the Rhine, without an espresso in sight. While the factories may settle for an ordinary brew, it was interesting to discover that Beethoven, one of Germany’s earlier coffee obsessives, was fastidious in having precisely sixty beans in each cup he brewed. As it happens, that number corresponds almost exactly to how many beans you will need to make a single espresso, which gives me an excuse to begin a quick guide to the little drink – and, most importantly, how to spot a good one…

For a start it’s ‘espresso’ with an ‘s’, not ‘expresso’ with an ‘x’, as poor spellers – and quite often the French – will have you believe. Also, espresso is not a type of coffee bean or method of roasting. There are roasts producing beans suitable for making espresso, but it’s the drink to which the name belongs. As the name suggests, it’s brewed quickly and under pressure, which is why you need a big machine to make a proper one.

While the Germans may be the ultimate manufacturers of roasting machines, it’s those great motor engineers, the Italians, who take best care of the espresso.

Around the turn of the last century, and using the basic principles of the fast-emerging internal combustion engine, they transformed the process of brewing coffee by taking a small amount of ‘fuel’ – coffee in this case – and forcing through carefully heated, but not boiling, water under great pressure. This forms a thick, creamy concentrate that either gives the drinker Asterix-like powers when drunk solo, or can be used as the base for a complete range of drinks through dilution. Think whisky, 64 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

gin or any other spirit, with the dilute being milk instead of soda or tonic, and you’ve got the idea.

So, much in the same way as discovering your gin bottle has been topped up with water by errant teenagers, espresso is ruined if it loses its concentration. This matters, as it is the base for your cappuccino, latte or whatever. I’m not going to go into great detail now, but here are a few pointers that should help you spot whether you’re about to be served a proper espresso or their watered down version, nothing but a glorified filter brew…

Never trust a café that leaves its machine handles sitting neatly on the drip tray. They will be stone cold, sucking the heat out of the water as it brews your espresso, leaving you with a weak and poorly extracted brew. This is perhaps the coffee-making equivalent of a taxi driver driving on the wrong side of the road, so don’t have high expectations for the rest of the journey… get out quickly!

Watch the flow if you can. A proper espresso should take around 25 seconds to brew. This is actually very quick in coffee terms, bearing in mind that a cafetière or filter takes around three to five minutes to brew. A few seconds either way make a big difference though. Less than 20 will result in an espresso that is bitter and weak, over 30 and it will be burnt and stewed.

The espresso flowing from the machine should look gloopy. Look for attractive tapering ‘mouse tail’ flows, much as if you were pouring oil. If the espresso shoots out like water filling the bath, it’s going to taste horrible.

Espresso should be small. If you get half a pint… it’s filter coffee.

Espresso should have a thick, mid-brown ‘crema,’ formed as gas is squeezed out of the coffee as it brews.

If it’s not there, it’s filter coffee again!

Remember that no amount of pretty artwork on your flat white will make up for a bad espresso, so don’t be fooled by appearances.

Short, quick and under pressure, much like my journey…

As for Beethoven, whether he may have stolen an early lead on the brew that was to cause the coffee revolution of today we’ll never know, as, when asked ‘why sixty beans?’, he simply cupped his hand to his ear and bellowed '...What?'. readscoffee.co.uk

Image: Emma Lewis

Image: Giles Dick-Read www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

Food & Drink

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

SPICED TEA CAKES

66 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

T

he first bread I ever remember making was with my mum – and it was these spiced tea cakes.

I learned how to shape them into neat rounds and it was that well-practised skill that helped me make 12 identical dampfnudeln on The Great British Bake Off. Every Good Friday we turned these tea cakes into hot cross buns with the addition of a cross on each bun. It

was the tradition to make them in the morning and have them for tea. I have used the same recipe for years, but occasionally make them differently – sometimes I will omit half the dried fruit and replace it with tiny cubes of marzipan. You should never stop trying new ideas. bakerval.com

Method

Ingredients makes 12

450g strong plain flour 2 level tsp mixed spice 5g fine salt 15g dried yeast (this can be two sachets, which is almost 15g) 60g caster sugar 100g currants Zest of an orange and a lemon 75g unsalted butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 150ml whole milk 60ml water 4 tbsp olive oil (optional) For the glaze 60ml milk 50g caster sugar

1 Sift the flour, spice and salt into a large mixing bowl.

2 Warm the milk and water in a pan until 43C, or hand heat.

3 Stir the yeast, sugar, currants and zest into the flour.

4 Make a well in the middle of the flour and stir in the melted butter, beaten egg and half of the milk mixture. Combine with wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball, gradually adding a little milk if needed to form a soft – but not sticky – dough.

5 Place a tsp oil on the work surface and begin kneading the dough for about 5 mins, until smooth and elastic.

6 Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat it lightly with oil. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size – at least 30 mins, or 1-1.5 hours if time allows.

7 When the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured board and ‘knock back,’ which means kneading until it is about the original size.

8 Set the oven to 220C (200C if fan-assisted) 9 Weigh the dough and divide the quantity by 12 to ensure the buns are of equal size. Knead each piece into a smooth ball, then place on an oiled baking sheet, leaving at least 3cm between each bun.

10 Place the teacakes in a warm place to prove for a further 40 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.

11 Bake the buns for about 20 minutes until well-risen and golden brown.

12 For the glaze, place the remaining milk in a pan with the sugar and place on a low heat to dissolve the sugar.

When the buns come out of the oven, brush the glaze over each one to give a sticky shine then leave to cool.

13 Can be served with butter or toasted. I use this recipe to make my hot cross Easter buns, either scoring a cross or constructing one with pastry.

Alternative addition

Instead of the citrus zest, a tbsp of marmalade can be added – though ensure you chop the citrus pieces finely first. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

Food & Drink

WHAT TO EAT NOW

SPRING

S

Lisa Osman, All Hallows, AGA-approved School for Cooks & Makers

pring has arrived bringing glorious sunshine, blue skies and seasonal treats. Look out for forgotten favourites like sorrel, make the most of locally grown asparagus and keep an eye out for the first of the elderflowers.

During May it takes steely concentration for me to remain indoors beside the computer – I am desperate to be in the garden. As much as I love describing the joy in preparing the first asparagus, to be served dripping with chervil butter, or my excitement at tender rhubarb harvested from the garden and on the breakfast table within half an hour, my thoughts are constantly outside. There is so much to be done in readiness for the warmer months ahead, but already the kitchen garden is plentiful. Look out for: Garden or outdoor rhubarb

Cut into equal pieces and poach in a light syrup infused with rose water. Serve with chopped pistachios and Greek-style yoghurt for breakfast, or fold into whipped cream with orange zest and finely chopped candied ginger for a decadent fool.

Asparagus

Plunge the spears in boiling salted water but leave unattended at your peril. Cook quickly in small batches and refresh in cold water if you are cooking for a crowd.

Better still, brush with a little olive oil, then roast on a baking tray at 180C for 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices, or add a piece of pan-fried plaice for a celebration dinner.

New potatoes

Carefully wipe the skins or scrub if really necessary, then boil quickly in just enough salted water to cover them.

Add some fresh mint, which is growing rampantly in the garden. If you do not have any, you would be most welcome to a root of mine! Meanwhile, make a simple vinaigrette, drain the potatoes well and then leave them in the pan. Whilst the potatoes are still warm, add the 68 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

dressing and mix well. Serve with slow-roasted shoulder of lamb studded with garlic and a watercress salad.

Elderflowers

The highly scented but delicate flowers will start to appear in the hedgerows at the end of the month.

Gather some away from the roadside and give each a shake to remove insects before gently washing in the kitchen. Steep in syrup with lemon juice to create your own cordial or freeze for a refreshing sorbet. If you do not have a sweet tooth, infuse some heads in white wine vinegar to create a delicious dressing. Do not pick all of the flower heads, but instead be patient and watch the remaining develop into berries. Bursting with vitamin C when ripe, they will make the most delicious jelly to enjoy in the autumn.

Sorrel

One of my favourite spring greens but often overlooked, the upright and pointed leaves in our patch have been peeping through frosted ground since late February and, despite regular pickings, are flourishing. Gently wilt washed and torn leaves with a little butter to add a citrus, almost astringent note to fish and egg dishes. Try adding a little to a goose egg omelette for lunch or serve beside a poached hen egg to start the day. For a smart dinner, make a simple sauce by starting with a roux base, adding hot fish stock, wine and then enriching with cream. Incorporate the sorrel at the last moment and serve alongside a salmon fishcake or two.

Tips for the perfect poached egg

1 Use the freshest egg, ideally free-range or organic 2 The water should be a gentle simmer, not boiling 3 Add a little distilled vinegar. This helps the albumen set instead of dispersing in the water 4 Cook one egg at a time, adding carefully within a vortex you have created in the pan 5 Drain the egg well before serving on a warm plate allhallowsfarmhouse.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

Food & Drink

GREY MULLET WITH SPRING GREENS AND ROCK SAMPHIRE BUTTER SAUCE Sasha Matkevich, Head Chef and Owner, The Green with Jack Smith, Apprentice Chef Ingredients

4 grey mullet fillets, 160g each 2 large heads of spring greens 200g slightly salted butter, diced 100g fresh rock samphire, chopped 75ml double cream 75ml white wine 75ml white wine vinegar 2 large banana shallots, finely chopped 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 250g water Plain flour, for dusting Cornish sea salt and black pepper to taste

2

3

4

Method

1 In a medium saucepan, mix banana shallots, white wine and white wine vinegar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and continue to simmer until you see it glaze. Add the cream, return to the heat and reduce by one third. Lower the heat and slowly 70 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

5

whisk in 100g of the diced butter until it emulsifies into the sauce. Add rock samphire.

In a large saucepan combine the water, remaining butter, lemon juice and sea salt. Bring to the boil, add spring greens and reduce heat to low. Leave to simmer while you cook the fillets.

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Dust the skin side of the grey mullet fillets with a little of flour, shake off the excess, then place the fish skinside down in the pan and cook slowly until almost cooked through.

Gently flip the fillets over and add a knob of butter, remaining lemon juice, spring greens, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for one more minute until the stalks of spring greens are tender.

Divide the butter sauce between four warm plates, add spring greens and top each portion with grey mullet fillet. Serve immediately. Bon appetite.

greenrestaurant.co.uk

EGGS FLORENTINE

H

Jane Somper, Goldhill Organics

aving mastered Lisa’s eggy vortex, we can indulge in a weekend breakfast of eggs Florentine – combining perfect poached eggs with succulent spinach. Our version is not the classic one served on a muffin, but we promise it’s equally delicious. It also means you don’t have to make a Hollandaise sauce, which we have tried to make many times and not always with success! Serves 4 people Ingredients

1kg fresh spinach 8 eggs 70g butter 30g plain flour 300ml whole milk 1tbs white wine vinegar 75g Gruyère cheese Method

1 First make the sauce by melting 50g butter in a pan on a low heat, adding the flour and slowly stirring to make a smooth, thick paste. Remove from the heat.

2 Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously, then return to the higher heat, still stirring to avoid any lumps. When the sauce begins to bubble and thicken, turn the heat down to low and ensure it does not burn.

3 Over a high heat, place a handful of spinach in a large pan with remainder of butter and wilt. Continue to add the spinach until it is all wilted – this will not take long.

4 Cover the pan for 50 seconds then drain the spinach, squeezing out as much of the liquid as you can. Place back in the pan.

5 Pre-heat the grill.

6 To poach the eggs, heat a pan of water, adding the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. When the water begins to boil turn down to a medium heat, break the eggs into small cups, swirl the water and then drop each egg into the vortex. Poach for exactly 3 mins, cooking no more than four eggs at a time.

7 Remove eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain.

8 Re-heat the spinach in the pan and then add to either four shallow oven-proof dishes, or one larger dish. Arrange the poached egg on top.

9 Now add the cheese to the sauce, reserving a little to sprinkle over the top. Spoon over the eggs, watching it spread out over the bed of spinach, and then sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

10 Pop under the grill for a couple of minutes until you see the dish browning a little. Enjoy. goldhillorganics.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71

Food & Drink

ITALIAN REDS David Copp

Piedmont vineyards Barolo 72 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

O

f the three largest wine producers in the world, Italy offers the richest variety of red wines.

No wonder the colonising Greeks called it ‘Oenotria,’ the land of vines.

Geography and climate favour Italy when it comes to wine production. The Alps in the north and the long spine of the Apennines provide altitude and mineral clay-gravel soils, all on sunny slopes with excellent drainage.

Yet for most of the post-World War II period, Italian red wines lacked any real focus. The appellation system was in dispute and much of the wine could best be described as industrial. Not just because it was largely consumed in the big industrial cities of the north and in USA where large numbers of Italians had emigrated, but because it was all rather plain and dull.

Furthermore the newcomer to Italian wines was faced with an almost impenetrable list of foreignsounding place names and 60 Indicativo Geografica Tipica-controlled appellations.

For the purposes of this article I am going to simplify the matter by looking at just four regions: Piedmont, Verona, Tuscany and Montepulciano. More specifically, we will investigate Barolo, Valpolicella, Chianti and Montepulciano.

Barolo is the king of Piedmont in the north west. It is to Italy what Burgundian pinot noir is to France, a producer of stylish, top-quality red wines produced from the nebbiolo grape. The man that put the region back on the wine map of the world was Angelo Gaja. He made superbly refined and silky ruby-red wines, smelling of fresh plums, wines with great intensity and a beguiling edge. Now there are several really excellent producers, some of which are available through Lidl at sensible prices around the £15 mark. Do consult a Barolo vintage chart before you buy – it is worth taking the trouble to find good vintages such as the 2015.

I love the wines of the Veneto region, which are lighter in style with fresh cherry fruit and can be served lightly chilled in summer with cold meats and salads.

Bardolino and Valpolicella make a welcome break from

the excellent but more mundane varietal wines of Chile and Australia. If you are looking for real bargains for everyday drinking, look for Merlot produced in Veneto – which I last saw at Tesco at under £5.

I have a soft spot for Chianti because I love Tuscany, its great cities and its coastline at Bolgheri, which now produces some of the world’s finest wines – known as super-Tuscans and including Sassicaia and Ornellaia.

Merlot is king here and has been compared to the great Pomerol merlots such as Chateau Pétrus.

But the wine most commonly associated with the region is Chianti, which most of us probably came across in a pot-bellied flask in a straw jacket that we turned into an inexpensive lampshade in the 1960s. Chianti was previously made exclusively from sangiovese and other Tuscan varieties until the Antinori family fought for amendment to the old-fashioned appellation laws.

Now Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are permitted to be blended with the local varieties and the result is 100% improvement in taste and finish.

Modern Chiantis from Antinori and Frescobaldi are really worth revisiting.

I would love to write about Montalcino, but here again the wine world has adopted Brunello (a local variation of sangiovese clones) di Montalcino – to the extent that you almost need a mortgage to buy a bottle of a great vintage.

Instead we will travel on down to the lovely hill town of Montepulciano, where again we find sangiovese partnering complimentary varieties to produce lovely sun-blessed red wines. These include The Wine Society’s Vino nobile di Montepulciano, at £13.50. There are some excellent basic wines at more modest prices.

In summarising this short piece on Italian reds, I would say forget about the fifty post-war years and look afresh at modern Italian wines. Consider what better clones, wider choice of variety, lower yields and more sensitive wood treatment have done to bring Italian reds back to where they were in classical times when Falernian, Alban and Caecuban wines were the most sought-after by the leaders of the Roman Empire.

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 73

Animal Care

A ROTTEN DISEASE

Mark Newton-Clarke, MA VetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons

H

ardly a day goes by before an owner asks me about alabama rot. There is a lot we don’t know about this new dog disease – but there are some things we do know, so let’s start with those. First, it is quite rare, with only about 60 cases so far confirmed in the UK since 2012. These cases have come from many parts of the country, although the New Forest area seems to be highlighted on the map. The name stems from a similar condition that was described in the 1980s in greyhounds in the USA and in a great dane in Germany.

The medical name for alabama rot is cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), which means damage to the blood vessels of the skin and the kidney.

Symptoms are therefore sores or ulcers on the body or in the mouth, followed by signs of kidney failure – which means that the dog is depressed, thirsty, or may have 74 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

nausea and vomiting. There is no simple diagnostic test and the cause of CRGV is not known.

Here in the UK, many different breeds have been affected and males and females are equally at risk. Age appears to have no bearing either. There does, however, seem to be a seasonal factor, with most cases so far occurring between November and June. This will be borne out in time only if more victims fall foul of this nightmare condition – something all of us hope will not happen.

Most dog owners reading about alabama rot may want to know how to recognise the condition or how to avoid it. The problem is that the early stages can look quite innocent, just like other superficial skin damage.

The Internet is awash with images that are dramatic and, in hindsight, have turned out to be the rot – but can you tell just by looking at a skin lesion? In medicine,

both human and veterinary, we sometimes use a diagnostic system we call ‘pattern recognition.’ Quite simply, the diagnostician combines what can be seen with other clinical clues – touch and smell, in other words – and almost instantly knows the condition. This is a powerful technique and we often simply ‘know’ the diagnosis. For diseases with unique or highly characteristic features, pattern recognition works as well as doing blood tests or x-rays. But, although fast, this diagnostic technique can let you down, as some things are not what they seem.

All diseases have a range of presentations that vary accordingly to the genetics of the patient and the stage of the illness. What’s more, many diseases have more than one cause and the dominance of one element over another can result in a wide variation in symptoms

between patients. Throw into this mix the fact that all tissues have a limited response to injury or infection – and it comes as no surprise that very different diseases can look exactly the same.

In the context of alabama rot, we have several challenges in the diagnostic process. First, most vets will never have seen a case before – me included! – so we have no pattern to recognise. Second, dogs in the countryside are always suffering minor scrapes that they lick and often make worse. Many of these minor injuries happen without the owner’s knowledge and only the excessive licking gives the clue that something is wrong.

Third, we have no simple and reliable test that can rule CRGV either in or out. Possibly worse than all the diagnostic uncertainty is the fact that treatment is often unsuccessful, as the kidney damage is usually severe enough to be fatal.

Oh dear, it’s all sounding a bit bleak. Do not despair!

CRGV is rare, so almost all skin lesions will be unrelated to alabama rot. However, any unexplained or unusual skin lesion that does not heal should be brought to your vet’s attention, especially if accompanied by other signs such as nausea, drinking more and being off colour.

Mouth and tongue ulcers are common in cats but not in dogs, so if you see redness or an erosion, go straight to the clinic. Although we have no reliable test for CRGV, the disease often causes an unusual pattern of changes in the blood that can be detected with standard tests.

Tissue samples from skin lesions will show suspicious changes and kidney function tests will reveal an azotaemia, which means an increase in waste products in the blood.

So the take-home message here is to check your dog over regularly for any skin lesion and treat routine cuts and scrapes with a safe antiseptic that we can supply – do NOT use Dettol or TCP – or use Savlon. If any skin or mouth lesion cannot be explained by trauma and is getting worse, a blood test is essential and can be helpful to exclude CRGV, although not every case results in kidney failure. The most reliable information source is the Anderson Moores veterinary specialists, who are conducting ongoing research on the disease.

On a cheerier note, May means the Sherborne Castle Country Fair. Our stand will feature the eye-testing clinic, run by ophthalmologist Nick Burden, certifying the healthy eyes of all potential breeding dogs. Book your appointment by calling the Swan House on 01935 816228. newtonclarkevet.com www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75

Animal Care

WORMING YOUR WAY OUT OF TROUBLE! Gemma Loader BVetMed MRCVS, The Kingston Veterinary Group

N

ematodirus is a very nasty disease affecting young lambs approximately six to ten weeks old, which are grazing pasture during late spring. The disease is acute and has a high mortality rate. It is caused by the worm nematodirus battus, which has a very different life cycle to other worms affecting sheep. The main difference is that the worm larvae have the ability to remain within the egg and these remain on pastures over long periods of time – up to two years.

This means that infection can pass from one lamb group to next year’s group. Hatching of the worm larva only takes place after a prolonged period of cold weather followed by a change in temperature to above 10°C. This will trigger a mass hatching of the larvae, which become ingested by the grazing lambs.

Clinical signs of the disease are the sudden onset of profuse watery diarrhoea. Lambs become dull and depressed, stop suckling their mothers and quickly become dehydrated. Severe cases will result in death and any infected lambs that survive will have stunted growth.

Diagnosis is generally based upon the presence of severe diarrhoea and history of recent warm weather.

Faecal worm egg counts, determined by examining faeces under a microscope, is often of little value, 76 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

because the disease is caused by larvae and immature worms before they produce eggs. Another disease, coccidiosis, presents with similar symptoms but is easily differentiated by faecal examination in the laboratory.

During an outbreak of the disease, lambs need to be wormed with a suitable anthelmintic product.

The more severe cases will need extra care, such as rehydration support.

Prevention is primarily based upon grazing management and avoiding pastures grazed by lambs during the previous season. Adult sheep are resistant to this disease, so will graze contaminated pasture without a problem. Prophalyatic worming treatments are to be avoided due to increasing resistance to these products. However, if there is no choice but to graze lambs on contaminated pasture, then the lambs may need a worming treatment control strategy during the risk period.

If you keep a sheep flock and are worried about this problem, please contact Gemma Loader at the Kingston Vet Group on 01935 813288. kingstonvets.co.uk

On Foot

PURSE CAUNDLE Nicky King, The Eastbury Hotel and The Three Wishes

D

eciding not to run the risk of Tilly disappearing again, Tracy and I decided that we would head to open countryside for our last walk. So we ventured from Sherborne out to Purse Caundle. We drove through the village – the starting point of a walk I have previously written about – and parked on the lefthand side on the outskirts of the village.

The walk proved not to be for the faint-hearted – not because of its difficulty, but for the amount of mud we seemed to sink into and the number of stiles we had to go over. I always try to avoid walking on bridleways this time of year, particularly in such wonderful open countryside with stunning views. Naturally those people riding out also want to enjoy the same panoramic views and their four-legged companions do rather churn up the paths, leaving a mud bath behind for my very much

shorter-legged border terrier – who came home with as much mud on his tummy as on his legs!

The open fields offered a great opportunity for a good run-around and both dogs could be seen at all times, even if they ran some distance away. Consequently, we had no repeat of the hide-and-seek we had gone through the week before.

The undemanding circular walk was lovely and exploring this area could occupy many weekends of walking. The Trooper Inn, Stourton Caundle, even has a walk on its website. This could be well worth trying, particularly as it offers the opportunity for refreshments at the beginning and the end of your stroll! theeastburyhotel.co.uk thethreewishes.co.uk

LONDON ROAD CLINIC Health Clinic • Acupuncture • Podiatry and Chiropody • Osteopathy • Manual Lymphatic Drainage • Counselling • Soft Tissue Therapy, • Physiotherapy Sports & Remedial • EMDR Therapy Massage Therapy

Tel: 01963 251860

www.56londonroad.co.uk Email: info@56londonroad.co.uk 56 London Road, Milborne Port, Sherborne DT9 5DW Free Parking and Wheelchair access

Eye testing clinic at the Sherborne Castle Country Fair Bank Holiday Monday 29th May With ophthalmologist Nick Burden, certifying the healthy eyes of all potential breeding dogs. Call Swan House on 01935 816228 for information and to book an appointment.

Sherborne Surgery Swan House Lower Acreman Street 01935 816228

Yeovil Surgery Wyndham Hill 144 Sherborne Road 01935 474415

www.newtonclarkevet.com www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77

Cycle Sherborne

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A BICYCLE SHOP Peter Henshaw, Dorset Cyclists Network, Mike Riley, Rileys Cycles

Mike Riley reflects on a typical seven days...

Sunday

Monday

9.30am Bike jumble at Pimperne today. Arrive at the village hall and set up. Chat to 83-year-old Dennis on the next table – he still cycles 50 miles on a typical day out! I’m supposed to pick up some Campagnolo wheels for the Stan Pike, my 60th birthday project bike, but they’re not here so I buy some Shimano wheels instead.

Our prize items sell and the trip is worthwhile.

2.30pm Back at the shop, young Harry and pals are full of excitement. They set out to ride to Milborne Port cross-country and got lost. I make sensible comments about maps and phones, but really I’m delighted that youngsters still have adventures on bikes.

10am Leave Darren in charge of the shop and cycle to Yeovil to meet Chris Jones about marketing for Sherborne Country Fair and 50th anniversary.

11.30am On to Nick’s new bike-fit studio – it’s great and a service I am happy to offer.

4pm “You will be reborn as a cockroach for mixing Japanese and Italian components,” warns Tori. I risk it and fit the Shimano wheels to the Stan Pike – it rides like a dream.

78 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Tuesday

9am We’re running a class on roadside maintenance tonight. I revise course notes and print them out before

wheels for the Stan Pike.

4.30pm An elderly customer is losing his driving license and would like an electric bike to keep him mobile.

Thursday

8am Reply to email from a lady about a used bike for her daughter. The bikes we bought on Tuesday seem suitable and Darren services them.

10.30am Roy, a legendary cycle rep, visits. We do the essential business, then play a game – Roy delivers his offers patter and I try to resist spending more. As usual, he wins.

6pm Campag wheels for the Stan Pike arrive. The tyres are not a good fit and the tube explodes like a gun shot.

8pm Go swimming at Sherborne Sports Centre, where I meet a friend and find myself suggesting a rickshaw for his son’s wedding – business never stops!

Friday

Daytime Finish repairs in preparation for Saturday, when most folks collect their bikes.

9pm Fit replacement pedals and shoes to my bike for a ride tomorrow. My reward is fish and chips, just before they close.

Saturday

heading to the shop.

11am Source a jacket for customer Bill, who cycles to work in Yeovil in all weathers.

6pm Maintenance class. We practice puncture repairs and look at get-you-home techniques, plus a bit of preventive maintenance.

Wednesday

10am A new helper starts today. Yvonne has great positive energy and tackles filing, washing up and cardboard recycling with equal enthusiasm.

4pm Deliveries arrive, including treats: adventure luggage for Darren’s fatbike and vintage Italian race

8.15am Digby Etape club ride. Back in the shop for 9.40am, where Saturday lad Josh is telling us about new bands he likes. One is called Led Zeppelin…

10am Used bike lady arrives. Her daughter chooses her favourite colour, though her dad would prefer better components. They ask us to make a mongrel and go away to think. I don’t expect to hear anything, so am pleasantly surprised when they call asking us to prepare the bike for next week.

10.30am Nip home to change, grab breakfast and head back.

11.30am The day rushes by. Browsers come in, chat and admire classic bikes. Customers drop in for repairs.

2.30pm The gent wanting a used e-bike arrives and is delighted – it’s good to have helped him keep his independence.

4pm Wind down by tinkering with some projects and close up. Ride home on the gorgeous Stan Pike.

dcn.org.uk rileyscycles.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

BARBER SHOP For those who know the difference

SHERBORNE’S BARBER SINCE 1993 Three highly skilled, professional barbers with over 80 years collective experience

Cut Back & Sides Crew Cut Shampoo & Cut Concessions

£15 Beard Trim £5 £45 £14 Shave £13 Colour from £24 £29 Under 11’s £13 for over 65’s Mon - Wed

Approved Supplier of

Monday 8am - 5pm | Tuesday - Friday 8am - 6pm | Saturday 8am - 3pm | Booking recommended

01935 815501 | 6a Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX /jps_barber_shop

T H E S A N C T UA RY BEAUTY ROOMS

E V SyoAur !

S E SOL

with our M a y offe rs. . .

L I M I T E D E D I T I O N O . P. I C H A M O M I L E A N D M I N T P E D I C U R E - £ 3 2

A N U P L I F T I N G F U L L P E D I C U R E , I N C L U D I N G A R E F R E S H I N G F O OT M A S K , A N D P O L I S H .

I N T E N S I V E F R U I T A C I D P E D I C U R E PA C K A G E - £ 4 0

I N C L U D E S C U T I C L E WO R K , T H O R O U G H H A R D S K I N R E M OVA L A N D P O L I S H , P L U S A S O F T E N I N G O. P. I F O OT C R E A M WO RT H £ 1 6 TO TA K E H O M E W I T H YO U.

T H E S A N C T UA RY, 8 A C H E A P S T R E E T, S H E R B O R N E , T E L : 0 1 9 3 5 8 1 5 0 8 5

W W W. T H E S A N C T U A RY S H E R B O R N E . C O . U K

Body & Mind

A HEAD START ON SPRING Christine Roberts, Lead Stylist, Robin James Salon and Spa, Sherborne

I

don't know about you ladies and gents, but when the sun comes out at this time of year my energy levels start to soar. Whether it’s for your daily look, work, college, travelling or weekends with friends and family, here are some ideas to give you a hit of springtime zing.

Cuts

Undone, tousled cuts and shaggy layers are currently in vogue. It doesn’t matter if you have long or short hair, this trend will keep you looking cool and breezy while requiring little upkeep. Also peaking on the fashion food chain are long fringes – go for a length that skims your eyelashes for a coquettish, ‘peek-a-boo’ look.

Styles

80s power curls are back. But if you’re not feeling brave enough to recreate the Charlene and Scott poster you had on your wall in 1987, there is definitely another relevant style this season to take your fancy. How about a chilled, wind-blown surfer look? Alternatively, a grown-up, textured ponytail is an option that is great for work. If you want to make a statement, random plaits throughout the hair is an amazing look for any age. Thinner braids will lend a beachy, mermaid vibe, while chunkier twists have an elegant feel.

Colours

The latest hues to hit salons are subtle, mixed colours that suit a variety of skin tones. ‘Blorange,’ or blonde-orange is our newest obsession. This peachy shade can be an amazing addition to your existing highlights, giving dimension to your colour. Second on the hit list is ‘bronde,’ falling somewhere between brown and blonde. This is a great technique that gives sparkle to blondes when in the light, while seeming chocolate in the shadows.

If you’re not ready for a new shade entirely, consider 82 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

some subtle highlights. If applied around the perimeter of your face, these will brighten up your features and can have a slimming effect. Alternatively, opt for two complementary tones to give seamless, moving colour from roots to ends.

Use our AVEDA Blue Malva Colour Enhance shampoo and conditioner to enhance your existing highlights or indeed to complement your natural greys. Our Colour Conserve from the same range will maintain your new or existing shade from fading, whether due to wind, sun or sea.

Manicures and pedicures are a must, since we are now starting to wear our open-toe shoes and polishing our nails for spring time. OPI has a plethora of beautiful colours and gels to choose from at Robin James. Taupe-lessbeach – cool and grey-toned with a cheeky side. Spare Me a French Quarter? – a luscious raspberry that looks good enough to eat. Cajun Shrimp – a bright orange-red mix that complements all skin tones; and my all-time favourite.

For those who simply want a chic and clean finish, there are the perennial French manicures and pedicures.

If there is anyone out there who wants to clear their head from the winter blues and hay fever, I would highly suggest making an appointment for a massage – whether from head to toe, or just an Indian head massage. I can promise you it will make most things feel better! One further suggestion for hay fever sufferers is our HOPI ear candle treatment. Come in for a consultation with any of the Spa staff and they will gladly explain more about this beneficial treatment.

We are always here, so if you want to get started for spring, please come in and have a free consultation with any of our talented staff and enjoy complimentary AVEDA tea. robin-james.co.uk

WHAT TO WEAR Lindsay Punch, Personal Stylist

J

eans are a wardrobe staple whatever the weather – and why not, when they offer so much? They are easy to dress up with a smart shirt, cool coat, statement shoe or blazer. However, finding the perfect fit is no easy task. We are all different shapes, sizes and style personalities and the abundance of ‘denim bars’ spread across the high street can be overwhelming, even for the most confident shopper.

If you read fashion magazines or the endless style blogs, you will have come across articles telling you to ditch your skinny jeans for the new trends of cropped flares, distressed, embroidered and ‘mom’ jeans. Most of these trends remind me of my mother and our trip to Disney World in 1989! While skinny jeans aren’t everyone’s friend, the new unconventional cuts can be tricky to wear. My advice is not to slave over the fashion trends, as they don’t last, but always opt for personal comfort. When you have a wardrobe filled with clothes you’ve chosen that flatter you, you’ll feel good.

Before venturing out to seek that perfect pair of jeans, it’s a good idea to check your existing denim inventory.

It’s all too easy to hoard denim, particularly if you have a well-loved pair. If you have five pairs of dark indigo, you have that base covered and there is no need for more! If you find yourself irritated by the constant pulling up of a low-rise, mid-rise or saggy crotch, it’s time for them to leave the building. A high waist will not only stay up better, but they are flattering for most shapes, hide a multitude of sins and will offer extra tummy support.

Luckily there are some principles you can follow for finding the perfect pair of jeans, which will hopefully save you hours and stress in the changing room. Look for universally flattering shapes, such as a straight-leg or boot-cut trouser. I’m often asked, “But aren’t they dated?”

Nothing is dated if they flatter you. It’s also a lot to do with what type of shoe you pair with them. Sneakers, wedges or strappy sandals for the spring and summer are all complementary.

Does price matter when it comes to good-quality jeans? Not always. I’ve had years of experience working with expensive luxury denim brands and premium denim is not always reliable – a rigid denim will still give you that disappointing bagginess. ‘Lift and shape’ ranges from high-street favourites Next and H&M offer good support and are cut well. Because of the stretchy fabric, they keep their elasticity, hug your body better and create a sleeker silhouette. If you don’t mind spending a bit more, brands like Not Your Daughters Jeans (NYDJ) and Acne Studios offer the same.

If you are not sure about shape, try and focus on which areas you want to balance out. If you want to balance the proportions of a curvy hip or top half, bootcut or flares will be the most flattering, while taking the length to floor-skimming will elongate your legs. If you are petite, flares will overwhelm you and the cropped flare trend will chop off your legs still further! If you want to highlight your hips, skinny jeans will show off your shape. If you want to tuck jeans into your boots, only skinny jeans will create the right look. Anklegrazers, always gracing the shop floor in the warmer months, end on the slimmest part of your ankle, which is flattering for any leg.

Whatever style you go for, finding the perfect fit is essential. Most importantly, however, they should feel like a second skin, leaving you feeling comfortable and confident. lindsaypunchstyling.co.uk facebook.com/lindsaypunchstyling www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 83

Body & Mind

THE TEST OF TIME Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms

A

ge is but a number and, although that number is ever increasing, it is possible to improve like a good piece of furniture – rather than an old sofa!

The structural changes that affect our skin’s appearance manifest over time. This begins to take its toll from our 20s, when unprotected exposure to UV rays causes hidden damage and cell renewal rates begin to slow down. Our first wrinkles and variations in our skin tone can appear in our 30s, as our plumping collagen and elastin levels decline. By our 40s our skin is noticeably thinner and, as it struggles to hold on to moisture, dehydration can be a big issue. The first signs of skin damage might be visible, as pigmentation spots and lines start to become permanently present – not just on bad days! From 50 onwards, the skin shows wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation, and skincare focus turns to firming and brightening the skin.

There are two types of factors that contribute to structural changes in our skin. These are intrinsic, or internal, factors and extrinsic, or external, factors.

Intrinsic factors are largely governed by genetics, determining our natural ageing process for us. Have a good look at your family elders and see what joys you are likely to inherit!

However, it is the extrinsic factors that have the greatest effect on how our skin will age. Lifestyle decisions and unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking, pollution exposure and UV damage can exacerbate the structural changes that occur naturally in our skin. In fact, UV-induced sun damage accounts for over 80% of skin ageing caused by extrinsic factors alone.

If you’re concerned about improving the health and look 84 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

of your skin, trying to maintain a lifelong routine that includes daily protection against sun and environmental exposure is the single biggest step you can take.

This means wearing a layered approach of SPF’s to ensure you are fully protected. SPF’s don’t add up to higher factors but hardly anyone applies enough of any individual product to give the listed SPF value on the bottle. However by wearing a moisturiser with SPF 30, make-up with SPF 20 and powder with SPF 15 for example you are giving your skin a fighting chance with protection. It’s never too late to start this daily protection as research shows that your skin is able to reverse some sun damage when it is able to rest from continual UV exposure.

Once you’ve got protection covered, the focus can switch to repairing the damage and addressing natural skin concerns such as moisture and firmness.

Products with anti-ageing peptides help to mimic natural processes in the skin. Peptides are synthetically produced fragments of amino acids, which are the building blocks of the proteins that make up the cells in our body.

Certain peptides can be capable of stimulating the cells that make collagen and elastin, improving hydration, controlling the formation of pigment and reducing skin sensitivity.

Retinol is another hard-working ingredient – derived from vitamin A – which boosts collagen production and inhibits the breakdown of our existing collagen.

Yes, the array of products out there can be baffling, but with skin analysis and professional advice, a ’controlled ageing’ routine can be found for you. thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk

"Leave the house confident in the colours and shapes that make you, you"

NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC AND THERAPY ROOMS

Colour Analysis, Shape & Style, Consultations, Wardrobe Re-styling, Personal Shopping, Online Shopping, Mens Styling, Bridal Packages, New Mum Styling, Colour & Style Parties, Skincare & Makeup Advice, Gift Vouchers Available 07969 557004 INFO@LINDSAYPUNCHSTYLING.CO.UK WWW.LINDSAYPUNCHSTYLING.CO.UK

• Medicinal Herbology • Aromatherapy • Reflexology • Hypnosis • Past Life Regression • McTimoney Chiropractic • EMDR Therapy

• Psychotherapy • Counselling • Sports Injury Massage • Holistic Nutrition • Shiatzu Massage • Yoga • Doula • Acupuncture

10% off all Neal's Yard Remedies on day of treatment

Pop in for more information or call

01935 507290

email sherbornerooms@gmail.com or visit www.sherbornerooms.com

HALF TERM

56 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3BJ

ACTIVITIES

MONDAY 29 MAY – FRIDAY 2 JUNE

8-14 years Morning, Afternoon and All day options available £9.50 per session or £17 per day First Aid, Trampolining, Bouldering and many more activities Please ask at reception or go to www.oxleysc.com for more information

OPENING HOURS Monday to Friday 8.30am until 5pm Saturday 7.30am until 4pm

Lo o of k o ou ut Ac r S for tiv um de iti m ta es e ils r

Walk in, relax.

No appointment necessary 56 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3BJ www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Body & Mind

GOT THE MASSAGE

Shannon Miles, Massage Therapist, Oxley Sports Centre

M

assage… The first thing many people think of is that it’s a luxury, a special treat that one gets when staying at a 5-star resort somewhere exotic. However, massage has been viewed as an essential health component in everyday life by many cultures for centuries.

In the West, massage went the way of the dinosaurs for a while. It started to make a comeback in England, however, when it was administered by WWI nurses to improve circulation in wounded soldiers.

Nowadays there are many massage styles, including therapeutic, sports, Swedish, and deep-tissue. Whether you need to have a moment of relaxation, reduce muscle tension or attain relief from chronic pain, a therapeutic massage can enhance your overall sense of emotional and physical wellbeing.

Though there is sometimes the perception that it can be painful, massage on healthy tissue feels good.

Working on an area of injury or chronic pain may cause some discomfort, but that will usually lessen during treatment. Over the years I’ve learned that my client’s

86 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

body will tell me what kind of massage pressure it needs, as the muscles will allow me to go to a depth that is comfortable for them. Always tell your therapist if you feel any discomfort or pain, so they can adjust treatment.

Massage and exercise

When we work out, our heart rate increases to circulate more oxygen through the body. During intense exercise, there may not be enough oxygen available to complete the process, so a substance called lactate is made.

Symptoms include a burning feeling in your muscles, cramps, nausea and weakness.

The soreness you sometimes feel a day or two after a workout is normal. When you work out, tiny tears form in the muscles that help them grow bigger and stronger as they heal. The more you exercise, the more efficient the heart becomes – so you can work out harder and longer.

Benefits of sports massage

Sports massage is used to improve athletic performance, speed recovery and maintain peak performance. It will:

• Reduce muscle tension and promote relaxation • Increase blood circulation, reducing muscle fatigue and soreness • Increase range of motion and reduce swelling • Increase joint mobility by releasing adhesions, or ‘knots’ • Improve muscle tone and balance, reducing the stress placed on bones and joints Begin any exercise routine gradually – don’t go from being a couch potato to trying to run a marathon in a week. At Oxley, a personal trainer can help you make the transition more enjoyable and you are more likely to ward off injury. If you sign up for an exercise class, let the trainer know beforehand that you are just starting out.

What to expect at a massage treatment

ANOTHER LITTLE WORLD

Surrounded by a stunning Dorset landscape, Another Little World @ The Farm is our newly opened and exclusive treatment spa.

We specialise in correction facials, de-stressing + rebalancing massage + on-trend nail treats, with an individual and mindful approach in all that we do.

@ The Farm West Down Farm Corton Denham Sherborne Dorset DT9 4LG

Before treatment begins your massage therapist will make a ‘client assessment,’ asking you about your current physical condition, stress levels and whether or not any part of your body is particularly sensitive.

For a full body massage you will be asked to remove as much clothing as you are comfortable with; your massage therapist will give you privacy to undress. You will be asked to lie down on a treatment couch that is designed for stability and comfort. For the purpose of modesty as well as warmth, you will be fully draped with a sheet or large towels throughout your session, except for the area being worked on.

A professional massage oil or lubricant will be used to ease the friction, which is easily absorbed by your skin. Ideally you should wear casual clothing to the session, as it is possible that traces of oil will remain.

The massage normally begins gently to calm and relax the body, releasing superficial tension.

Gradually, your therapist will work more deeply into the tissues and treat specific areas, depending on your needs.

Introducing the latest 3D non-surgical face and body treatments

To find out more or book an appointment for sports massage, Swedish massage or reiki at Oxley Sports Centre, call 01935 818270.

3D-skintech - face lift and tighten loose or sagging skin on the neck and face without any down time.

oxleysc.com

www.anotherlittleworld.co.uk 01935 350008 / 07729 384241

Helping You Achieve Your Ideal Body

3D-HIFU & 3D-lipomed - body targeted fat reduction, cellulite and skin tightening, cavitation, HIFU, cryolipolysis (fat freezing).

Contact us today for your FREE consultation T. 01963 220937 | www.evolution-aesthetics.co.uk Find us at: West Down Business Centre, West Down Farm, Corton Denham, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LG

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

Body & Mind

THE ESSENTIAL BENEFITS OF FRANKINCENSE Loretta Lupi-Lawrence, Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Independent Consultant, The Sherborne Rooms

I

nside my daily routine hides a wonderful aid to my busy lifestyle, incorporating my roles as a mother, wife and business owner – essential oils. I use them in my beauty routines, I diffuse them and I take them in supplements. Better still, there is something for every emotion my body is going through. They keep me stimulated, grounded, calm, energised – and it is fair to say without them, I would be a lot more chaotic and frazzled!

So what are essential oils? I am not an aromatherapist, but I do work with them in the products that I use and sell. Essential oils come from plants.

They are the pure, undiluted extract of the plant. This oil does not just smell divine and stimulate your emotions, but supports your general wellbeing too.

For example, geranium will restore balance, chamomile roman will calm you and lemon is cleansing and stimulating.

My personal favourite is frankincense. This oil will keep you uplifted and grounded. It is taken from the bark of the frankincense tree in warmer climates such as Oman and Somalia. At one time, frankincense was worth more than its weight in gold and was as important to the Arabian economy as oil is today. In ancient times, it was believed that frankincense created a pathway between the earthly and divine worlds. The fragrant smoke that emanated from the smouldering resin was thought to carry people’s prayers to the gods. Indeed, as the Arab historian al-Tabari wrote in the ninth century, “The smoke of the incense reaches heaven as does no other smoke.”

Today, in aromatherapy and mindfulness practices, frankincense is used to promote a state of relaxation, helping to encourage slower and deeper breathing. Inhaling the therapeutic aroma of this essential oil will promote a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation and its fresh, uplifting scent can help to relieve the symptoms of anxiety. In skin care, it is one of the most important oils to tone skin and combat signs of ageing. The oil contains triterpenes, which hold soothing, cleansing and toning properties.

I use this oil every day to calm me when I am about to speak in public, to untangle my mind when I have a lot on my to-do list and to keep me focused.

If you would like to benefit too, come along to The Sherborne Rooms for a mindful and age-defying workshop or a ‘free facial Friday,’ held on the last Friday of the month using Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic products.

Next time you feel like life is throwing new challenges in your path, you are having trouble sleeping, staying calm and peaceful, or even feeling unmotivated, then think essential oils. There will be a little bottle of oil that can come to your aid, helping you to feel a little lighter and less muddled! uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/lorettalupil

88 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

SHIATSU – A LIFE-CHANGING PATH?

I

Marco Cavallaro MRSS DipBSS, Shiatsu Practitioner, London Road Clinic

n our fast-paced world the demands of work and family life can take their toll on our long-term health. On doctor’s advice, it is often easy to turn to medication. However, there is change.

An increasing number of articles and documentaries have recently given advice on the benefits of reducing intake of medication and how simple life changes can have even greater benefits for many ailments. Here, complementary therapy can help you to find your own path to better health and, consequently, greater pleasure in life.

When people ask me what shiatsu is, I usually say there is no one answer. It is a versatile therapy and I adapt my treatment to meet the specific needs of each individual that I treat. Deep-tissue massage, structural adjustment and specific bodywork on painful pressure points are combined to create a therapy that will provide immediate relief and longer-term solutions to injury, repetitive strain and chronic pain. In addition the deep energy work involved in shiatsu eases discomfort from digestive disorders, improves circulation and reduces stress.

If the challenges of daily life have made it difficult to take regular care of yourself for several months or years, a physical condition can easily become chronic. Take the example of people who work at a desk. They often sit in a fixed position for long hours with the neck tightening, the shoulders going up, the lower back starting to ache and a tension headache developing. In this instance, treatments would involve deep-tissue massage and structural adjustment, which will give immediate pain relief alongside a recommended programme of habitual

change to provide longer-term solutions.

Often, a part of our fast-paced lives is keeping fit and well, engaging in the many different hobbies available. Injury causes deep frustration, as it can mean abandoning that favourite activity or sport. Often, to avoid this, medication can be an effective plaster, allowing us to continue while unfortunately making the condition worse. Following injury, shiatsu therapy treats the condition with massage to improve circulation to the injury, address pressure points to release tension in the specific area and provide recommended exercises to improve a fast recovery. So whether you wish to get out in the garden, walk to the shops, get back to dancing or run a half-marathon, shiatsu therapy can help.

Often physical pain manifests as a result of stress.

Frequently the two go together, since stress is one of the main causes of physical pain. Drugs don’t often get to the core of the problem when shiatsu therapy will, as one of the best ways to achieve physical and mental well-being. Whether you are a lorry driver, construction worker, office worker, or childminder, hard work creates habitual strains and stresses, which can become chronic.

Trust the hands-on therapies that have been used all over the world before the age of modern drugs. Next time you find yourself in pain, think twice before reaching for the painkillers and consider shiatsu, a longterm solution, instead.

56londonroad.co.uk marcocavallaro.co.uk

Become a SAMARITAN and you become part of a superb local team that offers emotional support 24/7

A VERY SPECIAL VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY

Find out more about our exceptional training programme and the chance to make a real difference at a Prospective Volunteer Information Session on the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm.

These are held at our centre (address below) We are keen to hear from anyone over 18 with time in the evenings and weekends. Call 01935 414015 and let us know when you are coming or email recruitment@yeovilsamaritans.org.uk

Yeovil Samaritans, 25 The Park, Yeovil | www.samaritans.org You could change someone’s life – maybe your own www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

Body & Mind

FURRING UP OF THE ARTERIES – THE ‘NEED-TO-KNOW’ FACTS! Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom, GP and Complementary Practitioner, Glencairn House

H

ealthy blood vessels are wide and elastic, transporting oxygenated blood around the body to all the important organs such as brain, heart and kidneys, as well as other tissues such as bone and muscle. Furring up of the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, is a process of narrowing and tighteningup of the arteries, reducing blood flow around the body as well as raising blood pressure. This process eventually results in damage to those organs, causing heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

There are a number of causes of atherosclerosis.

Normal ageing results in ‘wear and tear’ in the artery walls. There may be a genetic factor if heart attack and stroke has occurred in the family. Excess weight puts strain on the blood vessels directly, but also indirectly by increasing the blood pressure (BP) – this itself accelerates the ‘furring up’ process. Smoking also contributes by causing tightening of the arteries, as well as increasing the stickiness of the blood. This leads to clot formation in the artery walls of the heart and brain.

High blood cholesterol level is another risk factor that leads to the laying down of fatty deposits on the lining of the blood vessels. Low dietary intake of antioxidants, whose function is to protect the blood vessels against harmful fats, also contributes to atherosclerosis. Finally there is diabetes, another disease that accelerates the artery furring-up process. It is important to detect these risk factors in order to address them and halt the onset and progression of atherosclerosis.

Identification of raised BP, diabetes or cholesterol is achieved by a simple ‘well person’ check, which can be provided by many high-street chemists or the practice nurse at your GP surgery, rather than taking up a valuable

90 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

appointment with your GP. Smoking cessation is also provided by your local pharmacy; nicotine replacement may be provided along with a Smoke Quit pack. The recommended heart disease prevention diet is low in salt as this raises BP, is high in fibre as this reduces cholesterol, promotes the consumption of healthy fats such as olive, rapeseed, fish and nut oils, recommends at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to ensure adequate anti-oxidants and is low in sugar, especially high-GI sugars such as white granulated sugar. This reduces your ‘calorie load,’ which is one side of the healthy weight equation, the other being regular exercise – at least 30 minutes daily. Get a fitness wrist band and aim for 10,000 steps per day. Sensible alcohol intake is no more than one or two drinks three to four times per week.

Besides following these recommendations there are a few supplements that may prevent progression of atherosclerosis. Co-Enzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that protects the blood vessels against the damaging effects of fats in the blood stream. Vitamin B complex lowers the levels of a harmful amino acid called homocysteine. Garlic is another natural antioxidant and omega-3 fish oils are cardio-protective by correcting the imbalance of omega-6 to 3 ratio.

I appreciate that this is a disheartening (pun intended) list of recommendations. However, if you break it down into sub-headings of lifestyle and diet, as well as risk factor identification, hopefully it won’t seem so daunting. If it has the power to protect you against atherosclerosis, all the better. doctorTWRobinson.com GlencairnHouse.co.uk

SOMETHING FRESH IN HEARING Moxi Fit R – the world’s smallest rechargeable hearing instrument

ONE RECHARGEABLE BATTERY, THOUSANDS OF CONVERSATIONS Never miss a conversation All-day listening on an overnight charge.

Never without power Swap the rechargeable battery cells with traditional zinc-air batteries at any time.

Award-winning design A discreet size and available in six colours.

GIRLINGS ALWAYS OFFERS THE MOST ADVANCED HEARING TECHNOLOGY

Call us for expert, impartial advice: Tel: 01935

815647

4 Swan Yard | Sherborne | Dorset DT9 3AX

www.girlinghearingaids.co.uk

@girlingshearing

Brister&Son Independent Family Funeral Directors

When your family suffers the loss of a loved one, we are here to support, guide and reassure you – every step of the way Call Daniel on 01935 812647 100 Lenthay Road, Sherborne DT9 6AG Email: daniel@wsbrister.com www.wsbrister.com

We stock a full range of new and pre-owned scooters.

tyle ile in s .uk b o m g you ility.co Keepin rbornemob 91 93 he www.s 01935 38 Tel: Visit our showroom: Open: Mon - Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm Unit 5, South Western Business Park, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PS (Access via the station car park)

92 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

The Old Vicarage Leigh, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6HL

01935 873033

care@tovic.com

We are delighted to announce that following our recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission we have been awarded a rating of Outstanding. This means we are in the top 1% of care homes in England.

The Old Vicarage CQC overall rating

28 January 2016

Set in its own secluded, beautifully landscaped gardens, woodland and meadow, and with stunning views overlooking the Dorset countryside, it’s hard to resist the charms of the Old Vicarage. As soon as you step through the front door of this charming country house, you’ll discover an oasis of comfort, warmth, calm and relaxation.

Our highly trained staff ensure that everything - from the mouth-watering food and drink and the stylishly cosy bedrooms to the wide range of activities - will make the Old Vicarage truly a home from home. We have been recognised by the Cinnamon Trust as being one of the best pet friendly care homes in the country.

To arrange a visit please call on 01935 873033 or email care@tovic.com

Sherborne Lettings & Property Management

Wanted

Coming soon, four bedrooms, three reception rooms, new kitchen and bathrooms, cellars, attic room, enclosed large garden.

A number of clients are looking for short and long term grazing land and outbuildings.

Please call our office to arrange a valuation

Independent Letting Agent representing town and country property throughout Somerset and Dorset 5 Tilton Court, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL

£1700pcm

Nr Crewkerne Detached barn conversion in rural setting, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, open plan living / kitchen.

T: 01935 816209 E: info@stockwoodlettings.co.uk

www.stockwoodlettings.co.uk

bloomin’marvellous service from Symonds & Sampson Sherborne 01935 814488 symondsandsampson.co.uk 94 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

£715pcm

Property

TREES ON YOUR LAND? DO YOU KNOW YOUR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES?

T

Jonathan Cheal, Agricultural Solicitor, Mogers Drewett

ree Preservation Orders have a place in protecting the all-important trees that enhance our urban and rural landscapes. There is even evidence from estate agents that houses in areas with healthy trees will increase in value faster than those that do not. However, safety must always be the primary consideration.

A recent case of a large tree falling onto a public footpath in Lancashire will resonate with many who have concerns about potentially dangerous trees.

The homeowner in this case had approached his local authority and expressed serious concerns about the safety of the high beech trees on his land after he had noticed them leaning, with bark falling away. Such was his concern that he applied to have the trees removed in January 2015. The council declined his application, stating that the trees were under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and planners felt they complemented the area. Instead, the local authority asked the homeowner to monitor the situation.

A year later and, following no improvement in the state of the trees, the homeowner made a second application for removal, which was again rejected. One of the trees inevitably fell – and it was only through fortune that nobody was injured or killed. The council is now claiming that it acted correctly and according to advice.

There is a let-out in TPOs where an exception can be made if a tree is dangerous. If you have a dangerous

tree, you can apply for permission to have it felled or trimmed according to the nature of the danger. Councils that do not allow this exception may well be at risk.

The issue of responsibility is key when it comes to trees and the dangers they present. In 2001, a Somerset motorcyclist was injured by a diseased branch that fell from a tree onto the road. In the subsequent claim for damages against the private estate that owned the tree, the estate was asked to explain its policy for dead, diseased and dying trees, especially those near roads. The court was not satisfied that the policy was sufficient and, as a result, the estate was found liable.

All owners are well advised to have a written policy governing the management of tree stock, including a regular regime for inspection and any necessary action.

While Acts of God are unavoidable, landowners – including domestic homeowners – should take steps to minimise risks through prudence.

If a tree is causing concern but is covered by a TPO, ask the local authority for a review. It is also important to develop a good dialogue with the local authority and retain a paper trail to show that you have taken proper steps.

A recently fallen tree may or may not show signs of inherent disease and thus will provide important evidence in a future case. md-solicitors.co.uk

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

A family run Letting Agency providing all the benefits you would expect and without high street charges Landlords, compare our fees.

Are you paying too much to your agent?

Testimonials available T: 01935 389589 • M: 07436 267989 E: lettingsinsherborne@gmail.com lettingsinsherborne www.lettingsinsherborne.com

Lopen, South Petherton: 01460 243100 Child Okeford, Dorset: 01258 861100 Priorswood, Taunton: 01823 323575

We collect your archive documents, store them and deliver them back to you!

Pay per box

96 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Local Self Storage and Removal Services.

Business or Domestic, Safe and Secure.

Quote Sherborne Times when booking for a week’s free storage

beehiveselfstorage.co.uk

Found Your perfect buyer.

Sell with Knight Frank.

Despite Brexit, we have had our best 12 months since 2006, with property sales up 33%.

Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately.

On average, our Sherborne office has achieved 94% of the guide price on sales of property valued over ÂŁ400,000*, so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving.

15 Cheap Street Sherborne Dorset DT9 3PU 01935 590022 @KFSherborne sherborne@knightfrank.com KnightFrank.co.uk/Sherborne *Over the past 12 months

@KnightFrank

Property

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR AGENT?

H

Paul Gammage and Anita Light, Ewemove Sherborne

ow do you get your head around the plethora of available agents and cut through their marketing spiel to understand the level of service you will get for your money? And thereby the price you will realise for your sale?

We all have our own definition of value – the supermarket we choose to shop in, the car we choose to drive, the restaurant we choose to eat in and so on. My personal favourite analogy of the estate agency service models available is to liken them to the airline industry.

Online agents

For the purposes of this analogy, think budget airlines.

Some people refer to this model as a DIY one. The term ‘online’ is a misleading one, as the reality is all agents are online and have been for many years. The vast majority of people start their search for property online, whether through Rightmove, Zoopla or the agents’ own websites.

As with budget airlines, the headline price is designed to be very appealing. However, there will be a menu of additional service options that you may or may not wish to pay for. For example, you might decide to conduct your own viewings, take your own photographs and negotiate your own sale. If that is the case, then it’s great to have the choice. There may also be clauses concerning the financial and conveyancing services. It may also be the case that you are committed to payment prior to marketing, irrespective of a successful sale or not. Make sure you fully understand the contract.

High-street agents

Similar to the airline industry, these players are being put under pressure by newcomers to the business.

Prior to the digital revolution, your local high-street agent’s shop was the natural place to take your property requirements – but that is not the case these days. Just think of the volume of people who shop online these days and have items delivered directly to their home.

98 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Many high-street agents are adapting their models and offering a tariff of prices that are service-dependent.

Some are even offering an ‘online’ model, with the option to revert to the more traditional service if required.

Hybrid agents

In this instance, think of modern airlines looking to combine the best technology with great customer service.

We recently flew with Qatar Airways and the customer experience was amazing – a modern jet, great food and drink, fantastic entertainment system, the ability to use Wi-Fi in-flight and comfortable seats with lots of leg room. In short, we got off the flight feeling great.

Similarly, some hybrid estate agents look to provide a premium all-inclusive service, enabled by cutting-edge technology. Professional-quality photography, 2D and 3D floor plans with plots, creative marketing descriptions, 24/7 interactive websites and communication are all designed to achieve the very best price for the property.

So, what does it all mean?

It is often quoted that moving house is one of the most stressful experiences we go through. As such, it is paramount that you trust your agent and build a solid relationship.

My recommendation would be to understand how your appointed agent will get the very best price for your home. Ask them to demonstrate how they will achieve this. What have they based their valuation on? Do they have a list of prospective buyers? Do they live and work locally? Do they know the local market and can they sell the area to prospective buyers?

Also, do not lose sight of the after-sale process. Make sure your agent will personally manage the progression of your sale. In an earlier edition of <Sherborne Times>, I highlighted that approximately one in three sales were falling through at one point last year. ewemove.com/sherborne

Hi, we’re Anita and Paul Branch Directors of EweMove Sherborne Your Local Property Expert

8 Reasons Why Homeowners Trusted EweMove To Sell Their Home 1 We’re open 24/7, so we never miss out on a viewing or offer 2 We advertise on all major property portals: RightMove and Zoopla 3 Our award winning Ewereka! system allows buyers to book their online viewings 4 We will personally manage your sale beginning to end

Oborne, £260,000

Charlton Horethorne £330,000

• 3 Beds with great size plot, Amazing Countryside Views

• 3 Double Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Country Cottage

Julie Warren

5 We take professional photographs of your home that will make it stand out and increase your click through rates 6 2D & 3D floor plans to allow people to visualise themselves in your home 7 If you’re not happy, you can walk away at any time and you won’t pay us a penny 8 Our customers have rated us 5 star on Trustpilot making us The UK’s Most Trusted Estate Agent

Lower Odcombe £290,000 • 3 Beds, 2 Baths, Extented and Renovated

Stoford £230,000 • 3 Bedroom Cottage, Excellently Presented

Chetnole, £425,000 • 3 Double Bed Period Property, Sympathetically Updated

Total Transparency and Honesty

Anita and Paul run an estate agents like none you will have ever experienced before and believe me I have tried quite a few over the years!

There is total transparency and honesty at all times combined with expert communication – I knew what was going on every single day and as things happened, not when someone decided I needed a weekly update. I had more viewings in 6 weeks than I had in the previous 6 months but from people who actually were interested in my property not just viewings for the sake of viewings.

Equally my purchaser was over the moon and the completion went smoothly and without a hitch. Why put up with the normal sloppiness of high street estate agents, save your time an awful lot of hassle and money and go to the best in the area – that’s exactly what I will be doing next time.

Get Your FREE Online Valuation Estimate Visit: EweMove.com/Sherborne Or Call: 01935 350 350

Do you want to get more from your retirement?

An Equity Release mortgage may be an option for you.

Equity Release can provide a way to release some of the money tied up in your home if you are a homeowner aged 55 or over.

You may wish to: • Repay debts or outstanding mortgages • Boost your income • Help your family • Make improvements to your home Equity release enables you to use some of the money tied up in your home to provide a tax free lump sum, to spend on almost anything you wish.

If you would like to understand the options in more detail please contact our consultants for a no cost initial meeting without obligation. At the meeting we would explain and agree the fees that would apply if you wish to progress the enquiry.

Equity release may not be right for everyone. It may affect your entitlement to state benefits and will reduce the value of your estate.

Our Sherborne advisers Johanna Kemp CeMAP

Equity Release, Mortgages, Life Assurance M: 07813 785355 E: jk@abacusfinancialoptions.co.uk

Jeremy Howe DipPFS MAQ

Equity Release, Mortgages, Life Assurance, Pensions & Investments M: 07885 660775 E: jh@abacusfinancialoptions.co.uk

Tel: 01202 646960 Web: abacusfinancialoptions.co.uk

FCA No: 576165

jackson-stops.co.uk

Big enough to cope small enough to care With 8 offices in the West Country and over 40 nationally, including 8 in London, we combine expert local knowledge with comprehensive national coverage.

For sales and valuation advice please contact your nearest office.

Bridport 01308 423 133

Dorchester 01305 262 123

Sherborne 01935 810 141

Shaftesbury 01747 850 858

Exeter 01392 214 222

Barnstaple 01271 325 153

Truro 01872 261 160

Taunton 01823 325 144

People Property Places

Finance

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning

I

n last month’s article I posed the question, “How much is enough?” It is, after all, difficult to know exactly how much money you need for the rest of your life.

Take the example of being on holiday for a fortnight. Can you picture it? We can all remember the warmth of the sun, the feeling of contentment, the happiness and the slower pace. But there is also the sensation at the end of the second week that time has flown by. Surely we all think to ourselves, where did that time go?

If you are in your 40s or 50s, you are into your second week. It’s a fact.

The older we get, the faster time seems to slip by. It only seems like yesterday that my children were toddlers. Now I’m a grandparent. Precious time is slipping away. What needs to happen for you to have had a life well lived?

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the things you did do.” Life is for living.

Yet both you and I have seen far too many people die or succumb to illness without having lived life to the full. This is why it is important to know your number, how much money you need for the rest of your life. When you know where you want to be in the future, you can begin to take the first steps of real financial planning. You may not be there yet, but if you know what you need to do you begin to take control over your future.

How much have you got in your financial bucket now? How much do you need at some point in the future? Have you got enough, or is there a risk that you might run out? What steps do you need to take to protect what you have? What return do you need on your money to enable you to live the life that you want to live? How much longer do you have to work? These are the questions that real financial planners can answer. ffp.org.uk

102 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Your Life, Your Money, Your Future Trusted, professional, fee based advice We live in a complex world. At FFP we aim to remove complexity, replacing it with simplicity and clarity so that our clients can enjoy their lives without worry

FFP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

Telephone: 01935 813322 Email: info@ffp.org.uk Website: www.ffp.org.uk

For a fresh take on your accounts, speak to Hunts.

TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CONTACT

advertising@sherbornetimes.co.uk 01935 814803 | 07957 496193

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk

T: 01935 815008 E: info@huntsaccountants.co.uk W: huntsaccountants.co.uk @Hunts_Sherborne The Old Pump House, Oborne Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3RX www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 103

Earning enough on your investments?

We offer experienced, personalised investment management for private clients We are experts at managing income portfolios We keep the costs of owning financial assets down to enhance returns We offer our clients superior financial planning Contact us today for your free portfolio review and see how we can help you improve returns Call Jeremy Le Sueur on 01935 813380 or email info@4-shires.com www.4-shires.com

Expert Asset Management

21 The Old Yarn Mills, Westbury, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3RQ 4 Shires Asset Management is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The value of investments and the income you get from them may fall as well as rise, and there is no certainty that you will get back the amount of your original investment.

The Manual and Electric Garage Door Specialists

Replacing an existing garage door? Planning to build a new home or garage?

Founded in 1991, Dorset Garage Doors are a family business covering Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. All our work is guaranteed and carried out by fully trained installation engineers â&#x20AC;˘ 10 year warranty on selected Garador products â&#x20AC;˘ Spares, Repairs and Installation

01963 363782 or 01258 472830 enquiries@dorsetgaragedoors.co.uk Unit 9, Station Road Business Park, Station Road, Stalbridge, Dorset DT10 2RN

www.dorsetgaragedoors.co.uk 104 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Give your finances a spring clean

Sherborne Office

01935 817903 James Mobile

07824 389750 Lucinda Mobile

James Oliver DipPFS CeMAP Independent Financial Advisor Pensions and Retirement Planning • Investments • Inheritance Tax Planning • Mortgage and Equity Release • Life Assurance and Protection

james.oliver@ssfs.co.uk

07791 094 551 www.ssfs.co.uk

Lucinda Warren CeMAP BSc (Hons) Independent Mortgage Advisor Mortgage • Life Assurance and Protection • Buy to Let Mortgage

lucinda@ssfs.co.uk

Strategic Solutions is a trading style of Strategic Solutions Financial Services which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, number 525733. Principals: Kevin Forbes: Jefferson Fawcett: Giles Wellington: Allan Cruse.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

Tech

B

ack in June last year, the great British public decided that we should leave the EU. It would be easy to blame everything on that – and I’m going to do just that!

The technology market has seen a general price increase of between 20-25% in just six months. Laptops that we were selling last year for £299 are now £349, while desktop PCs that were £275 are now nearer £350.

Worse than that, the price of individual components has increased by over 25%, making a self-build now more expensive than off-the-shelf. The question is, why?

First I blame the wholesalers, as they almost immediately hiked prices by 20% on stock they already had.

This is the oldest trick in the book – I’ve seen it in pubs and newsagents over the years when the duty goes up on beer and cigarettes. The retailer makes a quick buck and blames whatever, but the price never comes down again.

Second is the more serious problem of the value of our pound. The value of sterling against the dollar has fallen by about 18% since the UK voted to leave the EU in June, prompting tech companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Dell to increase prices in Britain. Even though we import nearly all our tech from China, we still pay for it in US dollars. This means that, now we have used up most of the stock-in-hand, we are having to pay the ‘real’ price. The days of cheap deals from Tesco and PC World are long gone. That said, it does help us as a small, independent retailer.

For the first time, we are now able to compete with these high-street names. A recent check showed that, with clever buying, we could sell at the same price and still make a living. When I first started this business it was nearly all repairs and upgrades; now its new, new 106 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

and just a bit of upgrade and repair. There has been no real change in profit, just a different way of getting there.

Long may it continue!

I know I keep going on about it, but you must all continue to be really vigilant about any calls or emails you get asking for login details or offering to fix your computer, assuming you didn’t initiate the call. ‘Phishing’ uses behavioural psychology to trick victims into trusting the attacker in order to obtain sensitive information.

‘Spear phishing’ is less prevalent but far more dangerous, as it targets an individual or small group of people. The attacker gathers personal information about their target to build a more believable persona from social media and other online sources, before introducing a fake sob story to reel the target in.

So how do you protect yourself? Besides never sharing the credentials for your online accounts, a good way to stay safe is to enable ‘two-step authentication.’ This means that users must enter another code besides the password, received for example by their mobile phone, to log in. This can usually be set up in the security settings for your account or during the sign-up process. Twostep authentication is offered by Gmail, Hotmail, Apple, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter, among others.

Finally, on another subject… Before you buy any new tech, always do a bit of research! I’ve just bought a new iPad to replace my five-year-old relic. Less than a month later, Apple have launched a new model. I didn’t do my research.

As always, if in doubt you know where to come. computing-mp.co.uk

J. BISKUP Property Maintenance Ltd

TO-DO LIST ✓ Kitchen & bathroom installation ✓ Tiling ✓ Flooring ✓ Wallpaper removal ✓ Painting and decorating ✓ Plastering

✓ Wall repairs ✓ Roof repairs ✓ Loft insulation ✓ Carpentry ✓ Window renovation ✓ PVC guttering and facia boards

BEST PRICES ON THE MARKET FREE QUOTATIONS SHERBORNE Tel: 01935 815712 • Mobile: 07912 145988 Email: jm.biskup@gmail.com www.jbiskup.com

DESIGNER

Extensive range of wool

Buttons, ribbons & crafty bits

New Season Collections Available Now! Find us in Half Moon Street, Sherborne, opposite the Abbey

Yarn, haberdashery and workshops

01935 812 927

1 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PT

www.perriashby.co.uk

Tel: 01935 508249

www.theslippedstitch.co.uk

See website for workshops

EMDR - a supportive, effective therapy.

Eye Movement, Reprocessing and Desensitisation A new and different location for your wedding reception.

Two miles north of Sherborne, we are private and rural with a beautiful lake, lovely gardens and glorious views.

• Trauma • Anxiety • Low self-esteem • Phobias • Depression

01963 220773 fionapotter@live.co.uk

Tel: 01747 825288 Mobile: 07966 002927 www.fullstoptherapy.co.uk

Therapy & Addiction Services

BRYAN C. COOPER LTD TRADITIONAL BUILDERS - Since 1968 -

A family run Sherborne business established for over 45 years Renovations, Extensions and Alterations, Patios, Boundary Walls and Fencing _________

Purpose-made Joinery, Internal and External Decorations, Bathrooms and Kitchens _________

Wall and Floor Tiling, Repairs and Maintenance, Roofing and Fibreglass Systems

96 Newland, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3DT Email: bccooperltd@btconnect.com Web: bryancooperbuilders.co.uk

Tel: 01935 814946 108 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

www.higherorchard.co.uk

L o r h em ab i0 le ita *sum ct sse dolor u

T HE

G OOD G OOD clear C O P YC O Y P C O M N Yconcise CO PA Y T HE

Free registration appointment for new clients when accompanied by this advertisement

is qu tie es ttis a , mol leo, sm sa

plat se s 1it ame tor L fsf as t, consectetur nt t4)r ea dic o m .A m usds ad¢pising elit. Praese r t?mst.uis d e liqua h em Vivam r•guip Ut q Donec o get m fac ab i0 . m¶ttis faucibus mauris eu m%@es. ult lo ilis tie is ju um m c r le ita *sum quip tt 3d ictu olesis nu o sc sto. Int que. c ss dolor , m sma sa, inte n d din e!tor e23 se tus. e plat 1it ame !erisleo fs t9is f r lu n ntset4)r as Pro t, consectetur ibmu ea dic m A usds ad¢pising elit. Praeseull ctetu amqu ula. li:}itula. e pel t?mst. t d e liqua uipm Vivr a aes. us lig len Ut ol u Donec m¶ttis o get m fac r•g . si a axim m m%@ fis eu g ult lo faucibus mauris m m p t li ilisis ju c r nu dp us h eque o sc sto. Int t, . qui inte3du ictu in n ab e23r cib is od d t9is n se e!!eris lu u ct t se itibmu que la. Pr }itu . ll et at t pellent li: la a a si ur us ligu m a m t fisol ligu n le axim dp bus du a h et, c ab ci is , c tu o se it sa . n att t m m n se n le u dia . du a ctu lla a , c ula m sit o sa . s n u m h et, n se ib ia . ab u d ll is a a si se it ula tt m t s ha t m u h et, le ib un ab c id a is se it tt nc sa, c tus ha t m o . . n le un ma^fam n se c id a . u nc sa, c tus. ll la o . a a n gu m ma^fam n se s . u h et ll la bu a a ab gu m is s se it h et tt bu ab m t le e is se it un tt c g m t cid sa, c tus le e s un o .A c g n cid sa, 0ra in c tus. n se li3ua o A gui0 ud u cte m fac 0ras n lla lultr< licit la. i0is din n se li3ua ilis & u ct m fac e. qui sit (r ad tr<gu itunu# . la sit amet fisol @u lla e& ilisis dolor sce)erisque pe7ntesqu qui lulipis8n *bul ollic elit. .a9 pli nu#la ula sit (r adipi sit amet dolor sce)erisque pe7ntesque 3et l fis gi@ ed eu, ves P^aesent s8ng a9 dolor pl to<>tor leo, mole>ie quis leo ves*bu xi)us 3et elit. P^ae ed a ma dolor us sceleris sent to<>tor leo, mole>ie quis leo eu, sa, xi) que pellentes mas sceleris a ma que. Duis *t ult1icies que pellentesqu massa, e. Duis *t ult1icies

clear concise compelling compelling

M PA N

Kingston House Veterinary Clinic Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3DB Mon-Fri 9.00-10.30, 16.30-18.00 Sat 9.00-10.30 T: 01935 813288 (24 hours) E: sherborne@kingstonvets.co.uk kingstonvets.co.uk

Writing for businesses, organisations and individuals.

CROSSROADS PET SUPPLIES LTD

Paw Prints Dorset

All Pet Accessories Retail & Wholesale

www.thegoodcopycompany.co.uk

Doggie Day Care Dog Walking Home Boarding Home Visits for Cats Kathy Hodges 01963 476406 07934 652521

01935 411859 Find us at Forward Garage on the A30 between Sherborne & Yeovil

Insured and licensed

www.pawprintsdorset.co.uk

Renewable Force Ltd Energy that doesn’t cost the Earth

Air Source Heat Pumps Ground Source Heat Pumps Underfloor Heating

Tel: 01963 23291 / 03333 701568 Email: contact@renewableforce.co.uk Website: www.renewableforce.co.uk www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 109

DAVE THURGOOD Painting & Decorating interior and exterior

07792 391368 NO VAT www.sherbornedecorators.com dave.thurgoodstfc@btinternet.com

Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • • • • •

Interior & Exterior Fully Qualified 20 Years Experience Wallpapering & Lining Residential & Commercial

01935 872007 / 07715 867145 waynesbusiness@aol.com

Local Handyman & Chimney Sweep Covering South Somerset & North Dorset Small Business Support

Networks & Cabling

New PCs & Laptops

Wireless Networks

Repairs & Upgrades

Broadband Setup

Virus Removal

Disaster Recovery

The Weighbridge • High Street • Milborne Port • DT9 5DG www.mpfix.co.uk

01963 250788

110 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Covering Sherborne, Yeovil and the surrounding areas

No job too small, just call Andy Tibbetts 07823 447764 or 01963 476406 hmsmilborneport@live.co.uk HMS Milborne Port My work is of the highest quality Ex-military • No call out charge • Full public liability insurance Fully trained with the National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS)

Yeovil rne & Sherbo ing d surroun areas

24 hour emergency callout General plumbing and heating Evening and weekends Friendly and professional service No job too small Tel: 01935 584 034 | Mob: 07718 476 549 info@oakleighplumbing.co.uk www.oakleighplumbing.co.uk

Gas and oil appliance servicing, repair and installation Local, friendly, qualified and accredited professional Please call Patrick O’Loughlin on 07590 121599, 01935 815613 or phelpsgas@yahoo.com

Phelps Heating Solutions Ltd, 57 Granville Way, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4AT

Wills ––– of Sherborne –––

Plu m b i n g & H e at i n g Lt d Local & reliable plumber. Gas Safe registered, fully insured • New build • Renovations • Boiler installations • Vented & unvented cylinder installations

• LPG • Bathroom installations • Free quotes • Competitive prices

T: 07885 420609 E: wills.plumbing@hotmail.co.uk

Free No Obligation Quote

Steve Devoto

M: 07551 306827 E: help@thelocalboilercompany.com www.thelocalboilercompany.com

Biskup Property Maintenance Ltd have rebranded, we are now Home Selection Service and Budget flooring available Carpets ~ Naturals ~ Vinyls ~ Contract Flooring Tel: 01963 441276 Mobile: 07855 743796 glen@inspiration4floors.co.uk www.inspiration4floors.co.uk

FENCING & GATES Supplied and erected by the

SHERBORNE & DISTRICT FENCING Co. Free Estimates No VAT

01935 330095

Tiling & Flooring General Renovation Painting & Decorating Kitchen & Bathroom Fitting Roof Repair & Damp Proofing Fascia & Soffits Repair & Replacement Window Repairs & Replacement Guttering Repair & Service Rendering & Plastering Loft Conversions Floor Screeding

New 24 Hour Quote Service 07809 238525 | tom@homeworks.io www.homeworks.io www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 111

FOLK TALES with Colin Lambert

PHIL LLOYD, THE SINGING POSTMAN

D

are to dream. People say, “One day I’ll do it — whatever ‘it’ may be — yes one day’. For most of us, that day never comes. But for some, dreams do come true.

As usual, I’m late for a very important date; a sell-out concert in Sandford Orcas Church. Nowhere to park, the roads are full; I know it’s a sell-out but this is daft! I reverse onto a bank, engine off, into the church and... oh dear, the door is in the middle. I’m standing mid-aisle, packed church, everyone staring at me. Meanwhile postman Phil Lloyd is in full song. I stand like a startled rabbit then, head down, I dash to the back and relax.

This singing postman was born in a static caravan, in the valleys of South Wales. The middle son of three, he was told by his teacher he couldn’t sing and he left school at 16, planning on the Navy. First job was delivering milk, buying his first record with the wages (Mott the Hoople - Roll away the Stone). He’s a Newport County, Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh rugby supporter.

Next job was in a paint-spray booth, which gave him time to follow his beloved Glamorgan Cricket club, on one occasion all the way to Taunton. Fast forward the day and two very tipsy Welsh lads are trying to change trains at Bristol Temple Meads at the same time as Yvette, a young Sherborne lass, is heading for teacher training college in Newport.

Phil’s mate asks Yvette to join them for a drink, Yvette says yes, and four weeks later she and Phil are dating. The romance blossoms; Yvette qualifies and, in July 1981, Phil takes the plunge. Ignoring dad and his 112 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

boss, he swapped Newport County for Yeovil Town and a new job in another paint-spray booth. However, headaches and sinus problems tell him it’s time to get away from the fumes and into the open air.

He found a hospital porter’s job in Wincanton but moving corpses in the night wasn’t for Phil. Neither was being a warehouseman.

Fast forward 28 years to March 2017. It’s 5.45am as Phil’s trusty red van pulls into the Sherborne sorting office. He tells me that if I post a letter to my next-door neighbour it goes via Poole. They send three trucks each day at 5.30am, 7.15am and 8.15am, all of which need unloading and sorting before a small army of dedicated workers hit the road shortly after 9am. Phil heads north along Bristol Road reaching Sandford Orcas close to noon.

Dogs, cats, pigs, sheep and cows are all part of Phil’s patch.

Anyone who has the pleasure to be served by Phil knows his cheery smile and willingness to engage and share some of life’s simple moments. Many of Phil’s customers consider him friend, confidante and for some, including myself some days, he’s the only human contact in their day. An amazing service, sadly becoming ignored in our profit-driven society.

Climbing in and out of his van, we reckon over 650,000 times, has left his knees and hips worse for wear, but hasn’t dampened his tenor voice. Yvette and daughter Rhiannon bought him singing lessons in 2011. Since 2012 he’s been singing with the A Cappella Ensemble in Shaftesbury, often on the road, with a gig at the Larmer Tree no less.

The fame clearly went to his head, tattoos, earrings and goatee beard, and Phil decided it was time to go solo. He booked Sandford Orcas village hall, sold out overnight and had to find a bigger venue - the church.

I saw Phil the week before the gig - he is my postman - and the dream was almost a reality. Nervous or what!!

The scruffy kid born in a caravan, brought up in a council house in South Wales, is about to go live in Sandford Orcas church. A sell-out no less. Phil remembers being that scruffy kid, sitting at the back of the church yet dreaming about standing up front singing. No choir for Phil in those days – he was told he couldn’t sing, if you remember.

I tried to help, reminding him of Cardiff Arms Park (Millennium Stadium), teams on the pitch and ‘Land of

my Fathers’ being sung, in tune, by 60,000 people.

The big day, church packed to the rafters. Joanna Carsen on piano, daughter Rhiannon on clarinet and the Uke Con-fusion band there for a set of their own.

Phil starts perfectly. Some idiot arrives late, crashes the door open and scurries to the back. Phil is in his prime, Purcell, Benjamin Britten and Bob Dylan in his first set. Clarinet solos, interval and the grand finale with Phil joining the Con-fusion to stamp Tom Jones’s ‘Delilah’ firmly on the audience’s memory. A standing ovation. Phil returns to close with ‘Jerusalem.’

Tears are running down my face as everyone in the church claps, cheers and stamps their feet. Phil Lloyd, the singing postman, is taking a bow. A big thank you to Phil for sharing his folk tales with me. www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113

Short Story

DREAMING

Sandie Higham, The Sherborne Scribblers

A

lex was stunned. She was standing at the checkout in Waitrose and the man behind the counter had just told her she had won the Euro lottery.

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “You must have made a mistake.”

“No, I haven’t. You’ve definitely won, but I don’t know how much. You have to call this number to verify.” He handed Alex a card with the contact details.

“Would you like to call from here?” the man asked.

“No, thank you. I will ring from home. Thanks for your help, though.”

Alex walked out of the store in a daze. Her mind was racing. It will probably be a hundred pounds or something, she thought. Mind you, that would be better than nothing. She made a cup of tea and dialled the number. She was asked for her ticket number and couldn’t believe what she heard next.

“Congratulations! You have won 39 million pounds!”

“Is this a hoax or something?” Alex was in shock.

“No, absolutely not. Is there anyone there you can talk to?” the caller asked.

“No, I live on my own,” she replied.

“If you could give me your address and telephone number, someone will contact you and hopefully give you some help and advice,” said the lottery lady.

Somehow Alex got through that evening. At 9.30 the next morning, she answered the door to a tall gentleman from the lottery company, who had come to go through all the details. He suggested she open a new account with a bank that would be able to service that quantity of money and gave her too much information on how she could invest it to make it work for her. It all went over her head. Never in her wildest dreams had she envisaged this scenario.

“I’m sorry, I can’t take this in.”

“That’s OK. The money will be in your account later today. I will give you my card and you can contact me any time.”

After he had left, Alex went for a drive accompanied by her loyal Labrador, Rufus. Finding herself in Lyme Regis, she parked and walked over to the Cobb. It was windy, the

114 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Cobb jutting out into a blustery sea. She felt invigorated.

What was she to do? She could do anything, go anywhere.

She had always wanted to start an artist’s cooperative, bringing lots of talent together, to hold workshops and exhibitions of really high-quality work – Alex had always felt that some types of art were not supported as much as music. She certainly need never work again.

It felt strange. This much money almost gave her too much choice. She wanted to do something positive with it. The only thing she really wanted was a new car. I could go anywhere in the world, she pondered. But what would be the point, on my own? Alex had already told the lottery people she wished to remain unknown. She would keep the news to herself for now.

She started her project and found that all the things that she wanted to do did not cost much. She wondered why she hadn’t done this before. In fact, because the project she wanted to build would be an asset to the town, many businesses and individuals were willing to donate buildings and their time for nothing. There was a deluge of artists. Alex felt good about what she was doing. Why on earth didn’t I do this before, she asked herself. I must have been blind. She hardly touched the money; a new car and a little pampering at a nearby spa was the total of her spending spree. She was already comfortable financially.

Alex went to bed that evening more relaxed that she had been for some time. The next morning she awoke refreshed and ready to attack the day, full of enthusiasm.

She dressed and took Rufus out for a run. She had a shock when she found her old car – the kennel, as it was affectionately known – sitting in the parking area.

What’s going on, she wondered. Was it all a dream? It had felt so real. She slowly climbed into the car. Jolted back into reality, Alex was beginning to realise that she had been dreaming. Then – a light bulb moment. What was she thinking? She could do it anyway. That is what her dream was telling her. She didn’t need to win the lottery, but just to do it. The only thing she really needed was confidence.

Where is that lottery ticket I bought?

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Mark Greenstock, Sherborne Literary Society

Plot 29: A Memoir by Allan Jenkins (Fourth Estate), £14.99 Exclusive Sherborne Times reader offer of £13.99 at Winstone’s Books

T

his is a quite extraordinary book. Jenkins, former editor of the Observer Magazine, now edits Observer Food Monthly.

He interweaves a dispassionate yet emotional search for personal identity with meticulous gardening notes, while maintaining two separate time frames – which sometimes interpenetrate each other.

The author, now in his 60s, narrates a recent eighteen-month period after a fractured ankle, during which plot 29, his London allotment, goes through the cycle of the seasons – “This year of deep digging,” as he calls it. Allan and his elder brother Christopher were given up for adoption as small children. Using every possible means, including DNA testing, care records and his own bidden and unbidden memories, he conducts a hunt which has as many false clues, dead ends and ambiguities as any detective thriller – and which risks a resolution which is anything but healing. Meanwhile, nature offers a therapy as effective as his own therapist’s seems not to be.

Given all this, you could forgive Jenkins if his prose were as convoluted as his life experience, but it isn’t.

It flows easily in short presenttense sentence units, employing alliteration and internal rhyme, but never obtrusively, and drawing the reader into what would be almost unbearable intimacy if one were not working so hard at what was going on and when.

By the time Allan gets round to quoting the raw lyrics of Lonnie Donegan’s Nobody’s Child, we have begun to feel he really is in permanent exile from human love. The Barnardo’s notes with his birth mother’s signature are “still unsettling after 60 years, latent like anthrax spores.”

The calendula marigolds, recurring like a tolling bell, remind him of his lost brother Christopher. And yet… There is the allotment, there are his gardening friends, there is his wife Henri’s understanding companionship, “there is seed for next spring and summer.” As Jenkins himself writes, “Sometimes there has to be acceptance. Sometimes the searching has to stop.” Honest and unmissable. winstonebooks.co.uk

Book launch, signing and interview with author and historian

'Independent Bookseller of the Year 2016’ 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Wednesday 21st June, Cheap Street Church, 6.30 for 7pm

Simon will be discussing his new novel Red Sky at Noon with Tom Payne (ex-deputy literary editor of the Daily Telegraph and now teacher of Classics at Sherborne School) Tickets £5. Refreshments provided.

All in the Balance Vintage watch repairs, restoration and sales Different from flowers: A gift box for any occasion Nablus Soap ÂŁ9.95

Telephone Michael on 07926 980381 or email: info@allinthebalance.co.uk allinthebalance.co.uk 1

2

www.ancientmesopotamiagifts.com

3

4

5

9 2 6 1 7 3 3 5 7 8 2

6

7 8 9

17

15

5

13

F U M E L I

19

E

N U

I

A

I

Down 1. Angry (9) 2. Surgical knives (7) 3. A long time ago (4,3) 4. Single-celled organism (6) 5. Lengthen (6) 6. Ellipses (5) 10. Event (9) 12. Canopies (7) 13. Spacecraft that circles the planet (7) 14. Violent in force (6) 16. That is to say (6) 18. Take delight in (5)

A

E

I

E

L

S

S O P R A N O

A

T

T

I

22

E

C A R O L

T A L O N T R A D E D

116 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

4

T R O G E N

N

N T E N T S

R

20

ACROSS 1. Embed; type of filling (5) 4. Hinged surface on an aeroplane wing (7) 7. Pilfer (5) 8. Made subject to (8) 9. Hangs (anag) (5) 11. Speculative (8) 15. Bulbous plant (8) 17. Lag behind (5) 19. Aspiration (8) 20. Prevent (5) 21. Old (7) 22. Small branch (5)

9

APRIL SOLUTIONS

16

18

21

1

4 1 6 2 7 2 1

4

14

8

8

10

11 12

5

U

R

T

N

N

W I

S D O M

O

A

A

O Y S T E R S

N O W I

N

U

T

S

S

I

H

D

S C E N T

I

N S P

I

R E

G

T

Z

L

L Y

5 4 7 9 1 8 6 2 3

R I

E

E L D

2 3 1 5 7 6 9 4 8

9 6 8 4 2 3 7 5 1

I

3 9 5 1 6 7 4 8 2

N G

1 8 4 2 3 9 5 7 6

6 7 2 8 5 4 1 3 9

E Z R A

4 5 9 6 8 2 3 1 7

8 1 3 7 9 5 2 6 4

7 2 6 3 4 1 8 9 5

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

A

Monsignor Robert Draper, Vicar General, Sacred Heart and Saint Aldhelm Church

round this time of the year I start thinking about the first barbecue of the season. It’s a matter of when I have things tidied up after the winter, what would be a good occasion and, above all, when the weather will permit. There is always something special about eating outside, which makes the first few times really significant – a sort of liberation after the winter. It is the chance of being exposed to the elements, to be celebrating with family and friends while out and unconfined, which gives a different feel. Of course, we spend time outdoors all the year – long winter walks wrapped up against the elements are always invigorating, but the freedom that comes with the light evenings and the warm days carries with it an invitation to be open to the world around us.

For me, it links in exactly with the sense of openness and freedom that Christians have always associated with the idea of the Holy Spirit. Often our preoccupations and concerns can close us in, like heavy winter clothing or long, dark January evenings when we can feel oppressed by all the little – and big – things that make up our daily living. All too often, we can feel trapped. That’s why, for me, the bright days and the mild weather that beckon me outside have such an impact on how I see things and invite me to be more open to life.

The Spirit of God is about bringing life. Just now we can see how the world around us is bursting with life – the trees and fields, the birds and wild animals, a sense of vitality, the Spirit moving where it wills, offering freedom and opening humanity up to God and all that God offers us.

This is an important time in the Christian year – the time between Easter and Pentecost. Many people are aware of the idea of Lent – forty days of preparation to celebrate Easter, when people may ‘give something up’ to be ready to join in the celebrations of Jesus’s death and resurrection. But the Christian church has always invited everyone to spend even longer celebrating this time – the literal meaning of the word Pentecost is fifty days. Thus it is forty days to prepare for Easter and fifty days to celebrate it. The fifty days concludes with the explosion of the day of Pentecost, when the apostles burst out from the closed room where they were hiding and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, they took the good news of God’s love and power to all people. The brightness and warmth of this time of the year encapsulates the feeling that the good news brings. Being out and sharing company and food is a perfect way to express the liberation and freedom that God’s Spirit offers. So think about that first barbecue and perhaps think about joining the Christians of Sherborne for a Pentecost party – outside of course – in the Abbey Close.

Pentecost picnic and party organised by Churches Together, Abbey Close, Sherborne, Sunday 4th June, from 12.30pm

www.sherbornetimes.co.uk | 117

OUT AND ABOUT

David Birley, Mayor of Sherborne This is the last time I shall write this column, in my current role at least. Glen has kindly asked me to continue after I pass on the mayoral collar and resume my position of councillor. It has been an honour and a privilege to be mayor. It has been a great year both for me and my wife Jan, also of course our dog Rosie.

We have loved getting to know the community better and learning about the fantastic voluntary work that so many people do. Although my time as mayor is nearly up I am hoping that I will be able to continue to get involved in community activities. If anyone feels I may be able to help, please get in touch.

By the time you read this we will have had our Easter Fun Day, which I hope you will have enjoyed.

It is my hope that we can make this, and our Summer Festival, regular annual events. It is fantastic to be able to see all ages and aspects of our town and community enjoying themselves.

When I was first asked to write this column, I thought about what to call it. I chose ‘Out and about’ as I believe, as a councillor or mayor, we should spend time in the community, listening to people’s views and discussing any problems they may have. It has proved to be both great fun and rewarding.

I have particularly enjoyed attending school events and getting the schools involved in our events. They have done a great job designing posters, banners and publicity material. The standard of work has been very high and it has been super to see their enthusiasm. I am most grateful both to the pupils involved and their teachers.

It is hard to single out particular school events, as there have been so many great ones.

However, I would like to mention two. The Gryphon School’s production of the musical Footloose just before the beginning of the Christmas holiday was so outstanding it was hard to remember that it was a school production. The other event was the Last Night of the Proms at Sherborne Preparatory School. Head of music, Yvonne Fawbert, who only joined the school in September, is an inspirational teacher. The orchestra included adults and players from the boys’ and girls’ schools, as well as the Prep. After some fine singing by the choirs, we finished off the evening in true AlbertHall style with a rousing Rule Britannia to the accompaniment of the whistles and waving of Union Flags, which we had been kindly given.

I do hope you have got Saturday 17th June in your diary? That is the date of our Sherborne Summer Festival, which is being held in Purlieu Meadow from 12pm-10pm. There will be some great bands, performances from our schools and community – and some surprises, too. One of the highlights will be welcoming Rachel Goodfellow, who will be sprinting in to complete her epic run for Hidden Needs Trust. In 2015 she ran 220 miles; in 2016 it was 711 miles – and this year it will be longer still. I hope to see you there to help us cheer her home.

118 | Sherborne Times | May 2017

Crafting quality timber buildings and gates since 1912

Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LH Tel: (01963) 440414 | Email: info@sparkford.com | @sparkfordtimber www.sparkford.com

Menu du Jour Offer

3 courses for ÂŁ22 or 2 with a glass of wine*

Beautifully presented and highly original combinations of flavours Trip Advisor April 2017 3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3HY 01935 813821 @greensherborne www.greenrestaurant.co.uk *Available evenings Tuesday - Thursday and lunchtimes Tuesday - Saturday