Sherborne Times February 2021

FEBRUARY 2021 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN with Richard Lee of Plankbridge Shepherd’s Huts

sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

S

nowdrops stretch into life in the shaded corners of our garden, oblivious to the furore that has played out above ground in their absence. The robins begin rehearsals and each night a fox pads idly across our terrace – its gleeful human audience staring out from behind thick glass.

We remain in retreat and, to be honest, I’m quite enjoying it. Lessons learned from Lockdowns 1.0 and 2.0 mean our family logistics are now in a weirdly satisfying groove. I do though pine for a quiet corner, away from the Zooms, Teams and Xbox – a disconnected, unplugged space where I can close my eyes without fear of reprisals.

Spare rooms, sheds and garages are now serving as refuges to the many of us simply needing to do our jobs or just get away from things.

It’s no surprise then that Richard Lee, and his company Plankbridge, are finding themselves in something of a purple patch. Their shepherd’s huts take WFH to a new level, literally. We meet them – at a distance – and do our best not to envy the future owners of these handsome hideouts.

Keep well.

Glen Cheyne, Editor glen@homegrown-media.co.uk @sherbornetimes

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard @round_studio Sub editor Sadie Wilkins Photography Katharine Davies @Katharine_KDP Feature writer Jo Denbury @jo_denbury Editorial assistant Helen Brown Social media Jenny Dickinson Illustrations Elizabeth Watson elizabethwatsonillustration.com Print Stephens & George Distribution team Barbara and David Elsmore Nancy Henderson The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby Christine Knott Sarah Morgan Mary and Roger Napper Alfie Neville-Jones Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Ionas Tsetikas

Emma Batstone Mogers Drewett Solicitors @mogersdrewett md-solicitors.co.uk

Alex Hennessy Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Laurence Belbin laurencebelbin.com

Sarah Hitch The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre @SanctuaryDorset @margaretbalfour thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk margaretbalfour.co.uk

Bill Bennette Sherborne Scribblers David Birley Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum @SherborneMuseum sherbornemuseum.co.uk Adrian Bright ReBorne Community Church @ReborneC rebornechurch.org Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers @CharterhouseAV charterhouse-auction.com Mike Burks The Gardens Group @TheGardensGroup thegardensgroup.co.uk David Burnett The Dovecote Press dovecotepress.com Rob Bygrave Sherborne Science Cafe @SherborneSciCaf sherbornesciencecafe.com Revd Dr David Campbell Sherborne School @SherborneSchool sherborne.org Paula Carnell @paula.carnell paulacarnell.com Cindy Chant Sherborne Walks @sherbornewalks sherbornewalks.co.uk Sir Christopher Coville, Joe Benjamin, Peter Shorland, Peter Neal & Andy Foster David Copp Rosie Cunningham Jemma Dempsey

1 Bretts Yard Digby Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3NL 01935 315556 @sherbornetimes info@homegrown-media.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk Sherborne Times is printed on 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.

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4 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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

CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk Pearl Gatehouse pearlgatehouse.com Cllr Matt Hall Sherborne Town Council sherborne-tc.gov.uk Craig Hardaker Communifit @communifit communifit.co.uk Andy Hastie Yeovil Cinematheque cinematheque.org.uk

Helen Horsley Home-Start West Dorset homestartwestdorset.co.uk James Hull The Story Pig @thestorypig thestorypig.co.uk Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber @BridportTimber bridporttimber.co.uk Ann Hyland Sherborne Group @DorsetWildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Kay Johnson Soothing Your Soul soothingyoursoul.com Bev Jones The Company of Landscapers co-landscapers.co.uk Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind @DorsetMind dorsetmind.uk Sasha Matkevitch & Jack Smith The Green Restaurant @greensherborne greenrestaurant.co.uk Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership @swanhousevet newtonclarkevet.com Simon Partridge SPFit @spfitsherborne spfit-sherborne.co.uk Cath Rapley Lodestone Property @LodestoneProp lodestoneproperty.co.uk Mike Riley Riley’s Cycles @rileyscycles rileyscycles.co.uk Hazel Roadnight Winstone’s Books @winstonebooks winstonebooks.co.uk Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom Glencairn House Clinic glencairnhouse.co.uk doctortwrobinson.com Val Stones @valstones bakerval.com Emma Tabor & Paul Newman @paulnewmanart paulnewmanartist.com John Walsh BVSc Cert AVP DBR MRCVS Friars Moor Vets @FriarsMoorVets friarsmoorvets.co.uk Elizabeth Winter Leweston Prep @LewestonPrep leweston.co.uk

66 8

Art & Culture

FEBRUARY 2021 58 Antiques

104 Legal

18 Community

60 Gardening

106 Finance

22 Family

66 PLANKBRIDGE SHEPHERD’S HUTS

110 In Conversation

38 Science & Nature 42 Wild Dorset 50 On Foot 54 History

74 Food & Drink 82 Animal Care 88 Body & Mind 100 Home

114 Short Story 116 Crossword 117 Literature 118 Pause for Thought

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

SHERBORNE INDIES

YOUR TOWN'S INDEPENDENT RETAILERS AND BUSINESSES

ABACUS FINANCIAL OPTIONS

Johanna Kemp, your local independent mortgage and insurance specialist. Helping with mortgages, equity release and protection.

07813 785355 jk@abacusfinancialoptions.co.uk abacusfinancialoptions.co.uk

GODDEN & CURTIS

Television and audio, sales and repairs.

Greenhill, Sherborne DT9 4EW 07718 253309 / 01935 813451 simon@goddenandcurtis.co.uk goddenandcurtis.co.uk

ANNA STILES POTTERY

COMMUNIFIT Exercise for all age groups and abilities.

Gift vouchers for lessons and clay kits available.

Regular lessons, short courses, wheel-throwing and hand-building.

One-off lessons with a finish and glaze service.

Personal training, group training, outdoor bootcamps, running groups, over 50s exercise classes, charity events, mobile gym.

Online workouts and personal training.

07742 408528 annastilespottery.com

07791 308773 @communifit info@communifit.co.uk communifit.co.uk

MELBURY GALLERY

KAFE FONTANA

We are a bright and colourful shop selling a wonderful individual collection of clothes.

Lots of new clothing, jewellery and accessories arriving.

Wishing all our customers well.

Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LN @Melbury Gallery melburygallery.co.uk

@shoplocalinsherborne #shoplocalinsherborne

We are open 7 days a week.

Offering a delivery service for hot and cold food.

Birthday cakes and buffets.

82 Cheap Street, Sherborne DT9 3BJ 01935 812180 kafefontana@hotmail.com @kafefontana kafefontana.co.uk

OLIVER’S

THE PEAR TREE DELI

THE PLUME OF FEATHERS

Delicatessen Open 9am - 2.30pm, Monday - Saturday Open 7 days a week for takeaway.

Delivery service available for birthday cakes and buffet lunches.

Delivery & take away service for sandwiches, coffees and cakes plus many more deli items.

19 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3PU

Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LS

01935 815005 @oliverssherbs @oliverscoffeehouse oliverscoffeehouse.co.uk

01935 812828 @ThePearTreeDeli @thepeartreedeli peartreedeli.co.uk

PURE HAIR

RILEY’S CYCLES

Pure Hair is the perfect place to relax and be pampered.

Riley’s is Sherborne’s long established cycle shop, providing a range of bicycles and e-bikes plus parts, accessories, clothing, repairs and servicing.

Established salon of 17 years.

Hair and Beauty Finalist 2019 & 2020.

Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LN 01935 814172 @purehairsherborne

Trendle Yard, Trendle Street, Sherborne DT9 3NT 01935 812038 info@rileyscycles.co.uk rileyscycles.co.uk

SHERBORNE MARKET STORE & STALL

SHERBORNE WEB DESIGN

Fruit & Veg, Eco Living, Pet Food Plus deliveries to Sherborne and surrounding villages

Your local ‘one-stop shop’ for everything that falls under the umbrella of web design; custom built for you.

52 Cheap Street, Sherborne DT9 3BJ

118 Yeovil Road, Sherborne DT9 4BB

01935 812509 @marketsherborne @sherbornemarketstore

01935 813241 info@sherbornewebdesign.co.uk sherbornewebdesign.co.uk

16th Century pub serving Italian small plates. Authentic homemade dishes using some of the finest Dorset and Italian ingredients.

Half Moon Street, Sherborne DT9 3LN 01935 389709 theplumesherborne.co.uk

THE ROSE & CROWN TRENT

The country inn loved by locals and travellers for generations.

The perfect place to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the views or curl up on a winter evening.

Trent, Sherborne DT9 4SL 01935 850776 theroseandcrowntrent.co.uk

TOTAL WELLBEING MATTERS

Personalised, quality support service to help keep you independent.

Designed to make your life easier.

07786 251637 info@totalwellbeingmatters.com totalwellbeingmatters.com

@shoplocalinsherborne #shoplocalinsherborne

Art & Culture

ARTIST AT WORK

No.27: Pearl Gatehouse, Two Pink Roses, Oil on board, 60 x 40cm, £600

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s an artist I try to be an interpreter, illuminating and conveying to the viewer my visual experience of nature.

I love painting seascapes and wide Dorset landscapes, with a feel of fresh air and a sense of freedom. Recent restrictions however, have led me to discover in my garden and locality new sources of inspiration; a desire to celebrate the rich colour of a briefly flowering peonie, pops of colour in a winter garden and the poetic, fragile beauty in imperfection; fragments of dry beech leaves, broken twigs and fading petals.

Drawing, mark-making and pleinair painting, the recording of form and sensation, are basic to my practice. Back in my studio and gallery space, the act of painting becomes an alchemy of sustained concentration, charcoal and juicy oil paints. Pots full of brushes and rags for wiping back complete the mix.

8 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

I prefer to paint on a well-primed, resistant surface, and start by lightly drawing out a carefully considered composition, which may change as the work progresses.

Choices of colour and tone are integral to conveying the atmosphere or sensation of my original experience.

Paint may need to be applied over several days and at different stages of drying, and some areas wiped back to retain translucency. A painting may need to be put aside and revisited over time before it is finished.

Each work is unique and, I hope, provides a source of delight and discovery to the interested viewer. pearlgatehouse.com Work by Pearl will be available to view at her exhibition ‘Talking Lines and Colours’ at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, SP7 8AR, 17th - 23rd March.

. o d e W Weddings at Leweston

Email: bawdenk@leweston.dorset.sch.uk ď‚ą Tel: 01963 211011 www.lewestonenterprises.co.uk/weddings

Art & Culture

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

West Norwood Library, 1969

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hen I was a small boy growing up in SE London my father would walk me to West Norwood library in the early evening to choose my reading books. This would only take a couple of minutes as it was usually just exchanging one or two Jennings books, much preferred to Just William, for the next ones on my list. Jennings was an accident-prone, but good-natured school boy, illustrating an idealised version of rural or small-town life post-war, before 10 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

the major social changes of the 1960s. West Norwood library was a beautiful Victorian building designed by Sidney Smith (the architect of Tate Britain), with an exterior of red brick and sandstone from Ham Hill!

So that he could carry on browsing, and to stop me pestering him to go, my father would sit me down and plonk a New Yorker Album in my lap. This was one of a collection of (very large) anthologies which just contained the cartoons from the New Yorker magazine’s

Image reproduced by kind permission of London Borough of Lambeth, Archives Department. lambethlandmark.com

"Here in 1970 the hall was used by Stanley Kubrick as a location site for A Clockwork Orange"

previous years. The cartoons I remember, mainly featured liberal New York open-plan 1950s interiors, art galleries (and usually modern art sculptures), men in bars, and bosses propositioning secretaries. What all this was supposed to mean to an eight-year-old boy I don’t know, but I took it all in. My favourites however were the cartoons by Charles Addams with dark, macabre characters, which later in the early 1960s developed into the TV series The Addams Family, and later still into two successful feature films The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993).

In 1969 West Norwood library was moved just 100 yards to a new, modernist, award-winning, open-plan building (lots of bare brick and ramps everywhere, no steps), with a function room, the Nettlefold Hall, above.

Here in 1970 the hall was used by Stanley Kubrick as a location site for A Clockwork Orange (1971). The scene where Alex, the Malcolm McDowell character, demonstrates his rehabilitation in front of an audience of dignitaries by refusing to engage with an aggressor, or touch a naked woman, was filmed here. Lambeth Film Society used the same venue for their programmes, and it has recently been turned into a Picturehouse cinema.

Kubrick lived in Dulwich Village (just down the road) at the time, and used a lot of London locations during the period he lived there.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) a savage indictment of the dehumanising process the US uses to turn men into trained killers, is meant to be taking place in Hue City in Vietnam, but because this wasn’t jungle warfare, a lot of it was shot on an industrial estate in Enfield. The combat sequences were filmed at an abandoned cokesmelting plant at Becton, near Stratford in London’s East End. I only recently read that a number of the industrial buildings in this area were designed by the same French architects, post Second World War, who had built exact carbon-copies of their designs in the industrial area of Hue City. Stanley Kubrick has always been remembered for his attention to detail.

As for Cinematheque film society opening up again soon, the Swan Theatre want to be back functioning this July so maybe, just maybe, we will be able to resume around then. Watch this space!

A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket are both available on DVD, while The Addams Family and Addams Family Values are on DVD but also on Amazon Prime. cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

Art & Culture

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT Rosie Cunningham

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ike many others, I have resorted to watching missed shows on a digital platform. I saw Kinky Boots on stage2view.com for £4.99 which was such a small sum to pay for what would have been a theatre ticket. I had forgotten that the music was written by Cyndi Lauper. The show won a Tony and an Olivier and is wonderful escapist fun.

12 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

I see that Red is available - this is Alfred Molina at his best in his role as the American abstract painter Mark Rothko. I absolutely loved this play when I was lucky enough to see it live two years ago.

Shakespeare’s Globe also has available all its performances to watch on Globe Player. Each play is £4.99 per viewing and you can also send

a performance as a gift. I am currently studying Twelfth Night and there are two performances to watch from either 2012 or 2017. The 2012 performance stars Mark Rylance as Olivia and Stephen Fry as Malvolio. Don’t forget that in Elizabethan times, young men mostly played the female roles because it was thought unseemly for women to be on the stage.

Recently my daughter and I had a discussion about what makes a piece of art. We had been to see the Bruce Nauman exhibition at the Tate Modern.

My senses had been overloaded by repetitive blinking neon lights, a jumble of shouting voices, overlapping, and deconstructed chairs. Controversial ideas expressed in a simple child-like way.

Mesmerising and uplifting for some and completely perplexing for others. As we exited the exhibition, we passed a 1964 replica of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain which is basically a white ceramic urinal.

This had caused a huge upset in 1917 when it was exhibited at the Society of Independent Artists. This was an ordinary manufactured object, designated by the artist as a work of art. He had conceived it and placed it – therefore he considered it a piece of art.

Would you agree?

An exhibition of Paula Rego’s work is on at Tate Britain from 16th June. She has had an extraordinary life which is reflected in her paintings, pastels and drawings. Definitely worth a visit.

I also saw a beautiful exhibition of new work by the artist Richard Hoare, titled Alchemy of Light, at Messums Wiltshire. This is a series of pictures painted from the same spot at the lake on the Fonthill Estate nearby, year after year, capturing the changing light reflected off the water. He is a young local artist with amazing talent. Henry Lamb RA’s oil paintings and sketchings are on show there from 4th February.

To Kill a Mockingbird is on at the Gielgud Theatre from 27th May. This is the story about racial injustice and childhood innocence based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, transferring from Broadway and cited as the most successful American play in Broadway history.

Finally, Get Up Stand Up! is the world premiere of a brand-new Bob Marley musical coming to the Lyric Theatre from 28th May starring Arinze Kene who was appointed MBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours list for services to drama and screenwriting.

I can’t wait.

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13

Art & Culture

AN ARTIST’S VIEW Laurence Belbin

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y wanderings, like many others, have been closer to home of late, so my first outing was to Lime Kiln Farm. For those that do not know where that is, it is situated at the foot of the Terrace playing fields, in that triangle of land between the main Dorchester Road and the one 14 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

that takes you to Thornford. You may have smelt the roasting of coffee beans whilst passing because this is where Read’s Coffee is based. I found a gathering of people stood about drinking freshly ground coffee which is sold from a converted horse-box. I found out that there are a few who walk regularly and stop for

a break and their ‘fix’ then continue on their way. It is a very popular place. It’s a process I know very little about but I was fortunate to be shown the basics. At one end of the ‘roasting house’ is where the hessian sacks of beans are stacked. There are many varieties from a number of places around the world waiting to be put through the roaster. They finally come out the other end to cool before either being served as takeaway drinks or packaged up for you to have at home. I think there must be more to it than that otherwise any Tom, Dick or Harry would be doing it! I had a very warm welcome and a cup of coffee to take away the chill whilst doing this little pen and ink sketch. Nice stone buildings are always worth a drawing or two. I applied a little artistic licence but you will have to visit to see where!

My second location, just out of Sherborne, was on a cold late afternoon watching the murmurations of starlings. I try and do this every year but it is normally the Somerset Levels I go to. The only down-side to the levels is the pot luck of being in the right place as the area is so large they could end up roosting a couple of miles from where you pitch yourself. Also it sometimes gets so crowded and noisy, the atmosphere can get somewhat lost. You can’t guarantee seeing them but my wife and I have been lucky on occasions.

They gather in small flocks arriving over a period of time joining those already there until they form a huge cloud whirling and diving like a sea swell.

I took the general atmosphere and added my own ‘feeling’ to come up with this little illustration. It is a combination of watercolour on tinted paper and ink.

The birds are ink applied with a homemade rubber stamp made from old wellington boots – the bit round the top so they can still be worn! The main idea is to get the rhythm of the mass which is always changing but has a kind of echo in the performance.

The pushing and pulling of this volume of birds, at one time being drawn out and stretched and at the next forced together as if by some gravitational force at its centre, is fascinating and mesmerising. Then, as if a command has been issued, they drop from the sky, a chittering black/grey mist into the reed beds to roost for the night. At dawn the show starts again until they disperse then the process is repeated in the evening.

Free entertainment and no health and safety measures to stop them bumping into each other! laurencebelbin.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

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AVAILABLE ONLINE sherbornetimes.co.uk 16 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Community

PLANNING FOR THE DAY WHEN THE ‘R-RATE’ STANDS FOR ‘RECOVERY’ Cllr Matt Hall, Finance Portfolio Holder, Sherborne Town Council

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ne core principle sits at the heart of Sherborne Town Council’s pandemic recovery budget for 2021-22. How do we best use taxpayers’ money to invest in a healthy future for our town and all the people who live and work here?

By the time the new tax year begins in April, many of us should have had at least one round of the COVID vaccine. So, I hope some prospect of recovery may be in the spring air.

Near the top of the Town Council agenda is investing in upgrading our parks, gardens and playing fields. During the COVID pandemic, these beautiful outdoor spaces have been important for our mental wellbeing as well as physical fitness. The pandemic has made us value the simple things in life. Whoever thought that a walk in the park would become so precious?

A resident phoned me the other day to say thank you to the Town Council for upgrading the pathways at the Quarr Nature Reserve. The resident concerned is just about to celebrate her 90th birthday and walking the dog at the Quarr is her one chance to get outside and catch up with friends, albeit at an appropriate social distance.

Equally important is long-term investment in green projects to play our part in tackling the climate emergency, including solar energy at the Terrace Playing Fields. How to encourage all of Sherborne to explore ways to tackle climate change will be a big debate in the coming year.

Humble things like keeping rents low on council allotments are all grist to the mill.

We have ring-fenced money for a pandemic recovery fund designed to help community and voluntary organisations survive the worst effects of COVID. And a financial priority for the council is helping Sherborne’s tourism sector get going again after what must be one of the worst shocks to the system since the Second World War. At the same time, we will do everything we can to make sure that struggling businesses have access to all the financial support available from central government and Dorset Council.

Of course, all of this is a tight-rope walk for financial planning. The council’s own income has gone down significantly during the COVID pandemic. For example, income from events hire at the Digby Hall and office rents at the Manor House has disappeared almost completely.

That is not a complaint. I know that almost all residents of Sherborne have faced very tough financial choices over the last year and some businesses will be wondering if they have a future.

The pandemic simply highlights the dilemma facing Sherborne Town Council’s finance team: how to invest in a prosperous and healthy future while keeping council tax as low as possible. All town councillors are determined to plan now for the day when the R-rate talks about recovery and not illness. sherborne-tc.gov.uk

18 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Wasting food contributes to climate change, and 70% of all edible food wasted in the UK comes from our homes. It’s up to us to make a change.

Visit OutOfDate.org.uk

Community

A PROPOSAL FOR THE REGENERATION OF SHERBORNE TOWN CENTRE Sir Christopher Coville, Joe Benjamin, Peter Shorland, Peter Neal and Andy Foster

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ur town centre has suffered a progressive decline over the past few years. Pressure on high streets generally, increased outgoings and the pandemic have taken a heavy toll on the very heart of this beautiful abbey town. As coronavirus is eventually controlled, there will be an opportunity to turn the tide by regenerating the cultural and commercial core of Sherborne, so increasing employment and enriching the lives of its citizens and its many visitors. But time is short. The putative Local Plan is already out for consultation, and the opportunity to include town centre regeneration should not be missed.

Over the past few years, three cultural projects have enjoyed varying degrees of support and progress: Sherborne House; The Paddock Project; and The Art Farm at Barton Farm development. Now that Sherborne House is moving forward, it is timely to consider the three programmes in a more holistic context; not only the cultural but also the commercial opportunities that such assets could bring. The Sherborne House project now stands alone, albeit sharing some common cultural aspirations with Paddock and the Art Farm. With this in mind, it would seem realistic to consider combining these remaining two projects. This, alongside an identification of other development opportunities, could present attractive options for potential investors, enabling a commercially sustainable pathway for economic and cultural expansion. Whilst direct comparisons can be problematic, the impact on the area surrounding Bruton of external investment in artistic and environmental projects has been profound, and demonstrates what can be achieved with leadership, expertise and funding. Sherborne already has many advantages: a 20 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

splendid Abbey, an attractive high street and a rich architectural heritage. Moreover, there are many areas in the town which could be developed further, especially those brown field sites which are underused or redundant. In recognising this opportunity, we have developed an outline plan for the regeneration of Sherborne Town Centre, based upon four guiding principles: • Synergy with the character of existing buildings • Enhanced commercial benefit • Bold planning decisions to provide adequate external investment • Enrichment of cultural activities

Getmapping.com

The proposal has been briefed to a core group of the Town Council, and the County Planning Team; support has been strong albeit provisional at this stage.

In order for this initiative to succeed, it is vital that the Local Plan incorporates at least the outline of a regeneration proposal. Whilst this could be offered independently, it would carry far more weight if it were seen to enjoy the support and provenance of the Town Council. Accordingly, we recommend the following: • Agreement by Sherborne Town Council to include in the Local Plan a proposal for the regeneration of the Town Centre. We can provide an initial outline should it be required.

• As already agreed, we will brief more fully the Council at the monthly meeting in February, virtually if required • The establishment of a Stakeholder Group, including at least one Councillor, to drive forward the initiative • An accompanying media campaign to inform and gain support from the town citizens Sherborne is ripe for a regeneration project to enhance the commercial and cultural attractiveness of the town. But time is short. We urge the Council to throw their weight behind a project which could see a new beginning and a brighter future for our beautiful town. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 22 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

HANFORD

SOCIAL CLIMBING AT HANFORD traditionally modern

Independent Boarding and Day School for Girls Aged 7 to 13 visit hanfordschool.co.uk or call Karen on 01258 860219

UNEARTHED Sam Stewart, Aged 17 Leweston School

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am joined Leweston School in the Sixth Form as a pentathlon scholar in order to work towards his ambition to be an elite pentathlete and study at Bath University.

As a Pentathlon GB Training Hub, the school was well placed to offer Sam all aspects of the Modern Pentathlon programme and he has worked hard on all areas of his training, particularly fencing and riding, where he was less experienced.

In his first year Sam represented Great Britain at the World Biathle and Triathle Championships, winning Biathle and Triathle U17 Team Gold, he also gained fourth places in the Biathle Mixed Relay and Individual competition, as well as coming seventh in the Triathle Mixed Relay and Individual competition. He was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the South West Schools Pistol Shooting Competition and, at his first fencing competition, the Elite Epee Series, he finished an impressive sixteenth in the Under 17 group and took a bronze medal at Wellington. Outside of pentathlon he competed for Dorset at the National Cross-Country Championships.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions have impacted on Sam’s competitive programme over the past few months but he has still been training and recently passed his U19 Pentathlon Riding Certificate. He has also been able to pursue his passion for open-water swimming.

Leweston’s Head of Pentathlon and GB coach, Mick Flaherty, says of Sam, ‘He is a fantastic role model to the many pentathletes we have in training and a great example to all the younger athletes.

He is on track to achieve his ambition to be an elite pentathlete and we watch his performance in future competitions with interest.’

Away from the sports field Sam is a significant presence in both the school and Antony House where he is one of the senior boarders. This September he became Deputy Head Prefect. leweston.co.uk

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

24 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Children’s Book Review

by Ethan, aged 12, The Gryphon School

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, (Simon & Schuster Feb. 2021) £7.99 Sherborne Times Reader Offer of £6.99 from Winstone’s Books

T

his feels like a very personal story. It is written from the point of view of Archie, a 12-year-old boy stuck in the middle of his parent’s divorce. He confides in the reader and eventually trusts us enough to share a secret.

He has a really strong bond with his dad and they do everything together, but after the divorce they start to notice themselves drifting apart.

Archie goes to all sorts of lengths to fix this - putting

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

himself in serious danger and getting into trouble. He just wants things to be the way they were, when life was good. His best friends, Bell and Seb, do all they can to help and to get Archie back to his old, fun self.

This means joining Archie on his journey and taking those risks together.

This book deals with serious subjects like gender issues in a lighthearted way. I would recommend it to ages 10+.

FEAR NOT! YOU CAN NOW ORDER ONLINE AT shop.winstonebooks.co.uk

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Free home delivery within a reasonable distance of the shop.

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STAY WELL. STAY WELL-READ

Family

SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES Helen Horsley, Manager, Home-Start West Dorset

H

ome-Start West Dorset have been there for families when they’ve needed support most. As part of a network of 180 Home-Starts across the country Home-Start West Dorset have adapted essential support services to continue to work with families through their team of trained volunteers – staying connected with families, providing emotional and practical support, and linking families into other community services that provide specialist services. We have seen social distancing and isolation placing enormous strain on families and the impact of the last year is going to have a long-term impact.

Our volunteers help families with young children deal with the challenges they face. We support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. Families struggling with post-natal depression, isolation, physical health problems, bereavement and many other issues receive the support of a volunteer who will spend around two hours a week in their home, supporting them in the ways they need.

Subject to the level of Government restrictions, Home-Start West Dorset has adapted its services to be able to offer four levels of support: 1 Virtual support through telephone, text and video call 2 Outside, socially-distanced, face-to-face meetings such as going for a walk or to the park 3 COVID-safe environments such as café or play area 4 Home visiting for exceptional circumstances 26 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

At the time of writing, in the midst of lockdown, our focus is on support via telephone, text and video call.

We can also support families by signposting or helping them access other support services locally such as food banks and COVID response teams.

If you have parenting experience and 2-3 hours a week available to support a local family, Home-Start West Dorset is looking for volunteers to offer practical and emotional support to families with children under five.

All volunteers undertake 26 hours of training and are provided regular support and guidance through a dedicated member of staff including personal supervision every six weeks and ongoing training opportunities.

We have good and enthusiastic volunteers; they are very supportive of the families they are linked with but we are expecting more demand for a service in the coming months. Therefore we would like to recruit more volunteers so we don’t have to turn any family away. I am personally very passionate about the support we give families but I know everyone who is involved in Home-Start feels the same. When a family says ‘I will always be grateful to my wonderful volunteer for patiently allowing me to find my confidence again and give me hope for the future,’ you know you are doing something right and making a real difference.

For more information contact Helen Horsley, Manager, Home-Start West Dorset 07805 507161 or office@homestartwestdorset.co.uk homestartwestdorset.co.uk

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27

Family

HOME FRONT

I

Jemma Dempsey

thought I’d gone in prepared, but not even bulletproof ear plugs could drown out the monumental foghorn snoring in the bed opposite me. The hospital ward was small – just 5 women at this end, a few men at the other, but sleep was proving elusive.

Thus, it was forever so – be it a foghorn or the frequent blood pressure and temperature checks, a stay in hospital is guaranteed to leave you more tired than when you went in. Surgery complete, tonsils and lymph nodes in my neck removed, I left after two nights with an impressive scar held together not by stitches but medical super glue. ‘Don’t get it wet,’ the consulting surgeon told me, to which I must have looked quite horrified because he then added, ‘Well, not for the first few days. You can shower, it’s splash-proof but don’t soak it.’ One of the nurses clearly read my pained expression and provided me with some waterproof dressings along with my discharge papers.

My throat feels like it’s being rubbed with sandpaper – the pain from swallowing my own saliva is unbearable, so how am I expected to eat? I try a smoothie, a healthy homemade affair with kale, yoghurt, banana and it stings like hell. My fabulous friends start appearing with a succession of foodie gifts left on the front doorstep – soups of many flavours and pies for my boys who still need to eat, while the husband valiantly keeps on working. I’ve been told the pain will get worse before it gets better, peaking at around days 5–7 and then it should ease.

I survive on a diet of liquid paracetamol, half cups of soup and small quantities of scrambled egg and marvel as the weight literally falls off. While I may be doing metaphorical cartwheels, my cancer nurse isn’t so happy, ‘We don’t want you to lose weight, we need you to eat!’ she clucks. But over the two weeks while my poor throat is recovering from its surgical assault, I lose almost a stone.

The good news – if anything about cancer can be called that – is that they found the primary tumour – it was in my right tonsil and caused by the HPV virus. This means that although I still feel lousy and am struggling 28 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

to eat, (the nerve to my tongue was damaged in surgery), there is less cancer in me now than there was.

The oncologist goes on to list the possible side effects from the chemo and radiotherapy that are coming my way – it is long and it is scary and again the urge to run away takes over. I have to consent to this treatment, this cure which so far feels worse than the disease, which had been silently living inside me quite happily for who knows how long. I shake my head and hot tears roll down my cheeks as I sign the paper.

Next on the ‘to do’ list is my radiotherapy mask.

This is a rite of passage for all head and neck cancer patients, like a strait jacket but for the face. The one thing I’ve learnt from this process already is that being able to meditate, to zone out, is essential. A soft, wet plastic blanket laid across my face, neck and

Rawpixel/Shutterstock

shoulders, moulded into my features and left to set hard for 10 minutes. I can now star in a superhero movie – Radiotherapy Mum to the rescue! I’ll wear this mask for every session I have, all 30 of them. I show my boys a photo of the 3D mask and they think it’s cool. ‘Yeah,’ I say, ‘it’s mine to keep afterwards, it won’t fit anyone else. We can turn it into a piece of art if we want.’ Or use it for target practice with the Nerf gun, I think.

My sleep is all over the place – I’m wide awake at 2.30 most mornings and watch some TV before drifting back to sleep at around 4. Throw some hot flushes into the mix for good measure and life feels just peachy. I mean, do I really have to contend with that too? I’m exhausted most of the time and figure I’m emotionally drained by what’s happening to me. The husband is coping admirably, with the help of Alexa who’s working

overtime with reminders for everything from taking the rubbish out to giving the dog her tablets and reminding the kids to take theirs. I feel guilty that he’s having to take on so many of the domestic chores, but he says I only have one job to do and that’s to get into training; to do the exercises the physiotherapist and swallow team have given me and get mentally prepared for what is to come. So, I am now readying myself for the Chemoradiation Olympics – the next 6 weeks are going to be gruelling, the challenge of my life. The thoughts of summer at the beach with friends and family and throwing the biggest party for all the people who’ve helped me through this hideous time will be what see me through. jemmadempsey@hotmail.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 29

Family

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD THROUGH A PANDEMIC Lucy Lewis, Dorset Mind Ambassador

E

ven at the best of times, children and young people face many challenges as they grow up that can make it difficult to maintain good mental health. Today, young people also have to cope with a global pandemic and the difficulties and uncertainties that come with it.

Current events are negatively affecting every aspect of a young person’s life, including their social lives, hobbies, schooling and home life too. Many people will tell them that their youth is the best time in their life, but they are spending theirs indoors and missing out on the life and experiences offered to the young people before. Additionally, many young people have not developed enough resilience and coping skills to adequately protect their mental health during such a 30 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

life-altering event.

We all want to support our children and young people, but it can be difficult to know the best ways to do so when we’re struggling with this ‘new normal’ ourselves. Here are some of our top tips for supporting your child’s wellbeing during the age of COVID-19: Practise the Five Ways to Wellbeing

Research has demonstrated that increasing physical activity, socialisation, giving, noticing and learning are simple ways to improve wellbeing (search dorsetmind.uk ‘Five Things’). Encourage your child to take part in and increase these positive behaviours by providing opportunities to practise them. Try facilitating a nature photography walk or learn a new skill with your child,

Speak honestly with your child

It can be tempting to try to protect our children from everything bad in the world, but depending on their age, this can do more harm than good. If they are old enough to understand, talk to them honestly about the pandemic, and the things that are unknown. In this media heavy world, they will hear negative news regardless. If you talk to them about things first, they will know that you are trustworthy and that they can come to with questions, instead of relying on other unreliable sources. Remember, it is OK not to know all the answers, but own this honestly.

Seek further support if necessary

Even though many services are currently reduced and stretched, there are helplines, text numbers and online services available to access if your child needs further support with their mental health. If you are unable to visit your GP in person, book an online or telephone appointment to discuss their mental health.

Additionally, you can visit dorsetmindyourhead.co.uk to learn more about available services and resources you could access to support your child’s mental health.

Look after yourself

LightField Studios/Shutterstock

and help them incorporate other relevant activities into their routine.

Listen without judgement

You do not need the ‘right answers’ to comfort your child; just provide the space for them to share their concerns freely. Listen to them talk without interrupting, and avoid trying to force a positive mindset on them. Pressuring them to ‘think positively’ may make them think they can’t come to you with negative thoughts. Make it clear that you are there for them, even when they are feeling darker emotions, and don’t pressure them to feel a certain way. Let them know it is OK to feel like this, and that you will always love them regardless.

This has been a difficult year for parents. It can be easy to overlook your own wellbeing and prioritise that of your family. But remember that you will be able to support them better if you are feeling well yourself.

Make time for yourself and the things that make you happy. Try to keep up with regular exercise, self-care sessions and enjoyable activities, such as a luxurious bubble bath or reading your favourite book. Be kind to yourself and remember that being a parent means you need to just do your best to support your child; it does not mean you need to be invincible.

Dorset Mind

Dorset Mind can help provide support for local people in Dorset. They are not a crisis service but can signpost to additional support and national helplines.

The charity offers a wide range of 1-2-1 and group support for adults at dorsetmind.uk, and children and young people, their parents and teachers at dorsetmindyourhead.co.uk. Both websites contain useful resources and information about mental health and how you can look after your own wellbeing. dorsetmind.uk dorsetmindyourhead.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 31

Family

PLOT TWISTS

Daniel Fernley, Deputy Head (Academic), Sherborne Prep

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ow the teaching profession has changed in the last twelve months. This time last year, I gazed out at the covering of frost on the playing fields. Today we have windows and doors propped open, teachers entering in face-masks and corridors marked out in a complex one-way system!

Each class is a bubble with staggered lunch and break times. This has required a military-style level of logistics to maintain but teachers and children have adapted with considerable skill. We have had staff self-isolating, pupils working from home, but lessons continued notwithstanding – all enabled by 32 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

investment in technology and training of staff and pupils to facilitate a dramatic increase in the use of ICT to keep up with this maelstrom of change.

Each day we face a new situation or have a new rule to address. In a lesson last week, I had a pupil at home using a laptop, while another was on a virtual ‘taster day’ via a link, getting a feel for the school.

For parents too, the times are challenging. They are not allowed onsite anymore – a huge part of their experience has been turned upside down. No more match teas where much social interaction took place between staff and parents, and indeed, where many

Image: Katharine Davies

"schools can provide some stability and normality when lives and home-life have been thrown a curve ball"

conversations took place and many a problem solved.

What was routine is more about adapting to change and the agility to interpret a storm of ever-changing advice: New testing, government initiatives, Baker days (remember those?), back to basics, SAT tests...teachers today are constantly adapting, this chameleon-like act now an expectation. As a profession, teaching has experienced exponential change.

But what is evident and strikingly clear, is that with the right leadership to cut through the confusion and to provide confidence and clarity, schools can maximise the amount of learning and provide some stability and normality when lives and home-life have been thrown a curve ball by the pandemic.

We must now strive to do more than just adapt; we need also to push the boundaries. Pupils need to have opportunities for active, investigative learning in these challenging times. There needs to be flexibility in the way the pupils learn, with an emphasis on learning how to learn and collaborate, to think independently and to demonstrate real initiative. It is almost inevitable that an increasing number of pupils will need a device of some sort, and although I am a traditionalist, I can see the benefits.

Children are now expected to have the skills to learn online and use screens to a far greater extent, this has become the norm. The career paths our children will take in the future are without doubt, unknown although exciting. We believe in equipping our children with the necessary skills and education to thrive in today’s modern world.

And, although technology is here to stay, I would always encourage parents to support their children to read. Forget the waiting list for the latest PS5, support your local bookshop or library, and find a book. Reading is the greatest pleasure and a fundamental building block that a student can take away from these early, prep school years. Although the pandemic has created friction, uncertainty, and undeniable complications in our daily lives and learning, it has also been an agent for change. From adversity and struggle comes growth, if we are willing to embrace it. ‘ You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach her to learn by creating curiosity, she will continue the learning process as long as she lives.’ sherborneprep.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

Family

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PRIMARY EDUCATION Elizabeth Winter, Deputy Head, Leweston Prep

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he COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with the biggest health crisis in decades; the legacy of which will be salient for generations of British children.

As I speak to friends and family from fellow teachers to social workers, self-employed electricians, stay-athome parents and landlords, it is evident that everyone has similar experiences. The impact is severe and will be long lasting. Health and education have been at the forefront of newspaper headlines throughout.

Doubtless, children need to be in school, and the negative impact of the March lockdown was felt by all.

Much has been written about the impact thus far, and it is clear that COVID-19 forced changes to the way we teach. But, if necessity is the mother of invention, these adjustments could result in an education that is better suited to the changing needs of our children.

In March, our school, along with every other, was thrust into an unknown arena. We had never experienced anything like it before, and had no idea how long it would last. My colleagues and I immediately set to work figuring out a way to deliver education remotely. Our training, however, was based on face-to-face teaching: it was our profession, and, 34 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Alanda Phillips, Head, Leweston Prep

like any other professionals, we knew how to do our job effectively. Teaching primary-aged children on a screen was not something we had prepared for. How were we to deliver what they needed? How do we scoop them up when they were upset? Spend the extra time with the child who didn’t want to admit that they were struggling? Guide them through their friendship difficulties? Maintain that trust and irreplaceable relationship between teacher and pupil?

We spent hours playing with PowerPoint, figuring out how to ‘customise the ribbon’ so we could record on each slide, and videoing ourselves to send our colleagues something we had just figured out. We learned how to share our screens on a live Zoom lesson, how to optimise the sound, and how to allow the children to draw on their screens so that they too could contribute to the lesson. We bought bendy clamps to fit to our tables so we could film what we were doing, microphones to improve sound quality and other technologies designed to facilitate more interactive online learning.

Most importantly, we learned how to control the ‘chat’ and ‘mute’ settings. Although we were all in separate households, indeed separate counties, there was a camaraderie based on the overwhelming necessity to

figure out the technology that brought us closer.

At our school, we tried to recreate the school day by posting a ‘daily document’ that followed the school daily timetable for that year group. Each lesson was either a live lesson via Zoom, or a recorded teaching input in the form of a video with some independent work to follow. The parents uploaded their child’s work and we gave feedback. We conducted assemblies, story time, sports lessons and after-school activities all via Zoom. The highlights of our days were the live lessons with our pupils: we missed them and enjoyed being able to interact online. We took time for the pastoral elements, letting them show us their pets and talk to us about their pursuits that day. It occurred to me that it was something we have spent less and less time doing in class over the years due to the time constraints, and the pressures of the curriculum.

Over the summer we eagerly prepared for the return of our pupils. We wanted to be back in the classrooms.

However, it wasn’t going to be a simple transition back into schools. The pandemic hadn’t disappeared, and the anxieties about returning to an environment in which we couldn’t protect ourselves with the use of masks or social distancing were real. But education is about the pupils, our children. The real issue was the impact that COVID-19 and lockdown had had on them and how it would affect their return to school. The government talked of the academic gaps that needed to be filled. We fully prepared ourselves to plug these gaps, and give the children as many opportunities as possible to catch up.

We planned the curriculum around covering what had been missed, whilst ensuring we still ploughed ahead to safeguard progress. We timetabled top-up sessions, for example, which meant extra support for those pupils that had struggled with a new concept during a lesson, or had missed a critical element of the curriculum.

We employed new teaching assistants and teachers to help support the return to school after 6 months of home learning. However, it was the mental health of the young children that needed further consideration; namely, the social skills that they had forgotten, and how to be around each other again.

Young Minds charity have written in depth about the impact of COVID-19 on our young people.

They say, ‘As well as providing stability, routine and consistency to many young people, schools provide protective factors for young people’s mental health and notably a connection with trusted adults such as teachers and pastoral support.’ Pastoral support and a

sense of community in school is such a vital element to the education of its pupils. The measures put in place to fill the academic gaps will only be successful if the mental wellbeing of the child is given a high priority.

We know that anxiety levels rise with the feeling of isolation from a secure and comforting setting.

Many parents have said that forcing their children to engage with remote learning has been a source of considerable tension in the home. I am a teacher, and yet teaching my own children within the family home was incredibly stressful.

The well-established community at our school is so highly valued, and so integral to the success of our pupils that we have focused our efforts into supporting and fostering these relationships. We have a trained mental health first aider who sees children that we have identified as needing support. We have made a playground games folder, and the staff have been out teaching the children how to play together again. We have ensured that all the ‘special’ events that we run at school have still taken place, albeit via Zoom for our weekly achievement assemblies, Christmas parties, Children in Need charity events and Anti-bullying Week. We have run virtual trips, and held workshops so that the children can experience that critical layer of learning that comes through different experiences.

Although we cannot see the parents face-to-face, we are now able to invite them to our achievement assemblies - something previously too difficult to do, as we didn’t have enough physical space. But it was ‘Grandparent’s Day’ that really impressed upon me the value of our community, and the possibility that COVID-19 could have left in its devastating wake some positive marks on education. ‘Grandparent’s Day’ has always been a heartwarming experience. Grandparents are invited to join the pupils in their classes for a morning with absolutely no agenda other than to share the incredible journey that learning is. This being impossible, we ran the morning via Zoom, and although not without technical difficulties at points, the fact that we had people able to join us from Russia, New Zealand, Australia and the USA was unbelievable. This opened our community up in a way we could never have imagined.

With rapid technological advancements, a refocusing of priorities, taking time for the smaller things, and a reinvigorated community spirit, maybe COVID-19 has taught us all something.

leweston.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 35

Family

GATHERED THOUGHTS

D

Revd Dr David Campbell, Chaplain, Sherborne School

espite having toiled, occasionally triumphed and sometimes failed in them for nigh on 15 years now – by far the longest period of my entire working life to date – there is no question that independent education still seems to me to be something of a strange beast. Perhaps it is because I suffer somewhat from what the psychiatrists call ‘Imposter Syndrome’. Despite its mysteries, I can say that now more so than ever, I am very glad to be a small part of it.

And yet in these extraordinary days through which we have been living and working, and perhaps because of them, I certainly feel myself to have been privileged in the extreme to have been here and to have done my bit along with everyone else at this time in the School’s long and storied history. It has certainly been a time that will not easily and quietly pass into the annals of that history as instantly forgettable. Yet, for all that notoriety, and if things did seem more than a touch bleak at times, it has somewhat oddly but truly, as Dickens would have said, been the best of times and the worst of times.

In my little corner of the good ship Sherborne, this time has opened up all kinds of new, genuine and exciting, if at times daunting, challenges, even if for the first time in my working life I felt somewhat ill-equipped and inadequate to deal with them. In particular of course, and no doubt for many of us of my vintage who communicate and teach others, the challenges of technology have necessitated a steep learning curve. Computer programs and applications that were once names to me now comprise a necessary part of life and work. Although for me it remains a truism that often I could only stand back and admire the ingenuity, intellectual and technological grasp and ability of colleagues to whom these varied adaptations seem as natural as the air they breathed.

Perhaps the stiffest challenge many of us have faced though has been the lack of opportunity for gathering as a whole school community and gathering with the town. Isolation and loneliness are such frightful enemies and many of us will have experienced both as we adapted to what became the new normal. Instead of seeing real friends and colleagues, it was the camera and the recording studio which became my friend and for me that also entailed spending a great deal of time recording and re-recording parts of homilies and services which would be broadcast online. Last year this was the case for our traditional Harvest Thanksgiving, Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day as well as the well-loved and lamented Christmas Carols. Perhaps it is not too much to say in this regard that we never really know what we have until it is taken away from us? Perhaps I am not alone in thinking, as some of the boys have bravely (not to mention generously) said to me, that it will indeed be a great day when we can all be together again in the Abbey to hear our wonderful choir, and each other, sing. There is no doubt that in togetherness there is strength and I would venture to suggest that in these weeks something of our strength has been drained. Donne was surely right when he reflected that, ‘No man is an island… sherborne.org

36 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

D I S C O V E R | E AT | S H O P | S TAY | C E L E B R AT E

Welcome to Symondsbury Estate, set in the beautiful Dorset countryside just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast. Join us for lunch. Browse our shops. Visit the gallery.

Explore our fabulous walks and bike trails. Relax and unwind in our holiday accommodation.

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elizabethwatsonillustration.com 38 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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Science & Nature

WHAT WAS THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM? ‘The Christmas Star’ was a lecture given by the late Dr. Percy Seymour on 12. 12. 06.

He was the Principal Lecturer in Astronomy at The University of Plymouth and the driving force behind the formation of Sherborne Science Cafe. He is sorely missed.

Rob Bygrave, Chair, Sherborne Science Cafe

A

fter the Winter Solstice, 25th December was the first day on which early astronomers were able to detect a noticeable increase in day length. So, even before the birth of Christ, it was celebrated as the day of the return of the Sun-God from the south.

Later on the early Christian Church adopted this as the day on which Christ was born.

However there were errors in the calendar. Herod’s death was marked by an eclipse of the Moon. This could have been the one of 10th January 1BC or the one of 13th March 4BC. Both of these would put the birth of Christ before the normally accepted date of 1 BCE*.

The Magi, otherwise known as The Three Wise 40 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Men, were astrologers so we can assume that The Star was an actual astronomical event: ‘We must always bear in mind the purely astrological significance of the star, and we must accept that the wise men were astrologers first and foremost. And if the star really existed its astrological implications must have been profound.’ Patrick Moore Therefore in order to investigate The Star we must look at all possible astronomical events that occurred around the time of Christ’s birth, and then consider how these events might have been interpreted by the magi-astrologers.

A conjunction between two planets occurs when two planets overtake each other on the highway of the

surrounding the spherical Earth. There were seven transparent spheres, and to each one of these was attached a planet (the Sun and Moon were also considered to be planets at this stage). Below the sphere of the Moon we had the spheres of fire, air, water and Earth. In these sub-lunar spheres there could be change, corruption and decay, but in the spheres above the Moon, there could be no permanent change; everything had to be based on cycles of change.

Ancient astrologers believed that the spheres below the Moon were under the control of the spheres above the Moon. How could decay and corruption arise if this was the case? This was because of free-will. Although the regular movements of the planets gave a direction to human behaviour, we were free to act as we wished – we could ignore the messages from the cosmos.

Could the star have been Halley’s Comet?

Comets were irregular visitors to the skies, and this meant they had to be in the sphere below the Moon.

It was Edmund Halley (2nd Astronomer Royal at Greenwich) who discovered that some comets were periodic, but mostly they had very long periods. The comet that bears his name has a period of 76 years and it was seen in 12 BCE. Since astrology was based on the predictable movements of the planets, comets were not included in their schemes.

Could the star have been a Nova?

Southtownboy Studio/Shutterstock

sky, which is called the zodiac. Over the last 400 years conjunctions between Saturn and Jupiter have been the most popular explanation for The Star. However, in the last twenty years conjunctions between other planets have also joined the list of possibilities.

A new and different possibility is that has emerged in the last ten years is that The Star was an occultation of the planet Jupiter by the moon. An occultation is when the moon (or a planet) passes in front of a star (or another planet).

The Ancient Greeks’ View

In Aristotle’s theory (350 BCE), the universe consisted of a series of concentric spheres,

A nova is not a new star, but a relatively faint star, which, over a period of days, suddenly increases its brightness and then, over a period of months, or even years, it gradually fades away. Generally these brightness increases are non-periodic and unpredictable. Such behaviour was not allowed in Aristotle’s theory, because the stars were the region of perfection.

21st December 2020

Those of us who strained their eyes before Christmas 2020 would have seen a lot of clouds – but no conjunction. However the web-cam from Exeter University made up for a live view in the South West. * BCE (Before Common Era) Learn more about Sherborne Science Café by visiting their website sherbornesciencecafe.com. They hope to open again soon, when COVID restrictions allow. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

Science & Nature

THE TRULY FANTASTIC FOX Alex Hennessy, Communications and Marketing Officer, Dorset Wildlife Trust

A

s you drift off to sleep on a winter’s evening, a sudden piercing screech might wake you with a start. As alarming as it may be, this could well be the sound of one of Britain’s most well-known and widespread wildlife species – the red fox.

It’s likely that you’ve seen red foxes roaming residential streets in the evenings, darting in and out of driveways or even trotting along footpaths with confidence. Foxes are resourceful animals and thrive in many different urban and rural habitats, including towns, cities, woodland and heathland.

In fact, they occupy a top spot in the woodland food chain.

Urban foxes can sometimes be found rummaging in bins for scraps to eat, so you may not be surprised to learn that they are unfussy eaters.

Their preferred diet consists of birds, some insects such as worms and beetles, frogs and small mammals as well as berries and fruit, but if they can access food scraps in rubbish easily, they will tuck in. Their adaptation to urban environments when needed is just one example of their famous resourcefulness and intelligence at work. Red foxes are known for being cunning and stealthy, a trait which likely helps them to dodge urban and rural dangers such as traffic.

One far less stealthy fox characteristic is their unmistakeable wailing scream. These sounds are made by the female foxes (‘vixens’), while male foxes (‘dogs’) make a sound more akin to a dog barking. The conspicuous noises are most likely to be heard during their mating season in midwinter, however for the most part foxes are quiet and much of their communication is achieved through scent. These might be transmitted using their scent glands or their urine, which foxes use to mark their territory.

The red fox is a social animal, living with family groups in burrow systems called ‘earths’. One family may have more than one of these dens within their territory, and earths are typically home to a dog, a vixen, cubs and some subordinate foxes such as females from previous litters that stay with the family, helping rear cubs.

Fox facts: • The fox is Dorset’s only wild member of the dog family.

• Foxes have a lifespan of two to four years.

• Foxes have scent glands on their feet which mark well-used areas so they can find their way more easily at night.

To help support wildlife where you live, join Dorset Wildlife Trust as a member. Visit dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk.

42 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Pim Leijen/Shutterstock

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

Science & Nature

NATIONAL NEST BOX WEEK 14TH - 21ST FEBRUARY Ann Hyland, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Sherborne Committee Member

T

he British Trust for Ornithology, launched this project in 1997. The BTO is a UK research charity that focuses on understanding birds and tracks the ‘how and why’ bird populations are changing by using scientific methods to achieve their results. It also aims to encourage people to become inspired by birds.

Leading up to 1997 there had been a rapid decrease in natural nesting sites such as tree numbers and abandoned buildings where birds traditionally made their homes - bird numbers were dropping. A plight that continues today for our bird population as woodland and hedgerows are cleared, new houses are built and major new projects like HS2 disrupt the environment.

National Nest Box Week is always held from 14th - 21st February as this is the peak period when many species of birds begin to pair up. Putting up a nest box not only contributes to the conservation of our garden birds, but stimulates an interest in the bird population and participation in such projects as the RSPB Garden Bird Watch – 29th - 31st January 2021.

If your magazine arrives in time it will still be possible to join in with this. It probably goes without saying that having put up a bird box in your garden to feed the birds will encourage them to look for a nesting place near a regular source of food. I only have a small garden but last year had birds nesting in two of my three boxes.

A couple of days ago I enjoyed a visit from a group of about 8 long tailed tits, one of my favourite birds, and spent the best part of 15 minutes watching them feed and flit around in the early morning sunshine.

Bird boxes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, mostly designed to encourage various species of birds.

For instance, sparrows like to nest in a small colony so a box with three entrances and space for three nests encourages them. Last autumn saw a specially designed box go up high on my house to encourage swifts to nest.

It was important it went up before the swifts emigrated 44 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

to warmer climes for the winter as they search the area and identify places where they can nest when they return in the spring. I wait in anticipation!

Of course it is possible to buy a bird box with a camera in it. These link to your phone via wifi or the television in your house, usually by a lead, depending on the sort you buy. It is then possible to watch the birds in the box, chicks hatching and getting ready to fledge.

Since the launch of this project over 6 million boxes

Erni/Shutterstock

have been put up in gardens throughout the UK. Why not put one up and help take the total to 7 million?

Bird boxes can be obtained at pet shops and garden centres as well as on the internet. Perhaps, your garden birds would like a late Christmas present!

As things are at the moment the Sherborne Group Committee is sadly unable to arrange meetings and field trips. We are hoping this will change over time with the introduction of the vaccination.

Long-time contributor and usual writer of this feature, Gillian Constable, is currently unwell and taking a welldeserved break. We wish you well Gillian and look forward to seeing you back in March. nestboxweek.com rspb.org.uk bto.org dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

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Science & Nature

ACTS OF LOVE

T

Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker

raditionally the month of love, February is that time in between Winter and Spring where we all need something positive to focus on. This year quite possibly even more than ever before.

In January I followed a friend’s advice and chose a word to guide me through the coming year. I did it last year, but can’t remember, or find, any trace of what word I picked. With the events of 2020 it’s no surprise that my most obvious choice would have included 48 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

‘travel’ or ‘freedom’ and so was most likely buried under more appropriate words!

This year I was struggling to find a word. What do I want for this coming year? Freedom and travel of course, but I realise I need to be a little more realistic. Whilst checking bees on a very frosty New Year’s Day, I paused a while on a beautifully situated bench overlooking a misted-over vista towards Cadbury Castle. I figured it was a good spot to close my eyes and meditate on what

would be my perfect word, covering my work with bees and honey whilst also inspiring me to continue thinking of new ways to share the Bee Wisdom. As I sunk into a few moments of silence, the word ‘love’ drifted into my consciousness. I quickly disregarded it thinking ‘that’s not a successful business word’! Deciding that now I was feeling quite chilled, with a damp rear, I should continue with my bee checks and made a mental note to meditate when back in my office.

As I stood up and took one last look at the view, hoping for the sun to break through and reveal a perfect New Year’s Day image, I laughed out loud to see the heart shape of melted frost on the bench! So that had to be a sign, ‘Love’ is my word for the year, and I then spent the walk back through the apiaries thinking how can love work in business. I was reminded that bees work very much with love in mind. Every action they take is for the good of the whole, not just their own colony of bees, but all the neighbouring bees, the plants, trees and their unborn sisters. Even their honey production is a selfless act, providing food for the next generation of bees, many of the foragers will no longer be alive when the honey they’ve produced is consumed in the depths of winter. Even less so if the honey was removed to feed humans!

I then heard about HALO, a concept of ‘Heartfelt, Attachment and Love in Organisations’ as a model for the 21st century sustainable organisation. Looks like the bees had whispered a perfectly ‘on point’ word for 2021! If I hadn’t shared my word I wouldn’t have heard of HALO. What is it about the word ‘Love’ that so many of us find hard to use, we can easily say ‘I LOVE chocolate’, or for that matter ‘bees’, but admitting to loving someone else is often a huge step, so often never stated, despite it being ‘obvious’ that we do love someone. Living through another lockdown, love is even more important and crucial to our health and wellbeing. Knowing we are loved can make us feel invincible, and not alone. Believing that we are not loved can be the cause of so much distress, and often remove the spark of live, or reason for living.

Many have lost friends and family members over the past year, some to the famous virus, but most to other causes, some taken too soon, others at ‘their time’, but always leaving behind heartache. It is one thing to miss someone, but the grief is made all the harder when there are things left unsaid, and the most common unsaid word is ‘love’. As we are not able to show love by hand-holding, hugs or even simply being with one

"honey production is a selfless act, providing food for the next generation of bees" another, the pressure to use the ‘L’ word is even greater.

Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we did know that we are loved, and if all the actions we take come from a place of love? Loving makes us vulnerable, and the fear of being vulnerable can shrink our world to the extent of questioning our existence. The moment the bees leave the hive they become vulnerable, to pests, heat, rain, wind, being crushed, starving. In this time of winter the bees are tightly clustered, the bees on the outside gently vibrating their wing muscles to generate the vital warmth needed to keep the queen alive. Some of those bees never touch the queen, yet they risk their lives for her. All the bees take turns to be on the outside of the cluster as the chilling from being there can kill them. What greater show of love than working together, 10,000 individuals working for the good of their queen and the future bees as yet unborn? Their love is unconditional, many bees will die, they will all die eventually. If the honey supply runs low, they share it equally amongst them, starving or surviving together.

My Beekeeping Challenge through January asked ‘Why keep bees?’ Asking others that question prompted me to understand why I still keep bees. I began, like most, on a whim, a feeling that I ‘needed’ bees. I now understand that I had a yearning to understand these mysterious creatures. We can love the bees, but they may not show any love back in return, unlike dogs and cats, a bee is more likely to sting you if you get too close or want affection on your terms. Perhaps we are looking for a return of love, not grateful for the many subtle ways that love can be shown. Sitting with or inspecting a hive can leave you feeling loved, and honoured to have been invited to glimpse into their world. Eating the honey is definitely love on a spoon, and smelling a burning beeswax candle is definitely how love would smell. Learning from the bees, I hope to make the love we celebrate for St Valentines to continue through the year, and maybe the bees will inspire you to show love in your life too, in 2021. paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

On Foot

“We have hills which, seen from a distance almost take the character of mountains, some cultivated nearly to their summits, others in their wild state covered with furze and broom. These delight me the most as they remind me of our native wilds.�

(Dorothy Wordsworth, 1795)

50 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

On Foot

HUMBLE CARES AND DELICATE FEARS Emma Tabor and Paul Newman Distance: 3 ¾miles Time: Approx. 2 hours Park: Blackdown Village Hall car park Walk Features: A walk in the footsteps of Dorothy and William Wordsworth, who lived at Racedown Lodge from 1795 to 1797. The walk is a steady circuit around Pilsdon Pen, taking in secluded farmland to the north east with some wooded and boggy sections, before a short ascent to the Dorset Ridgeway and the summit, with fine views across the Marshwood Vale and down to the coast. After exploring the hillfort, there’s a straightforward walk back to Coles Corner.

Refreshments: The White Lion, Broadwindsor

E

ach month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members) pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual and sometimes the unfamiliar. For February, we’ve been inspired by the Wordsworths’ time in Dorset to walk in their footsteps and explore this corner of the Marshwood Vale. With its unique concentration of hillforts, dips and summits, it takes only a small leap of imagination to see how Dorothy

Wordsworth found an echo of their beloved Lake District here. The two would walk daily, with William composing his poems out loud whilst on foot.

Directions

Start: SY 397 024, the car park at Blackdown Village Hall.

1 Turn right out of the car park, head along the road and, after a few yards, look for a stile on the right opposite Coles Cross house. Follow the sign for Whetham Mill Cross; this path is now part of the Jubilee Trail. Head straight across the field and down into where the corner of the field funnels to a point, to meet a stile. Cross this into the next field with an electricity pylon on the left and Coombe Farm on the right. Dip down to cross a small brook and then up towards a metal gate in a hedge with a footpath sign on the post. Go through this into the next field, with views of Pilsdon Pen now on your right. Head slightly up into the field and then down, looking for a small gate and footbridge in a tree-lined hedge which lines a sunken brook. Cross the footbridge and go through another little gate into a field. Just after entering this, look for a gate which takes you into the copse on your left. > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

2 Follow a track through the wood and, after a few yards, you will reach the other side to leave Boyden Wood at the back of Coombe Farm, via a fivebar wooden gate (with a Dorset District Council footpath sign on the post). Go to the left of a barn then follow the track round to the right, in front of the farmhouse. Keep the farmhouse on your right and follow the hedge along the field edge towards a metal gate and clear footpath signs. Go through the gate and head slight right across the field towards cottages hidden in a dip. You will see larger farm buildings on the left as you drop down towards the cottages. Go through a metal gate onto a wooden footbridge over a brook. Head up a small path past the farmhouse and cottages. Look out for random electric fencing here which may be across the path before you reach a junction.

3 Continue up the farm track towards Pilsdon Pen, passing a bungalow on your left and abandoned farm vehicles. You soon reach a large metal gate with the Jubilee Trail sign to your left (ignore the track which goes slight right). Now walking parallel to Pilsdon Pen, stay on the track. This is a good place to listen out for Ravens tracking along the Ridgeway above you. After 200 yards, before the track reaches the next gate, break off to your right, over a temporary fence. Head uphill and diagonally across a field, looking for a small metal gate in front of a telegraph pole, in the top corner. Go through the gate onto a bracken-covered hill track. This is a tricky section, very boggy and difficult, and the way is obscured in places by a mix of bracken and bramble. Keep heading on the diagonal line up from the previous field and you will soon reach a small wooden gate and signpost with a hedge on the left, leading onto Specket Lane with Specket Cottage to your left.

4 Cross the road and walk up some steep wooden steps, through another small wooden gate. Keep left along the fence, through thicket, and climb up the slope, heading to your left. The hedge on the left eventually meets a fence running along the top of the hill - go through the small gate in the corner of the field into another field and, after a few yards, you will see a gate on your left with the fort of Pilsdon Pen ahead. You are now on the Wessex Ridgeway. Follow this across the field, with great views either side, until you reach a five-bar gate which takes you into the hillfort.

52 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

5 You can now make a clockwise circuit of the fort, so turn left to follow one of the banks. Soon, there are good views of Lewesdon Hill ahead of you as you look from Dorset’s second highest point towards its highest. When you reach the far side of the fort, turn right and walk up the path which comes from Lob Gate car park into the eastern entrance of the fort. The triangulation point is a good place to stop and admire the views over the Marshwood Vale and towards the coast. Continue around the fort, now on the inside, back towards the western entrance where you first entered the fort. As you do so, look out for low banks and ditches inside the fort, which are the remains of previous settlements and possible pillow mounds. Just before you reach the gate to leave the fort, turn back on yourself, this time starting to go anti-clockwise on the southern half of the fort. You will see a track which takes you out of the fort and straight down the hill, heading towards the western end of an impressive, beautiful row of beech trees.

6 At the trees, go through a gate with a stile which is inscribed with some of Wordsworth’s poetry, and round a magnificent beech at the end of the row.

Continue downhill towards Pilsdon Hill Farm. As the track reaches the road, look for a bridleway sign on the right and pass through the large metal gate.

7 To follow a hedge on your left through a succession of fields, with Pilsdon Pen and the Ridgeway now above you on your right. The open fields along here are a good place to see winter thrushes, including redwings. Pass through two smaller fields, then a larger one and, about 300 yards after passing some buildings on your right, the path forks to the right (straight on will take you to Home Farm). Follow the path round to the right; ignore the next path off to the right which takes you back up Pilsdon Pen. Continue following the contour of the hill and look for a small metal gate ahead between hedges. Go through this, follow the track for a short stretch where it then meets the road and then follow the road for a few yards back to Blackdown Village Hall.

The title for this walk is taken from The Sparrow’s Nest (1815) by William Wordsworth and a few lines from the poem can be seen engraved on the stile by the beech row on the return leg of the walk. paulnewmanartist.co.uk

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History

INFECTIOUS SHERBORNE… SO WHAT’S NEW? Cindy Chant, Blue Badge Guide

O

ften in history when there was a plague, an earthquake, flood or epidemic, people would take that as a sign that the human race must mend its ways. And now, alone in my garden, I sit and ponder, because for many weeks I had been intending to write an article on Sherborne’s nineteenth-century transformation from a filthy and disease-ridden town, to a town with clean water and good health.

As humans have spread across the world, so infectious diseases been a constant companion.

Outbreaks still occur, even in these modern times, although not every outbreak reaches pandemic levels as COVID-19 has done.

54 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

In common with many Dorset towns in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Sherborne public hygiene was just appalling – the worst of all Dorset towns, some suggested. Certainly the death rate from ‘the fever’ – typhoid and cholera – in the years 1820 to 1870 was very high. The death rate in 1840 was 30.8 per thousand and by 1860 it had risen to a horrendous 67.4 per thousand. This meant that almost 400 Sherborne people died each year.

In 1859 the Digby Estate reported that work on the harvest was seriously restricted, as 41 workers had died and of the remaining others, half were too ill to attend for work. And these deaths did not only occur amongst

the working people; Sherborne’s top industrialist, William Willmot, who owned the Sherborne silk mills and lived in Sherborne House, died of ‘the fever’ in 1787, aged just 49.

Prior to 1870, there were few satisfactory sewers or drainage systems. The whole town was criss-crossed by a maze of open sewer trenches, most of which emptied into the River Yeo at the lowest part of the town, where the railway station is located nowadays. Greenhill and Newland had no sewers, but many houses had cesspits in their gardens. In wet weather these cesspits often overflowed into the street. There was a big sewer in Acreman Street, but this regularly overflowed and contaminated the clear stream (the Saxons’ scire burn) – almost a quarter of the people in Sherborne, including the big public school, obtained their drinking water from the clear stream.

Half Moon Street was the worst of all the streets in the town; a deep sewer ran the full length of the street, with its lowest point opposite the entrance to the Half Moon Hotel, where it was almost six feet deep. A take-off sewer ran through the arch of the hotel into the stable yard at the back, where it became a deep open trench. From the stable yard the trench ran through the fields to the South, discharging into the River Yeo. Half Moon Street had been called Lodborne, which probably derives from the dialect word ‘larty’, meaning ‘dirty’, and South Street was formerly Lodborne Lane.

In the area at the junction of these two streets with Cheap Street, there were five slaughterhouses. This meant that all the blood, guts, stomach contents and general rubbish just washed down into the sewer. Once in the sewer, it flowed slowly, sometimes very slowly, down into the River Yeo. In hot, dry summers, the stench was just unbearable.

And what of the drinking water for the town? An estimated 1,000 to 1,200 people drew their drinking water from the ‘clear stream’. About 300 houses had their own private shallow wells and there were 5 public pumps in the town: one in Newland Gardens; one in Half Moon Street; one in South Street (Ludborne Lane); one in Acreman Street and one in Long Street.

There were also four water sellers in the town, who charged one farthing for every ten gallons. At the time there were three breweries and several pubs which brewed their own beer in Sherborne, with not all the water coming from very hygienic sources.

So that was the picture of Sherborne prior to the eventual development of a satisfactory water and

sewerage system for the town.

We can see now that the medical profession did not appreciate that sewage-contaminated water was the main cause of typhoid and cholera, and that these infections were not properly understood until about the 1870s. Ordinary working people accepted that ‘the fever’ was just a fact of life and could strike at any time. Of course, in those days Sherborne was a much smaller town, but the livestock population was much larger. Some 450 horses were stabled in the town, while cattle, sheep and pigs were regularly moved about, and animal manure heaps were just everywhere, providing a constant threat to public health.

In 1848 the Public Health Act was passed, as the government now realised that they and local government would have to take on responsibility for improving the health of the nation. This Public Health Act was to start the most important improvement ever in the living conditions of residents in the towns and cities of England and Wales.

So knowing all this and still pondering, I thought to myself ‘what’s new?’. We’ve had ‘Infectious Sherborne Then’, and we’ve got ‘Infectious Sherborne Now’ – the problems are different, but it feels the same. History so often repeats itself ! Our ancestors were all too aware of what it was to be under threat and what it took to be reassured. They may not have understood the risks, although these are made clear to us today, but nevertheless we still suffer from fear of the future.

Celtic Christianity started after the Romans left Britain in 410 and the Celts felt an intense closeness to God. It was part of their everyday life and in times such as these now, when I feel anxious, I find myself turning to an old Celtic prayer, which is as relevant today as it was all those centuries ago.

Be thou between me and all things grisly Be thou before me in all things mean.

Be thou between me and all things gruesome Coming darkly towards me.

This little prayer originated sometime between the fifth and ninth centuries and although we may live in a grisly time, I find it is a comfort to know that we are not the first generation to face all this.

Much of my information comes from Mr R Pountain’s History of the Castleton Pumping Station, and I would encourage any of you who want to learn more to find a copy for yourself. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55

History

LOST DORSET

NO. 8 CERNE ABBAS David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

A

s February 2021 is unlikely to bring much cause for celebration here is a reminder from 1909 that fairs, fetes, and having fun as a family will surely return. Townsend’s travelling fair, once familiar throughout Dorset during the summer season, was founded in 1876 by William Townsend, whose job on a mail coach fell victim to the expansion of the railway network. With nine mouths to feed, he bought a small children’s roundabout which packed away in a horse-drawn cart: once set up, the horse then turned the roundabout. The steamdriven roundabout was worked by a traction engine called Empress of the South.

At the table nearby the younger Townsends made paper confetti, which they laboriously cut by hand and sold for 1d a packet so children could throw it when riding the galloping horses.

Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside 1880-1920, by David Burnett, is a large format paperback, price £12, and is available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers. dovecotepress.com

56 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

OBJECT OF THE MONTH

THE BERYL DEAN WEDDING DRESS Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

W

ith Valentine’s Day in mind, this month’s choice is a wedding dress of satin and organza, with appliqué motifs embellished by metal thread embroidery. The portrait neckline is created by a wide satin band lined with net and softly folded; the fitted bodice is a deep cream, lightly boned and decorated on the breast with a passementerie arrangement of teardrop pearls, diamante beads and cut-out leaves and petals. The organza top-skirt features groups of stylised barley ears, tulips and five-petalled flowers becoming larger and more complex towards the hem with the addition of bell-shaped flowers, pearls and beading. It was worn in 1954, designed and created by Beryl Dean, a nationally and internationally renowned embroiderer.

Beryl was famed for reviving the metal thread technique particularly in ecclesiastical settings, for introducing modernist influences and for raising the status of professional craftswomen. She had some significant and extraordinary commissions including for the Bishop of London during the Silver Jubilee and also for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement cope.

Owing to her great services in furthering the craft, she was awarded an MBE. The significance of this dress was ‘rediscovered’ earlier in 2020, when further research was carried out into its provenance. Searching on-line for Beryl Dean led to a photo of a 1948 wedding dress which looked remarkably similar to ours. All we knew for certain was that the dress had come to us via a friend of the then head of textile team, who wished to remain anonymous. The wedding had taken place at Lacock Parish church on the 24th April, so research of local

papers could reveal for whom the dress was purchased. Both the dress and a fascinator that accompanied it had the ‘by Beryl Dean London’ label stitched inside. According to one of the original notes, it was the only wedding dress ever designed by her and the museum was incredibly privileged to have it. We contacted the Beryl Dean Education Trust, a link discovered through browsing online, thinking that this could not possibly be the case. We received an almost instant reply from the archivist who was extremely excited to hear from us. It turned out to be true – that Beryl had started a small couture business in Pimlico after the Second World War which had only had a very brief window of opening. As far as the archivist was concerned, we have the only known example of this work, altered slightly for evening wear, which will now be permanently recorded as ‘The Sherborne Dress’. She is now waiting until it is safer to travel to come and see it and she has kindly offered me some literature which will help put our dress in context and some potential help with conservation from one of Beryl’s former associates.

It shows how our amazing collections are constantly revealing new wonders, and how Sherborne Museum has the great privilege of caring for the dress, not only for future generations in our community, but for the nation.

The photo is courtesy of The Beryl Dean Foundation Trust and reproduced with kind permission.

Sherborne Museum is regrettably closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and will re-open when it is safe to do so for visitors and volunteers. sherbornemuseum.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

Antiques

TIMES CHANGE Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

A late 18th century Mr Punch walking stick, sold for ÂŁ5,200

A

t this time last year Coronavirus was just starting to be reported on. Like many people at the time, I thought it was a problem in China which would not affect us, too much. How wrong was that?

Currently we are in lockdown 3.0 and vaccinating the nation has started. Whilst we are still some way from the home straight in the fight against Coronavirus, 58 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

there is at least some light at the end of the tunnel.

Like many businesses, working out what we can and cannot do and adapting has been interesting, to say the least.

Our auctions are planned well in advance, we do like to know what we are doing not only next month, but also in a year’s time. As we went in and out of lockdown and went up in the tier system, our auction schedule

was on occasion turned upside down and inside out.

Thankfully most of our auctions went ahead, albeit online only and with dates changed. It has been strange to be on the rostrum talking into cameras - I do miss the interaction with buyers in the saleroom.

However, what has surprised me has been the demand for lots. On 23rd March 2020, when we went into the first lockdown, I did wonder what demand there would be for items we sell, and it seems I need not to have worried. If anything, demand seems stronger today than it has ever been.

This is well illustrated with a collection of walking sticks we have had the pleasure of selling over four auctions. As we know, collectors collect. If they have an itch, they will want and need to scratch it in any way they can, not even allowing a global pandemic to get in their way.

Like many collecting fields, when you are involved in the subject it is fascinating. If you have little or no interest in the subject, you will not understand why the collectors are obsessed in their chosen field.

The owner of the walking stick collection lives in Devon. He is hugely knowledgeable having collected

for many years and travelled across the globe in his search for walking sticks.

But we are only custodians of what we collect.

With a house move on the cards, he asked us to start selling his collection. With so many sticks to sell, we have been selling them over our past four auctions, most of which were carried out in lockdown.

While we have not finished selling the collection, so far we have sold about 240 walking sticks for in excess of £130,000. The last tranche of sticks we sold was in our two-day January auction. We had 78 sticks in this sale and the first lot sold to an online internet buyer bidding against a collector on the telephone.

Amazingly, the telephone bidder then went on to buy the next 77 lots of walking sticks for over £40,000, fighting off other collectors from the UK, Italy, America, Belgium and Germany.

This great result contributed to our best ever January auction in our 21 years - not something I thought would be possible in lockdown and during a global pandemic. charterhouse-auction.com

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Silver, Jewellery & Watches Thursday 4th February Antiques & Interiors with Wine, Port & Whisky Friday 5th February Garden Furniture & Statuary Thursday 11th March Coins, Medals, Stamps, Clocks & Collectors’ Items Friday 12th March Classic & Vintage Cars Sunday 11th April Classic & Vintage Motorcycles Sunday 16th May

1992 Jaguar XJS with low miles and ownership

Contact Richard Bromell for advice on single items and complete collections Valuations for Probate and Insurance

The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne DT9 3BS 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

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60 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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Gardening

Ardea-Studio-Shutterstock

GROWTH IN GARDENING

O

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

ver 3.5 million people took to gardening for the first time in 2020, according to industry statistics. Some of this would have been forced upon those who were at home because of the need to isolate, others will have been furloughed, whilst many will have been working from home. Although we have the vaccine being deployed at a rapid rate, it will be a number of weeks or months before normal patterns return and it will be interesting to see what these new gardeners do this year.

Some will discover delights of gardening that many 62 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

of us have been appreciating for years. Others will, perhaps without knowing it, start new trends.

When speaking on gardening trends I always turn to see what Pantone have to say about colour trends. It’s not my world but I love the words used – an example is this winter’s predictions; ‘Winter 2020/2021 is a story of mindfulness as we see a stripping back of colour to the essentials,’ said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. ‘Prevailing in singular colour statements, our colour story for Winter 2020/2021 conveys a message of

strength and purposefulness with a sense of optimism.’

To me that sounds like purple…but I’m not sure…

The COVID pandemic has had other impacts on us and gardening has clearly played a huge role in keeping people at home and busy, helping with mental and physical health. This will certainly be a continuing trend and research shows that contact with well-maintained garden soil, teeming with micro-organisms, can trigger the release of serotonin in the brain. This is a natural anti-depressant, which also strengthens the immune system.

Gardening regularly is proven to be good in many other ways too, including helping reduce stress and burn calories, as well as releasing endorphins – ‘the happy hormones’ – that relax us and make us feel content. There have even been studies to suggest it can help reduce the risk of dementia.

Getting outdoors and being close to nature in the garden is also great for mindfulness. In our restaurants and farm shop, we are witnessing the growing trend for more vegetarian and vegan-based dishes too, as the nation nourishes both the body and soul.

Every year the weather impacts on the traditional gardening calendar and with the changing climate it has even more of an impact. The magnolia in our garden flowered twice last year and was budding up for a third go before the temperatures dropped in December. This will be due to significant temperature fluctuations.

The great news about more people gardening is that there will be many more who are aware that the climate is doing strange things and will then be keen to do something about it.

However, we shouldn’t combat this unpredictable climate with a knee-jerk reaction. Dramatically redesigning gardens to cope with this weather is not sensible; removing lawns ruins natural drainage, leading to flooding elsewhere.

Good gardening techniques, which tend to be environmentally-friendly, will overcome many of the gardening problems we’ll face.

Water is an extremely valuable resource for gardening and can become expensive. There are obvious things that can be done to minimise the costs, such as collecting rain from our roofs using water butts.

Yet the most effective alternative would be the way we look after the soil. This means adding well-rotted plant material or compost to keep the soil environment healthy and structurally-sound.

This will improve sandy, silty or clay soils. It also will

"Good gardening techniques, which tend to be environmentallyfriendly, will overcome many of the gardening problems we’ll face." allow for the retention of moisture in dry conditions and, in very wet weather, it will allow the movement of water away from the root zone. This in turn will lead to healthier plants and these are all things we need to be educating our customers on going forward.

Homemade compost can be dug into the soil or used as a mulch on the surface where it is also useful in keeping weeds down, conserving moisture and slowly being incorporated into the soil through natural processes as it breaks down, further improving soil structure. It also acts as an excellent buffer in extreme weather as both a frost protector and to reduce the battering that the soil takes from heavy rain.

One of the few gardening interests not affected by the vagaries of the weather is houseplants. They are proving increasingly popular with younger age groups, who want easy-care gardening solutions combined with a healthy edge. That and the tendency for new homes having small or non-existent gardens and the increasing number of rented houses or flats has also boosted this trend.

Research has shown houseplants can help destress us and detox our homes and they can also filter out chemicals from the atmosphere. They also help improve air quality, relax and revive you mentally and physically, and can help reduce dust, which saves on the housework. The right indoor plants could reduce susceptibility to stress, allergies, asthma, fatigue, headaches and respiratory congestion.

But we must let Pantone have the last word because their prediction for summer 2021 is delightful and includes: ‘Summer Bouquet - Pale hazy petals combine with exotic pinks and a herbal green to create a fresh summer palette that celebrates the positivity and happiness of colours from nature.’

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it! thegardensgroup.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 63

Gardening

PLANTING BY DESIGN Bev Jones, Garden Designer, Co. of Landscapers

F

or many people, the most exciting and interesting part of a garden lies in the plants and their ability to bring colour, create an overall mood or bring a certain ambience to their garden.

However, choosing the right plants to suit your plot and the effect you want to create can also be one of the most challenging and difficult aspects of creating a garden.

With careful thought and planning a harmonious and pleasing effect can be achieved, where the plants soften and contrast with the harsher hard landscaping elements, bringing the whole space together. It is usually the planting that makes the biggest impact and is remembered the most.

A successful planting scheme will be well-thought out and careful consideration given to a whole range of different requirements. Each plant has its own characteristics, situation and soil preferences. There is also the height of each plant to consider, the colour of 64 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

flowers and foliage, fragrance, leaf texture and shape, attractiveness to wildlife, the overall shape of the plant, what the plant will look like throughout the year, and, of course, the relationship between each individual plant and others in the scheme. In addition, plants may be required to fulfil certain functional roles within the garden; providing screening, shade, structure, protection from wind, a focal point or enclosing parts of the garden. The plants should also unite the garden with the landscape beyond, whether in an urban or rural setting.

Of course, there are also many different styles of garden and the planting has to reflect the overall style or feel. Increasingly popular are modern gardens where the garden is seen as an extension of the house or ‘outdoor room’, and the corresponding planting may be restricted to a certain colour palette and planted in blocks with repeated patterns of the same plants.

Formal gardens will include strict geometric shapes

Magdanatka/Shutterstock

and symmetry while informal gardens flow with soft planting, reflecting a more natural growing style. Then there are themed planting schemes like Japanese, Mediterranean or coastal gardens for example.

So where to start when thinking about what plants to use in your garden? The first consideration will always be what plants you need and where - to create the structure of the garden. This will include perhaps hedging to enclose some areas, or to provide noise or wind reduction, trees used to screen unsightly areas beyond the garden boundaries and trees or large shrubs to provide height and focal points. Scale and proportion are extremely important to achieve a sense of harmony in a garden - if you have a small garden you will not want to plant a large, vigorously growing tree or shrub - they may provide an ‘instant’ quick effect but will also create problems in the future with additional work to keep it within size and the neighbours happy!

The structure or the ‘bones’ of a garden are also provided by evergreen shrubs. These provide the framework and hold the overall design together in winter when the deciduous shrubs have lost their leaves and herbaceous perennials have died down. Structural plants can also emphasise the pattern or shape of your garden layout, directing movement through the garden and emphasising different features. There should be a good balance between evergreen and deciduous shrubs, such as one-third to two-thirds. Repetition of plants also helps to link one area to another throughout the garden and provide continuity.

Once the structural and key plants have been decided, the most enjoyable part is focusing on the decorative plants. These include shrubs and climbers chosen for an attractive outline, beautiful flowers, foliage or berries, not forgetting the importance of contrasting shape and form, texture and colour. The decorative planting should give balance and contrast to the structural planting.

Herbaceous perennials are the mainstay of the decorative planting and look most effective planted in drifts, weaving in and out of the structural shrubs to hold the composition together and provide movement and colour. They vary enormously in shape, texture and colour, can be strikingly architectural or give a softer, calming feel. It is advisable not to use too many different types of plants which can make a scheme look restless or unbalanced. Unless of course, your aim is for a cottage garden look. Careful consideration should be given to the effect you want to achieve and also the flowering period of the plant - I always like to use plants that have lengthy or repeat flowering times in my planting schemes and try to use plants which always look good when not in flower. Grasses can also look stunning when planted in groups amongst flowering herbaceous perennials, especially when back-lit with low autumn sunlight and prolonging interest with their fluffy seed-heads, lasting well into winter.

One of the most rewarding but greatest challenges of designing with plants is to arrange combinations that create a successional display throughout the year.

Seasonal changes can be dramatic but it is essential to choose plants that create interest throughout, whether it be with brightly coloured stems, beautiful evergreens or scented winter-flowering shrubs. Don’t forget to underplant with bulbs for additional spring interest! co-landscapers.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

PLANKBRIDGE SHEPHERD’S HUTS Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

T

he days have stretched a little longer but the hills are still steeped in a cold, soaking mist.

Pity the shepherd out in the field who would once have had to endure lambing season alone but for his flock and dog. At night he would shelter from the elements in a humble, mobile hut, equipped only with a pot belly stove and bunk of straw from where he might watch over an orphaned lamb; a drop of dark ale fortifying them both.

I am on my way to meet Richard Lee, master maker and purveyor of modern-day shepherd’s huts, at Carter’s Barn Farm, nestled in the hills above the Piddle Valley. His business, Plankbridge, was one of the first to build the huts from scratch and he is still as enthusiastic about their classic design now as he was when he and his partner Jane Dennison started making them. Admittedly, some of the bespoke huts crafted by Richard and his team today are more akin to miniature boutique hotels than the humble shelters that inspired them. >

66 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Richard Lee in his converted 1930s original Bournemouth Tram No.113. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

68 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

In the years between 1992 and 1994, Richard had been a student at John Makepeace’s Hooke Park College, the educational facility (now part of the Architectural Association) specialising in timber-based design and construction. ‘I did two one-year courses,’ he says, ‘but a particular five-week course that I took over the previous summer was amazing. I was 20, very green, and I realised that I wanted to work with timber and run my own business in some form.’ Richard didn’t want to go down the route of site work, and felt compelled to create something ‘like a box’ which could be reproduced.

‘I knew I wanted to create a repeatable product.’

Some time later, while living at Waterston (where he still lives) Richard came to admire a long-standing shepherd’s hut close to Waterston Manor. It may also have been admired by writer Thomas Hardy, whose cottage is at nearby Higher Bockhampton and who gave fame to the shepherd’s hut (although not this particular one it transpires) in his novel, Far From The Madding Crowd. ‘The old hut was sold,’ says Richard, ‘so I decided to make one myself. I researched the original shepherd’s huts, how they were designed, and tried to make an accurate replica but insulated it so it could be used as a room. I thought, if you are going to make a copy then why not make it usable?’

Although shepherd’s huts can be dated back to the sixteenth century, they were most common in the 1800s when shepherds literally followed their flocks.

Sheep at the time were kept within wooden hurdles, they grazed the land, then moved on, leaving the land to be ploughed using nutrients from the droppings to feed the earth. A shepherd’s hut had to be portable.

Generally, they were made by local blacksmiths, cast iron was used for the axle frame and wheels, while the curved roof was of corrugated tin that allowed the rainwater to run off. Dorset produced its own fair share of huts. Two major hut-makers - Farris & Sons of Shaftesbury and Lott & Walne of Dorchester – were still going strong at the turn of the last century but the First World War brought about a series of changes in farming and, with the arrival of the tractor, the shepherd’s hut was relieved of duty.

At last Richard had his box and with it the potential of a ‘repeatable product’. The hut format also provided Richard with the ideal platform and outlet for his skills and tenacious design ethic.

The birth of Plankbridge came in 2000. ‘I made one and kept it, then made another and sold it,’ he recalls.

‘I built it, and my brother (who lives in Somerset)

made the wheels. For me, the wheels are the charm and romance of a hut,’ he explains. Gradually the business grew and then in 2012 came the Chelsea Flower Show.

‘It was when we did Chelsea that things really took off,’ he says. That year they created a show garden for the artisan section of the show, in partnership with the garden designers Woolcott and Smith. Their appearance caught the imagination of the public and suddenly the not-so-humble shepherd’s hut was in demand.

Nowadays Richard’s workshop is a 15,000 square foot hanger where he employs 24 staff. When I visited there were at least six huts mid-construction and a number of bespoke builds also underway. Still very much hand-crafted, each hut takes around 5-6 weeks to produce. The team are local – the longest commutes are from Wool and Portland – and there is clearly a collective sense of pride in their work.

‘The process of building the huts has evolved over the last 10 years,’ explains Richard. ‘I suppose we have built over 500 during that time.’ The hangar comprises of bays for each stage of production. There is also a forge where Mike makes the wheel pins and hooks, fuelled using charcoal from locally-coppiced hazel wood. The chassis are still made by Richard’s brother at his forge in Somerset.

Moving along the production line I meet joiner, Robert Simpson. ‘Robbie knows every type of wood there is,’ says Richard in way of an introduction.

‘Working here we have affinity with what happened before,’ explains Robert. There are 200 years of practise in this and we owe it to those who have done it before to honour those same exacting methods,’ he says.

Plankbridge is home to several Yeovil College apprentices. One of them, Tom Doar, from Milborne Port, has worked with the company for five years.

As we chat, socially-distanced around the woodburner, Tom explains what he enjoys about working here. ‘It has given me access to a lot of new and varied work – from the building of the huts to the furniture.’ He has also recently completed a staircase – leaps and bounds from the basic storage cupboard Tom made on his arrival – and is soon to become team leader on the custom builds.

One bespoke aspect of a Plankbridge hut is colour and, in a paint shed within the hangar, we find Rikki busy applying a customer’s colour of choice. Rikki wrote to Richard when he was 15, still at school and eager to work on huts. He has been with the company now for nine years. Richard is watchful, precise, contemplative > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

70 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71

Images: Joss Barrett

72 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

even, and clearly a nurturing boss. At the time of writing he is actively recruiting, thanks in part to huts on order for The Pig Hotel chain, owned by Robin Hutson. Complete with bathrooms and kitchens these bespoke high-spec huts are painstakingly built with acute attention to detail - an endeavour requiring skilled, patient hands.

Unsurprisingly, more hut-builders have emerged on the scene over the last decade but Richard isn’t deterred by competition. ‘It can only be a good thing,’ he says.

‘This time that we are living through is very scary for many businesses,’ says Richard, ‘but it is great that we are thriving and able to provide local employment.’

I ask Richard why he thinks the humble shepherd’s hut has struck such a chord. ‘It’s about hailing back to childhood stories,’ he supposes, ‘and keeping a bit of that with you.’ I admit, I have a bit of a thing about

huts. In 1997 I wrote a trend prediction piece for a national magazine forecasting that we’d be hankering after small personal spaces. It later became a book. Little did I know that it would become such a phenomenon.

Thankfully Richard and his team are carrying on the tradition of yore and building huts of an heirloom quality. Maybe now, more than ever, we need a place of quiet contemplation to be alone with our thoughts and close to nature. And for Richard? What has been his proudest hut moment? ‘Well, that has to be the hut we built for the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy in Piccadilly. In the grounds of St. James Church, we have created a space where those who need it can find a quiet place of safety and solace.’ A little bit of Dorset in the rush and push of London. Amen to that. plankbridge.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 73

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 74 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Enjoy a two course lunch for just £5

FROM FIELD TO TABLE Order our homegrown Tamworth produce from the fields outside Sherborne - Buy Local!

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Sherborne Food Bank relies solely on the generous food and cash donations from the community and is in urgent need of your help. Please consider adding the following items to your shopping trolley: • Anti-bac hand gel and wipes • Savoury biscuits • Cereals • Sachets of pasta ‘n’ sauce Donation points can be easily found at

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07854 163869 | help@sherbornefoodbank.org

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A local charitable group working hard to

#EndChildFoodPoverty Supporting free school meal (FSM) families from Sherborne area schools with vouchers for food supplies and providing hot meals during the school holidays. A helping hand in a difficult time makes a big difference.

To find out more information and make a donation, visit our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/ stoptherumblesherborne Stop The Rumble is supported by The Fabulous Foundation, a local registered charity RCN: 1164111

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75

Food and Drink

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

BAKED CHEESECAKE

Image: Katharine Davies

W

hen I was teenager at home I would buy a ready-made cheesecake packet that you added melted butter to biscuit crumbs and milk to the topping powder. There was a sachet of gloopy raspberry or strawberry topping and this was poured over the top. Cheesecake? I think not!

I was never satisfied with the result so I substituted digestive biscuits rather than the pack crumbs and instead of milk I put in double cream, this made the filling lighter and smoother. Little did I know that this was nothing like a real cheesecake should be but it was better than the kit. I look back and realise now that baking and making is intuitive - when you know a variety of different ingredients, you instinctively develop a recipe to suit your own particular taste.

Having always been a fan of Delia Smith I found her recipe for a baked cheesecake, New York style - it was an awakening for me. I made it and the family fell in love with it. I added gluten-free biscuit crumbs and it was then perfect for my GF relatives. Twelve years 76 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

ago when I started to visit New York to see my family, we ate the most fabulous cheesecakes and I vowed to perfect my recipe. This recipe has taken me a few years to develop but it is my ‘go to’ basic recipe that can have different things swirled into it or topped with.

It takes more time to make compared to the packet variety but is far superior and as always I tinkered with the recipe until I felt it was my own. I prefer to use mascarpone as it is the Italian version of cream cheese but I have put cream cheese in this recipe. Also if I have time I will use a genoise sponge base as this is the more traditional base for New York cheesecake. I must thank Paul Hollywood for the method of beating in the cream cheese, his method does take time but it ensures a velvety-smooth filling.

What you will need

• A 23cm/9 inch cake tin at least 4cm deep and with a loose bottom - I use a spring-form for easy release.

• A deep roasting tin that will allow you to create a

water bath.

• Silicon or baking paper to line the base and sides, 2-3 cm above depth of the tin.

• A large, star piping nozzle and piping bag.

• In my recipe book I show you how to slow cook a tin of condensed milk to create a caramel - it pipes easily onto the top of cakes and in this recipe the top of the cheesecake.

Tip Use a roll of silicon (I use Bake-o-Glide) to line sides of celebration cake tins and for cheesecakes too as it gives a really smooth finish to the sides of the bake and is re-useable many times.

Ingredients

For the base 200g digestive biscuits / shortbread biscuits, these can be gluten-free 60g unsalted butter For the filling 800g full-fat cream cheese 2 rounded tablespoons custard powder 100g caster sugar 4 medium free range eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 250ml double cream For the topping (if you wish) Half a tin of caramel, optional for piping 250ml double cream 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 500g strawberries Or you may wish to serve with some berries of your choice and a little double cream poured over Method

1 Pre heat the oven to 175C/350F/Gas 4, grease and line the base and sides of the cake tin.

2 Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to fine crumbs.

3 Melt the butter and add the biscuit crumbs, stirring to combine. Pour the crumbs into the base of the baking tin and press down firmly - I use a slightly smaller cake tin and press this onto the crumbs to ensure the mixture is pressed firmly and evenly.

4 Bake in the oven for 8 minutes until slightly golden, remove and allow it to cool.

5 To make the filling, place 200g of the cream cheese

in a bowl with the custard powder and 25g of the sugar and beat very slowly until smooth - repeat this three times more, beating very slowly to ensure a really creamy mixture.

6 Add the eggs one at a time on medium speed, beating well before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla extract and double cream, beat until just combined. Pour the mixture evenly into the cake tin, levelling off the top gently.

7 Place the tin in the roasting tin and add sufficient cold water to come 2-3cm up the side of the cake tin.

8 Bake for about an hour - the edges should be slightly golden and the middle of the cheesecake should have a slight wobble.

9 Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack to cool completely, once cool cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill. Either serve with a few berries and pouring cream or finish off as follows.

10 Pour half a tin of the caramel into a bowl and beat slightly until smooth, place in a piping bag and snip of the end to create small piped trellis pattern over the top of the cheesecake.

11 Place the cream in a bowl and beat to stiff peak, beat in the vanilla, place in a piping bag and pipe around the edges of the cheese cake, finally add the strawberries. bakerval.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77

Food and Drink

POT-ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST WITH WALNUT SATSIVI SAUCE Sasha Matkevich and Jack Smith, The Green

T

his is my take on a Georgian classic and it always reminds me of holidays in the mountains. I use locally-foraged walnuts which are far superior in flavour to the imported supermarket ones but of course not so easy to come by.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, skin on 2 cloves of garlic 200ml white wine 20g butter 1 sprig of rosemary 136g walnuts, toasted and peeled 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 pinch curry powder 1 pinch cayenne pepper 60g white wine vinegar 120g water 80g ground almonds 300g vegetable oil Salt Ground black pepper Olive oil

Image: Katharine Davies

Method

For the chicken 1 Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper.

2 Place a large frying pan on a high heat and add a splash of olive oil, place the chicken breast skin side down and fry until the skin is golden brown, flip the chicken over.

3 Add the white wine, butter, 1 clove of garlic and the rosemary. Put the pan in a pre-heated oven at 180°C and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°C. Once cooked leave the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes.

For the satsivi sauce 4 Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and grind in a pestle and mortar with the curry powder and cayenne pepper.

5 In a food processor combine the walnuts, water, spices, garlic clove, ground almonds, mustard and vinegar until smooth.

6 Slowly emulsify the vegetable oil with the walnut paste to create the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7 Serve your chicken breast with roasted potatoes, pan-fried winter greens and a generous helping of your walnut satsivi sauce.

Enjoy. greenrestaurant.co.uk

78 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

A MONTH ON THE PIG FARM James Hull, The Story Pig

A

s I write, it’s five in the morning, it’s dark as a bag outside – but mild. The fire is slowly coming to life and the kettle is steaming to a boil. Why am I up so early, you may ask?

Well I’m always up early and this morning I am just about to take my trusty head torch, let Blue out and trudge up the drive to do an early morning check on our latest batch of pregnant sows. They are a lovely bunch of expectant mums, bellies swollen and hanging low, behaving quietly now, just patiently waiting their turn.... That is until I turn up to feed them, then they put on an amazing turn of speed and, with their enormous bulk, try and conspire to knock me over.

When I checked them late last night one of them was in a shed on her own, gently grunting to herself, busy moving the straw about. They cleverly grab huge mouthfuls and carry it to where they need it. They use their front feet as well, pulling and pushing until, incredibly, they have built a perfect nest with them lying on their side in the middle. I must admit some are better at this than others, some building a structure worthy of a grade 2 listing and some working more on the prefab idea! This is how it should be, but still most of the pigs produced in our country and across the world are born in sterile indoor settings, with no natural light, no straw or bedding of any kind, with the mother kept in a crate and unable to turn around for the whole length of her time with her piglets (about three weeks). We are not part of that world… thankfully.

Charlotte and I crept up and through the gate, quietly, not wanting to disturb the new mum. Peeping in through the doorway, she was lying facing away from us, protecting her piglets from the weather and any predators, gently grunting and talking to her babies as they quietly suckled from her swollen udder. This is her 5th litter and she is a professional mum – she knows exactly what to do and how to keep her babies safe. We couldn’t quite count all the piglets but I guess that there are about 10, which is a great Tamworth litter. We just have to wait for her sisters to do the same now – there are five more ready to pop in the next day or so.

Over the last three weeks this process has been taking place countless times, we have had 9 more farrow (pregnant), with differing levels of success. All these were new gilts, never having farrowed before, some take to it straight away, the odd one really doesn’t understand and takes a few days to settle into their new role as mum. We have had one gilt who was not even pregnant decide she was a mum and try to steal new born piglets for herself. We took her away twice and she escaped over the electric fences and back again. And so it continues, the cycle of life, our numbers have swelled again.

The other highlight of the last few weeks has been freezing cold weather - all our pigs’ water has frozen solid, and no hope of it thawing in the daytime. When this happens it adds another job to the never-ending list, taking water to the pigs, thankfully when it’s cold they, like us, don’t drink much. But at least we have had a few days with that big, yellow thing in the sky above us. thestorypig.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

Food and Drink

Statue of St. Stephen, Budapest, Hungary

Hitdelight/Shutterstock

ST STEPHENS DAY

I

David Copp

am writing this on the feast day of St Stephen, the first and great Christian martyr who is also the patron saint of Hungary, a country I came to love during my five years residence in the 1990’s.

Early Hungarian history is colourful to say the least, but the history of its wine trade goes back to the coronation of King Stephen on the first day of January 1000 CE. Stephen's coronation in Rome was a huge step forward from the days when hordes of hardy horsemen from the land between the Volga and the Urals, swept 80 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

through the Carpathian Mountains to occupy the fertile lands they encircled.

The Magyars were horse and cattle breeders who, ignorant to the ways of trade, simply took what they wanted. They had perfected a combat style that made them almost unbeatable, built on speed, surprise and the accuracy with which they could fire their arrows from the saddle.

The Magyars supplemented their mercenary income with rapid pillaging raids into the richer parts of northern Europe, filling their saddlebags with gold,

silver and precious stones and leaving as quickly as they came.

It took the best part of a century for the German tribes to learn how to withstand them by unifying their armies in front of walled towns. When they did so at Augsberg in 955 they routed the Magyars and killed their leaders.

The Magyars retired to lick their wounds and elect a new leader, Prince Geza. He decided that it was time for his people to change their nomadic life style. To emphasise his peaceful intentions he gave up their territorial gains and invited Bavarian Bishops to teach his tribesmen the Christian way of life. Geza underlined his commitment by sending his son Stephen to be educated by the Christians and arranging a dynastic marriage with the daughter of the Bavarian Duke Henry, soon to become Holy Roman Emperor.

By any standard Stephen (or Istvan as he was known) became an outstanding king despite his late father’s somewhat ambivalent stance. When asked if he was Christian or pagan, Geza replied that he was rich enough to be both!

Stephen, crowned on the first of January of the new millennium, invited the Benedictines to establish abbeys and churches throughout Hungary, share their agricultural skills and knowledge, and help transform the new kingdom into a settled society.

During Stephen’s long reign he encouraged the Cistercians from Cluny to help with viticultural development. They had systematically studied the relationship between soil, climate and grape variety and their diligent and perceptive husbandry raised viniculture to an agronomic art-form.

Some 990 years later, when I arrived in Hungary, the Berlin Wall had been dismantled but the Hungarian wine industry had been wrecked by almost a century of war or occupation. A fresh start was vital. There was huge enthusiasm but few growers had much in the way of land, equipment or capital. Fortunately, their prime assets – their soils, climate and innate skills, attracted investment. But the driving force was the Hungarian determination to express the personality of their own vineyards in their own way.

They resurrected their own distinctive varieties – white grapes such as Furmint, Harslevelu and Irsai Oliver and reds such as Kekfrankos (a central European variety called Blaufrankisch in Austria) and Kadarka.

Furmint, Harslevelu and Muscat combined to make the great late harvest wines of Tokaj.

More importantly, their own truly world class winemakers such as Istvan Szepsy, Attila Gere, Joseph Bock, Csaba Malatinsky, Gyorgy Lorincz and Laszlo Mezsaros showed the world what they could do. They have all contributed to the success of Hungarian wine trade over the last 30 years and have some outstanding offerings. Because varietal names are different beyond Chardonnay and Cabernet I would encourage those who have not yet discovered them to have a chat with their preferred suppliers and find a starting point.

Hungarian wine is a true adventure and includes some wonderful surprises.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Mád Dry Furmint, Tokaji £14.75 Vineyards Based in the village of Mád, in the heart of the Tokaji region, Mád Wine KFT are intent on putting Dry Furmint on

the map and toil the vineyards shaped

by volcanic eruptions millions of years

ago. Somewhere between Loire Chenin and Chablis in style, this refreshing

white wine expresses both the varietal character of the Furmint variety and

the typical minerality of the vineyards

of Mád village. Well structured and well balanced, a

wonderfully elegant blend of apricot and peaches with a warming, ginger spice.

Koch Kékfrankos, Hajós-Bajai £12.00 Vineyards The Koch family winery has a rich heritage dating back to 1748 and

is headed up by the very successful Koch Csaba who celebrates a

minimal intervention approach to

his winemaking. This Kékfrankos is a

firm favourite of ours with a cheese & charcuterie board – it has rich, deep

hedgerow fruit and subtle black pepper notes that play

on the palate. Very smooth tannins and very drinkable! vineyardsofsherborne.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 81

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Pet, Equine & Farm Animals

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www.newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 83

Animal Care

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER? Mark Newton-Clarke MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons

VirtualShutter/Shutterstock

I

am sitting down to write this just after the shortest day has passed, a psychological milestone in the year that I always look forward to. That little feeling of optimism, drip-fed by weekly increases in daylight length, leading us into spring. How we all hope for similar weather to last year’s early months, maybe with a little more rain for the farmers and gardeners among us.

Last month I wrote about the growing pains of puppies with the emphasis on behaviour.

You might be surprised (and horrified, I expect) to learn that one of the most common reasons for a young (usually) male dog to lose his life is by being euthanised due to unacceptable levels of aggression, usually towards humans. We shouldn’t forget sheep-worrying is also a capital offence. Many cases are due to the young buck exercising his dominance over the human members of the family, putting them in their places with a growl here and even a nip (or worse) there. This situation represents a failure of control, by humans who have inadvertently elevated the status of their dog above themselves. With training and by taking back control of the ‘critical resources’ that dogs hold most dear, the situation can be rescued but the path is complicated and uncertain.

As our puppies go through adolescence, many will start to push the boundaries of behaviour to unacceptable levels. Seeing what you can get away with is a strategy that dog owners and parents recognise all too well and it’s up to all members of the family to reinforce the rules.

For our dogs, modifying hormones and therefore behaviour through surgery (neutering) is an option which has been practised for many years.

A question we are often asked is whether neutering will change canine behaviour for

84 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

the better. It really depends on the dog and the behaviour! Firstly, I do not recommend routine neutering of male dogs, unless there is evidence of one or more of the testosteronedriven undesirable behaviours (hypersexuality, roaming after females on heat, excessive urine marking and dominance aggression). Presence of such traits may well improve after castration.

Inherently dog-specific behaviours like hunting, guarding territory and seeking affection are generally unaffected by neutering, as is obedience which must be taught from an early age.

So there are potential benefits to castration in dogs but there are also possible adverse effects.

There is some evidence that neutered male dogs are more prone to the progression of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment refers to the behavioural changes that occur in senior dogs as a result of disturbances of memory, learning, and the circadian rhythm (sleep-awake cycle).

Pity that remaining ‘entire’ doesn’t guarantee immunity from mental senility, as many men of my age are starting to realise! There is an implant available for temporary (6 months or so) ‘chemical’ castration which we have used several times over that last few years. It can be a useful guide to the success or otherwise of surgical castration which, of course, is permanent. One last point here, a castrated male can be fertile for up to a month after the operation so if you have brother and sister in the house, count this into your timing for any planned surgery.

For females, neutering (spaying) involves removal of the uterus and ovaries, so the twiceyearly oestrus cycle (season) is abolished, preventing any possibility of pregnancy. For bitches who suffer from false pregnancy, a hormonally-driven crankiness that occurs about 2 months after a season, spaying is curative. It also reduces the risk of mammary cancer and prevents the common and serious condition called pyometra (an infection of the uterus). So if you are not planning to breed with your female dog, the balance lies in favour of neutering. What could be the down-side? Certainly weight gain is potentially a significant issue due to the change in hormones that occurs and regular weight checks are encouraged. Another issue is urinary incontinence, which occurs in a small percentage of spayed female dogs. This annoying complication is influenced by the timing of the operation and recent research suggests an increased risk in bitches spayed before their first season. Luckily there are simple and effective remedies for this form of passive incontinence. It is also important to avoid surgery until at least 3 months after the end of the previous season to allow sex hormones to settle down.

For those of you with plans to breed with your dogs, the first birthday is an important milestone. Hip and elbow scores can be measured on X-rays after 12 months of age and the best scores are achieved at a young age. There certainly are limitations to this method of predicting joint health but, at present, it’s the best we have. A much better scheme would be to test the progeny of a breeding pair of dogs as their puppies will be more likely to show the effects of ‘bad’ genes. However, the logistics of this are near-impossible and the first litter are already born! Why are there no genetic tests for hip dysplasia like other inherited disorders?

The answer lies in the complexity of the genes that code for a complicated structure like a hip or elbow joint whereas a single genetic defect can be defined with relative ease.

The Kennel Club offers advice on genetic tests and many breeders use the results to plan their litters. The tests can be done on a simple cheek swab or a small sample of blood. When carriers of a particular gene are identified, breeding can be undertaken with a non-carrier dog, effectively eradicating the condition in a few generations. However, like many preventative health schemes, including vaccination, success requires compliance from a high proportion of the population.

I’ll leave that thought with you. As always, if you have any questions regarding neutering or breeding, call us at the surgery. newtonclarkevet.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Animal Care

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A VET EXPORTING OUR FOOD TO EUROPE John Walsh BVSc Cert AVP DBR MRCVS, Friars Moor Vets

86 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

I

t has certainly been a strange year for everyone with Brexit and COVID. We have all had to get used to new ways of working and living our lives.

Even at the practice we are not immune from the effects and we had to separate the two sides of business – the pet and livestock health sides. By doing this it enabled us to carry on working and looking after sick animals in the event of a positive coronavirus case in either side of the business. The practice is normally a very sociable and friendly place to work and I think this is the one thing that everyone misses the most about working at the vets. Hopefully, the vaccine rollout will enable everything to return to some sense of normality very soon.

I thought today I would highlight another side of my work that you may find surprising and which is going to be getting busier over the coming year.

We have several vets at the practice who have the relevant government qualifications that enable us to sign certificates for exporting products of animal origin to overseas countries. Before Brexit, companies could export products to the EU without the need for these certificates. Products that we certify for export include cheese, milk, cream, whey, honey, live animals for breeding and even leather. These products made by farmers and producers are some of the highest quality in the world and that is why they are in high demand both in Europe and around the world. The reason we provide certificates is to ensure that the animal products come from animals that are both free from disease and have had the highest welfare standards. We also certify that there are processes in place in the factories to ensure products have received the correct treatments such as pasteurisation, that prevent other diseases being passed to the consumer at the destination.

Although the paperwork side of the process is not the most exhilarating work, it is very interesting working with the food-producing companies. It amazes me the thought and preparation these companies put into every stage of the production cycle to ensure the highest standards of food safety and, most importantly, to produce the best taste! I now have the privileged position of being involved in the whole production process; from the grass growing in the fields that feed the cows or sheep to the making and dispatch of the delicious end product around the world!

Pung/Shutterstock

friarsmoorvets.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

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88 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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Body and Mind

HEAD-TURNER

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms and The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre Dima Aslanian/Shutterstock

R

esting just below that mask of yours is a largely forgotten and unloved part of you – your neck.

Even the most robust skin care routines typically ignore this area – we often neglect to take our facial skincare products down onto the neck or chest area and don’t protect it with SPFs. Google searches on neck products and neck treatments are on the up, showing a growing awareness and concern. This can partly be attributed to the fact that we are up close and personal on Zoom 90 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

calls and ‘keep in touch’ selfies where people can focus in, closely looking at every detail of people’s faces and skin. The long term underlying stress that we are currently coping with is another factor in our skins looking lack lustre and feeling prematurely aged.

The technology we are using, now more than ever, to work and communicate is causing us to look down at screens and use the neck repeatedly. Being in front of screens also exposes our skin to the damaging blue UV light radiation that screens emit, so don’t forget

to apply your high level SPF even when working from home. This trauma to the neck through our communication habits is being dubbed as ‘Tech Neck’ as we fold the skin and strain our neck as we look down at our devices, further damaging this delicate area.

Even if your face looks healthy, your neckline can tell a different story. That’s because neck skin is thinner and more vulnerable to sun damage, photosensitisation from fragrances, friction from clothes and skin strain from muscle movements.

Lack of proper skincare can further exacerbate the premature ageing of this area. The skin also loses strength and flexibility with age as the overworked neck muscles and the supportive fascia tissue weaken underneath. These factors then exacerbate the appearance of lines, creases and sagging as the elasticity weakens and collagen production slows.

Using area-targeted skincare products designed to address the specific challenges and needs of this fragile prematurely ageing skin can be a game changer.

Products used regularly at home can tone and tighten the skin to achieve a more visibly lifted appearance. If the neck area is already a concern of yours then do seek out area-specific products from skincare companies. Peptides that increase collagen synthesis and strengthen the moisture barrier can have their effects further enhanced by specific massage movements to kick start this area into rejuvenation. If you have not noticed ageing in the neck area yet then do remember to include the area every time to treat your face - cleanse, exfoliate, moisturise and protect with high level SPF. thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk

Muntanya is an independent trekking and outdoors shop offering clothing and equipment from major suppliers.

7 Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PT david@muntanya.co.uk 01935 389484 • 07875 465218 www.muntanya.co.uk

YogaSherborne Classes and 1-1’s online • Hatha Yoga • Relaxation and guided meditation Contact Dawn for more details 07817 624081 @yogasherborne hello@yogasherborne.co.uk Yoga Alliance qualified teacher

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________________________________________ Wednesday 17th February 7pm and Thursday 25th February 10am Join Sarah for a virtual ProFirm@home group session

focusing on the neck area. This will be a guided hands-on Dermalogica skin treatment that you can do on yourself at home!

Book in for the 45 minute session by emailing

treatments@thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk and receive your home treatment kit ready for your chosen session.

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purchases after the session.

________________________________________

Branch and Root Therapy and Supervision Explore the roots of your feelings and behaviour in order to grow and flourish Qualified counsellor, based in Sherborne, offering phone and online consultations during lockdown. Specialising in working with young people but also experienced in working with adults.

For more information visit www.branchandroot.co.uk or email karenbranchandroot@gmail.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

Body & Mind

HOW TO STOP WORRYING Kay Johnson, Local Author

Olga Strelnikova/Shutterstock

H

ave you ever wished you could switch off the worries that may be buzzing round inside your head? Or, at the very least, transform them into something more manageable? Well, this pipe-dream can become a reality by unlocking the mystery of your mind.

When we are pre-occupied with our troubles and worries, we tend to assume that’s ‘just how it is’, and there’s nothing we can do to change the way we think about the problems we are facing. This is particularly true for those of us who have had a predisposition to 92 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

worry all our lives. It originates from the belief that the extent to which we worry is determined by three factors: our genetic make-up, our upbringing and the experiences we have been through. These factors do indeed affect our tendency to worry, but there is a fourth factor, which is our ability to learn new ways of dealing with worrying situations, irrespective of what has gone before. The way forward lies in understanding a few key principles about how our mind works.

The starting point involves accepting that we often can’t change the situation in which we find ourselves.

We also can’t change the way other people behave, only they can do that. Nothing is accomplished by railing against the unfairness or awfulness of a difficult situation, no matter how justifiable that may seem.

Instead, we need to change the way we deal with the situation and how we respond to others, which is done by focusing on the things over which we have control, namely our thoughts, feelings and actions.

The real challenge lies in changing the way we think about the problems in our lives. Anyone who has ever tried to stop worrying will know how difficult this is.

But with a bit of time and practice, it’s possible to ease the worries out of your mind.

There are a few techniques you can use. The first involves inoculating the worrying things you say to yourself with thoughts that are more constructive. For example, if you find yourself saying: I can’t cope or I don’t know what to do, try switching your internal dialogue to the polar opposite. So, you might say, calmly and confidently to yourself: I can do it or you might ask yourself: how can I solve this problem? As you switch your internal thoughts in this way, you may find that it doesn’t feel quite right. This is simply because your mind has got into the habit of thinking in a particular way. But the more you change what you say to yourself, you gradually start to believe that you can find a way of dealing with the problems in your life more effectively.

Worrying self-talk is often accompanied by bad news pictures that flash across the screen in your mind.

You literally see inside your head vivid imagery of the things you fear. These images, like the words you say to yourself, also need to be inoculated with something more helpful. So, if you see yourself in your mind’s eye not being able to cope with something, gently replace it with an image of doing the very thing you believe you cannot do.

By changing what goes on inside your head, you not only start to believe that you can overcome the difficulties you’re facing, but you also fire up your subconscious to come up with solutions to resolve those problems. The subconscious is the powerhouse that operates beyond your conscious awareness and has a phenomenal capacity to come up with solutions to life’s difficulties. Its efforts just need to be channelled in the right direction, and this is accomplished by switching the thoughts in your conscious mind to something more constructive.

As you start to make these changes, you’re likely to feel more upbeat and able to deal effectively with

your worries. Sometimes though, it can feel like hard work and as though you’re not making much progress.

Perhaps you’re finding it difficult to change your internal dialogue and pictures, and hold them in your mind.

Maybe, you still feel dragged down by all your concerns.

This is often because your mind and body are pulling in different directions. You can’t be thinking one thing and feeling another. So, for instance, if you want to induce a sense of confidence, you need to adopt a confident posture by standing up tall, holding your head high and looking straight ahead. Alternatively, if you want to induce a sense of calm, you need to slow your breathing and relax the muscles in your face, neck and shoulders.

The more you can focus your thoughts and feelings on what you want (your ideal outcome) rather than what you don’t want (your concerns), the more likely you are to relieve the intensity of your worries. At the same time, new ideas tend to pop into your conscious mind that would previously have been filtered out. You become aware of all sorts of opportunities and choices you didn’t notice before. And most importantly, you start to realise you have the skills and qualities you need to manage the problems you’re facing. Together, these things create a new understanding of yourself, enabling you to deal more effectively with the difficulties in your life rather than being overwhelmed by doubts and fears.

At the same time, these changes also affect your behaviour, because you’re then motivated to take different sorts of action to resolve your troubles and worries. And when this happens, you start to see favourable change manifest itself in your external life, leading to more beneficial outcomes.

Sadly, there are some life situations that can’t be changed, such as the loss of a job, a serious health condition or the break-up of a relationship. And although these heart-breaking circumstances can’t be altered, they can be rendered more manageable by changing the way you think and feel about them, as well as taking different sorts of actions to help ameliorate their impact.

So, the key to smoothing away your worries is to change the way you respond. As you do this, you discover you can take life’s problems in your stride. You get better outcomes. And most importantly, you find relief in even the most stressful situations.

Kay Johnson is author of ‘How Can I Stop Worrying?

The Definitive 5-Step Process to Help You Smooth Away Your Worries’. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Body & Mind

THE BICYCLE WHEEL REVOLUTION Mike Riley, Riley's Cycles

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very part of the modern bicycle has been refined since pedal-powered bikes were introduced and though they say you cannot reinvent the wheel, bicycle designers have had a good try.

Souplesse is a cycling term which describes a state of harmony and smoothness in the way a rider propels their bike and wheel and tyre producers make claims for their products’ contribution. This may seem aspirational for ordinary riders, but all can appreciate how a good set of hoops contribute to bike performance and taking care of your wheels contributes to cycling enjoyment.

I was encouraged to write this article after contributing advice to a cycling group and include riders’ experiences and experience from our workshop. To keep the article length down I have excluded carbon wheels.

Wheel Construction

Bicycle wheels comprise rim and hub linked by spokes.

Spokes attach to the rim by nipples and, at the hub, by the spoke head. Spoke patterns are known as lacing. The rim is surrounded by a tyre. Gear type affects hub width, this in turn affects spoke angle, which in turn affects rim spoke hole construction. All hubs include bearings and an axle and a means of attaching sprockets.

Materials used include plastic, steel, aluminium alloy, carbon fibre and even wood.

94 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Rim Shapes

The external shape of a rim is constrained by tyres and brakes. Tyres are generally tubular (tubs) or clincher style. Tubs rims have a flatter shape designed to glue tubs onto - these are a specialist choice. Most popular are clinchers where the rim clinches the tyre bead under pressure. A recent cycling development is tubeless tyres subtle differences in internal rim shape allow the tyre to seal against the rim. It is essential for safety that tubeless tyres are only fitted on tubeless compatible rims.

Rims may be asymmetric in profile - number of spokes per side or spoke hole angle.

Spokes and Lacing Patterns

Rim and disc brakes produce different forces. Disc brakes require stronger hubs. A subtle key difference is the lacing pattern – weight-saving patterns on rim brake wheels are not suitable for disc brakes.

The most common lacing pattern is 36 hole 3 cross lightweight wheels may have as few as 12 radial spokes.

Spokes may be galvanised steel, stainless, alloy or carbon. They are measured by length and gauge and have different profiles and ends, these myriad permutations are a headache for a cycle shop. For general use the best spokes are butted stainless. Butted means diameter varies along the length - these are not

only lighter, but surprisingly less likely to break and improve ride quality.

Nipples are threaded inserts fed through rim holes to attach spokes. They can be brass, steel or aluminium.

It is important to check spoke tension regularly as spokes may break or nipples unscrew. Alloy nipples used in wet conditions corrode and fail without warning - check them regularly and avoid if you are not a weight weenie.

The strongest rims have eyelets in the spoke holes and nipples may have washers to spread load.

Hubs

I was amused by a post another bike mechanic sent about a rider who changed his rear hub to add a fixed sprocket and asked why his legs were being pushed round. He misunderstood that most hubs have a freewheel which allows pedals to stop when riding downhill or slowing down. Most hubs also include gears.

Friction is a cyclist’s enemy and bearings determine smoothness. Basic bearings have a hard surface built into the hub, loose metal ball bearings, cones mounted on an axle and seals to keep grease in and water out. If not serviced appropriately, bearing surfaces wear and the hub becomes scrap. Some hubs have cartridge bearings, their benefit is they can be replaced when worn.

Rim Construction

Metal rims are extruded, curved and joined by welding or pinning. There is usually a hairline at the join covered with a manufacturer’s decal.

Anecdotally modern rims wear more quickly, however this may be because modern brakes are more powerful. Andy, one of our regular customers, covers a high mileage each year of well over 10000 miles and wears out rims in under two years.

A club member pointed out his best bike’s alloy Mavic rims have a ceramic coating and the pads and rims are barely worn. I had a wry thought that this effect may be because the bike is on the wall of his garage while he is riding his winter bike, but I am sure he is correct that coating the edge of a rim has benefit.

Another rider experimented when he found his rim worn to less than 1mm thick and, inflated it to over 100psi pressure, the weakened rim deformed from the outward tyre pressure. Others took my advice that rims or hubs were worn out and replaced their wheels - they were delighted with the performance improvement.

Pre-Ride Checks

Check for rim defects such as dents and that the rim runs true by spinning it while watching against a reference point. Ensure tyres are correctly inflated.

Spokes may break or loosen - to check grasp a pair on the same side, squeeze lightly to feel the tension, work your way round noting any slack. If you find a damaged spoke, replace ASAP. A simple wheel rim wear check is to run a fingertip over the rim feeling if it is concave, or use a straight edge and check by eye. Rim wear indicators take different forms - a continuous black groove or a small circle often opposite the valve hole, though beware of clogging by muck.

Caring for Wheels

As well as general wear, excessively worn pads can score rims leading to premature failure. Particles stuck in the pad can have the same effect. Some pads are kinder to rims, e.g. Koolstop and Swisstop brands, and improve braking.

Although costing more, they save expense from replacing wheels or rims. Pads must be matched to rim material.

Avoid thumping into pot holes and kerbs, but do not swerve in case a vehicle is about to pass. On mountain bikes it is possible to put a foam insert into the tyre to protect the rim at low pressures.

Post-ride rinse grit from rims and pads with watering can or hose. It is not appealing on a chilly day, but if completed while togged up from your ride you will not notice the cold as a virtuous glow warms you from inside.

Periodically remove wheels to inspect pads, embedded particles can be hooked out with a sharp podger.

If rims wear, a new wheel may be the answer as hubs and spokes also deteriorate. Wheels can be rebuilt when cost effective with new rims and spokes and bearings serviced. Select the correct rim width and diameter to suit your tyres.

An option avoiding rim wear is a bike with disc brakes.

Servicing

Servicing wheels annually is advisable, especially if ridden in winter. Thoroughly clean the wheel then inspect all components, check spoke tension and adjust as required, true the rim to remove buckles, clean bearings and regrease or check for roughness and wear depending on bearing type. This can extend wheel life significantly.

Stay safe! rileyscycles.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

Body & Mind

FALL PREVENTION Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

Image: Stuart Brill

B

alance is a crucial survival skill, but it’s also perishable. The muscles we use to stand tall weaken ever so gradually after we reach 35 (yes, only 35). The length of our stride shortens, the pace of our steps slows, and vision — critical to coordination — becomes fuzzier.

Balance really is ‘use it or lose it’. You can maintain it if you stay active.

How well we keep our balance in midlife can protect us from what lies ahead - one in three adults over age 65 takes a serious tumble each year. Avoiding falls means a longer independent life, and good balance is key to achieving this. Working on our strength and body weight distribution improves our balance, making us more stable.

But an enhanced sense of stability doesn’t just help protect you from future falls. There are immediate health benefits — better mobility, fewer injuries, greater capacity to push yourself harder during workouts — which in turn increase overall fitness.

The problem is that people are often unaware that their coordination is slipping. While there are hallmarks of clumsiness, such as poor handwriting and constantly bruised shins and knees, these are often ignored. Even naturally agile people need to work to boost balance with age.

Balance is a separate system, just like strength or 96 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

flexibility. You can improve it if you continue to challenge it. Here are some ways to improve your balance: Stand on one leg* - Try to do this while you are washing the dishes. When you can hold the pose for 30 seconds on each side, stand on a less stable surface, such as a couch cushion. To increase the challenge even more, do it with your eyes closed.

Walk heel to toe* - The same sobriety field test policeman give drunk drivers also improves balance.

Take 20 steps forward, heel to toe. Then walk backwards, with toe to heel, in a straight line.

Get a good night’s rest - Sleep more than 7 hours a night. Sleep deprivation slows reaction time, and studies show that it’s also directly related to falls.

Researchers tracked nearly 3,000 older women and found that those who typically slept between 5 and 7 hours each night were 40% more likely to fall than those who slept longer.

Exercise regularly – Not just general exercise but specific, targeted exercise helping you fight all the negatives of the ageing process, not just balance.

Improving your balance really does need to be proactive not reactive. Do not wait until you fall to do something about it. *not suitable for everyone communifit.co.uk

TEN TIPS FOR TRAINING (whether gyms are open or not) Simon Partridge BSc (Sports Science), Personal Trainer, SPFit

A

few weeks ago, under the tier system, we were offering hybrid coaching sessions and classes, where some of our participants were in our gym whilst others were online, training from home. This was amazing. Now we are in full lockdown, here are ten tips for training, no matter where you are.

1. Prioritise compound exercises

Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups because there is movement at two joints. They should be the cornerstone of any workout programme whether you are training for strength, building muscle or aiming to lose fat. Examples are the bench press, squats and deadlifts and all of these can be adapted whether you train in a gym or at home.

2. Have a clearly defined goal

The classic new year’s resolution is to change our body shape. The best body transformation clients that I have worked with are women wanting to get into shape for their wedding. We need a clearly defined goal if we are actually going to achieve the results we truly want.

3. Go lighter with isolation exercises

To grow muscle and ‘tone up’, isolating moves are where only one joint moves and most people use this when training their arms, for example. Lifting lighter and prioritising technique work the muscles far more effectively than just lifting heavy weights.

4. Maximising time under tension (TUT)

This will make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your workouts. Pay particular attention to the lowering phase slowly if you want to tone up.

5. Spend more time on mobility

Good mobility means good movement patterns. You

can add more weight and achieve a better range of movement which is essential for maximising muscle gains and fat loss. It will also reduce your risk of injury.

6. Use the correct weight and repetition selection

The final couple of reps should be very challenging.

We want to train the most effective way to grow new muscle and burn fat.

7. Master the techniques

Learning how a move is performed effectively, even if this means making the exercise easier or reducing the weight you lift, can help you progress.

8. Record your results

Keep a training diary with not just your sets, reps and weights but how the session felt, energy levels and anything that will help you plan your future workouts to improve.

9. Stretch for strength

Studies show that improving your flexibility not only reduces the risk of injury but can also stimulate muscle growth.

10. Follow a progressive plan for a specific period

This does not mean lifting heavier every session.

Progressive overload should be the goal of every plan. For example, start with muscular endurance or toning and muscle growth, then move to maximal strength, culminating with power training to encourage progress.

Good luck everyone, wherever you are able to train. Let’s make every workout as effective and fun as possible. spfit-sherborne.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 97

Body & Mind

ARTHRITIS

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

A

Dr Tim Robinson MB BS MSc MRCGP DRCOG MFHom GP & Complementary Practitioner

s we grow older our joints inevitably ‘wear and tear’, the condition known as osteoarthritis. The most common symptoms are pain in the affected joints, along with stiffness and reduced range of movement. Conventional treatment is with the painkiller, paracetamol, and anti-inflammatory, ibuprofen. Surgical joint replacement may be necessary if the pain and disability is not controlled with medication. However, besides these conventional treatments it is also worth considering complementary alternatives.

Omega 3 fish oil has been shown in studies to be beneficial as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Omega 3 is found in oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon - two portions weekly are sufficient - or it could be taken as a supplement.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally occurring compounds found in cartilage.

They can be taken as a combined supplement as trials have shown them to have mild antiinflammatory effects. They also help build and restore damaged cartilage within arthritic joints.

Try it for three months to see if it helps.

Homeopathic medicines can also help ease the pain and joint stiffness of osteoarthritic joints. Rhus tox, Ruta and Bryonia are the recommended medicines. Take one dose of the 30c strength twice daily over 4 weeks.

There are a number of herbal medicines that may also be helpful. Tumeric has been in the news a lot over the last few years. Others are ginger and bromelin, but always be cautious with taking herbal medicines as they can clash with conventional medicine and have serious consequences. Always read the instruction label or contact the supplier before you take them.

Besides supplements and medicines, conventional or complementary, it is important to maintain joint integrity by keeping as active as possible. Inactivity leads to tightening of the ligaments and tendons around joints, thus leading to further joint stiffness and reduction in the cushioning synovial joint fluid. Try to keep as active as possible with daily walks or swimming.

Gentle stretching or supervised Pilates or yoga are all extremely beneficial. Assessment and manipulation by a physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor should also be considered.

Acupuncture can also be helpful, particularly for chronic low back pain due to facet joint arthritis.

And so, in summary, I have listed quite a number of treatments and approaches that have all been found to be beneficial for arthritic pain and joint stiffness. But like everything, there is no ‘one size fits all’. I suggest experimenting with each in turn in order to find those that bring greatest relief – once you have found them you won’t want to give them up! doctortwrobinson.com glencairnhouse.co.uk

98 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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elizabethwatsonillustration.com 100 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

TRENDLE YARD

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Lettings & Property Management

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Coming to the market this month‌ Shaftesbury A selection of seven newly refurbished and modernised town centre apartments benefiting from town and country views, presented to a very high standard of finish, one and two bedrooms on offer, please contact office for further details Sherborne Town centre period family home, extensive accommodation over three floors, large garden, garage and parking Milborne Port Period cottage in quiet location, three bedrooms, enclosed garden, river frontage Sherborne Two-bedroom flat to the west of the town, allocated parking, currently being decorated

Sherborne Town centre, two-bedroom property, in small gated development close to railway, communal gardens, private parking for one car Sherborne Modern coach-house, two bedrooms, open plan living/kitchen, garage and parking Nr Cerne Abbas Three-bedroom country cottage, sitting room with wood burner, rural setting with parking and garden Nr Leigh Semi-detached four bedroom brand new family home, enclosed garden, parking, agricultural tie applies

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 101

Home

ALONE TIME

A

Annabelle Hunt, Colour Consultant, Bridport Timber & Flooring

s the old year has now blurred into the new, once again we find ourselves trying to juggle work, home schooling and childcare, whilst coping with anxiety, isolation, and loneliness, all within our own four walls. Many of us have wrangled, repurposed, and commandeered spaces within our homes to help us find space to work, study, exercise, and play.

Since open-plan living became de riguer in the 70s, nothing has had such a profound effect on the way we use our homes. Whilst communal living has its benefits, the desire for privacy has increased. According to a John Lewis survey conducted last year, one in five of us has created spaces in our homes for ourselves or others to be alone, whether that is a comfortable chair for reading in, in a hallway, or a cushion on a quiet windowsill. One of the most surprising statistics is that nearly one in ten of the people surveyed said they have even tried working from their bathroom.

This started me thinking. Bathrooms are often one of the smallest rooms in a house and an awful lot of functionality must be worked into a tiny space. They can end up feeling rather clinical and lacking in character, but if you’re thinking about creating your own private little sanctuary you can retreat to, to de-stress and unwind, colour is by far the easiest way to add personality. There is absolutely no reason why a bathroom can’t feel as inviting as any of the other rooms in your house.

As far as trends go, it should come as no surprise that with the rise in popularity of more rustic, cosy interiors, all-white bathrooms are out, and decadent statement bathrooms are definitely in. Think bold, patterned tiles and walls painted in saturated or moody colours. We are even seeing a revival of the coloured suite in soft pinks, greens, and blues, even black. I realise for some that may be a step too far, but if you like the idea even though it scares you just a little, you could dabble in the downstairs loo rather than taking the plunge, as it were, with the bath.

For those who prefer a more relaxed, pared-back feel, but want to avoid a sterile atmosphere, natural pigments will warm up your bathroom scheme. Soft, warm tones of terracotta, caramel, and biscuit with tiles in earthy colours and tactile finishes provide an antidote to cold and clinical. The use of natural or vintage wood and lush foliage plants will add textural interest and create a direct link with nature and a warm, nurturing mood.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of window-dressing in the success of any interior scheme. As long as your room is well ventilated, you can add drama and elegance to a bathroom, as well as warmth, with curtains or a blind in a gorgeous fabric that will really add the wow factor.

Whether you are stumbling out of bed on a cold, dark morning or indulging in a relaxing soak at the end of the day, a space that reflects your style and fits with the colour scheme of the rest of your house will have a much more positive influence on you than a stark, soulless box.

The bathroom after all is where we start and end our day. bridporttimber.co.uk

102 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Bathroom wall - Farrow & Ball Setting Plaster 231 Modern Emulsion sherbornetimes.co.uk | 103

Legal

THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIEWING YOUR WILL Emma Batstone, Solicitor, Private Client, Mogers Drewett

A

Will is never high on our list of priorities, after all none of us want to dwell on what would happen if we weren’t around – but if 2020 has shown us anything it’s that life can certainly be unpredictable.

An out-of-date Will can often cause more problems than not having a Will. So, in order to protect your loved ones, it is vital that you regularly review your Will (the suggestion is every five years).

The following reasons may prompt you to revise your Will.

You had a family

If you have children, it is important to review your Will to ensure that it makes provision for your children in the event of your death. This includes appointing a Guardian who will be responsible for the care of your child.

Your financial circumstances have changed

If your financial circumstances have improved, this could alter the Inheritance Tax (IHT) liability of your estate. Altering how your estate is distributed, for example leaving gifts to charity, could mean that you benefit from the reduced rate of Inheritance Tax as well as supporting a good cause.

104 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

You have married/divorced

Marriage automatically revokes your Will and therefore it is essential to update your Will as a newly wed. Although divorce only revokes the clauses relating to your ex-spouse, you should review your Will to ensure that it is still valid to prevent your estate being administered under the laws of intestacy.

Changes in the law

Tax legislation is constantly changing and therefore it is important to review your Will in line with this. For example, when the Residence Nil-Rate Band in 2017 was introduced, many people reviewed their Will to ensure that their estate could benefit from the new relief.

An executor or beneficiary has died

If an executor or beneficiary named in your Will has died, it is important to ensure that your Will provides for a replacement executor to act or a substitute beneficiary to inherit. If your Will does not make these provisions, your estate could be administered under the intestacy laws which may not reflect your wishes.

If your circumstances have changed ensure that your Will still looks after your loved ones after you have gone. mogersdrewett.com

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Finance

DOES MONEY MAKE US HAPPY?

F

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.) CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS, Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning inancial wellbeing is the study and application of how money can be used to increase our happiness and fulfilment.

There are five parts to financial wellbeing: • A clear path to identifiable objectives • Control of daily finances • Ability to cope with financial shocks • Having financial options • Clarity and security for those we leave behind A great deal of research has been done on the subject, revealing two universal truths.

Firstly, money itself does not make us happy, it is how we use it that matters. For example, Professor Tim Kasser of Knox College has produced research that shows the value of accumulating wealth for its own sake is in direct contradiction with happiness.

Secondly, and best highlighted by the Harvard study on happiness, the largest contributor to our wellbeing is the quality of our social relationships.

Therefore, in many ways financial wellbeing is about how we use our money to support the other areas of wellbeing.

Know Thyself

The first of those parts, a clear path to identifiable objectives, is financial planning.

One way of summing up financial planning,

106 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

therefore, would be: work out what you want from life, then spend your money on that.

This aspect is often much more difficult than it at first appears. Most of us have been too busy with ‘life’ to really consider what we want. For some it is simply more of the same, a reassurance that their lives can continue without having to worry about money. For others it is about considering and identifying what is important for them, discovering their purpose. This might be identifying what their life will look like when work is no longer taking up most of their time. It might be a life of travelling or a life dedicated to helping others. The most fulfilling part is, perhaps, discovering how to live the life that you want to live; the life that will make you happy.

Financial planning then becomes essential to identify what steps need to be taken to enable you to live this life. It helps you to become financially well organised, to identify threats to this future and to remove those threats where possible. It helps you to identify how much you need to invest for the future; it helps you to identify how much risk you are comfortable with and how much risk you need to take.

Be aware that not all financial planners will take the time to help you to identify what you really want, they may only want to sell you a pension. Make sure you engage with a real financial planner who puts your financial wellbeing first (and not theirs!). ffp.org.uk

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 107

Tech

PHONE LINE, BROADBAND AND INTERNET James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

I

think that we’ve been here before, but there is no harm in an update to what is one of the biggest technology complaints. In the beginning there was dial-up (buzzing modem noise) with speeds up to 0.05mb (megabits) per second, and I think that this technology is now officially retired. Then there was broadband (DSL) with speeds up to 1mb and this was quickly upgraded to up to 8mb and, in more recent years, up to 20mb. Both of these were delivered to your house over the copper wires of your telephone line from the local telephone exchange, but the speed degrades over a maximum distance of 6km, so the unfortunate ones living down a farm track got a pretty bad deal.

Now we have fibre, or more correctly, we have fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) where super-fast speeds are delivered by fibre-optic cable to the little green boxes that have sprung up everywhere. Then the service is connected to your house over the good old copper wires. But unfortunately the speed degrades over a shorter distance of only 2.5km hence the need for loads of the green boxes. FTTC offers a huge speed hike of up to 40mb so it’s well worth it if its available in your area, and you can get up to 200mb if you pay the extra.

If you live in a big city then you can have separate phone and ultra-fast broadband (FTTP) service delivered to your house (like Virgin Fibre). As we live in the rural West Country, we can’t so I won’t say any 108 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

more about it! Another option out here in the sticks is mobile 4G internet, but that’s for another article.

You can decide who provides this service (BT, TalkTalk, Sky etc), you pay them line rental and call charges. We also get our broadband down the same pair of copper wires and the service is split (filtered) where it comes into your property.

The best deals are usually to be had when you bundle everything together under one roof when you pay line rental, broadband and calls to the same provider. This is usually for a 12 or 18 month contract. At the end of your contract if you do nothing then you’ll move on to their standard tariff, just like gas and electricity prices, so it’s best to shop around. If, like me, you are a bit of a ‘rate tart’, then at the end of every contract period I take full advantage of the best introductory offer going at the time and change providers. Even if you’re not going to change providers for whatever reason, call them and ask for a better deal! All of my recent clients who were still on old ADSL (slow) broadband who called to upgrade to FTTC (superfast) broadband, found that their new package was in fact cheaper than the old, and included a new router as well… no-brainer!

As always, if you need help with this or anything else, you know where to come. computing-mp.co.uk

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IN CONVERSATION WITH SIR ROBERT FRY David Birley

DB What was your childhood like?

RF I had as enjoyable a childhood as I can imagine.

I was born in Cardiff and grew up in South Wales.

My father was a machinist and a shop steward and my mother worked for Marks and Spencer.

I went to school in Cardiff but failed the 11+ so went to a secondary modern before moving on to grammar school to do A levels. I read economics at Bath University as I thought that was a sensible route into business and management; what I didn’t realise was that I had no talent for the subject or the vocation. My first experience of university life was a lot of fun but academically completely undistinguished.

DB How did your career evolve?

RF After Bath, I went to New York to make my fortune. I loved every minute of living in America but it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t much good at a sedentary office existence and that fortune eluded me.

Instead, I left New York and became an itinerant bum and wandered around America chopping down trees, tending bars or taking whatever jobs were going. I will always have a genuine but not uncritical love of the country, and I have been back most years since.

DB What led you to join the Marines?

110 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

RF By this time it was pretty clear what I was no good at; unfortunately it was less clear where my talents might lie, if indeed there were any. So it looked like the right time to try a radical alternative and, after a bit of reflection, I joined the Royal Marines.

My military career is interesting as much for its detours away from conventional soldiering as it is for the more regulation stuff. The first of those happened when a notice to apply for what was cryptically called Special Duties in Northern Ireland caught my eye. A rather uncomfortable selection course followed after which a small group of us went through a fascinating programme of counter terrorist techniques before deploying for undercover operations in Northern Ireland. I had also recently met Liz and we got married ten days before the selection course. Two years of almost continuous separation then followed but, rather improbably, we’re still here over 40 years later. What started then as Special Duties became the Special Reconnaissance Regiment in 2005 and I had the singular pleasure of becoming its inaugural Regimental Colonel.

The next detour was a sabbatical year in 1986 to undertake a master’s degree in War Studies at King’s College, London. The contrast with my first spell at

university could hardly be more complete and I became a living example of education being wasted on the young. I loved every minute and specialised in First World War literature.

The memories of my more conventional career are mostly about people and places. I spent the first Gulf War in Kurdistan in Northern Iraq as chief of staff of the Commando Brigade. The Kurds are historically fated, wonderfully attractive, usually exasperating but rarely dull and I have recently felt a sort of vicarious pride in watching them lead the fight against ISIS in Syria.

I later commanded the Commando Brigade in the Balkans where Kosovo made a real impression on me, for all sorts of reasons. It was where the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires rubbed up against each other; it was about Albanian and Serbian identity; it was about the mix of Islam, Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity; and, unfortunately, about endemic corruption, criminality and tribalism.

In 2001 I became the professional head of the Royal Marines as Commandant General, something which was then and remains a matter of great pride.

What I couldn’t foresee then was that there was about to be another detour, this time for the whole world and not just me.

I was in Norfolk, Virginia on 9/11, and, after a few days in Washington, boarded what was probably the first flight to leave American airspace since the attack on the twin towers. On board the RAF aircraft was a selection of the waifs and strays of British official life that included Prince Andrew, John Major and Richard Dearlove, the then head of MI6. It was a gin clear and windless day and the flight path took us directly over New York where the gaping hole where the twin towers had been looked like a missing tooth in the city’s jawline. It was one of the photographs of the century, but nobody had a camera.

The Wars of 9/11 then dominated the rest of my military career. I became the Director of Operations in the MoD, responsible for all British operations globally but with an obvious focus on Afghanistan and Iraq.

This was operating at a different level where military operations meet political consideration and all the ramifications, compromises and difficulties that involves.

My last job in military service was as Deputy Commanding General of coalition forces in Iraq. The summer of 2006 was the most violent period of the war and it was a salutary experience. As always, military force could only try to hold the ring; political process

alone can find a solution.

DB What do you put your spectacular career down to?

RF I was fortunate to stumble across something for which I felt I had a genuine vocation and not everyone is lucky enough to find that. I never had to make compromises. I always saw the purpose of what I was doing and that it was going somewhere.

DB What have you done since leaving the Marines?

RF I felt I had another job in me and so was delighted to be offered the role of vice president of Hewlett Packard. It was a different life but a business review in Silicon Valley felt remarkably like a campaign assessment in Baghdad. I also became an early trustee of Help for Heroes. I thought I was joining a charity and didn’t realise until later that I had become part of a spontaneous political movement.

At the same time as Hewlett Packard, I returned to academia. I had a year’s visiting fellowship at Oxford and then became a visiting professor at both Reading and King’s, while things came full circle when Bath gave me an honorary doctorate. I’ve also dabbled a bit in journalism, writing for Prospect Magazine - the house journal of the chattering classes and a perfect contrast to military life.

Today, most of my time is taken up as chair of a small company that deals with communications in places like Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine. It involves social media and artificial intelligence in ways I can barely understand but fortunately I have the help of clever people decades younger than me to whom it is all second nature.

DB What have you learnt along the way?

RF Do what you’re good at and not what you are told to do. Also, in the long-term things often sort themselves out when left to their own devices. And, if your personal life is happy and solid, everything else follows. In sum: do what you enjoy, take up with the right person and let life sort itself out.

DB What changes have you seen from a military point of view?

RF We are going through a period which is reorientating global power with implications we do not yet fully understand. I would never count America out but it has been profligate with the way it’s spent its power in the last 20 years.

DB What about changes in society and the UK? RF Almost all for the good. The level of tolerance and prosperity this country has enjoyed in recent years would have been inconceivable as I was growing up. > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 111

That said, I don’t fully understand what it means to be woke and I find cancel-culture rather sinister.

DB What brought you to West Dorset?

RF Sherborne, the place and the people. For a community of this size to do what it does makes it an extraordinarily active place to be.

DB What do you do in your down time?

RF Covid has kept me in Dorset for most of the last year and that gave the opportunity to walk most of the coastal path and do a lot of wild swimming.

DB Do you have a personal wish?

112 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

RF Wales have only once in my lifetime beaten New Zealand at rugby and I would like to live to see it happen again!

DB Do you have a wish for Sherborne?

RF The exodus from London has started and Bruton is nationally the most searched location for country property, with Sturminster Newton not far behind. With places like The Newt, The Clockspire and new arts and cultural facilities that are being developed, this area could become the new Cotswolds. That would be a mixed blessing, but, if it happens, Sherborne must be part of it.

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Short Story

RAISING THE ROOF Julia Skelhorn, Sherborne Scribblers

The Charbury Gazette sold out by 10.30am – not a single copy left on the shelves. If headlines were designed to sell tabloids, they certainly did that week: ‘BISHOP SASHAYS DOWN AISLE TO STATUS QUO’

R

oland Bickerstaff summoned all members of the St Chad’s Ladies’ Choir to an urgent meeting. He’d been Vicar of St Chad’s for eleven years and, in addition to the everincreasing problem of a leaking roof, the choir, like the flower arranging team, had been a rather large thorn in his side. The arrival of a new music director six months earlier had thwarted his idea of disbanding the choir. Miss Fanny Stockton, a retired music teacher, moved into the village and the choir welcomed her with open arms. A small, mouse-like creature, with wisps of frizzy, grey hair escaping from a tiny bun, Miss Stockton’s diminutive frame belied her booming voice and massive enthusiasm for anything and everything musical.

‘We’re so glad you’re here,’ Mrs Billings exclaimed at the first practice. ‘Can’t tell you how dreary it’s been with old Bill Malthouse in charge all these years. Good organist, but dreadful choirmaster.’ Throwing her capacious blue cloak over a pew, Fanny opened a large, battered, leather case and pulled out a sheaf of music and a baton. ‘Well, show me what you can do then!

Are you our organist?’ she called to Mrs Quinn who had already placed her ample self in front of the organ. ‘I suggest you get into your usual groups to start with – sopranos and altos!’ With that, everyone made their way to the chancel, Fanny in tow. Depositing the sheet music on the lectern, she stood, all five feet two inches of her, in front of the choir, huge, grey eyes bright and baton at the ready.

‘Breathing exercises, ladies,’ she boomed, hand placed on ribs. ‘Then we’ll run through some scales.’ Her enthusiasm immediately lifted the members’ spirits. ‘Now, can you manage the 23rd Psalm? See what you can do.’ Mrs Billings’ nerves got the better of her and she sang off-key, receiving a hefty nudge from Susie French. Not to be deterred, Fanny calmly lowered her baton.

‘Not a bad effort, but I know you can do better. Lead on please Mrs Quinn, then we’ll try it a capella.’ As the weeks went by, for the first time in years, the choir looked forward to attending the practices and, urged on by their new leader, went from strength to strength.

Meanwhile, Rev. Bickerstaff was bogged down with PCC meetings in an attempt to instigate some serious fund-raising for the roof repairs. It was finally agreed that in order to promote the various planned events, the suffragan bishop be invited to launch the efforts at a

114 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

morning service. Not generally blessed with an over-optimistic outlook on life, and as it hadn’t been his suggestion in the first place, the vicar immediately launched forth with, ‘I think you’re expecting far too much. Be extremely difficult to find a slot in the bishop’s diary so soon.’ The secretary sat bolt upright.

‘Well we won’t know unless we try, will we,’ she said. ‘If everyone agrees, I’ll get in touch with his PA first thing in the morning.’

The minute Fanny got wind of the bishop’s impending visit, she invited the choir for coffee.

‘Why don’t we tell the vicar that we’ll put on a little choral concert during the service? If it’s well advertised, we’ll fill the church – we could call it Raising the Roof.’

‘What an excellent idea,’ Mrs Quinn piped up. ‘But who’s going to tell the vicar?’ Fanny beamed. ‘Me, of course! It’ll give me great pleasure.’

As everyone assembled for the vicar’s urgent meeting, the atmosphere was exceptionally strained, Rev. Bickerstaff wearing a distinctly frosty expression. ‘I’m looking for an explanation,’ he began, scanning the faces around the room. ‘Whatever possessed you to play that frightful music just as the bishop was moving down the nave? We’re a laughing stock; it’s all over today’s Gazette.’ All eyes focused on Fanny, who, true to form, had an appropriate answer ready.

‘Vicar, you are well aware that it was a mistake. You knew that the choir was to perform Rutter’s Look at the World, the accompaniment on CD being preferable to that of the organ.’

‘Well, what happened then? I’ve had to issue an apology to the bishop – it’s all frightfully embarrassing. I could lose my job through another of your hair-brained schemes, Miss Stockton.’

‘I can explain, vicar,’ Mrs Quinn began, encouraged by Fanny’s raised eyebrows and smile.

‘We asked our Archie to play the CD on the audio system for us and Fanny gave him strict instructions to press Deck 1. He was a bag of nerves on the morning, and when I questioned him after the service, he said ‘Really sorry, Mum, but I pressed the wrong button! I must have pressed Deck 2 instead of Deck 1.’ He’s only fourteen, vicar, and it was a genuine mistake. The Status Quo CD must have been left on the system by the Youth Group who were in church recently practising for their jam session next month.’ Before the vicar could jump in with more exasperating diatribe, Fanny sallied forth.

‘Well, there you are, vicar. The bishop confided in me that he was a great fan of Status Quo and it had been such fun to let himself go and enjoy The Wanderer again. More to the point, through the article in the Gazette, St Chad’s has received free advertising all around the area.

Everyone is now aware that you desperately need money for your roof fund. I bumped into the treasurer this afternoon and he was gloating over the fact that he’d already received offers of donations amounting to ten thousand pounds.’ Fanny beamed and looked around the room.

‘So, ladies of the choir, I say onwards and upwards – keep raising the roof!’

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 115

RICHARD HOPTON

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y.

THE STRAITS OF TREACHERY

r s

THE STRAITS OF TREACHERY by

‘SWASHBUCKLING, SUSPENSEFUL AND ELEGANTLY PLOTTED’ VANORA BENNETT, AUTHOR OF THE PEOPLE’S QUEEN

Richard Hopton

THE

(Published by Allison & Busby)

STRAITS OF TREACHERY

‘Suspenseful and elegantly plotted’ tale of Napoleonic derring-do set in 19th Century Sicily

WINNER OF THE SAHR PRIZE FOR MILITARY FICTION

Local Author Winner of the SAHR Fiction Prize 2020

RICHARD

HOPTON

SPINE (25mm)

FRONT COVER (129mm)

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK, £8.99 AT WINSTONE’S BOOKS AND ELSEWHERE 23/11/2020 14:30

JANUARY SOLUTIONS

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Sound a cat makes (4)

1. A reduction in price (8)

3. Armed (8)

2. Topic (anag) (5)

9. Greek white wine (7)

4. Picturesque; charming (6)

10. Small bottles (5)

5. Lacking a backbone (12)

11. Lexicons (12)

6. Inactive pill (7)

13. Smells (6)

7. Office table (4)

15. Soft felt hat (6)

8. Germicide (12)

17. From this time on (12)

12. Frankly (8)

20. Camel-like animal (5)

14. Japanese flower arranging (7)

21. Chanted (7)

16. Continent (6)

22. Rubbish (8)

18. Cancel (5)

23. Associate (4)

19. Coalition of countries (4)

116 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Hazel Roadnight, Winstone’s Books

Eat Better Forever by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury Publishing Dec. 2020) £26 (hardback) Sherborne Times Reader Offer Price of £24 from Winstone’s Books

H

ugh has a plan. With his new book, he wants to help us all live better, healthier lives by engaging with a positive understanding of what the good foods for us are and how our lifestyles can be adapted for our own wellbeing.

His message is that by making the right choices more often than not, we can encourage a healthy functioning digestive system and a body that has an improved immune system. The last year, more than any other, has shown us how important being able to fight off a virus and stay healthy can be.

The volume of information circulating about what we should and shouldn’t be eating can so often be overwhelming and not help us at all but here, we get the bits we need.

The first half of this comprehensive book is split into seven sections. They make sense of the main points that can lead towards good health and guide you through

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

the relevant information in areas you may not have thought about before. It’s not all about food either, there are really helpful areas on sleep, stress, exercise and mindfulness as well as an organising 7 day meal planner.

The second half is all the delicious recipes, broken down into clear ingredient lists and good, straight-forward instructions.

As Hugh says, ‘all of the recipes are based on whole, high-fibre, gut-friendly ingredients. There’s the raw and the cooked, the hot and the cold, a lot of colour and every texture under the sun. They are the kind of recipes that will slot themselves easily into your routine, designed to become familiar, reliable favourites and smooth your path to eating better, every day.’

The photographs are vibrant and tempting and really make you want to get stuck into the year. winstonebooks.co.uk

YOU CAN NOW ORDER ONLINE AT shop.winstonebooks.co.uk Collect in-store, kerbside, or at nearest car park.

Free home delivery within a reasonable distance of the shop.

Nationwide delivery also available at cost.

STAY WELL. STAY WELL-READ

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

W

Adrian Bright, ReBorne Community Church

hat a strange year 2020 has been! If I had described to you at the beginning of last year, what was going to happen in 2020, you would have thought I was telling you about a block buster movie that was soon to be released.

Looking back, it has not been entirely negative, there has been some very positive things to come out of 2020. For instance, I think it has brought families closer and throughout lockdown it was great to see so many mums and dads, spending quality time together as a family.

They say a crisis brings out the best in people, that was certainly true last year – take Captain Tom and all he managed to accomplish.We gained a more positive attitude toward each other, having more respect, regard, and concern for our neighbour, appreciating how important it is to be able to socialise with each other. Young people realised how important education is and to be more appreciative of all that it offers. We recognised and thanked our NHS, emergency services and all key workers for all the hard work they do.

Although last year has been tough, I think as a nation we are more appreciative of the many blessings we enjoy, living in a wealthy, free, democratic country, with so many benefits we so often take for granted.

Though there have been many positive things to come out of COVID-19, everyone agrees that we desperately need to get this virus under control, so we can get back to what is described as the new normal.

In December we heard the long-awaited news that a number of vaccines had been found to combat COVID-19. Now don’t get me wrong, in no way do I belittle that amazing news, because these vaccines will totally and dramatically change things for everyone, but we have to put things into perspective. However good these vaccines are, they are not the ultimate saviour, because there will be other viruses that come along that these vaccines are unable to combat, and again scientists will be called upon to find new vaccines. Other situations will come along that effect and even shake our lives to the core, causing us to reach rock bottom and question life. Things like, illness, rejection, betrayal, unemployment, disappointment, bankruptcy, and the ultimate situation, death, that we all eventually will face. Getting through them will require a special type of Saviour.

Now, for those of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we believe we have found the ultimate Saviour. Like any other person, we will still have to face those situations, but we have a Saviour who will sustain, equip, and walk with us through anything that life throws at us. Even when we walk through the valley of death we need not fear, because our Saviour has promised to walk beside us through death into eternity and eternal life.

As a minister I’m often asked why I am so passionate about telling folk the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s simple, I want others to experience life in all its fullness, to know the joy of having had that amazing life-changing encounter with Jesus. rebornechurch.org

118 | Sherborne Times | February 2021

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