Sherborne Times October 2021

OCTOBER 2021 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

IDEAS ON TAP with George White of Brewed Boy

sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

S

and in the footwells and shells on the shelf – souvenirs of a summer that rings in our ears, audible, barely, in the glorious hush of autumn.

Last year’s forlorn coat-pocket-conkers are replenished with fistfuls of glossy promise and a half-hearted sunrise burns off the mist to reveal the tapestry of spiders and another million masterpieces.

And so to October – Paul Maskell falls down the rabbit hole, Paula Carnell reaches for the vacuum cleaner, Paul Newman and Emma Tabor are still on Portland and zombies form an orderly queue outside Val’s house.

Mike Burks is on a bug hunt, Craig Hardaker has us training for a triathlon, Paul Doran trades whites for scrubs and Richard Bromell keeps the receipt.

Meanwhile, Jo and Katharine meet George White, the ambitious 24-yearold writing a colourful new chapter in Sherborne’s beer-brewing history.

Have a great month.

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

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

Gay Barry Sacred Heart and St Aldhelms sherbornecatholicchurch.org.uk

Craig Hardaker Communifit communifit.co.uk

Laurence Belbin laurencebelbin.com

Rachel Hassall Sherborne School sherborne.org

David Birley Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum sherbornemuseum.co.uk Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers charterhouse-auction.com

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.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Sherborne Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Sherborne Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication.

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

4 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Alex Hennessy Dorset Wildlife Trust dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Mike Burks The Gardens Group thegardensgroup.co.uk

Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH IP MRPharmS The Abbey Pharmacy theabbeypharmacy.com

David Burnett The Dovecote Press dovecotepress.com

James Hull The Story Pig thestorypig.co.uk

Rob Bygrave Sherborne Science Cafe sherbornesciencecafe.com

Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber bridporttimber.co.uk

Jenny Campbell Sherborne Scribblers

Johnny Jones The Queen’s Arms thequeensarms.com

Paula Carnell paulacarnell.com Cindy Chant & John Drabik David Copp Rosie Cunningham and Richard Hopton Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com Jemma Dempsey

1 Bretts Yard Digby Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3NL

Andy Hastie Cinematheque cinematheque.org.uk

Paul Doran MA VetMB MRCVS Friars Moor Vets friarsmoorvets.co.uk

Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind dorsetmind.uk Peter Littlewood Young People’s Trust for the Environment ypte.org.uk Chris Loder MP chrisloder.co.uk Paul Maskell Beat and Track thebeatandtrack.co.uk

Stephanie Edwards Style Vintage stylevintage.co.uk

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

James Flynn Milborne Port Computers computing-mp.co.uk

John Osman Mogers Drewett Solicitors md-solicitors.co.uk

Simon Ford simonfordgardening.wordpress.com

Simon Partridge SPFit spfit-sherborne.co.uk

Andrew Fort Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk Martin Galbavy Dorset Forge and Fabrication dorsetforgeandfabrication.co.uk Annie Gent Sherborne Preparatory School sherborneprep.org

Jack Smith The Green Restaurant greenrestaurant.co.uk Val Stones bakerval.com Emma Tabor & Paul Newman paulnewmanartist.com

72 6

Art & Culture

OCTOBER 2021 64 Gardening

118 Tech

20 Events

72 Brewed Boy

120 In Conversation

22 Community

80 Food & Drink

124 Short Story

26 Family

90 Animal Care

126 Literature

40 Science & Nature

96 Body & Mind

128 Crossword

52 On Foot

110 Home

130 Pause for Thought

56 History

114 Legal

62 Antiques

116 Finance

We are looking to expand our portfolio With a local and enthusiastic team, Dorset Hideaways are well placed to make the process of sharing your holiday home easy and enjoyable.

We are dedicated to managing your property with the same care and attention you would and with tailored services to suit your needs, you can be as involved as you like.

01929 448 708 newowners@dorsethideaways.co.uk dorsethideaways.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

Art & Culture

ARTIST AT WORK

No.35: Martin Galbavy, Corona Giant 140,000 ball bearings, 3.5 Metres, £30,000

O

riginally from Slovakia, Martin Galbavy moved to the UK 12 years ago to work for a local company. Here he met fabricator, Chris Hannam who then started Dorset Forge & Fabrication and Martin joined him a few years later. His first sculpture was of a horse’s head and his varied repertoire has grown from there to include a 4-metre dragon (he was once asked if it was life-sized!) to his most famous work, a World War One soldier entitled The Haunting. This drew attention from the media at home and abroad. It was then taken to Ireland for the 100-year centenary celebrations in Dublin where the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team laid a wreath at its feet. This led to further commissions around the country. Martin and Chris have regularly featured in Quest and Discovery Channel’s Scrap Kings. During the first lockdown Martin created Corona Giant out of 140,000 ball bearings individually welded together. Working with scrap metal for his commissions he also, if possible, uses tools that have had a sentimental value to the customer. His latest works are on display at the recently opened Elm Yard Gallery, North Wootton near Sherborne. @elmyardgallery dorsetforgeandfabrication.co.uk

6 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

shop like your

high street

depends on it #fiverfest

SPEND A FIVER

GRAB A BARGAIN SUPPORT A LOCAL SHOP

FEEL GOOD! * * it's the

TotAlLy loCally FIVER FEST

9-23 october 2021

TM

fiverfestsherbs fiverfestsherborne fiverfestsherborne

LOADS OF AMAZING £5 SPECIAL OFFERS

FROM OUR INDEPENDENT SHOPS & BUSINESSES. CHECK

OUT

WWW.FIVERFEST.CO.UK LOOK OUT FOR POSTERS IN SHOPS, OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA

shop like your

high street depends on it

WWW.TOTALLYLOCALLY.ORG

Art & Culture

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

F

ingers crossed and Delta variant permitting, Cinematheque’s new season will start on 6th October at the Swan Theatre, Yeovil. As mentioned last month, our opening film is Sorry We Missed You (2019) – Ken Loach’s heartfelt critique of the contemporary working environment. It tells a story of ordinary people trying to better themselves through work. Ricky, the father, sells the family car in 8 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

order to buy a white van and become a self-employed contractor to a delivery company. This means his wife Abby, a home-care assistant for an NHS sub-contractor, now has to rely on public transport to reach her clients.

As Ricky comes under increasing pressure to meet totally unworkable targets, and Abby’s caring nature is ruthlessly exploited by her employer, this loving family is soon severely threatened by unrealistic promises of

self-improvement. Austerity Britain has never been more neatly dramatised. At 84, this may be Ken Loach’s final bow at film-making. If so, he certainly leaves his exceptional legacy on a high note. Not to be missed.

On 20th October we show Styx (2018) from Austrian director Wolfgang Fischer, concerning a lone female paramedic yachtswoman Rieke, single-handedly sailing from Gibraltar to Ascension Island. After a storm she encounters a stricken trawler overloaded with refugees. Does she heed the coastguard’s instruction not to intervene, or does she lend a hand to the obviously struggling fellow travellers? This quietly gripping film, with an atmosphere of mounting dread, places the audience at the centre of the action with Rieke, as she sails into an impossible situation. With actress Susanne Wolff showing extraordinary physical presence in her performance, she raises questions of empathy, privilege, racism and personal responsibility towards others. Two intelligent films, bang up to date with contemporary issues we all have to acknowledge.

As Cinematheque is a film society with an annual membership for a season of 15 films, do think about becoming a member. Details will all be on our website as will costings and dates, and we always show our films on a Wednesday evening. This current season, our 39th, is unusual in that the first half of it will be the 7 films we missed from our 2020 season, unseen because of lockdown, with an additional 8 films for the second half. With Honeyland (2019), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2020), Parasite (2019) and Alfonso Cuaron’s fantastic Roma (2018) (as long as we can sort out whom we pay the licence fee to show it!) in the programme, there are some outstanding films to look forward to. There is always the chance to come as a guest for £5 to try us out – do contact us via the website to see availability of seats. I’ll report how it’s all gone next month.

Susanne Wolff in Styx (2018)

cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk

___________________________________________ Wednesday 6th October

"This quietly gripping film, with an atmosphere of mounting dread, places the audience at the centre of the action"

Sorry We Missed You (2019) 15 Wednesday 20th October Styx (2018) 12A Yeovil Cinematheque, The Swan Theatre,138 Park Street, Yeovil BA20 1QT. Members £1, guests of members £5, Swan Theatre members £4. For more information visit cinematheque.org.uk or call 01935 421905

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

Art & Culture

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT Rosie Cunningham

M

ary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre in Soho, until 13th February 2022, is a majestic, colourful, musical extravaganza co-created by Cameron Mackintosh with book contribution from Julian Fellowes, directed by Richard Eyre with choreography by Matthew Bourne. West End stalwarts Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp star as Mary Poppins and Bert respectively, with the huge talent of Petula Clark appearing in a cameo as the Bird Woman.

The packed audience, half of whom were children, were appreciative of every song and joined in whenever they could. The only gripe I have is that two hours 50 minutes is too long for some and there was a lot of wriggling in the second half. It is however well worth a trip. Did you know that the Australian-English writer, PL Travers, wrote a series of eight Mary Poppins children’s books between 1934-1988 and that the character is based on 10 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

her austere great-aunt, Helen Morehead? I didn’t.

Frinton Summer Theatre is the oldest surviving ‘weekly’ Summer Repertory Theatre company in England. I saw the one-woman musical, Tell Me On A Sunday, starring Shona White, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, featuring many well-known songs including Take That Look Off Your Face. This is a story about a girl from Muswell Hill journeying to the United States to find love and follows all her romantic misadventures. Jodie Prenger is touring the musical until the end of November 2021. What is charming about Frinton is that the audience still stand for God Save The Queen before every performance. The Summer Theatre season celebrated 80 years this year and launched the careers of Vanessa Redgrave, Antony Sher, Jane Asher and Lynda Bellingham amongst many others. It is a family-run business and deserves support.

l-r Petula Clark as Bird Woman, Zizi Strallen as Mary Poppins, Logan Clark as Michael Banks and Ellie Kit Jones as Jane Banks. Image: Johan Persson

The Whitechapel Gallery has an installation by Yoko Ono called Mend Piece on until 2nd January 2022.

Broken cups and saucers are scattered on tables, and everyone is encouraged to ‘mend’ them with glue or tape or string. Visitors are encouraged to ‘think of mending the world’ as they get involved. Entry is free.

The Uber Boat on the Thames stops at 23 piers along the way from Woolwich to Putney and is an efficient way of navigating London. Greenwich has so much to offer. The Old Royal Naval College represents four phases of history; from the Tudor Greenwich Palace where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were born, to the 17th - 19th centuries when it was the Royal Hospital for Seamen, commissioned by Mary II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, then as the Royal Naval College in the 1800-1900s where Britain’s navy officers were trained, to the present-day University

of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The exquisite Painted Hall by James Thornhill (who painted the staircase mural at Sherborne House) is a masterpiece of English Baroque and the ceiling features William III and Mary II, the founders of the Royal Hospital. You can lie on a bench and gaze up in admiration. A short walk from there is the Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time. All in all, a wonderful way to spend a day. delfontmackintosh.co.uk frintonsummertheatre.org tellmeontour.co.uk whitechapelgallery.org thamesclippers.com ornc.org rmg.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

Open Sherborne Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 October 2021 Explore the secret corners of Sherborne School with a Custodian, learn about Alan Turing’s time at school with our School Archivist and visit the hidden gem of Shell House during October half-term. This event is free of charge, however places are limited.

To find out more and book tickets please visit: www.sherborne.org/opensherborne

Autumn 2021

welcoming you back to live music and theatre Tenebrae: Drop, Drop Slow Tears with Christian Forshaw Wed 6 Oct, 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church, Classical Music, £28/£26

Byron Wallen’s Four Corners

Fri 15 Oct, 8pm, Dorset Museum, Jazz, £15/£13

Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman: On Reflection

Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman

Sat 30 Oct, 8pm, Dorsst Museum, Folk, £18/£16

See website for details and booking dorchesterarts.org.uk

Art & Culture

AN ARTIST’S VIEW Laurence Belbin

I

drive or walk past this building almost every day.

I have seen it change over the years from being rather run down to being just painted up, until now. It really caught my eye because of the interesting use of old pallets, roofing tiles, old kitchen sinks and various other objects that the present owner chooses to recycle. Such a small space but used very effectively.

I have met the chap and spent a while chatting about a variety of subjects. I seem to spend a lot of my time ‘just chatting’. I stood across the road and did this little pen drawing and added a splash of watercolour.

I won’t say where it is but I expect many of you will know it. I will disclose the location when I write again 14 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

for the December issue!

Towards the end of August, I went up to the beacon on Corton Hill to do some painting. I chose there not only for the view but because it is less populated, or so I thought! Where there is normally an empty lay-by to park were five cars. The occupants were of the same group laden with cameras and recording equipment. I enquired of their business and was informed they were filming for the TV programme ‘Escape to the Country’. So look out, we could have an influx of drivers not used to narrow lanes, all seeking a ‘Bolt Hole’! I set up with the intention of painting the moon when it came up.

In the meantime, I worked on a small 8”x8” oil of the view over the ridge, capturing the long blue shadows as the sun went down. It was a lovely evening and I was soon on my own, all the film crew having gone.

I roughed out quickly the main field shapes and shadows then painted the light effect. The sun at this time of evening seems to move quicker, even though I know it doesn’t. It’s just more noticeable. This was a warm up for the main event. As it turned out it was fortunate that I did it. The nocturne didn’t quite meet my expectations! The moon didn’t rise until gone 10pm and whereas a full moon gives off a lot of light, enough to paint by if you know your colours, a slightly

waning one, as this was, left me literally in the dark!

No ambient light to shout home about. I stuck at it and the result was, interesting! Not a total loss but it could have been better. It’s not the first time I’ve painted in the dark. It is good fun and you can learn a lot but don’t expect too much. I decided to stay the night and slept under the stars. Laying in my sleeping bag I watched shooting stars dart across the sky and the clouds filling in. My expected sunrise which I had hoped to paint didn’t materialise either, instead just thick cloud. Some you win, some you don’t! laurencebelbin.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

Art & Culture

Image: Siiri Kumari

COUNTER CULTURE Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No.2: MAX RICHTER

Y

ou’ve probably heard the music of Max Richter without necessarily realising it. I first came across him in 2017 while watching the hit BBC series Taboo, written by and starring Tom Hardy.

The score that he wrote for the series was nominated for an Emmy and opened my mind to a new world of

instrumental, classical and experimental work. Max was born in Hemelin, West Germany in 1966 and was brought up in Bedford, England. Born into a nonmusical family, Max took an interest in his neighbour’s piano and began playing and eventually taking lessons. This led to him eventually attending the Royal

SHERBORNE_TIMES.qxp_Layout 1 09/09/2021 12:50 Page 1

THE FREE WESSEX ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE

EVOLVER MAGAZINE

Pick up your copy every two months at arts venues, galleries, art shops, cafés, libraries and tourist information centres (etc) throughout Dorset, Somerset, East Devon, West Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath Or subscribe online at: evolver.org.uk Instagram: evolvermagazine

16 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Academy of Music in London to study composition and piano, as well as later studying in Florence with Luciano Berio. His first excursions into performance and recording were with an ensemble called Piano Circus. This ensemble commissioned and performed works by the likes of Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Steve Reich on the Decca label producing a total of 5 albums.

During the mid-nineties he collaborated with musicians outside of his circle of classical/minimalist contemporaries such as the electronic/techno outfit Future Sound of London and the Drum and Bass pioneer Roni Size. His first venture into solo recording and performing was in the early 2000s with Memory House.

This album was an exemplar of Max’s contemporary classical leanings and was made up of compositions that were to musically document such events as the aftermath of the conflict in Kosovo. This album was described by BBC Music as, ‘a masterpiece in neoclassical composition’.

Since the release of this piece of work Max Richter has recorded 11 solo albums and 56 (yes, 56) film and television scores. He has scored music for films such as Ad Astra (starring Brad Pitt), Mary Queen of Scots, Never Look Away, White Boy Rick (starring Matthew McConaughey) and Hostiles (starring Christian Bale).

His TV work includes scores for the Black Mirror series

by Charlie Brooker, My Brilliant Friend, The Leftovers and the aforementioned Taboo. His music seems to cover many genres while still staying faithful to his classical foundations. Although originating from a very structured and traditional music he steps out of the box on numerous occasions and sometimes leaps out.

His solo work has gone from the re-composition of the Four Seasons by Vivaldi to producing an eight and a half hour (yes, you read that correctly) piece of music based on the neuroscience of sleep. Simply called

"Performances were attended by an audience who would watch and listen from a bed rather than a seat, enabling them to relax and even sleep if they wanted."

Sleep, this piece of work was composed using piano, cello, violin, organ, soprano vocals, synthesisers and electronics. The composition was written as a lullaby to sleep and has been performed live several times.

Performances were attended by an audience who would watch and listen from a bed rather than a seat, enabling them to relax and even sleep if they wanted. The concerts were timed in such a way that the final piece Dream 0 (till break of day) would occur at dawn. I’d recommend watching the documentary Max Richter’s Sleep by Natalie Johns which covers the conception and ultimately live performance of this incredible piece of work. There would be so many places to start with Max Richter’s work. Traditional classical pieces, film score, ambient experimental work. I don’t think you could go wrong with the soundtrack to Taboo with its traditional piano and orchestral flavour managing to create a menacing feel that fits so well with James Delaney’s character. Just be warned that this may take you down a rabbit hole that could culminate in an overnight meditation to cello, violin and electronica. thebeatandtrack.co.uk

NOW OPEN

Suppliers of both new and pre-loved vinyl, official t-shirts, merchandise and memorabilia.

Come visit and “Try before you buy”.

The Beat & Track, The Old Shambles, South Street, Sherborne, DT9 3LN

07730 356719

thebeatandtrack@icloud.com www.thebeatandtrack.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17

Art & Culture

OCTOBER

with beautiful moments everywhere in between. Their music

perfectly blends strong harmonies and stonking solos, and their incredible stage presence and energy creates an evening that’ll have you dancing, laughing and singing along in no time.

___________________________________________ Sunday 10th October 7.30pm Scottish Dance Theatre – Antigone Interrupted Sturminster Newton Exchange . 01258 475137 £9, £5 u18s

___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Friday 8th October 7.30pm Flats and Sharps Chetnole Village Hall. 07966 177789 £10

___________________________________________ Flats and Sharps are a four-piece bluegrass outfit from

Penzance, Cornwall. Delivering energetic, enthusiastic, and

spirited Bluegrass, Flats and Sharps have been performing their unique take on this music for over eight years and, during that

time, the band have made their presence known all around the

world, including multiple tours in Australia, Europe and around the UK. Their shows include a wide variety of influences, from a fresh and modern outlook on foot-stomping Bluegrass material through to their powerful and well-crafted original songs, 18 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Would you risk everything for what you believe?

A young girl ready to die to defend what she thinks is

right. A king determined to impose his will as the rule of law.

Antigone, Interrupted re-imagines Sophocles’ classic story for the modern world through the body and the voice of a

single performer. Scottish Dance Theatre Artistic Director Joan Clevillé presents an intimate solo work specifically

commissioned for rural venues, created in collaboration with

acclaimed performer Solène Weinachter. Using his distinctive

mixture of dance, theatre, and storytelling, Clevillé creates the emotion, passion and integrity of a full Greek play in a onewoman piece, for a contemporary audience, in a village hall.

‘Greek tragedies are supposed to have lots of people on

stage wearing fancy costumes and masks…you have only me so wish me luck!’ Solène.

contemporary, always melodic and instantly recognisable by their unique instrumentation for a chamber quartet; piano,

Celtic harp, accordion, violin, marimba, vibraphone and cello.

The quartet was formed in 2016 by bandleader and composer Daniel Inzani, accompanied by a versatile classically trained musicians who also perform a huge variety of other styles

including performing with Charles Hazelwood’s Paraorchestra, Bristol Symphony Orchestra, Mesadorm and many more.

Equally at home performing in concert halls such as the Union ___________________________________________ Saturday 16th October 8pm Farnham Maltings – The Syrian Baker Yetminster Jubilee Hall. 01935 873546 £10, £5 u18s, £25 family

___________________________________________ With almost 5% of the world’s population on the move,

desperate to get away from trouble, this is a story of those who have decided to go home despite the state of their

Chapel, Southbank Centre and St George’s Bristol to churches, art centres, and community venues across the UK, they

continue to bring their music to a diverse and ever-growing

audience. With influences from composers such as Satie, Pärt, Ravel and Reich, to the soundtracks of Morricone and the

minimalist aesthetics of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra nestled alongside the more experimental leanings of groups such as

Rachel’s, Esmerine, Bell Orchestre and Amiina, audiences can expect an exciting evening of exceptional new music.

country. This show is a human story about coming home,

knowing where you belong and how small actions can make

a big difference in one’s life and in re-building a community.

It is a piece about humanity, hope and courage. Told with

affection, irrepressible humour and bread - because without

bread nothing else will happen - this is about how we all have so much more in common than we realise.

From the company that toured Dorset with The Polish Play

and The Iranian Feast, Farnham Maltings has created a new play about the world for village halls.

___________________________________________ Saturday 23rd October 7.30pm PMac Productions – Old Herbaceous Nether Compton Village Hall. 01935 815033 £10, £6 u18s, £30 family

___________________________________________ Pottering amongst the seeds and cuttings at the back of his ramshackle greenhouse in the garden of a Gloucestershire

manor house is Herbert Pinnegar. Now in his twilight years, he’s full of memories and tales of a bygone era. In between ___________________________________________ Sunday 17th October 7pm Spindle Ensemble Buckland Newton Village Hall. 01300 345455 £10, £6 u18s, £25 family

___________________________________________ Spindle Ensemble are performing a tour of intimate venues

across the UK to celebrate the release of their second album ‘Inkling’. Their music sits somewhere between classical and

potting up and potting on, he recounts his journey from orphan boy to legendary head gardener ‘Old Herbaceous’ and tells of his friendship with the lady of the house, Mrs Charteris.

Sown with seeds of gardening wisdom, this charming one-

man show is a love story – a humorous and touching portrayal of a single-minded yet gentle man with a passion for plants.

All performances are touring Dorset with Artsreach.

Full information and tickets are available online at artsreach.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19

Events

Image: Doug Chalk

MARKET KNOWLEDGE Stephanie Edwards, Style Vintage

Welcome to The Sherborne Market!

What brings you here?

I worked at The Julian in the '80s with interior designer Jane Burden and before that as a seamstress for Liz Elgee on Swan Yard, so Sherborne has always felt like home. I set my stall out quite theatrically, like a pop-up boutique and have a healthy social media presence so I’m lucky to be invited to some great markets.

Where have you travelled from?

Home is in Haselbury Plucknett, ideal for me as it’s halfway between my twice-weekly market in Bridport and Castle Cary Vintage Market which I run.

Tell us about what you’re selling?

Women’s vintage clothing from the '60s, '70s and '80s, with a peppering of great pre-loved pieces. Over the past 7 years the business has expanded and with higher awareness of sustainability I started making bags and hats from my vintage fabrics and old leather scraps. I also upcycle clothes from stock that hasn’t sold. What began as a ‘waste not, want not’ project has grown into commissions and waiting lists for funked-up garments.

Where and when did it all begin?

A love of the weird and wonderful! I’d been a fashion designer for many years, selling to Harrods and Liberty’s.

I took a break and worked in fashion retail, but my 20 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

heart was always in vintage. I took the leap and filled a room above my husband’s estate agents in Yeovil, called it Serendipity Vintage Boutique and loved it. The day I did my first market was a turning point for me and my business.

What do you enjoy most about selling at markets?

Many things, but above all, the craic, the camaraderie and the support amongst traders. Working outside in all weathers, even in -3° you feel alive and healthy, also I’m lazy by nature so it keeps me fit.

If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit?

I can’t resist a Dorset Sea Salt caramel brownie from the award-winning Bayside Bakery on Cheap Street.

I love the explosion of colour on Trifle Bazaar, a Moroccan-inspired stall by the Conduit. One day I’ll choose a mad steampunk lamp from Matney’s Shed also by the Conduit. I want one of the lush Jacob's fleece sheepskins from Petit Jah of Ethical Trading near me.

Where can people find you on market day?

Down in Pageant Gardens with great live music and wonderful street food. There’s a real festival atmosphere there. stylevintage.co.uk @stylevintageuk

Flying the flag for local

Hand picked & selected artisan market featuring local producers, suppliers, amazing food, arts and crafts.

2021 dates

October 17th November 21st

Community

OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER Chris Loder, Member of Parliament for West Dorset

T

he story of Geronimo the alpaca has received much media attention in the last few months.

An animal diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis which was required to be put down to prevent it from passing on the disease, but also from having a slow and horrible death. But I was somewhat aghast by the whole story because, to me, it exposed the flaws in the argument cited by activists. Those against the animal being taken away, ironically, are often those opposed to the badger cull, and, I would argue, unaware of the real damage these animals cause.

Now, once or twice a year, farms in and around 22 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Sherborne, indeed all over the country, have tests for the whole herd to identify if any their cows have bovine TB. Our farmers have lived in fear for years and years because if they find they have it, the cow is set to be slaughtered immediately and, in some cases, the entire herd. Having grown up on a farm, where bovine TB can, and does, have catastrophic consequences, I have seen first-hand the traumas that this can involve.

The Geronimo activists are unaware of all this, because if they really were we’d be having a proper conversation about badger culling, about the understanding of what bovine TB really is and the

devastation that TB has brought to the farming industry. Why is it OK that a cow and her unborn calf are slaughtered because of TB but not an alpaca?

Why is it OK for a cow to die and not a badger?

The outrage of those who want to be outraged is much more to do with the fact that Geronimo was an alpaca and not a cow – would there have been any kind of battle had a cow been at the centre of the case? Farmers across the country lose sometimes large proportions of their herds to bovine TB, and with great sadness they accept that it is necessary to kill their animals to protect the other animals in their

herd from this horrible disease.

Amongst those expressing their objections to what is otherwise routine practice for thousands of cattle every year was the veteran of rural campaigns, Chris Packham. I wonder what Mr Packham has to say about the sad case of the farmer in Northern Ireland who lost his entire herd to the same disease at the same time.

In fact, the BBC presenter’s campaign group has spent much time trying to stop badger culling, claiming that it is ineffective in preventing the spread of bovine TB and that it is cruel. In the 12 months to March 2021, over 28,000 cows were slaughtered as a result of bovine TB, and more than 30,000 were killed the year before for the same reason. Each and every one of those animals will have been reared and looked after by a farming family for whom every loss is a deep personal sadness. These cows did not get a second chance or court cases in their name. These cows did not have a host of TV celebrities banging the drum for them. If Geronimo had been allowed to live and eventually became responsible for an outbreak in a local herd of cattle, would there have been any kind of outrage on behalf of the cows that would have been killed? I suspect not.

Badgers are the vector of spread for bovine TB and badgers are very mobile – even if Geronimo wasn’t near any cows, the disease can be spread via badgers to farms some distance away. That is why we have licensed badger culling in this country. However, outbreaks of bovine TB trigger more badger culling, not less – if Geronimo had been responsible for an outbreak, action would need to be taken to stop it which could have meant increased culling. The public outcry over DEFRA’s decision to have Geronimo put down reveals how some people cared more about one alpaca than potentially hundreds or thousands of cows.

Caring about animal welfare is all well and good, but not if that only extends to pets or animals seen in the media. Our farm animals deserve the same amount of care as any dog, cat or alpaca which includes protecting them from the horrible realities of bovine TB. It was right to uphold the judgement on Geronimo. But the most valuable thing was that the testing process has been rigorously scrutinised. I hope it will be improved and made more robust too, but it’s another lesson for us to think more broadly outside of what appears to be the case. chrisloder.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23

TRENDLE YARD

Bespoke, contemporary furniture, made to order using timber sourced directly from local estates Trendle Yard, Trendle Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3NT Tel 07900 645450 www.trendleyard.com

Do you love where you live?

Support your local wild places by becoming a Dorset Wildlife Trust member.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is working to protect at least 30% of our land and sea for nature’s recovery by 2030, but we can’t do it without your help.

dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/member21 24 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Join from just

£3.50 per month

Registered Charity No. 200222

© James Burland

In Dorset, your membership helps conservationists create new spaces for wildlife, manage our 42 nature reserves, and run our ground-breaking beaver reintroduction project.

r u O g n i t a r eb

Cel

a Family Run Traditional Independent Jewellers

Jewellery Repairs | Watch Repairs | Commissions | Restringing Clement White | 8 High Street | Yeovil | Somerset | BA20 1RG 01935 423 439 | www.clementwhite.co.uk | shop@clementwhite.co.uk

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 26 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

WE ARE BACK!

Leweston Enterprises Presents

October 25th - 29th

Ages 7 - 12 £325 for the week

Join us for a week long spooktacular residential camp!

Activities including football, baking, photography, swimming and much more.

Will you be in the vampire tribe, zombie tribe, werewolf tribe or the ghosts tribe?

Tribal wars will be back, including paint war, dodgeball and whacky races Book today: www.schoolactivity.co.uk/dorset/lewestonschool

UNEARTHED Stanley Ridout, aged 10, Thornford Primary School

W

hen I first saw Stan in action I assumed there’d been a mix-up. His win in the sprinting event was so emphatic that it might have sparked a doping enquiry had it not been a school sports day and Stan only 5 years old.

His trajectory continued on the football pitch where he was recognised by Dean Ritchie, coach at East Coker Cockerels, as a player of potential. This led to Stan joining Exeter City FC’s Performance Centre at the mere age of 7 and was soon invited to attend a 6-week trial with the Under 9’s Academy. He clearly impressed and was offered a contract with the club.

Stan now trains 3 times a week, straight from school, at the Exeter City training ground and travels on Sundays to matches home and away. His commitment to training and the club is astonishing. While his friends make excited plans to meet each other online after school, Stan’s focus lies firmly on the training ground, unfazed by the prospect of another 100-mile round trip to Exeter.

He is tirelessly motivated, even in the classroom where his footballing aspirations appear to present nothing of a barrier to his education. Knowing that you’re due to play against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool at the weekend might prove a distraction for most 10-year-olds but Stan seems to take it all in his jaunty stride.

And on the subject of stride, this summer Stan joined Yeovil Olympiads Athletic Club, where he has promptly become the 60m and 600m Under 11’s County Champion at the recent Somerset and Avon County Championships. I mean, for goodness’ sake!

Best of luck Stan. The world could well be at your feet… GC thornford.dorset.sch.uk exetercityfc.co.uk yeovilolympiads.com

Image: Sam Austin Photography

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

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

28 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

We help people to...

Achieve financial peace of mind Contact us to learn more 01935 382620 | enquiries@church-house.co.uk | www.ch-investments.co.uk At Church House Investment Management, we only make recommendations from our range of investment portfolio services and associated accounts. Full details of the nature of our services can be found at www.ch-investments.co.uk/important-information or can be provided on request. Please note the value of investments and the income you could get from them may fall as well as rise and there is no certainty that you will get back the amount of your original investment. You should also be aware that past performance may not be a reliable guide to future performance. Church House Investment Management is a trading name of Church House Investments Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Little Preppers Returns!

Our popular toddler group takes place every Friday.

Drop-in or come every week, all welcome!

30 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

www.sherborneprep.org Follow our story

Children’s Book Review

by Penny Herbert, aged 11, Leweston School

Pony by R.J. Palacio (Penguin Random House Children’s UK) £12.99 (hardcover) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £11.99 from Winstone’s Books

I

loved the book Pony for lots of different reasons. To begin with it takes a while to get into and you have to concentrate hard so as not to get confused with all the different things, but by the time you have reached chapter 5 you find that you are engrossed and that you can’t stop! This extraordinary book is full of everything you need for a good story. From mystery and adventure to

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

love and friendship, it has it all. It keeps you wondering right until the very end.

Will Silas ever find his Pa? Who are the mysterious three strangers that took him? Why is Silas able to hear strange mutterings and whisperings? And in the end will good triumph over evil? Or will Silas lose his Pa forever?! The only bad thing about this book is that you can’t put it down!

Tricks and treats galore!

Family

HOME FRONT Jemma Dempsey

I

’ll put my hand up – I used to suffer with charity fatigue. That chewing gum on the pavement?: I’d rather stare at that than catch the eye of the volunteer shaking a can desperately trying to raise money down Cheap Street. That locked screen on my phone? I’d pretend to be reading a message rather than engage with someone trying to ask me if I had a few minutes to answer some questions about some organisation or another. Followed of course by the mild pangs of guilt for refusing to enter civil communication, in the way we’d jolly well been brought up to, ‘Speak when you’re spoken to !’ Worse still, the dismissive waft of a hand with the well-rehearsed white lie, ‘Sorry, I’m running late for...’ *the doctors/taking the dog to the vets/picking up my son from school (*delete as appropriate). The human being sure is an artful dodger.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not a scrooge, we support a couple of charities each month, but I dislike, and still do, being hounded for money when I’m out in public minding my own business.

But then I got cancer and everything changed.

And who did I turn to? Of the various cancer charity websites on offer I landed on the Macmillan one with its oodles of information from personal blogs to where to get help on wills, benefits and how to talk to your children about the disease. And then there is its helpline, staffed by nurses who must surely have hearts of gold and the patience of saints. When you get a cancer diagnosis you are floored; the ground falls from beneath your feet and your ability to string a coherent sentence together leaves you. It’s only when you get home that the questions come, thick and fast. Google is not your friend here; you need a physical person to talk to. Enter the Macmillan nurse.

Part physician, part counsellor, their voices exude warmth down the phone, a steadying hand on your shoulder to stop you spiralling out of control. They remind you how to breathe again.

And now that I am in recovery, I find myself wanting to give something back. I’m planning on 32 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

hosting a Macmillan coffee morning – I make a mean carrot cake – and I want to volunteer at the local hospice or at the cancer ward at Yeovil hospital.

It’s quite an urgent need too, like I’ve beaten this bastard (for now at least) so I’ll laugh defiantly in its face and blow raspberries at it in the process. But, more importantly, I know how it feels; I’ve had those dark feelings, lived those terrifying moments so if I can help someone else, even for just a few minutes then I will. Though I do have a tendency to natter.

‘You could talk the leg off a hind donkey – you’re just like your Nana Spurgeon’, my mother always used to say to me, so any recipient of my largesse might be

shooing me away before not too long.

Last month a group of my closest girlfriends did their bit by completing the Macmillan Mighty Hike – 26 miles along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. They were blessed with perfect walking weather and me to greet them at the finish line at Corfe Castle with fizz and a cream tea. Blistered and weary but with huge smiles on their faces they finished in just under 10 hours, raising £2,707 for this most important charity. I cried, again, as we hugged surrounded by other walkers with their friends and families, all no doubt affected by this wicked disease. I still can’t get my head around that statistic that one in two of us will get cancer at some point in

our lives. And now Macmillan says the UK nursing shortage has left more than half a million cancer patients without the support they need, predicting a shortfall of almost 4,000 nurses by 2030 unless it gets additional money. So, the fundraising that people like my friends and me (yes, me!) can do becomes even more vital. So now I no longer look at that stubborn piece of chewing gum stuck to the pavement, instead I grope around in my bag for whatever loose change I can find and have a chat with that lonely volunteer. dempsey@hotmail.com coffee.macmillan.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

Family

COMMUNITY

D

Annie Gent, Deputy Head (Pastoral), Sherborne Prep School

efinitions of the word community include terms such as ‘sharing a characteristic’, ‘practising common ownership’, ‘a fellowship with others’… Our community is excited about the year ahead; children develop tight-knit friendships and schools provide a unique community where the youngest and the oldest share the joy of being together; they learn from each other and forge positive relationships and lifelong values.

Everyone needs positive role models and school is a vital component for children to start to understand their place in society. Children need to understand that they all can be role models and that an inner strength of character begins when young. Schools have a myriad of opportunities to instil this. The House system enables them to work together, play together, to find a common goal and to look beyond into wider society, giving back and helping others. Our Year 8s love going to play with the little ones; the junior children excitedly rush around with the seniors during break times. They learn so much when together, and they are astute when it comes to reading character. The school council, eco committee and class reps are chosen democratically. Children know who they can look up to, who will be their voice, who can enact positive change.

Every year our senior children step up to the challenges we set them. They are role models for the younger ones who aspire to be these ‘giants’ one day.

Never underestimate the value for young children when an older peer shouts ‘hello’, pats them on the back for an achievement, the accompaniment to matron when there is a tumble, the reassuring smile during a House meeting... It is fun to be able to be goofy and play; you certainly hold quite a bit of kudos when you demonstrate kindness and empathy for children who are younger than yourself. The Saturday activity programme the Prep runs reverberates with laughter and chatter as children rub along together, furnishing friendships with those that they would have limited access to in the ‘working’ week. Again, the role model comes in to play: 34 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

"A senior pupil certainly holds quite a bit of kudos when they demonstrate kindness and empathy for children who are younger than themselves."

Image: Katharine Davies

our children are active, industrious, serve to lead and this shines through every week through the encounters and experiences the children share.

We want our children to be able to interact with ease, to understand the nuances of relationships that come through talking with different people, grasping opportunities and observing those who are positive citizens. Our healthy lack of hierarchy sees this happen daily during down time but also through the House events, the community action days, through our burgeoning pupil listener scheme in Year 7 and leadership team in Year 8. Given the chance, children want to play a part in their community; to be the

citizens that we all aspire our young people to become.

School is so much more than the classroom, pupils need to have ownership of their school and to play an active role in making it a happy, safe place for those formative years. To have a strong community, with role models throughout: that celebrate others; that have pride in being part of something special gives children a foundation of emotional resilience and wellbeing as it embeds a sense of worth and value, finding happiness in helping and supporting others in their school and wider community. sherborneprep.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 35

Family

Images: Josie Sturgess-MIlls

SAVING SHERBORNE’S SHELL HOUSE

I

Rachel Hassall, School Archivist, Sherborne School

n the garden of one of Sherborne School’s boarding houses stands the rare survival of an eighteenth-century shell house. Thought to have been created around 1750 in a former dovecote, Shell House lay largely forgotten and neglected until 2001 when Olivia Eliot spearheaded a campaign to secure its future. Olivia, whose husband Simon Eliot was then headmaster of Sherborne School, brought together a team of experts to save the building which was beginning to show dangerous signs of deterioration.

Amongst Sherborne School’s alumni are a number of experts in the field of building conservation, two of whom became involved with saving Shell House: 36 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

architect Michael Carden, MBE, AA dip, RIBAOS, and Adam Daybell, director of Nimbus Conservation Ltd. Between October 2003 and March 2004, Nimbus Conservation undertook essential conservation and consolidation repairs to both the exterior and interior of Shell House, overseen for Sherborne School by Michael Carden. Olivia also enlisted the help of Anne Andrews of the Dorset Gardens Trust to research its history.

Together, they untangled the complex history of Shell House, tracing its ownership back to the lawyer Samuel Foot (1704-1792) who it is believed commissioned the building. Samuel later retired to Berwick St John in Wiltshire where he died in 1792

and was buried. In the local parish church there can be seen a fine memorial to Samuel Foot which celebrates his qualities as a lawyer, husband and friend and concludes with the line, ‘Judge, reader, how valuable he was’. Later, Shell House and garden became the property of the wealthy Pretor and Whitty families who lived in adjoining houses in Long Street (now The Old Bank House and Abbott’s Litten). On the opposite side of Long Street, they created a pleasure garden with a grand entrance (now the site of the Cloisters retirement housing complex) from which a path led north directly to it.

Shell House did not become associated with Sherborne School until the 1870s when Harper House (then known as The Retreat) was opened by the Rev. John Blanch as a privately-run boarding house for boys at the School. The Rev. Blanch purchased the adjoining Shell House garden, using it as a kitchen garden to supply the boys at Harper House with a regular supply of fruit and vegetables. It was thanks to

Olivia and Anne’s extensive research, and the evidence uncovered about the structure of the building during the conservation and consolidation repairs, that in 2008 the national importance of Shell House was recognised and it was awarded Grade 1 listed status – this put it on a par with Salisbury Cathedral and Sherborne House.

In the future, it is hoped to reinstate the cupola or lantern on top of the thatched roof, evidence of which was found when the building was re-thatched in 2001.

The lantern would have been an important feature of Shell House, illuminating the beautiful interior with its seven niches and domed ceiling panels, all richly decorated with shells from the British Isles. sherborne.org Shell House will be open to the public to visit free of charge, as part of Sherborne School’s Open Sherborne event, taking place from 25th–27th October.

Please visit sherborne.org/opensherbornefor more details. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

plankbridge.com 01300 348414

Established for 20 years, Plankbridge shepherd’s huts are exclusively endorsed by the RHS

© The Royal Horticultural Society 2020.

Endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. Registered Charity No 222879/SC038262. rhs.org.uk

Crafting quality timber buildings and gates since 1912 Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LH Tel: (01963) 440414 | Email: info@sparkford.com | @sparkfordtimber | www.sparkford.com 38 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

11 Dreadnought Trading Estate, Bridport DT6 5BU 01308 458443 www.bridporttimber.co.uk Hardwood Flooring Specialists Registered Farrow & Ball Stockist In-Can Tinting Bespoke In-Home Colour Consultancy Certified Bona Contractor

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 40 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Vitalii Hulai/Shutterstock

DRAWN TO THE LIGHT RED UNDERWING (Catocala nupta)

T

Gillian Nash

his striking, fast-flying large moth with a wingspan of up to 80mm is found throughout England and Wales and most frequently seen in southern counties. It is, however, an uncommon species in Dorset, although its status nationally has improved with a rise in numbers over recent years, in particular with an increase in more northerly sightings.

Sometimes found on house walls or wooden surfaces such as fence posts resting by day, its highly diffuse black and grey tones provide exceptionally efficient camouflage until disturbed, when the warning red and black hindwings are revealed as it flies to seek safety elsewhere, out of sight of predators. These vividly coloured hindwings are rapidly hidden by the forewings as it settles in another hiding place.

The adult moths are nocturnal and can sometimes be seen nectaring on buddleia flowers. On the wing from August through to autumn, red underwing moths can be found in many habitats, including gardens, parks, woodland, riverbanks and unimproved wild areas. Eggs are laid singly to overwinter in crevices in the bark of its foodplant tree species, which include a variety of poplars and willows. In early summer the newly hatched, night-feeding larvae grow rapidly on a diet of leaves, and when fully developed pupate within a cocoon in a sheltered place, often on the ground among decaying fallen leaves and other debris, or in a crevice on its foodplant tree trunks. The adult moth emerges in late summer. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

Science & Nature

MARVELLOUS MERLINS Alex Hennessy, Dorset Wildlife Trust

42 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

T

he smallest European falcon and the UK’s smallest bird of prey, the merlin, is not much larger than a blackbird.

Despite their diminutive size, merlins are impressive hunters, feeding on small birds including meadow pipits which they chase in flight, keeping low to the ground. Their small size and agility also allow them to ‘hang’ in the breeze as they pursue their prey. Merlins can’t be found in Dorset all year round but do visit coastal areas in autumn and winter. They retreat south when their usual habitat of upland moorlands between Shetland and south-west England become too cold. In the winter British breeding merlins are also joined by migrants from Iceland in search of warmer weather. They are a thrilling bird to keep watch for during the winter months, when birdwatching is made easier by the bare tree branches, so increasing visibility. Wintering merlins favour coastal marshes and lowland farmland, indeed they have been spotted at Portland in previous years.

Merlin nests are most often found on the ground, often concealed in heather. The ground is ‘scraped’ by the female and lined with twigs, bracken, heather and other vegetation found nearby. When eggs are laid, the male and female share incubation duties (although not equally – the female spends more time incubating than the male).

How will you know when you’ve spotted a merlin? They can look quite similar to a female kestrel but are much smaller. Merlins are blue-grey on top, with a grey head and orangey-cream underparts that are streaked in black. Females are mainly grey-brown, with dark streaking underneath. Merlins have blunt tails and compact, broadbased wings with pointed tips. Their beaks are hooked and dark in colour, fading to a lighter yellow or grey as they meet the head, with relatively large dark eyes. Merlins are a protected species, and are Schedule 1 listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It is an offence to disturb them during their breeding season without a licence. UK merlin numbers crashed towards the end of the 20th century, and while the population has been in recovery in recent years, they are still scarce, likely due to habitat loss and an increase in disturbance.

Merlin Facts • Mated pairs of merlins will often hunt together, catching their prey in co-operation.

• Merlins often perch in an elevated position when hunting, such as tree stumps and nearby rocks. In some areas, they have been recorded using sheep for this very purpose.

• Merlin nesting behaviour has started to change somewhat since the 1970s. At this time merlins began nesting in conifers, at the edge of plantations and hunting in the nearby open ground.

Image: Rob Jordan/2020VISION

dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

Science & Nature

BEEZANTIUM

U

Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer & Speaker

nexpectedly, especially for this time of year, I had a rather large job added to my list when I was contacted about some bees after their home in an ancient oak tree lost one of its branches in high winds. I agreed to take a look, with no idea how big, or accessible the colony would be. Thankfully Gareth, who’d called me, had a cherry picker to hand as the bees were about 30ft up and REALLY exposed!

If they remained there much longer, wasps would invade and steal their honey and with no protection from the weather their survival looked bleak. On closer inspection, they were calm, busy protecting what turned out to be two large combs of brood. The bees cover the brood in the wax comb to keep them warm, and nurse them ready for hatching, because if they get chilled the larvae will perish. I had to find a way of removing them intact and as quickly as possible.

The first plan was to return with my adapted Bee Hoover, one of my best investments, bought a few 44 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

years ago as it really helps when extracting colonies of bees in awkward places. It attaches to my ‘Hetty’ hoover, with a clever grill which reduces the suction and prevents the bees from ending up inside the machine. A large box contains the bees safely, ready for transportation to their new home. The suction is gentle, so it takes a while to vacuum up around 80,000 bees! By removing most of them and keeping them inside the box, the combs were revealed ready to be cut away and placed in further boxes to transport. I’d arrived at 5pm, a good time as the bees were returning home to settle after a day of foraging. An earlier start could have left many bees stranded after our removal.

By 8pm most of the flying bees were now in my Bee Hoover box.

Experienced bee team member Kerry then arrived to lend a hand. I was getting tired so fresh eyes and brains were very welcome! Gareth remained on the ground whilst Kerry and I returned back up to the colony to

start removing the comb. The non-flying nurse bees had now covered the brood combs and so we carefully cut them away and placed them in two large containers – bees, comb and honey altogether. It was messy work, and as night drew in, we were very grateful for the head torches Gareth had to hand. By 9.30pm we had two full boxes of bees and comb, and the Bee Hoover, full of bees and off we headed to the Newt.

In the new Beezantium, there is a fabulous, large log hive made by Matt Summerville and it was still uninhabited. Working in the dark with our head torches, Kerry and I carefully pulled out the brood and honeycomb, placing it inside the log hive. There were bees and honey everywhere, so we worked as quickly as we could. We had to think how we could get all the flying bees, still in the Bee Hoover into the hive, which was high up, even with my ladder. With everyone else in bed, we had to adapt! We managed to balance the hoover with its entrance unplugged above the hive, protected it with sheets and decided the remaining bees and honey had to wait until daylight.

Despite getting back home two hours past my usual bedtime, I was hot and ‘buzzing’, eager to share

my adventure with Greg before I could contemplate sleep. During the night I was wondering how to save the bees stuck in the honey as they’d drown if left too long. At around 2am it came to me to place the comb and honey in a large container over a sieve; the honey would then drain off the bees leaving them free to fly into their new home. Back at the Beezantium, before the wasps awoke and transferring the bees and honey into large honey drums with sieves, I looked to see how many bees had made it into the log hive. We had no idea if we’d caught the queen amongst the masses of bees hoovered and scooped up. Only time will tell.

The next morning, the bees had cleaned up the wax comb, mainly filling their bellies, and a very small amount had made it into the tank. Although disappointed as we hadn’t saved or tasted any for ourselves, it was absolutely essential for their survival that they had as much of their honey as possible. There were of course casualties during the move, not least Kerry, who despite wearing double gloves, suffered a sting on each forefinger. paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

If every adult in

SHERBORNE

spent just #fiverfest

£5 per week in their local independent shops

& businesses it would mean

£1.9 MILLION PER YEAR GOING DIRECTLY INTO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY*

which can lead to more jobs, a better high street, a stronger local economy & a nicer place to live.

MAKES YOU THINK DOESN'T IT?!

TO HELP YOU SPEND THAT £5 WE'RE TAKING PART IN THE

fiverfestsherbs fiverfestsherborne

FIVER FEST

fiverfestsherborne

9-23 OCT

LOADS OF AMAZING £5 SPECIAL OFFERS

FROM OUR INDEPENDENT SHOPS & BUSINESSES. CHECK

OUT

WWW.FIVERFEST.CO.UK

LOOK OUT FOR POSTERS IN SHOPS, OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA

shop like your

high street depends on it

WWW.TOTALLYLOCALLY.ORG

*Based on figures calculated by Totally Locally using most recent O.N.S. Census data: Town's adult population x £5 x 52 weeks in a year = total into local economy.

Commercial Development Management Sales

LE T DE R

O

FF ER

TO

LE T TO UN

TO

LE T

TO

LE T

Chesters Harcourt have been managing commercial property in Sherborne for well over 30 years. If you have an interest in commercial property or land do give us a call or visit our website.

01935 415 454 info@chestersharcourt.com www.chestersharcourt.com

Science & Nature

WEARING CARE FOR THE PLANET ON YOUR SLEEVE Peter Littlewood, Director, Young People’s Trust for the Environment

I

ncreasing numbers of young people are becoming aware of the impacts of the fashion industry on our planet. It’s the second biggest global polluter after the energy industry. That’s in part because most of the cheap clothing that gets heaped under the label of ‘fast fashion’ is made in factories where the labour is at its cheapest – China, India and Bangladesh for example – and in these countries, most of the electricity that powers the factories comes from coal-fired power stations. As we’re all becoming acutely aware, coal is the worst kind of fossil fuel, producing up to double the amount of greenhouse emissions, when compared with natural gas, to produce the same amount of energy. And that’s not even taking into account the working conditions that many workers in these countries have to endure.

48 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Transporting clothes across the planet is a further source of carbon emissions. The amount of water used in making clothes is staggering. In 2017 for example, the fashion industry used almost 79 billion cubic metres of water – that’s enough to fill a staggering 32 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. That seems almost impossible, but cotton, a staple of the fashion industry and the fabric worn in some form or other by most of us every day, comes from a very thirsty plant. It can take up to 2,700 litres of water to produce the cotton needed for a single t-shirt, and up to 10,000 litres to produce the cotton for a pair of jeans. To give a sense of perspective, that would supply someone with drinking water for more than nine years!

Synthetic fibres like rayon and viscose come from

Sirirak kaewgorn/Shutterstock

plants, with around 70 million trees being cut down each year to create wood-based fibres for clothing.

And oil-based materials like nylon, acrylic and polyester shed up to 1,900 microscopic fibres – ‘microfibres’ – every time they’re washed. Microfibres are too small either to be seen by the human eye, or to be filtered out by our water treatment plants. 72% of tap water sampled from various locations in the UK was found to contain microfibres, whilst globally, that figure increased to 83%. It is thought that microfibres make up around 35% of all the plastics in the world’s oceans. You can now get a wide range of activewear that has been made using recycled marine plastics, which seems like a good idea. And it is – to a point – but as there is no capacity to recycle them at the end

of their useful life, they are merely delaying the journey to landfill or incineration, rather than closing the loop on truly sustainable clothing. Cheap fashion items tend to be made to be disposable. It’s the whole point with fast fashion: buy it cheap, wear it a few times and when you get fed up with it, throw it away. A typical family throws away around 30kg of clothes each year, of which only about 15% is recycled or donated. The rest ends up in landfill or is incinerated.

So, how can we do things better? Should we all just give up and stop wearing clothes? Absolutely not! It’s a horrifying thought! But if we all try to buy fewer, but better-quality clothes that we wear more often, that would be a great start. Buying used clothes is becoming quite a trend too, and it’s an area where young people have really taken the lead. If you’re not wanting to make money from your cast-offs, then taking your clothes to the local charity shop is a great way to recycle them and to start making a difference. You can pick up some fantastic bargains in charity shops too and Oxfam even has its own online clothing store at online.shop.oxfam. org.uk, where you can pick up not just used clothing, but accessories and even jewellery too.

If you have the time, there is money to be made by selling your clothes. eBay is an obvious choice for this, but there are other, more specialist websites that are becoming popular places to both buy and sell ‘pre-loved fashion’. Sites like Depop (depop.com) and Vinted (vinted.co.uk) are excellent places to both sell the clothes you’ve got tired of and to pick up some new ones at bargain prices. Reviews for these sites are patchy though, so I’d recommend you do some research of your own before taking the plunge! But there are other specialist sites for different markets too. If you’re looking to buy some bargain clothing for your children (and they do have a habit of growing out of things very fast!), try a site like Kidclo (kidclo. com), which defines itself as a super-easy way to ‘recircle’ your children’s clothes.

This is by no means a comprehensive guide, but if you’d like to make more environmentally-responsible choices on what you wear, here are some first steps you can take: reduce the number of clothes you buy, keep and wear your clothes for longer, recycle them when you don’t wear them anymore, and try to buy more used clothing.

It’s not going to solve all the problems, but small steps made by lots of people add up to big changes! ypte.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

Science & Nature

HOT ROCKS IN EDEN Rob Bygrave, Sherborne Science Cafe Willyam Bradberry/Shutterstock

I

n June 2012, Guy Macpherson-Grant of EGS Energy gave a talk to the Science Café in which he outlined the attempts to exploit deep geothermal energy as a source of carbon-free energy, in the context of declining oil supplies, particularly low-sulphur types.

Developments and projects operating in France and Germany at the time were described and key findings of the Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) report were discussed.

The SKM report stated that geothermal energy is widely spread around the UK with ‘hotspots’ in Cornwall, Weardale, Lake District, East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Worcester, Dorset, Hampshire, Northern Ireland and Scotland; 50 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Deep geothermal resources could provide 9.5GW of baseload renewable electricity – equivalent to nearly nine nuclear power stations – which could generate 20% of the UK’s current annual electricity consumption; Deep geothermal resources could provide over 100GW of heat, which could supply sufficient heat to meet the space heating demand in the UK. Cost reduction potential is also exceptionally high.

Despite this significant potential, the UK support regime was uncompetitive with other European countries.

At the time of the talk EGS was looking in the South West for areas of accessible granite and where the rock was already fractured to provide a wider volume of

Cooling Tower

factors: planning permission, drilling rig availability, drilling progress, and so on.

Questions from the group raised concerns about extraction and disposal of pollutants, potential problems similar to those from “fracking” and low overall efficiency.

Power Plant

UPDATE 2021 - EGS WORLDWIDE

Cup Rock

Ground water aquifer

Cup rock Geothermal reservoir

Heat source

Designua/Shutterstock

hot rock; Heat transfer occurs along a channel through which water runs. The depth of the rock affects the temperature of the water at the surface and at 4 to 5 kilometres the temperature is about 180ºC.This enables the generation of electricity by steam turbines. It also provides low grade surplus hot water which can be used to heat homes in the locality.

The geology of parts of Cornwall was considered suitable for the application of the techniques developed

by EGS Energy. In addition, there was sufficient water in the area to provide a reservoir for the system. In order to determine the area where the initial EGS Plant would be established, EGS undertook an analysis of geological data and a suitable site was identified at the Eden Project.

In collaboration with the Eden Project EGS Energy were due to build the UK’s first geothermal power plant generating both heat and electricity. With a capacity of 4MWe and the ability to generate around 95% of the time, it was to produce enough electricity to supply Eden and the equivalent of around five thousand households, as well as heating for the biomes and potentially some district heating (depending on economics and logistics). It was anticipated that power would be delivered from late 2013 dependent on many

Our planet is still very hot. In fact, 99.9% of our Earth exists at a temperature greater than 100ºc. Therefore the Earth itself is an abundant source of renewable energy.

It will never run out – unlike fossil fuels.

Geothermal energy can be harvested from the crust, which is 15-35 miles thick over land, in several different ways. The most common sources of underground heat are used to either generate electricity, or heat water for domestic or commercial use. There are four main sources being used around the world today: hot water, steam, hot rocks and magma. The latter is molten rock which is found deeper in The Earth’s crust and breaks through when volcanoes erupt releasing larva.

This source of energy is sustainable and constantly renewed. It also a relatively clean although there is some small release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and some toxic minerals will reach water supplies. However, a conventional coal-fired power station releases about five times as much CO2 as an equivalent geothermal plant and filtration processes can collect the minerals.

The use of these sources is increasingly significant around the world and the data below indicates the most recent developments.

Indonesia

Top 10 Geothermal Countries 2019

3,676

Installed Capacity in MWe Year-End 2019 Total 15,406 MW

2,133

U.S.

1,918

Other Japan

Source: ThinkGeoEnergy Research (2020)]

1 GW Country Club

1,025

1,526

601

Turkey

1,005

755

861 Iceland Kenya

Philippines

944

Italy

963

New Zealand

Mexico

sherbornesciencecafe.com

___________________________________________ Tuesday 26th October 7.30pm The Ryewater Farm Butterfly Project in Holnest– A Talk by Wren Franklin Raleigh Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne DT9 3NL sherborne.scafe@gmail.com

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

On Foot

52 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

On Foot

KIMBERLINS AND SLINGERS – PART II Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

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 September and October, we’ve taken a walk around the Isle of Portland and continue this month with the second part of the walk from Portland Bill back to Ferrybridge, along the eastern side of the Isle.

1 Heading away from Portland Bill, you will begin to pass through a series of quarried ledges with derricks which were used to load the quarried stone onto waiting barges. Portland stone has been used in buildings around the world including the United Nations Building in New York and the Tower of London. Here, the path weaves along the coast, past the Old Lower Lighthouse which is now home to Portland Bird Observatory, through different quarried areas, passing huts which become less frequent as you leave the Bill behind. After a short while, if you look to your left along the road, there is a long, low, shed-like building. This protects Culverwell Mesolithic site, which is approximately 8,000 years old; it consists of a large floor of limestone slabs on top of a shell midden.

2 Keep walking through the quarried areas hugging the coastline, as you gradually start to climb. There are a couple of dead-ends and sharp drops into quarried pits. Keep close to the coast as you walk through the quarries - do not follow the path inland until you reach Freshwater Bay. There are a couple of paths that lead away from the coast before this point but ignore them. As the path climbs a bit more, turn away from the coast to eventually emerge on the road; cross this, turn right and follow the footpath for 600 yards. After Cheyne Weare car park, you will see a signpost directing the coast path back towards the sea. Cross back over the road, heading downhill as the footpath zig-zags before bearing left to follow the coast again. You will > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53

catch glimpses of Church Ope Cove with Rufus Castle perched above it. Descend a series of steps, through trees and scrub, down to the cove.

3 On reaching Church Ope Cove, you will discover a wonderfully secluded beach, a real find with huts clustered around and clinging to the tricky topography. Some of the huts have pebble gardens, like a scaled-down version of a castle keep with its outer bailey. The beach is a fine spot for a picnic.

Leave the cove via ascending steps and look out for signs to St Andrew’s churchyard. This is another detour worth taking to explore the romantic ruins of the church with its headstones inscribed with skull and crossbones. From here, return to the footpath and continue climbing to reach the impressively-sited Rufus Castle.

4 Turn right by the castle and continue upwards and along the coast path which soon reaches another junction; keep right. After a short while the coast path switches up to a higher section running along the high ground but you can now take the route of the Weymouth to Easton railway which follows the base of sheer cliffs popular with rock climbers. Follow the line of the railway for just under a mile until you reach a sign on your left taking you away from the 54 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

coast again. The path then zig-zags uphill to regain the high ground and rejoin the coast path, emerging at the memorial obelisk outside the Young Offenders Institute. There are views from this path across to a huge wall surrounding a rifle range. At the top, turn right and skirt around the perimeter fencing, which bears left and then right to emerge onto common ground. Here you will notice an engine shed once used to house the locomotive for the incline railway, which transported the stone used to build the harbour breakwater. Follow the coast path to the left, and then right to pass the High Angle Battery - again, this is worth a short detour. In a short while you will reach The Verne Citadel, which is now used as a prison. This impressive Victorian fort is surrounded by a huge moat and earthworks and, from the outside, retains a similar presence and enigma in the landscape to that of its Iron Age counterparts.

5 At the bridge to the south entrance, follow the road left (away) from the entrance, which then turns right and downhill. At a bend, go straight onto a path to follow the outer defences of The Verne. This bears slight left, with excellent views across Fortuneswell - you will finally get the feeling that you are completing your circuit of the Isle! The path hugs the outside of the moat and bears right to eventually go through a small underpass and, after a few yards, you will find yourself at the top of the path which was once the Merchants Railway and which heads straight downhill. You pass next to housing and, at the bottom of the incline, go through another underpass and turn left into the road.

6 At the Castletown roundabout keep left along Castle Road and then turn right down Liberty Road passing Portland Castle, one of Henry VIII’s coastal chain of defences. Keep following signs for the coast path round to the right. Soon you will see a more modern item of military building: two unused sections of the famous Mulberry Harbour which were built as portable harbours for the D-Day landings. Pass through the marina and keep on the coast path which then follows the road to eventually reach the roundabout on the A354 which you passed earlier. Turn right here to retrace the path along the old railway line back to the Ferrybridge car park. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk southwestcoastpath.com

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. Celebrate your wedding day...

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Symondsbury Estate Christmas Market Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th December 2021 +44 (0)1308 424116 symondsburyestate.co.uk Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG

History

HOLY WELLS Cindy Chant and John Drabik

W

hen our ancestors changed their habits from hunter-gatherers to farming and settling in small communities, wells, springs and rivers took on huge importance. Without a continuous supply of water, life would be very difficult, so great reverence was placed upon this important sustainer of life. Special places where fresh water gently emerged from Mother Earth were considered sacred and given names. They were venerated and worshipped and were often used for sacrifice and for healing rituals.

In Roman times, wells and springs were dedicated to their gods and goddesses. Coins, and other votive objects, were sacrificed to the sacred waters to supplement prayers and requests – a custom which still exists today. Several Roman coins and offerings were found during excavations at the base of a well in Winterbourne Kingston. But why stop at coins? There is a legend that a golden table lies at the bottom of a well near the Iron Age hill fort known as Dungeon Hill near Buckland Newton and any recovery attempt will cause earth tremors in the vicinity. Another golden table is reputed to be submerged in a well, in the nearby hunting grounds of King John, at Ryme Intrinseca, although it is not clear why you should put a table into a well.

With the coming of Christianity, wells were often 56 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

named after Saints, retaining and often increasing their curative properties. Dorset is rich with holy and healing wells and springs. Not far from St.Augustine’s Well (ref.

August edition), near to the little church of St. Mary in Hermitage, there is a small bubbling spring called ‘Lady’s Well’. It is on the edge of some woodland on a hill, interestingly named on an old map as ‘Remedy Hill’. The well fills a small stone chamber and may have been first used by a long-forgotten hermit, and later in 1315, by a small community of Augustine Friars who lived in the priory they built nearby.

There were many accounts of healing waters giving rise to miraculous cures and they soon became shrines and attracted pilgrims. There are ancient villages nearby with names such as Holwell, with its little chambered well behind the church, Hallwell in Hazelbury Bryan, has a recently discovered ancient well, and Holywell near Evershot, where a number of Bronze Age objects were found. Even our own settlement, Sherborne, was named after its source of water, Scir-Burn which means clear brook or stream.

Further south at Morcombelake, there is a healing spring said to have been used by the 7th century Saxon Martyr, St. Wite (also known as St. Candida). She lived nearby in prayer and contemplation and was known to

warn the villagers when she spotted invading Viking ships from her clifftop vantage point. This clear water source enjoyed a reputation as a cure for sore eyes.

Visiting pilgrims would often fill their amphorae and take some holy water home for further medication.

Wild violet-blue periwinkle grow there each springtime, and are known locally as ‘St. Candida’s Eyes’.

The famous wishing well at Upwey, emerging beside the magnificent St. Laurence’s church, may have once been a holy well. It is not strictly a well, but a spring where the clear, strong flowing water fills a huge stone trough sitting amidst beautiful ornamental gardens. It is the source of the River Wey and possibly dates back to the Ice Age. Today it is as popular as it once was, and there are adjoining tea rooms for refreshing the visiting pilgrims, as would have been the custom centuries ago. With their back to the well and affirming a wish, the pilgrim would drink some water and throw the rest over their shoulder back into the trough. There is a practise of dressing the well on May Day, a custom which originated and is more popular in northern parts of Britain.

Lyme Regis claims a holy well, known as ‘Leper’s Well’, which once formed part of a secluded leper hospital dedicated to both St. Mary and to the healing powers of the Holy Spirit. In the Middle Ages those who were unfortunate to have contracted leprosy were regarded as unclean, and afflicted as a result of a curse, or as a punishment for sinful behaviour. The well is quite substantial with a stone arch and seating within, reminiscent of an inglenook fireplace.

Not all wells are dedicated to healing. There is one at Powerstock where the water occasionally turns red. It is said that a jealous husband threw his wife into it for being unfaithful to him, and the red colour is caused by the red flannel petticoat she regularly wore, and some say, it is her blood. This well also has associations with the Devil, but it is unclear exactly how this story goes. However, the Devil has been known to push people into wells, and also into watery pools. He has been known to do this at the ‘Blue Pool’ at Furzebrook, near Corfe Castle. So the next time you turn your water tap on, think about these stories and the importance our ancestors placed upon something we now take for granted.

Cindy and John are offering customised tours of Dorset’s Sacred Sites. Contact them on dorsetchikung@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

FREE HOME VISITS Specialist Matthew Denney will be in the Sherborne area on Thursday 28th October to value your objects & antiques

CONSIGNING NOW FOR OUR FORTHCOMING AUTUMN & WINTER AUCTIONS Silver | Vertu | Jewellery | Watches | Ceramics Oriental Works of Art | Pictures | Furniture | Clocks | Rugs Militaria | Coins | Medals | Collectors | Sporting | Textiles

FREE VALUATIONS ALSO AVAILABLE

Online | Phone | Email | Whatsapp To make an appointment call or email 01460 73041 matthew.denney@lawrences.co.uk Professional Valuations Available for Probate & Insurance Complete House Contents & Attic Clearances Arranged

lawrences.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

History

Long Street, looking west towards the Conduit and Abbey circa. 1900

LOST DORSET

NO. 16 SHERBORNE

C

David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

hilds Cycle Works was a coffee tavern when Edwin Childs bought it in 1892. Note the sign for Humber; Thomas Humber initially made ‘penny-farthing’ bicycles in a back room in his Nottingham house. He gradually modified his designs and in 1896 attached a small 3hp engine to a bicycle frame in his Beeston works, making Humber one of Britain’s first motorbike manufacturers. Edwin Child later opened a garage in Long Street, selling Colonel Walter Baxter – the owner of the Dorsetshire Brewery, also in Long Street – Sherborne’s first motorcar. The garage finally closed in the 1990s and has since been replaced by the Cloisters housing development. JH Short was a family grocer. The buildings on the left include the Castle Hotel, then a base for local carriers, and the National Provincial Bank, which had taken over the building when it amalgamated with the Sherborne and Dorsetshire Bank.

Lost Dorset: The Towns 1880-1920, the companion volume to Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside, is being published in October as a 220-page large format hardback, price £20, and will be available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers dovecotepress.com

58 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

OBJECT OF THE MONTH

THE CRESTED CHINA Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

A

souvenir (from the French, ‘to come to mind’) is a physical object that encourages and protects memory. It makes an experience tangible, both aiding our recollection of it while proving it to others. Part of our holiday ritual, it represents our need to hold on to the event for that little bit longer. It can act as a conversation piece, marking one out as interestingly different from those who have not experienced the same journey, and creates recognition that there has been a period, however short, spent outside normal existence. There is more emotion, therefore, invested in these objects than in purely material possessions.

Small, hollow off-white ornaments, decorated with civic arms and other crests, were extremely popular souvenirs with many people who travelled in the years immediately before the First World War, particularly to seaside resorts. Typically, they were bought on holidays or day-trips to the places indicated on the crest and carefully carried home. Even during the war years, seaside holidays continued to be possible, despite defensive works being carried out in some coastal towns. This ‘crested china’, also known as heraldic souvenir ware, was particularly consumed by the upper working and lower middle classes. It was mostly made in the potteries around Stoke-on-Trent by companies such as Carlton, Grafton, Savoy and Willow Art as well as the high-quality producers WH Goss. The peacetime range included figurines, everyday objects and local museum antiquities or functional items such as ring-trees or pin-trays. With the onset of war, new designs were registered such as shells, grenades, aeroplanes and tanks.

Sherborne Museum has many splendid examples of crested china specific to the town, including this model based on ‘a Roman vase excavated in the

area’, hence its slightly squashed appearance. Nine centimetres high, it bears transfer printed designs of the Arms of Edward VI (re-founder of Sherborne School) and the Arms of Sherborne Abbey. In between these crests is printed: A SOUVENIR OF THE SHERBORNE PAGEANT JUNE 1905. On the other side is a depiction of St. Aldhelm, the town’s first bishop, with his attribute of a harp. There are traces of gilding on the rim and a moulded pattern of interlocking rings around the shoulder. British-made, it originates from the Foley China Works in Fenton, Staffordshire.

Undoubtedly, its production was aimed at the several thousands of people, both local and visitors, who flocked to see the Sherborne Pageant, which was the first historical folk-play of its kind, and which started a trend for these types of performances across the country. It celebrated the founding of the bishopric by Aldhelm and the subsequent story of the town up to the time of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Beyond this specific event, the vase carries overtones of academia, spirituality and antiquity; very much the Sherborne ‘brand’.

The vase is part of a subset of several related items within this particular category of ceramics in our collection, which was donated to the museum by an alumnus of Sherborne School who became a director of an internationally acclaimed auction house.

Disregarded for years, nowadays undamaged pieces are rated very highly by collectors, particularly those belonging to limited production runs. sherbornemuseum.co.uk Sherborne Museum aims to open shortly, upon completion of essential building repairs.

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Classic & Vintage Motorcycles 14th October at Haynes Museum Silver, Jewellery & Watches 4th November Asian Art, Antiques & Interiors 5th November Coins, Medals & Stamps 2nd December Further entries invited

A Chinese carved jade libation cup

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

Affordable interior fabrics thefabricbarn.co.uk 60 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

01935 851025

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

www.fcuffandsons.co.uk

DESIGNERS AND MAKERS OF BEAUTIFUL FINE BESPOKE JOINERY SINCE 1897

Antiques

PAPERWORK

T

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

here are two types of people when it comes to paperwork; the keepers and the ones who like to throw it away. I come into the second category; I generally do not keep any old receipts. Years ago, I was excited at the prospect of a paperless society and whilst I am sure there has been a reduction in the use of printed receipts, mostly due to emails, I do not think we are anywhere near this yet. And then there are the people who keep their receipts.

A few years ago, we were asked to clear a property in Hampstead. The family had the house built in 1952 and had lived in it ever since. There were decades of detritus throughout the three-storey home, most of which was surplus to family needs or requirements. As mentioned here before, there are not many situations or scenarios I have not come across as an auctioneer and valuer. There is also not much I haven’t seen when it comes to people’s houses, but even I was shocked that the Hampstead family kept all receipts for the past six decades and even retained used chequebook stubs dating back to the early 1950s!

However, sometimes it can be good to keep a receipt.

Recently, a gentleman brought into our salerooms a large diamond solitaire ring on a jewellery valuation day. It 62 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

certainly sparkled in the summer sun. Set in white metal, in all probability platinum, it was bought by the owner’s father in 1969. The receipt with the ring for £2,121 dates to March 1969 when he purchased two diamonds from Glaswegian diamond dealer Tankel, which is still in business today. Clearly, quite a chunk of money back in 1969 and quite a fair amount today. Having had a look on Mr. Google – as I was a toddler in 1969 and had no concept of money back then – according to records the cost of the two diamonds for £2,121 were less than the average price of a UK house at £3,800. Today, and again according to Mr. Google, the average price of a UK house is £265,000. Quite staggering really, how markets change. Moving forward to 2021, and the solitaire diamond ring looks as pretty today as it did back in 1969. Measuring in at over 4ct it is a sizeable stone with good clarity and no visible inclusions.

It is estimated at £27,000-29,000 when it goes under the hammer in our 4th November specialist auction of jewellery, watches and silver. Being sold with the original receipt from 1969 I wonder if the buyer will keep the Charterhouse receipt safe with it for the next 52 years! charterhouse-auction.com

elizabethwatsonillustration.com

garden & planting design | expert gardening wildflower meadows Contact Stephen & Claire: 01963 441454 | hello@manyberries.co.uk manyberries.co.uk

64 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

White Hart Garden and Property Maintenance Marcus Smith

Mobile - 07762 798473 Home - 01963 23692

Keep the colour coming

As the gardener’s efforts come to glorious fruition during October, now is the time to plan for colourful blooms over the coming months.

When pots finish their summer displays, refresh them with plants that will flower through until Christmas and beyond, such as pansies, violas and primroses.

Pick up your seeds, bulbs, pots and plants in store any day of the week.

Monday to Saturday: 9am – 6pm Sunday: 10am – 4:30pm Christmas displays open at Castle Gardens Friday 15 October, 9am - 6pm Meander through endless twinkly lights, sparkly baubles and shiny ornaments every day until Christmas.

Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR www.thegardensgroup.co.uk

thegardensgroup

01935 814633

castle@thegardensgroup.co.uk

Co.ofLandscapers GARDEN DESIGN STUDIO

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

Gardening

A HEALTHY APPROACH TO PEST CONTROL Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group and Chairman, The Garden Centre Association

Stakon/Shutterstock

W

e have just hosted the launch of a new book on the crucially important subject of pest and disease control without the use of chemicals. Local author Sally Morgan’s book The Healthy Vegetable Garden, which is available from Winstone’s, was launched in the Butterfly House at Castle Gardens to a Covid-safe sell-out audience, which emphasises the interest in the subject and its fundamental importance.

Especially in the amateur garden, we need to start weaning ourselves off chemicals. To be fair, when pesticides became commonplace, we were in different times and the demand for increasing food production was enhanced by whizzy, easy new treatments that were a quick fix and had, we were assured, no side effects. The need for the Dig for Victory campaign in the Second World War is an example of this.

It’s a subject close to my heart having been brought up on an organic market garden in the 1970s. For me, the approach changes from one of reaching for the chemical cupboard, when a problem occurs, to the 66 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

holistic approach making gardening so much more fulfilling and multi-dimensional. Hence writing about the subject now, when most pest and disease issues in the garden are all but behind us for the year. Much of controlling pest and disease requires forward planning and starts with the soil. Organic gardeners will tell you that if you look after the soil, the soil will look after you. What they mean is adding organic matter in the form of your own garden compost, or well-rotted farm manure or soil improvers, such as Bloomin’ Amazing or Rocket Gro and your soil will become alive, full of beneficial fungi and bacteria, making nutrients readily available to your plants keeping them in excellent health, ready to ward off diseases and to cope with pests. Not only that, but carbon will become locked into your soil helping in the battle with climate change.

‘No Dig’ systems, which are becoming increasingly popular (they sound very good to the lazy amongst us!), are an important part of this soil improvement.

To an extent, the more we cultivate the soil, the more

we damage it. Especially when used in raised beds the ‘No Dig’ system will become a mainstream method of gardening and helps in keeping crops out of the water table and safe from the flash floods which are becoming more frequent. But plant choice is also important in reducing dependence on chemicals. The more we fight against nature the more inputs we need to keep plants healthy. So, if you have a north-facing garden with heavy wet clay soil then avoid silver-leafed plants, such as lavender that love sunny aspects and free-draining soils.

If your soil is alkaline (as is the case for many of us locally) then avoid acid-loving plants – or at least grow them in pots with an ericaceous compost. Look out for peat- and disease-resistant varieties too. It will soon be time to choose seed potatoes for next year and some will have built in scab and even blight resistance, reducing or negating the need for fungicide intervention. When choosing carrots look for the variety Fly Away which doesn’t get attacked by Carrot Fly in the way that traditional varieties do.

On miserable, wintery days when planning for next year might be the only outdoor gardening possible, think about wildlife and where you can host friends who will help in your battle with insect pests. The more diverse a planting mix the better for encouraging wildlife and reducing pest and disease. Think about introducing plants that will bring in natural predators such as lacewings, ladybirds and the like. Leave areas to go a little bit wild and you’ll start to see small friends such as the fearless ground beetle which is always busy attacking even the toughest pests. Slow worms will probably start to arrive as will toads and frogs especially if there is some water available. Birds too, of course, are very helpful in picking off the pests from your precious plants. And that’s where one of the extra dimensions comes in – you have not only created a beautiful garden but an ecosystem, so doing your bit to protect our patch of the planet. thegardensgroup.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

Gardening

TREES IN THE LANDSCAPE Simon Ford, Land & Nature Adviser and Gardener

David Calvert/Shutterstock

I

am often struck when looking at old paintings of the English landscape or indeed looking at photographs from the 1950s or before, how our countryside has changed. Of course, so much has altered, whether it is the new roads and developments and the move from horses and hay stooks to enormous tractors and silage trailers. However, the thing which is perhaps most distinctive is the loss of trees in the landscape.

68 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

I love going to high places and looking out over the surrounding area. Some of my favourite places are hillforts such as Hambledon Hill, Hod Hill, Lamberts Castle, Eggardon Hill or Maiden Castle. Their purpose was to have a commanding view outwards to spot potential foes as well as to stand out from a far. From the ramparts, it is like looking down as a bird at the ‘toytown’ activity of people scurrying around below.

The patchwork quilt of pasture, arable, woodland

and settlements is divided by miles of hedgerows and country lanes. Their intricate shapes help indicate their age, with smaller convoluted shapes or long narrow fields often being much older than the larger ‘Enclosures Act’ fields, which were mostly created from common land and ‘waste’ in the late 18th and early 19th Century. These fields tend to be much larger and more regular in shape. If you drive from Sherborne to Dorchester, it is very evident, with smaller deep hedges on the Blackmore Vale around Longburton and Glanvilles Wootton, but as you rise up the steep hill above Buckland Newton, the landscape changes to large open arable fields cut into the old sheep grazed chalk downland, with few woods and open vistas. The hedges tend to be tightly managed to maximise production and there are few if any trees on boundaries, let alone within fields.

There are a lot of reasons for the loss of standard trees (those that stand alone, rather than within a woodland setting). When I worked with the National Trust, I worked with our archaeologist, looking at historic estate maps, 19th Century Ordnance Survey maps, Luftwaffe aerial photographs and post war maps to analyse change. What was clear in many areas was that there was an acceleration of hedge and tree removal from the 2nd World War to the late 1980s, often driven by government grants to increase productivity. Large areas of historic parkland, with centuries old trees were grubbed up, while fields were amalgamated, taking with them miles of hedges.

The flail has reduced once beautiful hedges to metre-high gappy boundaries, with trees felled to speed up maintenance. Any trees and shrubs left are often splintered and smashed and quickly succumb to disease.

To add to this depressing story, we have suffered from a variety of tree diseases, such as Dutch elm disease in the 1970s, sudden oak death in the 2000s and more recently ash dieback which is decimating millions of ash trees.

Another thing which has damaged so many trees is ploughing right up to the base, injuring their root system and this is very evident in parkland which has sadly been turned to cultivation. The trees which are often centuries old, start to lose leaves and branches and eventually die. As a minimum, old trees should never be ploughed under their canopy.

Boundary trees and parkland trees can often date back many centuries and are sometimes remnants of ancient woodland. They can be home to an incredible array of wildlife, from tawny owls and barbastelle bats,

"It has been estimated that a single oak tree can be home to over 360 species of wildlife." to stag beetles, lungwort lichens and dryads saddle fungi. It has been estimated that a single oak tree can be home to over 360 species. Many birds need standard trees to sing from and of course to nest in.

We read every day about very real concerns about climate change and the need to plant millions of trees to store carbon. People seem to focus on planting woodlands, which is fine, but there are some very real opportunities to make a significant difference for the environment, for wildlife and for the landscape, by planting standard trees in hedgerows and planting trees in open meadows.

What an incredible difference could be made if standard trees were allowed to thrive on hedges again.

Part of my work was to identify areas to increase tree numbers on National Trust land by over 20 million by 2030. Although some of this would be by planting new woodlands and natural regeneration, some of the biggest gains could be made by working with tenants to replant trees at 25 to 50 metre intervals on boundaries.

These can be large statuesque oaks and beech through to smaller field maple, rowan and holly. Sometimes these will need planting, but other times they can be selected from within the hedge and clearly marked so they do not get hit by the hedge cutter.

We see some wonderful examples around places like Chetnole, Stock Gaylard, Minterne and Melbury House, but it would be such a positive thing to see more trees in the landscape again and to see wildlife returning and thriving. October is a perfect time to plant some trees and to begin to make a difference! simonfordgardening.wordpress.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

Now you can enjoy your garden all year long with our vast range of awnings, sun rooms, pergolas, wooden constructions and decking. Completely bespoke and fully customisable for every home or business. Our outdoor rooms can be free-standing or attached to your property. Call us on 01935 324377 or email us on info@sunroomsuk.com today for a free no-obligation quotation. If you would like to see more of our work, visit our website at www.sunroomsuk.com.

01935 324377 www.sunroomsuk.com

SHERBORNE & DISTRICT FENCING & GATE Co. •Domestic fencing specialist •Over 30 years experience •Free quotations

DAVE THURGOOD Painting & Decorating interior and exterior

07792 391368

•10 Year Guarantee •No VAT

NO VAT

01935 330095

www.sherbornedecorators.com michellethurgood@sky.com

Yenstone Walling Ltd Dry Stone Walling and Landscaping All types of stone walling undertaken Patrick Houchen DSWA member CIS registered

70 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

01963 371123 / 07791 588141 yenstonewalling@btinternet.com www.yenstonewalling.co.uk

WINDOWS

&

DOORS

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

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

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

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

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

BREWED BOY Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

I

am going to be honest about this: I know very little about beer, save for the well known brands from when TV advertising was all the rage and which I generally drift past in the supermarket. This summer, when I was standing in the giant tent at a festival faced with a board of names for what seemed like a million different beers and my husband was mouthing ‘what do you want?’ at me from the front of the queue, my mind froze. So, when I was asked to interview George White of Brewed Boy there was a small gulp of panic. I needn't have worried of course.

Who knew brewing beer could be so much fun!?

George is one of the creative brewers who have been part of the craft beer revolution sweeping Great Britain over the last eight or nine years. These micro-breweries have upended the status quo of mass produced beer to such an extent that they are proving a threat to the big boys, and rightly so.

The movement began in America, no doubt when prohibition gave birth to a nation of home-brewers, most creating ‘hooch’ of dubious quality. By the '70s, craft beer had emerged from its fug of a home-brew hangover and was starting to take itself seriously. >

72 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 73

74 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

It was on a trip to the southern states of America that George got to thinking about opening a micro-brewery.

‘I travelled around the deep south and literally every town had one,’ he says. ‘I was in Mississippi which was interesting and then I spent time in New Orleans which is full of micro-breweries. When I got home, I wanted to start a brewery straight away but my Dad suggested I start with bars and then open a brewery.’ Five years ago, at the age of 19, he opened his first bar in Frome.

Bath, Cheddar, Dartmouth and, of course, Sherborne have since followed. ‘Sherborne was always on my list,’ explains George, ‘I think it's on a similar trajectory to towns like Frome but Sherborne is uniquely different.’

After securing premises at the Old Yarn Mills, with its parachute making industrial past, he opened the brewery and bar in August 2018. The brewing goes by the name of Imaginary Friends and currently there are 24 draft beers on the board. ‘I’ve currently got 5,000 pints brewing,’ says George. ‘I make one beer at a time and have six fermenters, so when they are full that’s six beers.’ In fact, things have got so busy that he has recently taken on a lead brewer – Ian Clark, a chemist turned brewer who hails from the US. The brewery is openly housed at the back of the bar which gives the whole place an authentic feel leaving inquisitive customers to often wonder at the Willy Wonka nature of the process. With the fruity aroma of hops hanging on the air, George tells me about the raw materials which arrive freeze dried. ‘The hops are all sourced from America,’ he starts out, ‘American hops are intense and flavour loaded. But for sour beers I don’t use

hops, it’s fruit puree.’ In a business that is about flavour not format, the search is for a beer that will take the imbiber on a journey and is not simply an end product.

‘Sours have become very popular,’ he says ‘25% of the liquid volume is fruits – cranberry, raspberry, blood orange, mojito and lactose.’ I didn’t grasp the lactose idea straight away but basically it has a vanilla-esque flavour, quite nice as it happens. ‘They’re all very experimental but very popular,’ says George. ‘For people with a broad mind who are looking for something different.’

Micro-breweries cater to the discerning and inquisitive beer drinker and tend to be run by artisan mavericks dedicated to their craft. In the search for new flavours comes the endlessly creative search for new product names. The sour beers, for example, go by names such as Nightmares Are Real at 3.9% ABV and Hide My Fries, a classic pale ale at 4.5%. Then there’s the aptly named Tropical Haze, which at a whopping 6.9% is likely to promptly induce sensations of the warm and fuzzy kind. ‘It’s a New England IPA with an all-fruit flavour from hops,’ explains George. When I ask what a New England IPA would be, George patiently explains, ‘New England IPAs are currently one of the most popular craft beers. They came out of Boston 10 years ago. It will taste like a session beer but is much stronger.’ A session beer, I am told, is under 5%.

If the names aren’t inspiring enough, then there are the cans which are sealed on site. George’s sister, Mary, creates the can artwork, her designs far removed from the accepted industry norms. The huge graffiti mural adorning the mezzanine was produced by Belfast artist > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75

76 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77

78 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Dee Craig. The can artwork takes me back to the days when some of the most cutting edge art around was to be found on record sleeves, collectable in their own right. With the added bonus of quaffable content I can see myself starting a new collection…

Were it not for his stateside inspiration, George might have taken a different route. ‘We moved to Bruton 11 years, ago,’ he explains. 'My dad played football for Watford and when he stopped we moved west. Dad came from Honiton and a dairy farming background. I’m the one who broke the football tradition,’ he smiles. ‘I didn’t fancy it.’ George hasn’t fallen that far from the tree however. A branch of the family run Millwhites Cider in Rooksbridge near Cheddar which has been in operation for four generations, so while George might have broken one tradition, he’s successfully continuing another.

A reflective and deeply ambitious man, George has taken his time to build the Brewed Boy and Imaginary Friends brand. He already has a strong following within the town and supplies Burrito Boi in Frome and Gilcombe Farm Shop in Bruton. In the manner that he questioned family tradition to follow his own path, George is determined to create a contemporary brewery which pushes boundaries and explores new ideas. The Sherborne bar hosts regular pizza and beer nights on Friday and Saturday in association with Baker Man Dan and George is now in preparations with the comedian Michael Hackett to host comedy nights.

Next month he is hoping to host a one-nighter at the Digby Hall and continue to tour Brewed Boy comedy nights across the UK. He also has more in store for

Sherborne. ‘Now that we’re hopefully out of lockdown for good, I will be relaunching my monthly music nights with DJ Dave Oxford, Hot Top Burgers and of course an ever-rotating choice of beer,’ he says.

‘I genuinely love the towns where we have our bars,’ says George. ‘Sherborne saved this brewery during lockdown and I can’t thank the town enough.

Back in late January, people were queuing outside and I heard someone say ‘if we don’t come and buy now they might not be here after lockdown’ and for that I am deeply appreciative. I think this town has gone 100% above and beyond in terms of support during what we have been through.’ George has the patience of a saint when it comes to beginners like me and is dedicated to sharing the knowledge and affection of his craft. He’s clearly fond of Sherborne and pleased to have been able to set up his brewery here. He is also part of a burgeoning community of unique independent businesses finding their way to Old Yarn Mills. Home to design agency Lolly, artist Victoria Young Jamieson, design dealer Molecula, board games cafe Gamespod, Old Barn Framing, and now the beloved Vineyards, this unassuming corner of town is becoming quite the destination.

For now, with all his plans and ambition, George is content to brew and follow a simple mantra: ‘People should just drink good beer,’ he says. With that in mind, the next time I’m in a queue for the bar I now know exactly what to ask for… @Brewed-Boy-Sherborne @imaginaryfriendsbrewing sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 80 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

FROM

Order our homegrown Tamworth produce from the fields outside Sherborne - Buy Local!

TABLE

The finest Tamworth quality and flavour, a taste of the past!

FIELD TO

Lavender Cafe & Shop Now Open At The Farm Every Thursday - Sunday 10 am - 4 pm

Here you can sit and enjoy our beautiful views, lavender field, garden and animals together with our homemade cakes, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and much more!

Please contact James and Charlotte | Tel 07802 443905 | info@thestorypig.co.uk The Story Pig, Lavender Keepers, Great Pitt Lane, Sandford Orcas, Sherborne DT9 4FG See more at www.thestorypig.co.uk

WE’RE MOVING

09, OLD YARN MILLS, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 3RQ | VINEYARDSOFSHERBORNE.CO.UK | 01935 815544

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 81

Food and Drink

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

VANILLA ORANGE HALLOWEEN SPIDER CUPCAKES

Image: Katharine Davies

A

t Halloween I get a huge number of Trick-orTreat callers and they always love these funny, spooky cupcakes. Orange and vanilla go well together but you can simply make vanilla cupcakes. If you wish the flour can be replaced with a gluten-free alternative. Serves 24 Preparation 15 minutes Cooking 20 minutes Assembly 15-20 minutes What you will need

A stand mixer, food processor or an electric hand mixer Two 12-hole cupcake tins, lined with cupcakes cases 82 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

3 piping bag and either a 2D nozzle or a 12-point star and a fine plain hole nozzle Ingredients

For the cupcakes 190g eggs 190g soft margarine 190g caster sugar 190g self-raising flour 4g baking powder 1 teaspoon milk 2 teaspoons orange extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Zest of an unwaxed orange

For the buttercream 60g unsalted butter 20g cream cheese 250g icing sugar 15ml whole milk 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract Orange food colouring Bright green food colouring For the royal icing I egg white 200g sifted icing sugar Black food colouring as much as needed to turn the icing black 1 bag of Maltesers 48 edible googly eyes Method

To make the cupcakes Preheat the oven to 160C fan-assisted, 180C, 350F, gas mark 3 and place cupcake cases in cupcake or muffin tin 1 Weigh the eggs into a bowl and add the same weight of sugar and margarine.

2 Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl.

3 Starting slowly, combine the mixture then rest for 1 minute to allow the sugar to dissolve a little, then beat the mixture for 2 minutes on high – it’s important not to over beat as this will knock out the precious air you need in the cake to make a good, light sponge. Add the teaspoon of milk if needed to slacken the mixture to a dripping consistency 4 In a separate bowl, combine the orange extract, vanilla extract and orange zest then fold gently into the mixture.

5 Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases – fill to 2/3 full. Alternatively, to make sure every cupcake is perfect, place the baking tray on your scales and set them to zero. Into each bun case spoon exactly 40 grams of mixture, zeroing your scales between each one.

6 Place the baking tins in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes – the cakes are baked when they are evenly and lightly golden and, if you listen to them, they only whisper a crackle not shout out. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream 1 Place the butter, cream cheese, in a mixing bowl and beat until combined.

2 Add the icing sugar a dessert spoon at a time into the mixer bowl and beat until it resembles breadcrumbs in texture. Add the milk and orange extract then continue to mix on a high speed until the buttercream is soft and fluffy.

3 Colour half the buttercream orange and the other green, place into separate piping bags, each fitted with a nozzle.

To make the royal icing 1 Beat the egg white until soft peak and then gradually add the icing sugar until a soft piping consistency is reached – add the black food colouring until the icing is true black.

2 Decorate the cupcakes with the coloured buttercream using a swirling movement.

3 Place two Maltesers on each cupcake to create a spider head and body.

4 Place the fine hole nozzle in a piping bag and pipe eight legs with a tiny foot on each leg coming from the body of the spider.

5 Place a small blob of black icing on each spiders head and stick on the eyes.

6 Store in an airtight container for up to a week. bakerval.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 83

Food and Drink

LAMB BASTURMA WITH BALSAMIC BABY ONIONS AND LIME CRÈME FRAICHE Jack Smith, The Green

Image: Katharine Davies

T

raditionally the meat used in a basturma is pressed and air-dried. In the restaurant we roast it using the same spices and it has become one of our most popular starters on our set lunch menu.

Ingredients: Serves 6

700g topside lamb 2 teaspoons piri-piri spices 3 teaspoons of paprika 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 200g wild rocket, washed 100g silver skin onions 50g balsamic vinegar 2 limes, juiced & zested 100g crème fraiche sea salt ground black pepper 50g olive oil

Method:

1 The day before serving, season the lamb with salt and pepper and combine the piri-piri, paprika, coriander & cumin. Massage the spices into the lamb and set aside in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours. Marinade the onions in the balsamic vinegar on the same day.

2 Once your lamb has marinated pre-heat an oven to 170 degrees, place the lamb into a roasting tray with olive oil and cover in tin foil. Cook the lamb for 25 minutes or until it reaches 52 degrees in the centre. Remove the lamb and leave it to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes.

3 While the lamb is cooking combine your lime zest and juice with the crème fraiche and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4 Remove the onions from the balsamic vinegar and use the vinegar and olive oil to dress the rocket.

5 To serve, thinly slice the lamb and arrange on the plate with the crème fraiche, rocket and baby onions.

Serve immediately and enjoy. greenrestaurant.co.uk

84 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

CRAB AND NECTARINE SALSA Johnny Jones, Head Chef, The Queen’s Arms

T

his dish is reminiscent of summer days at the beach, but it also incorporates the wonderful, sweet taste of autumnal stone fruits now in season. The heat of the chilli gives it warmth and the citrus brings it all together, lifting it in harmony. It’s one of our current favourites.

Ingredients

454g of pasteurised white crab meat 3 nectarines 1 small red chilli 1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley 1 lemon or lime, zested Olive oil Approx 150ml Melba Toast

White bread, finely sliced Extra virgin olive oil Sea salt and black pepper Method

1 Pick through the crab to ensure no shell or pieces

2

3 4 5

6

7

Image: Tory McTernan

remain. Refrigerate immediately and keep below 5°C at all times.

For the salsa, cut the nectarines in half and remove the stone. Dice the nectarines into little 0.5cm cubes and place in a bowl.

De-seed the chilli and finely dice, add to the nectarines.

Wash, pick and chop parsley, add to bowl.

Grate the zest of the lemon or lime and add altogether. Add olive oil until consistency is loose like a sauce around 150ml.

For the toast pre-heat oven to 160°,place fine slices of bread on a baking tray,season well and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cook around 10 minutes or until crispy. These can be made in advance and set aside.

When ready to serve add 85g of crab to a bowl, season well with salt and pepper, add two tablespoons of salsa and combine. I place mine in a ring but you don’t need to. Spoon over a bit more of the salsa and toast to garnish.

thequeensarms.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Food and Drink

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

Image: Katharine Davies 86 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

W

ow, that’s been a busy summer! As the days shorten noticeably and the valley below us fills with early morning mists rolling in and forming an inland sea, there is a crispness in the air which makes me grab a jumper before I head out to feed the pigs in the morning. The grass is laden with dew and the pigs, all asleep inside again, are snuggled up in their straw beds. Thoughts turn towards the dreaded winter and the mud to come. We have all our straw gathered in for the harsh months ahead, its smell when I cut a bale open takes me back to the months before; you can smell summer right there. We have made some silage too, lovely, sweet-smelling bales, made from our new herbal Ley just below the farm. It was full of clovers and herbs and we are looking forward to experimenting how to feed it to the pigs in the winter. Pigs love grass, it’s just not that easy to feed it to them – we will see how it goes and report back.

Last month we had the privilege of being on the front cover and everywhere inside The Sherborne Times – it was exciting to do and lovely to be featured in such a way. We had lots of new visitors to the cafe who hadn’t read my inside articles before. I know, I couldn’t believe it either! But hopefully more of you will follow our story now. I started by saying it has been busy, well it has, seven days a week. We have created a monster and we can’t keep up, and, like everyone else, we have struggled lately for staff to help us in the café. Over the summer we had two youngsters, Connie and Rosie, who started with us as we eased into cafe life. But aged 16 and 18 they have returned to education, both destined for greatness in the future. They made life easier and we are missing them already! At the time of writing, we are hoping that we have found some new members to help us, but a plea to all our readers, if you have teenagers that want to work on the weekends in a beautiful, safe, family environment, then please get in touch.

We have had lots of questions lately about the cafe and what we will do in the winter. Well, we are going to cut down to two days a week and move into our lovely shed and make it beautiful.

Charlotte is busy coming up with new ideas for the winter months, we want it to be a real hub for people to enjoy, and of course our meat sales continue as normal.

Outside, the garden has been incredible with, unfortunately, minimal intervention from me this summer. Four days a week in the cafe has taken its toll, but the flowers have been amazing and a constant source of joy for so many. The pigs have been generally well behaved this summer – the weather has suited them, not too hot most of the time. They have all been grazing on grass paddocks and loving life. It’s the easier time of year when loading them is straightforward, feeding them is easy, photographing them is a constant pleasure. We have ten new gilts down by the farm that are going into our breeding herd – they have had a summer of basking by the cafe, being photographed by so many. They are getting big now and will farrow right on Christmas.

I will probably regret the timing, we will see. At the time of writing we are waiting for one sow to farrow – she lost her litter last December, having only two piglets and then couldn’t conceive.

Well, she must have eventually because she is swollen in belly and laden with milk. She needs to have at least 20 piglets to earn her keep, but that’s most unlikely, so we will have to settle for a healthy 10 and hope that she does better than last time. She has had a lucky escape!

Charlotte and I are off to Falmouth this morning to deliver required items to Sten, Charlotte’s son, who is off to university there. We are sure he is going to have the best time, good luck Sten. We have his replacement here now, Max, 17, who is keen to learn. So, it’s jumper on and out to feed the pigs and then into the car and off to the seaside – our summer holiday of 6 hours!! thestorypig.co.uk @thestorypig

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

Food and Drink

ALSACE David Copp

M

any wine drinkers consider Alsatian wine more German than French. This is hardly surprising when you consider that Alsace was at the heart of the Frankish Empire and the French had control for quite a while, before it was ceded to Germany in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War. It was retroceded to France after the First World War and has stayed French ever since. It remains a treasure among French wine regions but its wines are heavily influenced by German methods.

The climate is semi-continental, mostly dry and sunny thanks to the protection of the Vosges mountains. The vineyards enjoy ideal conditions for growing grapes because they ripen steadily, ideal for making good and tasteful wine.

The three most memorable varieties used are Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Alsatian 88 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Riesling is sound and soulful, largely due to the precision of German winemaking. I hold it up as a model for all white wine makers. Alsatian Pinot Gris is something special; a fleshier grape than Riesling it delivers depth of flavour and subtlety. It may seem somewhat more austere, steely even, when you first come to it, but I recommend persistence because it is an extremely classy version of what has become a ‘popular, light refresher’ elsewhere in the wine world.

At its best it is supple and racy and is a good match with fine cuisine. Alsatian Gewurztraminer, the most distinctive of the three varieties, produces a range of styles from dry to sweet. Harvested at perfect ripeness it offers rich and complex tropical fruit aromas which make it a good match for Asian foods.

The late harvest versions (often referred to as vendages tardives) pair wonderfully well with

for the local speciality goose liver and the typical Alsatian lunch of pâté en croute and Munster cheese and apple tart. It is also an absolute joy with good friends. Alsace wines should be served chilled but not too cold, between 8-10 degrees C and the wine is ideally served in long stem glasses. They are best when they young (one to five years) but the great wines will last a lot longer.

Alsace has had some success in making Pinot Noir although it struggles to get the depth of colour of Burgundy. It is often blended with Pinot Blanc to make a very acceptable crémant. The Alsace Grand Cru appellation was instituted in 1983 for single wines made from the greatest vineyards in a single vintage. Permitted yields are lower than for standard appellation wines. There are some very fine wines being made by the established, older houses such as Trimbach and Hugel but Josmeyer, Zind Humbrecht and Rene Mire have also made a name for offering very good value.

Alsace is a delightful place to visit with a wellsignposted wine route and well-ordered medieval towns with half-timbered houses and cobbled streets which reflect a society that takes pride in its wines.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Hauller Organic Pinot Blanc Jean-Luc Schmitt/Shutterstock

£15, Vineyards Facing the colourful fortified gate of

Roquefort, Stilton and other blue cheeses as well as apple and other fruit tarts, and fresh fruit salads.

The Selection de Grains Nobles are late harvested, almost shrivelled grapes, the Alsatian version of Tokay: truly superb wines but unfortunately quite expensive to buy. What I like most in Alsace is that there are so many good family winemakers with a history of making classical wines that reflect their varietals and their vineyards. There is so much to admire in their thorough winemaking process and how they continue to perfect it. I have long been an admirer of Hugel, one of the oldest and best Alsatian wine producers based in Riquewihr and Trimbach which owns Clos Sainte-Lune, the most sought-after of all Alsatian wines; rich in taste with bright distinctive flavours. In a good year Pinot Gris can produce rich and spicy wines, a perfect match

Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace’s largest wineproducing village with its beautiful halftimbered houses and a place also known

for the esteemed Grand Cru Frankenstein, you’ll find Hauller’s cellars. Located on the ‘Route des Vins d’Alsace’, you cannot miss the local curiosity ‘Vins d’Alsace Hauller’ written in coloured tiles on the roof of

House Hauller, founded in 1775 during the golden age of Alsace winemaking.

Their Organic Pinot Blanc is fresh as a daisy with

green apples, ripe peach and white blossom playing on your palate. Pure elegance, a silky texture with delicate

floral layers and lingering flavours. Distinctively Alsace! vineyardsofsherborne.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

elizabethwatsonillustration.com

Independent veterinary services for livestock in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire Collection points for livestock medicines and supplies at Sherborne, Sturminster Newton, Blandford and Shaftesbury Please call the office on 01258 472314

www.friarsmoorvets.co.uk 90 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Pet, Equine & Farm Animals

• Operating theatres • Digital x-ray • Nurse clinics • Separate dog and cat wards • Laboratory Kingston House Veterinary Clinic Long Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3DB

Grove Dene Veterinary Clinic The Forum, Abbey Manor Park, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 3TL

Tel: 01935 813288 (24 hours) Email: sherborne@kingstonvets.co.uk

Tel: 01935 421177 (24 hours) Email: yeovil@kingstonvets.co.uk

Mon-Fri 9.00-10.30, 16.30-18.00 Sat 9.00-10.30

Mon-Fri 8.30-12.00, 14.00-18.30 Sat 9.00-12.00

kingstonvets.co.uk

Free registration appointment for new clients when accompanied by this advertisement

Award-Winning Dog Behaviour Specialists covering Dorset, Somerset and beyond • New Puppy Starter Package • Dog Behaviour Packages • Video Consultations • Advice Line • Pack Walks

naturalbalancedt.com

Contact Sarah on 07769 705807 or sarah@naturalbalancedt.com

Companions at Peace Pet Cremation

Independent family run business offering a very personal, caring pet cremation service to bereaved pet owners.

• Collection Service • Farewell Room • Out of Hours Service provided Located in a rural countryside setting on the Somerset Dorset border

Contact us on: 07900 654 440 www.companionsatpeace.co.uk

Sherborne Surgery Swan House Lower Acreman Street 01935 816228

Yeovil Surgery 142 Preston Road 01935 474415

www.newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

Animal Care

WATCH AND WAIT

Mark Newton-Clarke MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeon

T

he problem with autumn starting in August is by the time we get to October, we’re already a bit tired of dewy mornings and cold nights which are becoming longer and longer.

The slugs and snails have been having all night festivals for months now, reminding us to keep treating our dogs with anti-lungworm medicines.

Not all worm treatments are effective against these beasties so make sure you are using the right products; just ask us if you are not sure. I make no excuses for mentioning the subject yet again as I want to record another lungworm-clear year, making a run 92 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

of five. Before we recommended monthly worming with milbemycin-containing products, up to ten dogs a year were presenting with the symptoms of the lungworm parasite, with each host potentially at risk of losing life.

Last month I introduced Liv, the spaniel puppy who became suddenly and inexplicably in pain. My colleagues and I were delighted to see Liv improve with pain killers, but remained unconvinced about the cause. This was going to be a case of ‘time will tell’, a strategy that has its limitations, but with Liv improving, a justifiable approach. Personally, I was expecting Liv

Ermolaev Alexander/Shutterstock

to relapse after an initial improvement as a shortacting steroid wore off. Had this been so, further tests and treatment would have been essential as the diagnosis would have been much more complicated.

In the event, I was wrong and Liv seemed to return to normal as quickly as she deteriorated, making for very happy owners (and vets!).

Liv’s case highlights the issue of when to watch and wait and when to intervene with further tests.

Such interventions carry with them a degree of stress for the patient, potentially some risk and certainly cost for the owners. These considerations

need to be balanced against the benefit that more clinical information can give, especially when treatment options are considered. I very rarely recommend diagnostic tests unless the information gained has a practical consequence on treatment planning. This is of particular importance if the treatment under consideration is lengthy, unpleasant or carries the risk of side-effects.

In Liv’s case, we were considering a diagnosis of sterile meningitis/arthritis, an auto-immune condition which requires months of immune-suppressive treatment. Certainly not ideal for a young puppy. Also not ideal is the way the diagnosis is confirmed, with cerebrospinal (CSF) and synovial (joint) fluid needed and neither being particularly accessible. If any of you have had a lumbar puncture, I am sure you know what I mean. Although I have performed this procedure on many horses (a long time ago) with only a sedative and a set of stocks as restraint, most dogs need a general anaesthetic (GA). Modern anaesthetic drugs and monitoring equipment mean the risk of a problem under GA is tiny but is still there. Also, the need to interpret CSF almost immediately presents logistical challenges, otherwise results can be misleading. So that’s why we elected to watch and wait and keep little Liv under close scrutiny. In this case, that was all that was required as true to form, Liv literally bounced back and has been fine since.

I touched on the risk that a GA represents for a dog or a cat but the actual risk of a patient dying during a GA is actually difficult to quantify as different studies give different numbers. Possibly the most relevant estimate of risk in our clinics comes from my personal experience, giving a figure of around 1 in 2000, which includes all patient categories. By that I mean anaesthetics given to young, healthy animals for elective procedures (mostly neutering) as well as older animals with some health issues (often dental work) but also critically ill patients that need emergency surgery. Clearly, risk is not evenly distributed.

So, how do we minimise risk for any patient undergoing anaesthesia? It’s a mixture of forewarned is forearmed and real-time monitoring. With so many owners understandably worried about their pets having a GA, it might be worth looking at this in more detail next month. Hopefully, I can make the subject interesting enough so you won’t all go to sleep... newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Animal Care

FROM CHEF TO VET MY UNUSUAL CAREER PATH

Paul Doran MA, VetMB, MRCVS, Friars Moor Livestock Health

S

everal of my colleagues suggested it would be interesting if I wrote about how I became a vet, having started my working life as a chef. When I tell people that I used to be a chef, they are usually surprised and say it’s quite a dramatic career change that I’ve undertaken. I tend to shrug at this and say that as a farm animal vet, I still consider myself to work in food production – I’ve just chosen to focus on a different part of the process. I decided on a career change when my wife was pregnant with my son. I was 23 at the time and the thought of being a father encouraged me to rethink my life. There were a number of reasons for my decision but the main one was that my hours in the kitchen were very long and left me little time for a life outside of work. Whilst, perhaps remarkably, my marriage had survived several years of me working as a chef, I just couldn’t envisage my work being compatible with starting a family. I didn’t want to be a perpetually absent father as well as husband. I gave a lot of thought to what other work I might pursue and veterinary medicine seemed to be the ‘best fit’ for me.

I had grown up in a rural area, was interested in animals, food, farming and science and whilst I had never put it to good use by that point in my life, I knew 94 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

that I was quite academically able. When I looked into what becoming a vet would actually involve, I initially dismissed the idea. I didn’t have the right entry requirements for university and places on veterinary degrees were highly sought-after and embarking on a five-or six-year degree course when I had a young child to think about didn’t seem very sensible. I did consider several other career possibilities. In the short term, I left the kitchen behind and took a job for a local farm supplies company. The job suited me quite well. It paid a similar amount to my salary as a chef but allowed me to go home at 5pm every day which was a very welcome lifestyle change. The work was a mixture of shop work, warehouse work and forklift driving. I enjoyed the social aspect of being in the shop and got on well with the customers, most of whom were farmers, but after a very short time I got incredibly bored.

In the absence of a better plan (or at least any plan for which I had equal enthusiasm), I decided to pursue veterinary medicine after all. I had adequate GCSEs to apply to vet school but I certainly did not have the required A-levels and work experience.

Having researched night school courses in the area (there weren’t any suitable ones), I realised that the

Trevor Clark/Shutterstock

only way forward would be to teach myself A-levels.

This didn’t seem too difficult as the exam boards published their syllabuses online and there was always a recommended textbook that covered all the core knowledge expected. In terms of sitting exams, a number of private schools were willing to enter external candidates for a fee but they were less willing to accommodate the coursework element required of most science A-levels. In the end, I was able to get help from a friend who taught biology at a local sixth form. She arranged for me to be able to complete my coursework in their science prep room. Without her help and that of her colleagues, I would have been quite stuck. In the end, I was able to complete Biology, Chemistry and Physics A-levels in my spare time, over the course of 3 years.

Because I was so bored by the lack of intellectual challenge in my day job, I found it very rewarding to spend my evenings and weekends studying. The work experience aspect was another big bridge to cross.

All the universities expected applicants to have some experience of veterinary practice but some were far more demanding, expecting a wealth of experience in various animal husbandry roles. My day-job turned

out to be a bit of a godsend. Employees generally took turns to staff the shop on a Saturday and would accrue a day off in lieu for each Saturday worked. Naturally I volunteered to work all the Saturdays I could get.

Thus, combined with my holiday entitlement, I accrued enough time off work to facilitate both taking my exams and undertaking plenty of work experience. I also soon learned that because the shop opened late and shut early on a Saturday, every time I worked on a Saturday, I was able to milk on a local dairy farm, owned by friends of mine, both before and after work.

This made for a long but very fulfilling day.

During this time, it became more and more clear to me that I really wanted to work with farmers and farm animals. I wasn’t disinterested in other areas of veterinary medicine, but this was clearly my passion. I applied to vet school in 2010 and accepted an offer from the University of Cambridge. Although, the Cambridge course was longer than most (6 years instead of 5), it offered several advantages for me. It seemed like a nice, safe town to raise a child in and the university offered a generous level of financial support to mature students with a family. The first couple of years of vet school were the most difficult, not just academically but emotionally, for all of us, as we had uprooted ourselves from everything and everyone we knew. Over the following years, things got easier and we managed to adjust better to our circumstances. My studies became more manageable and I came to enjoy being a student parent. I think that I was able to enjoy seeing my son grow up better than I would have been able to if I’d been in full time work.

I graduated in 2017 and have worked at Friars Moor ever since. I found the practice to have a very friendly, supportive culture that appealed to me right away and they went to a lot of trouble to help me ‘find my feet’ as a new graduate. It’s also quite a diverse workplace which may have helped my unusual work history seem a little less odd than it might’ve done otherwise. They have really helped me develop as a vet and encouraged me to pursue my specific clinical interests. Although it necessitated a lot of work and determination to change career in the way that I did, it required a lot from the people around me as well. Most of all, my wife Juno was incredibly supportive. She encouraged me and believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself and she helped me so much in so many ways. But I still love to get in the kitchen and cook and enjoy it very much as a hobby. friarsmoorvets.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 96 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Sherborne 01935 812 112

Dorchester 01305 250 240 robin-james.co.uk

@robinjamesaveda

Body & Mind

FACT-FINDING

Mike Hewitson MPharm FFRPS FRSPH IP MRPharmS, Chief Pharmacist, The Abbey Pharmacy

I

n today’s world we are constantly bombarded with information, whether we like it or not. In the world of healthcare new evidence can be both confusing and can appear at breakneck speed. Knowing who to trust and where to get reliable information can be the difference between opting for or against treatment.

What is the signal and what is noise? Every day in the pharmacy I find myself on the front lines of this information war where people can become entrenched into camps based on what they believe more than what they can prove. The noise can be immense, with false equivalence rife especially in the world of social media where a lie can travel around the world twice while the truth is still putting on its boots.

For people who are used to being able to look up facts on their phone within seconds, there is perhaps a need to develop critical thinking skills to assist in the evaluation of competing evidence in areas where there is some debate. What do I mean by this? If I am looking up a phone number for a dentist, I would generally trust the information I find on the internet because it is a simple fact. If I try the number and it 98 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

isn’t right there is no great harm at the end of the day.

Whereas if I am trying to help a patient to work out if they should take a particular medicine, I would look at several different trusted sources of information in order to present the patient with a balanced assessment.

At the end of the day, it is every individual’s right to decide whether they wish to use a treatment or not, it is my duty as a healthcare professional to ensure that those decisions are informed decisions. The NHS says that for consent to be informed, ‘the person must be given all of the information about what the treatment involves, including the benefits and risks, whether there are reasonable alternative treatments and what will happen if treatment does not go ahead’.

Sometimes that discussion about whether the patient should take a medicine gets more complicated when patients reach out to their own network of friends and family – ‘my friend took that and ended up in hospital’, ‘you wouldn’t catch me taking those’, ‘I read in the paper’ … While every person that takes a medicine might respond slightly differently to it, side effects in particular are quite documented through the drug development

Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock

process and after it is launched through a system called pharmacovigilance – this is where companies have to report side effects which have been reported to them by patients or healthcare professionals to the government medicines regulator, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Patients & healthcare professionals can also report side effects directly to them using what is called the ‘yellow card scheme’ – this can be completed online at gov.uk/reportproblem-medicine-medical-device. This information is regularly reviewed and monitored, and where trends or serious problems occur there are systems in place, for example to recall a batch of a medicine if quality issues arise, and to update the prescribing information so that we may help to keep patients informed. Thankfully, serious problems are very rare but I would encourage you to speak to your pharmacist in the first instance if you are having problems with your medicines. I digress, back to the matter in hand…

There are a variety of reasons why people share negative experiences of medicine taking. Firstly it makes for a better story than, ‘I took my tablets and I

got better’. Second when information is 3rd hand there is a tendency for crucial details to be misremembered, which can make a huge difference to whether the medicine was actually to blame. Being slightly cynical when the newspaper runs a story, ‘drug x causes…’ I instantly know that a large proportion of patients using drug x will buy the paper – when millions of people take statins this is not an insignificant audience. What they don’t necessarily print is the tens of thousands of lives that have been saved as a result of using statins, or the tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes which have been prevented. Of course, some patients can develop problems with them but a tiny proportion of the overall numbers taking them and this can be managed by talking to your healthcare professional.

So, how can patients navigate the minefield of disinformation? To start with, don’t believe everything you read online, and always, always check the source of the information. NHS information should always be reliable and accurate – nhs.uk has a wealth of really helpful information about conditions and drugs.

Another website that I often use is patient.info which is another reliable source of information written by healthcare professionals, but in plain English so that it should be accessible. Health charities often have good websites such as the British Heart Foundation bhf.org. uk which will talk in more detail about more specialist problems and may have useful resources. Failing this come and talk to us!

By the way, if you, or anyone in your household uses inhalers regularly, you could help the UK to save the equivalent of more than 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide by returning any old and empty inhalers to the pharmacy for destruction. Even if your inhaler is ‘empty’ it can still leak harmful gases into the environment. By disposing of these through the pharmacy these gases are incinerated. In some facilities aluminium components can be recycled as well.

We were very keen to see a reduction in the environmental impact of medicines, and until recently were running a scheme where we could take back used blister strips for recycling. Sadly, this scheme was discontinued by the recycling company because it was too successful. We are keeping an eye out for any similar schemes because we know how popular it was and will update you via the Sherborne Times if a successor scheme becomes available. theabbeypharmacy.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 99

BALFOUR EST.1979

DOUBLE POINTS THROUGHOUT OCTOBER! T H E C L A R I N S F O R M E L OYA LT Y S C H E M E I S

exclusive TO

HIGHER TIER GOLD SALONS.

F O R E V E RY £ 1 0 YO U S P E N D , YO U ’ L L E A R N 2 P O I N T S ( W O RT H £ 4 )

A N D W H AT D O P O I N T S M A K E . . ? ! F R E E C L A R I N S P R O D U C T S !

P O I N T S C A N B E U S E D I N T H E S A L O N AT A N Y T I M E , U P TO A M A X VA L U E O F £ 1 0 0 F O R E A C H L OYA LT Y C A R D YO U H AV E .

S WA N YA R D , S H E R B O R N E , D T 9 3 A X 0 1 9 3 5 8 1 6 1 7 7 W W W. M A R G A R E T B A L F O U R . C O . U K

TRANSFORMATION

Respecting the past, embracing the future In the 231 years since we were established, The Abbey Pharmacy has seen many changes in our society. We continue to evolve and are now, more than ever, committed to meeting the changing needs of our customers.

Our vision for the transformation of The Abbey Pharmacy invests not only in the health of our community but also our high street – we need your support in making this a reality.

To find out more about our exciting plans and to register your support, please visit www.theabbeypharmacytransformation.com

Established 1790

Body and Mind

MENTAL HEALTH IN AN UNEQUAL WORLD Lucy Lewis, Assistant Psychologist and Dorset Mind Ambassador

W

orld Mental Health Day, established by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), is held annually on 10th October. This year’s theme is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’, a very important topic as not everyone has the same access to mental health education, support, and treatment. This is not acceptable and there is much work to do to make mental health resources and services available for all. This month, we are exploring this important issue and sharing what we do at Dorset Mind to try to reach everyone in the county.

Mental health support should not be a benefit reserved for privileged sections of the world and society.

Opportunities to develop mental health knowledge and coping skills, as well as access to treatment, should be universally available. Unfortunately, the world is becoming increasingly divided. The rich are growing ever richer, whilst more and more people are struggling.

The WFMH reports that mental health services are inaccessible to 75-95% of people experiencing mental health difficulties in low or middle-income countries.

But surprisingly, even in high-income countries, services are only slightly more accessible – which suggest that mental health is still not regarded in the same manner as physical health.

What’s more, people from marginalised groups in society are not receiving the same opportunities for mental health improvement and recovery as other people. In the UK, the Centre of Mental Health (CMH) has collated some shocking findings. For example, adults over 65 only make up 7% of those accessing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.

Additionally, people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds who do access IAPT services are significantly less likely to recover from their mental 102 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Ilike/Shutterstock

health difficulty. People who access IAPT services are also significantly less likely to recover if they identify as bisexual or homosexual and almost a quarter of people from the LGBTQI+ community have witnessed discrimination from healthcare staff.

It is therefore unsurprising that 14% of those from the LGBTQI+ community avoid treatment for their health due to concerns about discrimination. This has to change.

Mental health inequality is not simply ‘unavoidable’. It is a complex, multi-faceted issue that needs improving at every level. At Dorset Mind, we

truly believe that no one should have to face a mental health problem alone, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, religion, or sexuality. We offer 1-2-1 and group support for people struggling with mental health difficulties, with specific groups offered to people from the LGBTQI+ community, women-only, and carers.

Please visit dorsetmind.uk/help-and-support to learn more about our wellbeing support groups and other services we deliver across Dorset for adults and young people, from age 11 upwards. We recognise that we can do more to help increase mental health service

accessibility for all and are working hard to address this. If you have any suggestions for how we can better support people from marginalised backgrounds who are experiencing mental health difficulties, please email your suggestions to contact@dorsetmind.uk Why not volunteer for us and help us ensure that no one in Dorset faces a mental health problem alone?

For details, visit dorsetmind.uk/get-involved/volunteerfor-us. Together, we can help to reduce mental health inequality in this unequal world. dorsetmind.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 103

Body & Mind

TRIATHLON

Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

W

e not only provide all age groups of the local community with group exercise classes but also organise events sponsored by local businesses. We are delighted to be returning to our popular 5k series on 17th October, raising funds and awareness for Sherborne Community Kitchen (sign up via our website and help support this fantastic charity). Recently, we hosted a sportive at The Story Pig and a ‘colour run’ and triathlon at Leweston School. But, some of you may wish to ask, what is a triathlon and should I be wanting to participate in one? A triathlon is an athletic contest consisting of three different disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. There are several distances in which you can compete, but three in particular are most popular. The shortest distance is a sprint which consists of a 400m swim, 20km cycle and a 5km run. Next is an Olympic distance consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and a 10km run. The longest, and therefore most gruelling, is a full Ironman consisting of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and a 42km run! Whichever triathlon you choose, the idea is to complete all three disciplines, including the transition between, as fast as you possibly can. Let us take you through the journey from start to finish.

104 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Swim: This is the discipline that most people dislike!

It can be completed in a swimming pool for the shorter distances, or open water such as a lake or sea for longer distances. Swimming pool start times are structured, with specific starting times allotted, allowing only a limited number of triathletes in the pool at any given time. An open water swim tends to be a rolling start – carnage! Most triathlons give you a timing chip to record your time, with a breakdown of each segment.

T1: This is transition one – where you get out of the water and head straight to your bike. Against the clock there is no time for shower or to dry yourself ! Take off your wetsuit (if an open water swim), put on your t-shirt with race number on the back, slip into your cycling shoes and you are off !

Cycle: This is the discipline that most enjoy – you don’t have to cycle downhill! It can be a strange experience cycling whilst wet, but you soon get used to it. Due to the long distances, there are no marshals so keeping an eye on the bright coloured arrows to give you direction is hugely important! The cycling leg provides a great opportunity to hydrate and refuel.

Triathletes often carry water, an electrolyte drink too for longer distances, as well as a source of nutrition such as energy gels. This discipline can make or break your

COLOUR OFFER Colour & Cut £100

To welcome our new GOLD Level stylist Shaun to Salon on the Green, enjoy this amazing colour offer in October and November only To book, call 01935 477838 www.salononthegreen.co.uk 1, St Johns House, Church St, Yeovil BA20 1HE Gena Melendrez/Shutterstock

overall time, so a huge effort is needed. Just hope and pray for no punctures!

T2: This is transition two – coming off the bike to rack. Helmet off, cycling shoes off, turn your race number from the back to the front, running shoes on and away you go – just like that!

Run: This is a very strange sensation, using the same muscle groups as the cycle but the different motion can give you ‘jelly legs’ before you find your rhythm. At this point you may be flagging, yet knowing it is the final segment of a triathlon helps keep you going!

A combination of spectators cheering you on, more energy gel and your previous training help push you over the finish line. All that is left now is an unbelievable sense of achievement and a huge sense of well-being. So, there you have it, a triathlon.

Next time you see us promoting an event, you will know what a triathlon is, how hard it is to complete, but how worthwhile it can be if finished. Now is the time to set your fitness goals for the winter months, maybe some of you will ponder on whether a triathlon is right for you. Stay safe, stay healthy. communifit.co.uk

T&C'S. Offer not in conjunction with any other offer. Colour and cut must be booked together, on the same day. Colour offer does not include Balayage/colour corrections or Ombre.

A skin must be applied 48 hours prior to your appointment

YogaSherborne Classes inside and outside

Sherborne, Milborne Port and Trent • Hatha Yoga • Relaxation and guided meditation Contact Dawn for more details 07817 624081 @yogasherborne hello@yogasherborne.co.uk Yoga Alliance qualified teacher

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 sherbornetimes.co.uk | 105

Body & Mind

WHY PERSONAL TRAINING? WHAT IS IT REALLY?

O

Simon Partridge BSc (Sports Science), Personal Trainer SPFit

ver my 16 years of being a personal trainer I believe ‘listening’ to my clients about why they want a personal trainer is an important skill. We can all be passionate about our business but talking to clients about why they use a coach and what they want to get out of personal training is always illuminating. Having set up a private studio in Sherborne more than six years ago has given me a valuable insight into people’s motivations for that.

The Pandemic Lockdown and Covid

Lockdown has affected different people in different ways. I could write numerous articles on this topic alone. But from the regular flow of new clients that we are now seeing, it is safe to say that lockdown has had a detrimental effect on many people’s physical and mental health. Suffice to say that personal training and good coaching can help.

Motivation

Many people just aren’t motivated to exercise on their own; others want to be pushed beyond their limits. But the really pleasing outcome is that when clients start to see results, they become more motivated.

Goals and Results

The range of clients’ goals never ceases to amaze me: losing weight/body shape or specific health goals, running a 5km or a marathon, press-ups and pull-ups to deadlifting twice bodyweight. The list is endless and fascinating. Once you have a goal, you need a plan to put into practice in order to achieve the desired results.

Nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing a client achieve their goal.

106 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Improving Technique and New Skills

Personal training is coaching. Andy Murray and Mo Farah have coaches. Coaching is for beginners to advanced athletes and anyone in between. Knowledge is power. A new skill can keep you motivated, whilst improving your technique can improve your performance. Improving your performance will get you better results. Again, coaching new exercises or drills is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a personal trainer. When a client says ‘I never thought I would be able to do that’, I know we have done something special.

Progression

Clients want to know that what they are doing makes a difference. Coaches often talk about periodisation – this is where we train for a specific period for a specific goal. At the start of a new programme the body and the mind can be challenged in a whole new way. It stops boredom, which leads onto the final point below.

Fun

This is the bottom line. You can be motivated, achieve your goals and keep progressing, but nothing beats having fun. ‘Crossfit’ and yoga for example have all changed what many of us do in the ‘gym’. These are all so rewarding to coach as we see so many people doing amazing things.

In conclusion, whether you train on your own or with a personal trainer, I hope you achieve your goals and really enjoy your training. Good luck and never be afraid to ask any question. None of us stop learning, most of all me. spfit-sherborne.co.uk

Half Term

Holiday Activities

25-29 October

osc_info@sherborne.com

www.oxleysc.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 107

Brister&Son Independent Family Funeral Directors

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

Choice of Hearses available including our Land Rover Hearse

A J Wakely& Sons

Independent Family Funeral Directors – 24 Hour Service –

Helping the bereaved of Sherborne and Yeovil for over 30 years

Sherborne 01935 816 817 ˙ Yeovil 01935 479 913 Pre-payment plans available www.ajwakely.com Please contact Clive Wakely, or a member of our dedicated team for any advice or guidance.

108 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

LOCAL, INDEPENDENT AND IMPARTIAL Trust us with your hearing health...

Clinical ear treatments with expert audiologists and the most advanced hearing aid technology CELEBRATING 20 YEARS IN SHERBORNE

       

The very latest HEARING AID INNOVATION Ear wax removal with MICROSUCTION Hearing tests with RHAD qualified audiologists Custom SWIM PLUGS for all ages Protection with SOUNDGEAR Ear Defenders Bone Conduction HEADPHONES Family-run and HCPC registered provider Experienced and IMPARTIAL advice

t: 01935 815647

*Girlings T&Cs: one offer per customer

*OFFER* We're supporting Sherborne FiverFest 9-23 October with 2 packs of hearing aid batteries in-store for £5 (usually £7.80)

Girlings Complete Hearing | 4 Swan Yard | Sherborne DT9 3AX

www.girlinghearingaids.co.uk

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 110 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

New Instructions this month: Lettings & Property Management

Sherborne

Marston Magna

Three-bedroom, two reception room period town house close to centre, two attic rooms/home-offices, enclosed garden.

Two-bedroom semi-detached home, sitting/dining room with timber flooring and wood burning stove, modern kitchen and bathroom, garden and parking.

Near Corscombe

Independent Letting Agent representing town and country property throughout Somerset and Dorset

Coming Soon

Lakeside apartment, sitting room with lovely views, double bedroom, galley kitchen, modern bathroom.

Yeovil Two-bedroom semi-detached house.

Corscombe Two-bedroom cottage.

Barwick

1 Horsecastles, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3FB

Detached cottage in quiet setting, open plan kitchen/living, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, attic room/study, paved terrace, ample parking, gardening included.

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

Milborne Port

Sherborne Three-bedroom detached family home.

Bridport (Broadoak) Three-bedroom semi-detached house (agricultural tie).

Two-bedroom coach house, open plan living/kitchen, two double bedrooms, modern bathroom, parking, garage.

Milborne Port Two-bedroom mid-terrace modern house.

www.stockwoodlettings.co.uk

FREE*

Georgia toilet Heating installation specialist & basin with Oil, Gas , every LPG ,bathroom Renewables order All general plumbing

COVID-19 - SAFEGUARDING CUSTOMERS & COLLEAGUES FREE*

FREE*

Georgia toilet & basin with every bathroom order

Georgia toilet & basin with every bathroom order

07943 868726

patrick@patricksplumbingandheating.co.uk Bathing a problem? www.patricksplumbingandheating.co.uk

Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • • • • •

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

COVID 19 SAFEGUARDING CUSTOMERS & COLLEAGUES

• Wet rooms • Disabled Facilities Grants • Walk in showers and baths • Zero VAT on disabled bathrooms • Waterproof wall panelling • Discounts for over 60s, SSAFA and • Slip resistant safety flooring EX Service personnel • Grab rails, shower seats & raised toilets info@ahminstallations.co.uk www.ahminstallations.co.uk Automatic bidet loos * Terms and conditions apply, visit•• our website for more details.

Established family business

Call for friendly advice and free survey and quote

Discover 134 x94.indd 4

01935 872007 / 07715 867145 waynesbusiness@aol.com

– we can help

• Wet rooms • Disabled Facilities Grants • Walk in showers and baths • Discounts for over 60s and | 9.19/10 • Waterproof wall panelling EX Service personnel • Slip resistant safety flooring • Charity work and grants a problem?

- we–can Bathing a problem? wehelp can help • Grab rails, shower seats &Bathing raised toilets

• Wet rooms • Walk in showers and baths 02382 543308 • Waterproof wall panelling • Slip resistant safety

flooring • Grab rails & shower seats • Zero VAT on disabled bathrooms Discounts for over 60s SSAFA and Ex Service COVID-19• - SAFEGUARDING CUSTOMERS & COLLEAGUES Now taking orders for pre-Christmas• fittings 03/11/2020 personnel Disabled Facilities Grants Call for friendly advice and free survey and quote • Charity workopen and grants Showroom 7 days,

01823 729564 info@ahminstallations.co.uk Call for our friendly advice, www.ahminstallations.co.uk

free survey and quote

* Terms and conditions apply, visit our website for more information.

Blackdown Garden Centre, Hockholler West Buckland TA21 9HY 01823 661910

01935 317 643

info@ahminstallations.co.uk www.ahminstallations.co.uk

Wellington 145 x 215 Sept.indd 1

*

08:04

19/09/2020 13:29

Terms and conditions apply, visit our website for more details.

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 111

Home

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS Annabelle Hunt, Colour Consultant, Bridport Timber & Flooring

Image: Farrow & Ball 112 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

G

rowing up in rural Dorset before the invention of online shopping, fast fashion was not an option. It was a case of finding an absolute gem in a charity shop or making something myself. I try to encourage the same values in my own daughters, although years ago on my eldest’s first trip to London, the bright lights of Oxford Street proved too tempting, so we agreed that I would brave Top Shop so long as she would come to Liberty. It was something of an education for her. The contrast between the harshly lit chain stores and the iconic Liberty building, like a great ship filled with treasures docked just around the corner, couldn’t be greater. The problems associated with the fashion industry have increased enormously and they don’t just apply to our wardrobes but also our homes. When it comes to interiors, just as in our wardrobes, it is a good idea to know what colours and styles suit us best and to not allow ourselves to be easily led by fads and trends.

So, imagine my absolute delight when Farrow & Ball told me they were collaborating with Liberty to produce an original edit of 15 Archive Colours alongside complementary interiors fabrics from Liberty’s Modern Collector range. When Arthur Lasenby Liberty founded his emporium back in 1875, it was with a singular vision driven by a love of travel, art and culture and the desire to showcase beautiful textiles and objects curated from around the globe. It became a destination for artists, collectors, and those with a taste for the unique – beloved by creative superstars of the day such as Oscar Wilde and William Morris. Put together by both F&B and Liberty experts, the collection pays homage to two of the most iconic British brands’ archives and celebrates both their historic lineages of craftsmanship and design. Inspired by the spirit of the collector, three print stories from the Liberty archive have been redrawn and recoloured so the Liberty aesthetic and Arthur’s spirit of discovery lives on in these beautiful designs, which are available in both fabrics and wallpapers. You might think that such a rich mix of pattern and colour could feel too intense and overly decorative, but there are designs to suit all tastes. Leading the collection is a fresh reworking of one of Liberty’s best-loved prints, originally dating from 1910. Choose from a large-scale design, an intricate Arts and Crafts floral, or a large-scale paisley, all inspired by shawls. A celebration of botanical illustration or a bold tulip design reimagined in tonal colour combinations, both printed on cotton velvet. A contemporary reworking of an iconic leaf-and-berry Liberty print, or an antique Tree of Life motif simplified for modern interiors. The delicacy of lace and silk designs formed from original pencil sketches of flowers or a true heritage icon which has adorned Liberty designs since the mid-1890s. To create a look you can live with, the trick is to balance a standout piece with a simple but beautiful backdrop. F&B’s richly pigmented paints are perfect for doing exactly that. Pair a much-loved piece of furniture, beautiful curtains in a bold design or a fabulous lampshade with a gorgeous colour on the wall. With typically evocative names like Fruit Fool, Pantalon or Chemise, it will be sure to bring you joy every day and won’t be something you tire of in a few short years.

The 15 Archive Colours chosen to complement the Liberty fabrics will be available in 100ml sample pots, each decorated with one of the Liberty designs. bridporttimber.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113

Legal

DEBT RECOVERY AFTER COVID John Osman, Dispute Solicitor, Mogers Drewett

B

usinesses and landlords across the country are still feeling the financial pressure of unpaid invoices and rent following the coronavirus pandemic. As life slowly starts to return to normal action needs to be taken now to secure payment of these debts. There are options available to both landlords and businesses who need to maximise their cash flow in these uncertain times.

It has been reported that the country’s largest banks are recruiting more than 700 new staff to their own debt collection teams. These staff will be in contact with individuals and businesses who have defaulted on loans and mortgage payments in the coming months.

If you are owed money it is better to start pursuing your debts, rather than wait to be pursued by your creditors.

If you are owed money you need to remember the three P’s and be: • Positive • Proactive • Prompt You need to be Positive

Although the current economic outlook is uncertain, you need to be positive and remember that there is still a good chance that you can recover the debt.

You need to be Proactive

The courts have indicated that they would welcome businesses and landlords being proactive and initially gently reminding their debtors upon the sums owed.

By writing in a friendly, constructive tone you can take steps to ascertain your debtor’s true financial position.

114 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Once they have responded, if you are willing to be flexible you can work with them to discuss repayment options and their credit limits. If an amicable agreement can be reached, that is cost effective and good news, however, make sure you stay in regular contact and make sure they provide regular financial statements outlining their current debt and their ability to pay.

Don’t be afraid to ask for debt payments to be increased, if your debtor’s financial position improves.

You need to act Promptly

If your debtor refuses to correspond with you or fails to make any repayments, you need to act promptly to prevent the debt escalating.

At this point you should consider instructing a dispute resolution solicitor. Instructing a solicitor does not mean that the situation needs to turn hostile, they will use many tools to recover sums for clients, which include: • Informal letters encouraging your debtor to respond • Formal letters seeking Payment Agreements • Letters Before Action, officially commencing the litigation process • Legal proceedings, should not resolution be found Debt collection can be hugely stressful and present a significant distraction for business owners. Should you reach an impasse with your debtor, handing over the process to a dispute solicitor could be a liberating and time-saving decision. mogersdrewett.com

NAVIGATING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

ON YOUR SIDE, AT YOUR SIDE FOR: For Individuals

For Businesses • Land & Rural Estates

• Mergers & Acquisitions

• Lasting Powers of Attorney

• Residential Property

• Farm Succession Planning

• Commercial Contracts

• Family

• Wills & Inheritance

• Commercial Property

• Employment & HR

• Later Life Support

• Tax & Trust Advice

• Business Start Up

• Dispute Resolution

• Dispute Resolution

• Financial Planning

• Probate & Estate Planning

Our experts are here to help – get in touch today.

mogersdrewett.com | 01935 813691 | enquiries@mogersdrewett.com

Finance

WHAT IS FINANCIAL PLANNING?

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

O

ne definition provided by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (the financial body for Certified Financial Planners) is, ‘Financial planning is a professional service for individuals, their families, and businesses, who need objective assistance in organising their financial affairs to achieve their financial and lifestyle objectives more readily’. It’s a six-step process: 1. Identify your goals in life – short, medium and long-term. 2. Work out what assets and liabilities you have – write them down. 3. Evaluate your current financial position – how close are you to achieving your goals? 4. Build a plan – create a route map for achieving your different goals. 5. Implement your plan – make the changes that are needed. 6. Monitor and review your plan at least yearly and make adjustments when needed.

That’s the technical definition out of the way. It seems rather dry, doesn’t it? In truth, real financial planning is about providing answers to many of the most troubling questions; Will I be okay? Will I run out of money at any point? Can I afford to help my children financially while I am alive? Can you help me become financially well organised? Can you give me peace of mind regarding my investment decisions? What do I need to do to retire comfortably? Will my wife/husband/partner be secure in the event of my death? What if I need long-term care?

How do we stop worrying and live our lives to the full? Will we have enough money to do the things we want to do? How can we get organised and not worry that there are things we should be doing, but aren’t?

‘The hardest thing about getting started, is getting started.’ How many of us have short, medium and long-term goals? Nobel prize-winner, Daniel Kahneman, demonstrated that most people are very good at making quick decisions that affect their lives in the short term at the expense of medium and long-term decisions. After all, it’s easier to buy a new car than to save money for the distant future. Goal setting really is the most important stage of financial planning. It can also be simpler sometimes than we imagine. A common goal, not always clearly expressed, is to become financially independent from working at a certain age. Goal setting is similar to the picture on the front of the jigsaw puzzle. You need to understand what you’re looking at before putting the right pieces in place. A good financial planner, one who is experienced in asking questions and providing coaching, can be instrumental in this regard. ffp.org.uk

116 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

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

FFP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

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

AHEAD IN THE CLOUD Our real-time cloud accounting solutions present you with a full picture of your financial position 24/7, allowing you to proactively plan and respond ahead of tax deadlines.

For a fresh take on your accounts, speak to Hunts

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

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 117

Tech

LET’S TALK ABOUT EMAIL ADDRESSES...

FREE ONE OR PAID FOR? James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

Y

our email is just as important as any of your other IT services, so you will want to make sure you’re getting the best value for money, as well as the best possible service. There are lots of free email options out on the market (Gmail, Hotmail etc.), and those offered free by your ISP (BT, TalkTalk, Sky etc), but does it make sense to use them if you’re running a business or want to change your Internet Service Provider? Paying for an email service means that you can easily send & receive emails through your own domain name, so you can have a professional email address like yourname@yourdomain.com. It makes your company look professional, and it will make your service seem more credible.

If you’ve already got a website, then you should be able to get an email address to match. Don’t join those I’ve seen who advertise a website and then a free email address; it looks so tacky. If you pay to host your email through private server hosting, or through a service like Google Apps or Office 365 then you will also get a more reliable service compared to free email hosting.

You will also have dedicated customer service and support; plus, the server you choose to host with most likely has higher security in place. Additionally, services like Office 365 offer extras such as cloud storage, and email access on the go, which can be particularly useful if you need to access your email remotely.

The big pro with a free service is that the service is free, and if you’re a small business which doesn’t rely heavily on emails to get in touch with clients or customers, then you can most likely get by for a while 118 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

using a free email client. You don’t necessarily have to live with a @gmail.com or @hotmail.com domain either. Gmail easily lets you use their system to send emails from your own domain, however you need to have your domain set up to handle this. You can usually use the free email services that your DNS offers (usually limited to one free email address) to set up the initial server and then filter it through Gmail, Yahoo or whatever free service you want to use. However, these free services aren’t as secure, and you’ll have to live with adverts in and around your emails. What’s more, if you’re on a free service, then your email may not be routed with priority.

A word of warning if you have an email address provided through your Internet Service Provider (such as BT, Talk Talk or Sky), if you change your provider for a better deal, which we would encourage you to do, then you run the risk of losing that email address when you swap, or having to start paying monthly to keep it going. If you’re a small business, the attraction of a free email service might be the fact that you don’t have to deal with the cost of running an email server. However, it can cost very little to host email. Some private servers can cost just a few pounds a month, and full packages such as Google Apps or Office 365 cost between £5 and £10 per month, so cost should never be a factor when it comes to ensuring the best email service for you! The choice as always, is yours, but if you think you need advice, you know where to come. computing-mp.co.uk

Advertisement

STUCK IN THE WEB Laura Staples, Partner Head of Private Client, Humphries Kirk

O

nline accounts can lead to unexpected difficulties after a death. Social media can provide reminders of memories which may be comforting but can also cause distress. These include invites to events or suggestions to you to ‘help them celebrate’ a birthday. These reminders come regularly and have caused some to turn away from social media.

If you have chosen to prepare, you can deactivate your account during your lifetime. Some will not have time or the opportunity to do this. It is important to know what can be done after someone dies.

Facebook have provision for a ‘legacy contact’, someone you nominate during your lifetime to look after a memorialised account. They can accept or respond to friend requests, post a tribute or change a profile picture. The security and settings determine what can happen. Once Facebook are notified of a death the word ‘remembering’ appears on your profile and you will not appear on ‘people you may know’ or ‘birthday’

REFRESHINGLY HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY At Humphries Kirk, we like to keep it simple and we like to keep it personal.

It’s an approach that has served us and our clients well, for almost 300 years.

reminders. You can choose for your Facebook account to be permanently deleted. These options require a decision about your digital profile before you have died.

Twitter allows someone authorised to act on behalf of the estate or a family member to deactivate an account.

Instagram will memorialise an account upon receiving a valid request, and evidence of death. Family members or a legal representative of the estate can request an account be deleted, on evidence of the legal or personal relationship.

A digital Executor can be nominated, ideally the same as the Executors in a Will. A digital Executor should be given details of any online accounts. The details should not be contained in a Will as it eventually becomes a public document.

Making a Will and deciding how assets should be dealt with, is accepted. The rapid rise of online working and being ever more dependent on the internet, needs to be considered too. We can advise and assist you in planning how your digital and physical estates are managed after your death.

120 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

IN CONVERSATION WITH LORD CHARLES ALLEN David Birley Labour Peer, industry heavyweight and now Milborne Port resident, Lord Allen of Kensington is the co-owner of the imposing Ven House and the village’s award-winning Clockspire restaurant.

DB: What was your childhood like?

CA: I was born in Lanark in Scotland, the youngest in the family. My mother was forty when she had me, my brother was 12 years older than me and my sister 19 years. We were a very working-class family – my father was a hairdresser. I had quite a happy childhood and I was lucky that, though we were relatively poor, we had a good lifestyle. We didn’t have any extravagances, but I wasn’t impoverished from an emotional perspective at all – I was very close to my mum. Memories of home and school life are pretty positive. I felt very fortunate that I went to the local primary school and did reasonably well. Sadly, my father died when I was 14 – my brother and sister had left home, and we had to sell the business and the house and move into a council house. My mother, who was then in her 50s, had to go out and work for the first time in her life – this was as a waitress in the directors’ dining room of British Steel which is how I got my first job. She was serving the personnel director and heard him talking about a pregraduate programme and told him I was a bright boy – maybe I could get an interview. Although I had been offered places at Edinburgh and Glasgow universities and my mum desperately wanted me to go, I knew the family could not afford it, so I started my career with British Steel.

DB: What did you do?

CA: British Steel was losing a fortune in those days, but the training was amazing. You worked in different departments such as frontline, personnel and accounting for six months.

DB: How did your career progress?

CA: Aged 21 I was the youngest middle manager in British Steel, which was unusual. I had an old clapped-out Mini when I saw an ad for an operational auditor with car. I got the job which was working for Gallaghers in Scotland and then they moved me to London and I started looking for other jobs. Aged 23 I went to the Middle East to work for Grand Met. I then became chief exec of Compass Vending and then chief exec of Compass. Next, I joined Granada as chairman and CEO of the leisure division, which included motorway services and nightclubs. I then asked to go to Granada TV, my boss said, ‘You don’t know anything about TV.’ I replied, ‘Take a chance on me.’ During my time we bought 15 different companies and by pulling off a regulatory coup to stop the merger of Carlton and United, we created ITV and I was the chief exec. When I reached 50 I thought of retiring – my dad had died when he was 57 – and I had this thing in my head that you don’t go on forever.

I thought of buying a vineyard in South Africa, but my partner said I would drink the profits! My subsequent roles have included being chairman or having a senior role in EMI, Virgin Media, Goldman Sachs, the Home Office, the Commonweath Games, the 2012 Olympics and the British Red Cross. I am currently chairman of Balfour Beatty and Global Media and Entertainment which includes LBC, Classic FM, Capital, Heart, Smooth and other stations.

DB: Why do you think you have been so successful?

CA: I think that is down to two things of which tenacity is the most important. I am driven more by fear of failure than the need for success. Given the choice of a more difficult or easy option, I will always choose the harder one like when I chose the media side of Granada. Secondly, I am very focussed on people and like to build up relationships with people – it is people who make massive differences. I spend a lot of time >

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 121

mentoring chief execs on listening to people and how to make a difference – that’s what gives me a kick.

DB: Looking back, is there a message you would give your younger self ?

CA: I think I was never confident enough – because of my background I did not feel secure. I would say to my younger self, ‘Believe in yourself more.’ Recognise that the abilities you have can make a difference.

DB: Do you have any regrets?

CA: Many, specifically things I could have done better. You can’t rectify regrets but you can do things better. If I have failed or made a mistake, I have sorted it out quickly. A good example being the Granada consolidation when tenacity kicked in – I was not going to lose the battle so we fought back and won.

DB: You have seen a lot of changes in business and society, what have particularly struck you and have they been for the good?

CA: We have never experienced anything like the last 18 months with the pandemic. What has really changed is people thinking about how they want to live their lives. My yearly life was climbing up the greasy pole of corporate success, whereas young executives now don’t want to live the lives their parents did in the sense that it was all work – not because they are lazy but because they want to lead a different life. Coming out of the pandemic there is going to be a lot of change, which is the biggest difference I will have seen in over 40 years of business. Of the companies I am involved with six out of 10 people would want to go back to ‘normal’, two are not quite sure and the other two are saying we want to live differently. I think this is a fundamental change for corporate Britain – we have never seen anything like it before. Various companies are handling this differently and some don’t know how to as there is no rule book for this and I find it fascinating. How we create the new model requires a different mindset. The best job ever was when I was mayor of the Olympic Village in 2012, which I found very motivational because you saw the dedication of the competitors. I have also recently taken on the role of chairman of the Invictus Games – the competitors’ tenacity humbles me.

DB: Do you have further ambitions?

CA: I hate the word retirement. I am 64 and left full-time employment, in the sense of one job, aged 50 so for the last 14 years I have been doing plural things.

I will never stop. I talk about refocussing rather than retirement. The more challenging and interesting things 122 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

that I don’t know about appeal to me. I am still learning and enjoy it.

DB: What brought you to Milborne Port?

CA: My partner! I have lived in London for 34 years. Having come here I love it. London can be very anonymous and you may not know your neighbour.

This is a special place and we really enjoy being part of the local church and community and being accepted by them. We are also involved with the local school and opened their extension building.

DB: What made you decide to open the Clockspire?

CA: We drove past the old school and I thought it was an amazing building but completely rundown and it had asbestos problems but we thought it could be a restaurant. We teamed up with friends who have a restaurant and bid for it at auction and then invested substantially in it. We have a great young team who are doing a very good job and it is getting great reviews for its food and for its ambience. What I love about the restaurant is that a lot of the ingredients come from our garden here.

DB: What do you do in your down time?

CA: Down time is very important and coming to Ven I can completely relax whereas London is still pretty hectic. We are also fortunate enough to have a boat which we keep in Majorca. Ven is great for entertainment and we can spend quality time with friends. We don’t do groups, just a few couples for a weekend. We love simple pleasures like walking our dogs who also love going on the jet ski of our boat!

DB: Do you have a personal wish?

CA: I think as you get older the only wish you should have is for your health. In the last 18 months I have lost both my brother and sister to cancer. It doesn’t matter what you have materially unless you have the good health to enjoy it and I think the pandemic has heightened that for many people. Also, to retain our friends and family for as long as possible.

DB: Do you have a wish for our area?

CA: I think there is great potential to put it on the destination map. Places like the Newell, Hauser and Wirth, the Clockspire are helping to change the perspective of the area. This hopefully will bring more people to the area and to appreciate it and stay in it rather than just through it. Sherborne is such a great place with very good shops. More people coming would be great for both jobs and development. theclockspire.com

• Are you looking to move home?

Your mortgage is probably the largest commitment and investment you will ever make.

• Are you planning any home improvements?

That is why it is so important to make sure you have the right mortgage that suits your individual circumstances.

• When did you last review your mortgage?

• Do you need to reduce your mortgage payments?

• Is your current fixed rate coming to an end or do you need to remortgage?

As part of a fully independent and authorised firm our adviser, Chris Towell, is able to research every mortgage product available to the independent market, including those which are not available on the high street.

The first appointment is free of charge and we will then provide you with a tailor-made solution for your needs.

We believe in making the mortgage application process easy and straightforward for our clients, helping you to understand mortgages.

We will provide our clients with an outstanding supportive service throughout

Call us today on

01935 317707

to arrange your FREE initial consultation 86 CHEAP STREET, SHERBORNE, DT9 3BJ afwm.co.uk

@AFWMLtd

AtkinsFerrieWealthManagementLTD

Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management is a trading style of AFWM Ltd. Company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No 07502341. Registered Office:Lakeside Offices, The Old Cattle Market, Coronation Park, Helston, Cornwall TR13 0SR. AFWM Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No 607283.

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

Short Story

MR POSITANO’S PECCADILLO

A

Jenny Campbell, The Sherborne Scribblers

utumn brought the usual scattering of fallen apples in the orchard. Russet, pale gold and cidery, they lay in the damp grass, waiting to be collected by the two women. That September also brought Mr Positano and a wealth of speculation to the village.

May Bartlett, mother of three grown sons and recently widowed, stooped to pick up an apple, rose stiffly and examined the fruit for signs of worms before popping it into one of the baskets. She rubbed her back, glad of a rest, and turned to her younger sister.

‘Well, our Jess, what do you make of this Italian that has just bought old Jacob’s cottage?’

Jess ran the local post office and was always the first to know about any newcomers to the village. It irked her, therefore, that after a week she had still not had occasion to speak to the man; even though, just the day before, he had tipped his Panama hat to her while passing on the other side of the street.

‘Hmm,’ she replied sharply, ‘a man of mystery since you’re asking me. He could be one of the Mafia or even a spy for all we know.’ This, you understand, was in the late 1950s when vivid war time memories continued to linger in the minds of many.

May gave one of her knowing half-smiles. She had once been on a church excursion to Paris and liked to convey the impression of being ‘worldly’.

‘Some men do like a bit of mystery about ‘em, my dear. But our young Fred seemed to think he was a decent enough chap after he came into the Crown last evening.’

Jess shook her head and returned to picking up apples with an over-the-shoulder, ‘Early days, our Maisie, early days. There’ll be summat. Just you wait and see.’ And, indeed, it was not long before rumours of Mr Positano’s little peccadillo began to spread.

By this time, the days were getting shorter and cooler; and the little Italian had exchanged his cream linen jacket for a good Harris tweed. With his neat, clipped moustache, gold signet ring and pomaded grey hair he cut a rare and dapper figure at the bar of the Rose and Crown among the burly farmers, local businessmen and passing strangers on a regular Friday night when few women chose to be there.

‘So, what really brought you to our little village, then, Mr P?’ asked one of the Bartlett boys a month or so after that gentleman’s arrival. Prompted by his mother, he was determined to find out more than the fact that Mr Positano had gone from Italy to Scotland between the two world wars to help in his uncle’s ice-cream business in Glasgow and that he was now retired.

‘A dream, mio figlio, a dream,’ said Mr Positano. ‘I was a boy, just 18, when I left my family in southern Italy. My father, grandfather and many generations before were all fishermen and very poor so it was natural for young men like me to emigrate to Britain and America where they could earn money to send home. My uncle Alfredo had been in Glasgow since the end of the nineteenth century and he had built up a good business with the help of his Scottish wife, Jeannie.’

124 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

‘And did you, yourself, marry?’ broke in Lionel Braidwood, a local solicitor.

A soft, sweet smile lit up the face of Mr Positano. ‘Si. Mia bellissima, Linda. Sadly, she died giving birth to our son, Paulo, who also died a few hours later. Babies then were mostly born at home and there was nothing the doctor and the nurse could do to save either.’

‘And you never married again, Mr Positano?’ said young Fred Bartlett, close to tears. ‘No, Fred. Later, at the beginning of the war, I was interned on the Isle of Man, along with so many Italians. A terrible, bitter time for me when all I could think of was Linda, work and, one day, returning to Italy – to somewhere warm instead of the cold north and the sea gales. But I never did as there were so few of my relatives left in Campania. And then, of course, there was always my little peccadillo. So, I carried on working in Glasgow and dreamed of buying a cottage with a garden in a little English village in the sun – just like yours.’

Every ear round the bar went on red alert and some of the men even put down their glasses on the mahogany counter in order to listen better.

‘Pecker what?’ asked Fred.

‘A little indiscretion, of no account,’ said Lionel who looked at Mr Positano and winked, man to man-like.‘Cherchez la femme, eh, Positano?’

‘Ah, si,’ said that gentleman who, despite pleadings for more about this story, refused to be drawn further and merely lifted his own glass saying, ‘My round now I think, gentlemen.’

When May Bartlett, all agog, heard about this ‘pecker summat’ from young Fred, she gave another of her knowing smiles while her sister, Jess, now fully justified in her own opinion of the newcomer, said ‘There! Didn’t I tell you there was summat?’

The villagers enjoyed being party to Mr Positano’s indiscretion – some creating their own exotic version of it – and maintained a kind of village loyalty to one of their own which he quickly became. But, when invited into his kitchen, none noticed the framed picture on a wall next to the fridge. For one thing, it was all writing. In Italian. So, they never could have guessed that this was the ice-cream recipe, stolen from his employer back home and brought to Glasgow where it made uncle and nephew a small fortune. Mr Positano’s little peccadillo.

Design, Installation & Maintenance of Commercial, Industrial & Domestic Ventilation Systems Please contact Steve Martin for advice on 01747 839758 or 07966 535810 steve.martin@expert-air.co.uk Expert Air Limited Heating & Ventilation Engineers Kington Magna, Dorset www.expert-air.co.uk

Suppliers and Manufacturers of quality Signage, Graphics and Embroidered Workwear

T: 01935 816767

info@swsigns-sherborne.co.uk www.swsigns-sherborne.co.uk

Unit 14, 0ld Yarn Mills, Sherborne Dorset DT9 3RQ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 125

Literature

126 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

SIMON HEFFER What’s in a Diary?

‘A

Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society

nd what is more dull than a discreet diary? One might as well have a discreet soul.’ So wrote Henry ‘Chips’ Channon in July 1935. Channon (1897-1958) was a wealthy American who, from the end of the First World War lived in England and, untroubled by the need to earn a living, became a fixture in the upper reaches of society. His diaries are a unique record of the period; observant, acute, waspish, and often wickedly funny. Simon Heffer will be talking about the diaries to the Sherborne Literary Society on Wednesday 20th October.

Indeed, the diaries are so indiscreet that when they were first published in 1967, it was only considered possible to produce a highly abridged and expurgated version. Dr Heffer’s new edition, of which the second of three monumental volumes has just been published, reveals Channon’s diaries in all their scandalous glory.

Diaries are a genre of almost infinite variety, one of the delights of English literature, opening the door to so many aspects of our history; Francis Kilvert’s diaries record the gentle rural existence of a clergyman in the Welsh Marches in the 1870s; Field Marshal Alanbrooke’s diaries, written 70 years later, record the high strategy and deep stress of command during the Second World War. There could be no greater contrast. Likewise, Tony Benn’s diaries record the ebb and flow of late 20th Century British politics with a high-minded seriousness, whereas Kenneth Williams’s diaries are a mordantly witty commentary on a parallel, theatrical, thespian world. Benjamin Haydon’s diaries record the struggles of an insecure and unsuccessful painter in the early 19th Century, Arnold Bennett’s the life and work of a confident and acclaimed novelist a century later.

Over the centuries, diarists have come from many walks of life and a wide variety of occupations. Monarchs, politicians, aristocrats, and generals have all left their diaries for posterity, but so too have writers, artists, actors, poets, clergymen, journalists, composers, lawyers, businessmen, prisoners, and children as well as a host of otherwise unremarkable people, men and women, who put pen to paper, day after day, year after year.

The question which hangs over all diaries, from Pepys and John Evelyn in the 17th Century to the present day, is why? Why do people keep diaries? What motivates them to keep going? Mae West famously remarked, ‘I always say, keep a diary and some day it’ll keep you,’ but the prospect of publication for financial gain does not drive most diarists. Creating a record of one’s life and times, however humdrum, is an obvious motive; so too is the need to express oneself, to let off steam, and to order one’s thoughts. For others, it becomes a habit, part of their persona. One expert in the genre suggested that, ‘Maybe, at its simplest, diary-writing is a personal way of imposing some kind of order on the chaos of the world around us.’ sherborneliterarysociety.com

______________________________________________________ Wednesday 20th October 7pm An Evening with Historian Simon Heffer on his Diaries of Chips Channon, Volumes One and Two The Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne. Members £9, non-members £10 (+ booking fee). Tickets available from sherborneliterarysociety.com/events

______________________________________________________

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 127

GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES Covering South Somerset & North Dorset Small Business Support

Networks & Cabling

New PCs & Laptops

Wireless Networks

Repairs & Upgrades

Broadband Setup

Virus Removal

Disaster Recovery

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

01963 250788

Hi I’m Robin, I’m a graphic designer with over 10 years experience.

No job is too big or too small, get in touch today!

Let’s make your design look AWESOME!

P: 07871 818 741 E: robin@hitopdesign.com

Flyers & brochures | Menus Posters | Business cards Photo restoration | CV design Invitations | Personalised gifts Corporate communications Logo design | Prospectuses Website design | Branding And much more...

W: hitop.design

SEPTEMBER SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Collection in its entirety (8) 5. Fencing sword (4) 9. Debate in a heated manner (5) 10. Design of fashionable clothes (7) 11. Not capable of justification (12) 13. Well-being (6) 14. Type of seasoned sausage (6) 17. Clarification (12) 20. The small details of something (7) 21. Hankered after (5) 22. Noble gas (4) 23. Postponement (8) 128 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

DOWN 1. Outer garment (4) 2. Plant with bright flowers (7) 3. Make a guess that is too high (12) 4. Was deficient in (6) 6. Ball of lead (5) 7. Critical explanation (8) 8. Strengthen; confirm (12) 12. Presiding officer (8) 15. One more (7) 16. Enter a country by force (6) 18. Foreign language (informal) (5) 19. Celebrity hero (4)

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Rosie Cunningham, Sherborne Literary Society

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (4th Estate) £20 (hardcover) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £18 from Winstone’s Books

C

loud Cuckoo Land is the new book from Pulitzer Prize Winner Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See. This is a story within a story which begins with the words ‘Stranger, whoever you are, open this to learn what will amaze you’. The ancient Greek tale from the first century CE, found in a tomb

by Antonius Diogenes who transcribes it and dedicates it to his ailing niece, is a fabulous story about an 80-year-old shepherd who craves a better life. Aethon’s vision is to fly to a utopian city in the sky transformed as a ‘bright strong owl’, however, metamorphosed by supernatural magic, his journey begins as a donkey, then a sea bass and finally a crow before gaining entry to the city in the clouds.

Once there, he realises that despite all its beauty, he was happier as a shepherd.

This storyline finds a parallel in the lives of four children from the past, present, and future, who face man-made cataclysmic events such as war, famine, climate disaster, contagious pandemics, and systematic disinformation.

In the mid-15th Century Anna, from Constantinople, meets up with Omeir from the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria, conscripted by the Sultan’s army to besiege the city, as they are both fleeing the battle. Anna has discovered an ancient wall fresco in a dilapidated archer’s turret and a long-forgotten stained, bound codex found in the ruins of an isolated island priory, both of which feature a city of silver and

sherborneliterarysociety.com

Talk and book signing with Elly Griffiths

Author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Novels

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

bronze towers in the clouds surrounded by birds. Omeir grew up listening to the fantastic stories told by his grandfather which fuel his imagination.

Seymour is brought up in poverty in 21st Century Idaho with undiagnosed ADHD. He forms a bond with Trustyfriend, a great grey owl, who is killed by creeping urbanisation and vows revenge. He plants a bomb in the local library where children are rehearsing the play Cloud Cuckoo Land with their teacher, Zeno Ninis, who had translated the story from ancient Greek.

Konstance lives in the future in a windowless spaceship called the Argos hurtling towards a new planet called Beta Oph2. She is the only survivor of an onboard epidemic which has killed the rest of the people who had fled dying planet Earth. Everything is controlled by Sybil, the onboard computer. Eventually, Konstance, by following owl motifs, works out that her whole existence is a lie based on manipulation by others and that the Argos had never left Earth 65 years earlier.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a magical storytelling of 622 pages, filled with intoxicating imaginative prose and creativity. Through the acquisition of knowledge comes wisdom and enlightenment, signified by the symbol of an owl. The author’s message is that we should cherish what we have. This book is a tale about man’s ignorance, carelessness and greed which is destroying our planet.

The message is pertinent indeed.

AVAILABLE NOW £20 hardback

Thursday 28th October 6.30 for 7pm Cheap Street Church, Sherborne Tickets £5 available in-store

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

M

Gay Barry, Sacred Heart & St Aldhelm Church

ost of us, probably at some time or other, will have responded to a piece of news with, ‘I’m not surprised!’ or something similar. We might say this for a myriad of reasons, including having our predetermined views of others. Today, I was surprised when, while shredding old papers, I came across an account of the life of my mother’s friend from childhood. I was surprised, firstly, to find these papers and then at my own reactions to recorded experiences of WWII and the years following – the living conditions, life’s expectations and so on; all antediluvian compared with today’s lifestyles!

Reading these stories triggered in my mind the following family story: At the outbreak of WWII my mother, London born and bred and now in young adulthood, proudly announced to her mother, ‘To help the war effort, I’ve decided to join the Land Girls.’ A short, stunned, surprised silence ensued, broken by my grandmother laughing, ‘How can you possibly do that?

You’re afraid of spiders!’ – immediately ending my mother’s intentions of retreating to a country lifestyle and causing her to rethink her immediate future.

My own attitudes and directions in life also have been induced by surprised reactions from others, events, or unexpected meetings. My childhood and youth in post-war London were spent happily but coloured by repeated accounts of events and outcomes of that conflict; stories told and retold, based on fact, but embellished by personal judgements regarding the praiseworthy motives and deeds of ‘our side’, or destructive motives and deeds of ‘the enemy’.

Little did I realise that through listening to these stories I was also learning to trust ‘us’, presuming ‘us’ always to be ‘right’ and to despise and fear ‘the other side’, presuming ‘them’ always to be ‘wrong’.

Relatively soon after that conflict, travel across a now peaceful and generally safe Europe made it possible for me with friends to journey on a camping holiday. At campsites, we shared time with ‘strangers’ and at one a particular group made a lasting impression on me. They had heard us speaking and wanting to practice their conversational English, introduced themselves to us. Before long I realised that they were from the nation which I’d more than once been encouraged to distrust, fear and avoid. Surprisingly, while we couldn’t speak their language, they could speak ours – VERY well! Gradually, I became aware that they, nationals of that ‘fearsome country’, were just like us in age, interests, hopes and ambitions. Their hand of friendship was extended, while I was reticent. My negative attitudes, long-held prejudices, fears and distrust were a barrier, but by sharing time together these ingrained and apparently insurmountable barriers began to break down. In our encountering ‘them’ our similarities were highlighted; our common humanity was shared.

It now seems to me that while I’d journeyed geographically, another journey within was occurring – one less reliant on expectations of others and more reliant on openness to ‘them’; one where strangers or competitors became companions. That inner journey led to my belief that life is a response not to my views or expectations, but to others’ insights and to companionship offered. Maybe you too have been surprised by your journeys in life, journeys on which you can look back as positive life-changing experiences?

130 | Sherborne Times | October 2021

Sixth Form Tour Morning Saturday 9 October To attend please contact: admissions@sherborne.org | 01935 810403 sherborne.org

ENROBREHSSUCRICEHT SU WOLLOF

33 CHEAP STREET, SHERBORNE DT9 3PU

01935 816551