Community

TIMES OF CHANGE AT SHERBORNE FOOD BANK

Julie and Kane Clements

Image: Katharine Davies

There’s plenty of ground to cover this month as a lot has been happening since our last article. After Covid restrictions were eased over the summer, demand for our service fell, which was good news. This lull allowed us to carry out a reorganisation of the depot to improve health and safety and we were able to replace old racking with safer wheeled units which make better use of the space. Many thanks to our donors whose generosity enabled these purchases, their kindness also paves the way for essential work to be carried out on the building later this year.

The quiet period also means we have built up some reserves of food, which is good, especially ahead of Christmas. This has been helped by a bumper set of donations from local harvest festivals. On two mornings alone the incoming volumes were almost overwhelming. Thank you all for your terrific generosity, however, we are overflowing with dried pasta, tinned soup, cereals and the inevitable baked beans!

An urgent plea - our storage is limited and when we build up excess stocks, trying to store them interferes with depot operations, particularly on packing days. So we would be grateful if you could donate other items, as we can’t store any more of these for the time being.

The food and essential goods donated creates a direct link between you and people in need. Our role in gathering and distributing them is at the heart of what we do and this works brilliantly for every day items. But things get patchy, however, with baby food or gluten-free and other dietary needs because demand for these is unpredictable. Infant formula is particularly problematic. We must send out the right brand and number and inevitably donated stock doesn’t match what is needed. The same goes for baby food in jars. Therefore, for little ones we welcome nappies, wipes, all-over body wash and shampoo.

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that the Food Bank advert in the Sherborne Times has changed. We are encouraging donations via Just Giving. Those pay for the special items and go further via Gift Aid. They are also vital to our new initiative.

As of September we started distributing fresh fruit and veg and bread each week. It’s been going well and we’re still learning. We initially bought from supermarkets, as calculating how much to buy was a work in progress, but we’re now dealing with wholesale suppliers to make our funds go further. As before, no donations of fresh food please.

The recent spike in Covid numbers, along with energy price increases, have affected demand. Almost overnight we’ve doubled parcel numbers, mostly for families. Fortunately the work of our fantastic team of tireless volunteers has left us well placed to cope with a difficult winter.

Lastly, as usual but no less heartfelt, thank you all so much for your support and generosity.

ON THE MEND

Bridget Joslin, Repair Café Committee Member

Clare Louise Jackson/Shutterstock

There was an extra buzz on Cheap Street when Repair Cafe Sherborne held its very first session at the Methodist Church Hall in October.

Most people by now have probably heard of Repair Cafe cafes popping up all over, even if they don’t know exactly what they do. Marnhull, Bridport and Wincanton have all joined the growing band. They have a strong appeal to people wanting to contribute to their community, offer alternatives to throwaway culture and beyond that live more sustainably. Sherborne has now joined a national network of 125 Repair Cafes across the UK.

For those new to the idea, a Repair Cafe is a place where people bring their broken everyday objects to be repaired by volunteers tooled up to do the job and where they might also learn from the experts how to repair objects themselves. This service is free but users are asked to give a donation towards the running costs and pay for any materials if needed. We are a ‘Not-forProfit Organisation’.

Five expert repairers were there on the first day in Sherborne, skilled in mending ceramics, textiles, sewing, jewellery and wooden or mechanical items. 26 items were mended, saving 10 kilos of stuff from ending up in landfill (we weighed each item that was saved!).

Coffee and cake (kindly supplied by Kafé Fontana) were on offer and around 100 people visited during the morning to have items mended or just to check things out for a future visit.

It was a busy morning with all kinds of people meeting all kinds of other people. Lots of common ground was established and some friendships made. The organisers and volunteers, some repairing, others serving in the cafe or on reception, were all delighted with the response so far.

Perhaps the biggest thrill of the day was seeing how members of the community came together to work, in this still difficult time of Covid, on a joint project, knowing we are helping in a modest way to reduce the town’s carbon footprint.

There were visits from the mayor, Sherborne town councillors and Abbey104. In the future we hope to mend electrical items too, offer workshops on sewing and maybe even have our own premises. But let’s walk before we run.

We’ll be holding a special Christmas session on 18th December at Cheap Street Methodist Church Hall from 10am-1pm and then on the third Saturday of each month. For more information see the website, Facebook or Twitter.

There are a growing number of green and climatefriendly activities going on in and around Sherborne and of course the council itself has declared a climate emergency and hosts a green action website. The new Sherborne Repair Cafe is one of the crossing points in all this, and one in which we can all contribute to and enjoy.

@repaircafesherborne @repaircafe_DT9

Community THREE MEN AND A MOTORCYCLE

Malcolm Cockburn

Bill, Malcolm, Radu and Sara Image: Katharine Davies

Ibought a Harley Davidson ‘Electra Glide’ in a fit of madness in 1997 and the following summer toured with it through Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. It was my final day in Romania when I came to the Hungarian border. The day had been damp and drizzly, the ride from the south long. Just before the border was a service station and motel, here I would stop and stay the night. When I parked the bike at the motel entrance I noticed a young man who was washing car windscreens for customers at the petrol pumps; he came over and offered to wash the bike which was filthy. I said that there was no point as it would soon be dirty again tomorrow. I locked the bike and checked into the motel. Just as I was finishing my supper in the restaurant, the young man came over to my table and said, ‘You must not leave your motor-cycle outside here, by the morning it will have disappeared on the back of a lorry. I will guard it.’ I did not know what to say, but he assured me that he would be there all night washing cars and earning money to go to university. He looked honest and trustworthy so I said that would be really good, and went up to bed.

In the morning the bike was still where I left it and it was shining clean. When I apologised to Radu (for that was his name) that I only had a few Romanian lei coins, he replied that a ride on the pillion would be more than enough pay. So I took him the 10 miles back to Oradea, where he lived with his parents. We kept in touch. Radu got a place in Cluj University and he bought his own small motorbike. The following year I visited the family again. This time Radu and I toured through the Carpathian mountains in North East Romania. He graduated in engineering and quickly got a job with Siemens. He also became engaged to Suzy, a fellow graduate, and I was privileged to be invited to their wedding.

As time passed I was beginning to find the Harley too heavy for me and handed it over to Bill Anderson, my cousin and a lifetime biker who lives in Sherborne. I found myself reduced to riding a scooter with ‘only’ an 800cc engine when the two of us set off to Plymouth and the ferry to Santander. We rode our bikes south to the beautiful city of Salamanca where my niece was a student at the university. So, until this day I have been able to keep an eye on the bike and even have the occasional ride. Meanwhile, Radu works for Triumph Motor Cycles in Leicester as a design engineer, his company is based in Romania but he frequently comes to England and we have always kept in touch reminiscing about the days of biking 25 years ago. And so finally, Bill has been persuaded to part with the old Harley Davidson and Radu realised his dream to own the bike. At the end of August Radu arrived in Sherborne with his young daughter Sara to collect the bike and ride it back to its new home in Romania.

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A CHRISTMAS ROUND-UP

Cllr Anne Hall, Sherborne Town Mayor

At the end of last year Cllr Jon Andrews, in his position as mayor, wished everyone a Merry Christmas and hoped for a happy and healthier New Year for us all. I think it’s fair to say that although earlier in the year we saw the continuation of lockdown, social distancing and masks, we have entered a new phase thanks to the vaccine and booster introductions from our wonderful NHS and a brilliant community effort. The three local GP centres have worked with Sherborne Town Council regarding the use of the Digby Hall and nearly 100 volunteers, to help assist the Covid clinics which started in January 2021

and are continuing now with the booster programme and yearly flu jabs.

A big thank you must go out to all those involved for their dedication to pulling this mammoth task off, with such seeming ease. I have had the pleasure of being on the volunteer rota for these clinics and it really has been an uplifting experience to be part of such an endeavour. We may not have a cure for Covid, but we can certainly move forward living with its existence.

Since I became Sherborne Town Mayor in May this year, and with the easing of lockdown, I have been able to carry out my mayoral duties which, amongst other things, have included attending the celebrations of the Royal British Legions 100th Anniversary, opening the new top floor at Trinity Manor Care Home, presenting our Community Champion Award to the very worthy John Miller of Sherborne Voluntary Ambulance and being part of the achievements at Future Roots and the inaugural Sherborne Business Awards 2021.

Sherborne saw an influx of visitors this year due to travel restrictions on foreign holidays. It has been a rewarding experience meeting some of these visitors whilst out volunteering with the Dorset Volunteer Ambassador Scheme; a small group of volunteers who generously gave up their time to meet and greet visitors and residents. We were delighted to hear visitors waxing lyrical about how vibrant and full of life our town centre is, especially after such difficult and challenging times.

September saw the installation of the new team Rector for Sherborne, Reverend Martin Lee, who has already had such a positive impact on those he has met and the local initiatives he helps and encourages. We wish Reverend Martin, his wife Susan and family every happiness for their new life in Sherborne.

Works that Sherborne Town Council has been involved in this year include the new water feature installation, with plants and spring bulbs in the raised beds it sits on, along with the beautiful wood carvings in Pageant Gardens, a new promotional town video to encourage visitors to see just what Sherborne has to offer, the imminent launch of a new microsite called Visit Sherborne, which will be part of Visit Dorset’s successful tourism site and a new bicycle rack soon to be installed up at the Terraces. A new community noticeboard is shortly being placed on the Waitrose site, which will help assist the flow of communication from both the town council and local organisations.

It is now confirmed that early in the New Year, the paths and maze in Paddock Garden will be resurfaced using an environmentally-friendly, resin-bonded material. Alongside this work, more bulbs will be planted and there will be rejuvenation of some parts of the flowerbeds; this is to replace plants that have either died out or outgrown their allotted positions. Paddock Garden has also seen a small group of volunteers helping, where they can, alongside the town council’s grounds maintenance, with weeding etc in this lovely walled garden. New energy-saving measures to include solar PV, LED lighting and improved insulation will also now be introduced at the Gainsborough, located at the Terrace Playing Fields, sometime next year and it is hoped that funding support will be provided by Low Carbon Dorset towards this initiative.

It is very pleasing to hear that a new Community Orchard is being established at the McCreery Road allotment site.

A special thank you should also be given to the entire staffing team within the town council for their help and support throughout the year. It really is much appreciated and a pleasure to see our facilities, parks and open spaces always so well maintained.

With the New Year comes the second Sherborne Business Awards, which the town council will again be supporting by sponsoring The Best Place to Work Award. In a town such as Sherborne, we know there will be lots of entries!

As we approach Christmas and in support of this year’s Festive Shopping Day, organised by Sherborne Chamber of Trade and Commerce, on 5th December, we will be making parking in Sherborne car parks free for the day. Do try and come along between 10am and 4pm to enjoy and support the street market and businesses by shopping locally. Along with festive food and drinks, there will be music, bands and a choir throughout the day.

The Abbey will be holding church services with carols to get you in the Christmas spirit and the lighting of the tree on the Parade is scheduled for 4pm. I look forward to seeing you there!

As we come towards Christmas, everyone at Sherborne Town Council hopes that you and your families can come together to celebrate this special time and look forward to a New Year with some optimism, happiness and less uncertainty than the past 12 months.

sherborne-tc.gov.uk

OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER

Chris Loder MP

Those of you who live in Sherborne will have received a letter from me last month about housing in the town. West Dorset has one of the highest average demographics in the country, mainly because people love to move and retire to the area and enjoy our lovely town. Such an imbalance in demographic presents a number of difficulties, primarily the ability, or lack of it, for young people who were brought up and went to school here, to buy their own home and work here - we know that local businesses are already finding it difficult to recruit.

I have felt for a long time that we have a fundamental difficulty with housing in and around Sherborne. Some residents who’ve moved into the Corelli estate have had a difficult experience with their new home built by Persimmon, although there are houses still available through the government-backed ‘Help to Buy’ scheme there. But otherwise it is not easy for children or grandchildren to get on the property ladder here, unless they are given a significant financial gift from a family member. We need to address this, now.

A few months ago, I met a number of people from Sherborne who shared my desire to address the issue of local homes for local people. They told me how the Sherborne Town Council had received their presentation but didn’t yet have an appetite to be active on a Community Land Trust (CLT). Because this is so important I was very pleased to kick off this campaign at the Digby Hall on 11th November and to give it my full support. More than 250 residents attended what was a thorough and positive meeting for this initiative which could herald an exciting way forward and make a

Image: Len Copland

real difference for local people. Please do get in touch if you’re interested. chrisloder.co.uk/sherborneCLT

Since the beginning of Covid, we have struggled with the re-opening of the Minor Injuries Unit at the Yeatman Hospital. I’m pleased we were able to get the walk-in-clinics reinstated, which is quite a step forward. It’s been a hard–fought battle but one which I believe the people of the town deserve to have won and a service I think Sherborne will hugely benefit from.

Also last month, I represented West Dorset at the COP26 international climate conference in Glasgow. It was a fascinating experience and hugely insightful. As a transport professional, I was very pleased to be able to participate on Transport Day and I’m keen to share my insights with you from the few days I spent there. While the Paris agreement a few years ago was good in a lot of respects it had little clout because the USA withdrew. This conference though I think has been a success. The UK has hosted the world in aligning on priorities. Fundamentally, the principal objective is for developed countries which have considerable economic benefit to reconcile with developing countries that often bear the brunt of climate change effects, but given the lack of integrity in some foreign nations, money cannot simply be pumped into those nations.

UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 49% between 1990 and 2020 (House of Commons Library, Parliament website). Our impact on climate change stands at 1% of global emissions, so we are in a good position compared with most other countries. Just 1% of our energy comes from coal, whereas some other countries rely on it for 90% of their energy needs. This alone highlights the necessity for these countries to come to the table. I have written this column before the end of the COP26 summit so the outcomes will be available in the national press.

Whilst I firmly believe there is a lot of work required, I am concerned that some environmental groups are using climate change as the reason for events such as flooding that ultimately detract from the need for proper care of waterways and the countryside. The upkeep of our countryside - the dredging, ditching and keeping our drains clear is a multi-agency task. I sometimes feel there is an expectation that ‘someone else’ will do these jobs and if they don’t get done, the flooding that results is because of climate change. This is simply not always the case.

We also need to think about what each of us can do individually to play our part. Are we leaving our lights or our heating on when it’s not needed? What can we change to be re-usable, not just recyclable. Have you written to the supermarket to ask them to stop using single–use plastic? Do you know where your food comes from? Do you walk where you can so you don’t need to drive the car?

The risk we have in society though is that excessive and extreme campaigners do more harm than good and I believe are now often motivated for the purposes of anarchy and revolution, rather than meaningful impact for the cause. We must be careful not to closely associate the two – despite the impression that may be given.

And finally, can I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.