Sherborne Times March 2022

MARCH 2022 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

CARVING HIS OWN PATH with furniture maker Tom Rowell

sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

T

he Japanese have a way with words. Innocuous moments in nature and human endeavour are recognised and valued in isolation, with an awareness and appreciation of each moment’s place in the wider scheme of existence. These moments can become concepts, philosophies even, and worthy of words to name them.

Ikigai is one such word and as with the best of words, has no literal translation. It boils down though, to reason to live.

Many of us idle through our working life without question, unburdened by thoughts of callings or purpose. Some of us have the sense that something is askew – that we’re square pegs in round holes. Some might battle against the unrelenting grind, longing to find a life that fits. Then there are those in the sweet spot – doing what they love and by happy coincidence, making a living from it. That, in very basic terms, is ikigai.

Furniture maker Tom Rowell might just be in that sweet spot. Having played to his strengths and been persistently true to himself, he now – at the age of 25 – spends his days at the workshop, with his dog, making beautiful things.

The Japanese have another word – kodawari – that describes the attendance to detail and resulting joy in a job well done. Whether we spend our days making chairs, selling houses, digging holes or filing accounts, we all have the opportunity to practice kodawari. So while we might not all be lucky enough to find our sweet spot, we can, with dedication and focus, know that whatever we do, we do well.

Have a great month.

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

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard Photography Katharine Davies Feature writer Jo Denbury

Rachel Akerman Sherborne School sherborne.org

Tamsin Holroyd Sherborne Prep School sherborneprep.org

Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum sherbornemuseum.co.uk

James Hull The Story Pig thestorypig.co.uk

Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers charterhouse-auction.com

Victoria Jardine victoriajardine.com

Mike Burks The Gardens Group thegardensgroup.co.uk

Mark Jerram Jerram Gallery jerramgallery.com

David Burnett The Dovecote Press dovecotepress.com

Dr Antonia Leech BVMSci (Hons) fCMgr ACMI MRCVS Kingston Veterinary Group kingstonvets.co.uk

Sub editor Jemma Dempsey

Rob Bygrave Sherborne Science Cafe sherbornesciencecafe.com

Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind dorsetmind.uk

Social media Jenny Dickinson

Jenny Campbell Sherborne Scribblers

Peter Littlewood BA (Hons), FRSA, Cert Mgmt (Open) Young People’s Trust for the Environment ypte.org.uk

Editorial assistant Helen Brown

Illustrations Elizabeth Watson Print Stephens & George Distribution team Barbara and David Elsmore The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby Mary and Roger Napper Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Ionas Tsetikas

Paula Carnell paulacarnell.com Cindy Chant & John Drabik David Copp Rosie Cunningham Jemma Dempsey James Flynn Milborne Port Computers computing-mp.co.uk Mat Follas Bramble Restaurant bramblerestaurant.com Simon Ford simonfordgardening.wordpress.com

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

Sherborne Times is printed on an FSC® and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so.

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 | March 2022

Andrew Fort B.A. (Econ.)

CFPcm Chartered MCSI APFS Fort Financial Planning ffp.org.uk Andy Foster Raise Architects raisearchitects.com John Gaye & Richard Hopton Sherborne Literary Society sherborneliterarysociety.com Nico & Chrystall Goodden Craig Hardaker Communifit communifit.co.uk Dawn Hart YogaSherborne yogasherborne.co.uk

Chris Loder MP chrisloder.co.uk Jude Marwa Chirpy Bakers chirpybakers.com Paul Maskell The Beat and Track thebeatandtrack.co.uk Nigel Masters Cameratina cameratina.org Sasha Matkevich The Green Restaurant greenrestaurant.co.uk Gillian Nash Paul Newman paulnewmanartist.com dorsetartweeks.co.uk Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Partnership newtonclarkevet.com Simon Partridge SPFit spfit-sherborne.co.uk Kitty Shropshire Sherborne Girls sherborne.com Val Stones bakerval.com Emma Tabor

Andy Hastie Cinematheque cinematheque.org.uk

Bill Taylor Sherborne Town Council sherborne-tc.gov.uk

Ros Heron St Johns’ Almshouse stjohnsalmshouse.org

Michael Thorner Reborne Church rebornechurch.org

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

Julia Witherspoon julianutrition.co.uk Anne-Marie Worth Mogers Drewett Solicitors md-solicitors.co.uk

82 6

Art & Culture

MARCH 2022 72 Antiques

132 Legal

26 What’s On

74 Gardening

136 Finance

30 Community

82 Tom Rowell

138 Tech

38 Family

90 Food & Drink

140 Short Story

50 Science & Nature

104 Animal Care

142 Literature

62 On Foot

110 Body & Mind

144 Crossword

68 History

128 Home

146 Pause for Thought

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.40: Victoria Jardine, Cutting Ties, Stoneware Coil Pot, Vintage Bookbinder’s Thread, Bobbin and Dressmaker’s Scissors, 27cm H, £880

V

ictoria Jardine is a studio ceramicist whose obsession with the vessel form sits at the heart of her practice. Her latest series of vessels continues her new exploration of ways in which pots might operate as sympathetic conveyors of quite private narratives.

‘When potters talk about pots, we use very anthropomorphic language. A pot has a foot, belly, neck, shoulder and lip. These very ‘human’ references reveal something of the relationship between mankind and vessels. An ancient notion of ‘pot’, that vibrates through every culture from the moment we first learned to shape mud with our hands. It is this very potent language that, I believe, gives pots unique agency as storytellers.

‘I have often talked about my work as

6 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

autobiographical… a constant making and re-making of myself. The new ‘Bobbin Pots’ examine some of the narratives of my own childhood and the stories and histories that I have, at times, felt bound by. But they also provide the playful opportunity to rewrite those stories, to reframe the narrative… to remake myself.’

Victoria’s new Bobbin Pot Series will be on display at Jane Shaw’s Studio in May, as part of Dorset Art Weeks alongside some pieces from her lockdown project, ‘Wound Series’. victoriajardine.com Dorset Art Weeks 14th - 29th May dorsetartweeks.co.uk

ONE APP TO LIVE AND SUPPORT LOCAL Explore, pay and get instant cashback in independents across Bristol, Bath, Bradford-on-Avon, Frome and Sherborne

Download Pixie and get £5.00 Use the gift card code: P-Sherborne22 @explorepixie

pixieapp.co

Art & Culture

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

A

s with Burning, the previous excellent South Korean film we showed in November at Cinematheque, our presentation this March is also driven by a story of social inequality. Director Boon Joon Ho’s Parasite (2019) is showing on 23rd March at the Swan Theatre in Yeovil. This black comedy thriller has, over the past three years, garnered numerous accolades including four Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. It can also boast the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, two Baftas and the Palme D’or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. In short, it has become a unanimous, international phenomenon captivating audiences and critics around the world.

The genesis for Parasite started in 2013, when Bong 8 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Joon Ho wrote a play based on his experience as a young tutor for the son of a wealthy Seoul family. He chose the title as it offered a double meaning – both the poor and the rich can be parasites on each other.

Bong is quoted as saying, ‘I got this feeling that I was infiltrating the private lives of complete strangers. Every week I would go into their house, and I thought how fun it would be if I could get all my friends to infiltrate the house, one by one.’ It is this idea that he slowly adapted into the screenplay for ‘Parasite’.

Brother and sister, Kiwoo and Kijung, live with their parents in a dingy basement in Seoul, living hand-to-mouth with occasional casual work and the uncertainties of the gig economy. Typically in South Korean society, those who don’t pass university entrance exams have a future of narrowing horizons, so

Parasite (2019)

when Kiwoo’s friend gives up his job teaching English to the teenage daughter of the wealthy Park family and offers him the chance to take it on, Kiwoo realises this could be a way out of his family’s dire lifestyle. Posing as a university student, he tricks his way into the Park household, then slowly, as he is able to gain their trust, manages to inveigle the rest of his family into the house too. Each takes on a staff role; a chauffeur, housekeeper and art tutor, without letting on that they are actually related.

The first pacy half of the film has the audience rooting for this clever, scheming family, but when the Parks go away for a few days, leaving their staff the run of the house, events very quickly unravel as the tone of the film changes dramatically...

Boon Joon Ho has created a scathing, hilarious,

thrilling, beautifully constructed film, highlighting Seoul’s social divide, receiving international acclaim along the way.

If you would like to catch up with this inventive film, come to the Swan Theatre on 23rd March as a guest, to see on the big screen what all the fuss has been about. We’d love to meet you! cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk

___________________________________________ Wednesday 23rd March 7.30pm Parasite (2019) 15 Cinematheque, Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil BA20 1QT Members £1, guests £5

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

Art & Culture

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT Rosie Cunningham

I

feel like I have been hit by a bus. Due to the knock-on effect of Covid closures, I saw Mark Rylance at the Bristol Old Vic in Dr Semmelweis and then the following day, Eddie Redmayne at the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret. Both left me completely exhausted and breathless, but only in a good way. We are incredibly lucky to have such a wide range of highclass theatre currently on at our theatres and spoilt for choice. Theatre is such an excellent way to find release and enjoyment after months of enforced restrictions, so take that plunge and go and see something.

Cabaret is on at the transformed Playhouse Theatre, renamed and entirely refurbished as the notorious Berlin club, the Kit Kat Club, until October. It is a sensory, sensuous experience from start to finish. ‘Patrons’ enter through a dark and atmospheric basement, passing decadent scenes of intimacy, before entering the Club. Most of the traditional theatre seating has been removed, with the addition of small tables surrounding the stage where food and champagne are served to high-paying punters (well worth the money!) This is a fast-moving, writhing, opulent stage show with 10 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Images: Marc Brenner

Eddie Redmayne as Emcee, whipping up the action and teetering on the brink of dissolution and disaster.

The songs are familiar, but the choreography and the costumes are anything but. Jessie Buckley was ill, so Emily Benjamin played Sally Bowles and, whilst I love Jessie, this was Emily’s turn to shine, and it was clear to all that a new star was born. Eddie kindly gave Emily her own personal ovation at the end. That man is a master of his craft. His facial expressions throughout showed inner turmoil, conflict and trepidation. Special mentions also go to Omari Douglas as Clifford Bradshaw and Liza Sadovy as Fraulein Schneider.

This is a stellar cast as befits a superlative show. It is an extraordinary performance and should not be missed.

Dr Semmelweis is a play about a maverick doctor in 19th century Vienna who discovered that doctors were causing the death of hundreds of newborn children which they had delivered, and their mothers, by spreading bacteria from the dead to the living due to lack of hygiene. Sadly however, he was considered unbalanced, and his pioneering views unsound, which eventually cost him his sanity and his life. Conceived and performed

by Mark Rylance, in collaboration with the writer, Stephen Brown, one of our finest stage and screen actors, the dedication he brought to this role was incredible.

Rylance is now in rehearsal for Jerusalem, written by Jez Butterworth, at The Apollo Theatre which opens on 16th April. This is a reprise of his role as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, who he last played eleven years ago, and for which he won both Tony and Olivier Awards.

The World of Stonehenge exhibition is on at The

British Museum until 17th July and includes new insights, and ground-breaking recent archaeological and scientific discoveries. Definitely a must for anyone who travels up and down the A303, stuck in the inevitable queue of traffic. kitkat.club apollotheatrelondon.co.uk britishmuseum.org

Spring Baroque Glorious German Baroque music, from Biber to Bach, with period instrumentalists

Sherborne Chamber Choir Sherborne Baroque Players Conductor Paul Ellis

Sherborne Abbey | Saturday 19 March 7.30pm Tickets £5-£18 | under 18s FOC | available from www.sherbornechamberchoir.org.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

Art & Culture

12 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

THE RETURN OF DORSET ART WEEKS 14th - 29th MAY Paul Newman, Producer, Dorset Art Weeks

Jane Shaw sherbornetimes.co.uk | 13

Art & Culture

David Marl

W

ith the return of Dorset Art Weeks this year, the north west corner of the county has much to offer fans of visual art in and around Sherborne, with an area reaching towards Crewkerne and down to Maiden Newton, and across to Sydling St Nicholas, Cerne Abbas and back up to Buckland Newton. There’s a return to a regional focus for this year’s event, with the county organised into six distinct areas, helping audiences navigate over 250 venues taking part.

Creativity in this part of Dorset continues to thrive as artists adjust to the challenges of the last two years and find new, innovative and resourceful ways to engage with audiences and share their work. Dorset Art Weeks features returning venues from the 2021 event as well as new venues signing up to one of the largest Art Weeks events in the country. So what can audiences expect in our neck of the woods?

Two artists’ studios in the centre of Sherborne, James Budden and Laurence Belbin, both feature work in oil, with paintings derived mainly from direct observation. James focusses on contemporary portraits, 14 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

figures, musicians, still life, landscapes and townscapes, exploring meaning beyond the everyday, with Laurence capturing the light and rhythm of the West Country and further afield, along with hand-built wooden autonoma produced in lockdown. As with many studios, these spaces are rich with the ephemera and other items of the artist’s working life; sketchbooks, pencils, brushes and rags, works in progress and piles of books providing inspiration.

Also in town are painter David Marl, working mainly in the English Visionary tradition, Robert Forbes who produces sculptures of life-sized birds using recycled items, and ceramicist Norrie de Montigny, who uses clay, oxides and pigments to create vibrant ceramic reliefs. Just off Cheap Street this year is Trouvaille Gallery, with an exhibition

by Marianne Louise Ceramic Designs, Pippa Hill Sculptures and Lindsay Wilson.

Out of town, in Hermitage, Graham Booth and the Sherborne Times’ own Jo Denbury will be showing work that celebrates fauna, landscape and coast. Graham’s photography is inspired by the beauty of Dorset, seeing

Laurence Belbin

landscapes from a fresh perspective, creating unique images that are arresting, intriguing and beautiful, whilst Jo specialises in small animal and bird sculptures in bronze resin, with oil paintings and sketches of Dorset landscapes.

Sometimes the venue buildings themselves also deserve attention! Anne-Louise Bellis produces striking landscapes and seascapes inspired by the Dorset coastline, skies and countryside. Along with Martin Dickson, who creates ceramics for interiors and gardens, their venue occupies a beautiful period barn studio in Glanvilles Wootton. This year, the well-established Yetminster Group of Artists include Bee Grant Peterkin, Melita Frances Moule, Lucinda Thomson, Anne Boyden, Jacqueline Clough, Judy Copp and Di Grattan-Cooper, who all meet in an unusual studio in Chetnole Mill, an 18th-century flour mill. If you fancy your art with fine refreshments, the Gaggle at Buckland Newton hosts an exhibition by three artists, Emma Munday, Robyn Carter and Jessamy Keily. Other collectives banding together include Anna Stiles and Friends to the north of Sherborne and Elm Yard Gallery to the south, both venues featuring an eclectic mix of work.

Regular visitors to these pages will be familiar with some of these artists’ work from the monthly Artist at Work features, such as Pearl Gatehouse, Sam Dodd, Pippa Hill and Graham Church. Art Weeks allows you to get out and visit the artist in person, and to find out directly what goes into the creative process. Such conversations can be part of a vital dialogue between the artist, work and viewer. Artists welcome enquiries

Susan Fawthrop

about their process and the chance to share their inspiration, and many will take commissions too. For younger visitors, a visit to an artist’s studio or exhibition can spark creative enquiry which can last a lifetime.

Artists really value your support during Art Weeks, and for many visitors it’s a chance to acquaint themselves with the artists and their work which can often lead to a longer fascination with the artist and their process.

Part of the fun of Art Weeks is seeking out who is taking part and using the Art Weeks Directory, App and DAW website to plan your own routes, venue visits and days out - what a beautiful area to do this in and make unexpected discoveries! Visitors will often find clusters of venues and some routes can be planned on foot or by bike. Some venues will offer refreshments and all will be taking measures to ensure continued safety at this time.

There are many other artists in the north west area and, of course, across the county so look out for the Art Weeks Directory, App and updated DAW website from early April to start planning your visits. Along with the five other regions in the county, and an accompanying event programme, there’s plenty to explore this May in Dorset Art Weeks. dorsetartweeks.co.uk

___________________________________________ Saturday 14th - Sunday 29th May Dorset Art Weeks Venues across the county. For details visit dorsetartweeks.co.uk, pick up a copy of the DAW Directory, or download the app.

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

OPERA SUPPERS

Saturday 2nd April 6pm (before the 8.30pm Cinderella) | 8pm (after the 6pm Cinderella)

Three Courses £35 The Grange at Oborne | 01935 813463 | reception@ thegrange.co.uk 16 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

WELCOME TO THE NEW HOME OF PROJEKTITYYNY, THE NORDIC HOME TEXTILES BRAND. OUR WORK IS A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF AGE-OLD TEXTILE TRADITIONS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TEXTURE AND TACTILITY, INDIVIDUALITY, QUALITY, LONGEVITY AND TIMELESSNESS. QUALITIES THAT STEM FROM OUR FINNISH ROOTS. WE DESIGN AND CREATE OUR PRODUCTS AT A SMALL BARN HERE IN WEST DORSET AND HAVE NOW OPENED OUR VERY FIRST SHOP AT THE OLD MUSIC HOUSE, SHERBORNE. OPEN WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 10AM - 4PM AITTA, THE OLD MUSIC HOUSE, THE GREEN, SHERBORNE DT9 3HX PROJEKTITYYNY.COM INSTAGRAM.COM/PROJEKTITYYNY

Art & Culture

THE BEAUTIFUL EVERYDAY Mark Jerram, Jerram Gallery

Judith Warren, Beach Flower, Oil, 10” x 12”

T

his exhibition of new work by stilllife painters Benjamin Hope, Barbara Richardson, Sarah Spackman and Judith Warren celebrates the beauty of everyday objects and natural forms, showcasing a selection of pieces by four highly accomplished still-life painters.

Benjamin Hope’s work is characterised by his earthy palettes of natural tones and painterly representation of his subject in space, directly from life. Often depicting bottles, jars and vessels, Hope sets up unusual compositions, angles, and viewpoints. Alongside a career in mathematics and physics, Hope is a self-taught artist and has been

18 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

painting full-time since 2011.

Honorary Secretary of the Small Paintings Group since 2010, Barbara Richardson has a fascination with the intriguing process of creating an image that has weight and conviction of form, using a familiar collection of everyday objects in her work. Her muted natural tones and supreme ability to capture the textures of different spherical items is seen in her stilllives of terracotta, porcelain and golden vessels.

Sarah Spackman’s fundamental belief in the value of drawing and the importance of creating relationships within the pictorial space is evidenced in her minimal sensitive compositions which capture ‘the

Barbara Richardson, Green Vase and Silver Sugar Bowl, Oil, 8” x 10"

Sarah Spackman, Spring Anemone, Oil, 10” x 8”

specific beauty of an organic form’. Spackman’s close observation gives her objects weight and substance, as does her rich palette of warm, subtle tones on a luminous, white ground prepared by herself from tempera and oil. Conventional perspective is often discarded in pursuit of a greater understanding of the way the eye travels across the surface.

Judith Warren’s rich and contemplative still-life paintings take as their starting point the shape, colour, light and mood of everyday simple objects and surfaces – such as fruit, ceramics, wood and stone. Starting with a preliminary oil sketch, Warren will alter the composition and colour as

Benjamin Hope, Seashells, Oil, 12” x 12”

the painting progresses, so that the finished work perhaps has a different atmosphere and feeling from the original idea. jerramgallery.com

___________________________________________ Saturday 5th – Wednesday 23rd March Benjamin Hope, Barbara Richardson, Sarah Spackman and Judith Warren The Jerram Gallery, Half Moon Street, Sherborne Open Tuesday - Saturday 9.30am-5pm 01935 815261 info@jerramgallery.com

___________________________________________

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19

Art & Culture

Dani Howard

Claire Lees

HAVING A BALL IN OBORNE

I

Nigel Masters

t is not strange when two people with wide circles of friends and similar passions spark a connection.

But it is much stranger when that happens across two centuries. When Susanna Stranders encountered the French mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot, the link was instant. Both share a passion for music and opera, both revel in bringing artistic talent together and both are dedicated to championing young musicians. The result of that sparking connection is a blaze of operatic riches, including a new English version of the comic operetta, Cinderella.

Susanna first met Pauline Viardot through the pages of The Europeans by Orlando Figes, which celebrates the amazing life and talents of this 19th century musical polymath. Diva, composer, socialite and teacher, Viardot might reasonably be described as the Maria Callas of her day, with the edge of being both a first-class composer, and a muse and mentor to some of the brightest young musicians and composers of late 19th century Europe.

While still too rarely recognised, it is encouraging that Viardot’s talent and influence are now being picked up by such programmes as Radio 3’s Composer of the Week. With Susanna’s own background in opera, at Garsington and Covent Garden, where bringing out the very best music talent is her vocation and delight, 20 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

it is easy to understand how Pauline’s life resonates with her. When not-for-profit opera group Cameratina approached Susanna to create a weekend of music in Oborne, the theme of Pauline Viardot was the inevitable and inspired choice. That it is Pauline Viardot’s bicentenary simply adds to the celebration.

That spark of inspiration has ignited a blaze of ideas that has proved hard to contain in one weekend.

Clearly, a fine singer would be needed to take centre stage and we are lucky that Katie Bray has agreed to take that role. Katie, who will feature in three performances over the weekend, is perhaps best known for stealing the audience’s heart at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2019 and carrying off the Joan Sutherland Prize. The Saturday recital, in which she is accompanied by Susanna, will focus on Viardot’s beautiful Mélodies, which she composed for her students to sing. The Sunday concerts centre on Viardot’s championing of young composers, with Katie and Susanna’s trio, Ellipsis, preparing for and then performing two newly commissioned works by awardwinning British composers Dani Howard and Lilly Vadaneaux. Dani is rapidly becoming an established presence in international music and has recently been awarded a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Prize for

Katie Bray

her Trombone Concerto. Lilly is earlier in her career but already has a string of prizes to her name. Having completed her course at the Guildhall School of Music, Lilly is studying music at Cambridge and is a pupil of Roxanna Panufnik. Both composers were asked to create works based on the poem ‘Enough’ by Ivan Turgenev, which is thought to have been written after a fraught and highly risky rendezvous with Pauline Viardot in Moscow, under the noses of the Tzar’s secret police. The emotional exhaustion of the poem is wonderfully captured by the two new and quite different pieces.

On the Sunday afternoon, the audience is invited to sit in on a workshop at which Katie and Ellipsis explore these pieces with the composers, chasing down the nuances that Dani and Lilly are seeking to achieve in their music. This is followed by an evening concert that will evoke the atmosphere of the celebrated Paris Salon that Viardot ran in her later years and at which many new pieces were given their first performance. Katie and Ellipsis will perform the two world premières as the centrepiece of a recital that will feature music, readings and art from the artistic personalities who visited the Salon, many of whom dedicated work to Viardot or credited her with launching their careers – from Brahms and Saint-Saëns to Fauré and Tchaikovsky, from George Sand to Tolstoy.

If the Salon showcases Pauline Viardot at the most influential time of her life, she left her most joyful composition to almost the end of that life. Well into her

Susanna Stranders

80s, she created a comic gem – the delightful operetta Cinderella. Originally in French, Susanna has secured a new English translation from the acclaimed lyricist, director and composer, Jeremy Sams. With translations for ENO and the Royal National Theatre, Sams is no stranger to the world of stage and opera and his new libretto for Cinderella is a witty and sophisticated take on this most beloved of folk tales. Cinderella features an exceptional cast of some of the brightest young talent in British opera including Claire Lees as Cinders, with Georgia Mae Bishop, Liam Bonthrone, Robert Lewis, Kieran Rayner, Alison Rose and Katy Thomson. The ensemble is led from the piano by Susanna and directed

by Cecilia Stinton.

The four productions across the weekend, created

by Susanna Stranders, celebrate Pauline Viardot’s extraordinary life as diva, composer and muse. It is no surprise that the inspiration that Pauline sparked two centuries ago can cause artistic brushfires today. cameratina.org

___________________________________________ Saturday 2nd April 6pm and 8.30pm Cinderella Music and words by Pauline Viardot in a new translation

by Jeremy Sams. Tickets at £40 a performance (£15 for

children) are available at info@operainoborne.org or by calling Nigel Masters on 01935 817194. For further details of all performances visit cameratina.org

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21

Art & Culture

MEASURE FOR MEASURE SAM WANNAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Kitty Shropshire, Lower 6th, Sherborne Girls

F

or many of us ‘A’ level English students, Blanche McIntyre’s Measure for Measure was the first live production we had seen for at least a couple of years and I’m pleased to say that it did not disappoint.

It exceeded our expectations and reminded us of our love for Shakespeare, as well as our love for live performances. Watching in person was, unsurprisingly, a totally different experience to watching a recording of a play in the classroom, on a screen. McIntyre had the difficult task of tackling one of Shakespeare’s notorious ‘problem plays’ referred to by some as a ‘tragicomedy’.

We certainly couldn’t have been luckier with the weather! We left a frosty, crisp Sherborne midmorning and were welcomed into London by bright blue skies highlighting the well-defined London cityscape; a stark, but fascinating contrast to the countryside. En route we managed to identify as many buildings as we could from Wren’s St. Paul’s, to the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building which we later found out was formally referred to as the Fenchurch building! A very educational trip, giving 22 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

us knowledge of Shakespeare and of our own capital!

It was expected that we would encounter a little bit of traffic but in the meantime, much to our delight, Mrs Troup took the opportunity to give us our very own South Bank bus tour. Pointing out of the window, she told us how it had changed from when she was younger and worked there. I was certain that there would be a Pret-a-Manger nearby for lunchtime – after all, it’s a well-known fact that there’re more than 200 in the city!

Usefully situated next to the Globe, we were warmed by a Pret cappuccino and cheesy toastie before we excitedly entered for the matinee.

Promptly at two, we took to our seats in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, named after an American actor who was blacklisted from Hollywood in the 50s for his communist views. I realise this interestingly relates to our GCSE Crucible context studies of McCarthyism and The Red Scare last year. The theatre is indoor and forms part of the Globe, with a layout inspired by The Black Friars Theatre.

The director carefully chose to relocate the play from the brothels of 17th century Vienna to 1970s London – an era of electrical outages, which explains the blackouts at the start of the play. McIntyre deliberately and ingeniously decided to change the dynamic from a ‘flexing patriarchy to a modern society wrestling with antiquated habits’. The signature, slender beeswax candles described as ‘like fingers of Jacobean gloves in Jacobean portraits’ were lit on what looked like bronze chandeliers – they didn’t detract from the play but gave more of an intimate setting for the audience. I later learnt that for each performance of a comedy, or tragedy, around 100 candles are lit and throughout this performance, they were raised to different heights. The setting around this era in London echoes the 60s Profumo political scandal, with the powerful Angelo (Ashley Zhangazha) arguably damned by virtue. James Cotterels’ costumes appropriately suited this era, with the ‘provosts’ dressed up as modern police officers – it helped us understand who was playing what character as we tried to think back to when we studied the scenes in class.

McIntyre plays with gender politics in her production, by making Escalus, along with the Duke, female. This makes her wedding proposal at the end of the play to Isabella more progressive, with homosexual undertones. Isabella’s (Georgie Landers) pause brought a poignant, asphyxiating silence which made the audience feel unsatisfied, bringing an untidy end to a supposed comedy with a supposed happy end. This left us thinking after the curtain call about our own views on the ending that Shakespeare had written. The ending, as we know from studying Measure for Measure was rather out the blue, with no foreshadowing in the text. When asked to describe the play in one word, the Lower 6th came up with a collection of ‘gripping’, ‘inventive’, ‘modern’, ‘stimulating’ and ‘pedagogic’ – which after researching, I learnt means ‘relating to teaching’!

We caught the last glimpse of ‘golden hour’ light on the South Bank, before arriving at the coach when it had turned dark – perfect for having a snooze on the journey back to Sherborne. Such an enjoyable outing – we got back to house in good time! As I dozed off, I thought about the subtleties of the memorable candles that effortlessly lit up the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse theatre.

BENJAMIN HOPE BARBARA RICHARDSON SARAH SPACKMAN JUDITH WARREN 4th March – 23rd March

SARAH SPACKMAN

OIL

JUDITH WARREN

OIL

www.jerramgallery.com THE JERRAM GALLERY Half Moon Street, Sherborne, 01935 815261 Dorset DT9 3LN info@jerramgallery.com Tuesday – Saturday

sherborne.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 23

Art & Culture

COUNTER CULTURE Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No.7 The Wedding Present: Renewing Their Vows

24 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

B

orn from the remnants of a band called Lost Pandas, The Wedding Present was the conception of lead guitarist and vocalist David Gedge. Formed in 1985 it wasn’t long before the band was being championed by the likes of John Peel, who went on to hold a longstanding collaboration with the band. The first six years saw the release of three LPs, two EPs and twelve singles. Two of the albums, Bizarro and Seamonsters found positions within the top 40 and saw the band record with legendary producer Steve Albini. The band also scored a top 40 hit with the single Kennedy, now labelled an indie classic. Never afraid to look outside the box, with the influence of their guitarist of Ukrainian descent Peter Solowka and the enthusiasm of John Peel, the band recorded a session of Ukrainian folk songs. A collection of an eventual three sessions were later released on their own album with the band changing their name to the Ukrainians for its release.

In 1992, with the band flying high and appearing in all the music tabloids for the right reasons, it was decided that it was time to push the envelope once more. The idea was to equal the record held by Elvis Presley for the most UK top 30 hits in one year. The band decided to write, record and release one 7” single every month for the whole of 1992. The logistics of this were fairly scary but alleviated slightly by making each B-side a cover version.

So, one single a month, two songs, one video and one t-shirt. Throw into the mix four different producers and you’ve got your work cut out for you. Incredibly the band decided to do this while still touring their latest album in the UK and the States. All 12 singles hit the top 30 with eight out of the 12 hitting top 20 positions. The B-sides included covers of songs by Neil Young, Altered Images, Isaac Hayes, David Bowie and Elton John. Gedge’s favourite cover was Falling, the Julee Cruise theme tune to the David Lynch series Twin Peaks. The producers for the series of singles included Ian Broudie (frontman of The Lightning Seeds) and Jimmy Miller (sometime producer for The Rolling Stones).

The whole series was a great success and saw fans queuing at their local record shop to ensure that they had the next instalment of Wedding Present genius. The series saw the band appear on the legendary Top of the Pops four times that year and brought their music to a wider audience.

It’s now 30 years since the project was conceived and completed. Since then the band have gone on to record six more albums, 11 live albums, 13 compilation/session albums, three EPs and 11 singles.

So what do the Wedding Present do next? They do it again, 30 years later, but better. No covers, all original songs released as a single per month for the whole of 2022. David Gedge has this time teamed up with Sleeper guitarist Jon Stewart to write 24 Songs. The first single is out and features a guest appearance from Louise Wener, singer from Sleeper. The 1992 Hit Parade singles adorn my collection at home and I have a feeling that this year’s project will too. How about you? thebeatandtrack.co.uk

EM_ST.qxp_Layout 1 10/02/2022 12:37 Page 1

THE FREE WESSEX ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE

EVOLVER MAGAZINE

Pick up your copy at arts venues, galleries, museums, 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

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

WHAT'S ON ____________________________

Therapy Course Module 1

Wednesday 2nd

Oborne Village Hall

The Probus Club of Sherborne - A Life Stuck in Gum with speaker Chris Nicholson

3-module course £180 with advance

With Naoko Abe.

sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

____________________________

booking, or £70 per module.

Saturday 19th 10am-1pm

____________________________

Cheap Street Church Hall, Sherborne

centreforpuresound.org

Repair Cafe

New members welcome. 01935 813448.

Saturday 12th 7.30pm

Bring household items to be

The Grange Hotel, Oborne probus-sherborne.org.uk

Sherborne Chamber

____________________________

Music Series: Paul Lewis –

Thursday 3rd 8pm

Solo Piano Recital

Sherborne Historical Society Talk

The Gransden Hall, Merritt Centre,

– From Nowhere to Normandy: the Rise of the British Assault

Sherborne Girls School

repaired and avoid landfill. Not for profit organisation. Volunteers and repairers needed. Please contact

repaircafesherborne@gmail.com or @repaircafesherborne

One of the foremost interpreters of

____________________________

Tickets £20 adults, £5 children.

Spring Baroque by

music-series 0333 666 3366

Sherborne Abbey

Friday 4th 7.30pm

Sunday 13th 7.30pm

Not Now Collective -

Moishe’s Bagel

sherbornechamberchoir.org.uk

Pepper and Honey

Cerne Abbas Village Hall

Sunday 20th 1.30pm-4.30pm

484013. £12, £5 u18s. artsreach.co.uk

Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road

01935 815033. £10, £6 u18s, £25 fam.

Wednesday 16th

Notation and audio supplied.

Glider Force 1940-44 Digby Hall, Hound Street

With Richard Folkes OBE.

sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

____________________________

Nether Compton Village Hall

A heartwarming new play about two

women questioning the meaning of home.

the Central European piano repertoire.

Saturday 19th 7.30pm

ticketsource.co.uk/sherborne-chamber-

Sherborne Chamber Choir

____________________________

With period ensemble. Tickets

Klezmer and world folk music. 07779

Sherborne Folk Band Workshop

____________________________

All levels and all acoustic instruments.

artsreach.co.uk

The Probus Club of Sherborne

____________________________

- Sweet Vibrations with speaker

Sunday 6th 3pm

Paula Carnell

The Ridgeway Singers and

The Grange Hotel, Oborne

Band - Tea with William Barnes The Exchange, Sturminster Newton

____________________________

£10 on the door. Advance tickets via sherbornefolkband.org info@

sherbornefolkband.org. 07527 508277

____________________________

New members welcome. 01935 813448.

Monday 21st –

probus-sherborne.org.uk

Saturday 26th 7.30pm

____________________________

Amateur Players of Sherborne

____________________________

Wednesday 16th 7.30pm

present Educating Rita by

Friday 11th 7pm for 7.30pm

Neville Dickie Trio

Willy Russell

Talk - ‘Sir James Thornhill -

Cheap St Church

Sherborne Studio Theatre, Marston Rd

Bookings by email only

____________________________

01258 475137. £12. artsreach.co.uk

Sherborne House and the Folke Altarpiece’ Digby Memorial Hall, Sherborne

Live jazz in aid of The Rendezvous.

£10/£12 aps-sherborne.co.uk

raymondwood1949@gmail.com

Friday 25th 7.30pm

____________________________

George Egg - DIY Chef

re-decoration of Folke Church. £10 to

Thursday 17th 8pm

Chetnole Village Hall

01935 816764 or 01963 23436

Sherborne Historical Society

Talk by Jeremy Barker to raise funds for include glass of wine & light refreshments.

(preceded by the AGM at 7.45pm)

____________________________

Talk – Collingwood ‘Cherry’

Saturday 12th -

Ingram, the Englishman who

Sunday 13th 10am-5pm

saved Japan’s Blossoms

Sunday 27th 2pm-4pm

Angels of Sound - Pure Sound

Digby Hall, Hound Street

Divine Union Soundbath

26 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

A unique and utterly absurd comedy show. Recommended 14+. 07966 177789. £10. artsreach.co.uk

____________________________

MARCH 2022 Oborne Village Hall, £15. Advance

from Winstone’s Bookshop or via

Sherborne Town FC

ahiahel@live.com

____________________________

(3pm unless otherwise stated)

bookings only. 01935 389655 or

____________________________

sherborneliterarysociety.com

1st XI, Toolstation League 1

Raleigh Grove, Terrace Playing Fields

Wednesday 30th

Sport

The Probus Club of Sherborne

____________________________

- The A6 Murder with speaker

Sherborne RFC

Saturday 5th

Paul Stickler

1st XV, Tribute South West 1 East

v Bishops Lydeard (A)

sherbornerfc.rfu.club

Saturday 12th

The Grange Hotel, Oborne

New members welcome. 01935 813448. probus-sherborne.org.uk

Gainsborough Park, Terrace Playing Fields

____________________________

Saturday 5th (time TBC)

Wednesday 30th 7pm-9pm

v Trowbridge (A)

Sherborne Literary Society Talk Saturday 12th 2.30pm

with Tristan Gooley

v Windsor (H)

Saturday 19th

Saturday 26th v Longwell Green Sports (A)

In conversation with Brian Bleese,

Saturday 26th 2.30pm

£9 members, £10 non-members

____________________________

CEO of the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

v Portishead Town (H)

v Warminster Town (H)

- The Secret World of Weather Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road.

sherbornetownfc.com

____________________________

v Banbury (A) listings@homegrown-media.co.uk

Friday Lunchtime Recitals Cheap Street Church, 1.45pm

(unless otherwise stated)

4th March Chamber Music 11th March Pianists II 18th March Wind Band Recital, Big School Room, Sherborne School

FREE ADMISSION ALL WELCOME sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27

12/03/22

19.30

Paul Lewis – Solo Piano Recital • Beethoven, Ludwig van: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, ‘Path tique’, Op. 13 • Sibelius, Jean: Six Bagatelles Op. 97 • Debussy, Claude: Children’s Corner • Chopin, Frédéric: Polonaise No. 7 in A flat Op. 61 ‘Polonaise-fantasie’ • Beethoven, Ludwig van: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, ‘Appassionata’, Op. 57 Paul Lewis (piano) Paul Lewis is one of the foremost interpreters of the Central European piano repertoire, his performances and recordings of Beethoven and Schubert receiving universal critical acclaim. He was awarded CBE for his services to music, and the sincerity and depth of his musical approach have won him fans around the world. It is a huge thrill to be welcoming Paul to Sherborne!

“Paul Lewis combined muscularity, tenderness and intelligence with unshowy dexterity to create interpretations of great insight and power” The Guardian

Tickets: ticketsource.co.uk/sherbornechamber-music-series Tickets are £20 for adults and £5 for children.

18/06/22

18.00

Elias String Quartet • Haydn: String Quartet in G major Op. 33 No. 5 • A selection of Scottish Folksongs arranged by Donald Grant • Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A minor Op. 13 Sara Bitlloch and Donald Grant (violins), Simone van der Giessen (viola) and Marie Bitlloch (cello) “The Elias always strike me with their diligence, candour and unguarded, searching commitment” The Guardian

07/07/22

18.00

If you would prefer to make your booking over the phone, you can call the box office on 0333 666 3366, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, but please note there will be a £1.80 charge for this service. If you book online there will be no extra charge.

Ruth Rogers plays The Seasons • Vivaldi – The Four Seasons • Piazzolla – Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Ruth Rogers (solo violin and Director) and Iuventus Chamber Orchestra Ruth Rogers will perform these eight seasons with her handpicked starstudded cast of exceptional musicians.

This is a concert not to be missed!

The Gransden Hall, Merritt Centre, Sherborne Girls School, Bradford Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3QN

Making Wealth Management Personal

For investment advice you can trust and personal support you can rely on 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.

Community

MARKET KNOWLEDGE JUDE MARWA, CHIRPY BAKERS

Welcome to The Sherborne Market!

What brings you here?

I own a little company called Chirpy Bakers. We are here to convince people that eating insects is good for you, good for the planet and most of all…delicious!

full of essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, rich in iron and so much more. They are also harmless to the planet. They take up little space, require little resources but are really efficient at creating protein. My tag line is ‘Feeding the world without starving the planet’.

Where have you travelled from?

Not far! I live in Thornford – just down the road.

What do you enjoy most about selling at markets?

I love the social aspect. Market day has a great atmosphere and is the perfect place for interesting debates around eating insects… Can I eat them if I’m vegetarian?

Is it ethical? Where do they come from? It’s a good conversation starter and I love this aspect of my stall.

I also love seeing familiar faces. Having customers return is an amazing feeling. Chirpy Bakers is an educational company. I run sessions in schools and with scouts and guides, teaching about the benefits of insects.

One of our best market days was just after we ran a session at Sherborne 1st Scouts. It was so exciting to see lots of the Scouts bring their families to the stall to try the brownies for themselves.

Tell us about what you’re selling?

I sell food products made with cricket flour. It’s something that usually needs a bit of an explanation!

Our range of products is quite small as we know we have some persuading to do. So, we are helping everyone get over the ‘euw’ factor with delicious chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies. For those people who need no more persuasion and want more sustainable protein in their life, we have premixed bags to bake your own brownies at home – a perfect way to get protein into the packed lunch box!

We also sell pure cricket flour for those ready to experiment a bit more - this can be added to smoothies, omelettes or any meal really - and is a simple way to get your sustainable source of daily protein.

Where and when did it all begin?

I lived in South East Asia for seven years, working as a primary school teacher. Insects in that part of the world are a common staple in diets. After going to a really cool tapas bar in Siem Reap where we ate red ant spring rolls, tarantula tempura and silkworm salad, I started to read about the benefits of eating insects. The more research I did, the more I was amazed. In terms of nutrition and sustainability, they are the superhero of food. 79% protein, 30 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

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

I love all the interior design stalls. We are renovating our house at the moment so I dream about being ready to buy cushions and lampshades. And I never leave without a sourdough from Oxfords.

Where can people find you on market day?

On Digby Road, opposite Tamburinos. I love this pitch.

I can see and hear the Abbey, and the amazing food from the stalls in Pageant Gardens are close by. chirpybakers.com

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

2022 dates

April 24th May 15th June 19th July 17th Aug 21st

Sept 18th Oct 9th Nov 20th Dec 18th

Fol󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗󰈗 or 󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏󰉏

Flying the flag for local

w󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒󰉒

Community

ST JOHNS’ ALMSHOUSE A HIDDEN HISTORY

Ros Heron, Steward, St Johns’ Almshouse

T

here are not many 15th century buildings still functioning as originally intended, but nestled beside the glorious Abbey in our beautiful, historic town, you will find a pocket of preserved kindness at St Johns’ Almshouse. Its unique charm, although alluring from the cobbled pavement, is truly hidden in the heart of the building, where a welcoming hand has been extended to the Sherborne community – and those with links to the town – for centuries. A friend of Sherborne is a friend of ours, at St. Johns’.

Before I delve too far into the rather special history of St Johns’, I want to address something I often get asked – most notably by grammarians – that also relates to its founding. The plural possessive apostrophe in our name, which is applied as a shared dedication to both St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, is indeed intended and correct. The symbols for both – a lamb 32 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

and flag for St John the Baptist and an eagle for St John the Evangelist – greet you on the Victorian gateway that invites you into our medieval Almshouse.

The original Almshouse building is the best surviving example of a medieval Almshouse in Wessex.

Its Foundation Deed is dated 10th January 1437 and provided for ‘Twelve pore feeble and ympotent old men and four old women’ to be cared for by a housewife whose duty was to ‘feeche in and dyght to the victaill wash wrying make beddys and al other things do’.

Today, St Johns’ benefits from the unique surroundings of the original Almshouse buildings but residents now enjoy contemporary and comfortable accommodation in a relaxed and friendly environment, without the strict rules of the past and constraints of the original Foundation Deed and open to all. Though, there are many historical features that are proudly

Image: Katharine Davies

preserved such as the original staircase and, in some instances, considered an artistic treasure of national importance – as is the case with the triptych in our chapel. The magnificent triptych has been dated on stylistic grounds to c. 1480 and most likely owes its survival and excellent condition to the fact it can be folded and was stowed out of the way of puritan iconoclasts during the Reformation. Painted in oils on wooden panels, it depicts five of the miracles of Christ, with the impressive central panel portraying the raising of Lazarus. It may be a copy of a lost picture by Van der Weyden.

Also in our impressive chapel, which was designed

by Slater and includes an oriel and an early English arcaded cloister, you will find the finest medieval glass in Sherborne. The large south window presents the Virgin and Child, flanked by the patron saints,

SS. John the Baptist holding a lamb, and SS. John the Evangelist with a chalice. There are a few small cracks from the trodden path of history as the result of bombing in 1940, but it is a remarkable window which attracts visitors and residents alike.

Copies of the illuminated royal licence obtained by King Henry VI, the Foundation Deed and a letter from Sir Walter Raleigh to Mr Knoyll, the then Master of the Almshouse, can be found in the antechapel, plus a smattering of official documents and interesting artefacts elsewhere. We still have examples of the old uniforms the residents used to wear and a wonderful wooden chest which is opened by five different keys that would have been given to chosen holders.

Aside from the historical gems inside, the railings outside the Almshouse are rather extraordinarily classified as a listed monument. The Victorian iron posts and rails that line the kerb – often seen dressed in flowers come spring – would have been used by almsmen in the past as a place to lean and smoke a pipe.

Five of the original seven finials of the railings remain and are symbols of a bishop’s mitre, which is the badge of the Almshouse.

It is inspiring to have such vivid traces of history as part of your daily life, bringing character to our already impressive building, and narrating the fascinating stories of years past. All who have had the privilege to cross the threshold into our special community at St Johns’ are part of a living history and feel like they have discovered the hidden heart of Sherborne. As was the case centuries ago, the most valuable possession of the Almshouse is its invitation to its residents. Many folk, including locals, are still unaware that you do not have to live in Sherborne to become a resident at St Johns’ in later life, but rather have a ‘link’ to our town. The most important requirement is whether you feel at home in our unique house, which is why new residents are invited to stay for a couple of nights.

From the colourful cloisters and charming private gardens to the enviable view of our historic Abbey and extraordinary artefacts that have stood the test of time, St Johns’ will always be a welcoming place for those wanting to be part of a caring community whilst living life independently in our pretty little market town. stjohnshouse.org Applications are welcomed from all who wish to enjoy what life at St Johns’ has to offer. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 33

Community

FIVE PENCE A WEEK THE PRICE OF PROGRESS

Bill Taylor, Finance Portfolio Holder, Sherborne Town Council

A

s the new financial year approaches, Sherborne Town Council faces a similar dilemma to every other household and business in the country. How do we improve the life of our beautiful town amid the continuing COVID pandemic, soaring energy costs and steeply rising inflation?

Our answer is to focus above all on the health, well-being and resilience of all our community: the people who live and work in Sherborne, the businesses that keep the town thriving and the tourists who visit this special corner of Dorset.

COVID taught us how important green spaces are to our physical and mental health. So, we are investing heavily in improving all our parks and sports and leisure spaces. Pageant Gardens is being continually upgraded and we have seen huge improvements to the environment of the Quarr. Work has also begun on the refurbishment of Paddock Gardens. As one resident told me: ‘Getting out and about in Sherborne kept me sane during lockdown. I’m so glad I’m not still living in a tiny flat in a London tower block.’

Many thousands of sports fans rely on the Terrace Playing Fields every week of the year. So we’re upgrading the facilities there – including an ambitious plan to install solar energy collectors and heat pumps to replace ageing boilers. Good for the planet, too – one of the council’s many contributions to fighting global warming. Our allotments also helped keep people healthy, sane and happy during COVID and we plan to protect these precious gardening spaces and 34 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

create more of them.

After two years of our pandemic recovery fund, we’re still investing in grants for vital community organisations to make sure they survive post-COVID. These clubs and voluntary groups play a crucial role in maintaining mental and social health. Our grants also help support business groups, tourism and thriving town markets.

The impact of the pandemic on the Digby Hall in Hound Street demonstrates how some good can often come out of misfortune. Council income from hall bookings crashed because of lockdown, but that freed up the hall to become the centre of Sherborne’s hugely successful COVID vaccination programme. Congratulations to all the GPs, nurses and volunteers who made it happen so smoothly. Talking of health, Sherborne Town Council is also campaigning to make sure that the Minor Injuries Unit at the Yeatman Hospital reopens as promised after its temporary COVID closure.

Community health is our top priority and I believe our new budget reflects that. The town council share of your council tax for 2022-23 will go up by only five pence a week for a Band D property. That’s an increase of only 1.25 per cent at a time when national price inflation is threatening to exceed seven per cent. It’s a recognition of our need to spend our money very wisely in tough times while also supporting the bounce-backability of a great town. sherborne-tc.gov.uk

ARTI S A N R

O

U

T

E

by c l iv e w e bbe r

ALPACA - PIM A COT TON - SI LK

Open Day Event – Digby Main Hall Saturday 2nd April This special event will be held on Saturday 2nd April from 10.30 AM – 3.30 PM. There is plenty of parking at the Digby Hall car park.

We will be featuring our brand new Spring Collection of Alpaca Knitwear, ‘Perfect Fit’ Pima Cotton Tops, and Silk Scarves – All by Artisan Route.

This is a young company and brand name, but please remember that Clive Webber has had connections for over 20 years in Sherborne and really knows how to produce top quality designs in Alpaca, Pima Cotton

Darita – Elegant and uniquely styled V neck jacket. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Evelina – Smart tuck stitch jacket in 4 pastel colours. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Daniela – Amazing fit tunic with high square neckline and side slits. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Selina– Elegant long links knit jacket with feature pockets. Knitted in 100% Peruvian Baby Alpaca.

Patricia – ‘Perfect Fit’ Peruvian Pima Cotton long sleeved Crew.

Available in 12 colours.

Pilar – ‘Perfect Fit’ Peruvian Pima Cotton short sleeved Scoop.

Available in 10 colours.

and Silk.

The beauty of the Open Day is that it provides the opportunity for Artisan Route to show our products in reality, giving customers the chance to see all the products we have.

Personal service and attention is the focal point of our small business.

Our very good friend Mel Chambers will be with us to help and assist.

We are sure that you all know how to reach Digby Hall at Hound Street, Sherborne, but just in case, the postcode is DT9 3AA.

We have chosen a spacious setting in the Main Hall within a safety sensitive environment to give you a warm and friendly experience !

You can check out our collection in advance on our website, please enter the full address below

w w w. a r t i s a n r o u t e . c o . u k or phone for a brochure. T : 01896 823 765 ( Monday - Friday 10.00 - 18.00)

Community

OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset

B

efore I was elected to Parliament in 2019 I worked for the railways for 20 years but until now I have not written about the industry in this column. Given the real difficulties we are currently facing with South Western Railway I wanted to share with you some of my insights. But before I do, I’d like to pay tribute to Colin, the ticket office clerk at Sherborne station and my former colleague for many years, who retired during the pandemic. I know how much all of us valued his kindness and help – he will be greatly missed by many hundreds of people.

We have a fight on our hands at the moment. South Western Railway have, since the change of franchise in 2017, held the West Country in fairly low regard.

36 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Dorset, Somerset and Devon were the only counties to be completely cut off from London by direct-train services during the pandemic. As of last month, we had the same timetable which is eroding demand by effectively encouraging people to go to Castle Cary and get the train from there instead. This is just part of a long list of difficulties which have manifested themselves in recent times. On-board catering removed, seats supposedly refurbished but which are much harder and less comfortable than they were before. The list could go on.

Back in September, I met with two of the directors to say that there is a fundamental problem in that Dorset doesn’t feature in SWR’s plans. This is despite

the Waterloo to Exeter line being one of the highest yielding of the South Western network – and by that I mean that each train on the Sherborne line is worth more in revenue than other trains on the network. I think we have a real fight on our hands now for the future of our line, and I am considering whether or not we should have a full-on campaign to replace First Group because, across the board, it has totally failed us here in Dorset. It is not alone – whether it is South Western with this issue or the state of Great Western frequencies on the Heart of Wessex line, both companies seem to need an MP to point out faults in order to get them fixed and then, of course, their pitiful approach to dealing with bus services is like getting blood from a stone.

However, there is an opportunity from all of this.

It is for us to become clear on what we want from our railway, rather than get what we are given. Yeovil to London is possible in 1hr 45 mins. Do we really need trains every hour which stop at all stations, or do we need two or three trains a day which go non-stop from Sherborne to Salisbury or even as far as Clapham Junction? And at the weekends, if you want to go to London, wouldn’t you just love to get on at Sherborne station and the train goes all the way to Salisbury without stopping and again, up to London, fast – not dissimilar from the Castle Cary line! We need to get our political will aligned and recognise how things have changed since Coronavirus. In the next five years, we have the opportunity for new trains, faster track and a new operator that actually cares about the train service we have and the hope that the Heart of Wessex (Yeovil to Weymouth) line will be operated by the same operator that runs the Waterloo to Exeter line.

The Local Enterprise Partnerships offer very little for us in this neck of the woods. It is one of the reasons that I called on the Government to take action to shake them up radically about a year ago – and I think they will. LEPs are the medium with which to make these kinds of things happen – or at least are meant to be.

Network Rail has just published a Dorset Connectivity Study. Something that does not reflect the wishes of the Dorset Community, so we have work to do there as well! The policy of the Government to move towards Great British Railways is a good and important policy. Finally! And I hope it will bring us new jobs, new trains, faster journeys and a better frequency. chrisloder.co.uk

Specialists in building & fitting bespoke Orangeries, Extensions, Conservatories, Tiled Roof Conservatories, Porches, Replacement Warm Roof, Doors & Windows, Facias,Guttering & Roofline, replacement & Secondary Glazing.

FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION

ORANGERIES FROM £35,000 BOOK NOW - LIMITED SPACES

At Village Conservatories we can offer you a selection of window and door styles that will enable you to make the perfect choice for your home

Call us now on 01935 471111 for a free, no obligation, no pressure quotation Opening times: Monday to Friday 9.00am - 4.30pm Saturdays by appointment only Swan Yard | Cheap Street | Sherborne | Dorset | DT9 3AX www.villageconservatories.com VillageConservatories sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 38 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

A family business, for families

Montgomery Associates

Discretionary investments for private clients and their families since 1973

Would you like to join our team?

View vacancies in the Sherborne area at montgomeryassociates.co.uk/careers Portfolio Manager | Non-Executive Director | Financial Administrator

montgomeryassociates.co.uk | admin@montgomeryassociates.co.uk | 01249 782871 Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) 136684. All investments are subject to some degree of risk and investment values and performance may go up as well as down. You may not always get back all of your investment and there may be a cost associated with any product which you may purchase or sell. Past performance is not an indication of future performance.

UNEARTHED Georgia Burton, Aged 15 Sherborne Girls

S

ince joining the Sherborne Schools Combined Cadet Force (CCF) during lockdown 2020, Georgia has become a passionate and committed cadet, and would happily describe it as one of the highlights of her school life. She joined whilst she was in Middle Fifth (Year 10) when Sherborne Girls was first invited to join the Sherborne School CCF as part of the two schools’ Separate Yet Together collaboration.

Two years on, and Georgia is one of only two girls who were selected for the Royal Marines Pringle Trophy team along with several boys from Sherborne School. Georgia’s natural enthusiasm for CCF obviously shone through during the selection process and she is hoping to go on to represent both schools during the competition in March 2022. She is also now honing her own leadership skills as part of a course where she is learning instructional techniques to enable her to train junior cadets once she enters the Sixth Form.

‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being involved in CCF, especially working together with Sherborne School,’ says Georgia. ‘The activities are challenging but exciting, and I love having the opportunity to meet lots of different kinds of people.’

Away from CCF, Georgia loves sailing (she comes from a family of sailors) and is also an outstanding runner; recently competing in a team of six at the ESAA cross-country national finals in Newquay.

She is also a keen musician, playing the saxophone, recorder and guitar, and is a highly talented art scholar where she loves to experiment with different mediums to look for new and interesting ways to communicate through her work. With such a broad array of talents at her disposal, the future is certainly looking bright for Georgia! sherborne.com

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

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

40 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Children’s Book Review Pippa Scott, aged 12, Leweston

Circus Maximus: Rivals on the Track by Annelise Gray (Zephr, Feb 2022) £12.99 hardcover Sherborne Times Reader Offer Price of £11.99 from Winstone’s Books

I

t has been great to meet the familiar characters again in this second instalment of Circus Maximus. Dido is back – or should I say ‘Leon’ – as determined as ever, but when she meets old foes, her nerves begin to get the better of her.

There are more twists and turns to follow as Dido is having to stay under the radar of the Emperor and his bounty hunters, having made quite a few enemies in the first book. New characters emerge the more you read on, some of whom you would never expect. Some of my personal favourites are Dido, Anna and Scorpus’ two boys. Dido and Anna, although very

different at first glance, are both strong female characters. The boys have a lot of growing up to do but are always there to keep us entertained. Dido must keep one eye open for any of her enemies who might be trying to follow and capture her to claim the money reward.

I really liked Annelise’s use of descriptive language – not only of the characters and their emotions, but the settings in which the story takes place. You feel like you are there in the moment with them.

Old friends, new enemies and new horses make it a thoroughly entertaining read.

Celebrating 10 Years as Sherborne’s Independent Bookseller 2012-2022 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128

For all the Mothers, Mums and Mummies!

Family

HOME FRONT Jemma Dempsey

Image: Katharine Davies

T

his time a year ago I wasn’t in a fit state to do anything much. I’d just finished a horrible six-week course of chemo and radiotherapy and, as much as I hate to admit it, I was beaten. The treatment left me unable to eat, my tumour was in my tonsil and the radiotherapy had really done a number on my mouth and throat leaving me reliant on Phoebe, my feeding tube. But the treatment which killed my cancer also stole my saliva, a simple thing we all take for granted but without which day-to-day tasks become all but impossible, like licking an envelope. And don’t get me started on what it did to my taste buds. But I was buoyed at watching the Hollywood actor Stanley Tucci 42 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

doing the media rounds recently, promoting his new foodie book and talking about his experience of oral cancer – it somehow seemed to validate my own. So, as lots of mini anniversaries come around I am aware of how much I’ve improved and how, theoretically, I shouldn’t still be here. But I am and there is still much living to be done.

While I may look relatively ‘normal’ my body is still going through the healing process and while eating is far from straightforward, I bade farewell to Phoebe last year. She was with me for 253 days and like a dysfunctional relationship I hated every moment but knew I couldn’t be without her either. Food aside the

other aspect of my recovery is my fitness. After doing zero exercise for the best part of four months I started the school run again, though it was more of a shuffle to start with. However, I knew that wouldn’t really cut it as far as getting fit was concerned. So, one sunny day and with great trepidation, I put on my running shoes again and ventured out. What a disaster. Trying to run with a dry mouth is nigh on impossible and trying to run with your mouth closed is even harder. Stopping every few seconds for a drink of water is just not practical.

So, even after trying pastilles and gel, running is out until my salivary glands kick back in. Fingers crossed.

And then one day, one of my friends told me about cold water swimming. She’d got hooked on it before Christmas and urged me to give it a go. Of course, I thought she was quite mad; who would go in the sea in the depths of winter? But before I knew it, cold water swimming was everywhere – on the TV, in magazines (this one included), online – it seemed everyone was doing it. Clearly some research was in order, so with my journalistic hat on I set about understanding this curious pastime some more.

‘Boosts oestrogen and testosterone production, increasing libido, mood and self-confidence’ noted one Google entry. Well, I’ll have some of that. The New Scientist magazine reckons 7.5 million of us swim outdoors in the UK alone, with the number increasing during the winter, and that aside from alleviating stress and depression it can help tackle autoimmune disorders. And then there are all the purported benefits associated with menopause, which this columnist will frankly take any help she can get with thank you very much. Intrigued, I knew I had to get some ‘hands-on’ experience and have a go, so last week after some equivocating I put my costume on and set off for Weymouth. With a flask

of Bovril, lots of warm clothes and some borrowed wetsuit gloves, I figured I was ready.

The sun was peeking through the clouds as I descended to the coast, spying the sea now absent of cruise liners in the bay. The tangled knot of nerves in my stomach a feeling I’d not experienced for a long time. I met my friend Kate at Preston’s Oasis cafe, slightly mortified by the number of people sat outside nursing warm drinks and safely wrapped up in their cosy coats. Bet they’d be unable to do anything but watch us strip to our naked, barely-clad flesh and scamper down to the water’s edge. But as I undressed feeling the whip of cold air turn my warm skin pimply I really didn’t care. It was just about me and the sea. I tried not to be tentative. I tried not to gasp as I took those first steps into the steel grey sea. I tried to relax and move forward letting the waves crash against me.

I looked down and could see the criss-cross of blood vessels mapped over my legs, the cold water biting into me at every strike. I splashed the water over my torso trying to acclimatise, seeing my friend dance about and hearing ‘God, it’s bloody cold’ comments every now and then. And it was, but then it wasn’t. After a few minutes getting my whole body into the water it actually felt OK and I was swimming. I then remembered the YouTube tutorial I’d watched which suggested your first time in should be short, just a few minutes so at that point I got out – I don’t think I could have been in the sea for more than four or five minutes.

Warm clothes on, sat on the beach and Bovril in hand I felt exhilarated. It absolutely was the most insane thing I’d done in ages and I felt great, totally alive and pondering the next time. If you’re tempted I’d say give it a go. Apparently there’s a women’s cold water swimming group based in Weymouth which I might join. Their name? The Bluetits.

MOTHER’S DAY SUNDAY 27th MARCH

Don’t forget to order a bouquet for Mum Pop in to our new department – Leaf & Living – to see our range of lovely Gifts, Home & Garden Decor, Houseplants and more...

Ellie Taylor

01935 814308 occasionsofsherborne@outlook.com occasions-flowers.com 43 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PU sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

Little Preppers Toddler Group Follow our Little Preppers Toddler Facebook page to see the fun activities we offer

www.sherborneprep.org

Discover THE WORLD OF SCENT

Follow our story

F R E E G A R D E N E N T RY BISTRO – BRUNCH , LUNCH , COFFEE , CAKE , AF TERNOON TE A C R E AT I V E WO R K S H O P S F R E E P E R F U M E E X H I B I T I O N & TO U R S S C E N T E D G A R D E N TO U R S CINEMA & SUPPER G I F T S H O P – PA R T E R R E P E R F U M E S , BOOKS, INDOOR PLANTS

AT T H E H O M E O F PARTERRE FRAGRANCES OPEN ALL YEAR To plan an event or book a table contact us on 01258 786022 or enquiries@keynestonmill.com Keyneston Mill, Nr. Blandford Forum DT11 9HZ For opening times please visit

W W W. K E Y N E S TO N M I L L .CO M

44 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

JEWELLERS

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

Family

Image: Katharine Davies 46 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

LETTER TO A CHILD OF THE FUTURE

R

Tamsin Holroyd, Teacher and Librarian. Sherborne Prep

eading doubles your life, over and over. You enter other worlds and encounter different people. Are the characters just like someone you know, or perhaps they are you? The world of books is the world of imagination, both believable and unbelievable. The characters are lifelong friends, forever ready and waiting to take you by the hand and lead you into their reality. They are constants in your life, at your beck and call, always on your terms. You will never be alone with a book in your hand and words in your head. When you read a story you step into someone else’s shoes, seeing their world from their perspective. You become them. Reading gives a powerful, concentrated type of understanding. Your feelings, and the characters’ situations and emotions, mixed with a special type of literary fairy dust, make for vivid perception. Intrinsic to books, this alchemy of second-hand/first-hand insight creates deep empathy.

Books are a place of safe retreat when life gets tough. Taking you out of yourself, stepping into the familiar reliable world of an old favourite provides an invaluable source of comfort and healing. Your mind escapes and returns refreshed, stronger than ever. Your world may change but the worlds in your books will not. Emma Watson says, ‘When times get really dark and times are really hard, stories give us a place where we can go, where we can rest and feel held.’

Reading emphasises life’s pattern, leading to recognition. A thrill of connection is felt on discovering that someone has read the same book as you. If all the books you have ever read were piled up in a room, would anyone else have read the same books, in the same order? The combination of books you read is as unique to you as your fingerprints. Books tell that we have something in common, that we are not alone. Have you ever read a poem and thought, ‘I’ve had that exact feeling and here it is expressed perfectly in so few words’? Your special books, the ones that nurture and shape you most, leave their imprint so indelibly that even many years later they remain fresh in your mind. Often, the way you felt about the book lends it significance. Where you read it may be part of the memory placing the important book on your life’s timeline. As a child I read The Hobbit all night, by torchlight, lying on a military camp bed downstairs in a transit flat in New Zealand. It took my breath away. How could a book be this good?

When you thread your time through with books, your life from ‘kiddie-car to hearse’ as Nancy Mitford puts it, will be not only enhanced and enriched, but far more fun.

‘Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow more light in.’

Vera Nazarian ‘There is no Frigate like a Book. To take us Lands away…’

Emily Dickinson Sherborne Prep will be supporting World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March. What will you read? sherborneprep.org

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47

Family

Image: Stella Isaac 48 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

THE SECRET LIFE OF AN ART TECHNICIAN

I

Rachel Akerman, Sherborne School

work as one of the technicians in the busy Art department at Sherborne School.

Alongside this, I work as a freelance illustrator and designer. Growing up in Sherborne I went to the Gryphon School where I focused on creative subjects before studying a degree in Illustration at Falmouth University. I fell in love with the area and living by the coast and moved back to work for Seasalt Cornwall, designing, and making window displays for their stores nationwide. My window designs varied in form but always took inspiration from the sea and Cornish heritage. On one of my first research trips, I spent the day snorkelling at Prussia Cove, collecting seaweed to press (like pressed flowers) and turning them into a design when back in the studio. In the summer I was able to swim before work and often headed over to the north coast for a surf after.

Then 2020 happened and I moved back to the local area to be with family. It was during this time that the position of Art Technician came up at Sherborne School, a varied and creative role which appealed to me. No two days are the same, assisting students with their different projects and engaging them in new creative practices. A big part of the role is supporting student progress in lessons and workshops. This year we’ve been able to set up a new ceramics studio in the department and I was challenged to take the lead on this development. Ceramics isn’t something I have a huge amount of experience in but with help from Biology teacher (and potter), Jonathan Wilson, a course at Strode College and lots of trial and error, I’m getting there! Most importantly, the boys are loving the new space and have been coming in during their free time to work on their creations.

While each school term is busy and vibrant the long holidays allow me to work on my own art. My personal work spans from editorial illustration to site-specific design and feeds hugely into the skills I’m able to offer students. Since moving back to the area I’ve become a member of Yeovil Creatives, an organisation that connects local artists in the community through ideas and skill-sharing. This has been an amazing opportunity for me, and I’ve been lucky enough to be part of several projects with the Art Space. Recently, I’ve been working on a booklet for local residents called ‘Creativity for Wellbeing’ which includes activities and tips to support good mental health. As an extension of this project, I’ve created some largeformat illustrations which can be seen in the front of the old Beales shop. You can pick up a free copy of the activity booklet in the Yeovil Art Space shop. I have loved being able to work on community-based projects and seeing the impact that such engagement has on a wider audience. I very much plan to keep going with my work in this area, so watch this space! @sherborneschoolart sherborne.org @rachelakerman rachelakerman.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 50 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Science & Nature

DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

OAK BEAUTY BISTON STRATARIA Gillian Nash Gucio_55/Shutterstock

O

ne of our early spring moths, the impressive Oak Beauty is on the wing from February to April. It is sometimes found resting on tree trunks by day and, with its thickset form and wingspan of up to 50mm, is the largest moth species you are likely to see caught in your car headlights or attracted to lit windows at this time of year. The mottled and speckled cryptic wing pattern provides excellent camouflage, strongly resembling the crags and crevices on the bark of well-chosen tree species. Although this pattern is similar for all individuals, the arrangement of brown, cream, fawn, white and rich chestnut shades can vary considerably, but always with the diagnostic broad black-edged bands across the wings. The more frequently seen male of the species has feathered antennae as depicted in the image above.

Despite being widespread and relatively common

throughout most of England and Wales, particularly in more southern counties, the Oak Beauty is sadly one of our declining species – numbers having significantly fallen since the 1970s. It is however still often recorded in Sherborne and surrounding areas, occurring around its preferred habitat of mature woodland in rural and suburban situations. It may also be found in urban parks and gardens where suitable larval food plants grow, which include a wide range of shrubs and deciduous trees such as willows, birches, hazel, limes, elms and oaks, where eggs are laid in late spring. The resulting nightfeeding larvae whilst having dull grey colouration, are remarkable in form, with a convincing resemblance to notched twigs affording highly efficient camouflage from predators in daylight hours. When fully grown a pupa is formed underground with the adult moth emerging the following spring when conditions are favourable. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

Science & Nature

52 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Peter Littlewood, Young Peoples Trust for the Environment

D

oing the school run (or more accurately walk!) on a bright morning in early February, I was aware of a marked increase in birdsong around us. Spring, at least as far as the birds are concerned, is already upon us. The cacophony of tweets and chirps indicates that they are starting to think about building nests and finding mates for the upcoming breeding season.

Whilst the weather is starting to become milder again, many birds may find that their food is still scarce.

And even when the spring comes, they need plenty of energy for breeding and then for feeding their young.

So you can really help by feeding them through the early part of spring.

Over the page you'll find a few ideas for some environmentally friendly single-use bird feeders, that you can make at home. They’re a great way to involve your children in helping feed the birds and get them interested in identifying different species and watching bird behaviour. Some of these feeders even rot away naturally after the birds have finished with them too, so although they’re single-use, they don’t cause lasting environmental damage.

You can research the types of foods most likely to attract certain birds, but a good starting point is a bag of mixed birdseed and some suet pellets. These can usually be found in most supermarkets and pet shops, but are the best value when purchased in large quantities online or ideally locally, from the likes of C.B. Brett & Son and Sherborne Market Store.>

Duba DP/Shutterstock

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 53

Science & Nature

Dan Hughes 54 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Joybot

Pine cone bird feeder

Pine cones make a great basis for a natural bird feeder. Birds will be able to peck the seeds from the spaces in between the scales.

1 Tie a piece of string securely to the top of the cone, so that you can hang it in a tree.

2 Roll the pine cone in any sticky food (lard, honey or peanut butter will all work well) then roll it again in a bowl of birdseed, so that all the spaces are filled up with seeds.

3 Hang the finished pine cone feeder from a branch. Somewhere in sight of a window is best, as it will allow you to observe the birds from indoors, where you’re unlikely to startle them.

Half orange feeder

Another easy feeder can be made from an orange or grapefruit half after you’ve squeezed the juice from it to drink.

1 Make a cross shape by using two wooden skewers to pierce the halved fruit skin.

2 Tie some string to the skewers where the cross intersects.

3 You can then fill it up with seeds, or a seed and lard mix before hanging it from a branch.

You’ll need to keep a watch on this one because the orange or grapefruit skin won’t last too long before it starts to rot. When it does, it will drop from the branch it’s hanging on. You might want to collect up (and possibly even re-use) the skewers.

Or for more advanced DIYers…

If you’re looking for a longer-lasting version of this design and you’ve got some tools handy, you could try

using half a coconut to hold your birdseed mixture.

You’ll need to be very careful sawing the coconut in half (remember that you’ll need something to catch the coconut water in). You will need to use a drill to create the hole for threading the hanging string through too.

Then you can mix up a bowl of different bird seeds and some lard to make the mixture sticky. Spoon the mixture inside the shells and leave it to settle. So long as your mixture is solid enough, you’ll only need one hole in each coconut half, because you can hang them vertically from a branch.

Recycled bottle or carton feeder

You could also use a variety of other containers to create bird feeders with loose seeds. For example, a carton can be repurposed as a bird feeder, by cutting large holes in three of the four sides. Remember to start these holes a couple of centimetres from the base of the carton, so that the birdseed you fill it with won’t fall out of the sides.

There are lots of designs online for making bird feeders using plastic drink bottles too. YPTE has one such design idea here: ypte.org.uk/downloads/homelearning-activity-make-a-bird-feeder, but there are lots of others available too!

By involving your children in these activities, you can help them to understand how we can sometimes repurpose what would otherwise be rubbish into something useful. They can also discover the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials. And you might just spark a lifelong interest in bird-watching too!

You can find information on these and lots of other birdrelated activities you can do at home in YPTE’s home learning pack on garden birds - ypte.org.uk/downloads/ home-learning-pack-garden-birds

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55

Science & Nature

SCARED OF A BEE STING? Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker

W

hat if you’re scared of bees? My parents would affirm that I was a ‘flapper’ when it came to bees, wasps, or any insect in fact! I would never have dreamt that one day I’d be barefoot and gloveless handling bees on a desert island as I was two years ago! I believe that when we have a fear of something, it’s worth digging a little deeper to discover what the real fear is. With bees, it’s quite justifiable, as a sting hurts. There is also a genuine possibility of anaphylaxis, and even death if not treated soon enough. Most fears, when analysed come down to a fear of death.

So, why do we fear death so deeply? A long-term friend of mine passed away recently. He was merely a week short of celebrating his 100th birthday. I’d known him for around 30 years and we’d often discussed death. He’d been widowed twice and would often say how he wished he wasn’t still alive. He did have faith 56 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

and believed that he would be reunited with his loved ones on death. This surprised me as he often spoke as someone who wouldn’t believe in anything that couldn’t be proven. Some are terrified of dying as with their faith they’re fearful of going to hell. A greater fear can be the loss of a loved one. Imagining a life without a spouse, parent or child can be unbearable and so we can be tempted to overprotect our loved ones.

The question then is what is life all about, that we should fight so hard to keep it? Changing our perception of threats can also help. The Chinese used bee stings as therapy in acupuncture long before they were replaced with needles. Apitherapy continues around the world today, a high value put on bee venom.

I heard the inspirational speaker David Goggins speak on this subject. He says his greatest fear is to die, and on meeting God at the pearly gates with his large flip chart, to be shown all the great things God had planned

etraveler/Shutterstock

for him, which he rejected in turn for a safe life. I can really relate to this.

As a creative and sensitive child, my teens were filled with confusion and doom as I contemplated a world without me. My tendency to ‘give it just one more day’ took me right up to my early thirties when the massive shock of my first husband running off with a shepherdess left me devastated and traumatised. I had to live for our two sons, aged one and three, plus I had my business, my only income.

A dear friend lent me the series of books by Neal Donald Walsh, Conversations with God. At the end of the third book, God had divided himself into an infinite number of ‘souls’ to experience what being God wasn’t. After all, how could God remember what love was if he’d forgotten what love wasn’t? A soul had stepped forward asking God if it could return to earth to experience pain and grief as it had forgotten

these feelings. God agreed and asked for a second soul to come forward and help the first soul experience these painful emotions. After some mutterings, a brave soul stepped forward and said ‘I will.’ He continued, ‘You will know deep in your soul that I am here to help you, and that you requested my help.’ At that moment I felt huge understanding and compassion for my ex. He had indeed helped me experience deep wounding pain and trauma, and I knew that on some cosmic level, it was to help me, though I didn’t remember asking for it!

This moment of understanding also made me realise that I had a choice of whether to stay or leave the earthly plain. As you’ve probably guessed, I decided to stay. That decision, being as conscious and considered as it was, has given me great strength to ride some pretty stormy seas. Since that decision 20 years ago I have actually become fearless, making friends with the giant spider I shared my bathroom with, shaking a rope swing bridge over a rapid river in Peru on the way to Machu Pichu, travelling the world alone, starting a new business, snorkelling the ‘Rip’ on Direction Island (never again, that was terrifying!) and of course keeping those scary stinging bees.

The joy of living is such a gift, one most of us only appreciate when it’s too late. With only taxes and death being certain, how do you want to enter the pearly gates? David Goggins says he wants to surprise even God, with ticks by all the possibilities, and a scribble at the end with achievements even God didn’t expect to write!

If the purpose of life the wise 99-year-old suggested, is to love, then surely that means to love life as well as each other. The more we love, the more we find to love, even insects are worthy of our love and deep connection. Bees I believe understand this as when they sting – they lose their lives, so they choose who and when to sting carefully as it comes at the greatest cost.

Perhaps they don’t believe in heaven, more connected to the circle of nature and stardust. They return to the earth to then feed the flowers that feed their sisters and daughters. The circle of life and death continues, each only existing because of the other.

This spring, should we each take the time to consider what makes our lives worth living, and what do we want to celebrate when we meet our maker?

Then ignore the fear and do it anyway, what’s the worst that can happen?! paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 57

Science & Nature

Sherborne Science Cafe Lectures Rob Bygrave, Chair, Sherborne Science Cafe

THE GEOLOGY OF SHERBORNE Speaker: John Whicher

L

andscape, as any budding geographer knows, is dependent on climate and geology and the remorseless and unrelenting application of physical and chemical processes.

Climate, we are critically aware of; it occurs where we live our everyday lives. Geology is more of a mystery; we see its surface expression but the rocks below are an unknown to most people. Yet, geology tells us much of past states of the Earth, previous climates, historic global calamities, past flora and fauna through fossils as well as accounting for landscape and local building styles. Science Cafe welcomed John Whicher, previously a medical man, with a keen geological interest, and form in publishing geological research, to speak about the geology of Sherborne. He is a local man who attended Sherborne School as a boy.

Inferior Oolite is the rock which defines Sherborne being the cover for the immediate

58 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Reproduced by permission of the Geological Society

area. The Inferior Oolite consists of several different layers representing different depositional environments (deposited ~174-164 Ma).

Sherborne Building Stone (SBS) is the main strata of interest for commercial purposes and still extracted at Frogden Quarry to the north east of the town. One interesting feature of the SBS, and one which can detract from its utility as a building stone, is the network of calcified pipe-like structures in a horizontal plane within the stone. These are Thalassinoides and are not uncommon in sediments. They represent the fossilised burrows of now, long departed, Jurassic organisms. With most Thalassinoides, the burrowing organism cannot be identified, but in the SBS uniquely, fossils of ancient lobsters have been identified as the builders of this considerable underground network.

A North Dorset excursion

After marine deposition, there was gradual uplift during the Cretaceous Period (the period immediately following the Jurassic) and Jurassic strata assumed a shallow tilt to the south east.

Tilting and gradual erosion of the Jurassic rocks led to exposed strata in the west being older than those further east (see image). >

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

The alternation of exposed beds of clay and limestone, being of unequal durability and hardness resulted in differential erosion producing a distinctive ‘lobsided’ landscape with outcrops being hard limestone rocks and the valleys soft clays. As limestone dips, the clay covering is gradually washed off exposing the sloping surface of rock, the gentle ‘dip slope’.

Towards the top of the slope, the dip ends in an escarpment (scarp slope), steeper and more rugged being more resistant to erosion. Sherborne lies at the foot of a dip slope which is good for warmth and drainage.

A journey from west to east along the A30 allows notable Jurassic rocks to be examined because the driver will be travelling along the slices of ‘bread and butter’. In Yeovil, the Bridport Sands formation of the Upper Lias is the starting point (near Argos). At Babylon Hill, the escarpment is of Inferior Oolite protecting the softer sand below. The driver then proceeds over Inferior Oolite before cutting across the Fuller’s Earth formation. Fuller’s Earth clays were used extensively for washing wool (hence the name). It is claimed that several clay layers within the formation are of volcanic origin. There were no volcanoes in Dorset at this time and a possible source, if true, is from volcanic activity within the North Sea area. Fuller’s Earth is somewhat of a nightmare for civil engineers as it is mobile and sticky when wet.

Continuing, Forest Marble is noted, a prominent part of the scenery to the south east of Sherborne. Then comes the Cornbrash, at the top of the Middle Jurassic, so named from the observation that corn grown on soil overlying this rock was particularly successful. Forest Marble is found near Henstridge, a hard stone with a slate layer within it and full of broken shells.

Oxford Clay lies at the boundary of the Upper and Middle Jurassic and is followed by Corallian limestones made up from coral reefs. On the Corallian ridge, a few quarries still operate.

This is followed by another clay layer, the Kimmeridge Clay, the highest bed of the Jurassic in this neighbourhood. Kimmeridge Clay is well exposed on the Dorset coast, often dark and bituminous with oil shale in places (the village is home to a working oil well, in operation since 1959). On this journey, faults are often found, the most prominent of which is the Poyntington Fault where the succession of rocks is affected, not only by vertical displacement but by a considerable horizontal displacement of ~3km.

Notable contributions to better understanding the Jurassic in the Sherborne area were made by father and son members of the Buckman family of Bradford Abbas. James Buckman senior (1814-1884), was a former professor of Botany and Geology at the Royal College of Agriculture at Cirencester. He continued his interest in agriculture, botany and geology and branched out to mastering local archaeology. He was a founder member of Dorset Natural History Field Club. His grave and commemorative stone can be found at St Mary’s churchyard in Bradford Abbas.

More details of this report are available on our website sherbornesciencecafe.com

__________________________________________________________________________ Wednesday 23rd March 7.30pm The Hydrology of Sherborne A talk with Dr Paul Webster. The Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne

__________________________________________________________________________

60 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

On Foot

On Foot

RIGHTS OF WAY Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

W

e’re taking a break from writing a walk this month as we plan for the rest of the year. It seems like a good time to reflect on the ground we’ve covered so far and some of the challenges we encounter as we write these walks. West Dorset has some fantastic and varied walking terrain and good routes along the South West Coast Path as well as other established trails such as the Monarch’s Way, Macmillan Way and Jubilee Trail. However, some less well-used paths can sometimes be difficult to make out so we thought it would be useful to share what you should do if faced with an unclear route or problem.

For this, we’re referring to the Rights of Way leaflet produced by Dorset Council.

Each month we devise a walk from scratch. As we plan what we hope will make an interesting route, we try and anticipate if any path or route might be problematic. Working to a monthly schedule leaves little or no time to reconfigure the walk if it doesn’t work out as planned. So far, we’ve been fairly lucky, but one of the things that sometimes causes an issue is establishing the right of way. This can be caused by stiles in a poor state of repair or stiles that are overgrown, missing signage, electric fences, obstructions and re-routed paths. >

62 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 63

On Foot

We use an up-to-date Ordnance Survey Explorer map but it is hard to gauge how difficult a path, or access, will be until we’re out on the route and writing the directions. There is a current Definitive Map for the County of Dorset with four categories of rights of way: Footpath, Bridleway, Byway and Restricted Byway.

From the Rights of Way leaflet it’s worth noting that ‘the latest editions of Ordnance Survey maps…also show rights of way but such maps are not conclusive in law and may not show the latest amendments consequent upon revision of the Definitive Map.’ Here are the main problems we’ve encountered as listed in the Rights of Way guidance. It’s also important to mention that the leaflet guidance lists several other issues to consider such as obstructions, dog control and open access and addresses the responsibilities of the local authority, landowners and the public.

Stiles, gates and bridges

Occasionally we’ll find a stile in a poor state of repair which can be difficult or unsafe to cross. The guidance states that ‘any stile, gate or similar structure across a footpath or bridleway must be maintained by the owner of the land in a safe condition, and to the standard of repair required to prevent the unreasonable interference with the rights of the person using the footpath or bridleway.’ It also 64 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

says that ‘the owner, lessees or occupier of (land)… may apply to the Council for consent to erect stiles or gates on a footpath or bridleway to prevent livestock from straying.’

Any issues with bridges which carry a footpath or bridleway should be reported. In the majority of cases bridges are the responsibility of Dorset Council.

Applications for new stiles are no longer accepted - existing ones can be repaired and the Council are proactively trying to replace stiles with gates to make the countryside more accessible to all users.

Signage

Missing signage can also add to the confusion. On occasions when we’re heading across a field and looking for a sign to take us out of the field, clear signage is essential to prevent straying from the right of way, especially when the field has been ploughed and the pathway has temporarily disappeared. Signposts can decay, finger signs are snapped off or waymarker badges can fade. Where signage is missing, we try and ascertain the route by looking for other indications that the path is going where we think it should - sometimes it’s just a case of checking the reverse of a stile to confirm we’re on the right path. ‘The Council has the power to waymark paths where the route is not obvious and may delegate this power to other responsible persons.’

Electric fences

These have caused some issues, sometimes funny and sometimes not so! The guide states that: ‘An electric fence across a right of way is an obstruction even if it is not ‘live’. Any electric fence must be far enough away from a right of way that users on that way and their animals cannot inadvertently come into contact with it. In addition, appropriate warning signs must be displayed on or close to the fence to advise users of its presence.’ Sometimes piping over a wire may be used, removing the need to cut the fence and ensuring the continuation of the fence, also removing the use of insulated handles and clips.

Self-help with obstructions

The Guide states that: ‘If when using a right of way you find an obstruction, first check that you are on the correct route. It is permissible to make a slight deviation to avoid the obstruction and this is often the best thing to do.’

Rerouted or missing paths

Sometimes paths have to be re-routed for safety reasons - in West Dorset this is most evident on the ever-shifting coast. Paths may deviate slightly from the route shown on the map. Some paths may have been re-routed or altered since the Definitive Map

was produced which is why even the most up to date maps can sometimes mislead.

What to do

The Dorset Council Rights of Way leaflet has some useful guidance as well as information on how and where to report any problems. There is a small team of regional rangers who oversee maintenance and the public are encouraged to report any problems, by phone or online via the mapping.dorsetforyou.com/rightsofway/ reportproblem webpage. The public are also encouraged to volunteer and help with maintenance, with the opportunity to learn new skills as part of carrying out maintenance work.

We aim to be as respectful as possible towards landowners and responsible to the public when writing our directions but sometimes it’s difficult to know what the line is, so we hope the above has provided some useful advice. We’ll be back in April with another walk.

With thanks to West Dorset and Coast Senior Countryside Ranger Russell Goff dorsetcouncil.gov.uk rightsofway@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk Information correct at time of original publication in the Bridport Times, March 2020.

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

CHARTERHOUSE Auctioneers & Valuers

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Classic & Collector Cars 3rd March Classic & Collector Motorcycles 9th March Coins, Medals, Stamps, Model Cars & Trains 10th March Clocks, Collectors’ Items & Antiques 11th March Enamel Signs, Petroliana & Automobilia 1st April Further entries invited

1959 Triumph ‘Tangerine Dream’ Bonneville £16,000-18,000

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

CH0063_March Sherborne Times HP Ad_V1.indd 1

11/02/2022 09:11

Affordable interior fabrics thefabricbarn.co.uk 66 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

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

History

LOST DORSET

NO. 21 STURMINSTER NEWTON

T

David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

his view of a busy Monday market in 1906 perfectly depicts ‘Stur’ as the bustling provincial capital of the Blackmore Vale. It was then a world of yeoman farmers, Hardy’s ‘Vale of the Little Dairies’, whose small dairy herds grazed the Vale’s wellwatered clays. The arrival of the railway in 1863 transformed their fortunes, opening up a new market for liquid milk, to London and Bournemouth, as well as the creamery that opened in the town shortly before the First World War. In Tales of Dorset Olive Knott, born in Rixon Hill in 1903, gives an account of the fortnightly market as described by her father. ‘Pigs, cows, sheep and dairy produce were bought and sold under the watchful eye of all and sundry, midst hearty greetings and backchat, a jovial gathering of folks from miles around all clad in their ‘second best’.’ A policeman watches proceedings from outside the police station. The livestock market finally closed in 1997, and the more recent closure of Shaftesbury Cattle Market in January 2019 means that there are now no livestock markets in Dorset, ending a once vital link in the rural economy that stretches back to medieval times. dovecotepress.com Lost Dorset: The Towns 1880-1920, the companion volume to Lost Dorset: The Villages and Countryside, is a 220-page large-format hardback, price £20, and is available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers.

68 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

OBJECT OF THE MONTH

THE SHALE BRACELET Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

I

n advance of the building of residential development at Foster’s Field, Tinneys Lane, an excavation was undertaken

by Exeter Archaeology in the summer and autumn of 2002. A multi-phase prehistoric settlement was uncovered with traces of occupation ranging from the Early Bronze Age to the 14th century.

The Late Bronze Age phase, around the C12th – C11th BCE, revealed compelling evidence of one of the best examples of pot-firing to have been obtained within the whole of prehistoric Britain. This included burnt bases for bonfire firing, spreads of broken, burnt and over-fired pottery sherds, structures that were possibly drying racks and pits for holding clay and water. Analysis of the sherds, from one of the largest assemblages ever recovered, showed that bucket-shaped or ovoid jars were predominant amongst other vessels being made on the site. These were hand-built using the coil method and most contained deliberately crushed calcite within their fabric. They were decorated using fingertip, fingernail or tool impressions; some having incised diagonal or horizontal lines. Clay was dug out from the matrix of Fullers Earth just south of the site, forming terraces. Speculation grew that some of the pottery may have been produced for distribution covering a limited local area, including South Cadbury, where similar plain ware had been found. There was further evidence for the manufacture of bronze items in the form of moulds and bellows tubes, indicative of melting and casting taking place.

Alongside this industry there was also evidence for domestic activity such as small tools, ornaments and items related to food consumption: querns, charred plant remains and animal bones, mostly from sheep and goats. Bones and teeth of small horses were found; these were not eaten, however, but used for riding and traction. Spindle whorls were indicative of the

craft of weaving. Late Bronze Age peoples were early farmers and grew and ate grains like spelt, emmer wheat and barley supplemented with hazelnuts, hedge fruits and arable weeds such as fat hen and orache. The excavation further revealed a series of seven post-built roundhouses as living quarters, which would have been thatched with reeds.

A number of cores and hammerstones suggest they created multi-purpose tools from the flint-knapping process; they also worked bone and antler to make some extraordinarily delicate implements such as gorges for fishing in the river Yeo. Society was tiered and the status of individuals was indicated in a highly visual manner through the wearing of bone pins, pendants or shale bracelets, as pictured. The shale is hand-worked and finely finished, about 76 mm in diameter; some pieces were found in an outer post hole of a hut, perhaps as a special deposit of some kind.

This ‘exotic’ item was likely to have been imported from the Kimmeridge Beds some 55 km away and provides exciting evidence of trade and long-distance contact.

While the settlement, artefacts, crafts and trading of specialist goods like the shale bracelets are very typical of other known Late Bronze Age sites across southern England, the major difference with the Foster’s Field site was the discovery of specialisation of potterymaking on a large household scale, linked to probable export within the local area. sherbornemuseum.co.uk Several items from the Foster’s Field excavation are currently on view at Sherborne Museum, on long-term loan by kind permission of the Dorset County Museum.

Sherborne Museum is open for its winter hours of Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10.30am-4.30pm sherbornetimes.co.uk | 69

History

DORSET VILLAGE CUSTOMS Cindy Chant and John Drabik

powerofforever/iStock

D

orset’s folklore is rich with fascinating customs and unusual seasonal rites. Some have their roots embedded deep in our history and originate from rituals to ensure the growth and survival of the community. Many are shared with other counties, but some are unique to particular towns or villages.

In Sherborne we have our Pack Monday Fair, held in October shortly after Michaelmas, when the harvest was complete and a new cycle in the farming year had commenced. However, despite many suggested theories, the origins of this annual custom are uncertain. One popular belief is that it celebrates the completion of the Abbey restoration in 1490, after the fire damage. The evening before, at midnight, there is the ‘Teddy Roe’s Band’ – a custom where children and townsfolk gather, with cows’ horns, to bugle their way in procession through the streets of Sherborne. Over the years, many other noise-making instruments, such as pots and pans, were employed. The fair itself is a colourful array of stalls, sideshows, eating outlets, and a travelling funfair.

For some, the highlight of the year, with entertainment, socialising, shopping and feasting.

A lesser-known Sherborne custom was ‘Up to Lodge’, where children from Sherborne and surrounding villages looked forward to receiving two brand new 70 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

shiny pennies presented to them by the castle owners.

At 9am on Christmas morning they would eagerly make their way to the Castle Lodge to receive this gift.

The custom may have started with gifts of oranges, but by the 19th century it had evolved into giving four pence to adults and two pence to each child.

In Leigh, there is a survivor of an ancient method of selling, a ‘candle auction’, which takes place annually in June. The bidding is for one of two separate plots of land within the Parish, and the winner has rights to the land for a year. A candle is lit and the auctioneer takes bids until the candle flame goes out, whoever bids last is the winner. The auction was once conducted in the Carpenters Arms, with a customary free glass of whisky with every bid, but now it is held in the village hall. Originally the money raised was for the poor and to maintain the parish cottages, with the earliest records dating from 1732, but it is believed to date back before then.

In 1897 a grotesque, wooden mask went missing from a barn in Melbury Osmond. It was a huge hairy bull head with horns and human features, and a hinged jaw with gnashing teeth. It is called the Ooser, and some suggest it had connotations with medieval witchcraft and fertility, as it, or he, was often depicted

chasing women to fulfil his carnal desires. It was used in parades around the village on Christmas and May Day festivities. The larger-than-life Ooser has now been adopted by the Wessex Morris Men and regularly appears with them, including at their annual ‘Fertility’ May Day gathering on the Trendle, at dawn, followed by dancing in the streets of Cerne Abbas, and breakfast in one of the hostelries.

The Trendle is a small rectangular earthwork above the Cerne Giant and may have been the site of a temple dedicated to the cult of Hercules. This hill was a regular site for pagan rituals, as a maypole was sited permanently here until 1635. The villagers would go up the hill every May Day and dance the maypole, which has its origins as a fertility dance and possibly connected with early druids. Regardless of its origins, there were always garlands of flowers, Church Ales, and joyful merrymaking to ‘Bring in the May’.

Many villages have an annual custom where residents, with bells and musical instruments, would walk the entire boundary of their village, to make known to all where the boundaries lie. ‘Beating the Bounds’ has its origins in Roman times as a festival dedicated to the god Terminus. This quaint custom once had a whiff of violence, as at various places boys in the parade would get a tanning from the village elders, so that they would always remember the boundary landmarks.

Dorset has its fair share of gruesome customs, one of which was ‘cudgel fighting’, open to all daring young men who felt inclined. Revels Inn near Middlemarsh was once a popular venue for this bloody sport. It consisted of a rowdy crowd, much alcohol, and two protagonists with one arm padded with sackcloth and the other sporting a three-foot-long hazel staff. Initial blows would be to the body until the opponent bends doubled up with pain, and then you are allowed to whack your opponent over the head, and if there is a substantial stream of blood, the winner is declared and he stays on to fight the next man. There were intercounty championships with teams of up to 20.

I hope you have enjoyed our little foray through just some of the many legends, folklore and customs of our beautiful county.

Cindy and John offer guided outings to some of the places mentioned in this series plus many more of Dorset’s churches, stained glasses, wayside crosses, sacred springs and ancient stones. For details, please contact John at dorsetchikung@hotmail.co.uk or on 07807 835227.

FREE HOME VISITS Specialist Matthew Denney will be in the Sherborne area on Thursday 31st March to value your objects & antiques

CORNELIS DE MAN (1621-1706) & JACOB VAN SPREEUWEN (1611-c.1650/60) SELF PORTRAIT WITHIN A TROMPE L’OEIL CARTOUCHE PANEL BOUGHT FOR £156,250

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 | 71

Antiques

RESTORE OR RESTORED? Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

Restoration project – 1960 Daimler Dart SP250 £7,000-10,000

M

arch is going to be a busy, very busy month for auctions. Planning the auction calendar is usually done 6-12 months before the sale.

At this time we have no idea of what will be coming in for the auctions which is exciting. This month, we kick off with our classic & vintage car auction on the 3rd March, followed by classic & vintage motorcycles on 9th, with coins, medals & stamps on the 10th and model cars, trains, other toys, clocks, antiques & interiors on the 11th, so plenty to do.

In our classic vehicle auctions there is often great debate about buying a restoration project or buying one which has been restored, and in these March auctions there is certainly plenty to tempt bidders looking for either lots.

First up, on Thursday 3rd March at the wonderful Haynes International Motor Museum, is a rare opportunity to restore a car. The car, a 1960 Daimler 72 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Dart SP250, is a rare survivor. The 54th SP250 is just one of the 2,654 Darts made in its five-year production.

A Bournemouth car all its life, we have dragged it out of a garage where it has not seen the light of day for the past 48 years. Being offered for sale without reserve, it has already attracted a great level of interest and is estimated to sell for £10,000.

As an early car, it is known as an ‘A Series’ motor.

Needless to say, the ‘B Series’ was an improvement over the A and most importantly gave the car an improved chassis. An exciting and rare project, it will be interesting to see whether the buyer of the car will restore it back to its original condition to ‘A Series’ specification or whether they take the decision to restore it to ‘B Series’ specification. If the latter, then the car will be a better vehicle to drive but will, in some eyes, not be restored to its original status.

Make it personal What does your garden say about you?

Does your garden need attention but you’ve run out of energy and about to give up?

Yet, you know your garden can be: • a beautiful space to spend time relaxing with family and friends.

• somewhere safe for children to play.

• where you grow vegetables for your new plant- based diet.

• good for your health and well-being.

• your private sanctuary for well-deserved me-time.

We, at Castletown Landscapes, provide complete garden care and landscaping services that can breathe new life into your garden projects, whatever size they are.

We can help tidy your garden, if that’s all you need, or we can create for you amazing spaces where you can actually be your real you.

No job is too small. We do it all.

Competitive rates, free, no-obligation quotes.

Please call Paul to get the conversation started.

M: 07739 121 430 E: paul@castletown.uk

However, if a restoration project is too much to take on, then in our 9th March classic & vintage motorcycle auction there is a collection of British bikes all of which have been restored to perfection.

The owner, who lives in Kent, has been a serial collector of British bikes all of which are in fully restored condition. There are Triumphs, BSAs, Nortons amongst others, but as usual, there is one bike which stands out to me: the 1959 Triumph Bonneville.

From the first year of production, this Triumph Bonneville was painted in the famous Tangerine Dream and originally exported to America. Today, the ’59 is the one collectors chase the hardest so if you are looking for a beautifully restored iconic British bike then this Bonneville is yours, estimated at £16,000-18,000. charterhouse-auction.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 73

elizabethwatsonillustration.com

Spring into action

As the seasons change, the longer and brighter days provide an increasing range of gardening tasks.

Now is the time to start planting trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, as well as sowing seeds for summer bedding plants and potting up plants for tubs and hanging baskets. Keep those little visitors in mind to create a wildlife friendly haven along the way and make sure to put some time aside to give your lawn some love.

Open 7 days a week.

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

thegardensgroup

74 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

You can order online at store.thegardensgroup.co.uk Free delivery within 25 Miles

01935 814633

Domestic and commercial tree surgery across the South West Our team of highly skilled tree surgeons, arborists and plant machinery operators cover all areas of ecology; providing tree surgery from domestic dwellings to large commercial site clearances.

Tree Maintenance • Tree Surgery • Stump Removal • Tree Reports

Call today for a FREE quotation T 01823 792020 M 07747 127023 E locketttreesurgery@yahoo.com

www.locketttreesurgery.com Podimore, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 8JE

Gardening

SWEET AND SOUR

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

I

t’s always exciting to see plants in flower early in the spring as it gives a feeling of hope and they can be a great splash of colour, brightening up dull days. For some reason, a number of such plants are lovers of acidic soils and are known as ericaceous plants. The challenge for many of us who live locally is that the soil in our garden isn’t suited to growing them so it might be better coming out of the garden and into pots. This means that the correct soil environment can be created using ericaceous compost. The sorts of plants that I am speaking of include rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris – they can be very useful throughout the year but spectacular when in flower.

Many rhododendrons are very large growers, but there is a wonderful range of compact growers perfect for tubs. One such variety is called ‘Wine and Roses’ and as well as having a mass of large pink flowers it also has an unusual red underside of its leaf which is striking but can only be viewed by lying on the ground and looking upwards! Others include ‘Nancy Evans’ which has an outrageous orange and yellow flower, and ‘Golden Gate’ (but it’s red with a golden throat!). There are some very dwarf varieties including the wonderfully named ‘Patty Bee’ with yellow flowers, ‘Snipe’ which is pink, and the blue flowers of ‘Gristede’.

Camellias are a joy but ideally need to be positioned where they don’t get the morning sun. The reason for this is that if it is a frosty night when they are in flower, rapid warming by the sun can damage the flowers and also the leaves, spoiling the display. It’s also important to keep them really well watered especially in the summer when the flower buds are forming. The best bet is to use rainwater as this is slightly acidic and will be preferred to tap water. Should rainwater not be available then it’s still important to keep them moist and so just add a spoonful of vinegar to a watering can of tap water to reduce the pH. There is a huge selection of colours and also different flower types with singles, doubles and semi-doubles. I particularly like the variety ‘Brushfield Yellow’ although it’s creamy rather than yellow and a semi-double. An old favourite, still popular now, is 76 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

oasis2me/Shutterstock

‘Donation’ with large pink blooms, the sophisticated ‘Lady Campbell’ with an exquisitely shaped red flower and then ‘Silver Anniversary’ with white flowers and a yellow centre, and very useful for that special occasion. As we get to the autumn there are some lovely smaller-flowered varieties known as sasanqua camellias. These have two advantages; one being that the flowers are often scented, the second being that it gives you bragging rights when telling your gardening neighbours how early your camellia comes into flower!

Whereas camellias and rhododendrons are mostly prized for their flowers, pieris have wonderful foliage too. The best known is ‘Pieris Forest Flame’ which has bright red young leaves which come out early in the spring. ‘Forest Flame’ is quite a large variety but

there are more compact forms which are suited to pots including the variegated ‘Little Heath’. The bonus with pieris is the flowers which are the showy clusters of small, bell-like blooms – some of which are pure white and others which are powerful, deeper colours such as the red of ‘Polar Passion’.

More tolerant of our soils but preferring acidic conditions are skimmias. These shrubs are great in pots and bud up in the autumn and then the highly scented flowers open in the early spring. There are male and female varieties - the males having the finest flowers with the females less spectacular in flower but with masses of red berries. The usual male variety is ‘Rubella’ with dark red buds opening to white flowers and it makes a great centrepiece for a winter tub. There

are some excellent hermaphroditic varieties which have male and female flowers on the same plants and as a result they have masses of berries. Look out for ‘Skimmia O’berry’ and also ‘Obsession’, but be careful if giving the latter as a gift!

With all of these acid-loving plants, they don’t like drying out so keep them well watered all year round and they will benefit from being fed. I like to use a seaweed fertiliser which will feed them through the leaves as well as through the roots. Avoid doing this when the plants are in flower and so wait until the blooms have finished and then only feed until the end of the summer. thegardensgroup.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 77

Gardening

ALLOTMENTS

Simon Ford, Gardener and Land and Nature Adviser

T

he first house I bought was in the small village of Buckland Monachorum, on the western edge of Dartmoor. It was a small 18th-century terraced cottage with a tiny garden at the rear. However, part of the selling point for me was that there was also a much larger garden, with a derelict pigsty, down the footpath opposite. Each of the cottages had its own plot with just a grass strip separating them and they were full of neat rows of potatoes, carrots and every vegetable under the sun.

The majority of the people tending them were retired 78 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

gentlemen who were a wonderful repository of knowledge and advice. I soon started to learn about carrot fly, clubroot, potato blight, eelworm and how to grow a good crop of tasty fruit and vegetables. I even won some classes in the village flower show, which as a 23-year-old National Park Ranger, made me very proud!

When we moved to Sherborne six years ago, once again we had a relatively small garden with no space to grow produce. We therefore approached Sherborne Town Council to see if there was an allotment available.

Image: Katherine Davies

We were pleased to hear that Sherborne has a number of allotments at Lenthay Road, Harbour Way, McCreary Road and elsewhere which are available for residents to rent. We chose an overgrown plot, off Harbour Way, with a semi-collapsed shed, surrounded by a lovely old hedge.

Allotments, as we see them today, were first set up in the 19th century after rapid industrialisation drew people to cities for work. It was vital to help sustain large families and many would grow vegetables, have a chicken coup and even sometimes pigs. In 1908, a law

was passed to require councils to provide allotments and to protect them from developers. This was of particular importance during the first and second world wars when food shortages meant people needed to grow food and it is believed there were 1.4 million plots in 1945. Sadly, there are now only 300,000 allotments available and in many areas, there are long waiting lists (a whopping 17 years in parts of London). Since the 1960s, cash-strapped councils sold off many allotments for housing, factories and car parks, much to the upset of those who tended them so carefully.

During lockdown, people became increasingly aware of the importance of gardens and open spaces, but of course, many people did not have their own gardens or even balconies. Additionally, there has been a greater understanding that healthy eating and growing your own vegetables means you can be sure that it has not been sprayed with pesticides or grown in a damaging way. Rather than importing food from the other side of the world, there are zero food miles.

The licence fee for an allotment is controlled at an affordable rent. Recent research has shown that an average allotment produces an incredible £550 worth of produce each year, with some producing a great deal more. I suspect that for many people, it is not necessarily the amount that can be saved by growing your own, but it is more about the physical and mental health benefits of gardening and being outdoors and connected with the soil and nature. It is wonderful to watch the robins following your digging and seeing slow worms basking in the sun and butterflies overhead (although perhaps not so much the cabbage whites laying their eggs on the brassicas!).

Over the years in our allotment, the weeds and brambles have been removed and the ground tended.

We have fun choosing which variety of French bean or courgette seed to buy and have added some apple trees and a variety of fruit bushes. We have learnt what grows best and what to avoid and we share our thoughts (and sometimes produce) with fellow allotmenteers.

It is surprising how much produce can be grown and to concoct meals from whatever is ready to harvest.

Sometimes, the parsnips are twisted and the carrots are wiggly, the sprouts are runts and the cabbages have been nibbled by slugs, but they still taste good!

Perhaps it is worth putting your name on the waiting list for an allotment. simonfordgardening.wordpress.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

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 80 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

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

82 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

TOM ROWELL Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

W

orking with his hands is something that comes naturally to furniture designer, Tom Rowell. ‘As a child, I would gather old wooden pallets and break them apart and build chicken houses. I remember that feeling of addiction, of not wanting to stop and working outside in the summer until there was no light outside,’ he says. ‘It was very satisfying.’

School for Tom, now 25, was less satisfying. ‘I am dyslexic and was struggling massively. When a teacher would write on the white board and say “copy this down” I could never do it, although Thomas Hardye School did have really good support for dyslexics.

But I loved the hands-on approach of Design and Technology. The whole experience, through the right teacher – Mark Richardson – was so good. He let me stay on late at school and hang out in the department.’

In the end, Tom created a coffee table and gained himself an A* at GCSE. >

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 83

84 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

At the time however, another career path beckoned.

‘I had been attending Weymouth Sailing Academy.

I followed all their courses and got into racing,’ he explains. ‘Then I joined the Youth GBR squad and did that for two years.’ By the time Tom was 19, he had to decide whether to continue professionally in the world of sailing. ‘It is really expensive. You are either self-funded/wealthy or win a sponsorship deal with the likes of Volvo and work towards getting into the Olympics. I suppose I had a bit of a reality check.’

Tom hadn’t been interested in university and knew it wasn’t for him – ‘I didn’t think it was necessary’ – so instead he needed to think about how he was going to earn a living and what made him happy. Tom knew that the answer was to work with wood. ‘Wood is like that,’ he explains, ‘there is something to show for the hours you spend working on it. You get to go home knowing you have produced something and feel tired for it. I like to work for myself. I get something stuck in my head and work on it,’ he says. Tom then pursued an apprenticeship of sorts. ‘I was a labourer on building sites for 18 months because they promised they would teach me carpentry but nothing came of it, so I left and joined a furniture restorer and maker

called Andrew Murray from Dorchester. He took me on at his workshop to help with the restoration jobs.

Andrew showed me the detail – the OCD side to it – and I was with him for six months learning the basics.’

That led Tom to a furniture-making course in Bristol which he did in one year rather than the supposed requisite of two. Then, after a short trip via Sri Lanka and India, Tom was back in Sherborne, armed with sketchbooks and ready to set up as a furniture maker. ‘I always knew I wanted to work for myself. I think it’s because of my dyslexia. It makes you plan how you want to do things in a way which is a little different to how other people do it. That hasn’t always been easy. I pre-plan and do my own steps for each project.’

Nowadays, he produces a series of batch-made pieces for the home. They include the Burton nesting tables which were inspired by a walk at the coast on Hive Beach. ‘It came to me while I walked there and looked at the shapes of the pebbles,’ Tom explains.

Like the pebbles on the beach, the Burton pieces come in the softest of oval shapes. Made from sustainable oak or ash, their smooth rounded edges sit neatly together.

The Eype is another geologically inspired coffee table, > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

86 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 87

Images: Tom Rowell 88 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

its soft, lean curves reminiscent of Scandinavian design yet imbued with Tom’s personal touch. Other smaller pieces for the home include a plant stand in American walnut (incidentally the only non-local wood he uses for its colour) and a steam-bent hanging planter made from Ash. ‘I live in a flat and miss having a garden, so I made them for myself and other people who like to have plants in their home.’ They are an ideal way of adding natural interest without covering every surface or window-sill with pots.

On arrival at Tom’s workshop, you’ll most likely be greeted by Ru, his friendly cockerpoo. Before you know it, Ru will have led you to his favourite spot and one of Tom’s ongoing projects – the conversion of his Vauxhall Vivaro into a campervan. It has a wonderful, curved timber ceiling and the neatest of kitchens. ‘I am thinking of building shepherd’s huts or maybe garden offices,’ muses Tom. ‘I know my mum – Kitty who runs Upstairs Downstairs – wants a shepherd’s hut. But for now, with the staycation thing, van conversions are very popular.’

While Ru stays perched on his favourite cushion in the front of the van, I spot a beautiful oak desk which is waiting to be delivered to a client in London. ‘The client bought one of my coffee tables,’ explains Tom, ‘and then asked if I could make him a desk.’ Made from pale oak, the desk has two soft-close front drawers decorated with a hand-carved scalloped design adding detailed interest to the clean lines of the piece. ‘The design comes from a dream that I had,’ offers Tom. ‘I woke one morning and emailed him the idea and he commissioned it.’ The key to its construction is the subtle manner in which the rails of the desk run into the leg. There are no unsightly joints, instead, it flows into one. It’s the perfect accompaniment to another of Tom’s creations – his comfy wishbone chairs.

‘I really enjoy knowing that what I make has longevity,’ says Tom. ‘Our environment is so important and we need to value what we buy. I aim for things that are going to last or are fixable. It’s ridiculous the hours that go into making these things but they are going to last for generations.’ Tom uses a sawmill in Sturminster Newton where he sources the wood and then air dries it. ‘I’ve just invested in a kiln so I can use wood from a windblown tree. I can take a plank of green wood and it only takes two weeks in a kiln whereas it takes a year to season a plank of wet wood. It also means that if someone has to fell a tree, I can create a piece of furniture from their own wood.’

"I used to work on a local farm where I could help out with the chickens, pigs and turkeys and I’d get paid in eggs."

‘The ecological side of my work is huge for me,’ adds Tom. ‘Quite a lot of the younger generation are switched on. We all need to be more eco-friendly but for my generation it is built into our consciousness.’

Tom grew up in Cerne Abbas and the local habitat is very close to his heart. ‘Being raised in the countryside makes you more connected with the beauty of it. Those beech trees at the foot of the Cerne Giant are huge.

They have carvings in their trunks dating from 1918 which makes it all feel very ancient.’

Tom finds solace and inspiration in nature. ‘It comes to me while I am most peaceful such as on a hike. Random designs pop into my head.’ He still likes to spend as much time as possible outside and keeps bees in Cerne Abbas and Alton Pancras. He uses the beeswax to make polish for the finish to his pieces and gives a pot to each client. ‘I think I was quite fortunate that I was still a child just on the cusp of the period when mobiles weren’t dominating children’s lives.

Smartphones weren’t there. I used to work on a local farm where I could help out with the chickens, pigs and turkeys and I’d get paid in eggs. It was pure country life.

I find myself most happy outside. If you go outside for a walk, it changes everything. You’re not even aiming for a solution but ideas pop up.’

Another influence on his creativity has been the lack of a steady father figure. Tom explains, ‘I went out of my way to learn the skills that I suppose a dad would have taught me. If my bike broke when I was a child I’d learn to fix it myself. I felt I had to teach myself because he wasn’t there to do it.’ What is for sure is that with admirable determination and independence, Tom has carved his very own path and is deservedly enjoying the journey. tomrowelldesigns.co.uk @tomrowell_designs sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

elizabethwatsonillustration.com

Our Tamworth pigs are bred for quality and flavour. They are outdoor-reared and home-butchered to the highest welfare standards here at our farm in Sandford Orcas, just outside Sherborne.

Sausages, joints, bacon and burgers available to buy online for home delivery, click-and-collect or direct from the farm every weekend.

BUY LOCAL!

Lavender Cafe & Shop Open Every Saturday & Sunday 10am - 4pm

Enjoy our beautiful views, lavender field, garden and animals together with our homemade cakes, warming drinks, 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 90 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Mother’s Day Sunday 27th March

Join us for Sunday lunch and enjoy live music from the talented singer Jeff Hooper 2 Courses £28

3 Courses £32

The Eastbury Hotel & Spa, Long Street, Sherborne www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk Tel: 01935 813131 Open to non-residents, 7 days a week Call us or book online

Food and Drink

LIVING THE GOODDEN LIFE Nico and Chrystall Goodden

Images: Nico and Chrystall Goodden

W

e live near Sherborne where we are caretakers for a secluded woodland’s edge garden bursting with life. Chrystall works for a local company and I’m a photographer/ writer currently finalising the last chapters of my first book commissioned by a London publisher, aimed at helping others become better photographers.

We focus on creativity in whichever form it comes, always learning and making great food. In 2017 we decided to start growing our own for our love of good ingredients. We stopped mowing, leaving only narrow paths between wild meadow areas which welcome wildlife. It saves work and looks beautiful. We practice no-dig gardening, never disturbing the soil and life it harbours. Through maintaining a healthy ecosystem all the way down to the root of what we grow, we ensure our plants grow as nature intended. Plants in the wild don’t struggle without human intervention. This is what we aim to reproduce. We never apply pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilisers. The life in the soil feeds our crops which in turn are healthier for it.

So, how about March? I liken March to an F1 race (only with rakes and wheelbarrows). The starting grid, the anticipation… After a long but kind winter, gardeners lacking vitamin D emerge and are raring to 92 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

go at last. But not so fast! This is gardening, it’s a yearround endeavour and it’s not about being first to reach the first corner but about endurance and patience. Too often will the keen gardener sow prematurely indoors resulting in seedlings stretching uncontrollably from low light levels and too much warmth. To remedy this, and since we know frosts are a very real threat until mid-May, some seeds are germinated indoors on a heated propagator by our brightest window and then transferred and grown under T5 fluorescent lights.

These are energy-efficient fluorescents that deliver the right spectrum of light for seedlings to develop sturdily and with a strong root system, key to a good start in life.

The bigger the root… the bigger the fruit. It is then a balancing act of finding space to juggle all these young plants until they can safely go out after the last frost as we do not heat our greenhouse.

Chillies which are delicious and highly ornamental are one of our top crops. They were sown back in late January. We like big plants by the time they go out. Last year we grew 27 plants from seven varieties. This year we are looking at 20 varieties but no more than 30 plants with many rare and wild types. Other crops to be sown include tomatoes and possibly squashes, cucumbers, melons, although we often find that seedlings grow much

faster than we first thought, especially under lights.

Seed-sowing is only a small part of what we do this month. March is a time for final preparations; the greenhouse gets a final tidy, we mulch beds generously with homemade compost, we propagate raspberry canes and strawberry plants, tidy some more and make adjustments to our ever-changing plans. There may be an increased spring activity but as we aim to supply ourselves with homegrown food year-round, our beds remain active and maintained throughout the year.

During the winter months, I was busy building a much-needed potting shed and clearing invasive brambles and nettles. I also grew frost-hardy pak choi and salad leaves in the greenhouse. I foraged kilos of wild oyster mushrooms locally which I’m now planning to grow in dedicated straw beds. Chrystall focused on trouble-free garlic and onions grown on otherwise empty beds. Used in most dishes, their green shoots pushing through the frost are a hopeful sight.

The local pheasants seeking refuge in our garden during shoot season devoured and flattened our crop of chicory ‘Rosalba’ and ‘Rossa Di Treviso’. Hopes for pink winter salads with blood orange were quashed but, as always, lessons were learned. Our beds are now protected with unsightly horticultural fleece, a drastic

but effective measure that also raises the temperature beneath it by a degree or two.

Chrystall’s work desk is invaded by an army of seed potatoes, chitting away quite happily in the bright winter sun adjacent to her keyboard and computer screen. We’ve had an increased focus on salad potato varieties this year – their taste and texture unbeatable and incomparable to what can be found in supermarkets. With some ‘first-early’ varieties ready within 10 weeks of planting, their speed reaching maturity reduces the risk of blight. They will provide the ultimate side dish to our early summer BBQs. With experience from past failures and successes, we understand better what can and cannot grow in our garden, with each area having its own specific conditions or microclimate, with varying light and shade at different times of the day, different soils, rainfall, last frosts, etc. From now on everything will ramp up, increased light levels mean increased growth, more seedlings to care for, more slugs and aphids to remove by hand, more pots to be cleaned but most importantly: more joy. We made it through winter and now’s the time to enjoy the garden and grow with it.

Nico: @nicholasgoodden Chrystall: @thegooddenlife sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Food and Drink

RUM BABA WITH RHUBARB CREME CHANTILLY Sasha Matkevich, The Green

T

he slightly acidic but complex flavour of forced rhubarb works very well with this quintessential French classic.

Ingredients Serves 8

60ml milk 20g fresh yeast 230g plain flour, sifted 720g caster sugar 3 large eggs 120g salted butter 700ml water 400g rhubarb, roughly chopped 12g pectin 1tsp lemon juice 100g whipping cream 100g double cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways 100ml good quality dark rum Method

1

In a small saucepan mix the milk and yeast until dissolved. Add 30g of the sifted flour. Mix and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until it doubles in size.

2 In the bowl of an electric mixer put the remaining flour, 20g of sugar, eggs and milk mixture. Mix with a dough hook on a moderate speed for 15 minutes.

Add the butter and continue to mix for 5 minutes.

3 Remove the mixture and put it into a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place until it doubles in size (approximately 50 minutes).

4 Meanwhile, put the rhubarb, 100ml of water and 200g of sugar in a pan and cook over a low heat 94 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Image: Clint Randall

for 20 minutes.

5 Mix together 200g of sugar and pectin and add to the rhubarb. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat and gently pass through a fine sieve.

Put aside the glaze and refrigerate the remaining rhubarb purée to cool down.

6 Knock back the dough (pressing it down after its first rise to remove air bubbles) and using a piping bag divide into 8 medium size (8 cm in diameter) nonstick dariole moulds. Leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes.

7 Bake in a preheated oven, on 200C, until golden brown and cooked in the middle for approximately 25 minutes.

8 In a large saucepan mix 600ml of water and 300g of sugar. Scrape the seeds from 1/2 the vanilla pod into the syrup and bring to the boil. Remove the babas from the moulds and place into the pan with the syrup. Use a large spoon to cover the babas in syrup, making sure the pastry is fully soaked. Leave to cool and pour dark rum all over the babas. With a slotted spoon remove them from the syrup to a tray and using a pastry brush put warm rhubarb glaze over the babas.

9 In a large mixing bowl whisk together the double and whipping creams and vanilla seeds (from the other 1/2 of the pod) until you get soft peaks. Add the chilled rhubarb purée and mix well using a rubber spatula.

10 Present the babas on small plates with a big spoonful of the rhubarb cream Chantilly. greenrestaurant.co.uk

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

Spring is in the air...

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... +44 (0)1308 424116 symondsburyestate.co.uk Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG

Food and Drink

SCALLOPS WITH WILD GARLIC Mat Follas, Bramble Restaurant

96 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

I

t is wild garlic season and it is one of my favourite ingredients. You will only need a leaf or two for this recipe. Ransoms are the most common variety of wild garlic but, if you are lucky, you might find some three-cornered leek which is more delicate in flavour or even some garlic grass growing which is more onion-like… good luck garlic-hunting! As with all foraged plants make sure you have the right plant – your nose is the best guide with garlics though as there are no poisonous ones out there!

Cooking scallops is often made out to be difficult on cooking shows – nothing could be further from the truth. The key thing to remember is to cook for less time than you think!

Conventional wisdom is to cook them in a very hot pan for about 30 seconds per side to sear the outer and just cook the centre. I prefer a slightly slower method that requires a little bit of skill to make foaming butter but the resulting taste is so much better!

Ingredients (per person):

25g butter 3 scallops 1/2 tsp finely chopped wild garlic Method

Use a heavy pan if you can as it retains the heat and won’t cool down too quickly. If you are cooking for several people you might want to cook only a couple of portions at a time so the pan doesn’t cool down too much when you add the scallops to it.

1

2

3

4

5

To prepare the scallops, pinch off the tough part of the muscle (about 1/8 of the total) and remove the roe. Keep the roe for cooking and either discard the tough piece or, better still, freeze it in a bag to make a stock when you have a handful.

Once your scallops are prepared, heat your pan on a medium heat with a good knob of butter, enough to cover the base when melted. As the butter melts it will start to bubble as the water in it cooks off. Use your nose to tell when the water is nearly all boiled off – the butter will start to smell like roasted hazelnuts – this is when you add the scallops to the pan.

Turn the heat right down at this point, or even off if you have a really heavy pan, and keep turning the scallops so they brown evenly. I like to cook mine for 3-4 minutes – you can feel when they are done as they will become tighter.

After a couple of minutes add the roes to the pan as they need less cooking. We want the flavour of the sea to permeate the butter and the scallops to be just cooked.

Serve the scallops onto a heated plate, or use a shell, as I have. Save some of the butter in the pan and toss in a little chopped wild garlic for 30 seconds over the heat before spooning the wild garlic and remaining butter over the top of the scallops.

bramblerestaurant.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 97

Food and Drink

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

PECAN PIE

I

have a very sweet tooth so this recipe is ideal – sticky, nutty and a perfect treat. Serve with fresh, whipped cream, pouring cream or even ice cream for a cool contrast to the pie. This is a recipe I began making some 20 years ago and although it’s traditionally a Thanksgiving Day pudding I always 98 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

make it for Christmas and for when family guests visit at any time of year. When I visit my sister in New Jersey I stock up on ‘Trader Joe’s’ candied pecans and maple syrup. When I make this pie at home I daydream that I am with my sister in her kitchen chatting and baking...

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1hour 15 minutes What you will need: A 23cm deep loose-bottom flan/quiche pan, greased well. Either baking beans or dried peas/beans for baking blind. A piece of baking parchment to fit in the pan Ingredients: Serves 8

Shortcrust pastry (or you can use shop-bought pastry) 250g plain flour plus extra for dusting 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 125g butter unsalted, cubed 25g caster sugar 1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten 40-50ml chilled water Filling:

75g butter, softened 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 90 g caster sugar 180g maple syrup 180g golden syrup 3 free-range eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 325g pecan halves (keep back 100g of pecan halves for decorating) Method:

1

2

3 4 5

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the cubed butter and lightly rub the butter into the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the caster sugar.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture pour in the egg and 40ml water sufficient to bind the pastry into a firm dough, add a little more water if needed.

Gently knead the pastry to form into a round and flatten slightly, wrap in film and rest in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes.

Grease the flan tin.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, allow to come to room temperature for about 5 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry to form a large circle to fit the flan case, the thickness of a pound coin, fold the circle of pastry in half and then quarters. Place the folded pastry into the flan tin and open out carefully and press gently into the tin. With the rolling pin roll across the top of the flan tin to cut off the surplus pastry. With a fork mark the base evenly as this will help the base to remain flat.

Place in the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes.

6 Set the oven for 190C, 170C fan, gas mark 5.

Line the pastry case with baking parchment – if you scrunch up the parchment and then un-crease it, it will fit into the shape of the flan dish more easily. Fill with baking beans and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, the sides should be set. Remove the beans and parchment and return the pastry into the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes when the pastry shell should be lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

7 Turn the oven up to 200C, 190C fan, gas mark 6.

8 Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, gradually add the syrups, then the eggs, salt and vanilla, continue whisking until all combined.

9 Place the pecans, except those set aside to decorate the top into a plastic bag, and crush them into small pieces using a rolling pin. Stir the pecans into the filling mixture and then pour into the pastry case.

10 Bake for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 160C, 140C fan, gas mark 3 for a further 25-30 minutes – the middle of the filling should wobble a little when the tart case is shaken. Allow the pie to cool in the tin, before taking out of the pan – it may stick so use a knife to run around the edges before lifting out. Serve with whipped cream, custard or ice cream or a little of each! bakerval.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 99

Food and Drink

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

100 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

I

trudge determinedly across a muddy paddock with a bale of straw slung on my back, strategically balanced to not feel too heavy. I’m taking it to one of our many pig arks, but as I approach the baler cord starts to cut into my hand and as I fling it down quickly I’m joined by 40 squealing, inquisitive and growing pigs. I crouch and thrust the bale inside, dragging it to the back of the dry, warm shelter, where I find my knife and cut the strings.

The pigs start to stream into the ark to see what I am doing – these are big pigs, boisterous and I exit to one side. They won’t hurt me but they might knock me over in their collective excitement. I repeat my trudging with two more bales on my back – the first is already trampled and torn apart in a collective frenzy of excitement. I shout to them my re-arrival, the more timid ones bolt out the entrance past me, squealing as they go. Some fly through the back window, this is not designed for flying pigs but still they use it as an escape route. The most confident of the group stay put and push the bales around as I cut the strings. The sun is shining and shafts of light stream in – the sunbeams are filled with dust as they kick the straw around. As I leave the whole group of 40 are chewing and munching – they do an amazing job of making their bed, chewing the straw into tiny fragments. I move on to the next group and repeat, getting warmer and warmer until I am boiling hot with all my layers on – even on a freezing cold day this job gets me hot. Some groups are sows with piglets, these are smaller arks, and if the mother is near I don’t go inside, I cut the bale from a safe distance and throw the sections in, keeping a watchful eye on a protective mum. If the piglets squeak she will come after me, mouth open, barking! We have about 16 different groups to bed up – I do it on a Wednesday every week and it takes me most of the morning. It is one of the many workouts that mean I can eat Charlotte’s amazing cakes without getting fat – a fair trade-off I guess.

Elsewhere, small signs of the impending spring are popping up; catkins wave gently in the cold breeze and somehow snowdrops are pushing up through the cold, wet soil to brighten the days. We planted quite a lot of snowdrops here last year so Charlotte and I look for them popping up. To be honest, there doesn’t seem to be as many as we planted – where have they gone? The days are longer now so we can be outside until it’s dark at about six. We are busy planning our move back outside with the tipi – not long now. If everything goes to plan and we don’t return to the depths of winter we are planning to move back outside on the weekend of 26th / 27th March. We have sown hundreds of packets of seeds in our polytunnel (at the time of writing they are not up yet, but hopefully soon!) – some to plant in our garden and many to grow on and sell to all our customers. True to form we have gone for the more unusual plants that you won’t see everywhere else.

I can’t wait for spring proper to arrive. The trouble is farmers always have one eye on the weather and this year we have had an extremely dry winter so far, and I find myself saying to Charlotte on a regular basis ‘we will pay for this’ so I sincerely hope I am wrong and that we have escaped the worst that winter can throw at us. But just in case I have filled our big emergency water tanks up and covered them with old blankets, so if the weather turns and all our pig’s water freezes we will be sort of prepared! Down on the farm, basically everything changes and nothing changes. Hope to see you all soon! @thestorypig thestorypig.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 101

Food and Drink

REAPING REWARDS David Copp

D

emand for fine wine soared in 2021 and the trend for its increased consumption and investment shows no sign of slowing. If you are seriously interested in investing, I would turn to someone in the trade you trust to advise you. This article is not so much about specific wines to invest in, but what is happening to fine wine prices worldwide and why.

I start with Champagne for two reasons. Firstly, because it was the star performer in 2021 with prices for good vintage wines up by 25%. Good vintage Champagnes are a sound investment for two reasons; there is a growing worldwide demand for them and there is little available.

In fact, rather than invest in wine, it would not be a bad thing to invest in buying good vineyard land in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and here, in Dorset. Good agricultural land in southern England is a fraction of the price of land with the appellation Champagne. Tattinger bought Kent orchard land eight 102 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

years ago and will produce their first wine in 2025. Such visionaries who recognised the potential of English sparkling wines deserve success.

However, we still have some way to go to catch up with the very best vintage wines of Krug and Tattinger.

The secret of their success has been finding the best vineyards for their French vines and never compromising on the production of top-quality grapes. Their wines are sought-after because they pursue excellence.

Burgundy is another wine region that produces small quantities of very fine wines. Exceptional vineyards such as in Domaine Romanée Conti (DRC) produce wines with a richness of robe, intensity of bouquet and velvety finish for which wealthy men and women around the world will pay hundreds of pounds a bottle. The same is true in Champagne, where superb sites, low yields and a no-compromise philosophy in the production of sound, ripe fruit combines with centuries of know-how to produce outstanding wines. Thus the worldwide

Dario Lo Presti/Shutterstock

enthusiasm for blue-chip Burgundy is reflected in today’s prices for the best wines.

For a long time, the top Medoc chateaux - Lafite and Latour, Margaux, Haut Brion and Mouton Rothschild were the chief focus for investors. Today there is also great interest in Pomerol and St. Emilion. Chateau Petrus, a tiny estate with an iron-rich streak of blue clay perfect for merlot, only produces about 30,000 bottles a year. In the 1980s I bought a dozen bottles of the 1982 vintage (to drink) for £400. That vintage is now changing hands at around £50,000 a dozen.

Over the last 30 years, Italy has become more widely recognised as a fine wine producer. I have a soft spot for the ‘Super Tuscans’ because the late Tibor Gal, an outstanding Hungarian oenologist and good friend, was chief winemaker for Ornellaia and Masseto, and invited me to Bolgheri to taste them.

Bolgheri had hitherto not been considered a classic wine-producing region, but the soils and maritime

influence were perfect for cabernet sauvignon at Ornellaia and for merlot at Massetto. These two small but quite exceptional plots of land produce world-class wines. While in Italy, I also went to Montalcino and Barolo, both of which have exceptional terroirs for producing world-class wines.

Spain, with more old vineyard land than any other country I know, also produces truly great red wines.

Rioja set high standards but more recently Ribera del Duero, the home of Vega Sicilia, has been recognised as a world-class red wine producer. Spain has found other outstanding sites. It also has many old vines. As vines age, so they push their roots deeper in the search for water and minerals. Older vines produce less fruit but fruit with greater concentration. Over the last 30 years or so Spain has uncovered several truly outstanding vineyard sites for producing world-class wines.

South Australia and Tasmania also produce exceptional wines. Grange Hermitage and Hill of Grace have set the pace but there are many others.

Grange, the most iconic Australian wine, is actually a blend of (mostly) Barossa-grown shiraz and cabernet sauvignon but the accent is on buying the very best fruit wherever it comes from.

Robert Mondavi determined that California would not be left out of the reckoning when it came to fine wine. His liaison with Philippe Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild has produced Opus One, now widely recognised as a world-class wine. Other Californian estates have followed in his footsteps; Screaming Eagle, Dominus, Ridge Monte Bello, Scarecrow and Harlan are just some of the wines that are in demand.

I have also been impressed with the best Argentinian and South African wines I have tasted. Both regions have learned which grape varieties are most suited to their soils and climate. I find the best South African wines an intriguing blend of bright, vibrant fruit with old-world complexity. Their leading fine wine growers are beginning to reap the reward for many years of investment and hard work. Kanonkop, Mount Vernon, Glen Carlou and Bouchard Finlayson are just some of the more interesting I have tasted.

I have written mostly about red wines because that is where the greatest investor interest lies. But great white Burgundies of the Cote d’Or such as Le Montrachet are in demand as are the best western Australian whites.

There is also a market for the truly magnificent sweet wines of Sauternes, Tokay, Rhine and Mosel. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 103

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 104 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

DOG WALKING & PET SITTING SERVICES

PROMPT COMMUNICATION

CLIENT PORTAL MOBILE APP

GPS TRACKED WALKS

100% CLIENT SATISFACTION

www.pawsnklaws-petservices.co.uk 07455 840266

Animal Care

Nata Kotliar/Shutterstock

MIND GAMES

M

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

arch is a funny old month, often behaving in a very unpredictable manner. Some years it plays the late winter card and in others, it’s early summer. Whatever we get, one thing is true, it really is the start of spring and with that, there’s a change in mindset and mood for all life in the northern hemisphere. As the sun rises higher in the sky, so do our spirits – feelings often mirrored by our animals.

Many pet, horse and farm animal owners can relate to the idea that their own state of mind has an effect on their animals. Perhaps horses are more sensitive in this regard (certainly my own experience) but maybe it’s just their size and power that magnifies the effect. I spent years pushing stomach tubes down horses’ throats and arms up their backsides and I can tell you now, there needs to be a significant degree of understanding between vet and horse for this to be possible! I almost never had to use a twitch but instead took the time to make, what I felt, was a connection between us. Hocus pocus? Perhaps. But for you vets out there reading this, I did a large animal medicine residency at Cornell in the early 1990s. For the last 20 years, I have spent my time dealing with much smaller creatures although the vet/cat/dog connection is just as important, as is the relationship with the patients’ owners, which is essentially one of trust.

As vets, our job is so much easier if the patient (and the owner) is on our side, which effectively means ‘compliance’ – a state of mind achievable in a fair proportion of patients.

Having said that, things are very different in the clinic compared with the home environment, where trying to give tablets to cats has moved into the realm of folk-lore. It’s not always plain sailing in the consultation room either, where our small animal patients fall somewhere along a spectrum of being ‘nice’ to ‘very difficult’. Nice patients let us do just about anything (providing

106 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

it’s not too painful) and difficult patients just won’t let us do anything at all! One interesting observation that we all made during the last couple of years, when owners could not accompany their pets into the clinic, was how much easier ‘difficult’ patients were when on their own.

We often employ the same tactic now, taking a fractious pet away from its owner (with their permission) to a different room.

The truth is, however, that consultations with unpredictable animals are harrowing for everyone and trying to get anything of diagnostic value is a struggle. The result is a diagnosis and treatment plan which is based on very little information, making the vet feel uncertain and nervous that an important clinical sign has been overlooked. So how can we make our patients less stressed? After all, it’s the stress of the environment that triggers the unpredictable and sometimes aggressive behaviour. Unfortunately, I fall into the scary category for nervous dogs, being quite tall, male and bearded (well, masked in recent months...at least it hides the grey hairs!). Towering over dogs, making direct eye contact and reaching out towards them are all no-no’s as these are confrontational signals. That’s why I try to greet dogs sitting down and keep a distance, throwing treats towards them until an element of trust has been established. Many of you will know that I spend a good deal of time lying on the floor when a dog is scared, trying to make myself as submissive as possible. Although it puts me in a vulnerable position, I have never yet been bitten when I’m smaller than the dog, although I am selective.

Owners can really help us with tricky cases by identifying stress triggers and helping us avoid them. For example, many dogs hate getting on the scales (for a different reason than for most humans), so this should be left until last. Also, time spent in the waiting room can be really stressful, especially for cats, so this should be minimised. Maybe this was why car park consultations and then straight into the consult room worked so well, even though none of us miss standing in the rain, trying to maintain confidentiality despite shouting over the traffic noise.

The other side of the coin is the over-friendly dog that jumps onto my lap and wants to lick me.

Very endearing but another reason to wear a mask as the canine tongue has usually been places!

Not that I mind but if these dogs are over-stimulated, the clinical examination can be as difficult as for aggressive or very nervous dogs. So I try to moderate my greetings for these patients for no other reason than it can be counter-productive, at least until the examination is over.

So whatever happens in March, one thing’s for sure, the weather and the patients will continue to keep us guessing. For some, ‘unpredictable’ goes hand-in-hand with ‘interesting’ and ‘exciting’, so even after 37 years in this job, I am never bored. newtonclarkevet.com

Sherborne Surgery Swan House Lower Acreman Street 01935 816228

Yeovil Surgery 142 Preston Road 01935 474415

www.newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 107

Animal Care

SEASONAL PASTURE MYOPATHY Dr Antonia Leech BVMSci (Hons), fCMgr, ACMI MRCVS, The Kingston Veterinary Group Edward Bowring/iStock

108 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

S

easonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM) is a disease associated with horses eating sycamore seeds or seedlings, typically affecting horses in autumn when seeds are dropped or in spring when the seedlings are growing. As a disease that has only relatively recently been discovered to affect horses, the sycamore seeds and seedlings have been found to contain a substance called Hypoglycin-A (HGA) which, when eaten, converts into a toxin within the horse’s body. The toxin can rapidly slow or even stop energy production in the horse’s muscle fibres, and particularly affects the heart or muscles which enable the horse to stand and breathe. With only a 30-40% survival rate, even with rapid diagnosis and treatment, it is vital to prevent horses’ access to the sycamore seeds and seedlings.

confirmation has been received.

Risk factors

Prevention

SPM can affect individual horses or several horses in the same group. Some horses appear to be more susceptible to the toxin than others which may be down to genetic differences or differing grazing habits. Cases often follow a sudden adverse change in weather conditions, such as a frost or heavy rain. Horses and ponies of any age, breed, sex and height can develop SPM. There is some evidence to suggest that young horses might be more severely affected, possibly due to spending more time outside and grazing and therefore have an increased likelihood of eating the sycamore seeds or seedlings.

There are practical measures you can take to minimise the risk of SPM to your horse. These include: • Regularly checking pasture for sycamore plants and seeds. Some ‘helicopter’ seeds can travel up to 200m!

• Avoid letting horses graze pastures with overhanging sycamore trees in the autumn • If horses have to remain in pasture where there are sycamore trees, fence-off areas where seeds and leaves fall or limit grazing time to less than six hours a day • Clear fallen sycamore leaves/seeds from grazing areas • In the spring, it’s recommended that seedlings are mowed and cuttings collected and removed • Provide clean, easily accessible water • Provide access to adequate grass and feed supplementary forage during the autumn • Reduce stock density so that there is enough good grazing for every horse • Reduce the spreading of manure and harrowing pastures as these have been found to disperse the toxic material throughout the pasture • The Royal Veterinary College offer a test to analyse seeds and seedlings for HGA so that you can test for the presence of HGA in your own pasture

Signs of SPM

The onset of SPM is rapid and horses can quickly deteriorate within 6-12 hours, therefore it is important to know the signs to ensure fast discovery and prompt treatment. These signs include: muscle stiffness, muscle tremors, sweating, high heart rate, depressed with their head hung low, brown or dark red urine, weakness, struggling or reluctance to walk and/or difficulty standing, and breathing difficulties.

Diagnosis

Call your vet out immediately if you spot any of these signs. To ensure a swift diagnosis the vets will confirm SPM depending on a clinical examination, grazing history and a variety of laboratory tests. As a confirmation of diagnosis may take several days, if SPM is suspected then treatment is often started before

Treatment

Unfortunately, there is no anti-toxin but some medication can be used to help stop absorption of the toxin from the intestinal tract and severely affected horses often need to be admitted to a specialist hospital for intensive care including intravenous fluid therapy and anti-inflammatory medication. If horses survive the first few days of treatment, they usually recover completely although this may take several months.

When a case is suspected or diagnosis confirmed, it is important to remove any field companions from the pasture and have blood samples taken for muscle enzyme analysis.

As we approach spring, it is important to be vigilant with your own pasture in order to prevent the risk of this highly fatal disease. kingstonvets.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 109

elizabethwatsonillustration.com 110 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Sherborne 01935 812 112

Dorchester 01305 250 240 robin-james.co.uk

@robinjamesaveda

Body & Mind

WATERWORKS

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

A

s a pharmacist, I learned during my undergraduate studies that there were many different types of water. Well, at least there are many different grades of water when it comes to medicine; there’s potable (drinking) water which is used to reconstitute antibiotic powders into liquids; there’s water for irrigation which is used to cleanse wounds, and there’s super-water otherwise known as water for injections which is prepared to the highest standards of purity. Each one has its place. We all know that water is essential to life – the human body is composed of around 60% water and we cannot survive for longer than three days without it. But it is so much more than that, especially when it comes to maintaining your health.

What are the benefits of drinking water? Harvard University Medical School lists some of the benefits, 112 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

including helping to maintain the health of your gut, blood pressure, heartbeat, protecting organs, maintaining body temperature and even cushioning joints. But most of all it helps to carry oxygen and vital nutrients to your cells. So essentially, it does everything! The kidneys are one of the two key organs which help our bodies to get rid of drugs by eliminating water-soluble drugs in the urine. Maintaining an adequate water intake helps us to flush those medicines through the kidneys. Some medicines can alter the balance of fluids in your body to make you retain more water (such as anti-inflammatory pain killers), while others have the opposite which we call diuretics, but patients often refer to these as their ‘water tablets’ and may include furosemide, bendroflumethiazide or indapamide. Also, it is important to say that caffeine has a diuretic effect, so drinking too much tea or coffee

Alina Kruk/SDhutterstock

can actually make you dehydrated.

Too little water can cause a range of symptoms such as low mood, or even impair your memory. How do you know if you are dehydrated? There are a few ways you can tell; firstly, do you feel thirsty? Listen to what your body is telling you! Next, what does your urine look like? It should be clear or at worst a pale yellow colour, but certain medicines such as antibiotics can also affect it. Watch out for red which could indicate blood in the urine (or if you have been eating beetroot!), in which case you should see your GP. Should yours be an orange, or brown colour, then this means that you could be dehydrated. For healthy adults, you should be aiming to drink around four to six cups of water a day, but for patients with some health problems such as heart conditions, less may be advised by your healthcare team.

Patients taking a medicine called lithium which is used to treat bipolar disorder need to be particularly careful about avoiding dehydration.

There are some health problems such as diabetes which can confuse the issue somewhat. Two of the symptoms of diabetes are that you are thirsty and you need to wee more, so for some patients, they might need to be aware that this is why they feel thirsty rather than because they are dehydrated. And it probably goes without saying that if you are taking a diuretic then you will go to the toilet more often – I would suggest not taking it too late in the day or you might find that you need to get up in the middle of the night. I sometimes speak to patients who skip their water tablets if they know they are going out or might find it difficult to get to the loo. The problem with this is that it can cause fluctuations in blood pressure control, but there is a balance to be struck between managing the problem and maintaining a normal lifestyle. I’d suggest being honest with your healthcare team if you don’t take them all the time.

Most of us simply don’t drink enough water, or we drink too many caffeinated beverages. There is no magic solution to encourage you to drink more water, but lots of new products are becoming available all the time, from fancy water bottles and flavourings to apps that help you to track your fluid intake. The bottom line is that it is a good idea to have water with you wherever you go because you don’t know when you might get thirsty, and you are more likely to use it regularly if you have it to hand. I carry 1 litre with me every day which I try and drink while I’m at work – I don’t always manage it, but I can at least monitor how much I have had. You can try decaffeinated tea/coffee as this will help reduce the amount of water you are losing with each cup. Adding ice is another good way of incorporating additional water into your drinks. So is adding more chilli to your food as this will naturally encourage you to drink more water.

For regular users of medicines, talk to your pharmacist if you are noticing your medicines having an impact on your urine output, be that more or less, or a change of colour or habit. Try drinking regularly throughout the day, avoid caffeine and keep track of how much you are drinking. However you do it, try and make sure the habits you create are sustainable i.e. that you will carry them on permanently. theabbeypharmacy.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113

Body and Mind

Nadia Snopek/Shutterstock

114 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

WHY WAIT?

Early Intervention is Key

E

Lucy Lewis, Assistant Psychologist and Dorset Mind Ambassador

ating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW), from the 28th February to 6th March, aims to increase understanding and reduce the stigma surrounding various eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and binge eating disorder. This year the organisers are encouraging us to ask, ‘Why Wait?’ Early intervention is crucial to the successful treatment of eating disorders however, research findings suggest that many people wait to seek help. Here are our top reasons to seek help early followed by information about ‘Restored’, our eating disorder service at Dorset Mind.

Prevention

Research suggests that in many cases eating disorders can be prevented. For example, many people just beginning to experience difficult thoughts around their eating habits or body image may be able to avoid developing an eating disorder if they receive help early on. This can involve lower-level interventions such as psychoeducation and online programmes, which some consider more accessible and less overwhelming.

A common barrier to seeking help is the thought that the person is not ‘severe enough’. For example, they may have a healthy or overweight BMI, or minimal physical health complications. However, these are not necessary criteria of eating disorders, and it is always vital to seek help at any stage. Even if you are concerned that you do not reach the criteria for an eating disorder, seeking help can provide the opportunity for screening and lower-intervention sign-posting. Additionally, many people who believe they do not meet the criteria for eating disorders are mistaken, so it is always important to seek expert advice.

Increasing treatment success

A general consensus across eating disorder treatment literature is that those with eating disorders have much better outcomes when they receive help early. Seeking help early has been associated with quicker recovery, a greater reduction of treatment and lower relapse

rates. Additionally, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, mainly due to the associated physical health complications, such as organ failure and cancer. Therefore, seeking help as soon as possible can literally save lives.

How do I know when to seek help?

If you are ever unsure, always be cautious and seek expert advice, as early intervention is imperative.

Generally, it is advisable to seek help if thoughts around your eating habits or body image are negatively affecting your emotions and/or behaviours. You do not need to be ‘severely unwell’ to seek help.

Restored at Dorset Mind

Restored Eating Disorder Service at Dorset Mind can support your journey towards recovery. Restored work with those over 16 who are experiencing anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder as well as other specified feeding or disordered eating. However, you do not have to have a diagnosed disorder to use our services as we fully endorse the ethos of early intervention. Our staff provide support to help people to overcome the effects of eating disorders and eatingrelated issues. We encourage people to talk openly about eating-related issues in our safe, accepting and non-judgemental environment. Our team consists of professionals who have experience of eating disorders, whether directly or indirectly. We provide two pathways to assist you in your recovery that includes 1-2-1 mentoring and our weekly peer support group.

Our services are effective and relatable because they are facilitated by people that have experience of a recovery journey. To book your initial assessment with one of our team, please email us at restored@dorsetmind.uk. dorsetmind.uk nationaleatingdisorders.org Remember, why wait to seek life-changing support? If you are ever in a crisis, call 999 or The Samaritans at 116 123. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 115

Seal the deal for an annual membership; 14 months for the price of 12*

Lock it in

NOW!

osc_info@sherborne.com

www.oxleysc.com

*annual memberships only

1:1 PROGRAMMES FOR MANAGING THE MENOPAUSE MAYHEM Struggling with low energy and exhaustion? Fed up with feeling anxious and over-whelmed? Had enough of feeling irritable and moody?

Drenched by hot flushes and night sweats? If you are wondering where the ‘you’ of your late thirties has gone, I can help you find her.

I’m Julia, I’m a BANT registered nutritional therapist and I specialise in women’s health, supporting those in their forties onwards transition through menopause with ease, so they can embrace the rest of their lives with renewed vitality, energy and confidence.

Visit my website to find out more about me and the support I can give.

You will also be able to download my Perimenopause Top Ten – ten steps you can start taking TODAY to get on top of symptoms. julia@julianutrition.co.uk | 07709 317458

julianutrition.co.uk

I want the rest of our lives to be the best of our lives! And they really can be.

Contact me via email or phone, or book a free introductory consultation via my website. On-line and in person consultations available. @julianutrition

116 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

@juliawitherspoon_nutrition

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

NAVIGATING THE MENOPAUSE

RESTORE Julia Witherspoon, Nutritional Therapist

Image: Barbara Leatham

B

efore I understood I was in the middle of perimenopause, I spent a couple of years not only wondering if I was going slowly mad, but also constantly feeling like I wanted to scream, and I didn’t know why. There wasn’t anything particularly stressful going on in my life, apart from feeling like I was losing myself and my sanity. I felt afraid, but could not rationalise these feelings of anxiety and overwhelm as I could barely think straight sometimes.

I now understand that these emotions were caused 118 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

by erratic sex hormone fluctuation, which was directly affecting my mental health and mood. This, together with poor sleep, was putting me in a constantly stressed state. I was in fight/flight mode all the time yet wasn’t having to fight or flee from anything – except maybe myself.

We read a lot nowadays about being in a ‘fight or flight’ state vs ‘rest and digest’ but what does this actually mean and why is it so important that they are balanced?

There are two branches of our nervous system –

sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/ digest) and they work together to maintain the body’s equilibrium. We constantly switch states depending on what’s going on in our lives at any given moment.

This is an ancestral survival mechanism from the time when early humans were running around the plains trying to avoid being eaten by wild animals.

Activation of the fight/flight reflex was vital to their chances of survival and our bodies still today react in exactly the same way – by orchestrating a number of physiological changes in the body, initiated by the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline: • Breathing rate goes up and becomes more shallow • Heart rate and blood pressure go up • Glucose is rushed into large muscle cells to provide a surge of energy • Pupils dilate and senses heighten • Blood flow to the brain and muscles of the legs and arms increases • Muscles tense • Alertness is heightened • Digestion is slowed right down • Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands after the initial surge of adrenaline dies down, to keep the body on high alert until the threat is gone This is an acute stress response and once the danger has passed, the body reverts back to a rest/digest state and everything calms down. Early man would have gone back to his cave happy he was still alive and perhaps with his dinner if he’d stayed to fight.

Fast forward thousands of years and most of us are no longer faced with imminent danger from wild animals, or anything else for that matter, so such an extreme stress response should not need to be activated very often. However, our modern, busy lives; work, children, parents, financial worries, social media pressures, not to mention Covid, mean many of us are operating in a stressed state all day, every day, and we rarely switch on our parasympathetic nervous system.

This is chronic stress and cortisol is being constantly released from the adrenal glands, keeping our bodies on high alert and primed to fight or flee all the time, with the associated physiological changes above.

This is extremely detrimental to our health. It causes inflammation throughout the body and puts us at greater risk of a number of chronic diseases.

It is vital that we try and take measures to actively and mindfully relax and factor downtime into our

lives every day, so we activate rest/digest mode. For perimenopausal women, this is even more important for several reasons, not least because cortisol levels increase gradually anyway from our forties onwards.

The huge hormonal changes taking place during perimenopause affects the way we respond to stress, both emotionally and physically, and can make many symptoms worse. If we are feeling overwhelmed, worried or fearful, our body responds accordingly and will raise our heart rate and our blood pressure, and cause a slowing down of our digestive system.

During perimenopause, as ovarian oestrogen production starts falling, the adrenal glands step in to act as a backup and produce an oestrogen precursor, as well as some progesterone. If the adrenals are constantly having to pump out cortisol, the production of oestrogen and progesterone will play second fiddle just when we need that extra support the most.

Progesterone is very calming and a great balancer of cortisol, so can cushion women from some of its effects.

Declining levels during perimenopause means that buffer is lost. A further result of chronic stress is weight gain. Fat cells can also produce some oestrogen, so if the ovaries aren’t producing much any longer, and the support of the adrenal glands is also weakened, the body will keep hold of those oestrogen-producing fat cells, and also create more (often around the abdomen). This fat is difficult to lose.

There are many ways to activate rest and digest mode and dampen down the raging cortisol. The clue is in the title – rest! This can take whatever form you like but it should be time out from the rush of everyday life and it must be calming and peaceful. A few ideas: • Mindfulness or meditation • Reading • A walk in nature • Deep breathing • Pilates/yoga/tai chi • Jigsaw puzzle • Adult colouring • Sudoku/crosswords • Gardening Aim for at least 30 minutes, at least once a day. Your body will thank you for it.

Next month: ‘Move’ julianutrition.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 119

Body and Mind

DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE Dawn Hart, YogaSherborne

Mark Nazh/Shutterstock

T

hat may be an obvious reminder but is something you hear regularly in many yoga classes. If you are concentrating on which left, right, leg or arm you should be moving, where to look while you do it and how long to hold… it’s no surprise you suddenly realise you’ve been holding your breath!

Good breathing in yoga means breathing fully and rhythmically, making the most of your lung capacity.

Yoga breathing or pranayama teaches us how to recharge the body, drawing in more oxygen and more 120 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

fully purging the lungs of carbon dioxide. Yoga tradition describes Prana as ‘life force’ – a topic requiring more depth than we have space for here. At the same time, these exercises can help control our mental or emotional states by calming the sympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and tension.

However, some of these breathing exercises can appear daunting. Often we need to get to know our own breathing a little better first. Our brains make sure we breathe without us having to think about it. Very

useful indeed but in this busy world, it does mean that we have lost some awareness of our own breathing.

Being able to slow and deepen the breath has become something we have to work at. By linking breathing to our movement we can restore some awareness. This is central to the style of hatha yoga that I teach and the following exercise can help you whether you are on a yoga mat or not.

• To begin, sit either on the floor or on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. In both cases make sure your back is comfortably straight and your shoulders relaxed, opening up your chest. Rest your hands on your lap or at your side.

• Now rest your attention on your breathing. If it is comfortable breathe in and out through your nose otherwise use your mouth.

• Notice the inhalation and the exhalation to begin with.

• Perhaps the air is cool when it enters and slightly warmer when it leaves.

• Notice which parts of your body move when you breathe, maybe the chest or lower abdomen.

• Now notice the sound.

• Then notice there is a slight pause after the inhalation and another after the exhalation, just before you inhale again.

• Don’t try and control it, just let your body breathe and be an observer.

• Keep your attention here for 1 or 2 minutes – set a timer if that helps.

You can now experiment moving your arms in time with your breath. This is a simple exercise but can really help energise your body, helping you breathe more fully, as well as bonus tension relief for the shoulders.

If you experience any lightheadedness, discomfort or feel unwell, stop. Rest and return to observing your breathing again.

• Standing or sitting with good posture. Begin with your arms relaxed down by your side.

• As you inhale, lift them out to the side and up, bringing the palms gently together above your head.

• Your hands should meet just as you finish the inhalation.

• Hold the breath in briefly as you turn your hands so the palms now face outwards.

• As you exhale, lower your arms back down to your sides. Draw the fingers back as you do gently pushing through the wrists. You are aiming to get some tension through the arms without straining.

"In this busy world, it does mean that we have lost some awareness of our own breathing."

• Your arms should reach your sides just as you finish the exhalation.

• Repeat 3-4 times. Focus on making the movement and your breath line up.

• Once you have found your rhythm, and if you are comfortable, you can practise for up to 1 minute.

To begin with, you may move quite fast so try slowing the movement and keep your breath in time with that movement. Notice how much deeper you can breathe as you slow down. Never slow so much that you feel uncomfortable.

At the start of every class, we ease out the neck and shoulders in time with our breathing like in the exercise here. We are warming up muscles helping to prevent injury when we begin to move more fully, but also preparing our minds. As you slow your breathing, tension eases. This makes it easier to focus your mind when you move into postures, either to hold them or move into a faster flow. If you can find this connection, even for part of a class, it can have a powerful effect on your physical strength and your stress levels.

My job is to give structure, a bit like a pacemaker.

It is easier to notice if your movements are fast when you have someone calling out the rhythm. It doesn’t mean my pace is perfect for you but it gives you a base to work from. As you become familiar with postures and routines you are able to breathe and move together more naturally. You may still get your left and right mixed up but at least you stay relaxed when you do!

This also works off the mat. You may be able to bring it into your day as you walk, in the shower or stirring soup in the hob. It really doesn’t matter where or when, just see if you can become a little more aware of the connection and see where it takes you. yogasherborne.co.uk yogasherborne sherbornetimes.co.uk | 121

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.

NEVER MISS A COPY

If you enjoy reading the Sherborne Times but live outside our free distribution areas you can now receive your very own copy by post 12 editions delivered to your door for just £30.00 To subscribe, please call 01935 315556 or email subscriptions@homegrown-media.co.uk

122 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

TRUST US WITH YOUR HEARING HEALTH

LEADING HEARING CARE PROVIDERS IN SHERBORNE SINCE 2001      

The very latest HEARING AID INNOVATION Ear wax removal with MICROSUCTION Hearing tests with RHAD qualified audiologists Custom SWIM PLUGS for all ages Family-run and HCPC registered provider Independent and IMPARTIAL hearing advice

t: 01935 815647

*Girlings T&Cs: one offer per customer

*OFFER* We're supporting Sherborne FiverFest 12-26 March Buy 3 packs of high quality hearing aid batteries in-store for just £5 Girlings Complete Hearing | 4 Swan Yard | Sherborne DT9 3AX

www.girlinghearingaids.co.uk

Body and Mind

SIT AND STRENGTHEN Image: Stuart Brill

Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

C

ommunifit was formed four years ago this month and it feels like a good time at present to reflect on the reasons behind its creation.

Communifit was created on the back of our ever-popular Sit and Strengthen exercise class. My grandma lived in a nursing home in Yorkshire and living more than 250 miles away I was not able to visit her as often as I would have liked. As a result of this I was regrettably more easily able to notice any physical deterioration that had occurred between visits. This invariably concerned me, being caused I believe primarily by sitting for long periods of the day, not using many of her muscle groups. You will know from previous articles I have written that as we age we weaken, so by sitting for long periods of the day this would only speed up the weakening process.

When my grandma passed away the idea of a strengthening chair-based exercise class was taken forward and Communifit was formed. We now deliver our programme across all areas of Dorset and Somerset and have ongoing plans to expand further. But why is the class so beneficial, and what type of exercises are performed? Some people will think chair-based exercise is easy, and not for them – but this is not always the case.

If you look at a traditional gym floor layout, you will have cardio exercises such as the treadmill, bike, rower etc on one side of the gym. On the other will be the strengthening machines. Most, if not all would be chair-based. You take a seat, the machine puts your arms or legs in the correct position and then you perform the exercise. In our classes we do the same but instead of 124 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

being machine-driven, it is our instructors who guide, correct and advise as needed. We have over 50 different exercises that we use within our Sit and Strengthen classes – here are the benefits of just two of them: Knee-raise

Our legs are actually incredibly heavy, and without strength, particularly in our hips, it can be difficult to pick them up off the floor when we walk. This can lead to the ‘shuffle walk’, where we shuffle our feet across the floor as opposed to picking them up. This shuffle causes extra friction that in fact makes it incredibly tiring to walk far whilst making it more likely to fall. The knee raise can help us with our walking, moving from sitting to standing, climbing stairs and improving balance.

Sit-ups

There aren’t many activities within everyday life where we don’t need a strong core – our chair-based sit-ups target this exact area! Holding ourselves upright can be rather challenging. Building strong core muscles is proven to assist with balance, helping us walk, reducing back pain and making most activities that bit easier to achieve.

Our exercise programme is carefully planned to cover all major parts of the body from head to toe, working on not only strength but also mobility, flexibility and balance. Chair-based exercise is incredibly beneficial, challenging, targeted and a great way to stay strong and active. We hope to welcome you to a class soon! communifit.co.uk

THE POWER OF MEDICINE BALLS Simon Partridge BSc (Sports Science) Personal Trainer SPFit

Mark Nazh/Shutterstock

L

ast month I wrote about the versatility of kettlebells and how to progress your training. As we are now in the throws of spring, let’s look at a piece of equipment you can find in most gyms, but is rarely used, to achieve increased ‘power’ – namely medicine balls.

Power and athletic training have always been high on my list of favourite training methods. I really enjoy moving quickly, challenging my brain and body.

Whenever I have the chance to implement this form of training into my clients’ programmes the feedback is always fantastic. You can also use this form of training with a personal trainer or in small group training to increase the level of interaction and engagement with each other. This then builds a stronger team environment, either with clients and their trainer or within the class. I want everyone to understand that power training is not just for elite athletes but something we can all benefit from, no matter our age or fitness level. This article is therefore intended to help you train differently with medicine balls in the future.

There are three main types of ball to consider. First, is a ‘vertball’, a large, soft-feel medicine ball used for basic partner training drills and wall-based training options.

These balls are not designed to be slammed. Second, is the ‘slamball’. Its name gives it away. Use this ball for vertical slams, horizontal throws and rotational throws.

They have a dull bounce which means when you slam it into the floor, they won’t bounce back up at you. Thirdly, the standard medicine ball, is most commonly found in gyms; it is round, with a textured and often dimpled thick rubber surface to enhance your grip and can also

sometimes have handles to make it easier to hold.

Now for the science bit. Power can be defined as the amount of work done per unit of time. Simply, power is the maximum amount of force the muscle or body can apply in one single explosive movement. You may ask why we should train powerfully. The answer again is simple. We move dynamically in our everyday life. Therefore when we train it’s important to move dynamically and use functional tools such as medicine balls rather than slow, fixed machines.

So what are these benefits?

• Improved ability to load and absorb greater force • Reduced risk of injury through improved connective tissue elasticity • Reduced risk of injury through improved reaction time and proprioception • Improved explosive power • Improved coordination The crossover benefits for those of you who play sport should also be clear. Most sports require us to move quickly, dynamically and with force. Thus, powerful movements with a medicine ball can be very beneficial for improving your speed and power.

Let March be the month you train to become more powerful. If we learn to move more dynamically, this will help us in our everyday life to move in different directions at greater speeds. But as always, have fun trying something new. Good luck. spfit-sherborne.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 125

Coming to the market this month: Lettings & Property Management

Sherborne

Three-bedroom mid-terrace house, newly decorated, lovely garden, parking and garage.

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

1 Horsecastles, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3FB T: 01935 816209 E: info@stockwoodlettings.co.uk

Town centre first-floor flat with roof terrace, one double bedroom, in good order.

Near Seaton

Renovated three-bedroom house backing onto golf club, modern kitchen, two bathrooms, sitting room with views over Lyme Bay.

Chetnole

Semi-detached modernised twobedroom house, sitting room, modern kitchen, good sized garden, ample parking.

www.stockwoodlettings.co.uk

Working from home?

No room for an office desk?

Fed up with using the kitchen table?

Maybe we can help From our Sherborne workshop we build custom, retro-style desks designed to fit smaller spaces Available in natural oak and colour-matched finishes Find out more at www.newdeskcompany.co.uk or email andrew@newdeskcompany.co.uk

The New Desk Company Sherborne, Dorset

126 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

London

Upper Brook Street - onebedroom, second-floor apartment, currently being refurbished throughout.

Abbotsbury

Barn conversion in quiet location, four bedrooms, spacious living/dining/kitchen, loads of character, garden and parking.

Batcombe

Equestrian property, four-bedroom farmhouse, three reception rooms, purpose-built stables, grazing flexible on needs.

Milborne Port

Three bedroom semi-detached house, two reception rooms, modern kitchen, stores, garden and parking.

At Bill Butters Windows Ltd we offer total window, door and conservatory solutions. Based in Sherborne we design, manufacture, supply and install high quality aluminium and uPVC products using market leading suppliers to service both the retail and commercial sectors.

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

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

Home

ON THE BUBBLE

I

Andy Foster, Raise Architects

n the corner of the studio, a wooden tripod leans against the wall. On the floor beneath it is a rectangular leather case with a damaged shoulder strap. The case houses a levelling instrument that, when assembled atop the tripod, provides the means of carrying out a level survey of a site or parcel of land.

Although it couldn’t be described as an antique, dating only from the 1950s or ‘60s, its form of manufacture would be recognisable to any land surveyor from around the mid-Victorian period onwards. The tripod comprises circular section bentwood legs each with a metal tip and step plate for pushing into the ground. The three legs are connected with a cast metal assembly that allows the legs to hinge and provides the support to a threaded ring that receives the level.

Towards the bottom of the legs is a leather strap and buckle that holds the legs together when not in use. The instrument itself is mostly made of brass with a deep green enamel finish. It is essentially a rotating telescope that needs to be set precisely to the horizontal. To this end, its base attachment includes a spherical surface around which is a large serrated nut – this allows the device to be positioned approximately level by eye.

Fine-tuning can then be carried out by reference to an integrated circular spirit level or bubble level.

The level has various devices for adjustment. A flat silver turntable enables it to spin around on a horizontal plane so that it can be pointed towards features of interest and a small metal lever acts as a brake to lock it in position. The telescope installation has a hinge at its centre so that it can be further adjusted for level by means of a knurled knob which moves it up or down at one end while being resisted by a spring-loaded spigot at the other. Each time a reading is about to be taken, this latter arrangement is used to adjust for the horizontal using a linear spirit level alongside the barrel and which has a hinged mirror to aid viewing. The eyepiece of the telescope rotates in order to focus on the internal cross-hairs. Finally, there is a second knurled knob to the side that adjusts the positions of the internal lenses in order to focus on a measuring staff.

The centreline of the level, when rotated, describes 128 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

a horizontal plane. This means that, with somebody holding the measuring staff on features of interest, the vertical dimension can be read from that position up to the horizontal plane. It is most commonly used to measure features on the ground which are below the horizontal plane but it can also be used to measure higher-level features that are above the horizontal plane. To provide consistency of measurement, a permanent feature is usually chosen to which all other measurements are made relative. The level of this feature is known as the datum.

The instrument that I have just described is known as a ‘dumpy level’, so-called because it is a compact version of whatever larger and more complex contraption that preceded it. The dumpy level that resides in the corner of my studio was my father’s and I have known about its workings since I was approximately 10 years old when I became ‘the other

Image: Raise Architects

person’ that held the measuring staff. But I don’t keep it to hand for reasons of family nostalgia – it’s more because it provides a form of connection to all of the surveyors and engineers of the 18th and 19th centuries who mapped the world and its high mountains, the Ordnance Survey in the UK and the routes of our canals and railways.

These days when we need a level survey we ring someone up and they carry it out digitally. The digital instrument they use locks on to the modern Ordnance Survey GPS grid and for every position of interest that is measured, they obtain the 3D coordinates and not just the levels. It’s potentially easy, accurate and more reliable. But, as with most technological developments, something is lost in the process. In this case, there is a division of labour that can lead to a loss of understanding – either about the terrain being measured or about the process itself. Modern digital

devices also contain complex electronics which are impossible to repair yourself when things go wrong.

And don’t get me started on the subject of batteries.

When young architects join our practice they are invited to learn how to use this dumpy level and then they carry out level surveys for themselves. This usually causes much merriment in the office as the ‘old boy’ explains the workings of his old-fashioned equipment. But once the giggling has subsided, it is interesting to see the more experienced architects taking pride in instructing the novices. They seem to appreciate that doing things manually leads to a better understanding. They also sense that this is likely to apply to all digital developments and that being able to move easily between digital and analogue techniques is a real benefit. I imagine them thinking this while they’re listening to their vinyl record collection. raisearchitects.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 129

Chester Tiling Specialising in all types of tiling for floors, walls, bathrooms, wet rooms and kitchens www.chesterhowlett.co.uk chesterhowlett@gmail.com 07776 347960 Natural Stone • Porcelain & Ceramic • Glass

Enjoy a two course lunch for just £6 Supporting Sherborne’s most vulnerable Two course sit down meal cooked on the premises every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Open at 11.30 for coffee and tea, lunch served at 12.30.

Call our team on 07561 067381 or email communitykitchenteam@gmail.com to find out more Raleigh Hall, Digby Rd, Sherborne A big Thank You to our partners Sherborne Community Kitchen is a charitable incorporated organisation. Charity number 1190451

DAVE THURGOOD Painting & Decorating interior and exterior

07792 391368 NO VAT www.sherbornedecorators.com michellethurgood@sky.com

Competitively Priced, High Quality Carpets, Vinyls, Woods & Rugs SHERBORNE SHOWROOM NOW OPEN Unit 12, Old Yarn Mills, Westbury, Sherborne, DT9 3RQ A family run business established in 1998, we promise a highly professional level of service Tel: 07733 101064 or 01935 817885 www.lsflooring.co.uk

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

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

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

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

130 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

PROPERTY SERVICES

PLANNING CONSENT OR BUILDING CONTROL DO YOU NEED IT? If you are contemplating an extension, conversion or improvements to your property, you may need to comply with regulations.

If in doubt, speak to one of our property experts for a free, initial 30 minute consultation…

Read the full article about the difference between planning approval and building control here:

…that’s refreshing |

www.hklaw.uk

Get in touch with our experts.

Bournemouth 01202 421111 Cranborne Chase 01258 840507 Crewkerne 01460 279100 Dorchester 01305 251007

Parkstone 01202 715815 Poole 01202 725400 Swanage 01929 423301 Wareham 01929 552141

www.hklaw.uk

Legal

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO INHERITANCE TAX Anne-Marie Worth, Solicitor, Private Client, Mogers Drewett

F

rom the beginning of the year, HM Revenue & Customs changed the reporting requirements in respect of deceased persons’ estates. What are these changes and who will be affected by them?

Previous legislation

If an estate was classified as low value or exempt, then an ‘IHT205 Return of Estate Information’ form needed to be completed and submitted to the Probate Registry.

The requirements for an estate to be classed as excepted were, as follows: • The value of the estate was less than the Nil Rate Band Allowance (£325,000).

• On the death of the surviving spouse, the value of the estate was less than 2x Nil Rate Band Allowance (£650,000).

• The deceased left their whole estate, worth less than £1,000,000, to their spouse or civil partner, or to a charity.

• The deceased held assets in a trust, worth less than £150,000.

• Lifetime gifts made within seven years before they died did not exceed £150,000.

• The deceased person lived permanently outside of the UK, died abroad, and the value of their assets in the UK was under £150,000.

132 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

What exactly has changed?

From 1st January 2022 the following changes apply: • The requirement for completing the IHT205 form was scrapped for all estates classed as excepted; • The spousal/civil partner/charity limit for an excepted estate increased from £1,000,000 to £3,000,000.

• The limit of the value of assets held in trust increased from £150,000 to £250,000.

• The limit on lifetime gifts has increased from £150,000 to £250,000.

• The new rules insert additional requirements for those living permanently outside of the UK to qualify for excepted status.

What does this mean for me?

The estates of anyone who dies on or after 1st January 2022 will be affected by these changes if they are lowvalue estates or exempt estates.

The increase in limits will mean more estates will be treated as excepted estates and, as a result, the executor or administrator for the estate (Personal Representatives) will be required to complete fewer forms.

However, it is still vital that the Personal Representatives understand the rules, complete the correct forms (and pay IHT when required), correctly record the estate information and keep records for the beneficiaries. 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

Free registration appointment for new clients when accompanied by this advertisement

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

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

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

YogaSherborne 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

SHERBORNE & DISTRICT FENCING & GATE Co. •Domestic fencing specialist •Over 30 years experience •Free quotations •10 Year Guarantee •No VAT

01935 330095 Wayne Timmins Painter and Decorator • • • • •

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

01935 872007 / 07715 867145 waynesbusiness@aol.com 134 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

This month if you are able, please consider visiting the Just Giving website to donate money, which you can gift aid. Your cash donations are valuable and enable us to buy items for babies, children and people with special dietary needs. www.justgiving.com/sherborne-foodbank Thank you.

www.sherbornefoodbank.org

07854 163869 | help@sherbornefoodbank.org

Commercial Development Management Sales

LE T TO

LE T TO AB FO BO R S TS AL BU E RY

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

Finance

PATIENCE

I

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

nvesting is a risky business. After all, no one in their right mind would take a risk if there wasn’t at least a prospect of them being better off at the end of it.

There are, however, ways to reduce some elements of risk. Diversifying across different asset classes reduces risk because, for example, when the value of shares are falling it is often the case that other asset classes (such as fixed-interest investments) are rising in value. But it doesn’t avoid risk entirely as there may be periods when both asset classes fall in value.

A hallmark of investing is uncertainty and there are those who believe that uncertainty can be utilised to their advantage. Fund managers, who control in excess of 95% of the world’s stock markets, are generally among the most highly qualified individuals in the world – a first-class degree typically being a prerequisite. They all suffer from one fatal flaw – they believe their superior intelligence, undeniable though it is, enables them to beat the market. The evidence tells us that they can’t. If they themselves are the market, simple arithmetic tells us that only 50% of them can outperform the other 50%. By the time they charge for their services, only around 30% can deliver a better net return than average.

There have been many recent examples of star fund managers falling to earth with a crash, losing significant sums of money for those people who believed their hype. A recent example in the UK was Neil Woodford and in Australia Hamish Douglass.

A mentor of mine, after whom our new office has been named, described an essential element of real financial planning as ‘the patient long-term accumulation of wealth’.

A successful investment strategy involves many different strands. Avoiding unnecessary risk, by diversifying across asset classes, diversifying within asset classes and not investing in anything complex is a robust if somewhat boring approach. It can be compared to the analogy of the hare and the tortoise. While the hare may speed on ahead, the investment tortoise, in the longer run, will often be the winner. In particular, this analogy holds true when markets become uncertain.

Since the great financial crash of 2007, the world’s stock markets have significantly increased in value with only a relatively short number of periods where values have fallen. Even the Covid crisis has seen stock markets power ahead. At some point, markets will take a tumble. A sensibly well-diversified portfolio is likely to perform better than a risky alternative. The ‘patient long-term accumulation of wealth’ recognises that there will be occasions when stock markets fall in value for an extended period of time.

A disciplined approach, to include re-balancing and not panicking, has stood the test of time. ffp.org.uk

136 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

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 | 137

Tech

MAC OR PC?

James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

T

his is a question we are often asked, ‘Should I get a Mac to replace my PC? My children tell me a Mac is better.’ Hopefully, I can help you to make this momentous decision.

The Apple Mac (short for Macintosh) and PC (short for Personal Computer) are both computers that will eventually take you to the same destination.

They can both do e-mail, internet, word processing, spreadsheets, photos and video and they come in both laptop and desktop versions. In short, it’s a bit like the choice between Ford and Vauxhall motor cars, however, whilst they both achieve the same end, they do it in slightly different ways and with different programs.

Changing from PC to Mac would require a certain amount of re-learning of your computer skills. The mouse only has one type of click; not a left and a right as with a PC. To close a window on a PC it’s the red X in the top right corner; on a Mac, it’s the top left corner – got the idea? Macs have always been considered to be the professional’s choice where reliability and being the right tool for the job was important. PCs have always been generalist, office machines capable of doing everything, but not always with quite the same flair.

Today they are both pretty good, both have unique benefits, but both equally have their annoyances. If you want to use Sage Accounts don’t buy a Mac! Cost is also worth a mention as the Mac is probably 138 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

double (or more) the cost of the PC – so why? If you do a raw comparison of the memory, hard disk and processor then they’re pretty much the same, but once you start comparing all the things that most PCs don’t have – backlit keyboards, rigid aluminium bodies, the extra-long battery life, MagSafe power connectors and thunderbolt interfaces – then you start to see all the refinements you’re paying for. Furthermore, the operating system is pretty bug-free and virtually virus-resistant. Perhaps I should change my previous analogy… not Ford vs. Vauxhall, but Ford vs. Jaguar!

The PC is universal, functional, cheap and everybody knows what to do with it. In 2013 less than 10% of computers were Mac, although this gap has been narrowing at an increasing rate and by the end of 2020, an independent study found this had changed to approx 80% PC to 20% Mac. There is no right or wrong; just horses for courses, whatever takes your fancy. We help people every day to make the choice, and then live with that decision or, indeed, change again.

Beware of the sharp-suited salesman in the big stores – they’re not really interested in what is best for you, just how much commission they’ll earn on the sale.

Take good impartial, independent advice and then… the choice is yours! computing-mp.co.uk

• 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

I HAVE A DREAM

M

Jenny Campbell, Sherborne Scribblers

idwinter, and I am about to board the Trans-Siberian Express to Vladivostok. It’s something I have always wanted to do; just as in my twenties, I dreamed of going to China and Tibet. Now, here I am, furhatted and fur-coated, stepping onto the luxurious Golden Eagle train, followed by a porter half-hidden behind my trolley load of Louis Vuitton luggage. I know… I know… but this is a dream so I may as well travel in style.

A year or two back, I watched a TV documentary about the Russian dancer, Natalia Makarova, returning to her native country for the first time since defecting to Britain from the Kirov Ballet in 1970 at the age of thirty. Also travelling from Moscow, she was following the silk route to Tashkent; and for my own journey across Siberia, I think that one should look as interesting and exotic as Makarova. Each evening, therefore, having gained several inches in height, I shall sweep into the dining car – all Dior and diamonds – where the most delightful travelling companions will join me in scintillating conversation (still a dream, okay?) over the Beluga, borshch and Dom Perignon. Memo: Must practise sweeping.

But, why winter, you may ask. Why not summer, when you will see the Russian Steppe in all its glory? Forests of sun-dappled silver birch, apple orchards, sparkling lakes and maybe even a hungry leopard or Siberian tiger, straying off-piste from their Arctic homes in the tundra are, surely, much more appealing than over one week and 9,000 km of snow-covered landscape, passing through eight different time zones?

Because, I would say, this journey is also one of bringing history to life. Trying to imagine, for instance, just a fraction of what it must have been like for the Russian writer, Solzhenitsyn and other political prisoners slaving in the gulags of Siberia. I will also, on this journey, be treading on another person’s dream as I open one of three books that will be accompanying me to Vladivostok.

It is a volume of French poetry in which the first part of Victor Hugo’s L’Expiation (Atonement) never fails to move me. Recounting Napoleon Bonaparte’s return to France after the 1812 Russian Campaign, it is as graphic a description of the aftermath of war as any that has been written, beginning with: It snowed. They were beaten by its

140 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

conquest. For the first time the eagle lowered its head. Dark days! The Emperor returned slowly, leaving behind him a Moscow in flames. It snowed. Winter’s end brought an avalanche of melted snow. After the white plain another white plain. They no longer knew the leaders nor the flag: Yesterday the great army, now a flock. They could no longer make out the wings nor the centre. It snowed. The wounded sought shelter in the stomach of dead horses…

My translation will not be perfect. So, to get the full impact of this poem, written in verse form, it really needs to be read in the original French. Hugo moves on to the equally bloody battle of Waterloo and there can be no doubt that both wars affected the author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame deeply. Even though he was only a schoolboy at the time, they inspired his own dream of a united Europe in which there would be no more wars. In an excerpt from his passionate speech to an international audience at the peace congress in Paris, in 1849, he shared his own vision of a better world, saying, ‘…a day will come when war between Paris and London, St Petersburg and Berlin, Vienna and Turin will seem as absurd and impossible to you as between Rouen and Amiens today…’ He sees a new union of all the European nations, including Angleterre, as trading partners promoting commerce and fresh ideas while maintaining their own, separate identities. He went on to say, ‘A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes.’

So, despite my vote to join the seven nations Common Market only, in 1973, the European Project must have been bubbling along in the French pipeline for almost two centuries; which is why my other literary companions on the long train ride to Vladivostok are: Les Grands Jours de l’Europe 1950-2004 by Jean-Michel Gaillard, former diplomatic adviser at the Élysée, and My Secret Brexit Diary by Michel Barnier which was published in 2021 and was a requested Christmas present. Strange choices for a Brexiteer? Not really. I just wanted to see the view from the other side of the Channel.

Which is pretty much what Victor Hugo had in mind: understanding each other.

These three books should certainly help to pass the hours in between looking out at the snow and scintillating over dinner. But, one more thing. Regardless of what the dream merchants say, I am keeping the Dior and diamonds!

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 141

Literature

THE SECRET WORLD OF WEATHER Tristan Gooley

John Gaye, Sherborne Literary Society

142 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

‘G

ood morning, lovely day, isn’t it?’ How often have you either heard or spoken that very British greeting? It reflects the fact that the British have weather, whereas so many others have climate. It is not an expression you will hear very often in Mediterranean countries or in most parts of Australia. But most folk depend for their understanding of the weather on the excellent communication skills of our broadcasters or from weather sites on the internet. However, the limitation of these incredibly well-resourced media is their inability to identify the weather more precisely in one specific location where you are planning to have a picnic, walk the dog or go to the beach. Tristan Gooley’s book fills that gap and gives you the knowledge to make your own predictions.

The author is a great explorer and navigator, perhaps best known as the author of many very successful books on navigation using the signs that nature provides. He must be a fascinating travelling companion because he sees so much more than the rest of us, understanding better than most what he is looking at and what it means. Most importantly he is very happy to share that knowledge. Understanding the weather is part of that extraordinary skill set and once you have read this book you will realise it is not rocket science. He explains how to interpret the signs that are so obvious once pointed out.

But this book tells us so much more than whether to jettison the Gore-tex. Animals living in the wild will know where in winter to find the warmest or driest places to lie up overnight or in the summer where to find moisture or refreshing cooler spots. Humans looking to survive, or even just live outside more comfortably, should be able to read the signs just as well.

For example, it may well be warmer to camp away from the bottom of the valley where the frost pocket may form or on ground that retains heat. A reading of the terrain and a knowledge of soil types or of vegetation will certainly help in that.

Understanding weather has led to all sorts of strange results for those who have taken the trouble to link the clues together. It helped identify the reasons behind the mysterious deaths of young Navajo men from a form of pneumonia, it aided a South Korean in the tracking of Siberian Tigers.

Farmers can use the clues to select the best land for their individual crops.

Reading the clouds and understanding what they foretell can provide weather forecasts for those at sea, for those exploring the wilder parts of the world or even for those just gazing out over the Blackmore Vale from Bulbarrow. This book has something fascinating for everyone. sherborneliterarysociety.com

__________________________________________________________ Wednesday 30th March 7pm-9pm The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop Tristan Gooley, The Natural Navigator in conversation with Brian Bleese, CEO,

Dorset Wildlife Trust. The Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road, Sherborne, DT9 3NL. Tickets £9 members, £10 non-members available via sherborneliterarysociety.com/events Image: Jim Holden

and Winstone’s Bookshop.

__________________________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 143

GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES 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

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

FEBRUARY SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Sloth (8) 5. Wish for (4) 9. Thigh bone (5) 10. Musical wind instrument (7) 11. Without parallel (6,2,4) 13. Expressions (6) 14. Oppose a plan successfully (6) 17. Heartbroken (12) 20. Mediterranean coastal region (7) 21. Embed; type of filling (5) 22. Currency of Italy and Spain (4) 23. Italian cheese (8)

144 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

DOWN 1. Went away (4) 2. River in Africa (7) 3. Lacking tolerance or flexibility (6-6) 4. Rebukes angrily (6) 6. Friend (Spanish) (5) 7. Absurd representation of something (8) 8. Provincialism (12) 12. Delicate ornamental work (8) 15. Alternative forms of genes (7) 16. Instrumental piece of music (6) 18. Conceal (5) 19. Church song (4)

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society

Violets by Alex Hyde (Granta) £12.99 hardcover Sherborne Times reader offer price of £11.99 from Winstone’s Books

W

hen John Dryden wrote that ‘War is the trade of kings’, he might have added that historically it has in general been the trade of men. From earliest times, it was men who were associated with war: Mars, the Roman god of war, was a man. In general, it was men who caused and waged wars – with some notable female exceptions, such as Boudicea – albeit both sexes and their offspring suffered its ill effects. Violets, Alex Hyde’s first novel, examines the experience of women in war, in this case, the Second World War. Hyde is a lecturer at University College, London, whose research bears on women’s experience of war and military power.

Violets switches between the stories of two young women, both called Violet, in 1945 as they struggle with pregnancy and miscarriage amid the uncertainty and deprivation of war. Violet One miscarried twins shortly before her husband is posted to the Far East and, after a short period of recuperation, returns to the munitions factory in the Midlands where her job was ‘to drill holes in valves for submarines’. Violet Two, brought up in a strait-laced community in the South Wales valleys, was also employed in wartime factory work but became pregnant as a result of a liaison with a Polish soldier billeted on her family. She decides to escape by volunteering for overseas service in the ATS and is posted to Naples. On the ship bound for Italy she forms an unlikely friendship with the mysterious, upper-class, worldly, and well-connected Maggie. Once

Celebrating 10 Years as Sherborne’s Independent Bookseller 2012-2022 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX www.winstonebooks.co.uk Tel: 01935 816 128

they arrive in Naples – ‘beautiful and bold and filthy and wrecked’, smelling of ‘diesel oil and fish’ – the ATS women were transferred to the British Army HQ which occupied a palazzo: ‘It was faded and in disrepair with sandbags at the gates, metal blockades and some windows on the ground floor boarded up’.

The ATS office was ‘in a white-painted, high-ceilinged hall on the upper floor’ with ‘ornate stucco plasterwork and tall windows running along one side’.

Violets is a story about women in the maledominated world of war, about love, motherhood, and family, about doubt, uncertainty, and insecurity but also about strength, resilience, and friendship. It is written in a fragmented, impressionistic, almost oblique style, giving the novel a poetic, lyrical atmosphere.

The narrative passages are interspersed with a song, an extended monologue between Violet Two and her unborn child, which lends an ethereal, other-worldly quality to the story, at odds with the rest of the Violets’ mundane, tough, damaged world.

My only reservation about the book concerns the author’s decision to dispense with inverted commas in the dialogue. In my opinion it is irritating and, occasionally, confusing.

That aside, Violets is a powerful, affecting story, one which repays careful reading and thoughtful consideration – an interesting addition to the vast literature about the Second World War.

WE ARE

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

R

Michael Thorner, Reborne Church

ecently, I went out for a Sunday lunch with family to a local pub. We started with a carvery followed by a delicious dessert. It made me realise how much I like food – I’m sure I’m not alone when I say it’s one of our favourite pastimes.

The Bible is a book that can give advice on all sorts of subjects, food included.

That may sound surprising but Jesus solved 5,000 people’s hunger by miraculously multiplying a boy’s small lunch – John 6:9.

Lately, I’ve been reading about the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, led by Moses through the Red Sea into the wilderness. This account can be found in Exodus. They were in the wilderness for 40 years and were given a daily diet to sustain them during that time until they reached the Promised Land. This is a remarkable truth to consider.

As Moses led the Israelites in extremely testing circumstances – unaware of where providence was going to come from. Exodus 16:16 tells us ‘Each person was instructed to collect 1 Omer (6 pints) of manna in the morning’. There were 2 million people so that equates to 12 million pints gathered daily or 4500 tons and over one million tons annually. This continued for 40 years!

We in 2022 may not be in transit between 2 countries but we’re all travelling in life and difficulties arise occasionally, but whatever our lives are like we can sometimes feel we’re in our own wilderness.

There’s a saying I like to remind myself of from time to time which is helpful: We look around – we get distressed We look within – we get depressed We look up – we’re at rest Jesus said ‘I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven if anyone eats of this bread he will live forever’ John 6:51. The Israelites were instructed how to gather food to survive – they had to pick up the manna and didn’t have to travel far – it was right where they were, outside their tents. If we look outside in the morning over the grass it’s unlikely that we’ll find manna from Heaven. The Bible may be a peculiar book for some but by reading it we believe it’s God’s way of providing for His people. May we be encouraged to feed on God by looking up. rebornechurch.org

146 | Sherborne Times | March 2022

Come and visit our warm community in action Arrange your bespoke visit by contacting Charlotte at admissions@sherborneprep.org | 01935 810911 www.sherborneprep.org

Follow our story

Green by name and nature

LO C A L LY S O U R C E D I N G R E D I E N T S S E A S O N A L P RO D U C E MICHELIN BIB GOURMAND WINNERS 2019, 20 20 , 20 21 & 20 2 2 Tuesday - Saturday Lunch 12pm - 2pm | Dinner 6pm - 9pm 3 The Green, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3HY 01935 813821 @greensherborne www.greenrestaurant.co.uk