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STREET SPIRIT
Nico Goodden, Photographer
Lalage Snow For many years, local photographer, filmmaker and writer, Lally Snow covered wars in Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Middle East. Her first book, War Gardens published in 2018, illustrates and explores the healing act of gardening in the face of brutal conflict.
LEAVING A LEGACY
Michael Cannon, The Sherborne
The Sherborne seems to be the talk of the town at the moment; people keep asking questions because of the major restoration work being undertaken. So, I thought it a good time to introduce myself to the town and share a little bit about what we’re trying to achieve.
My brother-in-law brought the house to my attention many years ago, while my wife and I were living in Devon. There was a BBC programme called Restoration in 2004 which highlighted the property was ‘at risk’, although it had been under the ownership of Dorset County Council since the 1930s. I thought as many did, that there was going to be some kind of funding for Sherborne House, but unfortunately, this didn’t happen. So, the building has been slowly decaying and waiting for something to be done for nearly twenty years, which was such a shame.
When my wife and I settled nearby, my brotherin-law mentioned the building to me again. I was uncertain at first, due to the scale of the renovation. Being on the Heritage at Risk Register would require meticulous planning – and rightly so.
My first experience in Dorset was with Devenish Brewery based in Weymouth. They had over 350 pubs across the region but were struggling to keep them up to scratch. There were lots of challenges and everyone thought I was mad for taking it on – but I did and, thankfully, it worked. Ultimately, the success of that company has enabled me to invest in this colossal project.
I’ve always seen Sherborne as an artistic and cultural centre; the town has so many interesting people, and there’s an abundance of talent around. Over the past few decades, the South West has established itself as a hub of creativity – we’ve got Hauser & Wirth and The Newt in Bruton, Sculpture by the Lakes outside Dorchester and many others. The two key things that I want to achieve are to preserve a beautiful, historical building and to give it a bright future.
The venue will be run as a charity, complete with trustees because unfortunately, I won’t be around forever. My job is to ensure it’s viable for a long time, without any Government support, as I don’t think that will be an option. The Arts Council and funding organisations are really pushed to the limits too. So, we are going to do what we can ourselves – hence it being a multifunctional arts venue, complete with hospitality areas to help with costs.
As I write this, the historic restoration is well underway, which is incredibly exciting. We’ve curated an exceptional team to work on this project. We have enlisted Stonewood Builders, who simply have the best people. The craftsmen are absolutely fantastic – the intricate work on the panelling has been extraordinary to witness. These panels will be covered in handmade silk, made by the same manufacturers as Buckingham Palace, so we’re all rather looking forward to seeing that come together.
Likewise, local design and architectural specialists, Spase Design are on board. Stefan Pitman and his
Michael Cannon with artwork remaining on The Sherborne's walls from its time as a girls' grammar school
team are very dynamic and capable. Stefan majored in historical buildings and he’s very calm, collected, and able to deal with people – including me, which can’t be easy at times!
Our next-door neighbour, Patrick Macintosh, is the renowned antique dealer and owner of Macintosh Antiques. He is sourcing some interesting pieces to bring The Sherborne to life.
The kitchens and the dining areas are going to be fabulous – under the supervision of the Commercial Director, Jeremy Lee. He left London for Dorset several years ago and is known by many for his transformation of The New Inn in Cerne Abbas. When he became available, I thought I need to snap him up quickly as he’s the kind of chap to set this project alight.
We’re delighted that The Sherborne will be the new home of Dorset Visual Arts. They will be responsible for producing a dynamic arts and events programme, prioritising imaginative, accomplished art, craft, design, and digital media created in the area – and exploring its connections to creativity elsewhere. We want local artists and makers to become involved too.
The Friends of Sherborne House have been invaluable with their knowledge of the building’s history and are a vital part of our preservation process.
So, we’re using our best efforts to make it somewhere that people want to come, meet, explore, and experience – especially local schools, whom we really want to inspire.
But any charitable enterprise like ours needs an army of volunteers to bring the project to life, so I’m hoping many of you will come forward and get involved. Ultimately, this project is for the town. I am here as a passing ship, and I am handing this glorious building over to you, the townspeople, to use, enjoy, and hopefully, benefit from.
You can follow the progress of our restoration journey at thesherborne.uk.
SHERBORNE CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 2022
Catherine Broadley, Sherborne Churches Together
Guschenkova/Shutterstock
Many of you will have been looking forward to, and enjoying, the annual Sherborne Christmas Tree Festival, held in Cheap Street church each year. It has become a heart-warming community event, which not only brings joy to those who visit but also raises money for charity. The idea stemmed from Bridport United Church and was brought to Sherborne in 2002 by Yve Ackroyd, who is still an active participant. Don Farquharson, Margaret Beard and other members of Cheap Street church have nurtured the festival and made it what it is today. During lockdown they decided it was time to hand over the reins and Sherborne Churches Together have now taken over the organisation, although it will still be hosted by Cheap Street church. Sherborne Churches Together comprises representatives from eight local churches, and also organise other annual community events such as the Christmas Lunch and the Snowdrop Service.
In the early days of the festival, the Christmas trees and lights were funded by the committee, but about four years later Castle Gardens recognised it as a local community event and generously offered to donate up to 40 trees. The proceeds have always been shared between two charities, at least one of which is always local. Over the years, the festival has raised over £45,000 and the yearly attendance has been up to 4000 people!
Local charities sponsor a tree and design their own decorations. It is a wonderful way to showcase the special interest and support groups based in the town, and contact details will be available for people wishing to find out more about the charities and get involved. This year we will have the option of giving via contactless payment as we recognise that not everyone now carries cash. Donations are voluntary and very much appreciated! All proceeds will be split between two local charities and reflect the difficulties that many people are facing with the rising cost of living: Sherborne Food Bank which is a volunteer-run organisation that helps the hungry and families in crisis, within and around the parish of Sherborne, and Christians Against Poverty (CAP) which provides free professional services to help people get out of debt, find a job or gain vital life skills.
We are delighted that some local choirs will be singing during the week and would love your support. There will also be a jazz concert and the closing carol concert with music by the Town Band. We look forward to welcoming you!
______________________________________ Saturday 3rd - Saturday 10th December 10am-5pm Sherborne Christmas Tree Festival 2022 Cheap Street Church
Festival Highlights
Saturday 3rd 10am Christmas Tree Festival opens Sunday 4th 10.30am Sunday Morning Worship led by Rev Kate Konrad Monday 5th 2.30pm Abbey Primary School Choir Tuesday 6th 2pm Leweston Prep Choir Wednesday 7th 2pm U3A Choir carols Thursday 8th 2pm Sherborne Primary School Choir Friday 9th 7.30pm ‘Mike Denham’s Elite Syncopations’ jazz concert (see What’s On pages) Saturday 10th 5pm Closing Carol Concert with The Town Band, Town Mayor and presentation of cheques to the Food Bank and to CAP Please note Cheap Street church is accessible via a ramp as well as steps and is wheelchair-friendly.
THE SHERBORNE SINGERS
Katherine Sharp
Christmas is coming! It isn’t just the falling leaves, the low, brilliant autumn sunshine and certainly not the premature hype in shops and on television that brings this home to me. It is the first glimpse of the beauty of Christmas in music – music that our choir will be learning and perfecting through the darkening days ahead and finally performing when Christmas has arrived and the air is charged with the goodwill of the season.
This time last year was perhaps a particularly poignant moment. We had had a long silence enforced on us by the pandemic and although our programme was more limited than usual we were able to sing again in preparation for our musical come-back at the Sherborne Abbey Christmas concert and at a festive evensong. Singing and laughing seem to have a similar effect; both are physical manifestations of joy - and once they start they escalate. Our rehearsals are full of both. It was truly wonderful to experience all that again and to belt out At The Round Earth’s Imagined Corners by Malcolm Archer as if we had never sung in our lives before!
I first joined the Sherborne Singers because I missed singing in the church choir where I lived previously. I was thrilled to find a choir that sang mostly sacred music. It means we sing some of the most beautiful and haunting choral music ever written. Some of it dates back to the medieval period but some is very modern. The choir introduced me to the incredible work of contemporary composer, Alexander L’Estrange and now I am a real fan. I was no stranger to singing and reading from a score, but under the expert directorship of conductor, William Slogrove, I feel as if I am learning and broadening my scope all the time.
We fulfilled our programme through 2022. We sang the Evening Service in D Major by Charles Wood at Salisbury Cathedral in April. Our repertoire also includes music composed by William himself and we sang his communion setting at Sherborne Abbey, while his daughter Amelia (now a guest in the choir) sang Ex Ore Innocentium by John Ireland. Sublime! At evensong, also at Sherborne, we sang the Stanford in A setting of the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis and, to my delight, Alexander L’Estrange’s Let all the World in Every Corner Sing – not an easy thing to master, but we did it!
For the Sherborne Singers, choir night is also cake night. In Thomas Hardy’s Under the Greenwood Tree, old Michael Mail of the Mellstock choir remarked, ‘There’s a friendly tie of some sort between music and eating.’ How true that is! In addition to the cake, we love to round off a good Salisbury evensong with a convivial repast, or a Sherborne communion service with a late croissant breakfast at William’s house.
Over the past years, the Sherborne Singers have been privileged to be asked to sing in many beautiful country churches at Christmas time. Hardy wrote touchingly of the Mellstock choir getting ready to go carol singing. When it was time for them to run through ‘number seventy-eight’ from the Christmas carol book, Michael told them, ‘He’s a good tune, and worth a mint o’ practice.’
William has chosen some good tunes for the Sherborne Singers this Christmas and, like the musicians of Mellstock, we are putting in a ‘mint o’ practice’.
We meet every Wednesday during school term times for rehearsals (and cake). There is an informal audition for new members but no preparation is required and it really isn’t scary. If you would like to join, or just ‘test the water’, contact William on 07879 287285 or email dorset.musichouse@btinternet.com.
The Sherborne Singers will be performing as part of the Sherborne Abbey Christmas Concert on Monday 12th December.
MARKET KNOWLEDGE
WENDY LANE-BEALE, RED PANDA ECO SHOP
Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here?
We have an online shop but want to raise our profile locally. We find the shoppers of Sherborne are in-tune with our ethos and are very proactive about going green. We like it here so much we’ve actually just opened a shop on South Street
Where have you travelled from?
Gillingham, so not too far.
Tell us about what you’re selling.
We sell plastic-free and sustainably-made homewares, kitchenware, self-care products, natural rubber wellies and handmade bags and baskets. We also like to support local makers and feature lots of artisan products in our shop.
Where and when did it all begin?
It began in early 2020, just before Covid happened. We launched the website in March and started attending markets in July 2021.
What do you enjoy most about selling at markets?
Meeting so many fabulous people, being able to display our products and discussing their benefits in person.
If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit?
We like to pop over to Compton Candles, James’ Cheese and Dorset Pottery when we can.
Where can people find you on market day?
Our stall is usually on Half Moon Street or Digby Road. Our Red Panda Eco Shop on South Street will always be open on market days too.
Christmas is just around the corner, and Sherborne never fails to provide the ideal backdrop for yuletide festivity. For as long as I can remember, Christmas activity in and around Sherborne has been the staple of Christmas for me. Stocking up at the Christmas Festive Shopping Day and late-night shopping for example. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at Sherborne Abbey and bellringing in village churches around the wider Sherborne area. And of course, what Christmas dinner would be complete without the roast potatoes, brought to the western world by our very own Sir Walter Raleigh of Sherborne Castle fame.
This is also a time for many of us to think about those who may not be able to enjoy what many take for granted this time of year. A happy family around them, or even any companionship at all, or without the ability to pay out for presents or Christmas dinner. But this is where I think Sherborne really comes into its own. Every year, I see new people, churchgoers or
OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER
Chris Loder MP, Member of Parliament for West Dorset
Image: Len Copland
not, brought into the community spirit at Sherborne Abbey. Our town is also very fortunate to have such a dedicated volunteer network serving the community, one that I think communities across the United Kingdom would do very well to emulate.
Sherborne Community Kitchen is a prime example. Covid and the lockdowns exacerbated the loneliness and discontent many people may have already felt in their daily lives. Christmas 2020 allowed a brief reprieve for some families from the isolation of the previous lockdown, but many households were not that fortunate. Sherborne Community Kitchen nonetheless stepped up and provided those in need with a free roast dinner for Christmas, ensuring those who may have felt they were missing out could at least be given some semblance of normality for the festive period.
Last year for Christmas, whilst Coronavirus was still an issue, we did not have the scale of isolation experienced in 2020. This allowed for much greater community involvement in festivities. Sherborne Community Kitchen’s Christmas dinner drew in support from local supermarkets and schools, shops and businesses from all around who recognised the vital service they provide. I understand that for 2021, they attracted almost 50 volunteers to help! And it’s more than just a ‘service’ – it’s a gift and a godsend for so many people struggling through Christmas. Adverts and programmes on television in the lengthy run-up to 25th December often do many people real hurt by the lavish consumerism and reminders of what they may not have. The people and organisations in and around Sherborne have demonstrated the perfect antidote to this.
The state cannot and will never be able to provide all the answers to people’s problems. Of course, the state will help those in need by meeting their material requirements and living needs. But it can never replace the warm hand of a family member, friend or neighbour. Volunteer action, charity and community spirit when channelled through fantastic organisations like what we have here in Sherborne, will no doubt make an immeasurable difference to the lives of so many for Christmas this year and I would like to thank them very much for contributing to the life and fabric of our Sherborne society, both at Christmas and throughout the year. Wherever you’re spending Christmas this year, can I wish you and your family and friends a very Happy Christmas.
FESTIVE SHOPPING DAY SUNDAY, 4th DECEMBER
10am-4pm
ABBEY CHURCH SERVICES
MUSIC, BANDS & CHOIRS
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
SANTA’S GROTTO STREET EVENTS
FESTIVE SHOPS & STALLS
ABBEY 104 LIVE BROADCAST FOOD & DRINK STALLS
Event ORGANISERS
@sherborneCOT
@sherbornefestiveshopping
@sherbornefestive
Event SPONSORS
CHEAP STREET PARADE & LIGHTING OF THE TREE
4PM— AT THE CONDUIT
PLEASE NOTE: NO VEHICLE ACCESS TO CHEAP STREET OR DIGBY ROAD ON 4th DEC UNTIL 6PM ORGANISED BY SHERBORNE CHAMBER OF TRADE & COMMERCE, SUPPORTED BY SHERBORNE TOWN COUNCIL
Yeovil Audi New Audi models ordered and delivered before the end of March 2023 will include a free of charge Audi Service Plan
