Sherborne Times January 2023

CREATURE COMFORT with Rhian Rochford of Gather

WELCOME

Each evening at dusk the hedgerows shudder. Their mystery inhabitants burst free in rowdy gangs, gathering in number before taking to the sky in a breathtaking, billowing sheet of black on grey. They loop and swell as one until suddenly, numbers satisfied, they plummet into the reed beds, silent and safe.

And so to January… This month, as ever, we are a mix of grand schemes and small gestures, of betterment and kindness, endeavour and reflection.

Paul Maskell celebrates Steve Albini, Adam Dimond joins us on the scaffolding and we hear from the good people at Sherborne Food Bank. Paula Carnell is grateful, Emma Tabor and Paul Newman take to the hills and Richard Bromell puts a record on. Mike Burks eats what he’s given, Nico Goodden is growing magic beans and Val Stones whips up an old favourite. James Hull can’t feel his fingers, Mark Newton-Clarke keeps his cool and Rory MacLean has something exciting up his sleeve.

Claire and Katharine meanwhile pop across the border to Charlton Musgrove where Rhian and Mark Rochford produce beautiful woollen blankets using raw fleece sourced from smallholders and their own gorgeous pedigree flock of Ryelands and Black Welsh Mountains.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2023.

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

@sherbornetimes

Editorial and creative direction

Barbara and David Elsmore

The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby

Mary and Roger Napper Hayley Parks

Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Joyce Sturgess Ionas Tsetikas Paul Whybrew

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.

CONTRIBUTORS

Richard Bromell ASFAV

Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers

Mike Burks

The Gardens Group

David Burnett

The Dovecote Press

Paula Carnell

Cindy Chant & John Drabik

Michela Chiappa

David Copp

John Crossman Sherborne Food Bank

Rosie Cunningham

Adam Dimond The Sherborne James Flynn Milborne Port Computers

Simon Ford

Jenny Gibson BVMSci MRCVS Kingston Vets

Nico & Chrystall Goodden

Craig Hardaker Communifit

Andy Hastie Yeovil Cinematheque

Sue Hawkett

Sarah Hitch

The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms & The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre

Richard Hopton

Sherborne Literary Society

James Hull

The Story Pig

Tabitha Iles Sherborne Prep

Richard Kay MA Lawrences Auctioneers

Tess Kelly Sherborne Sports Centre

Lucy Lewis Dorset Mind

Peter Littlewood Young People’s Trust for the Environment

Chris Loder MP

Rory MacLean

Jem Main MA

Paul Maskell The Beat and Track

Tom Matkevich The Green Restaurant Gillian Nash Paul Newman & Emma Tabor

Mark Newton-Clarke MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons

Sue Cameron Sherborne Scribblers

Emma Rhys-Thomas

The Art of Confidence

Mark Salter CFP

Fort Financial Planning

Val Stones

Juliet Thornton Oxygen Wellbeing

Simon Walker Mogers Drewett Solicitors

Joanna Weinberg Teals

ARTIST AT WORK

No.50 Jem Main MA, Migration, Myth, Metaphor Drawing, 45 x 50 cm

Idraw and work three dimensionally. My artwork is interrupted - as much as informed byteaching, projects and curatorial practice. It happens in ‘themed’ bursts.

I am fascinated by the changes in meaning that juggling ideas, materials and composition generates. This occurs also during the process of refinement; though the length of time given to it can spell ‘doom’. Clarity of intention easily undermined; crowded out by ever more nuances entering one’s thinking.

I don’t save what fails - which is quite a bit! But, what’s in the bin fuels what happens next. Migration, Myth, Metaphor exemplifies these elements. Out of the ashes of one drawing, this and a series of ten followed. Each referencing different aspects of migration; variously seeking to use the movement of air and space - weather - flight - navigation - as expressions of both a restlessness of spirit and the journey between two places and cultures.

Migration, Myth, Metaphor – A limited edition of archival quality prints (unframed) is available at £200 each. jem.5@icloud.com

Jem is imminently retiring as the Creative Director of Dorset Visual Arts in January. His final project is preparing the draft template for the visual arts programme at The Sherborne, opening late 2023.

ON FILM

As the new year starts, we at Cinematheque already find ourselves a third of the way through our latest season of international films. We have two rather contrasting offerings this January – an American indie followed by a classic of European arthouse.

The first, showing on 4th January is Lucky Grandma (2019), a Coen Brother-esque black comedy, following an elderly Chinese widow in New York’s Chinatown eager to live her life as an independent woman, despite her worried family interfering along the way. When a local fortune teller predicts an upcoming lucky day, Grandma Wong decides – but of course! – to head straight for the casino, and manages to gamble away her entire life savings. However, on the bus home, a chance encounter leaves her with a holdall stuffed with US dollars! This money just happens to belong

to New York’s Chinese mob, who understandably want it back, but fail to appreciate one should never underestimate an unflappable pensioner.

First-time writer-director Sasie Sealy’s spiky comedy stars veteran Chinese actress Tsai Chin, who appears to be having a hoot playing a wily, chain-smoking, Mandarin-speaking heroine. When she employs a bodyguard from a different gang, they form a terrific odd-couple partnership, finding themselves in the middle of a Chinese gang war. This uproariously funny, well-received film is just the sort of escapist fun needed for a dark, postChristmas winter night.

The second film, on 25th January, is The Audition (2019), an award-winning contemporary German drama by director Ina Weisse. It stars Nina Hoss, the best German actor working today, who has featured in many films shown at Cinematheque over the

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

Nina Hoss in The Audition (2019)

years. She plays Anna, a violin tutor at the prestigious Berlin music school. When a student, Alexander, auditions, the vote is split, but Anna sees promise and insists she can train him. Her obsessive quest draws out the unique sound she believes he possesses, however he does not respond well to her increasingly strict approach. This obsession starts to impact on her professional and home life. Anna becomes more and more unpredictable and doubles down on Alexander. Come the day of his exam, events take a tragic turn...

Nina Hoss won the Best Actress Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival for her role in this excellent European melodrama of obsession, compulsion and self-destruction. ‘Nina Hoss is impeccable’ Glenn Kenny, New York Times. ‘A superb Nina Hoss’ Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times.

Two very different films, but both excel in their own genre. If you haven’t been to Cinematheque

at Yeovil’s wonderful Swan Theatre, make it a new year’s resolution to give us a try. You can come as a guest for £5, or take out a membership for the whole season, details are on the website below. We’d love to meet you!

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

Wednesday 4th January 7.30pm

Lucky Grandma (2019) 15

Wednesday 25th January 7.30pm

The Audition (2019) 15

Cinematheque, Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil BA20 1QT Members £1, guests £5

Tsai Chin in Lucky Grandma (2019)

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT

Rosie Cunningham

Mrs Warren’s Profession came to the Theatre Royal Bath, starring Caroline Quentin and her daughter, Rose. Written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, audiences in London had to wait over 30 years for a public performance. Productions were either banned or shut down due to the candid discussion of prostitution. So, what was Mrs Warren’s profession? Mrs Warren’s daughter, Vivie, has had a Cambridge education and receives a generous allowance from her mother, who has been largely absent during her life. Her mother arrives for a fleeting visit, with her ‘business partner’ in tow, and Vivie stumbles across the truth about her mother’s business empire – a successful chain of brothels. The motherdaughter relationship is full of yearning on both sides, but ultimately can Vivie accept that her whole life has been funded by profits from prostitution? Not only is this about morality but there is a poke at class too, with Vivie, polished and refined, and Kitty Warren, course and liable to be ‘shouty’. Caroline Quentin plays this role beautifully, as she bewitches all those around her, including Vivie’s young boyfriend and the local priest, who may have known her in his youth! Her outfit may be a shade too tight, and she might have applied too much rouge, but she sprinkles playful fun wherever she goes. Rose Quentin takes a little time to settle down but is certainly a match for her mother. Simon Shepherd plays the swaggering lustful Sir Charles Crofts, who propositions Vivie, even though he might well be her father. This production is touring around the country and is well worth a trip, playing in Guildford, Cheltenham, and Truro in early 2023.

Did you know that if you are an RHS member, you can visit The Newt for free on a Tuesday? I had

wanted to go and see the Roman villa for ages so on a beautiful crisp cold Tuesday morning, I finally made it. It’s about a 30-minute walk from the front gate but the going is easy. The museum, which you pass through, before entering the Roman villa, is brilliant. Interactive and informative, I spent well over an hour there. The attention to detail is magnificent although I was not a fan of the ‘actors’ who lurk around the villa, dressed in Roman attire. The Story of Gardening is close by, and the café is in a perfect spot. Whilst

Rose Quentin as Vivie Warren and Caroline Quentin as Mrs Kitty Warren in Mrs Warren's Profession

walking along the elevated walkway, I heard a very strange sound, which on investigation, was a large herd of deer with the stags indulging in boyish mock fights. I was telling a friend about the amazing experience when she asked if I had visited the grotto. Time for another visit soon, I think!

I attended Damian Barr’s Literary Salon recently, which began in 2008. This is where the world’s best writers share their new books and share their own personal stories within a small, intimate setting.

I watched online as Kate Mosse and Lucy Foley discussed their love of Agatha Christie, ‘The Queen of Plotting’, both of whom had contributed short stories to the new Harper Collins book, Marple: Twelve New Stories. There is a newsletter which you can sign up for, which gives you all the latest events and news.

theatreroyal.org.uk/production/mrs-warrens/ thenewtinsomerset.com/plan-your-visit theliterarysalon.co.uk/the-salon

Image: Pamela Raith

Many of us can recall the boom in the market for Victorian watercolours during the 1980s. It coincided with a strengthening economy and the almost unexpected realisation that such pictures were skilfully executed, pleasurable to collect, reasonably abundant at almost every level of expenditure, readily understood and were complemented by easy nostalgic themes. I recall an intensely brisk spell in 1988-1989 when it was possible to follow such watercolours as though they were booming stocks: a picture that might have made £500 in 1988 could be sold the following year for £1500 or more. You may already be anticipating that the inevitable crash was sure to come: the market tightened up in the early 1990s with greater selectivity, diminished supply and less rewarding dividends. It trundled along without much fanfare until about 2008-2009 when the credit crunch re-configured many collectors’ tastes, ambitions and finances. A new generation of buyers came to the fore and they did not warm to the styles that their parents had so embraced. Sadly, we have since seen some formerly celebrated artists’ works sell for just 10-15% of their peak a third of a century ago.

That brisk resumé should not be applied right

across the board, of course, but fashion is now a much more critical determinant of value than quality, age, subject matter or past performances. Some artists’ prices may never return to the glories of the past but a notable exception should be made for the work of Albert Goodwin (1845-1932). A child prodigy on a par with Edwin Landseer (who showed a picture at The Royal Academy aged 13) or John Everett Millais (who showed at 17), Goodwin exhibited Under the Hedge aged just 15. That title alone indicates an obsession with ‘truth to nature’ that had motivated the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood: direct observation, a focus on colour, keen attention to meticulous draughtsmanship and a reverent admiration for a subject on its own terms. Rather to my surprise, Goodwin observed ruefully in 1909 that he had `suffered all [his] life from having started under Pre-Raphaelite superlatives in colour. They emphasised the need of scenery and painting and rejoicing in colour.` Nonetheless, that education had served him well for it had drawn him towards John Ruskin in the 1860s. Ruskin, a patriarchal critic with a stern approval of his own judgment (a judgment sound enough to be wholly justified), was an artist of exceptional skill who had praised J M W Turner since he (Ruskin) had been

Milan Cathedral, 1901, 21 x 30cm

a lad of just 16 and Ruskin had even worked at the master’s elbow. Goodwin accompanied Ruskin on an Italian tour in 1872 and so Albert learnt from a man who had learnt from, arguably, Britain’s finest exponent of watercolour.

Goodwin’s innate talent and his excellent instruction have rewarded him with a status of high renown amongst collectors. It is heartening to observe that distinctive brilliance is still sought for its own sake. With a skill that bordered on artistic alchemy, Goodwin invested his compositions with an ethereal glow, gauzy mist, tenebrous moonlight or numinous shadows. He showed a command of the medium that was so subtly effected that his pictures almost defy technical analysis. After applying the watercolour, he picked out details in ink or pencil afterwards (a technique as quirkily unconventional as putting on your socks after your shoes but Turner had also made it work well). True to Pre-Raphaelite principles to the last, Goodwin never lost his precision of technique, he never faltered with his colour sense and he never squandered the luxury of his viewpoints by producing a quotidian scene. In most of Goodwin’s pictures, one feels immersed in the glory of the place, awed by the grandeur of the heavens,

overwhelmed by the ineffable splendours of nature or simply enchanted by a view of a city that one may never have the good fortune to visit oneself. An observer may even be tempted to think that Goodwin could not have had such luck to be outdoors with brushes and paper when such evanescent effects were arrayed before him. Yet it is impossible to imagine his not being there for his subjects, invariably semi-magical, retain nonetheless an insistent quality of truthfulness. A dozen examples from the Estate of Lord and Lady Peyton of Yeovil offered in our October auction, all found buyers. Subjects as varied as Abingdon, Milan, Cairo and Niagara Falls were bought for up to nearly £6000. But it was a magisterial view of Venice from 1892, exhibited at London Guildhall in 1896, that enchanted collectors the most. The bright, clear, summery light of a perfect Venetian day, the happy family group on the foreground terrace and the immediate sense of a scene described with perfectly nuanced watercolour washes lifted this gem to £19000 – the highest price paid at auction for any Goodwin watercolour in over a decade. Just for a moment, it felt like 1988 again.

lawrences.co.uk

The Day’s End, 1916, 42 x 60cm

COUNTER CULTURE

Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No.17 Steve Albini - ‘Pay Me Like a Plumber’

Steve Albini is a world-renowned sound engineer (not a record producer – more on that later). He is also the founder member of the American hardcore band Big Black and is currently lead guitarist and vocalist for Shellac. He has gone from being a photographic touch-up artist to an independent music journalist to a well-respected musician in the hardcore/ punk scene to one of the most sought-after sound engineers in indie/punk rock music. It’s unlikely that you’ve not heard his work in one form or another. Throughout his career he has maintained a very staunch position regarding the ethics of the music business and how bands and musicians are treated.

Italian American Steve Albini spent most of his

early life in California and later in Montana. It was while recovering from a broken leg that Albini started to take an interest in music and started to learn the bass guitar while he had time on his hands. He continued to follow what became a passion for him and played with several bands in Montana including a couple signed to hardcore label Touch & Go records. He later moved to Chicago to gain a degree in journalism and proceeded to write for several punk fanzines in the area. He soon started to take an interest in recording other bands and co-managed a punk record label for bands in the area. He did this while managing to hold down a steady job as a photographic touch-up artist.

In 1981 Albini formed his first band, Big Black

Jim Newberry/Alamy

and self-recorded and released their EP Lungs. At that point the ‘band’ consisted of just Albini who played all instruments on the EP other than the saxophone, played by a good friend. During the following six years Big Black recorded five EPs, four singles and five albums and made a name for themselves for playing uncompromising punk rock, full of songs with interesting and sometimes controversial subject matter. Renowned for doing things his way, Albini played his guitar with a nickel coin instead of a plastic plectrum to give it a more abrasive sound and also wore his guitar on a strap around his waist giving him more flexibility. Big Black released their final studio album, Songs about… in 1987 shortly after which they ‘disbanded’. 1987 and 1988 saw the sound engineering side of Albini’s career begin to gain momentum. He worked with bands such as Slint, the Membranes and Urge Overkill. He also engineered the classic debut by protogrungers the Pixies, Surfer Rosa. With this album he established himself as the go-to guy if you wanted an authentic album that sounded like the band playing live, exactly as they mean to sound. The album is as popular now as it was then and many comment on the drum sound and overall raw, punchy quality of the recording. When you put on a Steve Albini-engineered record it really is as if the band are in the same room as you.

While recording other bands Albini formed Shellac with bandmates Bob Weston (bass guitar) and Todd Trainer (drums). The band recorded three EPs that cemented their very raw style as sparse, minimalist noise rock – a band of no compromises following in the footsteps of Big Black. They went on to record five albums and continue to play live, visiting the UK once in a much anticipated blue moon. Shortly after the inception of Shellac and the recording of ‘local girl done good’ P.J. Harvey’s album Rid of Me Albini received an invitation of gargantuan proportions. Kurt Cobain had requested that Nirvana’s record label hire Albini to record their third album, In Utero. Nirvana had already seen huge success with Nevermind produced by Butch Vig. The record label was unsure of this choice but honoured the band’s request.

This is where the ethics of Steve Albini come into full effect. Albini insists that he is not a record producer but that he is a sound engineer. His job is to capture the sound of the band as they want it, as the band sound live. Not how the record company wants the band to sound but capturing the true energy and feel of the band. He is not a member of the band and should have

no artistic contribution to the record. Kurt Cobain specifically wanted Albini because he had engineered his two favourite albums, Pixies’ aforementioned Surfer Rosa and ‘Pod’ by the Breeders. Cobain liked the way that Albini captured the ambience of the room in which the music was recorded using several strategically placed microphones. This was something that previous Nirvana record producers weren’t very enthusiastic about experimenting with. Before accepting the invitation to engineer the album Albini had several stipulations, some of which were highly unusual within the music industry. Firstly Albini suggested a very isolated studio in order to keep visits from label representatives to a minimum. Secondly and most unusually (although not for Albini) he stated that he would not take a royalty on the album. He has never and will never take a percentage of sales. He stated that most producers will take 1 or 1.5 points on all subsequent record sales. In a letter to Kurt, Krist and Dave he stated – ‘I think paying a royalty to a producer or engineer is ethically indefensible. The band write the songs. The band play the music. It’s the band’s fans that buy the records. The band is responsible for whether it’s a great record or a horrible record. Royalties belong to the band’. He continued ‘I would like to be paid like a plumber. I do the job, you pay me what it’s worth. The record company will expect me to ask for a point or point and a half. If we assume three million sales that works out at 400,000 dollars or so. There’s no ******* way I would ever take that much money. I wouldn’t be able to sleep’. And so Albini made it clear that he would not play the industry game and fleece the artist for all they’re worth. Not a common occurrence in the industry. The album has gone on to sell in excess of 15,000,000 copies worldwide.

He’s right, 2 million dollars would have been pretty excessive for a plumber, even an excellent one.

Albini now runs his own recording studio in Chicago called ‘Electrical Audio’ and continues to record a huge variety of bands including Black Midi, Mono, Ty Segall, Sun O))), the Breeders, Metz…the list goes on. He operates under the same strict rules putting the band first at all times. He is very outspoken regarding the music business and regularly takes part in conferences and writes essays regarding the state of the industry. He remains a highly respected anomaly within music. A great ‘tradesman’.

thebeatandtrack.co.uk

Every Monday & Thursday

1.30pm-4pm

Sherborne Indoor Short Mat Bowls

West End Hall, Sherborne 01935 812329. All welcome

WHAT'S ON

Sunday 1st 2pm-4pm

Divine Union Soundbath

Oborne Village Hall, DT9 4LA £15. Advance bookings 01935 389655 or ahiahel@live.com

Wednesday 4th 3pm & 7pm

The Arts Society SherborneThe Gateway to Eternity - Icons Digby Hall, Hound Street Free for members, £7 for non-members theartssocietysherborne.org/

Thursday 5th 8pm

Thursday 19th - Saturday 21st 7.30pm (matinée Saturday 2pm) Pantomine - King Arthur Charlton Horethorne Village Hall chaps.panto@gmail.com for info & tickets

Thursday 19th 8pm

Sherborne Historical SocietyLast Supper in Pompeii: the Roman Love Affair with Food & Drink Digby Hall, Hound Street Members free, visitors £5 sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

Every 1st Thursday 9.30am

Netwalk for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs Pageant Gardens @Netwalksherborne

Thursdays 7.30pm-9.30pm St Michael’s Scottish Country Dance Club Davis Hall, West Camel £2. Call Elspeth 07972 125617 stmichaelsscdclub.org

Sherborne Historical Society - Byzantium & the Fall of Constantinople

Digby Hall, Hound Street Members free, visitors £5 sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

Thursday 12th 2.30pm

Sherborne and District Gardeners’ Association Talk - Seed Sowing, Pricking Out & Potting On Digby Hall, Hound Street Non-members £2. 01935 389375

Friday 13th 7.30pm

Spitz & Co - The Elvis Show Sandford Orcas Village Hall artsreach.co.uk 01963 220208

Saturday 21st 10am-12.30pm (last repair 12.15pm)

Repair Cafe Cheap Street Church Hall. Bring household items to be repaired & avoid landfill. repaircafesherborne@ gmail.com or @repaircafesherborne

Tuesday 24th 7pm

Sherborne Literary Society AGM and Travel Writing Festival Launch, with Rory MacLean Raleigh Hall, Digby Road sherborneliterarysociety.com (See Rory's article, page 124)

Thursday 26th 6pm-8pm

Functional Medicine &

Yoga Breathing Workshop

Milborne Port Church House Hall hello@yogasherborne.co.uk

Wednesday 1st February 2023

3pm & 7pm

The Arts Society Sherborne - Linking China With EuropeBlue & White In The Middle East Digby Hall, Hound Street. Free for members, £7 for non-members theartssocietysherborne.org/

Sport

Friday 27th 7.30pm

George Egg – Set Menu

Yetminster Jubilee Hall. George Egg cooks food while making you laugh. artsreach.co.uk 01935 873546

Friday 27th 7.30pm and Saturday 28th 2.30pm & 7.30pm

One-man play - Into The Breach

Sherborne Studio Theatre, Marston Rd £9-£12 07786 070093 aps-sherborne.co.uk

Sunday 29th 2pm-4pm

Divine Union Soundbath Oborne Village Hall, DT9 4LA £15. Advance bookings 01935 389655 or ahiahel@live.com

Planning ahead

Sherborne RFC

The Terrace Playing Fields Men’s 1st XV (3pm KO)

Saturday 7th Wadebridge Camels (H)

Friday 13th Bridgwater & Albion (H)

Friday 20th Chard (H)

Join us on the first Wednesday of the month at 3pm and 7pm

Digby Hall, Hound Street

4th January: Icons - Gateway to Eternity

1st February: Linking China With EuropeBlue And White In The Middle East NEW 2023 Programme can be seen at www.theartssocietysherborne.org

Members free; visitors £7 theartssocietysherborne.org

Saturday 28th Crediton (A)

Sherborne Football Club

The Terrace Playing Fields Men’s 1st XI (3pm KO)

Monday 2nd Ilfracombe (H)

Saturday 7th Buckland Athletic (A)

Saturday 14th Shepton Mallet (A)

Saturday 28th Barnstaple (H)

To include your event in our FREE listings please email details – date/ time/title/venue/description/price/ contact (max 20 words) – by the 5th of each preceding month to listings@homegrown-media.co.uk

STREET SPIRIT

Nico Goodden, Photographer

Caroline, aged 76, photographed near Sherborne Castle. An inquisitive mind, she graduated last year with a BA (Hons) in Design and Innovation through the Open University.

FULL CIRCLE

Adam Dimond, Stonemason

I’ve lived in Sherborne nearly all my life and have worked in and around the area for various stonemasonry firms for over 27 years. I restore old buildings and generally tackle all aspects of working with stone. It’s through Sherborne Stone that I came to work on this local project, which I was really pleased about. It’s been a case of things coming full circle on this job. I have a personal connection to Sherborne House, as I went to school there and, from first-hand experience, know just how impressive the building is.

It was a lovely place to go to school and I will always remember going up the painted staircase as a student –one because it’s quite something, and two because we had to be really careful! The Gryphon School was being built at the time and so I spent my last two years of schooling between Foster’s School and here at Sherborne House. I remember having science in the main building and music next door in the stable wing. It’s really great to see a building that I’ve got memories of being brought back to life, having sat doing nothing for so long. It also feels good to be working on it with my own hands.

When I left school in Sherborne, I became an apprentice for Richard Bowring – he was repairing stones on the Conduit at the time in the town centre. A few years later we worked on Sherborne Abbey and helped with the fitting of the main west side stained glass window – The Queen and Prince Philip came down to inspect the work for an Abbey service. Richard put me on a stonemasonry course at Weymouth College, and from there, I went to work for St Blaise – something that I am still really proud of to this day. They were the biggest stonemasonry company in the country and the legendary Ian Constantinides was my boss. I learnt a lot from Ian. He was part of SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) and he used to put on talks and lectures about conservation – it’s where I gained a lot of knowledge regarding historic buildings. Ian believed that a building held all the answers about itself, and that you had to be really observant to look out for the little signs and clues that tell you the best way to repair it. He went on to TV

work in the early 2000s with the BBC’s, Restoration programme – Sherborne House was one of the properties up for bids to restore it.

Following St Blaise, I worked on the Conduit again, with a company called Corinthian, my colleague Ziggy Searchfield and I won a Green Apple conservation award for tracery stone repairs and repointing with lime.

So far, it’s been lots of repair work on this project – and, touch wood, it’s been going well. I’m currently doing repairs on all the window surrounds. There has been lots of repair work done over the years and unfortunately, it’s not been done very well in some cases. I’m mostly doing mortar repairs and piecing in Hamstone. There are various lime putty mortars being used for jointing and stone repairs and a very fine

mortar to get into the small cracks.

When you are working with lime mortar you have to tend to it – every day – even on a Saturday and Sunday. I have to come in, spray it and keep a close eye on the wind, rain, or sunshine. Otherwise, everything you’ve worked on can be ruined and a complete waste of time. It’s really needy but satisfying and you don’t want to lose something you’ve worked so carefully on. Sometimes it’s tricky in places – you have to keep things in perfect conditions. If it dries out too quickly, it’ll crack into powder. That’s why each section completed needs to be covered in hessian and dampened. Sometimes you build it up in layers as part of the process – this is the kind of stuff I’ve been working on recently. If you do it right though, the repairs will last a long time – they will outlast me and

my son, I expect.

I’m lucky because Sherborne has kept me selfemployed for the last 16 years, as there are so many beautiful old buildings to work on. I have had the pleasure for many years of doing work for Sherborne Castle Estates – beast figurine carvings, mullion repairs, and lathing balusters for example.

When it comes to old buildings, even the most solid stone crumbles as time goes by. It’s then a case of assessing the situation and deciding the best repair. I’ve got lots to keep me busy at Sherborne House and I can’t wait to see it all finished for when it reopens as The Sherborne. When the work of a stonemason goes unnoticed, you’ve done a good job.

thesherborne.uk

TIMES OF NEED SHERBORNE FOOD BANK

John Crossman, Trustee

Ihope you all had a good Christmas! However, the festive period was a struggle for many, given the cost-of-living crisis. Sherborne Food Bank played its part, easing people’s food worries, and providing Christmas extras as well as good food to help our clients enjoy what should be a special time of year.

We have been busier than ever since September, as fuel, food and rent costs have rocketed. Our weekly number of recipients has soared to a record of over fifty addresses most weeks. So many people in and around Sherborne are struggling to feed themselves and their families now. We hear of children not eating between leaving school and arriving back there the next morning, and of lone parents and children having no food in at all.

Our main purpose is to supply good food, including bread, milk and vegetables to our clients, and we are also helping in new ways. We support the Vale Pantry in Sturminster Newton – a social supermarket where for £7 people from our area can get a weekly shop, which we subsidise. We support the Sherborne

Community Kitchen (The Lunch Club) – to provide hot meals to those who cannot get out, and we work to support the Milborne Port Food Share scheme, where local people can drop in to collect food. In October we donated money to local schools and youth organisations to provide extra free breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the rest of the school year – freeing up funds to be spent on core education. Julie Plumley from Future Roots said, ‘We are delighted with the support we have had from Sherborne Food Bank and we are now able to provide extra food and milk to all our students.’

We are continually grateful for the immense generosity of local people even at this tough time. Last September saw our biggest-ever harvest collections and our picture here shows residents from Abbey View Care Home visiting the centre to make a festive donation just before Christmas.

We are delighted too that local solicitors Mogers Drewett are backing us, raising money and donations. Louise Kelly, their Head of Marketing said, ‘We really

want to support our community, and providing ongoing support to the Food Bank is a really good way to do this.’

Many others help too. Local shops, supermarkets, chemists and churches provide space for us to collect food. Many local people give regularly - everything from a tin of fruit in a collecting bin to a monthly cash donation. Every item helps and means we need to buy less. The generosity of our landlord means our overheads are low and we had a wonderful response to my last article with new trustees and a dozen new volunteers coming forward.

We rely totally on our body of 50+ wonderful volunteers, who give their time and effort freely so that everything runs smoothly. We have no paid staff at all, even our new co-ordinator is a volunteer and our trustees keep oversight and strategic direction – but also roll up their sleeves when needed.

On Mondays and Tuesdays of a typical week our teams collect and sort all the donations – making sure we send out only good food that is within its use-by date. On Wednesdays our administrator issues our weekly client list, so we can provide for the right numbers of adults and children and for those on special diets. On Thursdays the packers make up the parcels – 50 can take nearly three hours to pack - and then on Fridays these are delivered by our driver teams; no one has to collect their food.

The reasons for people needing to turn to Food Banks are many and complex and each client has their own story. Mainly in the past we have been there for people when something went wrong – a sudden loss of job, illness, planning the way out of debt, but increasingly now we help people who just simply do not have enough to live on, and have no savings as costs, including rents have shot up. In every case people are referred to us by agencies who work with their clients to give a wider package of advice, care, support and signposting to other services.

Sherborne Food Bank is its supporters and volunteers; all of us working to help out local people. I also pray that in 2023 we shall begin to deal with the systemic issues that must be addressed to reduce the need for our services. I would love to be writing to you sometime soon to say we were closing as we are no longer needed. Until that day, in partnership with our community and with your generous help we shall go on giving vital assistance to those who need us.

sherbornefoodbank.org

To play your part in this vital service please contact John Crossman on 07721 616003 or email john.crossman@btinternet.com

SHERBORNE WARM SPACES

Warm Spaces are places within our local community where people can be assured of finding a warm and friendly environment in which to enjoy refreshments, social activity and the company of others.

With a challenging winter ahead and high heating costs, various groups in Sherborne are inviting locals to come and spend time in warm community spaces.

Keep an eye on the Sherborne Town Council website (sherborne-tc.co.uk) and town noticeboards for any future additions to this list.

To keep other users as safe as is possible, please do not attend these sessions if you have, or suspect you are brewing an infectious illness such as flu or Covid.

St Pauls Church

St Paul’s Warm Welcome, 2-5pm Tuesdays & Fridays (starting 6th Dec). Come and join us for coffee and conversation, share a skill or just read a book. Refreshments provided, All Welcome.

St Paul’s Close, Sherborne DT9 4DU. 01935 816444 www.spcs.church

Sherborne Library

Monday afternoons 2.30pm – 4.30pm Cuppa and Company – drop in for a warm welcome and a free cuppa. Hound St, Sherborne DT9 3AA. 01935 812683 www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/-/sherborne-library

Cheap Street Church

Thursday afternoons 12pm – 3pm with support from the Food Bank – hot food and drinks available. 54 Cheap St, Sherborne DT9 3BJ. 07496 75554 www.cheapstreetchurch.co.uk/the-pod.php

Reborn Church West End Café Thursdays 10.30am-12.30pm

Coffee Stop Café @ West End Community Hall Littlefield, Sherborne DT9 6AU. 01935 508014 www.rebornechurch.org

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

OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER

Chris Loder MP, Member of Parliament for West Dorset

Ihope you have had a very enjoyable Christmas and can I wish you a very Happy New Year.

It is rare that there is a political divide that affects us in Sherborne so starkly as the new Labour Party policy that proposes to add Value Added Tax (VAT) on to the school fees of independent schools if we have a Labour Government after the next general election. The profile of this debate is increasing as to whether or not these school fees should be VAT-exempt and I would like to share with you some thoughts on this situation and what this policy will mean for towns like Sherborne if it were implemented.

Some from the opposition bench, including the Leader of the Opposition, have revelled in the rhetorical attacks on the independent school system,

indulging in the pretence of class war rather than taking a full look at the system and the many benefits it can bring to many people, directly and indirectly.

I was not privately educated. In fact, as a son of a tenant farmer living through the worst of the BSE outbreak, disposable income was scarce. So much so, that university was out of the question and certainly nowhere near enough for private school education. I went to the Gryphon School, leaving there to sweep railway platforms and sell train tickets to bring the money in.

But while some are keen to point out the supposed disadvantages of independent schools, often ideological, we must think about the real and pragmatic consequences if we undermine their future by introducing heavy taxation which will, in my mind,

undoubtedly put their future into question.

Sherborne is fortunate to have many independent schools within our community; Sherborne School, Sherborne Prep, Sherborne Girls and Leweston. These are by far the largest employers in town and further afield. Not just teachers but cleaners, caterers, admin staff and so on. The vast majority of whom are local people. And of course, there is a significant amount of business generated from students in and around Sherborne – barbers, bakers, coffee shops, stationers, printers and so on. Visiting families will also spend a lot in Sherborne’s many hotels, pubs and restaurants. It is no coincidence that Cheap Street in Sherborne is a comparatively thriving high street compared to Middle Street or the Quedam in Yeovil.

We have to consider the real impact of a VAT burden on this system. A substantial increase in school fees will leave schools with a choice, and that is to either pass this cost on to parents or absorb the increase themselves. Some schools may be able to do this, but this is highly unlikely as most do not have this option. I suspect the objective of this policy is an ideological one to pass the VAT cost on to parents who may or may not be able to afford it. But if it cannot be afforded, such a scheme will backfire, potentially closing local independent schools and putting a considerable burden on the state. Some 90% of Sherborne School’s pupils are from the UK and mainly from the South of England - it raises the question of what happens to the many young people who would have to find places in the mainstream system, which is already stretched.

Covid has hit West Dorset particularly hard. Around 18% of our local businesses in West Dorset alone were lost during the pandemic so our economy is already starting from a bad place. If our independent schools either close or significantly reduce which I believe they will from this plan, it will be all of us who suffer – Cheap Street shops and banks, coffee shops, family or friends who work in the sector and suppliers. Back in 2014, one of the considerable factors in keeping the police station open was the number of schools here.

I don’t think I have used this column before to criticise political policy. But this one could devastate this town like no other single policy and I think it is important to bring it to your attention.

When I went to the Gryphon in the 1990s, I found so many benefits from being in this town with independent schools here. That link is much stronger today than it was in the 1990s. The reality is that Labour’s proposals would ultimately mean that independent education would be negatively affected and considerably so. It would mean fewer students here and the state education system would have to foot the bill for necessary increases to its capacity. It would mean a decline in footfall from independent schools into the town centre precipitating a serious decline in local business and employment from which it would be difficult to recover.

Rather than encourage equality and social progression, I believe these proposals will further deepen economic and social division within our society, and for these reasons I am very much opposed to Labour’s policy.

chrisloder.co.uk

Image: Len Copland

UNEARTHED River Tyrer, aged 15

The Gryphon School

Gryphon student River is currently in Year 11 and studying for her GCSEs. For the last two years she has been working with a mentor, provided by the charity PROMISEworks. The charity provides mentoring to help young people build their self-esteem, widen their horizons and raise aspirations. River has blossomed with the support of her mentor Jos, who has become a trusted confidante, spending time with River and teaching her a wide range of practical skills including gardening and cooking.

River has grown in confidence so to achieve her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, River wanted to fundraise for the charity to give something back. Together with Jos, they planned a 10km walk and online fundraiser on behalf of PROMISEworks, and raised a fantastic £1,400!

Alongside studying for her GCSEs, River has also been spending time at Future Roots at Rylands Farm, which has sparked a love of caring for animals. With her newfound confidence River is looking to continue her studies next year at Kingston Maurward where she wants to pursue a career in animal care. gryphon.dorset.sch.uk promiseworks.org.uk

07808 400083

info@katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk www.katharinedaviesphotography.co.uk

BookChildren’sReview

Venice Wright, aged 11, Leweston School

Do YOU Think?: How to Agree to Disagree and Still be

What

Friends by Matthew Syed (Wren & Rook, October 2022) £9.99 Sherborne Times reader price of £7.99 from Winstone’s Books

What I think about this book, is that it is exciting and poses many thoughtprovoking questions. It also has an amazing and informative layout with some great descriptions.

I think that it has helped me not to ‘judge a book by its cover’ and not to jump to conclusions. I love that it includes scientific facts and it also shows how to agree to disagree, yet still get along and be friends. It showed many different types of arguments and how to settle on

an agreement. It taught me how we can be influenced by others in a positive or negative way. It has also taught me many interesting facts which will help me later in life, such as why we argue and how not to get into disagreements and that we all have the right to change our minds and have different opinions from others. One of the most interesting facts is that fake news is real. If you would like to know what I mean by that, why don’t you try reading this book.

DANCE LIKE NO ONE’S WATCHING

Michela Chiappa

I’d like to think we have all had that experience of dancing at home on one’s own, where you get lost in the music. Or that feeling of singing in the shower or the car knowing that it ’s only you listening. Silent discos are a huge success because you can completely connect with the music one-on-one and let yourself go. Escapism and pure delight.

So when I thought about setting up a small dance school in Sherborne I thought long and hard about what I wanted to achieve in my lessons. I am a classically trained ballet dancer with a teaching qualification from the Royal Academy of Dance. I did all my ballet examinations as a child but also performed in musical theatre productions and learnt tap, modern and contemporary. However, what exactly gives me a passion for dance?

I loved ballet growing up; it is the foundation of most dance styles and teaches the fundamental elements of balance, core strength, posture and performance. However, it is also very controlled and in order to progress through the grades it takes a huge amount of time, commitment and dedication and very few people have this in today’s society. Children just like we adults live very busy lives and with so many opportunities at their fingertips, their commitment to one very focused discipline is limited.

However, if I compare my exam days to the show days I can honestly say my joy comes from performing on a stage. The adrenaline, the excitement and the energy that comes to life when there is an audience, lights and a stage production is what truly gives me that buzz – as a dancer and equally as a teacher.

Most children also love to dance and with the pressures we all face today, dance is one of the best ways they can let themselves go, channel their creativity and have fun. My passion is to give children that feeling of escapism and pure delight whilst at the same time building their confidence and ability to perform to large crowds. Children bursting with confidence, creative expression, excitement and that feeling of elation after they push themselves out of their comfort zone is what I have decided to focus on.

I don’t put children through exams, instead I focus on performances and shows. Perfection and technique are practised but are not the focus. I talk to the children about how they might feel nervous and have butterflies in their tummies but how great they will feel once they have performed. It is also interesting to see how these nerves develop and change as the children grow –teaching the children to choreograph their own routines

and perform in front of their peers even in a class setting is always met with resistance and nerves but it’s wonderful to see how their confidence grows quickly. I am certain overcoming these challenges will help them understand their emotions when they progress to school exams and job interviews in the future.

In order to give the children the most variety in a short space of time (and also save the pennies for parents) I teach ballet, tap and modern in each and every class. So it’s one price for a class but lots of different skills are learnt. I think it’s important

for children to understand how they have to change ‘characters’ depending on the music or dance style. Jazz/ modern might require them to show a more sassy, sharp and dynamic personality compared with the softer more gracious movements they will need to adopt for a ballet to Swan Lake. And it’s the musical theatre and singing moments where I can really have fun – giving the children the opportunity to really shine and get their jazz hands shaking.

Each year we work towards a small, humble show. I encourage the children to get involved as much as possible – for example, designing the tickets and the older children signing in the audience and helping sell popcorn and treats at half-time. It is important they understand as much as possible about the production of a show and they love taking on extra responsibilities. The costumes are sourced and prepared in advance (this is the most popular part) and where possible I like to give individuals the chance of solo parts or leads.

Last year, I donated all profits from the half-time sales to the Bowelbabe Foundation – Dame Deborah James was a friend at university and we danced together for various charity events. As such, I thought it appropriate to make a donation to her cause as she passed away close to the time of our show and our photographer also offered to donate any profits from his digital downloads to her charity. All the children and parents were incredibly supportive.

Glitter, costumes and sparkle are all part of the fun – that’s where the magic lies. Watching the children’s anxious faces as they stand behind a curtain on stage before it opens, seeing them relax once the music comes on and then bursting with pride and excitement once the curtains close is one of the best experiences to witness as a teacher and hopefully will produce memories of pure joy to last a lifetime.

Image: Paul Lancaster/Rydal Photography

OPEN MINDS

‘There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.’ Edward de Bono

In September 2022 I started as Head of English at Sherborne Prep just as the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) was being introduced. At my previous school, I was part of the transition process from ‘traditional’ curriculum delivery to PSB and have seen, first-hand, the difference this approach makes to children’s learning outcomes and life skills.

The PSB is a knowledge-rich, skills-orientated framework built upon character and learning virtues.

At its heart is the development of skills, attitudes and values required by children to succeed and flourish in the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century.

PSB has encouraged me to pause and further reflect on how I can help children be the best version of themselves. How can I help those who are less confident to thrive and to see that they can do it? How can I ensure each child feels celebrated and supported yet remains suitably stretched and challenged?

Tabitha Iles, Head of English, Sherborne Prep

The answer is simple: through creativity and the development of self-belief. Every child has creative potential, even those who may be reluctant readers or struggle with the written word.

Creativity starts at the very beginning of the Pre-Prep. It is fascinating to spend time with young children due to their unbridled enthusiasm and imagination. They observe small details in life that we, as adults, may be too busy to notice. A cloud that looks like a bear, a tiny snail on a leaf, a vivid dream they tell and re-tell. If we can capture and nurture this creativity, children will naturally become effective storytellers and communicators.

In the autumn term we held two successful PrePrep ‘Book at Breakfast’ events. Children came into school early with their parents and enjoyed breakfast while teachers read to them. It was so special to see eager little faces listening to every word with the adults also leaning forward to see what would happen next in the story. The excitement generated by illustrations and the written word was clear to see and reinforced the importance of focusing on creativity from the start of a child’s schooling.

In my experience, creative writing and poetry are the vehicles through which pupils develop confidence. All children have a naturally inquisitive, imaginative mind and, if this can be tapped into, it unlocks writing potential. Poetry breaks down barriers. Sentences can be incomplete; punctuation can be used in different ways and a short poem can be as powerful and thought-provoking as a longer text. A reticent writer is suddenly liberated.

This creative liberation was seen when Year Six took part in a Creative Writing Evening to showcase and celebrate their talent. Pupils performed their own poetry to an audience explaining the inspiration behind each piece. It was wonderful to see children confidently speaking in public and beaming at their parents as they proudly shared their writing. Several children who had stated in class, ‘I’m not very good at writing’ or ‘I don’t know where to start’ were left feeling validated and excited about their potential as writers.

The English Department will be holding more events over the coming months to continue bringing staff, parents and children together as part of the wider curriculum. Who knows, perhaps parents will soon be sharing their own creative writing with the children... watch this space!

sherborneprep.org

Image: Katharine Davies

"Children observe small details in life that we, as adults, may be too busy to notice. If we can capture and nurture this creativity, children will naturally become effective storytellers and communicators."

AT THE TABLE

Michela Chiappa

SWEET HASSLEBACKS

January can often be perceived to be a bleak month where lots of people are doing ‘Dry January’ or trying to get fit and healthy. That’s why we need to bring some creativity to our kitchens. This is a really simple way to make your potatoes a little different - easy to do, pretty to look at and complements lots of creative toppings.

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas 7.

2 Cut a sweet potato almost all the way through, in thin horizontal slices.

3 Drizzle with olive oil.

4 Bake for 30–40 minutes.

5 Serve with one of these fillings:

• Ricotta, tomato and basil

• Avocado, cooked chicken and lemon

• Tuna mixed with chopped red pepper

• Feta, sun-dried tomato and olive

• Ham, goat’s cheese and honey

@michela.chiappa

TheChiappaSisters thechiappas.com

Baby at the Table: A 3-Step Guide to Weaning the Italian Way (Michael Joseph) £16.99. Sherborne Times reader offer price of £14.99 from Winstone’s Books

Simply Italian: Cooking at Home with the Chiappa Sisters (Michael Joseph) £22 (hardcover). Sherborne Times reader offer price of £20 from Winstone’s Books

DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

Satellite Eupsilia transversa

Gillian Nash

Unique markings that resemble ‘satellites’ orbiting a planet make for clear identification of this beautiful moth, in its usual flight season of late September through to May.

These markings, although most often strikingly white can sometimes be orange or yellow, on a wing colour of rich reddish-brown or grey. Active in milder weather, the Satellite may be seen by torchlight nectaring on winter flowering shrubs, plants and berries, including that of Guelder Rose.

Night-feeding larvae hatch from April to June, feeding in early stages on the leaves of a wide variety of trees and hedgerow plants, such as sweet chestnut, oaks, field maple, blackthorn and hazel.

Their diet becomes omnivorous as they reach the final stages of growth when they also feed on the larvae of Lepidoptera, aphids and other insects. When fully grown an underground cocoon is constructed, followed by the emergence of the adult moth two or three months later.

The first records for Dorset date from the 1930s and although still regarded as a fairly common species throughout much of England and Wales, it is thought that the loss of deciduous woodland over the past few decades have possibly led to its apparent decline locally. It may be seen in diverse habitats anywhere broadleaved trees and shrubs are found, such as parks, gardens, woodland and undisturbed wild places.

DJTaylor/Shutterstock

BEE GRATEFUL

Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker

Ilove January. I know that many don’t. To me, it’s all about fresh starts, hope and renewed energy after a hopefully restful festive season! The slightly longer days make winter slightly more bearable. It is also a time to be grateful for the past year. No matter how tough, I believe there is always something, however small, to be grateful for. I remember one of the Januarys when I was bed-bound and particularly struggling with pain, frustration and all the other issues that come with chronic illness. I had been trying to think of what on earth I had to be grateful for when a blue tit started ‘visiting’ me. It was, as I later found, picking off the bugs from the spider’s web on the window of my bedroom. It didn’t seem like that though in my darkest days. It was pecking at and admiring its reflection, which I took to be looking and watching me. It shows how a different perspective alters everything – seeing the good as if everything is conspired for, not against, you.

In 2022 we spent another Thanksgiving dinner with our dear friends and my right-hand woman, Rande. She is from Minnesota so Thanksgiving is an absolute non-negotiable event. Each year she shares more information with us about what this very American celebration is all about. We learned that the first shared thanksgiving feast was between pilgrims to the ‘New World’ and the Native Americans in 1621. Probably like many Brits, we didn’t have a clue about the foundations of the November turkey dinner – our schools focussing on different periods of history. I loved this new insight and the images of the native population welcoming the newcomers, quite unlike the ‘cowboys and Indians’ narrative I grew up with. Studying herbal

The First Thanksgiving, 1621. Oil painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (1932). Jess Kraft/Shutterstock

medicine I also learned how many pilgrims survived purely on the kindness, generosity and wisdom of the Native Americans. Only when the newcomers kept on coming and taking more and more land and the country’s resources, did the Natives become less friendly.

I also learned at this time about the first bees that were taken to America. I had often wondered about bees and the USA, knowing that the Western honeybee, Apis mellifera, wasn’t native. More recently I learned that there are actually over 4000 bee species to be found in North America and the Melipona or stingless bee species was the only one that honey was harvested from. It was down to Europeans to bring skeps (straw baskets) of honey bees with them to populate the country. The natives called them ‘white man’s flies’ as they swarmed ahead of the settlers, gradually invading the country like their human keepers. Although I hadn’t looked deeply into the transportation of honeybees to many continents, not only America, I had imagined bees flying around the ships, and wondered how many survived, or were literally ‘lost at sea’.

I then came across a historical bee article describing the first recorded shipment of honeybees to Virginia on a merchant ship. The Virginia Company in London sent several skeps of honeybees in December 1621. This was of course the ideal time to send them, as they would have been dormant and more viable to transport. They were apparently kept in ‘hogsheads’ (barrels) or in crates and kept below deck where they would have remained cool and in their dormant state. The journey would have taken between 6 to 8 weeks. Eva Crane in her book ‘World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting’, writes about this shipment of bees sent with fruit trees, pigeons, rabbits and peacocks, as well as seeds. The boat used could have been the Bona Nova, Discovery or Hopewell. Each of those ships delivered between 20 and 50 settlers during that winter.

I am not sure that we should be grateful for the sending of western honeybees with settlers all around the world. Like many things in our history, we have to deal with the consequences and be grateful for them, rather than brood on regrets. Sadly, in many parts of America the pollination of major crops is dependent on the western honeybee due to the environment wiping out many of the 4000 other species that would have otherwise been pollinating for us. The sad fact is that the honeybee is no more resilient in these toxic environments than the other bumbles and solitary bees. It’s simply that because we ‘manage’ honeybees when they die, we can breed more, artificially maintaining their population. How much longer can this go on for?

Almonds are the first crop we think of in the pollination calendar, beginning to bloom in February in California. Over 1 million acres of this single crop need 1.6 million COLONIES of honeybees to pollinate them effectively. Each colony will be made up of around 50,000 bees. The pollination would be much more effective if using the native mason bees, who are between 100-200 times more effective pollinators due to their hairier bodies, and a million years of adaptations to make them the almond’s most effective pollinator!

The festive period is a time when many of us enjoy almonds – 80% of which were grown in this intensive system. If you truly want to be more hopeful and grateful for the work bees do, then boycotting food grown in a non-bee-friendly way is essential, and much quicker than awaiting for governments to change the laws. Our food is influenced by money and where we spend it, so to truly change, realise the value of your pound! Finally I am grateful for my TEDx talk going viral – now more people are aware of the importance of bees, and dandelions. If you don’t know what I am talking about then you must watch it!

paulacarnell.com

TEN RESOLUTIONS FOR A GREEN NEW YEAR

Peter Littlewood, Director, Young People’s Trust for the Environment

And so, with alarming speed, 2022 has come to an end and the new year is upon us. It’s traditionally a time for making resolutionsthe changes we decide to have a go at making to our lives to make us better people. It might be that gym membership, a new diet, a new hobby or anything else for that matter. Interestingly, the internet tells me that fewer than half of all new year’s resolutions are being stuck to by six months into the new year, whilst a quarter are broken by the end of the first week. So what resolutions could you make to reconnect yourself with nature and to help protect our planet in 2023? These ideas are all completely off the top of my head and are provided with no kind of ranking:

1 Go for more walks in the countryside. Just being in natural surroundings makes us feel better, reducing stress and blood pressure and improving our sense of well-being and happiness. Since I tore my Achilles tendon back in October, this is one I’m going to struggle with until the spring, but I’m hoping to get back to regular walking then, thanks to the amazing team at Yeovil District Hospital. My days of crosscountry running though are, I fear, sadly over.

2 Try to make your garden more nature-friendly. Having a more natural garden is a good excuse for doing less, but it’s also a great way to encourage more wildlife, especially insects and other mini beasts. Mow the lawn less, leave the leaves where they fall, create a woodpile or two and maybe add in a few nest boxes, or even a bug hotel. You can also find out about flowers and plants you could grow to help wildlife. Making your garden more beefriendly can really help. Bees have been in decline in recent years and they are responsible for pollinating crops we humans eat that are worth almost £700 million each year here in the UK alone!

3 A bit of an add-on to the above, but you could put out some food for the birds, especially during the cold winter months and maybe put in a couple of bird feeders too. You could also create a water source, like a bird bath for the heat of the summer to come.

4 Eat more locally sourced produce. This cuts down on the carbon emissions caused by transporting foods long distances and supports farmers and growers in our local community. It often tastes better too!

5 Try to use your car less. This is a really difficult one for most of us in the villages around Sherborne. There just isn’t much in the way of public transport and a lot of the roads are too intimidating to cycle on. But if you can walk or cycle instead of using your car, try to do that more.

6 Cut down on your flights. I’m not saying never fly anywhere, but try to keep journeys by air to a minimum - maybe once or twice per year. The

Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock

amount of carbon emissions per passenger is higher for air travel than most other forms of transport, and because the distances flown are often very long, round trips can often result in emissions of over a tonne of carbon dioxide per passenger. The last time I flew anywhere was in 2003, so I feel pretty good about this one!

7 I know I was saying this just before Christmas, but try to buy refurbished and secondhand items, rather than new, whenever you can. That could be for cars, technology, furniture or clothes, as just a few examples. By buying previously used items, we reduce the need for new items to be made, which reduces environmental damage.

8 Become a member of an environmental charity, like the Woodland Trust, RSPB or the Wildlife Trusts. Find out about the work they do and find out if there is anything you can do to help.

9 Adopt an animal. In reality, this means providing an organisation that cares for a particular animal species, perhaps in the rainforest, with the funding they need to look after an animal for a year. It doesn’t mean you get a monkey for a pet! If you actually want to be able to visit your adopted animal, you could look at doing the same thing at a zoo here in the UK.

10 Try to cut down on the food you waste. Our food is responsible for about a quarter of our annual carbon footprints, so getting creative with leftovers and trying not to overbuy can make a big difference.

These are just a few suggestions. Try to keep at least one of these up for the whole of 2023, but the more you can manage, the better!

ypte.org.uk

CONEY’S CASTLE AND PRIME COPPICE

Distance: 5 miles Time: Approx. 3 hours Park: Coney’s Castle car park Walk Features: This walk takes in two of the Marshwood Vale’s hillforts, Coney’s Castle and Lambert’s Castle, via a loop into the heart of the Vale and its largest remaining block of ancient woodland coppice, Prime Coppice. There is a gradual descent from Coney’s Castle to Abbott’s Wootton Lane with a steeper ascent to Nash Farm towards the end of the walk. To the east, there are fine views across the Marshwood Vale, and also across to Charmouth, Champernhayes Wood and into Devon in the west. There’s the option to detour into Lambert’s Castle at the end of the walk.

Refreshments: The Five Bells Inn, Whitchurch Canonicorum >

Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

Each month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members) pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual and sometimes the unfamiliar.

This is a walk which takes you into the very heart of the Marshwood Vale, revealing something of its ancient character. The views from the Iron Age ramparts of Coney’s Castle reveal a modern-day patchwork of farmland divided by bounteous hedgerows, coppices and woods, whilst the section through Prime Coppice provides immersion in a carefully managed, seminatural ancient woodland rich in biodiversity. The walk is peppered with many fine oak trees as well as other species and you may be lucky to flush a woodcook from the depths of the wood or hear ravens calling overhead.

Warning: The section through Prime Coppice can be overgrown, uneven and muddy in places and difficult to navigate. The brook at the midpoint of the walk has to be forded and care must be taken after high rainfall. Stout, waterproof footwear is essential. As the walk passes through several farms, please keep dogs under close control and remember to close gates. At the time of writing, several footpath signs were missing or misplaced on this route. Ordnance Survey Explorer 116 is recommended and the map illustrated here is only for guidance.

Directions

Start: SY 372 976

1 Park in the National Trust car park at Coney’s Castle hill fort and head south along Long Lane.

2 Pass through the middle of Coney’s Castle on the road and after leaving the southern edge of the hillfort, walk for about 1/3 mile downhill until

you come to a footpath sign on your left signed to Whitchurch Canonicorum, 1 1/2 miles.

3 Go through the large, metal right-hand gate into a field. Walk down the field keeping the hedge on your left. In the far left corner is a gap in the hedge and a dismantled stile. Go through this into the next field. Now head across the middle of this field with farm buildings soon ahead of you. You will then come to a large metal gate next to a big concrete water trough. Pass through this gateway into the next field and head down towards the farm buildings. Go through a large metal gate, walking through the farmyard to reach the farmhouse. Pass to the right of the farmhouse, looking out for the beautifully carved window arches of this former monastic grange. This area is a good place to see long-tailed tits, house sparrows and goldfinches.

4 Cross Abbott’s Wootton Lane keeping ahead on a bridleway signed for Prime Lane along a substantial concrete track. Walk along here for 1/4 mile until you come to a Private Road sign ahead. Here, leave the track to go left through a metal gate into a field then head upwards to the right of the copse ahead, Prime Coppice.

5 Enter the copse through a large gate to walk along a path on the right-hand edge; the path here looks quite overgrown at first. Follow the footpath and after 150 yards, reach another metal gate. Go through this to walk along the outside edge of the copse, keeping the fence on your left. Walk on until you reach a small wooden gate to go back into the copse which becomes a wood. Veer right as you enter, then keep going ‘ahead’. The path here is quite indistinct and tricky with fallen trees blocking

the path but keep through the middle of the wood between fences on either side of you. The wood soon widens out; keep going in the same direction and after 200 yards you should reach a clearing and the camp for the forest school, with views of Pilsdon Pen ahead. Walk down the track to leave the wood, with a corrugated building and small wooden buildings, to cross a bridge and then turn left onto another track.

6 Go through a metal gate and head up the track to then enter a field to your left through another metal gate. Follow the northern edge of Prime Coppice passing through one more metal gate alongside a pony paddock; keep on until the field funnels into a corner with a small metal gate in the far right-hand corner.

7 Leave the field through the small gate and turn immediately right into a larger field. Turn left to walk up the left-hand side of this field towards a small old barn. As you reach the barn, turn left through the gateway immediately before the barn, to go into the next field and then to the right to head across the field to the right-hand corner. Go into another larger field with lots of new tree planting to pass under the pylons and down towards a large gateway and into the next field (at the time of writing this gateway had no footpath signage). Walk down the field towards a brook, which is reached via a large metal gate. There is no bridge so cross carefully, with wellies if there has been heavy rainfall!

8 Now walk up the middle of this field, then through an open gap in the hedge towards the top left of the field, into the next field. After a few yards

and three large oak trees, look for a double stile and footpath signs in the hedge on the left. Cross these precarious stiles and head towards the right and diagonally down, and then over the brook, to then walk up into the far right-hand corner of this scrubby field and through a new large wooden gate, into another field. Walk straight across this field to the wooden gate on the far side. Go through this to pass in front of the farmhouse (on your left) and barn conversion after which is a gateway onto a track. Cross this track and into another field keeping the hedge line and other farm buildings on your left. Walk along the hedge for 200 yards and then down the field until you come to a small wooden gate and footpath signs to turn left onto a wooded track.

9 Follow this track, heading towards Lambert’s Castle, initially through a small wood and crossing a small brook and start climbing uphill, in half a mile you reach Nash Farm. Go through a large metal gate, pass the farm and then onto a drive, Nash Lane, which takes you to the road which runs parallel to Lambert’s Castle. Turn left onto the road and in 1/4 mile, at the junction of roads by the southern footpath entrance to Lambert’s Castle, go left onto Long Lane. Walk back under the pylons, and then uphill along the road to take you back to the car park at the start. The views along here are good in either direction and a lovely end to the walk.

primecoppice.com

nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/lamberts-and-coneys-castle

LOST DORSET NO. 31 WIMBORNE MINSTER

David Burnett, The Dovecote Press

The current crisis concerning social care and support is a timely reminder of how we once dealt with those unable to fend for themselves. These are some of the 81 inmates of Wimborne workhouse at Christmas 1905, when the men were given tobacco and beer, the women sweets, and an orange and loose-leaf tea. Dorset’s 14 workhouses were grim institutions, deliberately intended to house and provide employment for ‘able-bodied paupers’ on the grounds that life inside the workhouse should be less desirable than the worst possible conditions on the outside. The census for the period provides a remarkable and often moving record of those who ended up within their walls. What had befallen Rosa Brown, who had come from Devon to begin married life in Wareham, and in 1881 found herself incarcerated in its workhouse, newly widowed with two young daughters and a nine-month-old son? Happily, all Dorset’s workhouses closed before the Second World War, and whilst some have been converted into residential accommodation, both Sherborne’s and Sturminster Newton’s have been demolished.

The Dovecote Press has been publishing books about Dorset since 1974, many of which are available locally from Winstone’s Books or directly from the publishers. This photograph is taken from Dorset 1900 - 1999, The 20th Century in Photographs.

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

The beautiful town of Sherborne is famous for its medieval buildings, superb abbey, churches, schools, almshouses and two castles. Long before Aldhelm came as Bishop in AD 705, we know that Christianity was established and had probably been here for a considerable length of time. These facts are recorded for us both in the Saxon Chronicles and in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England.

There must have been something about Sherborne that made it suitable for early Bronze Age settlers and later, some Roman occupation, although they never developed it as a town. Was it the peace of being far enough inland to escape the battle-hungry Danes and Vikings from the coastal towns such as Wareham and Christchurch? Was it the clear water of the river

THE LOST CHAPELS OF SHERBORNE

Cindy Chant & John Drabik

Schire-burn? Was it the lovely Yeo valley that provided rich crops for food? I like to think that there must have been something about Sherborne for Aldhelm to establish his Bishopric here in the opening years of the 8th century, although it is generally assumed to have been the site of an earlier monastery.

The Abbey of St Mary in Sherborne has had three distinct phases of use - the seat of a Saxon Bishopric (AD 705-998), a Benedictine monastery (998-1539), and the town’s parish church (1539 to the present day). Two Saxon Kings, Ethelbald and Ethelbert, elder brothers of Alfred the Great, are buried here and it has even been suggested that Alfred was educated here, in Sherborne’s monastic school.

During the 3rd century, when the Romans had

settled in Britain, a new Christian movement was forming. It spread out from the Egyptian desserts and across the Middle East and into Western Europe. It was through this path that monasteries became established, but this was not without conflict, as pagan beliefs were already embedded here. The key to the success of this new religion was how it was marketed to the population. Christianity offered hope and spiritual comfort to the many inhabitants of Britain. Anglo-Saxons and Romans converted to Christianity faster than churches could be built, so Stone Crosses were erected to mark places of teaching and prayer. There were three here in Sherborne - at the top and bottom of Cheap Street, and one in Newlands.

There were at least 8 small chapels in and around the town, each dedicated to a particular saint. Each was attached to the mother church, the Abbey, and each had its own priest in charge. Some of these chapels are still standing, though many are now long gone. There may have been an early Christian site, now occupied by Sherborne Old Castle - a chapel dedicated to St Probus, as burials excavated here are thought to date to the 9th century, and a Papal Bull dated AD 1145 and AD 1163 refers to the Church of St Mary Magdalene, situated next to Sherborne Castle and with chapels of St Michael and St Probus.

The remains of a chapel, on the Green at the top of Cheap Street, were still visible during 18th century. This chapel was consecrated in 1177 in honour of St Thomas the Martyr and was still in use until 1540. Also on the Green, La Julian Inn, named after St Julian of Norwich, was once a hospice but was given as an almshouse in 1437. Its 16th-century replacement still survives.

A chapel, dedicated to St Emerentiana, was built during the 14th century in a close near the ancient Coombe Stream, adjoining Marston Road. Its remains can still be seen, but are now incorporated into the grounds of Sherborne International College. St Emerentiana is mentioned in the Sherborne Missal, and her chapel was in disuse by 1540, after the dissolution.

The site of the mediaeval St Swithin’s fair is thought to have been at Newland Gardens, and is named after a chapel dedicated to St Swithin, but this remains unproven. However, some burials have been found in this area, and a font was found during the demolition of a house nearby. A stone here marks the site of the mediaeval cross for this borough.

The See (Diocese) of Sherborne was transferred to Old Sarum in 1275, and St Andrews and St Thomas chapels were recorded, although nothing remains of them now. The County Bridewell, in South Street, was built on the site of St Andrews. The church, with a mill, once the original crossing point of the river Yeo, near the railway station, is recorded as being given to the monks of Sherborne Abbey in the 12th century by Bishop Roger.

The almshouses with their Chapel to St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist were built around 1439 to house 17 poor men and women. The residents were to receive full board and clothing, in return for surrendering their possessions on entry and agreeing to abide by the rules of the house. The almshouses continue to care for the elderly today.

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneer

As a child, I remember being ‘encouraged’ to play a musical instrument at school. Needless to say, I chose something which could immediately make some noise (rather than sound) and I started to learn the trumpet.

I quite enjoyed the trumpet (I even attained Grade 5 and still have a piece of paper to prove it!) but being honest, playing music including the sound from that old Hovis bread advert with the boy and the bike in Shaftesbury (by Dvořák) really did not interest me. Jazz on the other hand did, but this was of no interest to my teacher, and then other things such as O levels and parties took my attention and so the trumpet was given up.

Moving forward a few decades and I still enjoy jazz, along with many other music genres but I’m not one of those people who is any good with pop music quizzes. However, I do know what I like to listen to, even if Mrs B does not always agree.

Playing music when I was growing up was generally on a record player or cassette. Then CDs came along and made vinyl and tapes looked dated quite quickly. And today, streaming is the latest ‘thing’. We can stream music in the house, on the smartphone or in the car from a library of millions of artists.

But vinyl is making a comeback. Some record decks, amplifiers, speakers and other accessories can be eyewateringly expensive, with those in the know telling you

how much better the sound is.

They are probably right but to me, it is not always about the sound quality – it is having the music to bring back memories and in our 5th & 6th January two-day auction we have a record player which will bring back memories, hopefully many happy ones.

No doubt the aficionados will raise an eyebrow or two, but to many music fans, seeing a Wurlitzer jukebox is a dream come true.

Coming in for auction from a client towards Poole, the owner was having a sort out and the jukebox was no longer needed.

Designed to hold 45 rpm singles, we plugged it in when it arrived and tried to play a record from the list of 160 titles. The chaps who delivered the jukebox stood there watching us pressing numerous buttons and then started to laugh. After some more pressing of buttons, one chap finally told us there was only one record left in the jukebox but sadly I did not have the time nor the energy to try all 160 combinations.

In good working order, this Wurlitzer will be a wonderful item to have in a family room or a man-cave.

Estimated at £400-600 I do hope the buyer has a good section of old 45s to play, unlike me who threw them all away years ago!

charterhouse-auction.com

GATHER

Words Claire Bowman

Photography Katharine Davies

Rhian Rochford isn’t one for favourites but when it comes to her 60-strong flock of sheep, she has a soft spot for one in particular – a handsome, prize-winning Black Welsh Mountain ram called Cowboy. Bounding across the field to greet us, ‘the king’ as she affectionately calls him, is as soppy and eager to please as any family dog.

‘He’s a big softy and loves a cuddle,’ says Rhian, proffering a handful of feed to Cowboy and his entourage of woolly friends. ‘He’s my baby – I think I spent more time with him than I did with my husband Mark last summer! Black Welsh Mountain sheep are a great breed and the females make excellent mothers as they lamb easily and often produce twins. They are very hardy and will live happily on exposed hillsides all year long.’ >

In the next field of the 25-acre family farm in Charlton Musgrove, a flock of pedigree Coloured Ryelands belonging to her 11-year-old son William bob over to say hello. ‘ William was just nine when he told me he’d really like his own breed of sheep,’ explains Rhian, who was about the same age when she was given her first flock. ‘He came across the Ryelands at a show and said, “Mum, they ’re really friendly and cute.” I thought, You know what, they’re the perfect breed. They are one of our oldest native breeds – in fact, Queen Elizabeth I liked their wool so much she would only wear Ryeland stockings. They are so placid and good-natured and they ’ ll come running out to you in the field just for a cuddle. They are the real-life teddy bears of the sheep world.’

On this rainy winter morning, the Ryelands resemble big, wet sponges – albeit sponges with colourful bottoms, due to the bright ‘raddle’ paint that has transferred during tupping. Zelda, Boo, Alberto –they all have names, and Rhian doesn’t forget a single one. ‘They are like family,’ says Rhian, as they flock excitedly around her feet.

Rhian, a small animal vet at Friars Moor, and her husband Mark, who works from home in marketing, have William and his beloved Coloured Ryelands to thank for sparking the idea for their new ‘side hustle’. Launched last September at the London Sheep Drive, ‘Gather’ buys sustainable raw wool fleeces from native

pedigree smallholders from across the South West and weaves them into beautiful, traceable heirloom blankets.

‘I knew during the pandemic that I wanted to do something with the Ryelands’ wool but I didn’t really have quite enough to send down to the spinners in Cornwall,’ explains Rhian. ‘So I put out a message on Facebook on both the Ryeland and Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Breeders Association pages, asking, “Has anyone got any wool I can buy”? The next day I had 500 fleeces promised to me! I was like, OK, so there’s a real opportunity here – there are all these smallholders who haven’t got anywhere for their wool to go. We make sure the breeders get the money they deserve for their wool and we bring it together from all over the South West. That’s why we call ourselves ‘Gather’.’

And gather it most certainly does – all three woolly tonnes of the stuff – in the farm’s new barn. ‘William and his sister Elise love it because it makes the perfect trampoline to practise gymnastics during the school holidays. It’s the ultimate soft landing!’ says Rhian, pulling a handful of chocolate-brown wool from a sack to demonstrate its undeniable springiness (and a pleasing absence of ‘dags’ – dried clumps of dung to you and me).

From there it’s down to Launceston in Cornwall, where the fleece is washed and sorted, scoured, combed and spun into yarn, before heading up to Yorkshire to

be woven to the specification of designer Rebecca. With Mark’s creative stamp on the brand – he is responsible for the look of everything from the labels and the logo to the packaging and the hangtags – the finished wool blanket is then tissue-wrapped and decorated with a sprig of lavender, ready to hygge the homes of customers up and down the country.

The ‘field to throw’ story is so compelling, in fact, that it recently caught the imagination of TV’s Kate Humble. ‘I’d been collecting wool from Kate’s farm in Monmouthshire, Humble by Nature, for a while and had signed up to do one of her workshops. I got talking to Farmer Tim, who runs the farm, and he said to me, “I love what you’re doing, and I want to get behind it. Kate’s covering sustainability in the next series of Escape to the Farm – can you come and film with us?” I didn’t need to be asked twice! We also took part in the filming of BBC1’s The Farmers’ Country Showdown.’

In fact, showing off her woolly friends to the best of their potential and winning lots of rosettes along the way is what Rhian loves best. ‘I’ve done quite well with my sheep in the last couple of years, including winning the UK’s Ram of the Year, which was fantastic,’ she beams. ‘I grew up with livestock – it’s the reason I became a vet – and when I was young my mum had a smallholding with a flock of Suffolk sheep and some milking goats. Later when we moved to Dorset

we started breeding and showing and judging Dexter cattle. My sister and I had our own bottle-fed lambs to breed from. When I moved out of our family home to a smallholding of my own with Mark in 2010, my parents bought me a flock of four pedigree Black Welsh Mountain ewe lambs, and the numbers have been rising ever since. Mark jokes that I’ll go off for the day after promising not to come back with any more sheep, and as soon as I pull into the farm he’ll hear the sound of bleating coming from the back of the truck! I love my little sheep so much.’

This is why, despite the hard work and interrupted sleep, you won’t hear Rhian grumbling when lambing season rolls around. ‘Besides, we’ve got cameras in the barn so I can keep an eye on the ewes in the middle of the night. And because I know my sheep so well, I have a fair idea of when they are going to lamb. Elise and William are very good at helping out, too – they’ll be down in the barn before school, checking on them. Lambing season might be a crazy time of year but it’s also my favourite time of year.’

And with that she pulls on her wellies and heads back out into the field to tend her flock. There’s a Coloured Ryeland that needs her attention – and maybe just a little hug.

gatherwool.co.uk

ACQUIRED TASTES

Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

Mike

Peteris Zalitis/Shutterstock

Coming from a big family I wouldn’t have survived if I was fussy about food. In fact, I’ll eat just about anything. But, there are some foods that make me wonder how they became part of our diet because frankly, they taste awful.

I’ll start with horseradish. If it was discovered today, made into a sauce, and taken as a wonderful product to supermarket buyers, it would be laughed out of the store. It is also poisonous if eaten in enough quantity. But eaten with beef or on cheese on toast, it is rather good.

Bay leaves get used in cooking a lot, especially in stews and, so I was told recently, can be added to boiling cauliflower to stop the cabbage-like smell. But when taken from the bush, the smell is awful and you daren’t taste it!

I’ve also read that celery uses more energy to eat it than you get back, and it just doesn’t do anything for me. I’ve tried spreading cheese on it, but even then, I can’t pretend that I like it.

So how do these ingredients get into our diet in the first place? Here’s my theory; it’s by accident of course because they came to be in close proximity to foods that we already had as staples. Their proximity is probably because of their ability as companion plants to provide protection for the crops that we grow. Horseradish provides a boost to the health of potatoes and may even give some protection against fungal diseases such as blight. Maybe it was dug up with the spuds by accident or in time of food shortages was cooked with the Sunday roast.

A single bay leaf can keep flour weevil out of a half hundredweight bag of flour making it quite a potent natural insecticide. I suspect that perhaps when making pastry or dumplings a leaf inadvertently fell into the stew and was found to add flavour.

And celery is planted next to cauliflower to deter aphids – not even greenfly likes the flavour – and again perhaps in times of food shortages, it started to be used as a vegetable in its own right. I may be wrong of course…

I discovered when reading a John Grisham novel that the bark of the cinnamon tree was used by rainforest dwellers in Brazil to protect their food at mealtimes from attack by ants. At the time of reading this, I was being plagued by a ruthless gang of ants who were using a route through my kitchen to get to the other side of the house. I’m a fan of ants but no amount of persuading them would get them to use another path. I puffed some cinnamon powder on their track, and they stopped immediately… only to return two hours later with a diversion around the cinnamon! But I had them on the run and puffing the cinnamon in the hole where they were coming in stopped them. I’ve learned since that some beekeepers use cinnamon powder to stop ants from getting into their beehives.

Now, I don’t dislike the taste of cinnamon but I’m not sure that children immediately like it. I think that we get used to the flavour and associate it with the good times of biscuits and cakes around Christmas and of course in Asian cuisine. And so, I wonder if it was used originally to prevent attack by insects and then in time, we started to like the flavour. My son tells me that cinnamon also gets used by diabetics as a natural method of stopping sugar spikes, which may also be the reason.

Other flavours that I don’t get, include the taste of radish. It twists my tongue around when I eat it! In surveys carried out with garden clubs, about half of the audience like radishes, but when asked further it’s because they are easy to grow, they are nice when roasted, pickled, or used with some other treatment! I haven’t found a companion planting use for them yet but maybe there is.

Nevertheless, I will keep eating these foul-tasting foods as I’ve got to quite like them really, and as I’m always hungry I don’t have much choice!

thegardensgroup.co.uk

WILD IDEAS

Simon Ford, Land and Nature Adviser

Well, the good news is that it is getting lighter - just! It may not feel it, but we are moving towards spring and in no time the bulbs will emerge and the leaves will be budding.

I wanted to turn to New Year’s resolutions –not ‘Dry January’ and losing a few pounds after overindulgence during the recent festivities, but things you can do to make the world a better place. They don’t need to be massive changes or cost a lot of money, but each of these ideas will make a difference to nature and the environment.

Plant a tree

It can be any species you like, but if it can be a native tree, then our wildlife will be happier. Try to get one which will fit your space and aim for one with flowers and fruit if you can. Maybe a rowan, crab apple, hawthorn, spindle or guelder rose?

Choose flowers that will attract bees and other insects

These will often have labels, saying ‘bee-friendly’ at a garden centre. Usually a simple flower is better

Larisa Shpineva/iStock

than a double flower because the insects can reach the nectar. Many insects are not so concerned about whether it is a native species or an introduced one but try to plant a mixture.

Put up a nest box or two

There are nest boxes available for many species of birds, from swifts to owls and blue tits to sparrows. You can also get boxes for bats and even dormice. If you are handy, you can make one yourself and it is a lovely project to involve children with. Place them high enough that predators such as cats cannot get to them and ideally shelter them from full sun or prevailing winds.

Get a bird feeder

Particularly in the winter, birds have a tough time finding food and are drawn to gardens. Putting out mixed seeds, niger, sunflowers, peanuts and fat balls will bring in many birds from sparrows and tits to great spotted woodpeckers. Make sure you also provide a fresh bowl of water for them. It will be very rewarding and lovely to watch.

Stop buying peat or plants grown in peat

Peat extraction is one of the most destructive activities we can do for wildlife and also releases thousands of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. There are loads of good alternative composts and organisations such as the National Trust stopped using peat over 25 years ago and look at their gardens!

Put away the chemicals

Weedkillers, pesticides and slug-killer are harmful to wildlife and humans. They kill beneficial insects and hedgehogs and thrushes and can enter streams and rivers. Revert to age-old methods of a hoe and manual control of pests.

Keep one area of your garden

for wildlife

This does not have to look scruffy and hopefully will add to your garden, rather than detract. Leave one area unmown until July or August and allow the grasses and flowers to grow, or you could sow a wildflower meadow mix. (Don’t get confused with arable or annual flowers like poppies and cornflowers which need different conditions and regular cultivation- although of course, you can do that as well!)

Create a log pile

Place some old logs or lengths of wood in a pile in a shady undisturbed spot. Alternatively, you could use rocks or old clay tiles or pots. These are fantastic places for a variety of species such as frogs, toads, newts and hedgehogs as well as beneficial insects. Leave some spaces for them to get inside.

Create a pond

If you have the space, you can dig a large pond or even a lake, but it doesn’t need to be big and expensive. Even a bowl sunk into the ground will attract amphibians and dragonflies. If you want wildlife, forget adding fish as they will eat the tadpoles and newtlets, but if you really want fish, leave a separate area solely for nature if possible. A more natural pond is best, with shelving sides to allow access and exit, but anything is better than nothing. Remember to add a ramp though if you have vertical sides to ensure if a hedgehog falls in, it can climb out.

Pick up litter when out

Take a bag with you and maybe some gloves or a litter stick. Litter not only looks unsightly it can also cause the death of animals such as mice dying inside bottles and micro-plastics entering water courses and ultimately the sea. Fires can start when glass bottles are discarded. There is a great initiative called Litter Lotto, where you can log each bit of litter you pick up and win prizes!

Adopt the area outside your house

In many countries such as Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, residents ensure their frontage is kept clean and even clear snow and leaves to ensure people do not slip over. Make sure that brambles, hedges and trees are not obstructing paths, particularly for disabled people and for those with prams. The Town Council do not have the resources to do this any longer, but it takes little effort for most people to do their bit and not expect someone else to maintain it.

Wishing all readers of Sherborne Times a Happy New Year and while it may not be a prosperous one, let it be rich in wildlife!

simonfordgardening.wordpress.com

LIVING THE GOODDEN LIFE

We have been saving seeds for four years from various plants that we grow –tomatoes, chillies, peas, runner beans, radishes, kale, pumpkin, gherkin, bok choy, wildflowers and many more. It gives a sense of self-sufficiency, removing the need to buy new seeds every year.

Poppies and foxgloves are plants with some of the smallest seeds – the size of a grain of sand. It is incredible to think that everything needed for it to grow to its full potential and produce the many organic compounds that will help it fight off insect attacks and attract pollinators is in that tiny seed.

The whole exercise of seed-saving for the next year is pointless unless you start with the best seeds possible. It’s hard to know online who’s a reputable seed seller or not and, from experience, the big names aren’t always the most reliable. The best way to guarantee what your saved seeds will grow into is, in my opinion, to grow heirlooms and heritage varieties.

If you grow perhaps five tomato plants of the same variety, let’s say a San Marzano, then only save seeds from the best plant. Make sure it is the one that looks and tastes the most like what a San Marzano should be like. That way you won’t gradually drift away from the variety’s characteristics. Selecting the healthiest plant also means it is the one that has best adapted to your climate.

The timing of collecting seed differs from plant to plant but generally, go with ripeness. For example, a

green chilli isn’t ripe and will yield no germination at all the next year.

Seed storage is crucial and I take it very seriously. Seeds should be kept in a dry, cool and dark environment away from temperature fluctuations. It isn’t as much the high temperatures or low temperatures which harm seeds but a regular shift from one to another. Of course, if you keep your seeds in a box in your potting shed which gets really warm in the summer and very cold in the winter, you may still have success, but it’s likely you’ll not have full germination –perhaps only 20% or less.

I like to store my most precious seeds, such as the ones for the many chilli varieties we grow, in brown paper envelopes within a glass Tupperware or mason jars – I prefer glass over plastic. I even have VIP seeds in the fridge to guarantee they’ll sprout for many years, and they do. Desiccant packets can be good to avoid moisture build-up.

Sow your seeds and keep them moist and warm. With some care, the seeds will germinate and make it through to harvest. As an expecting mother, a plant grown for seeds should be fed all key nutrients until harvest. This will increase the longevity of the seeds in storage as well as the vigour of the seedlings they’ll sprout.

Beware of F1 hybrid seeds, aka Filial 1 – a cross of two pure and stable lines. The unique heirlooms used in the cross originate from a very specific area or region and their desired traits have been carefully selected over

Nico and Chrystall Goodden

many years. An example would be the San Marzano tomato which originates from Italy. Selective breeding has led it to be what it is today – tasty, red, elongated instead of tiny, yellow and round.

F1 hybrid seeds combine the most desirable traits from both heirloom parents to create something often better in the progeny. They also benefit from something called hybrid vigour or heterosis – they grow better, faster and stronger than either of the two parents. Scientists have long known about heterosis yet still struggle to fully explain this phenomenon.

F1 plants do have a downside, however. Plants grown from their seeds (F2) won’t resemble the original – they won’t breed true to type. Random recessive genes and less desirable traits which had been bred out will reappear – these could be poor taste, poor resistance to

pests, stunted growth, bad texture etc. This is great for seed producers as it pushes us to buy again, but it’s not good for our wallets.

You can try your hand at crossing seeds yourself and create your own hybrid. It’s fun and educational, but you shouldn’t save the resulting plant’s seeds.

By following these tips I assure you that you will produce seeds that have a near 100% germination rate, are better than most you can buy and will germinate fast and grow with vigour. Eating fruit and vegetables that you have grown from seed is a unique reward for your months of nurturing them – a gift from nature.

Happy seed-saving!

Nico: @nicholasgoodden Chrystall: @thegooddenlife creativebritishgarden.com

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RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH CAVOLO NERO AND SALSA VERDE

This brilliantly simple yet satisfying dish can easily be made vegetarian. Ricotta gnocchi is even easier to make than its potato counterparts and pair wonderfully with such a herbaceous and fragrant sauce. It really is worth using the best fresh herbs you can find.

Ingredients Serves 4

Gnocchi

350g ricotta

100g grated parmesan

175g plain flour

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

Salsa Verde

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp fresh chervil, chopped

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, chopped

4 anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)

2 tbsp lemon juice

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

300g cavolo nero, stalks removed and cut into even pieces Parmesan to finish

Method

1 Mix all the sauce ingredients well in a bowl, season and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

2 For the gnocchi, combine the ricotta, parmesan, salt, egg and yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour until a soft and smooth dough forms.

3 Separate the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into logs that are 1-2cm in diameter. Cut at 2cm intervals to form small pillows and toss in flour to prevent sticking.

4 Blanch the cavolo nero in salted water until tender and remove into a bowl of ice water.

5 Generously salt a large saucepan of water, bring it to a rolling boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for 2-3 minutes, ensuring that they have all floated to the surface, then drain.

6 Combine the cooked gnocchi with the sauce and cavolo nero, check the seasoning and enjoy served warm topped with freshly grated parmesan.

greenrestaurant.co.uk

Tom Matkevich, The Green

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CELEBRATING SOMERSET GOODNESS, TEALS OFFERS RESPONSIBLY SOURCED GOODS FROM FANTASTIC LOCAL PRODUCERS.

At Teals, you’ll find a light and airy restaurant with an all-day rolling seasonal menu of delicious dishes prepared in our own kitchen from local produce. Our food to-go counter offers freshly made seasonal salads and beautifully crafted deli fare. Not forgetting our West Countryroasted organic barista coffee and cakes galore.

Explore our gift shop, which is stacked with independent label and eco-friendly gifts and an array of inspiring food, drink and lifestyle books and gifts.

Our foodmarket shares the season’s bounty from local growers and producers, alongside our butchery, cheese counter and bottle shop showcasing local ciders, spirits, wine and craft beers.

We’re so much more than a delicious meal, we’re a destination shopping experience set in beautiful surroundings with a traditional orchard.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

CALL US 01963 361 755 GENERAL ENQUIRIES hello@teals.co.uk

OPENING TIMES

Food Market/Gifting/Food To Go: 8am-6pm 7 days a week

Breakfast: Mon-Sat 8-11am & Sun 9-11am

Lunch: 12-3pm 7 days a week

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTCAKE

I’ve been making this recipe for many years – it’s a children’s party favourite and I haven’t met an adult with a sweet tooth who could resist this bake. It cuts neatly when cold and is ideal for a works/family treat or to sell for charity bake days.

Serves 16-20 Time 10 minutes preparation for the base and 25 minutes baking, caramel 30 minutes, topping 10 minutes.

What you will need

A traybake tin greased, a heavy pan to make the caramel in and either a silicon spoon or a wooden spoon to stir the caramel. An offset palette knife or even better a broad fish slice to spread and press the shortcake mixture into the traybake pan.

Ingredients

For the shortcake

500g self-raising flour

350g margarine

175g caster sugar

For the caramel

115g caster sugar

115g margarine

225g golden syrup

2 small tins of Carnation condensed milk

For the chocolate topping

350g chocolate chips either milk or dark depending on your preference

115g white chocolate chips

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan assisted, 170C, 325F, gas mark 3-4

To make the shortcake

1 Place the flour and margarine in a large bowl and rub in the fat until it forms crumbs and then stir in the sugar.

2 Pour the crumb shortcake mixture into the baking tray and spread evenly out to the edges.

Tip - The mixture may stick to the palette knife so fill a tall pint glass with water and dip the knife into it, allow the water to drip off and use the dampened knife to spread out the shortcake.

3 Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and slightly firm to the touch. Do not overtake – the shortcake will continue to firm up as it cools.

4 Place the tray on a cooling rack and set aside to cool whilst you make the caramel.

To make the caramel

1 Place the sugar, margarine, golden syrup and condensed milk in the heavy pan, on a low heat. Continuously stir briskly to ensure the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients combine.

2 Bring the mixture up to a steady boil where it bubbles gently and not fiercely. Resist leaving the pan and continue to stir as the caramel can easily burn. This is when I find it handy to listen to some pop music and do a little stepping whilst I stir – you

Image: Katharine Davies

can get 3,000 steps in, not bad for a baking session.

3 Occasionally you will notice a few darkened pieces of caramel appear this is when the bottom of the pan hasn’t been stirred well. Don’t worry – just keep stirring and make sure you stir every bit of the bottom of the pan. The caramel will continue to turn golden and you will hardly notice the darker bits.

4 After 25 minutes test the caramel to see if it has reached setting point. The caramel is set when you coat the back of a wooden spoon with caramel and draw the end of a knife down the back of the spoon to leave a gap and the gap doesn’t close up, leaving a clear channel. If the caramel runs back then place the pan on the heat again and continue to stir for another 5 minutes and test again.

5 Take the pan off the heat.

6 When the caramel is set pour it straight away over the shortcake, lift the tray up and tilt the tray to allow the caramel to run to the corners and around the edges – be careful the caramel is boiling hot.

7 When the caramel is spread completely tap the tray on the work surface to level out and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely before putting on the chocolate layer.

To make the chocolate layer

1 Place the milk or the dark chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and place in a microwave oven set on medium/low. Microwave for three 1-minute bursts, stirring well between bursts. At this stage there should be chocolate chips remaining in the mixture, remove from the oven and continuously stir until all the chips have melted.

Tip - by allowing some of the chocolate chips to remain whole and stirring them in, the melted chocolate will be cooled by the whole chips – it’s a simple chocolate tempering technique. Pour the chocolate over the caramel and spread with a spatula quickly to cover, tap the tray down on the work surface several times to level out the chocolate.

2 Quickly melt the white chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl – one burst on medium for 1 minute. Stir in the unmelted chocolate chips as for the milk chocolate until completely melted.

3 Place a small disposable icing bag into a straight tumbler, pour in the white chocolate, snip off the end of the bag to create a small hole and drizzle the white chocolate over the caramel in circles and

zigzag patterns. Use a skewer to push the chocolate around in swirls.

4 For the more adventurous you could try creating a herringbone effect – instead of running the white chocolate in circles, pipe the chocolate in horizontal lines across the bake (keeping the long side of the bake towards you). With a skewer place the point just in the chocolate and pull the skewer towards you. Move the skewer about 2cm along and place just in the chocolate again on the side closest to you and push the skewer away from you to the far edge of the tray. You will see the herringbone pattern appear – repeat along the bake. It’s worth mastering this as it gives a very smart look to the bake.

5 Leave the Millionaire's Shortcake to become completely cold before cutting.

6 When completely cold and, using a very sharp knife that has been dipped in boiling water and then dried, cut into 16-24 pieces depending on the size of the pieces needed.

7 Store in an airtight tin – these keep really well for up to 2 weeks and can be stored longer in the fridge or frozen for 2 months.

Tip - if you notice a bloom appear on the chocolate (when it turns whiteish) don’t worry – it won’t affect the taste of the bake. Simply dust with a little icing sugar to disguise.

bakerval.com

A MONTH ON THE PIG FARM

James Hull, The Story Pig

It’s the start of another year – 2022 is behind us, not a great year for most of us I think. On a day-to-day basis it was ok, but as a year in history, I think we hit more lows than highs!

I’m hunkered down in front of the wood burner – it’s early afternoon and we haven’t seen the sun for quite a few days. We are in a spell of the coldest weather we have had for a couple of years. Last winter we had no frozen water troughs all winter – this year is different. All our water troughs for the pigs are frozen solid. Twice a day I have to break the ice and take water to fill them up. The pigs all gather around excitedly – in pig world anything is exciting, even freezing water has to be investigated with a cold snout. Like us, they drink less when it’s cold but it’s surprising how much they do all still drink.

The weeks of endless rain are behind us at the moment – the muddy, wet ground is frozen solid and I bounce across the bumpy ground like a ping-pong ball. The pigs have taken to walking very carefully – most of them have never experienced cold weather before. I often wonder what they think about it. Quite incredibly I noticed a group of pigs sleeping outside on a strawy heap rather than tucked up in their pig ark with the others – I know where I would rather be. I have four sows about to give birth any day and for once I am asking them to hold on until it’s a little bit warmer. Although they are hardy, there is a bigger risk of them being squashed as they snuggle up to their huge hot water bottle of a mummy.

So, the shortest day is behind us, although it’s too early to see any difference yet. We can look forward, as we humans always do, to better times and the onset of spring. With the Christmas build-up over, which is a very busy time for us with many meat orders, we will be closing for a few weeks. A bit of time-out from baking for Charlotte and an opportunity for us to try and get some of our other jobs done. The polytunnel can finally be put to its intended use

rather than it doubling up as a storage area, there is lot of tidying to do in the garden, the paths need re-gravelling and we need to make a new flower bed or two. I have two hedges I want to lay – I’ve never really done it before but we will give it a go. We might even get to have a few days out, after feeding the pigs of course!

Looking back to last year, it was our second summer of running the cafe. We were busier than ever and the weather was amazing for us – weeks and months of sunny days. The garden went crazy – a bit too crazy for our liking – and we are going to try and tame it a little bit. We started making our pizzas which have proven a hit and we cooked hundreds and hundreds of bbq breakfasts. Charlotte made more cakes than she can count – she can now make cinnamon buns with her eyes shut. We met many new, lovely customers, had many chats, had many ideas and had many early nights.

Looking forward to this year, we have even more ideas in mind and projects lined up – one, the biggest of all, I can’t write about yet, but I hope to be able to soon!

Happy New Year!

thestorypig.co.uk

The Story Pig will reopen on Friday 20th for pizzas between 5pm-8pm then from Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd 10am-2.30pm, as normal.

FROM FIELD TO TABLE

Our Tamworth pigs are bred for quality and flavour. They are outdoor-reared and homebutchered 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-andcollect or direct from the farm every weekend. BUY LOCAL!

WINE TRENDS

Copp

These are interesting times in the world wine market with an average growth rate of 4% per annum anticipated over the next three years. Overall demand for wine remains strong and there have been many interesting developments. This article attempts to cover some of them.

Traditional wine categories based on colour continue to blur as new generations of winemakers push boundaries and experiment in fresh directions. These new wines often defy conventional classifications, falling somewhere between pale red and dark rosé. This trend dovetails well with the growing popularity of lighter, brighter red wines, especially those that lend themselves to being served lightly chilled. Have a look at some of the Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc wines coming from less traditional sources.

Market research suggests that the growth in sales of

the canned wines market will accelerate over the next few years as younger consumers increasingly demand the convenience that easily portable lightweight cans deliver. Cans make wine more approachable for younger consumers and upend misconceptions surrounding wine’s upper-crusty image. At another level, bagin-the-box wines are a real proposition as a result of developments in the wine packaging business.

Small-scale wineries that produce natural wines, once considered fringe products, are beginning to make inroads in markets previously dominated by big wine producers. Interestingly, consumers generally perceive all wine as natural but there is a trend toward wines specifically marketed as ‘natural’ driven by consumers who pride themselves on discovery. In these days of increasing concern for the environment, many customers look for wines that are certified vegan,

Unni Karin Henning/Shutterstock

David

organic, and sustainably produced. An interesting example of this type of wine is the Montinore Estate Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in western USA. The wine notes with the sample suggested it had ‘wafts of wet earth, blackberry jam and dark plum, with a hint of vanilla’. For a young man that grew up in Burgundy a long time ago, it is not quite at the top of my wine-buying list.

Rose used to be a summer drink but now different styles are being made for round-the-year consumption. There has also been substantial growth in demand for sparkling rosé. Indeed, more people are preferring to drink sparkling wine during the week rather than hold back for some special occasion. The quality of Prosecco from Italy, stylish sparklers from the long-established Codorniu company in Spain and Gratien & Meyer in the Loire Valley, help consumers embrace sparkling wine as an everyday drink that needn’t wait for a special occasion to be opened.

The wine industry evokes images of bucolic landscapes around the Mediterranean where life moves slowly and gently and change doesn’t happen all that fast. But over the last fifty years it has become a worldwide industry with a great future. Who would have thought fifty years ago that China would overtake Italy, France and Spain as the world’s largest producer, that we are about to be introduced to wines from the Himalayas and that in Salta, Argentina growers compete to claim to have the highest vineyards in the world? And that biodynamic, organic, low alcohol, canned wines and cult wines are an everyday purchase for many people.

I have in front of me the prices paid for Burgundy wines at this year’s Hospices de Beaune auction this year. It is a deserving charity with the proceeds going to the hospital in Beaune but bids are made knowing

that there is an established market for the world’s finest wines. The world’s most expensive wine is Domaine de la Romanee Conti which changes hands at around £10,000 for a good vintage. I am eternally grateful to my mentor Georges Bouchard for introducing me to the owner who offered us a tasting of his young wines from the cask. Today I am grateful to the many excellent independent wine merchants and supermarket wine buyers that offer very drinkable wines for daily consumption for around £5 or £6 a bottle. And in 2023 I shall be keeping an eye out for new wines to me from unusual producing countries such as Armenia, Georgia and Moldova, and revived areas such as Sicily. However, above all, I intend to keep an eye out for the progress of English table wines, both red and white. Our wines are still relatively expensive because UK yields are less generous than in such sun-blessed countries as France, Italy and Spain. Climate warming has put us in the frame for producing some fine red wines and although it will not happen for a few years yet, we are on the way. The English and Welsh wine growers have made a good start and climate warming will help them get better yields. In the meantime we should support them as best we can.

"Who would have thought fifty years ago that China would overtake Italy, France and Spain as the world’s largest producer?"

FANTASTIC BEASTS

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

It being another cold, bleak January, my thoughts wandered back to last November when Tracey and I were lucky enough to spend a fortnight in warmer climes. A friend who lives in Montserrat had invited us three years before but Covid delayed our first trip to the Caribbean. Surrounded by iguanas, agoutis and snakes, it wasn’t hard to find some inspiration for an article that would be read in the less-than-inspiring time that follows Christmas.

Exotic animal medicine and surgery is now a well-established speciality in the UK but years ago such expertise was limited and so many vets in small animal practice found themselves treating species quite unfamiliar to them. Nowadays expert advice is more available for owners as many more vets have undertaken further study in the exotics, allowing the rest of us to concentrate on what we know best.

Back in the day, I was working for a practice that served a safari park. The senior partner was often seen heading out to treat a giraffe or sea lion but I was never invited to join him on such important endeavours (actually to my relief). As a result of his expertise in exotics, we saw plenty of unusual creatures in the clinic and occasionally I became involved. One such day, a big male iguana was brought in – the owner had reported a sudden decline in mobility. After watching iguanas in Montserrat sunning themselves for hours without moving, I now wonder how the owner had noticed. Anyway, I was trying to figure out how to examine a very grumpy iguana without getting tail-whipped when Paul Heiney arrived along with a film crew! They were filming an episode of Countryfile at the safari park and decided to include some relevant veterinary footage. ‘Oh great – my day just couldn’t get better’ I thought as

I slipped on a white coat, tidied my hair (it was much shorter then) and tried to get into character as one of those TV vets who seem so comfortable being filmed while doing vetty things. Hoping that the practice principals had agreed some level of editorial control on the final cut, I tried to look confident in front of the camera and in response to Mr Heiney’s probing questions, recommended an x-ray. Looking back this was a stroke of good luck, as not only was it the right thing to do, as it turned out, it meant I could ban the entire film crew from the x-ray room and avoid further interrogation by Mr H. Oh how I blessed the Ionising Radiation Regulations that day.

Poor Iggy had a broken leg, obvious from the x-ray. What I also noted was the rather translucent appearance of all the bones – a clear sign of osteoporosis. So why would an iguana have brittle

bones? Good question, Mr Heiney, who by now was in the x-ray viewing room alongside me and was clearly warming to his task of extracting as much information as possible out of an empty vessel. Now, all this was happening way before Dr Google was available and the senior partner was pulling a tooth out of a lion at the safari park. Playing for time, I telephoned the owner to report my findings and asked some questions about diet and the light source where Iggy spent his days. It transpired the UV light had broken some time before and had been replaced with a bulb that failed to emit the correct amount of UVB. Result: insufficient vitamin D production that led to deficient calcium absorption, forcing Iggy to draw on the calcium reserves in his bones which had just about become exhausted. The cause of the fracture was now clear, the crew declared it a ‘wrap’ and my career as a TV vet ended as quickly as it began.

So much for my iguana experience. There are no venomous snakes in Montserrat and so when a 4-foot, diamond-patterned snake was seen slithering across the lawn at our villa, I wasn’t as concerned as I would have been in the UK (adders have a zig-zag pattern down their backs). This beautiful creature was a Racer, which in other parts of the world snakes of the same name have been known to attack iguanas. In the Caribbean however, the Racer is from a different family and predates small rodents. My admiration of snakes was not shared by our friends so of course, it prompted me to share a short snakey story.

Several years ago, a vet student called Danny was spending some time at the clinic in Sherborne and staying in one of the upstairs flats. One day she invited me to meet her pet snake, Boa, which you can guess was a constrictor. Boa was very friendly and after we were introduced, started to wind herself around my arm. ‘Just relax,’ said Danny, ‘as if you become tense Boa will sense it and start to constrict.’ By this time, Boa’s 6-footlong body was starting to weigh down my arm and my fatigue must have been noticed. Clearly just wanting to distribute the weight more evenly, Boa decided to wrap around my neck…at which point my inner calm started to desert me. The inevitable response wasn’t long in coming as Boa went into constrictor mode, further increasing my tension. Luckily Danny came to the rescue and separated man and snake, much to my relief. That’s the last time I use a real Boa as one might use a feather boa! Not that I’m often seen with either. Happy New Year everyone.

newtonclarkevet.com

Polina Bright/Shutterstock

LAME SHEEP

Jenny Gibson BVMSci MRCVS, Kingston Veterinary Group

Unfortunately, despite best efforts, many farmers end up with several lame sheep in their flocks. Lameness is easily spotted by ‘kneeling’ or ‘hopping’ sheep but is classified by any sheep unevenly weight-bearing, and even mild conditions can cause severe lameness. It is a welfare concern but also an expensive condition for the farmer due to its knock-on effects, such as reduced weight gain and reduced fertility.

The normal ovine foot consists of two claws with an interdigital space between them. There is a hard horn wall on the outside of each claw and a sole horn on the base of each claw which is softer and only 2-3mm thick which is easily penetrated. The wall horn grows at approximately 5mm a month and historically it used to be normal practice to regularly trim the whole flock. However, research has shown that this could be causing more issues and is therefore no longer recommended. Trimming is now only deemed necessary in very few cases.

There are several conditions that can cause lameness in sheep, the most common in the UK being ‘scald’ (commonly called ‘strip’) which is caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus. The bacteria gets in

through damaged skin which is most commonly from rough pasture or very wet conditions which softens the skin. It causes inflammation between the claws with a white discharge. If a high proportion of the flock is affected, treatment through foot-bathing is recommended, whereas individual cases should be treated with antibiotic spray. Considerations for prevention need to be made, such as topping rough pasture and moving troughs regularly to prevent wet boggy areas.

Additionally, footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) are very common causes of lameness in sheep. Footrot is a similar condition to scald as it is caused by the same bacteria but is more severe, as the wall horn separates away and becomes under-run and there is a foul odour. It is a very infectious condition and therefore prevention is key through vaccination, culling and careful selection of replacement ewes. Treatment involves antibiotic injection and spray and where possible, isolating those affected. CODD is caused by a different bacteria called treponemes. The infection starts at the coronary band as small ulcers and works down the toe and can cause

the horn to fall off completely. It can be quite hard to differentiate between CODD and footrot in some cases. Treatment with long-acting amoxicillin has been found to be most effective against CODD currently but prevention through quarantining and foot bathing should be the main priority. Less common causes of lameness in sheep include toe granulomas, toe abscesses, shelly hoof and trauma.

The target for farms in the past was to get lameness to under 5%, however, more recently some flocks are managing to aim for <2% lameness. Although, each farm is different and the first step for every farm is to work out the true lameness percentage on their farm currently and create an initial, reasonable, target based on the current lameness in the flock. To try and reach these targets farmers are using a five-point plan.

Cull - A forward culling policy is critical, especially in the first few years of trying to reduce lameness on farms. This is to reduce the spread of disease, remove chronic cases and try to improve the genetics on farms to build a flock with stronger/more resistant feet.

Avoid - Try to reduce the build-up of infection

on pasture through grazing management. Using lime around handling areas or busy areas such as gateways or near water troughs reduces the spread of infection.

Treat - Rapid treatment is key – within 3 days of noticing lameness, they should be caught and treated but ideally as soon as possible. There should be a 3-strike policy in place on the farm so it is important to record all treatments so you know when the 3 strikes are up. Ideally, records should be kept as to the cause of the lameness and if unknown veterinary input should be sought.

Quarantine - Brought-in animals are high risk for introducing disease onto a farm so foot bathing new arrivals should be standard practice along with isolation from the rest of the flock for a minimum of 28 days.

Vaccinate - There is a licensed vaccine for footrot against the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus. However, it only covers some strains of the bacteria, therefore, it is important to know what strains are on the farm to know if it will be of benefit.

kingstonvets.co.uk

A CLEAN START

Balfour Beauty Centre

There’s no better time to set new goals for yourself than at the beginning of the year. So, if you’ve been struggling with your skin for some time, or just want to revamp your skincare routine, 2023 is your year to put your best face forward!

A new year marks the start of a fresh approach to many things in our minds. Whether it be renewed vigour to continue with a commitment abandoned or a focus of the mind on a new area requiring support. Keeping skin healthy, glowing, and looking

the best it can be, requires a rounded approach to achieving your skin goals.

Not drinking enough water can have serious impacts on your overall health and skin. When you’re dehydrated, your organs pull water from your blood and your blood pulls water from your skin cells. This reaction can cause your skin to appear dry and your eyes to look darker and sunken, and over time, it can even speed up the ageing process. When skin is not properly hydrated, it’s less elastic and more susceptible

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms and The Margaret

to fine lines and wrinkles which is obviously something we don’t want! Whether you’re into pilates, boxing, swimming, or just a good old-fashioned run, exercise is critical as part of a healthy skincare routine. Exercising not only increases blood flow, which nourishes skin cells, but it also oxygenates skin cells – keeping them healthy and happy. Increased blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells. You can think of it as cleansing your skin from the inside. And as if that wasn’t reason enough to get active, exercise also benefits the skin by reducing stress and promoting better sleep. Adequate sleep leads to many skin benefits including fewer wrinkles and fine lines (because skin makes collagen while you sleep), less prominent dark circles and bags under the eyes and an overall brighter look. Plus, your skin care products work better at night because your skin isn’t defending itself against environmental factors while you sleep.

We’ve all been there... too tired to wash off our makeup after a long day. But a clean face at night time is critical to allow your skin to repair and rejuvenate. Cleansing oils or balms are the most effective approach to cleansing the face. Their water-activated rich oils gently remove stubborn makeup and impurities; plus, they won’t dry out your skin like other foaming face washes. Exfoliating is a quick and easy way to reveal smoother, brighter, more beautiful-looking skin by removing old, dead skin cells that can clog pores –causing acne and blackheads. Twice weekly exfoliation can work wonders for many skin types!

We’re more informed than ever on the longterm dangers of harmful, yet widely used cosmetic ingredients such as parabens, sulfates, DEA, TEA, phthalates, and petrochemicals. Remember, your gorgeous skin is your largest organ, so think twice before using just any old skin care product on it. Moisturising is one of the most important and underrated ways that you can take care of your skin. Not only does moisturising help prevent inflamed, dry skin that can lead to wrinkles, it also adds a protective barrier to the skin, giving you a brighter, more supple glow. Apply it day and night for a dose of nourishing hydration. Sometimes it can take weeks for skin care products to start making noticeable changes, so stick with it and the benefits will soon be felt and seen.

thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk margaretbalfour.co.uk

Supersizer/iStock

"We’ve all been there... too tired to wash off our makeup after a long day. But a clean face at night time is critical to allow your skin to repair and rejuvenate."

AFFORDABLE SELF-CARE

Lewis, Dorset Mind Ambassador and Assistant Psychologist

Self-care is vital for physical and mental wellness. When people think of self-care, they often visualise stereotypical images of bubble baths, face packs, and relaxing chimes. While for some people, this can be a relaxing and effective aspect of self-care, there is more to it than simply pampering oneself. Self-care is a broad term that encompasses any action that we take to look after our mental or physical health.

Self-care activities and habits are often disregarded, despite their importance and significant impact on wellbeing. While self-care is unlikely to cure a severe

mental illness by itself, engaging in self-care can help to reduce uncomfortable symptoms to make them more manageable, and also prevent mental health conditions from occurring or worsening. It can also empower people to maintain their wellness when done regularly.

Self-care activities don’t need to be expensive – there are plenty you can do for free. They might include personal care, enjoyable activities, relaxation, healthy routines, exercise, mindfulness, or anything else that benefits your health and wellbeing.

Here are some of our favourite affordable or free selfcare activities - and how they benefit your wellbeing…

Lucy

Relaxation

While this includes any activity you find relaxing (i.e. knitting, pampering, bird-watching, etc), relaxation also refers to techniques that can physically relax your body and reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. These techniques work mostly by slowing your breathing, heart rate, racing thoughts, and by relaxing your muscles. It helps communicate to your body that it is safe - and doesn’t need to be on high alert. This can effectively reduce or prevent the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress.

YouTube has a wealth of free videos that can teach

you about relaxation techniques and how to use them. The best videos tend to come from reputable accounts, such as those posted by a healthcare service or university. Search these terms to get started: deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided visualisations.

Make time for you Make time to schedule in enjoyable activities for yourself, as you would if you were looking after children. As we grow older and gain more responsibilities, fun can sometimes be completely forgotten!

When treating depression, a technique called ‘behavioural activation’ is often used. The participant would be encouraged to fit activities into their day that trigger positive emotions and begin to balance out the negative ones. Find the things that give you a mood boost - and consciously make time for them. There are many free and affordable mood-boosters, but what will work for you depends on your interests and personality.

Here are some ideas for you to get started: go for a walk in a green space or forest, watch silly videos of cats or babies, enjoy arts and crafts (even if you are not skilled but just for the fun of doing it), have a movie night at home with cosy blankets and friends, watch comedy shows online, call a loved one, follow an online yoga tutorial, look at the clouds while listening to music, start a gratitude journal, or light your favourite candle.

You do not need activities that completely transform your mood or those that might take a lot of time – try instances of small mood-boosters scattered throughout your day.

Look after your body Mental and physical health are linked. If you eat well, move your body often, and sleep enough, you are likely to have better mental health than if you don’t. Additionally, taking the time to look after our physical health and hygiene sends an implicit message to ourselves that we are worthy of care and being looked after.

We would make the effort if we were looking after someone else - but often we do not do this for ourselves. For those who enjoy pampering, it can be beneficial to take the extra time for this to further emphasise that you deserve good care.

If you would like to learn more about mental health, please visit dorsetmind.uk. If you feel that you need further support with your mental health, please contact your GP, or, in a crisis, call 999 or The Samaritans on 116 123.

A CHANGE OF FOCUS

Emma Rhys Thomas, Pilates Instructor, Art of Confidence

Firstly, some thoughts regarding the success or failure of the New Year’s resolution: Perhaps best avoided are terms such as ‘I must not’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’, ‘should not’, ‘will not’, and so on. These are all very negative, they already sound like punishment and none of us like to go without! A more positive narrative might be ‘I will do/seek ‘more’ of’, - although often doing more of the same only attracts more of the same and therefore change is small or insignificant. However, finding ‘new ways’ is motivational and easily measurable, and as New Year’s resolutions, you have all year to

perfect them. New Year’s resolutions drive positive lifestyle changes.

In a recent conversation with my son, he recounted someone telling him, ‘That won’t work, that’s not how it’s done.’ I suggested to him that whilst that may be the current thinking, he might regard his way of doing ‘the thing’ as equally valid, indeed, his way might be the new way of doing it.

I propose a new way, a ground shift, a change of perspective if you like, regarding how we think about posture and maintaining a healthy body and mind.

AlexSava/iStock

And here it is; think about the use of our amazing fluid dynamic bodies in our daily routines and learn how to make this effective. This will have a profound impact on both physical and mental well-being. Attending to posture creates efficiencies in our biomechanical system, has positive effects on other biological functioning and builds self-confidence.

Feeling better is led by the way we move. The body is our principal component. Space is the universe in which we move. Effort is our intent.

The body: Our principal component

When thinking of ‘active bodies’ it is limiting to only think about being ‘fit’. We should seek an efficient, functional body in all day-to-day activities. The body is not only defined by muscle strength – it is more than a discrete bunch of muscle groups. The body is a complex organism of biological systems, muscles, organs, connective tissue and bodily fluids. It is even more than that. Every single one is unique, full of life, expression, energy and feeling. It has shape and form. From the moment we are born it wants to move. The brain relies on our moving bodies for information, received through the senses (and there are more than five!) in order to tell us whether we are in good shape and how we feel. For example, the vestibular and proprioceptive senses tell us about balance, spatial orientation and body awareness. The brain feeds back our response; should we take action (fight or flight)? Should our emotional response be positive or negative?

Even in apparent stillness, as in some mindful practices or even the downtime in front of a screen, movement can be created between opposing points; for example, from head to toe, or fingertip to fingertip, increasing tension and counter-tension of all the combined things that the body is. Expanding the body’s framework allows space for movement within. This is the important change of perspective – expanding the shape and form of the body and creating deep internal spatial movement feeds positively into the nervous system.

Space: The universe in which we move

In order to create our own movement universe, it is important to expand the width, extend the length and explore the depth of the body to feel the sense of the three-dimensional space around it. Like the chalk line in a crime scene investigation, or Leonardo di Vinci’s Vitruvian man, the body’s shape has an outline. All the edges of this outline are connected via the body,

"Feeling better is led by the way we move."

the body is the space. This perspective of the use of the whole body in space can make ordinary everyday tasks; reaching, picking things up, sitting, standing walking, etc. easier, because outer and inner spaces become truly integrated. Learning to use this space allows more freedom of movement at the same time as engaging and energising multiple biological systems.

Effort: Our intent How hard we try – the amount of energy we commit to moving – can be brought into conscious thought. Bringing such conscious awareness to the body and how it moves in the space it occupies, is knowing the mind’s intent – a form of mindfulness. The efficiency of effort requires balance so that no one biological system is overwhelmed by another. Put simply, there is no need to crack the nut with a sledge hammer – it would be a mistake to consciously act out every movement of every day, leaving no room for autonomy. However, most of us could make a higher demand of our physical selves in small activities. This change of perspective in ‘being’ is not an on/off button either in the gym/fitness class as opposed to out of the gym/fitness class. Drawing attention to ourselves in this way has the potential to reap such benefits as feeling less tired, reducing stress, toning the body and improving posture.

Finally, the attitude of the head has an influence on everything; how the body moves (we tend to be led by where we are looking and hence head position) and how we feel (our mind’s attitude dictates our emotions).

Returning to thoughts of my sons…when they were younger and actively engaged in high-level sports training, a common cry was ‘heads up!’. It usually preceded an incoming projectile at high velocity and served as a warning to open your eyes! Whilst not quite the same, and with less fear of serious injury, opening our eyes to new ways, changing our focus and seeing what’s possible will have profound effects. From me to you: Move and feel better, ‘heads up!’ and a happy New Year.

quantockpilates.com

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

NEW YEAR... NEW SPORTS CENTRE!

Tess Kelly, Deputy Manager, Sherborne Sports Centre

Atime for new beginnings – new hobbies – new challenges. January brings an exciting chance to look forward to what the year might have in store for us and here at Sherborne Sports Centre we have BIG plans for 2023!

This is the year our new Sports Centre will reach completion and we can’t wait to share it with you. After years of planning and anticipation (as well as a global pandemic to add another curve ball), this mammoth project is now on the home straight. As our wonderful members will know, the first and second phases included the building of a sparkling new 5-court Sports Hall and an impressive and suitably challenging climbing wall with a standalone bouldering room. Our swimming pool was refurbished and our fantastic new facilities are already being put to good use; we have loved catching up with many returning faces and some new ones too!

Our instructors have been kept busy learning the ropes on the new equipment and it’s been amazing to watch our class numbers growing again, to have our swim learners back in the pool and to see a variety of sports creating a buzz in our enormous new hall! Our new offerings include cricket, futsal, hockey, group PT sessions and the increasingly popular pickleball! If you’re looking for a new hobby for 2023, pickleball is a paddle sport suitable for all ages and skill levels which combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong... and it’s a lot of fun so come on down and give it a try!

As with most projects, it’s not all been a smooth ride with two gym relocations, temporary changing rooms to navigate and a ‘breezy’ walk to the pool - if you’d had to do it, you’ll know! We are forever grateful to our members for their support and patience, adapting to every change with good humour.

As we move into the final phase and can begin to visualise our finished centre and how it will feel, our New Year’s resolution at Sherborne Sports Centre will be to take all of these experiences that have shaped us so far and to evolve and develop into the new version of us.

We are always at our strongest when we use the highs and lows of previous experiences that have defined us and build on them. For the Sports Centre this will be literal but I challenge you to do the same this January, focus on how you want to grow and evolve the best bits of you, rather than what you want to leave behind in the last year. Move forward into your next phase working towards the best version of you.

So, what’s to come for the third and final part of the project? Our goal is to provide the community with an outstanding sports facility in the heart of Sherborne with classes and activities that cater for everyone. The project is due for completion this summer and will boast a state-of-the-art gym, sports-specific training areas, four squash courts and a golf simulator as well as all that is already in action.

With all these exciting new opportunities and equipment, we hope to support you on your 2023 fitness journey and welcome you to come and have a chat with one of our instructors to discuss your wellbeing goals. Whether you want to feel fitter, stronger, calmer or more empowered, why not try a new form of movement each week this January and notice how each makes you feel and what works best for you – be curious!

From all of us at Sherborne Sports Centre - we wish you a happy and healthy new year.

Bring your copy of the January Sherborne Times into the Sports Centre this month to receive 50% off an activity (terms and conditions apply).

Images: Josie Sturgess-Mills

JUMP START YOUR YEAR

Joanna Weinberg, Teals

When I was invited to write a series of pieces about local producers and suppliers to Teals, I was immediately excited. As a food and cookery writer, I needed no excuse to meet the inspiring farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, brewers and other artisan craftspeople that surround us here on the Somerset/Dorset border. They are the heroes of my work world and it was a rare opportunity to lift the lid on life as a food producer. For it is these craftspeople who have, for generations, underpinned the success of thriving market towns such as Sherborne, servicing rural communities across the country, adapting to the shifting social and cultural changes over the past generation, as the nature and very idea of work changes. What I didn’t imagine, is that on this cold, damp, mid-December day, under a steel grey sky, I would be in a muddy field just off the A303, along with 20 or so other lycra-clad locals,

undertaking a boot camp PT (physical training) session. But this is where I find myself –huddled in several extra layers, in the field behind Teals that in the summer is home to a cricket pitch, and year-round generously services travelling dogs for a run around on a journey break. The rest of the class all seem cheerful to be there, as we are warmly encouraged by trainer Alice Cowen in a series of vigorous warm-up exercises: undertaking a combination of sprints, squats, crablike sidesteps and leg-swings. Kate, on the muddy mat next to me asks me if it’s my first session. ‘I’ve only been once before,’ she says, ‘but now I’ll come every week. It’s such a brilliant start to the day. Running around getting out of puff, outside in nature. It wakes you up – it changes your whole day.’

It’s a spirit that Alice definitely embodies. Tall and lithe with a warm, open face and encouraging demeanour, she is out in the field, getting her community into shape twice a week, every week (term-time), whatever the weather. ‘We’ve never been rained off,’ she says, smiling. ‘In fact, we’ve only been properly drenched a couple of times. Last year around Christmas time, it was completely frozen underfoot and everyone still turned up.’ The exercises are a combination of cardio, body weight and light weight-bearing resistance, arranged in sets to minimise boredom and maximise effectiveness. They are approachable without being too daunting and there’s a range of ages, body types and experience in the class. It’s a whole body work-out and the 45 minutes pass quickly. By the end of it, I feel like I have squeezed, stretched and tested every muscle in my body. I feel great for it.

Alice trained as a Personal Trainer after uni, starting work in a gym in London, before further training in Pilates and massage. She soon took on her own private clients, first across London in homes, gardens, gyms and parks, before moving to Mallorca where she ran her own boot camp retreat business with her ex-partner for several years. Alice returned to the UK 8 years ago and is now based in North Perrott. ‘I tailor my workouts to meet the needs of whomever I’m working with,’ she says. ‘I have a broad client base, from sportspeople to musicians, actors, mums and more. They are a huge range of characters, body shapes and physical needs – I love the variety of it.’

‘January is a great time to undertake a new physical practice,’ says Alice. ‘It’s reset time. People tend to have a positive mindset and some extra Christmas calories to burn off. There’s also the goal of a summer body to work towards.’ It’s clear though that there are mental health benefits to the group too. There’s a great sense of camaraderie, both in the field and off it. Alice set up a WhatsApp group that anyone can opt in to and messages of support over injuries and other concerns or obstacles fly around freely.

Does she have any tips for sticking to January resolutions? ‘Make small achievable, weekly goals, rather than huge, long-term ones. If it’s weight loss, go for 1lb a week. If it’s giving up alcohol, commit to one week at a time. If you want to take up running, start with 15 minutes. People often fail when goals are too big. That’s when you give up.’

So next time you are heading to Teals on a Wednesday or Friday morning, take your lycra and have a go. You might become one of the friendly, brightly-clad fitness enthusiasts of various shapes and sizes jumping up and down in the field behind the store, too. I might just see you there.

teals.co.uk/fitness-with-alice

FITNESS GOALS 2023

Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

Image: Stuart Brill

Happy New Year from all of us at Communifit!

We hope you had a lovely festive period and are looking forwards to a positive, healthy 2023.

So… we enter a new year and for many that means setting intensive new fitness goals, ones often set due to a feeling of over-indulgence – a feeling perhaps tinged with a sense of guilt.

January is always the busiest time of the year for any health and fitness professional as many people want to start the year ‘right’ regarding their health and fitness. This surge in wanting more exercise and living more healthily can however fade as the year progresses. One big reason for this is that we tend to expect too much too soon.

We can’t go from one extreme to another and expect significant immediate benefits. If we are patient and realistic, we are much more likely to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. For many, Christmas is about festive cheer, celebrations and spending quality time with family and friends. For lots of us this involves eating and drinking more than normal! We shouldn’t feel guilty about this, nor should we look to punish our bodies from early January onwards as a result.

Here are some achievable small goals for you to try In January, ones which will help you avoid what could be best described as the ‘February Fade’.

Fresh air

Get outside for at least 20 minutes per day every day throughout January. Being outside is free, easy to achieve for most of us and is arguably one of the most beneficial things we can do for our overall health and wellbeing. Being outside could involve a short walk, an exercise class outside, or even just being in the garden relaxing, filling the lungs with fresh air.

Water intake

Instead of ‘no alcohol in January’, why not just sensibly

decrease your alcohol intake whilst increasing your water intake? An adult needs to drink on average two litres of water each day, which can be quite hard to do, but remaining fully hydrated is important for both our physical and mental wellbeing. Quite simply, remaining hydrated is an important new year goal in itself.

Quality time

Escape from your mobile phone, computer, lists and tasks each day by ring-fencing some quality time for yourself. For example, pick up a book and read. For many, reading can reduce stress and help with relaxation, while escaping everyday life – it is believed to improve your concentration and memory, both worthwhile goals! Setting goals doesn’t always need to be related to physical exercise – there are many hobbies which can help you achieve ‘wellness’ so also consider the value of the interest that you would like to pursue.

Exercise

If however you do want to exercise and improve your general fitness in a more formal way then be both patient and sensible when goal-setting. You don’t have to run a marathon or lose a large amount of weight in a short space of time – be realistic! Why not commit to one single exercise or class per week? This is a much more sustainable approach to exercise and with patience and perseverance is one which is more likely to yield results.

Whatever goals you set for 2023 please make sure they are realistic and that you enjoy working towards them. We look forward to helping you along the way and remember ‘those who believe are those who achieve!’. Be sensible, avoid the February fade and all the best for a healthy new year.

communifit.co.uk

BREATHING SPACE

Thornton, Oxygen Wellbeing

These days there seems to be a constant barrage of ‘ new ’ therapies, each claiming to improve your life and make you healthier. But many of these treatments can be invasive, have unwanted side effects or come with a hefty price tag.

What if there was a drug-free solution that could ease the aches and pains associated with ageing, lessen the lines and wrinkles of life, and improve your clarity of thought?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a noninvasive therapy that offers an efficient way to increase oxygen in your body, allowing it to repair, enhance, protect and renew both physical and cognitive functioning – and it is as simple as breathing.

Inhaling oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure enhances the distribution of oxygen through the blood capillaries, plasma, tissues, organs and the brain. It can stimulate the natural recovery process and immunity, enhance performance and reduce inflammation and pain from many physical issues including injury or recovery from surgery. HBOT helps reduce swelling, fights infection and helps build new blood vessels, ultimately producing new healthy tissues. By promoting fast repair of damaged skin cells it can also diminish the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

HBOT is fit for almost anyone, with benefits including the ability to boost vitality, heighten

concentration and memory; reduce fatigue and improve energy levels, stamina and endurance; improve cell rejuvenation and help with anti-ageing strategies; remove the sensation of brain fog and jet lag; eliminate toxins and debris; reactivate skin cells and improve blood circulation.

Countless studies verify the miraculous claims resulting from courses of this therapy, which are now covered by many medical insurers in the USA to treat conditions including brain injury, stroke recovery, Lyme’s disease and Long Covid

The therapy, increasingly popular among celebrities and top professional athletes, was once only available to Multiple Sclerosis patients through specialist clinics but is now becoming more widely available. Using portable, ‘Mild ’ HBOT chambers, the therapy is now available to anyone. You can access this therapy in a clinic or there is often the option of ‘ home rentals’ which are a cost-effective way to achieve optimal results in the comfort of your own home.

Costs are often comparable to a course with a physiotherapist or regular visits to the chiropractor. Enjoying optimal health is the best return on your investment.

oxygenwellbeing.com

Juliet

Image: Wellness Tree Group

A NEW APPROACH

ONE LAWYER TO HELP SEPARATING COUPLES

In April 2022, the law surrounding divorce changed. The new law meant that it is no longer necessary to apportion blame, such as citing unreasonable behaviour or adultery, when applying for a divorce. The introduction of the ‘no-fault divorce’ process also allows couples to make an application for a divorce jointly, rather than it being a requirement for one person to instigate the process. This change in the law has also triggered a new way of thinking; namely, can one lawyer jointly advise parties going through a divorce or separation?

For decades, the prospect of one lawyer advising both parties experiencing separation would have been considered a conflict of interests; this meant that each party would need their own lawyer or be faced with having no legal representation at all.

The concept of a conflict of interests could be frustrating for couples who were largely in agreement about how they hoped to arrange their finances and childcare after separation but needed some specialist advice and support to agree on the details. Further, many felt that the concept of having separate lawyers on opposing sides could increase the risk of acrimony and conflict where, in reality, little existed.

Fortunately, changing attitudes in family law mean that it is now possible for one lawyer to jointly advise parties going through a separation, both in relation to financial and childcare matters.

How will it work?

The process requires parties to work amicably together with their lawyer; there needs to be a real commitment to finding solutions. Importantly, it requires trust and co-operation between the parties and a willingness to provide relevant disclosure of financial and other important circumstances.

The process is not suitable for everyone, particularly where there are concerns about past or ongoing abuse, dishonesty or where there is a significant imbalance of power between the respective parties.

The benefits

When appropriate, the ‘one lawyer’ approach has numerous benefits including:

• The ability to truly work together to reach an agreed outcome.

• Openness and transparency; both parties will receive the same advice from their lawyer, aimed to benefit them both and the family as a whole.

• A more cost-effective solution.

The ‘one lawyer’ approach can be an effective way for parties to be guided through the legal process of separation whilst maintaining dignity and mutual respect for one another.

mogersdrewett.com

Simon Walker, Senior Associate Solicitor, Family Team, Mogers Drewett

Laura Somoza

Elizabeth Dowler

Simon Walker

Rebecca Silcock

Victoria Cobham

START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON

Mark Salter Certified and Chartered Financial Planner, Fort Financial Planning

2023 is likely to be another challenging year for many and I am sure, like most years, it will be full of surprises, both good and bad. However, I am a great believer in starting the year with a positive mindset!

The new year is a great time to take stock of your budget, debt and investments and generally get your house in order. Take time to reflect on the past year and set new goals for the year ahead.

Start the year by revisiting your budget. Assess your average monthly income, as well as your fixed and variable expenses, and determine your financial priorities for 2023. For example, maybe you’re looking forward to putting extra income towards a dream holiday over the summer, or perhaps you are planning to save more to help with your children’s university fees or your own retirement. Understanding your top priorities can help you develop the ideal budget for you.

It’s also a good time to double-check you have sufficient savings for a rainy day. Not only can an emergency fund help you avoid having to sell investments during times of market volatility, it can also keep you afloat if your employment situation changes or the general cost of living expenses continue to rise as they did in 2022. Having a short-term jar of cash will provide you with a comfortable cushion to enable you to concentrate on other goals. Interest rates are now higher than they have been for some time, so also find a competitive home for your instantly available savings.

If you have debt and feel that you are already good at managing it, consider taking steps to help reduce and consolidate it further. Reducing the number of loans you have can simplify your financial life and ease money stress.

The past few years have not been easy – emotionally or financially – and many people have felt less in control of their lives. Use the new year as an opportunity to feel more in control and prioritise your wellness – being financially prepared and organised will not only help you achieve your lifetime goals and ambitions but make you feel better as well.

Be sure to check whether you are still tracking towards your goals, such as savings and investing for a comfortable retirement. If you are off track, look at what steps you can take to get back on target. In the current economic climate, it is equally important to review your financial plan along with any investments you hold.

Don’t forget to also review all of your insurance policies such as household, car and even life assurance. Are the policies adequate for your needs or is there a less expensive policy available with another provider? Taking the time to do this could also help you save money which could then be used more effectively elsewhere.

Have you made a will or does your will need updating? This ensures that your personal belongings, assets and investments go to the beneficiaries you choose. In addition to building wealth, it’s important to protect it too.

Start 2023 as you mean to go on, organise your finances, make a plan and stick to it. Financial well-being is so important for all of us.

Here we go again – once more unto the breach. There’s no hiding that times are tough but fret not, we’ve been here before and together, we can find ways to protect your finances and look to the future. Let’s hatch a plan.

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

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

REPAIR, UPGRADE OR NEW?

James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

Avery important topic currently is the cost of living and quite honestly this problem isn’t going to go away for the foreseeable future. As you may know I am all for reusing, recycling and repairing, but I also believe sometimes we have to accept that the time has come to upgrade or buy new.

So, what is worth repairing/upgrading and what is not? Many of these decisions are made on the age of the computer or laptop and its specification. Generally, the newer the computer the more it is worth repairing and in my opinion the better the processor the more likely you will be able to have it repaired. By this I mean that manufacturers of computers make lots of the same computer, which all have the exact same parts apart from the processor which can vary significantly depending on the power of that processor, which will dictate the price of the computer/laptop.

The next decision is based on what is wrong with the computer. For laptops, the most common things that go wrong and need repairing or replacing are the keyboard, touchpad, charging port, screen and hinges, and of course, the hard drive is the most common for us to replace and upgrade. For desktops, generally it’s power supply units, memory upgrade, hard drive upgrade or graphics cards.

Next to consider is how easy it is to replace the broken part, which will determine how much labour time it will cost. There are some parts which are very easy to replace on some laptops and there are others that are not so easy on different laptops. When brought into us we would take this into consideration when quoting for the repair and as always I give my honest opinion as

to whether I think it’s worth repairing or not.

One of the hardest decisions is whether to replace the broken keyboard in a laptop. You only have to go back a couple of years and you could quite easily remove the keyboard with a couple of screws, or no screws at all, and pop a new one in for less than £35. The issue we now have is that most of the keyboards are built into the top unit of the laptop, which can sometimes require the entire laptop to be dismantled and the touchpad to be replaced as well – quite a difficult decision if only one key doesn’t work. The average cost for this is around £100 including labour!

The other issue we see surprisingly quite a lot of is water damage. The reality is that even laptops that have spill-resistant keyboards fall foul once water (or most of the time red wine!) has entered the computer and corrosion will start to take place instantly with the parts on the motherboard. How quickly the corrosion takes over depends on the amount of liquid and for some internal parts this can happen slowly or very quickly. Generally our recommendation is that any computer that has had water damage should not be used in the long term as its reliability cannot be guaranteed.

If in doubt about the condition and repairability of your computer, remember it is always worth bringing it to us for a diagnosis, which will cost you nothing. No work will be carried out if it’s not deemed economical, and one thing you can rely on with us is an honest opinion.

As ever, if in doubt, you know where to come!

computing-mp.co.uk

A FRIDAY MORNING IN JANUARY

Sue Cameron, Sherborne Scribblers

Eloise Anderson was a fascinating young woman, half Scottish, half French. She started life in Edinburgh – a lively, pretty little girl, always asking questions and showing natural curiosity about the world around her. She also developed the mental and physical resilience that comes from combating the cold wind which was such a feature of the city she lived in.

From the age of five she was educated at one of the many schools founded in Scotland by philanthropic merchants to provide an education renowned throughout the world. She was taught English there by the teacher upon whom fellow pupil Muriel Spark later based Miss Jean Brodie. Christina Kay had herself been a pupil at the same school. As dutiful daughters did then she looked after her invalid mother until her death and then went back to teach at her old school. She was an ‘inspirational teacher’ – a private person who never married (her pupils thought she was one of the generation who had lost fiancés during World War 1), who called her pupils ’la crème de la crème’ and opened their eyes to life outside their rather limited horizons. Eloise adored her and Miss Kay encouraged her to love literature and to think of writing herself. Knowing she was half French she also suggested that after getting a degree in English at Edinburgh University she might explore her French heritage. Eloise thought this sounded like a very good plan.

Unfortunately though, by the time she had finished her degree course war was looming again and everyone advised her not to go to France. Nevertheless, Eloise, being the feisty young woman she had become, decided if she didn’t go quickly she would be stuck in Edinburgh for who knew how long. She wanted more inspiration for her writing and, defying all advice, got

herself to Paris.

A friend had told her that a friend of his was working in the British Embassy in Paris and had given her a note of introduction so she wasted no time. From the airport she made her way to the embassy. David Robertson read the note and wondered who on earth his friend Fergus would send over with all the pre-war shenanigans going on, but agreed to see her. He was amazed when she came into his office. Eloise had highlighted her French side: she was charming, bi-lingual, intelligent and creative. He was immediately attracted and agreed to help her to find somewhere to stay. She told him she was a writer so wanted opportunities to observe life in Paris and time to work.

After a few days it was obvious that these two enjoyed each other’s company. He wanted to get into politics but found the route tedious. She wanted an escort who would give her the feel of her French side. They were both now stuck in Paris. She was chic, articulate, had a good eye for colour and design and was attractive. He was tall, good-looking and a charming companion. He had a role to fulfil in the embassy; she wanted to get material for her writing so they were not together all the time. But as the months passed and Hitler became more threatening they both thought they should return to Britain while they could.

She didn’t want to go back to Edinburgh and he wanted to be in London so he wondered what they could arrange. He put out feelers and a friend told him about a large house in the south of England that the owners wanted to let. They viewed, they liked it and they took it for ten years. When Eloise told the owners that she enjoyed interior design and tactfully wondered if she could upgrade some of the rooms that were in

dire need of attention, they were delighted and gave her carte blanche. David had to go to London now and then to get himself into the sort of job he wanted. Eloise didn’t mind: she was in heaven; she had a study in which to write her exotica erotica romances and rooms crying out for her ministrations when she needed a break from writing.

David was back for Christmas and New Year. Eloise thought he was rather quiet and preoccupied but he assured her he was tired but thought his new position would be announced soon. He was hoping to get something global and challenging. After he left to return to London Eloise decided to get a newspaper each morning so that she would see the announcement of his appointment when/if it happened.

Not long after David’s departure the news of his appointment as International Communications Official at 10 Downing Street was announced in the Times. Just right for him thought Eloise as she flipped through the rest of the paper. Suddenly she saw his name again, announcing his engagement to an American lady living in London. She couldn’t believe it. The air turned blue and she decided to go for a walk in the cold winter air to clear her head.

When she returned her old Scottish resilience had resurfaced. She would stay in their rented house and contact other charming men she had met over the years. She burnt all the love letters he had sent her in the fireplace in their bedroom and opened her address book. It was a Friday morning in January, What a difference a day makes. But Eloise was one of Jean Brodie’s crème de la crème. She would survive.

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Various sizes available Freedom to come and go when you please within opening hours Quiet rural location

Situated between Sherborne and Wincanton Tel: 01963 361303 Mobile: 07855 898452

SHERBORNE TRAVEL WRITING FESTIVAL REACHING FOR THE HORIZON

Rory MacLean

These last years have brought dramatic changes to our lives: Brexit, Covid lockdowns, soaring energy costs, climate change and the largest, most brutal war in Europe since 1945. While our horizons have drawn in, travel writers have continued to reach out, rediscovering and reinterpreting the world for a new age. On the 14th-16th April 2023 weekend, ten of the UK’s finest travel writers will come to Sherborne to transport readers, listeners, armchair and intrepid travellers alike towards the four corners of the globe.

The Sherborne Travel Writing Festival will be the first travel literature festival to be held in the UK in recent years. At its heart is the idea – and the timely theme – of reaching for the horizon. To propel the journey, a stellar lineup of top writers will take to the

stage at the Powell Theatre. The acclaimed master wordsmith Colin Thubron CBE will recount his thousand-mile Amur river odyssey, undertaken by horse, train and boat at the tender age of 81. The Amur – the tenth longest river in the world – is the most densely fortified border on earth and almost unknown to us. Next, the effusive and entertaining John Gimlette will entice us away from the Russia-Chinese border to the fantastical landscapes, beguiling creatures and isolated tribes of tropical Madagascar, an island so vast that if it was stretched out across Europe would reach from London to Algiers. Anthony Sattin’s inspired Nomads, named a book of the year by both The Times and the The Spectator, delves into our deepest mythology, unrecorded antiquity and natural environment to tell the untold

history of the wanderers who shaped our world. In her new book Glowing Still, the bold and audacious Sara Wheeler traces the female travel writer’s journey, embracing with a full heart the words of her heroine war correspondent Martha Gellhorn: ‘I do not wish to be good. I wish to be hell on wheels, or dead.’

Add into the mix the teen idol historian and Arabist Justin Marozzi whose Islamic Empires travels across the centuries to discover the 15 great cities that define a civilisation. In the Summer Isles, the awardwinning Philip Marsden will cast off from shore to sail us up the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland in a wooden sloop. And forget not Sherborne’s own three intrepid travel authors including explorer Colonel John Blashford-Snell CBE and the adventurer Sophy

Roberts who promises to tell all about her incredible writing life, from heeding Doctor Dolittle’s advice to The Lost Pianos of Siberia and hearing Bach on the Mongolian steppe.

Finally, as horizons are not only external, the BBC correspondent Fergal Keane will talk about his thirty years covering conflict across the world from Rwanda, Sudan, South Africa and Somalia to Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine. His powerful and intensely personal book, The Madness looks at his irresistible compulsion to be where the night is darkest. Then on a journey into a different unknown, and towards the artist’s inner creative self, the Berlin-based Californian poet Demi Anter and I - the other local travel writer – will unveil the secrets of David Bowie’s prolific Berlin sojourn, focusing both on the reinvented city and on his unassailable devotion to continual imaginative growth: never be complacent, never play to the gallery, always reach for the furthest horizon.

Special events and surprises will further enhance the weekend including Tea with the Authors, catered by Comins Fine Tea Importers of Sturminster Newton and Bath. Also involved are Kashfi’s Children which gifts bilingual books to educate young people, aiming to foster tolerance, positive change and hope.

I am thrilled and honoured to have been asked to curate the festival which is held under the auspices of the Sherborne Literary Society. In the coming weeks early bird and all-inclusive weekend tickets will be made available through the Society and the soon-to-be launched festival website. Pre-sales will prioritise Sherborne and area residents as some events are expected to sell out before word is spread beyond Dorset and Somerset.

Please mark the dates in your diary, watch for early announcements and make plans to join us for an unforgettable April weekend of spellbinding stories and bold adventures at the Sherborne Travel Writing Festival; reaching for new horizons, helping to reopen the world and reminding us of the richness of travel during this one and only life.

sherborneliterarysociety.com rorymaclean.com

Friday 14th - Sunday 16th April Sherborne Travel Writing Festival Powell Theatre, Abbey Road

Image: John Gimlette

LITERARY REVIEW

Richard Hopton, Sherborne Literary Society

Acentury ago, cider was an essential ingredient of life in rural Dorset when most farms had an orchard and made their own. Carried into the fields in stoneware jars it slaked haymakers’ thirst as they toiled in the sun. It frequently formed part of a farm-worker’s wages. Old-fashioned, agricultural cider, what Nick Poole calls ‘proper cider’, was a very different drink from the bland, fizzy commercialised concoctions all too often sold nowadays. It was, he says, ‘hard, flat, slightly fruity and with a hint of razor blade at the back of the throat.’ But now the orchards from which the cider was produced have all but disappeared.

Since 1960, about two-thirds of Britain’s orchards have been lost. Dorset once boasted more than ten thousand acres of orchards, the vast majority of which have now been grubbed up to make way for cereal crops or buildings. In the process, hundreds of varieties of dessert, cooking, and cider apples have been lost. This book tells the story of the efforts of two people, Liz Copas and Nick Poole, to save many of these ancient, lost varieties in order to revitalise more traditional blends of cider.

In fact, The Lost Orchards is several books wrapped into one. It’s partly a detective story, following Copas and Poole as they criss-cross Dorset in search of forgotten varieties of apple, pursuing a lead to an abandoned orchard here or an overgrown garden there. It’s partly a scientific treatise discussing the DNA of apples and their differing levels of tannin and acidity, vital determinants of how a cider will taste. Copas, a pomologist - an apple

scientist - to the core, worked for many years at the Long Ashton Research Station near Bristol so is an expert in her field. It’s partly a Pomona, a descriptive listing of many varieties of apples, a modern version of the leather-bound volumes with their minutely observed, beautifully engraved illustrations which could be found in the library of any self-respecting Victorian country gentleman. It’s also a history of the apple and of cider-making, both in Dorset and more widely. As such it offers a tantalising glimpse into a rural way of life which has now virtually disappeared.

One of the book’s great joys is its illustrations. Inevitably, there are many photographs of apples and apple trees but there are also sepia-tinted pictures of smock-clad haymakers, historical cider-related ephemera, bottle labels, advertising posters, and so on, as well as pictures of old cider sheds and presses. The main glory, however, is James Ravilious’s photographs taken in the late 1980s – a timeless record of Dorset’s orchards and their ancient trees made more nostalgic by the soft, slightly faded colours of the images.

In all, The Lost Orchards is a fascinating book – a must for anyone interested in the history of rural Dorset and cider-making. I have only one, minor gripe: reading about cider made me very thirsty. I would have appreciated a listing of local, artisan cider producers whose products I could buy to slake my thirst, like the haymakers of old.

sherborneliterarysociety.com

The Lost Orchards by Liz Copas with Nick Poole (Little Toller Books, £18) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £16 from Winstone’s Books

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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Sue Hawkett

Each year on the fourth Saturday of November, a day of memory for the victims of the Holodomor is held. This was a period in the early 1930s when Stalin’s regime orchestrated a deliberate mass starvation of Ukrainians. Those who resisted were eliminated or deported. Traditionally on this day Ukrainians attend memorial services using symbolic vessels of grain and light candles in memory of the victims. Fast-forward to 2022 and again we see a regime which wishes to eliminate Ukraine by force and starve them of electricity, heating and water.

In the UK there are now 146,200 Ukrainian refugees (Nov 22) and in Dorset around 685, with 260 children in 93 schools (Oct 22). Some of these families have arrived in our local community, often with just one suitcase and backpack containing all their hastily gathered possessions.

The sense of loss and separation has been clearly visible across the news channels and social media. Loss is an emotion to which we can all relate. If the last time you saw your loved one was waving goodbye from a train moving out of Ukraine or as they were lifted into the back of the ambulance, the shock only amplifies the separation. We are designed and loved by God and meant to live in community, in families, with neighbours, to have companionship and the security of warmth and love. We have all learnt from our recent experience through Covid the importance of our dependence and interdependence on one another. This crosses all borders.

We have also learnt the importance of remembering those whom we have loved, are separated from or have lost. The need for people to come together to acknowledge their loss, grief and sadness and to remember in a quiet, safe place has been comforting for many. So that is why we are pleased to be holding our annual Snowdrop Service on 3rd February. What is this service and why do we feel it is important, significant, inclusive and comforting?

The service provides an opportunity for people to remember, give thanks and say goodbye, irrespective of what or when their loss was or their beliefs. The service includes readings, music and the opportunity to light a candle.

This initiative, hosted by Sherborne Churches Together, and supported by Yeatman Hospital, Marie Curie, Weldmar Hospice and Cruse Bereavement Care is open to those of all faiths or none. These organisations will take part in the service and be available for a chat over refreshments afterwards. In times of grief, sadness and loneliness, it is my belief that our God is the source of love and comfort we need.

Friday 3rd February

Sherborne Snowdrop Service

Sherborne Sacred Heart & St Aldhelm RC Church, Westbury

For further details see local social media and posters or contact sherbornesnowdrop@gmail.com

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