Sherborne Times February 2024

FEBRUARY 2024 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

CENTRE STAGE with costume designer Kate Tabor

sherbornetimes.co.uk

WELCOME

F

ebruary brings the best of both worlds. Crystal clear night skies thicken with stars and the back-and-forth hoots of tawny owls.

Impassable stodge hardens to a satisfying crunch and hungry wildlife is coaxed within sight. Bullfinches fill their rosy bellies with winter berries, smash-and-grab long-tailed tits leave feeders swinging in their wake and glimpses of minute mohawked goldcrests thaw our nippy hearts. Garden fences provide a stage for the clumsy advances of lovelorn pigeons and snowdrops – those bright white beacons of eternal optimism lead us out of the dark.

There’s still time to enjoy heavy blankets, hot soup and the sweet smell of chimney smoke but the light will soon find its way through.

And so, as things brighten around us, we thought it a good time to visit the groundbreaking designer Kate Tabor – creator of physically defying and brilliantly bonkers costumes for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Rihanna, Wet Leg and The Chemical Brothers.

Have a great month.

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

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard

Laurence Belbin Elisabeth Bletsoe Sherborne Museum Richard Bromell ASFAV Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers

Features writer Claire Bowman

Sandra Brown & Peter Neal

Editorial assistant Helen Brown

Mike Burks

Print Stephens & George Distribution team Jan Brickell Barbara and David Elsmore Douglas and Heather Fuller The Jackson Family David and Susan Joby Mary and Roger Napper Jean and John Parker Hayley Parks Mark and Miranda Pender Claire Pilley Caspar Sheffield Joyce Sturgess Ionas Tsetikas Lesley Upham Paul Whybrew

Simon Larkin Sherborne School

Photography Katharine Davies

Social media Jenny Dickinson

Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber & Flooring

The Reverend Martin Lee Sherborne Abbey Jude Marwa

The Gardens Group

Paul Maskell The Beat and Track

Paula Carnell Tom Matkevich Sarah Jane Chapman

The Green Restaurant

The Good Copy Company Sean McDonough & Lucy Cotterill Jack Clarke

Mogers Drewett Solicitors

Dorset Wildlife Trust Sandra Miller BSc, Malcolm Cockburn

MSc, BCNH Dip, FDN-P

Sherborne Scribblers

Wholistic Health

David Copp

Natalie Mumford & Kevin Reeve Humphries Weaving

Rosie Cunningham Gillian Nash Barbara Elsmore Mark Newton-Clarke Iain Findlay

MA VetMB PhD MRCVS Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons

James Flynn Milborne Port Computers

Hilary Phillips Hanford School

Simon Ford

PO Box 9701 Sherborne DT9 9EU

Alastair Poulain John Gaye

Emma Rhys Thomas

07957 496193 @sherbornetimes info@homegrown-media.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk

Annabel Goddard

ISSN 2755-3337

Home-Start Blackmore Vale

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.

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4 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Sherborne Prep

Sherborne Literary Society

Dorset Mind

Hazel Roadnight Winstone’s Books

Chelsey Gowen Mark Salter CFP Fort Financial Planning Dawn Hart YogaSherborne

Katie Spragg

Andy Hastie

Val Stones

Yeovil Cinematheque Jon Arthur Valender Sarah Hitch

Destination:Opera

The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms and The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre

James Weston GP Weston

James Hull The Story Pig

64 6

Art & Culture

FEBRUARY 2024 64 KATE TABOR

116 Finance

22 What’s On

72 Gardening

118 Tech

26 Community

76 Home

120 Short Story

30 Family

82 Food & Drink

126 Literature

44 Science & Nature

94 Animal Care

128 Crossword

56 History

98 Body & Mind

130 Pause for Thought

60 Antiques

114 Legal

Discover Dorset’s newest arts venue in the heart of historic Sherborne. Follow our journey…

thesherborne.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 5

Art & Culture

ARTIST AT WORK

No.60 Tango, Emma Rhys Thomas 81 x 61 cm, Oil on Canvas, £640

T

ango is an abstract painting closely linked to my life as an artist and as a movement and wellbeing instructor living and working in the Sherborne area.

My creative and artistic endeavours in painting and new movement methods, including improvisation, are intertwined. The process of creating new choreography and new paintings both require total immersion, make a demand on the physical body, have the potential to discover something new in form and language, have the capacity to free the mind and require the art to be interpreted anew by each and every viewer or participant.

Bodies need to move. Environments are fluid and ever-changing. These ideas inform my work, exploring limitless physical and emotional freedom. Sedentary lifestyles are akin to ‘still life’. Emerging paintings are motivated by the search for a sense of journey. Nothing is still. With no preconceived ideas, oil paint, different mediums and spirits are moved around the canvas with hands, brushes and other objects to create abstract images with, perhaps, some resemblance to place, form or fantasy – but that is for the audience to decide. quantockpilates.com

6 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Lydia Blakeley, On the Beach, 2022, oil on canvas, metal, powder-coating, wood, solid silicone cord, plastic, 100 × 150 × 60 cm / 39.37 × 59.06 × 23.62 in © Damian Griffiths. Courtesy the artist and Niru Ratnam, London. Photo: Damian Griffiths

Art & Culture

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

Saint Omer (2022)

I

t’s February already, with two unmissable films to catch this month. On the 14th Cinematheque shows Alcarras (2023), a wonderful Spanish family story from Catalonia, then on 28th Feb we screen Saint Omer (2022), a riveting French courtroom drama.

I first saw Alcarras at a Cinema for All S.W. Region viewing session early last year and was knocked out by this moving tale of a rural family’s upheaval then was surprised when it seemed to slip under the radar - in this country at least - even though it received rave reviews from the 2022 London Film Festival and won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlinale in the same year. Alcarras follows the Solés, a family living on and running a peach farm they have worked for generations. Tensions are raised when the son of their deceased landlord announces he wants to evict them and bulldoze their peach orchards, to be replaced by a sea of solar panels. Each member of the multi-generational, tight-knit family is cleverly followed in their reaction to this bombshell, from grandfather Rogelio in denial to the playful small children (all given plenty of screentime), powerfully played by this outstanding, mostly non-professional cast. Alcarras has an exquisitely detailed focus on the rhythms of rural Catalonia family life, albeit facing an uncertain future.

I loved this richly textured Spanish Grapes of Wrath with its storyline nudges into the political sphere amidst a bucolic landscape, where the intrusion of modernity into a traditional heritage threatens the loss of the Solé’s livelihood. ‘A masterpiece’ Pedro Almodovar, ‘Superb’ The Telegraph.

Saint Omer (2022) is the feature film debut of French documentary director Alice Diop.

Named after the northern French town where it is set, Saint Omer follows pregnant novelist Rama, who daily attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her fifteen-month-old daughter. It is inspired by the real-life 2016 trial of Fabienne Kabou, charged with killing her baby daughter by leaving her on a beach. Diop attended this trial,

8 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Alcarras (2023)

like her fictitious novelist, writing a script directly using the words spoken in court, written down from memory each day. Although most of the film takes place in the courtroom, it does not attempt to replicate the factual events precisely but is more concerned with universal maternal emotional unease through traumatic memories, unsettling the pregnant Rama. The acting throughout is superb as the legal truth begins to emerge slowly through the evidence of witnesses. This isn’t an easy film but it certainly is rewarding - it won two awards at the Venice Film Festival and is shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Film category. ‘Breathtaking, intelligent, beautiful...10 out of 10’ Awards Daily, ‘’ The Guardian, ‘’ The Telegraph, ‘’ Financial Times.

Two intelligent and fulfilling films, both from young female directors on the up. Come as a guest for £5 to see what we offer at Cinematheque, or consider joining the society to view the best of international cinema. cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk

_______________________________________________________________________ Wednesday 14th February 7.30pm Alcarras (2023) Wednesday 28th February 7.30pm Saint Omer (2022) Cinematheque, Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil BA20 1QT Members £1, guests £5

_______________________________________________________________________

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 9

Art & Culture

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT Rosie Cunningham

T

he House of Bernarda Alba was both terrifying and mesmerising, with Harriet Walter playing a tough, unyielding, matriarch who keeps a very tight rein on her household of five daughters, quelling any behaviour which might impact the unsullied reputation of her family. As they mourn the death of their father, the young, nubile girls are subjected to intense scrutiny from their mother and the suspicious, envious and spiteful neighbours, whilst dealing with raging hormones. The feeling of living in a goldfish bowl, with nowhere that is private, is fully realised by the open plan glass wall structured house dominating the stage, designed by Merie Hensel. Alice Birch’s modern radical version of Federico Garcia Larca’s masterpiece was, as always at The National, an outstanding statement piece. Rebecca Frecknall, the young multi-Olivier Award-winning director, best known for directing the West End revival of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne and A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal, sprinkled her magic. The audience at The National is unique. Many have been lifelong and supportive members, through thick and thin, and are erudite, political, critical, opinionated and so happy to chat and share their feelings during the interval, that it is hard not to feel part of a big, warm, friendship group.

The House of Bernarda Alba was intense and quite utterly fabulous but as I left, I did feel like a strong drink.

Backstairs Billy is based on the book by William Tallon, who was the Queen Mother’s steward for many years at Clarence House. The play starred Penelope Wilton as the Queen Mother and Clive 10 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre

Owen as the flamboyant homosexual loyal servant.

Whilst the play was a little bit flippant and a little bit silly, Wilton brought to life the sad truth of how the Queen Mother went from being a respected, working member of the royal family to becoming an oft-forgotten, powerless, lonely mother and grandmother. The excitement of Princess Margaret’s impending visit was quickly replaced by pained rejection when she failed to arrive but the Queen Mother valiantly sought to alleviate her boredom by entertaining a range of guests, finding something of

Image: Marc Brenner

interest to celebrate in everyone. I left feeling much sympathy and respect for the Queen Mother, whom I had previously misjudged.

I have read several glowing reviews about the productions at The Mill at Sonning where dinner is enjoyed, as part of the package, before the play begins.

So, I have booked to see Deathtrap, the classic thriller

by Ira Levin, which is running from 8th February – 30th March. Why not try something different this year?

There is a wonderful free exhibition at The Wallace Collection, until 21st April, of JMW Turner and

Richard Parkes Bonington watercolour landscapes.

Work from two of Britain’s greatest watercolourists, painting in the same period, seen for the first time side by side, having been hidden from public view for 17 years. They run a wide range of lectures during February and March, available on Zoom, such as Catherine the Great, Eleonora di Toledo and the Medici Court, and weekend sculpture and drawing classes. millatsonning.com wallacecollection.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 11

Sherborne Abbey 2nd March 7pm

mozart’s

IDOMENEO

For tickets go to www.destinationopera.co.uk Supported by

SHERBORNE

TR AVE L WR ITING FES TIVAL curated by Rory MacLean

5th - 7th April

Don McCullin Kassia St Clair Hilary Bradt Bijam Omrani Davina Quinlivan Katie Carr Benedict Allen

Tickets and information: www.sherbornetravelwritingfestival.com

Nick Danziger Monisha Rajesh Noo Saro-Wiwa Tim Hannigan Caroline Mills Brian Jackman Tom Parfitt

Tickets also available at: Winstone’s Bookshop, 8 Cheap Street, Sherborne

Art & Culture

MEET THE MAKER Katie Spragg

Katie Spragg during her residency with Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2023.

I

am an artist working predominantly in ceramics.

My work explores our interconnected relationship with nature, questioning the evolving patterns in which humans and plants co-exist. My creative practice is focused on observing how plants behave and how their behaviour can help us reconsider our own approach to communities, care, landscape and our place in the world, specifically, thinking about plants within the context of how we live and how they connect to the surrounding environment. I use clay and plants as routes to conversations with people to help gather and collect their stories.

2023 was a significant year for me as I had the opportunity to expand this focus during a year-long, multi-site residency project with Hauser & Wirth in Braemar in Scotland, Menorca and Somerset. I spent an extended period of time in these expansive but varying landscapes, observing the plants that grow in them.

During this time, distance and detail became central themes in my work. Normally, I work at a very hyperfocused level, intimately understanding the anatomy of 14 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

plants, whether that is through observation, dissection, drawing or modelling. So, moving this process into a vast landscape caused me to question and evolve my practice as I was not able to capture the flora and fauna in that same way. I began to answer this question through the language that I know very intimately, clay, by working with my hands to describe these landscapes and to convey the essence of those landscapes to people in different ways. For example, looking at how I could capture the mountains and mosses by zooming in and looking at the minute detail of something in nature that would often be walked over and thus unobserved.

Working in the artist residency studios in Braemar and Somerset directly from my walks, photography and drawing in the outdoors, allowed me to create in a more immediate way. I developed a series of sculptural ‘sketches’ in clay that captured a single plant or composition that felt significant to the places and people I encountered. Understanding each plant’s story was further realised through my interactions with local people and communities, bringing a new

Images: Catherine Garcia. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

and vivid insight into the local ecology and the life of flora. My interactions with herbalists, florists, landscapers, families, school children and carers in Braemar, Menorca and Somerset, combined with my continued exploration of plants, have built upon my existing knowledge. These plants and their stories are woven into the sculptures I have made over the last year, layering new stories, names and uses. Works have emerged that consider the micro, with a hyperfocus on mosses and lichens, juxtaposed with interpretations of expansive landscapes, almost too vast to capture.

Incorporating colour was another aspect that became increasingly important in my work as I had to navigate the challenge of reflecting the vibrant and shifting light on these landscapes using the permanence and unpredictability of clay. My sketchbook slowly filled with a new palette of pinks, pale greens and lilacs. The shades of Menorcan cream-coloured stone contrasted with the inky blacks, burgundies, greys, greens and burnt ochre of Scotland.

My sculptural compositions can be seen in my

exhibition Natural Practice, currently on view at Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Every piece in the exhibition shares a story or connection to people and landscape. My ceramics aim to share stories of plants and people, and so this residency project was a chance to combine the sculptural element of my practice alongside community and social engagement. Not only has it been an opportunity for reflection but it has allowed me to move beyond the methods of making that I have been refining over the past seven years, drawing upon an expanding material knowledge to capture the essence of the plants and places I have encountered. katiespragg.com hauserwirth.com/make/natural-practice

___________________________________________ Until Sunday 18th February Wed-Sun, 10am-4pm Katie Spragg - Natural Practice Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 13 High Street, Bruton BA10 0AB

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 15

Art & Culture

AN ARTIST’S VIEW

I

Laurence Belbin

’ve been drawing local again. This time, having called into Higher Oborne Farm to pick up a bag of spuds from the farm shop, I dropped down into Oborne proper and drew a few dilapidated farm buildings and some others not so far gone.

I then headed to Old St. Cuthberts Chancel on the A30. I have drawn it before but many years ago. I must confess I don’t know much about the place so I won’t pretend otherwise. It catches my eye every time I drive past and have meant to stop but am often en route to somewhere else. I began in HB pencil on A4 cartridge paper but only to get the proportions then continued in ink. I chose this view because of the old wooden beam.

The mortise slots in the beam suggest to me that it was once bigger than it is now if only by the size of a porch. The main entrance is on the south side, whether that was always the case I don’t know. The inside is just as interesting but as I’d done about eight drawings so far that day I decided to stop with this one. I went for a stroll towards the castle, under the railway bridge thinking the red brick arch might be worth a drawing at some point.

16 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

The next drawing, also on the A30, is an old forge belonging to Kings. You can still find the name stamped on some of the ironwork around the town. I first drew this in 1987 and have since done a few watercolours and a 2ft square oil of the inside. I have a story there relating to Barton Farm which I will save for another time! It was 30th December about 4pm so I had to work quickly as the light was fading fast. I stood in the little lane opposite called Old Farm. I hadn’t been long working when a chap stopped having recently moved here who was a blacksmith. We had a good chat and he’d done some interesting work.

This time I went straight in with pen, no messing, and I am pleased with the result.

I would have loved to see it as a working forge in its heyday. It looks like several little buildings knocked into one with add-ons, evolving over the years. The pollarded lime trees help the composition more than one would think as they give a sense of depth to an otherwise flat view – besides, they are just nice to draw! The stone grinding wheel was there in ’87 and most likely many years before that. The whole place is like going back in time, inside and out. Long may Sherborne keep these signs of its history. laurencebelbin.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 17

Art & Culture

DESTINATION:OPERA Idomeneo 24

Jon Arthur Valender, Artistic Director

Image: Robert Workman

O

n 2nd March, Sherborne Abbey is going to be filled with some of the greatest music that Mozart ever wrote, played and sung by nearly 100 students from across Dorset and South Somerset.

We are mounting a concert version of his favourite opera, Idomeneo. The chorus will be formed of the choirs of three schools – Thomas Hardye, Leweston and Perrott Hill and the orchestra will consist of students from even more schools from Bournemouth to Bath! This is where I believe the project is unique. Each student will by necessity, be of a high standard already, possibly looking at pursuing a career in their chosen instrument. They will each be individually mentored by a professional player, some will be sitting next to their own teacher or another freelance musician.

This will be under the baton of Andrew Griffiths, who is a regular at Covent Garden as an alumnus of their Jette Parker Artists Programme and now on the full-time music staff of the National Opera Studio.

The students will also be accompanying a wonderful cast of international singers. This is one of the main skills that they are going to learn: they will already understand what it is to be in an orchestra but many of them won’t have had to accompany a soloist, let alone have to lead the emotions of the singers in their 18 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Jon Arthur Valender

situations. This brings us to why Idomeneo… it’s not necessarily the obvious choice for a first-time opera goer but it was, for me, the only choice for our first venture of this kind. It had to be something that was playable! Many of the later operas by Puccini or Verdi for example, are very daunting for the less experienced player: one could consider any number of more famous Mozart operas but mostly they have very little by way of chorus. Whilst there are only about 10 movements of chorus, here as the community of Crete, they dictate the drama.

This was the only opera that Mozart had premiered in Munich; at the time this was a really famous opera house, specifically for their orchestra.

They had an illustrious woodwind section and this left Mozart able to write some of his most elaborately beautiful music. He kept coming back to the score and he even said of it, ‘I may have equalled Idomeneo but have never bettered it.’

The story is about the warrior King of Crete and his return home after years at sea fighting and winning battles. Before he finally reaches his homeland he is shipwrecked and strikes a deal with Neptune; he promises to sacrifice the first person he sees in return for his life, but in a cruel operatic cliché, the first person he sees is his only son! He then has to decide whether

William Balkwill

Image: Ben McKee

Cheryl Enever

it is better to risk the wrath of the gods or sacrifice his child. On the surface, it is the story of kings and gods of the ancient world but ultimately it is a story of what it is to be a parent and a child: how our actions affect others and how to take accountability for those actions.

I was brought up near Dorchester and was always so jealous of my friends who were able to play in the award-winning Dorset Youth Orchestra. I was always a singer and ropey brass player, certainly not good enough to get into DYO. Having relatively recently returned to the area and made my home here in Sherborne, I’ve seen the change in opportunities in music education. I went to a comprehensive school but we had an incredible music teacher who treated his choir like a cathedral school; we had rehearsals every day and evensongs at least once a week. We went on barge holidays each year organised by him where performed evensong every night in churches along the towpath, sometimes to just two people and a dog but it was heaven. So many of us have since followed careers in this most precarious of industries and each found our own way.

The school was also recognised by the local Midland Bank (that ages me!) for not only having a very good music department but also acknowledging how supportive we were of each other, resulting in us being

Image: Sarah Cresswell

Image: Robert Workman

Miranda Heldt

Image: Robert Workman

Jon Arthur Valender and Luciano Botelho

given 10 free tickets to to see The Marriage of Figaro in Covent Garden. The cast included Bryn Terfel, Sylvia McNair and Thomas Allen so I was truly spoilt – that evening changed my life!

Our own cast includes Cheryl Enever and Miranda Heldt whom many of you will have seen at my concerts at The Grange in Oborne. We also have William Balkwill, a full-time chorister at Westminster Abbey who recently sang at both the late Queen’s funeral and the Coronation.

For our student performers, an event such as Idomeneo has the potential to influence so much more than their career (the last thing I want to do is create 100 more opera singers!) However, I do want them to know what opera is: a ridiculous, but ultimately beautiful art form capable of stirring deep emotion in its audience and one that can only truly be understood when experienced first-hand. We hope to see you at the Abbey in March! ___________________________________________ Saturday 2nd March 7pm Destination:Opera - Idomeneo 24 Sherborne Abbey. Tickets £10-£20 available via destinationopera.co.uk

___________________________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 19

Art & Culture

LDProd/iStock

COUNTER CULTURE Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No. 28 The Extended Player: Where Size Really Does Matter

T

he 10” vinyl record format holds a significant place in the history of recorded music, serving as a crucial medium for artists and listeners alike. Emerging in the early 20th century, this format played a pivotal role in shaping the way music was produced, distributed and enjoyed.

The origins of the 10” vinyl record can be traced back to the 78 RPM shellac records that dominated the music industry in the 1920s. As demand for longer playtime and improved sound quality grew, engineers and producers began experimenting with different materials and sizes. The 10” format emerged as a compromise, allowing for extended play compared to its 7” predecessor while maintaining a manageable size for both production and consumption.

One of the key milestones for the 10” vinyl came in the late 1940s with the introduction of the LP (Long Play) by Columbia Records. This format revolutionised the music industry by providing an extended playing time of around 20 minutes per side, a vast improvement over the limited duration of previous records. Artists could now create more comprehensive

20 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

and cohesive albums, paving the way for concept albums and thematic storytelling within the constraints of a single disc.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the 10” vinyl format became synonymous with jazz, as labels like Blue Note and Prestige Records released iconic albums in this size. Artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane found a canvas on which to express their musical innovations and the 10” record became a symbol of the genre’s golden era.

Simultaneously, the 45 RPM single gained popularity, often pressed on 7” vinyl. While the 45s dominated the singles market, the 10” LPs continued to flourish in the realm of jazz, showcasing the artistic depth and complexity that the format allowed.

The 10” vinyl’s prominence started to decline in the 1960s as the industry shifted toward the 12” LP format, offering even greater playtime. The rise of rock and pop music further accelerated this shift, with bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones favouring the larger canvas for their groundbreaking albums.

Despite its decline in mainstream popularity, the 10” vinyl format maintained a niche presence. Independent labels and artists, particularly in the punk and indie scenes, embraced the format for its affordability and unique aesthetic. Limited edition releases and collector’s items often featured the 10” format, appealing to vinyl enthusiasts and preserving its legacy.

In recent years, the vinyl revival has brought renewed interest in various record formats, including the 10” vinyl. Collectors and audiophiles appreciate the format for its historical significance, unique size and the nostalgic charm it carries. Some contemporary artists have even embraced the 10” vinyl as a deliberate choice, exploring its limitations and distinct characteristics to create a distinct listening experience. These releases are often limited and utilise the use of coloured vinyl making them a niche collectible, often highly desirable.

Some of the most collectable 10” records of recent years have been by the likes of Radiohead (King of Limbs), Alex Turner (Submarine OST), Motorhead/Girlschool (St Valentine’s Day Massacre) and Killing Joke (Follow the Leaders). Currently one of the most desirable 10” records being sought by record collectors the world over is DoYaThing by Gorillaz with people paying as much as £450 to get hold of this gem.

The 10” vinyl record format occupies a crucial place in the evolution of recorded music.

From its early days as a compromise between 7” singles and 12” LPs to its association with jazz and subsequent decline in popularity, the 10” vinyl resurgence in niche markets attests to its enduring charm and everlasting appeal. thebeatandtrack.co.uk

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THE FREE WESSEX ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE

EVOLVER MAGAZINE

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

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 21

WHAT'S ON Mondays 11am-12.30pm

____________________________

Until Sunday 28th April 12pm-2pm

Nature Writing for Fun

Every 2nd & 4th Thursday

Exhibition ‘Present Tense’

Sherborne Library, Hound Street

10am-12.30pm

Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade

nature and the outdoors as inspiration.

The Grange, Oborne, DT9 4LA

Mondays 1.30pm-3.30pm

edwardhiscock6@gmail.com

Fun creative writing exercises, using

Castleton Probus Club

____________________________

New members welcome.

Craft and Chat Group

____________________________

Farm, BA10 0NL. Community

celebrations with complimentary food and drink. Free entry to gallery and garden. hauserwirth.com

____________________________

Sherborne Library, Hound Street

Thursdays 2pm-5pm

Thursday 1st 6.30pm for 7pm

Bring along your current project and

Rubber Bridge

Book Launch - When Reasons

meet others.

(September-April)

Dream by Julian Halsby

____________________________ Mondays & Thursdays

Sherborne Bowls Clubhouse,

Culverhayes car-park. 01963 210409

The Butterfly House, Castle Gardens,

bridgewebs.com/sherborne

Tickets £2 from Winstone’s Books

1.30pm-4pm Sherborne Indoor

____________________________

Sherborne DT9 5NR

____________________________

Short Mat Bowls

Thursdays 2pm-4pm &

Thursday 1st 8pm

West End Hall, Sherborne

Fridays 11am-1pm

Talk - ‘Resistance to

01935 812329. All welcome

Digital Champions Sessions

Slavery in Western Mali’

____________________________ Mondays 2pm-5pm &

Sherborne Library, Hound Street

Bookable sessions for help with basic

Digby Hall, Hound Street

skills using your own device or a

sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

Tuesdays 7pm-10pm Sherborne Bridge Club Sherborne FC Clubhouse, Terraces

library computer. sherbornelibrary@

Members free, visitors £5

____________________________

dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Friday 2nd 2pm-3.30pm

____________________________

Thursdays 7.30pm-9.30pm

Empire’ with Justin Newland

Tuesdays 10am-12pm

St Michael’s Scottish

Fine Folk Dancing

Country Dance Club

Charlton Horethorne Village Hall

Davis Hall, West Camel. £2. New starters

Friday 2nd 7pm for 7.30pm

01963 220640.

stmichaelsscdclub.org

Thread to Parliamentary

01963 210409. bridgewebs.com/sherborne

____________________________

Author Talk - ‘The Limits of Sherborne Library

____________________________

very welcome. 07972 125617

Talk - ‘The Assault on Truth,

____________________________

Democracy’

Every last Wednesday

Fridays 3.30pm-5pm

Military History Talk via Zoom

Children’s Board Games Club

Digby Memorial Hall, Digby Road

£5, information jameskrporter@aol.com

Sherborne Library, Hound Street

£2.50 per session. Beginners welcome. ____________________________

____________________________

Drop-in for children age 5 and over.

Play board games, including chess, or bring one of your own.

Netwalk for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs Pageant Gardens. @Netwalksherborne 22 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

01963 251255, on the door or

marydmc38@gmail.com. In aid of

Douzelage Conference April 2024.

____________________________

____________________________

Wednesday 7th 3pm and 7pm

Until Saturday 2nd March 10am-

Talk - ‘Banksy –

5pm (Wednesday - Saturday)

Fraud or Genius?’

Exhibition - ‘The Guts

Digby Hall, Hound Street. Members free,

and The Glory’ Every 1st Thursday 9.30am

Tickets £15 from Winstones,

Bo Lee and Workman, West End,

visitors £10 theartssocietysherborne.org

____________________________

Bruton BA10 0BH. Free.

Thursday 8th 2.30pm

____________________________

Association Castle Gardens Talk

boleeworkman.com

Sherborne & District Gardeners’

Reset & Repair

Childr e go free n

The Newt in Somerset celebrates the best of our county, under the watchful eye and loving care of our farmers, gardeners, chefs, bakers, cheesemakers and cyder makers.

The blank pages of an untouched diary bring endless possibility.

We eschew self-improvement pledges and look to the landscape, history and traditions here in Somerset to inspire us anew.

Our full 2024 programme is now live online, packed with events, tours and workshops from our expert team. Plus, discover Members’ Spa Days, now running Mondays to Fridays.

Join us to reset and repair.

Visit our website to discover more about Newt Membership.

Free entry for children (0-16 yrs) when accompanied by an adult member.

Stay . Visit . Shop

thenewtinsomerset.com @thenewtinsomerset

WHAT'S ON - ‘Square Metre Gardening’ Digby Hall, Hound Street. All are

Admission £5, free to museum members.

The Beach’d Buoys Shanty Band

____________________________

Tickets £10 (£12 on door) from

Light refreshments available

All Saints Church, Martock TA12 6JN

____________________________

Thursday 15th 8pm

Friday 10th 2pm-2.30pm

Memorial Lecture - ‘Prison for

guardianstickets@gmail.com 07547

Library Gets Lively -

the Poor, Gainsborough House,

Chinese New Year

Dorset’s Old Bridewell’

Sherborne Library. Stories and crafts

Digby Hall, Hound Street

Saturday 24th 11am-5pm

____________________________

sherbornehistoricalsociety.co.uk

Digby Hall, Hound Street DT9 3AA.

Comedy - Company Gavin

Friday 16th - Sunday 18th

Robertson - ‘Done to Death,

2pm-5pm

entry for exhibitors only.

By Jove!’

Open Garden - National Garden

Saturday 24th 7.30pm

Yetminster Jubilee Hall. 01935 873546.

Scheme Returning Garden

Psychedelight Theatre Company

£12, £5 u18s, £30 family. artsreach.co.uk

- ‘Mohand & Peter’

____________________________

The Old Vicarage, East Orchard,

Sunday 11th 11am-3pm

Shaftesbury SP7 0BA. £5, children free.

Home-made teas (inside if very wet)

Halstock Village Hall. 01935 891744.

____________________________

£10, £5 u18s, £25 family. artsreach.co.uk

____________________________

welcome. Visitors £3. 01935 389375

for children aged 2-5

Saturday 10th 8pm-9pm

Artisan Fayre

thebeachdbuoys.com

____________________________

Members free, visitors £5

Mind Body Spirit Fayre

____________________________

Beauty therapies. Psychic mediums. £1 ____________________________

The Merritt Centre, Sherborne Girls,

Saturday 17th 9.30am-4pm

information contact: events@sherborne.com

Digby Church Memorial Hall

Thursday 15th 10.30am-11.30am

07967 643579

DT9 3QN. Free parking. For more

Second Hand Book Fair

____________________________

Free entry. Information - Ed Bailey

Mythical, Magical Crafts

213992 martockonline.co.uk/events

____________________________

Sherborne Library. For children aged 3+

Sunday 18th 1.30pm-4.30pm

____________________________

Sherborne Folk Band

Thursday 15th 2pm

Digby Memorial Hall. Suitable for

(doors open 1.30pm) Sherborne Museum Talk ‘Historic Graffiti at Montacute House’ Digby Memorial Church Hall, DT9 3NL

all levels and all instruments.

Sunday 25th 2pm-4pm

sherbornefolkband.org

Oborne Village Hall, DT9 4LA

Thursday 22nd 7.30pm

389655 ahiahel@live.com

info@sherbornefolkband.org

Singing Bowl Soundbath

____________________________

£15 please book in advance 01935

ART COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

ALL LE VEL S OF ABILIT Y - STUDIO BASED admin@southwestartcourses.co.uk

City And Guilds Courses Creative Techniques Interior Design Painting Techniques Creative Sketchbooks Printmaking Techniques

SWAC Courses 10 Week Painting 5 Week Calligraphy 5 Week Painting Art Foundation

24 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Beginner Workshops Calligraphy Acrylic Oil Watercolour Printing & Drawing

South West Art Courses Compton Court Coldharbour Sherborne DT9 4AG 07549357138 / 07917190309 southwestartcourses.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2024 ____________________________

Sport

Sherborne Football Club

Sunday 25th 7.30pm

____________________________

The Terrace Playing Fields

Award-winning Folk Singer/

Dorchester Road, Sherborne,

Songwriter and Guitarist

Dorset DT9 5NS

Blair Dunlop Charlton Horethorne Village Hall.

Men’s 1st XI

Tickets £12. 01935 814199

(3pm KO unless otherwise stated)

jb@classicmedia.co.uk takeart.org

____________________________

Saturday 3rd Cowes Sports (A)

Thursday 29th 7.30pm PMac Productions -

Sherborne RFC

‘Old Herbaceous’

The Terrace Playing Fields

Sandford Orcas Village Hall.

01963 220208. £12, £5 u18s, £30 family. artsreach.co.uk

____________________________

Planning ahead

Laverstock & Ford (H)

Men’s 1st XV (3pm KO)

Saturday 10th

Dorset DT9 5NS

Blackfield & Langley (A)

Saturday 3rd Yeovil (A)

Saturday 17th United Services Portsmouth (H)

____________________________ Saturday 2nd March 7pm

Saturday 17th

Destination Opera -

Avondale (H)

Mozart’s Idomeno

Saturday 24th AFC Stoneham (A)

Sherborne Abbey. Tickets from

Saturday 24th

(see article page 20)

____________________________

destinationopera.co.uk

Wednesday 7th (7.45pm KO)

Dorchester Road, Sherborne,

____________________________

Combe Down (A)

____________________________ Sunday 10th March 6pm RNLI’s 200th Anniversary

To include your event in our FREE

Service of Thanksgiving

listings please email details – date/

Sherborne Abbey

time/title/venue/description/price/

Everyone welcome. 07786 907672

contact (max 20 words) – by the

____________________________

listings@homegrown-media.co.uk

chriscopeland777@btinternet.com

5th of each preceding month to

Join us on the first Wednesday of the month at 3pm and 7pm Digby Hall, Hound Street, Sherborne DT9 3AA

7th February Banksy – Fraud or Genius?

6th March The Three Great Game Changers of 19th Century Opera 3rd April Making Sense of Portraits in Country Houses Members free; visitors £10 theartssocietysherborne.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 25

Community

FABRIC OF HISTORY

Natalie Mumford & Kevin Reeve, Humphries Weaving, silk weaving specialists for The Sherborne

NM Humphries Weaving has been producing highquality fabric designs and custom weaving for over five decades. Our fabric is proudly woven in East Anglia and our uniqueness is that we are set up to do project work – short runs, special colours, oneoffs, unusual things.

In general, you will find that people search the market for fabric and they can’t find what they need – they want a special colour or they want to customise it in a particular way – and that’s usually the type of customer that needs our help and where our specialism steps in.

We have a pedigree for historic restoration from Richard (Humphries), our founder, who trained at Britain’s leading silk weaving company Warner and Sons. He was their last apprentice before they closed and as part of his redundancy, received £50. Only in his 20s at the time, Richard’s entrepreneurial instinct led him to buy a few patterns, looms, machinery, books etc. from Warners – 50ps here and the odd £1 or so there.

26 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

What started as a humble stockpile of patterns and machinery in his mother’s shed blossomed into a hub of creativity and expertise.

The early days were all about historic restoration, going out, analysing fabrics and advising clients – and it’s still what we’re best known for. We have a couple of types of archives, which are quite integral to our business. We have the design archive of period designs that we can reproduce for people. They might have a connection to the V&A, they might be found at a particular house that was dated to a specific architect and we have all of that documented.

We also have the colour archive. Collected over the last 50 years and earlier inherited bits from Warners, we now have a big wealth of knowledge and banks of resources to pull from. A lot of research is carried out before we even meet with the client and continues throughout the entire process. We know what region the colour should be in and which designs would be

period-appropriate then allow the customer to select.

KR I’ve always worked in fabrics; I was with a retailer for years, buying and selling and I thought it would be great to work on the manufacturing side.

The architect for The Sherborne called 18 months ago and I was the one who picked up the call. We then had a ‘hard hat’ visit to discuss the vision and designs. I took some damask designs along that would be appropriate for the building having carried out some initial research on Sherborne House.

There was nothing there to replicate or to copy so this project was a case of combining our expertise with the requests from the client. We produced silk walling for the hallway and Georgian room. A gorgeous, custom-dyed champagne moiré, which utilises unique machinery to produce a completely bespoke watermark-like design and is similar to something we made for Hampton Court Palace recently, was the choice for the hallway. In the period

room, the client opted for a large repeating red damask of scrolling leaves which was redrawn in the Humphries Weaving studio specifically for the project. Again, the colour was period-appropriate and custom-dyed.

I really enjoyed visiting Sherborne – the town and the house are both beautiful. We really do get to work on some interesting projects.

NM I trained in hand weaving. My degree was in textile design at Central St Martins in London. I came to Humphries Weaving after I graduated so I’ve been here for ten years now. What is unique about working here is that we deal with individual projects from start to finish, which can be anything from 6 months to 25 years! We have some really long-spanning projects that we dip in and out of. Sometimes, we have to go in and do a research report on the state of the textiles and then the client may pause to go for funding from the National Lottery or a roof might fall in – things can get delayed. In a way, it’s nice as we get to work on lots of different things all at once.

Part of my job role relates to the sustainability at the mill and we’re rather proud to be the first UK Textile Manufacturer to be awarded OEKO-TEX STeP. Transparency reigns supreme for us and we share our carbon footprint findings and best practices across our supply chain and the textile industry. From dyeing to water management and textile waste, we navigate the delicate balance between tradition and modern responsibility.

Beyond The Sherborne, our looms have breathed life into other iconic spaces like Boston Manor and Brighton Pavilion. They have even contributed to the grandeur of the King’s Coronation where our fabric was used for the King’s chairs of estate and on the inside of the gold state coach. The National Trust, Historic Houses and royal commissions make up a large proportion of our work but in our world, a project well done leads to two more. It’s quite a small industry and the network usually recommends each other so an architect or a curator who we’ve worked with might suggest our name on their next project, which is a really good feeling.

It’s not just about weaving fabrics; it’s about participating in the resurrection of old buildings, preserving their stories and ensuring their legacy lives on, which is exactly at the heart of what The Sherborne is striving to do. thesherborne.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 27

Community

Blackmore Vale STEPPING IN TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN SHERBORNE Chelsey Gowen, Scheme Manager, Home-Start Blackmore Vale

W

e are delighted to announce that HomeStart Blackmore Vale is now extending its reach to provide support to families going through a difficult time in Sherborne and surrounding areas following the closure of Home-Start West Dorset.

We were all so surprised and sorry to hear about the closure of Home-Start West Dorset. Our board of trustees instantly agreed to extend our reach to cover the Sherborne area as far south as Maiden Newton and Beaminster with immediate effect.

Home-Start Blackmore Vale has been working with staff at Home-Start West Dorset to ensure the safety of families the charity supports and to retain volunteers in the area. Our service is in greater demand than ever before. We see families going through considerable stress and hardship, including a rise in domestic abuse and mental health issues.

Home-Start began 50 years ago and it has helped more than 1.5 million families across the UK. After completing their training, volunteers commit to 2-3 hours each week to work with a family who has at least one child under 5. This experience, support, kindness and care have been proven to help transform the lives of parents and their children. Home-Start Blackmore Vale has helped almost 1000 families over the last 12 years.

A Home-Start volunteer said, ‘I know how important the work we do is and that there are so many 28 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

families who desperately need our help. A weekly visit can make all the difference to new parents, who might be feeling completely unable to cope. It’s also humbling, as a volunteer, to see the resilience many parents show and the constant love they give their children, despite how tough life can be. Meaning, that as volunteers, we also get a lot from the work we do.’

The charity is looking to recruit past or new volunteers with parenting experience, to commit to two or three hours per week to help parents and children in the community. If you would like to get involved, please contact us. Training will be provided and no special qualifications are needed. Everyone is extremely welcome and never has our help been more needed.

We are also currently recruiting a new trustee and Chair of Trustees. The current Chair, Carole Brown, says, ‘It’s very rewarding leading a team of dedicated trustees, staff and volunteers all doing such a worthwhile job. However, it’s time for someone new to lead us into a new and exciting future.’

Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss family support or volunteering. We are also currently recruiting for new trustees and Chair of Trustees. Contact 01258 473038 or email office@homestartblackmorevale.org.uk homestartblackmorevale.org.uk

Bradford Road | Sherborne | Dorset | DT9 3DA osc_info@sherborne.com | www.oxleysc.com

TH

AY 1

6

MON

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Family

UNEARTHED James Li, Aged 17, Lower Sixth Form, Sherborne School

D

uring the last Trinity Term, James completed his GCSEs and successfully underwent the exam and interview for the Arkwright Scholarship Award. The Arkwright Scholarship is an engineering scholarship widely thought to be the most esteemed scholarship of its kind in the UK. This year, there were around 300 candidates who received the award, out of the 1,300 people who were selected for an interview following the exam. His award is sponsored

by South West Water, who have provided him with funds to further his studies and passion for engineering.

James is an active participant in the rugby team at Sherborne and has had a productive season. He has selected Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Design and Technology for his A levels, which he enjoys thoroughly. The award has been inspiring and has helped cement ideas for his future.

James is keen to become a civil engineer and wishes to continue his studies at one of the top universities in the UK. He hopes the scholarship will help support him at university. Alongside his studies, James is a keen fisherman, he also plays electric guitar and cello. sherborne.org

KATHARINE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

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

30 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Arrange your bespoke visit to find out about our school with a difference!

Arrange your bespoke visit here

Find out more about The Sherborne Prep Difference here

co-educational | 3 - 13 yrs | day and boarding 01935 8120097 | admissions@sherborneprep.org | www.sherborneprep.org

Family

Children’s

Book Review

Hazel Roadnight, Winstone’s Books

The Worst Class in the World: Animal Uproar

by Joanna Nadin, illustrated by Rikin Parekh (Bloomsbury £6.99)

Sherborne Times reader offer price of £5.99 from Winstone’s Books

T

his is the seventh Worst Class in the World title from Joanna Nadin and Stanley and Manjit are still causing havoc.

4B have been having great fun as usual when there is very exciting news. They are about to meet the new class pet.

You might think there would be minimal mayhem with stick insects but remember, this, is class 4B.

I may be slightly over the target reading age for this book but I laughed quite a lot and really enjoyed the chapter about the trip to the museum, the clever references to modern art and the spectacular list of Mrs Bottomly-Blunt’s rules.

Do schools really have ‘Interpretive Dance’ competitions and ‘Shining Examples Competitive Spelling Squads’? I do hope so.

Gripping real-life adventures!

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

YEARS 3 TO 13

Whole School

Open Morning An independent, co-educational day and boarding school located in the beautiful Dorset countryside.

24 February 2024 We warmly welcome you to join us for an all school Open Morning this February, to see the school ‘in action’ and discover our innovative personal development programme LEX. Hear from the Head, Jo Thomson and the leadership team in informative presentations, and enjoy a tour of our wonderful facilities and grounds.

NEW CLAYESMORE BUS ROUTE RUNNING FROM SHERBORNE EVERY DAY

REGISTER TODAY

Clayesmore School, Iwerne Minster, Dorset, DT11 8LL 01747 812122 | clayesmore.com

Family

OLD ROMANTIC

F

Alastair Poulain, Deputy Head (Co-Curricular), Sherborne Prep

or most, 14th February brings message’d card but for the thousands of teenagers dotted around town, it is a time rich with anticipation, high hopes, elation, joy or the sad puncture of romantic dreams.

Who gave us this blessed day? We can start with the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held on 15th February to honour the god of fertility and agriculture, Lupercus.

Celebrated in a slightly different manner, this one involved a ritual of animal sacrifice, purification and fertility rites, notably young men running through the streets naked, whipping women with strips of animal skin to make them fertile. The festival also included a lottery, in which young men would draw the names of women from a jar and pair up with them for the duration of the festival, or longer if they liked each other: a bit like Love Island.

Around the 5th century, the Christian Church tried to replace the pagan festival with something less fun so they declared 14th February as the feast day of St Valentine, a martyr who was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II on that date in the 3rd century.

There are several legends about St Valentine and why he was killed but the most common one is that he was a priest who secretly married couples in defiance of Claudius’ ban on marriage for young soldiers. St Valentine was arrested and imprisoned and, while in jail, fell in love with his jailer’s daughter, who visited him regularly. Before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed ‘from your Valentine’, which became a symbol of his love and devotion.

St Valentine’s Day’s link with romantic love was not firmly established though until the Middle Ages when Chaucer wrote a poem – The Parliament of Fowls - in 1382. He described a dream in which he witnessed a gathering of birds on St Valentine’s Day, where they chose their mates for the year. He wrote: ‘For this was on St Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.’

This is the first literary reference to St Valentine’s Day as a day of romance and courtship, and it influenced many other writers and poets. Chaucer’s poem also 34 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

reflected the cultural and social norms of his time, when the concept of courtly love was popular among the nobility and aristocracy: a form of idealised and unrequited love between a knight and a lady, often married to someone else who inspired him to perform noble deeds and express his admiration through poems and songs. Courtly love was not based on physical attraction or sexual desire at all but on spiritual and emotional connection – a strong bond or connection of minds and ideals.

The tradition of exchanging cards, gifts and flowers on St Valentine’s Day developed over time as a way of expressing love and desire, principally for your existing partner. The first recorded Valentine message was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife in 1415, while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt. He called her ‘my very sweet Valentine’ in his poem. The practice of sending handwritten Valentines became more widespread in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in England and France, where lovers would use elaborate language and imagery to convey their feelings. The first printed Valentines appeared in the 18th century and they were often decorated with lace, ribbons, flowers and pictures of Cupid, the Roman god of love. The introduction of the Penny Post in 1840 made it easier and cheaper for the amorous to send Valentines anonymously, which added an element of mystery and excitement to the occasion – they could now be sent to a variety of people.

Now, it has been shaped by commerce: eager flower sellers, card companies and chocolatiers pressuring all to declare their love and appreciation but it is comforting to know that the idea is older than most organised religion, has celebrated varying forms of love and affection, has heavyweight advocates spanning the centuries and still goes very strong today. The absence of thud on doormat, the cellophane carnation and the box of Ferrero’s has a long and noble history, though I can see why jogging down Cheap Street in the altogether, midwinter, cowhide in hand has somewhat fallen out of favour.

Fingers crossed... sherborneprep.org

Image: Emma Ogier sherbornetimes.co.uk | 35

Family

LEFT TO OUR OWN DEVICES Hilary Phillips, Head, Hanford School

J

anuary is over. Our resolutions have become new habits or faint memories. The days are longer, although the weather is playing tricks with that notion. Christmas presents are no longer a shiny novelty but a part of our lives or a well-meant dustgatherer on the shelf.

Perhaps, if you have children, you bought them a device of some kind for Christmas? I bought my youngest a new phone after she was mugged by someone on a scooter in London. As a young adult, it’s put her off moving to the capital for a bit and for that I am strangely grateful to the thief, but in all other ways, it has been hugely frustrating. I realise how much I rely on being able to send her a message, know that she will be able to call me if there’s a problem, ask her to put together a video clip for me (she’s great at helping with the school’s social media), transfer her money if she has done some shopping for me and a hundred other things.

36 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Now, as the head of a prep school where we don’t allow the pupils to have phones/iPads etc, you might now be expecting me to say that it has brought us together in new ways, that we have more meaningful conversations, that life is enriched and we are all better for less tech in our lives. Well, yes perhaps, but the loss of the phone has been really disruptive which negates a lot of those great aspects. That phone was really useful, hence why I bought her a decent new one without a moment’s hesitation.

So, no tech is not the answer. ‘Why then,’ I hear you ask, ‘do you deny your pupils their devices?’ I think the answer is that we don’t want to deny these children this amazing tech but we do want to delay until we think they can control it, rather than be controlled by it. Phones are the real problem here as they are designed to be with us. No pocket? Lanyard around your neck or perhaps tuck it into an item of clothing. It’s so easy to have it with us all the time.

To add to the issue, apps are purposely designed to be addictive. Can you ignore your phone when it beeps or buzzes in your pocket? How much worse for a child whose brain has not fully developed. Friendships, relationships, arguments – these are all hard enough without the magnification that tech brings. And don’t get me started on the oversharing that social media encourages. I don’t only mean the photos and stories showing how amazing our lives, holidays, homes and experiences are. I mean the sharing of personal details giving the opportunity for identity theft. Birthdays – ours and our children’s – are widely shared. Locations and favourite things are public, because who actually remembers to update their privacy settings? All these things make identity theft scarily easy.

Referring back to the question of whether you gave your child a new device for Christmas, how many times have you randomly asked for access to their phone and checked messages and accounts? It’s your phone and you are paying the bills so you have a perfect right to do this. As parents, we need to band together on this. If our children and their friends know that we will be looking at messages regularly, the type of language used will be more measured and

believe me, it needs to be. It’s easy to be bold and brave under the cover of a screen and children believe in the promised anonymity. They say things they would never say to an actual person. So do many adults for that matter, just look at Twitter.

Children do need privacy and they do need secrets.

What they also need is protection and support when it goes wrong. They need the resilience to discount what is said, to shrug off the vile comments, to be confident in their own skin and to understand that the power lies with them, and the problem lies with those who are cruel and unkind.

Here at Hanford, given our pupils are aged between 7 to 13, we know we have a particular responsibility to protect them until we feel they have the tools to control themselves and their reactions to what is out there. We also know our approach works as former pupils have told us that they have a few, well-chosen social media sites they use and have no trouble switching off.

Perhaps now is the time, after the first flush of resolutions for 2024, for us all to rethink our relationships with our phones. hanfordschool.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 37

HANFORD

SNAPCHAT AT HANFORD traditionally modern

Independent Boarding and Day School for Girls Aged 7 to 13 visit hanfordschool.co.uk or call Karen on 01258 860219

Artisan Fayre SUNDAY 11 F EBRUARY 20 2 4 11. 00 am - 3. 0 0pm The Merritt Centre | Sherborne Girls | DT9 3QN

FREE ENTRY AND PARKING For more information please contact: events@sherborne.com

EVENTS

Family

UNLOCKING SUCCESS GCSE REVISION

Simon Larkin, Academic Manager, Sherborne School’s Newell Grange Campus

40 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

F

or some students, the arrival of spring will herald the exam season and a significant challenge for them and their families.

Young people can find the prospect of GCSE exams a source of both internal and external stress.

Internally, the pressure to perform well and secure a bright future can manifest in anxiety, sleepless nights and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed.

Externally, societal expectations, parental aspirations and the looming shadow of the unknown can add to the burden.

As someone who works to help young people consolidate and build on their learning, I’m very aware that some teenagers resort to various coping mechanisms to deal with the mounting pressure.

Procrastination, a common adversary, can lead to a last-minute scramble to cover an entire syllabus. Sleep patterns can be disrupted, healthy eating habits might take a back seat and the perhaps once-vibrant social life of a teenager may dwindle to make room for endless hours of solitary study.

I organise the short course residential and day revision programmes that take place at Sherborne School’s Newell Grange Campus. Often locally known as Sherborne International, the site has changed from being an all-year-round provider for overseas students, to one where we host revision courses at Easter and in the summer for pupils wanting to gain an academic boost prior to exams or starting a new school year.

Having worked with young people and our teachers, many of whom return year after year, I know that daily study skills and well-being sessions can promote simple but effective strategies for maximising the time spent revising. Memory boosting techniques, plus more holistic tips for maintaining health - physical, mental and emotional – are so important to keep our young people balanced and positive at a demanding time when they are asked to absorb vast amounts of information across various subjects. I would always encourage breaks to keep study periods manageable and not overwhelming; encourage social contact with friends and getting fresh air to promote well-being.

Without a systematic approach to revision, I find students sometimes struggle. In the programmes I organise we recommend that students choose to focus on three subjects each week which helps to bring together scattered pieces of information, supporting students in building a cohesive understanding of the material, consolidating knowledge and filling in any

gaps. This can be replicated at home by drawing up a simple revision timetable, breaking up subjects into manageable chunks but not transitioning too quickly, from one subject to another.

Using others to help at this stage can really help – tutors, parents, peer-to-peer support or suchlike – positively reinforcing knowledge whilst also breaking up the seemingly endless hours of revision.

Beyond consolidation, I’d also recommend students refine their exam technique. Facing the pressure of timed exams is a different challenge altogether, requiring not only a deep understanding of the subject matter but also the ability to communicate that understanding effectively within a set timeframe.

Simulating exam conditions enables students to practise their skills, manage time efficiently and develop strategies to tackle different types of questions.

This can be done by asking a parent or friend to set a timer, perhaps setting a desk out as an exam desk and using a past paper to simulate the experience.

It’s essential to acknowledge that each learner, each young person is unique, with their own strengths and challenges. Guiding young people towards exams is no mean feat and can often be underestimated. Parents might fear it, siblings may dread it, however taking a step back to understand the individual needs of each young person and engaging them in conversation fosters a sense of confidence and empowerment, motivating our young people to push beyond their perceived limits.

I find that collaborative learning can help to alleviate the isolation many students feel during this period. Surrounded by peers who share similar challenges, students can form a support network that fosters motivation and a sense of camaraderie.

The students I work with are often seeking a boost to their predicted grades – they may have struggled with motivation or organisation throughout the academic year and/or need a way to alleviate the stresses associated with exam preparation. By addressing both internal and external pressures, my aspiration is to provide a supportive environment in which students can reduce stress and flourish. It’s not just about academic achievement; it’s about instilling confidence, fostering positive behaviours and a sense of purpose and determination as well as making firm friends. sherborne-international.org sherbornetimes.co.uk | 41

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

Welcome to Symondsbury Estate, set in the beautiful Dorset countryside just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast. Join us for lunch. Browse our shops.

Visit the gallery. Explore our fabulous walks and bike trails. Relax and unwind in our holiday accommodation. Celebrate your wedding day...

Upcoming Events & Workshops Willow Hare Workshop with Jo Sadler - Tuesday 19th March & Wednesday 20th March Willow Chicken Workshop with Jo Sadler - Wednesday 10th April Loosening Up With Watercolour with Terry Whitworth - Tuesday 23rd April +44 (0)1308 424116 symondsburyestate.co.uk Symondsbury Estate, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG

Science & Nature

Wirestock/iStock

DRAWN TO THE LIGHT Striped Hawk-moth, Hyles livornica

A

Gillian Nash

truly spectacular species, any sighting of a Striped Hawk-moth is certain to delight lepidopterists and observers lucky enough to find this rare immigrant species.

A large moth with a wingspan of up to 80mm combined with a vivid arrangement of stripes and fine white lines on a brown ground colour make it relatively easy to distinguish from other similar hawk-moths.

Revealed in flight, the abdomen has horizontal white bars, whilst the hindwings are also striped and have rose-pink markings.

Sometimes attracted to light at locations along the south coast, Striped Hawk-moths are known to arrive with other species of moths and butterflies from their native North Africa or the continent. Some years have seen significant numbers recorded in southwestern and southern Britain. Several larvae were found in

the Sherborne area following one such notable influx in 1943 but generally inland records are less likely.

Historic reports for 1862 and 1870 of individual adult moths are also documented from surrounding villages.

The large larvae are extremely variable with a combination of yellow speckling and white lateral dashes throughout the length of its dark green or black body. Open coastal areas are its preferred habitat where it feeds on a wide range of native plants including willowherb and bedstraw. It has occasionally been found in gardens feeding on fuchsia and other ornamental plants.

Most records of this rare visitor are from February to September. Although one generation from earlyyear migrants may breed here resulting in adult moths, the species appears unable to survive our winters in any life stage. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 43

Science & Nature

Nightjar 44 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

GROUND NESTING BIRDS Jack Clarke, Marketing and Communications Officer, Dorset Wildlife Trust

O

ur nature reserves offer a safe haven for wildlife and a place for people to connect with nature.

And quite often when exploring nature reserves people are joined by their beloved four-legged friends.

Walking your dog is a great form of exercise and can help achieve that important dose of nature therapy that we so often neglect. However, a dog’s naturally inquisitive nature can be extremely harmful to wildlife which can be highly sensitive to disturbance, particularly our ground nesting birds found across our heathland nature reserves.

One bird that takes advantage of our heathland during breeding season is the well-camouflaged nightjar. Famed for its distinctive ‘churring’ call at dusk, the nightjar arrives here in spring, travelling all the way from its wintering grounds in Africa. Usually breeding from May to August, nightjars lay their eggs directly on the ground instead of building a nest. Nightjar parents are easily flushed from their nests by even the friendliest of dogs, leaving their precious eggs and chicks vulnerable to predation. >

Image: David Tipling, 2020VISION sherbornetimes.co.uk | 45

Another ground-nesting bird is the secretive woodlark.

Favouring to nest on southern heathlands, the woodlark can be spotted using scattered trees as lookout posts.

A mostly resident bird, woodlarks nest within a grassy tussock or heather bush, often digging a shallow scrape in the ground, leaving them susceptible to disturbance.

The small, brown Dartford warbler is reliant on mature, dry heath habitats in the UK for both feeding and breeding. Vulnerable to cold weather and prolonged snow cover, the Dartford warbler also faces accidental disturbance. Their grassy, cup-shaped nests, in which they lay three to five eggs, are made under the protective cover of dense heather and compact gorse, making them hard to see and unfortunately, prone to accidental trampling.

At Dorset Wildlife Trust we manage multiple nature reserves with precious heathland, including Upton Heath, Higher Hyde Heath and Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath. The law states you must keep your dog on a lead no longer than two metres between the 1st March 46 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Woodlark

Image: Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hills Photography

Dartford warbler

Image: Chris Gomersall, 2020VISION

Science & Nature

and 31st July when on any open access land to protect ground-nesting birds. But we urge all visitors to keep their dogs on a short lead and stick to the pathways all year round to protect wildlife in all our nature reserves.

Find a heathland nature reserve to explore responsibly near you at dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves

• There are more than 3,000 breeding pairs of woodlark in the UK. • The Dartford warbler can have up to three broods from April to July.

• Nightjars have particularly long rictal bristles (whisker-like feathers) which scientists believe play a sensory role that helps them catch moths, flies and beetles in low light levels.

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Registered Charity No. 200222 sherbornetimes.co.uk | 47

Science & Nature

GREEN SPACE

Simon Ford, Land and Nature Adviser

I

n Dorset, we are lucky to have a number of sites which are rich in wildlife, from chalk downland to lowland heath and woodlands to sand dunes.

All of these sites are remnants of once much larger habitats, stretching over vast areas of the county. Many areas are now small ‘islands’, in a desert of intensive farmland or commercial forestry, where the animals and plants are hanging on, with little opportunity to spread or increase their populations.

Organisations, such as Dorset Wildlife Trust, National Trust, Woodland Trust, Butterfly Conservation and Natural England, along with some 48 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

private landowners are making great efforts to look after these sites and the species present. Some of the sites are recognised as being of particular importance for nature and have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or maybe of international importance, such as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Area (SPA). Others are of local importance and declared a County Wildlife Site.

The United Kingdom is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Almost 68 million people are living on these islands, making it the 21st most densely populated country on earth,

Donna White/Shutterstock

with England having many more people (about 57 million) than Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This places additional pressure on our wildlife, with demands for more food, houses, roads and infrastructure.

We are all well aware of the importance of getting out and reconnecting with nature. This might be on foot, bicycle, horse, with the dog or even on the boat. This is vitally important and hopefully means that people will want to protect this wonderful resource. However, in some areas, we may be loving a place to death.

Over the Christmas break, I had a walk on beautiful Fontmell and Melbury Down, south of Shaftesbury. This is one of the most important sites in Dorset for rare chalk plants, butterflies and birds.

As I drove there, I noticed yet more new housing development, spreading both sides of the A30.

At Fontmell Down car park, there was no space and cars were parked along the roadside. Almost everybody was walking their dog (including me).

The number of visitors to most sites is increasing each year, with problems such as sheep worrying, dog mess, ground-nesting bird disturbance, heathland fires and erosion being reported.

The problem has been recognised by the Government, with new regulation within planned development, known as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). This puts a requirement on developers to create more compensatory habitat than the land being built upon. This will need to be managed for nature for at least the next 35 years.

The other recent requirement is for the catchily named Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS). These sites aim to provide a green area for recreation and wildlife, to help to reduce the impact of people on nearby protected sites. These are often close to new housing developments and often on farmland, where people can go out and walk their dogs and play with the children in a less sensitive site. There is a good example of a SANGS next to a new riverside housing development on the Stour at Wimborne Minster. The hope is that these areas will be more convenient and help buffer our most special sites such as Fontmell Down or the Purbeck Heaths.

In Sherborne, we have seen a lot of new development but no additional green space for people or indeed nature. There are proposals for additional large housing estates to the north and west of the town, which if approved, will undoubtedly significantly increase pressure on one of the few open spaces in Sherborne at Lenthay Common as well as on wildlife in the area.

Personally, I would hope that if this is approved, significant areas of land are dedicated for wildlife and informal recreation and managed accordingly in perpetuity.

We could then see large areas of wildflower-rich grassland, woodlands, hedges, ponds, community orchards and places for the community to enjoy on our doorstep. sherbornetimes.co.uk | 49

Science & Nature

A NATIONAL PARK FOR DORSET Sandra Brown & Peter Neal

50 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Terry Yarrow/Shutterstock sherbornetimes.co.uk | 51

I

n late November 2023, the Government announced a number of environmental initiatives including asking Natural England to research options for a new National Park. The Government-appointed Glover Review of Landscapes had in its 2019 report recommended Dorset, the Chilterns and Cotswolds be seriously considered for National Park status.

We would surely all agree that Dorset has exceptional landscapes, biodiversity and cultural heritage, and offers a wide range of recreational opportunities both around the coast and inland. These are the key criteria Natural England will use in their analysis of areas that might be a future National Park.

We suggest that Dorset fully meets these criteria and is the outstanding candidate to be England’s next National Park.

Dorset CPRE wants to see as much of rural Dorset as meets Natural England’s designation criteria included in this National Park because of the benefits it will bring. What are these benefits?

Our environment is not immune to the crisis in nature that affects all of England. We must and can reverse this decline. Dartmoor National Park with 20% less area than the Dorset National Landscape (the new name for the Dorset AONB) receives 16 times the level of central Government core funding available to Dorset. Dorset could do a lot with such a level of central government support. National Parks are encouraged to work beyond their boundaries and all rural Dorset could benefit whether in or outside the National Park area.

Many of us understandably have concerns about proposals for major housing developments across the county. These are driven by central housing targets based on what Dorset CPRE considers to be a flawed national algorithm which exaggerates housing need in areas like Dorset. If Dorset Council wants to meet the central target but at the same time tries to protect the area within the Dorset National Landscape, then proposed developments are focussed on other areas, such as northeast of Dorchester and here in Sherborne.

But with a National Park, Dorset Council and the National Park can work together to assess local housing need and agree appropriate levels of housing for the Dorset Council area, and not be subject to central targets.

House prices are high in attractive areas such as Dorset. This makes it difficult to keep and attract young families in our local communities. The South Downs 52 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

National Park, which like Dorset is a working-farmed landscape, has shown how a Local Plan which includes truly affordable homes can lead to a higher percentage of young people, and more vibrant businesses in the creative economy, in the National Park than in surrounding areas. National Parks are under a duty to respond proactively to local housing needs and a Dorset National Park can work in partnership with the Dorset Council and local communities to pursue this.

The South Downs has also shown how a National Park can bring benefits and opportunities for business.

The internationally recognised National Park brand can, for example, help promote opportunities for businesses to market themselves and their products. A National Park could support higher skilled, better rewarded, yearround employment by encouraging higher value eco, heritage, cultural and dark skies tourism, benefitting Dorset’s outstanding heritage towns which are too often neglected by visitors who focus on the coastal hotspots.

Higher value tourism and other business opportunities, including in the high-tech, digital, creative and cultural economy, can help local communities in Dorset as they have in the South Downs.

A National Park would work in partnership with farmers and landowners, for example, to help access new ELMS farm funding which is based on delivering public benefit, for example through nature recovery, improving water quality, helping flood control and providing climate resilience through healthy soils, hedges and woodlands. A National Park can help farmers and other local businesses to promote local foods and products, and, as the South Downs National Park has shown, help farmers diversify with new business opportunities.

So a Dorset National Park would be good for our communities and businesses as well as for nature whether an area is inside or outside the National Park. There is widespread support for this exciting opportunity both locally and nationally. Dorset CPRE, for example, has long supported the proposal, along with many local town and parish councils, communities and societies. The Dorset National Park team looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with communities, supporters and all stakeholders, and with Natural England to help them in their assessment.

For further information, please visit the Dorset National Park website dorsetnationalpark.com where you can also sign up to be kept in touch with developments and express support.

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Science & Nature

GRIEF

Paula Carnell, Beekeeping Consultant, Writer and Speaker RHJPhtotos/Shutterstock

T

owards the end of last year, I started to think more about grief, inspired by being invited to visit a dear old friend during the last stages of his life before passing from a short battle with cancer.

The winter months are always a worrying time for beekeepers. If it’s cold and wet, the bees are tucked up inside their hives, sleeping or in a state of ‘torpor’.

We have to wait until the sun comes out and the temperatures rise at which point the bees will wake up and take cleansing flights. As they do not soil inside 54 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

their hives, they need these mild, dry spells to empty their bladders or to carry out the decomposing bodies of their sisters who have passed away since the last cleansing day.

Sometimes the queen dies or bees starve or disease gets the better of them and so the beekeeper grieves for the loss of their bees. As ‘farmers’ many people don’t understand or appreciate the feelings of loss that beekeepers experience – after all, you’re not losing a single animal or ‘pet’ but several thousand! Many

people on the loss of their bees give up beekeeping altogether, not able to cope with further losses.

I too have lost bees yet I’ve been able to take a different view. What if bees take a more Buddhist perspective on death, realising that they will be reincarnated? Or, if they are more practical, they believe that when they die, their bodies rot into the soil providing nutrients to the plants, which in turn feed their sisters and daughters. If we could step back and take a bigger perspective of our own mortality, would that ease the feelings of grief we experience, or worse, the universal fear we have of death altogether?

Before falling ill, I was as fearful of death as the next person, ignoring my mortality at all costs. I ignored my body’s cries for help and support, until it completely collapsed, causing me to think of nothing other than my health. After seven years bed- and wheelchair-bound, I can admit to many times when death felt like a better alternative. Interestingly, when these thoughts overwhelmed me, considering the details of how I could remove myself from a life of pain and misery, I was not physically able to do anything so drastic. Facing these thoughts, the repercussions of who would find me and what the consequences would be following my own death, I began to think about what I wanted or expected from life and how I contributed to others in ways I’d not previously considered.

As I recovered, the ultimate fear of taking any risks in my life was removed. I’d faced the worst-case scenario and decided that wasn’t too bad – for me anyway. I’ve been able to transfer this to bees, although not to the extent that I can happily kill them. You may wonder who would kill bees. Sadly, beekeepers are often taught to squish a growing queen in her cell to prevent swarming. Frames of drone larvae are also sacrificed in the name of healthy colonies. Other than beekeepers, anyone spraying their gardens or land is also contributing to the death of bees, lumping them into the category of ‘annoying pests’.

What I have begun to ponder, is do the bees grieve when their queen is killed or dies naturally?

I have noticed a different sound from the buzz of bees when they are queenless. To me, it sounds like a moaning, slow and sorrowful. I was discussing this with a friend of mine, a queen-rearing professor from Belgrade University. He is a natural beekeeper and speaks about and researches rearing local and native queens. He told me that Karl Von Frisch, the great

man who first discovered the waggle dance as a way of bees communicating, noticed that bees from different regions and countries danced with different dialects or languages. This blew my mind (as well as reminding me to finish reading my huge library of bee books).

I intuitively felt it would be upsetting for bees to be re-queened with a foreign bee. Often British bees are re-queened with Italian bees or ‘Buckfast bees’ bred in Denmark. Are we considering that the bees have just lost their mother – killed by the beekeeper – and then have a stepmother introduced from a different country?

No wonder beekeepers have spent years devising different ways to introduce a new queen without the hive destroying her.

Over the years I have lost bee colonies, mostly due to them being unsustainable – a late summer swarm that doesn’t grow in size sufficiently to sustain itself through the winter, or a failing queen, perhaps not able to lay eggs in the early spring, forcing the colony to die out. I also lost a colony when I neglected to tell them a neighbour had passed away. There is a longheld tradition of ‘telling the bees’ when major events happen. I was upset when my friendly neighbour passed away. I’d told one colony that may have remembered her and even covered the hive in a dark blue cloth. Another colony I didn’t tell. No particular reason, perhaps I thought they’d overheard me telling the first colony. Within a few days, the second colony was gone. A few dead bees by the entrance and not a soul inside. This was in July a few years ago.

Returning to my friend who passed prompted me to use grief as a theme for January’s podcast and this article. As I sat holding his hand a few days before and the evening before his passing, he shared how he felt he was ‘already in heaven’. His two adult children were taking care of him in his home with support from nurses and carers. He’d been able to tick off a few things on his bucket list and was looking forward to meeting up with his wife again who’d passed a few years ago. He shared how happy he was with the life he’d led, several happy decades, and to end it in his home surrounded by his loved ones. Although we all cried, and losing a friend is so hard, it was a great comfort to know he ended his days having said what needed to be said and felt surrounded by love. I am hoping that my bees feel the same as I hope for their survival through the wet winter weather. paulacarnell.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 55

History OBJECT OF THE MONTH

THE WASPS’ NEST Elisabeth Bletsoe, Curator, Sherborne Museum

W

e had the good fortune to be given a large historic wasps’ nest by a volunteer who found it in the roof space while renovating their house in Horsecastles.

Presenting it for display posed an unusual problem; a grant was generously awarded, however, by South West Museum Development, with support from Arts Council England, through which we could acquire advice, conservation and an exhibition case. Although wasps tend not to engender as much love as bees, I felt this was a good opportunity to transform feelings of fear and revulsion into those of curiosity and appreciation, leading to a deeper connection with the natural world and the experience of life on this planet.

There are thousands of wasp species, 7,000 of which occur in the United Kingdom; they are mostly solitary and relatively harmless. The iconic black and yellow social wasps, however, can form large colonies. Wasps play a vital ecological role and, as apex predators, their presence is an indicator that the ecosystem is in balance.

In the United Kingdom alone, wasps collectively capture 14 million kilograms of insect prey such as caterpillars and greenflies and in so doing can be considered the gardener’s friend. The adults feed insects to their larvae which then convert this protein-rich diet into sugary secretions that in turn sustain the adult. Once the larvae are grown, the adults must find other food sources, hence their attraction to human sugary snacks and drinks. Through visiting flowers in search of nectar, they effect cross-pollination and their importance to this function is only just now being understood. Many species of orchid, for example, are entirely reliant on wasps; they are also critical in pollinating figs.

Social wasps create a closed architectural nest from the process of maceration. Nests are composed 56 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

of thin scrapings of plant material or wood mixed with wasp saliva which breaks down the fibres to a pulp. It has been suggested that wasps’ nests originally inspired the invention of paper. You can often see signs of wasp activity on fences and garden furniture in the form of tiny white scratch marks. Our nest shows subtle gradations of colour, indicating the range of painted wooden materials used; it has also incorporated wisps of loft insulation. Neat hexagonal-shaped cells are visible; a super-efficient way to utilise space with minimum materials and resources.

The wasps possess a rudimentary computational ability in order to build this uniform structure, which has encouraged scientists to search for similar sustainable solutions in architecture.

The nest material contains hydrocarbons which form a scent that permanently transfers onto the outer cuticle of the wasp, which means they can always recognise the original location of their old nest even though they never re-use it. The nest also contains many beneficial bacteria that, when the structure naturally breaks down, play a role in maintaining soil fertility, nutrient recycling and bioremediation. So next time you go to swat a wasp, spare a thought for these little ‘ecosystem engineers’ and their miraculous building abilities. sherbornemuseum.co.uk The museum is open during winter hours throughout February and March: Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 10.30am-4.30pm. Admission is free though donations are welcome. The wasps’ nest will be on display in the natural history gallery.

Image: Kayleigh Spring, CMAS

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History

AN INTERESTING REED

E

Barbara Elsmore

arly man developed the natural resources he found around him to create items of use. One of the initial skills to be employed was the weaving of twigs, reeds or similar materials into receptacles. In this area, we are fortunate as the willow thrives in damp conditions and produces quick-growing and pliable material ideal for weaving. Areas dedicated to willow growing were shown as withy beds on old maps with one in Sherborne where the International College is today, with the stream that watered this suitable growing area now running underground. In time, extensive parts of Somerset would be given over to the growing, harvesting and supplying of the raw materials needed by the numerous basket makers living and working in the area.

Joseph Deacon was born in 1845 and would likely have learned his basketmaking skills at a young age. He married Kitty Lock in 1867 and seven daughters and three sons were born while the family lived in Longburton. The three sons joined their father in his trade. Later Joseph opened a shop in Westbury, a few doors away from the Digby Tap. In 1901 he was listed in the census as a basket manufacturer along with his 19-year-old son Joe. Meanwhile, his eldest son John had a shop in Bristol and his middle son Thomas worked in Nether Compton. Thomas’s son and grandson carried on the family tradition.

Basket makers were greatly in demand, not just to provide the everyday domestic items that we might be familiar with but there was also a need for baskets for the collection and transportation of various kinds of produce. Bushel baskets were made to a fixed set of dimensions by skilled basket makers and old photographs of Covent Garden Market give an idea of the huge number of these baskets that were relied upon to bring fruit and vegetables to customers. A full basket of apples would be known as a bushel with an overflowing basket said to contain a bushel and a peck – which puts some of us in mind of an old song!

Joseph Deacon is pictured sitting at a ‘low bench for field work’ where he would use his hard-won skills on the pliable withies to weave his baskets to set patterns and designs.

It was always deemed men’s work as it required long hours to obtain the necessary skills to be able to work quickly and efficiently together with the strength and endurance needed to sit day after day working away on the latest order. It wasn’t until the Second World War, with so many basket makers having been called up, that women were challenged to take on basketmaking via an appeal to the Women’s Institutes as hundreds of baskets were needed for the wartime potato harvests.

Today basket makers are still hard at work though the popular items being made now might surprise Joseph Deacon - with willow hampers for luxury goods, hot air balloon baskets and willow coffins all much in demand.

58 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Joseph Deacon at work

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 59

Antiques

ITALIAN THOROUGHBREDS

V

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

ariety is the spice of life, or so they say.

Recently, we were invited to look at a collection of classic motorcycles for a client in the West Country. He had spent some 60 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

time amassing his bike collection and was looking to thin out a few. As his interests in bikes have changed, he is looking to take a new collecting direction on two wheels.

1967 Ducati 160 £2,500-£3,000

"Honestly, this Ducati looks fast standing still"

Classic motorcycles he amassed predominantly relate to bikes from the 1950s onwards. Bikes from around the world are all well represented in the collection, but it was his Italian bikes from the 1950s and 1960s which have particularly caught my eye.

When you think of Italian thoroughbred cars, you usually think of them being painted red and it is the same for their bikes. Somehow, red makes them look racier, in my opinion, especially against many ‘50s or ‘60s British bikes which were generally painted black and could look somewhat drab in comparison.

Although there are no large capacity Italian bikes, most are sub 250cc, they are all beautifully presented. As you can imagine, when you have 50 bikes, you can only ride one at a time but with sensible mechanics and low tech by modern standards, a degree of re-commissioning will probably be needed for most which should be straightforward.

However, for many, classic bike or car ownership is a journey buyers want to take on.

Tinkering around with engines at the weekend and improving running is most rewarding, and usually, there is a friend or two who will help and offer advice. Failing this, there are plenty of marque-related clubs to be called upon and, of course, Google should everything else fail!

Going back to the bikes, the 1967 Ducati 160 is one I would like to take home. It is one of nearly 20 bikes we have been instructed to sell from his collection in our specialist classic and vintage motorcycle auction being held at the prestigious Haynes Motor Museum on 7th March.

Honestly, this Ducati looks fast standing still.

With its bright red paintwork, drop handlebars and a single seat it is nippy, pumping out some 10hp. Cruising will be in the region of 50-55mph and it will probably run out of power at 6570mph when allowed.

So maybe not as fast as it looks but speed is not everything. Sensibly estimated at £2,500-£3,000 in the auction it might well end up in another collection, to be looked at rather than ridden.

At this guide price, it looks great. But as usual with Mrs B, I can hear her telling me no already… charterhouse-auction.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 61

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Silver, Jewellery & Watches 1st February Antiques & Interiors 2nd February Medals, Coins & Stamps 29th February Classic Motorcycles at Haynes 7th March Classic Cars at Haynes 27th March Further entries invited

62 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

1936 Morgan Model F Sports in our 27th March Classic Car Auction

Contact Richard Bromell for advice on single items and complete house contents Valuations for Probate and Insurance

The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne DT9 3BS 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com

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

KATE TABOR Words Claire Bowman Photography Katharine Davies

T

here’s never a good time to come down with a grumbling appendix but while dressing a global superstar on a movie set 5,000 miles from home strikes me as particularly unfortunate.

‘We were working in Cuba for a month and I was fitting Rihanna into a really tight electric blue allin-one suit that I’d designed for Guava Island,’ says costume designer Kate Tabor, shuddering slightly at the memory. ‘I had a fever and the pain was excruciating. Rihanna was lovely – very friendly and down to earth – but it was a really scary time. I ended up being rushed to hospital.’ >

64 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 65

66 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Stressful situations, it seems, are par for the course for the Wincanton-based designer, who has dressed everyone from Björk to The Chemical Brothers, and who juggles a busy design career with raising her three-year-old daughter, Ruby. ‘Most of my jobs come in last minute,’ says Kate, who employs a small team of local seamstresses to alleviate some of the pressure. ‘For instance, yesterday I got a call from an LA producer working with the Australian band Empire of the Sun, asking if I could jump on a call that evening with LA, Canada and New Zealand. They wanted two really beautiful pieces for the band members and six mythical creature costumes for the dancers. I’ve got about three weeks to produce them.’

Chatting over a morning coffee in her Market Place studio space – a former electrical store in the centre of Wincanton, which in October became the venue for a month-long exhibition of her work – the view from the window is a million miles from sunny California.

Outside, January is doing its worst: passers-by wrestle with umbrellas and dart into coffee shops to take cover; cars spray up water from ever-deepening puddles; couriers make their deliveries in the driving rain. Inside, thankfully, it’s another story – light, bright and airy, the

studio has had a fresh coat of white paint and is filled with mesmerising costumes in colours to brighten even the greyest of days.

It would take a hardened person not to smile at the sight of the two giant pink Chemical Brothers costumes that greet you the moment you step through the door – a cross between the Michelin Man and a stack of giant Pringles. Or not to be intrigued by the four stretchy fuchsia pink costumes covered variously with triangles, balls and squares that stand imposingly on a nearby plinth. (‘They were worn by the backing dancers on The Chemical Brothers video – the shapes are balls and sections of guttering under the fabric,’ reveals Kate, with a knowing smile.) Meanwhile, a towering straw costume makes for a commanding window display. ‘It’s going up to London next week for a music video for a hip hop artist, but I just popped it in the window in the meantime,’ she adds, crediting local thatcher, Richard Wright, for the materials and telling me she has yet to trim it properly down to size. ‘I’ve never had a shop window before. It’s really fun.’

The magic happens out of sight however, in a space to the rear of the studio where the sewing machines are to be found and designs are mood-boarded, sketched > sherbornetimes.co.uk | 67

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70 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

out by illustrator Daisy Flanagan for client approval before being brought ingeniously to life. Kate shows me a work-in-progress on the cutting pattern table – a rabbit’s head costume, modelled from cardboard, awaiting its papier mâché covering beside a pile of old newspapers and bottles of glue. Then there’s her all-time favourite piece, a stunning wide-brimmed chartreuse green hat with a fringe that reaches the floor. As with every piece she designs, it turns into something else entirely when it moves.

‘My pieces become a changing form through movement,’ explains Kate. ‘A lot of costume designs restrict movement but I’ve worked out ways of being able to move in them. I really love making people wonder what they are or how they’re made. A lot of my inspiration comes from the bold simple forms in interiors and architecture, as well as shapes from nature.

I’m always looking at images of coral reefs.’

A former pupil at Ansford in Castle Cary and Strode College in Street, Kate enrolled on a fashion pattern cutting course at the London College of Fashion before completing a BA in Costume Design and Interpretation at Wimbledon College of Art. ‘The course was very practical and theatre-based. We made a lot of historical costumes and covered everything from corsetry to millinery. I loved it – we got to learn every technique you could ever imagine,’ she says.

Her big break came early in her career, aged 23, while working as an assistant stylist on an Adidas shoot.

‘I fell into conversation with Adam Smith, who is one of the show directors for The Chemical Brothers and told him all about how I was making things. He said he wanted to take the band to another level of costume and it snowballed from there.’

Nine years on and having relocated back home to Somerset from London during lockdown, Kate designs for some of the biggest names in the music industry including Kylie Minogue and Katy Perry. But it is for the Irish musician Róisín Murphy, one half of the former pop duo Moloko, that Kate reserves her highest praise. ‘For me, it’s a dream for Róisín to wear my costumes because she’s got such great energy. She is up for whatever I design and she is an amazing dancer, which is wonderful because a lot of my costumes need to be moved in. I made a wiggly red piece for her last year that is quite mad but she loves it.’

A keen dancer herself growing up, Kate’s overriding ambition for the year ahead is to design for ballet. ‘I know an amazing choreographer and dancer in Paris who I’m going to work with and make a few costumes,’ she says, with the determination of someone you know will absolutely see it through. ‘I’m going to approach anybody and everybody.’

It is precisely this can-do spirit that has got her to where she is today, with commissions coming steady and strong from the most unlikely of places. ‘My friends are, like, “How on earth do you constantly find people wanting weird costumes, Kate?” Sometimes I have freak-outs because what I do is pretty niche but I’ve been really lucky that the work keeps coming,’ she says, stretching for the nearest piece of wood to touch.

‘But I’ve also worked incredibly hard. I’ve done a lot of all-nighters.’

After last night’s call with LA, something tells me there are more to come. katetabor.com katetabor sherbornetimes.co.uk | 71

Get ready for Spring

With Spring in sight, it’s time to lay the foundations for many happy months of gardening ahead.

Green fingers can be put to work chitting seed potatoes, sowing seeds and planting summer flowering bulbs and plug plants. If you have more time, then tidying, composting and sprucing up the greenhouse will get you ahead of the game.

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

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You can pick up your seeds, bulbs, pots and gardening equipment 7 days a week.

01935 814633

Crafting quality timber buildings and gates since 1912 Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LH Tel: (01963) 440414 | Email: info@sparkford.com | @sparkfordtimber | www.sparkford.com 72 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

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Gardening

IT’S IN THE SOIL

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

O

rganic gardeners are looked after by an organisation called the Soil Association. There is no mention of organic in that title but what they believe is that by looking after the soil, the soil will look after your plants.

To start the process, almost all soils, and especially most of those we find locally such as those clay-based and with underlying chalk, will benefit from the addition of humus. Humus is fibrous matter which comes from broken-down plant material. Useful forms include well-rotted farm manure, composted bark and your own garden compost.

74 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

It can be applied by digging it into the soil where it will open the structure allowing air to penetrate, also creating spaces for plant roots to find a way through and where moisture can percolate. It will also provide long-term nutrients as it breaks down and will be a home for many soil organisms that are vital for soil fertility.

The problem with digging is that it may in fact damage the soil as it is being carried out. The rule that I use is that if your boots start to get several times larger as you are digging then the soil is too wet and more damage is being caused. So, stop and have a cup of tea.

cjp/iStock

"The problem with digging is that it may in fact damage the soil"

Alternatively, if you really need to get on, cover the area that is being dug with a two-to-three-inch depth of compost and stand on that as you dig. If you are keeping clean, then the soil is being improved.

Just the simple addition of a layer of humus to the surface of the soil will help in soil improvement.

Mulching, as it is known, does this in several ways; firstly, the layer will keep the soil warmer both as an insulator but also as it biodegrades it gives off heat, secondly by reducing weed growth, thirdly by acting as a physical barrier from the often torrential rain that is a feature of recent weather patterns. Direct impact of powerful raindrops onto bare soil can cause soil damage and the erosion of the best soil in your garden. A mulch softens this. Once in the soil, the moisture will be conserved in the summer by the layer of mulch. Finally, as the material breaks down it will become incorporated into the soil naturally by soil bacteria, fungi and microorganisms, plus larger friends such as earthworms and woodlice.

So, no digging is required and a further advantage of such a strategy is that we, and I realise that most of you will be of a more delicate build than me, are perhaps the worst enemy of quality soils as we trudge around the garden squashing it down as we go!

Whereas the addition of compost will help the structure and long-term nutrients, readily available nutrients may need to be added to replace those lost in the winter rains. Slow-release fertilisers are far better for this, especially at the start of the season. I like using traditional or organic forms such as Fish, Blood and Bone and pelleted chicken manure as these will provide readily available nutrients as well as break down slowly providing longer-term food for plants.

Keep an eye out for foliage looking pale and washed out as it probably indicates nutrient shortage.

Sometimes this will be simply a lack of nitrogen, which is easily solved, but it also could be the shortage of a minor nutrient or trace element. These are available separately but the problem can often be solved by the use of a foliar feed of perhaps a Maxicrop seaweedbased organic fertiliser. I also like to use the seaweed Ericaceous fertiliser which will provide a range of nutrients that often go missing from our soils. This is useful for many garden plants, not just acid lovers.

Look after the soil and the soil will look after your plants – and if your plants are happy, you could well be happy too! thegardensgroup.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 75

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Home

SHADES OF PALE

Annabelle Hunt, Bridport Timber, Colour Consultant

I

f you have ever spent any time at all agonising over paint charts you will know that every paint manufacturer has multiple versions of each colour.

Each one a subtle variation of the same colour, the smallest shift in shade or tone separating it from its neighbour. By sticking to just one ‘colour family’ you can create a sense of harmony and continuity in a space, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the result will be dull.

When using a restricted colour scheme, in order to add depth to a space you have to be creative. Mixing matt with glossy finishes is a great way to add layers of interest. A good way to bounce a little light around a poorly lit space is to use one shade in a gloss finish for woodwork, a practical emulsion on your walls and a softer, flat finish for plasterwork and ceiling. The key is to resist thinking in terms of simply a wall colour with white trim but use several shades to build a more tonal scheme. The effect will feel refined and elegant.

Often, the simplest way to begin planning a redecorating project is to start with a neutral palette or ‘family’ to which stronger tones and accents can be added.

This creates an effortless sense of flow and continuity as we move from room to room. Choosing a ‘white’ is not as simple as it may seem though. Whilst it may appear effortless, every shade has to be carefully chosen.

Not all whites will work in every room as they reflect the light and other colours within the space. You may spot the perfect white paint on Instagram, in a friend’s home or in the shop, only to find it looks completely different on your wall at home. This sensitivity is exactly where Farrow & Ball whites come into their own. With their extraordinary response to light, delicately shifting throughout the day, Farrow & Ball whites are never just white. You may originally be drawn to a warm white but in your space, a cooler one with hints of grey may read exactly right. You just have to be patient and keep sampling until you discover the perfect shade.

For example, if you are looking for a clean white which is neither too warm nor too cool, All White is reminiscent of crisp table linen, whereas Wimborne White is a classic creamy white with just a hint of warming yellow pigment. If a white with a more modern feel is required, Strong White has a softness 78 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

which brings to mind soft white plaster.

Grey has recently seen something of a decline in its popularity but this doesn’t mean that it should be completely written off. Greys needn’t be cold and flat; some are warm and others are more traditional in feel.

A mix of cool and warm greys used alongside lighter neutrals and stronger more pigmented colours are good for creating a soft, relaxed feel. A warm, soft weathered grey such as Ammonite is a useful neutral light grey, or for a cooler, pale mist grey consider blue-based Blackened. Deeper in tone and named after the fine wool fabric, Worsted has an underlying warmth which creates a wonderful sense of cosiness.

Blue is possibly the colour that people most often misjudge. It has a tendency to build in intensity when used across a large area and what appears to be a pretty, fresh blue on the colour card can feel overwhelming and sometimes a little chilly. So often it is the more muddied colours which have the most sophistication and the advice I always give is to try a blue which looks less obviously blue on the page. Borrowed Light is the softest of blues and results in a beautiful aerial atmosphere. For a less obviously blue room Light Blue has a large dose of grey pigment, which lends it an ethereal quality as it shifts from soft blue to silvery grey as the light changes. Towards the darker end of the scale, De Nimes is a familiar and comfortable denim blue, which creates a settled sense of calm while deeper still, Hague Blue with its shifting blue-green depths always looks stunning.

Even the most considered colour scheme needs a little drama to really bring it to life and this is where the accent colour comes in. Blue-black Railings or the rich purple undertones of Paean Black bring elegance, whilst the softer Green Smoke is an atmospheric deep blue-green. India Yellow, with its timeless gold tones, is a perfect way to add a punch to an otherwise muted room.

It is important to have time to live with colour schemes, to mull over, to edit and refine. As with anything that we wish to stand the test of time, these things don’t like to be rushed. bridporttimber.co.uk

James White No. 2010 Modern Emulsion sherbornetimes.co.uk | 79

Home

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS James Weston, Co-Owner, GP Weston

Image: Katharine Davies

A

t the start and end of every year, all the national estate agents and economists make their predictions for the property market for the year ahead. As a small, local, independent, I thought, why should we be any different? However, I will try to be different by adding some reasons behind my ‘finger in the air’ estimate.

The background to the property market in 2024 is a general election (which always interrupts the property market as people wait to see who wins), likely to be in the autumn, and better than expected economic news at the tail end of 2023 and the start of 2024.

As an agent of over 20 years, this is the 3rd cycle of the property market I have seen. Still, I also like my stats and data so I have looked further back and, as a rule of thumb, the market goes up for 7-8 years, with 80 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

the odd pause, then down for 2-3 years.

The reasons for the downturns can vary but the reason for the uplift is always the same: a supply and demand imbalance. Note, I am not talking about how fast or slow the market rises, as that can vary due to economic factors like the decade of cheap debt or a good/poor job market.

It is tough to separate the trigger and the subsequent driver of the market upturn. Initially, it is the buyers who have been waiting for two years that decide affordability and circumstances are now right and start to buy. The press then starts to pick up on this and the subsequent positive reporting drives more buyers, keen to buy at the bottom, into the market.

So my prediction for 2024 is no movement in price, either up or down, a slightly increased level

of transactions between now and the summer, and a quieter market after the summer, so fewer transactions overall. 2025, however, will be when the market takes off !

We are already seeing reports from the property portals saying that more sellers are listing their properties, and more buyers are registering. We are also getting positive press about mortgage rates being the lowest in 7 months, inflation falling further than expected and a strong job market with solid wage growth. So, while starting from a low point, activity should pick up at the start of the year until the summer.

If you want to move in 2024, our advice is to get going ASAP! Many people think they should wait until Easter for the daffodils and plants to come out.

Still, truth be told, the garden is less important to buyers than I always thought. For many, it is a burden; anything too large is either more maintenance or an extra cost if a gardener is required. The exception to this is if you have a house and garden ideal for retirees. Then maybe wait until the spring as mortgages less encumber retirees and they move due to their stage in life, which won’t change whoever wins the election.

The London market starts immediately after the New Year, with many would-be movers to the country then having to wait for the country market to wake up. Our advice is to be ahead of the crowd and have your pick of the crop rather than competing with more sellers later in the spring.

Turning our heads towards the election in the second half of the year, we haven’t heard the various parties’ manifestos yet. Still, we know that Labour has promised to make private schools pay the 20% VAT they are currently exempt from. In our neck of the woods, we are fortunate to have many good private schools, which may become more expensive should Labour win, thereby driving families struggling to pay school fees anyway into the catchment zones of good state schools! Something to think about if you are looking to sell your home right next to that Ofsted outstanding-rated school.

In terms of each party’s comments on housing in recent times, both plan to help tenants, aim to increase house building and neither wants to tax the wealthy more. Labour has been a little more forthright in discouraging holiday homes and 2nd properties but that shouldn’t significantly affect the local market here.

With over 20 years experience in the property market, we are passionate about helping you achieve your property goals.

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gpweston.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 81

Brunch, light lunches, coffee, cakes & Pastries Open 9:30am - 4pm Monday - Saturday Sherborne DT9 4JX Call 01935 815040 to book a table or just pop in

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82 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

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Food and Drink

MAKING THE CONNECTION

I

Sandra Miller BSc, MSc, BCNH Dip, FDN-P, Wholistic Health

still remember the moment, nearly 20 years ago now, when I was standing in a supermarket aisle locked in indecision…about chocolate! I was comparing the prices of standard with fairtrade, organic bars where the latter cost considerably more than the former. Eventually, I decided it came down to whether I begrudged some poorly-paid chocolate farmer in a far-off hot country a decent wage or whether I would be prepared to spend more on my chocolate purchase and have less of it to make our shopping budget work.

Since then I have learnt more about the pesticides that typically lurk in chocolate which is not grown organically. Chocolate can joyously be considered a health food due to its high polyphenol content. It saddens me that the pesticides in conventionally farmed products detract from these wholesome credentials. I am also concerned for the farmers who must handle the pesticides used on the chocolate bean crops. And what of intensive farming methods which reduce the fertility of the land in the long term and negatively affect the local ecosystem?

It is genuinely hard to appreciate the impact of our food shopping choices when we are so far removed from witnessing the consequences of those choices.

However, there is an interconnectedness which is inescapable if we choose to look.

This is one reason I enjoyed watching the highs and lows of farming on Diddly Squat Farm, owned by Jeremy Clarkson. Jeremy may hold many views I cannot share but he has successfully raised the profile of some of the common concerns beset by farmers across our land. The way systems and bureaucracy conspire against these incredibly hard-working folk, whose business success is constantly at the mercy of the weather. People who feed the nation really ought to be supported to the hilt in such a worthy endeavour.

So it was with some trepidation and curiosity that I asked Emma from Woodbridge Farm, found on the main road between Sherborne and Sturminster Newton, 84 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

what she had thought of Jeremy Clarkson’s TV series.

We met at her attractive pop-up farm shop where she, like Clarkson, appeared to be doing one of the things recommended to farmers by the government which is diversification of business. Had she felt the same way about the series that I had or had I succumbed to a media representation of something and been misled? It turned out that she and I felt similarly that it had raised some important specific issues around the challenges that farmers face. It also gave insight into why farmers like her and her family continue despite the challenges.

In one memorable episode, Jeremy describes that in all his life, with all the wealth of experiences he has

Media Lens King/Shutterstock

had access to, nothing compares to his overwhelming sense of joy and contentment of working the land. It’s evident on his face as he says so. And suddenly, despite everything, I can relate to him. It’s not been in my gift to ‘try everything’ but I do know the contentment of being outdoors, breathing in nature and feeling like there’s no place I’d rather be. My belief in the interconnectedness of all living things with each other and our earth reinforces this. It inspires me to support farmers (one of whom I can now say is a friend) and never take for granted my own connection with the land, even if my regular experience of it is simply a country walk.

When I support the idea of eating as much

unprocessed food as possible, there are massive and diverse implications underpinning that apparently simple idea. I’ve heard it said that we can make a 1% change on one day and it might not appear to have much effect on the day in question. However, repeated choices in favour of that 1% change add up over time and can take us to places very far removed from where we started. The effects of small choices in favour of natural foods, seasonally and locally produced, for us, for our families, for our environment and local economy, become significant over time. I try not to forget that. wholistichealth.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 85

Food and Drink

RICOTTA AND COURGETTE RAVIOLI Tom Matkevich, The Green Alleko/iStock

I

f you have never tried homemade fresh pasta, do give this recipe a go – it really is worth the effort.

Many pasta shapes have a reputation for being highly intricate and fiddly but these ravioli really are quite easy to make as long as you keep your work service clean and well dusted with flour. It works nicely as a starter or an accompaniment to whatever you like.

3 4

Serves 4 as a starter or side Ingredients:

2 medium courgettes 100g ricotta 5g fresh basil, finely chopped Pasta dough to serve 4 1 egg yolk, beaten 1 garlic clove, minced 1 spring onion, finely sliced Olive oil Salt and freshly cracked black pepper Method:

1

Cut the courgettes into strips around ½ cm thick and then into cubes.

2 Place a large frying pan or wok on a high heat and 86 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

5

6

add a generous glug of olive oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the courgette and a pinch of salt and sauté for 4-6 minutes. When softened and coloured slightly, place into a mixing bowl with the chopped basil and let cool completely.

Add the ricotta and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix well and season with salt to taste.

Roll the pasta dough using a pasta machine into thin sheets using a good dusting of extra flour. Place heaped tablespoons of the courgette mixture with even spaces on one pasta sheet. Brush the egg yolk around the filling using a pastry brush and place a second pasta sheet on top. Carefully press the sheets together around the filling, removing any air pockets. Using a cutter or roller, cut out into round or square ravioli.

Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Gently place the ravioli into the water to cook for 2 minutes.

Carefully strain the ravioli and return to the saucepan, off the heat. Add the garlic, spring onion and 2 tbsp of olive oil and gently toss the ravioli to coat. Serve immediately.

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Food and Drink

Image: Katharine Davies 88 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones

BLUEBERRY, CHOCOLATE CHIP AND PECAN MUFFINS

T

his is a healthy Valentine’s Day treat – well, it contains chocolate. In my book Val Stones The Cake Whisperer! I included a couple of muffin recipes and still continue to develop them.

This latest recipe has come about as my osteoporosis continues to affect me negatively – my bones do not absorb calcium in the same way as they did when I was younger. I took a recipe from my book for blueberry muffins and changed the ratio of ingredients to include more calcium by adding spelt flour, oats and pecans – all good sources of calcium, vitamins and minerals. I have cut down on the sugar content as the chocolate, blueberries and maple syrup add a lot of sweetness. If you need to be nut-free, simply leave out the nuts and add more blueberries. These make a good on-the-run breakfast or lunch.

Method

1 2 3 4

What you will need

A 12-hole muffin pan 12 tulip muffin cases

5

Ingredients

6

100g unsalted butter 100g plain flour 100g spelt wheat flour 90g porridge oats plus a little extra for scattering 90g caster sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder 4 tablespoons maple syrup 3 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten 100ml whole milk 50ml Greek yoghurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 200g fresh blueberries 100g milk chocolate chips or dark if preferred 100g pecans, chopped small

7

8

9

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6 Line or grease a 12-hole baking tin.

Melt the butter and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the 2 flours, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.

In a jug, whisk together the eggs, milk, yoghurt, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted butter until well combined.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined then fold in the blueberries, chocolate chips and pecans.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases (approximately 95g in each case) and sprinkle a little oats on the top of each muffin.

Bake for 20 minutes and test after 15 to 18 minutes.

They should be well-risen and golden, and a cocktail stick inserted in the centre should come out clean. You can also listen to them when baked – they should be almost silent.

Allow them to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then lift out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. These will keep for 3-4 days and can be frozen for 2 months.

bakerval.com

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 89

Food and Drink

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

Image: Katharine Davies 90 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

W

e are finally over the hump of the shortest day and looking forward to better times to come, to spring and long summer days.

You have to think like this in farming otherwise you just can’t do it. Already the evenings are slightly lengthening, every extra minute a hard-won bonus. As I write the east winds are blowing outside fiercely – they don’t blow round you they just blow through you! I have just come in from hiding in our polytunnel, where I have been potting-on a myriad of lavender plants, cleaning them up and watering them from underneath. Some I seem to have let get too dry and I wonder if they will recover.

I’m getting it tidy in there too with raised beds built with heavy old gnarly railway sleepers having a new lease of life with us. What stories they could tell of years gone by. My back is still complaining about this pre-Christmas job. I wake in the morning with the feeling of seeing into the future what life might (will) be like as I’m bent double, struggling to get my socks on, then, as I start to feed the pigs, it miraculously eases away and the pain is no more.

It seems that pig feeding is good for me – who knew?!

If anyone else would like to try the pig-feeding bad back cure, our rates are very competitive!

Today though the pigs have been huddled in their houses, they have built high walls of fluffy straw up in the doorways to stop the freezing wind howling through. They lie restlessly inside, constantly wriggling and changing places. Their long winter hair and thick layer of fat keep them warm and cosy, not to mention the incredible body heat they generate. When the weather is cold like this it’s one of the only times I can get to the feed troughs before them – today they took a bit of coaxing out for their breakfast. We have lots of cheeky piglets just old enough to be starting to eat their mother’s food, but not today. They stayed hidden in deep straw, buried so completely that I panicked that they were not there until I focused and saw the straw

moving ever so slightly. One little group have been having the time of their lives escaping under the electric fence and heading off all over the place. One minute they are running crazily in a gang one way then I look two minutes later and they are on the other side of the paddock. It’s incredible how soon they start this, how feral they become and how difficult it is to stop this bad behavior, but a brief respite today!

We have been closed to the public for a few weeks, spending our time making plans for the coming year.

Every year I promise Charlotte, ‘That’s it. We have done everything we need to for a while.’ But of course, it’s never like that. It seems we can never stand still so plans are afoot for the future. It’s probably the part of our business I like best, creating, building and making.

Speaking of building, we have the very exciting prospect of starting to build our own house – hopefully, this year will see us start it. I am going to build it for us – it’s been 5 years since I last built a house so I will have to remember how to do it! I can’t wait!

We are going to extend our lavender plantings, with many new varieties added to the fold. More purple can only be good for us all and imagine how happy the bees and butterflies will be. Other exciting things are going to happen but they are still evolving so you will notice them over the next few months.

So, hopefully it will be another exciting year here on the farm, interspersed with extremely hard work, long hours, aching muscles and the general headaches of running your own business. Oh and don’t forget soon the snowdrops will be pushing through the frozen ground to nod their dainty heads towards us and the primroses will follow. Can you tell I can’t wait to say goodbye to winter? Not quite there yet but we can dream and sometimes dreams do come true. thestorypig.co.uk

Corton Denham

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Open 7 days a week www.thequeensarms.com | info@thequeensarms.com | 01963 220317 sherbornetimes.co.uk | 91

Food and Drink

LIQUID FIRE David Copp

Bunnahabhain Distillery, Isle of Islay

I

n the days when I used to travel the world selling Scotch whisky, I remember being asked by our importer in Cairo, what Islam’s greatest gift is to the world. ‘The faith of the Koran,’ I answered promptly.

Then, remembering that my daughter was studying Arabic, I added, ‘and the Arab language.’ Yet the answer given to me was that the Arabs introduced the art of distilling wine to make a ‘burned spirit’ most widely known as brandy which is the shorter version of the Dutch word brandewyn. What is more, Arab political and trading skills made the drink popular in the cooler climates of northern Europe.

Most monastic communities produced communion 92 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

wine. In abundant vintages, they heated excess production to reduce the amount of storage space required then added medicinal herbs from their monastery gardens. They found that they could produce potations which were useful in reducing or getting rid of winter ailments such as the common cold. In the modern world, we tend to rely on our local chemist to help rid us of winter colds. However, I believe there is a lot to be said for having a wee tot of whisky or a nip of brandy to help you sleep soundly.

My own favourites are Highland and Island malts.

I have a particular liking for Glenmorangie, a pure Highland malt distilled in Tain, opposite the Royal

THE CLOCKSPIRE

For leading ladies...

Our incredible Sunday Roast menu is bursting with appetising starters and mouthwatering, slow-cooked cuts. It’s nearly as good as mum’s homecooked roast, but prepared by us with love this Mother’s Day. Or, treat your leading lady to our Classic Afternoon Tea, served weekends between 2 and 4pm.

Taking bookings now for Mothering Sunday on 10th March

Early Easter joy!

Niall MacTaggart/Shutterstock

Hotel where I stayed when meeting with my boss at nearby Invergordon. I also got to know and like Bowmore – the more peaty Islay Malt then owned by the Morrison family.

Later in life, I did some consultancy work for a West Indian rum distillery and was pleasantly surprised by how well I took to good rum.

Enough of my personal favourites however, there are so many excellent ‘nightcaps’ and I am sure you will have your preference. I would mention however, that a wee drop of pure water mixed with a mature spirit will expand its flavours, sweeten your dreams and help your favourite bottle last the winter.

And don’t forget! Easter arrives early this year. Hop to The Clockspire with friends and family and share in the season’s bounty, crafted with skill by our talented team.

We can’t wait to see you.

Scan me to find out more about The Clockspire

Join our mailing list for the latest news and events from The Clockspire

01963 251458 www.theclockspire.com Gainsborough, Milborne Port, Sherborne DT9 5BA sherbornetimes.co.uk | 93

Pet, Equine & Farm Animals

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

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

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

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94 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Friars Moor Livestock Health Closworth Branch, open now at Hamish’s café. 9am-3pm Monday-Friday.

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sherbornetimes.co.uk | 95

Animal Care

A QUESTION OF BALANCE Mark Newton-Clarke MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons

W

inter has its compensations. The evening light in Northern Europe is quite special and I, like many people, walk at dusk to experience that time of day. There’s also a transparency to the countryside with bare trees revealing views not seen during leafier seasons. Then there’s the old saying, ‘If winter is here, spring cannot be far behind.’ Just as well, as life is a delicate balancing act for wild animals trying to survive the cold months. Tragically, not just wildlife, as many displaced humans will struggle too, due to the violent imbalance in global geopolitics caused by armed conflict.

Balance is important in all our lives and vets are no exception, although many in the profession have struggled to achieve it on a personal level. There have been significant improvements over the years with a four-day (but 40-hour) working week, less on-call at 96 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

nights and weekends and even lunch breaks most days.

Luxury! A far cry from the 24/7 job of a few years ago, although at the time I relished the experience and thrived on it. Until, that is, a friend suggested my life needed a better balance!

Each consultation is a balancing act of sorts. The dynamics of the 15-minute meeting vary according to the nature of the medical problem, the patient’s temperament and their owner’s level of concern. And it can all change in a second, hopefully for the better but occasionally for the worse. I had examples of both on the same day just a few weeks ago.

One of the great pleasures of my job is seeing puppies who come to the clinic with their new owners, for examination and vaccination. While puppy is having a snuggle with me and biting my beard, I check out the body systems and anatomy and then listen to the

Andresr/iStock

heart. All may be fine up to that point but hearing a loud heart murmur (an abnormal sound produced by excessive blood turbulence) puts a very different stamp on the consultation. The balance changes in an instant.

Although common in older dogs, heart murmurs in the very young often signal a congenital defect, present from before birth. It is, of course, my responsibility to tell the owner what I suspect and I reckon this is one of the trickiest conversations to have. The problem is, of course, any abnormality I detect in a young animal is massively unwelcome but may not be a disaster. After all, few of us are perfect! However, the moment the words ‘heart defect’ have been said, it’s understandably difficult for the worried owner to concentrate on anything else I might say. Now, vets of my generation had no training in communication skills, we developed what we could from trial and

error, taking our cues from an owner’s reaction to our words. So striking the right balance between concern and reassurance is not easy, made harder by uncertainty of the exact nature of the problem. Heart murmurs may be detected by the stethoscope but the cause is diagnosed with an ultrasound scan (an echocardiogram), clearly not something that can be done during the course of a consultation.

Although well-practised in the art of echocardiography, we often use specialist cardiologists for the more difficult cases as prognosis can depend on the fine detail. The commonest congenital heart defect in dogs is narrowing (stenosis) of the pulmonary artery, the vessel taking blood from the heart to the lungs. Severity and hence prognosis varies according to the degree of stenosis and its position, as you might expect. Some cases need little or no treatment and others can have the artery dilated with a balloon that is inflated at the narrowing, a very clever technique called balloon angioplasty. All this needs to be explained to the traumatised owner in an effort to balance the bad news with the prospect of effective treatment. Like I said, this is a tricky conversation but I always make the point that one of Portia’s great Labrador buddies, Tatty, had exactly this defect and is happily running around Nether Compton 9 years later.

As for unexpected good news, always more welcome, that came in the form of a big, middle-aged male pussy cat called Mousa. Poor Mousa had been visiting his litter tray repeatedly without managing to pass more than a dribble of blood-stained urine, a clear indication of a problem in the waterworks department. The vast majority of cases like Mousa have either a stress-induced cystitis or an obstructed urethra, the former being a painful nuisance that responds to medical treatment but the latter a life-threatening emergency that requires expensive and intensive care. Another potentially tricky conversation coming up, I was thinking, as I gently probed Mousa’s rather large abdomen. The critical factor in this condition is the state of the bladder; if full, tense and painful, it’s an obstruction. If empty, it’s cystitis.

Lucky for Mousa, his bladder was empty and his owner could clearly detect my relief as I started talking about diet, stress-reducing strategies and analgesia. I think all three of us left the consultation room with smiles wide enough for a Cheshire cat. At least some balance was restored in that working day… newtonclarkevet.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 97

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WE CAN SEE

A BEAUTIFUL

FUTURE AHEAD

Our renovations are well underway, the Balfour Beauty Centre has now officially taken The Sanctuary name, and by the end of this month, we will have closed our doors at Cheap Street, and will all be together under one big beautiful roof at No. 1 Swan Yard.

We believe we’re stronger together than apart, and this move will bring both our teams, and all of their incredible expertise and beauty wisdom together. And as a leading Clarins and Dermalogica salon, it opens up a world of skincare, beauty & wellbeing options for all our clients.

With our expansion into the adjacent building, we’re creating five additional treatment rooms that are spacious yet intimate and cocooning, with room for everything that both salons offer currently + some new treatments that we can’t wait to share with you.

Follow along on our socials for more news and updates!

ntil just u d the en of Feb!

8A CHEAP STREET | 01935 815085

&

N O. 1 S WA N YA R D | 0 1 9 3 5 8 1 6 1 7 7

T H E S A N C T U A RY S H E R B O R N E . C O. U K

Body & Mind

FIRM PLANS

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms and The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre

C

ollagen is a major protein in our skin and bodies and gives us the lovely springiness to our skin.

We need to maintain our collagen level to delay the visible signs of ageing, namely ‘the sag’. Collagen is a key protein for strength and elasticity to support the skin in its general functioning. It’s a fibrous protein that gives structural support and defines contours.

Skin health-savvy have a particular interest in preserving their skin’s integrity. Prejuvenation is a relatively new term to describe fending off the signs of ageing as soon as possible. The recognition that the more you do for your skin earlier, the slower you will experience the onset of skin ageing. Some in their twenties deal with ageing by plumping with fillers and freezing areas so as not to create wrinkles at all. I prefer to feed the skin from within and from the outside with supportive non-surgical and collagen-enhancing 100 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

treatments to age more slowly and naturally.

The key to maintaining our skin health is safeguarding our natural collagen which our bodies produce less of from our mid-twenties. Type 1 collagen makes up 80-85% of our dermis and the main integrity of skin with fibres that are strong and densely packed.

They give resistance and movement to the skin as the fibres are arranged in an interwoven pattern to help the skin withstand mechanical stress. Collagen type 3 makes up around 10-15% of our skin collagen – these are much more delicate and loosely packed and often referred to as baby collagen because collagen type 3 is abundant in infants. It makes our skin soft and supple and gives the bounce of youth. These fibres also help in the early stages of wound healing and build the scaffolding of new skin when a wound heals.

It is the combination of type 1 and type 3 that

Fizkes/Shutterstock

together helps skin maintain its resilience. The continued manufacture and strength of our collagen are affected by the levels of negative intrinsic and extrinsic factors that steal our collagen. UV exposure activates

free radicals to attack our skin and poor or high-sugar diets feed into the breaking down of our collagen.

Elevated levels of cortisol from extended periods of stress also turn off the fibroblast cells’ ability to create new collagen as well as affect the luminosity of our skin.

Depleted levels mean our skin is less resistant to stretching forces and less firm. Collagen fibres then also break down further as we age and begin to create collagen cross-linking. So the even net that they used to create to evenly hold the skin in place becomes impaired and then we get dips creating fine lines and wrinkles as the structure underneath breaks down.

Collagen plays a role in retaining moisture in the skin – as we get older skin gets dryer and doesn’t bounce back from compression. This is more quickly seen in those exposed areas of your face, neck and hands because extrinsic factors affect them more frequently.

So to minimise the level of ageing that can be seen we need to promote, protect and preserve our collagen and start this ideally before the damage is done. The old adage of ‘prevention is better than cure’ is so true here and in fact prevention is easier than cure too. Protect from the sun and keep hydrated to increase the look of luminosity and reduce fine lines. Feed the skin with the best and most advanced products that you can afford, even before you really see those wrinkles.

Products containing collagen-forming amino acids, peptides with potent anti-oxidant properties or ingredients to support cell renewal are key. Vitamin C taken orally will support your own fibroblast to continue making collagen too. If you can stimulate the collagen that you have got to grow some more, the banked collagen will help your face stay firmer for longer. thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk margaretbalfour.co.uk

Contact your local Slimming World Consultant and join a friendly and super-supportive group today!

TUESDAYS 5.30pm, WEDNESDAYS 9am Sherborne

Raleigh Hall, Digby Road Call Sally on 07973 665167 slimmingworld.co.uk slimmingworld.ie slimmingworld.co.uk #YesYouCanWithSlimmingWorld

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 101

Treat your special someone to our February Romantic Spa

A Woodland Spa experience in the heart of Sherborne Choose a 30 minute treatment of your choice per person and enjoy an hour of our Spa Facilities together When you have finished in the Spa come to one of our Lounges and enjoy a glass of prosecco with sweet treats and receive a single red rose per couple

£130 per couple Make your date extra special with an afternoon tea for just £28 per person Quote ROMANCE upon booking Why not join our mailing list and follow us on social media for competitions, news and special offers!

The Eastbury Hotel & Spa, Long Street, Sherborne DT9 3BY T 01935 813131 | E relax@theeastburyhotel.co.uk | W www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk

THE WORLD'S *LONGEST LASTING RECHARGEABLE HEARING AID

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Body & Mind

CARING FOR YOUR BODY AND ITS ROLE IN MENTAL HEALTH

Annabel Goddard, Volunteer Marketing Placement Student Andresr/iStock

B

y now, a lot of us will have succumbed to the restrictive nature of the new year, in all its facets.

We swear off ‘bad’ food, a lot of us will limit nights out and alcohol and we all have a sudden rush of motivation to get back in the gym. Whilst these things can be justified in moderation, what happens when the underlying wish to better ourselves turns into something more alarming?

The way we view ourselves goes hand-in-hand with 104 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

our mental health. If we feel bad on the inside, we’re likely to feel bad on the outside. Everyone’s experiences with health and fitness are totally different and shouldn’t be treated the same. However, the overlying issue is often our own body image and the roads it can lead us down.

First, we should all try to move away from feeling guilty about food. Would we really rather skip carbs and feel sluggish and tired rather than fuel

ourselves? Instead of feeling guilty, we should remind ourselves that we need food to function at our best.

Overindulging occasionally should be seen as a one-off - rather than something to get frustrated by.

When you look in the mirror, what is the first thing you think? We’re more likely to pick out things we don’t like than those we do. Next time you look at yourself, take time to appreciate the things you do like and make a mental list of them. Reinforce positive thoughts every time you think negatively about yourself. Over time you’ll work towards shifting your mindset and therefore gain confidence.

If you lack confidence in the way you look, you aren’t alone. According to the Body Image Survey results, 61% of adults feel negatively about the way they look.

For both men and women, there is a societal notion that we can always look better. But who is really making these rules? And why should anyone else dictate what we look like? If we all remind ourselves daily that our worth isn’t measured in appearance, we’re likely to start undoing these expectations that are pushed on us. And for those of us who enjoy exercise, we can echo this idea. By removing this pressure to improve the way we look, we can prioritise how we feel instead. Remembering that you are valid in any body is important, as our bodies will take many forms throughout our life - and none of them reduce our worth.

A good short-term fix to boost your confidence is having a ‘self-care’ day or evening. This can take almost any direction of your choosing - as long as it will truly benefit you. You could do something active if you enjoy it, use a face mask, make a smoothie, read a book - anything that will help you to feel relaxed and comfortable in yourself. Making time to care for yourself can make a difference in how you view yourself internally and so can affect how you view yourself externally.

You can incorporate self-care into your daily life by getting enough sleep and drinking 2 litres of water a day, which will help you feel good on the inside and will lead to less negative thinking and being less critical of your image. Looking after your physical health can improve the way you see yourself, beyond aiming for physical change. Eating healthily and exercising regularly will help you feel your best, which is more important than looking your best (whatever that even means). Aiming to feel good rather than look good, can also reduce the pressure of solely losing weight – as a lot of diets certainly won’t make you feel your best.

Maybe this month, as the diets and exercise regimes are slowing down, we should all try to practice more self-love and stop being so hard on ourselves. And remind ourselves that feeling good is better than looking good. dorsetmind.uk

Don’t be afraid to reach out for support when you need it: • Visit Beat for support with eating disorders and other related subjects beateatingdisorders.org.uk • Visit Dorset Mind for local mental health support and ways to keep mentally healthy dorsetmind.uk • The Samaritans are there to listen 24/7, whatever you're going through on 116 123 • Call Dorset’s mental health helpline Connection for support on 0800 652 0190

Art of Confidence

Movement Practices and Wellness Be your body and mind’s best by attending to posture

Pilates on the Reformer Move, and feel better

Beautiful studio location at Unit 3, West Down Farm, Corton Denham, Sherborne DT9 4LG Contact Emma Rhys Thomas 07928 291192 or email quantockpilates@gmail.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 105

JEWELLERS

a Family Run Traditional Independent Jewellers

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

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Body and Mind

Tim UR/Shutterstock

N

one of us know what’s around the corner, what challenges life has in store for us or even how long we have left on this glorious planet. We don’t have much control over the obstacles life chooses to throw at us but we do have some control over how we react. Almost from the start of my diagnosis, I decided to believe I was going to be OK, to bask in optimism, to live what was ahead rather than suffer it and most importantly to laugh until I wet myself whenever I got the chance. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any dark times but during my 230 days in hospital I built myself a tool kit full of life skills to pull me out of the moments where I felt like throwing in the towel. In this series, I will share how I started living after nearly dying.

On 7th January 2023 after a few months of nurturing a collection of random symptoms; chesty cough, bruising on my ribs, a swollen, aching neck and feeling utterly exhausted, I noticed my arm was also swollen. My GP had told me I’d had a virus and needed bed rest but the swollen arm was new so I took 108 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

myself off to A&E. Bloods were taken and a clot was found. How random, I thought. I was asked if I’d been involved in any accidents recently.

‘Yes! Yesterday I asked my son to pass me a bar of galaxy…it was a large bar…larger than the family-sized one…you know the Christmas special sizes they do.

Anyway, I misjudged the throw and the corner of it hit my arm and it really hurt. It hasn’t bruised so I bet that’s what caused the clot.’

‘When I said accident, I was thinking more of the road type,’ replied the Dr dryly.

Unexplained clots are a worry. They can mean there are underlying health issues. So, I was sent for a CT scan. Coming out of the tunnel I smiled at the radiologist and said, ‘Everything alright?’ For a split second I was sure I saw sympathy in his eyes. ‘The report will be back with the Dr shortly,’ he replied.

By this time my husband, Emil, had arrived to collect me. We ate the tuna sandwiches being offered around and I marvelled at the NHS. Cuts? What cuts?

Then we were called into a room for my results.

I’ve always wondered how I would react if I was told I was critically ill. Some type of cancer was my imaginary go-to. Would I fall to the floor wailing?

Would I accept the news graciously? What would I say or would I be speechless? Who would I want to be with? To tell?

‘It’s not good news I’m afraid. The scan shows you have a significant tumour in your chest, sitting on the lungs and compressing the heart. We’d need to do a biopsy but the radiologist says that from his experience he’s almost certain it’s cancerous. I’m sorry.’

It was physical. That’s the reaction I had. I couldn’t sit still but I couldn’t move either. My feet tapped, my legs went up and down, I was running on the spot. I sunk my head into Emil’s chest, he put his arms around me, immediately I couldn’t breathe, so I pulled away. I turned to lean over the back of the chair – I wanted to climb into the walls. To escape. I needed to get away from the news. I exhaled deeply making a sound similar to the one people make in childbirth. But then panic set in and the sound became higher and I whimpered.

All I could think about was my children, Maia and Silas. Nothing else mattered.

‘How do I tell them?’ Emil and I held onto each other. We had a million questions and no idea where to start. I didn’t care if there was an operation, months of chemo, pain, hard work – I didn’t care. I just wanted someone to say, ‘You’re not going to die.’

Emil asked how big the tumour was and the doctor put two fists together and held them against his chest.

He told me I’d be admitted straight away because of how much the tumour was compressing my heart.

‘Am I going to die?’

The doctor sighed, ’We don’t know.’

We both cried and Emil tried to hold me again. I wanted him to hold me. I wanted to feel the comfort and

safety of his arms. We’d been together for twenty-seven years. We’d loved, we’d hated, we’d wanted to kill each other, we’d grown up together, had two beautiful children together, we’d travelled the world together, we were best friends and worst enemies. I wanted to lose myself in his chest but I couldn’t. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to get out of this room, out of this moment. I squirmed and tried to climb over the back of the chair again.

‘What do you want to do?’ Emil asked.

‘I don’t know.’

‘Do you want the kids to come here?’

Yes, I wanted them here – I so badly wanted them, but I didn’t want them to know.

I started to cry again, ‘I don’t want to tell them.’

Telling them would make it real. I didn’t want this to be real. I didn’t want them to have a mum with cancer.

And then something took over. I closed my eyes and pictured my children in the future and I asked myself if I was going to be with them. And then I saw it – I saw myself with them. The panic softened. I began to calm. I held on to the feeling that they were still going to have me. Call it hope, call it manifesting, call it belief…I didn’t know what it was I just knew it was all I had and it was all I needed. I clung onto it because I had to find something that would get me through the next thirty seconds, the next 5 minutes. I had to find something that would give me the strength to get up out of that chair, to face my children and to tell them it was going to be OK. None of us know what’s around the corner.

Sometimes it’s a juggernaut waiting to run you off the road and when it hits, you have to find the hope, wherever you can, because if you have hope you’ll be able to find the strength and the focus to get back on that road and keep going. my_tumorandme

Sandra Miller BSc, MSc, BCNH Dip, FDN-P Functional Medicine Practitioner

Diet and lifestyle coaching: a powerful path to healing and weight management

Scan to contact me or find out more www.wholistichealth.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 109

Body and Mind

TAKE YOUR YOGA MAT TO THE DINING TABLE Dawn Hart, Yoga Teacher & Leah Seamark, Dietitian

Y

oga is not only physical postures on your mat. It is about the choices you make in your life and how you treat others and yourself. This includes the food you eat and how you eat it. I teach Hatha Yoga which on the mat is slow, mindful movement. When we apply this approach to how we eat, slow, mindful eating can positively impact our body, and it can also be used as an effective mindfulness tool in everyday life.

Ideally, we would always eat without the distraction of screens. We would be sat comfortably and upright, which can aid digestion. We would allow our brain time to pay attention to the various sensations experienced from the food we are eating, including sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. By being mindful of these sensations, the rate at which we eat slows down. This gives our brain time to recognise the chemical signals that tell us when we are full. We would chew our food slowly, not rushing to swallow our food so we could 110 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

speak but instead pausing and taking the time to digest the various sensations, as well as the food.

For many reasons, very few of us do all of this every time we eat. Nutritious snacks and healthy meals are a huge positive step but if we grab them on the run or check our phones while we eat, we only get part of the potential benefits from our food. Slowing down the process of eating, allows us to breathe more efficiently, calms the nervous systems and prepares the gut for incoming food, which can optimise digestion.

We are more likely to reduce the risk of indigestion and bloating, as well as prevent overeating, which can positively impact our health.

It’s not just physical benefits that we gain from eating more mindfully. The exercise below is a meditation exercise. It gives us an anchor, just for a couple of minutes, allowing our brains to switch off the ‘busy’ and focus on just one thing.

Mindful eating exercise

Yuliia Markova/Shutterstock

"Slowing down the process of eating, allows us to breathe more efficiently, calms the nervous systems and prepares the gut for incoming food'

• Choose a food that you enjoy, something that can be easily picked up with your fingers; a nut, dried fruit or chunk of chocolate work well.

• Place a small amount that will comfortably fit in your mouth in front of you.

• Now study it for 30 seconds or so – notice the shape, colours, textures.

• Reach forward slowly and pick up the food, feel the texture and weight – take around 30 seconds to study it again in your hand.

• Now bring the food closer so you can smell it, take a few seconds to process what you notice, if there is no smell, just notice that.

• Then place it in your mouth. Let the food rest on your tongue with your mouth gently closed. Feel the weight and shape maybe you sense taste or smell.

• After a minute or so begin to chew slowly. Don’t make it awkward – just slow it down enough to feel the movement in your jaw. There may be sounds as you chew and salivation in your mouth.

Notice the urge to swallow and when you do swallow see if you can follow the food down your throat into your stomach.

Now reflect. What did you notice? Was anything a surprise? If you lost focus, where did your mind take you?

I’m not suggesting you eat all your meals in this way unless you really don’t have anything else to do or don’t mind letting your food go cold! But you can use it regularly to remind yourself to apply some slowness to your eating and perhaps other parts of your life. yogasherborne.co.uk leahseamarkdiet.co.uk

YogaSherborne Sherborne, Milborne Port and Trent • Hatha Yoga, outside when possible • Relaxation and guided meditation Contact Dawn for more details 07817 624081 @yogasherborne hello@yogasherborne.co.uk Yoga Alliance qualified teacher sherbornetimes.co.uk | 111

Body and Mind

HOW TO KEEP YOUR KNEES HEALTHY Iain Findlay, Consultant Orthopaedic Knee Surgeon

Real Sports Photos/Shutterstock

112 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

T

he simple answer is we have no idea. Knee arthritis is almost an inevitable eventuality of an active, long life. Wear and tear will become worse with knee pain and reduced function gradually increasing in later years. Most people in their 80s and 90s have creaky painful knees with most people in their 20s and 30s not suffering from this complaint. So, in some sense the best advice is to try and keep fit and active for as long as possible, allowing yourself to enjoy what your knees can do. This will not only hopefully keep your knees healthy but also keep the rest of you healthy in the meantime.

The science behind knee arthritis is yet to be fully understood. It appears that the cells in the cartilage of the joint lining are unable to repair themselves after micro-injuries, leading to the joint losing its cushioning ability, moving less and with extra bone growing around the knee. This can be exacerbated by more major injuries to the knee joint throughout life. Some families also have a strong predisposition to arthritis. Surgical techniques and equipment have improved enormously so that ligament and cartilage injuries can be treated successfully after injuries. This will hopefully prevent the progression of significant arthritis secondary to this knee pathology. Physiotherapy rehabilitation, both surgically managed and non-surgically managed, also allows a full return to a healthy level of sporting activity.

Recent studies have shown that carefully selected strengthening exercises not only help in wear and tear arthritis but also include general health benefits.

Return to sport and levels of activity is very important in my opinion. The simple act of your joints flexing through their range of motion allows the joint fluid to nourish and protect the cartilage. Muscle bulk and control help protect your knees and weight loss is paramount in our management of knee pain. Three times

your body weight passes through the knee joint when walking downstairs so even a small amount of weight loss can significantly offload knees. This then leads to the debate about which sport or activity. One which you enjoy is my advice. There would be nothing worse than trying to do something because you think you ought to when every time you find it miserable. It is true that non-impact activities such as yoga, pilates, swimming and cycling are probably the best for your knees and are worth seriously considering. However, I run. It is easy to do especially first thing in the morning and takes no organisation. Logically, your knees take the impact and I may not do it forever but, on balance of risks, it seems to suit me. Finding similar that suits you is so much better than trying to protect your joints by doing no exercise.

If the worst comes to the worst and your knee pain is debilitating, particularly with pain at night, which must be horrible, there are still options. Knee surgery is a quality-of-life operation rather than life-saving.

The aim is to allow a pain-free return to fun activities for many years. There are many options from keyhole surgery to partial and full knee replacements. New technologies around the whole journey of surgery have enabled huge gains in the last few years. Prehabilitation optimises patients prior to surgery.

Advances in anaesthetic techniques allow for decreased pain and early mobilisation. Implants design has increased function and longevity. Shorter hospital stays have reduced complications. Even historic failing knee replacements can now be re-replaced. It is still a big undertaking and a serious decision but with all of us hopefully leading longer and more active lives having a good pair of knees has never been so important! dorsethipandknee@gmail.com communifit.co.uk

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SALE ENDS 17TH JANUARY 7 Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PT david@muntanya.co.uk 01935 389484 • 07875 465218 muntanya.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 113

Legal

EMPLOYMENT LAW CHANGES

WHAT TO EXPECT AND HOW TO PREPARE Sean McDonough, Managing Partner and Head of Employment Law & Lucy Cotterell, HR Consultant, Employment Law, Mogers Drewett

J

ust in case you were under the misapprehension that we were set for a quieter period for employment legislation you’ll see below that the next 12-18 months are set to be rather busy. That’s especially true for those of you looking after HR matters. To put this into context we’re sharing below the key legislative changes heading our way and when they’re expected to land.

Before we start, it’s essential HR professionals, business leaders and executives stay updated on these new laws. We know it’s a minefield but we’d urge you, if not already aware, to take a moment to consider how they may impact your business, what risks they highlight and how they can be best managed.

From 1st January

The Government has responded to the consultation on ‘Retained EU Employment Law’, covering reforms in annual leave, holiday pay, and record-keeping under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR), and consultation requirements under the Transfer 114 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE).

The proposed Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023, effective from 1st January 2024, include key changes: 1

Holiday Pay: The new regulations modify holiday pay calculation following the Supreme Court’s Harpur Trust v Brazel decision, which granted all workers 5.6 weeks of paid leave annually. Now, holiday entitlement for irregular and part-year workers will be calculated at 12.07% of hours worked. Additionally, ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay will be permitted, allowing workers to receive holiday pay as part of their regular wages, effective from 1st April 2024. This applies only to irregular and partyear workers, including some agency workers.

2 Worker Classification: Two new worker categories, ‘Irregular Hours Workers’ and ‘Part Year Workers’, have been introduced for holiday pay calculations.

‘Irregular Hours Workers’ have no consistent

working hours pattern, while ‘Part Year Workers’ are not working or paid for at least one week per year.

Employers can now consider ‘rolled-up’ holiday pay for these categories.

3 Record-keeping under WTRs: The government confirmed changes to WTR record-keeping requirements. Employers will no longer need to record daily working hours, a move to alleviate administrative burdens. The UK, no longer bound

by ECJ decisions, will amend the WTR accordingly.

However, employers must still maintain adequate records to show compliance with: • A 48-hour weekly working limit • Duration of night work • Night workers’ health assessments • Opt-out agreements These regulatory changes aim to balance workers’ rights with reducing administrative burdens for businesses.

New guidance has been issued regarding the changes effective 1st January 2024. These affect leave years starting on or after 1st April 2024. Employers should start preparing for these changes, consulting relevant workers and unions as part of the process.

Spring

New Statutory Code on Dismissal and Reengagement – ACAS have made strong representation to amend the Code before implementation. ‘There is a need for greater clarity around certain expectations and the consequences of certain actions that are set out in the Code.’

From 6th April

Carer’s Leave Act From 6th April carers can take one week of unpaid leave each year to care for a loved one with long-term care needs, like illness, injury, disability or old age.

You can even take it in single days or half days for added flexibility.

Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act Employees can make two formal flexible working requests within 12 months. This right becomes available on day one of employment (not after 26 weeks of continuous employment). Employers must consult with employees and decide within two months, with the existing eight grounds for rejection remaining unchanged.

Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act Pregnant employees and those returning from maternity, adoption or shared parental leave will enjoy additional protection against redundancy. They’ll have the right to be offered a suitable alternative role if available.

September (estimated)

Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act A new law will grant workers, including agency and zero-hours workers, the right to request a more predictable work schedule. Even those on fixed-term contracts of 12 months or less, with at least 26 weeks of service, can make this request.

October (estimated)

Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2020) Act This new legislation will require all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. If they fail to do so, the Equality and Human Rights Commission can take direct action.

Successful tribunal claims may also receive up to a 25% compensation increase.

April 2025 (estimated)

Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act After considerable lobbying efforts by charities supporting the welfare of newborn babies, next year there will be immediate rights for employee parents if a child needs neonatal care. Parents will have the right to take up to 12 weeks of leave. You won’t need to take it all at once – it can be in single days or half days. To qualify for neonatal care pay, you’ll need to have worked for at least 26 weeks. The neonatal care should begin within 28 days of your child’s birth and last at least seven days and you’ll have up to 68 weeks after your child’s birth to use this leave.

July 2025 (estimated)

Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act Starting next year, this act ensures that all tips and service charges are fairly distributed among workers, not just employees. Employers are required to have a written policy on tip distribution and keep records of tips and service charges for three years. mogersdrewett.com sherbornetimes.co.uk | 115

Finance

WHAT DOES RETIREMENT MEAN TO YOU?

I

Mark Salter CFP, Chartered FCSI, Fort Financial Planning

often ask people I meet, ‘What do you think of when you hear the word retirement?’ If I asked the talking dictionary the same question, the answer would be, ‘The action or fact of leaving one’s job and ceasing work.’ Interestingly though I don’t get this same response with the people I ask. Retirement means different things to different people.

We have seen a significant change over the last 50 years in so many areas of life but retirement isn’t something we often think has changed very much. It certainly has changed, the days of working for 40 years then finishing on a Friday and waking up on a Monday morning retired, receiving your state pension and putting your slippers on is a distant memory for most.

Retirement is changing, some people still aim to be able to stop work as early as possible, others plan to make a slow transition into retirement and, for some, they enjoy work and plan to carry on working for as long as their health allows. Two of the key factors in all these scenarios are health and money!

Retirement and the term ‘financial independence’ which we use more at Fort Financial Planning are often used interchangeably. Both are achieved when you have enough savings, investment income, and/or pension income to cover your living expenses. Work becomes optional!

The amount of money each person needs is very different. Some people will be happy covering the cost of housing, food and running a car but for others when they stop working or work less, they have more time to enjoy their lives and would like to be able to visit places, treat the family and have more holidays. But for how long?

With everyone now having to wait longer for the state pension, do you use this date as your target or should you be thinking differently? At what age would you like to have more time to do the things you enjoy?

If you’d like to have more time at age 55, why not? ‘I can’t afford it’ is often the answer but do you know that? What needs to happen for you to achieve this?

The answer to most of these questions can be found by having your own personal financial plan.

We spend time building financial plans which aim to answer these difficult questions and tell people what needs to happen for you to live the life you want. If you’re young then it will probably involve setting aside funds for your future – the earlier the better.

If you’re a business owner then you might need to know how much you need to sell your business for. If you’re thinking of stopping work then you might want to know whether you have enough or how much you can afford to spend when you do stop.

If you’re interested in planning and would like to start modelling your financial future, FFP provide a free online tool ‘Truth about Money’ on their website ffp.org.uk.

116 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

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

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

CRISIS. WHAT CRISIS? 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.

01935 815 008 | huntsaccountants.co.uk

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 117

Tech

EMAIL SCAMS: PART 2 James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

F

ollowing on from Part 1 and without trying to scare you too much, I want to talk about what actually happens when emails get hacked and what the scammers/hackers actually do when they gain access to your email address.

Unauthorised Access

When hackers gain access to your email account, they can browse through your inbox, sent items and other folders, gaining insights into your personal and professional life.

This unauthorised access allows them to exploit your contacts, view confidential information and potentially compromise other online accounts linked to your email.

Identity Theft

Email accounts often serve as a gateway to various online platforms. Hackers may use the information found in your emails to impersonate you or carry out identity theft. This can involve creating fake social media profiles, applying for credit cards or even accessing sensitive documents related to your identity.

Financial Fraud

If your email account is linked to financial platforms or contains information about your bank accounts, hackers can exploit this data for financial fraud. They may attempt to change passwords, withdraw funds or make unauthorised transactions, posing a serious threat to your financial security.

Phishing Attacks

Hackers can use your compromised email account to launch phishing attacks on your contacts. By sending malicious emails from your address, they can trick recipients into clicking on harmful links or downloading malware, further spreading the cyber threat.

Credential Harvesting

Email hacking often involves the theft of login credentials. Once hackers gain access to your email, they may search for passwords and login information related to other accounts, such as social media, online banking or e-commerce websites. This increases the risk 118 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

of multiple account compromises.

Ransom Attacks

Some hackers may employ ransom tactics, such as locking you out of your own email account and demanding payment for its release. This not only causes financial strain but also raises ethical concerns about supporting criminal activities.

Email Rules

In your email account, you have the ability to create ‘rules’ which should help people direct emails into different folders i.e. you can set a rule for any email with the word ‘invoice’ to go into a folder called invoice. This is supposed to be convenient but hackers will add these rules so that when someone replies to you warning you that you have been hacked you then don’t see the emails, giving the hackers more time to exploit your account undetected.

Email Forwarding

Within your email account, you can forward emails to another email address for example if you’re in the process of changing email addresses or want someone else to also receive your emails. Hackers with access to your email account can set this forward on your account to an email address of their choice. They use this so that again when someone tries to reply to you, you never see it.

Reply Email Address

When you send an email by default the reply address is the address that you sent the email from. But within the email account settings hackers can change the reply address to a very similar address to yours so that when your contacts reply to the email it goes straight to the hacker and not you. Then the hacker has a separate email conversation with your contact without you knowing and they plan then to scam your contact.

Hopefully, this gives you a little insight as to why everyone reminds you of the importance of passwords and 2-factor security, what the hackers’ intentions are and what to look out for if you have been hacked. computing-mp.co.uk

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T HE T HE

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CO CO PY PY C OCMO M PA PA N YN Y

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Strategic communications for businesses, organisations and individuals. www.thegoodcopycompany.co.uk | 07747 623040 | sj@thegoodcopycompany.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 119

Short Story

PYRENEES

M

Malcolm Cockburn, Sherborne Scribblers

y train to La Tour de Carol and Barcelona was late arriving so I had time to survey the small group of fellow travellers waiting on the platform, but I never noticed the two ladies. When we were underway my attention was spent on the scene out of the window where the suburbs of Toulouse were giving way to back gardens and lilac blossom, then to fields of barley almost in ear, and sunflower plants newly emerging but only a foot or so high. After we had crossed the Canal du Midi I turned my attention to those two ladies sitting diagonally opposite me. They had identical hairstyles, unnaturally blonde with pony-tails rising from the top of their heads rather like palm trees. They were carefully cleaning the folding tables in front of them; one poured disinfectant from a plastic bottle while the other wiped every inch of the surface, including the hinges of both tables with tissues from a packet. It was obviously a wellrehearsed routine.

Gradually the landscape became hilly and I spied distant mountains with snowy peaks; a sneak return to the two ladies had me wondering what could be their relationship, companions or possibly mother and daughter.

I settled for the latter and watched the one I now took to be daughter as she unpacked a goody back and folded up her iPad case. Out came a baguette, a whole camembert and a box of baby tomatoes. It was only ten in the morning! The train now followed a valley, sombre pine trees were interspersed with the light green of newly leafed aspens. We stopped at Ax les Thermes where passengers descended to take the bus to Andorra (which has no trains). Now on the ladies’ table appeared what looked like a kilo of ripe cherries followed by a large box of Bassetts Licorice Allsorts. I felt a tinge of national pride!

Over the following half hour, the railway contorted itself from one side of the valley to the other until I spied the line way above us and realised, as we entered a tunnel and turned endlessly in the dark, that this was a corkscrew. The line emerged into the light and there below us was our old track. Finally, as the ladies packed up their picnic, we arrived on a plateau and La Tour de Carol, the terminus of the French line. Almost immediately I was the only person on the platform and I wondered where everyone had gone, especially those ladies.

My next train to Barcelona would not depart for a couple of hours. In the cafe/bistro, I was alone apart from the patron and his wife and, while the patron cooked me a plate of fried eggs with a delicious vegetable

120 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

and ham pasta, I noticed the two ladies hurrying to the French train now departing back to Toulouse. What could their business be in this nothing-of-a-town, high in the Pyrenees? Later I continued my journey to Barcelona and the wedding of my Scottish cousin to his Argentinean bride leaving the mystery of those ladies in the back of my mind. From time to time I pondered the riddle until, two years later, I travelled the same line over the mountains to Barcelona for the christening of my cousin’s baby.

Then I saw, sitting in my compartment, the younger of those two ladies.

There was no doubt in my mind it was her.

As on my first visit to La Tour de Carol she hurried away in the direction of a little grey church and me to the station bistro, but this time I was surprised to see her returning after about fifteen minutes and enter the room just as my meal was served. I smiled and invited her to join me since we were the only customers there. She introduced herself as Jeanette; she had a plain and kindly face and her previous hairstyle was now more suited to her age which I guessed to be about the same as mine. I asked her what it was that brought her to this lonely town for such a short visit and I learnt that it was to visit the grave of her father. ‘Mother is dead now,’ she said bluntly. ‘We used to come here together every month since father died.

Now I come alone.’

It transpired that her father Jean had been a gendarme in their village at the outbreak of war and when the Nazi occupation came as far as the Pyrenees he was retained by the Germans. Jean proved to be particularly efficient in the eyes of the occupiers while covertly helping the odd British airman who had crashed in France and was making his escape towards the mountains and Spain. Bravely and discreetly throughout 1942 and 1943, he would lead the escaping airmen through the mountains to his brother’s barn until a light aircraft could pick them up at night from a mountain airstrip. On a final mission in 1944 when the Allies were preparing for the D-Day landings, Jean was detained by the Germans. He was shot along with his brother. Only his pregnant wife was spared – she was dispossessed of their house and gave birth to a daughter in a wretched boarding house in Toulouse. She named the child Jeanette after her dead father.

After the war, one of the escaped airmen came back to Toulouse and, with difficulty found where they had lived and learned of the tragic death of Jean his rescuer. The visits were to be repeated and each time he would bring a present for little Jeanette, customarily a box of Licorice Allsorts, a taste which she enjoys to this day. How do I know all this? Because Jeanette and I were soon to be married in that little church at La Tour de Carol and my best man at our wedding – he was that ninety-year-old airman who had escaped with the help of my brave father-in-law.

sherbornetimes.co.uk | 121

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BRAVE NEW WORD

THE IMPACT OF CHATGPT ON WRITERS Sarah Jane Chapman, The Good Copy Company

W

ords are among the most powerful tools at our disposal. They can make us laugh or cry in seconds and haunt or inspire us for years. Today, words monetise ideas, make or break reputations, transform the unknown into celebrity and reduce fame to infamy at the touch of a button.

Words are what make us human: the written word is a defining characteristic of civilisation – the engine 124 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

of our advancement. In capturing the human voice, it has preserved our experiences, ideas and stories for millennia, continually shedding light on the human condition.

As soon as I could read, I was drawn to this definitively human currency. I wrote my first poem aged seven and have been putting pen to paper ever since, ultimately building a career doing what I love.

Since starting as a trainee journalist at The Sunday Times, nearly three decades ago, I have witnessed the communications landscape transform in the wake of the internet, with the proliferation of social media, the arrival of 24/7 news, digital marketing and advertising, and online publishing.

While lamenting the demise of print and the rise of ‘fake news’, most writers recognised the benefits of this surge in online content: instant global access, real-time editing and more demand for our work. We welcomed Wikipedia, learned how to acquire followers, engage with influencers, cope with trolls, tweet and write SEO content. We adapted and carried on.

Then, on 30th November 2022, everything changed.

A company called Open AI which no one had ever heard of quietly launched a general-purpose chatbot called ChatGPT. Within five days, this large language model had acquired one million users, becoming the fastest-growing consumer app in the history of the internet. Why? Because it could write like a human.

ChatGPT not only sounds human but it can also do things that humans can’t. It can instantly perform feats of research and comprehension that take us days or weeks. It can rapidly process, understand and distil large amounts of information, creating high-quality text, tailored to specific audiences. It can write press releases, articles, blogs, marketing copy, SEO content and even fiction.

The first ruffling of literary feathers was the battery of lawsuits in the US which saw A-list authors suing Open AI and its rivals for using their work to train ChatGPT and its ilk without consent, credit or compensation. AI also helped bring Hollywood to a standstill during the script writers’ 148-day strike which ended with the negotiation of protective guardrails. As British author, Monica Ali, pointed out in her 2023 PEN HG Wells Lecture, these battles, ostensibly about copyright, are really about the threat to livelihood.

So, is ChatGPT the mother of all rivals or the best co-worker any writer could wish for? The answer is both. It depends on what kind of writer you are and which version of ChatGPT you (or your clients) have access to. The paid-for version, ChatGPT 4, is more advanced, as is the latest version of Google’s Bard.

Without doubt, ChatGPT’s greatest impact is on advertising, marketing and PR. The reality is businesses now have a free powerful tool for content creation, reducing the need for costly human writers. That said, while businesses can use ChatGPT to churn out blogs,

social media captions and web content for multiple global audiences, humans are still needed to strategise, ensure consistency with brand voice and message, and brief the bot. The magic of ChatGPT lies in the prompt – the human prompt.

Humans are also needed to correct. Large language AI can be disastrously inaccurate: Google shares dropped by $100 dollars after its ChatGPT rival made a mistake during its launch demo. They are also prone to ‘hallucinate’, when they just make stuff up. This problem – together with the replication of human biases and prejudices – limits AI’s role in journalism.

The other issue is that ChatGPT can’t say anything new. It can’t break a story, write a revolutionary speech, original opinion or in-depth analysis. When readers pick up The Economist or the FT, they are usually looking for a particular take on an issue. When I write a speech or an editorial for a client, ChatGPT might help me with structure or writer’s block but, ultimately, what ends up on the page is the product of an off-line relationship built up over years: I put myself in my clients’ shoes in ways that ChatGPT can’t – yet.

Alarmingly, AI is writing books. Amazon has limited authors using AI to uploading three books a day to its Kindle Direct Publishing platform. Most novelists I know, however, while acknowledging that Chat GPT could generate formulaic novels (a fake Agatha Christie, perhaps), are still sleeping soundly. This is because, after challenging Chat GPT to produce work in the style of themselves, they were delighted to find that it fell short, delivering parody or pastiche, rather than fresh, original prose. They also know that many people read to connect with other humans, potentially creating demand for ‘AI-free’ publishing.

The fact is, without consciousness or emotional intelligence – the nuance that colours human interactions – it’s hard to imagine AI, in its current form, coming up with the shatteringly beautiful language and imagery of The English Patient or the startlingly moving opening of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

AI may not yet be able to match the creativity of Michael Ondaatje or Gabriel García Márquez but it can certainly enhance it. As Chat GPT concludes: ‘maintaining a harmonious balance between AI assistance and human creativity will be key to unlocking the full potential of these advanced language models.’

I couldn’t have put it better myself. thegoodcopycompany.co.uk sherbornetimes.co.uk | 125

Literature

BENEDICT ALLEN THE EXPLORER

John Gaye, Sherborne Literary Society

S

herborne’s second Travel Writing Festival runs from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th of April and it seems most appropriate that one of its first speakers is the very well-known writer and TV presenter Benedict Allen, who, in his latest book Explorer, examines the motivations of those who travel for reasons more than just the search for sun, sand and sangria.

At his home in southwest London, Benedict has an extensive collection of books in the travel writing genre, including many by authors less well known, which gives him access to the wide variety of reasons for those authors’ travels.

126 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

Travel is not a recent phenomenon but goes back to pre-historic times when migration by homo sapiens over thousands of years created populations that settled in specific regions around the world and created their own unique cultures and genetic identities. The first properly recorded ‘travel expeditions’ involved amazing feats of warfare in search of plunder, power and better land. The Phoenicians, the Mongols and the Carthaginians all undertook exploratory or acquisitional travels into the unknown. And it was Herodotus, writing in the 4th century BC, who is generally regarded as the first travel writer. He travelled

extensively around the Middle East, Southern Europe and into North Africa recording all that he witnessed in his remarkable publication The Histories, much of which was written as a script to be presented orally to large crowds back home. Like a modern-day journalist, he travelled specifically to record.

The next group of travellers Benedict lists are the ‘Great Navigators’. As science and astronomy progressed so did the requirement to explore over the horizon, knowing that the world was not flat. Some of these explorers were driven by their inquisitive need to chart and explore new oceans and lands but many of course were tasked with empire-building and the need to acquire land or treasure for their countries or financial backers.

But it is perhaps from Victorian times onwards that the reasons for travel became more diverse but the journeys no less dangerous. Botanists, naturalists, missionaries and seekers after geographical clarification all set out on amazing expeditions which would often last years and lead them through some extraordinary adventures. Best of all, from our point of view, these travellers produced some outstanding literature that to the average reader of their day would have been as gripping as any 21st-century production from Hollywood.

John Hanning Speke searched for the source of the Nile, John Franklin sailed north to seek out the elusive Northern Passage while Robert Falcon Scott went exploring at the other end of the world. The rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian Empires brought about The Great Game in Central Asia, which in turn produced some amazing feats of travel in adverse circumstances by some extremely brave men. Their purpose was more along the lines of intelligence gathering and surveying the land but they also produced some stunning stories of derring-do and courage. While in South America, Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Walter Bates and Richard Spruce all lived and travelled separately in the Amazon region for some years, sending back so many items to be recorded that they had to create the Natural History Museum to house everything.

And it was not just men who went travelling in search of adventure. Mary Kingsley, a self-taught ethnographer and writer, made numerous journeys through West Africa recording all that she saw.

Isabella Bird was an explorer, writer, photographer and naturalist who having travelled to Australia, Hawaii and

the Colorado Rockies went on to explore extensively throughout Asia and then became a missionary in India and explored Ladakh, Persia, Kurdistan and Turkey before building a hospital in Kashmir. Gertrude Bell spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East becoming highly influential as an Arabist in the early part of the 20th century.

Benedict Allen has a very distinctive philosophy behind his own travel. ‘To me personally,’ he explained in an earlier book The Skeleton Coast, ‘exploration is not about planting flags or conquering Nature or going somewhere in order to make your mark. It’s about opening yourself up and allowing the place to make its mark on you.’ And to achieve this he likes to travel on his own and depend entirely on the hospitality and good nature of his fellow humans. In this way, he feels that he can become part of their community and thus record the culture, the lifestyles and the beliefs of the people he encounters. He has done this in the Amazon, in the Namib Desert, in Northern Mongolia and, above all, in Papua New Guinea, where he immersed himself most fully by undergoing the extreme rituals of becoming a member of the tribe that he joined for many months.

Travel in 2024 may have become logistically easier, there are few areas of the globe that need further mapping, travel insurance has taken some of the uncertainty away and GPS and satellite phones have just about universal coverage but still there are plenty of challenges for the modern adventure-seeking traveller.

As the Travel Writing Festival will illustrate most clearly, everyone travels for their own reasons but, perhaps above all, travel provides the individual with a better understanding of their own home and the world in which it exists. sherbornetravelwritingfestival.com

___________________________________________ Friday 5th April 5th 7pm Sherborne Travel Writing Festival: Benedict Allen – The Explorer The Powell Theatre, Abbey Road, Sherborne DT9 3AP

Tickets £10/£12 members/ non-members available via

sherbornetravelwritingfestival.com and Winstone’s Books

_________________________ sherbornetimes.co.uk | 127

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JANUARY SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Public houses (4) 3. Citing as evidence (8) 9. Make something seem worthy (7) 10. Do really well at (5) 11. Rocky hill (3) 12. Main (5) 13. Allowed by official rules (5) 15. Snug and nice to wear (5) 17. Lacking meaning (5) 18. Lie (3) 19. Mix up or confuse (5) 20. Containerful (7) 21. Christmas season (8) 22. Variety; sort (4) 128 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

DOWN 1. Vagueness (13) 2. African country whose capital is Niamey (5) 4. Eg using a towel (6) 5. Joblessness (12) 6. Irritating; hankering (7) 7. 50th anniversary of a major event (6,7) 8. Action of moving a thing from its position (12) 14. Thing causing outrage (7) 16. Liquefied (6) 18. Ten more than forty (5)

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Hazel Roadnight, Winstone’s Books

Unprocess your Life by Rob Hobson (Thorsons £18.99) Sherborne Times reader offer price of £16.99 from Winstone’s Books

T

he run up to spring can traditionally be a time to re-evaluate what we eat, usually from the perspective of fat or sugar.

Following on from a year that saw the success of the book Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, the nutritionist Rob Hobson looks at our intake of food from another angle and examines the way ultra-processed food items can make up at least 50% of the average weekly shop.

The term ‘ultra-processed food’ doesn’t only include the obvious candidates such as sweets and ready meals but so often a ‘healthy’ cereal or fruit drink product can fall into the category. So many things we eat have been through a multitude of procedures and places before we see it, even if we assume it’s fresh.

As our relationship with food convenience and cost

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

evolves, this aspect can be less obvious to spot.

Helpfully, the book has an excellent breakdown of the official NOVA system of categorisation from the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations.

There are useful FAQs answered and then some really useful information on buying and storing various foods.

The recipes are well laid out and straightforward with appealing photographs of what you could be making to eat this year.

The roasted red pepper sauce is a particularly tempting concoction, along with the Middle Eastern spiced aubergine stew, not to mention the sweet potato brownies! shop.winstonebooks.co.uk

Wholesome reads for 2024

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

A

The Reverend Martin Lee, Rector, Sherborne Abbey

s I write this, we are about to celebrate the feast of Epiphany, the time when the wise men or kings, whichever version you like, arrive at the stable in Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn child – the Christ Child born into a world which needed to understand what it meant to forgive, to be compassionate, to live in peace with each other and to understand the strength of love which God has for us, his people.

The life of Jesus showed us the way of truth and love. He exemplified that love in so many different ways – it was the ultimate gift. His love for humanity led him to show mercy as he was nailed to a cross and he asked for his persecutors to be forgiven by God. This example of love is so transforming, which I pray can be in our world at this moment in time as we see so many places of violence. Our latest conflict is in the very place where Jesus would have walked – the Holy Land. I don’t intend to enter a discourse over the rights and wrongs of each side but seeing the pictures of so many innocent people, many of whom are young children, suffering through the injuries that they have sustained or, even worse, lying in a white bag being hugged by a grieving relative, brings me, and I am sure you, to tears. It is this world Jesus came to save. This is the world so loved by God that he gave us his son and this is the world in which we now have our being.

In the light of our Christmas celebrations and the continuing markers such as the feast of the Epiphany, and now, at the beginning of February, we see that as Jesus was presented in the temple, an old faithful servant of God, took the child whom he recognised was the light of the world and proclaimed that now he had seen the Son of God, he could die in peace. He had served faithfully to the end. Those who visited the Christ Child of Bethlehem, the shepherds who offered just themselves, and the kings who took expensive gifts, showed us something of obedience, following the star and listening to the call of God to see the child lying in the manger.

We have seen and celebrated this most beautiful expression of extravagant love shown to us by God in the gift of his son; it is now, I believe, our opportunity to serve God, to serve each other and to work for peace in our world. May the love of the Christ Child transform our hearts and minds, and in doing so, may we see the peace that comes from him in the places of conflict which we are reminded of each time we see the news. May the hearts and minds that are committed to violence and oppression be transformed into hearts of reconciliation, tolerance, and love.

With my very best wishes for 2024

130 | Sherborne Times | February 2024

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