The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 207

April 2017 Issue no. 207

Magazine archive at:

Dorset Food & Venison Festival. Pg 57

Easter Fun, Frolics & Food! Pg 37 - 51

New Project For Swanage. Pg 17

Home Improvement Feature. Pg 23 - 33

SWANAGE & PURBECK

TAXI

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Editor’s note...

W

elcome to the April edition of your Gazette!

This month we bring you both our Easter-time feature, and our annual Home Improvement feature. So, more than enough to be getting on with for everyone!

Both features include our fabulous local businesses and service providers - local people, employing local people, working and providing for your needs throughout the Isle of Purbeck.

Please do browse through their adverts and editorial and pop along to say hello - we all need to play a part in keeping our local area thriving! We’re so lucky to have such a wide range of independent businesses in Purbeck, so let’s all help to keep our local industries thriving.

We also bring you exciting news with respect to the ‘Swans on the hill’ project for Ballard Down above Swanage, which has finally been granted the go-ahead. Work is due to be completed in early April. The chosen design has already been laser-outlined on the hill (visable on VR headsets, but not to the naked eye to discourage people from altering the outlines), ready for in-filling with the chalk when it arrives.

Please do think about volunteering and taking part in this exciting project - bringing us in line with Uffington (the White Horse) and Cerne Abbas (the Giant). Just bring a wheelbarrow and wellies!

The Purbeck Gazette is delivered by: We distribute 20,000 copies of the Purbeck Gazette every month to households in Purbeck utilising Logiforce GPS-tracked delivery teams.

(Residents in blocks of flats, or who live up long driveways or in lesser populated areas will not get a door-to-door delivery. You will not receive a copy if you display a ‘no junk mail’ sticker on your letterbox) Purbeck has a population of approx. 45,300, we print & distribute 20,000 copies for Purbeck and further afield (Crossways, Broadmayne, Bloxworth etc).

You will not therefore ALL get a paper copy! 1 in 3 properties get a copy. We ensure a good spread of distribution throughout the whole area to get the best response for our advertisers, who are our business customers.

We publish in-full online for those households who do not receive a paper copy through the door.

See: www.purbeckgazette.com

The May 2017 edition has a deadline of 7th April. and will be distributed from 24th Apr - 28th Apr 2017.

The June 2017 edition has a deadline of 9th May and will be distributed from 29th May - 2nd June 2017.

Public Notices & Information

Swanage Town Council Meetings - April 2017

Planning & Consultation General Operations Parish Assembly Policy, Finance & Performance Man. Council

Mon 3rd Wed 5th Moved to May 15th Wed 12th Mon 24th

6.30pm 4.30pm 7pm 4.30pm 7pm

Please check the Town Council’s website www.swanage.gov.uk or call the Town Hall on 01929 423636 for the latest information.

Wareham Town Council Meetings - April 2017 Planning & Transport Human Resources Wareham In Bloom Council Policy, Finance & Resources Museum Amenities

Mon 3rd Tue 11th Wed 12th Tue 18th Mon 24th Tue 25th Wed 26th

7pm 10.30am 7pm 7pm 7pm 7.15pm 7pm

Purbeck DC Meetings - Open to public - April 2017 Council Policy Group Planning Committee

Tue 11th Wed 19th Wed 26th

7pm 7pm 9.15am

Meetings are subject to change. To double check, see: http://www.dorsetforyou. com/meetings/purbeck and see ‘dates of council and other meetings’

About Purbeck Media Ltd The Purbeck Gazette prints 20,000 copies every month and delivers throughout the region from Swanage to Dorchester, Lulworth to Bere Regis. The Purbeck Gazette is published by Purbeck Media Ltd. All editing, graphic design and layup is completed in-house by Purbeck Media Ltd. The Purbeck Gazette is printed

by Blackmore Ltd of Shaftesbury and delivered by Logiforce GPS-tracked distribution. The Purbeck Gazette website is managed and edited on-site by Purbeck Media Ltd. Purbeck Media Ltd also publishes The Purbeck Guidette, the Purbeck Visitor Guide. All rights reserved.

OUR TEAM: The Gazette team consists of: Nico Johnson, Editor, Joy Lamb, Sales & Accounts Executive, David Hollister, Columnist, John Garner, Columnist, Regula Wright, Columnist. Paul Notley, Graphics, Kim Steeden, Spotlight Diary Editor.

VOLUNTEERS: A massive thanks to our volunteers, whose help is invaluable each month. Our proof readers are the very professional: Gerry Norris and David Holman, with volunteer Photographer, Tim Crabb, also on-hand.

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Sunrise in Swanage, by Gareth James

CONTACT US ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MATTERS COMMUNITY MATTERS COUNCIL MEETINGS DIARY SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Blast From The Past Dorset Food & Venison Festival FEATURE: Easter: Fun, Frolics & Food!

FEATURE: Home Improvement Gardening for Wildlife Gazette Gardening John Garner writes - The Great Fire Of Wareham Plans To Save Swanage For The Future Project For Swanage - Chalk Swans on Hill Telling It Like It Is - David Hollister writes Volunteers Honoured At Annual Ceremony FOOD - Godlingston Manor Kitchen Gardens HEALTH & BEAUTY LETTERS MOTORING - David Hollister writes NATURAL MATTERS SPORT TRADE ADVERTS sponsored by Sydenhams

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17b Commercial Road Swanage, Dorset BH19 1DF www.purbeckgazette.co.uk

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DEADLINE FORJULY MAY IS NOON, FRI APRIL DEADLINE FOR IS12NOON, FRI7th 10th JUNE

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The The clue is in the heading above - these are our readers’ letters. They are NOT articles, they are letters. By you. Our readers. They are not our letters, they are yours - your letters. Simple!

Please send all letters to ed@purbeckgazette.co.uk with ‘letter to the editor’ in the email subject line. Please do not exceed 350 words. If handwritten, please ensure it is short and legible.

PLEASE DO NOT DUPLICATE LETTERS TO OTHER PUBLICATIONS WE DO NOT PRINT MULTI-PUBLICATION LETTERS.

MAY edition deadline: noon, 7th APR

A Countryman’s Concerns Dear Editor, May I say well done to Julie Groome for bringing the plight of our wild life to public notice and her concern about the destruction being done

by D.W.T.?

Should you visit Corfe Castle, we have plenty of this done by the National Trust. In 1997 they put in a tractor and flail on the common, which angered the older people of the village.

After rather a lot of publicity, the National Trust slowed down for a while, but now it seems that the village people are prepared to let them go ahead and do as they wish. Last year the tractor was still at it in March.

I am afraid we no longer have a common in the village, just horse grounds, new fences and gates everywhere.

In days gone by all farms had a horse ground that was kept solely for that purpose. Any farmer knows that nothing can graze behind horses as they take off the grass and wild plants right down to the dirt. So there you go, it’s goodbye flowers and more so ground nesting birds.

We had a pond at the bottom of Kingston Hill. For generations animals and wildlife would frequent the pond but I don’t think that the National Trust liked that very much, so they put a fence around it, covered it with black sheet. Whatever they had in mind didn’t work and now they don’t know what to do with this eyesore.

We have the river ‘Wicken’ in Corfe, but I am afraid it can’t be seen because it is overgrown so much I don’t think you could get within twenty foot of it in most places. We used to be able to walk along it from vineyard to Copper bridge.

We have footpaths that can only be used for about six months of the year owing to horses being let by the gateways and on public footpaths.

The National Trust has volunteers coming in from Bournemouth to look after our countryside and as I wander round, I wonder if they are supervised?

My answer to Julie Groome is to buy a couple of horses and a pair of green wellies and join them.

They hang the man and flog the woman That steals the goose from the common But leave the greater criminal loose That steals the common from the goose.

Countryman of Corfe Castle, by hand.

Scorched Earth Dangers Dear Editor, I should like to add to the valid objections raised by Julie Groome against the scorched-earth activities of Dorset Wildlife Trust at the Townsend Nature Reserve.

The open heathland the Trust’s self-righteous volunteers are seeking to create is not a natural situation but an arbitrary choice of a habitat poor environment over the richer ecology that is being destroyed. Heathland is not self-sustaining; it will have to be managed by further slash and burn parties at regular intervals.

Not content with a limited area of heathland, every standing tree and bush is being cut down to ground level and burned, denying nesting birds an opportunity to breed.

In addition, their frankly dangerous habit of leaving bonfires unattended to smoulder for days on end threatens to initiate further habitat damage and risk to wildlife as well as to nearby property.

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And finally, since evidence is now available of the significant danger to human health of smoke from wood burning - a source of inhaled particulates as well as gaseous toxins- both the volunteers themselves and the long-suffering near-by residents of Holburne Park may well be in a position to bring legal action against the Trust for the health consequences of the smoke pollution they so happily cause.

Yours, Dr Richard Cottrell, Langton Matravers, Swanage

Purbeck - The Poor Relation Dear Gazette, We shall shortly receive our council tax statements and payments for 2017/18. Of course they will argue they need more tax-ref above. Fair enough. However, I would like to inform taxpayers (if they don’t already know) of the following changes and facts concerning council tax and business tax.

1 - The Isle of Purbeck pays one of the highest council taxes, if not the highest in the country.

2 - The U.K. pays the highest property tax in the developed world.

3 - The local council (Purbeck) now receives revenue from new houses in Wareham and Wool-Bloor Homes and Purbeck Gate. Thousands more to come of course.

4 - The council also receives council tax from empty second homes and holiday homes.

5 - We must not forget the parking meters on Shore Road, Swanage.

6 - This time round the councils get to keep all council tax and business rates.

So their cash flow should be huge - awash with money! I understand last autumn, the executives awarded themselves a nice little pay rise. I don’t want to appear uncharitable, but these executives in County Hall have no experience of business.

Evidence: look at profligate spending for Olympic Games. Canford Bottom roundabout (£9.million) and the beautiful, smooth, tarmac roads for Upwey, Ridgeway and Littlemoor.

Dorset County executives are non-achievers and do you trust their competence with all our money? Remember the Icelandic Bank Debacle!

Pensioners received a 2% increase last year - council tax was 3.99%. This year it will be at least 5%, plus inflation.

Purbeck, the Poor Relation; Yes, they resurfaced the road from Corfe to Swanage - still the same old ‘chip and gravel’, but what about Victoria Avenue and Kings Road Swanage? Again, I would reiterate that Purbeck pays the highest council tax in the country - for what? Third world roads.

Why? Please, I urge your readers to write to their M.P.s if they feel they are being exploited, discriminated against by postcode, or even used as a cash cow.

The truth of the matter is that our rating system is archaic and urgently needs restructuring to be fair to people living in Purbeck.

Yours sincerely, Marcus Mayhew.

Rank Injustice Dear Readers, Swanage Taxi Rank I have tasked myself with informing local residents about the taxi rank at Swanage Railway Station after I gleened some interesting information whilst taking a taxi in Swanage recently and chatting to the driver.

It appears that much of the general public are not aware that this rank is a Swanage Town Council private rank. It is not owned or run by the single taxi firm who rent an office from Swanage Railway, right next to the rank.

It is completely separate from that company.

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Square & Compass Worth Matravers. 01929 439229

LIVE ACTS FOR APRIL Sat Sun Sat Sat Sun Fri Sat Fri Sat Sun

1 2 8 15 16 21 22 28 29 30

8pm John Langan 2pm David Celia 8pm Helele 8pm Woody Pines 2pm Woody Pines 8pm Alistair Goodwin Band 8pm TwoManTing 8pm Corrine West 8pm Threepenny Bit www.squareandcompasspub.co.uk 2pm Junco Shakers

There are seven individual companies which use this shared taxi rank (at the time of writing), but only one of which is associated with the taxi office on-site. Each separate company pays to use the rank on an annual basis. The cost paid to Swanage Town Council is around £700 per annum, per vehicle.

The system is quite unfair to the smaller companies who do not have an office next to the rank, as many people think they have to book a taxi from the rank by going into the office, so their takings from the rank may well be less than the cars attached to the office.

This letter is to inform people of the fact that this rank is totally separate to the office on-site, and that you can go direct to any taxi on the rank in any order whatsoever to book.

In addition, you may well find that some of the taxis on the rank from the smaller companies charge less than the charges set by the company who run the office on-site!

Frank Wilson, by email.

Tennis Club Celebration Dear Editor, On Saturday April 1st Swanage Tennis Club would love to invite Swanage residents and visitors to a celebration day to open our new astro-turf courts.

Our guests will include former Davis Cup and Wimbledon player, John Paish, the Mayor of Swanage, representatives from the local council and Dorset LTA. The grand opening will be at 11am, followed by exhibition matches by John Paish and other stars. At 2pm we are hosting an open afternoon for anyone to come and try out our fantastic new courts, enjoy free coaching sessions for adults and children, beat the ball machine and lots of activities.

Refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon. There will also be free putting, courtesy of Swanage Town Council.

Best wishes, Karen Richardson, Membership Secretary, Swanage Tennis Club.

Mystery Man Sought By Tess Dear Editor, Chance conversation on Wool Bridge Please may I convey my thanks, via your letters page, to the very helpful gentleman whom I stopped on his walk across Wool Bridge yesterday lunchtime (Sunday 5th March) after I had taken photographs of the Army information board and Bridge on my iPad? I am guessing he is local as he seemed to be on foot and was very knowledgeable about areas used in the locality by Hardy.

He was patient and interested to listen to my reasons for stopping off at the bridge on that particular day amidst several visits so far around the beautiful West Dorset area regarding family history research. However, my head was buzzing with so many villages and churches visited that morning, which made me remiss to enquire why he also was crossing the bridge that day, given our mutual Sunday ‘time out’ in such a lovely place.

I am sure the gentleman, if he is reading this, will recall me, the ‘city girl’ as he put it, hastily making her way back into Bournemouth.

If he would care to meet on the bridge again so I can apologise in person and see if either of us have managed a bit more Hardy in our lives, inspired perhaps by Woolbridge Manor House that day, then maybe he could get

in touch with me via your office.

Many thanks, ‘Tess of the iPad’ (Jan), by email.

Ed’s note: ‘Helpful Gentleman’, if you’re reading this, please do email us at: ed@ purbeckgazette.co.uk and we’ll pass your email address onto Tess of the iPad to reconnect you. Alternatively, you can let us know your phone number and we can pass this on. Good luck!

Scout Leaders Needed!

Dear Editor, Langton Matravers Scout Group Langton Matravers Scout Group has been a really successful group since it’s inauguration in 1930. It was suspended during the war years but restarted in 1948. Its success was highlighted when the present hall was built by local parents and in 1954 was opened by the famous Scout personality, Ralph Reader of ‘The Gang Show’ fame. The group continued to grow until the early nineties when with increased numbers and with ‘Beavers’ and ‘Young Leaders’ joining the group local volunteers got together to modernise and enlarge the hall. In 1996 Bob Reader, Ralph’s son, very kindly dedicated the new hall to the village.

Since then the group has continued to grow with up to a total of fifty young people including in recent years girls as well as boys. The majority of this time there has been a waiting list wanting to join, especially for the Beavers.

We have always been lucky with the quality of our leaders, male and female, who have invariably had the ability to keep our young people busy and really interested in all types of scouting activities, hiking, camping, climbing, canoeing, archery and plenty of others. The facilities at Buddens are some of the best in the country and are used on a regular basis.

However I’m sorry to say that over the last couple of years we have lost most of our leaders, all types of reasons, university, work, even age in one or two cases. I really believe most of them are really sorry to leave and are joining other groups. However it has left us in a sorry state with young people but no adults.

The purpose of this letter is to ask you to look at yourselves and consider if Scouting could be for you. Scouting offers so many things, fun, challenge and everyday adventure to 400,000 girls and boys across the UK. But it’s about fun and friendship for adults as well, and with 30,000 young people on our waiting lists there’s no better time to get involved. You can give as much or as little time as you like and you can fit volunteering around your work and family commitments.

For more information please contact Barbara Bray on 07837 259668 or e-mail barbiebray@hotmail.com or me, Doug Quayle, on 01929 421944 or e-mail wendyanddougq@btinternet.com Please read this letter and consider if Scouting could be for you. After nearly ninety years of scouting in Langton, it would be a real tragedy if Langton Matravers Scout Group had to close down.

Yours in Scouting, Doug Quayle, Treasurer

Modernising Globe Dear Gazette, Bearing in mind the time of year - 1/04/2017!! I would like to suggest that the Great Globe at Durlston be updated.

It has many countries on there which have long since ceased to exist, so it should be brought up to the 21st century standard.

What do you think?! Regards, Peter Wakefield.

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Lords Lambasted Dear Editor, The recent House of Lords amendment to the Brexit Bill, amendment 9B, states that the government must protect the rights of EU citizens over here when we leave.

The amendment was passed by 358 votes to 256, a shocking majority of 102 publically unelected self-serving individuals.

There has already been a great deal of deliberate sabotage done to sterling and trade by the atmosphere created overseas by the Europhiles who now seek to further frustrate the will of the people on protecting British nationals abroad, with their damaging incessant pre-empting of our negotiations with Europe.

You can only get into the so called upper house after crawling to the big parties or after giving them piles of cash, or both at once. The Lords are bland, obedient pre-chosen candidates that will do whatever their chosen parties demand of them. In return they receive £300 per day attendance allowance and some keep the taxi waiting while they sign in.

Strange how public services are being hammered with austerity measures while those parasites are allowed to go under the radar!

What is needed to scrutinise legislation intended for the public are lords who have been democratically voted into office by the public, just as with our MPs. People representative of the public such as full-time mothers, war veterans, crime victims and pensioners, to name some. Most importantly, we must destroy the tyranny of the Zombie parties, Labour, Liberal Democrat and the Tories within the Lords.

They speak on behalf of nobody but themselves and let’s not forget, the whole EU question would never have gone as far as it did if the public were able to have stopped mission creep earlier?

I remain Editor, yours faithfully, Mike Fry, by email.

Film Showings Raise £2573 Dear Gazette, Motor Neurone Disease Association Following the phenomenal success of the film The Theory of Everything which tells the story of Prof Stephen Hawking, volunteers from the East Dorset and New Forest branch of The Motor Neurone Disease Association have attended showings in cinemas in Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole, Wimborne and Wareham.

The generous patrons at these cinemas very kindly dropped donations into MNDA buckets and the amount raised to help local people with this fatal disease was the amazing amount of £2573.

A big thank you to the cinema staff and patrons.

Melanie Broomfield, by email.

Scapegoating Greys Dear Editor, Over the last few days, grey squirrels have been scapegoated again for the decline of the red squirrel. Horrific plans to kill grey squirrels have even been announced, but it is people, and not grey squirrels, who are largely responsible for the decline in red squirrel numbers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was red squirrels who were being treated as ‘pests’ and slaughtered in their thousands. A series of harsh winters and disease epidemics reduced red squirrel numbers even further. According to a Bristol University report, there is little evidence that killing grey squirrels is the best way of conserving red ones.

But in any case, grey squirrels are just as capable of suffering as their red counterparts. All animals deserve to live, whether they are a well-loved

species, like the red squirrel, or considered ‘pests’.

There are many humane ways of deterring unwelcome animals, including squirrels, and free advice sheets can be ordered from Animal Aid by phoning 01732 364 546 or emailing info@animalaid.org.uk Isobel Hutchinson, Director, Animal Aid, via email.

Rex Players - Big Thank You Dear Editor, The Rex Players would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who supported or contributed to our recent Variety Show production “Four Seasons” at the Rex Cinema, Wareham.

Without your help and enthusiasm, the show could not go on to raise the considerable amounts that we have been able to donate this year to the Rex Cinema refurbishment and the Green Island Holiday Trust.

We always need people with ideas for the next show, performers prepared to sing, dance, act or just enjoy performing during our annual variety show and who would like to join a vibrant group of amateur people.

We also need people to help behind the scenes with costumes, staging, publicity and front of house.

Many thanks, Sue Minshall (Rex Player)

8000+ Sign Petition Dear Gazette, Through your columns, I’d like to thank all the people who signed the petition against the downgrading of Poole A&E and maternity services.

Thanks also to the shops and businesses that had the petition on their counters for signature. More than 8,000 signatures were gathered in Purbeck including over 4,000 signatures from Swanage residents. The petition was presented to the Dorset CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) on 21st February.

The “blue light” time to highly-skilled emergency treatment is a crucial issue. Hearts can be re-started in ambulances but drugs to dilate arteries can’t generally be given without scans and tests in hospital. The same goes for acute stroke, major trauma and maternity emergencies. The CCG gives 45-50 minutes as the safe travel guideline for cases to reach A&E but also says the “blue light” time from Swanage to RBH is 40 minutes.

So, even the CCG’s own figures say that “blue light” time from Swanage to RBH is 15-20 minutes longer than the journey to Poole A&E. This doesn’t include the time it takes ambulances to reach us in Swanage!

The Dorset CCG proposals include some laudable ideas but they’re driven by the pressure on it to save £158 million in Dorset as its share of NHS England’s required “savings” of £22 billion.

Of concern is that some of the CCG proposals for moving primary care into the community are based on working with county council elderly care provision, which we know is in crisis through withdrawal of the support grant from central government.

Bovington Tailors Dress making Ladies & mens alterations Loose covers, Antique upholstery Boat & caravan upholstery Medal mounting & framing Unit 3, Bovington Shopping Centre, King George V Road, Bovington

01929 462195 www.bovingtontailors. wordpress.com

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Deco Jewellery Antique & Vintage rings

Georgian Gems

High St, Swanage 01929 424697 Even the cash boost of £1bn for care in England announced in the budget for 2017-18 will not deal with the warnings by charities, health organisations and the care regulator that we have reached a “tipping point” after years of budget cuts to our social care system.

Yours sincerely, Avril Harris, Swanage Labour Party

Councillor Miller Responds Dear Purbeck Gazette, Firstly, thank you for giving over so much space in your magazine to residents’ views. It’s so important that people are able to share their opinions and be made aware of others.

I’d like to respond to a few points made in the March issue. I did say to David Hollister that SOME residents don’t want affordable (or any) homes in their back garden, as some residents have told me they don’t. I also said that some do, but I’ve had residents say to me that they’ve been intimidated by the voices of people opposed to development, who often shout louder.

My message is that there’s room for everyone’s views, and that’s why we have a council, a place to debate those views, and hopefully arrive at a solution that won’t please everyone, but that is a compromise.

On that note, the time of the public Q&A session on March 16th is early as it’s prior to the Plan Review formal meeting at 7pm. We did it this way so that residents could attend both without turning out twice. Some people prefer an earlier meeting and some a later one - again we can’t please everyone but we try to be flexible.

On the point regarding the spending of the Community Housing Fund money; actually, the Housing Forum doesn’t cost anything to run.

Community Land Trusts (where we hope to target the funds) are volunteer run, and ACTUALLY BUILD HOUSES! It’s not a quango or a committee, it was created to give residents more time and space to discuss housing issues as many felt they didn’t have enough room to do so in public time before meetings. The aim is to build houses, but we do have to talk about it before we do it to make sure it’s what small rural communities need!

Best wishes, Laura Miller (Purbeck District Councillor, Portfolio Holder for Housing)

Bere Regis Church Mission

Dear Editor, To help raise funds for “Mission Apostle”, the vital work of replacing the lead to keep the rain out of the unique 15th century carved and painted nave roof depicting the near life-sized Twelve Apostles, our local village parishioners are offering Guided Tours of our famous medieval Church on Tuesdays at 11am and on Thursdays at 3pm during the months of April to October. Donations to the fund will be very much appreciated.

The Church is open daily and visitors are very welcome to arrange guided tours on other days and times by calling John England 01929 471469 or Richard Smith 01929 471339 to make a booking.

Many thanks, sincerely, John England, by email.

MATT HILLAN Building Alterations & Maintenance

All Trade Aspects Undertaken Free Estimates Fully Insured

01929 427296 07971 690817 Happy to help and advise

Lottery Awards 2017 Dear Sir/Madam, The National Lottery Awards 2017 are open for entries, giving Lotteryfunded projects a chance to shine in the national limelight.

The Awards recognise the amazing work done by organisations using National Lottery funding to transform communities and change lives. They celebrate the unsung heroes behind the success of local arts, sports, heritage, and community projects.

Every week National Lottery players raise £30 million for good causes and, since 1994, over 500,000 Lottery grants have been awarded.

Seven projects will be recognised at a star-studded awards ceremony broadcast on BBC One later this year and each will win a £3,000 cash prize.

Readers can visit www.nationallotteryawards.org.uk/awards to nominate projects. All entries must be in by midnight on Friday 7 April.

Yours faithfully, John Barrowman National Lottery Awards Ambassador, The National Lottery Awards, C/o 1 Plough Place, London, EC4A 1DE.

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Charity Trek Challenge Dear Readers, Some people have a big party to mark their 50th birthday, but I have decided to do something a little more challenging.

I’ve signed up with Charity Challenge to undertake a four day trek along one of the lesser travelled Inca trails in Peru to raise funds for Forest Holme Hospice in Poole, which provides palliative and end of life care to over one thousand adults, as well as supporting their families from the Purbeck, Poole and East Dorset areas.

For many years I have wanted to visit Machu Picchu in Peru and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity! I will start with a sixteen hour flight to Cusco in Peru on the eve of my birthday, before meeting the rest of my group.

We will spend a couple of days acclimatising to the altitude before setting off on a four-day walk from the Sacred Valley, with wild camping along the way at Cancani, Huacahuasi and Ollantaytambo, before reaching the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu.

I have already held a raffle and a Bake-Off and will be hosting a quiz night at the end of March. I would like to thank the local businesses who have donated raffle prizes so far. These include The Tank Museum, Dorset Water Park, Corfe Castle Model Village, Hall and Woodhouse Brewery, Harbour Challenge in Poole, Derek Curtis Butcher in Wareham, Jane Burrows at Corfe Beauty, Purbeck Sports Centre, Fiona at FiFi’s in Swanage, Boots in Swanage, The Grand Hotel, Swanage, Seventh Wave at Durlston Castle and Nicky Churchill at Innovation Hair and Beauty in Swanage.

I’d also like to thank Wareham Golf Club for hosting my quiz night and my colleagues at Purbeck District Council for their constant support and fundraising efforts too.

Kind regards, Stephanie Shimmons (pictured, above), by email.

You can sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stephanie. shimmons

A Place Of Welcome

Dear Gazette, I suspect your readers know of people who live alone and get to meet very few people. Even if they get into town, they probably don’t know where to go or cannot afford coffee-shop prices.

We have just started a ‘Place of Welcome’, opening Tuesdays and Fridays from 10-12 at 21 Commercial Road, Swanage beyond Chococo.

We offer those who drop in a free hot drink and biscuit, a listening ear, conversation, the occasional activity and basic information.

We should like to welcome anyone, of any age or circumstance, who would like to give us a try.

Regards, Alan Dominy, Link Visiting, Swanage. Tel. 07495 534171

Race Horse Death Watch Dear Editor, Ten years ago, this month, Animal Aid launched a new initiative, entitled Race Horse Deathwatch. The aim of the project was to monitor and publish detailed information on as many on-course race horse deaths as we could find out about, because the racing industry did not do so.

Ten years on, little has changed. Racing’s regulator, the British Horseracing Authority, merely publishes the number of horses killed whilst racing, and not the names of the horses or how they died.

Animal Aid, however, does.

The names of one thousand five hundred horses, killed as a result of racing in the last decade, appear on the Race Horse Deathwatch website, but

the true figure is likely to be much greater. The majority of those horses were killed after breaking their leg, or neck, whilst racing, or because they collapsed and died.

This shocking number of fatalities is racing’s dirty secret. We continue our work to expose it on behalf of all those horses who had nobody to speak out for them except us. www.horsedeathwatch.com Fiona Pereira, Campaign Manager, Animal Aid by email.

Rotary Street Collections

Dear Nico, The street collections held over the weekend of 4/5 March and undertaken

by Swanage & Purbeck Rotary on behalf of Marie Curie (Dorset) raised £1227.

Marie Curie is one of my two chosen charities in my Presidential year and all monies raised will to the Dorset team of nurses who give end-of-life care and support at home to local people.

This is a substantial amount and I would like to thank all those involved in the collection and those who gave so generously.

John Thraves, Swanage & Purbeck Rotary

Shaming ‘Poo’ Dumpers!

Dear Editor, We’ve all done it. We’ve all walked past a bush or tree with a poo bag hanging in it and said “Look at that, doesn’t it look awful, why do people do that?”, and then walked on.

Well today I didn’t walk on. I went back home to collect my gardening gloves and secateurs and returned to retrieve these pooh bags, ALL 52 OF THEM - from just one bush.

I then left them on the ground, where they can be seen by everyone who walks by, so they can carry on saying “ Look at that, doesn’t it look awful?” and maybe, just maybe, the person who is responsible for these will come by and think the same thing.

Out of sight, out of mind, so they say. To the dog owner who keeps on doing this - why don’t you just leave it on the ground in full view? Why hide it in a bush? Are you ashamed of what you are doing?

Mags Pettitt, Corfe Castle P.S. When the next rubbish collection is due, I will go and collect them up, unless by then the offending dog owner has realised their responsibility!

The Purbeck Gazette

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Shout Into The Wind...

by David Hollister

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he ‘Partial Review of Purbeck Local Plan Consultation Report’ runs to 178 pages and its Appendix runs to 505 pages; I somehow doubt that any of our readers have read it from cover to cover. I only look at the pictures…….

There’s a fascinating graph on page 17. Question “do you agree with the proposal to meet the objectively assessed needs of around 3080 additional new homes between 2013 and 2033?” Results – Yes 37, No 2828. Support for ‘yes’ came mainly from developers, the Home Builders Federation, the Borough of Poole and Dorset County Council. Why am I not surprised?

The majority of town and parish councils who responded objected. The majority of individuals were not in support.

Purbeck was one of three local councils who objected to the proposals to make two ‘unitary’ councils in Dorset. Unfortunately the majority of Councils were in favour. Turkeys voting for Christmas, maybe? Which means that if the ‘democratic process’ reaches its logical conclusion, Purbeck will be steamrollered and the PDC will disappear. I wouldn’t be surprised to find the democratic results of the Consultation Report disappear too, into the archives of a huge unitary council which may well save a lot of money but which is unlikely to remember where Purbeck is, unless we find a way of regularly poking it with a stick.

I’ve started attending the monthly meetings of the Swanage Town Council Planning Committee as an observer. This committee has no powers whatsoever to make a final determination of any plans, but sits as a consultee, making recommendations to the PDC Planning Committee. I was disappointed to see that around 90% of the plans being discussed were ‘delegated’ – i.e. left to the salaried Planning Officers to make a decision.

Which would seem to make the PDC Planning Committee 90% redundant and the views of any Parish or Town Council even more so, objections shouted politely into the wind…….?

Astonished to see that the Planning Officers were recommending approval of the latest scheme at the Pier Head, involving replacement of seaside shops with dwellings, protected from the elements by a three-metre high wall adjacent to the pavement for the greater part of its length, necessary in the light of current regulations applying to dwellings built near the shore, to prevent flooding on the increasingly likely incidences of storms and high seas brought about by ‘climate change’.

Now before you jump up and down in protest, go and have a look at the horrible red-brick wall fifty yards away at ‘Playland’, stretching from Gee Whites up to the Heritage Centre. It’s longer. And higher. Then jump up and down in protest; two wrongs don’t make a right, do they?

The Applicant – who I have always considered to be a friend and I hope will remain so after this article – started trying to develop this site some fifteen years ago and was constantly thwarted by the PDC planning committee.

It seemed to me that any plan with the name “Storer” attached to it was consigned to the dustbin.

If they’d let him build the original application at the time, the current regulations wouldn’t have been in force and the occupants would have had to cope with the oncoming flooding – as do all the existing street-

level homes and businesses in the town. But there’s another factor in play; the existence of the huge underground tunnel built in the early 1990s as part of the ‘flood alleviation scheme’, a tunnel apparently so close to the surface right under the Pier Head site that the construction of any building, whether commercial or residential – would involve eye-watering expenditure on the foundations. Mr Storer must have known about this from the start. Question – should basic planning criteria include economic viability to the applicants?

Clearly, residential development is more profitable than commercial.

Fifteen years ago, the Storer brothers wanted to put commercial units in and run them for a profit. Which knowing them as I do, they would have achieved admirably, to the benefit of the town. But now, having reached retirement age after a lifetime of hard and dedicated work, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they may just want to sell up and retire. I know I would. And really – why should they give a damn about the aesthetics of a town which has for so long rejected them and their plans to add something worthy to the town?

Sad to hear that the Wareham-Hemsbach Society, formed in 1986, is to fold. Although membership is around fifty, there’s apparently nobody prepared to take on the committee work; Chairman, Secretary, etc. What a shame. But so many other organisations are in similar straits; as older members pass on having ‘done their stuff’ fewer and fewer younger or newly-retired people are prepared to step forward and give their time.

Yes, it’s a busy life, homes and children to be looked after, long hours to be worked just to keep hand to mouth, but if we in Purbeck are to remain a community rather than a disparate handful of individuals, then it’s down to every one of us to do our bit. That’s me. And YOU. Here’s something of which many residents of Wareham and Wool may be unaware. Since publication of the 2016 Draft Waste Plan Update, one alternative site option has been brought to the attention of the Waste Planning Authority. This site has been fully assessed taking account of its suitability for a waste use and potential impacts on landscape, traffic, local communities and other matters. A full site assessment and appraisal can be viewed on their website, where you can comment; any new issues raised will be fully considered prior to publication of the final Waste Plan.

The proposed site is located in Purbeck, at Binnegar Environmental Park, East Stoke (nr. Wareham). A map and details of the site is provided on the website at: http://consult.dorsetforyou.com/portal/waste_site_ options?pointId=s1479916863940 You have until 5th April to have your say. Whether anyone will listen is another matter. But now at least you know about it.

Reader Marcus Mayhew makes an interesting point (Letters, page 4) regarding the justification – or not – of the forthcoming rate rises. Some good points here, Marcus, so thank you!

Pensioners received 2% increase last year; the council tax increase was 3.99%.This year it’ll be at least 5% plus inflation. You may wish to comment on these facts by writing to your MP, or standing on the beach and shouting into the wind for all the good it will do. Happy Easter!

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The Purbeck Gazette

Volunteers Honoured At Annual Ceremony

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ard-working volunteers from across the district of Purbeck have been thanked at a ceremony hosted by District Council Chairman, Bill Trite.

The volunteers, who do exceptional work for their local communities, received recognition and praise at the ceremony which has become an annual fixture in the district.

This year’s event was the ninth annual gathering. Following the tradition of previous years, Councillor Trite and guests heard about the dedication, energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers who give so much to their communities.

After presenting each volunteer with a scroll as a mark of their achievement, Councillor Trite said: “Those here this evening represent the vast number of other Purbeck volunteers upon whom so many local people depend.

“They are truly at the heart of our communities and make a tremendous contribution to town and village life in Purbeck. Many people rely on volunteers and I thank all those here tonight for their dedication, energy and enthusiasm.”

Councillor Trite continued: “With ever-decreasing government funding for local councils, volunteers are crucial to our towns and villages. They

“Sky Lights” ou will probably have noticed a very bright light in the evening sky since January – Venus, the “evening star”, the goddess of love, which at one time in history was known as Lucifer.

Then the name Lucifer meant the giver of light, before the fall of Satan when the name was attributed to the Devil.

The name Venus also came from the planet’s light-giving properties, but in a good way!

As you will be reading this, Venus will not be visible with the naked eye as its position closes with that of the sun against which its light cannot compete. It will be visible again as a “morning star” (rising before the sun) in May through to August. Because of its position in the solar system between the earth and the sun, it cannot be seen for more than a couple of hours before or after sunrise/set.

A planet of very similar size to the earth, it is a very hot and hellish place to visit. Surface temperatures reach over 460˚C, Sulphuric Acid clouds

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make a positive difference from which everyone benefits, often working unseen and unsung behind the scenes.

“We owe them a profound debt of gratitude for everything they do.”

Nine parishes and towns across the District nominated Volunteers of the Year who were congratulated in front of more than 50 guests.

The volunteers of the year were: Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle - The Briantspuddle Post Office and Village Shop Volunteers Bere Regis - Andrew Kent East Stoke - Jenny Lobb Langton Matravers - Ian Vaughan-Arbuckle Lytchett Matravers – Rosalia Harris Lytchett Minster and Upton - Shirley Benjafield and Mandy Borg Swanage – Frank Roberts Wareham - Pam Bowyer-Davis Wool - Wool and District Friends of Cancer Research UK float above it and its atmosphere is 96% Carbon Dioxide – I think I will stick to holidays in Dorset.

Uniquely among the planets, Venus rotates in the opposite direction so the sun rises in the west and sets to the east. A day lasts 243 of our days and a year 225 earth days – confusing huh?

About a quarter of the way from earth to the sun, it has always held a fascination for science fiction authors and science fact astronomers, but nobody is ever going to get hands on experience of the place in the foreseeable future.

Amazingly it was first accurately mapped by the Mayans around 650 BC, orbited by Mariner 2 in 1962 and visited by the Russian Venera 7 in 1970 when it managed to send back all of 23 minutes of data.

The second brightest planet in the sky, Jupiter, is presently visible all night for those who want to look for it, presently in the eastern sky. How do you tell the difference between stars and planets in the sky you ask?

Easy, stars twinkle, planets don’t!

I have pointed a sextant many times in their direction to fix our position in mid-ocean, reliable friends that have been abandoned by the Satnav/ GPS generation!

Please don’t forget that we have terrestrial tea and cakes served by our celestial volunteers over the holiday weekends this month (15th-17th April plus 30th & 1st May) – we would, as always love to see you at the Lookout as gastronomic samplers.

Please stay safe on whichever side of the tide line your life or leisure takes you. As always, you are always welcome to visit us when you are passing.

The Swanage NCI can be contacted at the Lookout on 01929 422596, at nci.org.uk or on VHF 65 or the email address below.

We always look forward to hearing your comments and questions.

Bob Clark, swanagenci@btinternet.com, NCI Swanage.

The Purbeck Gazette

Wareham Town Council Updates

Julie, our Gazette correspondent, details the goings on in recent council meetings.....

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ouncillor Malcolm Russell was confirmed as Town Mayor Elect and Councillor Carol Turner as Deputy Town Mayor Elect for 2017-2018.

The Local Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will work together with the Living and Learning Program team and the Steering Group meetings will be incorporated in the new Town Council calendar. The group invited all Town Councillors to a presentation about Community Land Trusts.

Both District and County Councillors reported that the proposal to replace local councils in Dorset with one authority for Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch and another authority for other areas had gone forward to the Secretary of State for Communities with the support of 6 councils and the objection of Purbeck, East Dorset and Christchurch councils.

Dorset County Council (DCC) intends to increase Council Tax by 4.99%.

The Purbeck District Council (PDC) element will go up by 2.82%.

The Partial Review of the Purbeck Local Plan will now be called the Purbeck Local Plan Review. It will use an Infrastructure Forum and 5 Local Forums comprised of landowners, developers, District Councillors and other interested parties. PDC voted to keep the 5 year local connection qualification for housing allocation.

There will be more road works on the A351in Sandford and on the flyover bridge where emergency repairs already took place. Road works near Westgate and Purbeck School will be undertaken by DCC during the Easter school holidays.

The Planning and Transport Committee had responded to planning applications to erect 6 properties at 3 St Martins Lane, 27 units on the Cottees site and a house at the back of 33 North Street. Another application was for a Vodafone mast at the Rugby Club. The Committee had considered proposed work on a number of trees and a hedge at 15 Ropers Lane.

Wareham will be without a Town Clerk after the temporary Town Clerk finishes at the end of March until a new Town Clerk is appointed. The Wareham in Bloom Committee reported that 110 containers had gone for planting. Fairtrade Champion, Beryl Ezzard, marked Fairtrade Fortnight by distributing the 2017 Purbeck Fairtrade Directory to Councillors. Water wasting automatic taps in the Howards Lane and Quay toilets have been replaced by the push down version.

The public is invited to the next meeting of the Town Council on Tuesday 18th April in the Town Hall at 7pm. The Annual Town Meeting is on Wednesday 19th April. For further information, call 01929 553006 or visit the website at www.wareham-tc.gov.uk.

OUR FEATURE NEXT MONTH IS:

‘Purbeck Arts & Crafts’

Showcasing the arts and crafts available in Purbeck.

Call JOY on 01929 424239 ext.1 to book your space.

FEATURE DISCOUNTS APPLY - MIN. 1/8 PAGE ADVERT SIZE ACCEPTED, WHICH WE’LL DOUBLE AT NO EXTRA COST!

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Plans For The Continued Future Of Swanage Our Environment & Planning Investigator reports on new plans......

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hicago 1855: As Chicago was slowly sinking into the mud, and the streets were becoming clogged up with sewage, the city commissioners decided that something had to be done.

They consulted with engineers from all over the United States, and decided that the solution lay in the relocation of some buildings, and the raising of others. Several large buildings were moved to higher land, and others were lifted by four to fourteen feet, all of which made room for a new sewerage system and a ‘dry city’.

Swanage 2017: As our investigation discovered, (Gazette Feb 2017), Swanage could be suffering a similar fate over the next few decades. With Chicago in mind, another solution has come to light, incorporating Engineer Bill Fry’s second choice (‘A little bit of history repeating’, article, February edition, Purbeck Gazette).

The latest proposal would be to compulsorily purchase the Pier Head site on the Lower High Street, raise the base up by ten feet and relocate the Mowlem to the site. The situation would enable the outside of the building to be given a facelift. This would be the beginning of the transformation of Swanage.

The Government and the National Trust agree that the best way to face the rising sea level and coastal erosion threat is through a policy of managed retreat. In that way, we don’t bankrupt ourselves with ever more expensive sea defences.

The next step would be to raise the buildings on the north side of Station Road by about ten feet, fill the hole beneath with concrete, and form a quay.

These buildings will, in the near future, become seafront shops. The south side of Station Road will have to be demolished entirely, with appropriate compensation given to the property owners. After demolition, the south wall of the brook will be raised and strengthened to enable Commercial Road and Institute Road to survive. Any new builds in this area will be built on a raft of concrete, with the lowest floor level set at ten feet higher than current levels demand.

The reinstated sea inlet will initially follow the existing brook, but will be significantly wider. As the sea level rises over the coming years, new builds

William Masters Hardy’s marked-out boundaries of the ‘old lake’, overlaid on a modern map of Swanage town centre. License (c) OpenStreetMap and contributors CC-BY-SA

in the affected area will be forbidden, and in other areas, a full impact study will have to be completed before planning permission is obtained.

If work is started by 2020 and continues steadily for the next thirty years, we should keep ahead of the rising water and ensure that Swanage remains viable for the next few generations at least. A lot of money will be required; The European Historic City Fund were going to be approached, but that is probably out of the question now.

Historic England, DCC, PDC and Swanage Town Council are all aware of the situation and Swanage’s council tax will increase over the coming years, with the extra money to be put into a ring-fenced account. Visitors will discretely be asked to donate upon their arrival in Swanage by all B&Bs and hotels, and an internet funding page has been set up: https:// giveusallyourdosh.com/SaveSwanage The above is an extract from a much longer study to be found on the internet at www.sunkbeneaththewaves.co.uk/swanagedorset. The site is pay-walled, but is an extremely good read.

Swanage Fire & Rescue Station Update

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i and welcome to this month’s report from Swanage Fire station.

Operationally in the last month we answered fourteen emergency fire calls, these incidents included the following; • Two fires involving property.

• Five special service calls • Three false alarms • One Chimney fire.

• Two Road Traffic Collisions • One roof fire We have also responded to twenty one medical calls in and around the town backed up by our South West Ambulance colleagues in a paramedic car, ambulance or air ambulance.

Instead of my safety message this month I thought I would share a recent press release, as this will be your last chance to sponsor the great effort that one of our firefighters is putting in to support a great cause that helps our colleagues and their families across the country.

Liam to run London Marathon in fire kit A Swanage firefighter is tackling the London Marathon next month - in full fire kit!

Liam Blake (pictured, top right) will take on the 26-mile race wearing fire helmet, tunic and leggings with a breathing apparatus cylinder on his back – the total weight is around four stone – and it’s only his second marathon, having run his first in Bournemouth last October.

The intention is to raise as much money as possible for the Fire Fighters Charity, and nearly £2,800 has already been pledged by family, friends and the local community – with Swanage Conservative Club giving £400, Scooby Crew giving £120 and a bake sale in the town before Christmas raising some £200.

Yet this isn’t the only challenge being faced by Liam in the coming weeks!

Before the race on 23 April, he will be undertaking his final assessment to become a fully qualified firefighter; he will also be taking the test to

drive fire engines under blue lights; and, during May, his first child with wife Zoe is due to be born.

He said: “I like to push myself, and it seemed a good idea to run in fire kit as I’m raising money for the Fire Fighters Charity. The daft thing is that I’m not really a keen runner, it’s my wife who loves it, I just sort of joined in.”

Liam joined Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service as an on-call firefighter in 2014, following in the footsteps of his stepdad Tom Reid, who has been an on-call firefighter in Wareham for over thirty years.

His dedication to serving his community is juggled with his primary employment with Swanage Dairy Ltd, and his employers have been very supportive of both his on-call commitments and his current fundraising. Liam said: “They are brilliant, they understand when I’m either late or can’t make it in because there has been a fire call, and they’ve allowed me to maildrop our customers about the challenge, which has led to a big boost to my overall fundraising total.”

Station Commander Phil Burridge added: “As an on-call station, we are reliant on employers being willing to support their staff in being firefighters, either by allowing them to respond to their pagers during the working day or by giving them the flexibility to respond at other times. Liam couldn’t do what he is doing without the backing of Swanage Dairy, and our thanks go to all the employers who help to maintain the emergency response at Swanage fire station.”

To support Liam in his fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/Liam-Blake1 A big thanks goes to all of you that have already donated to this tremendous effort by Liam but please don’t let it stop there.

Stay safe and don’t forget to test your smoke alarms!

Phil Burridge, Station Commander

The Purbeck Gazette

Taking Our Community Back!

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any of you will have noticed the ‘Litter-Free Purbeck’ campaign gathering momentum recently – teams of local volunteers in our towns and villages have been getting together to complete organised litter picks on a regular basis.

It’s one thing to moan at the loss of cash available to our district and county councils to ensure our streets, hedges and roadsides are clear of trash, it’s another thing to get up out of the chair and take responsibility for your community yourself – as the saying goes – there is no ‘someone’ – get on and do it yourself.

Originally, Frank Roberts of Swanage Army Link, took it upon himself to start clearing up our streets and roadsides, often getting up in the early hours to clean the main roads before 5am when the traffic starts to become a danger. He purchased safety equipment, signage and tools with his own money, and for a long time, pottered away alone, cleaning up after all of us. Eventually, Frank teamed up with other local litter-picking groups in Langton and Wareham, and the umbrella group, Litter-Free Purbeck, was born.

Working in conjunction with Dorset Waste Partnership (who collect the full rubbish bags after litter picks), the group have gathered more and more volunteers in our towns and villages, and suddenly pride in our immediate environment is creeping back into everyday mentality.

Often volunteers can be seen, identifiable by their high vis jackets or wasitcoats, clearing up after the ignorant who feel it’s just fine to fling rubbish out of car windows or to drop it as they walk along – ‘someone’ will clear it up.

New friendships have been made, people are getting out and about – getting fit, and they are once again becoming familiar with their local neighbourhood and their neighbours. People are less frightened to shout at someone who has dropped litter, requesting (rightly) that they go back and pick it up.

Those who drop litter as a matter of course will be less likely to continue to do so if a friend or neighbour will be the one to have to pick it up. No one likes being caught red-handed doing something wrong, so the hope is that less of us will continue to litter our streets.

Below is a short update by Frank, relating the work done over a few days earlier this year: “So, we started clearing in Swanage at 06.00. Our next team then commenced to clear Bell Street at 09.30, with Rob Nunn looking after four willing volunteers. The first meet for general volunteers then commenced at 10.00.”

“In the past few days, 120kg of rubbish has been collected in nineteen bags, and DWP gave assistance, ahead of their big county-wide bag pickup campaign.”

“We have come a long way in the past twelve months, and dozens of volunteers across The Isle of Purbeck are feeling increasingly willing to help support our aims.”

Pictured are: Top: Frank Roberts.

Next: Leigh Scrafton and Steve Aunger, after an early morning litter picking session, photo taken by Frank Roberts.

Nico Johnson

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Out Of The Blue

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t’s the start of spring and with that comes the usual inclination to start clearing out the garden shed and dusting off the camping gear.

However have you ever stopped to consider what’s in your shed and how much it’s worth?

Sheds and outbuildings remain vulnerable to thieves looking for garden tools, machinery, bikes and sporting equipment.

So it’s the perfect time to check on your garden security and to ensure that you are doing everything you can to keep your property safe.

Bear in mind the following crime prevention points: Secure the access to your shed or garage by locking gates and using thorny bushes next to walls and fences.

• Have you visibly marked the contents of your shed?

• External security lights which are activated by movement are very useful.

• Doors of sheds require attention – use close shackle padlocks.

• Use coach bolts or non-return screws to secure door hinges.

• Chain cycles, mowers, ladders and tools to a strong anchorage point.

• Alarms for sheds and garages are available very cheaply (under £20) Together we will crack crime – have you considered joining a Home Watch scheme?

Exactly what insurance cover do you have? Check that your household policy covers you for theft from your garden and outbuildings.

Purbeck Neighbourhood Policing teams (NPT) will be using our very own crime prevention ‘shed’ which is full of crime prevention gadgets and tools. Look out for our ‘meet the team’ events where will be advertising its use. Just to illustrate how important it is for your sheds and garages

Swanage Lifeboat Naming And Station Dedication Ceremony

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e are pleased to announce that the official opening ceremony of the new Swanage Lifeboat Station and the naming of our Shannon class lifeboat, the George Thomas Lacy, will be held on Saturday 29th April 2017 at 11am. Please come along and celebrate this special occasion.

The ceremony will be held outside the front of the new lifeboat station.

Although space is limited due to our location we hope members of our community will come along to support this special event.

This is our opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our lifeboat station to enable this fantastic new facility to be built and helped fund our new all-weather lifeboat.

JOIN US FOR THE OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY!

SATURDAY 29TH APRIL, 11am

to be protected, we recorded just over 10 burglaries (including attempt burglaries) to non-dwellings in the last month. If you would like a visit from one of the team to give crime prevention advice, please contact your local NPT. On a separate note, your Neighbourhood Policing teams have been achieving some great results. Wareham Town and West team has had a good result with some ASB which was being reported in the Bovington area. We were told about low level criminal damage and nuisance behaviour.

We spoke to local residents and discussed their concerns. Reassurance was given and extra patrols were carried out, we are pleased to say that currently we have not received any further reports of problems.

Similarly, Wareham North and Upton team have reported a good result with reducing nuisance ASB in the Lytchett Matravers area. They have also been out and about carrying out speed checks in the Sandy Lane area and found that nearly all of the motorists they checked, were driving at or below the speed limit.

Lastly we are sad to say goodbye to PCSO Ollie Wales. He has been on the Wareham Town and West NPT for 3 years and is leaving for pastures new. We wish him a great deal of luck in his new role and he will be missed.

The Purbeck Gazette

Coastguard Update

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orry for not reporting in the last few months, but the focus for all the local teams has been on a UK wide audit for the Coastguard.

Being a member of the Coastguard Rescue Service isn’t just about being on the front line in searches and rescues - there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes too.

We often talk about the incidents, training sessions and equipment checks as these happen regularly every month. But we rarely mention the record keeping and audit trail that goes with every piece of kit we use, with every training session we undertake, with every rescue we perform and indeed, with every visit we make to the station.

To ensure uniformity and traceability right across the country, all record keeping must be to the same spec - on the correct forms, with the correct issue number and correct branding. All entries in the station log must show precise details and be written in the correct colour pen - red, green, blue or black - according to the rank of the writer and/or the nature of entry (routine visit or a SAR tasking).

The equipment manifests must show the serial numbers of every piece of equipment we carry as well as dates of issue and life expectancy.

The equipment is also listed on an Operational Readiness checklist which has to show exactly where each piece of equipment is kept - and

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if it is in the vehicle, whereabouts in the vehicle (which box or bag number and location eg. the Nearside or Offside of the luggage area).

Once checked, most of the rope rescue equipment is stowed in a secure bag; the bag has to be tied in a particular way with a particular knot and a security tag threaded through in a particular way and initialled and dated.

Water rescue equipment isn’t bagged and tagged, but its location has to be recorded still in the Operational Readiness checklist.

The team has used this quieter time of the year to double check that we are following the national standard for record keeping; the volunteers have spent many, many hours since the New Year checking data entries and pen colours, cross referencing dates, checking that documents have been printed on the correct issue paperwork within approved brand guidelines and generally having a ‘Spring Clean’ of anything that doesn’t fit with the nationally approved systems.

In addition to this behind the scenes admin, we’ve also managed to attend eight incidents in that period - including a person over the cliff at Old Harry and a large multi-agency search at Studland and an investigation into a dinghy found empty off Old Harry.

We continued to liaise with local stakeholders and agencies regarding the slip at Sheps Hollow and Peveril Point, completed five training sessions and a kit check night. Oh, and that’s on top of the full time jobs that all our volunteers have!

So yes - being part of the team is about Search and Rescue, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Thank you all for your continued support – we’re here for you.

Further Support For S.A.D.F.C.

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cheque for £1,000.00, payable to Swanage Area Dementia Friendly Community (S.A.D.F.C.), was presented at Wareham Conservative Club on 28th February 2017 to Jean Gibbs, who is helping to fundraise for an Admiral Nurse for Purbeck.

The money was raised by Music Quiz participants who meet at Wareham

Conservative Club each Tuesday evening. Admiral Nurses are specialist one-to-one nurses who support and give expert advice to families living with dementia.

More information about Admiral Nurses can be found on the DementiaUK website. Thank you! Marje Heath

The Purbeck Gazette

Community Wishes Farewell To Eric Gosney

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ritain’s longest serving chorister. RAF Piliot. Songwriter. Poet. Teacher.

Headmaster.

Eric Gosney was all of these things, and much, much more besides. He joined St Mary’s Church Choir in Swanage in 1932 when he was eight years old, and remained a member until he passed away a few weeks ago.

Eric was also a member of Purbeck Village Quire, The Belvedere Singers, Swanage Musical Theatre, Swanage Town Band, the Metrognomes Recorder Group, the William Barnes Society and Purbeck Arts Club Choir.

Hailing from Swanage, Eric left school aged fourteen and went to work with Hardy’s, a local building company, before heading off to join the RAF in 1943. Eric was posted to southern Rhodesia, before being demobbed in 1947 - immediately heading back to his beloved Swanage and returning to work at Hardy’s.

Aged 36, Eric changed tack, took his O-Levels, then A-Levels, and finally achieved a Bachelor of Arts from the Open University. Eric then went on to become a teacher, gaining the position of Headmaster of Bere Regis school in 1971. He then took over as Headmaster of St Mark’s Primary School in Swanage in 1982 - where he became a part of my life.

As a young student of St Mark’s school in the 1980s myself, Eric was someone I will never, ever forget. He brought life to the school, reinstating the football team, encouraging involvement in sport, art, music. He was the teacher I most remember throughout my years in education for his passion, kindness and understanding of what made young minds tick. He was a truly wonderful and inspirational teacher on every possible level, and I have never forgotten the kindness and understanding he showed me.

In February this year, Eric caught flu and spent a few weeks recuperating at Wordsworth House in Swanage, where for years he had taken it upon himself to vist those older and frailer than himself. I visited Eric, and spent an hour or so sitting at his feet, singing along with him, like the seven-year-

old I once was, all those years ago. We sung several of Eric’s own penned songs (no doubt to the annoyance of other residents who were attempting to watch an old film!), including a carol Eric had written to the tune of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ - of which the orginal composer was a fan.

Eric also read me the poem he had written to his wife, Ivy, whom he had loved so very much. He continued to miss her deeply after losing her several years previously. The thought that Eric is now reunited with her allows a smile to break through the tears.

Rest well, Mr Gosney. We shall never forget you.

Nico Johnson Eric’s funeral will be at St Mary’s church in Swanage at 2pm on Thursday March 30th.

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Volunteers Needed!

Chalk Swans To Adorn Hill Above Town

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o commemorate the start of the process to turn the Isle of Purbeck into part of Dorset’s hoped-for National Park, plans have been consolidated to etch the Swanage symbol into the side of Ballard Down.

We are now calling for local residents to be part of this exciting, historical project! We need willing volunteers to help us mark out the outline of the swans and the text on the hillside (the main work has been done by the National Trust over the winter and the site is already pre-marked).

Volunteers of all ages are also needed to help transport the chalk up the hill and lay it to create the design.

Dorset County Council, Purbeck District Council, Swanage Town Council, Studland Parish Council and National Parks England are all involved, and volunteers from each outfit will be joining in on the day.

We will be meeting in the lay-by in Ulwell at 11.30am on the 1st of April, where the stone will have been delivered from Portland quarries at 11am.

Please wear stout boots or shoes and bring a wheelbarrow and a shovel if you have one to facilitate the transportation of the chalk to the site.

Free drinks will be provided by Wessex Water, as we are right next to the Ulwell waterworks.

We will be in constant radio contact with a representative of National Parks England, who will be stationed on top of the Mowlem building, utilising up-to-date scanning equipment to ensure everything goes in the right place and that the marked-out lines are adhered to throughout the chalk laying process.

When we obtain National Park status, it will give the Isle of Purbeck a much higher profile around the country. We will be joining Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, and South Downs in the National Park

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family. Each park has its own unique identity which sets the theme of the area, Purbeck, of course, has the world renowned stone and marble to identify with. Some of the quarries could be made available as tourist attractions with real quarrymen as guides.

The National Parks help to protect the landscape and only allow sustainable development inside the park boundaries. Any proposed building would have to be vetted by the committee before any form of planning permission will be granted. Infilling and utilising brown field sites are strongly recommended, as is using local materials in construction.

Any new residences would need to be built to the highest standard with excellent energy efficiency.

There will be a new ‘tourist charge’ for guests in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation of £1 per adult per day and £20 per week for self-catering residences.

Beach huts and parking will also incur an extra charge. All of the extra money will go towards the costs of administration in the area, including the upkeep of the new hillside chalk design.

The park will consist of the geographical Isle of Purbeck, not the political area, the boundary being the Frome to the west, Poole Harbour to the north and the coastline from the ferry to Arish Mell to the east and south.

The Parks committee will want to employ local people who identify strongly with the area and are able to speak Darzet dialect to interact with representatives from other parks in this country and abroad to act as ambassadors for our wonderful park.

Is the Isle of Purbeck ready? We hope to see you all there on the 1st for a fulfilling day’s work, working as a community together to create a dazzling, identifiable brand mark for the area!

Dorset’s Best Village Competition 2017

orset Best Village Competition entry deadline is fast approaching.

Entries for the main competition have to be in by 5pm on Monday 10th April, however in the case of other sections the final deadline is 3rd July.

The competition is organised by Dorset Community Action (DCA) and entry packs have been sent to parish councils, village hall committees and numerous other active community groups.

Magna Housing has been the major sponsor for the competition since 2010 and has renewed its support for another year. Additional sponsorship comes from Dorset County Council, the four District Councils, The Dorset Echo, Dorset Magazine, Blackmore Vale Magazine, Communities Living Sustainably and the Campaign to Protect Rural England along with local food producers Clipper Tea, Thomas J. Fudge’s Biscuits, Honeybuns, Craig’s Dairies and Helen Furness Catering.

DCA’s Competition Organiser Rita Burden says: “Once again we are delighted with the entries we have already received but we would like to

encourage those village communities who have not entered for a while, or have never entered, to come and join in with this exciting competition.

Besides the main “Best Village” competition, there are four other sections - Best Village Shop – sponsored by the Campaign to Protect Rural England; Environmental Champions; People’s Project with a new section this year supported by Dorset Youth Association – Young People’s award – projects led by under 25s.

The deadline for entries is 5.00pm on Monday 10th April 2017, with judging during May and June. The other four categories have a final entry date of 3rd July.

DCA is encouraging groups to save paper and postage by entering the competition online if possible at: www.dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk/dbv Or by telephoning DCA on 01305-250921 to be sent a copy by email or on paper.

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Come and meet Purbeck Good Neighbours at this event and pick up a pair of free slippers at the same time!

Age fifty plus or concerned about someone who is?

Come to a Home Safety Falls Prevention event 9.30am – 12 noon on Thursday, 6th April at Swanage Emmanuel Baptist Church, 160 Victoria Avenue, Swanage.

Transport can be arranged – call Mo on 07971 338486 Falls are all too common among older individuals living at home and are often life changing events that lead to severe injury, rehospitalisation, loss of independence, and early death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three adults aged sixty five and older experiences at least one fall each year.

Bin your sloppy slippers and collect a free new pair fitted free of charge!

Falls caused by accidents in the home can often be prevented, and the Dorset Partnership for Older People’s Programme (POPP) has teamed up with Dorset Fire and Rescue and a number of other partner agencies, for home safety and falls prevention events taking place across the county starting in September 2016.

The aim is to raise awareness of potential dangers in the home, including faulty or damaged electrical equipment that can lead to domestic fires, and injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls.

There will also be information about surviving the winter, accessing aids and adaptations for your home, joining local activities, and managing your finances.

For information phone: 01305 224841 or email: sue.warr@dorsetcc.gov.uk

AREA Swanage Area Forum SWANAGE FORUM

Passionate about our community

Margaret Green Animal Rescue: Helping Pets Find Forever Homes wanage Area Senior Forum are del i ghted to host a presentation from Community Fundraising Assistant, Jazmin House, from Margaret Green Animal Rescue at our Wednesday 19th April Forum meeting at The Emmanuel Church Centre.

The Margaret Green Animal Rescue Charity helps pets that have become homeless or are neglected, mistreated or abandoned. Each pet finds a warm bed, a kind team and all the love and respect they deserve.

Helping pets to find forever homes is at the very heart of what they do and they go to great lengths to help potential owners adopt pets that fit in perfectly with their lives and loved one.

There are two centres in Dorset, a visitor centre at Church Knowle near Wareham and one in Winterbourne Kingston. There is also a centre in Tavistock in Devon and across these three centres they rescue and rehome dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens and ducks.

Jazmin’s talk will include the history of the charity, how they have grown,

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MARGARET GREEN ANIMAL RESCUE ‘Helping pets find forever homes’ A presentation by JAZMIN HOUSE (possibly with a four-legged friend!)

WEDS 19 APRIL AT 7pm EMMANUEL CHURCH CENTRE, 160 VICTORIA AVE, SWANAGE.

PARKING - REFRESHMENTS - FROM 6.30pm

what work they do - and what an important part we as a community play in changing the lives of vulnerable animals and keeping these wonderful centres open.

See our accompanying advert for more details.

MAY EDITION DEADLINE: 12 noon on 7th APRIL

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Blast From The Past!

This month, A Decade Ago...

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n April 2007, the debate regarding the extraordinary lack of local affordable housing continued to rage within our pages for the third month in a row, with a further flurry of letters written by the community published on the subject, and a response from our-then MP, Jim Knight.

Paul from Swanage wrote in to say he was ‘hanging on by his fingertips’, waiting for his rent to increase to a point where he would no longer be able to afford it. Paul had been advised that despite working full time, he had ‘zero chance’ of getting a mortgage on his average, local wage.

Christina M’Gapele also wrote a letter, fearing she had made a ‘grave mistake’ in moving her family back from SW France to her home town of Swanage. Christine’s new landlord had decided to sell the property they were renting, despite the fact the family had only recently moved in, forcing Christine to try and find alternative accommodation unexpectedly.

Christine questioned the rights of landlords - apparently having ‘carte blanche’ to treat tenants as they choose, meaning no one renting a home has any real security.

Andy Lloyd, a Rural Housing Enabler from Dorset Community Action also wrote in, thanking us for our continued coverage of the crisis. Andy had spent the previous four years working on a report on the rural housing crisis, hoping to make the case for better land release to meet community housing needs.

Reader Mr N.J.Hancock wrote a superb letter, detailing how he purchased his local property in 1946 - right after WWII, at a time when money was far more scarce than in 2007. Mr Hancock had purchased his property at a controlled price of £1,200, through the Aneurin Beven Cheap Money Policy. The property was not valued by Estate Agents, but rather by independent valuers who valued at cost price with a small allowance for the builders to make a profit. The 25-year mortgage was supplied by the local council (funded directly by government), at a fixed rate of 2.5%.

MP, Jim Knight, wrote and said that the Gazette’s last three ‘compelling editorials’ on the housing crisis ‘highlighted the strength of concerns’. Jim described the shortage as ‘acute’. He stated that the Local Government Act 2003 had given local authorities the power to increase council tax on second homes from 50% to 90%. Jim wanted to see this possible additional increase invested in housing for those hit hardest by second home ownership.

Well-known Swanage man, Charlie Allen (pictured above, in blue, centre), was once again training to run the London Marathon, this time in aid of CLIC Sargent, an organisation that supports children and young people with leukaemia and cancer. Since 2007, Charlie has continued to not only run marathons, but he has also taken part in some monumental rowing competitions, and jumped from a perfectly good plane at 15,000ft with our Editor! Go Charlie - age is just a number!

Our ‘special’ April investigative piece ‘New Jurassic Era Looms’ detailed the launch of ‘Phase Two’ of the Jurassic Coast Development Programme.

Phase Two involved the systematic elimination of of all non-Jurassic features between the entrance of Poole Harbour and Start Point in Devon......

An ambitious proposal was also put forward to extend the Jurassic ‘Rehabilitation Programme’ by making all local buildings, public bodies and in some cases even individuals, subject to scrutiny for ‘fitness for Jurassic purposes’. New planning guidelines stated that any future builds should be

constructed from materials which are at least 145 million years old........

Wareham’s John Barclay reported eventual success with his campaign to retain lip-reading classes locally. He managed to stimulate some joined-up thinking at County Hall, resulting in a reprieve for Purbeck’s lip-reading classes, which were resumed at Purbeck School.

Volunteers at National Coastwatch reported back on a busy first quarter of 2007, with incidents including; a 1,000lb bomb requiring inspection and safe removal at Studland, a walker requiring attention after falling on seaweed covered rocks and sustaining facial injuries, the observed failure of a parachute to open during military excercises over the sea (the paratrooper was recovered with non-life threatening injuries) and a number of seabirds washed ashore coated in oil.

Dr Gerry Wolff wrote an article detailing ‘CSP’ - concentrating solar power, the technique of concentrating sunlight using mirrors to create heat, and then using the steam to drive turbines and generators. CSP works best in hot deserts, and Dr Wolff advocated that it would be feasible and economic to transmit the created solar electricity over very long distances using highly efficient ‘HVDC’ transmission lines. Dr Wolff suggested “less than 1% of the world’s hot deserts, if covered with concentating solar power plants, could produce as much electricity as the world currently uses.”

The R.S.P.B. reported on the ‘return of the Spoonbills’ at Poole Harbour, encouraging locals to get out and take the chance to catch a glimpse of this rare visitor. Records of the Spoonbills at Poole Harbour go back to the 1700s, when it was seen around the harbour area, and apparently bred there several times during the 1700s. It seems that the Spoonbill became a rarer visitor in the 1800s. During the latter part of the 20th century, Spoonbills were seen almost annually, with typically between one and four birds sighted. Rarely, up to fifteen sightings had been recorded in one year.

The best time to spot the Spoonbills is between April and October, they favour areas around Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and can also been seen on the salt marshes around Arne.

It was hoped in 2007 that numbers would steadily increase......

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Swanage Goes Global!

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e are delighted to announce that this year’s Carnival theme is “Swanage goes Global”! As we head towards summer, carnival is now only a few months away and we wanted to make sure you have plenty of time to prepare!

Whether you want to embrace a country’s culture or style, the world is literally your oyster!

To make the theme an even more prominent part of Carnival this year, we are encouraging people to consider the theme for the procession and our popular masquerade night held in the heart of Swanage town.

We will also be holding our Carnival Queen and Princesses competition on Friday 24th March from 7.30pm at Swanage Bay View. If you would like to represent Swanage Carnival in 2017, or if you know someone who would like to, please do come along!

If you would like to get involved with Swanage Carnival in any way, please contact chairman@swanagecarnival.com

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YOUR Pictures.....

The Purbeck Gazette

Send us your pictures to ed@purbeckgazette.co.uk Original files ONLY please, as they come straight off the camera with NO alterations. Some mobile phones may not produce useable pictures due to low resolution. Remember to include your name in the email!

Lulworth panoramic, by Richard Murgatroyd

Murmuration of starlings at Bestwall, Wareham, by Mary Hatcher

Stag at Arne, by Paul Dimarco

Studland Carwash! March 2nd, 2017, by Howard Oliver

Two Wagtails, by Jennifer Wellstead

Swanage Old Pier, by Richard Murgatroyd

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TIME TO IMPROVE YOUR HOME?!

CHECK OUT THE LOCAL BUSINESSES & SERVICES THAT CAN HELP YOU OVER THE FOLLOWING 10 PAGES!

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Man & Van available to hire

Rubbish Clearance House Clearance Half the price of a skip and we do all the work!

07767 479438 Fully licensed & insured

SELF STORAGE UNITS From 15ft x 6ft up to 15ft x 15ft For furniture, classic cars, documents Insured & Alarmed At East Stoke, Wareham

Call 07836 369969

The Purbeck Gazette

Heatcare - A Reputation For Top Quality

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ith the continued successes of Heatcare (UK) Ltd in their area of operations, they are fast becoming a regular fixture across the entirety of South Dorset.

As the reputation for top quality, fairly priced and efficient work continues to be enhanced, Heatcare are now able to bring a brand new offer to their customers, old and indeed, new alike.

Following the turn of the year, Heatcare (UK) Ltd can now offer an interest free ten month repayment plan for their customers on all new Worcester Boiler installations, thus allowing far better access to the highest quality heating goods through this affordable solution. All fifty-nine of Worcester’s Greenstar gas and oil range were awarded a Which? Best buy award in 2016.

With the obvious level of quality on offer in terms of goods, Heatcare’s ability to offer these products with extended warranties which can be up to ten years, for a cost spread over ten months, really does set them apart from the rest of the field.

The dedication to offering customers quality whilst also earning their trust is clear, and remains of paramount importance to the family-run outfit. With transparency between the company and customer allowing the customer to relax, knowing they are indeed getting a service worth every penny.

In what could potentially be an unprecedented move in the local area, Heatcare are in the process of setting up a ‘how to’ tutorial section on their website, giving the public a few trade secrets as well as video and written guides on how to do the basics themselves, thus not incurring the costs of a tradesman when they perhaps are not actually needed.

With no less than two new members of staff having joined the team before the end of January this year, their popularity is clear and is continuing to soar.

Constantly searching for new ways to offer better service to customers at fair and reasonable rates, Heatcare could very well be the best choice you make for your home care this year.

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IDEAL SKIP HIRE Skips from 2 - 40yds SAND GRAVEL HARDCORE SHINGLE & TOP SOIL Available loose or in 25kg & 1 ton bags Delivery or Collection

Trade & DIY customers welcome A Fast, Friendly & Efficient Service

TEL: 01929 422980

J.A. Construction (Dorset) Ltd.

Specialist in Purbeck Stone Walling General Building, Extensions, Renovations, Roofing, New Builds and all types of Ground Work.

Also available for Plumbing, Electrics & Carpentry.

Tel: 01929 554249 Fax: 01929 552294 Mobile: 07973 388190

www.jaconstructiondorset.co.uk Email: sales@jaconstruction.co.uk

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Proudly Continuing To Saw For All!

ucked away along a quiet country road near the village of East Holme you’ll find one of the few remaining sawmills in Dorset.

Holme Sawmill is the family run business of Tim Crew and his partner Jenny and is one sawmill that’s been growing while others have seen their gates closing.

One of Purbeck’s best kept secrets, they supply English oak, Western red cedar, larch, Douglas fir, yew, London plane and many other types of timber, all British grown and sourced locally where possible.

Tim and Jenny pride themselves on providing their customers with a complete service; from round timber to whatever project, large or small, their customers require (including a few unusual ones!).

Ranging from sawn timber to summerhouses, roof trusses to oak framed buildings, fencing to furniture to name but a few.

Their website showcases some of the many projects they’ve been involved in (visit www.holmesawmill.co.uk for more pictures).

If you have a timber project planned for the home or garden you can

contact Tim and Jenny at Holme Sawmill on 01929 552480 or via email holmesawmill@yahoo.co.uk for a quote or an informal chat.

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Pictured above: A reader’s garden in the Purbeck countryside.

A cost-effective and decorative patio was created utilising green slate chippings sourced from Suttles, and Japanese Stepping Stones sourced from Rogers Pavestone. A membrane was laid on the area of lawn to be covered after weedkiller was applied, and the stone chippings were delivered by Suttles and raked over to cover the membrane to a depth of around 5”.

The stepping stones were then added. Simple, quick, easy, looks great and will last for years!

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Dividend Savings Allowance and Flexible ISAs

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he Budget on 8th March was the last to be held in spring, with future Budgets to take place in the autumn. The main headlines following the Budget focused on the self-employed. However, there was also a change that could affect investors with share portfolios outside of ISAs. Since 6th April 2016 there has been a dividend allowance of £5,000, which means that all dividends received below this amount are free of tax, whatever your tax rate. From 6th April 2018 this limit will be reduced to just £2,000.

This was primarily aimed at business owners paying themselves dividends, but will also affect investors. If the lower dividend allowance is going to affect you, there are steps that can be taken to lessen its effect, such as utilising an ISA (where dividend income remains tax free) or looking at the division of your assets.

As each individual’s case will be unique, I would suggest seeking professional advice on this. The personal savings allowance for interest income has, however, been untouched and stands at £1,000 for basicrate taxpayers, £500 for higher-rate taxpayers and remains at nil for an additional-rate taxpayer.

In the 2017/18 tax year, the ISA limit increases to £20,000 and this may be the second year for many ISA holders when their Stocks & Shares ISA becomes a ‘flexible’ ISA. Under this arrangement you are permitted to return to your ISA any withdrawals from the ISA during the same tax year.

For example if you have a ‘flexible’ ISA and you put the full £20,000 into the Stocks & Shares ISA in 2017/18 and have, for example, a monthly income of £50 paid out, you could add back the £600 taken out of the ISA into your ISA before 5th April 2018.

This could be particularly useful for those who have both an ISA and non-ISA portfolio as it can help speed up the transfer of assets from the ordinary account to the ISA, especially when you consider that it has been possible to build up quite a substantial ISA pot over the years.

The above is a very simplified summary of the dividend savings allowance changes and Flexible ISAs and I would strongly suggest that you seek professional help in connection with this matter.

Kate Spurling lives in Swanage and is an investment manager with Charles Stanley, Dorchester office – (01305) 217404 – kate.spurling@charlesstanley.co.uk Charles Stanley & Co Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. FCA register ID 1903304.

This information does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation or take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs of individuals. The value of investments may fall as well as rise and you may not receive back the amount you originally invested.

MAY EDITION DEADLINE NOON, 7th APRIL BOOK ADVERTISING ON 01929 424239, EXT 1

The 2017 Budget causing concern?

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To speak to one of our experienced and friendly partners Call us on 01929 425552 or email: mail@mkla.co.uk

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Are you a first time buyer?

Trading Standards Scam Telephone Calls

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ome of the most common scam telephone calls we get complaints about involve cold callers supposedly offering relief from nuisance phone calls!

The caller will try to persuade you to buy costly call blocking or telephone preference services, sometimes for a one-off fee, or sometimes for a monthly fee and ask you to set up a direct debit.

However, the scam services offered could place your personal information in the hands of criminals and will not block any unwanted calls.

Sometimes these fraudsters even pretend to be calling from the Telephone Preference Service and ask for a card payment in order to block nuisance calls. The TPS is a genuine organisation set up to help people stop getting annoying marketing calls from businesses such as personal injury or PPI claims firms, and its’ service is free.

Visit www.tpsonline.org.uk or call 0345 070 0707 to register.

Another really common scam is the Computer Software Service Fraud or ‘Microsoft’ Scam. Callers pretend to be from a variety of organisations such as Microsoft, TalkTalk, BT or the ‘Windows Technical Department’.

They’ll tell you that your computer needs fixing and will ask for remote access, whereby they can then access your personal information, or infect your computer with a virus which they will then charge you to remove.

Never respond to an unsolicited phone call from someone claiming that they can stop unwanted calls, or saying that your computer has a virus.

If you receive a call like this, hang up straight away, and do not give or confirm to the caller any information at all, not even your name or address and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

If you have given any personal information in response to calls like this, contact the Police and also your bank as promptly as possible.

Here is a tip you do not want to miss when saving for a deposit.

Saving to get on the housing ladder is a feat in itself but with the introduction of Help to Buy ISA’s the Government are helping first time buyers to make that step a little bit easier. For every £200 you save, the government will provide an extra £50. The maximum bonus is £3000.

If you are a first time buyer, aged over 16 with a valid National Insurance number and own no other property in the world, you would be eligible to open a Help to Buy ISA. Interested? The ISA is available in branch and online, at a range of banks and building societies and is becoming an increasingly popular product. If you are purchasing with a partner you can each take out an ISA. To really boost your account, in your first month you can deposit up to £1,200 (or transfer this from your previous ISA) and thereafter £200 a month. The minimum bonus available is £400; therefore you need to have saved at least £1,600 before you can claim the bonus.

Once you have saved the required amount and have had your offer accepted on the property of your dreams, you need to instruct a Solicitor to guide you through the house buying process. Your new home must be worth under £250,000 (or £450,000 in London) be in the UK and must be bought to be lived in by you, not by a tenant. The Help to Buy ISA can be combined with other First Time Buyer initiatives run by the Government. From 06 April 2017 a new incentive called The Lifetime ISA will be launched for first time buyers – watch our website for more details.

Your Solicitor must claim the bonus for you. The bonus cannot be used for the 10% deposit but can be used to pay the balance cost of your home at completion.

You must open an ISA by 30th November 2019 and if opened before that date, you will need to claim your bonus by 1st December 2030, so plenty of time to save!

For more information on Help to Buy ISA’s, shared ownership or other first time buyer initiatives, please contact me at Battens Solicitors on 01305 216216 or email: sarah.ford@battens.co.uk

01305 774666

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Purbeck District Council Agrees Council Tax 17/18

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here will be an increase of around 10 pence per week (£5 for the full year) in Purbeck District Council’s portion of the council tax for a Band D household. The increase means a Band D household will pay £182.41 council tax for the District Council’s portion (around 10%) of the annual council tax bill.

The other 90% is made up of charges for: Dorset County Council; the Dorset Police & Crime Commissioner; Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority; plus any town or parish charge (if applicable).

Proposing the rise, Council Leader, Councillor Gary Suttle, said: “Every year this task becomes more challenging, but again, through continued prudent financial management, officers have managed to balance the budget without the loss of services.”

Councillor Suttle continued: “We will see more difficult times in the coming years with government funding, such as new homes bonus, reducing further, yet services will need to be maintained.

“The Council will continue the financial management which has enabled it to maintain services to the residents of Purbeck, but I ask all councillors to prepare for a difficult two years to come.”

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the increase. Since austerity measures were introduced in 2008, Purbeck District Council’s funding from central government has reduced by over 80%. The Council had a savings target of £380,000 for 2017/18 and is expected to save a further £230,000 in 2018/19 and £110,000 in 2019/20.

The total annual charge for a Band D household will be £1,774.45, plus any town or parish charge. Full details of how the council tax is broken down can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/council-tax

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EASTER HOLIDAYS! FUN, FROLICS & FOOD!

PURBECK - THE PLACE TO BE THIS SPRING! OVER THE FOLLOWING PAGES, WE SHOWCASE SOME OF THE LOCAL BUSINESSES & EVENTS HOPING TO TEMPT YOU TO VISIT THIS MONTH!

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Visit Smedmore In April For Weldmar...

Weldmar Hospicecare Trust Caring for Dorset

OPEN HOUSE & GARDEN Smedmore House & Garden, Kimmeridge. BH20 5PG

Saturday 17th April, 12 noon - 5pm House tours from 2pm, £2 each. Entrance £5 accompanied children under 16 free into house & grounds

Enjoy guided tours, many various stalls, Easter Egg tombola, Dorset Cream Teas, Live Music, Classic Cars

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medmore House with its beautiful gardens and spectacular sea views of the Jurassic Coast is a hidden gem in the glorious Purbeck countryside.

On Easter Monday 17th April the house and gardens will be open to the public from 12 noon to 5pm.

As well as guided tours of this stunning 18th century privately owned

house, there will be many stalls in the garden and wonderful cream teas, homemade cakes along with live music and classic car display.

Weldmar Hospicecare supports people with a life-limiting illness living right here in Dorset. We focus on supporting our patients and their families.

To continue providing high quality care, love and support to these patients and families we need to continue to raise vital funds.

For more information about the event and Weldmar Hospicecare please visit www.weld-hospice.org.uk or phone 01305 261800

Swanage Tourist Information Centre is pleased to announce that they will be back in the White House Tourist Information Centre in Shore Road from Friday 31st March, ready for the season.

Everyone is welcome to come and see the refurbished TIC when it reopens and you may be surprised to find that it is radically different inside.

There will be a formal open day on Saturday 6th May, which will include a range of activities for the family.

You’re all welcome, so please do pop in and see us in our revamped surroundings!

...Or Visit Smedmore For MNDA In May!

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medmore House with its beautiful gardens and spectacular sea views of the Jurassic Coast is a hidden gem set in the glorious Purbeck countryside.

On Sunday 28th May the house and gardens will be open to the public from 2pm until 5pm.

There will be various arts and crafts, plants, tombola and games stalls in the garden, as well as tea with homemade cakes in the courtyard, along with entertainment ably provided by the Wareham Town Band.

Admission to the gardens is £5, with children under fifteen free.

Admission to a guided house tour is £3.

The MNDA is a national charity with local branches who help provide

practical and emotional support for people with MND and their families, as well as funding vital research projects.

The East Dorset and New Forest branch are a very active branch helping local people living with MND to gain access to support services, thereby giving them a better quality of life whilst coping with this fatal disease.

For more information about this and our other events, as well as the work of the branch and the national MNDA, please visit www. mndedorsetandnewforest.org, find us on Facebook or phone 07811 871347.

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Medieval Archery Saturday 8 th to Thursday 13th April The Wolfshead Bowmen bring the castle’s medieval past to life with demonstrations of combat, skilled archery displays, talks on the longbow and have-a-go sessions.

Friday 14th to Sunday 23rd April Take a step into the past and enjoy medieval archery and the story of King Stephen, along with skilled archery displays, talks on the longbow and have-a-go sessions; presented by Pike and Shot.

Saxons & Vikings siege of Wareham Saturday 29th Apr to Monday 1st May Witness the sound and fury of Saxon and Viking warriors in pitched battle as they recreate the siege of Wareham.

Explore the Saxon village and learn about everyday life during this harsh period.

Daily operation for the summer season commenced on Saturday 25th March and will run until Sunday 29th October. This year’s Diesel Gala and Beer Festival - Friday 5th – Sunday 7th May (with a themed preview day on Thursday 4th May) promises to be an entertaining and exciting diesel gala.

Preview Day Thursday 4th May “Dawn of the Diesels” featuring both diesel and steam traction.

Friday 5th – Sunday 7th May an intensive timetable from 0800 to midnight on Friday and Saturday and from 08:00 to 19:00 on Sunday giving great opportunities to ride behind and photograph all the diesel locos attending.

At least 8 diesel locos in action over the Gala including Class 20, 33, 45,47 and 73 diesel locomotives. See website for up to date guest loco list.

Class 33 Driving Experience on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th May (advance booking essential) Bistro Dining and “Beerex” Trains Friday 5th May and Saturday 6th May Dorset Beer Festival at Corfe Castle Station in association with Glastonbury Ales. Trade and Enthusiast Stands at both Swanage and Corfe Castle Stations.

Full details of all our events, dining trains, timetables and fares can be found at www.swanagerailway.co.uk Purbeck Railway Circle. On Friday 7th April John Penny will deliver a presentation entitled “The Gartell Light Railway” looking at all aspects of the narrow gauge line, where trains are operated in exactly the same way as their full-size counterparts. The GLR opened its doors to the public in 1991 and has steadily expanded its operations to become a popular Somerset tourist attraction. It is no exaggeration to say that the GLR is a working museum of traditional railway practice with its steam engines, signal boxes and ‘old fashioned’ signals. The Circle meets in Harmans Cross Village Hall, Haycrafts Lane, Harmans Cross at 7pm for 7.30pm. Tea/coffee/biscuits and railway orientated raffle as usual. Everyone is welcome.

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Easter Treats At Monkey World!

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rom Good Friday 14th April to Easter Monday 17th April, Monkey World will be handing out chocolate Easter Eggs to the first 100 children in the park every day!

Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre is open every day from 10am – 5pm.

Visit the centre to see over 250 rescued and endangered primates of 20 different species.

The Kids Activity Centre will be open with Easter activities running, check the website www.monkeyworld.or/events for times and information.

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Sunflowers Over Swanage In 2017!

Bringing sunshine and beauty to our town, sharing friendship with our community and encouraging everyone to seek the Son of God. ook out for sunflowers providing a blaze of golden glory all over Swanage this year! Emmanuel Baptist Church, who have planted giant sunflowers along their front wall in Herston for the last two years, are inviting all schools, churches, local charities, businesses and any other organisations who want to get involved, to plant them and turn Swanage into a sunshine town this summer!

Emmanuel are launching their scheme at the beginning of April and they are encouraging as many residents as possible to collect some free seeds from the church and café at 160 Victoria Avenue, during Holy Week – the week leading up to Easter. They will also provide some tags to attach to the flowers when they grow, to show that the flowers are part of the town-wide scheme so come along and get yours!

Some of the locations taking part are the Pier, Coastwatch, the Lifeboat Station, the newly renovated Tourist Information Centre, shops and business in Commercial Road and Durlston Wildlife Park, as well as

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four of our town’s schools, the Fresh Streams Gardening Project at All Saints in Ulwell and three more town churches. As the project launches, Emmanuel hope that many more people will feel their green fingers itching to get involved!

This is not a fund-raising scheme but if anyone does want to contribute something if they enjoy seeing the flowers, donations can be made by the Just Giving app or by donating at the Crossroads Café within the Emmanuel building. At the end of the summer, all donations received will go towards a third world gardening project, Seeds of Change.

More information from the church website at www.emmanuelbc.org. uk or email events@emmanuelbc.org.uk or phone the church office on 427706. Or better still, call in to the café for your free seeds and stop for a coffee too!

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Swanage & Purbeck Rotary 2016 Round-Up

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wanage & Purbeck Rotary would like to offer our thanks for the support of our local community – once again, we had a very successful year with increased involvement with community events, as well as continuing to be the trusted local focus for support of aid and disaster relief both in the UK and internationally. …….but ….. what exactly is Rotary?

Rotary is an International organisation, with over 1.2 million members in 34,000 clubs within more than 200 countries, celebrating over 112 years of service to both local and international communities.

Members volunteer time and skills to serving their local communities.

Having Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical regions, Rotary is in a unique position to be able to reach people in need all over the world, activities range from life- changing projects in developing countries to making an immediate response to disaster-hit regions.

Rotary has its own charity (The Rotary Foundation) which funds the

improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty throughout the world. One of the Foundation’s better known projects (working in partnership with the Gates Foundation) being the worldwide eradication of Polio.

Our club has – during 2016 – reduced the frequency of formal meetings enabling members to support more local community projects such as the Kingston Country Fair, Silver Sunday, Harmans Cross Field Day and - a new experience for us- catering at the Harmans Cross Horse Show!

We also continued with our annual programme of events (the summer fete, Santa Sleigh, Christmas market) and facilitated the Charity Christmas mail.

Our involvement with the local schools has increased with projects such as the popular “Young Musician” competition and, during 2016, for the first time students supported by members of our Club entered the Rotary District “Young Technology” and “Young Chef” competitions.

Monies given to us by our community are spent on local community projects and donations to Rotary supported charities. Administrative costs of running the Club are met by the members and most of our advertising costs are met by our Business Partners. Our thanks also to the many local businesses who donate “in kind” to our events.

Looking forward and “moving with the times” we are developing new ways of working, including the formation – during 2017 – of a “Virtual” group within our Club who will “meet” and plan events via Social Media, the first being the Pirate Festival!

Do contact us to join the ever-expanding membership and get involved!

Pictured: Swanage & Purbeck Rotarians, Sue Whitton and Maggie Hardy, joined other Rotary Colleagues in 2010 to take part in a self-funded trip to Delhi, India, to take part in the National Immunisation Day (NID) against Polio. The photo was taken in a slum area of Delhi, where Sue and Maggie came across some very smiley youngsters who were keen to get their photo taken with the ladies! This area had one water pump for the whole community. Sue and Maggie describe the experience as ‘life changing’ and say that they were privileged to be able to take part.

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Drink Beer And Help Local Good Causes!

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t a recent meeting of Wareham 41 Club, as a result of last year’s Beerex, Purbeck Youth and Community Trust received another cheque for £500 (pictured, middle left and bottom).

With financial support received from local people, charities and town and parish councils, the group continues to provide a wide range of activities for local children and young people.

At the Seven Stars, Wool, (pictured, top) a cheque for a similar amount was given to The Lexi May Trust which supports children with terminal illnesses or life limiting conditions throughout Dorset. (www.theleximaytrust.co.uk).

Aside from individuals’ donations, we’ve received contributions from the following organisations: Wareham Lions Worshipful Company of Weavers Wareham Town Council Harbin & Pitt 41 Club Purbeck Rally Duke of Wellington Monday Club Rotary Chapman Lily Planning Sandford Parish Council Wareham Beerex 2017 is taking place at Easter on 14th &15th April again this year at Wareham Masonic Hall.

Continued support enables Wareham 41 Club to donate the proceeds to local good causes, charities and clubs.

Tickets are available from www.beerex.org.uk and Bullock and Lees, Wareham. Join us - drink beer and raise funds for worthly local causes!

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Did I Know What I Didn’t Know?!

by David Hollister

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bout this time last year, with a ‘special birthday’ on the horizon, I rashly decided that although I’d been driving for fifty years, there might be a few points on which my driving could be improved. So my column was called “Do you know what you don’t know” and I invited a driving instructor to spend a few hours with me and get me ‘up to speed’…… sorry, wrong phrase there…….to brush up my knowledge!

Andy Temple is a Driving Instructor based in Swanage, with an impressive string of letters after his name, and abilities to match. Although my ‘special birthday’ came and went, it wasn’t till January that we actually arranged three sessions, using my own cars. I tried really hard. I stuck to the speed limits (most of the time). I used my mirrors (when I remembered). But of course, whilst chatting away to Andy, I was actually ‘reflex driving’ and so my bad habits and inadequacies came out.

I think Andy realised that somewhere beneath my uber-confidence was a reasonably acceptable driver trying to get out. There were two main areas needing improvement; things I actually knew and had let slip, and things I actually didn’t know.

Even with a stiff neck I need to turn round more and rely on the mirrors less. I mustn’t cut corners even when I think the road is clear. I mustn’t use my horn when I see a friend in the street. Incorrect use of the horn is illegal. I mustn’t flash my headlights to make an ‘after you’ gesture as it could be misinterpreted and cause an accident.

Ever since an accident with a pedestrian when I was 17, I’ve driven too close to the crown of the road. Although it stops me hitting roadside puddles, squashing cyclists, splashing pedestrians or graunching my wheels, apparently I shouldn’t do it.

I should ALWAYS keep two seconds behind the driver in front. “Only a fool breaks the two second rule” said the man in the ghastly sweater and the Austin Allegro in the 1970s TV advert. But he’s right; one car’s length for every 5mph is an appropriate gap.

The correct lane procedure for a roundabout is 12 o’clock! No need to indicate if I’m taking the 12.00 route but must indicate if I’m taking the 9.00 route or the 3.00 route When visibility is less than 100m, there is a legal requirement to turn on the headlights. This applies at dusk as well as during bad weather, such as fog. If you have an accident without lights or when visibility is low, you could be prosecuted. Don’t rely on your new ‘automatic lights’ to turn on. They do after dark. They don’t in the fog.

Thumbs up! Not just for OK, but for gripping the steering wheel; keeping your thumb vertically pressed against the wheel, don’t wrap it around the wheel.

Then a new one on me! I was taught to slow down using the gears, especially for roundabouts. If you’re over fifty, I’m sure you were too.

But the current thinking is ‘brakes to slow, gears to go’ so you rock up at roundabout in 6th, slow down using the brakes alone, then about a car’s length away change into the gear you want to be in when you leave the roundabout. I have to confess, this is going to be difficult to make a habit.

But modern cars can change from 6th to 2nd without going through the whole box!

So that’s just a few of the many areas in which Andy updated my thinking.

I hope that at least some of them went in, and will by consequence make me a better driver. The whole point of this column and this exercise is aimed fairly and squarely at YOU. If you’re over 65, then you really don’t know it all, you’re not as good a driver as you think you are, and there is no age when we should ‘stop learning’.

As a special ‘reader offer’ Andy is offering two 2-hour refresher sessions – in your own car – for £80, which represents a significant saving on his normal driving lesson fees. Please consider this seriously. Take a refresher

course, save a life, – hopefully the life you save may be mine. Or James’s.

Or Tina’s. Or Nico’s. Or Joy’s. Or perhaps even your own. Get the idea?

Andy’s number is 07813 957636.

Andy’s report on David’s driving lessons......!

I’m always pleased when someone chooses to refresh their driving skills, so when I read David’s request in the Gazette for refresher lessons, I was happy to offer my services.

David’s sessions began with an assessment drive in his own vehicle, followed by us both contributing in a debrief. It’s during these debriefs any weakness and worries of the driver can be identified and discussed. I do like people’s input and opinions, and as experienced drivers, you will have them. David was no exception.

I followed this up with a commentary drive in my vehicle, to demonstrate to David tools that can be used to improve driver skills and build on the awareness and experience he already has. This built up a picture in David’s mind to take away from this session, giving him time to think how his driving is now, what areas he would like to improve on and what aims he would like to achieve before the next drive.

David came to his second session with many questions and thoughts which arose from the previous session. These we discussed and debated thoroughly. So, with aims decided, it was back out on the road to spend some quality time helping David develop and enhance his own skills, as well as giving him the opportunity to experience some new ones.

At the end of the session I was happy to see that David had taken on board the results of our discussions and was very pleased to see him putting this into practice on the road. The feedback I got from David was that he found our sessions very helpful.

So, would everyone benefit from a refresher course?

Presently there is no requirement to retake the driving test if you remain in good health and are not disqualified. However, after several years our driving can become totally second nature.

We mostly believe that we are driving well, when in reality it can slowly deteriorate over time without us noticing. Knowledge of the Highway Code wains, rules change and new ones are added. Volume of traffic has and is still increasing. Vehicle technology has changed vastly. Stress increases with present day challenges.

When at work most of us understand the value of having to take further training to help adapt our skills to the ever-changing circumstances, so bearing this in mind with the above, perhaps we should value the same approach to our driving.

I really believe everybody will find a refresher session very helpful. Whether someone comes along to satisfy themselves that they’re still a competent driver or someone comes along to help restore or gain confidence it doesn’t matter. It’s great they’ve made that choice and that they believe they will benefit from some extra professional advice.

I’m always happy to offer my services to help anyone wishing to develop their skills, be it a recently qualified driver or a driver who’s had experience of fifty years or more.

I’m sure everyone will find it beneficial, perhaps even enjoyable!

Andy Temple DVSA ADI 07813 957636

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16(16)FORD Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec 5dr Our Own Vehicle Zero Road Tax Fantastic Economy Ford Warranty until Jul 18............................ £11995 13(13)FORD Fiesta 1.0 Zetec 5dr One Local Owner Excellent Condition 13000 Guaranteed Miles Air Conditioning Alloy Wheels......................£8795 10(10)BMW 320iSE 4dr Automatic Saloon One Local Owner from New SatNav Full Leather Trim Full History Long MOT.................................£9495 09(59)FORD Focus 1.6TDCi Titanium 5dr One Local Owner 45000 Guaranteed Miles Rear Park Assist Excellent Economy......................£5995 08(09)FORD Kuga 2.0TDCi Titanium AWD Locally Owned 81000 Miles Full Service History Part Leather Trim Park Assist.....................................£7995 17(66) FORD Ecosport 1.0 TITANIUM 5dr SUV. Our own vehicle, very low mileage. Remote Central Locking, Park assist...................................£15995 17(66) FORD Ka+ 1.2 Zetec 5dr. First of the new generation KAs SYNC Aircon, electric windows, park assist, cruise control............................£9995 14(64) FORD Focus 1.0 Zetec Navigator 5dr, sold new and maintained by us. 17,800 miles, excellent condition, twin airbags.............................£10495 14(64) FORD Fiesta 1.25 Style 3dr. Only 13,800 miles, sold and maintained from new by us. FSH, rear park assist......................................................£6495 14(63) FORD B-Max 1.0 Zetec MPV. Sold new by us, one owner, FSH, fantasic economy, rear park assist.........................................................£9495 14(14) HYUNDAI 120 Active 1.2 5dr. Locally owned, FSH, 19,000 miles, air conditioning, parking sensors, remote..................................................£8595

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Nationwide Search For ‘Italian Job’ Car Owners!

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orty eight years since the classic British film `The Italian Job’ was first screened Mini and classic vehicle owners across the UK are sought to take part in a fifteen hundred mile driving holiday to raise money to buy Variety’s Sunshine Coaches to improve the lives of sick, disabled or disadvantaged children.

The sponsored `Italian Job’ touring holiday is open to all drivers of any vehicle featured in the 1969 classic film, including modern versions of the original vehicles. It starts in the Italian motoring town of Imola on Friday October 27th and returns to the UK on 4th November for a closing dinner at the Ashford International Hotel. Around fifty plus Minis and other vehicles from across the UK are expected to take part.

Past participants have included owners of Minis and Fiat 500s, old and new, a 1960 Mini Van, A restored replica Lamborghini Miura P400, a Jaguar E-type, Aston Martin DB4, Alfa Giulia, Land Rover and even a Black London Cab. Organised by Freddie and Giulia St. George, a mother and son duo from Brighton East Sussex, the Italian Job includes a detailed route-map, a daily scheduled drive through the Italian countryside, `games’ and special stages, dinners and hotel accommodation. In twenty eight years, it has raised over £2.5 million for children’s charities.

This year’s week-long event follows a route through the Italian region of

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Emilia Romagna, including a visit to Imola’s famous F1 circuit, Ferrari’s Maranello Museum, a guided tour of the Ferrari Factory and the opportunity to admire the latest models of the unique Pagani, as well as a police escorted parade through Turin and an opportunity to drive the Lingotto Fiat roof-top test track featured in the original film.

Enthusiastic drivers of past events include Trina Davies from Sussex who has taken part twenty two times, Martin and Sue Lawton from the Midlands who have taken part twenty times in the same Mini, Ken and Pauline Russell from Bedfordshire who have taken part seventeen times (Pauline has raised thousands of pounds for charity with her incredible photographic quality cross stitched pictures of Minis), and Brian and Linda Handley from Essex who have taken part ten times, trailing a cut off Mini behind their own pristine vintage Mini.

The cost of the week long driving event is £995 per person, based on two sharing a hotel room and includes Channel crossing, seven nights’ hotel accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, team entry to the Rally with a Road Book and support from the service van and mechanics, a full daily itinerary of driving and events, and the final night’s gala dinner.

To take part contact gsg@italianjob.com or call the organisers on 01273 418100

Drivers Still In Dark Regarding Law Changes

ome 44% of all drivers are still unsure of new law coming into play on 1st March according to a UK-wide survey conducted by Marmalade insurance A survey amongst UK drivers by Marmalade, the leading provider of cars and insurance for 17-24-year-olds, has revealed that just under half of all drivers do not know that they could be issued increased fines and penalty points for using their phone behind the wheel.

From March 1st anyone caught using their phone behind the wheel will be issued with six points and a £200 fine, increasing from three points and a £100.

This change will most affect drivers within their first two years of driving as maximum points on their licence are capped at six, instead of the normal twelve, and so they could be banned for this offence. Nearly half (47%) of drivers under the age of 25 are not aware of this dramatic change to the law, compared with 38% of drivers over the age of 25.

Crispin Moger, CEO of Marmalade, says: “It’s clear that education about the changes to the law has not been communicated well enough and we have alerted our customers via our blog and it will also be in newsletter. This is worrying as we will see a big change come into play for our customers.

We conducted this research to ensure youngsters know the law and stick to the rules for their own safety and that of other road users.”

Crispin adds: “Those who have been driving less than two years will lose their licence if they are caught using a mobile phone which is obviously the thinking behind these new measures soon to be imposed by the Department for Transport. This no-nonsense approach is something I support, and although it will no doubt hit young people the hardest, eradicating dangerous habits from the off-set will save lives.

“The bottom line is that when we pass our driving test and get our licence we have a responsibility to drive safely whilst enjoying the freedom and independence that driving can offer.”

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Food

From The Kitchen Garden...

Out with the old, in with the new!

Out with the old, in with the new ow I know this is a saying usually associated with New Year’s resolutions about giving up old and bad habits and starting the new year with new and better ones…however, here at this point I’d like to reflect more on the ‘finished with the old and the new not yet ready’ as in crops taking their good time to do their growing. I don’t know what’s the matter with me, but the sayings are coming thick and fast at the moment and the next one is the term’ the hungry gap’.

This is the time in the spring when cooking and eating seasonally can be quite tricky and uninspiring. The winter greens are about to bolt and the root vegetables are sprouting and/or running out. April is the leanest month in the growing calendar; the spring sowings are not going to be ready until May or June.

However, I love this time of year because it is full of hope and forward looking to the best harvest yet! In the Kitchen Garden are new vegetables and new varieties to try, glorious flowers to tempt me and the pollinators, and just another aromatic herb I’ve been meaning to grow for ages. I always seem to sow too many different seedlings and when it comes to planting out I run out of time and/or space. But hey, there’s always next spring!

Anyway, this time of year also still calls for some hearty comfort food. The days can be sunny and the air is warmer, however evenings are still chilly and a bit of “stodge” is needed-trust me! This is the reason I come back time and again to this old family favourite of grated then fried potatoes with fried egg and kale. Admittedly it’s simple and rustic food, but such an easy and quick dish-perfect after time spent in the fresh air and quickly adjusted to an expanding, hungry crowd.

Fried potatoes with onions, fried eggs and kale.

Old, floury main crop spuds, boiled in their skins, cooled, peeled and grated Onions, halved, peeled and sliced Butter Vegetable oil Salt, pepper & nutmeg Eggs Kale/Cabbage/Sprouts

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Gently and slowly fry the onions over a low heat in the butter Mix with the grated potatoes, season, then return to the oiled frying pan and cook over a low heat until brown &crusty then turn over and cook

By Regula Wright, Godlingston Manor Kitchen Garden

other side.

Crack eggs over the potatoes and stick under a hot grill until eggs are done Steam greens and season By the way, you might be wondering where the ‘new’ is in all of this. Well, it’s in the eggs - a potential new life in each and every one.

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Purbeck Products - Local Producers

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wanage Bay Fish is truly a family run business. Brother and sister, Julia and John work blissfully as a team in the town’s only traditional fishmongers and shellfish merchants.

Julia’s partner Terry is the third generation of a local fishing family. He balances traditional lobster and crab fishing, summertime netting and working in a local quarry

in the wintertime.

In fact the whole family muck in from time to time. Many of you have met son Elijah, famous for his fantastic fishcakes.

Our main aim is to do what we say, remain traditional fishmongers but add our own touch with our home-made fishy products which we sell in our shop and on a larger scale at the monthly Purbeck Products market in Commercial Road, Swanage.

Bees - Vital For Continued Food Production

Flower-rich habitats increase survival of bumblebee families ew research led by the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has revealed for the first time that flowerrich habitats are key to enhancing the survival of bumblebee families between years.

The results, which come from the largest ever study of its kind on wild bumblebee populations, will help farmers and policy makers manage the countryside more effectively to provide for these vital but declining pollinators.

The new study, published in the journal Nature, used DNA technology and remote sensing to identify, map and track mother, daughter and sister bumblebees over two years to reveal that access to a range of pollen and nectar-rich flowers is vital to the survival of their populations.

Researchers studied three species (Bombus terrestris, the buff-tailed bumblebee; Bombus lapidarius, the red-tailed bumblebee and Bombus pascuorum, the common carder bee), tracking more than 1,600 families across a farmed landscape. They discovered that colonies produced more daughter queens that survived to the following year when colonies were located within 250-1,000 metres of habitats with high-quality food resources. These resources include spring and summer-flowering plants that provide pollen and nectar throughout the bees’ lifecycle.

In the UK most bumblebee colonies live for less than a year; nests are formed in the spring by a single queen and produce up to a few hundred daughter workers. At the end of the summer new queens are produced which, after mating and hibernation, go on to start new colonies the following spring. However, understanding survival between these critical lifecycle stages has proved challenging because in the wild, colonies are almost impossible to find.

The new research overcame these challenges by matching daughter queens to their mothers and sisters using advanced molecular genetics, and estimating the locations of colonies in the landscape from the locations of their workers. The results provide strong support for environmentallyfriendly management of farmland to provide more flowers in hedgerows, meadows and along the edges of arable fields. They will also help farmers

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and land managers decide where best to plant flowers in the landscape.

The study was led by scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology working with researchers from the University of East Anglia, ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and University College London.

“The findings suggest that increasing flowers provided by spring-flowering trees, hedgerow plants and crops across the landscape – in combination with summer flower resources along field edges – can increase the probability of family survival by up to four times,” said Dr Carvell.

Senior author Dr Matthew Heard, a Principal Ecologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said, “While there is an urgent need for more robust data on the patterns and causes of pollinator population decline, our study strongly suggests that conservation interventions can have a lasting, positive impact on wild pollinators in agricultural landscapes.”

The study involved a combination of large-scale habitat manipulation, land-use and habitat surveys, molecular genetics and demographic and spatial modelling to examine between-year survival of family lineages in field populations of the three bumblebee species across farmland in Buckinghamshire, England.

The researchers collected DNA samples using a well-established technique that causes no harm to the bees. These samples were ‘genotyped’ in the laboratory to work out which bees originated from the same colony or family lineage.

Co-author Professor Andrew Bourke, from the University of East Anglia, said, “It has been very gratifying to contribute to this research, which has brought together a great range of scientific skills to help us understand one of the most pressing of today’s conservation problems - how best to maintain our essential bee populations.”

Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity Lord Gardiner said, “Bees are not only an iconic part of the countryside – they are vital to our environment and play a crucial role in food production.

“Thousands of volunteers and farmers across the country alongside businesses, councils and government departments are committed to protecting our pollinator population and this new research provides crucial new intelligence on how they can help.”

The research was funded by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative which ran from late 2010 and supported nine research projects (total value £10 million) investigating the causes and consequences of insect pollinator decline.

It was a joint initiative funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Scottish Government and the Wellcome Trust. Acquisition of remote sensing data used in the study was funded by Syngenta Plc.

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Dorset Food & Venison Festival

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he 29th April 2017 will see the Dorset Food and Venison Festival taking place at Post Green in the village of Lytchett Minster, Poole, BH16 6AP Dorset watchers will be well aware of the marvellous range of food produce originating in the county and may well know of the exciting food events which brighten our summers, but why a Venison Festival?

Well, deer in the landscape are delightful creatures and valuable parts of our ecosystem, but it turns out that it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Deer numbers in Purbeck have got so big that they are damaging farming and woodlands as well as the wild areas and cause traffic accidents. This means that the deer numbers have to be managed, and that means that venison will be produced.

So it’s local, healthy, (venison is very low in fat) and tastes good. We thought that this was worth celebrating, and on 29th April we will be giving people the opportunity to discover how good it is and how well it goes with our other excellent Dorset foodstuffs.

Local chefs will be providing food demonstrations throughout the day, including Sarah Ali Choudhury, who featured on Chanel 4’s My Kitchen Rules and Mark Harstone from La Fosse Restaurant.

Owen Senior (on left) from Land & Wave sets about showing precisely how to deal with a deer carcass.....

The Salt Pig of Wareham and Owen Senior of Land & Wave will also be showing off their skills.

The event is being supported by Dorset Food & Drink, Lewis Dean Estate Agents of Upton and Lytchett Minster & Upton Beacon Association.

Children’s activities, live music and entertainment throughout the day including falconry displays.

Morris Dancing and local bands will be performing, plus many Dorset traders will be with us, selling their hot and cold food produce, cider and much, much more!

The event starts at 10a.m. – 4 p.m., FREE parking, dogs allowed.

Entry £3.00 – Under 12 are free. www.dorsetvenisonfestival.org Like us on facebook: Dorset Food & Venison Festival

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The Great Fire Of Wareham

by John Garner

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here are many significant facts that jump out of the history of the Wareham fire of July the 25th 1762. Firstly, it was hot and sunny and had been for a number of weeks previously. That in itself is worthy of a mention.

Can you remember three weeks of hot and sunny weather in recent years? Secondly, much of Wareham at the time was built of wood with splendid roofs of dried hedge, otherwise known as thatch. If you want to build a fire, a good starting point would be dry kindling, hot weather and some well-seasoned and treated wood to really get the thing going. Such were the conditions immediately prior to the outbreak of Wareham’s notorious blaze.

Some of the townsfolk were enjoying the sunshine. One pictures people lolling on chairs, brought out from the parlour and onto the streets with their sleeves rolled up and a tankard of ale in their hands, with bulbous pipes filled with pungent rough shag. Relaxing, at the end of a week’s work.

Some were accepting divine guidance from the church pulpit. And just to show that times don’t really change, some noted a smell of burning, but chose to ignore it. Like most of us do now when we hear a car or house alarm going off.

‘Bloody annoying that house alarm.’

‘Tell me about it. It’s been going all morning. I’ve a good mind to complain to the owners. I wonder why they haven’t turned it off. Damned inconsiderate.’

Any concern about a possible burglary lost in the irritation of the din.

Now, if I lived in the domestic equivalent of a Ray Mears fire-lighting kit, I’d like to speculate that one of the smells I’d hope I wouldn’t ignore would be the smell of stuff burning. But, I don’t really know if I’d be so attuned, so I shan’t mention it again. Possibly the smells of burning were more or less ever present in the pre central heating days of fires for heat and fires for cooking. Houses nowadays are still sometimes full of the smell of burning in a house full of teenagers. Usually at breakfast time or 3pm, as it often is in teenager land.

So, whilst the townsfolk were either taking in the rays or taking in the scriptures, a serving maid from the Bull’s Head pub was lobbing hot ashes onto the rubbish heap with nary a thought for the possible repercussions of such slapdash actions.

Again, I picture a flustered and weary young woman at the end of a demanding week of drudgery, possibly reasonably irked at her lot, especially as the rest of the townsfolk were enjoying their Sunday leisure choices.

Maybe she’d just been admonished by the landlord for something she had

or hadn’t done, whilst he worked his way through another pint of Old Gallstone Dissolver. Quite possibly the last thing she wanted to be doing on a bristlingly hot summer’s day was to be scooping up hot ashes and the urge to despatch them as soon as possible must have been fairly keen.

My point is, I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. Let’s try to give her a break here. Careless for sure. Malicious? I doubt it. West and South Street were soon oxymoronically awash with fire, fanned as the flames were by the winds. Fire-fighting skills proved to be somewhat limited to pulling thatch off the rooves with iron hooks and carrying numerous buckets of water to wherever it was needed in an attempt to douse the flames. The removed thatch made the streets impassable, but after about four hours, the fire had burned itself out.

Wareham must have looked a fairly desolate place after this. According to records, one hundred and thirty-three houses and other buildings were destroyed, approximately two thirds of the whole town.

Amazingly and most importantly no one was hurt in the fire, although the cost of repairing the damage was estimated at £10,000, a massive amount of money at the time. Nearly two million pounds by some reckoning.

What was encouraging was the response from the neighbours. Fires were an ever present hazard and help arrived from Blandford, Poole and Bere Regis, which is heart-warming to note. St Martin’s church became a hostel for the families who had nowhere to live and the general feeling seems to be one of rallying round.

My grasp of history is not an academic one. It is one based purely on interest. I like the history of my locality. I like the type of history that reflects the ordinary folk, who are invariably not always well served by the academic historical literature dealing with the movers and shakers of the times.

I couldn’t find out much information about the woman that started the fire.

I wonder what happened to her. I hope she managed to come to terms with what happened, but I don’t know if she could or did.

Every cloud has a silver lining as they say. An appeal was launched and nearly £7500 was raised including £500 from King George the third.

Georgian buildings began to appear, built in the most non-combustible materials available at the time. Many of these buildings still remain and give Wareham the Georgian feel it has to this day.

A great deal of the historical content for this article was gleaned from an article on the Lymington and District Historical Society webpages and details were taken form a talk by Anne King, to whom I am most indebted.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Gazette Gardening with Simon Goldsack

Love Your Lavender. avender is rightly one of our favourite garden plants due to its long flowering period, silvery leaves which persist through winter and of course the sweetly scented, showy flower spikes which are very attractive to bees. Lavender was used by the Romans to wash themselves and their clothing which is where we get the words ‘lavatory’ and ‘launderette’.

April and May are good months to plant them as you get the benefit of the whole growing season for the plants to establish before facing the vagaries of an English winter.

French Lavender (L.stoechas) is not always completely hardy, so unless you live right by the coast and have very free draining soil I would avoid them altogether. Far better to grow the English forms which are much tougher and come in a wide range of heights and colours.

The three most popular varieties are:1. L.Angustifolia the traditional Old English Lavender which will reach three foot but can be rather floppy 2. L.Hidcote a dwarf form with deep blue, purple flowers (pictured, top right).

3. L.Munstead which is also dwarf (18-24 inches) with typical mauve/purple flowers and keeps a good quality foliage through winter However, there have been many excellent new introductions in recent years including pink and white flowering forms.

Lavandula angustifolia Rosea (pictured, top) Lavandula angustifolia Alba

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(pictured bottom left).

Another, good hardy Lavender is L.Intermedia Grosso which has deep blue flowers (pictured above).

My wife Liz loves the Lavender hedges you can see in France grown for the perfume industry, so we are planting a pair of eighty metre long Lavender Munstead hedges down in our visitor gardens.

They should look pretty good this summer and by next year they will be spectacular.

Lavandula Munstead hedge, pictured right There will be a great selection of Lavenders in stock from April onwards at Holme and if you need help one of the Holme experts will be on hand to help you.

Tulip Spectacular Back in November we planted out over 8000 bulbs at Holme including 6000 tulips.

These will be showing off to their best in April so make sure you visit and enjoy the show.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Gardening For Wildlife....

Is YOUR Garden Ready?

By Niina Silvennoinen

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ith winter gone, many wildlife denizens in our gardens are emerging anew, and whilst the weather is warmer and resources more plentiful, our wild friends still need our help.

With many species’ natural habitats in decline, gardens are vital to wildlife, and creating a wildlife haven in your backyard is one of the easiest ways of helping the environment.

Even minor efforts towards wildlife friendly gardening make a big difference, with variety and yearround support being key to success. Should you not wish to make major changes to your existing garden, a corner dedicated to wildlife will suffice.

A water feature, from a small bowl to a pond (with sloping edges and night-time cover to prevent hedgehogs and small pets from drowning) is a basic, however, if you have cats in the house it is best to forego a birdbath.

Food and shelter are vital for all species; nest boxes for birds, hedgerows, wall climbers and piles of dead wood and leaves make ideal homes yearround. Choose a range of native flowers, trees and shrubs that provide

pollen and nectar over several months to ensure that bees and butterflies, our most important pollinators, are well provided for.

Poppies are not only gorgeous but also an excellent source of pollen from May to October, rosemary offers culinary delights both in the garden and the kitchen, and foxglove, comfrey and clovers add colour and variety to the pollinators’ menu, to mention but a few.

Saving rainwater for watering the garden and using natural pest control instead of chemicals instantly upgrades your environment-friendly status.

Recycling appropriate food scraps for composting makes for five-star accommodation for many insects, vital for a healthy garden.

If you do not have a garden, don’t be discouraged; a window box or a hanging basket on a balcony are also great ways of helping wildlife.

If you’re already doing these things, why not enter the 2017 Wildlife Friendly Gardening competition.

Visit https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-gardening.html to enter the competition or get some new ideas.

DWT is looking for more people to ‘Say YES to wildlife’ and support the conservation work of Dorset Wildlife Trust. Visit wtru.st/sayyesdor to find out more.

Pictures: Top: Wildlife friendly garden, by Briony Baxter.

Bumble Bee, by Ken Dolbear Robin & young, by Nico Johnson

The Purbeck Gazette

The ‘Durlston Pleasure Grounds’ Parks for People Project: Enhancing the Victorian landscape for nature, history and people To find out more come along to our consultation display at Durlston Castle, every day from Saturday 8th April to Monday 1st May 10am – 5pm. In July 2016 we were awarded a Round 1 Pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund, providing funding to develop the final bid, to be submitted in August 2017.

If successful, work can start early in 2018 and take around 3 years.

This project will secure the future of this valuable part of Durlston for nature and the people of Swanage for years to come by restoring and enhancing the landscape to realise George Burt’s vision for visitors to ‘Look round and read great Nature’s open book’ and make this part of Durlston work harder for the local community.

A Victorian Legacy…

Durlston Park Estate was developed in the late 19th century by George Burt and the ‘Pleasure Grounds’ are a Grade II Historic Park and Garden, described as: ‘…laid out as part of a grand scheme for residential development but also intended to be accessible to the public. It is a sublime landscape and a moral one…reflected in the literary quotes inscribed on stone tablets and architectural elements such as the Globe and Chart.’

Through the 20th Century, the ‘Pleasure Grounds’ saw many attempts to develop the area as an attraction for tourists (originally there were kiosks where visitors would pay to walk up through the woods, to see the Globe or to enter Tilly Whim - although we won’t be restoring these!). At one point, the Aviary Glade featured a small zoo!

The Proposals include: Looking After the Landscape Woodland management: tree pruning or removed to restore important views to the Castle, allowing in extra light, benefitting wildflowers and butterflies.

Areas of ‘untidy’ woodland will be retained, with habitat piles and dense undergrowth for nesting birds and invertebrates.

Viewpoints will be enhanced with long-lasting, attractive and easy to use seating, some designed by artists. Victorian benches and stone tablets, will be restored.

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The ‘Dell’, by the Castle is overgrown with bramble and Sycamore. Flowering shrubs and plants will create an attractive, low-maintenance area, improving views to the beautiful stone bridge.

The Pleasure Grounds for People….

Improving Transport: A lift-sharing scheme and mini-buses will help individuals and groups with specific needs get to Durlston.

Interpretation: Sensitively designed interpretation and a new variety of events.

Training: The project will provide opportunities for training for volunteers, staff, and local people of all ages to support the management of the area.

Play: opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy the area, including things to hunt for and the chance to create natural artworks or dens Improving Access: Paths will be resurfaced with local materials to improve access for older visitors, visitors with disabilities or visitors with pushchairs.

Tree pruning along sections of the coastal path will reduce leaf litter, making it less slippery and muddy in winter.

‘Everyone Needs A Shed!’

A simple, timber-clad single storey structure, on the same footprint as the existing derelict shed at the ‘Avairies’ will provide a base for the new ‘Everyone Needs a Shed’ project.

This will offer a way to volunteer, socialise and make new friends. Less physically demanding work will open up the opportunity to volunteer to people with dementia, people with disabilities and older people who are less physically fit. It will create opportunities for older people with skills to share them with local young people.

What Do You Think? How Can you Help? Please let us know.

Also on in April is ‘Purbeck and Beyond’, Paintings and photographs by Hamish Murray, reflecting the areas stunning wildlife and landscape. Art for sale. From Sat 8th April to Mon 1st May, 10.30am-5pm.

Easter Trail from Sat 8th – Sun 23rd April – follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsored prize. Every day 10am – 4pm, £3

Margaret Green Animal Rescue Centre Volunteer for us today! t Margaret Green Animal Rescue we welcome enthusiastic and dedicated people who want to help us with all aspects of volunteering.

There are so many ways to get involved, fundraising, helping at events, working in our retail shop, dog walking, cat cuddling, dog walking and even team building days on larger projects with colleagues.

Volunteering is very rewarding and is a great way for you to help do so much more for the animals in our care. But don’t just take our word for it, here’s an insight into Dave, Jan and Claire three very active volunteers…

Dave and Jan often spend a day at the Church Knowle site and say that ‘the fresh air and the environment are amazing, the animals gorgeous and the staff always have a tale to tell and are great fun to be with’. Their volunteering days’ consist of cleaning out the farm and small animal shelters, cat cuddling, fussing the animals and even poo picking from the fields which Dave & Jan say is therapeutic!

Claire is a fundraising volunteer and can often been found at local pet stores with her display stand, says she loves the approach of being able to interact with customers to the store, chat about their animals and often meets dogs that have been rehomed by Margaret Green Animal Rescue.

This all helps raise awareness resulting in donations and full collection tins after a busy day!

So, if you like the sound of this,

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get involved and volunteer today and you will be helping in so many ways.

To become a volunteer or find out more, get in touch today!

For fundraising and events, call Jazmin on 01929 477074 or email jazmin.house@mgar. org.uk For Church Knowle in Dorset (cats, farm animals and small animals) call Kelly on 01929 480474 or email kelly.griffin@mgar.org.uk For Lincoln Farm in Dorset (dogs) call Glynis on 01929 471340 or email glynis.bartlett@mgar.org.uk For our Charity Shops call Julie on 01202 514976 or email jenni.wilkinson@ mgar.org.uk

The Purbeck Gazette

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Purbeck Art Weeks Festival Competition Winners Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) Festival 2017 competition winners very year, Purbeck Art Weeks (PAW) has an art competition for the best interpretation of the Festival theme, which this year is ‘A Moment in Time’.

The response from PAW’s artists has been stunning. Artwork submitted ranged from crashing waves, a fox glimpsed in a forest of shadows, twilight, the moment a ball bounces to dragonflies. What a choice!

PAW’s trustees are delighted to announce the three winners as Jo Mosen with her colourful textile art ‘Dream of a Dorset Landscape’ (pictured, above left), Helen Biles for her striking ‘Fossil Abstract’ print, and Tony Smith for his captivating photograph, ‘Dandelion Clock’. Jo says, ‘dreams are a fleeting thing, never to be repeated or explained - my textile impression ‘Dream of a Dorset Landscape’ is inspired by our lovely Purbeck countryside. I am so proud it has been chosen for the brochure cover 2017’.

The fossil image is inspired by drawings Helen made at the Etches Collection. ‘I was drawn to the fragments and fragile lines and marks’ she says ‘my print relates to the theme ‘moment in time’ as a fossil is an imprint of a creature at a point in time’. Helen was thrilled to be selected as one of the winners. Tony’s image is a perfect interpretation of ‘A Moment in Time’ - ‘nothing has permanence’ says Tony the photographer ‘here, the slightest puff of wind will alter the globular perfection of the dandelion head, scattering its seeds.’

You can look forward to seeing these winning images as the face of PAW on the front of this year’s brochure, events programme and poster. Keep an eye open for them!

This year’s PAW Festival is crammed with art, open studios and events.

It starts on May 27th and runs until June 11th, so put the dates in your diary. For more information and booking tickets (from April) see www. purbeckartweeks.co.uk

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Local Drama Group Wins Drama Award

e are very pleased to announce that the Corfe Castle based amateur drama group, Double Act, have just won a prestigious NODA South West

Award.

The 2016 Peter Wheeldon Memorial Trophy for Handmade Productions has been awarded to Double Act for their production of “Kidnapped! the panto” at Corfe Castle Village Hall last November. NODA – The National Operatic and Dramatic Association held their South West Award ceremony at The Marriot Hotel in Bristol on March 4th, with over 380 people representing over 75 different amateur groups from around Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall at a glittering event that almost rivals the Oscars.

Writer and director, Peter Smith, says: “This is a great honour that recognises the huge amount of work and effort put in by members of this small group on stage, back stage and front of house to create a successful theatre with sets, props, costumes, special effects, makeup, sound and lighting in an empty hall where no stage or theatrical facilities exist, each year for the last twenty-two years.

“A few of us were able to go along to enjoy the event as it was the first time that we had ever been nominated for such a prestigious NODA award, but never for one moment were we expecting to win anything at the first attempt. A feeling of doubt that increased as the evening wore on as other dazzlingly professional looking shows were being awarded their trophies.

“So when our name was read out as the winner of our category it came as a stunning shock, albeit a highly enjoyable one. Fortunately, there were

no envelope mix-ups and the award wasn’t snatched from our grasp seconds after being presented with it!”

The Category of Best Home-made production recognises a creative and resourceful company that has used a home-written script containing many excellent ideas and put in a large amount of effort to create an entertaining play without a huge budget or technical help.

Double Act would also like to thank the Corfe Castle Village Hall Trustees, Committee and the displaced regular users for their continued support over the years, without whom none of this would be possible in the first place.

Peter Smith, Double Act

The Purbeck Gazette

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2017

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Turin Brakes to headline Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2017

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ritically-acclaimed acoustic band Turin Brakes has been announced as the latest act for the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival this summer.

The band will return to the family-friendly event as headliners on the Friday night.

Taking place on 24-27 August at Purbeck Valley Farm, Turin Brakes will join a glittering line-up that already includes Badly Drawn Boy, singersongwriter Ben Ottewell from Mercury Music Award winners Gomez, The Magic Numbers’ Michele Stodart, 3 Daft Monkeys and Dorset favourites The Ben Waters Band.

Having sold over one million albums across the world and with a dedicated fanbase, Turin Brakes last played at the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival in 2014.

Festival organiser, Catherine Burke is thrilled to have them back on stage: “It’s so good that Turin Brakes are coming back to play this year. They played for us at Purbeck when we were on the old site and it was absolutely brilliant. They were the highlight of the festival. They seemed to really enjoy it too, I guess that’s why they want to come back!”

Catherine added: “We had so much excitement beforehand and positive feedback afterwards that we had to invite them to come back. They’re just brilliant.”

Incredibly, it’s 18 years since childhood friends Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian formed the band. They released their seventh album Lost Property last year.

They have also established a solid foothold in the US where their song, Inbetween, is featured in hit TV show Elemental, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. Having released their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album The Optimist in 2001, Turin Brakes’ second album Ether Song from 2003 entered the UK charts at number four and spawned the top five single Pain Killer (Summer Rain).

That was followed by the top 10 album JackinABox in 2005 and subsequent four albums.

Olly and Gale are now joined by long-term collaborators Rob Allum (percussion) and Eddie Myer (bass) and will draw on their distinguished six-stringed past to play Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2017.

With more major acts to be revealed over the coming months. The organisers strive to carefully choose artists for an exciting festival that reflects the diversity of the current folk scene, with plenty to keep music lovers and families entertained.

Surrounded by spectacular views of Corfe Castle, accessible camping and some truly delicious food, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is just as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the ears.

Running over the August Bank Holiday weekend, revellers will be treated to a host of other favourite attractions including kids’ entertainers,

storytellers, craft workshops, music workshops, theatre workshops, song sessions, poetry, Purbeck Rising and open mics.

Weekend tickets (Thurs-Sun) include free camping and are on sale now at just £110 (youth £55, children age 4-11 £30).

For more information please visit www.purbeckvalleyfolkfestival. co.uk

Purbeck Mummers Support Friends Of Wareham Hospital

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urbeck Mummers cheque presentation to the Friends of Wareham Hospital on Saturday 11th March 2017.

Collections were taken at the end of the performance at all these venues listed below, where the audiences gave generously in aid of the Friends of Wareham Hospital. This is a very worthy cause, and provides essential equipment for the hospital which is vitally needed by those who use the hospital and its services.

Awareness is necessary and donations are needed to keep this hospital open for the residents of Wareham and surrounding villages.

The cheque amount presented was for £700 to Tony Thomas who is Treasurer of the Friends of Wareham Hospital and Maggie Hardy, who is Chair Lady of the Friends of Wareham Hospital.

The Purbeck Mummers appeared at:The Drax Arms, Bere Regis on 2nd December 2016.

The Globe and Black Swan, Swanage on 9th December 2016.

The Quay Inn, Conservative Club, Kings Arms and The Duke of Wellington, Wareham on Sunday 11th December 2016.

The Clay Pipe, Sandford on 14th December 2016.

The Black Bear, Wool and the Anglebury, Wareham on 16th December 2016.

The Woodpecker, Spetisbury and Rose and Crown, Lytchett Minster on 18th December 2016.

Corfe Castle Square, Bankes Arms, Castle Inn, Corfe Castle and Square and Compass, Worth Matravers on 26th December 2016.

Sue Booth

The Purbeck Gazette

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Zero Balancing In Purbeck

lan Hext practises Zero Balancing bodywork at the Swanage Therapy Centre. He originally discovered this remarkable therapy when he was researching bodywork approaches in California in the mid-1970s.

Alan was privileged to see its founder Dr Fritz Smith, an osteopathic physician, at work in his practice and has regularly studied with him since 1983.

It takes a person into a profound state of relaxation. On rising from the couch clients often comment ‘I feel taller’ and ‘freer in my movement’ and may take a person into an inner silence beyond words.

“Zero Balancing is Heavenly” Jan Rainford Unlike massage you don’t have to take your clothes off! Zero Balancing is performed with you clothed, lying comfortably on your back. The gentle but firm quality of touch invites a return to better alignment, renewing flexibility and clearing stiffness in a richly restorative way.

Zero Balancing combines an understanding of our skeletal and joint structure along with the centred awareness of being alive which may be experienced through oriental exercise or meditation.

Contemporary life and social media increasingly attracts us into a virtual experience of the world, taking us out of ourselves. Return to the real world through being brought back in touch with yourself, back in contact with an embodied reality of life.

The respectful nature in which Zero Balancing handles you in a nonmanipulative way can be particularly valuable for older people where the quality of its conscious care nourishes the experience of being human.

Alan is a Certified Zero Balancer and also teaches it internationally to healthcare professionals. He is available for appointments on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Swanage Therapy Centre.

“I think it is brilliant and really suits me. It has more effect on my skeletal form than chiropractic or physiotherapy” Jean Gibbs See Dr Smith on YouTube https://youtu.be/scB6NiYTvi8 About Zero Balancing - Dr Fritz Smith For further information see www.zerobalancinguk.org If you would like to book an appointment please contact Swanage Therapy Centre on 01929 426506.

Visit our website @ www.swanagetherapycentre.co.uk and follow us on Facebook to keep updated on all our latest offers and information.

Swanage Therapy Centre

Zero Balancing Bodywork with Alan Hext We look forward to seeing you

T: 01929 426506 www.swanagetherapycentre.co.uk

CHIROPODY Rachel Ciantar

Home Visits & Clinic Appointments Comprehensive foot care - Diabetic Patient’s Care Biomechanics & Orthotics Registered with Society of Podiatrist & Chiropodists, HPC Registered

Contact 07979 840542 NEW PATIENTS £5 OFF FIRST TREATMENT

The Purbeck Gazette

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Matron’s Round - Our Local Hospitals’ Monthly Column How to manage your infection I was recently invited to give a presentation at a Sepsis workshop, that was put on by the Infection Prevention and Control team within Dorset Healthcare and I thought that I would inform you about some of the facts.

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by infection.

It is hard to spot, but it kills 44,000 people a year in the UK. That is more than bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer put together.

Infections which can give rise to Sepsis are common and include lung infections, water infections, infections in wounds, bites or joints. Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly, hence all the recent publicity regarding this, particularly within social media and through Sepsis UK, a charitable trust.

Whatever your infection, you can do the following to help: Take regular paracetamol to reduce fever Ask your pharmacist for advice on reducing your symptoms Get plenty of rest until you feel better Drink enough fluids to avoid feeling thirsty Use tissues when you sneeze to help stop infections spreading Wash your hands to help stop infections spreading Keep a check on how long your symptoms last

In the early stages it is often difficult to distinguish Sepsis from flu; look out for serious symptoms such as: Severe headache Slurred speech or confusion Extreme shivering, very cold skin or muscle pain Passing no urine (in 18 hours or a day) Severe breathlessness Feeling a lot worse or feeling that “I know something’s badly wrong with me” Skin that’s mottled, bluish or very pale If Sepsis is suspected ensure that you seek urgent medical attention from a GP, MIU or call NHS111.

If you have an emergency, call 999 immediately.

For further information visit: www. sepsistrust.org.

Until next time, take care and stay well.

Matron Donna

Swanage Hospital Minor Injuries Unit Open 7 days a week from 8am - 8pm If you have an injury, we’re here to treat it!

Call us on 01929 421329. We’re here for YOU, so use our services!

Hospital Shows Support Cancer Appeal

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he Cancer Appeal at Dorset County Hospital received a boost recently, with a further donation of £660. The money was raised by the Hospital’s annual staff show and came from ticket sales and donations for programmes and refreshments.

The show has been running at the hospital for over fifteen years and is extremely popular.

This year the event was sold out every night. The money will go towards the hospital charity’s £1.75 million campaign supporting the provision of radiotherapy services in Dorchester.

The new Radiotherapy Unit currently under construction at Dorset County Hospital will transform cancer care for patients. Radiotherapy will be available in Dorchester for the first time and patients will no longer have to travel to Poole for their treatment.

The Charity’s cancer appeal will also fund improvements in the hospital’s chemotherapy unit and provide counselling and support facilities for all cancer patients. The radiotherapy bunkers and the machines themselves are being paid for by Poole Hospital including a large donation from Poole businessman Robert White.

Recent donations including a further £100,000 from Fortuneswell Cancer Trust and £75,000 from the Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust have pushed the appeal total up to £963,000 – 55% of the total amount needed.

The appeal is also being actively supported by many Dorset companies including, Jordan’s Jewellers, Mayfair Properties, Came Down Golf Club and Bridport companies Smith & Smith and Bridport Guy Crabb Plumbing and Heating.

A lot of work has already been carried out on site and it is anticipated that the first patients will be treated at the new radiotherapy centre by spring/summer 2018.

For more information about the Cancer Appeal please contact Rachel on 01305 253215, email charity@dchft.nhs.uk or visit www. dchft.nhs.uk/charity.

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The Purbeck Gazette

Sport I Can Run 7

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orset based novice runner, Laura Jones, sets her sights on the world’s highest marathon, and takes on seven marathons on seven continents in one year.

After innocently agreeing to run the Everest Marathon, despite having no former running experience, Dorset based Laura Jones set her ambitious goal: to run a marathon on each of the world’s seven continents, all in under one year.

28-year-old Laura who, before August 2016, had never run further than 5km, is now running distances of up to twenty miles each weekend, preparing to run a marathon on every continent, a feat which only six British women have completed.

Her challenge starts with the London Marathon in April, followed shortly after by the Everest Marathon. She will also run 26.2 miles in the hostile climates of freezing Antarctica and tropical Mt Kilimanjaro, as well as races in Banff (Canada), Patagonia (Chile), and Rottnest Island (Australia).

Laura commented: “I love to set challenges for myself, even when I’m starting from scratch. When I started running a few months ago, I thought it would be impossible. But after just a few months of training, I’m finally starting to enjoy it! I can’t wait to actually get things started, although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous.

“I think the biggest challenge is going to be getting used to the different climates on each continent, especially the Everest Marathon, which is the highest marathon in the world starting at Everest Basecamp, some 5,300m above sea level! The average finishing time is 10hrs, which shows how tough the trail is. Combined with freezing temperatures at the start line, it’s set to be a very adventurous run. Early next year I’ll be running in Antarctica and Tanzania, and with just two weeks between races I can expect a temperature variation of up to 50 degrees.”

But weather won’t be the only challenge Laura could face. Joining instructions for the Banff Marathon note some unusual risks, stating “You may encounter wild animals, including: grizzly and black bears, elk, moose, wolves, cougars, coyotes, wolverine and lynx.”

Alongside her personal goals, Laura will be taking this opportunity to raise money and awareness for two charities close to her heart – The Scouts and The Jonny Wilkinson Foundation.

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Jones has even had personal support from Jonny Wilkinson himself, who, when he found out about her challenge said: “Running almost 200 miles in some very hostile environments is a massive challenge and a hugely powerful opportunity. Anyone running a marathon is inspiring and I’ve always admired the incredible team spirit which seems to arise when positive and motivated individuals get together to push themselves for the benefit of others and amazing causes. Thank you, Laura, go well and good luck on your awesome journey.”

Jones concluded: “Taking part in this challenge is not about setting record times, it’s about achieving personal bests. I want to prove to not only myself but others that it doesn’t matter where your starting line is, everyone has it in them to make it to the finish.”

For more information and to keep up to date with Laura’s journey please visit: www.icanrun7.com Laura is currently seeking headline sponsors. If you’d like to support her challenge then please contact her on: laura@monixadventures.com

Wareham Croquet Club Update

ur 2017 season starts on Tuesday 4th April and it is intended to reserve one of our two lawns each Tuesday afternoon until the end of May for general coaching and tuition for those new to the game.

We play golf croquet, the fun version, which anyone can play; you do not need to be sporty or especially strong. The game requires precision, tactics and skill and is suitable for all ages and sizes.

Women and men compete on equal terms. It can be very competitive but is also a social game as the players are on the lawns together. Several games can be played in an afternoon, each lasting approximately forty five minutes.

New members are particularly welcome and will be partnered with experienced players.

All equipment is provided; you need only flat shoes and enthusiasm. You can learn the basics of the game in one hour.

Come and try a couple of games; you are sure to enjoy yourself! We play at the Recreation Ground, Worgret Road, Wareham on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 5pm. The season runs until the end of October.

Want to know more or need encouragement? Contact Lesley on 01929 553927 or just turn up on a playing day.

The Purbeck Gazette

Swanage Sea Rowing Club

67

Blistering start to 2017 season!

D

espite blisters, bruises and battered muscles, crews from Swanage Sea Rowing Club were still smiling after the gruelling Three Rivers Race in March. The six mile event truly tested the crew’s mettle in a battle against wind, rain and strong currents. The day began when the four Swanage crews, two men’s and two women’s, departed at 5am in order to get to the Tamar Bridge on the Devon/Cornwall border for 9.30am. They took two gigs, Old Harry and Winspit.

The race goes up and down the Tamar, beneath road and railway bridges, with detours into the Lynher and Tavy Rivers. This year saw the biggest ever turn-out, with 80 gigs – 73 ladies’ crews and 80 men’s crews. The men’s A crew finished in 30th place, and the B crew 75th. The ladies’ As and Bs came in 54th and 49th places. The overall winner was the host club, Caradon.

“After a long winter of training, it was both exhausting and exhilarating,” said men’s A crew member, Barnaby Quaddy. “It was very competitive, but there was great support amongst all the crews.”

Rachael Hamilton, of the ladies’ A crew, added: “It was a good preparation for the world championships on the Isles of Scilly in April. We could see the rival crews in action, and suss out their tactics!”

Try rowing – the leisurely way!

Why not try a relaxing row at one of our open sessions? As the evenings get lighter, Tuesday 6pm rows begin again, as well as the Saturday morning sessions from 9am. Sessions are £2, weather permitting.

There’s no need to book – just come down to the boathouse near the pier. You can do three trial session before joining the club. Find out more on the website www.ssrc.org.uk or follow us on Facebook.

Cathy Lewis Pictures: top left: Tree Rivers, Men’s Crew. Above: Three Rivers & Bridge

Stormin’ Norman Elected As New 1st Captain

L

ast month, Swanage ‘stalwart’ Ryan Norman was elected Saturday 1stXI Captain at Swanage Cricket Club’s recent AGM. Ryan said he was “Looking forward to embracing the challenge of leading the 1stXI into its 5th successive season in Dorset’s Premier Division”.

With regards to the other main officials at the club, the principle change was the introduction of Michelle Nash as the Club’s Welfare Officer - this is one of the most important roles at the club particularly as it is fundamental for the club to function with maintaining our Club-Mark Status from the English Cricket Board (ECB).

The other changes to the official positions are as follows: Ron Barker and Mike Wells both return to roles they have held previously Chairman and Secretary respectively. Also, Pete Constable is the new Treasurer.

As well as the Saturday 1stXI in the Premier Division, the club also have a 2ndXI in Division 4 which will be Captained by Tim Ives.

They also play both a mixture of league and friendly matches on Sundays.

A

Due to the incredible level of success in the club’s flourishing youth section, there is now provision for both boys and girls to play in a warm and friendly environment from all ages between eight and fifteen. These sides are all run by fully qualified ECB accredited coaches.

Please contact Tim Ives on 07779-274415 or visit our website: www. swanagecricketclub.co.uk for all the coaching session times etc.

The club are also pleased to announce the much appreciated, continued support of the following businesses/companies within the local community:Gee Whites Seafood Restaurant, the Globe pub, Harrow House International, Link Rider Coaches, Masala Indian Restaurant, Neaves Rowing, PJC Accounting Services, PTNSystems, Purbeck Kitchens, Suttles Quarries and Woodlands Landscaping & Building Services.

Anyone interested in playing for/sponsoring the club, please contact Pete Constable on 07973-410453 or follow the links on our website:- www. swanagecricketclub.co.uk

Swanage Bowling Club Ready For Season!

pril is the month when bowlers all over the country dig out their bowls and bowling shoes and polish them up all ready for the forthcoming season.

Members of Swanage Bowling Club are just itching to get out on the green and blow away the winter cobwebs and get down to some bowling.

Weather permitting, the club kicks off a week earlier than usual on 8th April, with a morning social game between club members, followed by a chicken or fish and chips lunch. Then come some practice sessions in readiness for the first competitive fixtures. First up for the men is the annual game at Pelhams on 22nd April for the Vicki Senior Cup. The club holds its annual President’s Coffee Morning at 10am on Thursday 6th April, when President Graham Smooker will be welcoming everyone to the first official function of the season.

If you are not a member of the club you are nevertheless cordially invited to come along to the pavilion in Beach Gardens for a coffee and a chat.

Or why not consider coming along to have a go at bowls on one of the Friday evening ‘Club Nights’ or one (or both) of the Saturday morning ‘Open Day’ sessions scheduled for 6th and 13th May at 10.30am?

Just turn up wearing flat-soled shoes and give it a try!

Swanage Bowling Club now has a spanking new and very informative website, beautifully set up by Ian Thomas of IT Services.

Have a look at: www.swanagebowlingclub.org.uk Information about bowling in Swanage from Clive on 422337 or Jean on 426795.

Happy bowling in 2017!

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W

Swanage Football Club

e are in the process of getting the ground up to a standard where we can progress up the football pyramid and enter the Wessex League.

One of the main jobs that needs attending to is the hard standing that surrounds the pitch. We do have hard standing, but over time this has crumbled away in numerous places or has so many weeds it’s hard to see it. So we are making it good and concreting where needed.

Another concern for us at present is the state of our pitch. We have, over recent weeks, had to postpone numerous first team and reserve games. It is very frustrating as the area of the pitch that causes us the concern of being too wet to play on is only about 100 square metres.

When you consider our pitch is roughly 5000sq, metres this amounts to only 5% of the pitch which is unplayable. The problem with this area is that it is in a significant area of the pitch, it’s in the penalty area, just to the side of the goal at the far end. If it was in a corner of the pitch it would be more of a possibility of the game going ahead.

We’ve had numerous people up to advise us as to the correct procedure to alleviate the amount of water which congregates in this area. At the end of last season we dug a trench around the perimeter to stop water running onto the pitch from the higher ground to the west of the pitch.

This has helped to some extent but this particular area seems to be worse than ever, so whether the trench is causing it to be wetter than in previous seasons is anybody’s guess.

So we have a plan of action to try and help the situation where we are going to dig into the pitch saving the turf and put a couple of soak aways deep under the problem area. This will hopefully let the water drain away. Then we can put the soil back, with the turf on top. This is a fairly tricky thing to achieve during the season.

We feel we have no alternative but to try this so we can get games back on. The first team have only played three games since the last edition of the Gazette. Drawing away to Westland Sports 1:1 and beating

The Purbeck Gazette

Sturminster Newton 4:0.

We did manage to stage a game at Day’s Park when we hosted fellow rivals, Merley Cobham Sports. Merley are a real threat to our chances of promotion as if they win their games in hand they would be above us in the league So we needed a real team performance and we certainly got that as we surged into 3:0 lead. We went on to win the fixture 4:2, a much needed three points.

We were due to play Holt Utd in the semi-final of the Dorset premier league Cup at Day’s Park, but the game was called off due to the wet pitch. The unfortunate thing about that is because this fixture has been postponed by us before, it will now revert back to Holt to stage the game. So you can now see why we really need our pitch to be up and playable.

The Dorset Senior Cup semi-final had been postponed at Gillingham’s ground, so we were planning at the time of writing to play this fixture on Tuesday 14th March.

Annoyingly, although this has been postponed twice, because it is a different Cup they have different rules, so this game won’t be coming to Day’s Park.

So, all things being well, when I write this column next month hopefully I’ll be able to say we’re in two Cup Finals.

It would be great for us to have some more supporters on match days.

We are really improving the facilities to make the match day experience more pleasurable. So why not come along and support your local team?

We have fixture posters around the town and on the wall outside JJ Moore the butchers.

We also use social media and our award winning website is kept up to date with the latest news www.swanagefc.com COME ON YOU SWANS! John Peacock

The Purbeck Gazette - Proudly Supporting The Swans

Swanage & Wareham Rugby Football

S

wans had a good February, winning all their games, starting with a home victory against Bicester in the Intermediate Cup on the 4th.

This is played against all level 7 clubs in the southwest, which if clubs progress, leads to a final at Twickenham. Swans took an early lead, with a penalty goal but the visitors replied so at half time it was 3pts each. It was easier in the second half as Swans two flank forwards, Matt Roberts and Erin Inglis, scored a couple of tries, which Phil Graves converted to put Swans 17pts – 3pts ahead.

Hooker Robert Elford was on hand to score another try, and Jake Warren added a drop goal to take Swans 27pts – 3pts in the lead. Bicester added a late try, but in the other half of the draw, Thatcham beat Marlow, so Swans had to travel to Thatcham on the 25th February.

The following week saw Swans back in league action against Blandford, which was an easy bonus point win, with Swans running in six tries, scored by winger Pat Adkins (2), Henry Oliver, Chris Tomes, Iliata Rataqalovi, and Alex Parry to come out victorious by 34 pts – 15 pts.

On the 18th, Swans had to travel to Combe Down, a suburb of Bath, in the league and came away with a bonus point win. Winger Alex Parry was first on the scoreboard after five minutes, followed by Swans other winger, Callum Young, going over. Steve Woolley added the extras to

put Swans 12pts – nil ahead. Swans went further ahead as hooker Robert Elford powered his way over the line with Phil Graves converting to give Swans a 19-pts – nil lead. Combe Down managed a penalty goal, but just before the interval Swans flanker Erin Inglis crossed the line to give Swans a 26 – 3 half time lead.

Combe Down came back in the second half and scored a couple of tries, but with five minutes left Phil Graves added a fifth try so that eventually Swans won by 31pts – 20pts.

On the 25th, Swans travelled to Thatcham for the final of the Southern Counties Cup. On a windy and rain soaked day, Swans played against the elements and were soon 3pts down following a penalty goal.

However, after twelve minutes, Swans flanker Iliata Rataqalovi powered his way over the host’s try line to put Swans 3-5pts ahead. Thatcham replied with a converted try (10pts-5pts), and after twenty-five minutes, another penalty put Thatcham on 13 pts.

Swans replied just before half time as the visitor’s no. 8, Kirk Jones, used his power to cross the Thatcham line. Phil Graves converted (13pts- 12pts at half time).

Swans pressed with the wind, but Thatcham defended well, but after sixty-five minutes Swans scrum half, Chris Tomes, managed to find a gap to put Swans ahead by 13pts – 17pts.

Swans continued to press and once again, Swans scored another try in the corner, as flank forward Erin Inglis crossed the line. 13pts – 22pts. In the last minute, the hosts managed a consolation try in the corner, but Swans won the encounter by 18pts – 22pts.

This victory means that Swans host the Western Counties league victors, Truro, on the 18th March with a 2.30pm kick off.

Main Fixtures for April April 1st Swans 1st XV v. Marlborough SCS Home 3pm 8th Swans 1st XV v. North Dorset SCS Away 3pm 15th Swans club XV v Touring team (TBC) Home 3pm 22nd Swans 1st XV v. Sherborne SCS Home 3pm 29th Swans 1st XV Play offs TBC 3pm Ron Butler (Publicity Secretary)

The Purbeck Gazette

Spotlight Event Diary

69

Diary Entries are FREE if your event is FREE. If you charge, then it’s £5 plus VAT per entry, per month. DEADLINE for MAY is noon, 7th April KEY: * = Start time not known or n/a; Ffi = for further information; Sw = Swanage; Wm = Wareham; VH = Village Hall, Telephone code 01929 unless otherwise stated.

APRIL

Sat 1st * Swanage Regatta & Carnival Charity Nominations. Apply in writing before 1st April. * Storytelling for families: King John At Corfe Castle. * Explorers Childcare Group Open Day At The Centre, Chapel Lane, Swanage. * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsored prize.

09:45 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Corfe NT CP for a circular 6 mile walk via Corfe Common, Kingston, Puddle Mill & Church Knowle. Ffi 01929 422554.

10:00 Miracle of Migration Exhibition At The Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston.

10:00 Putting Green & ‘Tea on the Green’ At Beach Gardens, Swanage.

10:00 Arts and Crafts Fair At St Edwards Hall, Rempstone Rd, Sw. 10am to 4pm. Hot drinks and home made cake available. Ffi 07946000025 19:30 Helen Ostafew: Requiem for Humanity Faure: Requiem at St Mary’s Church, Swanage. Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door.

20:00 John Langan At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 2nd * Storytelling for families: King John At Corfe Castle. * Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Tyneham, Purbeck. We welcome people interested in helping care for this historic village. For details see www.dcv.org. uk, emailDCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you. * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

10:00 Miracle of Migration Exhibition At The Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston.

14:00 David Celia At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Mon 3rd * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

10:00 Miracle of Migration Exhibition At The Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston.

Tue 4th * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

10:00 Miracle of Migration Exhibition At The Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston.

Wed 5th * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

10:00 Miracle of Migration Exhibition At The Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Sika Trail CP on Wareham-Bere Regis road for 4 mile circular walk via Carey Heath, Ferncroft Farm & Northport Park. Ffi 01202 426926.

10:30 Swanage Probus At the Purbeck House Hotel 10.30 a.m., our programme continues with 3 talks from the membership. Visitors welcome. Contact Andrew Yeandle 421945 or Brian Darnton 424211 Thu 6th * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

09:30 Meet the Team At Battens Solicitors at the new Wareham Office.

09:30 Purbeck Good Neighbours Home Safety Falls Prevention Event at Swanage Emmanuel Baptist Church.

19:30 Swanage Musical Theatre Company Presents ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Matinee performance on 8th April at 2.30. Tickets £14, Concessions £13, Children £8.

Fri 7th * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

19:30 Swanage Musical Theatre Company Presents ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Matinee performance on 8th April at 2.30. Tickets £14, Concessions £13, Children £8.

19:30 Swanage Photographic Society Meets in the Rectory Classroom, Church Hill for competitions: Theme Boards (prints) – ‘Open’; and Ken Moore Trophy – ‘Open’ Judging by members. Visitors welcome, ffi: 01929 423841 19:30 Purbeck Railway Circle Meets at Harman’s Cross Village Hall for a presentation entitled “The Gartell Light Railway” by John Penny from the GLR. Refreshments and railway raffle. Doors open 7pm. Ffi 554765. EVERYONE IS WELCOME 19:30 Folk and Fun for Fairtrade At Corfe Castle Village Hall. David Kemp of `Ball & Socket, Gilded Marchpane , Paul Oppenshaw, The 4Ds and the Wareham Whalers, perform. Tickets £7.00 in adv from David 480007, Frances 421968, Brian 459440 or £8.00 on the night. Fairtrade refreshments included.

Email: frances.ward@fsmail.net

Sat 8th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Higher Hyde, near Wool constructing a fence at this nature reserve. We welcome people interested in helping care for our countryside. For details see www.dcv.org.uk, emailDCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you. * Easter Trail At Durlson Country Park. Follow the trail to win a Chococo sponsered prize.

09:45 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Kingston for a 6 mile circular walk to Chapmans Pool via Afflington Wood and directly back. Ffi 01929 422554.

10:00 ‘Preloved’ Table Top Sale At Moreton Village Hall (DT2 8RE). Bargains for all and refreshments too! Tables £5. Free entry. Ffi: Clarice 01929 462338 10:00 NSPCC Spring Fair At Wareham Town Hall. Toys, cakes, tombola, bric-a-brac, raffle, books and craft.. Refreshments available. Items for sale please - 01929 553578.

10:30 Swanage Beach Walkies Fun, free friendly walk! Meet on Sandpit Field, de Moulham rd, Swanage.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

14:00 Wareham Museum Grand Opening By the Mayor of Wareham, Councillor Mrs Doreen Cleaton. Fun activities for kids, Victorian fancy dress competition, Victorian food. Entrance free.

19:30 Swanage Musical Theatre Company Presents ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Matinee performance on 8th April at 2.30. Tickets £14, Concessions £13, Children £8.

20:00 Helele At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 9th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Higher Hyde, near Wool constructing a fence at this nature reserve. We welcome people interested in helping care for our countryside. For details see www.dcv.org.uk, emailDCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

15:00 Canzonetta sings Music for Holy Week At Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Bere Regis, BH20 7HQ. Free admission, with retiring collection for church fabric. More information at www.canzonettadorset.com Mon 10th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

Tue 11th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Purbeck Parkinson’s Group At The All Saints Church Hall, Swanage 10:15 Isle of Purbeck Arts Club Coffee Morning at Catholic Church Hall, Swanage.

Free entry.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

14:00 Purbeck Parkinson’s Group At the All Saints Church Hall, Swanage. Ffi: T. Lander 01929 425970 or D Peters 01929 551962 Wed 12th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at the Worlds End pub car park for a gentle undulating walk around Winterbourne Zelston. Ffi 01202 623230.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

Thu 13th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

19:30 Belvedere Singers Spring Concert Belvedere Singers present DAWN TO DUSK - a varied programme portraying a day through music, including a performance of John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’. At St Mary’s Church, Kings Road West BH19 1HU Ticket Secretary: 01929 289209. Email: sue.bunyar@tiscali.co.uk

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Fri 14th * Swanage Market Opens at Victoria Avenue car park. All day. * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Wareham Beerex 2 Sessions Daily 11-3pm & 7-11pm.Tickets £10 each to include free pint. * Easter Hunt At Corfe Castle. £2.50 per hunt map and prize.

10:00 Purbeck Makers Market At Burngate Stonecarving Centre.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

Sat 15th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Wareham Beerex 2 Sessions Daily 11-3pm & 7-11pm.Tickets £10 each to include free pint. * Easter Hunt At Corfe Castle. £2.50 per hunt map and prize.

10:00 Purbeck Makers Market At Burngate Stonecarving Centre.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at the 2nd Ulwell layby on right from Swanage for a 6 circular walk to Harmans X, out via New Barn and return via Nine Barrow Down. Ffi 01929 480224.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

20:00 Woody Pines At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 16th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Easter Hunt At Corfe Castle. £2.50 per hunt map and prize.

10:00 Purbeck Makers Market At Burngate Stonecarving Centre.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

14:00 Woody Pines At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Mon 17th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * Easter Hunt At Corfe Castle. £2.50 per hunt map and prize.

10:00 Purbeck Makers Market At Burngate Stonecarving Centre.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

12:00 Open House & Garden At Smedmore House, Kimmeridge. House tours from 2pm, £2 each. £5 entrance, accompanied children under 16, free.

Tue 18th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

10:00 Books, Coffee, Cake and Homemade/grown produce At Moreton Village Hall (DT2 8RE) Free Entry. Come and join us. All books just 25p each!

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

19:00 Rotary Club of Wareham At the Springfield Hotel, Wareham. Speaker Les Fry (Police Inspector) about Dorset Rotary Police Awards. Visitors are welcome.

For more information please contact Ann on 553727 or see Wareham Rotary Facebook page.

Wed 19th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

09:45 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Greenland’s Farm lay-by (bus stop), Studland for a 6.5 linear walk to Norden. 09:25 bus connection from Swanage at start and rail or bus return. Ffi 01929 427015.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

14:30 Studland History Group Meets in the Village Hall for an illustrated talk by John Patrick, “The Churches and Chapels of Swanage”. All welcome. Ffi the Secretary 01929 439245.

Thu 20th * Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

Fri 21st 10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

19:30 Swanage Photographic Society Meets in the Rectory Classroom, Church Hill for digital images of: Members Travels. Visitors welcome, ffi: 01929 423841 20:00 Alistair Goodwin Band At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sat 22nd 10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at the Martyr’s Tree in Tolpuddle for 6 mile circular walk via Weatherby Hill Fort and Lord’s Down. Ffi 01929 480224.

10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

12:00 Arty Bazaar At Boilerhouse Gallery, Sandy Hill, alongside Corfe Castle Station.

Arts, crafts and vintage stalls with music, food and great coffee.

The Purbeck Gazette 20:00 TwoManTing At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 23rd Medieval Archery At Corfe Castle. * 10:30 Cadbury Egg Hunt At National Trust Studland. £2.50 per map and prize.

11:00 Swanage Charity Day & Classic Car Display At Victoria Avenue car park.

Tue 25th 19:30 Dorset Industrial Archaeology Society In the Dorset Room, Colliton House, Colliton Park, Dorchester (opposite County Hall). “Thomas Telford” is the subject of Peter Brown’s lecture to the Society. Non-members welcome (small donation suggested). Further details from 01305 785968 or 871863.

Wed 26th 10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Pamphill Common car park opposite Kingston Lacy church for a 5 mile circular walk taking in the bluebell woods. Ffi 01929 422795.

10:30 ‘Purbeck & Beyond’ Paintings & photographs by Hamish Murray, at Durlston Country Park.

Thu 27th 10:30 Probus 2 of Purbeck Meet at The Pines Hotel Swanage. Talk by Chris Roberts “What’s it all about?”. Visitors welcome but please contact Laurence on 425982 a few days before meeting.

Fri 28th 20:00 Corrine West At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sat 29th * Saxons & Vikings Siege of Wareham At Corfe Castle.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Steeple CP for 8 mile all day circular walk via Povington Hill, Tyneham village, Kimmeridge Quarry and Ridgeway hill. Ffi 01929 421039.

10:00 Dorset Food & Venison Festival At Post Green, Lychett Minster, Poole. Local food chef demonstrations, childrens events, live music and entertainment throughout the day. Entry £3, under 12’s free.

19.30 Murder Mystery Meal Evening at Corfe Castle Village Hall, Corfe Castle. A light-hearted evening of detection and consumption £12.50. Tickets from Peter on 01929 438109.

20:00 Threepenny Bit At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 30th * Saxons & Vikings Siege of Wareham At CorfeCastle.

14:00 Junco Shakers At The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229

WEEKLY EVENTS

EVERY MONDAY 09.00 U3A Table Tennis Group meet at Harmans Cross VH. 09.30 Under 2.5 years old group. Till 11am. at Parish Hall, Wm. 09.45 Toddler Club URC, Sw. Till 11.15 10.00 Table Tennis Club Sw FC All ages/abilities £2.50 Till noon. 480093 10.30 Flowers with Liz at the Purbeck Workshop in Wool. The Workshop provides craft activities free of charge to those touched by cancer - friends and family are welcome too. Unit 6, Woolbridge Business Centre, East Burton Rd, Wool.

BH20 6HG. www.purbeckworkshop.org 07757 776907. Email: richris95@ gmail.com 13.00 Play and Learn at Wareham’s Children’s Centre, Streche Rd, Wm. Till 2.45pm 13.00 Under 1s and Tums at Chapel Lane, Swanage. Till 3pm 14.00 Pins and Needles at Harmans Cross VH. 14.00 Swanage Disabled Club meet until 4pm. Meeting place alternates between Catholic Hall & Queensmead Hall, Sw. Transport available. Call Mrs Daphne Saville on 01929 425241 ffi.

14.30 Get Online FREE at Swanage Library. one-to-one half hour I.T. sessions, bookable in the Library in advance. Until 4pm.

16.45 Soccer Skills Sw FC First Sch chldn £1 Till 5.45. 425175 18.00 Sw Tennis Club Snr Club Session. 426312 19.00 Wareham Choral Society meet URC Meeting House, Chch St, Wm. Till 9.

New singers always welcome. 554229/553460 19.00 Swanage Youth Club. School year 10 and upwards. Till 9.30pm 19.00 Whist. Come & join us at the Reading Room, Church Hill, Swanage. Ffi, call 07984 968733 19.00 Purbeck Chess Club. Mortons House Hotel, Corfe Castle. Ffi, call Brian Beard 425988 19.30 Purbeck Quire rehearse at Wm Methodist Church. New/visiting singers (no audition necessary). String & wind players also welcome. Ffi: 423505 or 480737.

19.30 Wareham Art Club Workshop at Wareham Parish Hall. Ffi: 553718.

19.30 Wm Folk Dance Club Stoboro’ VH. All welcome. 552763/551029 19.30 Swanage Badminton Club at the Swanage School, till 9.30pm. Ffi: 07966 136641.

19.30 Swanage Air Cadets meet at Air Training Corps HQ, Court Road, Sw. Cadets age 12+. Ffi: email: oc.2185@aircadets.mod.

20.00 DARTS at the RBL Club, Sw. 20.00 Herston Hall Management C’ttee Bingo EVERY TUESDAY 09.00 First Steps Toddler’s Group. Swanage Methodist Church till 10.15am. Ffi: Sylvia Garrett 425420, office hours, or sylviag@swanagemethodist.org.uk

The Purbeck Gazette 09.30 Isle of Purbeck Arts Club. Painting and sketching. At the Catholic Church Hall, Rempstone Rd, Sw. Till 1pm. Outdoors in summer. Ffi: Gina on 421689.

09.30 Well Baby Clinic at Chapel Lane, Swanage. Till 11.30am.

09.30 Kiddies Corner Mother & Toddler Group (term time only) No fee - donations welcome. Purbeck Gateway Church. 551415 09.30 Wareham Art Club Workshop at Wareham Parish Hall. Ffi: 553718.

10.00 Wareham Croquet Club meet at the Recreation Ground until 5pm. New members and visitors welcome. Call Tony on 01929 550190 or Lesley on 01929 553927 or email warehamgolfcroquetclub@hotmail.com 10.00 Sw Tennis Club Club Session. Till 11. 426312 10.00 Sandford Toddlers at Sandford Community Hall, till 11.30am.

10.00 Short Tennis at Sw FC All ages & abilities £1.50 Till noon. 425175 10.00 A Place Of Welcome at 21 Commercial Road, Sw. Friendly drop-in for everyone, providing a free cup of tea or coffee, a listening ear, conversation and basic information. Everyone welcome, whatever the circumstances.

10.30 Swanage Walking for Health Group starter walks (15-30mins). Start from the Mowlem Shelter on Swanage Seafront. Get back into the swing of things gently! Ffi: 481000 10.30 First Steps Toddler’s Group. Swanage Methodist Church till 11.45am. Ffi: Sylvia Garrett 425420, office hours, or sylviag@swanagemethodist.org.uk 12.00 Nature Tots (0-4yrs) at Bovington Memorial Hall Garden. Until 2pm 14.00 Swanage Walking for Health Group. Walks of 60-90mins, various locations.

Walks are very social, for a range of abilities. Walks start from car parks at Studland, Corfe, Arne, Durlston, Langton, Acton, Worth and Kingston. Ffi: 481000.

14.00 Harman’s Cross Village Hall Art Group Till 5 14.00 Wareham Short Mat Bowls. Furzebrook VH. Roll-up session, all standards welcome. Ffi 401799 17.00 Sw Tennis Club Junior Session till 6pm. 426312 18.00 Sw Youth Centre Girls’ Night (Yr 8+) Till 10 18.15 Sw Cricket Club Practice till 8.30pm 18.30 Sw Bridge Club Mowlem Community Room. 421840 19.00 Wareham Air Cadets meet at Air Training Corps HQ, St Martin’s Lane, Wm. Cadets age 12+. Ffi: email: oc.2185@aircadets.mod.

19.30 Swanage Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets at Swanage Day Centre, High Street, Swanage. If you want help to stop drinking, you are welcome. Or call 01202 296000 for more details.

19.30 Sw & Langton Folk Dance Club Langton VH. Ffi: 421913 19.00 Belvedere Singers rehearsal at St Mark’s CE VA Primary School, High St, Sw. Parking on-site. Till 9pm. All singers welcome! 423350.

20.00 Sw Regatta & Carnival Assoc Bingo Herston Leisure, Herston Yards Farm, Sw. 20.00 Carey Hall, Wm Bingo EVERY WEDNESDAY 09.00 St Mark’s Toddlers Group, St Mark’s Church, Swanage. Herston, Sw Till 11am 09.45 Corfe Wool Workshop Corfe VH, East St. Members £1.50; non-members £2.50. Till12.00. 427067 10.00 Short tennis for adults at Swanage Football Club. All welcome. Equipment supplied. Till noon.

10.00 Breast Feeding Group at Wareham’s Children Centre, Streche Rd, Wm. Offering peer support and breastfeeding counsellor advice. Till 12 noon. Ffi: 552864 10.30 Play and Learn at Kids of Wool (BH20 6DY) until 12 noon.

13.00 Studland Toddler Group at Studland Village Hall until 2.30pm.

14.00 Herston Senior Citizens meet Herston Hall, Jubilee Rd, Sw. All welcome 14.00 Health Qigong: Fitness and relaxation. Till 3pm. With Penny at the Mowlem Community Room, Sw. Ffi 07969925502 15.00 Extend Exercise Class, now at Morton Village Hall. To improve strength, balance and flexibility. All welcome. Donations welcome. Ffi: 471490.

16.15 Swanage Football Club U-7s Training til 5.15pm. £1. Ffi: 426346 17.15 Swanage Football Club U-9s Training til 6.15pm. £1. Ffi: 426346 18.00 Swanage Youth Club. School years 7&8. Till 8.30pm 18.45 Sw Hockey Club Training Wm Sports Centre. Till 8. 424442 19.00 Wm Bridge Club at the Library, South St. 552257 19.00 Wareham Short Mat Bowls Club Roll-up evening Furzebrook VH. 401799 19.15 Purbeck Runners meet at the Crows Nest, Sw. 4/5 mile run.

19.30 Swanage Musical Theatre meet Swanage Bay View Complex Rehearsal Room. All welcome. Ffi: 426161 20.00 Sw Youth Centre Club Night (Yr 9+) Till 10 20.15 Dorset Buttons Morris Practice. URC Hall, Wm. 423234/421130 20.30 Wm Swimming Club Adults. All standards + stroke improvement. Till 10 22.00 Sw Youth Centre Club Night (16+) Till 11.59 EVERY THURSDAY 08.30 Wm Home Producers Veg, cakes, plants, flowers, handicrafts. URC. New producers/helpers welcome. Till 11. 553798 09.00 Swanage Painting Club. Catholic Church Hall, Rempstone Rd, Sw. Friendly group. New members including beginners welcome. Till 1pm. Ffi: Jane on 01929 427078 09.30 Play and Learn at Chapel Lane, Swanage, till 11am.

09.30 Well Baby Clinic at Streche Road, Wareham, until 12 noon.

09.30 Sensory Play for under ones, at Bovington Centre until 10.30am 10.00 Wm Parent & Toddler Group During term Parish Hall, Quay Till 11.45.

556806 10.00 Wool Country Market D’Urbeville Hall. Cakes, preserves, plants, crafts, vegetables. Coffee & biscuits available.

71

10.00 Tea, Coffee, Biscuits at Queensmead Hall, Sw. Til 11am. Adm 50p 10.00 Volunteer Centre Drop-In at Wareham Library till 12pm. Find our about volunteering to support community groups & charities.

10.00 Wareham Croquet Club meet at the Recreation Ground until 5pm. New members and visitors welcome. Call Tony on 01929 550190 or Lesley on 01929 553927 or email warehamgolfcroquetclub@hotmail.com 10.30 Mid-Week Market Morning Service URC, Church St, Wm. Prayer requests to Revd. Simon Franklin 556976 10.30 Woodworking with Bernard and Terry at the Purbeck Workshop in Wool. The Workshop provides craft activities free of charge to those touched by cancer - friends and family are welcome too. Unit 6, Woolbridge Business Centre, East Burton Rd, Wool. BH20 6HG. www.purbeckworkshop.org 07757 776907.

Email: richris95@gmail.com 11.00 Sensory Play for 1-4yrs old at Bovington Centre, until 12 noon.

13.30 Under 1 year olds at Wareham’s Children’s Centre, Streche Rd, Wm. Antinatal mums welcome. Till 3pm. Ffi: 552864.

13.30 Toddler Group. All Saints’ Church, Sw. 423937. Till 3pm (Term times) 14.00 Life drawing classes at Harmans Cross Village Hall from 2pm till 4pm. For further information, ring 427621.

14.15 Sw Over-60s Meet in the Rectory Classroom, Swanage, Sw. All Welcome.

17.45 Swanage Youth Club. Learning Difficulties and disability (age 11-25) night.

Till 7.30pm 18.00 Five High Singers, United Reformed Church Hall, Swanage. 11 - 18 years.

Till 7pm 18.00 Isle of Purbeck Arts Club. Weekly evening Art Group. Aimed at beginners, at the Youth Hostel classroom, Cluny Cresent, Swanage, till 9pm.

18.15 Sw Cricket Club Practice till 9pm 18.30 Swanage Sea Rowing Club Circuit Training at Swanage Middle School.

Ffi: 07776 201455 19.00 Health Qigong: Fitness and relaxation. Till 8pm. With Penny at Furzebrook VH, Wm. Ffi 07969925502 19.00 Purbeck Gateway Club meets at Wareham Youth Centre until 9pm.

Purbeck Gateway is a club for adults with learning difficulties. We meet during term time and have fun! All welcome. Ffi: Lew on 552173. Email: Lewisbell1@aol.com 19.15 Wm Town Band Brass & Woodwind players welcome. 551478/01202 242147 19.30 Short Mat Bowls in the Durbeville Hall, Wool. All standards welcome, till 9.30pm. Ffi: 552682 19.30 Purbeck Arts Choir meet for rehersals, with conductor Jay Buckle, at St Mary’s School, Northbrook Road, Swanage. Sept-May. All welcome. For more information please phone Liz Roberts 01929 481419 19.30 Swanage Youth Club Youth Action (year 7 - sixth form). Till 9.30pm 20.00 Herston Hall OAP Committee Bingo Sw EVERY FRIDAY 09.30 Health Qigong: Fitness and relaxation. Till 10.30am. With Penny at Furzebrook VH, Wm. Ffi 07969925502 09.30 Little Fishes Baby and Toddler Group. Catholic Church Hall, Rempstone Road, Swanage. Term time only. Until 11.30am. Ffi: Alex on 07904 412067.

10.00 Table Tennis Club Sw FC All ages/abilities £2.50 Till noon. 480093 10.00 A Place Of Welcome at 21 Commercial Road, Sw. Friendly drop-in for everyone, providing a free cup of tea or coffee, a listening ear, conversation and basic information. Everyone welcome, whatever the circumstances.

11.00 Swanage Library Rhyme Time, ages 0-4, until 11.30am.

11.00 Toddler Time For Under 5s And Carers. Wareham Library. Stories, songs and crafts. Every Friday, including school holidays. Ffi: 01929 556146 14.00 Pottery Classes held in Corfe Castle. 2 - 5pm. Call Rachel 01929 480455 to book. £10pw 14.30 Short Mat Bowls at Durbeville Hall, Wool. Till 4.30pm. All standards welcome. Ffi: 552682.

18.00 Purbeck War-Game & Model Club. Royal British Legion, Sw. 426096.

18.00 Sw Youth Centre Club 12-13 (Yr 7-9) Till 8 18.00 Sw Tennis Club Senior Club Session. 426312 18.30 Sw Bridge Club Mowlem Community Room. 421840 19.00 Sw Youth Centre Seniors Club Night (Yr 9+) Till 9.30pm.

19.30 Short tennis for adults at Swanage Football Club. All welcome. Equipment supplied. Till 9.30pm. £3.

20.00 Sw Youth Centre Live Bands (as advertised) Till 10pm.

22.00 Sw Youth Centre Late Session (Yr 9+) till 11.59pm (members free) EVERY SATURDAY 08.00 Purbeck Runners meet at the Mowlem, Sw. 4/5 mile run.

09.00 Sw CC U11 - U15 Practice till 10.30 09.30 Sw CC U9 & U10 Practice & Kwik Cricket till 10.30 10.00 Tea, coffee and home-made cakes in the Parish Hall on Wareham Quay during the Community Market. Til 2pm. Bric-a-Brac stall weekly. Christian bookstall most weeks. All welcome for a warm-up and a friendly chat.

11.00 Fantastic Family Fun at Swanage Library, ages 3-8. Free story and craft session until 11.30am.

20.00 Herston OAP Committee Bingo at Herston Hall, Sw EVERY SUNDAY 09.00 Purbeck Runners meet at the Mowlem, Sw. 8+ mile run.

10.00 Arts and Crafts Market at the Mowlem in Swanage. A wide range of local art for sale, including pottery, glass, cards, fabric and much more! To book your table, or for more information, call Tony on 01929 421321.

10.30 Stoborough Emmanuel Baptist Church meet at Stoborough First School, Stoborough. All very welcome.

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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