The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 210

July 2017 Issue no. 210

Magazine archive at:

Wareham Wednesdays Return! Pg 52-53 Purbeck, For Your Golden Years Pg 21-33

Swanage Carnival Goes Global Pg 58-59

SWANAGE & PURBECK

TAXI

Local & Long Distance. 4-8 seater.

07969 927424

Wareham Carnival! Pg 55

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Editor’s note...

W

elcome to the July edition of your Gazette!

We’ve had a rollercoaster of a month, with the General Election and then the terrible, utterly shocking fire at Grenfell Tower in Kensington, bringing into sharp focus the current legislation regarding whether properties should be ‘fit for human habitation’ or not. The thoughts of our whole community are undoubtedly with those affected by this tragedy, and our support goes out to the people of Kensington who came together so swiftly to offer aid and comfort to those affected.

Down here in Purbeck we continue to live in an apparent bubble of safety and security, thankfully occupying a beautiful, peaceful part of the world where our problems, when compared to those of many others, seem insignificant - often described these days as ‘first world problems’. Thus we are lucky - as a community we are strong, we work together, and I am sure that should disaster strike, we Purbeckians would stand together and offer each other support, shelter and kindness. That’s the world I want to live in. You? This month in Purbeck sees the summer swing into action, with both Wareham and Swanage carnivals taking place, as well as the fabulous Wareham Wednesdays! We offer you yet another packed edition containing all of your news, views, events and updates.

Enjoy July, take care of those around you, and remember - no man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main......

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

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The August 2017 edition has a deadline of 7th July. and will be distributed from 24th July - 28th July 2017.

The September 2017 edition has a deadline of 8th August and will be distributed from 28th Aug - 1st Sept 2017.

Public Notices & Information

Swanage Town Council Meetings - July 2017

Planning & Consultation Committee Policy, Finance & Performance Council

Mon 3rd Wed 26th Mon 31st

9.30am 6.30pm 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 - July 2017 Planning & Transport Committee Amenities Committee Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Policy, Resources & Finance Planning & Transport Committee

Mon 3rd Wed 12th Thur 13th Mon 17th Mon 24th

7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm

Purbeck DC Meetings - Open to public - July 2017 Standards Committee Council Policy Group Audit & Governance Committee Planning Committee

Wed 5th Tue 11th Wed 19th Tue 25th Wed 26th

2pm 7pm 7pm 2.30pm 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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Wareham Wednesdays return! Fabulous town events held throughout July and August. See pages 52-53. Pic - Tradewind Graphics

CONTACT US ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MATTERS COMMUNITY MATTERS COUNCIL MEETINGS DIARY SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Blast From The Past FEATURE: Purbeck, For Your Golden Years Friends of Swanage Hospital Gazette Gardening John Garner writes - Home on the Range Swanage Carnival Goes Global!

Swanage Jazz Festival Telling It Like It Is - David Hollister writes Wareham Carnival Wareham In Bloom Wareham Wednesdays FOOD - Godlingston Manor Kitchen Gardens HEALTH & BEAUTY LETTERS MOTORING - David Hollister writes NATURAL MATTERS SPORT TRADE ADVERTS sponsored by Sydenhams

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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.

AUGUST edition deadline: noon, 7th JULY

Volunteer For D-Day Centre

Beer, Ale & Cider Specialists High Street, Swanage 01929 423533

DMB Cars Dave Ball 07968 142134 Private Hire Airports Docks Local & Long Distance Competitive Rates

Accept That Life’s Unfair!

Dear Readers, I write in response to Daphne Saville and her letter in the June edition, ‘Fare Unfair’.

Whilst I have some sympathy with her comments regarding bus passes and bus fares, her letter immediately brought to mind something my father said to me in my early teens. I am sure we all can recall complaining to our parents that ‘It’s unfair’ that our sibling was having or doing something we weren’t. On this occasion, my father told me I was old enough to accept that life was unfair. I would at some stage have much more than others and at other times feel hard done by, I just had to accept this was a fact of life.

It may make it easier for Daphne and others similarly affected if they think about the likes of myself who have seen our pension age moved.

At fifty, I was looking forward to a pension and bus pass at age sixty, I now have to wait another six years, at least Daphne has hers. It’s not fair!!

Regards, Janice Jackson, by email

Six Hours + For Ambulance Dear Readers, Wesley Mullen (pictured centre, above) was part of the US First Division.

In Castletown, Portland, Dorset, you’ll find a brand-new D-Day Centre dedicated totally to his same US 1943/44 Division, complete with interactive displays.

I drive to the centre (with an empty car) to volunteer twice a month.

The centre really needs more volunteers, so I thought I’d write in and see if anyone wants a free ride to the centre (to also volunteer) with me?

Please do get in touch if interested, you can email me at: mdr.mike@gmail. com or call me on: 07986 186367.

Regards, Mike Ford, Swanage, by email

Donkey Grave - An Update Dear Editor, Do you remember me asking you if you knew the story of the old donkey grave in Swanage recently? I decided to do some research and a quick query on the Swanage FB page told me where the donkey’s gravestone was, although it’s inaccessible now on fenced off farmland.

I went to see Mrs Killick at Belle Vue Farm (who owns the land) and she pointed out the grave area, but couldn’t remember the whole story as it was on her husband’s side of the family.

She said it would be nice if the ground could be cleared and the gravestone made visible again and possibly re-carved with the ‘epitaph’. She mentioned her husband would soon be eighty and a little idea crossed my mind ....!

It wouldn’t be difficult to clear the land (with plenty of volunteers!) if we were given access, but more difficult would be the stone cutting ... so I’m wondering if there are any friendly contacts at the Burngate Centre who may wish to help?!

I have discovered the epitaph in an old Swanage history book, so we know what needs carving. Even if we couldn’t get to the actual position of the gravestone, it might be nice to set up a sign saying where it was and what it was all about - we could even surround it with sunflowers too!!

I’ll leave it with you!

I look forward to hearing from anyone who would either like to get involved, or who may have further ‘Donkey’ information!

Kind regards, Marjorie, Emmanuel Church, Swanage, by email.

Dear Editor, I would like to bring to all your readers’ attention the woeful state of the Ambulance Service in our area.

Recently, an elderly lady (she is twelve years short of a telegram from the Queen), fell backwards in the kitchen of her house. Her back hit the worktop behind her and she landed on the floor, bruising and cracking her hip, as well breaking and dislocating her wrist. This all happened at approximately 9.30pm.

Fortunately her daughter, who lives with her, was able to come to her aid. She phoned for an ambulance and then tried to tend to her mother.

Being fully aware of the risks attendant on moving an injured person, she tried to make her mother as comfortable as possible. She also contacted her sister and her brother, who live locally, to come and assist. They were partially successful in getting some blankets between their mother and the cold, concrete kitchen floor to try and prevent her from getting cold and possibly hypothermic whilst they awaited assistance.

The ambulance arrived at approximately 4am the next morning. The crew explained that they had been tasked to Bournemouth and were kept busy there nearly all night. This represented a six and a half hour wait for an 88-year-old, in pain and shock, on a cold floor, before being seen by anybody who could administer treatment.

Neither I nor the family blame the ambulance crew or the dispatchers. The responsibility lies squarely with both the national and local Government, who fail to adequately fund the emergency services.

There are, in Swanage and district, many people who are trained to various levels in First Aid. For example, there are members of the Lifeboat Crew, Fire Service and Coastguard, as well as former NHS workers. However, if they volunteer to help, they could get into trouble with their parent organisations because they have not been called out ‘officially’. This means (as I understand it), they and their organisations are only insured if it is ‘official’.

Surely a ‘First Responders Group’ could be set up to alleviate this problem? This organisation could oversee training, call-outs and the general administration of the First Responders.

This is a problem that is only going to get worse. There are many elderly people in the area and lots of them live alone. However, it is not just the elderly at risk, it is every one of us. None of us know when we might have a medical emergency or an accident.

This is a call for some serious thought about the situation and there is a need for people willing to volunteer the time to set it up, run it and undergo the necessary training.

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Square & Compass Worth Matravers. 01929 439229

LIVE ACTS FOR JULY See our huge and impressive advert on page 49!

Far, far too much going on to fit everything in our usual space!

See you ALL in July for fun and frolics, www.squareandcompasspub.co.uk Square-style!

If you want to help/be involved please contact W.D.Wilson by email in the first instance. The email address is billwilson@uwclub.net in order to gauge the response.

Bill Wilson, Swanage, by email

Correcting ‘Advertiser’ Error

Dear Editor The headline in the May 4th edition of the Swanage and Wareham Advertiser (and I quote “Patients can’t book to see GP”) cannot go past without sorting out the inaccuracies. I did send a response, but this was not printed.

BAN is such an aggressive word to cover the fact that patients were ASKED to phone for appointments and then given the reason. The GPs could not fill the sessions normally covered by the injured GP Partner and the salaried GP, who has left. A Locum GP is helping but there has been no response to job offers for a temporary GP. So, the article in the Advertiser was wrong in saying the situation arose because there were no salaried GPs. The next inaccuracy was ludicrous – “people were only allowed to see a Locum on the day they called”. There are FIVE GP Partners who are also covering appointments throughout the week.

Under normal circumstances, patients are asked to phone before 10.30am if they want an appointment that day or in the early afternoon. The article had the public thinking that 8000 patients would be ALL phoning in the four-hour window. However, to date, there have been no complaints made and nobody who needed to be seen on the same day was turned away.

Should we not be grateful that the Wareham Surgery Staff are dealing with a temporary difficult situation in the best way they can and ensuring that their patients receive the usual excellent care?

Sheila Lancefield, Chair of Wareham Healthcare Forum

Profound Ignorance Is Clear Dear Editor, I thought my letter explaining the importance of management at both Townsend Reserve and Corfe Common might have deterred Dr Cottrell and others from engaging in any further uninformed comments about the Dorset Wildlife Trust and National Trust on a subject about which their profound ignorance is crystal clear, but it apparently has not. Some of your correspondents seem to revel in irrational extrapolation and have little regard for anything factual.

Rob Brunt, Head of Land Management at the DWT, has now written an excellent reply (‘Wildlife Trust Responds’ June edition), explaining the reason for the purchase of Townsend, its SSSI designation and the need to remove non-native invasive scrub for the benefit of all wildlife.

If Dr Cottrell wishes to write further, he should offer an apology to the hard-working volunteers for his insulting and incorrect remarks and perhaps join one of the work parties to improve himself and do something for the community.

Preserving a habitat for its biodiversity means actively managing it with that intention. Without management, including grazing, habitats become overgrown and degraded, with a decrease in biodiversity. An extreme example of this was Brownsea Island, where volunteers from the National Trust and DWT have spent fifty years trying to remove non-native invasive Rhododendron scrub, which had got completely out of control because the

last private owner of the island did not believe in any form of management.

I feel really sorry for your correspondent Neddy if he thinks that the only wildlife one is likely to see on Corfe Common (and that apparently with luck!) are deer and badgers. Where are his eyes and ears? Has he not seen the thousands of Bluebells, the various orchid species, Lousewort and Pignut in spring, or the Devil’s-bit Scabious, Betony, Camomile and Golden-rod in summer, to name just a few of the many plants maintained by the grazing?

If Neddy understood his plants, he would know that putting a fence around Camomile would not protect it, but result in coarse grasses and other species growing over it, leading to its extinction. Has Neddy not been serenaded by the song of Skylarks there in spring, or watched Buzzards soaring overhead, or observed Yellowhammers and small birds in the bushes?

I wonder how many of the butterfly species recorded by the transect walkers on Corfe Common he has noted on his walks, or whether he has seen the Golden-ringed Dragonfly or the Beautiful Demoiselle? After more than fifty years in Purbeck, I never get tired of any of this.

As for dog walkers, the vast majority are responsible and care about the countryside, but there are a minority who are not. Why is it necessary for land owners, farmers and conservation organisations to put up so many notices warning dog owners about disturbance if there is no problem?

I have personally witnessed the irresponsible behaviour of some local dog walkers towards ground nesting birds and deer, as many of us have. The worst offenders are often older people, who seem to be unaware of what their pets are capable of.

There seems to be a tendency in post-Brexit Britain to denigrate anyone with a little knowledge or education and where the opinions of the ignorant and uninformed are considered to be of equal importance to those who may have some insight.

No wonder Britain is increasingly regarded by other countries with bemusement. Brave new world indeed!

Yours sincerely, David Leadbetter, Swanage, by email

£4,388 Raised For Trust Dear Editor, Can I thank all at the Gazette for promoting the Canzonetta Concert and Flower Festival held at St Nicholas Church Studland in May? I wish to thank, through your excellent publication, all who helped stage the events and all who supported them. I am delighted to tell you the magnificent sum of £43,88.00 was raised for the Lewis Manning Trust.

I think the following extract from David James of Lewis Manning Trust says it all: “It’s very exciting to think that St Nicholas Church and local supporters and the fund-raising group has raised an absolutely staggering £4,388 in the last month for the Hospice.

“To give you an idea, this amount will pay for nearly twelve days of care for a patient in our end of life bedded unit. Given that the average time a patient spends at the hospice at the end of life is roughly two weeks, you could say that this month you paid for the care of a patient at the end of their life…a very humbling thought.”

Thank you everybody for your support, enthusiasm and sheer hard work.

Kind regards, Rev Tony Higgins, Swanage and Studland Team Ministry

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Rotary Supporting Locals Dear Readers, Following another successful year of fundraising, Swanage & Purbeck Rotary has been able to provide additional support to several local organisations and individuals.

Cheques were recently presented to the Swanage Dementia Friendly Community to support provision of an Admiral Nurse, The Centre, and Lydia Bennett, winner of the Rotary Young Musician of the Year Award, towards the purchase of a bassoon.

Donations were also made to support Swanage and Langton Matravers Christmas lights.

Thanks to all those who have helped or made financial contributions throughout the year.

John Thraves, President, Swanage & Purbeck Rotary.

Points Have Been Pondered

Dear Editor, In ‘Points to Ponder’ by David Hollister (June edition), he was discussing the fact that the national speed limit is 60mph. The Guild of Experienced Motorists carried out a survey which found that forty-three per cent of all drivers (That’s nearly half of all motorists) were unable to identify the national speed limit signs.

We have a few erected in the locality, they are a white round disc with a black diagonal line going across. Where you see it, pass then put foot down. Go up to sixty. I try to but a lot of those forty three percent live in the area or are passing through.

Take leaving Wareham on the A351, we have three speed limits. The first is 40mph from the Saxon roundabout to Sibley Potteries, then its 30mph through Sandford and its speed camera until just past the Sandford School and the Woodlands roundabout. From there, passing the two national speed limit signs with many new enlarged repeater signs, it is 60mph.

For information, these national speed limit signs override the 1930 ‘lamp post built up spaced out’ law.

Yes, its 60mph for the last two miles leaving Wareham and of course, returning after shopping.

In this country we drive on the left and I don’t know about you, but at the Holton Heath roundabout convoy into Wareham, you’ve got many overtaking on the roundabout then pushing into the nearside lane.

I have seen a few road rages, especially in the summer months if they wish to overtake.

Yours, A Wareham resident, by post.

Shared Vision Needed Dear Editor Purbeck District Council have paused the development of Purbeck’s Local Plan. Part of this pause is to undertake an Environment and Infrastructure Capacity Study. This review should show the constraints on housing and employment sites largely due to environmental protections e.g. the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In addition, the Council are developing vision for the district’s future.

Requests to participate in the Environment and Infrastructure Capacity Review, and a request for a meeting with councillors have all been refused.

It is disappointing that the Council is being so uncooperative. Officials and elected members work for residents; we pay them.

We need a shared vision for the future of the area and that can only come from the residents.

What is happening with this area that is leading to such non-co-operation?

Where is the emerging shared vision for the future of Purbeck? It is certainly not coming from the body charged with creating such a vision.

Do residents of Purbeck want a creeping conurbation to transform the area by building massive amounts of market houses to attract more people into the district? Are residents concerned that decisions are being made by an unelected Local Enterprise Partnership based in Poole that will deliver an urban centric development in rural Purbeck?

Where are the plans to target local jobs and local persons for accessing local houses for Purbeck residents? What is being done to limit second homes crowding out local persons from accessing the property market?

Which comes first - people and the environment, or huge profits for the few, be they landowners, developers or national builders? We need answers to these questions now.

The Council is not planning what the district or residents need. Do we really need massive inward migration when residents already have to commute out of the district for work? Do we really need more ‘buy to lets’ and second homes? Should Purbeck be putting market houses in the area whilst ignoring local needs?

Our elected representatives at local and national levels should be helping to ensure that the area of Purbeck is kept special yet able to meet local needs. That is why we elected them.

Pan Purbeck Action Campaign demands that the Council: “Get it right for Purbeck”. The right number of houses in the right places for the right people. Purbeck is precious. It is not being properly protected from greed and urbanisation. Little by little we are seeing the irreversible destruction of a national asset.

If you care about the future area, please join Pan Purbeck Action Campaign.

We have a charter for Purbeck that addresses the key issues associated with Purbeck and we would like to hear your views. Take a look at our website and Facebook page. Please act now and help us plan for a brighter future.

Yours sincerely, Peter Bowyer, Chairman Pan Purbeck Action Campaign.

01929 450291. Facebook: Pan Purbeck Action Campaign. www. panpurbeckaction.org.uk

Where’s My Voice?

Dear Editor, Once again the spectral issue of fox hunting with hounds raises its exhumed head as some cynical election winner from the landed gentry and the N.F.U. Your readers will only find this after June 9th when the die will have been cast.

If and when the Commons’ free vote to legalise fox hunting is carried, as it maybe, into a countryside of a different shape from our past.

Purbeck will be in the front line, more concerned with ghosts of dinosaurs than the UK’s apex predator; bears, wolves and lynx who were in the way and are now gone.....

The Daily Mail says that a Labour government would return us to the 1970s, but to reinvoke this obsolete and brutal practice would return us to the 1870s.

What about me? Where’s my voice?

Yours Mr Todd, Herston.

Stuck In The Black Hole The Harmans Cross Oddity There’s a rip in the space time continuum and it’s left me at a loss I found it as I drove my car today through Harmans Cross Suddenly my watch stood still and a host of lights shone red Not caused by a Doppler shift but by braking cars ahead

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MATT HILLAN Building Alterations & Maintenance

All Trade Aspects Undertaken Free Estimates Fully Insured

01929 427296 07971 690817 Happy to help and advise The scenery around me slowed, my wheels would hardly roll And seconds seemed eternal in that Harmans Cross black hole Time for me was ending, I watched it slip away No sign of a pedestrian still, just cars all doomed to stay So now I’m stuck like Major Tom, there’s nothing I can do I hope you get this message though ... or you’ll get stuck here too!

Many thanks, Martin Hobdell, Swanage

Pier Head Restoration?

Jewellery Deco & Vintage rings

Georgian Gems High St, Swanage 01929 424697

Readers may think that such deaths are a rare occurrence, but, in fact, around 200 race horses are killed on British courses each year. The problem is that race horse deaths are rarely reported in the media.

This is why the footage taken by the Devon Animal Save group is so important. It bears witness to the terrible suffering and fatalities caused by racing.

Only when people have such information will they be able to make up their minds about whether they want to finance racing with their betting money and attendance fees. We urge the public to show compassion for all the horses hurt or killed on courses or in training, and boycott the races.

Visit Animal Aid’s website for more information about horse deaths, and Devon Animal Save’s Facebook page to witness the final moments of Tea In Transvaal.

Fiona Pereira, Horse Racing Campaigner, Animal Aid, The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge. TN9 1AW. Tel: 01732 364546 Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/DevonAnimalSave/ videos/435438100159676/ Visit Race Horse Deathwatch: http://www.horsedeathwatch.com

Friendship Clubs Needs You

Dear Editor, Pier Head - Another Swanage icon that has so much history. To allow it to disappear into a block of flats is so wrong.

If the bandstand can be restored, so can a building that gave so much pleasure as a cafe and was built by Canadian troops before being demobilised in 1943.

As M.J.K. Hamilton asked in your June Gazette - has anyone ever considered restoration?

Yours sincerely, Marion Carlé

Race Horse Deaths Dear Readers, Race horse deaths are not a rarity Video footage taken by a local animal rights’ group reveals what the racing industry would probably rather remained hidden behind screens – the final moments of a race horse named Tea In Transvaal (IRE) at Newton Abbot on 5 June.

POOLE & PARKSTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS BUS SERVICE Routes: Swanage, Corfe, Wareham, Lytchett, Wool etc.

To book a place for your child: 01929 477344 Linkrider Coaches

Dear Editor, Volunteer drivers for Swanage Friendship Club We urgently need volunteer drivers to maintain and expand our services to the community. The club provides hot meals for single elderly people between September and the end of May the following year on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

We have had two drivers who are unable to take on this task in future. Normally there are two drivers who work in tandem with each other.

We also have a few reserve drivers who can occasionally drive for us. Your reward; the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped somebody in need and incidentally, you will be entitled to a free lunch.

Please telephone Alan Marriott on 01929 426325, thank you.

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Let The Train Take The Steam...

by David Hollister

I

t was with dismay that I watched them tear up the railway tracks between Swanage and Wareham back in 1972, with an indecent haste no doubt fuelled by the potential scrap value of all that metal. We walked the dog along the track bed, and supposed we’d seen the last of the Railway. Fortunately, however, there was a small group of enthusiasts who were not quite ready to let it go; they acquired the lease of the station building at Swanage, and hoped that from this little acorn another great oak would grow.

I was proud to be a member of the Independent Swanage Town Council in 1976 which granted the then ‘Railway Society’ the right to lay tracks from the Station to the redundant Goods Shed; we resisted the calls to sell off the Station and to lay a car park over the track bed, and told them to get on with providing what we then realised could be a minor tourist attraction. Despite voluble complaints from the residents of Kings Road, we then granted them the right to lay track and run trains up to the Industrial Estate, where they could work on the engines and rolling stock in a more appropriate area.

Then we moved to Harmans Cross, I left the Council, and waited to see what would happen next. Well, the tracks eventually went past our window, ‘Harmans Cross Halt’ was lovingly constructed by the enthusiasts, and trains puffed by us again. And thence in time on to Corfe Castle, and to the Norden Park and Ride. The minor tourist attraction turned into Swanage’s main tourist attraction (apart from the beach!) and we were able to use it as a means of public transport – especially the ‘evening diesel’ service which allowed us to have a good night out in Swanage or Corfe without taking the car.

The main aim as far as we locals were concerned was the establishment of a viable public transport service from Swanage to join up with the main line at Wareham and thence to goodness knows where, on British Rail or whatever they call it now. And for granting us that facility, much respect to all those involved in this fantastic achievement.

This wouldn’t be ‘Telling It Like It Is’ if there weren’t issues to take up and regrettably yes, there are issues. The really helpful timetables published recently in Another Publication suggest that Wareham can be reached four times a day on the ‘green’ or the ‘purple’ timetables; the green being most days to 20th July and the ‘purple’ from 20th July to 3rd September, after which the through service is discontinued. The through trains on ‘green’ timetables stop at Harmans Cross; the ‘purple’ ones don’t. I ask myself why it is that in the summer holidays, when road traffic is at its maximum, we residents of Harmans Cross are denied the opportunity to get to Wareham without taking a non-through train to Corfe? The train which leaves Harmans Cross at 12.10pm actually gets us to Wareham at 13.10, after we’ve sat around at Corfe Castle for twenty minutes. Those residents of Harmans Cross who have poured many thousands of loving hours into creating a superb station from scratch must feel somewhat disappointed.

And the really bad news? The late diesel service which allowed us to have pleasant evenings in Swanage or Corfe without driving home, has gone. Just

like that! Many local people have questioned the fares; £9 for a single and £15 for a return ticket from Swanage to Wareham. Slightly mollified by the opportunity to receive a 33% discount if we have a ‘Purbeck Residents Discount Card’ at a one-off issue price of £15. I strongly urge anyone considering using the railway on a regular basis to apply for one of these; full details and application forms are on the Swanage Railway website.

The return bus fare from Swanage Station to Wareham Station is £7.40 for the 40-minute journey (except of course for Harmans Cross – I may have a bus pass but few buses pass!). That’s actually a really good deal if the buses fit your requirements.

The ‘published’ return taxi fare from Swanage to Wareham is £50, for up to four passengers. A couple using the railway could do the trip for £30 (discounted £20) and a family of two adults and two children could enjoy a return train ride for £42 (discounted £28). Two adult couples would still be just about ‘quids in’.

Sounds good if your onward destination is elsewhere; not so good if you remember that Wareham Station is over half a mile’s walk from the town centre. And half a mile back complete with your shopping. Taxis take you exactly where you want to go.

The 11-mile car journey takes twenty minutes and costs about £2 in fuel, £1.40 for two hours parking in central Wareham, and you go exactly where and when you want to, and stay as long as you wants to. To me – a dyedin-the-wool driver – it’s a ‘no brainer’ as regards cost and convenience.

But appreciating that many readers do not have the use of a car, then what we have here is a viable and potentially really useful public service.

Until September.

Of course, the end of September is when Poole Council close the public toilets at Sandbanks Ferry, which they so grudgingly agreed not to close for the summer following huge public pressure after originally announcing permanent closure. What they expect us to do from October 1st is not clear. And probably not hygienic either. As a man of over seventy who uses the Ferry regularly as a matter of course, I don’t think I’d like to be stuck in a long ferry queue from October onwards…… so if you use the ferry, please help to put some pressure on Poole Council to keep the toilets open all year.

The Borough of Poole have said: “In line with existing policy, Borough of Poole is working with local businesses about the future operation of the mothballed ‘Haven’ public toilets on Ferry Road, Sandbanks. Businesses that have expressed formal interest are currently developing business plans to explore the long-term viability of these facilities”.

In other words, ‘pay for them yourselves or put up with the consequences’.

I would have thought that the mega-rich living in the huge houses on Sandbanks would have paid enough Council Tax to provide these convenient conveniences!

Thank goodness that Swanage Town Council has seen sense and categorically promised us that all public toilets in Swanage will remain open. We are much relieved…

The Purbeck Gazette

Wareham Town Council Updates

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

News from Wareham Town Council May ouncillor Ezzard thanked voters for re-electing her on to the Dorset County Council (DCC) of thirtytwo Conservatives, eleven Liberal Democrats, two Green Party and one Labour under the leadership of Councillor Rebecca Knox.

Councillor Budd will chair a Purbeck Local Plan Review Forum, open to the public, on 28 June 6pm – 8.30pm at Wareham Rugby Club.

In other news from Purbeck District Council, Councillor Goodinge reported that Dorset Waste Partnership has not spent all their budget and part of the difference could be returned to the contributing authorities.

At a meeting chaired by Mr M Tomlinson MP, DCC had finally agreed to take responsibility for the retaining wall below St Martin’s Church.

Councillor Osmond had alerted DCC to the need for repairs to the road surface alongside the wall.

Councillor N. Wiggins, on behalf of Wareham and District Development Trust, said that the money, including a grant from the Cooperative Community Fund, had been raised to start work on the Wareham Library Garden. Once complete, the garden will be available for the use of local groups.

Two Wareham children dressed in period costume took part in the ‘Beating The Sea Bounds’ ceremony and suffered no injury from the traditional “Pins and Points”.

The Litter Free group coordinated by Councillor N. Wiggins is limited to informal litter-picking in Wareham due to an insurance issue but is active throughout Purbeck.

Maintenance work had been carried out on the Recreation Ground but was overdue on the pavilion. One toilet was sealed off because of damaged asbestos and a qualified and expensive firm would have to remove the asbestos and anything contaminated by it before any other work could be done. Councillor Critchley suggested that a decision be deferred for a short time until more was known of the plan for a Hub which might have changing facilities.

The Town Band will be missing from parades for the time being because it is short of players.

The Council wholeheartedly backed any efforts Councillor Selby could make in order to get the feature marking the entrance to Wareham by Westgate belatedly installed by Bloor Homes.

The public are invited to the next meetings of the Town Council on Tuesdays 27th June and 7th August at 7pm in the Town Hall. For further information, call 01929 553006 or visit the website at www. wareham-tc.gov.uk.

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Out Of The Blue

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hope you have all been enjoying the fantastic weather we’ve been having (well it was when I wrote this!).

Unfortunately, whilst we are out improving our tans, there are those who are out to take advantage of our absence, so following these simple precautions could be enough to deter those who would seek to take advantage of our rest and recuperation time: SHEDUCATE • 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.

Theft From Unattended Vehicles • Remove everything of value from the vehicle prior to arriving at your destination; thieves will see you hiding things in the boot, glovebox or footwell.

• Take items with you if possible, including any removable stereos and Sat Navs and wipe off any marks left by your Sat Nav. • Ensure your windows and doors are locked and secured before you walk away.

• Double check the central locking has worked and the vehicle is secure.

• Keep driving documents and personal correspondence at home.

• Where possible, park your vehicle in a busy, well-lit area.

Swanage Firestation

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• • •

i and welcome to my monthly report from Swanage Fire station.

Operationally, we have been quiet this month answering only eighteen emergency calls, and eight medical calls for our colleagues from South West Ambulance.

• Four alarm calls • One call to internal flooding • One call to a Road traffic collision

One vehicle fire Two stand-by moves to cover other stations.

One Property fire where crews wearing breathing apparatus had to lead the occupants to safety from their smoke-logged property.

On the training front, Firefighter Chris Burridge attended and passed his two week breathing apparatus wearers’ course, and Crew manager Keith Bragg has attended and requalified as a level one incident commander.

Well done to both of them Now that the summer months are with us, my safety message this month is about the dangers of outdoor fires: How to reduce the risk of wildfires • Dry ground in the summer means there’s an added risk of a fire starting, but you should take care at all times of the year. Follow these tips to reduce the chance of a wildfire in the countryside: • Extinguish cigarettes properly and don’t throw cigarette ends on the ground – take your litter home.

• Never throw cigarette ends out of car windows.

• Avoid using open fires in the countryside. Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodland – sunlight shining through glass can start fires (take them home and recycle them).

• Only use barbecues in a suitable and safe area and never leave them

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Never leave your keys in the vehicle, even if you are just leaving it for a few seconds.

Finally, if you need to contact Dorset Police, please call our Police Enquiry Centre by calling 101. Always call 999 in an EMERGENCY when there is a risk of HARM or a CRIME in progress.

Alternatively, call the free CRIMESTOPPERS line on 0800 555 111. You can also use our website to report a number of issues, from full crime reports to lost property; just use the following link https://www.dorset. police.uk/do-it-online/ Don’t forget to visit us on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/Purbeckpolice and Twitter - @PurbeckPolice – we really value your support and comments. You can also see our latest priorities and up-and-coming events at https://www.dorset.police.uk/neighbourhood-policing/purbeck/ Why not register on Dorset Alert, by registering for the free Dorset Police community messaging alerts you will receive information on: local crime and incidents where we believe that sharing information with you will help to prevent further offences occurring, crimes and incidents where you may be able to help by providing vital information, current crime trends, crime prevention advice and safer neighbourhood activity and opportunities to meet the team.

You can also receive news from our partner agencies such as Dorset Fire and Rescue Service or Trading Standards and community safety messages.

Please come along to our meet the team events at SWANAGE, WAREHAM and UPTON Dates can be found on the website, we’d love to see you there.

Purbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team

unattended.

If you see a fire in the countryside, report it to the fire and rescue service immediately.

• Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area as quickly as possible.

Please enjoy the outdoor life, but please take care!

A recruitment event is being held on the 5th July at Swanage fire station to encourage local people to become on-call firefighters. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service needs new recruits to provide fire cover for our towns and its surrounding area. On-call firefighters make themselves available to respond to a pager when a 999 call is made, and cover is needed at all times. Contracted hours can vary, but on-call personnel usually make themselves available for between 90 and 120 hours per week. Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends.

Anyone interested in joining the Swanage crew can visit the fire station in Kings Road West from 6.30pm on 5th July.

The easiest way to see if being a firefighter is for you is to visit the fire station, have a chat with the crew and try your hand at different things.

We’re inviting potential recruits to come along, take a look around and see the equipment we use. On-call firefighters receive the same training and development as whole-time colleagues, and we can be called to all manner of emergencies, including fires, road traffic collisions, animal rescues and flooding. The pay does vary, depending on how much cover you give, but it is fantastically rewarding to be a part of your community and to be in a position to help people. In order to be on-call, you will need to be able to respond to the fire station in around five minutes, once your pager goes off. This can be from home or work, and employers can benefit from a firefighter’s training – such as first aid, manual handling, a greater understanding of health & safety in the workplace, and enhanced team spirit.

If you are interested in being a firefighter but can’t attend this local event, you can get more information from www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters.

Stay safe and don’t forget to test your smoke alarms! Phil Burridge, Station Commander •

The Purbeck Gazette

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All-Encompassing strange title, I do admit, but inspiration for these monthly maritime ramblings often comes from strange places. Whilst cleaning out a drawer there were my old school drawing compasses lying alongside my old Boy Scouts hand compass.

Which is the chicken and which is the egg? Was the compass so named because we can construct a compass card with a pair of compasses or vice versa? I had a dig.

The drawing compass dates to the days of Euclid in the 11th century or so, although these were used to scratch circles, what we would call dividers today. The pencil wasn’t added until the 18th century. The first magnetic compasses were used in the Han Dynasty in China circa 200BC but were used for divination; navigational compasses didn’t arrive until the Song Dynasty in the 11th century. Eureka, they arrived together. Originally powered by lodestones (magnetic rocks), later ones used iron needles magnetised by lodestones!

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The Purbeck Gazette One of these early Chinese needles was in the shape of a tadpole!

Further to this earth-shattering Eureka moment, the first time there is evidence of Mediterranean/Western compasses with the card as we know it was in the 13th century, which would cast all back into doubt.

The compass rose was originally divided into 32 points of 11.25˚, but this was not accurate enough for the navigator who subdivided it twice more into 2.8˚ segments. So where were the 360˚ divisions of the circle that we all know?

These originated in Babylon around 650BC! The Babylonians had a numerical system on a base of 60 and not 10, like ours. They then divided the circle into 6 sections of 60, which then gave a total of 360 divisions.

As the circle can easily be divided into 6 with a pair of compasses, maybe Euclid wasn’t the first?

However it was done, it wasn’t adopted onto the European compass until the 19th century and British navigators didn’t fully change over until the 20th century. At the end of all this, if offered a roast chicken or an omelette, I still don’t know which one to eat first.

For this article to be all-encompassing, I must once again thank our “Tea and Cake” ladies who spent their weekend supplying tea and cakes at the Lookout and once more thanks to all of you who tasted their delicious offerings.

See you all again in the summer hols when tea and cakes will return every weekend!

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

The Swanage NCI can be contacted at the Lookout on 01929 422596, at nci.org.uk, 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.

Coastguard Update

ince our last update, Coastguard volunteers have continued to be called out during April and May to a range of incidents.

Not forgetting our colleagues based at St Albans, Kimmeridge and Lulworth, there are nearly fifty volunteers on call 24/7 to respond to maritime rescues in the Purbeck area.

The role of the Coastguard is to coordinate any maritime or coastal emergency using declared facilities, including Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI Lifeboats, Rescue Helicopters and working with other blue light services.

When a report of a Paraglider which had ditched into the water by Ballard came in, the team were tasked to the high ground on Ballard to become the eyes for the Operations Room in Fareham. Both lifeboats and Rescue 106 raced to the scene to find the male safe.

The value of the voluntary patrols at the weekends showed when South Western Ambulance asked for assistance at Shell Bay with a male who had badly dislocated his ankle on the beach. The Coastguard vehicle was used to transport the male to the ambulance.

We often get asked how people should call the Coastguard and the simple

answer is, in an emergency is 999. One incident was reported to us by our email address, which isn’t monitored all the time, so please - if you want to report something use 999 or 01305 760439 for non-urgent incidents or advice. The incident was a washed-up canoe, which saw the team attend, check and recover the canoe for collection by the local council as an owner couldn’t be identified.

During the last two months, the team have been called out to support Dorset Police with searches for missing people. In one incident, as the team arrived, a person jumped off the stone quay into the water. The team immediately requested assistance from the RNLI, but deployed their own water rescue equipment.

This involved deploying a water rescue technician in a dry suit, who swam after the person. The inshore lifeboat arrived and managed to pick up the casualty and brought them to safety. In another search, the team deployed to Old Harry to search the cliff tops for a person. The team arrived and worked with police to take the person away from the cliff top and to a place of safety.

Whatever your summer activity is, make sure you’re prepared. Check the weather, tides and ensure you have the correct clothing for the activity, including a lifejacket, if you are taking to the water.

Increased Awareness Call For Pancreatic Cancer

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nly 7% of people in the South-West of England know a lot about pancreatic cancer, according to a national awareness survey commissioned by Pancreatic Cancer Action. Nationally, the figures are even worse, with 5% claiming they know a lot about the disease.

Across the nation this year, 9,600 men and women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 8,800 will die of the disease. In the South West, 963 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of that number, only 48 survived.

It is the UK’s fifth worst cause of cancer death, with a survival rate of just 5% - the worst of the 22 most common cancers. Despite these stats, pancreatic cancer remains largely unheard of and research into the disease is chronically underfunded.

Pancreatic Cancer Action is a UK charity founded by Ali Stunt, a rare survivor of the disease. The charity’s main objective is to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer with the public, the UK medical community and the government in order to improve early diagnosis Ali Stunt says that: “Despite the increasingly high rate of pancreatic cancer in the UK, our new research highlights a fundamental lack of awareness

of the tell-tale signs of the disease.

“Survival rates of pancreatic cancer remain at a standstill, with less than 1% of sufferers being given a prognosis for a ten-year life expectancy. Given that there is currently no screening process available for pancreatic cancer, it is imperative that people can spot the signs and symptoms early enough to make surgery a viable option, in order to secure earlier diagnosis of this deadly disease, and improve survival rates.”

Symptoms include (but are not limited to) jaundice, weight loss, new onset diabetes and severe abdominal or back pain.

Most people with these symptoms do not have pancreatic cancer, but anyone with one or more of them should see their GP. Studies show that diagnosis early enough for surgery increases a patient’s life expectancy significantly.

For more information on symptoms visit pancreaticcanceraware.org.

To find out how you can help to increase awareness and ultimately reduce pancreatic cancer deaths in the UK, please contact Natasha North at Pancreatic Cancer Action at natasha@panact.org

The Purbeck Gazette

Beating The Bounds...

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he custom of “Beating the Bounds” is to recognise the importance of the parish boundary.

Beating the Bounds. was the general custom in olden days, and is still observed in many parishes in Dorset, for certain persons to go round, or perambulate around the parish boundary. The Wareham Beating of the Bounds took part on 14th May, between Poole and Wareham, as photographed by Sue Booth of Wareham.

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Blast From The Past!

This month, A Decade Ago...

The Purbeck Gazette

he letters pages were busy in July 2007, with a variety of subjects covered, from the obligatory dog poo and lack of local housing to the continuing issue of ‘tree management’ around Purbeck.

Purbeck District Council were offering local landlords up to £25,000 to assist them in converting the spaces above shops into residential property to try and help address the chronic housing shortage. Fascinatingly, the article begun: “Gone are the days when living above a shop was seen as slumming it. Now more and more people, especially young people, want to move into towns to be near employment, transport connections, shops and other amenities. The need for affordable housing not just to sell, but also to rent, is just as relevant now as it has ever been.”

Slumming it, eh?! How things have changed! These days often the converted property above local shops offers far more spacious living accommodation than purpose-built new builds!

In total, £144,000 was available to Purbeck landlords in 2007 (grants given were up to a maximum of £25,000) to convert above-shop property to rent to local people recognised by the council as having housing needs.

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary Club reported on their recent efforts, including the continuation of work to forge long-term links with the community of Belarus, an area which had been seriously affected by the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

Rotarian, Bernard Bettles, had recently travelled to Belarus with muchneeded funds to support the refurbishment of a school affected by the disaster. The funds had been raised by Swanage Middle School, Swanage Lions, Chernobyl Link and Rotary.

An art project undertaken in Swanage by Antonia Philips and Nina Camplin (pictured, above) highlighted what was known as the ‘Great Purbeck Planning Folly’, by creating a mural on the walls of the Pier Head Cafe on the Lower High Street in Swanage. All plans put in by the owners to re-develop the site had been turned down by the district council. The artwork was designed to create an illusion of the past, present and possible future of the building (pictured, below). Recent additions to the mural in early summer 2007 were the rats, the chip-eating dog, nesting house martins and a tribute to Edward Hopper.

The Pier Head building was originally constructed in the late 1940s by Canadian troops as a temporary mess hall. Later incarnations saw the building used as a windsurfing school, and a cafe and bingo hall. It was deemed unsafe for use in the 1990s.

Since 2007, the building’s murals have gained national fame, including being featured in the Metro, which headlined the story as ‘Beating Banksy at his

own game’ in June 2007.

Willy Lobster published a poem entitled ‘Daily’ in our July 2007 edition. A little known fact is that Willy Lobster was the pen name for internationally renowned artist, Padraig Macmiadhachain, a long-term Purbeck resident.

Padraig (Paddy) sadly passed away on 13th March, 2017.

‘Daily’ by Willy Lobster Walk quietly Angels are sleeping All the doors are open wide.

Purbeckians were still outraged that unless one had a private television provider, Channel Five was still not available on terrestrial TV throughout much of Purbeck in 2007!

The Purbeck Association of the National Trust were busy helping Dr Anita Diaz, Senior Lecturer in Conservation Sciences at Bournemouth University, radio tracking ten Sika hinds at Hartland Moor. It was hoped that some of the stags would be fitted with radio collars supplied by the MoD as part of a three-year study.

Pictured on the right is then-PhD student, Antonio Uzal, utilising one of the deer tracking devices on Hartland Moor - or is he in search of a signal to enable him to access the fabled Channel Five....?!

That was July 2007 folks!

The Purbeck Gazette

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National Trust

Tudor adventure - Saturday 8 July to Monday 28 August Take a step back in time to the late Tudor period (1572 to 1603), where a journey full of surprises awaits with voyages of discovery, musical revolution, espionage and intrigue, a plot to install Mary Queen of Scots on the throne, playwrights and war.

Open air theatre - Illyria (equity) presents: Friday 4 August – The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen The Emperor is surrounded by idiots. What keeps him sane is the monthly Grand Parade at which he wears his newest outfit. Theatre Booking Essential.

Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/corfe-castle/whats-on Credit Picture - NT Purbeck images/Neil Davidson

The Purbeck Gazette

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team services between Swanage and Norden calling at Herston Halt (request) Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle are operating every day until Sunday 29th October. Adult £12.50 Return, Child (5-15) £7.60 Return, Family (2A + 3C) £35 Return.

Diesel Service between Swanage and Wareham Diesel services between Swanage and Wareham are operating 4 times a day Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday until Sunday 3rd September. Adult £15 Return, Child (5-15) £10 Return Family (2A + 3C) £42 Return.

Swanage Railway Local Residents Discount Fares Card The Local Residents Discount Card offers a 33% discount on all standard fares on scheduled services to residents of the Purbeck District Council Area. Special Event (e.g. Galas and Santa Specials) and Dining Trains are excluded. Cards cost £15 and are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

Swanage Carnival and Regatta Sat 29th July – Sat 5th August Steam trains will operate every 40 minutes between Norden, Corfe Castle and Swanage 10:00 - 18:00. Diesel trains will operate four times a day Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday between Swanage and Wareham. Departures from Swanage 10:26 12:26 14:26 16:26. Departures from Wareham 11:15 13:15 15:15 17:15.

The Fireworks specials will operate on Saturday 29th July, Wednesday 2nd and Saturday 5th August, Please see website for details.

Full details of all our events, dining trains, timetables and fares can be found at www.swanagerailway.co.uk Volunteers - If you fancy putting your skills to good use or want to learn some new skills and make some new friends then call Mike Whitwam on 01929 475212 or email: iwanttovolunteer@swanagerailway.co.uk

Volunteer Lifeboat Crews Attend SIX Rescues In Just Five Days

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pring and summer are traditionally busy times of year for the volunteers at Swanage lifeboat station. However, after a quiet start to May with only one callout, the Swanage lifeboats were then launched to six rescues in only five days during the latter half of the month.

The Swanage lifeboat crew assisted a yacht with a fouled propeller, recovered a person from the water, rescued a yacht aground, searched for a missing person at Old Harry Rocks, secured a broken-down yacht close to the cliffs and recovered a yacht drifting into Swanage Pier.

Lifeboat Coxswain Dave Turnbull said “We had a busy few days attending an assortment of callouts coming during the days and nights. Although we expect to be busy this time of year, having so many callouts over such short space of time is unusual.”

Two of these calls came during the hours of darkness, with one call just after 2am followed by a call shortly after midnight the following morning.

The volunteer lifeboat crew spent more than ten hours at sea on the rescues over the five days. Thankfully all vessels and casualties were safely recovered.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Vote For Local Charities!

Dorset Freemasons urge the public to vote for local charities to share £3 million n online public vote is being held to decide which local charities within Dorset will receive up to £25,000 each, as part of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations.

Freemasons have nominated four good causes to receive Dorset’s share of a special £3 million Community Awards Tercentenary Fund.

The charities that Dorset Freemasonry have selected for the public vote are: About Face, Veterans in Action, Mosaic and the Dorset Blind Association.

Anyone who wishes to vote for one of the nominated charities should visit mcf.org.uk/vote , select the Dorset page and vote for the charity of their choice. All the nominated charities are guaranteed to receive a grant, but the public vote will determine the amount from £4,000 up to £25,000.

Voting will take place throughout June and July 2017.

The £3 million fund, which is being distributed to mark the 300th anniversary of the formation of the first Grand Lodge in 1717, is being administered by the Masonic Charitable Foundation and will be distributed to 300 charities across the country.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation receives all its funding from Freemasons and their families. It is estimated that half of Freemasonry’s total charitable expenditure of over £33m goes to charities that help people in communities across the country.

Richard Merritt from Dorset Freemasons said: “We are delighted to be able to invite the whole community to join our 300th anniversary celebrations by helping us to decide which of these excellent local charities should receive the highest award.

Every vote counts, so I encourage everyone from Dorset to visit the website and take part.”

To vote for your favourite charity in Dorset to win up to £25,000, visit mcf. org.uk/vote

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UK Landlords Urged To Open Doors & Hearts To Syrian Refugees

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andlords in the UK are being urged to do their bit to help victims of the humanitarian crisis in Syria by three famous UK residents.

Comedian Miranda Hart, award-winning actress Dame Harriet Walter and Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs, who was a child refugee from Nazi Germany, have joined forces in a bid to find more landlords willing to take in refugees from war-torn Syria.

The three celebrities are promoting a film, produced by the Hammersmith and Fulham branch of “Refugees Welcome”, which highlights the stories of Syrians who have already settled in the UK and the positive experience of their landlords in the private sector.

The video can be seen online here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=em-WAyKtyAg

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

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Friends of Swanage Hospital Supporting the health needs of patients in and around Swanage

Chairman’s News Wherever I go people still ask: “is our hospital safe?” and I reply with a very positive “Yes it is!” I know just how much our wonderful hospital means to you all and there is no way we would allow it to be closed. In fact, we are delighted that the Clinical Services Review proposes it will be a ‘hub’: a centre for closer integrated community services and an increased number of clinics and diagnostic procedures. The future is in care closer to home and that will mean less travelling for patients and carers. We should know the result of the Review in the autumn and we’re hoping to get the latest news at our AGM on 20th September.

Thanks to all of you who have joined the Friends recently. Currently we have 964 members and we would simply love to make it 1,000.

The more members the more notice the powers-that-be take of us.

So, we decided to set up a website to make it easier for people to join or renew their membership online. It also means you can check up on the services offered at the hospital, find out the latest news and what events are coming up. Please do take a look and let us know what you think: www.friendsofswanagehospital.org.uk The old Maternity Unit known as ‘Everest’ has finally been demolished.

It was in a very dangerous and unstable state and was taken down with great care, saving as much of the stone and tiles as was possible.

We are still anxiously awaiting news of what is to happen there – it apparently depends on the outcome of the Clinical Services review.

During the past year the Friends’ committee has met and heard requests from Matron for help with lots of different projects. We have funded all sorts of new equipment including microscopes, hoists and trolleys, rooms have been refurbished and the entrance hall transformed.

We can do all this because of your generosity in supporting us.

This year we are indebted to our local Co-op who supported us as one of their local community charities and together with their members, raised a wonderful £8,035 in just a few months.

So, at a time when nationally there is great concern about the future of the NHS, I want to share the good news that in our part of the world our community hospital is safe and doing a brilliant job. It is known for the wonderful care it provides, it is hopefully going to see its services expanded and will continue to be supported by the Friends to be a centre of excellence for us all.

Jan Turnbull

Treasurer’s Report 2016/7 I would like to start by thanking all our supporters whether you are members or not who continue to give us funds either at our two hospital fetes or through donations and some extremely generous legacies. We never chase funds and we don’t hassle our members for money but year in year out you continue to give generously.

This year I am pleased to say we made a paper loss of £22,000. The reason I can be so pleased about it is because it arises from giving the hospital almost £180,000 in training grants and new equipment and we have already pledged the same again for next year.

Much of the equipment in the various hospital departments has a short lifespan as new technology is developed and we make sure that the equipment in use is not just fit for purpose but also of the highest standard.

The consultants who have asked for equipment this year have sent personal notes of thanks as they realise we are providing the latest equipment so that the hospital can continue to be a centre of excellence.

As you can see from the figures above medical equipment is not cheap.

New IT equipment to replace equipment we bought six years ago (a lifetime in IT!) cost over £70,000, a new specialised microscope to allow the consultant in ENT to teach his fellow doctors cost almost £20,000.

We contributed over £60,000 to various improvements to the building and emergency access from the rear. Every department had some funding this year and with your continued support we hope to keep providing first class facilities in Swanage Hospital for many years to come.

Terry Buck

Co-op cheque received!

Come and hear all the latest news at our

AGM

Emmanuel Church, Victoria Avenue

Wednesday 20th September, 7pm See you there!

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Annual Newsletter 2017 Message from Matron Hello everyone! It’s that time of year again where I realise that another year has sped past!

Anyone who has visited Swanage Hospital recently cannot fail to have noticed the changes to our reception area, we as a team wanted to showcase the unique entrance to our hospital and with the help of the Friends and Dorset HealthCare we were able to do this. New automatic doors have also been installed ensuring our disabled access to the Hospital is complete.

We are anticipating a return visit from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following the successful revision of MIU’s results and we are all aiming to achieve this for our inpatient services too.

Stanley Purser Ward has also been awarded certification for the first stage of the “John’s Campaign” Elder Friendly Quality Mark Certificate and we are now working towards achieving the second stage. (“John’s Campaign” was founded after the death of Dr John Gerrard in 2014 for the right of people with dementia to be supported by their carers in hospital) and has now been adopted by all inpatient wards within Dorset HealthCare. This is a campaign which is very dear to staff on the Stanley Purser Ward, with many of the commitments to this campaign already in place prior to the sign up.

Our outpatient activity continues to be very busy with diverse and varied clinics, surgical procedures and radiology services. Fortunately, we were not infected by the malevolent virus but had to cancel some X-rays here and there to ensure we were safe and I would like to thank the public for their understanding during this time.

The Friends have continued to support the hospital with the purchase of medical equipment: an example of this was the purchase of a new stateof-the-art ENT microscope which has been gratefully received and used by our delighted ENT consultant - so much so that a personal letter of thanks went to the committee.

Myself and five members of Swanage team have just returned from the Community Hospitals’ Conference where the emphasis this year was on the work that Friends of Community Hospitals do to support and ensure that these valuable community assets are maintained.

Unfortunately, we are still facing staffing challenges and with this in mind we are holding a recruitment open day for Swanage and Wareham which will be hosted at Swanage this time on 4th July. If anyone knows of any nurses who may be interested in a career within Community Hospitals, please do encourage them to come along.

Finally, once again I would like to thank the Friends for their continued support and look forward to another productive year particularly following the results of the Community Services Review consultation later this year.

Donna Kiss

Our new Reception Desk

Membership Report As Jan, our Chairman, has mentioned, we have a strong membership base, but would love to nudge our membership total over 1,000.

The size of our membership helps demonstrate how important Swanage Hospital is to our community and how much its services are needed and valued.

Membership forms are available from Swanage Hospital reception or can be downloaded from our website - www.

friendsofswanagehospital.org.uk

We suggest a minimum annual membership of £5 and this can be paid in cash, cheque or by annual direct debit. We also now have the facility for payments to be made on line via our website for both one-off or regular donations.

If you are a taxpayer, you are also able to Gift Aid your membership fees and any donations that you make. There is a Gift Aid form attached to the Membership form and the online donations also allow for Gift Aid to be applied.

There is also a facility on our website to email us regarding any queries about your membership or you can email direct on membership@friendsofswanagehospital.org.uk or call the Hospital office on 01929 422282.

After many, many years of being Membership Secretary, Mike Ranger is taking a step back from this role. The committee are all really grateful for all the time and effort that Mike has put in over the years. Mike will continue to be a valued member of the Committee and will also be supporting Kate Spurling, who is taking over the role of Membership Secretary.

We look forward to welcoming lots of new members and taking our numbers above the magic 1,000 mark!

DATE FOR THE DIARY:

AUTUMN FAYRE

Saturday 4th November at Swanage Hospital 10.00am – 12.00 noon Our Tombola stall at the Autumn Fayre

Cakes, pickles, seasonal produce & other goods to buy Enjoy a coffee and home-made cake

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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!

April sunset at Old Harry, by Gareth James

Sand Lizard sunbathing on siding nr. Wareham, by Howard Oliver

Room for another one?! Long Tail Tits by Angel McDee

Bulleid Pacific 34052 Lord Dowding approaching Corfe, by Mike Streeter

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We are all ageing. All of us. Those of us lucky enough to reach a ‘grand old age’ are now likely to do so in better health than previous generations, and although the pension age is steadily getting higher, many of us are likely to spend a number of years enjoying a retirement, and where better to do so than the Isle of Purbeck?

But, what to do during those years?! Sit back and do nothing?

Not a chance! Purbeck is delightfully full of local groups and organisations who are ready to welcome your involvement, with everything from gardening, keeping fit and dance to assisting others with advice and support. We have a plethora of activities to enjoy on our fair isle during retirement, and when the time comes when we are become less capable, we have a wealth of care options and support services to help and advise you. When that final curtain comes down, we can pay personal tribute to those we have lost, and have new options when it comes to remembering those who have passed, from cuddle stones to necklaces and sculpture.......

Holton Lee – Flourish

A well-being project, using horticulture, conversation, woodworking and landscaping, that helps disabled people of all ages learn skills, build confidence and make friends.

Livability at Holton Lee, various days each week. Funding and transport available.

Contact – Emma Browning, tel: 01202 625562 Email ebrowning.holtonlee@livability.org.uk Website www.holtonlee.org/garden-projects/flourish/

Fresh Prospects

Provides gardening opportunities for people who enjoy it but find it difficult to do on their own.

Thursdays 10am - 12 noon All Saints Church Garden, Ulwell Road, Swanage.

Contact Andrew Fleming, Tel: 01929 422479 Email flemingswanage@yahoo.co.uk

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St Alban’s Head Coastwatch Are Seeking Friends

he trained volunteers who man the National Coastwatch station at St Alban’s Head are seeking ‘Friends’ to support them in their work to keep watch over those at sea and along the Jurassic coast path.

St Alban’s Head station is one of a chain of over fifty Coastwatch Stations in the UK and is located to the south of Worth Matravers on the Jurassic Coastal path at the top of a 300ft cliff.

The St Alban’s Head station commands sweeping views along the Dorset coast from Anvil Point near Swanage in the east to Portland Bill in the west. The station also immediately overlooks the dangerous St Alban’s Tidal Race, which is an area of very turbulent and often treacherous sea which can present a real threat to those navigating the waters along the Jurassic coast.

The St Alban’s Head station provides direct support to the United Kingdom Coastguard and is one of a number of assets that assist the UK Coastguard including the lifeboats of the RNLI and Coastguard search and rescue helicopters.

The National Coastwatch is an entirely voluntary organisation which receives no public funding and relies entirely on contributions from members of the general public in order to keep the station manned and operated by a team of trained volunteer watchkeepers for 364 days a year.

Since it opened, the St Alban’s Head Coastwatch station has assisted the Coastguard with many incidents that have protected and saved life at sea and on the coastal path.

The aim of the St Alban’s Head ‘Friends’ initiative is to gain a wide range of support from members of the general public who although they may be unable to volunteer as watchkeepers for various reasons, such as the demands of home and employment, are still willing and able to provide assistance to the vital work of the St Alban’s Head National Coastwatch station.

This could include helping with fund-raising at public events in the area, assisting in providing tea and cakes to visitors at the station open days or taking part in work parties to maintain the station in top operational condition.

The Friends of St Alban’s Head Coastwatch Station will receive a membership card, a welcome pack and a six-monthly newsletter.

Contact us by email: sah.friends@nci.org.uk - website: www.nci.org. uk/stalbanshead

AGE UK Dorchester...

Would Like The Benefit Of Your Advice!

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ge UK Dorchester has need of experienced welfare benefits volunteers to join its Welfare Benefits Team to provide information and advice regarding welfare benefits to older people in the Purbeck area, by way of home visits.

Welfare Benefits Volunteers interview clients, identify entitlement to benefits, assist with completion of benefit claim forms e.g. Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit and PIP; act on clients’ behalf, help with letter writing, undertake diagnosis, and provide information with options.

If you: • Like to identify problems and solutions in meeting the needs of older people • Have some spare time to give • Enjoy volunteering • Are an experienced welfare benefits practitioner Please contact Janice Webb on 01305 269444, welben@ageukdorchester. org.uk Rowan Cottage, 4 Prince of Wales Road, Dorchester DT1 1PW www. ageukdorchester.org.uk

Book advertising at www.purbeckgazette.com

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Every Friday 10.30 – 12.30, Swanage Library, Give a Little, Gain a Lot.

Local organisations who need volunteers have joined together to bring all their volunteering opportunities into one place. Would you like to: make a difference, use existing or learn fresh skills, meet new people, have fun and be proud to know that you have helped keep Swanage great? Pop in and meet our friendly Volunteer Champions to find out more! Contact: swanagevb@gmail.com for more information Pictured - Purbeck Good Neighbours, Sue McWilliams and Mo Andrews with Councillor Bill Trite, Kim Gallagher and Richard Drax MP at Swanage Volunteer Bureau Launch in Swanage Library.

Call Purbeck Good Neighbours on 01929 424363 if you need a helping hand or would like to volunteer

Caring At York House

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family-run business for three decades, we have set out to create an atmosphere of friendliness, comfort and security with management on site twenty four hours.

It is the aim of York House to provide a warm and caring environment ensuring at all times that the needs of our residents are met with cheerfulness, dignity and respect. A place where we meet the personal needs of each resident through person-centred care planning.

All rooms are fitted with a 24 hour nurse call system and T.V., we have a passenger and a stair lift for easy access to rooms. Residents are supported to participate in activities if they wish.

The spacious lounge and dining room face south overlooking the pleasure gardens and the large front conservatory has wheelchair access and is warm and bright throughout the day.

The day-to-day care of the residents and the smooth running of the home is supervised by the registered manager who ensures you will be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Privacy and delivering high quality, compassionate care with friendly, fully trained staff with high levels of skill and understanding to meet your particular needs are paramount.

The cook provides a varied selection of well balanced and nutritious meals to suit all tastes and cultures.

Family, friends and relatives are encouraged to visit often and are always welcome to stay for lunch or dinner by prior arrangement.

A hairdresser, chiropodist and optician are all available by appointment.

Feel free to enquire on 01929 425588 or just drop in, no appointment is required, ask for the duty manager and meet our professional team and residents.

Contact our manager and you can have a tour of the home and meet our professional team and residents.

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Swanage Area Forum Funday Sundays: Oct - Apr Monthly film show with refreshments and other social activities 4th Sunday of each month, 1.30pm - 4.30pm Swanage Day Centre, High Street £3.50 including refreshments.

Contact Gerry Norris: 01929 426127

Extend Exercise

Gentle Exercise to music for the over 60s and less able people, carried out seated or standing, for all abilities.

Every Friday 11.30am, £4.00 per session Emmanuel Baptist Church, Victoria Avenue, Swanage.

Contact Marion Carle: Tel 01929 423923 Email: carleofswanage@hotmail.com

A Dance A Day

A community dance project for the over 50s in Dorset supporting older people to actively and creatively age.

Wareham Town Hall Wednesdays 10 – 11 In weekly dance classes participants work with experienced dance artists to develop movement skills and express themselves through improvisation and choreography. They also develop dance based exercises that can be incorporated into daily routine.

In this way participants are increasing their daily levels of activity and creativity as well as being involved in the weekly class where friendships and ideas blossom.

Contact Rosalind Conlon, Tel: 01305 260954 Email rosalind@activateperformingarts.org.uk

Swanage Insurance Brokers

Your Local, Reliable, Friendly Insurance Team OVER 50?

SHOCKED BY YOUR INSURANCE RENEWAL? For ALTERNATIVE QUOTES AND FRIENDLY SERVICE, JUST POP IN (opposite the Station), or CALL US

01929 424228 Email: office@swanageinsurance.co.uk

SWANAGE INSURANCE BROKERS LTD wanage Insurance Brokers Ltd, is an independent intermediary, serving Purbeck for over forty years. We concentrate on what we do well; insuring your Home, Business, Vehicle, Liabilities and Holidays.

Not being in the pocket of any one insurer, means we give impartial advice and act on your behalf should an insurer become difficult.

Aware of the age profile of the population, we champion the

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority reassuring, personal touch. Unlike the government, the utilities and even your ‘local’ bank with its call-centre in Newcastle or India, we buck that technological trend, offering a friendly and helpful service, here in Swanage We are experienced, knowledgeable and deal with major insurers and specialists. We earn commission from insurers and only add a small policy fee (currently £5 or £10).

Fed up of choosing options whilst hanging on the end of the phone, listening to mindless music, only to end up with an unhelpful, incoherent call-centre operative, then call us or pop in…..simple.

Dorset Advocacy

Dorset POPP

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We support older people and others affected by disability, dementia, cancer or caring responsibilities to speak up, defend their rights and access opportunities. We especially support those who struggle to get support, feel they are not listened to or cannot get their wishes across. We meet you in a private place of your choice.

Telephone 0300 343 7000 Email: referrals@dorsetadvocacy.co.uk Website www.dorsetadvocacy.co.uk

Advice, guidance and signposting for older people. Home visits on request.

Contact Dave Morton or Mo Andrews.

Telephone 07971 338989 or 07971 338486 Email: dave.morton@helpandcare.org.uk or Maureen.

Andrews@helpandcare.org.uk Website: www.dorsetforyou.com.pop

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Here To Help You!

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ere at Purbeck Valet, we love our customers, both the general public and the local businesses we work with regularly. We wash anything from an item of clothing to bedding sets for guest houses/ holiday homes. We clean duvets and curtains, and offer an alteration and repair service - we can provide you with anything from a complete laundry service to just ironing your shirts.

We are able to provide a Dry Cleaning service for virtually all items of clothing, whether everyday wear or special garments such as dresses or formal wear.The vast majority of items are Dry Cleaned within a couple of days, however, we can offer an express service for more urgent items.

Does the weekly washing get you down? Is it one chore you’d do anything to avoid? Then simply drop off your laundry at Purbeck Valet and we’ll wash, dry, iron and fold it beautifully. Our great value laundry service is ideal for everyday clothes, such as jeans, shorts, T-shirts, gym kits, tops and pyjamas - and even household textiles like bed linen, towels and cushion covers.

Hate ironing? Then you’ll love our convenient Ironing Service! With Purbeck Valet, you don’t have to worry about mountains of crumpled clothes piling up at home. Just bring in your washed garments, etc, and we’ll press everything to perfection.

We provide a range of alterations and repairs to garments and household items. Whether you require trousers shortening, buttons replacing, a zip adjusting or your curtains re-lining, Purbeck Valet can carry out your repair. All alterations and repairs are carried out at Purbeck Valet, enabling a quick turnaround service.

We clean all types of duvets, be they synthetic or feather, from single to kingsize. Experts now recommend that your duvet and pillows are cleaned at least every six months.

We also operate a collection and delivery service in the local area. Every Tuesday we collect and deliver dry cleaning and laundry. We provide this service for people who find it difficult to get to town. We are expanding this service and hope to include busy mums and business professionals who do not have the time to take care of their laundry needs.

Please call us to arrange - we’re here to help!

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Purbeck Gateway Lunch Club

We provide an informal lunch primarily for senior citizens in our fellowship and the local community.

However, age does not matter and everyone is very welcome!

Please ask us about transport if needed, we will help if we are able to.

Purbeck Gateway Church, Ropers Lane, Wareham.

On Wednesdays, every other week, 11:45pm to 2pm

Contact Lorraine Bundy: Tel 01929 552213

Hopper Bus Lunches A specially adapted bus will contact you from home and take you to a social lunch in a pub, and then return you home afterwards.

Every Tuesday. Pick-up times arranged.

NB. You must book by the previous Friday.

Contact: Joy 01929 425314 or Pearl 01929 425426, or Sue 07894 035055 or Mo 07971 338486

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Keeping Purbeck Mobile!

urbeck Mobility Ltd supply a wide range of equipment designed to make life easier, from mobility scooters to jam jar openers and we are always happy to advise you or help in tracking down an elusive gadget. If we do not have it in stock we will order it for you to try out, with no obligation to buy.

Our aim is to make our customers aware of the tremendous amount of practical help and assistance that is available to ensure that their lives are lived to the full. Nothing should stand in the way of mobility.

We are accredited retailers for the Dorset ICES scheme. This enables health professionals to prescribe equipment and personal aids to people with disabilities or serious health problems in the same way that your GP prescribes medicines. We’re also the local registered centre for the nationwide Shopmobility scheme. We hire out wheelchairs and electric scooters on a weekly, daily or half-day basis.

As an additional service, we offer our customers a photography service, providing photographs for passports, driving licences, blue badges and so on, which are taken here. The standard price is £6 for four pictures.

Prints are available for collection in 24 hours (48 hours at weekends). This service is usually available every day, but you are advised to ring us first to check the photographer is available.

Just some of the products and services we have available are listed below: • Mobility Scooters – both new and used • Powered wheelchairs • Manual wheelchairs • Powered rise & recline chairs • Walking frames & trolleys with trays, baskets, seats and even an umbrella!

• Walking sticks – wooden, metal, patterned and folding • Bath lifts and bathing aids • Gadgets to make life a little easier • Personal toileting products • Agents for Acorn stairlifts • Agents for Fish Insurance

NIGHTINGALES HOME CARE SERVICE We have been providing personal care to the people of Purbeck for more than 14 years.

We offer assistance in your own homes, tailored to your individual needs and wishes.

If you feel we can help in any way, please ring Nanette on: 01929 425285 (office) or 07415 242933 Registered office: 2 The Sidings, Victoria Avenue Industrial Estate, Swanage, Dorset. BH19 1AU

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The Perfect Tribute...

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mpathy and understanding of loss of someone dear at a time of distress is something close to my heart.

I find a home visit gives me an insight to help create a fitting tribute and also hear about the life of the lady or gentleman, and try to reflect this with flowers. I have done some tributes in the colours of a sunset over the sea, another with cottage garden flowers, seasonal flowers for a dear lady that loved her garden, another one for an AFC Bournemouth fan. All tributes have a little piece of Rosemary for remembrance.

I was invited to take part in the Studland Flower festival this year, showing some of my wedding work. The festival raised £3312.62 for the LewisManning Hospice.

It was a fantastic weekend, the perfume of the flowers and displays were amazing.

Please give me a call if you need assistance with your flower tributes or other flower needs, I will be more than happy to help you provide a heartfelt tribute, made with compassion and sincerity.

Caroline, Buds of Mauve.

Ashes Forever...

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hanging trends in mourning has led to Douch Family Funeral Directors, which includes James Smith Funeral Directors in Swanage, introducing a new website for products that hold ashes.

The range of ‘urns and keepsakes’ include necklaces, urns and sculptures and is designed to keep the memory of your loved ones alive. Dorset’s Douch Family Funeral Directors has examples of the products in most of its branches so people can see, touch and feel them.

The online shop means they are easily purchased and already the products

are popular with relatives. After a cremation, all or part of a person’s ashes can be retained and more people want to keep a physical memory of a loved one.

The products also include ‘cuddle stones’ that are meant to be held, and the items are available in a variety of materials. The website - www. urnsandkeepsakes.co.uk – is the latest innovation from the funeral group, which has eight branches in Dorset.

“Trends in funerals are constantly changing, and at James Smith we aim to be able to provide a flexible service that will accommodate a family’s personal wishes. This innovation by the Douch Family Funeral Directors is a way of helping us to achieve this aim. These urns and keepsakes are a move towards a modern way of memorialising, commemorating and mourning for the families that we look after. Instead of scattering or interring all of a loved ones ashes, an amount can be retained and kept by the family in one of the urns or worn in a piece of jewellery.”

The full range can be viewed and purchased on-line at www. urnsandkeepsakes.co.uk and a selection of items are available to see on display at James Smith in Swanage.

Pictured: Top left, the Cuddle Stone. Below left: Malcolm of James Smiths in Swanage with a range of items available.

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Smaller Horse, Smaller Course, Still A Winner!

by David Hollister

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bout six weeks ago, Westover Nissan kindly lent me the largest car in the range, the amazing X-Trail (“Right Horse Right Course” Purbeck Gazette May 2017). So, this month, we tried the smallest car in the range, the All New Nissan Micra and this time, instead of turning left at the top of the road and pointing it towards Devon, we turned right and aimed for Arundel, a round trip of 180 miles from Westover Nissan at Wallisdown.

Why Arundel? Well, we went there once …… many years ago ….. enjoyed it for a couple of hours and promised ourselves to go back. Just like the X-Trail, the Micra didn’t let us down. Yes, it helped that the skies were blue and the wind was warm; yes, it helped that the drive up was relatively traffic-free, that the Swan Hotel proved to be a beautifully-restored boutique hotel right in the town centre and immediately adjacent not only to a car park, but also to a superb Italian Restaurant.

We had a couple of hours to kill before checking-in, so we wandered up and down the High Street; lots of individual shops and nary a chain-store in sight. A lazy river to relax by with a Magnum too!

We went into a strange little antique shop full of huge objets-d’art some of which cost more than the car, but at the back of which was a delightful ‘secret garden’, where most of the items were for sale, although we gained the district impression from the proprietor who had been putting this together for forty-seven years that actually, he really didn’t want to part with anything!

The Micra has been a popular favourite small car for the last thirty years or so; Nissan must be doing something right! They’ve certainly carried on doing it right with the new Micra, which lives up to and beyond expectations. This one – the top of the range Tekna Igt - had a 900cc turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine (shared with the Renault Clio) producing 90ps, 140 nm of torque, and 104 gm of CO2. It’s up against the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, and fights its corner very well.

Good usable power throughout the rev range, although honestly, I kept missing a sixth gear.

Small cars are by necessity not as smooth and comfortable as their larger counterparts but nevertheless, we arrived at Arundel with the minimum of aches and pains; its cruise control made it very easy to drive on the motorways. The steering is light; some reviewers think this is a negative point but in my book, the easier a car is to drive, the better! No, I didn’t test its performance and handling at ‘the max’.

It’s a small 5-door family hatchback, not a race-track car; you don’t buy a Micra to uproot trees, you buy it for a comfortable and economic means of getting from A to B. So, all this stuff about ‘intuitive’ and ‘twitchy’ is actually irrelevant.

I liked the height-adjustable driver’s seat and the unusual height-adjustable and reach-adjustable D-shaped steering wheel with all the usual controls on it. The instruments are clearly set out, with all the information in ‘line of sight’. I found rearward visibility a bit challenging because I’m so small, but the squeakers and reversing camera helped a great deal inasmuch as I didn’t hit anything all day.

The Micra is excellent not only for head- and leg-room, but also for interior storage. The rear seats fold down 60/40 and provide adequate space for a small family’s needs. An ideal car to go shopping in unless you’re buying a fridge-freezer!

The 7-inch touchscreen ‘infotainment’ system was – as with all Nissans – easily understood and a pleasure to use. The Sat-Nav and DAB radio with Bose speakers are features of this top-of-the-range Tekna version; I know I’ve said it before, but if you’re going to buy a nice new car you may as well splash out a bit more on ‘top of the range’ rather than buying a ‘half way’ model and then regretting all the features it doesn’t have.

So, the base model Visia + is ‘on the road’ at £13,900 whereas the Tekna – like I drove – is £17,435. In my book, the extra £3,500 is well worth spending. Including – for example – the automatic air conditioning and the Nissan Intelligent key, as well as the brilliant Bose system.

So, after an Italian and a great night’s sleep, we checked out and walked the 200 yards to the castle. All I can say is that whatever we paid to get in (£15.50 each – concession price – a benefit of being this old) we got our money’s worth in the amazing gardens, probably the most beautiful I have seen in a stately home in my whole life.

The interior of the Castle was a bonus! After a leisurely pub lunch it was time to wend our way home. And wend we did; it was mid-afternoon on a Bank Holiday Friday and only then did I realise the stupidity of trying to go anywhere in an acceptable time, especially if it involves the A31, which seems to have become a permanent accident black-spot for most of its length.

The air-conditioning and the excellent sound system helped. The sat-nav also helped too, but having asked it to detour the worst of the congestion, it ended up plonking us right back on the A31……… but I suppose it realised before I did that actually there was no way round.

The awful journey home put me off neither Arundel nor the Nissan Micra.

We will do both again, we hope, although maybe will choose our timings better! The traffic jams really didn’t help the fuel consumption; published 61.4 mpg combined, achieved 41.6 mpg over 180 miles, that’s 67%, but honestly, it isn’t a fair comparison.

There’s a great deal more to this little car than I can describe in 1000 words; best go online to:

www.nissan.co.uk and download a brochure, or better still contact Dave Merrifield at Westover Nissan on 01202 532100 and arrange a test-drive.

He might even let you go to Arundel!!

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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...................................£14995 14(64) FORD Focus 1.0 Zetec Navigator 5dr, sold new and maintained by us. 17,800 miles, excellent condition, twin airbags.............................£9995 14(63) FORD B-Max 1.0 Zetec MPV. Sold new by us, one owner, FSH, fantasic economy, rear park assist.........................................................£9495 16(16) FORD Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec 5dr. Our own vehicle, zero road tax, fantastic economy, Ford warranty until Jun 19..................................£12495 13(13) FORD Ka 1.2 Edge 3dr. Sold and maintained from new by us. One owner. 28000 guarenteed miles. FSH....................................................£4995 17(17) FORD KUGA 2.0 ST Line TDCi 4x4. Our own vehicle, very low mileage, premium sony navigation, alloy wheels..............................£29995 13(13) FORD KA 1.2 Edge 3dr. Sold & maintained from new by us, one owner, 28000 guaranteed miles, FSH.......................................................£4995 11(11) FORD C-MAX 2.0 TDCi Titanium MPV, FSH, 26000 guaranteed miles,excellent economy, park assist.........................................................£8995

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Collective Investments Collective investments are one way for new and/or small investors to get into the stockmarket. They are also a way of generally gaining diversification in a portfolio and/or investing in areas that it would perhaps be risky or impractical in which to buy individual shares, such as overseas. The most common types are shown below.

Investment Trusts are companies which essentially invest in shares of other companies, therefore, creating a diversified portfolio of investments. They are ‘closed-ended funds’ as there are only ever a set number of shares in existence at any one time. Shares in investment trusts are bought in the market in the same way that ordinary can be purchased and there will be a bid/offer spread, Stamp Duty of 0.5% is payable on the purchase and they have to be purchased via a firm which is a London Stock Exchange member.

Investment trusts trade at either a discount or premium to their net asset value. The net asset value is the current total value of all the shareholdings held by the investment trust plus any cash held, divided by the number of shares in issue. The discount or premium occurs where the market price of each investment trust share is below the net asset value (the investment trust shares stand at a discount to net assets) or the market price of each investment trust share is above the net asset value (the investment trust shares stand at a premium to net assets).

Unit Trusts have a trust rather than a company structure and issue units instead of shares. They are ‘open-ended funds’ i.e., the unit trust managers can create extra units when demand is high and cancel units when they are sold. The actual size of a unit trust fund is, therefore, constantly changing.

The value of a unit is simply the value of the underlying investments plus any cash held divided by the number of units in existence. Unit trusts are bought and sold directly with the managers (or your stockbroker or financial advisor can arrange this for you). Unit trusts typically operate on a 5 - 7% spread between creation and cancellation prices which is much higher than the difference on investment trusts. Consequently, private clients may find it is more advantageous to purchase units via their stockbroker or financial advisor as they often have arrangements in place where they can get a substantial discount on purchases which they pass on to their clients.

OEICs are a hybrid of unit and investment trusts and are a more recent innovation. They have a company structure like investment trusts and therefore issue shares, but are ‘open ended’ like unit trusts. Their most notable feature is that they have a single pricing structure i.e., the creation/ buying and cancellation/selling price is the same.

Kate Spurling lives in Swanage and is an investment manager with Charles Stanley, Dorchester office – (01305) 217404 – kate.spurling@charles-stanley. 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.

CGT Annual Exemption: Use it or lose it!

Capital gains tax (CGT) is normally paid when an item is either sold or given away. It is usually paid on profits made by selling various types of assets including properties (but generally not a main residence), stocks and shares, paintings, and other works of art, but it may also be payable in certain circumstances when a gift is made.

The most common method for minimising a liability to capital gains tax is to ensure that the annual exemption is fully utilised wherever possible. Whilst this is relatively straight-forward where only capital gains are in question, the computation can be slightly more complex where capital losses are also involved.

Where a loss arises on the sale of assets it can be offset against any other gains made in the same year or in the future. However, a strict order applies for setting-off losses. Firstly, losses arising in the tax year are deducted from any other chargeable gains for the same year. All losses for the year must be deducted, even if this results in chargeable gains after losses below the level of the annual exempt amount. If the allowable losses arising in the tax year are greater than the total chargeable gains for the year, the excess losses can be carried forward to be deducted from chargeable gains in future years. In this situation, the annual exemption for the year in question may be lost.

If chargeable gains remain after deducting the allowable losses arising from the same year, unused allowable losses brought forward from an earlier year may then be deducted. It is only necessary to deduct sufficient allowable losses brought forward to reduce the chargeable gains after losses to the level of the annual exempt amount. Any remaining losses brought forward are carried forward again without limit, to be deducted from chargeable gains in future years.

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Potential Pitfalls For Airbnb Landlords

Trading Standards Know your consumer rights!

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cam mail is sent with the sole intention of obtaining money through deception and fraud.

There are many types of postal scams including fake lotteries, prize draws, clairvoyant and bogus health cures.

Royal Mail has launched a new initiative to help protect consumers from scam mail. It will initially focus on customers receiving high volumes of scam mail and will block and impound scam mail at its major distribution centres before it reaches the customer’s letterbox.

Personal mail and legitimate business will continue to be delivered to the customer in the usual way. Using Special Delivery, Royal Mail will proactively contact those households it believes are receiving high volumes of scam mail.

They will be given the telephone number for a dedicated Royal Mail helpline, email address or Freepost address to contact the Royal Mail if they have concerns or want to arrange a home visit from Royal Mail staff.

In the six months from November 2016 to April 2017, 700,000 scam mail letters were intercepted and prevented from reaching their target victims.

Anyone can become a scam victim, if it has happened to you contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 who will take this situation seriously. This helpline is the first point of contact for consumers seeking advice or wishing to report a problem to trading standards.

Would you like to understand scams better and help people around you spot and stop scams?

Become a ‘Friend Against Scams’ at www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk

It seems harmless enough, allowing visitors to the area to use your spare room or even the whole property for a few nights and you make some money out of it.

This is an increasing trend with the rise of Airbnb and similar websites.

Te n a n t s a n d leaseholders offering up their available space need to ensure that they are not putting themselves at risk of breaching their lease and facing the possibility of losing their property.

Tenants living in a property under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy will undoubtedly have a clause in their contract preventing them from using the property for business.

The contract may also state that it must only be used as a single private residence.

Allowing people to occupy your property for money is generally considered business use and will also breach the single private residential use clause. You could be faced with eviction by your landlord.

Now, imagine the effect of this on a long leaseholder with a lease for say 99 years? If the lease specifies the clauses in the previous paragraph, the freeholder could take steps to bring your lease to an end. Court cases have been decided against the leaseholders for taking money from short term guests in breach of their lease.

Partying and disruptive Airbnb users could also cause problems where leases state that there must be no nuisance caused to neighbours or where you are not allowed to part with or share possession of the Property.

Insurance can be invalidated by allowing temporary occupants to stay in your property and leaseholders may be faced with substantial losses which will not be met by their insurance.

Mortgage companies could well call in their loan and start possession proceedings if you are allowing Airbnb occupants to stay in your property without their consent.

The above of course also affects London properties but in addition, they are required to have planning permission where there are short term lets for over 90 days in a year.

Enforcement action is a real possibility where this is not done.

It may seem like easy money but freeholders and leaseholders should check the terms of their lease before embarking on the Airbnb route.

It may end up costing you significantly more than you earn from doing it.

For advice on all aspects of landlord and tenant law, contact Jacqui Swann on 01935 846254 or jacqui. swann@battens.co.uk

01929 768720

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The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

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Food

From The Kitchen Garden...

Elderflower, Gooseberry & Rhubarb Trifle

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he growing season is well on its way in the Kitchen Garden and new life has sprung all over the place. Apart from all the new plants there are also freshly hatched chicks and ducklings. Every time a broody hen sits dedicated on a clutch of eggs, day in, day out, rearranging them carefully every so often and finally a chick hatches, I’m amazed at the perfection of it all! However, there are also plenty of tiny rabbits diving into the hedge when they see me coming! This is such a busy time; good job the days are plenty long….

There are still some seeds to be sown for crops later in the year or next year, seedlings to be planted out or thinned out, growing crops need to be weeded, watered, staked, netted and of course, picked or dug out before being packed and sold…..and there’s always grass that needs cutting.

With all this energy needed to do ‘stuff’, I need to eat cake….or similar, fairly often. What better way to enjoy the first fruity flavours than in a summery trifle? This concoction is so easy to ‘build’ in layers and if you can leave it in the fridge for a day or so before eating, it gets even better!

Elderflower, Gooseberry and Rhubarb trifle Elderflower Cordial: 30 Elderflower heads 4 oranges 2 lemons 3 pints boiling water 3 lbs. sugar 2 oz. citric acid Mix all, stirring occasionally After 24 hrs. strain and bottle Trifle ingredients (serves 12): About 40 sponge finger biscuits 4 egg yolks 100 gr. sugar 120 ml Sherry or sweet Marsala wine 450 gr mascarpone cheese 240 ml double cream 500 gr. Rhubarb, stewed, cooled 500 gr. Gooseberries, stewed, cooled 350 ml Elderflower cordial

By Regula Wright, Godlingston Manor Kitchen Garden

Method: Soak half the finger biscuits in the Elderflower cordial for two seconds before putting down as the first layer.

Beat the egg yolks, the sugar and Sherry together first, then whisk over steam, whip in the mascarpone cheese.

Whip the double cream to soft peaks, fold with both stewed fruits, and then fold with egg/Sherry mix.

Finally, layer biscuits with filling and put in the fridge for 24hrs before enjoying this indulgent pud!

Purbeck Products PURBECK PRODUCE - Local Producers FARMERS’ MARKET

The Purbeck Gazette

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MARKETS IN COMMERCIAL ROAD, SWANAGE, ON THE SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH. CURRENTLY ACTIVELY WELCOMING NEW LOCAL PRODUCERS TO OUR GROUP! CONTACT US VIA OUR WEBSITE TO GET INVOLVED

LOCAL PRODUCE FROM LOCAL PRODUCERS www.purbeckproducts.co.uk

Besties Lamb ith lambing finished and all the ewes and lambs out eating the lush grass, we now turn our attention to making our winter feed, hay and haylage. The machinery has to be got ready, repaired and greased. So, when the weather is settled and dry, we can cut our grass. Then it’s ‘all hands to the deck’ to bring in the small bales which we store in the barns until we need them in the winter.

The shearing of the autumn lambing ewes and rams is complete, thanks to our son. Mike and I have now retired from doing it. The fleeces are then collected and taken to South Molton where they are graded. They will then be auctioned, with some going for knitting wool or for carpets, depending on the grading.

The rams are back in action for our autumn lambing flock. These lambs born in September enable us to sell lamb all year round rather than having just hogget* in the spring.

With the BBQ season upon us, I shall have our delicious burgers, kebabs and Besties Bangers at the markets, as well as our grass finished lamb, ½ lamb boxes are also available.

So, please come down and see us at our monthly market at Commercial road in Swanage on the second Saturday of the month, all the other Purbeck Products members will be there with their great goodies. * A sheep or colt alter it has passed its first year

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The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Home on the Range

Words by John Garner Picture by George Crane

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n a stunning spring day not long ago, I took a walk along a section of the Lulworth range walks that I have never walked before.

Unaccountably, as this particular area is one of my favourites in Dorset. It is the walk from just above Kimmeridge to Worbarrow Bay. It takes you past and above the deserted village of Tynham and whilst you can find other routes back to your starting point, including one where you descend into the village itself, I stayed on the ridge and only diverted from the path along the top to drop down for a closer look at the sea.

The sea is the thing that makes this walk for me, although it is a beautiful stretch of land no matter where you cast your eyes. The sea is the thing that makes many a walk for me. They say that once you’ve lived by the sea it is very hard to live inland. For me this would most definitely be the case. Because the sea is a landscape that is in constant flux. Rarely are two days the same.

You get an ever-changing landscape and you can get those changes very quickly. No waiting for the seasons to roll over and the flora and fauna to gradually materialise. It can be intensely different in a matter of hours.

This particular day, it was millpond flat and as such, was reflecting the bright-ish sun and giving the dark cliffs a glow they are not always endowed with. Some think Kimmeridge can appear dark and forbidding at times.

Whilst there were many people pottering on the rocks and a few kayaking lazily around the bay, I only encountered five other people on a two-hour walk. One of them ran past before I had a chance to acknowledge his existence. I have a tendency to day dream. The wind was barely noticeable and the sea was at rest. All very peaceful and picturesque. You could hear the gentle bleating of lambs and the odd voice drifting out of the dips up onto the hills.

Fast forward a few weeks and I walk the same route. And the essence of living by the coast comes into sharp focus. It’s a very different walk. The smooth reflective water has been replaced by an angry grey and white mess that crunches and spits at the cliffs and hurls foam tens of metres into the air, splattering the exposed rocks before draining back into the boiling waters.

The sea is no longer the benign entity of earlier, one intent on luring one into or onto it, but a clear division has been made between the land and

something more dangerous. The subtle, natural sounds have given way to a more forbidding sensory experience. Gusts of wet wind do their best to knock me over. The dog’s fur is blown backwards, not that he could care less, the wind seeming to hype him up to new heights of busyness. The sounds are no longer gentle. The bay is alive with activity.

Of course, you get these changes in weather inland as well, but it is the effect of this weather on the exposed coastlines that make for some of the most dramatic scenery. The wind intensified as I walked. The waves continued to crunch against the coastline, eroding and hauling chunks of shale and rock back into the mess. It became impossible to judge the size of the waves as they seemed to slow down and merge with one another.

Waves pounded in and were reflected back out to hit the next set of oncoming chunks of water. It was truly spectacular. Gulls expertly hung against the wind making subtle twitches of their feathers to control their position using the wind as a stabiliser where everything else battled against it. Even the tough little gorse bushes were struggling to keep hold of the bright yellow flowers that a few weeks earlier had smelled of coconut in the warming sun.

The Isle of Purbeck has an abundant coastline. These seas range from the almost always gentle loll of the waves along Studland, to the often more dramatic storm-affected waves to the south. The latter are my favourite and I can spend happy hours just watching the sea in this state. What is also interesting is seeing the same place in different weather conditions and indeed, during different seasons.

As I write this, the house is currently being battered by fifty-mile-per-hour gusts of wind from the south west. My mind is wandering back to the walk and I wonder if there is enough light left over in the gloomy dusk to go and see the power of the waves that will have been generated by this mini storm. I think there probably is.

You can be sure that I’ll be out there walking the same route again in the near future and I’d imagine it will be a different walk all over again.

Check out the opening times for the range walks online.

They’re open more often than you might think and are all splendid.

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Gazette Gardening with Simon Goldsack

All a’buzz in Summer Wildflower Meadow or Wildlife Meadow ... is there a difference?

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ncouraging wildlife into the garden has become very popular in the last few years with increased awareness of how gardens are an important refuge especially in an urban location.

To attract foraging insects into your garden you need to have a good supply of simple flowers that provide nectar and pollen over many months.

A simple and very cheap method of achieving this is to allocate part of your garden to either sow a mix of nectar rich annuals or to create a wildflower area.

Both systems will create a real buzz and flutter but there are important differences.

Annual seed mixes Annual seed mixes are a mix of both ornamental plants and more colourful native wildflowers. Remove the turf, cultivate the ground and sow the seeds in spring and bingo by summer you have a feature which is very colourful and attractive to both gardeners and foraging insects alike.

We did this last year and it flowered from late June to December.

Wildflower meadows This is a mix of native wildflowers and grasses which results in a more balanced environment for wildlife as not only does it benefit foraging insects but it will also attract may more invertebrates, butterflies and birds. However, it takes longer to achieve but good results can be seen from about year three onwards.

The key to success is an impoverished soil that is low in fertility. This is opposite to most gardening, so the first two years you will be attempting to take nutrient out of the system so that the grasses grow less strongly and allow the wildflowers to come to the fore.

You achieve this by cropping the sward to about 10cms in late July or early August and removing the resulting hay.

At Holme we are employing both systems so come along and have a look at and a listen to the buzzing insects for yourself this summer!

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The Purbeck Gazette

Margaret Green Animal Rescue Centre

Raising a Pony for our Ponies!

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he rescue and rehoming of Field Animals, particularly horses, has been on the increase over the last three – five years. The Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Rehoming and Visitor Centre at Church Knowle is well placed to take additional Farm Animals, situated on thirtyfive acres near Wareham.

This is where MGAR is looking for assistance in building a new Barn, as it does not have a large enough (or suitable) barn or additional stabling.

The current covered yard only has four stables and, in addition, has wind and rain cover issues due to the breeze block walls, and is also not suitable for our larger animals due to the low ceiling height. Surrounding

I write having just returned from seeing a Dolphin off Tilly Whim with a group of pupils from Parkstone Grammar School. A lone Dolphin has been seen around a pot marker for several hours today, observed breeching and leaping. That along with a Gannet diving close to shore suggests fish! On Thursday 27th July, families can learn about “Dolphins and the deep blue sea” through games and activities at the Learning Centre for £3 per child.

It has been great sharing views of Bee Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid and Early English Gentian in flower. Swathes of tall pink Sainfoin in many of the meadows, along with Ox-eye Daisies, Yellow Rattle, Marjoram, Sorrel, Pale Flax, and the stunning pink flowers of Grass Vetchling, scattered like jewels among the grass. An attractive member of the ‘Cow Parsley’ family, most notable for its name, Corky-fruited Water Dropwort can also be found in profusion.

The downland is also looking great at the moment, with Wild Thyme, Eyebright, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch, Quaking Grass, Salad Burnet, Burnet Rose and Dwarf Thistle just a few of the plants in bloom at the moment. On our Sea Bird Boat Trips, we shared good views of Puffin, Swift and Kittiwake near Dancing Ledge, whilst Guillemots, Razorbills and Fulmar graced Durlston Cliffs. Off Old Harry we had great views of cliff nesting Cormorants, as well as glimpses of a Peregrine Falcon.

As you are probably aware, our Durlston Explorer Bus (No5) is in service daily until 23rd September. It leaves Swanage station every half hour from 10:00 until 16:30. It leaves Durlston again every half hour from 10:20 until 16:50. Hopefully this will make it easier for families and the less mobile to at least return to Swanage from Durlston!

We will begin July on the 1st with Durlston Dog Day from 11:00 to 15:00. Our first Dog Day with stalls from Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Dorset Dogs, Purbeck Agility, PetLuv and more with friendly dog shows for all abilities. Free entry, £2 per show.

July’s Exhibitions in the Fine Foundation Gallery include: Helen

the covered yard are four small enclosures, with two old and dilapidated shelters, which are no longer suitable for sustained use. A new barn would improve the lives, not just for our horses, but for many of our animals at Church Knowle.

Overall, we need to raise £150,000 and that’s where you can help…

We’ve initially set a target towards the Barn project of £5000, which would take just 200 people raising £25 each to achieve! ‘A Pony’ is a common cockney rhyming slang for £25 and MGAR are encouraging supporters to hold events to help raise much needed funds.

To find out how to donate today go online to: www. margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk/Pony_For_The_Ponies The build starts later this year and MGAR are also keen to hear from businesses who would like to pledge larger sums towards the barn project as part of a corporate scheme.

If you’re a business and would like to find out more about making a pledge contact: teamgreen@mgar.org.uk www.margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk

Muspratt Photography Exhibition until 11th July will be open from 11:00 to 16:00. Helen’s studio opened in Swanage in 1928 and she became famous for her experiments with solarisation and work in the Soviet Union and Wales, and her portraiture of Paul Nash and Aileen Agar in Swanage.

Wildlife Landscapes from 18th July to 8th August open 11:00 to 16:30. Paintings of Durlston and Dorset by internationally renowned wildlife artist Richard Tratt. Meet the artist who will be creating paintings of Durlston during this exhibition.

A couple of new family events arrive just in time for the beginning of the summer holidays and include: Durlston’s Dino Trail: 21st July to 3rd September from the Castle between 10:30 and 16:00. Step back in time for Durlston’s prehistoric trail around the park and win a prize! £3.

Bottle Rockets on July 31st at the Castle 14:30 – 17:30. Bring along a pop bottle and have a go at building and launching a rocket.

Booing Essential. £3.

Den Building on August 3rd 2017 meet at the Learning Centre 10:30 to 13:00. Test your survival skills and design and make the perfect wilderness shelter. Booking essential - £3.

For those with a Wildlife Interest why not join in with: Ted Pratt’s High Summer Flowers Walk on July 23rd 14:30 to 16:00. Explore our meadows with knowledgeable local botanist for only £3.

Glow-Worm Walk July 28th 2017, 21:00 to 22:30 Join a Ranger for a night-time talk and walk to hopefully see discover these amazing creatures as well as bats, moths and other creatures of the night.

It is always worth seeing our sky at night! Booking Essential. £5.

Meet a Moth is planned for every Saturday morning at the castle 10:30 to 11:00. Look through last night’s trap (weather permitting).

This event is Dementia Friendly. Donations welcome.

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Wareham In Bloom Goes For NATIONAL GOLD!

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fter receiving a gold award for the best small town in the South and South East in Bloom competition last year, Wareham in Bloom are now National finalists in the 2017 competition.

Many businesses assist with sponsoring and donating to Wareham in Bloom and they, and the volunteers, have enabled us to reach this achievement.

The small but dedicated committee are very proud and enthusiastic about this accolade, but it does bring added pressures.

This spring, the Committee assisted Wareham Rotary Club with the ‘Purple for Polio’ campaign, which resulted in 5000 crocuses being planted and created a beautiful display to highlight the plight of Polio sufferers.

The team are currently tending Saxon Roundabout, Saxon Magic Corner, plots on Worgret Road, Rempstone Centre, St John’s Hill, the Churchwood Centre, North, South, East and West streets and have an ongoing project to help Wareham St Mary Primary School clear and tidy their garden.

As a committee, our aim is to make Wareham a pretty and relaxing place to be. We also want our residents and children to feel proud of their community and to be involved with their community.

Our beautiful flower displays will be in place in June and these will need weekly deadheading and regular watering throughout the summer months.

We always need seasonal help to maintain our plants and flowers, but this year is particularly special and we would like to appeal to our community of Wareham for their help and support.

If you feel able to give some time to help us by watering, deadheading, planting or working on the school garden, then please contact Emily on 01929 553006 or office@wareham-tc.gov.uk.

Let’s continue to make Wareham a special place to be!

Images: top: crocuses at Wareham Fire Station. Left: the Bradford Flag, above and below: Wareham School

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Sunflowers Over Swanage - Flowering Time!

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he planting of thousands of sunflowers has now taken place throughout Swanage. The Fresh Prospects gardening team at All Saints Church in Ulwell planted their seedlings and even wrote a poem in their honour!

The Swanage School and Swanage Primary were both busy with a couple of hundred seedlings filling big tubs at both schools and Emmanuel Church held their planting day on June 3rd, where around fifty seedlings got safely into the ground, with more to come later. Even Simon the Postman couldn’t resist a sunflower pose on the day!

The Coastwatch Team out on Peveril Point have creatively revamped an old rowing boat as a ‘raised bed’ and filled it with a good mix of compost and manure and are hoping for some sunny giants to emerge but the boat needs a name …. any ideas anyone? The Pier Shop’s seedlings are struggling so if they don’t emerge as they should, the pier staff have promised to paint a sunflower mural on the wall!

Woolly sunflowers have taken the fancy of quite a few people and some lovely stories have come to the fore of people wanting a woolly flower

in memory of a loved one. Various volunteer knitters in town are having trouble keeping up with the demand but there are several still available – pop in to Emmanuel in Victoria Avenue, choose one and make a donation to Operation Agri – a third-world farming project.

The ‘Herston to Durlston’ Sunflower Trail took on a new twist recently when an old Swanage story of a quarry donkey’s grave came to light. The tale is being researched further and hopefully, the grave will be restored to view and, of course, surrounded by sunflowers!

Meanwhile in July, why not join in with some sunflower creativity when there’s an arty-crafty drop in all day at Herston Hall on Sunday 2nd July where you can help to create some giant sunflowers with a local artist which will be installed on the side of Durlston Castle as a ‘grande finale’ to the trail, or at Emmanuel Church on Saturday July 15 from 11am to 3 pm, where there’ll be a chance to try your hand at painting a Van Gogh sunflower replica!

Pop along with your paints and brushes (or use theirs) and have some fun trying!

No experience necessary – some real artists will give you some guidelines, and hopefully, there will be some to exhibit at the Sunflower Exhibition in September.

For more info on any of the above – tel 427706 or email events@ emmanuelbc.org.uk

The Purbeck Gazette

A newcomer to Purbeck, by Josie Oliveira

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Poppies at Wool, by Christine Bridson-Jones

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The LAST EVER Swanage Jazz Festival!

28th Swanage Jazz Festival 14-16 July he twenty-eighth this year will, sadly, be our last jazz festival. Age and ill health has finally caught up with the committee.

The Festival draws in a national audience, and gives music lovers in Purbeck and South Dorset the chance to hear the quality of jazz that they would hear in the best clubs throughout the country. Our programme presents a selection of the whole range of jazz from New Orleans revivalism to swing and contemporary jazz-rock. We mix established stars and many of the most exciting young bands on the jazz scene.

We are particularly proud that over the years we have given many young musicians a chance to play in front of a national audience. Some of them have gone on to national and international success. This year we have two very young traditional jazz bands, the Old Hat led by drummer Lizy Exell and the Dixie Strollers, led by trumpet player James Davison. On the modern jazz side, we have two more brilliant trumpet players, Freddie Gavita with his quartet and Laura Jurd with her band Dinosaur.

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Purbeck Artists & Stallholders Come and join us!

Sat 15 July until Sunday 20th August 2017 11am - 4.30pm - open every day Crafts, Arts, Cakes, Jellies, Jams & Chutneys, Flowers, Cream Teas and Ice Cream

Worth Matravers Village Hall

There are also lots of free events in pubs - the Red Lion, the White Swan, the Crows Nest and the Black Swan - and open-air concerts by youth bands and busking bands throughout the weekend at the Old Stone Quay, Prince Albert Gardens. Saturday morning sees a brass band parade on the sea front, and there’s a jazz service of gospel music on Sunday morning at the Methodist Church.

The Festival begins on Friday afternoon at Swanage Station, with a steam train trip to Harman’s Cross, followed by a jazz dance at the Village Hall with a leading traditional jazz band.

Information and tickets for the Festival and the steam train/jazz dance, are available from the ticket office (01929 422215) and the web site www.swanage.org

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Save The Date!

Milton Abbas Street Fair

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he villagers of Milton Abbas are delighted to announce that our famous 18th Century Street Fair, this year is on Saturday 29th July from 11am - 5pm.

The Street Fair Committee have been busy making plans and we’re pleased to announce that a well-known personality will open the Street Fair! Almost all stalls have been booked and a full programme of entertainment for your enjoyment has been arranged.

If you are helping out at the fair or just coming as a visitor, we would love you to join in the spirit of the event and wear 18th Century costume.

We have costumes you can hire or buy and these will be available to view and try on during June and July, with dates to be announced shortly.

If you would like to volunteer and be more involved in this wonderful event either before, during or after the fair, please contact Ellie Payne at payne_ellie@hotmail.com or Brian Isherwood at bjisher@dsl.pipex.com Why not go along to our website at: ‘www.miltonabbasstreetfair.co.uk’, check out our new dedicated Street Fair website and keep up-to-date will all that is happening.

You can also find us and like us on our Facebook page.!

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NEW! Mind Body Soul Exhibition - Get Involved!

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here is a very special fine art exhibition happening in the Isle of Purbeck this summer in the form of a collaboration between distinguished local contemporary artists Andrew Thomas, sculptor, and Phil Hill, painter, who will be exhibiting their latest works throughout the magnificent venue of Leeson House in Langton Matravers from August 5th – 13th.

The exhibition – ‘Mind Body Soul’ – Art for Wellbeing – is a free event for both visitors and participants, which focusses on the relationship between art and good health. There is growing awareness of the therapeutic benefits of creative practices as a therapy for all forms of physical/psychological health issues and for general wellbeing, which can help to promote healing, build confidence and boost self-esteem.

We are delighted to be supporting and fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society charity, who offer an outstanding service nationwide, and who will have a presence at the venue throughout the duration of the exhibition.

Get Involved We are calling for art groups, clubs, tutors and community groups, to join us at the venue to promote your services, demonstrate your skills, and display examples of your work if practical. The objective is to utilise the beautiful seven-acre grounds of Leeson House for creative practises and

events, and to provide a forum for both visitors and artists to meet and discuss these activities.

You could erect a gazebo, or similar, or simply work in the open air, and speak to visitors about your group, club or other services. We would encourage you to offer information, with the aim to generate new members or students, who can then learn the artistic skills themselves, and ultimately enjoy the benefits and inner rewards of art and creativity for pleasure and wellbeing.

We would also like to hear from anyone who can offer creative ‘Have a Go’ sessions for children and adults, and music workshops for all ages. Where a fee is chargeable for these workshops, we would ask for a donation to be made to the Alzheimer’s Society.

If you would like to get involved then please contact Andrew Thomas to discuss your plan, which can then be added to the daily ‘Program’. Your contact information, website and social media details will also be added to the free ‘Directory’ page, which will be live until February 2018.

Please visit our website for full details of the exhibition: www.mindbodysoul.gallery e. art@3dsculptor.co.uk t. 01929 550832

The Purbeck Gazette

Take A Seat At The Songwriters’ Circle

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usic fans are in for a special treat at this summer’s Purbeck Valley Folk Festival (24-27 August) with an exclusive Songwriting Circle that will see headline musicians entertain festival-goers with colourful stories behind their well-loved songs.

Headliners announced for the family-friendly festival so far include: Badly Drawn Boy, Turin Brakes, Ben Ottewell (from Gomez), Michele Stodart (from The Magic Numbers), Martha Tilston, Kathryn Williams, 3 Daft Monkeys and Dorset favourites, The Ben Waters Band, and there are loads more!

This year the popular Songwriting Circle will boast the talents and insight of Kathryn Williams, Michele Stodart and Ross Wilson (Blue Rose Code).

Kathryn Williams is an English singer-songwriter who to date has released thirteen studio albums, written and arranged for a multitude of artists, and was nominated for the 2000 Mercury Music Prize. Kathryn also performs a concert with her trio on the Saturday afternoon at the festival.

Joining Kathryn is Michele Stodart, who, with The Magic Numbers, landed in the top ten with their double-platinum-selling debut album in 2005.

Michele now also has a successful solo career that will see her perform new material at the festival on Saturday evening.

Also in the Circle is enigmatic Scottish musician Blue Rose Code who has an army of celebrity fans such as Ewan McGregor, Edith Bowman and Ian Rankin. Blue Rose Code is actually acclaimed songwriter Ross Wilson who will be performing with his trio at the festival on the Saturday.

Festival organiser Catherine Burke says: “The Songwriters’ Circle was mentioned in lots of your feedback as one of the favourite features at the festival. Last year it was just brilliant, and this year is shaping up to be even better with Kathryn Williams, Michele Stodart and Ross Wilson (Blue Rose Code).”

Catherine added: “The songwriters circle is a unique way of hearing these songwriters’ song in an intimate, less formal way, hearing a little bit about the song and how they came up with it, and the writing process.”

The organisers are renowned for meticulously and carefully choosing artists for an exciting festival that reflects the diversity of the current folk scene, with plenty to keep music lovers and families on their toes.

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 a host of other favourite attractions including kids entertainers, storytellers, craft workshops, music workshops, song sessions, cinema, 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).

Available from www. purbeckvalleyfolkfestival. co.uk Pictures: by Tim Crabb and Nico Johnson

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Wareham Wednesdays Return!

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elcome to our 7th year of Wareham Wednesdays!

Once again, I am very excited to be Chairman of Wareham Wednesdays and to be part of the fantastic team who bring you these fabulous events on Wednesday evenings. I am particularly excited to tell you about our 2017 summer entertainments!

Over the previous years we’ve learnt a lot about how to provide the people of Wareham with great entertainment, whilst always making the events safe and family friendly. However, we are always striving to come up with new ideas and progress the WW events to become bigger and better and not offer the same old thing year after year.

Therefore – please be ready for this year’s exciting, bigger and better summer events! Our amazing committee of volunteers, who spend endless hours organising, have continued to push our Wareham Wednesdays Events and this year you will NOT be disappointed!

I don’t want to give too much away, leaving you all begging to know more …… Well, you’ll just have to come along and see for yourselves!

As a taster, we have the following planned: This year we are raising the bar again by bringing on board a company called ‘Sound & Light’ who will be providing us with an amazing ‘Festivalsized Stage and Lighting Experience’ which will certainly take our live music sound quality and shows to the next level. We are very excited about this whole new live music experience.

We will now be able to provide the children’s Interactive Wii Dance with this new stage – which is also a new idea and I’m sure all the parents will also find it hard not to join in. Watch out, this year is going to be spectacular!!!

We are also adding to the selection of food stalls and other exciting attractions that you will be able to peruse your way around during each Wednesday evening. I’m not saying anymore, but there will be something for everyone’s taste to keep your energy levels high!

The classic Tug-Of-War and Raft Race will still be running this year as these are both hugely popular and are real crowd pleasers. Feel free to enter a team – but beware the two baths nailed together are looking more streamlined for this year’s race!! Will the Army boys be back this year to retain their title? Who knows? But certainly great to watch!

We are pleased to say that we also have some new committee members to help us in the organisation and planning and to get the WW brand taken to new levels. We are very excited to have Carl Cahill on board – who is currently transforming our website and social media sites – to give us better exposure than before, both during and after the events have taken place. Thank you Carl. (Carlcahill.com).

Our other new member is Tom Dillion (Local Gardening, Fencing and Patio Man), who will be helping with the smooth running of the evenings’

procedures. Thanks again Tom – we will greatly appreciate your help!

To continue the WW events we still need your support to enable us to raise money to give back to the local community. This was, of course, the whole reason for starting these events in the first place. So, please make the effort to join us throughout the summer events.

Our first 2017 event is helping out with the MS Family Day, which takes place at Wareham Quay on Saturday 22rd July – where we will be continuing the daytime events on into the evening with music from local bands ‘Brass Monkeys’ and ‘Jim Etherington’. The usual gang will be serving you food and beers during the evening until our first firework display of the season.

Then our first WW ‘proper’ evening crashes off on Wednesday 26th July with a Street Festival, the RNLI Duck Race and our legendary Raft Race with music from the ‘KMK – Kaiser Chiefs – and ‘Where’s Clive’ Wareham’s own popular band. Then, as always, we’ll be finishing the evening with a spectacular firework display.

The following week (Wednesday 2nd August) is our first ‘Kids’ Dancing Competition’ with the new stage providing the Visual Wii Fit by Projector.

A Punch and Judy show will take place, followed by live music with ‘Stereoironics’ (tribute Band) and ‘The Prairie Dogs’.

We are very excited about Wednesday 16th August with the ‘Poole Pirates Invasion’, which has progressed over the years and this year a really spectacular show has been organised. We are particularly pleased to be raising money on this night as all proceeds will be going to Cancer Research and the Cancer Wards in Wareham and Poole Hospitals. Live music will be performed by Oasiss, Finnian and Funkbusters. We will need lots of local Purbeckian Pirates to come along and help us defend the Quay - dressed appropriately, and armed with water pistols, please!

Our finale night on Wednesday 30th August will be our special favourite and crowd puller ‘NAVI’ – Our own personal Michael Jackson Tribute Band. Navi has been with us for five years now and we are just as excited to see him perform on our much larger stage this year.

I would like to thank all our sponsors again this year for advertising in our official WW programme. Also, thanks to everyone who has already spent endless hours organising the superb events that we now have lined up. Local sponsorship is also very welcome and goes a long way in helping some of the charities we support. So, if you have a local business and would like to get on board, then we would very much like to talk to you.

We are always looking for additional volunteers to assist us with the events.

If you are a local with a few hours to spare on a Wednesday evening, we would very much appreciate your help and you too could become one of the legendary ‘Yellow Coats’!

Please give us your support this summer and please don’t be shy to chuck a couple of quid into the buckets because without your support and money, our events just wouldn’t be possible! Thanks again for all your support - we look forward to seeing you all for another fantastic summer of fun!

Dave Burgess, (Chairman - pictured, top left (front, in red) paddling my team to victory in a previous WW Raft Race!)

The Purbeck Gazette

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Oliver! At The Mowlem Theatre

The Purbeck Gazette

wanage Musical Theatre Company present ‘Oliver!’ This is the musical adaptation of the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart.

The musical starts in the workhouse where the orphan boys are eating their gruel but one brave boy asks for more. His name is Oliver and he is told to leave by the greedy caretakers, Mr Bumble and the widow Corney. Mr Bumble actually sells Oliver to the undertakers, Mr and Mrs Sowerberry.

Oliver manages to escape and goes on the run and so begins his new life in the city of London. There he meets the Artful Dodger, friends and Fagin, a criminal who teaches the boys to pick pockets. Oliver is befriended

by Nancy, an older member of the gang and live-in wife of Bill Sykes, a brutal house-burglar.

Come and see what happens to Oliver and the interesting twist to the story! Enjoy the memorable songs such as ‘Food Glorious Food’, “Consider Yourself”, “You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket or Two”, “Oom-Pah-Pah” and the well-known “As long As He Needs Me”.

Showing at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage Thursday 6 - 8 April. Book on 01929 422239 for tickets.

Wareham Choral Society Success For P.A.W. 2017!

Summer Concert July 15th

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earching for the perfect venue for our Summer Concert, this year we have chosen the new Kimmeridge Village Hall. This is in the new Etches Museum in Kimmeridge and is a lovely venue for a summer evening Concert. Overflow parking will be available in a signposted field nearby.

Our programme will have a maritime theme with songs from English Concert Hall, The Proms and South Pacific. Soloists from the choir and invited young soloists will sing songs of their choice. Drinks and nibbles will be available during the interval.

Tickets must be purchased in advance as seating is limited. Tickets are available from Choir Members, Joy’s Outfitters in Wareham and by phone (01929 459319).

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he wonderful array of art in Rollington Barn and the many artists’ open studios attracted visitors from far and wide to beautiful Purbeck. Paintings, sculptures, prints, glass, jewellery, photography and ceramics were enjoyed, bought and discussed from Durlston to Sandford and from Bushey to West Lulworth.

As one visitor said: “Everywhere you turn there is creative individual art work of quality” - inspired by fossils, the landscape, cows, flowers, the human form and experience and much more.

Alongside the art the range of events entertained, challenged and inspired their audiences. Rarely does a classical music audience spontaneously stand and cheer at the end of a performance and then a completely different audience at the same Festival cheer the following night during an evening of dance. But this is what happened when I Fagiolini inspired a full house with their performance of Orfeo in Wareham and then a range of young dancers excited an equally full house at the Mowlem in Swanage.

More local schools and community groups than ever were involved in the Purbeck Young Artist scheme and community performances – an experience they will remember in years to come; local shops took part in the ‘A Moment in Time’ window display competition; and thanks to the continuing generosity of Friends and local sponsors, PAW was able to offer a full arts programme with something for everyone from eight to eighty years old.

The excitement of Purbeck Art Weeks Festival may be over for this year, but don’t forget to put next year’s Festival dates into your diaries - May 26 to June 10!

Image: Abstract fossil, by Helen Biles

The Purbeck Gazette

Wareham Carnival 2017

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areham Carnival time is here again! This year the main events are on 23rd July, beginning with the grand procession through the town along North Street, into West Street and up to the Recreation Ground. Join the parade or watch as it passes by, with our lovely new Carnival Queen and Royalty.

From 12:30pm onwards, it’s our free Fun Day ‘Up the Rec’, which offers an afternoon of entertainment and fun. Displays in the arena include a field gun team, plus games for kids and adults, varying from sack races to haybale rolling.

Around the field, just like last year, there will be lots of stalls selling food, the Poppy Picnic, crafts and local goods, as well as local organisations and charities. In the marquee we have arranged music, bands and a bar for the afternoon and early evening.

Other great carnival events at the Wareham Rec: On Friday 21st July we have a night of music in the marquee, with three bands providing new and enthusiastic music courtesy of Absolute Music, a great night out guaranteed. Starts 6pm Other marquee weekend events include the Annual Craft and Produce Show on Saturday 21st July, which is a chance to let people see your impressive gardening and craft skills!

In the week leading up to the procession and fun day there is a Safari Supper and Grand Quiz on Weds 19th July and a History Walk on 21st July.

For more details of all events visit wareham-carnival.org.uk or follow us on facebook. Tel 01929 550818.

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Kingston Country Fair 2017 Kingston Country Fair – a fundraising event for Dorset + Somerset Air Ambulance. he event started four years ago as an afternoon cream tea in the garden of Kingston Courtyard -hosted by Alan and Ann Fry- it was so successful that the following year a few stalls and a raffle were added.

In 2015 interest in the Fair grew, exhibitors bringing attractions at no – or minimal cost – resulting in the Fair developing in the field adjoining the garden overlooking the Corfe valley, thus the Kingston Country Fair was able to donate over £6,500 to DSAA. 2016 saw more attractions, live bands performed on the Saturday evening with the main Fair on the Sunday, arena displays included the rescue by the Fire Brigade of a person trapped in a car. A massive £9,500 profit was donated to DSAA.

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For 2017, the planned event will be even bigger!

Starting on Friday 7th July with live music in the marquee from 7pm, on Saturday 8th July we have a morning Car Boot Sale, followed by live music in the evening. We’re putting on the usual cash bar and BBQ both evenings.

The main Fair on Sunday 9th July with steam engine and vintage agricultural machinery exhibitors, a working saw bench, the popular dog show, birds of prey, stalls and many other field attractions providing something of interest for the whole family! Refreshments available all day. Entry is only £5 per car!

DSAA relies entirely on charitable donations; our Fair has now become one of its major fundraising events. …come along, have fun…you never know when you might need their service! www.kingstoncountryfair.org.uk or Facebook for more details.

The Purbeck Gazette

Swanage Methodist Church Concert

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Stage, screen, swing & popular music

WorleWind Concert Band at Swanage, High St Methodist Church Sunday 9th July at 7pm FREE ADMISSION Refreshments available For more info tel: 01929 422421

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orleWind Band heralds from Weston-super-Mare and was formed in January 2010. They have created a storm in the North Somerset area, often playing to packed houses and with frequent requests for repeat performances alongside radio broadcasts.

Now in their eighth year, and with over one hundred and twenty concerts under their belts, they are thrilled to have been invited to play at Swanage High Street Methodist Church on Sunday 9th July 2017 at 7 pm. The programme will consist of many well-known, toe tapping tunes from stage, screen, swing and 20th century popular music.

Thirty-five members of the band will be playing around the area over the weekend, culminating in this free concert. Refreshments will be available and the proceeds of a retiring collection will support the church’s work with children.

Harmony Rocks Says Goodbye To Clare Perriss

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t was a sad occasion on 24th April when the choir gathered to wish Clare farewell. Clare was the Musical Director for over two years, cleverly playing the piano whilst conducting. She advanced the choir with her own very special style of wit, energy and expertise.

Clare’s aim was always to make rehearsals relaxed, fun and educational.

Sue Smith gave an emotional account about Clare’s talents and presented her with an exquisite quilt, made by Sue herself, consisting of panels written with each choir member’s contribution of the words from their favourite song. Several other gifts were also given on the occasion and following on, friends of the choir enjoyed afternoon tea together with a short choir performance.

Clare is moving to Devon and will continue working with other choirs there.

We wish her well and all feel her hard work and dedication have improved each and every one of the choir’s vocal skills.

Join Us At The Parish Fete!

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on’t forget to come along to the fabulous fete at St Mary’s Parish Church in Swanage on 22nd July!

All the usual goodies will be there - a wide range of stalls, including the ever-popular plant stall, the book stall and a variety of bric-a-brac stalls.

Refreshments will be available; jump on the bouncy castle for a while to work up an appetite before grabbing a bite to eat from the the BBQ or enjoying a delicious Cream Tea on the lawns.

Swanage Town Band will be joining us, as well as the Maiden Oak folk group. What’s not to love?! We’ll see you on the 22nd!

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The Purbeck Gazette

Countdown To Swanage Carnival ‘Going Global’!

n just a few weeks’ time, Swanage carnival will be upon us, hosting more than one hundred different events for all ages. The opening weekend sees the return of the Motorbike display team and the popular Dog and Duck Show. Our fantastic carnival procession will fill the streets with fun and laughter on carnival Sunday. The 2017 theme is ‘Swanage goes Global’ and don’t forget, it’s not too late to enter a float! Entry forms can be found on our website.

On Carnival Friday, we welcome back the Red Arrows, bringing the skies alive with their amazing air acrobatics. The closing weekend sees the return of Titan the Robot and the Freedrop Airbag, will you be brave enough to make the leap?

The Swanage Carnival’s Zip Line will once again be erected on Prince Albert Gardens (PAG) for the duration of the week courtesy of local company, JM Adventure. Members of the public will have the opportunity to whizz across PAG and take in views of Swanage Bay. We also have seven nights of live music, including some brand new local bands and some popular favourites, the ever-popular Carnival bingo and three fantastic firework displays. Start collecting your coins now and remember to put a pound or two in the buckets to help keep our Carnival running and to raise money for our local charities and good causes.

Full details of the week will be available in our Carnival Programmes on sale throughout July.

The Purbeck Gazette

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The White Horse 11 High St, Swanage. BH19 2LP www.thewhitehorseinnswanage.co.uk 01929 422469

LIVE MUSIC IN CARNIVAL WEEK! join us on Thurs, Fri, Sat

TAKE AWAY DRINKS AVAILABLE

EVENTS LIST

Just a few of our carnival events for 2017

Full details available in our programme Opening weekend Fun Beach Run Motorbike display team, Dog & Duck Show Carnival Sunday The spectacular Carnival Procession Monday Market Day, Carnival Bingo, Swanage Bay Swim Tuesday Wacky Races, Crabbing Competition, Food Demonstrations Wednesday Scruffs Dog Show, Gig Racing, Touch Rugby Thursday Carnival’s Got Talent, Fun Run, Masquerade Night, Barn Dance Friday Red Arrows, Vintage Car Day, Wheelbarrow Race Saturday Freedrop Airbag, Dog & Duck Show, Titan the Robot

CENTAUR FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD Let us help you through the financial maze Agents for Yorkshire Building Society

Join us for the BEST Carnival on the coast!

Tel: 01929 425818 Email: kl.centaur@btconnect.com 49 Station Rd, Swanage, Dorset. BH19 1AD Your home is at risk if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any other loan secured on it.

Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

HIGH STREET CAFÉ 3 High Street, Swanage. BH19 2LN

Tel: 01929 427542

Join us for a superb full breakfast, or lunch during Swanage Carnival!

Opening hours: from 7.00am

Great Local Food, Just How You Like It!

J.J.Moore

Family & Catering Butcher

Proud to support Swanage Carnival 2017!

34 High Street, Swanage. Tel: 01929 424891

The Supporting Swanage Carnival!

Here to welcome you seven days a week!

High Street, Swanage. 01929 423533

More than 120,000 product lines supplied to the UK building & construction industry

Happy to support Swanage Carnival!

General Building Materials - Timber - Plumbing & Heating - Kitchens - Bathrooms Landscaping materials - Tool Hire

Travis Perkins, Unit 3 Industrial Estate, Victoria Avenue, Swanage. BH19 1BJ Tel: 01929 425411 Fax: 01929 426348 www.travisperkins.co.uk

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Mindfulness and Changing Unhelpful Thinking Patterns

At The Swanage Therapy Centre, with Jane Zoega

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hen it comes to negative experiences, we have habitual ways of responding to what triggers us. Over the years we develop unhelpful thinking patterns, but through mindfulness practice and awareness we can learn to step out of, and stay out of negative thought cycles.

Unhelpful thinking patterns are learned behaviours, and so the good news is, they can be unlearned. The first step is to be mindful (aware), to let go. We can learn to let go by becoming aware of our thoughts, and then learning, through practice, and it’s not always easy, to detach from our thoughts.

During the 8-week Mindfulness courses you will learn to become an impartial observer of your mind. To spend time observing your thoughts, and how they affect how you feel, and often drive behaviours. We can become better at dealing with stressful situations. Life will always throw difficulties and challenges at us, but through mindfulness we can slowly learn to develop a different relationship these challenges.

The 8-week courses are experiential and collaborative. The groups are kept small, and you will learn the basics of mindfulness meditation, as well as some simple cognitive behavioural techniques which are all proven methods for learning to manage stress and distress.

Practicing meditation does not involve learning a whole new set of skills.

It works so well because it enhances the life skills we already have.

Here is a very simple exercise to try, it is called the STOP skill. Something happens, and it makes you feel stressed and/or distressed. Stop – before reacting, pause, and take a breath.

Take a step back – notice what is happening, what are you reacting to?

Observe – what are you thinking? What are you feeling? Proceed Mindfully – where are you in your head? In the past? In the future? Practice being in the present moment. Focus on your senses. What can you see, smell, touch, taste?

The next Mindfulness course will be running in September at the Swanage Therapy Centre. For more details please call 01929 426506, or contact Jane Zoega on 07778 515599, or jane@janezoega.co.uk

Advertise your Health or Beauty Service HERE! See www.purbeckgazette.co.uk for rates

Swanage Therapy Centre We offer a wide range of treatments: Acupuncture Chiropractic Counselling Craniosacral Deep Tissue Massage Foot Health Care Hopi Ear Candles Indian Head Massage Mindfulness

Physiotherapy Pilates Pregnancy Massage Reflexology Reiki Sports Therapy Sports Massage Yoga Zero Balancing

T: 01929 426506 www.swanagetherapycentre.co.uk

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Matron’s Round - Our Local Hospitals’ Monthly Column

oing into hospital would not be high on most people’s wish list; however it can be a necessary part of medical care. Knowing what to expect can often take away some of the fear and worry, should this happen. We are very lucky in Purbeck to have two community hospitals enabling local people to have medical care and rehabilitation closer to home.

When you are first admitted into hospital you will be seen by the nursing and medical staff to take initial assessments and observations. These will help the team to monitor your wellbeing during your stay.

The computer systems used to record your medical details are shared by hospital staff, therapy staff, your GP and any other health professionals who you may have seen before your hospital admission. This gives the staff responsible for your care detailed background information on your previous health needs and abilities.

Throughout your stay the hospital team will work with you to discuss plans and goals that will enable you to return home. Occasionally it may not be possible for someone to return home safely, and in these circumstances the hospital team work closely with social services to find alternative accommodation.

During your stay, all members of the team will be aware of your goals and will work together to help you achieve them. This might mean that the nurses will practice your walking, or the occupational therapist might ask how you plan to manage your tablets when you go home.

You will be kept informed of all at stages of your stay about plans for home, and will be followed up after your discharge if this is needed. If at any point you have questions regarding your care, the staff will be happy to answer them for you.

Although you may not want to come into hospital the team hope that your experience will be a positive one and that you will leave us feeling better. Feedback on our services is always welcome, via the Friends and family Test and we review all feedback given to us.

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!

Stay Healthy!

with Dr. Hilary Jones Set Yourself a Challenge hallenging yourself can reveal qualities you didn’t know you had, and it’s a great time to get outdoors and set yourself a new goal. It might be a 10K run or a parachute jump - why not get some friends on board too for added fun and motivation? Convincing yourself that you will conquer the challenge will make you believe it, whilst boosting your self-esteem and self-confidence in the process!

Banish Unnecessary Stress Having too much on our plate can leave us feeling drained and anxious so it’s important to create a balance. Take ten minutes to reflect on the things you find stressful in life and think about ways to limit them or get rid of them altogether! Unclutter your mind before bed every night and give yourself time to think about the things in your daily routine that are really important to you.

Spring Clean Your Senses Staying connected with the world around us is key to our happiness, relationships and emotional wellbeing. Whilst many of us visit our optician and dentist regularly, we wrongly neglect our hearing health – with research showing people can wait up to ten years before taking action on a hearing problem! Don’t waste time wondering whether your hearing is what it should be — get the facts by getting a hearing test.

Get Health Wise Do you know your cholesterol level and your ratio of good fats to bad fats in your blood? What’s your blood pressure reading? What is your height-weight ratio and what is your body fat percentage? Staying on top of your health and taking positive steps to look after yourself today will help to protect your health in the years to come whilst giving you a baseline to compare with in the future.

Perfect Portioning Most of us know what we should be eating in order to stay healthy but portion size is something that many of us don’t give much thought to. According to the British Heart Foundation, our portion sizes have increased by more than 50% in the last twenty years, so try using your hand to measure your portion sizes: A portion the size of the palm of your hand should be your protein, two fist-size portions for your vegetables/ salad, one fist or less is your carbohydrates (potato, rice, pasta etc.).

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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

www.purbeckgazette.com

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Sport

The Purbeck Gazette

Swanage Rowing Regatta - A Spectacular Gig!

Words by Cathy Lewis, Photos by Andy Harris

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wanage bay was the scene of colour, drama and excitement in June, when the sea rowing club hosted its annual regatta. On a sunny but increasingly windy day, eight gig rowing clubs from the south coast showed off their skills and stamina. Crowds of spectators lined the promenade and Sandpit Field, adding to the atmosphere of this lively community event.

Crews ranged from veterans to juniors – the youngest rower being a nine-year old from Swanage. “We were particularly proud of our young rowers,” said the juniors’ coach, Brian Norman. “They showed grit and determination by keeping going in the blustery, choppy conditions – and most had never raced before!”

The overall event winner was Weymouth, with Swanage coming a close second. Working as hard as the rowers – and in equally windy conditions – was the dedicated crew of local volunteers who provided food and drink throughout the day.

Don’t forget you can give rowing a try at our free taster sessions on Tuesday evenings (from 6pm) and Saturday mornings (10am-12 noon), weather permitting. Just come down to the jetty near the pier and boathouse. To find out more, look on our website www.ssrc.org.uk

Swans Cricket Top The Premier Division With 94/100!

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wanage Cricket Club have enjoyed a remarkable start to the season, with the 1st team winning all five of their matches in the Premier Division.

The outstanding performer in the 1st team has been Pete Richards - he is both the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the league. He has been ably supported with the bat by Ben Baczala, Ian Booth, Francis Kerins, Rob Hatchard and Craig Wells. With regards to the bowling Booth, Hatchard, Steve Kent, Mike Nash and Ryan Norman have all assisted Richards at various times. Another major advantage for the team has been the exceptional wicket-keeping skills displayed by Phil Eades.

The 2nd XI, who have also won all of their games, have seen a real all-round team effort as different players have made significant contributions to their four wins in four matches. A majestic century by Paul Norman got the season off to the perfect start and his two other half-centuries, along with two from Scott Orchard and Pete Baczala, have meant Swanage have had big totals to defend.

This has been backed up by some excellent bowling with Pete and Ron Barker, David Haines, Dave Morton and Mike Wells all taking vital wickets.

However, it is the fielding and catching led by the youthful exuberance of Matt Dunster, Charlie Dyke, Jack McDermott and Sam Willcocks that has made all the difference to the previously ageing second team. Their all-round contribution with bat, ball and in the field has helped hugely in putting Swanage top of Division 5.

All the youth sides have been in action recently as Swanage continues to improve and compete with the best sides in the area. It has been an exciting time as the victories have started to build up. The Under 8s and U-10s, both playing in the top division, won their first games against Parley.

Whilst the U-9s won their first ever game playing with the hard cricket ball against Hamworthy. The U-11s beat Wimborne before losing narrowly to

Winton. With sides from U-8s to U15s, as well as a Girls’ U-11s, there are plenty of opportunities to play cricket in the Purbeck area.

After achieving four wins in four games in May, the first XI team were awarded the ‘Dorset Funeral Plan Team Of the Month’ award, run by the Douch Family Funeral Directors (owners of James Smith in Swanage). The team are photographed along with Peter Douch.

Training continues on Thursday evenings up at the club and if you would like to get involved please contact the club’s Youth Coordinator, Tim Ives at: timswanagecricket@gmail.com For all the latest news/results, please visit our website: www. swanagecricketclub.co.uk Mike Nash, Press & Media Officer.

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Isle Of Purbeck Golf Club

A Summer Of Sun!

2017 William Hunt Trilby Tour Championship of Dorset or the tournament’s 10th Anniversary this year, the 2017 William Hunt Trilby Tour has refreshed itself with a new line-up of venues across the country. This year the Trilby Tour is proud to be working with Isle of Purbeck Golf Club for the 2017 Championship of Dorset, a course well-known not only for its spectacular coastal views, but also for a challenging layout keeping golfers on their toes around the entire course.

On 27th July 2017, more than 140 players will compete to be crowned the 2017 Trilby Tour Champion of Dorset with spaces for the event selling out in less than two hours on entry day. The appeal of the tournament lies in its unusual competitive format with the champion being decided as the top 4 players on the day go head to head in a 3-hole shootout. Golfers have hailed the Trilby Tour as the closest experience to a Professional tournament, playing under the pressures of an international televised event. Die-hard fans return year after year gripped by its fierce winner takes all competitive format.

Founder William Hunt says: “The Trilby Tour is about re-defining the game of golf and taking it to new heights. It’s about constantly challenging yourself and becoming greater than you ever thought you could be. People don’t think about golf as an extreme sport but that is precisely what the Trilby Tour is – taking the game and pushing it to the limit. The Trilby Tour is the only event that offers amateur golfers a truly professional experience. There are no half-measures - the pressure is relentless and it’s Winner takes all.”

Isle of Purbeck Managing Director, David Suruki says: “We are honoured to host the first Trilby Tour to be held in Dorset and very pleased that all the spaces for the tournament sold out in about two hours. It will be a tremendous opportunity for the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club to showcase what we have to offer and bring several hundred visitors to the area. We will have four open qualifying events prior to the actual tournament in which the winner of each qualifier will win an entry into the event. Please check our website for details. We look forward to seeing everyone who is planning on attending.”

The 2017 William Hunt Trilby Tour Championship of Dorset will be broadcast as part of the 2017 Trilby Tour Series on Sky Sports this autumn/winter.

urbeck Sports Centre, promises fun for all, whatever the weather this summer.

Get cool in the pool; stretch and spin; pump iron; make a racket; dance, dive or cycle; or show off those footy skills. There are six weeks of reasons to get active!

The modern facility, with top of the range equipment and car parking, offers something to suit all ages and abilities. There’s also an on-site café bar, with sun terrace and delicious food.

Take a look at the website for all the info, including opening times and swimming timetable.

New! Purbeck Adventure Camp – every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 3pm. 8s to 12s will love these Day Camps with mini beast adventures, orienteering, swimming, multi-sports and much more!

Awesome £1 taster day When summer’s over, ease into autumn. On Saturday 9 September, enjoy a range of sports for just £1 pp. With exciting new exercise classes, yoga and beginners pilates, local sports clubs, personal training tasters, gym, swim, aquathon and a mini Purbeck adventure! Book from 21 August to avoid disappointment.

See www.dorsetforyou.com/purbecksportscentre for all the details.

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Swanage Football Club

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n old adage in football is that the League table doesn’t lie. For Swans, and their 2016-17 DPL campaign, they perhaps bucked the trend. For long periods, Tim Brown’s side were simply sensational, blowing teams apart with regularity due in no small part to the prolific strike force of Cameron Beard and Graeme Rose.

Just how Swans finished sixth is something of a mystery, but too many drawn games may go a long way towards answering that particular conundrum. Here was a side that beat the eventual Wessex League Champions Portland in the Dorset Senior Cup, and Bridport’s first team in the same competition also, but failed to beat DPL sides such as Parley and Gillingham reserves. Football really is a funny old game at times.

Perhaps another explanation for Swans’ curious form at times was their excellent cup form. Not an excuse, just a reason. Semi-finalists in the Senior Cup before losing to Gillingham and then on April 1st, the side travelled to Holt United for a ‘home’ DPL Cup last four tie.

The match was switched to Petersham Lane after the original staging was called off, twice. Controversially, the DPL have introduced a ‘two strikes and you lose’ home advantage in the DPL Cup rule and given the fact Swans did everything they could to get both ties on, that ruling was particularly harsh, although the DPL rulebook would soon become Swans’ friend again.

Holt won the Semi-Final 2-0, but crucially they signed a player after the original staging was cancelled. Of course, he was not eligible to play. Swans protested, and Holt were excluded from the competition.

Ironically, Swans took on their final opponents Gillingham reserves seven days before the Final, which took place at Weymouth’s Bob Lucas Stadium and were comprehensively beaten 2-1. The win meant Gillingham finished eighth in their first DPL season, although they will ply their trade in the Senior League for 2017-18 and the Gills first team have voluntarily dropped two divisions owing to financial matters.

Before last week’s results, Swans would have rightly been overwhelming favourites to lift the Cup, but Gillingham’s win would have given their manager Nick Squires a renewed sense of optimism that his side could bow out at Step Seven with a cup to nestle in the Hardings Lane trophy cabinet.

All the pressure would therefore be on Swanage and it showed in the matches early stages as Brown’s side looked nervous although it must be noted that Jack Watson in the Swans goal was a mere spectator

The Purbeck Gazette

during the opening 45. Clear cut chances were at a premium and the sides went into the break scoreless.

The same theme continued after the interval until Rose finally broke the deadlock with nine minutes left. The prolific former Merley man slotted home after his initial shot rattled the post. Immediately the pressure lifted from Swans’ play as they loosened the shackles and Rose got his second of the match just two minutes later.

Skipper Paul Best claimed the assist as Rose made no mistake from six yards out and the Cup was on its way back to Day’s Park for the first time since 2010. Then, under Jason Phillips, the club, for a variety of reasons, went backwards after that famous 3-0 victory over Westland Sports, which should have been the springboard for bigger and better things.

On this occasion though, history won’t be repeating itself as the club look to be on a much firmer footing than seven years ago. The proverbial millstone around its neck, the Day’s Park lease has been finalised, the Council are pushing forward with a total ground redevelopment and on the pitch, Brown is moulding a team more than capable of achieving promotion to the Wessex League.

The manager, along with his assistant Tony Parrot and coach Brian Churchill have done a remarkable job turning around the fortunes of a team which had bags of potential, but were wallowing around the lower reaches of the DPL prior to Brown’s appointment.

Stability was achieved on the field and in the dressing room too during 2015-16 and a trophy win in the season just gone can only be viewed as excellent progress. The exciting part is there is so much more to come from one of the most exciting Swanage teams for many years.

With one or two more additions to an already excellent squad, days like yesterday, with Swans players, management, supporters and officials celebrating triumphantly will no doubt become a regular occurrence.

Our Youth teams had their annual Presentation Day last week with all the teams attending a “Fun Day”. Every player that has played part this season received a small trophy with a selected few from each team receiving special awards ranging from top goalscorer to Manager’s player, players’ player etc.

Every season we have a very prestigious award which is given to a youth player who has done something special or a little out of the ordinary.

This season’s award went to Matt Dunster, who has helped in training the girls team and running the line on occasion. He also progressed into the senior side of the Club making three appearances for our Reserve side and in doing so didn’t look out of place. We are expecting big things for Matt over the coming seasons. We are now gearing up for next season and have eight friendlies set up for the 1st team (see below).

We are still looking for a Reserve Manager, so if you would like to fulfil this role, please contact Club Sec. Mari Watson on 07794 116375.

COME ON YOU SWANS! John Peacock.

July fixtures: 08 - Sturminster Marshall - Away - 2.00pm 11 - Wimborne Town - Home - 7.45pm 15 - New Milton Reserves - Home - 3.00pm 22 - Shaftesbury - Home - 3.00pm 29 - Over Wallop - Home - 1.00pm

The Purbeck Gazette - Proudly Supporting The Swans

Swanage Bowls Update

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midst the showers and drizzle of some of the early June matches and some depressing results, there came a welcome ray of sunshine with a rare Swanage success in what has so far been a disappointing season for Swanage bowlers. This came in the form of a splendid victory in the Top Club competition against a strong Blandford side. This is a national knock-out competition organised by Bowls England in which each club has to play five different formats of the game (2-wood singles, 4-wood singles, pairs, triples and a full rink) all played at the same time. Entrants are place in sixteen different areas.

On a dull, breezy evening with rain threatening, the match proved highly entertaining with a tight finish. First off the green was John Brudenell, who failed to get the better of the very experienced Blandford bowler Peter Hawkins in the 2-wood singles, but Gordon Wallis made amends in the 4-wood singles to level the score with a comfortable win. In a tight triples game, Brian Beeston, Barrie Tatman and Mike Barron won by just two shots to make it 2-1 to Swanage.

After Ken Morgan, Paul Knapman, David Farley and skip Graham Smooker lost their full rink game it was touch and go at 2-2 but veterans Mike Keats and David Hogsflesh (with 155 years between them) saw off the Blandford pair, but not without a bit of a fright when, towards the end of the game, their lead was cut to just one shot but the Swanage pair saw off them off with 6 on the last two ends. So, an historic 3-2 win for Swanage saw them through to the next round at Poole Park.

Other results for the Men have not been so rosy, with some losses and a few redemptions along the way. The Ladies are lying 7th in their division in the Dorset League having won two and lost five of their matches so far. The shining light for Swanage with some good results comes in the Mixed Triples League where they sit in 4th place. Other recent results have notched up wins for Swanage over Pelhams 41-39, Milford 38-29 and West Moors 45-31.

If anyone is interested in having a go at bowls, a welcome awaits you on Friday evenings at 5.30pm when you can go out on the green and see how you get on! Enquiries about bowling in Swanage to Jean on 426795 or Clive on 422337. Have a look at the Club website which is swanagebowlingclub.org.uk.

The Purbeck Gazette

Spotlight Event Diary

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Diary Entries are FREE if your event is FREE. If you charge, then it’s £5 plus VAT per entry, per month. DEADLINE for AUG is noon, 7th July 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.

JULY

Sat 1st * Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Studland, removing ragwort for the National Trust. We welcome new people interested in helping care for our countryside. For details see www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you. * Purbeck Pirate Festival - Swanage town and Swanage Pier 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 10:05 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Corfe Castle NT car park for circular walk over Corfe Common through Little Woolgarston and over Rollington Hill and Challow Hills. Ffi 01929 289135.

11:00 Dog Day At Durlston Castle. Demonstrations, stalls, trainings tips and dog shows.

19:30 Caerphilly Male Voice Choir At Lady St Mary Church 7.30 p.m. Tickets £12 (to include a glass of wine or soft drink in the interval) from AF Joy or Not Just Sundaes, High Street, Wareham. Profit in aid of Dementia Friendly Purbeck. http://www.warehamrotary.co.uk/news.html.

20:00 Lost Coyotes At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sun 2nd * Purbeck Pirate Festival * Arty Crafty Drop-in At Herston Hall. * Dorset Countryside Volunteers At Studland, removing ragwort for the National Trust. We welcome new people interested in helping care for our countryside. For details see www.dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923-498760 for us to contact you.

14:00 Formidable Vegetable S. System At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Tue 4th 18:00 Open Evening At Poole Grammar School. All welcome.

19:00 American Independence Day BBQ At Finleys restaurant, West Lulworth, 7 p.m. Donald Trump mask not obligatory, but would be great if you could wear something red, white or blue or a combination would be even a better, cowboy hat?? Cost £11. Everyone welcome. For more information please contact Ann on 553727 (Wareham Rotary Club).

Wed 5th * Swanage PROBUS At the Purbeck House Hotel, our 2017 continues with a talk from one of our members Richard Cottrell “John Snow, Man of Medicine”.

Visitors welcome. This is the last one until we re-commence in October.

Contact Andrew Yerandle 421945 or 01380 730451 or Brian Darnton 01929 424211 14:00 Open Garden for National Garden Scheme At The Hollow 25 Newton Rd Swanage BH19 2EA. 20:00 Miracle Theatre Company At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers.

Ffi: 01929 439229.

Fri 7th * Kingston Country Fair In the field next to Kingston Country Courtyard. In aid of Dorset Air Ambulance. Fri - Live music in the marquee from 7pm Sat - Morning Car Boot Sale, Live music. Sun - Steam and vintage exhibition, dog show, stalls.

Entry £5 per car.

20:00 Grizzly from the Grasshoppers At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sat 8th * Kingston Country Fair In the field next to Kingston Country Courtyard. In aid of Dorset Air Ambulance. Fri - Live music in the marquee from 7pm Sat - Morning Car Boot Sale, Live music. Sun - Steam and vintage exhibition, dog show, stalls.

Entry £5 per car.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Kimmeridge Quarry for a figure of eight walk via Kimmeridge Village, Gad Cliff, Worbarrow Bay, and Tyneham Village. Ffi 01929 421039.

20:00 The Danberrys At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sun 9th * Kingston Country Fair In the field next to Kingston Country Courtyard. In aid of Dorset Air Ambulance. Fri - Live music in the marquee from 7pm Sat - Morning Car Boot Sale, Live music. Sun - Steam and vintage exhibition, dog show, stalls.

Entry £5 per car.

14:00 Rubber Wellies At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

19:00 WorleWind Concert At Swanage High Street Methodist Church. Free admission, refreshments available. Proceeds of a retiring collection to the

church’s work with children. Ffi: 01929 422421 Mon 10th 10:00 Refreshments and Souvenir Stalls Swanage RNLI Fundraisers. 10am- 4pm on the forecourt of Swanage Sea Rowing Club boathouse by the pier.

Tue 11th 10:00 Refreshments and Souvenir Stalls Swanage RNLI Fundraisers. 10am- 4pm on the forecourt of Swanage Sea Rowing Club boathouse by the pier.

19:30 Wareham Rotary Club At Springfield Hotel, Wareham. Gill Leaper is coming to speak about Butterfly Space, a project set up by her daughter Alice in Malawi http://www.butterflyspacemalawi.com - everyone welcome. Ffi: Ann on 553727.

Wed 12th 10:00 Refreshments and Souvenir Stalls Swanage RNLI Fundraisers. 10am- 4pm on the forecourt of Swanage Sea Rowing Club boathouse by the pier.

14:00 Open Garden for National Garden Scheme At The Hollow 25 Newton Rd Swanage BH19 2EA. 17:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet outside Mowlem theatre, Swanage, for walk along coastal path to Bankes Arms Studland for drink/supper. Return by bus. Ffi 01929 422795.

19:30 Studland WI At Studland Village Hall. Joan Lambert. “Project Linus”.

Competition: A Fabric sample.

Thu 13th 10:00 Refreshments and Souvenir Stalls Swanage RNLI Fundraisers. 10am- 4pm on the forecourt of Swanage Sea Rowing Club boathouse by the pier.

Fri 14th * Wilkswood Reggae Festival Wilkswood Campsite, Valley rd, Swanage, Dorset.

Info and tickets www.dubwood.co.uk * Swanage Jazz Festival 10:00 Refreshments and Souvenir Stalls Swanage RNLI Fundraisers. 10am- 4pm on the forecourt of Swanage Sea Rowing Club boathouse by the pier.

19:30 Purbeck Railway Circle “Among the Dying Fires: A Personal View of the End of Steam in Central Southern England” by Jim Boudreau. Refreshments and railway raffle. Doors open 7pm. Ffi 421 913. EVERYONE IS WELCOME 20:00 Jez Hellard & the Djukela Orch. At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sat 15th * Wilkswood Reggae Festival Wilkswood Campsite, Valley rd, Swanage, Dorset.

Info and tickets www.dubwood.co.uk * Swanage Jazz Festival * Wareham Choral Soc. Summer Concert At Kimmeridge Village Hall. Tickets in advance from choir members, Joys Outfitters in Wareham or phone 01929 459319.

09:30 Collection of tools at Sandford Pub, Wareham, for Tools for Self Reliance (www.tfsr.org) is an international development charity in the United Kingdom which recycles and refurbishes tools and sewing machines and supplies them to partners in Africa in conjunction with training programmes.

10:00 NSPCC Summer Fair At Wareham Town hall. Toys, cakes, tombola, books, craft, bric a brac, raffle and refreshments. Donations to 01929 553578 10:00 Books, Coffee, Cakes and homemade/grown produce too. Moreton Village Hall (DT2 8RE) 10am to 12noon. Come and enjoy a cuppa whilst you browse our huge selection of books - all at just 25p! Maeve 01929 4463221 10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet in Corfe Castle to take No.30 bus to West Lulworth for return linear walk along the chalk ridge back to Corfe. Ffi 01929 422554.

11:00 Arty Crafty Drop-in At Emmanuel Church, Swanage.

11:00 Purbeck Artists and Stallholders At Worth Matravers Village Hall. Crafts, arts, cakes, jellies, jams & chutneys, flowers, cream teas and ice cream.

14:30 Swanage Town Band At The Bandstand, free concert (Methodist Church if wet).

20:00 Hannah & The Broken Hearts At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sun 16th * Wilkswood Reggae Festival Wilkswood Campsite, Valley rd, Swanage, Dorset.

Info and tickets www.dubwood.co.uk * Swanage Jazz Festival Tue 18th 11:00 Purbeck Artists and Stallholders At Worth Matravers Village Hall. Crafts, arts, cakes, jellies, jams & chutneys, flowers, cream teas and ice cream.

Wed 19th 10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Worth Matravers car park for circular walk via Weston Farm, St Aldelm’s Head and Winspit Bottom. Ffi 01929 439903.

14:00 Open Garden for National Garden Scheme At The Hollow 25 Newton Rd Swanage BH19 2EA.

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18:45 Swanage Town Band At The Bandstand, free concert (Methodist Church if wet).

Thu 20th 11:00 Purbeck Artists and Stallholders At Worth Matravers Village Hall. Crafts, arts, cakes, jellies, jams & chutneys, flowers, cream teas and ice cream.

19:30 ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Tickets £14, cons £13, children £8.

Fri 21st 10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

19:30 ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Tickets £14, cons £13, children £8.

20:00 Hightown Crows At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sat 22nd 09:45 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Ballard Stores in North Swanage for a figure of eight walk up coast path via Ballard Down, Dean Hill, Studland and return via the Glebe and Whitecliff Farm. Ffi 01929 424462.

10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

11:00 Purbeck Artists and Stallholders At Worth Matravers Village Hall. Crafts, arts, cakes, jellies, jams & chutneys, flowers, cream teas and ice cream.

11:00 Fossil Fayre At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

12:00 Parish Fete At St Mary’s Church, Swanage. Grand opening with Peppa Pig and Swanage Town Crier at noon.

14:30 Garden Fete At Gainsborough Care Home.

18:30 Jim Etherington, Brass Monkeys Wareham Wednesdays, firework display and live music, stalls, beer tent, BBQ. 19:30 ‘Oliver!’ At The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage. Tickets £14, cons £13, children £8.

Sun 23rd 10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

11:00 Purbeck Artists and Stallholders At Worth Matravers Village Hall. Crafts, arts, cakes, jellies, jams & chutneys, flowers, cream teas and ice cream.

11:00 Fossil Fayre At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

13:00 Wareham Carnival Procession 1pm from North Street to Wareham Rec Ground.

14:00 Sweet Olive String Band At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

14:30 Ted Pratt’s High Summer Flowers Walk At Durlston Country Park. £3.

15:00 Tin Angel Live Music at The Black Swan, Swanage .

Mon 24th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

09:30 Kids Holiday Camp At Swanage Tennis Club. Half Day - (9.30-1pm) - £20 Bring a friend and pay £15. Per Week £80 Bring a friend and pay £60 Full Day - (9.30-4pm) - £30 Bring a friend and pay £25 Per week £120 Bring a friend and pay £100.

10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

20:00 Don Kipper At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Tue 25th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

09:30 Kids Holiday Camp At Swanage Tennis Club. Half Day - (9.30-1pm) - £20 Bring a friend and pay £15. Per Week £80 Bring a friend and pay £60 Full Day - (9.30-4pm) - £30 Bring a friend and pay £25 Per week £120 Bring a friend and pay £100.

10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

20:00 Glen & The Creeks At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Wed 26th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

09:30 Kids Holiday Camp At Swanage Tennis Club. Half Day - (9.30-1pm) - £20 Bring a friend and pay £15. Per Week £80 Bring a friend and pay £60 Full Day - (9.30-4pm) - £30 Bring a friend and pay £25 Per week £120 Bring a friend and pay £100.

10:00 Swanage Walking Group Meet at far end of South Down car park for a walk along the SW coast path via White Nothe to East Chaldon, returning via West Chaldon. Ffi 01202 570670.

10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

14:00 Open Garden for National Garden Scheme At The Hollow 25 Newton Rd Swanage BH19 2EA. 18:30 RNLI Duck Race & Raft Race Wareham Wednesdays, firework display and live music, stalls, beer tent, BBQ. 20:00 Dila Varda & The Oddbeats At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers.

Ffi: 01929 439229.

Thu 27th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229. * Trilby Tour Champion of Dorset Golf Competition at Isle of Purbeck Golf Club.

09:30 Kids Holiday Camp At Swanage Tennis Club. Half Day - (9.30-1pm) - £20 Bring a friend and pay £15. Per Week £80 Bring a friend and pay £60 Full Day (9.30-4pm) - £30. Bring a friend and pay £25 Per week £120 Bring a friend and

10:00 10:30 20:00

pay £100.

Craft Fair At Catholic Hall, Rempstone Road, Swanage.

Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

Kangaroo Moon At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Fri 28th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

09:30 Kids Holiday Camp At Swanage Tennis Club. Half Day - (9.30-1pm) - £20 Bring a friend and pay £15. Per Week £80 Bring a friend and pay £60 Full Day - (9.304pm) - £30 Bring a friend and pay £25 Per week £120 Bring a friend and pay £100.

10:30 Durlston’s Dino Trail At Durlston Country Park. £3.

20:00 Slap Ya Mama Big Band At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

21:00 Glow-worm Walk At Durlston Country Park. Booking essential, £5.

Sat 29th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229. * Swanage Carnival Week Ffi: swanagecarnival.com 09:30 Swanage Walking Group Meet at Ballard Stores in North Swanage for a linear walk to South Haven Point, via Old Harry, Studland, and Studland Heath. Return to Swanage by No. 50 bus. Ffi 01929 422554.

11:00 Milton Abbas Street Fair Ffi: www.miltonabbasstreetfair.co.uk 20:00 Dirty Cello At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Sun 30th * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229. * Swanage Carnival Week Ffi: swanagecarnival.com 14:00 Junco Shakers At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229.

Mon 31st * Stone Carving Festival At The Square & Compass Inn, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229. * Swanage Carnival Week Ffi: swanagecarnival.com 14:30 Bottle Rockets At Durlston Country Park. Booking essential. £3.

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 18.00 Lesbian and Gay Friendship Group meets every Monday evening for social events and shared interests, such as meals, walking and outings. Ffi: contact Karen via email: outinpurbeck@gmail.com 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

The Purbeck Gazette 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 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.

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556806 10.00 Wool Country Market D’Urbeville Hall. Cakes, preserves, plants, crafts, vegetables. Coffee & biscuits available.

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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