The Purbeck Gazette - Issue 224

September 2018 Issue no. 224

FREE WHERE DELIVERED. Magazine Archive POSTAL at: SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE at: www.purbeckgazette.co.uk/catalogue.aspx

Who Was Benjamin Fayle? Pg 45

Swanage Folk Festival Pg 48

FEATURE: Pastimes & Pleasures Pg 23-35

Cooking Caponata Pg 41

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Editor’s note...

W

elcome to the September edition of your Gazette!

Many of you rely on the Gazette as a communication tool, a resource, an integrated part of the community. With Brexit looming, there is much fear in the industry with regards to possible price rises for products we either buy through the E.U. as a group, or products which we have to import - such as paper.

Obviously, the Gazette is published on paper, so there are clear concerns regarding the possible significant price rises when it comes to publishing. Figures in the region of 30% increases are being mooted, meaning that the few remaining independent, nongroup owned publications may struggle to continue publishing .

Our advertisers can’t afford a 30% price hike to cover the rising costs of publishing as an island ‘going it alone’ in the world. None of us can afford to survive for two years (at the very least!) whilst new trade deals are (hopefully) brokered.

We have always offered a subscription option with the Gazette may I suggest you each purchase a subscription (only £42 per year) and thus continue reading your Gazette long into the future....

Our September edition heralds the start of autumn - the nights are starting to draw in, but hopefully there will still be plenty of sunshine to be had during the next few weeks! Swanage Folk Festival takes place this month, so decorate yourselves with bells and join in the fun - is there a Morris dancer within, just waiting for the right moment to spring forth in jubilation?!

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

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

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

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

See: www.purbeckgazette.com

The October 2018 edition has a deadline of 10th September and will be distributed from 24 - 28 September.

The November 2018 edition has a deadline of 9th October, and will be distributed from 29 October - 2 November.

Public Notices & Information

Swanage Town Council Meetings - September 2018

Personnel Committee Planning & Consultation Committee Council (held at The Centre, Chapel Lane)

Wed 5th Mon 10th Mon 17th

9.30am 6.30pm 7pm

Wareham Town Council Meetings - September 2018 Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Planning & Transport

Thur 13th Mon 17th

7pm 7pm `

Purbeck DC Meetings - Open to public - September 2018 Licensing Committee Council Policy Group Planning Committee

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

9.15am 7pm 7pm 9.15am

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

About Purbeck Media Ltd The Purbeck Gazette prints 20,000 copies every month and delivers throughout the region from Swanage to Dorchester, Lulworth to Bere Regis. The Purbeck Gazette is published by Purbeck Media Ltd. All editing, graphic design and lay-up is completed in-house by Purbeck Media Ltd. The Purbeck Gazette is printed by Blackmore Ltd of Shaftesbury and delivered by Logiforce GPStracked 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, Kay Jenkins, 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.

Telephone Sales & Client Contact

We reserve the right to maintain contact with our advertising clients, past and present, through the use of telephone calls and emails. We retain customer’s names, addresses, emails and telephone numbers on file. If you do not wish to hear from us to be reminded of upcoming deadlines, please do let us know!

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Smoking Castle, by Andy Prior

CONTACT US ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MATTERS COMMUNITY MATTERS COUNCIL MEETINGS DIARY SPOTLIGHT FEATURES Blast From The Past FEATURE: Purbeck Pastimes & Pleasures Gazette Gardening Holme’s New Outdoor Venue Opens John Garner writes - Two Splendid Things...

Telling It Like It Is - David Hollister writes Sorry - David Hollister writes Swanage Blues Festival Swanage Folk Festival Who Was Benjamin Fayle?

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No part, written or visual, of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the Editor.

DEADLINE FOR OCTOBER IS 12 Mon SEPTEMBER DEADLINE FOR JULY IS NOON, NOON, FRI10th 10th JUNE

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

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

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

OCT edition deadline: noon, Mon 10th SEPT

Auxiliary Units Correction Dear Editor, May I please thank Mr Mike Streeter for his interest in the Purbeck Auxiliary Units? I too was a clay worker in the sixties and worked alongside some of the auxiliaries.

I had never heard of any of them talk of their part during the war as they were sworn to secrecy and were not prepared to say a word – not even to their families.

Mike referred to them as ‘Home Guard’, but this they certainly were not.

Auxiliaries were very highly trained men and were ready to do whatever was needed to slow down an enemy advance, knowing that their lives would have been limited.

The operational base behind Squirrel Cottage was that of the Stoborough Unit. A Stoborough farmer was the Sergeant and one of his sons was a member of the patrol. But from what I was told, the rest of the family knew nothing about what they were up to.

In the 1960s, Mr Bob Newis and family lived in Squirrel Cottage and after that, John Oxland and family lived there. John Oxland was my Army Sergeant. I can’t remember John saying anything about the O.B. in those days, I suppose it was of no importance, just an air raid shelter from the war – there were many of them about.

Mike! The reason you haven’t been able to locate the Creech O.B. is because that was the idea of them! If you and your friends wish to pay it a visit, we can sort that out.

Many thanks, Ken Williams, Corfe Castle.

‘Not A Spare Seat’ Dear Gazette, I cannot express just how fantastic Caroline McCory and June Ranger’s 50th anniversary dance spectacular was on Thursday 26th July at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage.

This action-packed show deserves to be seen at London’s West End and other major venues, not just here in Swanage. The choreography, lighting, sound system, costumes, hair and make-up, dancing, singing and acting were all superb.

As usual for a Ranger Production, there wasn’t a spare seat in the house.

The cast of eighty dancers deserved every minute of their long-standing ovation.

I really hope they can reshow the production in the autumn/winter to give us something to look forward to at the end of the year – otherwise we’ll all have to wait two years for their next production!

Yours sincerely, N.F.M. (as signed), by hand.

Well Worth The Wait Dear Gazette, I would like to thank the Ranger School of Dance for yet another fabulous show.

‘City of Dreams’ was a wonderful four-night programme for people of all ages. The amount of talent in this small town is incredible.

As each person shone, it’s hard to pick out a particular star without casting a shadow on others, but I feel I must say that the young man, Stewart Jones, astounded me with his style, flair and polish.

This energetic performance would not be outshone on any West End

Beer, Ale & Cider Specialists Food served 12 noon - 3pm, 6pm - 9pm High Street, Swanage. 01929 423533 stage. Well done and thanks to all involved. Worth waiting for.

Irene Barratt, Swanage, by post.

The ‘Will Of The People’ Dear Editor, Allow me to explain to Mr Leadbetter what the ‘will of the people’ means regarding Brexit, as he states in his last letter that he doesn’t know. I will keep it very simple for him.

There was a vote with two choices:- 1. stay in the EU, 2. leave the EU. Despite the government wasting millions of taxpayers’ money on leaflets that were worse than useless, in the largest turnout ever seen in this country, the majority voted to leave. Therefore the ‘will of the people’ or what the people willed (??) is for the UK to ‘leave’ all aspects of the EU. I hope that’s clearer for him.

Yes, I did miss the ‘news’ about the march of 100,000 remoaners as it was hardly a significant and newsworthy protest. Why does he think people should march to support Brexit? We’ve already won that vote or was he hiding in some disused mineshaft?

Did Mr Leadbetter know all the 1.2 million voters that died and how they voted and does he know all the 1.4 million new voters and how they would vote (his statistics)? Is he really suggesting all those that died voted leave and all those now eligible to vote would choose remain?

We are all very familiar with Project Fear and all their negative projections, but he needs to remember that these ‘facts’ come from those that lost the vote and now have a vested interest in wanting to make it seem that the winners got it wrong!!!

I think he was asked previously, what is the logic in people who don’t want to live here having a say in what goes on?

One of the benefits I look forward to after Brexit is that we can negotiate our own trade deals, something we can’t do at the moment because the EU won’t let us; take a moment to think about that statement “the EU won’t let us”!! How can we be worse off if we make our own decisions for trade?

Likewise, I am looking forward to our making policies about justice and human rights, rather than having Eurocrats dictate what they think is best for us.

One of the few things that I agree with Mr Leadbetter is that our current PM is completely ineffectual, but then how could a staunch remainer ever be able to deliver Brexit? Now, Boris as PM ... !!!!

Only 239 days (at the time of writing) to go.

Yours, Mrs J Jones, Stoborough, by email.

Safer As Part Of The E.U. Dear Purbeck Gazette, I have a high regard for the European Union. It won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. It stands for democratic values, human dignity, equality and the rule of law. It is far smaller, more democratic, more accountable and better run, than it is often given credit for.

The referendum in June 2016 was debated in the European Parliament on 28 June 2016 (tinyurl.com/hapsdkq). Speaker after speaker stood up to express concern for the well-being of this country. Guy Verhofstadt and Manfred Weber especially, spoke for me.

“People say that I’m a robot, that I don’t have feelings. But I do have feelings. I am sad.” said Jean-Claude Juncker, of the referendum result.

How I admire his dignity and calmness.

Three million citizens of other EU countries in the UK, and 1.2 million British in Europe, have built their lives on the freedoms given by EU membership. Businesses in the UK, in Continental Europe, and in Ireland, benefit from the legal certainty that EU law gives.

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The EU is only about the things that are cross-border or can only be best done together. See Article 5 of the Lisbon Treaty. Everything else is the job of each country.

The Common Agricultural Policy was reformed in 2013. New proposals were put forward on 1 June 2018. The Common Fisheries’ Policy was reformed in 2014. Free movement of citizens of EU member countries is far from a free-for-all. Please see ‘Your Europe - residence rights’ on europa.eu.

I am impressed by: - The thoroughness of the negotiating guidelines, published by the European Council, following May’s Article 50 letter.

- The detail in the European Parliament’s published impact papers. I have read the one about fishing. Many of the workers on British boats are citizens of other EU countries, so what about their workers’ rights?

- The clarity of the booklets from the EU Publications Office (bookshop. europa.eu).

- The fact that so much of what the EU does is available online.

- The work of the EU that is published every day in the Official Journal.

- The rebuttals of the inaccurate stories that have been printed in British media. Such as, “More seriously misleading reporting on EU migration and benefits”, by the European Commission’s UK office. They have kept a record of what British papers have said. There is even an A-Z index.

I have the impression that the people working at the EU institutions understand the problems of this country, including Northern Ireland, better than some of our own people. The Bank of England has a seat in the governance of the Euro currency. The Chief Commissioner is Sir Julian King. His job: Security Union.

There are seventy-three British MEPs, most of whom have a constructive attitude. I have met MEPs Catherine Bearder, Richard Corbett and Molly Scott-Cato. I have received email replies from Keith Taylor and Guy Verhofstadt; and a letter reply from Michel Roth, the Europe minister of Germany. The UK has ministers in the “Council of the EU”, where the national governments meet, and Permanent Representatives. Head of UK Rep: Sir Tim Barrow. Chief Justice at the ECJ: Eleanor Sharpston QC. UK Head of the Court of Auditors: Phil Wynn-Owen.

How complacent and ignorant I have been. I have taken the work of the EU for granted. I knew little of the EU’s seven institutions and thirty-three agencies. I had not realised how unhappy parts of this country are. I have only just learned the top two expenses of the EU. They are regional development (34%) and farming (33%). Admin accounts for 6%.

The EU budget is 1.1% of UK government spending, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. I am embarrassed by the “United Kingdom Correction” in the EU budget 2016 financial report. All the other EU countries pay more, so that the UK pays less.

Moving between the two buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg is recognised as a “negative, symbolic issue” that costs 6% of the admin budget. It is a small part of the overall budget, but still a significant amount of money.

The European Parliament has asked the national governments to agree to change this.

Did you know the Good Friday agreement gives the people in Northern Ireland the right to be “accepted as British, or Irish, or both, as they may so choose”? I did not, until recently.

I feel safer being part of the EU. On-side with our neighbours, in the spirit of solidarity and co-operation. I have joined the ALDE Party, the sister party of the UK Liberal Democrats, in the European Parliament.

Phil Jones, Member, European Movement UK, by email

Tragedy Of Epic Proportions Dear Editor, The “Will of the People” - ‘E. Dorset By Hand’ - August Issue Nobody doubts the courage and bravery shown by all who lived and worked through the blitz, but to use this struggle as some kind of justification for Brexit demonstrates an attitude so out of place, out of date and lacking in any reasonable logic it beggars belief.

Since we joined the EU we have enjoyed peace in Europe entirely due to the cooperation and good will shown by all our European allies. We have seen immeasurable benefits over the years in terms of economic growth, business investment and wealth growth throughout the country. We have enjoyed the richness of the cultural exchange that free movement of people has enabled. We are seen by the rest of the world as a key component part of the European Union - powerful, influential and significant on the world stage.

The saddest irony is that much of this is to be thrown away as a result of a fraudulent and criminally tainted referendum - hardly worth winning a world war for perhaps. The Leave campaigns have been deemed criminally at fault and are still under investigation - the mis-information and lies put about by the likes of UKIP, Mssrs Grimes, Johnson, Gove and Banks speak volumes.

Finally, this referendum never really had much to do with the country, its economy or its place in the world. Rather, an attempt by a weak Prime Minister, David Cameron, to try to solve the long-standing internal squabble within the Conservative party about EU membership. He, almost certainly, never imagined that the Remain campaign would lose. Indeed, the Leave campaign never expected to win - remember the look of complete shock on the face of Boris Johnson on the morning the result was declared?

Our departing the EU is a tragedy of epic proportions that we will regret at every level for decades to come.

I suggest that ‘E Dorset, by hand’ goes to his/her doctor and checks that any medications he/she might be taking at present will still be available after Brexit.

M Fisher, Sandford, by email

Tory Job Gains Dear Editor, The latest employment figures make for positive reading for Dorset, the South West and the UK as a whole. The figures show that the number of people in work has reached a record high and unemployment is at its lowest since 1975.

Dorset saw some particularly good figures. For example, since 2010 unemployment has dropped by 37% in Mid Dorset and North Poole, 35% in Christchurch, 27% in Poole and 26% in South Dorset.

Importantly, wages are rising faster than prices, so people’s pay packets are going further.

The government has taken a sensible, balanced approach to the economy in recent years, supporting businesses to create jobs and giving more people the security of work.

By reforming welfare and delivering the Industrial Strategy, I’m confident more, better-paid jobs will be created in Dorset and elsewhere, helping more people to get on in life and build a better future for themselves and their families.

Anita Heappey, Deputy Chair, South West Conservatives, by email.

OCTOBER EDITION DEADLINE: 12 noon on 10th September FEATURE: What’s Cooking In Purbeck

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Adder Thank Ya! Dear Gazette, On Friday 3rd August at approximately 14:00, my son, Lewis Paxman, was bitten by an Adder that was basking in the sun in the grasslands between the Agglestone Rock and Knoll Beach at Studland.

Our family was on a week-long holiday staying in Swanage and Friday was our last full day. (We’re from Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk and the Paxman family have been holidaying here since my husband was a child). He didn’t see the snake until it was too late. He was walking with his sister Matilda (8), Dad Oli (37) and Grandpa Neil (65) (all Paxman), having been to admire the Agglestone.

Oli dialled 999 and Neil ran to the road to wait for the ambulance. By coincidence he was able to flag down a passing ambulance (this one was on its way to another emergency but was authorised to redirect to Lewis).

The ambulance reversed approx. 300 metres down the sandy track to reach Lewis who was laying down as advised by the emergency call handler.

His sister Matilda was holding his hand and looking after him, along with Dad Oli. Oli and Lewis were brought to Poole hospital and Lewis would like to thank the ambulance crew for their kindness and reassurance at a very frightening time.

Lewis was observed closely in A&E and had painkillers for his very swollen and painful leg. The doctors and nurses were kind and caring and took advice from the National Poisons Information Service. The decision was made to give anti-venom because of the severity of the symptoms. I arrived and stayed with Lewis overnight while he was admitted to Acrewood Ward in the children’s unit (high dependency area).

We are still here at the hospital now and will be staying at least another night for ongoing observation, antibiotics and painkillers. I thought our experience might be of interest, as well as highlighting the risks to other holiday - makers etc. FYI Lewis has given permission as he’s quite chuffed at the thought of being in a newspaper and I want to cheer him up!

Thank you, Sarah Paxman (Lewis’s mum), by email.

Carnival Congratulations Dear Gazette, Wareham Carnival Wow, didn’t they do well?! Yes, I mean Wareham’s fabulous 2018 Carnival Team!

This was absolutely the best Carnival for many a year and the weather was phenomenal too – our sincerest commiserations to Swanage who had a great weekend too, in spite of a little precipitation.

It was an invigorating experience when that man with endless buckets full of energy, ‘Captain’ Ian Davey, held a ‘meet and greet event’ in the Conservative Club earlier in the year to view the prospects for the coming carnival. Masses turned up and the free nibbles were rather special too!

One could not think of anything extra to add to a plethora of interesting events, shows, music, sales on Wareham Council’s Recreation Ground.

All Ian’s team of willing helpers and supporters worked like trojans to ensure this was a success – well done everyone involved and many thanks from grateful Wareham residents and visitors alike.

Roll on July 2019!

Kind regards, Malcolm Russell, Wareham, by email.

New Singers Welcome

To the Editor: For many years now, the Belvedere Singers have been raising money for local charities, most recently for the Bandstand appeal, the beneficiary of their May concert. Those of you who attended this concert will have

seen the vibrant performance of the choir under the baton of their new Music Director, Clive Watkiss.

Clive has had a life-long love of music from his early training as a chorister at Waltham Abbey followed by studies in piano and cello at the Royal Academy of Music. He has directed many different organisations and as a composer has had music performed at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor as well as a number of cathedrals. He is presently a teacher at St. Swithun’s School in Winchester and brings to the Belvedere Singers a wealth of experience and expertise.

Belvedere Singers are a four voice non-auditioned choir and extend a friendly welcome to new members. Their rehearsals for the Christmas concert begin on September 4th at 7:15pm at St. Marks School, and they urge anyone interested in joining this choir to come along on that date or one of the following Tuesday evenings. The members of the choir take their music seriously but have plenty of laughs and enjoyment along the way.

For more information please visit our website www.belvederesingers. org.uk or call 01929 423729.

Sue Payne, Secretary, Belvedere Singers

Guidette Praise Dear Gazette, We found your Purbeck Guidette (visitors’ guide to the Isle of Purbeck) when staying at Downshay Farm. We’ve been visiting the Isle of Purbeck for over forty years and this Guidette is brilliant.

Every day we found new places to explore and places to eat. Most memorable were Tyneham village and Worbarrow Bay, as well as the church at Wareham and a walk around the walls.

We will try to do the sculpture trail next year and much, much more! We won’t leave the tent without the 2019 edition. Thank you!

Kind regards from two very happy visitors, Sara and Andy, by email.

‘Defend Our NHS’ Hearing Dear Nico, RE: ‘Save Poole A&E and Maternity and NHS beds campaign, and our concern about the chair of Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee abusing his authority.’

We’ve now had the Judicial Review Hearing; the outcome is not expected until September.

However, during the hearing, the Judge asked the CCG to calculate the numbers at increased clinical risk due to longer journey times were Poole A&E and Maternity closed. Their calculation is based on the Ambulance Trust Report of August 2017.

The number is 396 over a year, but this is an underestimate, as the report only looked at those who attend A&E by ambulance. We know from Poole FOIs that at least 1,784 had time critical emergencies last year, 251 newborns received intensive or high dependency care, and that around 80% of Maternity and Paediatric emergencies and between 15-40% of those with time critical emergencies that cannot be treated in the ambulances such as trauma, heart attack, stroke, sepsis, and meningitis, do not arrive at A&E by ambulance.

As well as the fact the risk is significant, there is the fact that the CCG had the Ambulance Trust Report in August 2017, yet claimed in their decision-making business case of September 2017 that the clinical risk was ‘minimal’ and the changes would ‘save sixty lives’, a claim they were unable to provide any evidence for in court.

The Ambulance Service also called for further work by a range of clinicians to clarify the extent of the risk, this work was never completed. The Report looked at additional travel time, not total journey time, so someone in Poole with a nineteen minute longer blue light journey to RBH was seen as the same as someone in Swanage with a nineteen minute longer journey,

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07805 411158 even though our total blue light journey to RBH is fifty-seven minutes according to SWAST mapping. Therefore, the report did not focus on the clinical impact to those with the longest total journey times (ie: us).

It’s residents in Purbeck, particularly Swanage and villages, and in North Dorset, who will have the longest travel times to A&E and Maternity if these services are lost at Poole.

The Judicial Review looks at the process by which decisions are made.

We may be successful in that the board did not have the information they should have had about risk when making the decision to close services at Poole.

The other avenue is to get the plans referred by the local authority as not meeting residents’ health needs. Dorset Health Scrutiny has a statutory duty to refer plans that do not improve health services for residents to the Secretary of State for Independent Review. They have set up a ‘Task and Finish’ Group to look at this issue, and the Committee will vote on it at their public meeting on 13th September.

We need to lobby for our lives here.

Debby (Monkhouse), Swanage, part of residents’ group: Defend Dorset NHS

Save Poole A&E!

Dear Readers, Save Poole A&E and Maternity: The Chair of Dorset Health Scrutiny must carry out his statutory duty to protect residents lives and health services.

Councillor Bill Pipe has been the Chair of Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee for a year and is being proposed for re-election on 13th September. This is a crucial time for Dorset Health Scrutiny to stand up for residents. The Judicial Review revealed that the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group plans to downgrade Poole A&E and close Poole Maternity will put at least 400 people a year at increased clinical risk. The CCG also plan to close 245 acute Hospital beds and Community Hospitals or beds at Wareham, Portland, Ferndown, Westhaven and Alderney.

These plans will not improve health services for Dorset County Council residents, so Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee has a statutory duty to refer these plans to the Secretary of State for Independent Review. What has Councillor Pipe’s record been in standing up for residents?

Councillor Pipe recognised in the Dorset Echo and on BBC online in November 2017 that, if emergency and maternity services at Poole go, and there is a problem on the A351, people in Swanage have ‘no chance’.

However, on 12th December, in the morning, Councillor Pipe failed to vote when referral was being considered by the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee. Yet on 12th December in the evening, he led a vote at Purbeck District Council to ‘continue opposing the CCG’s plans’, which he had not done that morning. This was carried unanimously.

However, on 20th December at Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee Councillor Pipe failed to mention the Purbeck District Council vote, instead he held a pre-meeting to find out how Councillors intended to vote, asking them to vote against referral, he opened the Health Scrutiny Meeting by claiming referral was impossible, which is not true, allowed the CCG to dominate the meeting, with no speakers against the plans, and ‘summed up’ with a prepared lengthy statement in full support of the CCG plans. In short, Councillor Pipe acted as an advocate for the CCG, whom he is supposed to be scrutinising.

There was then an outcry from residents, and on Radio Solent, where Councillor Pipe’s resignation was called for. At least six complaints were made about Councillor Pipe to Dorset County and Purbeck District Councils, however neither Council saw fit to take any action, and the matter has now been referred to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Are residents lives and health services safe in Councillor Bill Pipe’s hands?

If you have concerns, please contact Denise Hunt, Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee Clerk: d.hunt@dorsetcc.gov.uk, before 13th September.

Chris Bradey, Defend Dorset NHS, by email

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Beloved ‘Nigel’ Keyed Dear Readers, To a Swanage resident - you know who you are, I hope you are proud of yourself.

Four years ago, my son Paul managed to save enough money to buy himself a brown VW camper van. His beloved ‘Sexy Nigel’. He took a few weeks off work to tour part of England. He ended up in Swanage because we have friends there, and I thought they might look after him for a few days.

He is a chef and applied for a job in a local restaurant, he very much enjoyed working with the owner/head chef. Shortly after taking the job the owner became so ill he was unable to work. Paul had a choice to leave or help the restaurant stay open, therefore ensuring all the staff kept their jobs, working in Swanage for approximately nine months. Then came home to Kenilworth for the winter, returning to Swanage the following year to help close the restaurant. Whilst back in Swanage, he was offered a job in another restaurant. He stayed there for a further six months, before coming home to Kenilworth for the winter I am proud of my very kind and caring son. Last November he ran the New York marathon and raised almost £2000 for a Swanage charity. In three weeks’, time Paul is doing a thirty-five mile hike over the peak district to raise money for the same Swanage charity. Paul has many friends in Swanage and often comes down to see them and sleeps in his camper van.

He thought he had found a good spot in Prospect Crescent, by the green (he parks in the cut in which is like a lay by). This is not outside anybody’s house, or on the road, so drivers are not impeded in any way. He can go to friends’ houses for any personal needs.

Paul has worked and holidayed in Swanage, bringing much needed money in to your lovely resort. At the beginning of August, Paul returned to Swanage for two days to visit his friends. Just as he was waking up some kind person keyed the side of his beloved camper, ‘Nigel’. As Paul had parked his camper in a residential area I can only think the culprit must be a local. I hope you are proud of yourself, causing this extremely kind young man an expense he could really do without.

As a chef he works long hard hours for not a huge amount of money, so repairing the body work is going to cause him hardship. If any kind resident of Swanage wants to sponsor Paul for his next challenge for a Swanage charity I can be contacted by email at: suespence@btinternet.com From Sue Spence, by email.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Comic-Book Driving Licence

Water Essential To Life Dear Editor, Following American giants such as Google and Starbucks, we hear an awful lot of hot air coming from our government threatening to clamp down on tax avoiding scams; we can now add most of our largest water company providers to that list.

While executives of water companies reward themselves handsomely for the failures I will come to shortly, most of their workers are so poorly paid that they qualify for welfare top-up benefits which only serves to maximise those companies ill-gotten gains.

Normally, when UK companies pay interest to a non-UK company it has to withhold 20% of the payment and give it to the taxman. What some water companies are doing is issuing their loans through the Channel Islands stock exchange as something called “quoted Eurobonds”, which means they do not have to pay the tax on their interest due to a loophole.

OFWAT, the water industry watchdog, faces calls for it to be overhauled with accusations that it is not doing enough to remedy leaking drinking water while privatised water companies enjoy soaring profits and their consumers face spiralling bills that exceed most pay increases.

Every day more than 3.3 billion litres of treated water – 20% of the nation’s supply and 234 million litres a day more than that lost a decade ago are wasted through leaking pipes in England and Wales. This equates to enough lost water to meet the daily needs of 21.5 million people.

Fresh water is essential to life on earth. All land-dwelling creatures need fresh water to survive. We must support the re-nationalisation of water because it’s no longer a theory based on privatisation propaganda.

The stark truth is that privatised water companies are not responsible or trustworthy enough when it comes to such an important commodity that is becoming increasingly scarce.

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

Game Meat Season Dear Readers, Game meat is great!

October heralds the start of the pheasant shooting season. As the season gets underway, there will be plenty of affordable, locally-sourced and delicious game meat available. Game meat is healthy, highly nutritious and delicious.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), the UK’s largest shooting organisation, works all year round to encourage people to try game meat.

People who shoot spend 3.9 million work days on conservation each year – the equivalent of 16,000 full-time jobs. Shoot providers spend almost £250 million a year on conservation and shooting is involved in the management of two thirds of the UK’s rural land area.

Try a roast pheasant, some tasty pheasant meatballs or a pheasant tikka masala. Ask your butcher about venison.

For more information and some easy game recipes, visit www.basc.org.uk The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham.

Try It Yourself...

Dear Gazette, In response to last month’s letter: ‘Questioning speed limit’.

If you don’t understand why Harmans Cross is 30mph, look at how many of us live by a bend and have limited visibility when pulling out into the main road.

If still not convinced, go into North Instow, come down to the Swanage end and try to pull out and turn right.

J.Addison, Harmans Cross, by hand.

Dear Readers, The Valley Road (Harmans Cross) difficulties are more wide-ranging than speedsters not rocketing through this non-street lamped ‘urban’ area.

Along the whole road, confusion reigns with drivers (?) believing 50 and 30 is in KPH, not MPH. There are members of the COC Club (Can’t Overtake Cyclists Club) and The Disoto Group (Drive In Second Or Third Only). With apologies to our Air Force, I see folk driving in DFC (Don’t Flipping Care) and DFC and Bar attitudes, which speak for themselves.

The Safety Officers parked up in Harmans Cross are themselves safe from the inconsiderate rubbernecking hill and corner parkers anywhere along the road from Corfe to Swanage.

Perhaps driving licences are now being handed out in comics or donated to people as long as they practise out of their home area.

I am convinced some folk have never sat behind a wheel before they launch themselves upon us - no knowledge of vehicle widths, or what angle to park beside a pavement, etc.

Hey-ho, rant over, I’m off to take my car for a walk again along this green and pleasant highway, then I have to face the big wide world.

Dom Castle, Park Road, Swanage, by email.

An Invitation To Lunch Dear Editor, Invitation to Swanage Friendship Lunch Club Swanage Friendship Lunch Club will commence again on 5th September.

This community club is for retired, single people who like eating a meal in company with others and is an opportunity to make new friends as well as meeting with old friends.

The meal is served at the United Reformed Church Hall, High Street, Swanage, twice monthly on Wednesdays for a reasonable cost.

We now have some vacancies and may be able to provide some limited transport for those who would find it difficult to get there.

Please contact us on 01929 426325 if you would like to know more.

This Club has been running successfully for many years. We provide a two-course hot meal each time, which is usually very much appreciated.

Yours faithfully, Maureen Marriott.

Aggrieved Bank Customer Dear Editor, On top of recent closures of HSBC from Swanage and Nat West from Swanage and from Wareham, Barclays is now leaving both towns and I am an aggrieved customer. Rumour has it that this is being done in a hurry, leaving Lloyds with the odium of being seen to be the final bank to close in both towns. Are there plans for this? Rumours certainly, but all they are doing at present is reducing their hours, rather than maintaining them in the expectation of an expected flow of ex Barclays customers.

There is a big cash flow at each branch, which suggests that the courteous staff are scarcely idling their time and doing nothing all day. Many local businesses help to create this cash flow and rely on these banks.

Observation supports this.

What is going on here? Staff cost money. While they can help individual customers, replacing them with a self-service app gives more control and allows monitoring of all traffic by senior staff. This may increase profit margins and thus salaries of Board members, including the CEO. It is all part of the ‘nudge’ theory. Close local branches and then say that people are increasingly interested in internet banking.

The salary of Barclays CEO, Jes Staley, is at present £2.1 million but it has the potential to climb to above £4 million with sufficient bonuses and inducements. Having worked for J. P. Morgan for thirty years previously, Jes Staley knows about high life banking. He also knows about sailing close to the wind. He was fined £642,430 in April of this year by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority for various misdemeanours. Before he retires to one of his houses in the U.S.A., would it be too much to ask him to consider the effect of his closure policies on the local community? I fear that it would.

Where does central government stand in all this? It seems that they are supporting the banks and, with them, are championing the digital financial services industry. Moves towards the cashless society seem to be encouraged. Actually, unlike recent banking problems (the VISA crash was the latest), cash does not crash. To those who deem this criticism of central government unfair, I ask why they did not intervene when Nat West

The Purbeck Gazette

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Clock Repairs Free collection & delivery service

Georgian Gems 28 High St, Swanage 01929 424697 closed first their Swanage and then their Wareham branch? Government are, after all, the major shareholder of Nat West.

Somehow, we have to get it over to both international corporations and to the various levels of government that closing down local services is not good enough. It does not have to be the way the world has to go. It is not inevitable. Maybe it is time for us to do a bit of ‘nudging’.

Yours sincerely, Peter Clark, Swanage, by email.

Join The Line Dancers!

But by far the worst annual blight on our Downs is the ‘set-aside’ unmown areas which reduce the usable areas. An unsightly mess and visual incongruity (there are enough wild fields on Durlston for goodness sake) and bring dreaded infestation with selections of biting insects (several people visit the hospital with multi ticks). Mice and even snakes have been seen this year. What about our dogs’ safety?

And now, the further gratuitous mess with the start of cutting down this long grass and weed so tough that the inappropriate cylinder mower cannot cut properly and leaves behind an appalling mess. The groundsman who cuts the normal grass during the year does such a great job in keeping The Downs beautiful. So, no more mess on The Downs please.

Yours sincerely, Swanage Resident (name and address supplied and withheld on request).

Can YOU Help To Save Ben?

Dear Readers, What did you do on the last Saturday of this year’s Carnival? The Swanage Line Dancers could be found on the hard stand (by the Carnival Caravan) giving a display of Line Dancing to help raise funds for the Carnival.

These intrepid ladies and gentlemen braved the very high temperatures (80f +) to entertain the passing crowds. They danced almost constantly without a break for nearly two hours in the direct sun, even though all the members present were aged 60 – 80+ years old. No one is too young or too old to line dance!

Why do they do it (apart from a degree of madness!)? It is their enjoyment of dancing and the thought of helping raise money for others, that keeps them turning up every year to show the people how great the community spirit is in our fine town.

As the proud organisers of this group, we wish to pass on our personal thanks and the message given to us from the Carnival committee of gratitude to the dancers for all their efforts and to let them know their endeavours are appreciated.

We must add our thanks to the Carnival Committee in allowing us the opportunity and to the staff at the Tourist Information Centre who helped with the organisation this year. If you are interested, we meet as a social dancing gathering (not formal lessons) most Thursday evenings, upstairs in the Swanage Conservative Club at 7.30pm – 9.30pm. Details from Dorothy on: 07779 554897. Visitors and new people are always welcome, from 18-95yrs!

Yours, Dorothy and Dave Guess, by email.

Clean-Up Our Downs Dear Editor, Mess on The Downs Swanage has a beloved treasure for both visitors and residents alike – The Downs. So much a part of the town (indeed part of the conservation zone) they are effectively our most important urban park and a valuable tourist attraction.

However, in recent years and particularly this year with the glorious summer, mountain bikers perform their antics, some picnickers with their instant barbecues leave scorch marks and litter behind (cycling and fires prohibited?!).

Dear Readers, Give our Ben a bright and beautiful future!

Eleven-year-old Ben, whose family are from Purbeck, has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and is searching for a blood stem cell donation from a selfless stranger. Register as a potential donor today at: dkms. og.uk/ben In June 2018, Ben’s family received the news that turned their world upside down. Ben had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and would require several rounds of chemotherapy and a blood stem cell donation as his best chance of survival.

This is not the sort of journey in life you ever imaging you’ll be taking, but suddenly, without warning, you’re in it and living it. Ben is a lover of Star Wars, Minecraft, Harry Potter and he dreams of growing up and becoming a Lego designer. It’s difficult to process the thought that this dream may not come true if Ben does not find a match for his blood stem cell donation.

Ben is our beautiful, bright and brave little boy and brother to Ella and Rose. Please be brave for our Ben and become a potential blood stem cell donor. It takes just a moment of your time and if you are Ben’s magical match, you could give him the biggest gift of all, a bright and beautiful future. Thank you!

Please join the UK stem cell registry today and register as a lifesaver-inwaiting for someone in need, just like Ben: dkms.org.uk/ben If you’re already registered, be sure to return your swabs and spread this important message. Together, we can give new hope to people facing blood cancer and blood disorders all over the world.

Kindest regards, and yours in hope, Richard & Rhonda Walker (members of Ben’s family), Ridge.

Bring Us Your Books

Dear Editor, I am writing on behalf of Friends of Swanage Library to ask for your help.

If you are holidaying this autumn or simply enjoying the lovely weather at home, you may well be spending some time under a sunshade with a long cold drink and a good read.

We are hoping that once you are finished with your holiday books, you could bring them home and drop them into Swanage Library. We need books that are less than five years old and in good condition. The sale of these books helps to support the library.

Many thanks, Jude Evans, by email.

The Purbeck Gazette

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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS...

Loads More Rubbish!

by David Hollister

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friend of mine recently decided to transfer to another medical practice. After filling in the relevant forms, he was asked to attend and have an introductory chat with his new doctor. Most of this ‘introductory chat’ was taken up with questions on my friend’s drinking habits. Which had already been adequately covered in the application form and disclosed to be 32 units per week, around double what the ‘government’ recommend. Indeed, he was told that current government thinking was ‘NO UNITS’. In fact, totally alcohol-free. You cannot be serious?

At no time was he asked the sort of questions which perhaps would be relevant to a GP at an introductory meeting, such as “do you take any exercise or attend a gym, do you take or have you ever taken drugs, do you pig out on chocolate, how well do you feel in yourself, how is your hearing and vision, have you ever suffered from depression….”. My friend reacted to the doctor banging on about alcohol and was told firmly “I am not here to debate with you.”

I quite understand that a GP’s job is to recommend to his patient that he should moderate his drinking. But a comprehensive health programme should be balanced and informed, rather than obsessive. As my friend said to me “The government stopped me smoking, I don’t drink to excess, so if they’re seriously thinking that I’m going to forego my one remaining pleasure, they can think again.” Only this week, another government department stated that light-to-moderate drinkers were about 25% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t drink at all!

It is a sad fact that around eighteen pubs close in the UK every week. It’s a sad fact that this is because a lot of us middle-income earners simply can’t afford to drink in pubs except on special occasions. Because pub prices are governed by the ridiculous overheads they incur just to stay open. Huge rents. Huge business rates. Huge staffing costs. Huge insurance premiums and a raft of ‘compliance costs’. If I had a pub I’d have closed it by now. The pubs are obliged to pass these costs on but whilst I have every sympathy it doesn’t make it any easier to accept paying £8 for a large glass of Chardonnay when I can buy a whole bottle in Asda for £5.99, or £4.50 for a bottle of Peroni which I know costs 75p in Makro. Right now – six days out of seven – it’s Asda Chardonnay and Makro Peroni in the evening sun on my patio, or in front of the fire or the TV at home.

Sad also that taxi fares home mean that it I go out for a couple of drinks, the first beer costs £3.50 but the second one costs £23.50. Can’t afford to lose my licence. In Kyrenia, they have a ‘dolmus’, a circular-route Transit bus that takes you from anywhere to anywhere on a round circuit of about ten miles, for the equivalent of about two quid. What a good idea!

Swanage – Langton – Kingston - Corfe – Harmans Cross – Studland – Swanage, hop on, hop off! But it can’t be done as no local bus operator would be able to cope with the huge insurance and ‘licensing’ costs and the fact that probably three out of five passengers in Purbeck have bus passes. They have no bus passes in Kyrenia. And people can still afford

to use the bus. What is it about the UK where everyone seems to think they deserve everything for nothing? For everyone who gets something for nothing, someone else gets nothing for something.

Finally. You may have seen the recent photograph on Facebook (reproduced, below), depicting overflowing rubbish bins at Durdle Door.

Shameful it may be, because all reasonable people take their rubbish home; I know we do. The Lulworth Estate tell me: “During July alone, over thirteen tonnes of rubbish were removed from our beaches, car parks and surrounding areas. This takes up to five hours a day, seven days a week to do and there aren’t enough man-hours in the day to keep it under control.”

Whilst I think that it is laudable of Lulworth Estate to do so much, I’m sorry, it still isn’t enough. What it boils down to (for me) is that Lulworth Estate profit from the parking charges of £5 for a morning or £9 for a day.

As with other local beauty spots with what I believe to be extortionate parking charges, I have simply given up going to the places I used to love going to as a child.

It’s been said that to have more bins in this ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’ would render it an ‘eyesore’, but surely no worse an eyesore than mountains of rubbish stacked alongside inadequate bins? At least the visitors dumped their litter near a bin, rather than throwing it to the four winds as they do elsewhere.

Whether it’s Lulworth Estate or Swanage Town Council, if you want to profit from the tourists, you have to be prepared to clear up the mess they leave behind - and that’s all of it, all of the time.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Call 07836 369969

Bere Regis Primary Up For Award

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he new Bere Regis primary school, which was completed in December 2016, has been shortlisted for the Civic Building of the Year Awards, promoted through the Society for Public Architecture, Construction, Engineering and Surveying (SPACES).

The school was constructed as part of Dorset County Council’s Purbeck Reorganisation programme and followed the ‘baseline design’ approach developed by the council’s Dorset Property team. Baseline design is a standardised, repeatable design that provides innovative, practical and low-cost solutions, without compromising quality.

The new 140-place primary school includes five class bases, a hall, games court, grass playing field and a pre-school facility. The previous old brick building was home to the school for over eighty years and was not large enough or appropriate for teaching today’s curriculum.

Wayne Roberts, Headteacher of Bere Regis Primary School: “It’s a wonderful new facility which will add hugely to what we can offer the children here at the school.”

The choice of materials and their colour has been used to blend the building into the natural rural environment. The series of high level windows gives visual character and ensures maximum use of natural ventilation and day lighting to help reduce energy usage and maintenance costs and allow simple control by the school. Photovoltaic panels, high levels of thermal insulation and robust sound and air tightness details were adopted.

The building allows for flexibility and future adaptability; internal walls can be removed and remodelled, if future needs arise, under the steel framed roof structure.

The school was designed to be used by the local community by providing access to the school hall, toilets and a kitchen area without compromising the security of the teaching spaces.

Cllr Peter Wharf, county council member for North West Purbeck, commented: “The new Bere Regis Primary School is a first-class facility for local people.”

There is a shortlist of nineteen projects for various awards and the winners will be announced on 11 October in Cambridge. To see more about the work of the council’s Dorset Property team visit dorsetforyou.gov.uk and search for ‘Dorset Property’.

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Wing Walking For Cats!

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orothy Hyman, from Weymouth, celebrated her 70th birthday in style this summer by undertaking a wing walk from Compton Abbas airfield. Dorothy volunteers for Cats Protection’s Weymouth & District Branch and raised over £1000 to enable the branch volunteers to continue their essential cat-care work which includes neutering, homing and education.

Dorothy said: “It was an amazing experience, I turned seventy this year and wanted to do something different to celebrate. The most exciting moment was take-off and the worst moment was when it ended – I’d liked to have gone straight up again!”

She added: “I set myself a target of raising £1000 which I am thrilled to have passed, and I am very grateful for all the donations. Having talked Nicola Parry, the Branch Development Manager for the Mid-South West region, into doing the wing walk with me, it was great to be able to share the nerves and excitement on the day.”

Nicola had to conquer her fear of heights to complete the wing walk, however she said that the whole experience was thrilling: “I loved the take-off, the views were spectacular, and it was great to support Dorothy, who is an inspirational lady.”

“Volunteering for Cats Protection is a fun and rewarding experience and our volunteers gain a great deal of satisfaction helping cats get a second chance in life.” added Nicola.

We work hard to match people’s skills, interests and time availability to the roles so if you have something to contribute, please visit https:// www.cats.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/find-an-opportunity

Steam Service between Swanage and Norden - Steam services between Swanage and Norden calling at Herston Halt (request) Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle are operating every day until Sunday 28th October.

Adult £13 Return, Child (5-15) £8 Return, Family (2A + 3C) £37 Return.

Diesel Service between Wareham and Corfe Castle (operated by South Western Railway).

Diesel services between Wareham and Corfe Castle operating Saturdays only until 8th September three times a day.

Depart Wareham 11:17, 12:40, 14:40. Depart Corfe Castle 12:10, 14:10, 15:45.

Arrive Corfe Castle 11:35, 12:57, 14:57. Arrive Wareham 12:36, 14:36, 16:06. Adult £5 return, Child (5-15) £2.50 return. Tickets available online from South Western Railway, on the train or from the booking office at Wareham Station.

Classic Transport Rally at Harmans Cross Friday 7th – Sunday 9th September - Travel by train to enjoy a superb array of classic road transport from yesteryear with displays of vintage vehicles and motorcycles, classic cars, commercials, tractors and stationary engines.

Stalls and Refreshments.

Full details of all our events, dining trains, timetables and fares can be found at www.swanagerailway.co.uk Volunteers - The Swanage Railway is a volunteer led organisation with over 500 volunteers regularly working on the railway in a variety of roles.

Whatever your skills or interests there is a role for you.

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

The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

Wareham Area Senior’s Forum

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ear Friends, After such an unusual summer, it is now time to get ready for the autumn. The next meeting of the 50+ Forum is on the 10th September and will be held, as usual, at the Carey Hall, Mistover Road, Carey, from 10am to 12 noon.

Our speaker is Carl Litherland-Payne who is going to talk to us about how the invention and use of the tank during the First World War helped bring about its end. Part of the celebration of the end of this terrible war.

We look forward to meeting with old friends and, hopefully, some new. Of course, you will be tempted by tea or coffee plus homemade cake. Enjoy!

If you would like transport, please call me on 07896 793858.

See you soon! Anne Laugharne.

Carpets Select is a local company which employs skilled, local labour, and is a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen.

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The Purbeck Gazette

David Hollister Wants An Additional Word....

Sorry

bout two years ago, along with seventeen million others who really should have done more research, I was conned into voting ‘leave’ and as such feel partly responsible for what I now believe lies ahead of us and our children.

My decision wasn’t based on the Big Red Bus suggesting that £350m per week could go into the NHS rather than the sewers of Brussels. Anyone with half a brain would have realised that this was a ‘con’ pure and simple.

Perpetrated by Nigel Farage – who I admired as the only man who stood up in the European Parliament and ‘told it like it was’. And by Boris Johnson who came over as a harmless clown but who in reality turned out to be a harmful clown without the courage of anyone’s convictions even his own, who ran away from any real responsibility thrust upon him yet refused to run away from his ‘grace and favour’ apartment where he lived whilst Foreign Secretary.

Anyway, I digress. My decision was based upon the wish to have this country’s laws made by UK politicians and upheld in UK courts, and by a wish not to continue pouring money into an unelected commission, the accounts of which had not been properly audited for many years. A trough into which so many little piggies had their snouts. I believed social media, believed the newspapers and believed the BBC. My own fault for being so naïve.

Unlike a good many elderly, self-centred xenophobes who wanted to ‘stop immigration’ at any price, I welcome immigrants who come here wanting and needing to work. The European workers are deserting us in droves or believe that they are no longer welcome here; a belief fostered perhaps by being reviled and spat at in the streets.

They are not ‘taking our jobs’. Many are doing jobs which unemployed English people think are beneath them or are simply too lazy to do, or which might affect their ‘benefits’. So, vegetables and fruit will remain unharvested and will rot; hospitals will remain uncleaned, cafes and restaurants un-staffed, and so on. I welcome immigrants from wherever.

I almost can’t wait to hear the cries and complaints from the residents of old peoples’ homes when there’s no-one to wipe their bottoms or to be at their beck and call 24/7. Perhaps they will get what they seemingly wished and voted for.

It has already been rumoured that the ‘government is stockpiling food’ and one doesn’t have to look too far to work out why. The M2 will turn into a car park for lorries queuing to get on to the cross-channel ferries, waiting for ill-mannered and poorly-trained staff using unreliable and badly-programmed computers to issue the “necessary documentation” from hastily-constructed customs posts (eight months to go and they haven’t started yet) whilst the freight either rots or rusts. Similarly, queues

I

of foreign lorries the other side will wait to deliver to the UK until they realise that there are twenty-seven other countries who will take their produce with no paperwork or petty officialdom and turn away from the ferry ports.

Will I go to Spain for my holidays after Brexit? Certainly not booking any flights because it’s still not clear whether or not airlines from the UK will be permitted to go across European airspace. Last I heard, Spain was in the EU. Once again, the huge bureaucratic monster will rear its ugly head; the queues at ‘UK immigration control’ are already unacceptably ridiculous and after Brexit with so much more checking to do, we’ll probably have to start queuing the day before. And take sandwiches.

I still can’t forget that this is partly my fault. I didn’t vote to leave the Customs Union or to bring in a raft of ‘tariffs’ which actually mean yet another load of tax money for the Government. I didn’t vote to make this country hostile to people trying to make their lives and those of their families better than where they have come from. I certainly didn’t vote for more bureaucracy.

My decision was partly influenced by the leaflet issued at a cost of £9m to the taxpayer, which strangely didn’t appear to count as part of the legitimate expenditure of the ‘remain’ campaign, and by the dire threats issued by George Osborne; I have never been pushed around and told what to do, especially by pipsqueaks like him. So, my natural reaction was to do just the opposite.

No, I didn’t want to be governed by Brussels. Mistakenly, I believed that we had politicians with the ability and integrity to govern and look after us. Sadly, another error. In seventy years I have never seen such a disparate bunch of no-hopers with delusions of competence trying to cobble together a ‘deal’ with nobody’s best interests at heart, other than their own. I have watched the Tory party – for whom I voted – fail to even agree amongst themselves, to the point where even two years after the referendum they still hadn’t even got as far as ‘Go’, which is scary because they then have six months to convince twenty-seven other heads of state to accept their proposals.

It’s become clear that a government who can’t even roll out Universal Credit properly are hardly going to make a good fist of ‘Brexit’. So, now that probably around a million of the elderly who voted ‘leave’ have died, and probably around a million young people have since become eligible to vote, it’s time to bite the bullet and hold another referendum.

Just ‘leave’ or ‘remain’. Limit that to voters between sixteen and seventy because it’s their future that’s at stake. Us over-seventies have had our chance to run the country and look what a mess we have made of it.

So, my last word – to my younger readers – is simply “sorry”.

Editor’s Comment On The Possible Effects Of Brexit

t’s been the subject on everyone’s minds for endless months now - a word which didn’t even exist a couple of years ago has become one of the most spoken and published words of the year. The truly terrible thing is, no one knows what ‘Brexit’ really means - still. A national referendum, countless hours of debate in parliament and the commons, page upon page of newspaper coverage, and yet the actual, quantified meaning remains elusive. Literally - to everyone, politicians included.

‘We want our country back!’ From whom, exactly? Still not clear. ‘No more unelected bureaucrats deciding our future!’ Really? We had seats at the ‘deciding table’ and have chosen to give them up. ‘No more immigrants stealing our jobs!’. Are you serious?! Unable to find enough British people willing to distribute the Gazette each month in return for actual money, we are wholeheartedly reliant on dedicated European workers for our local distribution - and by god they earn their wages. Do they feel welcome here now? Nope. Are they likely to stay and work in a place so unwelcoming?

Take a wild guess - would you?! ‘Buy British! No more foreign goods pricing our industries out!’ Are you living in the last century? We don’t make anything of significance anymore. We can’t even feed ourselves as an island nation. We are not self-sufficient as island dwellers - it may take us years to become so. Job losses are likely to be significant in the short term. The cost to the economy is likely to be enormously negative.

Bringing it closer to home for those of you who still aren’t understanding (which is somewhat different to memes posted on Faceache and what ‘your friends have told you’), we publish the Gazette on paper. Now imagine

that this paper is bought through the European Union. Rather like a large supermarket group getting a good price on a pint of milk from the supplier (when compared to the price-per-pint available to a single corner shop), once we’re on our own, paper costs could go up by around 30% as we’ll have to purchase this commodity as a single trader, rather than as part of a large buying group. The real increase in cost could be more than 30% - that is, once we have trade agreements in place. Which we don’t.

Think of everything made of paper. Imagine it costing at least 30% more than it currently does. Then take that across the board and imagine everything we don’t make enough of in this country being similarly affected.

We think living is unaffordable now. The facts are, many seemingly voted for something it now appears they didn’t research properly and have very little concept of what the realities of their decision will make to their actual every day lives from next April onwards - medicines, food.... all currently likely to be affected negatively.

If ‘Brexit’, whatever it eventually means or becomes, goes ahead as threatened and if you’d like to continue reading the Purbeck Gazette on paper in the future (rather than printed on some weird, home-made mush of acorns and leaf mulch), then I suggest you take out a subscription (delivered to your door by post each month for only £42 per year) or face eventually losing us - along with every other local, independent paper in the land...... and no. I’m not joking. This is serious, people.

If just one thousand people in our distribution area (60,000 people) take-up an annual subscription, we’ll be here this time next year.....

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The Purbeck Gazette

Return Of The Waverley!

tep aboard Paddle Steamer Waverley this September for a great day out! Sailings from Swanage Pier start on September 7th and continue until September 20th. Recapture happy memories or create new ones!

Sail past the famous Needles and lighthouse, visit Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight or circumnavigate the island - view the spectacular coastal scenery. the multi-coloured sandstone cliffs of Alum Bay and the towering chalk cliffs of Freshwater Bay. View St Catherines point, the towns of Ventnor and Shanklin and round to pass the yachting capital of Cowes. Sail round Portsmouth Dockyard and see historic ships or cruise along the stunning Jurassic Coast towards Lulworth Cove.

Waverley’s Captain said: “We are very much looking forward to returning to the South Coast, sailing aboard Waverley gives you the chance to view the dramatic Jurassic coastline. There is a trip for all to enjoy – young and old – we look forward to welcoming you onboard this year.”

Named after Sir Walter Scott’s first novel, Waverley was built for the London & North Eastern Railway to replace the paddle steamer, HMS Waverley, which was sunk on May 29, 1940 whilst evacuating troops from Dunkirk. Launched on October 2, 1946 from the former A&J Inglis yard in Glasgow, Waverley made her maiden voyage on June 16, 1947.

In 1974, Waverley was bought and began a second career as a tourist attraction. Since then, she has been in the operational preservation and she has carried over five million passengers from over 60 ports around the UK. A major restoration project returned Waverley to the original 1940s style in which she was built. Passengers can eat, drink and relax in the restored period lounges onboard and enjoy panoramic views from the sun-kissed promenade deck.

Fares start at £27 and are dependant destination chosen, please visit the website or call 0141 243 2224 for more information or to book tickets.

There are discounts for Senior Citizens, Children under 18 travel at half fare and under 5s travel free. Tickets can also be purchased at Swanage Pier or Tourist Information Centre.

The Purbeck Gazette

Swanage National Coastwatch e’re here on Peveril Point to provide a safety service for our local community. We keep a visual watch over the inshore waters within about 8 nautical miles of the Point including Swanage Bay and over the cliff tops, foreshore and the Downs around us. We are looking for boats or people in trouble. Yacht masts may break, or dogs may chase seagulls over the cliff top – the dogs usually survive unscathed but their owners, who follow to try and rescue their pets, often get stuck or are sometimes injured.

If we spot a problem we pass the position and description to the National Maritime Operations Centre, which is on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Fareham. Our regional desk is called Solent Coastguard and the watchkeeper there will decide which Search and Rescue resource to deploy to resolve the emergency. This could be a lifeboat, either a big all-weather vessel or a smaller inshore boat – sometimes both – the local land-based Coastguard Rescue Team or perhaps a helicopter.

On the afternoon of Sunday 12th August, Swanage All Weather Lifeboat, the Swanage Inshore Lifeboat and both the Swanage and St Alban’s Rescue Teams were deployed to assist a middle-aged gentleman in difficulty at Dancing Ledge.

We also monitor marine radio channels because many problems, particularly in boats, are not apparent from the outside. The only person to know about a failed engine in a boat is the skipper of the boat, until he or she tells the world by radio. If we can see and identify that boat we can tell the Coastguard if it is in danger, perhaps of drifting onto rocks for example, or if there are any other boats close by that could give assistance.

Some boat owners rely on their mobile phone for emergency communication. In this part of the world this can be a problem, the signal is often poor or non-existent, particularly close to cliffs, and on some parts of our coast the phone is just as likely to lock on to a French signal as an English one. Having a marine VHF radio on your boat and the knowledge to use it is always the safest option.

You may be surprised to know that Peveril Point is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Point is also an excellent spot for bird watchers.

We see a variety of mainly sea birds; Cormorants, Shags, Terns, various Gulls, the occasional Puffin and this afternoon, a knowledgeable visitor spotted an adult and an immature Gannet. Rare visitors.

Land-based birds include a Kestrel, Magpies and seasonal Starlings but sadly not in sufficient numbers to create a Murmuration. Dolphins pass Peveril Point three or four times a year and we also see the occasional seal in the waters around us.

Peveril Point is a fascinating and peaceful place. Come and enjoy it. Visit the lookout, get the current weather from our weather station at www.nci.org.uk/ swanage or call us on 01929 422596 or on VHF channel 65, callsign Swanage NCI. We have the best view on this part of our coast!

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Whalers Raise £2,000

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ictured above is the recent cheque presentation to the MS Society, Wareham, from the Wareham Whalers.

The Whalers raised £2000 from gigs in Dorset, Falmouth and France.

The cheque presentation took place on 21st July 2018.

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Tackling Rural Crime In Dorset

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ork is already underway in Dorset to tackle two key concerns highlighted amongst rural communities by a national survey.

Respondents to the 2018 National Crime Survey identified flytipping and speeding as the crime types they were most concerned about.

Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill is a member of the National Rural Crime Network who commissioned the survey and is the national lead for fly-tipping. He said: “We have beautiful countryside right on our doorstep, but it isn’t just attractive to us, it is also attractive to criminals.

“Fly-tipping blights our rural landscape and has a detrimental impact on the environment as well as generally being an eyesore. Fly-tipping is a complex issue and requires a multi-agency approach. The Problem-Solving Forum I recently held on the issue brought together partners and agencies with Dorset Police to discuss the problem and a partnership action plan is now in place to tackle it.”

According to the survey, the percentage of Dorset respondents who thought speeding was a problem has reduced by over 30% (33%) since the last national rural crime survey in 2015. This is a greater reduction than was seen nationally where the figure has come down by only 21% (to 32%) over the same period.

Martyn Underhill continued: “For a small force, Dorset Police is already punching well above its weight in tackling driving related offences. It’s well known the No Excuse team has had many successes in tackling the ‘fatal five’ driving offences in our county, of which speeding is one. The dedicated road safety team is even being replicated in other forces.

“The Force also works closely with community speedwatch groups and funds various initiatives to educate drivers from all backgrounds about the dangers of speeding.”

“Road safety is an area Dorset Police has focused on and the work it is doing is making a difference. But 30% of Dorset respondents still feel that speeding is a problem, so we cannot be complacent.”

Dorset Police has had a Rural Crime Team since 2016 as a result of one of the police and crime commissioner’s election pledges. The team is dedicated to tackling rural crime and issues, with a focus on crime prevention. They have trained fellow officers, call handlers and radio operators to ensure that the Force is dealing with reports of rural crime consistently and effectively.

According to the survey approximately half (47%) of all Dorset respondents were aware of the specialist Rural Crime Team, compared to just 32% of respondents nationally who were of aware of their local rural crime teams.

Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “Almost half of Dorset’s residents live in rural areas and it is important that they are engaged, and their voices are heard. Having met with a number of farmers, rural business owners and residents on my patrol visit with the Rural Crime Team earlier this year, it is clear that progress has been made in reducing the fear of rural crime in Dorset.”

“The results of the survey also confirm what we already suspected – that rural crime is massively underreported. We want to encourage people living and/or working in rural Dorset to report crime. There seems to be a culture of not reporting crime in some rural areas and this is something the Rural Crime Team is trying to address.

“I am pleased the percentage in Dorset of people living in rural areas not reporting crime is lower (28%) than the national figure (36%). Police cannot tackle crime if they are not made aware that it is happening in the first place. Similarly, intelligence is needed to help bring offenders to justice.

It is therefore vital that the public come forward with information and report crime to help the police help victims. The National Rural Crime Survey received over 20,000 responses with more than 600 responses coming from Dorset residents.

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Out Of The Blue

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eptember already, where has the year gone? The summer holidays are almost at an end and we are all rested and revitalised, aren’t we?! So, it is back to a normal routine of school, work, homework and sleep. Over the summer months we have not been resting on our laurels, we have been busy listening and acting upon what you have had to say:

Purbeck South You said: There have been a number of recent thefts of flowers and personal items from graves at Gods Acre cemetery in Corfe Castle. The local police team will be conducting additional patrols in the area to identify persons responsible for these thefts.

We did: Your local neighbourhood policing team increased patrols in the area and held open street corner meetings in the area. As a result of the extra patrols there have been no further reports of thefts. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep up with being visible in the area.

Purbeck North You said: There are no activities for teenagers in Upton, which is why there is an issue with anti-social behaviour.

We did: Purbeck Police liaised with AFCB Community Sports Trust to provide tournament sessions at Upton Rec every Friday evening during the summer for 13-16 year olds. The first session had a great turnout and we hope it will continue to be successful.

Purbeck You said: Theft from motor vehicles is an issue at secluded rural car parks.

There have been a number of reports of cars being broken in to and contents stolen across Purbeck. Items stolen have been tablet computers, mobile phones, handbags, satnavs and cash. The public are reminded to not leave any valuable items in their car when they leave it unattended. A car boot is not a safe place to leave items as ‘someone’ may be watching and subsequently take the item. Please be on the lookout for our crime

prevention road shows being held at various rural car parks across the area.

We did: Your local police team have been very busy conducting crime prevention engagement events across the area to make the public aware of the need to secure their vehicles and not to leave valuables inside. Our team have been using this vehicle to patrol all our rural car parks every day to reassure the public, disrupt the criminals and ensure that our rural car parks are a safe place for visitors. We will continue to monitor these areas to ensure we maintain focus on reducing vehicle crime in Purbeck.

Thank you all for your continuing support and intelligence contributions, the intelligence you provide is vital in allowing us to target and focus our resources in the right areas. Please keep it up, your support is vital in helping us combat issues in Purbeck.

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/ Purbeck Neighbourhood Policing Team

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Blast From The Past!

This month, A Decade Ago...

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o be honest, it’s a bit spooky reading back through the September 2008 edition. ‘An insight into the deepening housing crisis’ was the front page story. Inside the magazine, headlines included: ‘1 in 4 parents in poverty ‘can’t afford to work’’ and ‘An election not for us’ (focussing on the American elections then due to take place).

It seems that things have not changed. The local (and indeed national) housing crisis is looming larger than ever, with millions in desperate need of secure, long-term, truly affordable housing. America has recently had an election - one with a surreal outcome which sees Donald Trump as ‘leader of the free world’.

Reader, Peter Roe of Swanage wrote in to offer his opinion on developments taking place around Swanage, with specific reference to the development at ‘Sea Court’, which had seen some local opposition.

Peter stated that we seem ‘frightened to death of developers as agents of change’ and encouraged readers to ‘cease living in the middle ages and get to grips with the present’. Peter offered up the suggestion that the area opposite Herston Fish and Chip shop was perfect for development, as was the old Grammar school site at Northbrook. Today the Grammar school site remains undeveloped and Herston Fields are now a designated ‘village green’ area.

Save the Children published the results of a YouGov survey which found that one in four parents on low incomes were unable to get or keep a job because they couldn’t afford to pay for childcare. At the time, 62% of people surveyed agreed that the summer holidays (and childcare for this period) was the most expensive time of the year for parents. Save the Children were part of the national ‘End Child Poverty’ campaign, campaigning for the government to keep its promise of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending it by 2020...... I wonder how close we are to ending child poverty in 2018?

Mya Pope-Weidemann penned ‘An Election Not For Us’, with regards to why the UK was so interested in the outcome of the then-upcoming US elections.The Bush administration was drawing to a close and Obama and McCain were lining up to take over. Both candidates declared they were optimistic and motivated towards better relations with Europe, with Obama claiming that this relationship was ‘damaged’ during the Bush years.

Mya looked at the UK’s extensive coverage of the US elections, asking why it was of such importance to us. The UK had been establishing treaties with the US since 1794, seen as cooperation or subservience, depending on perspective. Mya questioned whether our ‘special relationship’ was a ‘democratic fraternity of ideals or quiet catering to the ‘big kid on the block’’. The question is even more pertinent today.....

During her research, Mya undertook a survey in Swanage and found that thirty-six of the fifty people questioned felt that the US and UK had become too involved with each other. I wonder what the results would be today?

In June 2008, Mike Whitwam (pictured, left, photo credit: Andrew P.M.Wright) was elected Chairman of the Swanage Railway Trust in place of Bill Trite.

Having previously worked as an intelligence officer for Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise, Mike had started as a volunteer at the Railway in 1996 and trained as a signalman. Mike was looking forward to ‘taking the Railway into its next exciting venture - an all-year-round amenity train service between Swanage and Wareham.’

Ilay Cooper published an article ‘Mary SpencerWatson: Justice Prevails’, detailing the thenrecent two-year court battle over Mary’s estate. Mary was a stone carver of international acclaim and lived at Dunshay Manor in Harmans Cross. She passed away in March 2006, aged ninety-two. One of Mary’s carvings, ‘Purbeck Quarryman’, still stands proudly outside Langton Church. Mary left her beloved Dunshay to the Landmark Trust and the case went to the high court after two people claimed ‘dependency’ - one of the best cases for overturning a will.

An out-of-court settlement failed, and Mary’s wishes were finally carried out, with the manor

being passed to the Landmark Trust as Mary had wished. At the time of original publication, due to the legal complications, no headstone had been erected at Mary’s grave. One hopes that today something suitable marks the site where this great lady now rests. Local artist, Toby Wiggins, kindly allowed us to publish his portrait of Mary, as shown, bottom left.

During the 2008 Swanage Carnival celebrations, crowds were somewhat disappointed when one of the firework displays was halted due to adverse weather conditions. However, then-local celebrity, Jonathan Ross, stepped out of the crowds and joined David Hollister on the microphone. Jonathan spent time chatting to locals and visitors, and all agreed that this more than made-up for the shorter firework display! He is pictured, below, with tourists Hannah and Louise Bosier from Chandler’s Ford.

The Purbeck Gazette

Local Bus Drivers Needed

Damory provides bus and coach services across Dorset and Hampshire. ur school services, which we operate under contract to Dorset County Council, stretch into Swanage, Corfe and Wareham.

Increasingly, we are finding that it is more efficient for us to base school vehicles at our Swanage depot and staff them with local people from within the Purbeck area.

As such, we are now looking for a number of school bus drivers to work at the Swanage depot, from Monday to Friday only. We have twenty and thirty hour contracts available and successful applicants will be allocated a regular school route to operate.

We provide full training, so all you need is a clean car driving licence and the ability to pass an enhanced DBS (criminal records) check – plus, you earn whilst you learn! This is an extremely rewarding job and one which enables you to offer a high-quality service to your local community.

Applicants should be of smart appearance, approachable, reliable and committed to providing students with safe and comfortable journeys to and from school.

It’s easier than you think to drive a school bus and our team of calm, skilled driving instructors will take you through training at a professional pace.

Our school fleet has been strategically upgraded over the last five years and represents a modern, comfortable way for students to travel. We have one of the best MOT first-time pass rates in the country and our vehicles are inspected every twenty-eight days, to ensure that we remain an industry leader in maintenance.

If you’d like to know more, please call our team on 01258 457101 or email jobs@damory.co.uk

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Heirlooms Go From Strength To Strength Heirlooms of Wareham are granted membership of a prestigious association t has been a year since Amy Brenan (pictured, left) took over the ownership of Heirlooms Jewellers in Wareham and during the past year, she has made many positive changes to the business which have seen it transformed.

Last month, Heirlooms was awarded membership of the National Association of Jewellers. This prestigious membership is only granted to jewellers who are considered to uphold excellent standards of customer service, presentation and quality of stock. Amy says ‘We are thrilled to become members of the Association and to have our service properly recognised. We are one of the smallest members of the Association and one of only a handful in Dorset so to us being new in business, we feel incredibly proud.’

Heirlooms has under gone a transformation in store too. Amy Brenan, owner of Heirlooms, explains: ‘The shop itself hadn’t been updated for a long time. We have redecorated the inside, fitted new cabinets and counter tops, new carpet and the outside of the shop now sports some lovely new signs.’

Amy is keen to point out that though the shop has now been modernised, it remains true to its roots as an antique jewellery specialist. ‘The shop still has the charm that it always has had. We continue to sell unusual antique and pre-owned jewellery and silver and we offer all of the associated services such as jewellery remodelling, repair and restoration, as well as professional written valuations’.

For more information as well as to shop online please visit www. heirloomsjewellery.co.uk

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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!

Planted by bees! By Guzal Smith

Corfe Castle, by Jason Selman

Goldfinch on Holton Lee feeder, by Denise Exon

Bird on Gorse, by Richard Pursehouse

Boats on Wareham River, by Samantha Hine

Tout view of Chapman’s Pool, by Denise Exon

Sunny day at North Beach, by Anne Elford

Slow worm in the garden, by Christine Bridson-Jones

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Holme’s Amazing New Outdoor Venue Opens

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ell-known actress, Joanna David, officially cut the ribbon to open the new grass amphitheatre at Holme. On a beautiful summer evening in July, our first performance was held in the brand-new outdoor arena.

A large number of guests enjoyed canapés and prosecco by the ponds before being led down through the gardens by the Wareham Town Crier and into the amphitheatre where they spread themselves over the grass terraces to await the performance.

After a short opening ceremony, the crowd were entertained by some extremely talented local youngsters from the Top Notes Youth Theatre based in Wareham. Their group tutor Emma Aldir opened the show with a commanding rendition of “Cabaret”. The youngsters then enthralled the audience with a selection of well-known songs from musicals. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all.

Joanna David took time out from her busy schedule to be at Holme and

lead the celebration. She said “I felt so privileged to be asked because I have seen Holme grow and develop over the years into the beautiful place it is today. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful facility right on our doorstep and this new performance venue will be a fantastic asset for the community.”

The grass theatre could easily accommodate a seated audience of 500 and more for a standing concert. The outdoor sound system worked perfectly, and it is now hoped to attract a range of performers to put on plays, jazz, blues, classical and folk concerts as well as being made available to local schools, community groups and charities for fund raising events.

Whatever takes your fancy really!

To book or enquire about hiring our amphitheatre, call us on 01929 554716 or email enquiries@holmefg.co.uk Below: Joanna David cuts the ribbon, with help from Simon Goldsack, to offically open the new amphitheatre at Holme for Gardens. Picture by Nico Johnson

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Motoring

Of Courtesy, Crime And Cyclists!

by David Hollister

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e all do it, don’t we? Get really, really frustrated in the car, whether at traffic delays or worst of all, other drivers. In the past, my frustrations have often resulted in hurling abuse and rude gestures at them, but in recent years I’ve realised that anger is a choice, and it’s a choice I choose not to make. Keeps the blood pressure down!

Sometimes it’s more difficult than others. English people were always famous for their penchant to queue in a polite and courteous manner. That seems to have gone by the board. I was genuinely astonished to read that drivers are now pushing in to the ferry queues and said drivers – when challenged by ferry staff – become threatening and abusive. To the point where the company has instructed their staff not to get involved in such altercations which they consider to be ‘a matter for the police’. That’s if they can find any police who have the time to drop the odd murder or rape case to spend ten minutes rushing to the ferry to chastise some ignorant oik throwing his weight about.

Both police and Poole Council have recommended that the ferry company stops employing independent security personnel. I’m not sure what the Police or Council suggest as a viable alternative, but I suggest it’s nothing.

So, we are stuck with having to tolerate rude and thuggish behaviour or risk getting a smack in the mouth – or a lot worse. The ferry company said, in a recent release: “If any driver has a problem with someone pushing in, they could approach the driver themselves, or if the driver is abusive, call the police – but our staff will not get involved for their own safety.”

Wise yet impractical words.

But it’s not just the ferry, is it? Meet someone head-on in a country lane and it’s odds on that they won’t stop and back up and let you past. And when you back up and let them past, there’s often not an acknowledging wave of ‘thank you’.

Pulling out into a main road from a side road is usually just as bad because the oncoming traffic has “right of way” and my goodness, in this country everyone knows their rights but few know their responsibilities. My secret weapon, when I see some poor motorist trying to pull out into the main road, is to check my mirrors, slow down or actually stop to let him out; usually I get a ‘thank you’ wave, but it really, really annoys people in the cars behind me!

We’ve had some interesting car thefts in Purbeck this year; thieves quietly break into a house whilst the owners are asleep, and simply steal the car keys and make off with the car. We’ve lost a VW Golf and a rather nice Audi S4 within the space of a month. So – don’t just hang your car keys on a hook inside the front door! A key safe is a bit OTT, but surely there must be somewhere you can hide them in your own home where the uninvited guests can’t find them? Maybe under the mattress in your dog’s bed!

If you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, either as a motorist or as a pedestrian, would the rescue and ambulance teams know who you are and who to call? The concept of ‘ICE’ is a method of contact during emergencies. All you need do is store the number of a first contact person or persons under the name ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were usually mobile phones with patients but they didn’t know who to call. He realised that it would be a good idea

if there was a nationally recognized plan to make things easier. Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as ‘ICE’. It really could save your life, or put a loved one’s mind at rest. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. Great idea. Done.

Mumblings again in Parliament about cyclists…. They should be licensed, taxed, insured, trained, fined for not obeying the highway code, waffle, waffle. Now some of us agree that cyclists should carry personal third party insurance and indeed make a contribution to the upkeep of our rotten roads for their own safety, as if £6bn from car tax wasn’t enough.

But the idea of any government department being sufficiently competent to organise a scheme and any police authority having the resources to enforce any of these stupid ideas is frankly laughable. The responsible cyclists who are not a danger to us or to themselves would probably all comply. The irresponsible oiks – and there are not a few of them – would just raise two fingers to it as indeed they often do when chastised for riding three abreast or riding down one way streets the wrong way.

We motorists have to realise that there is one law for us (i.e. enforceable by coppers and cameras, with penalties) and another for cyclists (unenforceable and dependent only on courtesy and a sense of responsibility).

But let’s not hold our breath. Same as all the other nonsense spouted from Westminster, it’s all just hot air. When they changed the very workable tax disc system to an unworkable computer-based system, they assured us that no revenue would be lost.

DVLA figures show that Road tax revenue fell by £93m from £6.023bn to £5.93bn in the year following the abolition of the paper tax disc. That’s the same agency that proudly proclaim: “We know where you are” when clearly as £107m is being lost through tax evasion, they “have no idea where you are”. But they’re not going to admit that, are they?

Just to cheer you up, here’s a photo of a pretty little Ford Ecosport that I drove last month, by courtesy of Graham at St Michaels Garage in Harmans Cross. Stay safe!

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2018 (18) Ford Eco Sport ST Line 1.0 125 platinum white, our demonstrator vehicle, sunroof, ungraded alloys, sat nav, cruise control, lots of features, lovely example.................................................£19,995 2018 (18) Ford NEW Fiesta 1.0 Active Ecoboost B+O, 3k miles petrol, manual, frozen white, remote central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, air conditioning, climate control, power steering, driver’s airbag, passenger airbag, alarm, immobilser, alloy wheels, B&O play premium sound system with Ford SYNC 3 navigation, door edge protectors, full LED headlamps, rear view camera, our demonstrator...........................................................................£17,995 2016 (66) Ford Ka + Zetec 13k miles, white, 5-door, petrol, remote central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, ABS, Air conditioning, power steering, driver’s airbag, passenger’s airbag, side airbags, cruise control, immobiliser, alloys..............................REDUCED £8,295 2015 (15) Ford KA Zetec 3-dr, red, Air con, electric windows, alloys, remote central locking, 25k miles...........................REDUCED £5,475 2013 (63) Ford B-Max Titanium 1.0 Ecoboost 1.25 Ps Manual, frozen white, parking sensors, folding mirrors, 32k miles....................£8,695 2009 (09) FIAT PANDA 1.1 ACTIVE ECO. Black, central locking, electric windows, power steering, passenger airbag, 47k miles..£2,295

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Business SIPPS

With the current maximum state pension for an individual at £172.28 per week and life expectancy rates creeping up, it makes sense for those of working age to consider making provision for their retirement.

Many individuals will be eligible to take part in an occupational pension scheme, but others, such as the self-employed, will need to look to arranging their own pension scheme.

A SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension) is one such scheme and can offer a lot of flexibility to a holder. It can also be an additional scheme for those with an occupational pension. Please find below a very basic summary on SIPPs. SIPPs were first introduced in 1989 and allow the holder to choose their own underlying investments and to hold shares, collective investments and commercial property directly.

A SIPP currently provides the holder with the tax advantages of a traditional pension plan such as tax relief on subscriptions. The monies built up within the fund can be used to take a one-off tax-free lump sum (currently up to 25% of the fund) once the holder reaches 55 (you can still be working). There is also the option to either make income withdrawals or buy a lifetime annuity with the balance. The amount of income received will depend on the options you choose such as paying to a dependant when the SIPP holder dies, inflation-proofing the income and the frequency of payments.

What makes a SIPP interesting is the fact that the subscriber has so much more control over their investments both before and after taking an income and at the point of retirement in deciding how the benefits will be taken.

With a SIPP provided by an investment manager you can, for instance invest in shares, investment and unit trust style investments and gilts and you can buy and sell within the SIPP wrapper at any time. Essentially a SIPP can operate like an ordinary portfolio but can be a tax efficient way of saving for retirement. It must, however, be remembered that any monies put into the SIPP cannot be withdrawn until the subscriber reaches 55 and opts to take the benefits permitted by the HM Revenue & Customs rules.

A SIPP is also flexible and portable. If you change jobs or stop working, you can continue contributing to the scheme and if you join a new employer, they may also decide to contribute to it.

There are no restrictions on the amount of different pension schemes that you can belong to, although there are limits on overall contributions each year if you wish to receive tax relief on your contributions.

Management charges are levied by SIPP providers and these can vary greatly. It is strongly recommended that advice is taken from a suitably authorised and regulated advisor before starting or changing any pension arrangements.

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

The Purbeck Gazette

Do you have any overseas income or profits to declare?

HMRC is urging UK taxpayers to declare foreign income or profits on offshore assets ahead of the 30 September 2018 Requirement to Correct (RTC) disclosure deadline.

The RTC legislation requires taxpayers to inform HMRC about any offshore tax liabilities in relation to income tax, capital gains tax (CGT) or inheritance tax (IHT).

Renting out a property abroad, transferring assets and income from country to country, or renting out a property in the UK whilst living abroad may result in taxpayers receiving a significant tax bill in the UK. HMRC has stated that, under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) initiative, from 1 October 2018 over 100 countries will be able to exchange data relating to taxpayers’ financial accounts.

HMRC said that the CRS will ‘significantly enhance’ its ability to detect offshore non-compliance. It is urging taxpayers to therefore ensure any non-compliance is corrected before 30 September.

If you think you may need to inform HMRC of anything, now is the time to do it.

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The Purbeck Gazette

39

Act Now, Lasting Powers Of Attorney

False Telephone Preference Service Scam Calls

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raudsters are cold-calling people, falsely claiming that they are calling from one of the well-known UK telecommunication service providers.

They claim to provide a ‘Telephone Preference Service’ - an enhanced call-barring service, which includes barring international call centres.

The fraudsters will ask you to confirm/provide your bank account details, and will tell you that there is a one-off charge for the service. Instead you will see monthly debits deducted from your account, which you have not authorised.

The fraudsters often target older people. The direct debits are set up without any written confirmation of the direct debit instruction, which is supposed to be sent within three days. If you attempt to call back or try to cancel the direct debit, it is likely that you will be unable to get through, or your request will be refused. There were 493 Action Fraud Reports relating to this fraud in 2017.

Protect yourself: There is only one Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The TPS is the only official UK ‘do-not-call’ register for opting out of live telesales calls.

It is FREE to sign-up to the register. TPS never charge for registration.

You can register for this service at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk or call: 08450 700 707.

You will receive postal confirmation of genuine direct debits. If you notice unauthorised payments leaving your account, you should contact your bank promptly.

Always be wary of providing personal information, or confirming that personal information the caller already claims to hold is correct. Always be certain that you know who you talking to. If in doubt hang up immediately.

For advice on this, or to report something to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

The lawyer’s organisation Solicitors for the Elderly has recently published a report warning that the UK is heading for an incapacity crisis, with a widening gap between the rising number of people likely to lose capacity and the relatively small number who have arranged a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).

The report states that the number of people with dementia in the UK increased by more than 50% in the last 11 years, now standing at 540,000. There are obviously also a number of undiagnosed cases. The report also notes that of the 12.8 million British residents over the age of 65, one in 14 will develop dementia.

The concerns they have raised are not to do with the financial affairs of these individuals but concern their future care arrangements. The number of Health & Welfare LPAs registered at the Office of the Public Guardian is relatively low compared to the number of Property & Financial LPAs and much lower than the number of people who are potentially affected.

A Health & Welfare LPA appoints chosen individuals, to make any health and welfare decisions on your behalf. This document would only be used if you did not have the mental capacity to deal with these decisions yourself. This is in contrast to the Property & Financial LPA which can be used, if you wish even if you do have capacity.

The Health & Welfare LPA includes a general authority for the Attorneys, but also a specific authority as to whether they can make decisions on life-sustaining treatment on your behalf. So, this document covers a variety of situations where decisions may be needed on where you live and how you are cared for, as well as end of life care.

This document now has increased importance because a Supreme court ruling in July 2018 has held that judges will no longer need to be consulted when doctors and relatives agree over the withdrawal of life-sustaining food and water.

It will be very important for you to specify which relatives can be involved in this decision, by appointing them in a Health and Welfare LPA. Both types of LPA are invaluable and should be thought of as an insurance policy for the future. You may never develop dementia, but that does not mean that there may not be a time in the future when you would prefer someone else to help with your finances, or that you will not have a condition which means that other people need to be involved in decisions about your care.

It would obviously be better if you had already put a system in place whereby people you trust had already been legally appointed. The alternative is that your family, doctors or Social Services would need to make an application to Court, an expensive and time-consuming process.

Contact Natalie Mason on 01929 500323 or natalie. mason@battens.co.uk who will be able to advise you on these issues and quickly create LPAs for you.

01929 768720

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New Partner For Law Firm

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wanage law firm, Ellis Jones Solicitors, has bolstered its Wills, Trusts and Probate department with the appointment of new partner Carla Brown and her team.

Carla, who becomes Ellis Jones’ fifth female partner - out of fifteen - has rejoined as Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate, having worked for the firm previously between 2005 and 2009. She brings with her Louise Sutton, chartered legal executive, and Rosemary Drew, paralegal. All three previously worked for a Hampshire-based law firm.

Born in Dorchester, Carla attended Corfe Hills School, the Bournemouth and Poole College and the University of Manchester where she graduated in Combined Studies of History and Social Sciences. She qualified as a solicitor in 2002 after studying law – mainly in her spare time – while working for another Dorset law firm. Carla first joined Ellis Jones as an assistant solicitor in 2005, moving to a Hampshire law firm four years later where, latterly, she was a partner and Head of Wills, Tax and Trusts.

Her area of expertise includes advising high – and ultra-high – net worth clients in the UK and internationally on estate planning and their UK tax position. She is also highly experienced in preparing complex Wills, advising on the establishment, initial structuring, restructuring, winding up and taxation of Trusts as well as Powers of Attorney, loan agreements and estate administration advice.

Carla is named as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the Legal 500 and also features in the 2018 edition of Chambers High Net Worth, an independently researched guide to law firms.

Carla said “I decided to return to Ellis Jones because of its amazing reputation for staff retention, friendly and supportive atmosphere and impressive growth over the last few years. I am relishing the opportunity to help shape and grow the firm further.”

Ellis Jones is a regional law firm with more than 160 staff including fifteen partners. It has five offices across the south coast in Bournemouth, Canford Cliffs (Poole), Ringwood, Swanage and Wimborne - as well as London - and offers a wide range of services to individuals and businesses.

Ellis Jones was named ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the 2018 Dorset Legal Awards. Nigel Smith, Managing Partner, also received the Lifetime Achievement Award. www.ellisjones.co.uk

The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

41

From The Kitchen Garden...

Caponata

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h lordy, where do I start...? What an exceptional summer it’s been so far! I’ve been on this incredible journey when in late March one day EVERYTHING was coated in a slippery ice sheet, afterwards the wading through mud seemed never ending and I had to delay ploughing as the ground was just too sodden. May Bank Holiday arrived, the sun came out and stayed out. We’ve had wall-to-wall sunshine day after day after day. Calves were born, ducklings and chicks hatched and some needed more nurturing than others.

Now in late summer there’s this feeling of ‘breathing out’ and calm descending after the frenetic efforts and long days in the previous weeks.

At this time of year I’m looking back to the beginning of the main growing season when harvesting, yet at the same time, I’m also looking forward to putting in overwintering crops like onions, garlic and shallots, winter salad leaves and some spring greens.

As always there are winners and losers when picking time comes and this is the time I’m glad I grow a wide range of different fruit and vegetables.

So should one crop not do so well, there’s usually another one giving a fantastic harvest. However, too many different needs from too many different plants can drive me bonkers sometimes and I have to rein it in a bit.

My seed potatoes got planted out really late and the green top of the plants look healthy and lush. However the spuds underground are on the small side due to the very dry situation. No potato blight this year- hurray! Same with the tomatoes, no blight and the tasty fruit are just the best eaten straight from the plant, still sun warm...delicious! The aubergines love the heat in the polytunnels where it’s been too hot during the day to do any work. What would summer be without courgettes?

Although the (now) giant plants were tricky to germinate because the seeds got eaten by mice, they’re still looking green and are producing a mass of lovely courgettes with the most delicate flavour. The cucumbers are producing the best ever snack size, deeply green and crunchy cucumbers. I have quite a job finding them all as they’re hidden under a massive, rambling carpet of leaves, growing quietly in the shade.

The winter squashes and pumpkins are of quite a different calibre this year. It couldn’t be more obvious these plants originate from warm, sunny climes. I always manage to get a decent crop but this year promises to be something really special! The size of the leaves soaking up the sunshine and the speed it seems to march on and take over more than it should is a sight to behold.

The final tally is yet to come as I really struggle to see what’s going on under those waves of stems, leaves and twirly tendrils- more on that particular vegetable next month.

This is the time when the eating is good and I’d like to share with you a Sicilian inspired variation on the ratatouille theme, called ‘Caponata’. It’s a dish great eaten hot or cold, mixed with freshly cooked pasta and a raw egg or stuck on a pizza base as a topping.

By Regula Wright, Godlingston Manor Kitchen Garden Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 6 sticks celery sliced 3 gloves garlic, crushed 1 aubergine, chopped 3 red peppers, diced 8 tomatoes, chopped 2 tbl spoons red wine vinegar 2 tsp sugar 2oz (55g) capers or nasturtium seeds 2 oz (55g) pitted green olives, chopped 2 oz (55g) currats or raisins 1 tbl spoon pine nuts, toasted 1 bunch Basil, chopped 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Method: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion, celery and garlic for 2-3 minutes.

Add aubergine and peppers and cook for another minute. Next add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking, covered, on a very low heat till all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste.

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The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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Purbeck Is The New Provence

by John Garner

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hat an extraordinary summer! One to remember during the dark days of the winter when things aren’t so cheery. When you’re desperate for some light and heat and the laptop’s abuzz with offers of all that and more in Southern Europe and beyond.

September often produces some of the best weather in Dorset and this is nearly always a welcome treat after the usual windy, damp summers we’ve had recently. This year, if the ‘Indian’ summer joins in as usual, it will be an added bonus.

I’ve discovered and re-discovered (a nonsense term I know) some amazing things just by being out more and wanting to vary my walking and cycling routes. For example, I’ve lost track of the times I’ve pedalled along the Priest’s way without stopping to see the dinosaur footprints. Huge great Brachiosaur pads embedded in the Purbeck stone dating back some 150 million years. That was of course when this area had a tropical climate.

A bit like now. It’s still a bit bewildering to think that great lumbering animals like that wandered about and even more impressive when you see a whole area of excavated land, found by an eagle-eyed quarry man, covered in their footprints.

I’ve re-engaged with a number of routes down to Chapman’s Pool and along the cliffs to Seacombe. I’ve ridden the ridge going from Ringstead to Lulworth and the two of us on that particular blistering day had it to ourselves. Over 30 degrees according to the thermometer.

I even spent a day on Swanage beach, paddle-boarding, kayaking, swimming and commenting every few minutes on what an amazing summer we were having. The sea was as warm as it gets and you could happily submerge yourself in it without having to say: ‘It’s alright after the first few seconds, isn’t it?’ Even though the whole world seemed to be in and on the water, the mood was good and all was right with the world.

My family, friends and I pretty much propped up the local ice cream industry and heavily supplemented the coffers of the brewing industry with a cooling pint or two at the end of a long day in the sun. Oh, the relentless sun.

The grass stopped growing sometime in early June, a real bonus, yet with a bit of watering each evening the veg plot went berserk. The runner beans, rocket and squash markets must be in steep decline because I’ve got enough to feed the Purbecks and all from a couple of small raised beds. Even the olive tree thought it was in Italy. Tomatoes, planted out in

the vainest of hopes, have produced a crop.

Roads smelt of tar and the heat haze shimmer became a daily occurrence.

Butterflies seemed to abound. I drove through the South of France last summer and the heat was exhausting. Purbeck is the new Provence. The fields were scorched brown and the harvest seemed to come early. I half expected to see fields of sunflowers and lavender. Maybe next year. One day, after a long walk over the ridges, I saw a man with one ear missing, painting the scene in front of him.

Trails turned to dust and the ponds dried up. You probably shouldn’t wish for such things, but the fact was that it felt like the destinations on the internet searches of the winter. We were hot and not bothered. Sweating became all the rage. The odd siesta in the afternoon became de rigueur if you were at home or could hide it from the boss. I imagine there were a fair few sickies pulled as people found much better alternatives to going to work.

Of course, there were those who didn’t appreciate the heat. Ah well.

Let’s not dwell on that. And the odd day of rain was welcome, if only for the novelty.

It may be that I never again get to write a column like this. This year could be a passing anomaly and we return to our predictably unpredictable summers from now on. Or it may that this is the state of things to come.

We had a cold winter towards the end and a hot summer. It sounds more European and personally I reckon I’d prefer that to the blurred seasonal lines that have dominated the previous few years.

Let’s hope so. Ever the optimist I’ve ordered a hammock, a wide brimmed hat and bought shares in Ambre Solaire. I’m hoping the shops will take an afternoon break and re open in the evening until midnight. We can all get some r and r in the afternoons. The shutters are being made as I write.

Garden-wise I’m thinking of moving on to a miniature vineyard for next year. Grapes need it to be cold enough in the winter for the vines to lie dormant and then a pretty constant temperature between 15 and 40 degrees. Late 20s should be perfect. If they grow like the vegetables have this year, I imagine I’ll produce about 1000 bottles, which should get me through the colder months. I’m off to do the first pressing of my olives.

Here’s to many more sunshine filled summers!

The Purbeck Gazette

Who Was Benjamin Fayle?

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John Rowley has spent fifteen years researching....

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or the last fifteen years, I have been searching to find out who Benjamin Fayle really was. Many people are aware that he had built South West England’s first railway in Purbeck, linking Norden to Middlebere, for the export of Purbeck Ball Clay. Local history author, Rodney Legg, described him as a London potter, but that left the question “How does a potter finance the building of what today would be the equivalent to a motorway?”

My search started with a Google search on the name “Benjamin Fayle” and surprisingly I discovered that Sydney Art Gallery had a portrait of him. I contacted them and asked about it. It had never been on display or even photographed. I paid to have it photographed and the art gallery sent me a copy, along with a portrait of his mother-in-law. Also provided was the provenance of how it came to be in an Australian art gallery. It had been passed down through the family to a Brigadier Richard Cunningham Foot. He had married his third wife Elaine Huxley (an Australian Artist).

She realised that the portraits having been painted by John Raphael Smith (a Royal portrait painter) should be in a controlled atmosphere of an art gallery.

From the provenance, I was able to contact a living relative of Benjamin Fayle – the now late MRD Foot- an ex wartime SAS member and then a Manchester University Historian. He had been given government permission to access the records of the SOE and the official history. He was able to confirm to me that Benjamin Fayle had been a Dublin merchant who had come to London to trade and had married his great four times grandmother – Charlotte Adams.

The late MRD Foot then put the cat amongst the pigeons by saying that there was a family rumour that Charlotte had been pregnant by George III at the time of her marriage to Benjamin. The fact that a Royal portrait

painter had been involved in the portraits of Benjamin at the time of the marriage seemed to add weight to the family rumour. I then read his book “Memories of a SOE Historian” and in it, MRD Foot made a conflicting statement, that it was George II that had a very brief affair with Charlotte’s mother and Charlotte was the outcome.

I searched and searched, and everything was against the rumours. Benjamin and Charlotte’s first child, Henry, was christened fourteen months after the wedding. I discovered that Charlotte’s father had been William Adams – a Master Tailor – of 17 Southampton Street, London. Derby-born John Raphael Smith had started his career as an apprentice tailor and had come to London to further his career but found he could make more money from his hobby as an artist.

Further internet searching established at a much later that John Raphael Smith’s daughter, Mrs Elizabeth Aders, threw “blue stocking parties” at which both Benjamin Fayle’s daughter (Charlotte Fayle) and son-in-law (Dr Benjamin Guy Babington) attended. This seems to have confirmed that the Royal Portrait painter was a friend of the family and nothing to do with George III family rumour. This left the George II rumour and extensive searching provided no clues to prove or disprove that rumour and so it remains just a rumour.

Benjamin Fayle had his offices at 4 Dove Court just off Lombard Street next to the important Coffee House network of information. He was trading in silk, flax, hemp, linseed, and indigo (known as “blue gold” at the time) and was a voting member of “The United Company of Merchants of England, Trading to the East-Indies.”

All these imported materials would have been used by a Master Tailor and a reason to meet and marry his daughter. His brother-in-law was the Port of London tax commissioner, a useful contact to a merchant importing goods through the port.

Benjamin had met and become friends with Joseph Byerley – Josiah Wedgwood’s nephew who, after the death of Josiah and at the time of the building of the Middlebere Tramway, was running the Wedgwood company.

The Wedgwood sons at that time were “playing country gentlemen”.

Josiah Wedgwood II was living just outside Blandford Forum at Tarrant Gunville and was for a period, High Sheriff of Dorset.

Benjamin had borrowed Joseph’s horse on at least one occasion to ride from London to Dulwich. Benjamin was executor to Byerley’s will. All this pointing to a strong friendship that had lasted over twenty years. With a secured and timely supply of clay requirement needed for Wedgwoods’ continued success, Joseph Byerley turned to his friend Benjamin Fayle to build the tramway. With a brother-in-law (Alexander Jaffray) who had founded the Bank of Ireland, finance for the project was not a problem.

Just a few years later in Purbeck, the Middlebere Tramway was in action securing a timely supply of clay, just one more of the canals and railways requested by Wedgwoods to transport materials and goods to and from the potteries. The tramway was in use for a hundred years.

Of course, there is a great deal more to the story of Benjamin Fayle, but that requires a book rather than a magazine article. In the meantime, why not visit the Purbeck Mining Museum at Norden to learn about Purbeck Ball Clay, once described as the finest in the world by Josiah Wedgwood.

Josiah had personally visited Purbeck and dined with William Morton Pitt at Encombe. http://www.purbeckminingmuseum.org/

Countryside Volunteers - Autumn Schedule

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aturday 1st September: Dorset Countryside Volunteers will be at Upton Wood, Purbeck. We will be maintaining this green space by removing bramble and welcome new people interested in caring 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.

Sunday 7th October: Dorset Countryside Volunteers will be at Tyneham, Purbeck. We will be maintaining this historic site and welcome new people interested in caring 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.

Sunday 14th October: Dorset Countryside Volunteers will be at Upton Wood, Purbeck. We will be maintaining this green space by removing bramble and welcome new people interested in caring 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.

Saturday 20th October: Dorset Countryside Volunteers will be at Wytch Heath, Rempstone, Purbeck. We will be maintaining this heath by removing pine trees and welcome new people interested in caring 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.

Sunday 21st October: Dorset Countryside Volunteers will be at Wytch Heath, Rempstone, Purbeck. We will be maintaining this heath by removing pine trees and welcome new people interested in caring 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.

The Purbeck Gazette

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Lottery Success for Durlston’s Lost Landscape!

Towards the end of July, we received the fantastic news that our bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the ‘Durlston Pleasure Grounds Project’ has been successful! Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery Fund and many other organisations and individuals will enable Dorset County Council to renovate and improve the Victorian historic landscape, securing this historic, wildlife-rich area for future generations.

Over the next three years, volunteers, rangers, artists, landscape specialists and countryside management experts will work together to create a landscape which is even more inspiring, accessible, educational and playable and we want you to get involved!

We are especially keen to ensure that Durlston is able to support other local organisations, especially those for people with disabilities, or dementia, children and young people and older people, especially those who are lonely, or isolated.

Key improvements will include: ‘Everyone Needs a Shed!’; which will provide opportunities for gentle, sociable volunteering, such as gardening, green woodworking and DIY. This will help provide training for young people, as well as the chance for people with dementia and learning disabilities to volunteer and socialize.

Enhancement of the Victorian landscape; inspired by George Burt’s vision for people to ‘Look round and read great nature’s open book’.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue More than a Country Fayre!

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his year the Margaret Green Animal Rescue Country Fayre promises to be simply wonderful, as we are incorporating the Family Fun Day and Novelty Dog Show (postponed from 5th August) into the event and you are not going to want to miss it!

Being held on 23rd September at Church Knowle Rehoming and Visitor Centre, Wareham, BH20 5NQ this year’s Country Fayre will take on a new twist with lots more to see and do for the whole family to enjoy, including the four-legged ones.

Throughout the day there will be animal introductions, giving you a chance to learn about our rescue animals and the work that we do. There will also be lots of fun activities to take part in, including a Hobby Horse Gymkhana, Egg Collecting, making Cat Toys and playing the Rabbit Game. For details of timings head on over to the Events (link) page.

That’s not all - the Novelty Dog show starts at 12 noon with classes for all breeds to take part in. Do you have the best condition Male or Female, does your pup have the waggiest tail, is your dog an MGAR rescue?

There’s classes for them too! Perhaps your dog does some nifty tricks or has the most appealing eyes that would melt any heart? All these classes

The creation of opportunities for natural play and discovery to get local children and adults more involved in the countryside.

Enhancing viewpoints with long lasting accessible seating, designed and made by craftspeople.

Woodland management to make the woods better for wildlife and easier to manage in future, with some of the timber being extracted by heavy horse.

Path and transport improvements; with the aim to make Durlston one of the best places in the country for people with disabilities or reduced mobility to enjoy wildlife and the countryside. A lift sharing scheme will support the Durlston Bus and help people get to Durlston without a car.

The grant is the result of years of hard work by staff, volunteers, Friends of Durlston and partner organisations, and we are really grateful to everyone who has helped so far – now the real work starts.

If you want to get involved right at the start, our new ‘Pleasure Grounds Work Party’ will take place every Tuesday from 10am till 1pm, we will provide training, tea and cake! The first task will be preparing the site for the new ‘Shed’. Just come along to the Learning Centre just before 10am.

To find out more about the project, pop in for a chat with Project Leader and Ranger Ali Tuckey, or have a look at the project page on our website: www.durlston.co.uk/ParksforPeople.aspx and more will be open to enter on the day. We will be welcoming a selection of Dorset’s finest with local crafts, produce and refreshments, not to mention our giant tombola with fabulous prizes. There’ll also be a selection of vintage cars on display, emergency service vehicles, birds of prey and musical entertainment. Oh, and there’ll be hay bales to sit on, to give a real ‘country feel’ as you sip your cider.

There are also three great competitions to enter in the lead up to Country Fayre, where you can win a behind the scenes tour of MGAR Church Knowle Rehoming and Visitor Centre as well as social media fame and possibly the chance to see your photos used on future MGAR promotions!

To find out more check out https://bit.ly/2NWgqHP All the fun of the Country Fayre starts at 11am and runs all day until 4pm, it’s going to be an amazing day out for all the family and with adult, child and family tickets available at great value for money prices, you really can’t afford to miss out! All money raised will go towards helping our rescue animals. www.margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk

The Purbeck Gazette

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Gazette Gardening with Simon Goldsack

Above: Late autumn sunlight highlights the variety of colours and textures.

Graceful Grasses

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hen other plants start fading away flowering grasses really begin to show off.

As autumn progresses they just get better and better and continue to display well into winter when the foliage and seed heads look stunning, especially on a bright frosty morning.

During spring and summer most grasses are understated but if used correctly they are a great foil for the exuberant flowers of shrubs and perennials. Their soft vertical leaves contrast well with the bold foliage of plants like Sedum and Bergenia and also with dense leaved shrubs such as box and Choisya. For a more ethereal look try mixing them with tall Salvias, Michaelmas daisies and Verbena x bonariensis.

Dense low growing mounds of heather are also good planting companions

for the narrow bladed upright growing grasses, an attractive combination in the garden but one that also occurs on our local heaths. In the gardens at Holme we use grasses not just with heathers but also in combination with flowers, shrubs and conifers for grace and contrast.

There are exceptions, but most grasses want a well-drained soil and full sun and many are drought tolerant when established, which is very useful in a summer like the one we have just had.

For tall grasses consider Miscanthus, Panicum and Calamagrostis which will give interest right through to February with feathery plumes, good colours and interesting textures. Pampas grass is much maligned as it is rather large and difficult to tame but few plants can compete with the showiness of the flower spikes. Look out for the form C. ‘Pointe du Raz’ which has lovely variegated leaves and the smaller Pampas grass C. pumila which only reaches 6ft.

For smaller grasses look at Stipa tenuissima, Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ and the brightly coloured blood grass Imperata ‘Red Baron’.

The grasses in the gardens at Holme will be showing off throughout autumn and a great selection will be available to buy from the plant section, so come and be inspired.

Pictures: Left, bottom: Grasses work well with dense foliaged plants such as box.

Top right: For a soft look plant grasses with Verbena.

2nd down: Pennisetum ‘Hameln’ 3rd down: Miscanthus are tall grasses with lovely soft flowers.

Right: The variegated foliage of Cortaderia ‘Pointe du Raz’

The Purbeck Gazette

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Swanage Folk Festival

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e are pleased to present the 26th Swanage Folk Festival. From Friday 7th September to Sunday 9th September, our small seaside town on the beautiful Jurassic coast of Dorset will fill up with hundreds of colourful dancers and the town will resonate to the sound of bells jingling, sticks thwacking and excellent music.

The hub of the festival will be on Sandpit Field, with a concert marquee and festival bar, the festival information tent and dozens of colourful craft stalls.

The evening concert programme features some of the best musicians around. We are thrilled to have Oysterband back to headline our Friday night concert supported by local Folk Award nominees Ninebarrow. The Saturday night features the effervescent Flats and Sharps and the new super-group Narthen, featuring sisters Jo Freya and Fi Fraser together with Lester Simpson and Barry Coope from Coope, Boyes and Simpson.

Expect beautiful harmonies from this quartet!

Folk Award winners The Young’uns are headlining the Sunday night concert, tapping into the rich vein of North Eastern traditional songs. They will be supported by the exciting duo, The Rheingans Sisters. Full details of all the weekend’s music and how to purchase tickets can be found on the festival website, www.swanagefolkfestival.com or at the information tent over the weekend.

There will be opportunities to get involved with workshops, music sessions in the local pubs and the free entertainment on Sandpit Field for the young of all ages. For something more energetic there is the festival dance at the Swanage School on Saturday night featuring Threepenny Bit with caller

Gordon Potts and a family dance on Saturday afternoon.

Over fifty traditional dance teams will gather to entertain you. Displays take place all over the town and a spectacular dance parade takes place on Saturday afternoon. All the dance sides ask in return is loud applause and your spare small change.

We look forward to seeing you over the festival weekend!

Full details of the festival can be found in the festival programme which is available from the Tourist Information Centre.

The Purbeck Gazette

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30th Swanage Blues Festival!

4th - 7th October

www.swanage-blues.org

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sat in the dressing room of a top London venue, the welcome guest of Muddy Waters and his band. We swapped stories of Life On The Road and enjoyed the special bond of friendship that often occurs between musicians on first meeting. The dressing room was behind the bar and every so often a hatch opened and another free round of drinks appeared.

It was a great evening complete with fantastic music.

My companion, music promoter Ron Watts remarked how most people go out and take all they can, and how great it is to put something back.

And so, forty years later, here I am organising the 30th Swanage Blues Festival with sixty performances by forty acts in fifteen Swanage bars, clubs and restaurants.

Fans don’t come for just the music. They come for the friendship, because they love Swanage and always comment on the warm welcome. We have a lot of the same acts because they’re, well, family. We’re inclusive and encourage beginners to take part in the Open Mic and Jam Sessions. Regular bands understand how fans love it when guests are invited on stage to create previously unseen combinations.

New acts include Jump66 with their blend of R’n’B, danceable Soul & Swing and rocksteady Ska-Blues; Doctor Slideshow with their mandolin, tenor banjo, Puerto-Rican cuatro, percussion and harmonicas; the Fabulous Duck Brothers, an exceptional band of seven musicians and singers who draw on the music of Eric Clapton; and Mark Harrison, a much celebrated songwriter and performer whose song, Panic Attack, was the subject of a video screened at Cannes Film Festival.

Talking of films, we’ll have a special screening of ‘Suburban Steps To Rockland’, the story of the Ealing Club, Britain’s first Rhythm and Blues venue where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul Jones, Eric Burdon, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and many more youngsters (!) learnt

about the Blues. It became known as The Cradle of British Rock, thanks to its role in creating a new musical movement whose participants continue to influence the sound of contemporary music. I’m grateful to regular musician and fellow festival organiser Robert Hokum for this innovation.

Let’s conclude with Muddy Waters and one of his songs: “Queen Victoria said it, you know the blues got a soul. Well, the Blues had a baby, and they called the baby Rock ‘n’ Roll!” You see, it’s all one, and I’m proud to be carrying on the tradition and creating a platform for so many people to come together and have fun in Swanage with The Blues.

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Wareham Carnival 2018!

The Purbeck Gazette

The Purbeck Gazette

Threads At The Grand

Wednesday 12th to Tuesday 18th September, 10am to 4pm he eighth annual exhibition of the Purbeck branch of West Country Embroiderers will be held in the Grand Hotel, Swanage from Wednesday 12th to Tuesday 18th September.

The exhibition will showcase a wide variety of needlecraft including hand

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and machine embroidery, traditional, world and contemporary techniques.

Many of the exhibited items will be for sale and there will also be a sales table, which includes items for Christmas, and a Tombola.

‘Portraits’ of our Inspirational Women will be on display - see if you can identify them with help of their initials!

Members of the group will be in attendance throughout the exhibition if you want to find out more about its programme of activities or are interested in joining.

Enjoy the exhibition in a relaxed setting with a drink in the Grand Hotel’s comfy lounge or have a tasty lunch in the Conservatory with its magnificent sea views. Contact: 01929 423353.

50 Years Of Dance Perfection

n July, local dance school, Ranger Productions, unveiled their latest two-act show, ‘City of Dreams’ at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage.

Boasting a cast of eighty dancers, the show marked fifty golden years of performances by the Ranger School of Dance, based in Swanage. The show was devised, choreographed, staged and directed by Caroline McGrory.

I can’t tell you how many times I personally have been to see one of the Ranger School’s shows since I stopped dancing with the school myself, aged eleven. It’s fair to say Ranger Productions have a reputation of not disappointing their audiences. However, ‘City of Dreams’ was on a scale not often seen - especially in a small town like Swanage.

Split into two acts, the first act starred the ever-talented Lovells (James and Freddie) alongside Reuben Marcus, Bethany MacDonald and a large and impressive supporting cast. The story followed three brothers leaving County Kerry on Ireland’s west coast for a new life in New York. They befriend Sarah Miller (Bethany) en-route and arrive in New York together.

Their dreams of a new life soon fade as they are lured into the corrupt underbelly of 1930s New York society, with tragic consequences.

The stage direction, musical score, choreography and costume design were more suited to a West End stage than to the Mowlem - such was the professionalism and quality of production. The cast literally shone and performed to a level not often seen on the smaller stage - a testimony to the continued excellence of the Ranger School of Dance on a national level.

Act two treated the packed audience (not a seat was left remaining!) to a variety of diverse numbers showcasing the skills of the performers, and

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included some shorts from favourite musicals and films, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Addams Family.

The cast of eighty performers performed astonishingly well, with a highly impressive finale ‘Come Alive’ literally lifting the audience from their seats such was the irrepressible desire to join in.

June, and in this instance, Caroline, have most certainly created a lasting artistic legacy for Swanage and have together brought talent to the forefront in this small town with the utmost professionalism. There are calls for ‘City of Dreams’ to take to the West End and I have no doubt that should this ever happen, London audiences will be as impressed as those who were lucky enough to catch the show in Swanage.

Nico Johnson

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The Purbeck Gazette

SWANAGE CARNIVAL 2018!

n true Carnival spirit, the show went on regardless of the weather and the town, locals and visitors, came out to support the week in force.

Carnival chairperson, Maria Foot, said “Carnival 2018 has been a huge success. We battled the elements over the first weekend, but the rain stopped just before the procession started and we went ahead as planned. This was the start of a fantastic week of activities and fun with a great turnout to all our events.

We are very grateful to the support from our community and all the businesses and organisations who helped with running, facilitating, attending or sponsoring our events. I am also very proud of our dedicated volunteers who have worked throughout the year to ensure the week goes ahead.

We took a number of steps this year to reduce the amount of waste created and to take steps towards recycling. Our biggest change was the introduction of reusable cups to the Carnival Arms bar for the first time.

We were overwhelmed by the positive response we received and are pleased to report that we greatly reduce the waste generated during the week and also saw a vast reduction in the amount of litter over our showground.”

The proceeds for Carnival 2018 will be handed out to the twenty-three chosen charities and good causes in the autumn of 2018.

The volunteers of Swanage Carnival are already busy preparing for next year, if you have any ideas for 2019, please get in touch - chair@ swanagecarnival.com.

Pictures by: Nadine Hudson-Featherstone

The Purbeck Gazette

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Matron’s Round - Our Local Hospitals’ Monthly Column District Nurses - e-bikes wanage and Wareham hospitals have many different links with various NHS services and so this month I thought it would be good to share this innovative story written by Hattie Taylor, Queen’s Nurse, Lead District Nurse, Purbeck Locality: “We are a team of about thirty Community Nurses, District Nurses and Matrons in Swanage Wool and Wareham, covering all of the GP practices in Purbeck, we provide nursing care in people’s homes.

“As part of planning for the future and always wanting to improve patient care, Dorset HealthCare asked us to explore an increasingly popular nursing model that started in Holland. The model is causing quite a lot of excitement at the moment back here in the UK with several pilots already going ahead in England and Scotland.

“Six of us went to Gouda in April and shadowed the ‘Buurrtzorg’ nurses – out on bikes visiting patients! We are pleased that we do already work in lots of ways that hold the patient at the centre of what we do. We are now working on more ideas we can incorporate here to improve life for both patients and staff.

“One of the ideas that we had to improve our working life was to have bikes to get around on patient visits. Purbeck is not as flat as Holland and the hills and distances are a bit of a challenge on a normal bike;

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e-bikes are a very popular way of getting about these days, so we are piloting e-bikes in our teams in Swanage and Wareham, this may be rolled out to other teams.

“E-bikes are bikes that give battery assistance to go faster and get up hills more easily; it works on the handlebar like a gear setting.

“Benefits so far are that nurses feel this helps them stay fit and healthy; we are acting as a positive and healthy role model to patients and the community.

“Sitting in traffic and finding a car parking space can be frustrating, especially in the busy summer months.

“The e-bike takes away this frustration, allows us to reduce C02 emissions and get to the household just as quickly, if not sooner, reducing the difficulty of finding a car parking space as well.

“We are Pedal Powered Professionals!”

Until next time, take care, 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!

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The Purbeck Gazette

Hello From Swanage Medical Practice

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e hope you’re enjoying the fine weather; it’s a perfect time to improve your health by getting active and taking advantage of our beautiful surroundings.

Goodbye Dr Gwinnett…

In September we say goodbye to Dr Gwinnett who will be taking a different direction with her career. Unfortunately, the GP recruitment crisis is having an impact in Purbeck and we are working hard to find a replacement GP and hope to have news to share in due course. In the meantime, we have employed locum GPs who will look after her patients.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Dr Gwinnett all the best for the future and thank her for all her support and hard work, she will be missed by her patients and colleagues at the Practice.

Flu Campaign It’s nearly that time of year when we will be starting the flu campaign and we are already well into the planning process to ensure a smooth running and efficient vaccination campaign for our patients.

Due to the national deliveries schedule which all practices have been given, we anticipate our Saturday flu clinics will be end of October.

However, flu vaccinations will be available from September and may be given ad hoc when you attend the surgery for an appointment.

Eligible patients are anyone over the age of 65 and anyone who is at increased risk from flu because of a long-term health condition i.e.

Diabetes, COPD. Carers can also have a free flu vaccination.

We will write to eligible patients in due course advising them of a clinic date. We do ask patients to attend their clinic date where possible, due to the planning and staffing levels we put in place for these special clinics.

If, however, you are unable to make the clinic date you have been

given, please contact the surgery and we will arrange an alternative appointment for you.

Newsletter Don’t forget we issue quarterly newsletters to keep you updated with our latest news. Copies are available from the surgery or on our Practice website.

Please update us We often find when contacting patients to impart important health information, we are unable to do so because their contact details are not up-to-date. If you’ve moved to a new house, changed your landline or mobile phone number please help us, help you, by keeping us informed of changes in your circumstances.

Online Access Don’t forget that you can now order your prescriptions, book appointments and also see some aspects of your medical records online.

Why not pop in and have a word with one of the Reception Team who can set this up for you.

Finally, a thank you to our patients….

We would like to thank our patients for their understanding and consideration during recent periods of change. This includes alterations to our Sit & Wait surgery, which have been well received, the retirement of Dr Baker and changes with patients registered GP and the difficulties we are experiencing with recruitment in these challenging times.

More information about our services can be found on our website: www.swanagemedical.org.uk

First To Sign-Up To Dorset Health Care Record

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ore than one hundred health and social care professionals have signed up to the Dorset Care Record (DCR), marking a milestone for the project which aims to create a comprehensive and up to date record for every resident having treatment in the county.

Representatives from all the Dorset Care Record partnership members have completed the mandatory training around consent and security required to access the system, set up in conjunction with tech specialists Orion Health.

Information that can be shared through the system among health and care professionals includes up to date contact details and care needs, lists of diagnosed conditions, medications, allergies, tests results and referrals, clinic letter and discharge information.

The 100th health and social care professional to complete the training is Jonathan Williams, Dorset County Council’s Continuing Health Care Advisor. Mr Williams’s role is to improve how health and social care work together to achieve appropriate outcomes for people across the county.

Mr Williams, who works closely with the NHS and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), in and around Dorset, said: “The DCR will help ensure people get the right support at the right time. It will reduce a lot of duplication of effort and will make sure accurate information is seen by the right practitioners when important decisions about care planning are being considered. It will help to minimise the amount of time taken to obtain information about health care and other support needs, so that time can be spent focusing on what’s important to the person we’re trying to help.”

Peter Gill, DCR Senior Responsible Officer, welcomed the milestone, saying people having treatment in Dorset DCR could look forward to better coordinated care. The DCR represented real investment in the future health of Dorset’s residents, he said.

“This innovative approach to enable closer working between professionals across health and social care is a key digital element of our wider Sustainability and Transformation Plan to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities across the county.”

At present, the Dorset Care Record holds demographic data from the county’s three acute hospitals, including name, date of birth, address, next of kin, NHS number and ethnicity. It also contains GP records covering diagnosis, events, examinations, investigations, medications and allergies, procedures and risks.

Alert and encounters from Dorset County Hospital have also been added, meaning inpatients, outpatients, Emergency Department encounters and alerts are now registered on the DCR. Bringing encounters and alerts into

the DCR will benefit GPs, community health and social care professionals who will be able to see records updated in real time.

Mike Sinclair, DCH’s Chief Information Officer, said: ‘The Dorset Care Record was very well received by hospital clinicians when it went live. Being able to see important information relating to the care and treatment people are receiving from their GP has proven really useful in order to support the Emergency Department in caring for people when they come into the hospital as an emergency.

‘We anticipated the wider health economy will also benefit from seeing alerts and encounter information from the hospital when this next phase goes live.

‘Knowing what treatment people have received in hospital, along with what special considerations might need to be taken into account for an individual, will help make sure that targeted and safer care is provided by different teams across the county.’ he added.

Information about the DCR and consent options regarding sharing of records are available through a range of leaflets and flyers in the county’s hospitals, GP practices, local authority buildings and libraries.

The DCR will be rolled out over the next couple of years and will include a people portal, enabling residents to check and add to their individual record.

The Purbeck Gazette

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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

OCTOBER EDITION DEADLINE

Noon on Monday 10th September

ADVERTISING SALES LINE: 01929 424239 ext 1.

FEATURE: ‘What’s Cooking in Purbeck’ BOOK ADVERTISING ONLINE: WWW.PURBECKGAZETTE.COM/CATALOGUE.ASPX

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Sport

The Purbeck Gazette

Badmington Club’s Centenary

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wanage Badminton Club recently celebrated its centenary in style with an afternoon of celebrations. The celebrations were held in the Sports Hall at the Swanage School and many past members came back to give their good wishes.

The day involved a cream tea and a fun round robin handicap tournament, as well as the opportunity to meet old friends and read the many messages sent to wish the Club well, having reached a hundred.

The Badminton Club was originally started at the end of WWI to offer relaxation to returning servicemen and it has been running continuously ever since.

Rowan Sutherland, the current club Chairman, said: “It is a magnificent achievement for any club to celebrate a centenary, but I don’t know of any other Badminton Clubs that have managed it. We were very pleased that so many people turned up to wish us well and watch the tournament.

Some past members even picked up a badminton racket and joined in!”

At the end of the day, Helen Troke, a former England player, surprised Rowan by presenting him with The English Badminton Award for long standing and exceptional service to Badminton in England, to commend him for his many years coaching Junior players.

Swanage Rotary Club also awarded Rowan and Roger Wilcox with Certificates of Recognition for their long service as Badminton coaches.

The Centenary Handicap was won by two young players, Tommy Battrick and Dawid Orszwlak, and after some delicious cream teas and the presentation of the awards, the cake was cut and everyone toasted the club’s magnificent achievement.

Pictures: Top: The Centenary Cake.

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Above, top: Roger Wilcox (left) and Rowan Sutherland with their awards Below: Dawid Orszwlak (left) and Tommy Battrick winners of the Centenary Tournament

Swanage Bowls Club Update

id-season has seen the Club raising money for the local MS Society through a wet and soggy President’s Day. With a theme of “colourful and gaudy”, the outfits definitely made up for the weather. In similar weather the Club held its annual 2 woods competition and congratulations go to Mark Sheppard and Sue King for winning their respective competitions.

The ladies’ Dorset leagues continue with Swanage top of their Edna Paisley league and awaiting a play off to reach the next stage. In the Dorset Women’s league, the Club has had good results and sits comfortably in mid table.

New Club members have been joining in our various Club competitions and roll ups with some great successes. The Saturday Mixed Triples League has seen some good results, but with Swanage sitting third, there is still much to play for.

The Men’s teams have seen a good start to the season undermined by eight consecutive defeats, plunging them to bottom spot in the league.

Some of the losses were by very small margins and two matches were lost by just two shots.

However, in their most recent match Swanage managed a good win over Broadstone, but we have a challenge to achieve the much-needed points with fellow relegation strugglers in the next matches.

In the Dorset league the men sit mid-table and in the Percy Baker Trophy Swanage finished runners-up in E4 and won the league in E2 to go through to the finals.

Good luck all in the final stages of the season.

Please take a look at our Facebook page; Swanage bowls Club or visit our website www.swanagebowlingclub.org.uk .

You can also contact our Club Secretary, Barrie Tatman on 01929 421162 or our President Brian Beeston on 01929 289084 for more information.

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 OCT is noon, 10th SEPT 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.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Sat 1st * Purbeck Int. Chamber Music Festival Ffi: www.purbeck-chambermusic. org.uk. * Dorset Countryside Volunteers Will be at Upton Wood, Purbeck. We we will be maintaining this green space by removing bramble and welcome new people interested in caring for our countryside. For details see www. dcv.org.uk, email DCVpublicity@gmail.com, or text or message 07923498760 for us to contact you.

10:00 Steam Train Service Operates every 40 mins between Norden and swanage. Adult £13 rtn, Child (5-15) £8, Family £37 rtn.

10:30 Hand made Art and Crafts By the Makers at St Edwards Hall, Rempstone Road, Swanage. Free Entry. Hot drinks and Cake available.

Facebook “Art and Crafts Fairs at St Edwards Hall, Swanage .”

Ffi karen@karenboniface.plus.com or patsypeanut@gmail.com “ 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

20:00 Dila V & The Odd Beats Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 2nd * Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival Ffi: purbeckchambermusic.org.uk 10:00 Steam Train Service Operates every 40 mins between Norden and swanage. Adult £13 rtn, Child (5-15) £8, Family £37 rtn.

11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

13:00 Everest Babies Reunion At Swanage Football Club. Bring a pinic, we’ll supply the music and bar! Please let Steph or Neil know if are intending to come on 0730 5092682.

Mon 3rd 10:30 Adult Latin American & Ballroom Dance class Every Week at Studland Village Hall. Ffi: T: 421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

11:30 Adult Line Dance Class Every Week At Studland Village Hall Ffi; T: 421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com 14:30 Swanage Poets At Art Workshop, 21 Commercial Rd, Swanage. A small, friendly group where we share and discuss our poems, and poetry generally. New members welcome. We meet monthly.

Tue 4th 10:30 Adult Line Dance Class Every Week at The Durberville Centre, Wool Ffi;T: 421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

13:00 Adult Latin American & Ballroom Dance class Every week at Wareham Scout & Guide Hut. Ffi; T; 421065 E: donnadiebelius@ googlemail.com Wed 5th 09:30 Adult Latin American & Ballroom Dance Class Every Week at St Edwards Church Hall, Swanage. Ffi; T; 421065 E: donnadiebelius@ googlemail.com 10:30 Adult Line dance class Every week at St Edwards Church hall, Swanage. Ffi: T: 421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

11:30 Adult Latin American & Ballroom dance class (Intermediate) Every Week at St Edwards Church Hall, Swanage. Ffi: T:421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com Thu 6th 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

11:00 Adult Line Dance Class Every Week at Stoborough Village Hall. Ffi: T 421065 E: donnadiebelius@googlemail.com 19:15 Swanage Trefoil Meet at the Guide Hall, Bell St, Swanage, for an evening of wide games. Visitors and new members welcome Contact tel no 01929 556374.

Fri 7th * Classic Transport rally At Harman’s Cross. * Swanage Folk Festival Details & tickets available from www. swanagefolkfestival.com * Classic Transport rally At Swanage Railway.

11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41,

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Corfe Castle.

Waverley - ‘Round the Island’ Book Online: www.waverleyexcursions. co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

Sat 8th Classic Transport rally At Harman’s Cross. * * Swanage Folk Festival Details & tickets available from www. swanagefolkfestival.com * Classic Transport rally At Swanage Railway.

10:00 Engraving Skills At Burngate Stonecarving Centre, Langton Matravers.

10:00 Open Day at Swanage Methodist Church In association with Dorset Architectural Heritage Week. Visitors are warmly invited to come for ‘A Time of Relaxation and Reflection in a Quiet Space”. Light Refreshments.

Activity available for children. Ffi: www.swanagemethodist.org.uk 11:00 ‘Infinite Variety’ Painting & Sculpture Exhibition at The Gallery at 41, Corfe Castle.

20:00 James Hollingsworth Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 9th * Classic Transport rally At Harman’s Cross. * Swanage Folk Festival Details & tickets available from www. swanagefolkfestival.com * Classic Transport rally At Swanage Railway.

12:25 Waverley - Jurassic Coast to Lulworth Cove Book Online: www. waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

14:00 The Resurrecters Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers.

Ffi: 01929 439229 Mon 10th 10:00 Wareham Area Seniors’ Forum At Carey Hall, Mistover rd, Wareham.

Coffee and tea on arrival, homemade cakes. ‘How the invention of the tank helped to end WW1’.

Tue 11th 10:00 Waverley - ‘Round the Island’ Book Online: www.waverleyexcursions. co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

Wed 12th 10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

11:30 Waverley - Isle of Wight Book Online: www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

Thu 13th 10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

13:15 Waverley - Jurassic Coast to Lulworth Cove Book Online: www. waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

Fri 14th * Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival At Norden Farm. Taster sessions, workshops, retail stalls, music. Ffi www.nordicwalking.events 10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

15:00 Guided Walk with Carlotta Barrow Part of Swanage and Purbeck Walking Festival. Meet at the Tourist Information Centre. Book online at www.walkpurbeck.com 19:00 Purbeck Railway Circle Meets at Harmans Cross Village Hall for “Southern Locomotives Ltd., past, present and future”, a presentation

by Nick Thompson. Refreshments and railway raffle. Doors open 7pm. Ffi 421 913. Everyone is welcome.

20:00 Woman Wants Tall Man Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sat 15th * Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival At Norden Farm. Taster sessions, workshops, retail stalls, music. Ffi www.nordicwalking.events * Go Wild At Corfe Castle. Meet local wildlife in the castle.

10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

Sun 16th * Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival At Norden Farm. Taster sessions, workshops, retail stalls, music. Ffi www.nordicwalking.events * Go Wild At Corfe Castle. Meet local wildlife in the castle. * Tower Open Part of Kingston Festival Week. Ffi: www.kingstonopc.org. uk ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual 10:00 Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

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10:30 12:40 13:30

Dog Show & Hobby Horse Event Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Waverley - Jurassic Coast to Weymouth Book Online: www. waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

Bellringers Part of Kingston Festival Week. Music afternoon 2.30 4.30pm. Ffi: www.kingstonopc.org.uk

Mon 17th 10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

Tue 18th 10:00 ‘Threads’ Exhibition The Purbeck West Country Embroiderers Annual Exhibition at The Grand Hotel, Swanage.

10:00 Waverley - ‘Round the Island’ Book Online: www.waverleyexcursions. co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

14:00 New Christian Spiritualist Church Swanage At the Queensmead Community Hall, Queens Road. Our guest Medium will be Pat Vitins, all welcome.

14:30 ‘30 Years of Purbeck Ice Cream’ Part of Kingston Festival Week.

Reserve seats through Judy at: judyforgan@hotmail.co.uk Ffi: www. kingstonopc.org.uk Wed 19th 11:30 Waverley - Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard Book Online: www. waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

14:00 ‘Harmony Rocks’ Afternoon Concert Part of Kingston Festival Week. Ffi: www.kingstonopc.org.uk 14:30 Studland History Group Meets in the Village Hall for a talk by John Rowley, “All Roads Lead To Rome”. All welcome. Ffi the Secretary 01929 439245.

19:00 Swanage Hospital AGM At The Emmanuel Church, Victoria Avenue, Swanage.

19:30 Wareham & District Archaeology & Local History Soc Meetings held at Wareham Town Hall. AGM Dr Miles Russell Arthur and the kings of Britain – finding archaeological truths behind the myths.

Thu 20th 13:15 Waverley - Jurassic Coast to Lulworth Cove Book Online: www. waverleyexcursions.co.uk or call 0141 243 2224.

14:30 Purbeck Ass’n of the National Trust Meet at Carey Hall, Mistover Rd, Wm. Illustrated talk ‘Kew - Not Just a Pretty Garden’. Elizabeth Hedley talks about the Royal Botanic Gardens and her 25 years there as a Tour Guide. All welcome. £3 incl refreshments. Ffi 01929 427300.

19:30 Carey Hut Charitable Trust (Carey Hall) is holding it’s Annual General Meeting. Visitors are welcome to come along if they so wish.

Fri 21st 19:30 Swanage Photographic Society Commences the new season in the Rectory Classroom Church Hill for: 3 Linked images – ‘open’ Judge: Members and Outing images – ‘open’ (taken during a summer outing) Judge: Bob Hollister. Visitors welcome. ffi: www. swanagephotographicsociety.com or 01929 423841 19:30 New Christian Spiritualist Church Swanage Held at the Queensmead Community Hall, Queensmead, Queens Road. An evening of Clairvoyance with Hazel McLister- Brewer. 7.30 start £5 per person.

20:00 Whitetop Mountain Band Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sat 22nd * Go Wild At Corfe Castle. Meet local wildlife in the castle.

10:00 Flowers, Crafts & Music Festival Part of Kingston Festival Week. Ffi: www.kingstonopc.org.uk 10:00 Stone Carving At Burngate Stonecarving Centre, Langton Matravers.

Booking Essential.

Sun 23rd * Go Wild At Corfe Castle. Meet local wildlife in the castle. * Country Fayre At Church Knowle. Design, make and bring along your own Scarecrow and enter our competition. * Kingston Maurwood College Open Morning Pre- register now at kmc. ac.uk/courseinfo/ 10:00 Flowers, Crafts & Music Festival Part of Kingston Festival Week. Ffi: www.kingstonopc.org.uk 14:00 Swervy World Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Fri 28th 20:00 Guns of Navarone Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers.

Ffi: 01929 439229 Sat 29th 20:00 Solana Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers. Ffi: 01929 439229 Sun 30th 14:00 Robb Johnson Live acts at the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers.

Ffi: 01929 439229 OCTOBER Thu 4th * Swanage Blues Festival Ffi: www.swanage-blues.org

The Purbeck Gazette

Fri 5th * Swanage Blues Festival Ffi: www.swanage-blues.org Sat 6th * Swanage Blues Festival Ffi: www.swanage-blues.org Sun 7th * Swanage Blues Festival Ffi: www.swanage-blues.org

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.

16.45 Soccer Skills Sw FC First Sch chldn £1 Till 5.45. 425175 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 18.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 7pm 18.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 8.30pm.

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 Steve Peirson on 01929 552504.

19.30 Purbeck Quire rehearse at Wm Methodist Church. New/visiting singers (no audition necessary). String & wind players also welcome. Ffi: 423505 or 480737.

19.30 Wareham Art Club Workshop at Wareham Parish Hall. Ffi: 553718.

19.30 Wm Folk Dance Club Stoboro’ VH. All welcome. 552763/551029 19.30 Swanage Badminton Club at the Swanage School, till 9.30pm. Ffi: 07966 136641.

19.30 Swanage Air Cadets meet at Air Training Corps HQ, Court Road, Sw. Cadets age 12+. Ffi: email: oc.2185@aircadets.mod.

20.00 DARTS at the RBL Club, Sw. 20.00 Herston Hall Management C’ttee Bingo EVERY TUESDAY 09.00 First Steps Toddler’s Group. Swanage Methodist Church till 10.15am. Ffi: Sylvia Garrett 425420, office hours, or sylviag@swanagemethodist.org.uk 09.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 10am 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 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 11.30am.

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 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 10.30 Wareham Walkers. Convivial health walks for mainly older people, of up to two hours in and around Wareham, ending with coffee at a local tea room or pub. Ffi: www.wareham-walkers.org.uk or call 552933.

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.

The Purbeck Gazette

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 14.30 Local Historian takes you on a town walk around Swanage, lasting 1 1/2 hours. No need to book, just turn up in the Swanage Museum in the Square, voluntary contributions welcome.

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 Swanage Carnival Bingo at Swanage Bay View Holiday Park.

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 14.30 Local Historian takes you on a town walk around Swanage, lasting 1 1/2 hours. No need to book, just turn up in the Swanage Museum in the Square, voluntary contributions welcome.

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 Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 7pm 18.00 Swanage Youth Club. School years 7&8. Till 8.30pm 18.00 Table Tennis at Harmans Cross Village Hall. All ages & abilities welcome. £2.50 per session. Ffi: 424591 18.45 Sw Hockey Club Training Wm Sports Centre. Till 8. 424442 19.00 Wm Bridge Club at the Library, South St. 552046 19.00 Swanage Town Band meet for our weekly practice in the Council Chamber, Swanage Town Hall. New musicians warmly welcomed. Please call David Cook (musical Director) for further informaiton on: 01929 422909.

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 08.30 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 9.30am.

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 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 11am.

09.30 Sensory Play for under ones, at Bovington Centre until 10.30am 10.00 Wm Parent & Toddler Group During term Parish Hall, Quay Till 11.45.

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

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 10.15 Chess at the Cafe Tratt, Lower High Street, Swanage (from 8th February 2018). Call in for a friendly game of chess and a chat. All welcome.

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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 Studland Chair-based Exercise in the Village Hall, Studland. Ffi: Julie on 558139 or email: jbrad@uwclub.net 14.15 Sw Over-60s Meet in the Rectory Classroom, Swanage, Sw. All Welcome.

16.00 Studland Chair-based Exercise in the Village Hall, Studland. Ffi: Julie on 01929 558139 or email: jbrad@uwclub.net 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 09.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 10am 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 14.30 Short Mat Bowls at Durbeville Hall, Wool. Till 4.30pm. All standards welcome. Ffi: 552682.

18.00 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 8.30pm.

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 18.30 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.

13.30 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Cardio Tennis taster. Till 2.30pm 14.30 Swanage Tennis Club at Beach Gardens, Sw. Free Matchplay taster session for prospective new members. First 3 sessions are free. Until 4.30pm.

The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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The Purbeck Gazette

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